- Tea Time -

“Hey! Watch me, watch me, are you watching?” Tyler swung around on the monkey bars and hanging upside down flailing his arms in all directions.

His parents smiled and gave a clap then returned to talking to his grandmother on the bench just outside of the playground.

Plastic tubes ran from the ground and snaked around to square compartments that held bubble outcoves. The playground had many semi tall structures that held tubes that went to each one, like a fast food playscape, but outside and mixed with open air natural ideas. The floor of the whole area was smoothed with a bouncy non lethal rubber that was soft to the touch and even if an adult fell they would only feel the gentle pressure of gravity being dissipated as they impacted the surface. At the front of the playground was a large arch that made it look like a building that had its insides carved out. Facades of windows and balconies were adorned on the outside to give it a city feel. On the outskirts and strewn within were benches and some picnic tables for the adults to keep an eye on their kid and talk amongst themselves of the world’s problems.

Tyler rounded a tube and stumbled into one of the square buildings. It wasn’t full enclosed, the corners of the walls had small slits in them to connect them to the outside and the roof was elevated a few feet to let the sun and wind gently enter. He looked out the bubble window at his parents and knocked on it. They waved. And he went back to exploring.

Tylers parents, Daniel and Samantha sat close. They had just lost Daniels father and his mother sat on the bench with them.

“I keep telling you Mom, come out here for a bit more time. Tyler would love to have you around and well, I could tolerate you” Daniel gave his Mom a smile and his wife playfully hit him on the chest.

“Really, it would be no problem for us at all. We have plenty of guest rooms, food and I could use all the help I can get with that one” Samantha sent a glance over at the playground. She couldn’t see Tyler, but she could hear him banging around in those large tubes.

His Mom looked out for a moment away from them. There was nothing back in Virginia for her. Just an empty house filled with memories of happiness and pain. A lingering ghost that she wished she could touch, talk to or see again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by large banging coming from the playground.

“Okay Tyler, calm down buddy we are here”

The banging continued, but became more aggressive, rapid, louder. Daniel stood.

“Tyler stop messing around, come on out, now” he yelled.

Rubber against polymer squeezed and the banging stopped.

Silence.

Samantha and his Mom stood up “Tyler? Sweetie, please come out here”

Cold panic set in. Daniel bolted into the playground, sliding into the small spaces and moving through tight polymer tubes towards where the sound came from.

He reached the square room and looked down the red tube where the sound came from. He peered out the bubble window.

“What do you see?” Samantha asked.

Daniel stuck his head into the tunnel and looked, but he didn’t see anything. The tunnel turned and went deeper into the playground.

“I don’t see anything, I have to keep going.”

That was the last thing they heard from him.

He moved into the tunnel and sloped around the corner.

“Tyler!” His words bounced around and kept bouncing deeper.

Daniel kept sliding down the tube, it kept going in a circle. He was sure that the tunnels should have ended from what he saw on the outside. The steepness took a sharp degree and he could no longer hold him self and started to slide down. He flopped out the slides entrance and onto a smooth rubber surface.

He sat up and stared into the sky, or what would have been a sky. A jumbled mess of colored playscape tubes roped around in all directions, snaked around each other and covered the entirety above him. Around him was a small courtyard that was fashioned as a small square. A fountain sprayed water in the center and thick benches sat around it. The floor was a mixture of the rubber material and a fake turf that gave it an artificial natural feeling. Lamps lined the outside of the a rubber path that went to the fountain and continued to an entrance to a building. The walls looked like a New York high society alleyway. Cobble stone with cute balconies and windows lining all the way to the top.

It was impossible. Daniel moved past the fountain and found a shoe at the other entrance. White reeboks with a dinosaur on them.

He stared at the large entrance, more polymer and large children facades lay inside.

He clutched the shoe “Tyler!”

The man sat down in the large leather chair and leaned back.

“How many incidents?”

“Fifteen that we know of”

The man rubbed his eyebrows with his thumb and forefinger. “Jesus, how many involved?”

“Twenty. Fifteen children and five adults.”

A knock came at the door.

“What is it ?” The man yelled still rubbing his eyebrows.

A lady stuck her head through the door “Ada is here to talk about the next steps, shall I have her wait?”

The man looked past his secretary at Ada. Her eyes were like vipers, staring right into his soul. She could never wait. What ever that women had on her mind, they were all hanging from her strings.

“Bring her in, Miss Shaw, thank you for the report, please keep me updated.”

Miss Shaw stood up taking her binder. As she exited she stopped Ada.

“We will find them Mrs.Noether, I promise you”

Ada smiled. It was a smile that could destroy the world. Full of unbridle confidence, a godlike consciousness dressed in sex and power.

“Thank you Miss Shaw” She leaned in “ I will find them. Please continue on containing the other incidents. Once our plans are finished we will get them all back”

Miss Shaw bowed and moved past her.

“Now, let’s get down to business” Ada said and closed the door behind her.

I was out for a walk the other day later in the day and there is a playground that I always pass by. When I passed the parents were sitting on the bench and talking and there was a loud banging coming from the playground, but I couldn’t see the child. I thought of my plastic yarn story and what if the loud noise was no so innocent. I wonder what company actually made the materials for the playgrounds?

No where is safe when dimensions can be crossed.

Till next time ~

He looked down at his watch then back towards the large building that loomed infront of him.

Noon. On a Friday.

He checked his watch again with a flick of his wrist, his cold steel blue eyes reflecting off the diamond glass. Each small tick of the second hand made him twitch.

“Sam!” A voice called to him and he snapped his wrist back down to his side. A bright smile came to his face as he stood up. A man dressed to the nines in a green suit and hat extended his arm and then gave him a big hug.

“Sam, how long has it been, years right? Looking good.” The man took a seat next to Sam.

Sam removed his own burgundy hat and smoothed back his grey hair then readjusted the hat on his head “It has been quite a long time hasn’t it Mack. Business alright?”

Mack nodded “Oh, business is fantastic, never better”

Sam stared into Macks’ teal eyes. A lie.

“When you telegrammed me I had to double check the name, I thought, there is no way Sam Hilde is trying to get a hold of me. You practically disappeared after, well you know, after that. What’s this all about anyway?”

Sam continued to look, search in Macks face. No sign of remorse, no sign of wrong doing, no sign of empathy. To Mack, Sam was just another road block that had been removed.

“Do you remember when you told me about the Charlette deal? I put my money up, made the deals and well it didn’t go so well for me did it?”

A quick smirk came to Macks mouth, but in a flash it was gone replaced with a frown. There it was, the remembrance of what he did. He leaned back against the bench and loosened his posture. There was the old Mack.

“Of course I remember Sam, it didn’t have to go that way you know. We tried to tell you. Warn you best we could. The Charlette deal was with that shady Bloomhill company. Bad people. You know, you didn’t listen. What can I say?”

Sam saw it. His house on fire, kids screaming while his wife desperately crawled towards them, legs shattered, body barely hangin on. Then gun shots, small legs giving out. His throat bleeding from screaming and begging. His whole life grinding into dusk in a single moment. Family ripped from his hands, his fortune torched and his future cut out from under him. For what? Money and power?

He produced a brief case that was of brown leather, the outside was burnt and the hinges were smoke black. Sam opened the clasps and pulled out a piece of paper. It held the majority owners of the Bloomhill company and its entities underneath.

He handed it to Mack.

Macks eyes flicked form the paper and back to Sam and he shrugged “Interesting forgery. We told you, we had nothing to do with Bloomhill” Sam then produced another paper.

On top it read Leviathan Holdings, Incorporated 1907 and listed the founders. Two years before Bloomhill was made.

Mack stared the page for a long while and said “You know, we probably should have killed you too back then. You had more money, power than us all, you dominated your industry. You just weren’t hungry enough though. You didn’t see the future, but you blocked it with your just reasoning. Proper business. This is a cruel world Sam, I don’t know how you lived and made it the way you did.” Mack laughed and threw the paper onto the street “Well, look how you ended up, guess you didn’t make it huh?”

Mack stood up and buttoned his coat “I thought you would be begging me for something, I wanted to see you on your knees, but I guess I wasted my time. Good bye Sam, I won’t see you again”

Sam stood up and rolled his shoulders back and held out his hand. Mack laughed and shook, but Sam didn’t let go right away. His hand grasped Macks with firm, gently locking force. Sam looked deep straight into Macks eyes.

“I hope your family had fun up in Hartland. One more time Mack. I will see you one more time. Let them all know, I will see them all soon” Sam slid his hand away and stepped back.

Eyes wide and skin turning pale white Mack stared at him. His mouth trying to say something, to form a comeback, but all he could do was turn and sprint running the possibilities through his mind.

Mack did not meet a man today, he met Devil in a mans skin.

And that Devil was Sam Hilde.

I started off with a man waiting, tense, and very punctual. Then as the conversation started it molded into a revenge tale. This man had been wronged by his friends and he was back. The classic (if you call it that) of the family getting killed and they leave the father alive to sit in despair, to learn the lesson. If I get the era right alot of 8-90’s action films were like this. Timecop anyone?

Till next time~

Jason struggled agains the binds of the platform. He could break them at any moment, but didn’t need them to know that. A man hovered over him in his blurred vision. He spoke quickly pointing here and there to some other person that quickly moved around the room. His head throbbed and even if he could escape his binds easily, he really didn’t want to. He needed some rest. Breaking out of the facility had taken much more out of him, he used much more then he thought he had. He wanted to sleep again. His eyes started to slip and a hand gentle slapped his cheek.

“Cmon boy stay with me, you will feel a bit better in a minute. We can’t stay here long and we can’t carry you. The binds are only so you didn’t fall and hurt your self, one moment” the man grabbed something and Jason felt a sharp sting in his arm. He could feel whatever it was cool as ice flow through his veins, swim through his body, and unblock his pain. When it made it up to his head, the pounding stopped, his vision cleared and he let out a sharp outtake of breathe “Good. We have to go lad”

The man was older, grey hair bushed out of his head and a bushy mustache under thick rimmed glasses that sat on a sharp nose. A teenage boy who had a sharp look on his face un did the straps. Immediately Jason put out a signal, his head clear of all noise and nothing blocking his psychic energy he flew in all directions. The boy next to him sensed it and gabbed his wrist hard, pushing back his energy.

“Not now, they will find us easier.”

Jason eyed the older man and he nodded. They both knew then. Jason rolled off of the platform and felt his feet swim then stabilize under him. They were in a garage which had been done up with all sorts of odd machines. He noticed some of the symbols from the facility. The older man pulled up the garage door and light filled the inside. Jason had no idea where he had stumbled off to after demolitioning his way out of the facility or how he had gotten here. But he knew that he had left Todd behind. He had to go back, but he was in no condition. He had searched for him last night, broke every wall, door and window he could get to, but he did not see him, or any of the other children.

Underground.

“We have to move fast. They will be searching quickly. You did great damage last night.” The man shook his head “Terrible, great damage” he opened the door to a large station wagon and cleaned out the back set. “Billy, take the front seat, you in the back”

Jason stood looking out “I don’t know you” he then looked around the suburb. He had never been outside before “I don’t know anyone out here” he whispered.

The man walked over to Jason and took his hand and shook it firmly and looked with sympathetic eyes “I’m professor Marlin, and that is Billy, I used to work in that place, the place you came from. I know the horrors.” Jason responded with his name, but as he connected with the professors eyes great pain surged through him. Regret, anger, mistrust, pain all mixed together. He saw snippets of a past that wasn’t his. Jason gasped and tore his vision away. The professor guided him into the back seat.

“You have a great gift, a terrible great gift” he shook his head again and avoided Jasons gaze at all cost “Sonny, we have a lot to talk about”

Billy and the Professor got in the car and they took off down the road. Jason laid his head down and stared up through the windows at the rolling clouds passing by. He had watched the local news on the television in facility secretly. He knew a bit about the small town he was in, but besides snap shots of images and a few live broadcasts he was lost. An ocean of a world he was now deep in. He closed his eyes and saw Floor 2. The smooth grey walls leading up into a black abyss and then the pit opening up infront of him. The cones rising out of the pit becoming thinner, pointier, savage and unforgiving. The moans and screams of the broken children residing at the bottom, hundreds of feet below those cones. Crying for someone to save them, their mothers and fathers, their friends, the facility staff, someone to take their pain away. To carry them softly back to their beds and tell them it was going to be alright. To remove them from the corpses of those that came from before them and who were abandoned, defective according to the facility. He saw her eyes and smile as the elevator door closed. Mallorie had no idea. She was strong, but would she pass that test? Was she now laying screaming with torn up limbs among the others? What if they put Todd through it.

Jason bolted up. Todd was too young, he wasn’t strong enough. He would fail.

“We have to go back. I can’t leave them” Jason said moving towards the door.

Billy turned around “We can’t. You made so much noise that they shut down the blocks around the facility, and security was flown in from somewhere last night. I doubt we could even get close with out getting killed. They already killed one intruder today. I felt it when searching around.”

“Billy’s right. I know you have friends back there, but the testing will stop for a moment. A security breach of any kind slows everything down, something like what you did? That will take even long to smooth out. I am also guessing they took all the children down to the sub level facility for the time being. They will get them visible as soon as they can. Your friends will be safe a for awhile, but we must act quickly. They like to make up for lost time.”

Jason slid to the center of the seat and leaned forward to be between them.

“You used to work there, were you at the facility before me?” He eyed Billy.

“No, Professor found me before they did. I was in an orphanage as a kid. I’m adopted now” Billy smiled at the Professor who pushed his glasses up from the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat.

“Who trained you?”

“Professor did, less hazardous methods from what I imagine you went through, but I’m no push over. You being gifted or not, don’t try anything stupid.”

“Okay okay, relax, we will test some things later, but we need to get far away form the facility as possible for the time being.”

The car rounded a corner and the sides of the road started to fill with more trees then phone poles. They drove for hours through winding roads through large pines and spruces.

As Jasons strength recovered a bit he could feel the sense of lightness he had sensed when on Floor 2. A limitless to his awareness and power. It was intoxicating. His mind searched, leapt and pulled in all directions. Life teemed around in his senses even the vibration of the car spun tapestries of sensations in his mind. He wasn’t being blocked anymore, his psychic mind was free and it threatened to dissolve his body and become all mind.

“Will you stop that!” Billy snapped back him. “Your driving me nuts, it’s like I’m getting with with waves of your energy.”

The car stopped and the headlights illuminated a small cabin.

“Dammit” Billy burst from the car and stomped towards the cabin.

Jason got out, his feet gave way and he crashed to the ground. He tried to stand, but his legs shook uncontrollably and he panted with sweat

“Here let me help you, gotta control that energy of yours, I could even feel it. It’s going to drain you a lot faster then you think”

Jason heaved air into his lungs “I-I’ve never had the chance, I’ve never felt like this before”

“It is probably quite a shock to have the limiter not suppressing you anymore. How did they not know of your power?”

“I hid it while I was in there, I played them, had to. Had to protect Todd.”

The lights of the cabin illuminated the darkness and Billy swung open the door and helped him in.It was a charming place. A great room with a large fireplace, table and sofa, behind that was a kitchen table, one stove and small sink. Two rooms were in the back and the windows were small circles filled with webs.

They plopped Jason the sofa. Professor pulled chair from the kitchen table and Billy folded his legs and sat on the floor. The fire was already raging and filling the place with * heat.

“Everybody get some good rest, we have to start preparing tomorrow.” The professor said, but Jason was already soaring in his dreams.

He was safe for a moment.

There is a building I always drive past where I live. It looks like an office building form the 70’s, but it is surrounded by barbed wire fences. I never see anyone in or any of the lights on. What could they be doing in there? So (even before stranger things) I came up with a place that ‘adopted’ children that had psychic powers and tried to train them as weapons. At first it seems like a typical special sort of educational place, but underground are levels of harder and more deadly challenges that the kids go through. If they survive they keep going. My main character Jason escapes and begins a journey to retune to save his friends that he left behind after finding out the the true sadistic nature of it all.

This is a small snippet from that story. See you in the next one ~

The doctor removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. He stayed like that for a long time then slouched back and put his glasses back on. A large window presented a small room with a chair sitting in the middle of it. It was on a platform that was sunken a foot into the floor. The room was lit with warm lights among the walls and a floor lamp in each corner. It was pleasant set up, made to help one relax. The floor was a thick carpet and walls a pleasant wallpaper of light orange and brown.

A women sat next to him twirling her hair and chewing on some gum. She seemed totally uninterested at the whole situation as she flipped through a horror book. She wore the standard assistant uniform, but her hair was a dark purple and she would glance up at him with dark brown eyes. He understood, if he wasn’t so deep, he would feel the same.

“When is the next patient due?” He asked looking over a large machine with knobs and tiny screens.

The women picked up a clipboard and flipped through it “We have one at 4:30, male, seems to have some trauma that had happened a couple of years ago. Says he has tried everything, life falling apart, you know, the usual.” She tossed the clipboard back on the desk.

“Trauma trauma trauma” the doctor flipped some switches “You know I haven’t slept in three days, call that trauma. Can’t even get a decent coffee at the moment. Why do you think ? Oh, nevermind, they won’t tell us anyway” He readjusted his coat and moved towards the door. “Getting some coffee, you want anything?”

“That cream soda thing” she said without looking up from her book.

He nodded and exited the dark room.

He turned left and walked through the halls of the Animah institute. A wellness center that was built to harness the new age methods of treating the soul, the mind and the body. Using new techniques of therapy and advance technology they were proposing that they could release you form your burdens and help you be reborn.

The hallways held large posters of symbols that never made sense to him, happy go luck vibes that held something a bit sinister the more you looked at them. The whole place bathed in warm light of orange and vanilla colors. The walls a deep orange with the posters and some murals here and there, the floor in the hallways a vanilla color with speckles of black. He rounded a corner and entered the breakroom. All the walls curved into a light that ran among the ceiling. It was supposed to be futuristic, but he sometimes felt as if he was in a fun house.

The room was empty and he flipped the switch on the coffee machine and waited for it to heat up.

Another man entered. Doctor Philman.

“Hey, Cyrus, how you holding up? I head they have some crazy new project that you are on. I barely see you leave now a days”

He sighed and nodded “Yeah, it’s been a bit tough. How about you?”

Philman grabbed the coffee, his coffee, and poured a cup.

“Can’t complain, we are seeing some good progress on some of our patients. I mean most don’t come back, but they reach out and really let us know how much it changed their life. Your project going well? “

Cyrus flipped the switch again on the coffee machine and stared out into the hallway with blank eyes. “Can’t really say yet. Some good, some bad, some -“

“That’s great” Philman moved towards the door “Hey, make sure to get some rest, looking a bit stressed” He smiled and exited the room.

The coffee finished pouring and Cyrus looked down at it. The ceiling reflected off its dark waves. He picked it up and smiled, grabbed a cream soda from the fridge and walked back to the room.

“Whoa what happened to you?” Serena looked peered over her book at him “someone give you a nice compliment?”

He handed her the cream soda “No no, not anything like that Serena. I just remembered.” He looked out the window to the empty chair “I jut remembered what this was all about, what we are close to discovering, my dreams and nightmares swarming into a great ocean of the edge of scientific illumination. A new age, my dear, a warping of all consciousness. That’s why we are hear.”

The cream soda canned cracked loudly. “Yup” She took a sip.

Doctor Cyrus smiled and nodded to himself “This has to be done, we need more data, we need more answers.” Then he took a large gulp of his coffee. It tasted a bit better with his reignited resolve.

I have a plot that I am pulling together. You might remember the ad from the Animah Institute - Get Well Soon

It seemed a bit weird eh? Well there is nothing normal about this place. Guard your mind, body and soul. You never know what could happen within its walls. Even the doctors barely know.

When I saw it I knew I should have turned around and left. Leave be to what ever force or abyss it came from. Leave it to those that really were looking, those that were into it.

But I didn’t.

It started with a case. A pretty little women, golden hair bobbed just above her shoulders, petite and innocent looking stepped into my office.

“This is the office of private investigator Mark Sinclair, right?” I jumped a bit. I wasn’t used to people walking straight into my office. My secretary was at home nursing her head with a pile of ice.

I pulled my hand away from my drawer as I looked up. “You found him” I kept alert, plenty of women would gut you for one reason or another.

She moved gracefully to sit, her white dress seemed to have a perpetual wind blowing through it.

“Pleasure Mr.Sinclair. My name is Dorthy Gilford. I have lost my husband I would like you to investigate his whereabouts for me.”

I smiled “You lost your husband or he is off with another gal? Which one?”

“Definitely lost Mr.Sinclair.” The way she smiled and said it put me on edge. A crack in the angel statue. What could you expect though. No one was perfect, no matter how hard you prayed.

“Well, Mrs.Gilford, I’m a bit stacked with active cases right now. I might need to defer you for a while, but this seems to be a time sensitive matter.”

Her hands rustled into her purse and pulled out a large stack of bills and slammed it on the desk.

“Oh, I see. I can be bought?” I leaned back into my chair.

“Mr.Sinclair, my husband is very important to me and many others. This money is nothing compared to getting him back.”

“Why not go to the police if he is so important?”

“It cannot be known that he is missing” she stated.

I rubbed my temples. It had to be another broad this guy was with. Which it would make it easy to find him, the after math wasn’t my problem. The money looked at me with its printed eyes. It was a lot. More then I made in half a year. I peered up at Dorthy. Her face was smooth, a small smile cut through it, pleasant.

“Where was he last seen?”

“North side of the city, at a bar called Presidential Cross. The code word to enter is ‘Fallen One’. He was there last Wednesday for a meeting, one that he always attends there. After that he would usually return home promptly at ten O’clock on the dot to discuss what happened. As you can tell, he never returned. I cannot reach him or get in contact with him. I am willing to to triple the offer if you find him this in the next couple days. Time is running from us”

The Presidential Cross. Damn. I knew the place. Avoided it like the plague. It had more security than Fort Knox. I cased the place once for a client, thought his wife was having an affair with someone in there. I watched anyone who was someone enter that building. Senators, police chiefs, even the president of the United States showed up. They knew I was watching too. The guard would glance up at my in my perch, look at me straight through my binoculars. Gave me the creeps.

The money looked good on my desk though.

“I’ll look into it for you Dorthy. That place isn’t my favorite, but I think I can stomach it for the arrangement.” I took the pile and cut it in half. “Half now, half later. If it is unfavorable or can’t find him, the rest of the bread is yours to keep.”

Dorthy put the rest of the cash in her purse and stood up. Her blue eyes looked down at me as her head tilted slightly up. This woman meant business.

“I am very gracious that you can assist us Mr.Sinclair. I look forward to your results. You can contact me at this number” She set a slip of paper on the desk. “For all the days we live, may this be the one be bathed in glory”

The she left.

The fan squeaked above me. Needed to get that fixed. I looked at the money. Soon.

Dorthy Gilford was the start of it all. A demon wrapped in an angels skin. A messenger of doom wearing a smile and white dress. My gut told me something was off, I knew it, but the damn thing was.

I wanted to know what it was.

The next day I put on my best suit and tie, slipped my revolver in it’s shoulder holster and looked at my self in the mirror. Best I looked all year. I waited till the night when the club would open.

The Presidential Cross was not just a club, but a whole building on the north side of town. It rose thirty stories into the sky, art deco facades aligning every inch of it. It looked like a billion bucks, because it was. Part hotel, condo’s and club, the entrance opened up to it’s concierge desk and check in counter. Statues of gold and suns gold illuminating the lobby. Velvet red couches and chairs that held patrons of high class sprawled around and then a small bar for guests sat along one of the sprawling walls. I looked around, this wasn’t the place I wanted to be, but I needed to scope out the place first. Some curious eyes glanced my way and I exited. No need to stay my welcome. The real place I wanted was around the corner. A door on the back of the building. It stood tall, ten feet, adjourned in zig zags of gold and silver, an eye in a massive pyramid beamed out from the center. Men fully nude embossed on the door reached towards the sky which held a large sun and some strange symbols.

It always creeped me out.

Below the eye was a slit which slid with fluid motion making no sound. A pair of eyes looked at me with vicious intent.

“Fallen One” I said.

The eyes stared at me for along moment. “Name? and the one who sent you?”

“Mark Sinclair, Dorthy Gilford sent me” at that the slit closed and a large clicking came from the door. Instead of opening it slid out of the way letting me in. I took a deep breath. I had watched a lot of chums come in here, looks like it was my turn.

I stepped down a hallway that was aligned with small theater lights to a set of double doors. No on was there to greet me. I pushed through them.It was crowded. Much more then I thought it would be. I didn’t see anyone enter from the door I came in. Must be guests or residents at the hotel. I stood over looking what looked like a ballroom. Spiraling marble columns lined both sides of the room. A massive bar that shot up into the vaulted ceiling sat at the back of the room. The place was multi tiered. The middle was completely open, to the right and left, tiers of stairs and sitting areas moved up to a balcony that disappeared behind the bar and extended more beyond. Every where I looked I felt poorer by the second. In the center of the room was a fountain. A woman status in marble covered her eyes tilting her head towards the ceiling revealing her full form, water ran down under her hands as if she was crying down into the pool of water at her feet. The water glistened with an other worldy shine of purple and aquamarine. I stepped down into the room. Figures dressed to the nines click glasses, smiled, laughed and partook in some sort of revelry.

I moved to the bar trying my best not to ruin anyones clothes.

The bartender wore a mask that covered her eyes. I couldn’t see them, but I knew her eyes were on me as soon as I appeared.

“Mr.Sinclair, what can I get you?”

“Know me? Door guy moves fast”

She smiled and nodded. Who else knew?

“I’m actually looking for someone -“

“Mr.Gilford, correct?” She put her thumbs together and connected her index fingers to form a triangle and put it on her forehead. “We know” then she giggled.

It felt off. Everything felt off. This place, these people. I peered over my shoulder. Everyone was still doing their thing, but now their ears were open, pointed straight at me.

“So, where might I find this Mr.Gilford? His wife is missing him dearly” I thought about a drink, but I didn’t want to front the bill.

The bartender leaned against the bar putting her elbows on it and resting her chin on her fists then pointed behind me.

“Our final guest has arrived.” A man spoke. I turned.

Party was over it seemed.

A man in a red and white suit stood behind another man sitting in a chair. The guests had stopped all their motion and watched.

“What an honor, who might you be?”

The man was older, gray hair brushed back and skin had seen better days. He reminded me of a talk show host. His suit coat was red and fell below his knees, while everything else beneath was white. The man in chair was dressed in tuxedo, his arms and legs were tied to the chair legs and arms. He didn’t seem bothered. I had a feeling who he was.

“Just the devil in a suit. We didn’t need you, but we wanted you. Tick tock, you didn’t make it in time to save your quest, but just in time to witness the birth of a new world” He whipped his arms and a large knife seemed to materialize out of thin air. A magician then.

I unholsterd my gun “Whoa there pal, let’s not do anything hasty. Devil or not, 45’s going to put a few holes in you if your not careful. Why don’t you step away from Mr.Gilford”

The mans smile grew so long I thought his face would split. “Perceptive as ever Mr.Sinclair” The knife went to Gilfords throat and stopped inches above his neck.

I breathed out and shot.

Then I shot again and again. The man stood motionless, they all stood motionless. Not even a flinch.

“Just my luck” I started to reload as fast I could.

“Lucky indeed” the knife plunged into Gilfords throat. Well there goes the rest of my money. Gilford didn’t even seem to react as blood poured down his neck and down his white shirt. The mans outfit now fully red as blood splattered as he held the knife in Gilfords throat. He stood looking at me with that stupid smile.

Off, everything is off. I finished reloading and aim down the sights again. The mans eye brows rose in amusement. This was no longer a party I wanted to be at.

I holstered my gun and ran towards the door. No one tried to stop me, no one even moved. As soon as I got to the top the stairs the door was sliding open for me to exit.

I stepped out into the night air. I could hear sirens coming from all directions, fire trucks speeding along. Screams and glass breaking. It sounded as if the whole world had gone mad. I sprinted back to my office.

I didn’t know what to make of it, everything had gone batty in an instant. I pushed through into my office, searching for more bullets, a knife and anything else that could be useful. I looked towards the bottle of whiskey. I needed clarity.

The door opened, I spun around pulling Mrs.Gilford into the sights of my 45.

Her dress was now black. Her sweet little face still splashed with that small smile.

“Unsuccessful were we Mr.Sinclair?”

“You could say something like that” I squeeze the trigger. She howled and fell back crashing into my front door. Her face was twisted in pain, but it shown a more demonic form. Eyes in places there shouldn’t be, teeth larger then any animal he had seen.

But she bled.

She stood and shook off the pain. Her new grotesque form standing tall and proud. She no longer needed to hide.

“Well Mr.Sinclair, looks like our contract has concluded. We needed a curious witness. Your eyes worked just as well as anyones. Welcome to the new world. I really did want to travel into the new world with my dear husband. He was oh so important. We might reunite again. He was picked for a reason”

I shot again, but in a flash she was gone.

Where she had been a card floated down to the floor. She left a calling card, what a broad. I picked it up.

In the center of it was a purple door with a sun above it. On the right of door it said Central and on the right Plaza and under it said Tower.

The last place I wanted to know about or even think about.

The Purple Door at the Central Tower Plaza.

I slipped the card into my pocket and picked up the phone and dialed. It rang for a moment then someone picked up.

“Henry, you still alive?” Sinclair said.

I love private investigators. I wrote this in the noir style. It is a style that I do not see that often anymore and when ever I read something like the Maltese Falcon or watch some old noir movies it sucks me in.

This is an introduction to our fateful investigator Mark Sinclair. I have a feeling this won’t be the only supernatural case he gets into.

IntrivateWeaving

There is always that one house. Out of all the houses in the neighborhood or when you’re taking your routine drive to work, it sits, looming, watching you as you pass. While it looks like an ordinary house, there is just something wrong with it. As if small little design decisions add up to bring a feeling of paranoia. The windows tilted slightly, the door chipped here and there, the grass a different type of green or growing in an odd way. The way it sits far back into its yard, way more then the other houses, like it doesn’t want to be seen as it hunts.

Cars sometimes are in the garage or on the outside, but that is a rare occasion. Most of the time it seems empty, no decorations on the outside, no movement from the shutters or windows. Just standing tall and ominous.

A bad dream at the end of a driveway.

There is always one. How did it become that way? Was it the builders? Was it the inhabitants at one time who cursed and committed sins so brutal that even the very foundation of the houses became awash in their atrocities? Or was it the very timber from a curse land that led them to do it? Was it built to be haunted by the souls trapped inside? Who knew that they were buying their own coffin when signing the papers.

Whether there is a curse, spirits, a reason, these houses pop up, linger, and become legends. Call it the seasoning of the neighborhood or area. A haunted house stokes the imagination, ignites the many fears of childhood and builds the trauma that adults lay awake at night consulting the ceiling about.

If you ever have the feeling the house you are buying isn’t quite right, close your eyes. Are you afraid to open them?

Then be wary of the house.

There have been many creepy houses that I have noticed in my life. My old neighbor hood had this one in the back streets on this corner. The yard was large and never up kept. Inside was a dog that would always rush the fence line and bark at us when trying to get to the pool across the street. Even the trees seems to be stuck in autumn.

Now there is a house that sits way back in its lot to the left side when I drive to the highway from our new house. It looks weird, it feels weird. The driveway is long and it seems that is off to one side of its yard, to close to the forest it’s next to. There never seems to be cars in the driveway, but I know someone bought it (after a long time being on the market). When I glance at it, the house glances back. It almost seems that the forest will eat it at any moment.

Haunted houses are fascinating. Do you have one where you live?

Let your mind run wild - Cheers ~

“I told you, not once , but twice, I did see it. It leapt, jumped, I don’t know what it did , but it flew across my yard, taking him with it”

Sara Cloud heaved a heavy sigh as she recounted the event for the hundredth time. Again, they stared at her with eyes that called her crazy. Each time she told the story it got a bit different, not from context, but how she was describing it. Trying to find the words, the description that aptly described what she had seen. It’s not every day you see a monster swoop, or what ever, out of the sky and grab your next door neighbor.

“One more time” one of the two men in black suits asked slowly. This was his fifth cup of coffee and eighth donut. She wondered how he stayed so lean.

She brushed her hair back in frustration and shook her head “You are not listening at all, are you?”

“Of course, we just want the facts, which you keep changing”

“I am not” her voice raised.

She could see the tension build as both men stepped closer to her.

“Look, again. A giant monster, with eyes all over it’s body with massive black wings, swooped “She made the hand gesture and then stopped to see if they were fallowing along “Grabbed Mr.Jameson with it’s massive sharp talons “her hands went out in claws, making a raking motion in the air, again stopping to confirm their place. “Okay, yeah? Then took him away into the air, to the east, to Falkmir mountain. You know that place? Creepy looming mountain range? Mmhm” Sara nodded vigorously until they also nodded with her.

“That’s it. That’s what I saw, once again”

The man opened his mouth and she could see the words forming

“No! Last time, that’s what I saw”

He closed it shut.

The other man who had only two cups and two donuts pursed his lips and motioned something towards the window.

“Okay mam, you’re free to go, just be careful around the area where the incident happened. This mons-animal could come back, if it does “ he produced a card “call us”

She slipped the card from his hand and stormed out of the room. Sheriff Mckinsley, one of her old high school friends stood in the hallway. As soon as he saw her, he tried to b-line it for his office, but Sara was quicker.

“You” she pointed at him and ushered him in and slammed the door behind him”You, you, you , youuuu” she wagged her finger at him and scowled.

“I-I” he put up his hands up as shield.

“No, you said don’t worry these guys are pros, they will take care of it, you can trust them. What?! These men in black coming from Washington asking me for five hours the same question? Give me a brick wall next time, it will respond better to me bashing my head into it” Sara started to pace back and forth huffing and puffing, scowling and grinding her teeth as her eyes shot darts and Sheriff Mckinsley.

“I thought they could help, I know weird stuff goes on around here, but nothing like a giant monster snagging a townsfolk, I’m not trained for that”

Sara moved around to his desk and plopped down in his giant leather chair. Her head went straight to the desk with a bang.

“So what do we do?” Her muffled question came.

“We? Nothing, we let them handle it”

Sara rolled her head to the side and squinted at him “They are going to blow up this town if we do not do something, you’ve seen the movies. You and I, we know this place, better then anyone” she perked up “Yeah, like the movies” a smile lit up her face she beamed at him.

“Oh no, no no I know that look Sara, last time I saw it we were lost in the woods for almost a week looking for some ancient ruins”

“Which we found” she added.

“Yes..not so ancient as we hoped”

“You know what we must do.” Sara’s face was deadly serious.

“Nothi-“

“Monster hunters” she stated. “You and I, Sara Cloud and Mathew Mckinsley, hunt the monsters to save their little ideal mountain town” Her eyes gained their shine back and she nodded slowly towards him “Grab your shotgun”

“Oh boy..”

I came up with the title thinking about a women telling a story, in this case she has told the story many times, of an event that can’t be believed. I just let this play out in my head. I let the characters talk as they showed up in the scene, I gave them names and let it run. The town would remind me of something like twin peaks with a sense of wayward pines the mountains in the background,looming the monster, sorta thinking of a Gravity Falls vibe. Serious, but a bit silly with Sara determining that they will be come monster hunters.

We will see if we pick back up with these characters another time. I like them so far.

cheers!

I sat down at my desk, leaned back into my chair and slid my journal in front of me. It looked like any other ordinary journal, black cover, leather bound, semi thick paper, perfect for my fountain pens, and a small tassel to mark the last page.

I opened it to where the tassel was. Today was May 20th 2023. On the top of the page was the date June 5th 2023.

In my handwriting it wrote -

I know that there will be a decision to make between going out or staying in on the date of May 28th. Stay in. Your future self thanks you.

Signed - James

One might think that I was writing to my self pretending to be in the future, but no, these entries appeared when I opened the journal. My future self, somehow was writing back in time to me. Each time I went to open the journal the tassel would move a page and a new entry would be there signed by my future self.

At first Ignored them. They seemed impossible and they didn’t make sense because the events had not happened yet, but as I ignored them, the ideas kept in my mind. I started to notice that the things it was asking me to do showed up. A choice here, a decision there, simple things that I wouldn’t really think about. Then they got more involved as I started to take it more seriously. As I obeyed my future self, success started to roll in, things became a bit complicated, but improved in many areas of my life. It was like I was gaining momentum. Even when I finished a notebook, another one of my notebooks would always be receiving entries from my future self.

I closed the notebook and made a note of what it wanted me to do. Nothing today, we will see tomorrow.

The morning sun spread across my desk and I sat down to see what my future self had to say to me. I had started to get an immense joy of what surprise might be waiting. I opened it to the tasseled page.

I read it.

I read it again.

And again.

It read -

May 15 2023

You must use the knife, third from the right, to kill him. If you use anything else, you will be caught. Immediately call the police, say he attacked you. Do not let him inside. The man with the yellow hat. Stab in right shoulder down to heart. It will reach.

Signed - James

I slid my chair away form my desk and stared at the journal. A message like this had never shown up before. And the date was from my past self, not my future self. How could that be? I mean how could I be getting entries from my future self either? It seemed more probable of a time traveler talking back to me from time that had not happened, but a person from the past?

The doorbell rang and I jumped out of my chair.

“Who could that be” I said aloud and stood up. I glanced one more time at the journal entry before moving towards the front door, past the knives.

I opened the door and an older gentlemen with a wide smile greeted me. I shook my head with a smile. No yellow hat on this guy.

“Good morning sir, I was in the neighborhood looking for some volunteers to help restore the church and cemetery down the road, needs repair badly and we have a few hands, but could always use more” His smile widened and with each word he seemed to lift off his heels in delight. I checked my watch, and ran through my schedule, a bit busy today unfortunately.

“I would love to help, but I am heading out very soon. Maybe another time.” I smiled back and answered. His smile twitched a bit, but he nodded.

“No problem, if I could only bother you for a moment, I would like to wash my hands” his hands moved from his waist and he placed a yellow knit hat on his head and then he showed both of his hands which were covered in dirt.

I froze. His smile disarmed me, I didn’t even notice that he had held that hat in his hands.

The man with the yellow hat.

The journal entry.

I swallowed hard.

“Yes, no problem, one moment, wait here.” I said closing the door moving towards the kitchen.

This was nuts, absolutely crazy. I drew the knife, third from the right.

I heard the door hinge swing slowly. He was entering. I made it back to the door, the man standing just inside, his smile dimmed, but what caught me was his eyes. They looked at me with pure hatred, two soulless pits that sucked all life from those they came upon. He saw me as something else then human. Prey.

I didn’t think, I didn’t hesitate. I followed what the journal said.

I stepped forward and plunged the knife directly into his right shoulder towards his heart. His hands were already around my neck tightening, choking the life out of me, but as his heart pumped empty blood, his grip loosened. He collapsed on top of me.

I scrambled to the phone and immediately called the police.

I told them that he attacked me. They were shocked I was alive. The man with the yellow cap was an escaped mental patient. He was on the wanted list for murder of five different people till he got to me. He would pick a place nearby, say he needed help, strangle and kill those that followed him, or if denied, kill them in their house.

My past self had saved me. But now I wondered. Who were they? My past self, my future self?

Who was I?

This was a prompt that I was given. It was “Some one keeps receiving messages from their future self, telling them to make a specific choice, but then one day they get a different type of message, one from their past self, telling them to do something terrible”

This could of gone in a bunch of different ways, I thought about his past self telling him to kill some one innocent, but if it came from a different time period, there would have to be a chain reason. The thought of following your future or past self is intriguing. If they are commanding you, are you really living your own life? Or another version of yours?

“I told you that I’m not sure about your whole friends group.” Mikel adjusted his suit black blazer. He spied himself in one of the large windows that they were passing by. Dressed to the nines in ninety degree weather heading into some massive castle on the outskirts of town. His girlfriend, Melody, strung him along.

“Ah, don’t worry they will love you as much as I do.” They came to the massive front door which was covered in ornate cast iron figures. Melody spun and adjusted Mikels jacket again and looked him over. “You look fantastic” she smiled. Her skin olive and her eyes a deep crimson, her face perfectly symmetrical. Her hair a combination of dark brown and dirty blonde sat in a long pony tale high on the back of her head and bangs framed her face. “In we go”

They entered with out any fan fair. The whole place seemed empty, but as Melody lead him down corridors and around sweeping stair cases he could hear the laughter and commotion of a party.

They made their way in the back and there was a large conservatory made out of glass. Like a massive green house, a forest resided inside. They entered and found where the party was. Dressed in the most posh, fancy outfits he had ever seen, young adults such as him self clinked glasses full of dark wine and conversated over elaborate place settings. As they entered some eyes moved towards them, but most seemed to ignore. Melody pulled Mikel towards the table on the far side, which stood inform one of some forest entrance that went deepened into the glass labyrinth. As soon as they reached their seats a squad of girls dressed in massive ball gowns glided towards them.

“Melody!” A girl in a red princess dress shot up and gave her a hug “Glad you could make it this time, we missed you so dearly last time. We had almost given up hope that you would join us again” The two other girls nodded in agreement.

“Well, it has been a while hasn’t it? This is my boyfriend, Mikel” She moved to the side bit and let him step forward. Mikel extended his hand for a shake which the girl took it aggressively. She yanked a bit and he stumbled trying to keep form falling into her. Her eyes shot straight into his then crept down all the way to his feet then back at his eyes.

“Pleasure, Amanda, behind to the right in green is Jezebel, Yellow, Sadie. We hope you make it the whole night” A grin lit up her face and her eyes flashed something primal. Melody slinked between them softly, but firmly taking Mikels hand and stepping back.

“Pleasure to meet all of you as well” he said massaging his hand a bit.

Melody smiled sweetly to them and waved them off to talk again later.

“What was that?” Mikel asked as they both sat down. Melody face was fraught with a frown and she grinder her teeth as she glared around the room.

“That was uncalled for” Melody scowled between frowns. “Maybe this was a mistake” he could barely hear her say.

A man dressed in a butler uniform who was as tall as the door entered and rang a small bell in his behemoth hands. “Dinner will be served” Then left as fast as he came. The other people took their seats and soon their table was filled with new guests. The three ladies were gratefully sitting at another table. Everyone that the turned to was beautiful. Their skin perfect, eyes glowing with radiance, hair full and healthy. They exhumed energy that you heard in stories of young nobles conquering lands and leading endless campaigns of war, just to return in perfect shape and throwing a party to end the world. They all knew Melody and expressed their happiness on her return. Mikel could just smile and introduce himself. He seemed like a shadow among bright stars, but they all payed deep attention to him as he spoke and drew him in with acknowledgment that he had rarely experienced.

It seemed as an army of butlers cascaded out of the castle carrying a plates of silver covered meals. They all aligned behind each person, their white knit gloved hands graping the top of the silver dome. As they all got to their position, at the same time in one smooth movement they all lifted the silver dome off the plate exposing the food.

“Oh- Fuc-“ Mikel heard Melody sigh. He had rarely heard her swear, only in the most disturbing situations. He gave her a side look, then took a look at the meal which had been prepared. His mouth fell open. Upon the plate was a hand. A human hand. Palm facing up towards him, fingers bent slightly towards the sky. It look perfectly normal, expect for the whole missing the rest of the body part. Where the wrist would be, there was as small white cloth with ruffles that covered where you could probably see the insides.

Mikel looked around the table. All plates held a hand. He spied over at Melody’s plate which also had The Thing presented. She was rubbing her eyes and leaned into him.

“I am so sorry. You don’t have to eat anything. We will go get a burger or something after, this was a huge mistake.”

He glanced around at the other who were no cutting into their ‘food’ with fork and knife. As they opened their mouth, their teeth seemed to become razors and they grinded the flesh and bone as easily as pie.

“Oh boy, oh man, are these real? Real human hands? Wheres the rest of their bodies? Oh, oh!” Mikel turned white and faced forward “Three course meal…” He went to stand up , but Melody held him down with her strength.

“No no, just make it through this. I swear they never want to have any normal fun” She released him and quickly scanned the room. No one seemed to be paying attention to them, but she knew.

The boy across the table waved a fork with a finger skewered through it and said “Mikel, what’s wrong? Not fresh enough for you?”

The funny thing is that this boy was completely serious. There was no snide in his remark.

“I had a big uh, lunch? You know - “ he searched around in his head for something that might be relatable to them “ a couple children”

Melody’s head whiplashed so hard to stare at him that he could feel the breeze it produced. The boy began to laugh.

“Well can’t argue with that. Shame that we had so much prepared for tonight. Melody should have told you, but it sounds like you had a treat.” He then bit the finger in half and shook his head still suppressing laughter as he chewed.

“Children?!” Melody whispered

“I froze, this is cannablism, what am I supposed to say? And what even are they?”

“Say a whole horse, or deer or something else. How is children your first thought?” She sighed heavily looking down at her plate.

Mikel peered at her. She wasn’t going to eat that was she? They had always made meals full of meat, but he always thought she was on some special carnivore diet.

The butlers came back to retrieve the plates. As they reached them the one paused “Not to your liking sir, madam?”

“I believe they are full from the children they had for lunch” the boy across the table interjected.

The butler grabbed both of their plates “Then second and third course, would you be partaking in either?”

“No, we actually must be going. I just wanted to stop in and see everyone” Melody pushed away from the table and stood up. She nudged Mikel and he followed.

As they walked past the tables Amanda caught sight “Leaving so soon? We were looking forward to catching up, maybe a dance or two” she smiled and took a sip of goblet of dark amber liquid.

“They had some children for lunch” the boy called from across the room. Nods of agreement came from group.

Melody rolled her eyes then shot a look towards the boy.

“Next time? Maybe” Mikel nodded and gave his best grin he could muster. He looked at them, scared out his mind, but Melody kept her cool, thus so did he.

Amanda nodded “Next time then, ta ta”

They walked out and crossed the army of butlers which were bring in long trays covered in silver again. He wondered. He imagined. The rest of them? He was interrupted by Melody pulling him forcefully from the mansion at high speed.

They made it outside and he was glad to see a normal looking country side and sun. Inside the conservatory, the sky looked different and the sun glowed a greenish yellow.

Mikel slumped against their car as Melody stared back at the castle.

“Soo” he pursed his lips “Police? FBI? CSI? Paranormal investigators? Vatican? Who uh, who do we call?”

Melody slumped next to him “None. I - I was trying to get them to help me out. Sort of bridge the gap for you…but they really messed it up. Honestly I’m shocked your not running for the hills right now”

Mikel looked around. He wouldn’t get that far “When in Rome” he shrugged “I’m guessing you are also, what ever “he motioned towards the castle swirling his hand in the air “they are? What would they be exactly?”

Melody gave a heavy sigh and searched the sky for the right words. “We are a sort of a cross between a wendigo and a vampire. Not by choice, our parent bore us this way. A new type of Mons-“ she stopped and turned away from him “creature”

He replayed their past dates and time together. There were always signs, but he just thought that she was particular or you know, quirky. An insatiable apatite, over-protective with high aggression, extremely smart and witty. You know, a noble or something.

“Well” Mikel shoved himself from the car and moved around to face Melody “I’m sure we will figure something out.” She glanced at him, her lips quivering and eyes full of tears.”What ever that might be” he said under his breath.

“Mon-Creature or whatever you might be, I love you Melody.” he shrugged “I guess, show me your world, but leave your friends till later. They really creep me out.” he said giving her a large smile. She returned it. Teeth for tearing flesh, cross his mind.

She stepped forward and snaked her arms around him. Her crimson eyes drinking him in and in her velvet voice said “I have so much to show you, Mikel. This is just the beginning.”

I had a thought of a guy being brought to a party to meet his girlfriends friends, but they all turn out to be very strange. I originally had it that they would try to eat Mikel, but changed it to a non-confrontational situation. There is some humor to it, they know Mikel is human, but as good friends (sorta) the keep their cool.

“Remember to come back in three months to get it wound up again” The man handed the box containing two large ornate wood music boxes. The parents smiled and nodded as they strode back to their car. As they left the craftsman took off his hat, wiped his brow and gave them a wave. “Let the music keep you whole”

Miles and Mary finished cleaning up the kitchen as their daughter Daisy ran around the living room fighting off dragons and trolls that were invading her imaginary kingdom. Miles peered out the window over the sink into the forest that lined the neighborhoods back yards. The wind was picking up, creating a torrent of branches dancing wildly in the small outside light form their porch.

“Might be a storm tonight” Miles said wiping the last of the plates and putting it on the drying rack.

“I didn’t see anything on the news, but you know how it is. Weather channel can’t seem to get it right.” Mary pushed in each chair into the dining room table and made sure everything was re-aligned an d centered. When she had finished she smiled and moved into the living room. “Okay Daisy, time for bed, let’s get ready.”

Daisy smiled, slew her last troll and bolted for the stairs.

Miles turned off the rest of the lights and they both ascended to their rooms.

Daisy slipped under the covers of her small bed and peered at her window on the other side of the room. The wind was picking up and just as she could hear the torrent, the music box started playing.

“Good night sweetie, see you in the morning” Her mom kissed her forehead and turned off the small light on the nightstand. Her dad followed with a hug and kiss, then closed the door to the room slightly.

They both moved into the master bedroom where the music box filled the room with a light lullaby. It seemed like background noise, they hardly noticed it anymore. As if the music had become part of the house in a way. They breathed air, they listen to the music at night. Miles braced himself against their bedroom wall and looked out towards their backyard. Trees were now whipping wildly and rain battered down on the window.

“Here it comes” he smiled and slipped into bed. “Better to be in here then out there”

“Agreed” Mary stretched and slid next to him. They both closed their eyes and soon sleep overcame them.

There was no crescendo, no build up. Screams, an unholy symphony of endless screaming, crying, begging, mourning ripped into them. Miles stumbled out of bed covering his ears while Mary joined in the chorus of screaming.

The music box had stopped.

The whole room was cold, darker then it should be. The screaming came not from a single point, but from all dimensions. The sound of damned vibrated straight into the bones and carried their torment straight to the soul. Miles grabbed his chest in pain, but slid closer and closer to the music box as he could. The sensation of pain, sadness and despair effected all senses. He could taste the bleakness, see the hopelessness, feel the brutal violation of self, smell the burning of human emotions crisped on the fires of something ungodly. Then the sound, which his ears could perceive at one level and then his body on another. If all the human suffering, every cry for life, every angry scream that broke vocal cords till they bled filtered through him.

He reached the music box, unconsciously, he felt through the burning sensations and wound it. Wound it and wound it. Then as everything culminated he let go of the key, and the lullaby filled the room. Immediately the assault stopped. In an instant the room returned to normal as if nothing had happened. The music box ticked, now manually winding down, missing its master craftsman. Mary sobbed on the floor next to the bed, Miles laid paralyzed, overwhelmed. Until one thought crossed his mind.

Daisy.

If their music box stopped.

So did hers.

His body creaked and protested as he rose to his feet. His wife rose as well, her face ghostly white, the same thought. He grabbed the music box from the small table and they ran through the door into the hall way and to the her room.

“Daisy!” he burst into their room.

The lullaby played from the music box that he held in his right hand. He gripped it so tight that it might break. His eyes wide, face contorted in a silent scream.

Mary screamed. A scream so terrible it could be included in the unholy chorus.

He set the music box next to the silent one and stepped back. It ticked mechanically, the key winding down, counting the seconds till it needed to be wound again.

They had forgotten.

One time.

Thats all it took.

They had broke the routine.

I was laying awake one night, as i do often, looking at the ceiling and hearing the air purifier that is in our room hum away. I then thought what would happen if that slow hum went away and was replaced by the absolute wailing for a hundreds of people. A violent assault on the ears, one of those sounds that brings you to your knees because it is so horrible, something you try to shake away from you ears, but it surrounds, consumes. Like village on fire and everyone screaming to be saved as you stand on the outside. Then the flash of a family getting a music device serviced, the world has accepted its fate to keep the sound at bay with these devices. It has become routine, and with routine comes slip ups from stagnation. Context, the makers of the music boxes have to service them to keep them running continuously with out being wound up. If one is not serviced, it will not run with out being manually cranked every minute or so.

When terror becomes routine, one mishap leads to devastation.

Be mindful of everyday moments of terror. Maybe keep them out of the shadows, so you see their teeth.

Cheers~

It was eleven thirty, and I was sitting at my desk in my room on a calm Sunday. The sun was shining, birds chirping away. I could even see my neighbors playing with their dog across the street. I flipped to another page of the mystery novel I was reading. Halfway through, the murderer was getting clever—more vicious. I cheered on my detective as he closed in, got duped, then started the chase again. I knew he would get him in the end, but nothing could ever be straightforward.

A chime came from my phone, and I picked it up to see who had messaged me.

It was Jimmy. He was a good friend, but a bit off the deep end. He stayed up all night surfing the web and hacking cyberspace—so much so that when he showed up at school the next day, his panda eyes would search the air for invisible pixels. I enjoyed sci-fi, so he and I got along pretty well.

The message read:
“Tim! Whatever you do, do NOT accept the terms and service. Click the top right of the window one hundred times.
Then run. Get underground.”

I set my book down and re-read the message. Jimmy was a bit nuts, but he never texted more than the usual “let’s hang out” or “what are you up to?”

I put the phone down and reached for my book—then a window popped up in my vision.

It was a gray box straight out of Windows 95. At the top, it said Terms of Service in bold, and below was scrolling text that repeated endlessly. At the bottom of the window was a button:

Accept.

I looked around. The window stayed in the center of my vision, like a speck on my eye. I closed them. It was still there in the blackness.

I stood up immediately and spun around. Looked in all directions. Strained my eyes in every way I could.

The window remained.

I could hear my family downstairs start yelling, and my sister began to cry. I reached toward the window—and somehow, I could touch it. Move it. Resize it. As if my eyes were a desktop. The window was always in focus, and it pierced straight into my mind. I couldn’t not focus on it.

I looked toward the top right. There was no X like a normal window. I pressed my thumb into the top corner. To my surprise, the window closed.

Then immediately reappeared. A glitch in the system.

I pressed rapidly, counting each time the window vanished and returned.

Ninety-nine. One hundred.

At the hundredth press, the window didn’t return. I stood stunned—it had actually worked.

Run!

I bolted out of my room and ran downstairs to my family. I found them sitting at the dining room table, eyes glazed over, mouths slightly open.

“Mom.” I shook her slightly, then did the same to my dad. “Dad, come on. We have to run. Tiffany—” I turned to my younger sister.

They sat in a trance, staring into nothing. Their bodies barely moved, taking in the bare minimum of oxygen to survive. Then a hum began. Faint at first—but growing louder. It reverberated from all directions, and I shut my eyes to keep my vision from shaking.

Get underground.

I stumbled to the basement steps. The house shook with the hum. Plates and silverware rattled in the kitchen. Windows creaked. I opened the door through blurry vision and slipped down the stairs. As I descended, the humming grew fainter, but it was still audible. I crawled to a corner of the room and clamped my hands over my ears.

A deafening sound came from outside, followed by a massive crash that threw me from the corner and into the couch. Loud bangs, like fireworks, came one after another, shaking everything with systematic force. I screamed, but the overwhelming noise drowned me out. The final bang knocked the breath from my lungs, the vibrations pulsing through me. I doubled over, clutching my chest, struggling to pull in air.

Silence. Stillness.

I coughed, rolled onto my back, and listened. Nothing moved upstairs. The hum was gone.

I crept up the steps and into the kitchen. It looked like a bomb had gone off—broken plates, collapsed shelves, shattered windows. Everything glistened in the sunlight, fractured into multicolored bits. I turned to the dining room.

My family was gone.

Outside was foggy. It sat low, leaving the sky blue and the sun bright. It was dense—thick enough to obscure the house across the street. In the distance, I saw massive black pillars extending into the sky. They filled my vision like mountains, even from so far away. Four of them stood staggered across the horizon. They disappeared into the atmosphere above.

“Psst.” A voice from the fog. “Tim.”

I knew that voice anywhere—third period, whispering about some new computer chip.

“Jimmy!” I called out.

He sprang out of the fog, waving his hands toward the ground with wild eyes. His brown, side-swept hair was a mess, and he was decked out in cargo gear and black. “Shh! Not so loud. We gotta go, Tim—right now, yesterday, yesteryear—we’re the past!”

“Jimmy, what the hell is going on?” I asked as he grabbed my hand and pulled me down the street. A horn blared from the direction of the pillars.

“Remember that signal I picked up from space last year? Aliens, right?” We kept a steady jog. “But not organic. Quantum, man—our minds. We’ve been chasing ourselves this whole time. But it’s too late. We got hacked, Tim. Those AI sons of bitches hacked us.” He laughed as we turned left toward the park. I’d seen him disappear there more than once.

“But they must’ve learned from a terrible programmer. Their system’s full of holes. That’s how I figured out closing the terms. Stupid androids.”

In the middle of the park was a creek and a large sewer pipe we used to play around. Jimmy slid down the side and entered the massive round entrance. I hesitated.

“You serious, Jimmy?” I asked, peering into the murky dark.

He reappeared. “When am I not? Come on, trust me. I don’t rummage around down here for fun.”

I followed. We walked for about ten minutes in darkness, a foul-smelling stream flowing past our feet. I did my best to keep my new shoes dry. Eventually, a faint orange light appeared on the right wall.

“Look—you know my parents are well-off.” I nodded. “And you know they know what I know. They haven’t been home in six months. So let’s just say I used their resources to build this and to find them.”

He pushed through a large steel door, and I followed.

A narrow hallway led down to another door, which opened into a massive cavernous room. Warm light bathed everything. The hum of servers and fans filled the air.

“Jimmy,” I breathed, “this is incredible. It’s like a command center.”

“It is a command center,” he replied with a grin. “Please don’t ask how I got this stuff down here. I do not want to relive the pain, frustration, or the arguments.”

The floor was layered with rugs. To the left was a table littered with monitors, keyboards, and mice. In the back, three server towers hummed under active cooling. To the right, a raised platform held a couple of beds, a table with chairs, and a small kitchen.

Jimmy sat in front of the monitors. I joined him. He began clicking around.

“My parents, like I said, are missing.” He took a breath. “They’ve been captured by whatever came to town. I need your help to get them back. As smart as I am, they’re smarter—by a lot. If we save them, we might save everyone else.”

I thought of my family at the table. Everything had happened so fast, I hadn’t had time to feel it all—the panic, the sadness. I put my head in my hands.

I left them.

Frustration and shame bubbled up.

Jimmy leaned back. “I’m sorry, Tim. I really didn’t know this was going to happen until just before it did. You didn’t have time to warn them. That really sucks. What did you se—”

I sat up. Something in my eyes stopped him.

“Maybe later. It might be important.” Jimmy turned back to the screens, quickly. Silence fell between us. He stared at the monitors. I stared at the ceiling, collecting myself.

There was nothing I could do for them then.

But I could do something now.

I slapped my cheeks lightly. “We’re here now. Let’s deal with it. I’m out of my depth, Jimmy—you’ll have to catch me up. Let’s get on the same page.”

Jimmy’s somber face cracked into a smile. I knew he was scared too. But he was good at hiding it—getting lost in worlds, daydreaming, solving problems.

“Great. Yeah, we can do this. If we find people on the way, we can definitely do this.”

“First—” he clicked rapidly, bringing up a familiar screen. “Let’s find out what’s in this Terms and Service.”

Pop-ups are the worst. So are terms and services. They’re so long, and you never really know what you’re signing up for when you hit accept—which you have to do for basically everything these days.

So what if a terms of service invaded your personal space? So much so that all you wanted was for it to go away. You hit accept just to make it disappear. But what did you actually agree to?

That’s where this story came from.

Be careful what you accept.
You never know what’s behind it.

Cheers!

He could feel the cold air whip across his face as they passed through the vast clouds. Water vapor chilled him before the sun bathed him with intense warmth. He moved to the railing of the airship and looked down towards the vast land below. Covered in thick woods with bursts of meadows here and there, lakes and waterfalls that held a few small villages on their shores.

“Capitan Roan, we are coming upon Lum Falls,” a woman called out from behind the wheel that was up a set of stairs towards the back of the ship. He turned and looked through the cloudy sky to see a large island floating with vast mountains and water flowing from it to the mainland below. He moved up the stairs and took the wheel from his first mate and with expert handling maneuvered the ship through the clouds and up to the island. As they got closer, the mountains on the north side of the island rose all around, and a large port town surrounded the crystal-blue lake which seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Endlessly it filled and emptied in a torrent on the south side of the island. He moved above and pushed a lever towards the front of the ship. In a sharp motion, the ship dove towards the water. A smile spread across his face as the adrenaline of making an entrance coursed through his veins and heightened his precision. While most of his crew enjoyed the rush, his first mate held white knuckled in the corner, throwing every curse she could at him. The air sliced past them as the mountains framed their view, and the lake grew larger by the second.

Not yet. His hand faintly gripped the lever.

Not yet.

It seemed every time they came to Lum Falls, the captain would play chicken with the lake. Would this be the day the lake won?

Not yet.

Now!

The captain pulled the lever as his vision filled with blue. The ship lurched up, and the bottom glided and slipped into the lake effortlessly. Like it had all been planned. The engine in the back spun in a new direction, and the flaps on the side of the ship closed as they dipped into the water and returned to the origins of what ships were made for.

He laughed. “Did you see the Celeste?” he turned to his first mate. She pried herself off the planks and, with shaky legs, her long bluish hair in a mess, moved towards his side, gripping the wheel.

“Must you play your silly games?” Celeste growled . “One day -“

“Yes, yes, one day we will plunge into the water and meet the great cultists of the oceanics themselves. One day, which” he cleared his throat “is not today. Take the wheel. Get ready.” He called to his crew. “We meet port soon, and we need to unload all the goods from Thuncil. Remember, blue x means they are fragile; they break easily if dropped. Use your heads and soft fingers.” The crew responded with a cheer, and as he descended to the deck, they applauded his descent and recalled the last time he had played the daring game. Their adrenaline rushing and moods lifted from staring death in the face. He riled them up and pushed past to his captain’s quarters. As the door closed, he let out a deep breath and slumped against the door. The crew moved among the deck, and he could hear the creaking of the wood as the ship moved about the water.

It had been a long journey to get here. An endless storm had followed them for miles, an air dragoon had almost melted the whole back of the ship, the Imperial Order had set up blockades that they avoided, and food and rum were down to their last crate. They might stay a while. In the center of the room was a large flat table with a Northric air map. The map was a three-dimensional hologram which was projected from a small set of three rings that wrapped around each other. It showed the land below, floating islands, and cloud types above. Above the clouds, it showed static. He moved and waved his hand through the image, and it reacted to his gesture. The land and airscape flew by him until he saw Lum Falls. The large island floating above an even larger lake. He spied something on the other side of the mountains, floating, attached to the side. It was a small island of sorts; water spewed a little from a pond that was probably in the middle of it, but with the dense pine that kept everything on the island invisible, he could not determine what was on it. Pines in this region? The island must have an atmosphere generator on it. His Northric map was different from most maps.

It updated.

Wherever the rings were, they sent out some sort of energy which would feedback into the map. This meant that it would see things that others would not, mysteries that showed up, or small islands that crept up or had been missed by the cartographers. It showed hard-reached spaces and under islands. While it offered details, it did not go too deep. Large structures, fauna, lakes and water, roads, and layouts of cities, but the context was not recorded. But it gave him enough detail to make decisions and inductions.

The Northric map was his most prized possession. It, mixed with his high intuition, made his ship a mystery among the air. He moved towards his bed, which lay beneath some bay-criscrossed windows. On the right was a small wooden dresser. He opened it and retrieved a blue box. The small, unknown island winked at him from the middle of the room, and he smiled, putting the blue box inside his large captain’s coat. He felt the ship start to slow down. They were docking. He moved back towards the door and flicked his right wrist towards the Northric map. It spun and then collapsed and, with a smooth but fast motion, latched onto his wrist, burning into his flesh and becoming one with him. Three rings wrapped around his right wrist in infinity once again. This time, burned black and red. They were bonded to him.

He made sure of that. A price paid. A heavy price.

The ship glided into port and with a fanfare of sailors and onlookers. Hoots and hollers came from the residents of Lum Falls that had witnessed the captain’s daring feat. He smiled and waved, shaking hands and clasping wrists, feeling the energy spread among the dock and into the town. He always had to make an entrance. Let’s spice up this life we live! He would yell in times of depression.

Lum Falls was large, spreading along the coast of the large lake, with another waterfall to its west which spewed from the incredible mountains that overlooked the town. Buildings of stone and wood with charming accents rose two to three stories and ran up a Main Street. Little alleys with houses and merchant houses spread out in all directions. It was a lush and beautiful town. The town sloped up the mountain in a mild climb and ran all the way to the base where the governor’s mansion and royals lived. Their houses built half in the mountain itself with some terraces that etched themselves into the rock face. There was a main square halfway up towards the mountain and many small coves of nature that presented themselves if you explored enough. Brightly covered banners hung from terraces and potted plants of lush green hung and draped all over. The water gave a tropical feel to the whole town and the sun always seemed to shine on them. This led the town of Lum Falls to prosper and become a lead trading port among the imperial islands.

“Careful with those blue crates, remember, fragile.” Captain Roan called out to his crew and the port staff that was helping out. He and Celeste moved to a small building in the middle of the dock. Inside it was musty, filled with eclectic goods from all over. Dust floated and created a small haze as the floorboards creaked over the water.

“Captain Roan, how good to see you. It’s been quite a while since we saw you in Lum Falls. Another spectacle, thought this time it might be the last.” A big man laughed and pulled up a chair to the table and set a large piece of paper down. He ushered them to take seats in front of him.

“The cultists haven’t got us yet.” He smiled a toothy grin. “Now let’s get this over with. What do you think?” He tapped on the large paper. “Pretty neat stuff, huh?”

The man looked over the paper slowly and looked up at him from time to time with a quizzical face.

The man sat back and brushed a hand through his thick black hair. “ Where did you get these?”

Captain Roan leaned back and crossed his legs. He looked over with his deep emerald eyes. “You wouldn’t want to know, my dear Rye. He and his crew were lucky this time. He turned an eye to Celeste, who stared steely-eyed at Rye. He would treat her to a good drink and meal while they were here. She had saved his life on multiple occasions in the last journey. As she always seemed to do.

Rye shook his head and returned to the list. “It will take a while to get the funds and sales for these items. Some of them are big-ticket items. You have enough here to dock forever, so I am not worried about the port fee. You are not looking to get out of here quickly, are you?”

Captain Roan put up his hands. “No, no, my crew needs some rest. If you could arrange that little villa on the west side of town for us. Like last time. They need some good old rest and relaxation for a bit. They deserve it.”

The man rose. “It shall be done.” Captain Roan rose with Celeste and shook his hand. “Give us an hour or so to get the villa ready. You bring a certain energy to the island, Captain Roan. Glad to see you again.”

Captain Roan smiled and nodded. “Thank you for the kind words and your continued support.

The goods were still being unloaded and itemized as they stepped into the fresh air and sunlight.

“The villa will be ready within an hour. We will discuss payment and rewards in a few days as everything needs to be taken care of. We will be here for a while. Get comfortable and regain your strength. Let the great waves of ocean and air bring you glory,” he called to his crew, and cheers erupted.
“Come on, let’s get a drink to celebrate,” he motioned at Celeste, and they descended into town.

A very special game introduced me to the world of ships that sailed the skies, going from floating island to floating island. That game was Skies of Arcadia on the Dreamcast. An incredible game that, in my eyes, was perfect. The characters were all charming, the world was vibrant, and you could explore to your heart’s content. My captain and crew would fit right into that world. Captain Roan is a mix between the character Gilder and Vyse from that game. Loyal, steadfast, and ready for adventure, but being suave and into the riches of the whole thing. His last name is from the character Roan from Grandia II. I was playing both games around the same time, and both role-playing games played a significant inspiration for my imagination. His first mate, Celeste, is a buttoned-up, all-business sort of girl. Fiercely loyal to the captain for reasons unexplained.

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into the world of the skies. We will one day return to continue the tales. Like, what is the small island and the blue box? What price did Captain Roan pay for the Northric map?

Until then, Cheers~

Let the great waves of ocean and air bring you glory.

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A light strobed back and forth from the ceiling. Every time it hit the north wall it revealed a man slouched in a pool of blood. On the opposite, a women stood motionless, stern faced and holding a large knife. She tipped her up and looked down at the corpse as the light blinded then illuminated with each swing. She left the small room and set the knife on the counter and waited.

“I killed him” She stated to the detective. “Stabbed, multiple times. Do I feel bad, no, should I?”

The detective across from her took notes with a sullen look on his face. Henry had too little sleep, too much booze and absolutely no patience left for the world. Yet, here he was, taking more cases, grinding the gears once again.

“And why did you kill him again?” he asked staring with his bloodshot eyes.

The women who was in a skin tight blue dress had her arms perpetually folded and a bored look on her face. She spoke matter of factually.

“He was a monster. Not figuratively. Really, he was a monster. Teeth, claws, dark energy, all that. I waited years to gain the courage, but on that night. I knew I had to protect the world. It was time”

“And why that night?”

“It was our anniversary”

Henry exited the questioning room and roamed down the hall for some coffee. A man dressed in a dark blue suit leaned against a cabinet next to the coffee machine. Ned Pentul. Another detective that Henry had known for a long time through all the ups and downs. A pretty straight shooter.

“How come you always get these type of cases? Your a magnet for the crazies Henry.”

Henry poured and downed the cup of coffee then refilled it. He stared at the bulletin board above the coffee machine. A flier was posted at the top right. Printed on green paper, the ad read :

“The greatest wonders you have ever seen! Who knows who anyone is. Who is in control? Who is watching? It’s time to find out.

The world will never be the same!

Friday Night 7 p.m. Central Tower plaza.

Time to open the eye -“

Behind the text was a large light gray building with a crown on top and below the text was a intricate sun with symbols circling the outside of it.

Henry pointed to the flier.

“No clue. I asked around to see who placed it up there,so far no one is claiming it.” Ted leaned in to Henry “I left it up see if I could hear any clues from people. It’s tomorrow night, I’ll keep my ears open”

Henry nodded and made note of where it was taking place. “Thanks, and to your question. I might have an idea, but who knows, maybe it’s my cologne.” he smiled and raised his brows with a shoulder shrug. “Keep me informed, I gotta get back to Miss monster hunter”

He sat back down in front of the lady. She still sat up with her arms crossed, eyes half lidded looking at him.

“You know detective. You think I am making this up. If you have seen the things I have seen, then you would be in the same situation as me. Monsters are every where. Every place that you look, you will see one.” She uncrossed her arms for the first time and leaned forward this time crossing her fingers, resting her elbows on the table. “but I wouldn’t worry, you will see soon”

“Ma’am, you have been convicted and you have admitted to your crimes. I was brought in to find your motive, are you sure you want me to repeat that your husband was a real monster? You have not summoned a lawyer or pleaded anything but guilt. I shouldn’t be surprised, I have seen everything, but this is beyond most.”

“Behind bars, here, would be the safest place until Saturday. I don’t think I will be making it to the jailer, I will take my chances” she smiled. In her head the plan had worked.

“What happens Saturday?”

“Not Saturday, Friday”

The flier flashed in Henrys mind. “What happens on Friday?”

The lady rose her hands and formed a triangle by overlapping her thumbs for the base and connecting her index fingers to the point then held it to her forehead.

“You will see”

Gun shots rang through the agency as Henry unloaded his revolver into the thing. He didn’t know what it was or where it came from. Anything with multiple tentacles, teeth and claws that approached was no friend of his, even if it wore a signature blue jacket. He dropped back and moved towards the holding cells while reloading. For once in his life he wished he had not drank so much the night before. He moved to the middle cell. There she stood, arms crossed, blue dress. A smirk on her face.

“Miss Thompson”

“Call me Sue” her smile grew.

Henry unlocked the cell door and waved her out “Sue, you and I are going to become partners for a moment in time. You know more then your letting on”

“Do say?”

“Yeah, I say.” He moved next room and rummaged through a drawer. He then withdrew a pistol and a couple of magazines. “You can stab, but can you shoot?”

Her hand reached for the pistol and he stopped her.

“Shoot at monsters” he met her eyes with a cold stare. Her eyes portrayed years of tip toeing, manipulating to stay alive and anger. Burning vengeance against creatures that had stolen her joy. It wasn’t just her husband she had seen, it was friends, family, co-workers. Once her eye had been opened she could not shut it. She could see them all.

He let her hand grasp the pistol, she retrieved a bag and put the extra magazines in it.

“All Worlds burn but ours” she checked the safety and racked the slide.

Henry nodded “Ya, I like ours”

I’ve been watching a bit of murder mysteries. Mainly Murder She Wrote and there is a PI named Harry McGraw that Jessica Fletcher meets and becomes a reoccurring character. He seems to be always stuck between a rock and hard place so I drove up some inspiration for our main character Henry here. Overworked, cynical and just going along. I started with the murder, but then when writing this flier hopped into my mind, an event, maybe something that proves that this weird tale might be true?

In the end Henry gains a uncommon ally and partner in Sue Thompson. Will they be able to survive and escape?

Maybe!

Cheers and stay warm out there if you are in a cold climate. Snow be approaching.

Simon rolled around in bed, then finally after some minutes rubbed his eyes and sat up. The clock had just struck 3:33 AM. The moon was full and strobed white beams through his bedroom window. Faintly he could hear voices speaking. He rubbed his head. The voices grew a little louder. It seamed like they were coming from his floor. Simon slung himself to the side and squinted looking down to the edges of his bed for the voices then he crawled to the front and looked down.

Mr.Muffins, his American short hair blond fur, sat in the moon beams in the middle of his floor.

“By Joe, did they ever find those blasted mice? I heard Chester over on 45th street was having a hard time” The voice was deep, raspy with a heavy British accent. Like a old school butler from those old 60’s movies.

“Nah, hes still chasing his tail all over the place” A childs voice answered back.

Simon popped up from his bed “Muffins, who is that? Do you hear that ?”

Mr.Muffins turned to Simon his big green eyes brightened. “Poppycock, I knew we should of met somewhere else”

Simon stared at Mr.Muffins. “You?”

“Hello Simon, welcome to the cats circle” Mr.Muffins said.

Next to Mr.Muffins two cats materialized into semi see through apparitions. Simon gasped.

A big Norwegian Forest Cat with fur of light blond and black shook its long hair and licked its nose. “Hello Simon” It said in a soft female voice. He recognized this cat. Four years ago a cat had crept onto his families porch and refused to leave for a week. So his mom kept it around, fed it and gave it water for a whole month. Simon would sit on the porch in that mid summer and watch the cat come and go. A rare breed for middle America, he imagined that its owner had gotten lost and the cat was out looking for them. He took to giving it treats until one day it never returned. He had called her Tempest. Her fur was long, light blond and black and her attitude was fierce and noble like. She had principles, but with a side of wilderness.

Next to Tempest was a very small cat. Barely two years old. It’s tail was a small bob and it’s fur gray and black. Simon got off his bed and sat next to Mr.Muffins.

“Tempest your….” Simon held the word in his throat.

“Dead?” Tempest said.

Simon bit his lip and held back tears “Yeah” he croaked.

“Oh boy” Mr.Muffins side eyed Simon “You humans are so ignorant”

“Muffins, be nice” Tempest.

“Whats he talking about?” The small cat spoke up.

“Humans think the world revolves around them. Things go and just poof. No longer relevant or exist anymore. If only they would get out of their own heads and open their eyes. Be aware” Mr.Muffins sounded like he snorted behind the statement.

“That means you are dead too?” he looked at the small cat.

“Berry, call me berry.” The cat loafed and began purring. “Yeah, I was out there hunting some dinner. Fish. I almost had it”

“It was a killer whale, Berry.” Tempest gave the Berry a look.

“Well, I almost had it. Then it dove and I refused to let go. As I said, almost had it”

“Good show boy, you have to show those floppy things who’s boss”

Simon stuck out his hand and reached out to Tempest. As his hand touched her ghostly body it went right through, but did not disturb the apparition. “I’m so sorry to what happened to you. How are you here?”

“Oh Simon, not to worry. I found my owner and we spent a moment together because of you and your families care for me for that short while. I didn’t have much time left anyway. I needed just a little strength to get me there and your moms chicken helped me the last leg of my journey.” Tempest straightened up and blinked, her ears flicked back and forth. “See there is something like the witching hour for cats. It is 3:33 in the morning, who knows why, but we cats can usually come out and talk to other cats at this time. We usually don’t meet with humans, not good to meddle. One thing is that we are always around. We never really leave you Simon. You gave us shelter, food and kept our spirits up. So we keep an eye out on those who treat us well. We might be small, but we can help you out from time to time. “

“Really?” Simon looked at Mr.Muffins. “That means when you-?”

“Yes, Simon, even I, will come help you out. As much as I- ” Mr.Muffins scratched his right ear “find you humans incredibly foolish. I have yet to have an owner in my many lives treat me poorly.”

“Many lives” Simon patted Mr.Muffins head and he purred in response.

“Sorta reincarnation, you humans do it too. By Joel, you ever have deja vu or memories that don’t seem to be yours? Well your young yet, maybe not too many of those, but you will. I once sat on the lap of a grand British general in the Great War you fools had. I smoked many cigars” Mr.Muffins closed his eyes and rose his nose to the air, remembering a different era. “Now, I chase those infernal creations out side with the bushy tails. Much more peaceful if I say so my self”

Simon straightened up “Explains the accent then. You can do this every night?”

“We can only be full form in one place at one time, so we pick and choose the location for the night, but yes, technically we could every night “ Tempest licked her paw and started cleaning her face “But we can only remain for a short time and our time is up for tonight.”

Tempest and Berry moved towards the window and with a silent motion leapt through the glass to the roof top outside. Simon moved quickly to the window with Mr.Muffins thumping up onto the shelf to look out as well.

“Till next time Simon. Muffins, regular time?”

“Of course, no better time. See you then you long haired devil”

Tempest narrowed her eyes and shook off the remark “Come on Berry”

“Bye Simon! Tell that fish if you see it that I’m still coming for it”

Simon waved and the two cats seemed to dissipate into white moon dust. Tears rolled down his cheeks. This time from relief of a bigger universe, this time not for a good bye, but for a see you later.

He rubbed his eyes and looked over at Mr.Muffins. The cat gave him a gruff meow and head butted his arm. Simon smiled “Only during a certain time huh? Well if you need something wake me up, okay?”

Mr.Muffins rubbed himself against Simon, gave another confirming meow then jumped off and exited his room.

Simon returned to his bed. Till next time.

I have had a lot of pets in my life. It is always a tough time when they have to leave us, but thinking about how everything seems to be apart of something I feel as if they never really leave us. I had this idea last year. I was up late at night and thought about the witching hour, but what if it applied to pets, this case cats. It seems like an appropriate time to finish this story.

Feel the wisdom of life they give us with their departing, but remember we are all apart of it all. Connected. No matter what form.

Cheers!

“I think we are lost”

“We aren’t lost, we’re-” Tom leaned forward over the steering wheel and looked up through the pine trees to the sky “we’re just off course”

Charlie leaned back into his chair and pulled out his phone. He opened the screen then immediately put it away “No signal and my phone is about to die” he stated blankly.

Tom came to a turn and rounded the car around more tall pine trees. The winter night cast everything to pitch black. The trees seemed to form endless corridors. A wrong turn here and another wrong turn there and they were officially lost. Tom flipped the radio back on. They had turned it off about an hour ago when they realized something was off and their destination was no in sight. Smooth jazz of piano and bass guitar filled the car.

“You have a radio phone somewhere?” Tom glanced at Charlie.

“Not a chance, what else is on” Charlie flipped through the other stations. Only static played for him until he returned to the jazz station. “Jazz it is”

They had left at nine a.m. to cross the country from Nebraska to Minnesota to visit their cousin. It was now eleven p.m. and with the sun resting at six it had seemed that they were driving all night long. They had some how gotten off 29 near Fargo to head east towards Park Rapids. A road bent here and there and soon they lost in a maze of pine trees.

They rounded another bend and red hazy light filled their vision. Tom shielded his eyes so they could adjust to brightness.

“What the hell is that?” Charlie rubbed his eyes and leaned forward trying to focus.

Cut from the path was a cross roads with a full sized traffic light hanging in the middle. It shined red for all the directions. Tom pulled the car to the edge of the road and looked. It was a standard light, its wires pulled in four directions out into the forest and somewhere out there power was being pumped into its electric gaze.

“We must be getting close, why else would there be a light here” Tom posed the question to himself.

“I don’t know, feels strange. Lets get out of here”

The light stayed a solid red and they sat there for a moment. Tom inched the car forward a bit to see if the light sensors would pick them up and turn green, but it seemed to ignore them. Tom looked both ways then ran the light. As soon as he got to the other side, the light went to green and filled his rearview mirror.

Their pace kept up yet no exit presented itself to them. The trees closed them off into narrow corridors and endless hallways of pine. Charlie looked at his watch. Midnight.

“Next place we see let’s just stop and get a room for the night. I am pretty sure we are lost and at night everything looks the same.”

Tom roped around another corner and red light filled his dash. Another traffic light illuminated their path. Once again a four way stop. All directions red.

“Just make a right” Charlie said. Tom came to a stop and turned.

The car entered another long road, but instead of being a long tunnel of darkness traffic lights hung down the corridor every ten feet from each other. He could see the red lights extend farther than his mind could reach.

“What the hell is going on? Go back Tom” Charlie yelled, but Tom’s eyes stared into the rear view mirror. “Come on Tom, turn aro-“ Charlie spun in his seat to see what the issue was. All he could see from the rear view was lines of trees. The forest had swallowed them, cutting them off from their previous route and forcing them down the tunnel of lights.

“We can get out, run” Charlie panicked and went for the door handle. Tom clicked the locks immediately.

“Shut up Charlie. Think for a moment. You think you can escape this on foot? The road is gone, the trees cut us off. What would happen if you were outside the car?” Tom returned his view to the endless traffic lights. “We have to drive.” He whispered and slammed the gas pedal to the floor. Charlie screamed and grabbed the door handle for security. The car screeched and barreled down the corridor, each time it passed under a light it turned green behind them. Red and green lights strobed through their car as they climbed speed. 70, 80 , 90 , 100 miles per hour. The car shook violently as it reached speeds it was not meant to. Charlie screamed until his voice could no longer take it and went horse. Tom grit his teeth and heighten his focus as the tunnel materialized infront of him. Every light passed faster and faster, but there was no end.

Until there was.

The car tore through the lights and one light remained. As they passed it, it turned yellow. Tom some how knew, a sense in the back of his mind. Yellow. Caution.

He let go of the gas and slammed on the breaks. Trees disappeared from their view and fields opened up under a moonlit sky. The road T’ed into two different directions and past that was a cliff. The car screeched, shook, and slid side to side in violent jolts as the tires burned against the road and brakes held against metal. The car smashed through the caution sign and on to the grass, swept side to side and came to a grinding halt a foot away from the edge of the cliff side.

They both breathed heavily, sweat ridden and numb. Charlies face was frozen in a scream as he still held the door in a death grip. His eyes were wide and he stared out into the night sky over the plains down below. Toms jaw was a vice while he white knuckled the steering wheel. Eyes unblinking as staring at the night sky.

They both broke their stances and flew out of the car, falling hands and knees to the ground and moving away from the cliff side.

Charlie flopped on his back “What the hell, what the hell. We could have, we would have. Holy shit Tom.”

“I know, I know”

“How did you know what to do?”

Tom looked back towards the forest entrance “I just knew somehow. I felt it in my gut. I trusted it”

Charlie laughed “Thank god you did” he sat up “Where are we?”

Tom pulled out his phone which as now working. They were a half hour away from their cousins. He looked through the maps to see the route the gps might of recorded. For 10 hours it said the car stood still at an intersection near Fargo.

What would have happened if he had not trusted his intuition? Would they still be stuck there? Lost in an endless forest of lights. What had even happened? His mind stretched and he decided to let it go for the moment. To keep his sanity for a little while.

They both made it to his cousins and neither said anything about the forest. A breakdown and waiting for a repair man was their excuse. Every traffic light took on a different light. Could they get lost again?

Would the lights guide them or trap them.

I liked this youtube video called Detour of a traffic light appear in a forest and it being a monster. I thought it was really clever and seeing something somewhere it should not be is a disturbing instance. I didn’t want to do the same thing and I got a bit lost when they saw the first light (Kinda like they did). When they turned onto the tunnel of lights, that’s when it turned to speed and I knew what I wanted to do. Be careful when things are no where they are supposed to be. Trust your gut and go for it.