Chains of Jerehn (+update)

   Hello and Happy New year to everyone! What with time zones many of you are probably into 2014 already but for me, I have another two hours till January 1st 2014.

Please forgive my long absence, I have been severely ill and just recently started to write again. The timing was terrible because usually my best stories come from the holiday months.  I plan on posting part 2 of the pirate Halloween story before next Halloween. hopefully it will be soon. I feel like the winter months here set a creepy Halloween tone better than the sunny days of summer or spring.

I cannot guarantee that I will post every week starting now, but I will post as often as I can. hopefully getting back into the habit of posting.

anyway, please enjoy my new short story, Chains of Jerehn.

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    Jerehn shook and rattled his chains. He did not yell because calling out would be pointless, but he did keep testing his strength against the strength of the chains. He had to because he couldn’t afford to give up.

            Chains were wrapped around Jerehn’s body and kept him suspended in the air. Chains filled the room from the floor to the ceiling. It was a giant room of white marble and gold, with decorative pillars and heavy iron chains that hung down from the ceiling and rose up from the floor. Jerehn wasn’t the only prisoner but he was currently the only living prisoner. Corpses hung from chains and were being pulled on in all directions.

            The large golden doors with the intricate symbols flung open revealing a great dark void outside the room. Knights in dark armor marched in. their metal boots clanged against the floor and the echoes rang out through the entire room. The knights slashed at the chains with their powerful golden swords. The corpses were released from their bondage and fell to the floor. Each body dropped ten feet and broke apart on impact.

            When a chain was cut a new chain would take its place. These chains came from a small hole in the ceiling. The chains seemed to be alive as they grew from this small hole and moved along the ceiling until finding a nice place to drop down. They were less like chains and more like fast growing metal ivy.

            Jerehn struggled and fought with every fiber of his being. His best chance to escape this golden prison was to break free when the knights were there. When the knights leave the room the golden door disappears. So Jerehn just has to break free from unbreakable chains, get past large knights carrying magical swords and open a magical door designed to keep people in. then He needs to survive whatever howling abyss that is waiting just outside. No problem.

            The odds seemed impossible and any sane man would give up instead of struggling so desperately, but the sane men are the ones getting cleaned out of the room like rotten fruit. Jerehn didn’t eat and he didn’t sleep, none of that mattered here. The only reason the prisoners died was because they gave up.

            So Jerehn fought with all of his strength, he struggled against chains and impossible odds, he refused to give up and let death take him. He didn’t know what the future looked like or even if there was a future for him, but he had to try.

            There was a driving force that kept Jerehn going. He didn’t know why he wanted to live and didn’t understand where his drive came from. He didn’t question it he just pushed. The chains rattled harder than ever and for the first time ever one of the knights looked up at Jerehn. The knight’s helmet hid any emotion, but Jerehn still got a reaction. In a hundred years the Knights never looked at the prisoners, they only cut chains and dragged off corpses. Jerehn did something that made the knight have to look.

            This small reaction gave Jerehn hope. Today reaction, next time maybe a chain link cracks. Jerehn shook his chains so hard that all of the chains in the room began to rattle. He fought and knew that he would continue to fight for as long as he had to, no matter what.

Death and Bones (1 of 2)

            The Tradewind had departed from the shores of the autumn forest. The beautiful trees and cool, crisp air was as inviting as any of the Tradewind crew had seen. Unfortunately the new discovery was ruined by the sudden appearance of skeleton knights. The pirates turned traders walked into a town after it had been attacked, all the villagers had either run off or been dragged away and the Tradewind crew barely escaped with their lives.

            John Baines was checking the ship for damage and inspecting the crates of fruit they managed to salvage before the skeletons ran them off. His boots creaked on the wooden deck of the ship, the sound of waves was constant and soothing and even though they were no long on land, they still could smell the fresh air of the autumn forest as it mixed with the wind that came from the sea.

            After a few hours of inspection, John returned to the captain. Captain Mohardy sat on the upper deck by the help, peering out at the sea. “The ship is in good condition and we got a two crates of apples before our escape” John reported. Captain Mohardy smiled “Good work my boy, good work”

            The ship took almost no damage and the crew was able to salvage some of the delicious apples from the autumn forest. Mohardy was a tough sea captain, but he spent so much time with his crew and regarded them as family, so even though John delivered good news, the captain couldn’t hold his smile for too long. Before the crew escaped, the skeletons knights killed one of the sailors. John felt bad because he didn’t even know the guys name, but the captain was mourning as if he had lost a son. John left the captain in silence and went back to work.

            As the ship sailed through the water, the wood of the ship creaked and the waves splashed against the sides. Mr.Peeps shouted from the crows nest. The air had grown cold and brutal and a storm began to form. Mr. Peeps shouted again. “Something is headed straight for us!” He shouted

            The wind roared, the clouds grew dark and rain started to pour down on the ship. Mr. Peeps’ warnings were lost in the wind and the ship was hit by something big under the water. The Tradewind shook and some of the crew fell overboard. “All hands on deck!” Mohardy shouted. The crew tried to keep the Tradewind steady but they were all at the mercy of the storm. John held onto the rails as the ship was tossed around on the water. The storm was beating down all around them, then something in the water hit them again. The ship shook and the haul cracked open.

            Land could be seen up ahead. The grass was dead, the trees were black and leafless and the air was bone chilling and foul. With every guest of wind that blew the branches of the trees bent forward like the outward reaching arms of death. John had survived storms before, but he had never seen a land so dark and evil that it made him want to stay out in a storm. His will did not matter though, the will of nature took control and the ship continued to take a beating. Captain Mohardy was seen trying to fasten ropes around his crew. He could barely stand without being thrown, but still he tried to save as many people as he could. John let go of the railing and tried to help the captain. “Captain!” John shouted. But his voice was swallowed by the raging sound of the storm. John shambled across the deck and stabbed his sword into the deck to steady himself. Before he could reach the captain a giant monster rose up from the depths.

            The creature was a giant serpent, with black scales and glowing orange eyes. John was struck with fear, he had never seen a creature like this. Worse still was the serpents face. The scales and flesh was falling from its face and back. This sea snake was shedding its skin to reveal bone, not more skin. The undead sea snake reared back and then with lighting speed struck the side of the Tradewind. John was tossed overboard and before he hit the ice-cold water, he heard a loud cracking and snapping of wood and the screams of his crew as they plunged into the icy depths.

           

            John’s world was now that of silence and darkness. Then he could hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore. How he loved the crisp blue water as it splashed against the golden sandy beach of his homeland. He remembered joining Captain Mohardy’s crew as a boy. Mohardy was a retired pirate, looking for a crew of upstanding sailors. He was trying to leave his old life behind and to do this he needed an honest crew. John was a boy of sixteen who dreamed of sailing. Crew came and went as the years went on. Every year or so the captain would say “Tired of the life at sea yet?” and John would always respond “Never”

            John opened his eyes and saw dark blue water splashing against a shore of dead grass and gravel. The trees swayed in the freezing cold wind and any grass under John’s feet would be long dead. John stood up. He ran to the cursed shore and looked out into the sea. He was horrified to see the remains of the Tradewind sticking out of the water and clinging to jagged rocks that jutted out from the ocean depths. Seaweed and moss grew on the ship and the wood looked ancient. The raging storm and sea serpent destroyed the ship, but only time could age and weather the ship to this degree.

            John looked down and he saw a skeleton stuck on a rock under a foot of water. The bones looked old and the ocean had washed away any traces of a face. He felt his heart sink and sadness engulfed him. He stumbled through the water and grabbed the skeleton. Captain Mohardy’s hat floated up from under the skeletons head. John recoiled in terror and fell into the water.

            He stood up and climbed onto the shore. That’s when he saw a reflection of his face. His eyes glowed bright orange. Like a great burning Jack o Lantern, or like the sea serpent who attacked the Tradewind. John also had scars all over his face. The scars came from the time he spent on the bottom of the ocean as his face was sliced and bashed against jagged rocks. “Why didn’t I die? How much time has passed?” John muttered as he clutched his hand over his face.

            “You reached the shore. You are the unlucky one. You reached the shore just before you died. While the Tradewind crew was able to depart for the afterlife, you were cursed by the darkness of this land” Said a voice.

            “Who is that?!” John shouted. He pulled his sword from his sheath and raised it. his sword was jagged and bent. It was still sharp and could kill someone, but the jagged shape now reflected John’s cursed body. “I am death, who are you?” Said Death, who didn’t reveal itself, but its voice echoed. “I’m John…no, just call me Bones” John Bones said with a sneer.

            Without a word, John Bones climbed the gravel shore and headed back into land. Something or someone was responsible for this curse and responsible for the attack on the Tradewind. Whoever was responsible was going to pay. John was no longer the honorable sailor he once was. He had become a ghost pirate, a spirit of vengeance and the bringer of death.

Nathan and the Haunted Forest (part 2 of 2)

In the dark and creepy scenery of the Haunted Forest, rests a quiet little house.

This house looks warm and inviting, soft music could be heard from inside and a small garden filled with lovely flowers runs along either side of the house.

            Inside this lovely house was an elderly couple, just as sweet and innocent as can be. A house guest recently arrived at the house and was now being treated to soft music, stories of the old days and the nicest shackles and chains anyone could ask for.

            Nathan sat in the basement of the house, chained to the wall and chewing on candy he had stored in his pockets. “Just great, I should never have trusted those old people. There isn’t even any candy down here!” Nathan said to himself through a mouthful of maple candy.

            The basement was divided into three separate rooms, once you walk down the stairs there is the ‘guest room’ where Nathan was being held. The back of that room had a door, where the old man was sharpening knives. The second room had a tool bench, a stool and a wall covered in knives and chains. Nathan didn’t even want to think about what was in the third room.

            Then there was a knock on the door. The old woman who was still sitting upstairs grinned, showing off a pair of razor sharp teeth. She moved to the door, almost floating as she moved. With the sweetest smile and the nicest voice she answered the door. Nathan could hear her echoed voice from the basement. “hello?” said the woman. “No, I don’t believe so…” She replied. The visitor’s voice was too distant to hear. “you are welcome to come in and look” Said the woman. The door opened, then closed. The door locked and two sets of feet began walking down the stairs into the basement. “Well at least I wont be alone” Nathan sighed.

            The old woman smiled as she led the way, only Nathan could see her real teeth. The stranger followed the woman into the waiting trap. The old man sat at the bottom of the stairs with a net, rope and a newly sharpened knife. “I think your friend might be here after all” said the woman just as they were about to reach the bottom of the stairs. Then without warning, the old woman was struck hard on the top of the head with a hammer. “Urg” was all she could say as she collapsed and rolled down the stairs. The stranger ran down toward Nathan. “Look out!” Nathan shouted through a mouthful of candy. He unwrapped another piece and put that in his mouth to join the others.

            The stranger turned around and saw the old man. The old man was smashed over the head with a metal mallet, but not before he slashed the stranger across the chest. The old man stumbled and the stranger rushed over to Nathan. “Come on, we gotta get out of here” Said the stranger. It was so dark in the basement Nathan just now recognized the man as his friend Stephen the goat farmer. Stephen broke the chains with his hammer and helped his friend stand. “How did you find me?” Nathan asked. Stephen smiled “I followed the candy wrappers” Stephen replied.

            The Old man charged at Stephen with a knife about to stab the poor farmer in the back. Reacting quickly and using the infinite energy supplied by eating gluttonous amounts of candy, Nathan leapt forward and hit the old man with a leaping Nathan punch. It was called this, because it was a move invented by Nathan and he was terrible at naming things.

            The punch was so STRONG, that the old man spun around and slammed against the wall after being struck. “One more thing, how did you know these old people were monsters?” Nathan asked as they walked up the basement stairs. “They were monsters?” Stephen replied. “Haha, oh yeah, I forgot that you are completely insane” Nathan laughed. Joking aside, Nathan never let Stephen meet his parents or grandparents. Stephen wasn’t completely stable and this was a problem sometimes.

            Nathan and Stephen stepped out into the cold, murky air of the Haunted Forest. “Ahhh, Fresh air! Well, sort of” Nathan said. “so how do we get home from here?” Nathan asked. He turned to Stephen, who was now busily burning down the house of the old couple. “Hm? What did you say?” Stephen asked, he seemed distracted at the task at hand. Which was arson. Nathan noticed the trail of candy wrappers that lead back home but then noticed another trail. This second trail was the original trail of maple candy he was following. He thought it ended here, but in fact it went off deeper into the forest.

            “NO! we are going home!” Stephen said. “But…I want to see who dropped all of this candy!” Nathan replied. Stephen sighed. “Ok, but only because I am incredibly curious about it too. just save some candy for me” Stephen said. “Wha?” Nathan half said with a mouthful of candy. He was already three candies in on the trail before Stephen could even agree to anything.

            The two men followed the trail of candy for an hour, eating candy as they went. To their amazement, when the trees parted they found a town. It was Hallows end. “We made it to Hallows End before Halloween!” Stephen said excitedly. The two friends ran into town, Nathan picked up any stray candies he found as they went. The trail ended at a store. There were crates of Maple candies stacked outside of a giant Halloween candy store and one of the crates had a very small hole in it. “They must have traveled through the autumn forest and the haunted forest just to deliver these candy crates to Hallows End before Halloween!” Stephen said. He was glad that question was finally answered and excited that this mystery brought them all the way to Hallows End.

            Nathan was already inside the candy store at this point. The store, named “the candied Pumpkin” Had a large sign, shaped and painted to look like a Jack o Lantern trick or treat bucket. With pieces of candy overflowing from the bucket and across the sign was the name of the store. The pumpkin bucket was orange, with eyes painted black and the candy wrappers were painted different colors, orange and black, pink and white and yellow and red. The inside of the store was full of different colored lights, bins full of every kind of candy you  could ever hope to eat and if you bought enough candy to fill one of the trick or treat buckets than you got the bucket for free. Nathan came out of the store with two free trick or treat buckets full of candy. “here, thanks for saving my life or whatever” Nathan said shyly then gave Stephen one of the tick or treat plastic buckets. Stephen’s had a skeleton face on it and was painted white, Nathan had the original orange Jack o lantern.

            The two sat down on the yellowed autumn grass, on a hill just on the edge of town. It was night, the stars sparkled and Hallows End lit up with yellow and orange lights. Lanterns with various colored fire, orange lights. Pumpkin decorations and the large Jack o Lantern at the center of town burned brightly for all to see. The two looked down at the town and rested as they ate candy. “Happy Halloween buddy” Stephen said with a smile. “Happy Halloween” Nathan replied.

Nathan and the Haunted Forest (Part 1 of 2)

            In the land of autumn and maple lived two young men. Stephen the goat farmer and Nathan the candy maker. These two were the best of friends and enjoyed their lives in the ever-lasting beauty of the autumn forest.

            One night while Nathan was closing up his store he spotted a piece of candy on the ground. “I don’t remember dropping this” he said. He picked up the candy, unwrapped it and ate it. The flavor was magical to say the least. It was some kind of super refined maple candy and was better than anything he had ever made or tasted in his life. His eyes went wide and he looked around to see if there were anymore. It was strange because he was the only candy maker for miles, so it must have come from a traveler and dropped out of a bag.

            To Nathan’s excitement he spotted another candy. “Sweetnesss!” He cheered and pounced onto the next piece of candy with cat like agility and excitement. Normally Nathan and Stephen would tell eachother about everything, especially if it was amazing mysterious candy, but Nathan was distracted as he kept finding more pieces and ended up following a trail. If he stopped for even a moment he would have realized the candy was set up as a perfect trail that was leading him right into the haunted forest.

            This forest was dangerous to everyone and people from the autumn forest would only travel through the Haunted forest in groups and it was only one night a year, Halloween. On the other side of the Haunted forest was a joyous land were it looked like Halloween every day! The town was called Hallows end and had the biggest and best parties every year.

            It might have been October, but Halloween was a few weeks away. So the Haunted forest was dark and didn’t have any guides or lights posted through it. Nathan followed the trail of delicious candy very intently, then the candy trail ended abruptly. Nathan frowned as he chewed a mouthful of Maple candy. No longer fixated on candy, he had time to look around. He realized immediately that he had walked right into the haunted forest and the exit was nowhere in sight.

            Nathan let out a long sad sigh as he continued to eat the candy he had collected. Before Nathan could have time to ponder his fate a freezing cold wind blew through him and a large shadow moved quickly through the air. It moved like a giant bird but made the rustling sounds of a cloak in the wind. Then within a blink of an eye the Grim Reaper floated in front of Nathan. Death guided the dead to the after life and generally looked really cool with his skull face and flowing black cloak and hood.

            “Are you here you here to kill me?” Nathan asked as he winced, making a face like he was about to be punched. “No…to use your terms. It is not, how I roll” Death said, its voice was deep and echoed through the air. Every word it spoke gave Nathan chills. “I’ve never said tha-“ Nathan started to say. Death put a single bone finger up to his mouth “Shhhh-Shuh-shuh-shuh“ Death shushed. Nathan stopped talking. He didn’t think this is how an interaction with death would go.

“How do I put this, I am just waiting for you to die. It saves time to follow you around” The Grim Reaper said. “I do not want to scare anyone away or make monsters think I am guarding you, so I will disappear for now but will remain close. Just give a bone chilling scream when you’re about to die” Death said then disappeared.

Nathan walked through the Haunted forest on high alert. He wasn’t about to let anyone get the jump on him. The forest was full of black and dark gray leafless trees. They were all twisted and looked ancient. When a cold wind blew the branches would sway and creak. Leaves rustled on the ground making it sound like someone was always behind Nathan and wolves, owls and crickets called into the night.

Nathan walked and walked until his feet began to hurt. Just as he grew too tired to walk anymore he noticed a small cottage up ahead. It was brick, with wood smoke drifting gently out of the chimney and warm lighting coming from the windows. The cottage was decorated with flowers and looked like the most inviting place in the whole world. “Hot-dog! Everything is coming up Nathan!” Nathan said then ran up to the house and knocked on the door. He hoped that if there was someone living in this forest than maybe they knew a way out.

A kindly old man and woman answered the door. “Hello?” the woman said with a sweet voice. She reminded Nathan of his grandmother back home and felt more at ease the more time he spent talking to her. “Hello, I am lost in this forest. Do you know the way out of here?” Nathan asked. The elderly man nodded and smiled.

“Oh yes, my husband seems to know. But you look so tired. Why don’t you come inside and rest while my husband gives you directions” The old woman said. Nathan was skeptical and had already walked into big enough trouble. “I really…better be going” Nathan said hesitantly. The old woman noticed candy wrappers by Nathan’s feet. “Do you like maple candy? I got a whole bag down in the basement for storage!” The old woman said. Nathan’s eyes lit up. “Oh you do?! I’ve been eating this mysterious maple candy and have been trying to find its source” Nathan said with a smile as the old couple led him into the house.

“Oh well my husband does all the shopping, but I am sure he would be happy to tell you. He does so love to talk and tell his stories…” the old woman said as Nathan and the old man went inside the house. The woman gave a quick look back and forth and then went inside the house, slamming the door shut.

The next sound that could be heard was the door locking….

Hate, Anger and Pumpkin spice

            Adam convulsed and threw himself around the room. He clenched his chest and his eyes burned red. Anger and rage surged through his blood harder than ever. His veins bulged out on his arms and all of his muscles tightened and shook. Furniture had been knocked over, dishes smashed and the television was broken. All of the destruction started in the kitchen, led through the house and ended at Adam’s feet as he shook and writhed.

            It was a cold and dark night with only a sliver of moon visible in the sky.

Adam was walking home from work. It was almost Halloween and the neighborhood was all decorated with jack-o-lanterns, skeletons and orange and black colors. Adam gritted his teeth and muttered to himself as he walked. His work was stressful, he hated his boss and all of this incessant cheerfulness over a holiday made him angry. The sound of children playing and laughing echoed down the street from one of the expensive houses on the street. Adam was in such a foul mood that the sound of laughter, especially a child’s laughter made him even more angry. He couldn’t get a break in his life and so the rest of the world must suffer for it.

            Adam wasn’t normally an angry or hateful person but during the last month his personal and professional life had been force-feeding him a steady diet of shit every single day. A man can only consume so much metaphorical fecal matter before it starts to affect his mental and emotional state.

            Soon he was home and immediately tried to dive into distractions. Life was too much to deal with and he needed an escape. He turned on the TV and poured a beer. He muttered to himself, repeating words he heard from his boss and reliving moments from something that happened a week ago. Everything seemed to be happening at once, Adam didn’t have time to process it all. Every bad day within the last few weeks kept showing up in his thoughts uninvited, like they were following him, or haunting him.

            Adam spent the night drinking and watching his favorite shows. None of it helped but it kept him just distracted enough to get through the night. He was at a breaking point and was in too deep to rationally figure out how to handle it. The night went on and Adam was getting hungry. He was so distracted he forgot to eat. It was eleven at night and instead of going to bed, he went into the kitchen to fix a sandwich.

            He was mad at himself for waiting for so long to eat. Eating late meant going to bed late, not getting enough sleep, which meant work would seem harder. Work being harder caused more stress. Stress can cause weight gain from excess eating and lack of exercise. Eating at eleven at night can also cause unwanted weight gain. Adam was trying to watch his weight. Lack of sleep, harder work, weight gain, STRESS!

            Adam’s blood pressure went up as he ate his sandwich and stared intensely at the wall as his mind brought him through a tour of ever worse case scenario for the future and every bad day from the past. The TV was still on, the voices from the television blended with a high pitch whistling noise that rang out in Adam’s ears. Then he heard something happened. A soft tune played on the TV. A sweet little melody drifted through the air and went right into Adam’s ears.

            It was an old classic song, Adam remembered listening to it with his grandparents. It was a quiet kind of song and went well with the autumn air. Thoughts of his childhood flooded into his mind. Adam was a small child sitting on the floor of his grandparent’s living room. They played this old nostalgic song on their record player. the music played softly as the record crackled and popped like a wood fire. His grandfather said “This goes so well with the autumn air doesn’t it? so could outside but this song warms you right up” He would say to his wife, then smile warmly at little Adam. Adam’s grandfather had a smile so warm and cheerful that it could melt the coldest heart.

            Adam’s grandfather was a little overweight, he didn’t have much money and their car wasn’t very reliable, but he had everything he could ever want. He was married to the love of his life, he had a warm house, an adorable grandchild and a record player that could play all of his favorite old songs.

            Adam snapped back into reality. The song had brought him to another place and another time. a time when his grandfather was still around and a time before pain. Tears welled up in Adam’s eyes. These memories made him smile but then hit him like a train. His anger and hatred were still there. Stress and anxiety don’t go away very easily and they don’t like being ignored. His mind became a war zone. As he struggled to find peace and hold onto his cherished memories but he couldn’t let go of his anger. He was wronged so many times and it felt like that if he let his anger go than all the bad stuff that happened was meaningless. “Its not fair how I was treated! Why is all of this happening at once? Why doesn’t anyone care?!” Adam shouted as he clutched each side of his head. then he heard his inner voice talking to him. the little remaining sanity he had. “Holding onto anger will not help you. It will not stop the pain but only make it worse. The ones responsible will not be punished because you hold onto grudges and anger from the past. Any wrongdoings they do are for them to worry about. You need to take care of yourself. You need to keep track of your own sanity” said the voice, which was just Adam rationalizing with himself.

            Then the anger struck back, then the rational voice piped up. Adam’s head began to spin. He reached for the counter and knocked his beer and plate onto the floor. He stumbled through the kitchen as the voices grew louder. The veins on his neck bulged and his eyes went blood shot red. He stumbled into a stand were we kept his coffee maker and supplies. He knocked it over, breaking the coffee machine and spilling coffee and sugar everywhere. His chest hurt and his head hurt, he felt dizzy and his veins were on fire. He stumbled through the living room and knocked over the TV and broke picture frames on the walls. He threw himself around the room as rage filled his mind. He tried to fight it every second but it had taken such a strong hold of him and wouldn’t let go. “I just want to be Happy again!” he screamed inside his head. “I must make them pay!” Growled another voice in his head.

            He leaned against the couch to rest but the pain struck up again and in a fit of rage he flipped the couch and then spun around and punched a hole in his wall. Adam began choking and gagging. He hunched over and began to vomit. Bile the color of thick black tar was expelled from his mouth and splashed across the floor of his living room.

            Then everything went black. Adam woke up the next day. Sun was shining on his face he woke up and smiled. This was something he had not done in a very long time. He felt an inner peace. When everything came to a breaking point, he won out in the end.

            He was late for work, there was black vomit on his carpet and his house was a wreck. These things didn’t bother him. He called his boss to say he would be late and got ready for work. Before he left he went into his bedroom and rustled through some boxes to find something then ran out the door, locked it and made his way to work.

That day felt different than all the ones before it. The air had that crisp fall feeling, the trees had full red, orange and yellow autumn colors and he knew that he would be able to get a pumpkin spice latte from the local coffee shop down the road. And it was that day he walked to work with a smile on his face. A smile, a pair of headphones, an old portable CD player and a very old song playing on repeat.

Tradewind Embarks

John Baines was a sailor on the ship “Tradewind”. This ship was a trade ship as the name implied and was very fast as well. The crew of the Tradewind was growing restless because they had not seen port in a month. Captain Mohardy stood by the helm and kept checking his spyglass as he looked for land. A lookout stood vigilant in the crows nest, but the captain was getting as restless as the crew.

“Land!” Shouted Mr.Peeks. On the horizon was a land that was full of red and orange trees. It looked like a forest on fire and with every breeze the leaves swayed and it resembled dancing flames on a candle. The captain and crew were awestruck by this sight. They had never been through these seas and each sight was new and exciting. John leaned over the railing to get a better look. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The whole ride into port the crew stared in amazement at the strange red trees. The captain understood their fascination, but they would crash if the crew didn’t all do their jobs as they docked. “Alright men, ye can gawk later. All hands on deck. Get ready fer port!” Shouted the captain.

  The crew of the Tradewind landed in the port of Honeyside. A small town by located at the edge of the Autumn Forest. In this land it was autumn all the time. Farmers almost always had wonderful harvests, apples, honey and maple syrup were always fresh and apple trees and maple made up most of the forest. The sailors looked at the place in wonderment, or rather hadn’t stopped. John grabbed an apple from a tree and ate it, it was the best apple he had ever eaten. “Captain, before we leave, I bet if we pick all the apples we see, we could sell them for a huge profit with no cost” John said. Captain Mohardy smiled and patted John on the back. “That my boy, is why you have always been my favorite” He said in a gruff voice. “Come on lads! Lets see what other bounties this place has to offer.

The Tradewind was docked in port, but no one came to see the new arrivals and there were no other boats in port either. After the excitement of the new sights died down a little John began to notice the little things like the lack of humans or animals in the immediate area. “there has to be houses around here. Wouldn’t just build a dock in the middle of nowhere.” The captain said as the crew left the port and began walking down a dirt path that they hoped would lead to town.

The shake of trees and the sound of loud stomping startled the crew. Everyone drew their swords. The captain had two pistols and John had a handcrafted longsword. Not something a sailor normally carries around.

The village of Honeside came into view. the streets were empty and no one could be seen in the houses. “I don’t like this” one of the men said. Then soldiers in black armor stepped into view. they were coming from the surrounding forest and there numbers kept growing. “Ok lads, I say we make a hasty retreat. Three of you lads, John and I will back out slowly and try to buy the rest of you time to get the boat ready and maybe fill a box or two of those apples if you can manage” The captain said as everyone slowly backed up. “What about the village?” John asked. “They be dead boy, we are but simple sailors, not the navy. So unless you want to join the poor sods in their graves, I suggest you follow my plan” Captain Mohardy said.

Most of the crew ran back to the boat as fast as they could. The armored soldiers had noticed the sailors and were advancing. “Are you ready for this?” Asked the captain, the remaining crew nodded and had their weapons ready. Captain Mohardy fired both off both of his pistols at the closest soldier. One of the sailors also took a shot, then everyone switched to their swords. The bullets hit the first soldier and made him stagger. Two bounced off and one got into the neck opening between the helmet and the chest piece, but the soldier didn’t fall over. The Captain and remaining crew kept backing up and the soldiers advanced. When the first wave of black armored figures were close enough John lunged forward with his sword and stabbed his sword right through the eye hole of one of the soldiers helmets. This made the soldier stumble but not fall. “what are these things?” John removed his blade and gave the creature a kick. The force rattled the soldier and made its helmet fall off. The soldier’s head was just a bare skull under the helmet. “Skeletons, w-walking dead?” one of the crew said. “stick to the plan!” The captain replied.

A cool breeze blew through the autumn forest, birds chirped and the sun was shining. On any other day this would have been a beautiful sight, but the sound of swords clashing and screams disrupted an otherwise nice day. “Try to knock off their heads” John shouted as he gave a skeleton a clean slice. He chopped its head off, sending the skull tumbling through the air. Without the head the rest of the body mysteriously puffed into purple smoke and the black armor clattered to the ground. “Ya know I might have made this place one of my regular trade routes if it didn’t have skeleton monsters in it” The captain said. John smiled “you are getting picky in your old age” John replied.

The sailors fought and continued to back up as the skeleton soldiers advanced. Every minute more of the creatures were jumping into battle. The skeletons were slow, but their blades were sharp and it wasn’t easy getting around their armor. One of the crew stabbed through the neck opening in the armor, the sword got stuck in the armor as it clattered to the ground. The sailor went to retrieve his sword but was stabbed in the back by a skeleton. John tried to go help his crew mate but the captain stopped him. “Can’t risk it. Too many mate” He said.

Finally they reached the shore. The ship was ready to go and the crew even managed to get a few apples into crates. Swarms of skeletons rushed the port, so the captain and crew decided to make a mad dash to the boat. A loud bang sounded out as a cannon from the Tradewind fired out. The cannonball struck the land and skeletons flew everywhere. The captain ran on board and started yelling orders. John helped the remaining crew on and then jumped on at the last minute just as the Tradewind was setting off. Skeletons tried to cling to the side of the ship but were quickly scrapped off by the crew. They slashed with their swords and fired shots from their guns until the last skeleton was left far behind.

“That was fun…where next captain?” John Baines asked. “Aye, somewhere a little more lively perhaps” The captain replied.

Autumn Moon

Far away, out into space sits a large ball of rock that floats around our planet. It is called the moon. It is not magical or mysterious, it doesn’t even produce its own light. Yet, when I hear the word moon look at the moon my mind races with scenes of fantasy.

Joseph stared up at the full moon in the night sky. It was bigger than he had ever seen it and had an orange tint to it. Joseph was mesmerized by the sight of this glowing, light orange ball floating in the black sky, surrounded by millions of sparkling lights. A cool wind blew through the neighborhood and Joseph shivered. His mother told him there was going to be an autumn moon tonight and he rushed out to see it, forgetting his jacket.

Many of Joseph’s friends wouldn’t have cared about such a thing and many adults didn’t either. They couldn’t see the magic of it, they couldn’t see the mesmerizing beauty of a full moon. Whether its silver or light orange, it invokes a sense of wonderment and mystery. Moonlight shined down and the light bounced around through the fog of the cool autumn night. It was far from Halloween, but this was the kind of feeling Halloween always gave Joseph. The feeling that maybe when the lights go out and on a full moon anything is possible. The dull traffic and bright sunlight is gone and people are home, winding down for the night or resting in their beds. The world seems quiet and beautiful for a few simple moments.

Joseph wished people could see the world as he did, that they could see how much joy simple things could bring, The cool autumn air, a rainy day, a quiet foggy night,  or even a harvest moon.

Feedback update

 This is an update, this weeks story will still be posted.

I just wanted to say Thank you all for reading my stories. I have been writing short stories on and off for a few years now and love every story I wrote. My hope is that I can spread new ideas or at least distract someone from boredom for a short period of time. I didn't expect many views, but I have almost three thousand total views. which is crazy. in internet terms that might not be much, but when I can see that people from different countries read my stories or at least have clicked on my blog and that is so wonderful.

 I will continue to write as I have always done, but I encourage anyone who enjoys my stories to leave feedback. comments about a favorite story or feelings about a certain story. anyway, I just want to say thanks again to all of those who read my stories.

Stephen -

Felix and the Trick or treat

            On a cool autumn night a small black cat wearing a small black hat, sat on a fence. The cat had a collar, attached to the collar was a little black bowtie. Below the bowtie hung the nametag. “Felix” was engraved on the small metal oval hanging from the cat’s orange color. With the combination of the gentleman’s hat and bowtie, Felix looked like he was ready for a night on the town. More accurately his owners dressed him up for Halloween before letting him out for the night. Despite not dressing himself Felix still walked with a certain level of confidence and looked handsome in his little outfit.

            A full moon lit up the sky and stars sparkled like diamonds against black satin. The town of “Maple Hill” was small and rural. It was a safe town and most people knew their neighbors. On Halloween Parents felt safe enough to let their kids trick or treat without an adult, usually an older sibling would look after the younger ones, or a child would go with friends. Felix bounced a little as he walked. The crisp air and the smell of baked goods tickled his nose and gave him energy. The sound of crunching leaves mixed with the giggling of children and the low howl of the wind.

            As Felix enjoyed his night of strolling the town he saw an unfamiliar cat. He knew every cat in the neighborhood just as the humans knew at least the face of every person in town. This cat was a girl cat, she was all black and had piercing green eyes. She wasn’t dressed up and didn’t have a collar. Felix was enchanted and walked right up to the slender black cat. Felix’s yellow eyes, black fur and black and orange outfit looked great on Halloween night, but somehow this new cat seemed to fit the night even better.

            As he approached this cat, she turned to him and smiled. Which was strange because cats can’t really ‘smile’. Felix stopped and was more cautious when he approached. The Female cat patted Felix’s head. Then turned to leave. Felix was about to approach but before he could the black cat turned into a crow, black with emerald green eyes. The crow looked at Felix as he stumbled backward. Then without a word or even a caw, the crow took off silently into the night.

            Halloween is a special time of the year when people dress up, eat candy and just for a brief time just might believe magic is real. On Halloween it doesn’t matter if you are a human or a cat, if something looks strange, maybe give it a second look.

Pumpkin Coffee

It has been a while since I posted a true short story. So here it is. Autumn is here (sort of) and that always gets my creative mind flowing.
I recommend when you get to the part about Jon taking a sip of coffee, play this music. It is what I listened to when I wrote this. into the song at 3:19 it goes into this fast almost metal version. it can be jarring if you don't expect it and that is where i stopped. Just FYI. anyway, enjoy the story!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4HfzwgUbcw


   

It was the beginning of September and Jon rolled out of bed. It was the kind of morning were he didn’t even bother landing on his feet. Jon opened his eyes, let out an annoyed sigh that he was awake and then rolled his body to the edge of the bed, then let gravity take over. Jon fell to the ground in a heap of sheets and didn’t bother moving right away. He stayed there for about ten seconds before stirring.

The birds chirped happily outside and the air conditioner hummed quietly in the next room. Jon slowly got to his feet, picked his sheets off of the floor and then threw them against the wall. The sheets hit the wall and landed on the bed in a messy pile.

For the last four months it had been summer. Heat day in and day out. Jon hated it. He hated the heat and the only thing he hated more than summer, was the people who loved the summer. School and college were over and Jon had a job now. Summer meant nothing to him except scorching weather, sweating, and feeling nauseous every day he had to spend in the direct sunlight. His pale skin burned and he got heat stroke very easily. He had to wear a hat all the time and carry a water bottle. He was not made to live like this. He was made to live somewhere cloudy and cool. Where the rain refreshes your spirit and the occasional sunshine is welcomed and not scorned.

Jon ate breakfast and dressed for work. He moved sluggishly up to the door, slowly opened it, then suddenly a burst of cool air hit him. It wasn’t chilly autumn air, but it was the first relief he had in months. Jon took a deep breath in and suddenly his blood started to pump again. Instead of blood moving sluggishly through his veins, it woke right up and surged through him. delivery oxygen and all the wonderful brain chemicals that we all enjoy.

Jon smiled for the first time in months and walked happily to his car. The trees were still green, but there was a slight overcast and the air was almost too cold for his short-sleeved work shirt. He got into his car and sped off down the road. He listened to his calming “autumn mix” CD. He found that chilly weather always put him in the mood to listen to slow music. Jon drove down the road toward his work, but decided to make a stop. He pulled into the parking lot of his ‘local’ big business chain coffee shops and strode into the store with a renewed sense of purpose. The line consisted of men and women of different ages all dressed in nice work clothes with faces that fit better at a funeral than a coffee shop. Jon was the only one smiling and everyone kept their distance. Because surely anyone that’s happy is truly insane, surely. So Jon waits his turn, he looks at the board to pass the time but doesn’t bother reading it. He knows exactly what he wants, a fresh hot pumpkin coffee to kick off the season. This location would have the privilege of serving his first cup, the first of many cups.

When it was his turn, Jon walked up to the lady at the counter and said “one pumpkin coffee please” He said this with a smile as he stood tall. The woman, who looked to be in her twenties, gave a tired, vacant look as a reply. “It sucks having my favorite flavor be a seasonal one” Jon said nervously as the cashier stared at him. The girl eventually said “We don’t have pumpkin. It’s not even on the board. Who even serves…” The woman said in a condescending tone, but was interrupted when Jon slammed his hands down on the counter. “September is autumn! Don’t give me shit!” Jon said angrily then regained his senses and left. He was tired of being treated like a weirdo for ordering pumpkin drinks as soon as summer ended. If Beer were season you bet people would be even more fanatical than he was about pumpkin. Jon also knew from experience that companies put pumpkin flavors out immediately to start the season as soon as they can and make lots of money on their seasonal flavors. Jon knew it was to make money, but he didn’t care. If he got the flavor he wanted, he didn’t mind spending upwards of four bucks for a cup.

Luckily coffee shops plagued the streets and spread out like a virus, a delicious virus. Jon drove ten feet and pulled into the next coffee shop. He waited in line and ordered a coffee, his good mood had waned slightly. “one pumpkin coffee please” Jon said, sounding more like the coffee zombies behind him than he cared to. “Sure here you go, honey” Said the cashier. This cashier was a woman in her forties who knew the coffee shop front and back. She was always friendly and helpful. So much so that if they didn’t have pumpkin flavor, this woman would know when exactly they would get it. Jon might have had a crush on her for that very reason. “Bless you, you are a constant ray of light in the morning” Jon said to her. He wasn’t flirting. Jon and the Cashier knew each other because Jon always stopped in for coffee. The first coffee shop girl should have known him too, but people in their early twenties don’t know what customer service is or what it sounds like. Jon was twenty-six, but disliked working with anyone under thirty. People in Jon’s age ground and younger seemed to just do the bare minimum, which made dealing with them a chore.

Jon pushed aside his inner monologue and walked swiftly to the car with his prize in hand. “Oh the things I am going to do to you!” Jon said excitedly. The absurd statement made him laugh. The older gentleman walking passed Jon just shook his head.

Jon got into his car and took his first sip. Sweetness and spice hit his tongue and his brain lit up like a Jack-o-lantern. Little red, yellow and orange autumn leaves floated around Jon’s head as he swallowed his first sip, then put his head back and let out a long satisfied sigh. The leaves danced as if being swept around by a tiny breeze and the colors glowed faintly as the leaves moved. The world seemed perfect for a moment.

The world did not change, but Jon’s imagination took over. Through his left eye he saw the fantasy and the dreams, through his right was the reality. He drove down the street. Green trees turned gold, bushes lit up with red and orange like they were on fire. Leaves floated through the air, drifting lightly on delicate a delicate breeze. The world seemed right and the air was fresh. All at once Jon could see Halloween on the horizon, pumpkins dotted the landscape but soon transformed into Jack-o-lanterns as the night sky rose up, covering the morning sun. Jon continued to drive. He could see trick-or-treaters running along the neighborhood wearing costumes and giggling frantically as they chased each other. He saw a beautiful afternoon of thanksgiving with his family and football to watch as he fell into a turkey coma. He saw a line up of delicious food that only Fall could provide. He saw it all in front of him, ready for the best part of the year. It was all right there for the taking. It might have only been September first, but time passes quicker than people realize. Tomorrow there will be autumn leaves and the next day there will be pumpkin flavored everything, feasts, and laughing, family and cool weather. This is why Jon loved fall, this is why he loved pumpkin coffee, not just the taste but the feeling. It meant so much to him, it was insulting to think of it as only “seasonal”. Seasonal was such a sterile word, so plain. It didn’t ring out with the million images that buzzed through his mind as the caffeine surged through his veins.

Jon eventually arrived at work and the world returned to normal. The trees were green and the autumn pushed back. Jon stood by his old car, he was just a man, holding a coffee, going to work. Before Jon went into his office building he took one long swig of pumpkin coffee. Autumn was just over the horizon and Jon could see it so clearly.

New Blog

Going to be changing my site from Blogspot to tumblr. still going to post short stories every Wednesday. going to slowly start importing my old stories onto tumblr. 

I will be keeping this blog open and will be posting stories on here as well as on tumblr. So this blog is not shutting down, I am just trying to reach more people.

this blog will be just stories. the tumblr will be stories plus pictures and things that relate to my stories.

Also Sorry for the huge lack in short stories.

this hasn't been the hottest summer but it has been the most exhausting one.

new blog

http://sjmstories.tumblr.com/

 

 

 

~

Tail of two cats

In the darkness of night two life forms were created. These beasts were born from the shadows and were created through their own sheer will. They were born because they willed themselves to be so. They started very small. The Shadow beasts looked like a small adorable ball of dark fur. One of the creatures was dark black with only the slightest of white markings. The other was black with other dark colors mixed in.

Into the night the creatures walked, their slow pace and tiny frame giving the illusion of innocence. These creatures were in fact adorable, but the mischief and evil intent could be seen in clearly in their bright yellow eyes.

            The tiny beasts stalked the streets. They lived and thrived in the human world. These creatures weren’t friends nor were they enemies. They both preferred being dominate but respected the others strength enough to work together for a time. during one of their nightly walks in the town, humans came and caught the black and brown create and took her away. Being so small at the time, there was nothing either of these shadowy female creatures could do.

            A year passed and the blackest of the two continued to live on the streets. She traveled among the local street cats for company and occasionally changed her form to look like them. One day a human truck rolled up and two humans got out. They had thick leather gloves and a cage. They came to wrangle the stray cats in the area. The darkest of shadow beasts had warmed up to the cats that kept her company. So as the humans approached. The beast charged forward as the alley cats slipped out behind a house.

            A struggle ensued, but the beast still wasn’t big enough to fight. So she inevitably lost and was thrown in the cage.

            The shadow beast woke up and was in a larger cage, in a building. Dogs, cats and other animals surrounded her. She was in an animal shelter. She roared in protest, but sadly she had spent too much time with cats and was still very small, so her roar was more of an adorable “mew”. This prompted a kindly human to come by and bring food.

 It might have been confined but this wasn’t so bad having free food and a safe place to sleep.

            Then one day a family arrived to adopt a cat. The shadowy monster did her best to look like a cat. She was smart enough to know this ‘adoption’ thing was her way out. Then once she was ‘adopted’ she could escape and travel back to her street.

            From there she was ‘adopted’ and taken to the human home. She was given the name “Gali” and was treated very nicely. After some time had passed Gali had become used to the perks of being a house cat. She just had to keep her form stable and catlike. She would get massages, food, water and comfortable things to sleep on. Life was bliss.

As the years went on, she stayed in cat form for so long, she forgot how to change back to her neutral form. The only thing that changed was her eye color. Since color wasn’t a physical thing and she couldn’t reach the mirror, her eyes would change from bright yellow to bright green and anything in between. This changed happened depending on her mood. The humans never were suspicious but they were aware of it. Luckily humans are dumb and don’t believe that some cats and animals are actually shadow creatures brought into this world through sheer force of will.

            Gali had many adventures during her time with the humans, but missed her rival at times. Little did she know that soon her shadowy sister would be coming over to stay.

In the Mirror

            Joseph stared blankly at the mirror. He studied his reflection, every flaw, curve and movement of his face. His Bathroom mirror opened into three sections. When he opened them outward his single reflection turned into three. If he angled them at a right angle he could see ten or more sides of his face as the reflections bounced off of each other.

            Joseph stared into the sea of reflection, he could see every angle of his head and saw literal sides of himself that he had never seen before. This is how he looked to the rest of the world. Most people only see one side of themselves. A straight mirror only shows you the angle you present. But while you look at the ten percent of yourself the world sees everything.

           

            The reflections on the mirror all looked off in different directions, exposing a piece of themselves. Then all at once, they began to talk. Each small reflection spoke and loudly announced all of Joseph’s personal feelings. He saw and heard the whole spectrum of what he was capable of thinking and doing. One reflection recalled the time he was very brave and saved a cat from being run over. While another endlessly spoke about that one time he was rude to that one girl. The reflection added that Joseph was not only rude, but didn’t even remember her name. All of his reflections spoke of random events, some important and others not so much. “Why are vegetarians so stuck up? Isn’t that baby cute? No, babies are gross. Man I should probably go to the dentist, I wonder how much they cost. Did that guy flip me off? He’s dead!” the reflections spoke.

            Joseph was getting overrun with a clash of ideas and memories. He closed the mirrors halfway. Only his three reflections remained. “I just want to eat meat, screw and maybe beat the crap out of somebody” said the left side reflection, and then added a beastly growl. “I could read books and watch the rain all day and maybe snuggle. Oh! I have an idea for something new to paint!” said the right reflection. The middle reflection just stared hopelessly out, looking back into Joseph’s eyes. “Who am I?” Muttered the middle reflection. Joseph closed the mirror completely and took one last look at his reflection.

           

            There was only one reflection in the mirror now and he was shaking his head, and then smiled. “I am the guy talking to himself in the mirror”

Soldiers Memory

            The rain poured down oppressively. The sky was dark and a small girl named Jill stood in the pouring rain. Jill was eight, wore a nice spring dress and had bare feet. She danced through the rain, ignoring the gloom of the day or how drenched she was getting. Her mother called her name “Jill its time to come inside and wash up” Said her mother, who had her head poked out of the upstairs window to their house. Jill looked out and surveyed the backyard during this rainstorm like it was a great wilderness or some kind of tropical jungle. A look of amazement filled her eyes as her mind pieced together the ‘missing pieces’ of what her eyes left out. “Jill, Now!” Her mother said. Time must have passed between Jill’s warnings, but the girl was so caught up in the wonderment of nature that she lost track of herself and time.

            “Jill!” yelled a voice with extreme urgency. Rain poured down in buckets. The ground was more mud than dirt at this point. A heavily armed soldier ran over to Jill, a look of fear and desperation filled his eyes. “Jill! Answer me!” Jill opened her eyes and looked up. “Mom?” Jill said. “Get it together!” Said the soldier. “Jill shook her head. and her vision cleared. “Sergeant Myers!” Jill replied. Myers nodded and smiled “Lets get you up soldier, we need you on your feet” He said. Jill shakily stood up. As she stood her memories came rushing back. They were in battle and a bomb went off, the explosion sent her flying and the shockwave knocked her out. “I think I’m ok” Jill said. She was also heavily armed and carried the same standard weaponry as her fellow soldiers.

            Gunshots were fired and bullets whizzed passed the two soldiers. “Get down” Said Myers. They both dropped down into the mud and readied their weapons. “Jake, Thank you for coming to get me. I just want you to know you have been a great friend and commanding officer” Jill said. She held her gun steady and aimed unwavering. When she spoke to Sergeant Myers it was with a professional tone. She didn’t know if either of them would survive this battle, but she wasn’t going to fall to pieces either. They were both trained soldiers. “Its Still Sergeant Myers, Private. And we will be fine” Myers replied.

            Rain poured down, thunder rang out and lighting struck off in the distance. The fighting grew more intense and it seemed like hell was crashing down around them. Between the weather and gunfire Jill could no longer hear Myers giving orders. She kept shooting. Enemy soldiers lined up into her sights and she picked them off, one by one. As she watched each body fall, she tried to ignore her memories as they conflicted with her harsh realities. “If I survive this, I’ll deal with it then” She thought. Jill needed to stay focused.

            The battle raged on, but despite chaos a deep seeded memory lingered in Jill’s mind. This full grown woman, who had so many life experiences, joined the military, killed and watched her friends die, she was once just a little girl. She was a little girl who like to play in the rain and mud. She was curious about nature and like wearing pretty dresses.

            When moments like that pass, when people change and times get tough. It is important to reflect on those precious moments and remember who you are. To keep a piece of your true self regardless of what life throws at you.

Magic in the rain

The rain beats down behind me, my body is soothed by the sweet sound of rain pattering on the leaves outside. Many don’t understand the feeling, they don’t see the magic in the rain. But I’ve lived long enough to know there is something special there, that rain is indeed magic.

            Any weather can change the scenery so dramatically and with every weather type it can trigger a new emotion. When it rains I feel a mix of happiness and sadness, a sort of nostalgia. If you have fond memories from when it rains, then those memories are all linked together by the rain. The rain brings them out of you feeling almost as fresh and new as the first time. Like unpacking Christmas decorations. You have memories so deeply connected to those simple objects you can remember every good and bad moment when you look at them.

            The world is a little more peaceful when it rains, and you notice this more when you go out into the rain. No people and almost no cars on the road, just the rain, you and your thoughts. The skies take on a light gray color, causing any and all surrounded lights to shine even more brilliantly.  A single lamppost might go unnoticed normally, but when it rains the light from that lamp shines so beautifully. The contrast of the bright light as it peers out into the darkness and fog. This might be why I love lighthouses so much, especially on a rainy day. There is something comforting about a bright light or beacon shining out from the darkness, guiding everyone to shore. The darkness of night and the gray skies of a rainstorm can’t shut off the light.

            I think of all of this and sigh happily. I am sure there is a scientific reason to explain away why I feel how I feel about the rain, but I do not care. For me, rain is magic and as long as I live I will continue to believe so.

            The rain is slowly dying away and with it, so goes my inspiration. I hope you enjoyed my rambling fellow traveler and I hope you find your magic in the rain.

Day in the life

            Pain boils over, every inch of his body screams out for the end of it all, for sweet eternal sleep that will stop they wretched struggle of being alive. His body shook as his limbs twisted and writhed. A lights and sound rush past him, strange voices are heard. Then he feels piercing pain in his arm. He winces but then feels a flood of calmness wash over his body. Calm and relaxation in liquid form rushes through his veins. Everything becomes peaceful and the world goes dark. This is not the first time he has had such an experience and it wont be the last time. His name is Joe and he is nine years old.

            Joe was born with illness and will live the rest of his life with it. Pain, followed by surgery or long hospital visits then weeks of recovery. Joe thinks about his father’s old car. His dad had the car for so long it was mostly made out of spare parts. Joe feels like that car. Always breaking down and made of spare parts. He wasn’t born lucky enough to have a powerful engine or a dent resistant frame, Joe feels more like a beat up old sedan. This nine year old feels more aches and pains and has a longer medical history than his parents and rivals his grandparents.

            Many found it impressive that a child could handle such a huge burden and they couldn’t even grasp how he dealt with the pain. Joe couldn’t understand or grasp what it felt like to not be in pain. This was life and he knew no other way of being.

            In the weeks of recovery that followed a big flare up, Joe had a lot of free time at home, more than a normal child would have. He would spend hours in his room and think or sometimes read his little books. But this favorite thing was playing video games.

            He heard a large round man acting important and saying bad things about video games. “They corrupt today’s youth” and “all games are violent and lead to more violence”. Joe didn’t understand most of this. The games he played were wonderful. One afternoon he saved the world, or at least made a lot of progress toward saving the world. “Saving the world is a big job to do all before dinner” Joe said to his parents one evening during dinner when asked about his games.

            His games let him fly airplanes and drive fast cars. He could help people and find magical gems. He beat up bad guys, solved puzzles and one time built a city. Some games even let him hang out with his favorite super heroes from the comics. Video games were pure joy to him. In a world where a nine year old is fighting against his own body because of disease and illness sometimes it was nice to leave and visit a different world. A world where the rules were fair and everyone had a chance if they tried hard enough. A world where you were important and powerful and evil didn’t win.

            Joe grew up playing games. They gave him hope and set in his mind a subconscious will to fight. He began to see his illness like the evil wizard of one of his games. A thing that made people sad that he could fight against. Something that could be beaten and lead him to a happily ever after.

            Years passed and there was always some fool who had a problem with video games, but luckily the games stayed and Joe had another world to escape to and a fight he always felt like he could win.

You, me and the rain

            Its been raining for hours. Day turned to night and the rain continued. I think of you as I sit on my porch listening to the rain. Soft music echoes from inside the house, the patter of rain sounds outside and on the roof. I watch as a seemingly endless supply of rain pelts the trees, sidewalk and street.

            The world changes when it rains. The sound of rain is almost hypnotic, sending you back into your deepest memories. My body relaxes as I watch and listen. A cool breeze drifts past me. I sip from my glass and I think back.

            Rainy days always make me a little sentimental and nostalgic, every chill in the air mixed with the warmth coming from my house makes me think of you. Cuddling on the couch as we watched the rain. I get lonely and think of those days. I miss you, eternally. On warm days its easier, the sun makes me too warm and I can distract myself from my feelings. But on cool nights and especially when it rains, I feel so relaxed and happy and think, the only way this could be better is if you were here with me.

            So I sit and sip my drink, Scotch on the rocks. It lets me sleep and when I sleep I dream of your face and your gentle touch. With the rain, the wind and my thoughts of you, if I could make this night go on forever I would. A peaceful evening and a night of pleasant dreams, the light of morning comes too soon, but for now it’s just You, Me and the rain.

Memories of a Stranger - Yuri

Henry sat in the “Good Times bar”, smoke filled the room and he clutched his glass of scotch. It was a pretty quiet night at the bar. On weekends it got crowded and rowdy, but on weeknights, it was only the sad old bastards that lingered. Blues and rock style music played in the background. The music mixed with the whispered conversations from the patrons at the tables toward the back, all of this mixed together and just sounded like noise.

Henry was thirty, hardly an old bastard, well hardly old. He came to this bar every night for two reasons, his love of scotch whiskey and the information and gossip he would hear around the bar. People were always so loose with their secrets, especially on slow nights when it seems like no one is listening. Henry was an freelance investigative journalist. He would risk his neck for the top stories and sell them to the highest bidder. He made a good living off of this and found it was better than sitting at a desk all day.

Henry wore an old trench coat and a matching fedora, he had shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. He always looked like he needed a shower and a shave, though he did bathe regularly and shaved occasionally…and never flossed.

On this particular night, Henry heard two old men talking. ‘old’ is so relative. So instead of using it to describe an actual number like 70, he used the term to describe appearance. For instance, Henry wasn’t old, but he seemed old. So he often referred to himself as an old bastard. So Henry was watching these two old guys and listening in on their conversation. At first it sounded like they were talking about catching fish. These men looked like they could be fishermen. Not ‘Sunday morning fishing with your son’ kind of fishermen, the real kind. The kind that go out into the ocean and catch all the fish in the ocean so the humans on land can gorge themselves on more types of food. So anyway, back to the fish. These sly old geezers who were probably not any older than sixty, talked about fish and for an hour it sounded like they were just talking about fish. But then Henry heard something interesting. The term fish used in the wrong context or in the wrong way. Henry was pretty drunk by this point but as the conversation went on, it sounded like the word ‘fish’ was code for something else and when someone says. “The fish drop is tonight” it starts to sound like someone is talking about drugs.

Henry began scribbling in his note pad that he keeps in his coat. he wanted to make sure he didn’t forget any of the details. Henry wrote as the men talked. “The fish will be at the warehouse. Someone needs to come and get it” Said one of the men. Henry scribbled furiously. The weather that night was in the fifties and it was sprinkling rain. Cool weather, but not cold enough to keep fish fresh in some warehouse. “Wouldn’t they refer to the fish as ‘them’ not ‘it’?” Henry thought. He was pretty drunk though and wondered if he was just getting suspicious for no reason.

Then something happened that no one would ever expect to happen in a million years. A girl walked into the “Good Times” bar. The door opened and shut and the customers casually turned their heads to see who it was, as they did every time someone entered. This time though, the customer’s eyes were fixed on the newcomer. “Hey how can I help y-“ The bartender started to say then saw the girl standing at the bar. “-You?”  He finished his sentence and smiled. The girl looked to be about 25 was 5’6, thin but with subtle sexy curves. She wore a short-sleeved dress shirt un-tucked, black slacks and black dress shoes. Her hair was short and styled and dyed purple. Any skin showing showed lean toned muscle. She walked in with confidence and a sense of purpose. “Scotch neat” The girl said flatly. The bartender smiled and fixed her drink. Henry looked at the girl, he was the only one at the bar who hadn’t been staring at her like an idiot this whole time. He only looked because she ordered the same thing he had been drinking. He looked and she looked back. He smiled and held up his glass to show he had the same drink. Then he went back to drinking.

Henry was trying to listen to these ‘fishermen’ talk, but they stopped because they were too busy staring at the attractive young girl in the bar. “Old perverts” Henry grumbled. He wrote down most of the information he needed already, but could have used a few more details. “Whatcha working on?” asked the girl as she said down next to Henry. “Just some notes. So I see you like scotch” Henry said, changing the subject. The girl brushed a bit of purple hair out of her eyes and smiled “Yeah, its what my dad drank and he was tough as nails. So when I was a teenager I tried it and now I’m just used to it. Its like comfort food” The girl replied. Henry laughed. It was one of those laughs that came out so unexpectedly, like it forced its way out. “Heheh, scotch sure is comfort food for me too” he said. “My names Yuri” the girl said as she reached out her hand for a shake. Henry wiped his hands on his pants to get rid of any booze or sweat then shook her hand. “Names Henry. Yuri, that’s a strange name. No offense though” Henry said

Yuri chuckled “My father was Japanese. But I grew up in America. We settled in this city when I was a kid” Yuri explained. “Poor kid, having to grow up here” Henry replied without thinking. “I mean, Im sure you lived in a fine part of…” Henry added but Yuri stopped him. “Its fine. Don’t worry about it.” She said with a smile.

            Meanwhile one of the bar patrons didn’t like how chummy Henry was getting with the new girl. He was mad because this hot young girl came into the bar and sat right down next to the biggest bum in the whole bar. “Hey, Buddy. Yer bothering the lady” Said a muscular man that looked to be in his late thirties. “I was sitting here first. She sat next to me. Maybe she is the one bothering me! I don’t see you defending my honor. Am I not pretty enough?” Henry told the guy. Yuri chuckled. Henry hadn’t even turned around in his chair to say this to the man’s face. The muscular man grabbed onto the back of Henry’s coat and tried to pull him off his barstool. Before he could though, Yuri had jumped out of her seat and slammed a fist down onto the bully’s wrist, breaking his wrist. She then moved in front of him and gave him a right and left hook to the face.

The muscular man only had a chance to grab Henries coat before he was dispatched. He laid on the ground with a broken wrist and two black eyes.

Yuri sat back down and sipped her drink. Henry was smiling ear to ear. “Your quick, I should hire you to be my bodyguard” He said. “Well I could use the money and no one seems to like you around here” Yuri replied. Henry meant it as a joke, but once he thought about it, he realized it might be a good deal. “You’re hired.” He said. Yuri gave a little cheer in Japanese. Henry smiled and then looked over at the old ‘fishermen’ by this point they had run off, Probably from all the commotion. Henry might have lost the rest of his lead, but he did gain a bodyguard. So that is almost as good. He just hoped She didn’t bring more trouble with her. Henry had as much excitement as he could take for a while.