One of the early cues for when it is time to bathe is when dirt, dust, or slime is visibly on the skin. This is an especially influential factor when one can make drawings on the arm when rearranging filth.
Another important factor is the upkeep of the hair. Hair is a major factor in looking clean and decent, and unstylish dishevelment or obvious grime is often not conducive to looking yummy. It is a bad sign when hair looks like it recently stepped from the shower when it is just fantastically oily.
It is a good time to bathe directly after a person attends the annual tomato festival in Spain. This festival consists of many people tossing around, eating, swimming in and dancing in thousands of pounds of tomatoes. Unless a person resists wearing a hazmat suit or if Spain has a very different kind of tomato, this would be a great time to clean up.
If you are on a swim team that practices frequently in a chlorinated pool you probably don’t feel very dirty after working out in such antibacterial water. But the fact of the matter is, if a person doesn’t bathe frequently between practices that person hair will stand up of its own accord and eventually fall out.
A very important factor is how the person feels. If he or she feels very unclean than it is time to bathe. But if that person is for instance, a mountain man, and can work all day catching fish in his beard and feel perfectly refreshed, he should not feel obliged to bathe.
It certainly is an occupational hazard for a massage therapist to smell or look dirty. When you are in a very confined space with someone who is rubbing oil all over your body, no amount of scented candles can make up for poor hygienic upkeep.
One of the most important rules, and an obvious one, is how the person smells. If he or she smells like a fresh picked daisy, or a clear mountain stream then they are all set. However, if the person is at all unpleasant to be in close proximity with, it is definitely time to bathe.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Christy Rozek--Assignment #3--Being chased by the cat
I’m sitting here, in a box, on the floor in Arkansas. I hear the lady of the house say “Bill, you don’t have to practice your saxophone in the garage, unless you like it out there or something.” Hmmm, she’s taking the cover off of the box now…she grabs a ball of yarn right next to me, I would call it sky blue, but nothing can really be the color of the sky. She sticks two very pointy looking knitting needles in it, and then chucks it out of the second floor window. Oh no, I hope I’m not next! Claw like fingernails dig into some of my outer threads, I can feel the very doom of my fibers approaching. Oh! Thank goodness! It’s only Socks the cat! He overturns the box, sending us all rolling. It seems that Socks is especially interested in me this time. He bats me with his paw, sending my conglomeration of strings towards the mirror leaning against the wall. He stops; I come to a rolling halt. We gaze into the mirror. He turns around, and his tail flicks me across the room, out the doorway, to the top of the stairs. I’m over the crest of the top step and now I’m falling down the stairs. Socks hurries after me, he really doesn’t need to rush, I have no acceleration without his force acting on me. I finish the last step, somebody left maple syrup on the floor again.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Christy Rozek--Writing Assignment #2--Short Prompt
Beth Allard and John Randolph meet on a lake. One of them is pretending to be someone else.
As the lake shone beneath the sun, Beth Allard lay on the shore. She took out her hairpins, shook-free her hair, and stood. In every moment she thought she could feel each inch of her body soaking-up more vitality than a turtle soaks up in a whole day of sunning. She dove into the water, feeling as though a world was born when she fell beneath the silky surface. She lay on her back, allowing the lake to move her. When she reached out her hand, she found the corner of the dock. Each grain of sand was defined and real. She slowly lifted herself up to the dock. When she stood up, she heard a woman approaching. Beth walked towards her, confident in her own stature. She could hear how familiar the footsteps were “Beth! Darling!” “Amanda! Sugar-pie, how I’ve missed you!” They embraced. Beth placed her hand on Amanda’s face, it was a familiar sight to her fingertips. They lay on the dock. They had no need for anything but to be in each other’s presence. Amanda crawled over to Beth and took her hand. Beth asked “sweetie, because I can’t see you, please tell me how you’ve changed?” Amanda paused, having all too succinct of an answer to this question. “Well, of course we all change and grow, but, I’ve er…but I think it’s really what stays the same that defines who we are. “hmm…I agree, honey, that’s terribly profound, but you really didn’t answer my question…” “Beth dear, do you remember that acting gig I had a while back, where there weren’t any female parts left and I had to play a dude?” “Yeah, sure I do,” “well, that role I played wasn’t too divorced from reality…actually…” “What?...you’re not making any sense.” “Well, I played a man…right? And….that’s why we always thought it was so silly…but I actually am a…” Amanda stopped, and Beth contained “Oh MAN!?”
As the lake shone beneath the sun, Beth Allard lay on the shore. She took out her hairpins, shook-free her hair, and stood. In every moment she thought she could feel each inch of her body soaking-up more vitality than a turtle soaks up in a whole day of sunning. She dove into the water, feeling as though a world was born when she fell beneath the silky surface. She lay on her back, allowing the lake to move her. When she reached out her hand, she found the corner of the dock. Each grain of sand was defined and real. She slowly lifted herself up to the dock. When she stood up, she heard a woman approaching. Beth walked towards her, confident in her own stature. She could hear how familiar the footsteps were “Beth! Darling!” “Amanda! Sugar-pie, how I’ve missed you!” They embraced. Beth placed her hand on Amanda’s face, it was a familiar sight to her fingertips. They lay on the dock. They had no need for anything but to be in each other’s presence. Amanda crawled over to Beth and took her hand. Beth asked “sweetie, because I can’t see you, please tell me how you’ve changed?” Amanda paused, having all too succinct of an answer to this question. “Well, of course we all change and grow, but, I’ve er…but I think it’s really what stays the same that defines who we are. “hmm…I agree, honey, that’s terribly profound, but you really didn’t answer my question…” “Beth dear, do you remember that acting gig I had a while back, where there weren’t any female parts left and I had to play a dude?” “Yeah, sure I do,” “well, that role I played wasn’t too divorced from reality…actually…” “What?...you’re not making any sense.” “Well, I played a man…right? And….that’s why we always thought it was so silly…but I actually am a…” Amanda stopped, and Beth contained “Oh MAN!?”
Christy Rozek--Writing Assignment #2--Elephant, Airplane, Shampoo, Laptop, Banjo
I sat there, strumming on my banjo. Some of the other people in the airplane looked at me, over their laptop…tops. Sometimes I feel like nobody understands how things really are. Its way more widely accepted to say that you enjoy shampooing your rug than to say you’re interested in elephant herding. Even though elephants are way more fun. Anyway, I’m goin’ to visit my favorite elephant. She lives in the Nairobi zoo, and I often travel to see her, with my banjo for company. About this guy sitting next to me; sometimes I feel like having a little animated airplane float across his laptop would be as real to him as if someone made him sit, with his eyes fixed on the plane in which he is traveling. I got out a 3 ounce bottle of hair shampoo, it was strawberry, and I balanced it on top of his head. He neither saw me move my arm to do this, nor did he notice his new appendage.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sean by Robert Loggains
Sean sat there nursing the drink, beer he thought though he wasn’t honestly sure, he didn’t really care.
He stared at the TV as reports came in from Milton, Maine.
Ryan had done it, he had actually done it.
Sean knew Ryan must have gone insane by now, or even if he hadn’t he just needed to be put down like a rabid animal, that is the closest thing to what he was now.
Sean might be able to do it, he had power too.
But Sean was a coward, or so he thought.
He didn’t think about how Ryan could kill him before he made a move, how Ryan could destroy him before Sean could do anything.
Sean could only see the flaws in himself right now, the lives he might be able to save if he was in New York.
Sean could hear something, a thought, he could hear a man following a woman down the hall of the building, the man planned to end her life in the most sadistic and cruel fashion possible.
Sean laughed as he heard those thoughts, knowing how petty the man really was, how little imagination he had.
But it would still be bad enough for the woman, even the man would suffer from it, his plans were sloppy and murders have a high rate of being solved.
Sean broke into the man’s mind, erasing memories, changing thoughts and feelings, the man cried out, he didn’t know what was happening to him.
A few minutes later the man got up, his life forever changed, a good man now, one who would save lives, who would help his community, who would have a life and loving family, it had all been inside the monster before Sean had found it, just buried so deep it couldn’t have come out any other way.
Sean was a coward, he wouldn’t fight Red Death.
But he was a member of the True Seven himself, and with that came a bit of power, but more than that.
Sean was still a hero, he would still do good in the world as best he could.
His mind probed the outside the building’s walls, searching for another life and soul to save.
It kept his mind from what was coming next.
He stared at the TV as reports came in from Milton, Maine.
Ryan had done it, he had actually done it.
Sean knew Ryan must have gone insane by now, or even if he hadn’t he just needed to be put down like a rabid animal, that is the closest thing to what he was now.
Sean might be able to do it, he had power too.
But Sean was a coward, or so he thought.
He didn’t think about how Ryan could kill him before he made a move, how Ryan could destroy him before Sean could do anything.
Sean could only see the flaws in himself right now, the lives he might be able to save if he was in New York.
Sean could hear something, a thought, he could hear a man following a woman down the hall of the building, the man planned to end her life in the most sadistic and cruel fashion possible.
Sean laughed as he heard those thoughts, knowing how petty the man really was, how little imagination he had.
But it would still be bad enough for the woman, even the man would suffer from it, his plans were sloppy and murders have a high rate of being solved.
Sean broke into the man’s mind, erasing memories, changing thoughts and feelings, the man cried out, he didn’t know what was happening to him.
A few minutes later the man got up, his life forever changed, a good man now, one who would save lives, who would help his community, who would have a life and loving family, it had all been inside the monster before Sean had found it, just buried so deep it couldn’t have come out any other way.
Sean was a coward, he wouldn’t fight Red Death.
But he was a member of the True Seven himself, and with that came a bit of power, but more than that.
Sean was still a hero, he would still do good in the world as best he could.
His mind probed the outside the building’s walls, searching for another life and soul to save.
It kept his mind from what was coming next.
For the Sky to Turn Red
I was running.
I had been running for a long time, too long.
I had been running since I was last at the sea, and now I reached a new one.
I wept into the ocean, and vomited all into it as I wept. I kept vomiting until I had nothing left inside of me.
I kept crying as I lay there, for there was nothing left for me, and never would be.
I couldn’t do the one thing I should to give myself a normal life. What she would have wanted, what they all would have wanted.
So I cried into the sea.
I was alone here. I had nothing on me but my robe, my Scythe, and the Key, Which wasn’t that bad when you got right down to it.
I kept crying for some time, but finally I was all cried out.
I wasn’t wearing shoes, not that it mattered, if it did I couldn’t have run this far.
Kneeling on the rocky beach I screamed up at the sky, it showed a promise, it showed a lie.
I fell asleep on the rocky beach, I don’t know for how long I slept, but it was sunrise when I awakened.
There was no one near this place, it was isolated and undesirable, which is exactly what I wanted for now.
I needed to think, there had to be a way to fight back, somehow there always was if you could pay the price.
Sometimes it wasn’t worth it, but I had nothing left to lose.
I got up. The tears on my face had dried.
“RED!” I screamed to the open sky.
You will know what that means.
Remember it.
I did my morning exercises, I had fallen out of practice but this would be a good way to focus myself.
I started out by breathing, again and again I breathed in and out until the world itself seemed to follow the rhythm of my breathing, I sped I up, but as I did I ordered the world away from me, or myself away from it.
I felt the world around my slow down, or at least that is what it was to me.
I ran up and down the beach, I went faster and faster as I did so, much faster than any human could run.
It was one advantage I had, and my greatest one.
I practiced with my Scythe, cutting off tree branches and cutting the sand, always making sure not to catch the Scythe on anything.
I didn’t want to tear my arm off.
I danced like this for just over an hour, it was peaceful, almost normal for me.
Finally I stopped, holding the Scythe above my head for a moment before dropping it.
I was never going to fence with it. Anything that could fence with me could kill me before I raised my Scythe.
The Scythe had only one purpose, to kill, to murder those lesser than you for good or ill, and it was all that I needed it to do.
I was setting out for New York today, it was the center of this country’s mind, it was the only place I could do what I needed to do, which was to slaughter everyone I met until something stopped me.
Not the best plan of course, but the only one I had.
I started running, soon I found a town, the highway signs had said I was in Maine, this was on the other side of the nation I had ran across, which was where I wanted to be.
At a glance I am human, my heart beats like yours does, I am warm to the touch, and no doctor could find anything to say differently, unless I run.
When I run I am faster than anything land based in the world, and most airplanes and submarines, I have power inside me, which can be used for good or ill.
I chose ill today as I slashed a man in the street.
The cut wasn’t deep, he should have lived a long and healthy life even after I slashed him, but he fell to the ground dead.
I couldn’t have easily killed him with the Scythe, if I had got it caught on a bone I could have had my arm broken or worse, but I have more than one power, as does my Scythe.
It was my father’s.
Now with only a simple cut on his arm the man was dead, if he had a family it would grieve for him, their lives would never be the same, neither would mine.
But don’t worry about them. I would probably kill them today.
I moved hundreds of times faster than anyone in the world, slashing and cutting and dashing and screaming silently about the town, killing all the while.
“RED!” I screamed again, tearing the town with my cry.
I came to a glass door, a supermarket was here, I could see the people behind them, I was moving to faster to dodge or survive hitting it, there was no way I could have survived if I hadn’t turned into crimson smoke.
I moved under the doorway pressed flatter than a pancake and ran through the aisles killing my way through them, returned to human form.
Half an hour later I was done, everyone in the town I could find was dead, I had searched every house and found many, and all were now dead except for those hiding under beds and such.
I had killed everyone.
I felt empty, though not as bad as I did last night, compared to that emptiness was a blessing
I ran to the center of town and pulled out a large golden key, and in the center of town I wrote a letter in the asphalt of the street.
“None of us want this, I want to reverse it, I am looking for the one who can.”
“If you can stop this, either through killing me or raising the dead, go to New York City tomorrow morning, I will be there.”
“See you all very soon.”
“RED DEATH.”
I ran from the town, in case it was nuked by a panicky government.
That was the only thing that had a good chance of getting me.
Sometime later I was watching the news. Sometimes the government might be able to cover it up, but not something like this.
Thousands had died, low thousands of course, but still so many.
Over a hundred had survived by hiding, and they had called for every conceivable kind of help, I had torn through the Masquerade in a single bloody stroke.
That worried me, if nothing had stopped it yet nothing could stop it, everything had to care about not being known, or else they would be known in some way, or too weak to be of much notice.
Now would be the perfect time, maybe the only time, to save themselves from witch-hunts and genocides that will follow my action, but so far they were all too stupid to do it.
If you have the power to raise the dead, or make people forget about them, you show yourself now, not when the fires are burning and they are out for your blood.
But nothing in this entire God-Forsaken world had stepped forward.
Well New York is next, and they will have to step forward then.
I had been running for a long time, too long.
I had been running since I was last at the sea, and now I reached a new one.
I wept into the ocean, and vomited all into it as I wept. I kept vomiting until I had nothing left inside of me.
I kept crying as I lay there, for there was nothing left for me, and never would be.
I couldn’t do the one thing I should to give myself a normal life. What she would have wanted, what they all would have wanted.
So I cried into the sea.
I was alone here. I had nothing on me but my robe, my Scythe, and the Key, Which wasn’t that bad when you got right down to it.
I kept crying for some time, but finally I was all cried out.
I wasn’t wearing shoes, not that it mattered, if it did I couldn’t have run this far.
Kneeling on the rocky beach I screamed up at the sky, it showed a promise, it showed a lie.
I fell asleep on the rocky beach, I don’t know for how long I slept, but it was sunrise when I awakened.
There was no one near this place, it was isolated and undesirable, which is exactly what I wanted for now.
I needed to think, there had to be a way to fight back, somehow there always was if you could pay the price.
Sometimes it wasn’t worth it, but I had nothing left to lose.
I got up. The tears on my face had dried.
“RED!” I screamed to the open sky.
You will know what that means.
Remember it.
I did my morning exercises, I had fallen out of practice but this would be a good way to focus myself.
I started out by breathing, again and again I breathed in and out until the world itself seemed to follow the rhythm of my breathing, I sped I up, but as I did I ordered the world away from me, or myself away from it.
I felt the world around my slow down, or at least that is what it was to me.
I ran up and down the beach, I went faster and faster as I did so, much faster than any human could run.
It was one advantage I had, and my greatest one.
I practiced with my Scythe, cutting off tree branches and cutting the sand, always making sure not to catch the Scythe on anything.
I didn’t want to tear my arm off.
I danced like this for just over an hour, it was peaceful, almost normal for me.
Finally I stopped, holding the Scythe above my head for a moment before dropping it.
I was never going to fence with it. Anything that could fence with me could kill me before I raised my Scythe.
The Scythe had only one purpose, to kill, to murder those lesser than you for good or ill, and it was all that I needed it to do.
I was setting out for New York today, it was the center of this country’s mind, it was the only place I could do what I needed to do, which was to slaughter everyone I met until something stopped me.
Not the best plan of course, but the only one I had.
I started running, soon I found a town, the highway signs had said I was in Maine, this was on the other side of the nation I had ran across, which was where I wanted to be.
At a glance I am human, my heart beats like yours does, I am warm to the touch, and no doctor could find anything to say differently, unless I run.
When I run I am faster than anything land based in the world, and most airplanes and submarines, I have power inside me, which can be used for good or ill.
I chose ill today as I slashed a man in the street.
The cut wasn’t deep, he should have lived a long and healthy life even after I slashed him, but he fell to the ground dead.
I couldn’t have easily killed him with the Scythe, if I had got it caught on a bone I could have had my arm broken or worse, but I have more than one power, as does my Scythe.
It was my father’s.
Now with only a simple cut on his arm the man was dead, if he had a family it would grieve for him, their lives would never be the same, neither would mine.
But don’t worry about them. I would probably kill them today.
I moved hundreds of times faster than anyone in the world, slashing and cutting and dashing and screaming silently about the town, killing all the while.
“RED!” I screamed again, tearing the town with my cry.
I came to a glass door, a supermarket was here, I could see the people behind them, I was moving to faster to dodge or survive hitting it, there was no way I could have survived if I hadn’t turned into crimson smoke.
I moved under the doorway pressed flatter than a pancake and ran through the aisles killing my way through them, returned to human form.
Half an hour later I was done, everyone in the town I could find was dead, I had searched every house and found many, and all were now dead except for those hiding under beds and such.
I had killed everyone.
I felt empty, though not as bad as I did last night, compared to that emptiness was a blessing
I ran to the center of town and pulled out a large golden key, and in the center of town I wrote a letter in the asphalt of the street.
“None of us want this, I want to reverse it, I am looking for the one who can.”
“If you can stop this, either through killing me or raising the dead, go to New York City tomorrow morning, I will be there.”
“See you all very soon.”
“RED DEATH.”
I ran from the town, in case it was nuked by a panicky government.
That was the only thing that had a good chance of getting me.
Sometime later I was watching the news. Sometimes the government might be able to cover it up, but not something like this.
Thousands had died, low thousands of course, but still so many.
Over a hundred had survived by hiding, and they had called for every conceivable kind of help, I had torn through the Masquerade in a single bloody stroke.
That worried me, if nothing had stopped it yet nothing could stop it, everything had to care about not being known, or else they would be known in some way, or too weak to be of much notice.
Now would be the perfect time, maybe the only time, to save themselves from witch-hunts and genocides that will follow my action, but so far they were all too stupid to do it.
If you have the power to raise the dead, or make people forget about them, you show yourself now, not when the fires are burning and they are out for your blood.
But nothing in this entire God-Forsaken world had stepped forward.
Well New York is next, and they will have to step forward then.
Red Death 2
We were driving.
Kansas was pretty here. I had always liked looking at the scenery outside the window as we rushed past. I didn’t really care what it looked like but I loved watching things as we rushed by, the speed felt so good.
It was one of the reasons I loved to run.
Of course I wasn’t really seeing it now as we drove by, my mind on other matters.
I shuddered, not wanting to cry.
I hadn’t said a word in the last several hours as I dwelled on things I should never dwell on
I didn’t really know why I trusted this man as we drove, but I felt no fear even though what I had done was insane. I had gone with a man I didn’t know for no discernable reason besides the fact that he seemed to be able to read my mind or something.
Maybe he was a telepath?
If you are a telepath sorry for being so gloomy, it must be hard to hear something like this, but screw you I am going to dwell on it.
If he had heard me he showed no response and I went back to brooding.
It was night by now, it had been hours since it had happened, I was getting tired and I hadn’t spoken since I got in the van, neither had Michael.
I wondered what we would do when he got tired and couldn’t drive anymore, but it didn’t seem worth it to ask, I fell asleep in the seat.
When I woke up it was morning again and we were still driving. Had we stopped while I slept or had we never stopped at all?
I didn’t know, or really care much.
It was easier just to sit and brood.
Ten hours later I was pretty sure that whatever Michael was he didn’t need to stop for gas, and he probably didn’t need to sleep.
And I was finally starting to care that I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours.
I wondered if he would notice or not, this seemed like a good test of his telepathic powers.
15 minutes later I realized if he knew I was hungry he wasn’t going to say anything.
“I’m hungry.” I said.
“Then we shall eat.” He responded
I kept quiet as we pulled through a drive through and got two burgers, he also fed but I did doubt he actually needed to eat.
Unless he was just a guy who didn’t want to stop to eat?
Maybe we were in some kind of hurry?
But still that didn’t explain the lack of a need for gas.
To my surprise it turned out we did need gas, so either he was fooling me by driving in or we had gotten gas last night.
I went to the bathroom, and I wondered why I hadn’t done it earlier, I had never gone that long before.
I went back to brooding when we left the gas station.
We had traveled for days, making our way across the country in much the same way as before, mostly silent. Rarely eating and stopping for gas, somehow able to keep going on longer than we should have.
I was left to brood as I wished, Michael did almost nothing besides drive.
And I was slowly piecing myself back together, at least to realize what I had done was stupid beyond words.
I had left my little brother behind to go with a strange man because he had guessed what a young boy would name an old farming tool he found. I was stupid.
But still something strange was going on, I could feel it as we drove, there was simply nothing to justify my own behavior, but his was inexplicable.
Why would anyone fake knowing about a boy he never met and drive for thousands of miles without sexually assaulting him?
I just couldn’t explain what was going on, but I tried, brooding turned to worrying as we drove in silence and the days stretched on and on.
Kansas was pretty here. I had always liked looking at the scenery outside the window as we rushed past. I didn’t really care what it looked like but I loved watching things as we rushed by, the speed felt so good.
It was one of the reasons I loved to run.
Of course I wasn’t really seeing it now as we drove by, my mind on other matters.
I shuddered, not wanting to cry.
I hadn’t said a word in the last several hours as I dwelled on things I should never dwell on
I didn’t really know why I trusted this man as we drove, but I felt no fear even though what I had done was insane. I had gone with a man I didn’t know for no discernable reason besides the fact that he seemed to be able to read my mind or something.
Maybe he was a telepath?
If you are a telepath sorry for being so gloomy, it must be hard to hear something like this, but screw you I am going to dwell on it.
If he had heard me he showed no response and I went back to brooding.
It was night by now, it had been hours since it had happened, I was getting tired and I hadn’t spoken since I got in the van, neither had Michael.
I wondered what we would do when he got tired and couldn’t drive anymore, but it didn’t seem worth it to ask, I fell asleep in the seat.
When I woke up it was morning again and we were still driving. Had we stopped while I slept or had we never stopped at all?
I didn’t know, or really care much.
It was easier just to sit and brood.
Ten hours later I was pretty sure that whatever Michael was he didn’t need to stop for gas, and he probably didn’t need to sleep.
And I was finally starting to care that I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours.
I wondered if he would notice or not, this seemed like a good test of his telepathic powers.
15 minutes later I realized if he knew I was hungry he wasn’t going to say anything.
“I’m hungry.” I said.
“Then we shall eat.” He responded
I kept quiet as we pulled through a drive through and got two burgers, he also fed but I did doubt he actually needed to eat.
Unless he was just a guy who didn’t want to stop to eat?
Maybe we were in some kind of hurry?
But still that didn’t explain the lack of a need for gas.
To my surprise it turned out we did need gas, so either he was fooling me by driving in or we had gotten gas last night.
I went to the bathroom, and I wondered why I hadn’t done it earlier, I had never gone that long before.
I went back to brooding when we left the gas station.
We had traveled for days, making our way across the country in much the same way as before, mostly silent. Rarely eating and stopping for gas, somehow able to keep going on longer than we should have.
I was left to brood as I wished, Michael did almost nothing besides drive.
And I was slowly piecing myself back together, at least to realize what I had done was stupid beyond words.
I had left my little brother behind to go with a strange man because he had guessed what a young boy would name an old farming tool he found. I was stupid.
But still something strange was going on, I could feel it as we drove, there was simply nothing to justify my own behavior, but his was inexplicable.
Why would anyone fake knowing about a boy he never met and drive for thousands of miles without sexually assaulting him?
I just couldn’t explain what was going on, but I tried, brooding turned to worrying as we drove in silence and the days stretched on and on.
Hello Sarah by Robert Loggains
“Hello Sarah.”
I stared at her. She had come to me as I knew she would.
“Hello Ryan.” She answered me.
“That isn’t my name anymore Sarah and you know it.”
“Does that have to be true Ryan? You can still be who you were. Come back to us and we will help you.”
“Juniper is dead Sarah, Anastasia is dead, he killed them Sarah! Michael killed them!”
“We didn’t kill them Ryan, we will still take you back.”
“No you won’t Sarah, I won’t let him win. That is what he wanted.”
“Michael is dead Ryan. Don’t let his actions determine how you live your life or else he really will have won.”
“No, he has lost Sarah, look around you and tell me that Michael hasn’t failed.”
She looked around at the bodies and didn’t blink.
“You have committed evil Ryan, I see it all around us, but you can still return and do good, atone for your past sins and forge a new path and name for yourself.”
“I already made a name for myself Sarah, Ryan isn’t it.”
She laughed without humor as she walked towards me.
“You would actually have me call you that name?”
“Yes, Ryan died with his wife and daughter.”
“I will not call you that name. Ryan is my friend, Ryan. Jordan. Anderson.”
She said the last words with such force it made me quiver. I wanted to go to her so badly, to let myself forget what had happened…
“MY NAME IS RED DEATH!”
I screamed this as I lunged at her at my full speed.
She dodged The Scythe but she knew she didn’t have the strength to parry my strange blade, and not enough speed to dodge me once I was ready for her.
“Is that who you are now Red Death a man who would kill his best friend?”
“You know that as well as I do” I spat.
“This is your last chance Ryan, come with me and we can hide you forever from those you have wronged!”
She was afraid now, I could see it in her eyes, she didn’t think I would actually be able to kill her when it came right down to it, and she was right in her own way.
Ryan could never have killed her, but I was Red Death.
And she saw it in my eyes.
“Curse you Red Death! Curse you for all the people you have killed! Curse you for every family you have rent apart! Curse you for letting Juniper die!”
The last one burned inside me.
“You are a monster Red Death! You will find no redemption now for we will never take you in! You will never be redeemed now, you will wander the Earth forever, you will never find what you are looking for.”
“I already know that Sarah.”
She flinched at those words now.
“Then why do you still fight Red Death?” She knew she was about to die, and she was afraid.
“Because if I stop they died for nothing” I whispered to her.
And I killed her with a single blow from The Scythe.
And I started to laugh madly, I knew I was Red Death now and that I was nothing else, I was the boogey man of a thousand nightmares for a thousand years to come.
And it was all for nothing at all.
I stared at her. She had come to me as I knew she would.
“Hello Ryan.” She answered me.
“That isn’t my name anymore Sarah and you know it.”
“Does that have to be true Ryan? You can still be who you were. Come back to us and we will help you.”
“Juniper is dead Sarah, Anastasia is dead, he killed them Sarah! Michael killed them!”
“We didn’t kill them Ryan, we will still take you back.”
“No you won’t Sarah, I won’t let him win. That is what he wanted.”
“Michael is dead Ryan. Don’t let his actions determine how you live your life or else he really will have won.”
“No, he has lost Sarah, look around you and tell me that Michael hasn’t failed.”
She looked around at the bodies and didn’t blink.
“You have committed evil Ryan, I see it all around us, but you can still return and do good, atone for your past sins and forge a new path and name for yourself.”
“I already made a name for myself Sarah, Ryan isn’t it.”
She laughed without humor as she walked towards me.
“You would actually have me call you that name?”
“Yes, Ryan died with his wife and daughter.”
“I will not call you that name. Ryan is my friend, Ryan. Jordan. Anderson.”
She said the last words with such force it made me quiver. I wanted to go to her so badly, to let myself forget what had happened…
“MY NAME IS RED DEATH!”
I screamed this as I lunged at her at my full speed.
She dodged The Scythe but she knew she didn’t have the strength to parry my strange blade, and not enough speed to dodge me once I was ready for her.
“Is that who you are now Red Death a man who would kill his best friend?”
“You know that as well as I do” I spat.
“This is your last chance Ryan, come with me and we can hide you forever from those you have wronged!”
She was afraid now, I could see it in her eyes, she didn’t think I would actually be able to kill her when it came right down to it, and she was right in her own way.
Ryan could never have killed her, but I was Red Death.
And she saw it in my eyes.
“Curse you Red Death! Curse you for all the people you have killed! Curse you for every family you have rent apart! Curse you for letting Juniper die!”
The last one burned inside me.
“You are a monster Red Death! You will find no redemption now for we will never take you in! You will never be redeemed now, you will wander the Earth forever, you will never find what you are looking for.”
“I already know that Sarah.”
She flinched at those words now.
“Then why do you still fight Red Death?” She knew she was about to die, and she was afraid.
“Because if I stop they died for nothing” I whispered to her.
And I killed her with a single blow from The Scythe.
And I started to laugh madly, I knew I was Red Death now and that I was nothing else, I was the boogey man of a thousand nightmares for a thousand years to come.
And it was all for nothing at all.
Red Death 1
I was running.
I was crying.
This was the only place that felt right now after what happened.
I remembered the blood spilling on the floor. I remembered shock and horror. And I repressed it.
I ran into this clearing, it was a miracle that I hadn’t broken something after running all this way, yet I hadn’t even tripped.
I slowed down as I reached it and walked into the place, and I saw it.
The Scythe.
It was stupid to name it, and doubly stupid to name a scythe The Scythe but I was 8 at the time, cut me some slack.
Well don’t cut me any slack, but that is because of what happens later on in this story.
I reached it and looked at it. I didn’t know why I was drawn to The Scythe but I was, it was a dark fascination with something I had found old and lying on the ground. But something was odd about it.
The Scythe had never rusted in all the time I had visited it here.
I stared at it, the cool black wood and the glinting steel blade, it had to be old, I had found it buried in dirt when I was digging one day out here I had found the sharp metal and I had carefully excavated it, I was glad my parents never knew what I had found.
And never would.
I started to cry as I looked at it, a curious memento of a childhood just slain, and heard a voice.
No one was ever out here, who could it be?
And why today of all days?
“Hello Ryan.” He said. His voice was soothing even though I didn’t know it.
“Are you a police man?” I asked, guessing he was here to take me wherever it was new orphans go, I didn’t really know where that would be.
“No.” He said, his voice having the same soothing tone, but nothing should sooth me today.
“So you are some kind of rescue worker?” I was surprised they had already started searching for me, my brother wouldn’t be home yet, who could have found out what happened?
I shuddered.
“No, something a bit less respectable than that” He said smiling. I wasn’t in the mood for smiling people, or any people for that matter.
“Than what the heck are you?” I asked this man. It didn’t occur to me to wonder how a man could know where I would go in all this property when no one knew this place existed.
“Someone here to help you in a way no one should be able to.”
“My father is lying in his bedroom with a shotgun in his mouth.”
“You can’t help me.”
“I can if you will let me.”
I should have been crying but no tears came, this was something insane, it was from a nightmare.
I spat at him, too bad my spit didn’t reach him.
“I am here to help you Ryan, just come with me and everything will become clear.”
“You’re a nutcase.” I said, and I prepared to run.
“Where will you go Ryan, without The Scythe?”
I froze, I could feel that he had named it somehow, not just said what it was.
He had named something I never had spoken.
“What are you?” I asked, backing away.
“Michael.”
“That isn’t an answer Michael.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be.”
He picked up The Scythe, he handled it carefully as the weapon I had always pretended it was, and light gleamed off of it.
“You have already run too far Red Death. Let yourself rest for a time and come with me.”
“My name is Ryan Anderson.”
“For now.”
I stared at him again wondering what he could possibly mean.
“Why should I trust you?”
“Because I am the only man in this world who can help you at all right now Ryan, just come with me and The Scythe.”
I followed him for a time, not really thinking about where I was going.
I was still in shock. Otherwise I wouldn’t have gone with him.
I wouldn’t have even gone there if I was thinking straight.
After a while we came to a van.
“Seriously a van? Do you normally go around picking up teenagers who lost their families and take them off to some Happy Place?” I was starting to wonder if I was being abducted by a pedophile.
Well a mind reading pedophile.
“You’re the fourth this week” He said smiling.
I was crying.
This was the only place that felt right now after what happened.
I remembered the blood spilling on the floor. I remembered shock and horror. And I repressed it.
I ran into this clearing, it was a miracle that I hadn’t broken something after running all this way, yet I hadn’t even tripped.
I slowed down as I reached it and walked into the place, and I saw it.
The Scythe.
It was stupid to name it, and doubly stupid to name a scythe The Scythe but I was 8 at the time, cut me some slack.
Well don’t cut me any slack, but that is because of what happens later on in this story.
I reached it and looked at it. I didn’t know why I was drawn to The Scythe but I was, it was a dark fascination with something I had found old and lying on the ground. But something was odd about it.
The Scythe had never rusted in all the time I had visited it here.
I stared at it, the cool black wood and the glinting steel blade, it had to be old, I had found it buried in dirt when I was digging one day out here I had found the sharp metal and I had carefully excavated it, I was glad my parents never knew what I had found.
And never would.
I started to cry as I looked at it, a curious memento of a childhood just slain, and heard a voice.
No one was ever out here, who could it be?
And why today of all days?
“Hello Ryan.” He said. His voice was soothing even though I didn’t know it.
“Are you a police man?” I asked, guessing he was here to take me wherever it was new orphans go, I didn’t really know where that would be.
“No.” He said, his voice having the same soothing tone, but nothing should sooth me today.
“So you are some kind of rescue worker?” I was surprised they had already started searching for me, my brother wouldn’t be home yet, who could have found out what happened?
I shuddered.
“No, something a bit less respectable than that” He said smiling. I wasn’t in the mood for smiling people, or any people for that matter.
“Than what the heck are you?” I asked this man. It didn’t occur to me to wonder how a man could know where I would go in all this property when no one knew this place existed.
“Someone here to help you in a way no one should be able to.”
“My father is lying in his bedroom with a shotgun in his mouth.”
“You can’t help me.”
“I can if you will let me.”
I should have been crying but no tears came, this was something insane, it was from a nightmare.
I spat at him, too bad my spit didn’t reach him.
“I am here to help you Ryan, just come with me and everything will become clear.”
“You’re a nutcase.” I said, and I prepared to run.
“Where will you go Ryan, without The Scythe?”
I froze, I could feel that he had named it somehow, not just said what it was.
He had named something I never had spoken.
“What are you?” I asked, backing away.
“Michael.”
“That isn’t an answer Michael.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be.”
He picked up The Scythe, he handled it carefully as the weapon I had always pretended it was, and light gleamed off of it.
“You have already run too far Red Death. Let yourself rest for a time and come with me.”
“My name is Ryan Anderson.”
“For now.”
I stared at him again wondering what he could possibly mean.
“Why should I trust you?”
“Because I am the only man in this world who can help you at all right now Ryan, just come with me and The Scythe.”
I followed him for a time, not really thinking about where I was going.
I was still in shock. Otherwise I wouldn’t have gone with him.
I wouldn’t have even gone there if I was thinking straight.
After a while we came to a van.
“Seriously a van? Do you normally go around picking up teenagers who lost their families and take them off to some Happy Place?” I was starting to wonder if I was being abducted by a pedophile.
Well a mind reading pedophile.
“You’re the fourth this week” He said smiling.
Paris by Robert Loggains
Paris, the city of light, it was lovely even when uninhabited, most of the time Shannon would have heard the great throng of people living and laughing and loving their hearts out in this city.
But not today, today was a reckoning.
“Hello Trinity” Shannon called to her old and dear friend, the two embraced for a moment before separating. They could both feel the melancholy in the other.
“Where is Aaron” Trinity asked, surprising to see that Shannon was alone.
“Oh he’ll be back in a few, just meeting with a few of our more interesting allies.”
“So did Sean come” Asks Shannon as she remembered her old friend.
“I tried Shannon, I begged, I pleaded, but he wouldn’t come for this, he said he couldn’t bear it.”
“I wish I could have done the same Trin, Aaron wanted to leave this all behind so badly, but we couldn’t let Ryan do it alone.”
“That’s not his name anymore Shannon and you know that.”
“You actually think I should call him that name you gave him?” Shannon laughed a bit before realizing that Trinity was dead serious.
“Come on Trin, that name is disgusting, no way am I calling him-”
“Red Death Shannon” Trinity shouted it “his name is Red Death now, he forfeited his name after what he did, he lost whatever he was so the name he had was sullied, Red Death is all that fits after that!” Trinity was seething now, remembering old betrayals and losses.
“But you came here today Trinity, you came for her” Shannon whispered it and as she did so Sarah calmed visibly.
“I did, I know, I think I’m going to Hell Shannon but he was right for all of it Shannon he was right about everything, he did it all and he is about to get what we all want more than anything.”
“I’ve been to Hell Trinity, it isn’t for people like us, it isn’t even for people like Red Death, no one can fall far enough to deserve the Pit and last time I checked God was still a pretty nice guy.”
The two stared at the group gathering, Trinity didn’t even know most of the strange allies gathered there, a blond girl, a handsome black haired boy with red eyes, and a good looking Arab man with a long curved sword…”
And standing in the center is Red Death, his arm around someone she knew all too well.
A person she had seen bleed to death.
She was talking and laughing the rest of the group, her hair dancing in the sunlight.
Juniper was alive again.
“Miracles do happen in this world Trinity, I’ve caused enough of them to know what I am talking about, Ryan did one himself, but he needs our help for the next one.”
Trinity was crying a bit as she watched the dead woman laugh and talk with her old friends.
But she knew why they were here.
“We need to bring her back Shannon, I’ve known it since I got your call, she was just a baby, she didn’t deserve what Michael did to her.”
“He’s back you know, Michael is coming with us on the mission, he got his foot in the door when Juniper returned, and we need his power to do anything now.”
“And I thought this day couldn’t get any worse Shannon” Trinity laughed a little at that, knowing just how much worse it would get.
“So are you ready Sarah” whispered Shannon, using Trinity’s true name, one she hadn’t used in a long time.
This was a day for changes, and burying old wounds.
“Yes I am, let us open the Gates of Hell and take back what we have lost.”
“Why else would we be here?”
And the two old friends joined their real family, preparing to reclaim the child of their prodigal son.
But not today, today was a reckoning.
“Hello Trinity” Shannon called to her old and dear friend, the two embraced for a moment before separating. They could both feel the melancholy in the other.
“Where is Aaron” Trinity asked, surprising to see that Shannon was alone.
“Oh he’ll be back in a few, just meeting with a few of our more interesting allies.”
“So did Sean come” Asks Shannon as she remembered her old friend.
“I tried Shannon, I begged, I pleaded, but he wouldn’t come for this, he said he couldn’t bear it.”
“I wish I could have done the same Trin, Aaron wanted to leave this all behind so badly, but we couldn’t let Ryan do it alone.”
“That’s not his name anymore Shannon and you know that.”
“You actually think I should call him that name you gave him?” Shannon laughed a bit before realizing that Trinity was dead serious.
“Come on Trin, that name is disgusting, no way am I calling him-”
“Red Death Shannon” Trinity shouted it “his name is Red Death now, he forfeited his name after what he did, he lost whatever he was so the name he had was sullied, Red Death is all that fits after that!” Trinity was seething now, remembering old betrayals and losses.
“But you came here today Trinity, you came for her” Shannon whispered it and as she did so Sarah calmed visibly.
“I did, I know, I think I’m going to Hell Shannon but he was right for all of it Shannon he was right about everything, he did it all and he is about to get what we all want more than anything.”
“I’ve been to Hell Trinity, it isn’t for people like us, it isn’t even for people like Red Death, no one can fall far enough to deserve the Pit and last time I checked God was still a pretty nice guy.”
The two stared at the group gathering, Trinity didn’t even know most of the strange allies gathered there, a blond girl, a handsome black haired boy with red eyes, and a good looking Arab man with a long curved sword…”
And standing in the center is Red Death, his arm around someone she knew all too well.
A person she had seen bleed to death.
She was talking and laughing the rest of the group, her hair dancing in the sunlight.
Juniper was alive again.
“Miracles do happen in this world Trinity, I’ve caused enough of them to know what I am talking about, Ryan did one himself, but he needs our help for the next one.”
Trinity was crying a bit as she watched the dead woman laugh and talk with her old friends.
But she knew why they were here.
“We need to bring her back Shannon, I’ve known it since I got your call, she was just a baby, she didn’t deserve what Michael did to her.”
“He’s back you know, Michael is coming with us on the mission, he got his foot in the door when Juniper returned, and we need his power to do anything now.”
“And I thought this day couldn’t get any worse Shannon” Trinity laughed a little at that, knowing just how much worse it would get.
“So are you ready Sarah” whispered Shannon, using Trinity’s true name, one she hadn’t used in a long time.
This was a day for changes, and burying old wounds.
“Yes I am, let us open the Gates of Hell and take back what we have lost.”
“Why else would we be here?”
And the two old friends joined their real family, preparing to reclaim the child of their prodigal son.
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