Hope's Light (Chapter 2 of 35)

by Erisian

Book 6

Chapter Two - Paintings

Ever since that moment of radical transformation (or resurrection, if one prefers) back at the start of all the madness - when my name went from Justin to Jordan and personal pronouns flipped on their heads - I’ve had occasion to journey to a scattering of spiritual places. Planes of existence, dreams, realms - call them what you will - they all had a certain commonality. They were formed around an inner core, a nugget of desire or purpose which stabilized the whole and resonated throughout. Some were tied to entire stories sung forth in glorious splendor, others built on specific concrete principles or even emotional states. The more coherent the core, the more cohesive the realm - and all the souls and spirits resonating in sync with that pattern locked-in the solidity even further. Their presence and observations made things more ‘real’ within that domain.

I’ve tasted, touched, ripped, reinforced, and even created such places anew. The planes of Hell were no exception in their properties, and while I’d only visited two of the many available, for various (and desperate!) reasons I’d needed to delve deep into the structures of both to fight against a Chaos-corrupted agent attempting to shred them into incoherent pieces.

“Augh! How do I keep letting you talk me into stuff!”

Knocked Up for Halloween
by Erin Halfelven
A Fit-4-U Tale

The rain poured heavily as I walked through the dimly lit streets, my thin jacket doing little to shield me from the downpour. I clutched the grocery bag tighter, feeling the cold water seep through the fabric. My shoes splashed in puddles, each step reminding me of how today had unraveled into a string of bad luck. The weight of it all pressed down on my shoulders like the gray clouds above.

CHAPTER 50
Chad was the late arrival at work on Monday morning, as he was busy dropping Vern off somewhere. I didn’t need to know whose place was involved, as long as the lad brought a smile into the office on his arrival.

Ronnie was already behind her desk, and in response to Maryam’s “Morning!” as the three of us walked in together, Ronnie simply said, “Very chipper this morning, Ms Rahman!”, before shutting her mouth more than a second after speaking.

Chapter 4

I watched closely as she matched the speed of the ship and brought us back into the pool. When we surfaced, the doors were closing and I left the sub to reattach the lifting mechanism, which I now noticed had a remote release on it. It would enable someone to release the sub and then get in to drive it.

Welcoming Center:
A black, blackout window minibus comes driving up the long driveway leading to the vineyard. It stops in front of adobe style building where several people are outside waiting for it. The black minibus stops in front of the building and the door opens as a Native American woman knocks gently on the doors.

Chapter 6

Surprisingly, I woke before my alarm. I slipped out of bed, noticing how filthy my feet were, which meant my nightdress and bedding were a mess too. I threw on a dressing gown and slipped across to the bathroom without rousing anyone. The shower would wake Mum, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.

With me thoroughly cleansed, I bundled up my nighty and headed back to my room wearing just my dressing gown. Mum appeared just as I closed the door, so I paused long enough to smile good morning to her.

These days, Halloween has been taken over by the horror industry but when I was young you went out ‘guising’ which meant being in disguise. One year I was a footballer in my favourite team’s strip. Another year, I was a Mexican wearing a poncho my mum had picked up on holiday with a sombrero and a fake moustache made from some soot from the chimney.

Cameron knows he's battling two problems - being a specimen in a zoo and what's happening to his body. Is 'Red' there to help or is something else going on?

You think you know someone...

Julio and Roomiette
by Erin Halfelven

"Terry, let's go visit Salem for Halloween, in costume!" Angela suggested.

"I don't have a costume."

"I''ll get you one."