Crescent Farms

Mist lingered through the night air, light rain pattered onto the farmer’s wooden roof and the crescent moon cast dim light down on the wheat field below.

Robert lived and worked on his farm miles from town. He was relaxing in his comfortable, blue chair after a hard day of work. Robert looked up from the book he was reading when he heard a “thumping” sound coming from his field. “Thump thump” the sound was steady and unlike any sound Robert was used to. “Thump thump” continued the sound making it hard to ignore.

Robert stood up from his seat, closed his book, set it on his wood end table and walked toward the door. He opened his door and peered outside. “Thump thump” continued the noise. The sound was louder now and clearer with the door open.

Robert followed the thumping sound and was led into his wheat field. It was Autumn and his wheat was tall and almost ready for harvest. The sound was always the same “thump thump” then silence for several seconds, before it happened again “thump thump”

Robert walked to the middle of his wheat field where he found a glowing orange light. “thump thump” went the noise, and the light pulsed with the beat of the thumping. Robert walked carefully up to the light and found a large pumpkin in the middle of his field. He stared at the pumpkin and waited. “thump thump” went the sound and the pumpkin pulsed with light in sync with the sound.

Robert decided to leave, glowing pumpkins and strange noises couldn’t lead to anything good. Before Robert could leave he heard the loudest thumping yet. A ghostly figure with a shovel slammed his shovel into the dirt “thump thump” echoed the ghostly shovel “Wheat?! We need PUMPKINS!” Yelled the ghost. His voice was shrill and turned Robert’s blood cold.

The giant pumpkin burned with a bright orange light as a fiery Jack-O-Lantern face appeared on it. The ghost flew straight at Robert and brought his shovel down on the poor farmer. “thump thump”

One week later the whole town was surprised by the mysterious disappearance of the farmer and newly grown pumpkin patch on his property.

Happy October!

Joseph and Jaye save Autumn part 3 of 4

            Night had settled over the Autumn lands and our two (sort of) heroes were resting under the stars to prepare for their battle with Ignitious. The cool air of the night blew through the forest making the grass sway and dance. Joseph and Jaye slept on their backs, wrapped in blankets as they stared up at the night sky. Their bodies left person shaped impressions in the grass.

            Joseph was slowly drifting off to sleep when he heard a soft crunching noise that resembled the sound of someone eating nuts or chips. Jaye was wrapped up tightly in blankets, he was most immobile from the blankets being wrapped so tightly but he had one free hand to sneak round candies into his mouth. The candies had a semi-hard crunch shell that tasted like a sweet biscuit or cookie and on the inside was sweet goo that tasted like maple syrup. Jaye would wiggle his arm through his blankets, grab a few candies from a pouch that he had tucked into his blankets and then slowly roll each candy into his mouth. The night was so quiet and peaceful that the muffled crunching of candies could easily be heard. Joseph grumbled to himself then slowly drifted off to sleep as he listened to the soft sound of crunching.

            Joseph dreamed of a dark battle between heroes and villains. Three people wielding weapons stood ready to fight as they stared up at the sky at an insane wizard casting spells down at the ground below. Skeletons huddled in fear around the battlefield a giant laughing pumpkin sat in the distance. The air was cold, the only light in the sky was a sliver of a moon and the twinkling stars. Pine and maple trees surrounded the group, all of the trees were devoid of life yet seemed to grow anyway. The dark gray husks of trees grew into twisted shapes to the point that they barely resembled their former selves.

            Morning arrived on the backs of a peaceful breeze, a gentle autumn mist and the sound of chirping birds. The two friends were curled up deep into their blankets and were so sound asleep that Ignitious himself could have walked up and kicked them several times without much notice. Joseph woke up first, his head groggy and stomach sour. He felt a sense of unease and as he tried to recall his half forgotten nightmare. Jaye woke up pretty easily and was eating again. He had stashed a box of donuts in his backpack and had eaten most of the donuts before offering one to Joseph.

The Jaye and Joseph packed up their little camp and set off deeper into the forest toward the little cottage they spotted when they first arrived. The two friends had been following a dirt path through the forest. Along the path the trees were sparse but if they walked off in any direction they would have quickly ended up in thick forest and been lost in minutes.

            The dirt road branched off into a split, the full sized dirt path went one way and the smaller cobblestone path led to the cabin. The friends walked along the nicer but smaller path until they reached the cottage in the woods. Wood smoke puffed from the chimney above and the smell of burning wood mixed nicely with the cool air. Joseph knocked a few times on the large wooden door, which had small, stenciled leaves painted on to give the appearance of falling leaves.

            The door slowly opened, a hunched and hobbled figure greeted the friends. “Joseph and Jaye! I knew you would make it. I am glad the wisps found you” Said the stranger. The man was tall and thin, he wore rural styled clothes, and had all of his skin covered by his warm clothing, farmer gloves and shin high boots. The strangers head was a burning flame and his face was glowing yellow energy. He was smiling ‘brightly’ at the friends. “Its me, patches!” Said Patches weakly.

            The two friends gasped. “what happened to you?” Joseph asked. Patches waved for the friends to come inside then limped to a chair and sat down. “those elemental brothers! They swear I owed them part of the autumn forest. They say I lost a bet, but I would never gamble the forest away. You both know I can fight when I need to, but they took me by surprise and they attacked me together. Then they smashed my pumpkin head and left me to watch as they carved up my forest for themselves!” Patches explained, his weak voice was stirred up with anger but he didn’t seem to have the energy to get any louder. Patches was always a lively spirit who danced and flew in with the Autumn wind at his back. Joseph didn’t know how, but the fire and ice brothers must have seriously injured him. Patches was a spirit made of straw with a pumpkin head. His soul and ‘brain’ were made of magical flames. Patches having his pumpkin head smashed would be like breaking open a human skull and leaving the brain and eyes intact. A human wouldn’t survive that but spirits were sturdier than most humans.

            “Is there anything you can do to help us fight Ignitious? We beat Glacious with the help of that warming drink, but we don’t have anything that protects us from fire” Jaye asked. “No, all the treasures I had were sent with the wisps. I am sure you will figure something out. Wind wont defeat him but it should be enough to deflect his fire attacks” Patches replied with a heavy sigh.

            Joseph was sitting across the room in a comfortable country style armchair. His face looked serious. He was normally a cheerful person but he felt that Glacious and Ignitious had gone too far. The renegade spirits not only threatened his favorite time of the year but severely injured one of Joseph’s friends. The injustice of it all boiled in his guts. Joseph realized he was grinding his teeth and was giving a lampshade the death eye. He quickly faked a smile and tried to ease his tension.

            Jaye knew something was off about Joseph and he also knew that they couldn’t stay and chat while Ignitious was out there burning down the forest “Hey buddy, you wanna get going?” Jaye used his softest voice while addressing Joseph. “Oh, yeah of course. Lets kick it” Joseph replied trying to sound cheerful but failing. His act fooled no one but the others ignored it for now. Patches smiled and waved at the two as they left “be careful! Also don’t worry about me, I will recover from this, just make sure you stop Ignitious” Patches called after them hoping to ease their worries. The truth was he would probably recover, he was a tough spirit, but he also had never been this severely injured before.

            Joseph marched ahead, his eyes set forward and his mind ready for battle. Jaye followed closely as he gripped the claw hammer that rested in his jacket. He wondered if he should be more worried about Joseph or worried about Ignitious when Joseph finds him. As the friends traveled back along the dirt path they felt warmer. The cool air turned to a warm breeze and the friends had to remove their coats and roll up their sleeves. It felt like a summer day in the autumn forest and this only added heat to the fire in Josephs guts.

The battle with Ignitious was ahead and the two were ready to end this adventure.

Autumn Memories

            I remember an autumn day that was so bright and beautiful that I still visit it in my dreams. It was mid autumn in the small New England town where I lived. The cozy homes were decorated for the fall with pumpkins and autumn colors. Bright red, orange and yellow trees dotted the landscape. That year had the most vibrant colors I had ever seen. That morning was cool and misty. I went for a walk early so I could enjoy morning to myself. It was the weekend and no one was outside yet.. The air was refreshing and the smell of damp earth and rain lingered in the air. The sky was slightly overcast but just the right amount to make a person feel relaxed and sleepy.

            That afternoon I met my friend Wilson for pizza. The weather was still chilly but the sun was out so the occasional breeze didn’t bother me. I remember the bright blue sky as a background for beautiful autumn colors. The town was a little busier at this point. Everyone was wearing their warmer clothes and the smell of coffee was everywhere. I had pizza with Wilson that afternoon. We laughed the whole time we were together. Making jokes, enjoying the pizza and for an hour we forgot all of our troubles. It was perfect. During lunch Wilson was getting sentimental about the season, talking about family and relationships. I carefully listened because he was rarely a serious person. In the middle of his thought the pizza had crept up on him and he let out a loud burp. He stared at me with surprise, his eyes wide and a grin across his face. I squinted my eyes at him and smiled. It was gross and I was trying not to laugh, finally we both starting laughing hysterically. Wilson had not planned that and the burp was just as much of a surprise to him as it was to me. The day moved on and I still chuckled about that even after I left.

            Night came and I headed home. Night settled in, blanketing the town with darkness. As the sun went down street lamps and porch lights went on. Soft lights from lamps, autumn decorations and open windows of houses added a warm touch to the otherwise cold night. The smell of wood smoke drifted through the air, its rustic fragrance made me feel more relaxed and happy than any scent I had smelled before. The small town neighborhood was quiet and peaceful.

            As I was walking home I saw a black cat sitting on the steps of a rustic orange house, with a dark brown door and soft light coming from the windows. The cat wasn’t paying attention and seemed bored with me. I reached down to pet the cat, but right as I did the cat walked off. I couldn’t help but laugh. If cats weren’t so cute they wouldn’t get away with half of the things they do. I recovered from that devastating snubbing and continued to walk home. Pride wounded, but intact.

            I reached my house, it was a brick house with a green door and green window shutters. I walked in and instantly smelled the faint scent of pies and baked goods. My wife Jess and I had been baking and the scent rested through the house like a lazy cat. I turned on lights and removed my coat. My house was decorated with plastic autumn leaves, light up pumpkins and an autumn wreath on the door. I lit an apple cider scented candle and sat back in my chair.

            Jess came home with a big smile. She walked into the house carrying various boxes and decorations. Her strawberry blond hair kept falling down over her face as she carried everything inside. I helped her bring everything in and that’s when she told me about all of the Halloween decorations she bought. Halloween was over and it left a sadness in my heart, but my lovely wife went out to scoop up the remaining decorations for a fraction of their normal price.

            In the box was ghosts made of cloth and plastic, a Jack-o-lantern that screamed when you touched it and a twisted wooden sign that said “Hallows End”. I didn’t know what a Hallows End was, but it sounded spooky.

            The night wound down as I listened to soft music and sat in my comfortable chair with a glass of hot cider. Jess was reading on the couch and wore her adorable reading glasses. The music played on like a distant memory in the back of your mind. I started to fall asleep and my mind wandered off. It went and chased happy memories thoughts of fall and goals for the future.

            I thought of my slowly growing family that I had with Jess, the cool night air and how good the warmth of the house felt, hot tea, cold apple cider, baked goods and brightly colored trees. I was completely content of that night as I thought about misty mornings, bright fall days, cold October nights, autumn memories…and pizza burps.

Where my Dreams take me - part 5 Assault on the Organization

            Jack stood at the ground floor of the Organization’s base of operations. He decided to take the stairs up to each floor because he knew the elevators could be switched off and even unlatched. This was a defense that the Boss used to kill intruders stupid enough to trap themselves in a metal box when attacking a criminal organization.

            “Jack, I have another deal for you” Death said as Jack headed for the stairs. “I don’t want to make a habit of making deals with Death” Jack replied then stopped walking so that Death had his full attention. “I can enhance your weapon. Your killing hammer has seen so much death, it would be very easy for me to augment it with more power. Having extra power would ensure your victory to be sure. The deal is, I imbue your hammer with magic and when you have had your revenge, you give the hammer to me” Death said in a calm voice. “If I am going to retire why would I need my hammer? Its win-win again for me” Jack said. Then paused. Part of him didn’t want to give up his precious weapon for anything. Even though getting rid of it would shut the book on his old life, he still didn’t want to give up his hammer. He had the hammer since he was a teen, he carried it every single day of his life for the past fifteen years. If anyone came looking for Jack he wouldn’t have his hammer to defend himself with. Making his hammer stronger would make it easier to get revenge with less chance of dying, and giving up the hammer would truly mean he was done with his old life, he would be able to move on completely. He could think of his time in Dark city as a bad nightmare that he finally woke up from.

            “Why would you want this hammer? You aren’t trying to do me any favors” Asked Jack. “No, our deals are not meant to help you at all. I am getting something out of every deal. That doesn’t mean it has to negatively affect you though. As for why I want the hammer, lets just say it will be more valuable to me. I collect rare things. My favorite thing to collect are items that have killed large numbers of people, the dark aura on the weapon is stronger if it kills strong enemies. I see many things that you cannot. A hammer that has killed many, that becomes enchanted only to slay more humans and a demon is incredibly valuable to me. You wouldn’t even understand its true worth at that point. So, do we have a deal?” Death asked.

            Jack hesitated, Death answered the question but Jack didn’t feel comfortable giving up the last piece of his past. The hammer linked him to his past, both the good and the bad. It made him remember the awful things he did, but also let him remember Isabelle and the good times. Jack needed to survive this last fight though and agreed to the deal. “Yes, fine. You can have the hammer when this is over. After everyone is dead. The boss, Galore and anyone who was there the night Isabelle died.” Jack said. “Agreed!” Death replied.

            Without any more delay Jack rushed up the stairs. His heart was pounding, he felt like he was being pulled into the underworld with every step. Making deals with Death, challenging a demon to do battle, attacking his old place of employment. It was all a bit much for Jack to handle. Well except for the attacking the former place of employment, Jack was enjoying that.

            Jack reached the second floor and kicked open the door, he lifted his hammer up and green flames engulfed Jack’s weapon. Jack slammed his hammer down onto the ground and flames spread out along the floor burning up everything in its path. Guards, guns, tacky furniture, it was all consumed by the hammer’s magical flames. Death never explained how to use the Hammer’s magic and never even made of show of enchanting it, yet Jack somehow knew how to fight with his newly enchanted hammer.

“Satisfied with the results?” Asked Death. “Very” Jack replied with an evil grin.

With the second floor cleared out Jack could move onto the final floor where his Boss always sat. Jack was glad the Organization was located in a factory and not a skyscraper. Jack ran up the stairs to the third floor and blasted the door apart with his magical green flames. Galore Riggs and a group of guards stood waiting. Everyone had their guns drawn and Galore had an assault rifle. “Sorry Jack, I can’t let you go” Galore said. “The Boss is a demon, Galore. He killed Isabelle and he holds you like a prisoner. He holds us all. The only people who are happy in the Organization are the ones who never get tired of the killing, the drugs and the stealing. The rest of us, we die off. Galore, this is your last chance to change sides.” Jack said, being strangely diplomatic.

Galore laughed “You might be right Jack, but I am the one with the guns and the backup. You have one chance to give up. I am not backing down” Galore replied.

“I gave you a chance, I am actually glad you didn’t take it. You might not have killed Isabelle, but you did stop me from killing the Boss. You wont be stopping me this time” Jack replied as he lifted his hammer above his head. Bright green flames swirled around the head of Jack’s hammer as he lifted it into the air. Galore aimed his assault rifle at Jack and went to pull the trigger when one of the guards spoke up. “Uh, does that deal count for me too?

            Jack and Galore both let out an annoyed sigh at the same time. “Yeah, sure. Anyone who doesn’t want to die protecting the Boss and also wasn’t in the room on the night Isabelle died, can leave” Jack said as he held his hammer ready to strike. Four guards quietly left the room and shut the door behind them. When Jack heard the door click shut he swung his hammer in an arc, which made a flame shield. Galore and his remaining guards unleashed a flurry of bullets. Everything near or behind Jack was torn to shreds. When the dust settled Jack was standing unscathed. “Second thoughts?” Said Jack with a smile. One guard raised his hand but then was promptly shot by Galore.

            “You are a dead man, I don’t care if I have to take you apart with my bare hands” Galore said his voice full of rage. Galore began to unload another clip from his assault rifle as he walked toward Jack. He was determined to hit Jack at least once. Jack outstretched his hand and then turned his hand up with his palm facing Galore. Jack’s hammer began to spin in the air in front of Jack’s palm. The flames from the spinning hammer burned the floor and surrounding area. The hammer spun so fast it was actually blocking Galore’s bullets. Jack closed his hand into a fist and his hammer shot forward and struck Galore. The hammer hit Galore in the face, shattering his skull on impact, the hammer continued to fly forward and smashed open the metal door to the Boss’ office.

            Galore’s body slumped to the ground and the remaining guards tried to run for the exit. Jack’s hammer flew back to his hand. Then Jack spun his hammer around to make another fire shield but this time Jack took a deep breath in and then breathed out with all of his might. Jack’s breath blew through the flames causing a green flamethrower effect. Jack rotated in a circle torching everything and everyone in the room with his green fire breath. There were no survivors.

Where my Dreams take me - part 1 Into the Autumn Mountains

Up in the mountains was a forest as beautiful as it was old. In the forest lived a man named Jack. He led a peaceful and solitary life away from the bustling city streets and the loud noises.

The bright autumn forest sat nestled under the big blue sky. Sunlight gently shined down on the land. Beautiful red, orange and yellow trees filled the forest. In the middle of the forest was a clearing. The ever-growing forest surrounded a patch of yellow and green grass, at the center of the clearing was a wooden cabin. An old rustic home with a red roof, a red door and made from the dark brown wood of the autumn trees.

            Wood smoke gently poured from the brick chimney. The smell of wood smoke mixed with the cool autumn air. Jack stepped out of the small cabin and took a deep breath in. the smell of wood smoke and the fresh air of the outdoors invigorated his senses. Jack had shaggy brown hair, scruffy brown facial hair, bright green eyes and pale skin. He wore black pants, white shirt, brown work boots and a green coat that was resistant to rain and wind, perfect for the misty autumn weather of the forest.

            Jack walked over to his pumpkin patch, which he planted beside his house. He smiled to see that his pumpkins were growing nicely. He had twenty pumpkins growing healthy and strong in the mountain air. A black cat named Karu walked up and jumped on one of the pumpkins. “Karuyami the Black cat of the mountains” was her full title given to her by Jack. Jack found her as a kitten when he was building his cabin. She was alone so he took care of her. They had been friends ever since.

            Karu balanced on the pumpkin and stared at Jack. One of her eyes was bright green the other was yellow. Karu meowed at Jack so he would pay attention to her. “Come on now Karu, get off there. I don’t want to loose any pumpkins to your foolishness” Jack said sternly. But then smiled and patted her head.

            After tending to his pumpkins, Jack decided to go into town for supplies. He was a beginner at growing his own food and the first thing he planted was pumpkin seed. So until he learned to grow other kinds of food he would have to make weekly trips into town.

            Jack walked down the side of the mountain. As he walked he thought about how he probably needed to get a car, or a motorcycle or maybe a horse. The walking didn’t tire him out, but each trip to town took a long time to get there and back. He didn’t mind the view though. On his walk down he saw the other mountains, all covered with trees. Most of the trees had changed colors for the Fall. Mountains covered in bright red, orange and yellow. The warm colors were a nice sight and the cold mountain air was refreshing. Jack loved the smell of the fresh air that you can only get high up in the mountains. After walking for a while Jack arrived in Maple town.

Maple town was a quiet town, with nice people and a big autumn tree that grew up taller than the houses. Jack loved seeing how much the tree would grow and change ever time he came down. One of the villagers had planted the tree in their backyard, they must not have realized how big it would get. The bottom of the tree was hidden by fence but the top could be seen easily. It was different colors all at once. The leaves green to yellow to orange to red, all evenly spread out and all on one tree.

            Jack walked through the town and saw people selling their freshly grown apples and homemade cider. He wasn’t in town for that but decided to try a little of each. He paid for the apples and cider and put them in a bag he carried on his back, As he walked around town he felt a sense of peace. He thought he could only feel such peace when he was alone, hidden away high in the mountains, but the people of Maple town were good decent people. He felt comfortable around them, which was a feeling he had not experienced in a long time.

            Jack had a great deal of thinking to do as he walked back up the mountainside with his bag of supplies. He enjoyed living alone in his cottage, growing food and raising Karu, but he also missed having neighbors and friends. Jack remembered why he moved to the mountains, people were always as nice as they seemed and sometimes trusting someone could be a deadly mistake.

But if Jack were to move back into a town or city, it would be Maple town.