Search Results for 'wish'

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  • #1771

    In reply to: Synchronicity

    TracyTracy
    Participant

      And a bird sync with the random quote:

      he wished he could hug all of them soon…

      Yurara Fameliki… I love that name, he said to the noisy bird nesting on top of his window…

      :kiwi: :heart: :yahoo_big_hug:

      #809

      Adorning the enormous wooden door of Chesterhope Mansion was a heavy bronze knocker in the shape of an ornate dragon. The door stood slightly open.

      Hello! Anyone there! Franiel called out several times, each time pushing the door open wider.

      Only an echoey silence responded.

      Franiel mindfully removed his boots. With a growing sense of excitement, as well as some slight trepidation if the truth be told, he entered the massive entrance hall. A black marble statue of a tiger reminded him curiously of his dream. To the left and right were doors, but after knocking gently, he found these to be locked.

      In the distance someone began to play the piano, a slow and simple melody. Franiel followed the faint sound to the door at the end of the hallway. He entered a massive dining room, in the center of which stood a very long table with 12 highbacked chairs. The furniture was heavy and dark, but sunlight streaming in through the window mercifully lightened the atmosphere.

      Crossing the room he entered the rear parlour from whence came the music. A woman sat with her back to him playing an upright piano. She had long grey hair, worn loose down her back. Franiel noticed how thin she was, and how straight she sat as her long fingers delicately caressed the keys.

      Hesitantly he knocked, not wishing to startle her. She stopped playing and turned towards him. Her face was gaunt, and such a pale colour, he found himself wondering if it had been a long time since she had seen the light of day. But her eyes were alive, bright and intense, and she did not seem awfully surprised to see him there.

      Hello she said, Who are you? I don’t think I have seen you here before.

      I am Franiel. I am sorry to arrive so unexpectedly … he began

      Oh no! you mustn’t be sorry, the woman interrupted, jumping up with a speed and agility which surprised Franiel given her otherwise frail appearance. She rushed over to him and then reached out and lightly touched his cheek. A look of wonder crossed her face and she stepped back.

      Oh my goodness! You are real! she exclaimed in astonishment. I thought you were one of the others.

      #802

      Bea stretched and yawned, and threw the bedcovers back. The early morning sun was streaming in the windows, catching the coloured glass bottles and crystals on the windowsill and making rainbow mice scamper over the floor. Horus, the Siamese cat, crouched with tail swishing, ready to pounce.

      Bea sat up and swung her legs out of bed, feeling around with her feet for her slippers; a rainbow mouse crawled up her leg.

      “Ouch! For fuck’s sake, Horus!”

      Horus stared at Bea, unperturbed, and then yowled, asking for breakfast.

      “Come on then Horus, let’s go and put the coffee on, are you hungry? Lovely day again! I wonder if Leonora’s up yet; doubt it! Come on then, hut hut!”

      Bea wasn’t sure why she always said ‘Hut Hut’ to the cat, but Horus seemed to know what she meant, and followed her into the kitchen.

      “Oh, it’s Eggleton painting day today, Horus!” Bea said to the cat, noticing the big basket of eggs on the kitchen table, For the Eggleton Hunt on Thursday.

      Horus yowled and twisted himself through Bea’s legs.

      “Ok Ok!” she replied, and opened a can of BocaBits with Atun. For herself, she made a large mug of black coffee with plenty of sugar, and lit a cigarette.

      With the third lungful of smoke, Bea recalled a strange snatch of dream, and started to sing:

      One man went to mow , went to mow a meadow,
      One man two man and his dog
      Went to mow a meadow……

      “Oh!” Bea said “I wrote something down in the night!” She went to the bedroom to get her dream journal.

      “One man went to mow scattered lettuces.”

      One man went to mow scattered lettuces? HUH? That doesn’t make any sense. I wonder if Leo can work it out, she’s good with clues…

      Leo! LEO! OY, Leo, whaddya make of this here dream snap-phrase then?” Bea barged into Leo’s bedroom and prodded the sleeping bulk.

      “Wha wha whazzat!” Leo woke up with a start. “Bloody ‘ell, Bea! You woke me up! I was having a lovely dream about rabbits, an’ all……”

      One man went to mow scattered lettuces; what do you make of that? “ Bea asked, as she plonked herself down on Leo’s bed with a bounce that made the bed springs squeak.

      Leo frowned, instantly awake now and intrigued with the clue. To Bea she said, “Get me a cup of coffee and a fag, and I’ll google it.”

      :fleuron2:

      Horus, having disinterestedly licked some of the juice off his Bocabits, jumped onto Leo’s lap as she typed the word lettuce into the search window. He jumped onto the desk, knocking a well worn paperback copy of Seth Speaks onto the floor, and on impulse, Leo added the words ‘Horus’ and ‘Seth’.

      Bea, Leo was laughing, Come and look at this .

      #1907
      TracyTracy
      Participant

        Googled rainbow snake and found Ezili Danto and her daughter Anais

        Ezili Danto loves dolls. People often give her dolls as gifts ….. She is the most perfect mother one could wish to have….. Anais often serves as Ezili Danto’s translator and interpreter.

        Haitian Vodou:

        Danbala, the patriarchal serpent divinity, is an ancient water spirit associated with rain, wisdom, and fertility. He is usually entwined with his wife Ayida Wedo, the rainbow. Danbala is often represented as St. Patrick (who mastered the serpents of Ireland), and sometimes as the patriarchal Moses holding the Ten Commandments. In many temples, a permanent basin of water is maintained for this lwa. Many representations include Danbala’s main sacrificial food— an egg .

        #762
        ÉricÉric
        Keymaster

          The glowing light was showing a familiar face…

          — So the boy is wavering?
          — Yes. He is uncertain of the path… Does seem to have difficulty to trust his calling and take responsibilities being the owner of…
          — He’ll do that. We can’t let him run away from it, nor afford the time of little vacationing. Did you secure the item?
          — Yes. But you know it is worthless unless willingly handed over by the previous owner, right?
          — Certainly. But I feel he’ll soon wish it back.
          — I have words of cankerous corruption, endemic to where he was sent.
          — Precisely.

          :fleuron2: :fleuron2: :fleuron2:

          Glasgow, Scotland, February 25 th 2068, Wrick Fundation

          — So Cuthbert has refused?
          — Yes. With his sister busy with her first-born, she can’t take on that much responsibility either.
          — This is most regrettable. Lord Wrick’s will was perfectly clear though. Should none of the twins accept running his empire, all of its wealth would be used for humanitarian projects of the Fundation.

          :fleuron:

          A week before, Orkney Islands

          Cuthbert, you must accept.
          — Please, don’t wear yourself out Pope. Your body is weak.

          Cuthbert’s face was drenched by emotion. Despite his small frame and his scrawny body, Lord Hilarion Wrick’s strong will was still present, as if etched on his face by all the years of reign. He wouldn’t take a “no” for answer, even now he was dying, just as he had never accepted it in his nearly 120 years of existence.

          Cuthbert, listen to me. All this time you and your sister have spent at the Manor, all of the time I spent with you, this was not meant for naught, you know that. I was not some old decrepit rag of an elder waiting for his death cushioned between the laughters of his great-grand children. I noticed how you and your sister handled at an early age what I have been showing to you. The books,… the mummy even. This was only a test. What I had not found in Sean, nor in his son, I found out in you and your sister. Mind you, it took me that long, but it was worth the wait, and I know how to be patient.
          — You’re repeating yourself Pope, I know this story. I am very grateful for all that you did, all the knowledge I owe to you, but I can’t accept. It’s just… too much! I just want to spend these moments with you.
          — You just cannot whine throughout all of your existence Cuthbert. You chose to be born here, at this moment, in that family. There is no point in refusing what you have placed on your path.
          — I’m not whining! It’s just that… I just want a normal life! answered Cuthbert vehemently
          — Very well then. The face on the Lord was resolute despite his writhing in pain. You will have to see how much life is nothing meant to be normal. In the meantime, I would appreciate your letting me die alone.

          #747

          What a francitic woman thought Elizabeth, a bit less distressed now she had secured her last insights into her clooh-box.
          Hopefully, she could happily forget about those, and go for a walk to have some welcomed cooffee.

          Wishing she would not bounce into some unwelcome apparition, she trod her way to the outside world.
          How long it had been? With all that pressure from her publisher, she had almost forgotten how exquisite it all was outside.
          So simple, and yet so brilliant.

          It didn’t have the complexity of the Worlds of which she intuited things, nor the same amount of excitement it aroused in her, but nonetheless it was appeasing, and that was perhaps all she needed for the moment.
          Perhaps a walk to Garden Centrool would do her great.

          :fleuron:

          Sitting on a bench near the dribbling foontain where cuckoos were drinking at the sound of woodpeckers’ holes drilling, she became entranced by the sound of water, and almost felt like dancing at the cuckoos and woodpecker’s cooing and drumming beats…
          All this Lemone quotes were now far away… She’d had enough of them, and wanted simpler truths. Lively ones.

          She could feel inspiration flow back into herself, as she envisioned her favorite depiction of inspiration, the mangeloose Pigoosus. Elizabeth was reeling in its wonderful aura, seeing the squinting eyes of the creature, the magnificence of its sprawled wings, its awe-inspiring moose antlers, and the slick body of a foxy mongoose with a protuberant snoot.

          It all was symbolic of herself of course, the best depiction of all her awesome features. The snoot for curiosity (and nose in general), the wings for imagination, the antlers for connection, and the mongoose for the fearlessness and sex-appeal.

          Pigoosus, or Pigooh, as she called him, was telling him tales, tales that were spun between the gapping holes of her clooh-box items, and that were weaving them together in beautiful macramooh patterns.

          The Shift in Earth-dimension awareness is coming and it is revealing long-lost hidden things, that is the reason of these other-dimensional bleed-through on the islands. Where those having hoped to bury some artifacts away of consciousness, in that dimension where all was so separated that even Pigooh would have had trouble getting throoh. The skulls gates one by one open now.

          Pen! She needed a pen!

          #745

          Arona, my dear?

          The silky voice of Malvina resounded in Arona’s ear, while she was meditating on the implications of the story Vincentius had told her.

          — Yes?
          — May I borrow you Buckberry and your sabulmantium for a few moments?
          — Oh sure, no need to ask… Though I don’t think you require my permission for Buckberry, isn’t he free as I am?
          — Oh yes he is, exactly as you said, free as you are

          Arona could have sworn she felt a winking energy rippling through her flesh, making some unfamiliar electrical currents crawl underneath her skin. She would have said she was thoroughly disliking it, though she wasn’t really sure if she was.

          — Oh, Malvina added as if an innocent afterthought, we are moving by the way, perhaps you may find interesting to join us for the homationing ceremony. You may learn some more about your sabulmantium.
          — Well, why not, answered Arona having no idea of what a homationing ceremony could be…
          — Very well, please join us in the main entrance, where I am playing the harp. We will be waiting for you.
          — I’ll be there in a second.

          So, they were moving? Speak about implications… Arona muttered, stroking dozing Mandrake, who had feasted on too many of the moorats crawling inside the moisteous cave tunnels.
          I guess I’ll take this astounding elan as a hint that I’ll be going alone she said. A yawn for all answer.
          Considering it was Mandrake, that was almost a mark of distinctive affection… or was it rather of affectionate distinction?

          Moving? She didn’t want to move, not yet, not like that… And to be honest, with all the stuff in that cave, she sure didn’t want to help pack all of this, be it by magic. What an impossible task.

          Vincentius the nanny was taking care of Yikes, so she was confident should anything happen, he would be alright.

          :fleuron:

          On the outside of the cave, the dragons were all lined up, as if waiting for some unknown signal. Leormn first in shades of teal, and his spawns, Buckberry, with the most florid and baroque hues of purple that one could imagine, and the two facetious Heckle and Jeckle in shades of emerald, looking unusually calm.

          Malvina, with Leo the little marmoset on her left shoulder, was playing her harp, while Irtak was accompanying her playing a mouth harp.
          Some drums had been disposed around, and quite naturally, Arona felt like beating the measure on these, getting slowly and slowly relaxed by the music and guttural sounds produced by the throat singing dragons.
          She almost laughed and broke the meditating pattern when she let the memory of Sanso come into her awareness. What a shame he’d missed that, that would have fitted him better than her.

          Slowly the sounds stopped, and Malvina very gracefully rose from her stool, and greeted Arona with a loving hug. Her flowing robe was a tender orchid hue with laces of thistle pink, and her silvery peach long flowing hair were giving her the aura of a princess.

          — Wait, where are Georges and Salome? She said, are they already gone?
          — No, they are waiting for us at the new location, she said with a smile… Now, Leormn will start the ceremony.

          Arona almost said Wait again, in anticipation of what was to come, and finally decided to let it flow. The serene look of Malvina and her motherly smile was of a nurturing reassurance.

          Outside, in the grassy lands, the dragons had all grown wings and were apparently ready to take off. A pile of conic shaped dirty sand was standing in front of the entrance, that Arona had never seen before.

          She could feel Buckberry answer her unspoken question without even a word being uttered. It is soil from the cave, and we will use it now.

          Arona watched the dragons rise in the sky full of damp gray clouds, and wondered what they were doing.
          They are doing two things, Arona answered Malvina (again that disagreeable habit of reading thoughts, couldn’t help but think Arona, wishing there would be some World around where such thing wouldn’t be so easy), first they are checking what kind of creature are staying with us and following the movement, continued Malvina, ignoring the remark, and second, they are drawing with that sand from the cave a circle to enclose the area we want to move

          Arona didn’t dare say the explanations were making her even fuzzier, so she nodded as if abreast of what was going on.

          Popping sounds of the dragons blinking in and out to get some more dirt almost made her dizzy, and she forgot the strangest feeling she had when she thought she heard “the area we want to move”.

          — Now, continued Mavina, the sabulmantium.

          The dragons were now all back, and the pile of sand had disappeared.
          Arona’s attention snapped back to herself, and she handed the fine object to the lady. She couldn’t help but notice the glowing eyes of Irtak, who apparently was very eager to see what would happen.
          So he will move too, she thought, hope his father won’t be too sad… Why did she felt it was a separation from this place she had found she was liking…

          — If you look closely, said Malvina to no one in particular, but Arona took it for herself, you will see how easy it is to come back if you feel so inclined.

          At her touch, the coloured sands in the sabulmantium’s transparent dragon shell globe started to move. And all could see the cave being formed, with all the little people, dragons, glukenitches and even Leo and Mandrake… They were all here, enclosed into a circle of sand.

          — Now, if you will follow me… said Malvina who traced on the ground a curvy symbol.

          And very slowly, as the whole sand scenery inside the sabulmantium was turning in a round, they all felt as though they were dissolving into the air. Yet, they were all solid, and the interior of the cave was still too.
          The only thing that was moving was the exterior, twirling and changing, getting out of focus, and moving erratically at the beginning, and then getting close to a focal point. Some fine tuning was occurring.

          And in a snap,
          The landscape
          Was
          In all its splendor…

          — Greetings! a smiling couple at the entrance of the cave said to the people inside.

          #736
          F LoveF Love
          Participant

            What’s that, slow down Felicity I can’t understand what you are saying!

            Felicity took a deep breath. I am so sorry Tina, there has been a dreadful mix-up with the dresses. The dress that arrived for Becky was meant for another wedding.

            Oh right, said Tina, well I was a little surprised when I saw it, but then, I have no idea what russian wedding dresses look like.

            Oh yes I am so sorry, it is a terrible mix-up. Yes that dress was meant for a … well the bride was going to arrive in a huge wedding cake and then pop out the top . Oh Tina we worked weeks on it … and isn’t the dress just luscious! pure silk it is … and we had a ladder purpose built and the groom was going to climb up beside her and say their vows on top of the wedding cake on a revolving pedestal .. and somehow the dresses got mixed up … I am so sorry. Her voice trailed off.

            Tina, making a valiant attempt to contain her laughter, tried to reassure the distraught Felicity … well I am not sure if Becky even have noticed her dress, she was quite preoccupied with applying peachy glow mineral cosmetics when I last saw her. She has some unfortunate splotches on her face, an allergy to red fruit I think.

            Oh that poor sweetheart, gushed Felicity sympathetically. Oh I wish I could give her a big hug! She is such a sensitive one, I didn’t want to bother her, that’s why I am ringing you Tina. You are always so calm and sensible. What shall we do?

            Well to tell you the truth Felicity, I have been trying to contact Becky for the last hour, I can’t get through to her number.

            #733
            TracyTracy
            Participant

              When Becky realized what she was wearing, she wished the ground would open up and swallow her. She rummaged in her bag for her phone, and called Al. She would hide behind a bush until he arrived, bringing some clothes with him, she thought.

              The number you have reached is not connected at this time, the automated voice on the other end told her.
              RATS! His phone was switched off.

              Becky tried Tina’s number. Her phone was disconnected too.

              Becky tried Sean’s number. Thank Flink for that! At least it was ringing.

              No answer. It rang and rang, but nobody answered.

              Bloody hell! Sam’s in Australia, he can’t help, what am I going to DO? she wailed.

              #2142

              In reply to: Story Timeline and Map

              ÉricÉric
              Keymaster

                Up to now, 71 events entered in the dataset, mostly from the first 300+ comments of the story thread; a bit more than half of the story… Half sync someone?

                If you spot some unplotted event on the map that you wish to have plotted, or some event missing or not what you think it should be, this thread is for you!

                #710

                Tina could not help but wish the wedding was over, what with Becky’s strange illnesses and then all the indecision and fuss over the wedding dress. In the end, after quite some deliberation with Felicity, the Bridal Goddess, they had decided upon a Russian themed wedding. Tina could not believe that now, after all that planning, Becky seemed to be in denial that the wedding was even taking place!

                Is it today! she had screeched in a panic, when Tina called her first thing that morning.

                I can’t get married today Tina! I consulted with the Snoot yesterday.

                Tina sighed. She seemed to do an awful lot of sighing when talking to Becky.

                Calm down Becky, what exactly did the Snoot say? said Tina gently

                Well most of it I didn’t understand, something about I have created the splotches to be more allowing of my cleaning aspects, and to not be cleaning so much and to wash my hands more … and then he recommended some special green clay to improve my skin, to help those awful splotches I have been getting on my face … oh and he said no more mushrooms or red fruit. Well I don’t want to get married with my face looking like this Tina! Becky wailed despairingly. And the Snoot said it could take some time … but if I could let go of my crottes I would feel my inner vibration more freely … it was all a bit confusing to be honest Tina … and what are crottes anyway?

                #1896
                TracyTracy
                Participant

                  And another snippet about crystal skulls…..
                  :cluebox:
                  “….if you wish to project
                  your mentality and blend your consciousness with the idea of the
                  consciousness of the civilization that has created it, so that you may
                  in a sense, follow them, you will have to form a blending with all of
                  yourself. That is, let us say, the safeguard, the lock and the key. In
                  that an individual who cannot come to terms with the blending of all
                  portions of their personality will not be able to enter the door.”

                  #1888
                  TracyTracy
                  Participant

                    “He ran down the heart of the old midway, where the weight guessers, fortune tellers, and dancing gypsies had once worked.
                    He lowered his chin and held his arms out like a glider, and every few steps he would jump, the way children do, hoping running will turn to flying. It might have seemed ridiculous to anyone watching,This white-haired maintenance worker, all alone, making like an airplane.
                    But the running boy is inside every man, no matter how old he gets.”

                    —Mitch Albom
                    from the book “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”

                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~

                    “I wish that you could see me when I’m flying in my dreams.
                    The way I laugh there way-up high. The way I look, when I fly.”

                    —Patti Griffin
                    “Chief”

                    #676

                    A hotel room in New Venice, January 2034

                    Sean had agreed reluctantly.
                    As his father Lord Wrick had been aware for some time, Sean had been heavily drinking following the death of Margaret, and though he could still speak with her, he had a hard time not to take her as an illusion from his guilty mind.
                    So, wary of the impacts on his grand-children, Guinevere and Peregrine, Hilarion Wrick had demanded him to personally take care of their education, and have them move with him. The year before, he had acquired an old mansion in the Orkney Islands, in a healthy location far from the buzz of towns, and was in the process of having it restored. Its previous owner, Baron O’Dolly seemed to have disappeared and Lord Wrick had seized the occasion, as there was a nice big area of land around the place. Restoration would soon be over, he’d said, and he was wishing the children would move in the next spring.

                    Of course, Sean had known that his father’s proposal was no mere proposal. With the wealth and lawyers he had at his disposal, even if he would have to wait years, he could get what he was wanting. Even if he was to crush everything in the process. So he had agreed.

                    Why do you feel sorry? You are no fit to raise children, and Becky is certainly no better than you… the ghost of Margaret was saying
                    You know what it is, I feel so inadequate… What will my children remember of me?
                    Don’t be stupid, they love you… And I’ll talk to them… On the contrary, loving the old bat won’t be as easy for them

                    This almost brought up a smile on Sean’s face.

                    Yes, you’re right, and you are right for Becky and I… Perhaps we’ll have children, but for now, I suppose we want to enjoy being together, and take a deep bracing breath.
                    Then stop being so gloomy and go call her. Perhaps you even want to start looking for an apartment in New Venice for both of you, to make her a big nice surprise for your wedding. She didn’t seem so fond of the idea of staying in Dublin for extended periods of time.
                    Yes! And I’ll book our honey moon too… She wants to see so many places I suppose I’ll have to book a cruise over the world. And perhaps get tickets for the first trip in the cross-oceanic tunnel… Thank you Margaret, I’m so full of projects…
                    Why, thank YOU, she said with a bwink (a simultaneous blinking and winking, in ghost’s jargon).

                    #674

                    Dr Bronkelhampton gazed at the impassive bandaged covered face of Sasha Goldenwort propped up in the corner of his office.

                    Stupid fool, she said. What a bloody mess you are in now.

                    I know, it’s all gone horribly wrong really. What shall I do?

                    Sasha snorted. What! you are asking me? I let you perform your stupid untested experiments on me, clearly I am not the sharpest tool in the toolbox. No, don’t ask me for advise, I see my main mission in life, oops sorry in death that should be, is to haunt you for the rest of your sad little life.

                    Don’t be hard on yourself Sasha, and in a way you died for a noble cause. Others won’t have to suffer the way you did.

                    Oh Bugger off, said Sasha

                    Chris? Nurse Bellamy popped her head around the door. Are you busy? I thought I heard you talking.

                    Dr Bronkelhampton!”, Nurse Bellamy, please for God’s sake, can’t you get anything right!

                    Nurse Bellamy flinched. Dr Bronkelhampton was acting so peculiar, she was worried about him. And It was all the fault of that little upstart, Veranassessee!

                    :fleuron:

                    Veranassessee wished she had thought to ask her boss to remind her what Plan B was. It had sounded good at the time, but now she found herself somewhat at a loss. She sighed. Sometimes she felt like chucking all this secret agent business in and marrying her devoted boyfriend, Mahiliki, on the neighboring island of Fukitupi.

                    Well she was just going to have to play it by ear!

                    #671

                    In the flying car, Al was mentally reciting mantras and drawing symbols, and was distractedly participating in the conversation which he could follow thanks to telepathic transfers he grasped from his friends conversations.
                    His gums were now much better, and he had recovered a wonderful smile with shiny pearl-white teeth.

                    The car interior was now a bit small for them five, and Tina’d had to press herself on Al and Becky, who was almost disappearing in her boubou full of folds, her head wedged against the hat and the hat against the roof of the car.

                    Can’t we get some air in there? asked Tina, who was feeling she needed to breathe more.
                    Err… Let me check

                    Sam’s friend was looking clumsily at some buttons for one to release the hood.

                    Watch out! Becky cried, propping up her hat which had fallen on her eyes.

                    They had narrowly missed a bunch of balloons floating in the middle of the buildings.

                    Jeeze! It’s no better than the submarway this thing… Becky was being fidgety at everything and was wishing for the whole wedding preparations to soon be over.
                    Is that a frog we hear? asked Armando who had finally released the hood, having Becky clutch her hat, as well as little Chump, with the strong wind now blowing on their heads.
                    WHAT? FLOG A TIRE? Tina was shouting now, seeing now all the benefits of being able to telepathically communicate…

                    A click on a button. The hood was again put on top of the car.
                    Bit too noisy, hey? said Armando
                    Well, didn’t really mind said Albert dreamily

                    Oh dammit! Is there a damn frog in that car’s engine or what? Armando was stressed.

                    Tina looked at Sam in the rear-view mirror and spluttered affectionately. Al had just mentally expressed he was experimenting with new yeast actions in his digesting system, and that there was some minor inconveniences on which he would have liked some discretion… His belly was swelling funnily and making gargoyling noises…

                    Ahahah, a frog… perhaps even a blue-bullfrog with all that frogging noise! Tina was feeling surprisingly exuberant.

                    #645

                    As soon as she’d come back from her trip, Dory had planned to travel again very soon.
                    Of course, she had enjoyed tremendously being home, being with Dan and young Becky… yes, she had… the first day for sure…
                    Well… She was a born wanderer, she couldn’t do against her own nature, no need to beat herself for that, and feel guilty for leaving Dan and Becky periodically. Hopefully, Becky was very understanding, and perhaps that the fact that Dory was her stepmother made things easier for them both, without burdening their relationship with useless obligations towards one another.

                    On the other side, many exciting destinations were on her list, and she barely knew where to start. One that had attracted her curiosity was the site of Jiroft in Iran, where the famed lost Kingdom of Aratta had been supposedly found very recently. Artifacts had been discovered on this site, predating our commonly supposed invention date of written language, which had fascinated Dory for a while, before she got lost amidst the wide spectrum of her other interests.

                    Well, all of this was of frenzying interest, but there were dogs and back issues…
                    Somehow, Dory had been struggling with lots of tensions in her back, and the more she forced herself moving, the worse the pain was. Finally beaten by herself, when no one else, friend, family or doctor could accomplish such a feat, she was stuck to a cushioned armchair for most of the day holding to her pain as to a stuck parasitic hated friend.
                    And then, there was the dogs.
                    As she was barely able to move, Dan had renounced to have her come with him and Becky to see Sabine, Becky’s mother, in Mallorca, where she had invited them for the Epiphany.
                    Secretly, Dory was happy to have to stay at home, and not to have to make pleasing faces to the horrid obsessive woman she could only stand a few minutes without having to go out and empty a whole pack of cigarettes to calm her down.
                    The only little drawback was that she had to take care of the dogs… And she was running short of dog’s food…

                    Before leaving, Dan had left her a phone number of their new neighbours, a batty couple of Brits who had just rented the farm nearby, and with whom Dan was occasionally playing golf and lending a hand in small DIY work.
                    Reluctantly, Dory took the post-it and smiled at the familiar handwriting of Dan

                    BEATTIE & LEONORA FLETCHER : 933-157-821

                    She composed the number in a deliberate slow motion, which strangely felt very empowering.

                    — Hello! a quavering male voice answered
                    — Err… Mr Fletcher?
                    — Ms Fletcher,… herself, what can I do for you?
                    — I’m Dorothy Mc Leane, one of your neighbour, you probably know my…
                    — Oh, yes! Dorothy, may I call you Dorothy, Dan spoke of you so much that we were very eager to meet you, weren’t we Leo?

                    A ruffling sound behind Beattie Fletcher seemed to approve.

                    — And is there anything we could do for you?
                    — Well, I’m awfully embarrassed to have to ask you, but I’m stuck at home, and my dogs don’t have much food left…
                    — Oh my dear! You did so very well to call us, didn’t she Leo? We’ll be at your home in a few minutes!
                    — But…
                    — Oh, no need to thank us for that, it’s all natural, after all that your delightful husband did for us! We see you in a moment…

                    And with that the line was cut. Dory was a bit disconcerted by the strange couple, but decided to dance with what was coming to her doorstep (wishing it would not be flamenco), seeing that having placed these quaint people in her reality could not entirely be a stroke of wild madness… If only…

                    #641

                    AN EXCHANGE WHICH TAKES PLACE ON THE STREETS OF LONDON DURING THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA:

                    ‘Ere!, I saw you take that.

                    Let go of me, I didn’t do nothing.

                    I aint blind and I aint stupid, lad. I saw you put your thieving hand in this ladies handbag. Now what you got?

                    Nothing. Just this coin. It’s for me mam, she’s at home poorly, dying, and we aint got no food. ‘Ere, take it. it won’t happen again.

                    You’re right it won’t happen again because you’ll be going to the gallows I’ll be bound. I know your face. You’re one of them Magpies. I’ve ‘ad my eye on you for some time. You’re clever at covering tracks I’ll grant you that, but not clever enough it seems.

                    Look Mr Constable, I don’t know nothing about no magpies, they thieving birds aint they? It was for me poor old mam, I swear to God, if I be lying may ‘e strike me down dead.

                    No more blasphemy from you. I expect the good Lord’s got better things to do than spend his time striking down lying thieves. Thing is you’ve been been caught thieving from this lady and it’s not looking too good for you right now.

                    And I will thank you Ma’am for your courageous co-operation. said Constable Marshall O’Riley, turning galantly to the finely dressed woman, clutching her handbag tightly to her person. You have been victim of a heinous crime, and I would wish to trouble your gentle self no more with this matter. But I will thank you for your details and be assured I shall call upon you should we need you to give further evidence.

                    No sooner had the lady gone than Constable O’Riley turned to the young thief.

                    Now you listen to me carefully, young lad. I have an idea that, if you play your hand right, might save you from hanging.

                    I’m listening.

                    You and me is not two figures to be seen together, except for somewhere private. I want you to talk to the one what leads your little gang. I have an idea that could be of mutual benefit. I will let you go now, and you be here tomorrow same time, and I will tell you where the meeting will be held. I’ve ‘ad my eyes on your gang for quite some time, all I needed to convict you was to catch you red ‘anded, and I got that now. So If you ain’t here, I know where to find you lot, and I swear I’ll drag you in front of the magistrate. Do as I say though and we could all be laughing.

                    #599

                    I wonder how delightful it may feel to become one with that butterfly, mused Franiel, his attention diverted from the job at hand as he followed the dance of a delicate white butterfly. He closed his eyes for a moment and merged with the creature, how free ! He sighed, trying somewhat reluctantly to pull himself back. Franiel had been sat there for quite some time now, supposedly engaged in the task of writing a short poem of 3 stanzas for Hrih, the Old One.

                    Of course there was no pressure. Yet in his desire to please, Franiel felt it as such. In his dreams of the previous night Hrih had visited him. He had offered Franiel a golden crown, a silver goblet filled with sweet nectar, and a jewelled sword. Choose! commanded Hrih. Franiel had chosen the goblet and drank thirstily from it, and yet he had felt that Hrih was not pleased with his choice, and upon wakening Franiel had felt a strange uneasiness.

                    Franiel had not been trained in the way of the pen, and he knew his words would be clumsy. He had been raised in a poor home, where words were not considered to be of much value other than to instruct him in his tasks, or berate him when those tasks were not completed. Being a dreamy child, this had often been the case.

                    He wished he could harness the power of words and use them to soothe and caress, to create beauty even, he thought, gently running his finger over the plain wooden table where he was seated.

                    Well for now he would not worry what form his words should take, for it was enough of a task even to know what his highest truth might be!

                    My highest truth .. my highest truth, … how many times now had he said these words, hoping perhaps if he repeated them enough the gods might take pity on his for his ignorance and provide an answer. How could he possibly know his highest truth? The very concept of such a thing perplexed him.

                    Day was turning into night before Franiel finally laid down his pen. In the end his words were simple. He sighed, saddened by the thought that they would surely be a disappointment. The best I can hope for is that the Old One will see these words as nothing more than a doorway to my soul. Hrih was wise, Franiel knew this, and trusted the decision of the Old One.

                    It was in the hands of the gods, for surely if I can’t trust this at least, all my fine talk and learning is for nothing.

                    I am the driftwood
                    the wave carried me
                    I was buried in sand

                    I am the flower
                    the butterfly touched me
                    I fell in love

                    I am the raindrop
                    the cloud released me
                    I became the ocean

                    #509

                    Jo was coming back to the saloon… he saw the new guy rushing out, very pale and sweaty face… his skin around his eyes were of a bad red. He seemed feverish and freezing. He saw him open his saddlebag and take an old dirty sweater, quite yellowish and quite fitting with his face color.

                    He thought for a moment of the itchy fever, no, he dismissed the thought quickly, this fever was… no that simply wasn’t possible. This deadly fever hadn’t been heard of for years now.

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