Saturday, June 22, 2024
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Monday, June 17, 2024
Sunday, June 16, 2024
Latticework: 14 excerpts!
A
space lattice, in the three dimensions, is any of fourteen possible geometric
arrangements of points, at which, at the very least, the components of crystals
may form.
A
space lattice, in the realm of sorcery, is all of fourteen possible and
impossible arrangements in the geotic fields, and includes the laws of
necromancy and the location of high magnetic energy points of sacred sites.
A
space lattice, in the fourth dimension and those beyond, is the fourteen
impossible arrangements of will and thought, where the continuum is temporal
and spacial simultaneously, at which point space-time unfolds and space-folds
are beyond measurable time.
In
this lattice lie all possibilities, where not even imagination has ever been.
Watch
yourself, friend.
(Quoted from the LORE Series)
14 excerpts from the 14 stories - enjoy!
THE PILLAR FELT rough and pitted under Callie’s fingers. She knew it as
rock, although she could not see anything in the blackness. She also knew the
feel of this particular standing
stone; it was akin to a friend, a haven, a beacon in the dark. There were no
night noises, not even the resident frog to confirm where she was. She always
listened for him when she came here in summer.
She had been here before. She was not lost.
Biting the inside of her cheek to contain hysterical
sounds, Callie put her fingers to work. They were her eyes now and she could
trust them. They reached up, sensing, exploring, and, yes, there it was. The
small voice of doubt was stilled.
SEVEN YEARS AGO I was thirty-eight and considered young among those who
walked the corridors of power and felt
young and empowered, all-powerful. You may laugh, but let me tell you politics
and deals can make one old long before due time, while imparting a sense of
omnipotence.
I was also foolish, very ambitious, without scruples and
morals, and utterly selfish. I looked out for number one only. Hard lessons had
to be learned; I understand that now.
SHE LEANS ON her elbow, chin in hand, and stares out over the bay. The
sun is bright on the water and the sun worshippers are out in full force on the
narrow strip of beach, their colourful umbrellas and sunshades drawing the eye.
Bronzed bodies languish amid reddening skins. She, however,
is uninterested in people silly enough to burn to crisps in such heat; she
watches the water intently, staring through the hot silver stripes upon the
waves.
LISTEN UP.
Stop a moment for this.
There is a place I used to pass on my way home every day in
another country, another time. For whatever reason - no place to pull over, I
am not the one driving, time is of the essence - I never stopped. This place is
nothing special in the grand design of nature and yet I found myself preparing
to really look every time I
approached, and did.
Every time. I wish I followed an initial instinct to begin a
photographic record to capture the moods and seasons day by day, but … ah,
well.
SHE IS THE
silent watcher. She has no name, and is without feature and visible form. Her
task is to watch and to know.
Why?
The simple answer is that someone has to. We require a
witness, always. This is the nature of sentience.
SHADOWS SHUTTER LEAF behind frond until sight is hallucination. A forest in
sunlight during a windstorm deludes the senses. What should be ordinary leaps
into something else entirely.
Scarlet is not fooled. Sharp blue eyes pierce the veils of
shadow and light. Hearing is impaired in the sliding, grating, rustling dryness
of a forest in movement, but sight never fails her. And neither does taste.
THERE IS A
small glade in a forgotten forest and in its centre there is a tree so ancient
it no longer resembles a tree. Where this is, is unimportant. For this is not
about place; it is not even about time. It is about worship, and it is also
about remembering.
A long, long time ago, a lone wolf, starving and desperate,
slaughtered an innocent boy out walking the countryside. The boy was loved well
by his parents and they planted a tree in the place where his blood was
spilled, a memorial to stand the test of time.
“BACK IN VALARIS’ beginning, once it became a habitable world, there was no
sentient life. The humans of today did not evolve here; they came from faraway
worlds, much the same as happened elsewhere. One starship came and saw it was
good, and then there was another and another, a familiar tale. This was, and
is, a paradise world and the humans who settled were happy, but, being human,
being sentient, they were selfish also - another familiar tale - and denied
entry to other races.
“Now, around the time that selfish mind-set began to take
root, a space warp materialised in the heavens above, which made it impossible
to travel the stars again, the same warp still in position today. It also, of
course, denied entry to other settlers, and permanently put an end to other
races interfering with the humans already here. Thus, without any great effort,
the humans got their wish, and the Valarians were born as a people apart.
MIRRORS MAKE ME.
And mirrors break me.
Shards of shiny glass, reflection pond, polished metal,
ornately framed, it is of no import.
As you read this and I play the role of storyteller, a new
looking glass rises from the mercury I wade through. I have not seen one like
it before and momentarily its existence stumps me. Only momentarily, for a
mirror is a mirror and here, now, another lesson awaits.
HERE WAS A
man who had just lost the woman he loved and he was now either suicidal or
hyper aggressive. This man was a king, although uncrowned. This man was a
sorcerer, although unwilling in the talent. This man was of another race,
although he passed for human with his fair hair and grey eyes.
This man sought distraction. Now.
He went to Lax, that underbelly world of crime and
corruption, and the one who nominated himself as this man’s personal guard
accompanied him. The companion appeared less human, for his eyes were tawny.
HALLOWEEN.
All Hallows Eve.
Some call it a pagan festival. Others know it as an evil
feast. Time and technology has not yet forced it into the recesses of memory
and myth. Some see it as a carnival of fun. Others regard it as the worst
manipulation humankind has confronted, and continues to face. Relegate it to
the past, bury it in layers of legend and let us be done, they say … and are
ignored.
This is the greatest night of all dark nights for the dead.
WHEN HUMANKIND tore through the fabric of space they came in vast numbers
on ships the size of cities.
This was a one way journey, for they left behind a planet
ruined by war, pollution and over-population. Perhaps those abandoned would
discover the courage to find solutions for Earth’s varied problems, but those
that left travelled too far to make their way back. The ships were indefinitely
self-sustaining, but man needed solid ground beneath his feet and a friendly
sun on his face. His mission always was to find a land to plant and root and
grow and prosper and conquer.
MERRY HEFTED the rucksack by jerking at the shoulder straps. The weight
pulled at her neck muscles and she swore under her breath.
A whack on her upper arm nearly paralysed that side of her
body from head to toe. She glared at the woman a step behind her, to see the
offensive cane complete its downward arc.
“Ladies do not cuss, Merry.”
IT SMELLS OF
INK and
parchment, and ancient dust. The corners furl inward as if once someone rubbed it
repeatedly between a sweaty thumb and forefinger. I know this, because I have
the same habit.
Look over there at my
shelf, pull that book to you and note the thumbed edges. I know, wrong of me,
so sue me. Of course, mine isn’t always clean sweat; probably a few jam rubs,
possible biscuit crumbs …
Sigh, I am off subject.
A latticework creates a mesmerising
pattern, to please the eye and draw the onlooker closer. Emotional lattices connect
strands to amplify the human experience; our melancholy, our mistakes, and our
residual power.
Fourteen lattices by a diverse author makes
Latticework an occult treat, worthy of fans who dip into the disturbing and
diabolical. This collection of soulful tales embodies the macabre and the
metaphysical, with insights so serrated it cuts to the marrow.
Fallen from the Sky
Confession
Stop!
Awareness
Repeating History
Saturday, June 15, 2024
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
Monday, June 10, 2024
Sunday, June 9, 2024
FingerNale Tales: 10 excerpts!
These are the afterthought tales, bite-size chunks of a
life’s grander design, something to gnaw on briefly before moving on.
The Old Man – a child’s perspective on meeting an unknown
uncle
The Royal Feline – it’s a cat life indeed
The Mountains Burn – the destructive power of fire
Morning Rainbow – when a rainbow is a sign
Blood Moon – when reality feels entirely unreal
Veils of Sleep – what happens in the realms of oblivion
Winged Wonder – a winged creature walks the city streets
Glass Dreams – every time a man closes his eyes, glass
shatters
First Day – a child’s perspective on her first school day
At the End – life’s long years
A few recorded moments in time that will ask of you a few
minutes of your day. A breathy laugh might follow, or ‘oh, yes, I see myself in
there!’ Maybe a morsel gifts a smile, while a tale creates a sense of wonder.
Enjoy!
THE OLD MAN knocked on the door quite
loudly. Dad told me in no uncertain terms to stay put - children do not open doors, he said.
I stayed put with reluctance at the round kitchen table where we were
having tea, and heard the weather-beaten wooden door creak open and my dad
peremptorily demand an explanation for this interruption.
THE CAT HAS no name she is aware of.
She sleeps most of her days away curled up and silent, and most of her nights,
too. Occasionally she stretches, and enjoys the attention it brings her. When
she chooses her place of slumber, it is best to leave her in peace.
Sometimes she hears a sound, and it is familiar to her, a sound often
repeated, but she cannot duplicate it, for it has no meaning to her other than
that sense of familiarity. She knows this word heralds a summons for her
presence. She sits up from her slumber and listens briefly, and then chooses
whether to answer that command or not, for she
is in control of her fate, not another.
LOOKING ACROSS THE waters darkened and
stilled by night’s undeniable influence, I viewed the shadowy silhouette of the
far mountains highlighted by the half-moon setting beyond. It was a familiar
sight, one I often stared at during daylight, and watched at night as the moon
tracked across the heavens.
This night familiarity was altered.
In the centre of the rugged range an almighty scarlet glow dominated the
night sky and seemed to flow into the invisible waters of the bay, like a
sphere vanishing into the depths.
AS WE DROVE along the quiet road in the
early morning, a young couple embarking on an adventure with the tank filled,
trailer loaded, kids sleeping on the back seat, we wondered if we had made the
right decision.
Others told us we were mad, but we ignored them. Was leaving civilisation
behind for a life in the wild a choice we could deal with long-term? Those
others - family - said it was stupidity.
ENTERING THE TOWN, it felt as if we had
entered another time and dimension. The name on a signboard about a kilometre
back told us we were on the right road, this was the town we had marked on a
map, but what we found could not have been explained by any means.
The usual was in place. Store fronts were lit for temptation at night,
and some shops were still trading. There were streetlights, the typical tarred
main street, a park opposite - fronting the ocean, for we could hear waves
breaking - bins for rubbish, advertising on walls and boards, street signs and
so forth, but there the usual ended.
THE VEILS OF sleep take my
consciousness into the sub-conscious, layer upon gradual layer. When my
imagination departs from my body, I open my eyes upon a different set of veils.
These are as diaphanous, but they are not as benevolent.
Sticky crisscross patterns adorn my path, then another pattern and
another veil, seemingly into eternity. No arrangement is quite the same,
although they are entirely geometric, therefore deliberately designed. I am
faced with an elaborate set of traps, webs meant to ensnare.
THERE ARE EYES on its wings. Many have
this subterfuge somewhere upon them, out there in the wilds, and therefore the
concept is not exactly strange. Used to fool predators, it is an effective tool
of disguise. But this is not a creature of the wilds.
This is a …
That is the problem - what is it?
This is not the wild either. I am standing here at the corner of a
high-rise building, seeking escape from the frigid wind howling through this
city, and this winged wonder does not belong here.
THE GLASS SHATTERED
first and then the roof shook resoundingly. One would think it should be the
other way around. First the roof shake and then the glass breaking. Warnings
came first. One would expect the warning to come first, a herald to danger. But
no; the glass shattered first and then the roof shook resoundingly.
But this was not real.
He was in an aeroplane.
Snorting, he snatched the first breath of sudden awakening and stared
around him. Right. The flight from London to Glasgow.
MOM IS AWAKE first, as always, but this
is a special day. My heart pounds when I hear her slippers slapping as she goes
down the passage towards the kitchen.
Today I will go to big school for the first time.
I hear the kettle make a noise, and know she will soon come in with my
tea, but today I will wear my uniform, not my normal clothes as I did before to
go to my old school.
I NEVER THOUGHT I would get old. It
comes as a surprise to sit here at age ninety. Really it does. This, for me, is
merely a number, for I do not feel nine decades old and, despite those sets of
ten and the various injuries sustained over their progression, my body tells me
it is a lie.
Is my mind as sharp as I believe? You be the judge of that. Base it on
these ruminations, perhaps.
Friday, June 7, 2024
Monday, June 3, 2024
Excerpt: Minstrel of the Water Willow - Marking Time
To step from shadows is to know light
Storms came and
went.
A fire swept through the valley
and annihilated great swathes of land. Many of the trees on the fringes of the
forests all around succumbed, although the deep regions remained untouched. Drought
was supreme for two summer seasons. The coldest winter in all memory followed.
Erin remained despite every
tribulation. She had chosen to remove herself from her society. After the death
of her daughter she lost all interest. He no longer cared much for his social
circle either. The unhappier she became, the more he withdrew from others close
to him, including his parents. Most days he hunkered, watching Erin. It was a senseless
obsession, but truth was there was no Fay woman who drew him as much as she
did.
While he was older than she was
in years, he appeared far younger, and thus kept his distance. She would see
him as a youth and would not understand the years already in his mind.
How utterly unfair. He wished he
was human.
His music suffered. More
correctly, his reputation as a minstrel suffered, for he rarely took to the
circuit to play for others.
He played for Erin, softly, on
the edge of hearing.
Kell watched her gradually regain
her physical strength and her purpose for life. He saw how she tended her
vegetables in the fields in view to him and noticed fat and healthy chickens
roaming freely. She was successful at both growing and rearing and soon had
excess with which to trade for other goods. Twice a month she loaded her small
cart, and set off to market.
Often he would then head into the
smaller villages and make music for his own keep.
When Erin turned forty, with fine
lines at her eyes, he noticed how she gazed across the river as if sensing his
presence when he merely watched her, when he made no lyrical sound. Was she as
aware of him as he was of her? If she was, never did she say a word, although
once or twice she did smile secretly.
His heart set up an uneven rhythm
when she did so.
Many of the Fay moved into the
highlands in those years, for more humans had entered the valley. His parents
too chose to relocate, but he was determined to stay and thus took possession
of his childhood home as his own. His mother was sad, reading in him the signs
of unrequited love, knowing also the choice was his. He was considered adult
among his kind.
Humans, however, would regard him
as a youth.
On the banks of a river, a boy sees and hears a girl
laughing, the most glorious music, and falls in love. Time, however, is not the
same for them. Erin is human; Kell is something other.
MINSTRELMINSTREL