4-20
Twilight... The last glimpses of the Sun's glow, the stars begin to shine, and what there is of the Moon, twinkles into being. A cool breeze toys with the few remaining leaves that survived the Winter's cold, drifting in swirling eddies of the gentle breeze. In the stillness of this moment, a few brave crickets chirruped, adding their claim to existence....
Absently, my fingers move, to tame a few unruly strands of my blatantly red locks; freeing then from the gloss on my lips and from being tangled in my eyelashes; tossing them to join their kin over my shoulder, midst a jumbled mass of curls reaching the small of my back.
At the behest of the breeze, the gossamer layers of silk laying free around my legs danced, brushing against the various layers of femininity encasing my form. Scant protection from the textures of the concrete bench upon which I sat.
The view from my perch, high up the side of Mount Charleston, looking out over the insane glitter of Las Vegas, breathtaking. The heat waves rising, adding to the flutter of a million lights... it could have been, should have been, wondrous.
But it wasn't.
There was one thing missing from such a marvelous moment... Them.
We had been together for neigh on three decades. She had known my secret before then even, we married, conceived a child together, and the world turned to hell. Her health was failing, the costs were enormous! My earnings didn't even make a dent in the growing mountain of debt, let alone allow me to show the world the person I had always been on the inside.
For months we discussed our options. Every path we explored led to one final solution: we would get divorced and the State would cover the costs I couldn't. Even after the paperwork was filed, we shared a roof together. It was then that the world tossed in a wrench, a major collapse in the economy stranded us, work became sporadic, simply keeping a roof and food on the table... it became a prison for us both. With no options we went our separate ways.
She was fortunate enough to find someone that promised to care for her. I hope you never have to feel the despair, the depression, the loss of self worth I felt, even though I was glad she was safe. They were married five months later, he lost his job and they went on assistance, and then he disappeared; ran away without a divorce, with no support for her. I wasn't in any better shape myself, couch surfing, pandering my skills for a tenth their value, just to eat.
Battling my own situation, we lost touch. It took years to get back on my feet, longer yet to pursue my own needs, starting and having to put myself back in the closet over and over.
I received an email... from her little brother, whom we had taken in when false accusations had ruined his life. We had helped him get back on top of his game. So, I suppose it was only just that he was the one to give me the news...
She was GONE, GOD had taken her home. Even now, so many years later, just the thought brings tears to my eyes and an ache inside I can't describe in words....
Before she died, I was graced by the Universe, finding a cousin I had no idea existed, by pure circumstance. We went into business together, well..tried starting a business together. For six years we struggled to get it off the ground; and he knew who I was. He helped me to show myself to the world. God took him too, and that memory brings me more tears.
I have no idea where HER remains are, but HIS are exactly where he asked me to put them. His birthday was yesterday, so I dressed as he helped me to become, myself... and climbed to the place where he sleeps... and watched the sun set.
All I know today, is that GOD better have a really really good reason for making me wait to see them again.
I hope HE does.
A Tribute to
Jabberwocky
BY LEWIS CARROLL
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
I was born a bandersnatch, but was unaware of it for some time; the Brillig and Slithy Toves had no clue as well for many years, and I gyre'd and gimboled freely amongst them for awhile. But as I grew, my differences became more apparent, I desired to become frumious. My parents, insensed for having produced such offspring, exiled me to live with the Jabberwocky, across the swamp. Banished.
Through rites and trials I became acceptable to the Jabberwocky, gyring and gimboling amongst the Jubjub birds, the jabberwocky, and one other bandersnatch like myself. Over the years, with so few of my own kind, I became more frumious and more like the Jubjub, and less like the jabberwocky, until one day, the elder bandersnatch gave me an irrefusable quest: to recover that which separated me from the Jubjub. Forced back to the Brillig to find my lost attributes. Banished once again.
As I traveled the swamp, the Jubjub's queried me, and wished me success in my quest; promising a warm welcome upon my return. And as I travelled, I realized that were I to remain frumious, it would most likely mean my demise and a certain failure of my quest, disappointing those whom had faith in me, who depended upon me. And so I hid my frumious nature, disguising myself as brillig, and seeking out the most certain and expedient means to restore myself to balance. And it almost worked.
One brillig soused my jubjub nature, hidden within, realizing that I was in fact a bandersnatch, hiding in plain sight. His discovery terrified me, not knowing and expecting the typical responses, I felt my very existence was about to end; but this brillig was unlike most. He 'saw' me, and was not offended. Point of fact he befriended me and we became closer than brothers, he heard my heart, and I his.
The village wherein I had be born, received a message from our king. In a distant land, evil jabberwockies had lain waste to vast stretches of another kingdom, who were allies of our own. Brilligs of our land rallied to the king's summons and made the journey to lend our strength to aid the kingdom in peril. All manner of brillig were assembled, warriors, wizards, spies; and with my disguise in place, I was kept amongst the warriors, and my friend.
One day, we received orders to help transport a wizard and a spy deep into the lands held by the evil jabberwocky. The wizard and the spy took places in the rear of the carriage, and my friend, knowing of my frumious nature, took the guardian's place by my side as I drove through the wilderness towards our destination.
The day was beautiful, wispy clouds scuttled across an azure sky, the gentle breeze wafting a warm rush, the scent of pine and flowers, grasses and nature herself caressing every inch of our being. So peaceful one couldst scarcely believe there was evil afoot. My guardian took center stage, reviling us with tales and amusements to pass the time. His smile could melt the Siberian ice, the tones of his voice, smooth and resonating as a string quartet, the sounds of the carriage rumbling easily along the two tracks of the road.
Suddenly, at a place that held no distinction and no designation, came the roars of a jabberwocky! My guardian fell from the carriage! And it was by instinct alone that I tipped the carriage to it's side to afford us some small protection. More roars from the jabberwocky! The spy and the wizard moved to flank the beast, while I was to keep its focus on myself. My guardian was no where to be seen.
Over and over the jabberwocky roared, seemingly in random directions like an insane tornado. I roared back at him to keep his attention as best I could, and I heard the wizard casting his spells. Silence took the jabberwocky, and we approached cautiously. Still, there was no sign of my guardian.
We reached the top of the small rise, wherein the jabberwocky had hidden; the spy, the wizard, and I rejoining at the corpse of the beast. I looked on in puzzlement, this did not look at all like the jabberwockies I had known, instead it more resembled the brillig I had been amongst. Its attire more of brillig nature, its weaponry of a different kind than I had seen in my youth.
As the wizard and spy crouched to examine the corpse more closely, I rose to scout the vista in hopes to find my guardian; to no avail. In a panic, I rushed back to the carriage; and not seeing him there, I ran back along the roadway from whence we had come. And there, along the dusty path I found him. His body splayed out as a broken doll, blood covering everything, and bits of his flesh festooned the brush like desecrated ornaments to a god of pain and death.
My knees collapsed, and I slid down the embankment wrapping my guardian in my arms. Sobs wracked my body as my mind screamed epithets at the Creator, demanding answers I would never get. The jabberwocky had taken my guardian's head.
I don't know how long I was frozen in sobs and despair, pain lancing through my heart and my soul, screaming in my head to the Creator to allow me to exchange places with my friend. I witnessed the spy and wizard, dragging the body of the jabberwocky down the rise and toss the corpse against the ruined carriage. A look of satisfaction and disdain riding their features.
They came to where I despaired, clutching the remains of my closest friend. Showing no concern, they ripped his body from my grasp, slinging his still form across the shoulders of the spy. Still in shock, and wracked with loss and grief the wizard prodded me aggressively to stand.
His words were curses, covering me in a dust of transformation, changing my pain and grief into hate and anger, revealing that somehow he too has soused my nature. He transformed me with his curses, his vile magic, I was no longer just a warrior, I was now the vorpal sword, relishing in dispensing death and dismay amongst the jabberwocky of this land. Prideful in my reputation as a bringer of death. Hundreds had I slain, 25 with a single roar.
I would have gladly been Death's Scythe forever, basking in the accolades of the brillig, and feeding off the fear of the jabberwocky, until one day, whilst I was preparing to add yet another notch to my record, a most unusual sight did befall me. A young brillig, not yet a decade old, had done a thing no other had been capable of. He came upon me unaware. I was in no danger from him, but he had found one of my devices to dissuade pursuit.
If so much as an over zealous breeze had interacted with my device, the resulting roar would carry for miles. The boy would be naught but a stain of red amongst the brush; but the sound would warn the jabberwocky of the impending trap, leading him to escape. I could roar at the young brillig, but that would still allow the escape of the jabberwocky. I could not allow that to happen. It would mean the jabberwocky would be aware of being the target, of where I was located, and it would destroy my reputation. It would put more brillig in harm's way.
With seemingly no choice, I leapt upon the lad as a cougar on a rabbit, and as gently as I could, I sent the boy to God. To my position I returned, waiting for the 'fly' to enter my 'web'. Voices clamored in my mind, asking questions I could not answer; "why was there a child in a war zone, why was he acceptably dressed rather than in rags, how did he find my device?"
The reek of his fear was surrounding me, piss and more wafted all about as I watched my 'fly' approach. And for the second time since I had picked up a weapon, I missed my target with the first shot. And for the first time ever, my second shot missed, too. There was no time to try a third, a swarm of jabberwocky guardians was now intent on my demise or capture. I fled, pausing only long enough to deploy my pursuit dissuaders twice, leaving corpses and wounded behind me to fertilize the forest. Using my tricks and training I managed to escape, the flying carriage collected me and delivered me back to our encampment.
That night, I strived to rid myself of the young brillig's fear, but gallons of water and buckets of soap couldn't remove the stench. My ego broken, so many unanswered questions, and the inescapable stench drove me to acquire illicit beverage, seeking to drown away the doubts and shame. Well into my 4th bottle, blackness finally took me, at that point I don't believe I desired to awaken again.
As happens, escape is never an easy thing. I awoke, with my head throbbing, and not thinking clearly enough, I began asking those unanswered questions of my superiors, of the spies and of the wizards. Questions they deemed to be not mine to ask nor answers to be due. Within the day they had me headed back to the the wabe. I was no longer the vorpal sword. It would be many years before the truth was revealed that the allied kingdom had lied to gain our participation, there were no jabberwockies, the truth was that brilligs had been fighting a despotic king, seeking to preserve their freedoms from tyranny and slavery.
I was however, not released from my self imposed obligation to our king. Tales of me questioning our valor for our part in that far off land, and rumors concerning my frumious nature sent ripples of animosity through the ranks, it became clear that they desired to make me break my oath, and thus become an object example to others who may wish to be released from their own oaths prematurely. I refused to give them the satisfaction, no matter what denigration they heaped upon me. I had studied their code of honor deeply, and learned means to keep the worst of their efforts away.
Eventually, my honor was restored, and I was released from my oath of service. Seems my inner brillig had never truly been lost, I sought to return to the jabberwocky, but to my dismay, they were gone; and with no clue as to where. I was marooned amongst the brillig and the slithy toves; and with the hatred they held against frumious bandersnatches, simply being myself was a likely death sentence. So I hid myself in plain sight, learning the ways of brillig, pretending to be one of them... for so, so long...
For nearly three decades I hid, always worried that someone would find out my deception. Eventually, the pressures of hiding became so great that even death seemed a better alternative. However, as time passed, as it always does, the fear and hate of the jubjub, the jabberwocky, and even the bandersnatch, grew dimmer. More and more the brillig, and especially the slithy toves realized that we were all just people, not monsters. I conquered my fears, and allowed my disguise to fall away, to be myself. And while there are still some that shun the frumious bandersnatches, they have become the minority, and today we can all gyre and gimbol in the wabe.
p.s. the 'experts' got it wrong
The WAR... yeah, that's what we called it.
It had been going on longer than anyone could remember, heck, we didn't even remember WHY we were fighting. What made 'THEM' different than 'US'??? I mean , no; not the little things like what was His name, or how 'Their' rules to behave were different than ours. Was there more than one of Him? It had to be something much older... much deeper than those silly differences. Were there actually more than one of Him? And where was He now? Or 'They', as the case may be.
What's even crazier, is that despite slaughtering each other for millennia, there were now three times as many living souls on this rock than had ever lived before, ever. And while this WAR seems to have bolstered our species, in terms of population, technology, conquering the very biology of the planet, we fail to see how one by one our companions who make up our sustainability, are disappearing one by one... How our insanity has changed the very climate around us, making it harder and harder for Anything to live ….
Forgive me, I haven't properly introduced myself. I was SSGT Wilkinson, member of the Ameritech Military, covert operations division, returning to base after a very 'successful' operation, destroying a manufacturing plant in the Toykiasaki Corporate territory. We had been told that they had developed a new weapons tech that we simply could not allow to be deployed.
We found no such tech in our searching, so had fallen back on the plan B alternative of 'flat, black, glass, and glow in the dark', detonating a tactical nuke to ensure the place was gone. At least we didn't have to worry much about fallout landing in the Eurocratic Conglomerate or the Isriarabic Energy Affiliates.
Our skyshuttle had nearly returned to Ameritech air space when a lucky shot struck us, instantly vaporizing the cockpit, the pilots, and the front two thirds of the craft. What was left, was going down fast. I had been talking facing towards the rear of the craft when it was hit, so the force of the blast caught the back of my helmet, and in that split second, I saw my friends faces melt away.
Just then, the skyshuttle impacted the water, just off the east coast, north of New Boston, sliding under the ice that stretched out from shore for several miles. I had heard that at one time, there had been no ice...that they had what was called 'beaches', but that was long, long ago.
The frigid water pressed in against me, forcing the air from my lungs. As the world turned black I remember thinking, “who will watch the kids now?”; and then there was nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I heard something softly sighing, and my first thought was 'that's strange'. My eyes popped open and I could see a softly glowing bluish dome about eight feet above me. I could feel my body, but despite my efforts, it seemed I couldn't move any part of me. There was a pleasant sensation, and a soft musical tinkling to my left, which was not within my very limited view.
The dome grew somewhat brighter; and I could hear movement all around me. Like a half dozen or so individuals moving about the space around me. Then I heard a soft voice, but there was no sound. In my head I heard, 'Be at peace. You are safe.' Then, like a switch being thrown, the world returned to black ....
This very bizarre scene repeated itself many times, and I had no means to track time; but each time it would end with those words. Then finally, instead of hearing 'You are safe' I heard, 'you will soon have your form back.' I'm sure you can imagine just how strange and confusing that would sound! As if, I had no form now? I hadn't had a form since I woke? The dome dimmed and the sounds grew softer, but I don't recall blacking out this time. It seemed to be, simultaneously forever and in and very brief moment of time, that I felt a totally disorienting 'shift'.
A 'traveling' in an undefinable direction at a speed too fast to calculate and too slow to feel. When suddenly I was 'there' I could feel my eyelids flutter, I could feel texture under my body, I could feel my chest move with my breathing! I tried raising my head and I could! It was only a couple inches, but in that most brief of glances I was stunned...outside the window, was Earth. The Big Blue Marble, hanging in the sky surrounded by stars. Again, the overload turned my world black.
How long it was that I remained unconscious this time I still had no way to gauge, but instead of being suddenly awake, this time it was slow. Gentle awakening, becoming aware that there were presences surrounding me, and a wash of concern and caring emotion cascaded over me. My eyes opened slowly trying to avoid the sudden bright flash that had greeted my waking previously, but the lights were very low. I could see figures moving in the shadows; small, slender, draped in some sort of gown that did nothing to hide the breasts each sported. Some had long hair some seemed to be closed shaved, and the voice in my head told me, ”You are safe. You live again. Be calm, there is no danger here.”
Gradually the lights came up, and I could see that I was indeed surrounded by nearly a dozen of these creatures. They did not look to be human. Each had dusky redish olive toned skin, dark nearly black hair (for the ones that had hair). Their eyes were huge! With violet iris, elliptic pupils, and what seemed an extra, protective membrane beneath their eyelids. Their faces were virtually identical, with only minor subtle variations. And they were all looking at me.
I sat up slowly, and as I did, the covering over me slid down, revealing that now I too had breasts. I barely kept consciousness, and in a higher pitched voice than was mine I hissed 'What have you done to me?!'
The answer came to me, in my head 'Be calm. You are safe. Your genome was damaged and needed repair so we could bring you back.'
I am sure you can picture the flurry of questions I spewed, demanding explanations of who, what, where, and when; and most importantly why.
It turned out that these were not aliens. It seems 'The WAR' had continued to escalate, each corpolitical union striving for dominance over the planet below us, until eventually the few surviving population had to abandon our home. Over time the races merged, as did gender. There were no men or women, all are now born both. Humanities mental ability grew to the point where verbal communication was no longer normal, direct mind to mind transmission of idea and thought had been achieved; and voices were only used for creating music. Lies and deceptions were no longer possible, ulterior motives shone through like neon lights. Even emotion was now transparent to all.
They had conquered matter energy conversion, and had discovered ways to use the energy of the sun in ways I found incomprehensible. Money was no longer needed, the accumulation of 'things' now outdated, a true democracy. People worked at what they had a passion for, or did little as they chose, simply as their own choices dictated. Over the past several centuries the Earth had been reborn. Creatures long extinct now roamed freely, the cities of mankind removed. Even now they were working to stabilize the tectonic plates. The toxins of man were gone. Above the world were dozens of stations, cities in space, much like the one I was on. Each were filled with like minded people. One was a geology world where folk studied minerals and how they worked. Another was a music world, where all manner of instruments were created and music composed. And so it went, each of the cities had a focus, all orbiting high above 'Home'; and each person was free to travel to any they chose, to do whatever they chose.
For several weeks, they took me around the cities. By now I was far more comfortable in my new form, but still could not speak mind to mind as they did. It seemed a paradise. As many questions as I had about them, they had about me as well. What had Earth been like? Why were we fighting so much? Why could we not seem to agree on anything? And how could we not see that the path we were on would end in destruction?
I tried to give answers that made sense, but often I could not. Eventually I gathered up enough nerve to ask the one question I had been wary of: 'Why did you bring me back to life?' Not that I minded all that much, I kinda enjoy breathing, if you get my drift.
They did not answer me right away, that in itself was worrisome. They had been so open about everything else. I suppose they had to decide what to tell me, how to tell me, who should tell me. It took three days for consensus.
One of their cities was devoted to exploration of the galaxy. They had encountered a species that had nearly reached the same technological level, but had not achieved the same communal caring as humans had. They still thirsted for conquest, power, superiority. The exploration vessel had been destroyed, but not before a signal could be sent in warning.
It had taken eleven years for the earth explorer to make contact with this race, and six years for the signal to reach Earth. The aliens could be here as soon as five years from now, and they needed someone, ME, to teach then about how to defend themselves, about WAR, something that no Earth person had experienced in over three thousand years.
It was cold. The windows of the small cabin rimmed with frost and wisps of cold air intruding through any opportunist gaps in the defenses. The cast iron stove in the center of the small abode struggled against the encroaching chill as the last bits of furniture smoldered in its belly. It was a race, Mother Nature vs human ingenuity... and human was losing ground.
It was the coldest winter ever recorded, lasting a full month longer than any other winter thus far that was known of. Even the local stories didn't compare to this extent, of this winter.
Despite my own chill, I couldn't help but wonder about my neighbors, how they were doing, if they had enough fuel for their fires. I could only imagine the sadness and grief for the losses that were sure to be discovered. I wonder what secrets they had kept, thinking that only someone with something so dark they could not possibly share with the rest of humanity would be up here at this time of year. Certainly that was true for me, so it made sense it be true for others.
My dark secret you ask? Do I dare trust you with it? Will I see the disgust, the judgment in your eyes, the derision in a tirade from your mouth? Will you be like so many others that don't understand, that can't accept.... I think, that since my demise is almost certain this eve, I will trust you. I will tell you as much as I can before Mother takes me from this world.
If I looked you in the eye, relating that I had been in the service, and in that time I had murdered a thousand 'enemy' most likely you would thank me for my service, glad you didn't have to go through that insanity. But..if I told you that for all of my life, I felt I was somehow wrong in how my genetics were.. that I was not a man, but a woman, and had always been so. That my entire life had been people trying to 'cure' me, forcing their idea of who I should be upon me... What would you say then?
This is my 'Dark Secret'. I come up here in the worst of the season, to be me. It's the only place I can express my true self without suffering at the hands of others who just don't get it. The few neighbors I've met have seen only the girl me. They smile and wave, we do dinners together, and I hear my real name on the tongues of others. I dance backwards, a strong hand on my hip and my hand on my dance partner's shoulder. They spin me, and tilt me in dips, they do everything a 'man' should do; and at the end of the evening, I disappoint them. I can almost hear their question,”what did I do wrong? She should be ready to share some intimate time with me...she sure seemed to enjoy being close to me on the dance floor.” That question comes from both men and women....
So here I am, dressed in my warmest feminine clothes, all the rest having been fed to the fire. I have half a bottle of Jack D that I'm using as antifreeze in my system. I've even fed most of my cabin's floorboards to the flames... sunrise is still a few hours away. I can't feel my fingers or toes any longer, I have to use both hands just to take a swig from the bottle. I am so tired, so sleepy... I smile almost. If tonight is my last one, at least when they find me, my secret will be out.
Will they honor my request? Bury me with the name I ask for? Or, even in death, will they force their understanding, their ideals, on me; and bury me with the name given at birth. The one that was always so wrong. Will they remember me? Or will they only remember who they wanted me to be.
The stove has gone cold, the bottle is empty lying on the floor, the steam of my breath has ceased. No longer have I a care for this world. The tears frozen on my cheeks are not for me. Mother has taken me home to Father.
The Dark Queen
by
Snarfles
The Valley
The Climb seemed interminable.... Hours of the most difficult mountain face now lay behind the assassin. And there! Across a labyrinthine valley stood his goal. Footpaths wound their way between sharp, jagged outcroppings of blackest onyx, and from within the vale, the sounds of hundreds, perhaps even thousands of the Dark Queen's soldiers. He would need all his skill of stealth to breach that horde and get to 'HER' castle. The sun was still in the sky giving him time to rest, eat, and regain his strength. He welcomed it. Tonight would be another challenge.
For nearly two decades the war had gone on. The armies of the Dark Queen spread over the free lands as locusts in a ripe field. Devouring everything in their path and leaving behind only waste land. This was the fifteenth time the Dark Queen had unleashed her evil upon the land. No one could remember a time when she wasn't a threat, none knew how old she really was or how she was even still be alive after all these centuries; but she was. Some believed she slept in some magical cocoon between her raidings... some thought she somehow migrated from body to body, taking a new host each time she woke; but however she managed it, everyone agreed that there was copious amounts of magic involved.
This time she nearly conquered the entire realm of free peoples. The various Lords finally allied, just in time to force her back into her valley of shadows. The devastation was unimaginable.... lush farmlands wasted and unusable for generations; forests razed and burnt for no reason other than wanton destruction; lakes and streams devoid of life, polluted and murky, a putrid stench of death wafting from them.
He had seen the sad loss, the tens of thousands dead, crows picking at the corpses. The unmistakable scent of decay everywhere, inescapable. Many of the dead bore the marks of having been feasted upon by the soldiers, while livestock was slaughtered and left to rot. The land would need much time to heal, to cleanse itself, before it could support new inhabitants. And therein lay the problem...
Although the Queen's armies were now in retreat, they were retreating to here. And once they were within the Queen's domain, she would seal up the single road into her valley; an impenetrable wall surrounding her fortress, where she would be free to slumber and rebuild her forces. The next time she attacked, there would be little stopping her from achieving her goal, enslavement of every living soul.
That was why he was here, now... He had to get in and end this, once and for all; before the gates were shut. And her armies were only two days behind him.
Enter Her Majestic Highness
Atop a spire of blackest onyx, in a chamber strewn with magical glyphs inlaid of gold and silver, a most beautiful creature stormed about in frustration. Flame red hair whipped about as she turned , striding across the gleaming floor. Her heels click clacking as she went. Large eyes of emerald green, fair skin with just a smattering of freckles, full pouty lips, petite features over all, and a body that would make any man drool with desire. Yet this beauty was marred by the angry scowl on her face, and the hate that dripped like venom from her tongue.
She knew that to finally achieve her goal, she would have to beg the lords below for a boon, again. She also knew what price they might exact for granting her request. She remembered with dread that spear that served as Hades appendage, bony ridges along its length, and how painful it was to be penetrated.
He used her mightily, until tears ran in a cascade down her face, not just once or twice, but for a seeming eternity. Every orifice was bloody and raw by the time he was satisfied. Even he did not know the cause for the depth of her malice, her ire had gone on for so long that, it is doubtful that even she truly recalls why it was so imperative to enslave an entire world. Perhaps it was all that was left of the girl that came to be so many centuries ago.
She knew what the price would be, and with years pouring over ancient tomes, she had found an escape clause. She would trade places with one from another realm, temporarily, and let them pay the price for her favor from hell. Her body would remain, but her essence, her memories, her magic... All would travel to the other realm and the poor soul who stood in her place they would experience the devastation of Hades. But the damn fools in the silver smithy made the charm wrong..AGAIN! She would have his head on a platter if she didn't still need his skills....Such was her ire.
Delays delays delays!!!!! Perhaps she could motivate him just a bit to pay more attention to the details.
Hot furnace, Cold hammer
Even down here beneath the castle he could hear the raging of the Queen. Painfully aware that if he ever completed the task set before him, his life would be over. He studied the designs once more, hoping there was some way to exploit the charm, something she wouldn't notice until too late.
A ruckus in the hallway outside his cell roused him from his contemplation. The door burst open and a seeming horde of guards poured in, followed by the queen dragging his two children. The evil one waded through her guards bringing the children closer to him. He smiled wanly, this being the first time in months he had seen them, but knowing there was no love or mercy behind the Queen's eyes. She stopped, moving the children to her fore, and a hand on the shoulder of each child. Stating simply, "Pick one".
His son and daughter stood there, confused, looking to him to make sense of all this. He could only stand in shock, not knowing the Queen's intent, but knowing it was nothing good. He raised his hands at his sides, not choosing, but admitting defeat, hoping that she would spare his little ones. But no, the Queen was having none of that. In the flash of a twinkling, she pulled a knife from someplace and slashed the boys throat, leaving him gagging on his own blood as it rushed out from the wound. In moments he was gone.
The queen half turned to go, tossed the faulty charm to the smith and said simply, "Fix this, or perhaps you'd prefer a repeat performance?", clearly meaning that his daughter was to be the next sacrifice for any failure on his part.
Then she left, half carrying half dragging the sobbing girl back to where ever she was kept.... the guards left and the door slammed shut. The sound of the bolt sliding home reminding him of his true status here.
It was then the answer he had been searching for came to him. Completing the charm properly was sure to cost him his life, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing his last child. With just a hint of a real smile, he grabbed the wax and began carving the negative for the mold which would cast the charm......
Foot of the Long Road
The assassin had finally reached the beginning of the treacherous roadway to the Queen's castle. Weaving though the scattered camps of minions seemed like the hours in an eternity. And then he heard it...the gong! The gates were being closed early! Apparently Her Highness did not care that nearly forty thousand of her troops were going to be trapped outside the walls; and he was to be trapped inside them.
He had been shocked and disbelieving at the state of those that served the dark one.... Dressed only in bits of leather and bands of steel, which served as a sort of armor, he supposed. Some were large. Near a time and a half as tall as a man... muscles bulging in confusing ways.... Some sported scales but unlike those of a snake, smooth and supple, these appeared hard, and with sharp ridges.... others were furred... some few displayed skin, but not like humans.... It also seemed the Queen had no concern for modesty. Try as he might, the assassin discerned no females amongst them. They all had various forms of flesh rending teeth.... So many teeth....
Despite all that, he had made it thus far, and he thanked his patron god for that miracle. 'Twas time to begin climbing again.
Casting the Stones
The smithy had, for a very long time, been known to make charms and amulets to help the people of this realm. There was the simple golden bassinet pendant he had created for a woman who had miscarried twice before, and was now suckling her newborn infant. The blind old hag for whom he created a wondrous optic, framed in purest silver, that brought sight and civility to the old woman. Seems that gift was enough for her to leave her hag self behind, as she gladly played with the children of her village. Everywhere he had been known as a healer, one with great power. His only fee were the smiles on those he had served. Needless to say, he did not turn down any of their gifts, but only a fool would do that. In his travels , he was fed, at night a place to rest was his; and his reputation grew.
Unfortunately it was this same reputation that brought him the attentions of Her Majesty.
He knew the demands of the Queen; the despicable plot she had laid out to benefit herself once again; and yet, was unable to prevent it. He could not face his daughter's death. The Queens charm would be perfect this time... exactly as she requested. But... the realm it was focused on, did not have magic.
Upon completion the charm was delivered to the Queen. She examined it... thrice.... It was tested for its workmanship...it's essence.... And the Queen was satisfied.
The smith and his daughter were executed moments later.
The Summoning Chamber
For the ruse to work, Her Majesty knew that the summoning ritual, the proffering of the deal, the acceptance of terms, AND the activation of the charm, had to happen precisely on cue. She would have but moments to activate it before the beast took her and used her. Everything seemed in place. The candles, the sigils, the runes and incenses... the glyphs and wards and all manner of unidentifiable things were arrayed for this moment.
Around the circle stood 13 priests of the night hoods drawn over their features, hands hidden in the folds of their cloaks, as Her Majesty took the center of the circle, bereft of clothing. It was expected, as the daemon brooked no delays... His favor required immediate payment..in full.
Naked, amidst the flickering candles, the beautiful and hideous Queen stood and uttered a single command: “Let the Summoning Rite begin!”
The priests chanted in an ancient tongue, the Queen writhed, dancing in the center... and in a horrid rush of sulfur and brimstone, HE was there. To her knees dropped the Queen, beseeching for His favor. He only smiled... wickedly.
In a voice that sounded like rocks being crushed, low , and crackling with amusement, he spoke “ you know the price, fair one, but this time it will be doubled.” Another devil appeared, both ready and primed to make this imputant wretch suffer for disturbing them.
The dark lord whispered to his kinsman, “I wonder if she remembers what this is all about?”
The two approached, and just before they came within range the Queen activated the charm....
The Dark Queen, 3
The sky was such a brilliant blue it nearly hurt to look at, the sun a warm radiance bringing life to all the land. Only a few brave clouds, scarcely wisps, dared to cross that great expanse above. The fields scattered about the castle were lush and tall with the coming harvest, and swarms of flying creatures flitted from plant to plant, completing the cycle of life. The kingdom, and its people, would know plenty this season. The barns and silos would be filled, the livestock heavy laden. Spring had come early, the Summer mild, and the first chill of Autumn was just days past.
High above the landscape, On a solitary hilltop, a gleaming white castle stood. Colorful banners streaming from it's towers, overlooking the valley on all sides. In one of those towers, a beautiful young girl, a princess, gazed happily over the lands below. She knew her people would be happy, and well fed.
The fields were filled with workers tending the plants, the far hillsides held flocks of sheep, with their herders, and horses and cattle grazed with no concern for predators. She could see the pens where pigs were kept and raised to feed the townsfolk. To say the scene was idyllic, would be such an understatement as to raise the brow of even the most pessimistic.
The girl left her musings, turning her back on the wondrous scene, to go seek out her parents, the King and Queen of this glorious place. She made her way through the brightly lit halls, down varied stairways, skipping along as she went. All the way to the throne room, where her father was holding court, settling what few disputes arose among the people. There were always a few, no matter how prosperous they were, who would seek the King's judgment to gain more. Such is life, after all.
The King saw his daughter enter the room and he smiled as bright as the sun, such a beauty his daughter was, such sweetness surrounded her. He was happy that he would surprise her with tomorrows celebration of her 16th birthday. That she knew something was planned was inevitable, what it entailed however, had been a closely guarded secret. Feast? Of course. Entertainers? Naturally. Presents? Are you kidding? All of the kingdom had been invited, from the richest merchants, the strongest knights, all the way to the poorest and least fortunate. There would also be seven potential suitors from neighboring kingdoms in attendance, vying for the young girl's attention. But that wasn't the surprise....
Attending this event, would be Orssicliaca, King of dragonkind. He had not been seen outside his lair in nearly 2 centuries, preferring to slumber in this age of peace and prosperity. It had been HIS doing that ended the wars that had plagued the realms, if any could actually claim credit. It had been His voice that brought leaders to the table, His voice that shamed man into co-operation, rather than war; and His voice that had begun this golden age of plenty. He would be there to bless the girl, to grant her the power of magic, and thus preserve what He had striven for, what others had desired so much, and was now a fact of life. At least most had desired it; but there were a few...
The girl skipped her way up the aisle to the throne, she knelt in respect, and greeted her father with a smile that could melt the coldest ice. The King was no match against such affection displayed, his arms opened wide and her took her in a warm, fatherly embrace. Even the most obstinate of the petitioners could not help but be moved, arguments forgotten (at least for the moment). The love of that embrace flowed like a breeze, made of honey, throughout the chamber; and all in attendance there knew they would also be at tomorrows festivities.
Everything seemed perfect. Chambers were being decorated, food was already in preparation, and the finest wines and ales were being readied. What could possibly go wrong?
Late into the wee hours, after all the servants had retired for the night, after King and Queen had kissed their daughter at her bedside, wishing her fine dreams and themselves retiring, the princess lay awake in anticipation. She had no idea of what tomorrow would truly bring.
Rescued Me
Snarfles
It was blazing hot; and, even in the darker recesses of the tree in which I perched, the Sun managed to touch me occasionally with it's scorching brilliance. But it wasn't 'just hot', the humidity was so high that sweat ran down the back of my neck like Niagara Falls. To say it was uncomfortable would be akin to saying that Edgar Allen Poe was just a poet.
Earlier in the day, before the Sun had come up, I had checked my traps; making certain they were properly set, aimed for best effect, and that the connecting lines were secured at both ends. The trip flares under them placed just so, to prevent tampering. My escape route secure, I resumed my hiding place, and waited.
My hands on auto-pilot, cleaning my rifle, checking the magazine, cleaning the lenses of the scope, to kill the time. All around me birds and other animals voiced their opinions of the weather as they went about their business of finding enough to eat. Insects buzzed incessantly, investigating every scent around, attracted to the unusual smells of gun oil and human perspiration. Swatting at them proved a losing battle, and quick movements could give away my hiding place anyway. They had their way. The only ones I stopped were the ones that decided to stay and have dinner; in turn those I caught became my nourishment. True, I was hunting, but I had only one prey on the agenda, and definitely not on the menu.
And then I heard it, a sound not made by the local flora and fauna.
I looked for the source carefully, not wanting to be spotted, and saw her. A girl of perhaps eight years of age, nicely dressed, in a floral print top pink shorts and sneakers, her long dark hair in a high pony tail; and she was looking curiously at one of my claymore mines, the ones I had set as traps. If she so much as breathed too heavily on it, BOOM! Red smear.
What was I to do? If it went off, my quarry would change course and I'd miss the shot, if I shot her, the same result. If I chased her away, she'd tell whomever she came with, and if she saw me first...well what little girl wouldn't scream at the sight of a sweaty green monster with a big gun?
Leaving the rifle in the perch, I lept out of the tree and grabbed her, holding her closely, my hand over her mouth. I whispered in her ear in as soothing a tone as I could while she struggled to break free. Eventually she surrendered, sobbing behind my fingers, tears streaming from her eyes and running over my knuckles. I closed my eyes and prayed to every god I had ever heard of, begging to not have to do what I saw was my only option. So hard I prayed... and the world went black.
I woke to a man's voice, speaking gently, and a hand shaking me softly awake. My eyes opened and I saw I was surrounded by a dozen or so armed men. I was thinking 'Marvelous..' But it all seemed a bit off... they were huge! In fact everything around me was bigger than it had been. The man tending to me helped me to my feet, and I looked around curiously. In the tree was my rifle, smoke still wafting from the muzzle, one spent case on the ground below. In the distance I could see the trucks, and in one of them a red mess had splattered the windshield. One of the other men had found the mine and set about to disarm the trap. It was obvious he had seen or heard of the little surprise I had placed underneath.
My 'rescuer' took my hand and began waking me towards the convoy, when a woman rushed from just down the roadway at me, wrapping me in her arms and lifting me clear of the ground. At once scolding, relieved, loving, she yammered at me in a language I didn't know, turning to shield me from the grizzly view of the windshield, and spoke with the men for a time.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was the little girl's mother, MY mother now it seemed. She carried me to a house not far away, a large man and two boys, much taller than I was, gathered in a group hug of which I was the center. I wanted to say something, ask questions, go home... but my words came out incoherent, and I realized that no one would believe who I really was anyway. 'Mother' touched the back of my head, and I felt a sharp pain, my own fingers discovered a rather nasty bump and came back with a bit of blood on them. I swooned, nearly falling, but was caught by one of the boys before crashing to the floor. He helped me onto a comfy chair and Mother got a wet cloth and held it against the lump on my head.
From their gestures, it seems they are blaming the bump for my language block, or maybe the shock of being nearly killed... made no difference at the moment. I knew I wasn't going 'home', not like this. I knew that time would eventually answer my questions. Questions like: 'Why was this family living in a war zone?','Who was my target, in reality?','What happened to my body?'; but mostly 'why the hell am I a little girl!?'
It took some time, but I eventually learned to speak and read Spanish, I did girl chores on the family farm, like tending the chickens and gathering the eggs, working the herb garden with 'my mother', learning to sew and cook, and how to be a proper young lady.
The official story said that a US military sniper, had been working his craft in the area, at the behest of an allied government and on the assertion that they were fighting terrorist guerrilla forces. (It wasn't true, the guerrillas were just working people protesting oppression by their own government.) They said the sniper had simply vanished, officially listed as MIA. His body was never recovered.
The conflict continued to worsen as I grew up. My new family sought refuge in the USA, and the close call with the sniper got us asylum. The new me had just turned twelve years old. Time marched on, as it ever does, and growing up again (as a girl) had it's challenges, especially boys. Eight years later, I succumbed to the constant barrage, and fell in love. He was a wonderful man, kind, gentle, and would do anything to make me smile. We married soon after graduating college....
Twenty years had gone by, and in November it struck me... I have now been living longer as a girl than I had as a boy. The news was, like every year, promoting Veteran's Day, and I knew that my former self's status as 'MIA presumed dead' had been changed to 'declared dead'. Many missing soldiers would be ceremonially put to rest. A large memorial, engraved with their names would be erected, flanked with flagpoles and surrounded in elegant landscaping, to commemorate their service and their loss. I still wondered what had happened to the girls soul, and what had happened to my former body, and the answer came to me. She was with HIM, in the Heavens; and the body returned to the dust from which it came. I decided to attend the services.
It was carried out with military precision, razor sharp uniforms, the snap of salutes, a bugler rendering Taps, and an 18 gun salute. The sermon was brief yet touching, and many eyes watered in grief. After the ceremony concluded, and most of the attendees had gone, I wandered over to the huge stone and found my former name. My fingertips traced lightly over the engraved surface and a single tear fell from my eye.
I closed my eyes and tilted my head back to face the Heavens, and thanked the powers that be for my salvation, for saving me from murdering an innocent child, for removing me from an unjust war, for not devastating my new family. (What family my former self had had, had long been estranged.) But mostly for giving me the power to bring life into the world. My hand fell from the monument and caressed my belly, and I smiled, while I considered when to share my 'other' secret.