The meeting took place on a Friday I believe, the following day was Saturday. Uncle Sidney at this point seemed content to have me frolic around the house in a pair of skinny jeans and a t- shirt. He rarely said much to me anymore. Though from time to time I saw him peering out the window of his study or pacing up and down the concrete driveway. I was starting to see a different side of him. It was like a change had taken place deep inside of him. I knew when he discovered me wearing a old hand-me down dress, he had tried to scare me straight, the Bible having been his weapon of choice.

Breakfast that morning was pan fried turkey bacon, fried eggs sunny side up, and a toasted English muffin with a bit of butter on it to make it palatable. The meal was served with a cup of coffee, strong, black coffee, unsweetened with cream, sugar or milk. I call it dishwater in a cup. My Aunt Cat said however that this was a breakfast befitting a 'Woman' of my class and breeding and that a 'Southern Belle' should always be mindful of the size of her waist. 

Dinner that night was tenderized venison steaks, that had been hand battered and fried in a heavy iron skillet till golden brown. My Aunt cooked a good many of them, the sides included home-made mashed potatoes made from scratch brown gravy, collard greens seasoned with bits of bacon and of course the staple at many southern tables. Cornbread. The beverage of choice of course was sweet tea for me, my aunt had a glass of red wine and my uncle Sidney had a brown bottle of Yuengling, this was really his third bottle of the evening.

Strange and powerful memories started to flood over me. I remembered a time when I was just starting kindergarten. I attended a private kindergarten, one that had a playroom that was attached to the main classroom. I froze and peered up into the sky as I found myself falling through time and space. In the corner of the play room, there was a corner, a kind of private corner. I also remembered there were toy chests that held clothing that the girls in my class use to play pretend and dress up.

I discovered my true self in the Mississippi Delta, a region known for its coffee colored soil, known to grow any crop known to man, known mostly for the growing of cotton and a style of music called 'The Blues'. Yes here in this flat region, I found my true self and I've never been the same. Now the chief source of income for many in the delta is farming, the crop of choice is cotton.

The Saturday morning of the convention dawned bright and clear, the forecast for that morning though was cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoon. The digital clock on my car read six o' clock in the morning. And the traffic report said that the road was clear and everything was moving smoothly. In short everything seemed to be going my way. And so, with my spirits soaring like a bird, I pulled out of the driveway and aimed my car south toward Jackson. After a brief stop at Church's Chicken for two sausages and biscuits and Double Quick to top off the gas I was on my way. 

After I'd left Lily and her collection of friends at the dunking booth, Clay and I found ourselves standing along. We've decided to watch the town's fireworks from the top layer of the town's observatory. The town's observatory was located on a high hill that was about two and a half miles from the end of main street. From the upper level of the town's observatory you could see the whole skyline of the town.

Gakkou No Kaiden
The Haunted Doll of the Annual Traffic Safety Lesson

Gakkou No Kaiden
Kimodameshi

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 9: Mother's Advice

I don't think there is anything more precious to a daughter than spending time with her mother. Since becoming Cerridwen my mom has made a point to spend more time with me, guiding me if you will down the fable path of womanhood. At first I tried to hide the fact that I was seeing a boy from my mom. But people talk in this small town and my mother has an ear for gossip. Plus, she was a hairdresser by trade, and people love to gossip while getting their haircut, colored, styled, and washed.

Gakkou No Kaiden
The Shadow Army of the Takanda Clan

Did you know the grounds upon which Satoyama High School was built was once a battlefield? During the Sengoku period an army of five thousand ashigaru and two thousand samurai were led into this valley by the famous Takeda Clan general Akiyama Nobutomo. Their goal was to take over this valley and take the castle that commanded the crossroads and allowed garrison the view of the surrounding countryside.

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 7: Bridal Dream

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 5: Confused Feeling

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 3: Movie Date

Plaza Twin Cinema located at the end of Main Street is the last of a dying breed, it's one of the few remaining mom and pop owned cinema's. Locally owned and locally operated. It has served Benton faithfully since it opened in the late sixties some sixty something years ago. Anyway if you wanted to see a movie in town this was the place to go.

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 1: The Red String of Fate

The following story was told to me by my friend Lana Tiffany Edwards, Lana Edward's grandfather, Elijah Edwards was Benton's undertaker for decades before he passed away from old age. He was also an avid collector of ghost stories. And one of those stories he loved to tell all those who would listen was about a farmer who was expecting his first child, when his child was born he was overjoyed to find out that his exhausted wife had given birth two twin boys. But his joy quickly turned to horror and shame as he noticed that the twins were conjoined.

-15- 
Greensleeves & The Maid that Sold her Barley

A deep blush colored my face as I peered into the floor length mirror. The reflection showed a girl with blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and a petite frame. The girl was also dressed in one of the most embarrassing costumes I've ever laid eyes on. The costume was a short white dress with black spots. The accessories included a purple dog collar with a golden nameplate that read 'Jamie' engraved on it. And last but not least a pair of black dog ears. A small sigh escaped my lips as I spun around. This has to be the dumbest thing I've ever volunteered to do.

One of the most enduring urban legends of Benton is that of a supposed tree that is supposed to feed unwary travelers who stray too near to its trunk. The location of the tree is supposed to be a meadow that is located deep within the marsh that surrounds the north side of Benton. Now, though many consider it nothing more than a silly urban legend, something of an old wives' tale, something to keep curious children from exploring the mashes.

Breakfast was brought to me the next morning, it was a simple breakfast, grits, boiled turkey bacon, toast, and milk. Still worn out from the nights before I ate and fell asleep, I awoke in time for lunch, a piece of broiled fish seasoned with just lemon juice and dill, steamed broccoli, and tea. Still tired I ate and again I fell asleep, dinner was a little better, roasted chicken seasoned with lemon and pepper, more steamed broccoli, a small slice of yellow cake with chocolate icing and more tea. Again tired I ate and fell asleep.

I woke up the next morning feeling a little better, I was starting to breathe a little easier, my throat was so sore and I felt my fever starting to retreat. Breakfast was soon served to me, it was a homey breakfast of boiled turkey bacon, scrambled eggs, without salt and pepper of course. Toast without butter, and a small bottle of chocolate milk. Out of hunger I ate every morsel and left not a scrap of egg or a speck of crust on my plate.

Hospitals are one of the most depressing places on earth. Everything reeks of antiseptic and disinfectant, the food is bland and the portions are small. Plus, you can't have a moment's peace to yourself and you have no privacy whatsoever. And guess what? I'm going to be spending my Easter Weekend here on the fifth floor of Mississippi Medical Center because mother nature hates me.

Carefully I put one foot in front of the other as I made my way from my room, down the stairs, the moment I touched down on the landing was the moment I felt my breath being taken away. The living room was crowded with people. The overflow even reached into the kitchen and down the hallway. The massive crowd then shouted, they shouted all together. And their voices seemed to become one.

Albert Sidney Johnstone Memorial Library was the heart and soul of geek culture in Benton. Here each Tuesday the anime club gathered together to watch a few episodes of any given anime that seemed popular or given reports on the manga we've read that week. And on Friday and Saturday evening the Roleplaying Club would host sessions. Of course Dungeons and Dragons was the main draw, but there were other games people could play. Little Fears was another darling and my personal favorite.