Undermount drawer slides home depot
The Haunting of Park Circle
2023.06.07 21:34 JohnnyWaterbed The Haunting of Park Circle
My late wife was a committed spiritualist deeply into hoodoo, candle work, and the like. It isn't/wasn't my thing, I'm agnostic to the core, but I did like to listen to her talk about her interests and I really enjoyed how she was respected in her community.
I sold the home we purchased together about a year ago and moved to a different state. My current partner's son still lives in the old town and he often helps his father with contract work for extra cash. It turns out that the people who purchased the house have contracted his father to make several changes to the home over the last few months.
I should backtrack a bit to add that the house is a little bungalow built nearly 100 years ago. One of the reasons we bought it was because so much of the home was still original. The kitchen had built-in cabinetry with glass doors and a flour drawer. The dining room still had built-ins for china and glassware. All of the woodwork and trim throughout the house had the original stain and varnish with a beautiful, beaded patina. It still had a claw foot tub. Et cetera, et cetera. And my late wife absolutely appreciated all of these things about the house.
Well the new owners have made a number of changes, as is their prerogative, even though I think they've greatly diminished the character of the house. They knocked out the wall between the kitchen and dining room, they ripped out half of the kitchen's built-ins, the claw foot tub has been replaced by a shower, the original windows have been replaced with modern vinyl framed monstrosities, put in a fireplace where the giant picture window was, etc. I'm not happy, but it's not my house so whatever.
Back to the main point of the story. My partner's son texted last night asking if I'd ever experienced weird things like lights turning on/off on their own volition or doors slamming even though no windows are open. Which, no, I never had. He said the current owners know he knows me and seem convinced the house is haunted.
So I guess I know what my late wife has been up to the last several months. This is exactly what she'd do.
submitted by JohnnyWaterbed to widowers [link] [comments]
I sold the home we purchased together about a year ago and moved to a different state. My current partner's son still lives in the old town and he often helps his father with contract work for extra cash. It turns out that the people who purchased the house have contracted his father to make several changes to the home over the last few months.
I should backtrack a bit to add that the house is a little bungalow built nearly 100 years ago. One of the reasons we bought it was because so much of the home was still original. The kitchen had built-in cabinetry with glass doors and a flour drawer. The dining room still had built-ins for china and glassware. All of the woodwork and trim throughout the house had the original stain and varnish with a beautiful, beaded patina. It still had a claw foot tub. Et cetera, et cetera. And my late wife absolutely appreciated all of these things about the house.
Well the new owners have made a number of changes, as is their prerogative, even though I think they've greatly diminished the character of the house. They knocked out the wall between the kitchen and dining room, they ripped out half of the kitchen's built-ins, the claw foot tub has been replaced by a shower, the original windows have been replaced with modern vinyl framed monstrosities, put in a fireplace where the giant picture window was, etc. I'm not happy, but it's not my house so whatever.
Back to the main point of the story. My partner's son texted last night asking if I'd ever experienced weird things like lights turning on/off on their own volition or doors slamming even though no windows are open. Which, no, I never had. He said the current owners know he knows me and seem convinced the house is haunted.
So I guess I know what my late wife has been up to the last several months. This is exactly what she'd do.
2023.06.07 21:29 HeadOfSpectre Memories of Splashtown and the Electric Blue Death Slide
TW: Child Abduction
If you grew up near Tevam Sound back in the 1970s, you might have fond memories of Splashtown. If you didn’t and don't know what that is, then I'll clue you in.
Splashtown was a small water park that opened just outside of Tevam Sound back in the late 1960s and it was a riot! I used to love going there when I was a kid, and back then my favorite ride was the Electric Blue.
I guess compared to other water slides in fancier water parks, the Electric Blue wasn't anything that special. It was the biggest and most impressive slide at Splashtown, but that probably wasn't saying much. It stood about two storeys tall (pretty big for a small town waterslide) and was (as the name implied) electric blue in color. The climb up wasn't too long, but the slide down was intense! The slide spiraled around for at least 3 or 4 loops on its way down to the pool, and you always felt like you were going Mach 1 as you descended! When you rocketed out of the slide and into the pool, it felt like being shot out of a canon and it was awesome!
I always figured that the intensity of coming down the Electric Blue is part of what originally earned it the nickname of ‘The Electric Blue Death Slide’. Although the disappearances probably contributed to it too.
If you were to ask the police, they’d say that someone had abducted the kids from the water park itself, and that the slide had nothing to do with it. But for some reason, people started equating the slide with the disappearances and eventually, the rumor became that if you went down the Electric Blue Death Slide, you might not come out. Supposedly, if you went down at the wrong time, or slid down the wrong way, or even went down this secret part of the slide by accident, you’d wind up someplace else. Nobody exactly knew where. Only that you couldn’t get home once you were there, no matter how hard you tried.
The rumors really didn’t do much to keep people away from the slide. Nobody put that much stock into them and the allure of a sick ass waterslide beat out most kids quiet superstitions. The disappearances weren’t super common either. A few of them even got resolved within the day, when it turned out that some kid had just gotten separated from their parents.
Nobody, save for a few grieving parents who’d never found their kids were that worried about it, and since neither ten year old me nor anyone I knew were one of those grieving parents, we fell into the ‘not that worried about it’ camp.
With the benefit of hindsight all these years later, I can safely say that ten year old me might have been a fucking idiot.
***
I remember that the last time I went to Splashtown, I was pumped to tackle the Electric Blue Death Slide again. I was a bold, brave, tough man and I was going to face death head on by going down that water slide! Okay… not really, but that’s what if felt like!
I remember my heart racing as I climbed up the stairs slide. It wasn’t my first time riding by myself. I’d done it before, and I knew that my Mom was waiting for me by the pool at the bottom.
As I reached the top, I was almost bouncing up and down in excitement. One by one, the people in line before me went down and when it was finally my turn, an attendant helped me get settled before sending me down the slide after them.
For a few moments, my world turned blue as I raced through the electric blue tube, screaming with joy all the while. I could feel the blood rushing to my head with every loop, as I spiraled down toward the pool and when I finally reached the bottom and was launched into the pool, I was screaming with laughter.
The water surrounded me, and I kicked my way up to the surface before swimming toward the side of the pool, near where I’d seen my Mom not too long ago.
“Mom, did you see?” I asked, although she didn’t respond.
Her chair was empty. Her stuff was still there, but she was gone.
“Mom?”
I looked around for her, but she was nowhere in sight.
“Excuse me, are you Ezra?” A voice asked, and I looked over to see a man approaching me. He was wearing an employee's uniform and had a long face with messy dark hair. It was hard to guess at his age, but looking back I’d say that he was somewhere in his mid thirties. I didn’t answer him at first, not until he spoke again.
“I’m supposed to go and bring you to your Mom, she fell sprained her ankle. We’ve got her over in the infirmary right now.”
Mom was hurt?
The man offered me a hand, and I took it. He smiled at me, as he helped me out of the pool.
“Come on,” He said. “She’s just over here.”
He led me away from the pool and I followed him without question. There was a small fenced off area that he led me toward with a sign that read ‘Employees Only’ on it.
“Just in here!” He said. “This will take us right to the infirmary!”
I could see the pump for the pool nearby, although there wasn’t much else in that area. The man seemed to know where he was going though, and as he led me toward a wooden shed, I followed.
“Just getting the key for the gate on the other side,” He said as he ducked into the shed and gestured for me to follow him inside. I did.
The door closed behind me, and I watched as the man rifled around on a nearby counter.
“Should be right here,” He assured me. I saw him opening up a toolbox, and noticed him taking out a hammer, although didn’t think too much of it at the time.
“She’s not hurt badly, is she?” I asked, more worried about my Mom than the stranger.
“No, she’ll pull through. She just wanted to make sure you knew where she was, that’s all!” He said. I noticed him wrapping the hammer in a towel, before turning toward me again. He smiled, and before I even knew what was happening he cracked the hammer across my face, sending me to the ground with a pained scream. I felt my jaw dislocate from the impact and I could taste blood.
The man walked over to the door of the shed and quietly slid a bolt in place to lock it, before going back to his toolbox. I saw him taking out a pair of gloves, before letting out a contented sigh. He was still smiling, as he stood over me.
“Just relax, kiddo…” He said, “I’m not gonna hurt you.”
I tried to crawl away from him, only for him to grab me and pull me toward him. He was still smiling at me… he had his hands all over me and he was smiling at me, like all of this was normal to him. Like he’d done this a thousand times before.
I didn’t know what he was going to do to me.
I didn’t want to know.
I tried to scream, but I knew that nobody heard me between my busted jaw and the screams from the nearby pool. I was all alone with him, and somehow in my gut I knew that he was going to kill me. He was going to kill me, and nobody was going to know.
Then I heard it.
A knocking on the shed door.
“Ezra?”
The voice belonged to my mother.
The man's eyes widened as his head jerked toward the door, eyes wide. I seized my opportunity. I was ten, but I knew where to kick a man so that it would really hurt, and when I heard him scream, I screamed too. I crawled for the door, scrambling to my feet as i reached for the bolt that would unlock the door, before the man grabbed me from behind.
He was too late.
He caught me, but the door burst open and my Mom charged in. She only needed to look at the man who was holding me, and I could see rage filling her eyes as her every fear became manifested.
The man could only stare helplessly as my Mom lunged for him, acting on pure instinct. She tried to rip me out of his grasp, slapping and kicking him as she did. I sank my teeth into his arm, forcing him to let me go and scrambled out of the shed as my Mom fought the stranger off. It didn’t take me that long to run into an actual employee and from there… well… everything is a blur.
***
I found out later that the same ‘employee’ who’d taken me had told my Mom that I’d fallen and gotten hurt on my way up the slide a few minutes earlier. She’d only noticed the man leading me away by chance when she’d spotted me out of the corner of her eye and gone to see what was going on.
I thank God every day that she did.
The ‘employee’ who’d taken me wasn’t actually employed at Splashtown. He was a man from Sudbury by the name of Paul Young, although some of the people who worked at Splashtown swore they’d seen him ‘working’ there several times before, and when the police searched Young’s house, they found ‘trophies’ he’d taken from some of the other kids who’d disappeared at Splashtown and once they found those trophies, it wasn’t too long before they found the bodies.
Three of them, all buried in shallow graves a short distance away from the shed that Young had taken me to, just on the edge of the property.
People finally knew the truth about the kids who’d disappeared after riding the Electric Blue… and the truth was far more horrifying than any of them could have imagined.
Paul Young died in prison about three months after he was sentenced, but that wasn’t really surprising. I don’t think they ever figured out who killed him, and I don’t think they looked that hard either.
Splashtown closed about a week after my kidnapping, and it never reopened. The water park sat vacant through the 1980s before eventually getting demolished. Now all that’s left is the memory.
I wish I could say that every memory I have of Splashtown was a happy one, like some people. But every time I pass the spot where it used to be, all I can think about is that last trip. It’s a strip mall now, with some condos behind it. I don’t think there’s anything left of the old Splashtown.
I’m of two minds about that. On one hand, there’s a small nostalgic part of me that misses it. On the other, I think I can do without the reminder of what almost happened to me that day.
submitted by HeadOfSpectre to TheCrypticCompendium [link] [comments]
If you grew up near Tevam Sound back in the 1970s, you might have fond memories of Splashtown. If you didn’t and don't know what that is, then I'll clue you in.
Splashtown was a small water park that opened just outside of Tevam Sound back in the late 1960s and it was a riot! I used to love going there when I was a kid, and back then my favorite ride was the Electric Blue.
I guess compared to other water slides in fancier water parks, the Electric Blue wasn't anything that special. It was the biggest and most impressive slide at Splashtown, but that probably wasn't saying much. It stood about two storeys tall (pretty big for a small town waterslide) and was (as the name implied) electric blue in color. The climb up wasn't too long, but the slide down was intense! The slide spiraled around for at least 3 or 4 loops on its way down to the pool, and you always felt like you were going Mach 1 as you descended! When you rocketed out of the slide and into the pool, it felt like being shot out of a canon and it was awesome!
I always figured that the intensity of coming down the Electric Blue is part of what originally earned it the nickname of ‘The Electric Blue Death Slide’. Although the disappearances probably contributed to it too.
If you were to ask the police, they’d say that someone had abducted the kids from the water park itself, and that the slide had nothing to do with it. But for some reason, people started equating the slide with the disappearances and eventually, the rumor became that if you went down the Electric Blue Death Slide, you might not come out. Supposedly, if you went down at the wrong time, or slid down the wrong way, or even went down this secret part of the slide by accident, you’d wind up someplace else. Nobody exactly knew where. Only that you couldn’t get home once you were there, no matter how hard you tried.
The rumors really didn’t do much to keep people away from the slide. Nobody put that much stock into them and the allure of a sick ass waterslide beat out most kids quiet superstitions. The disappearances weren’t super common either. A few of them even got resolved within the day, when it turned out that some kid had just gotten separated from their parents.
Nobody, save for a few grieving parents who’d never found their kids were that worried about it, and since neither ten year old me nor anyone I knew were one of those grieving parents, we fell into the ‘not that worried about it’ camp.
With the benefit of hindsight all these years later, I can safely say that ten year old me might have been a fucking idiot.
***
I remember that the last time I went to Splashtown, I was pumped to tackle the Electric Blue Death Slide again. I was a bold, brave, tough man and I was going to face death head on by going down that water slide! Okay… not really, but that’s what if felt like!
I remember my heart racing as I climbed up the stairs slide. It wasn’t my first time riding by myself. I’d done it before, and I knew that my Mom was waiting for me by the pool at the bottom.
As I reached the top, I was almost bouncing up and down in excitement. One by one, the people in line before me went down and when it was finally my turn, an attendant helped me get settled before sending me down the slide after them.
For a few moments, my world turned blue as I raced through the electric blue tube, screaming with joy all the while. I could feel the blood rushing to my head with every loop, as I spiraled down toward the pool and when I finally reached the bottom and was launched into the pool, I was screaming with laughter.
The water surrounded me, and I kicked my way up to the surface before swimming toward the side of the pool, near where I’d seen my Mom not too long ago.
“Mom, did you see?” I asked, although she didn’t respond.
Her chair was empty. Her stuff was still there, but she was gone.
“Mom?”
I looked around for her, but she was nowhere in sight.
“Excuse me, are you Ezra?” A voice asked, and I looked over to see a man approaching me. He was wearing an employee's uniform and had a long face with messy dark hair. It was hard to guess at his age, but looking back I’d say that he was somewhere in his mid thirties. I didn’t answer him at first, not until he spoke again.
“I’m supposed to go and bring you to your Mom, she fell sprained her ankle. We’ve got her over in the infirmary right now.”
Mom was hurt?
The man offered me a hand, and I took it. He smiled at me, as he helped me out of the pool.
“Come on,” He said. “She’s just over here.”
He led me away from the pool and I followed him without question. There was a small fenced off area that he led me toward with a sign that read ‘Employees Only’ on it.
“Just in here!” He said. “This will take us right to the infirmary!”
I could see the pump for the pool nearby, although there wasn’t much else in that area. The man seemed to know where he was going though, and as he led me toward a wooden shed, I followed.
“Just getting the key for the gate on the other side,” He said as he ducked into the shed and gestured for me to follow him inside. I did.
The door closed behind me, and I watched as the man rifled around on a nearby counter.
“Should be right here,” He assured me. I saw him opening up a toolbox, and noticed him taking out a hammer, although didn’t think too much of it at the time.
“She’s not hurt badly, is she?” I asked, more worried about my Mom than the stranger.
“No, she’ll pull through. She just wanted to make sure you knew where she was, that’s all!” He said. I noticed him wrapping the hammer in a towel, before turning toward me again. He smiled, and before I even knew what was happening he cracked the hammer across my face, sending me to the ground with a pained scream. I felt my jaw dislocate from the impact and I could taste blood.
The man walked over to the door of the shed and quietly slid a bolt in place to lock it, before going back to his toolbox. I saw him taking out a pair of gloves, before letting out a contented sigh. He was still smiling, as he stood over me.
“Just relax, kiddo…” He said, “I’m not gonna hurt you.”
I tried to crawl away from him, only for him to grab me and pull me toward him. He was still smiling at me… he had his hands all over me and he was smiling at me, like all of this was normal to him. Like he’d done this a thousand times before.
I didn’t know what he was going to do to me.
I didn’t want to know.
I tried to scream, but I knew that nobody heard me between my busted jaw and the screams from the nearby pool. I was all alone with him, and somehow in my gut I knew that he was going to kill me. He was going to kill me, and nobody was going to know.
Then I heard it.
A knocking on the shed door.
“Ezra?”
The voice belonged to my mother.
The man's eyes widened as his head jerked toward the door, eyes wide. I seized my opportunity. I was ten, but I knew where to kick a man so that it would really hurt, and when I heard him scream, I screamed too. I crawled for the door, scrambling to my feet as i reached for the bolt that would unlock the door, before the man grabbed me from behind.
He was too late.
He caught me, but the door burst open and my Mom charged in. She only needed to look at the man who was holding me, and I could see rage filling her eyes as her every fear became manifested.
The man could only stare helplessly as my Mom lunged for him, acting on pure instinct. She tried to rip me out of his grasp, slapping and kicking him as she did. I sank my teeth into his arm, forcing him to let me go and scrambled out of the shed as my Mom fought the stranger off. It didn’t take me that long to run into an actual employee and from there… well… everything is a blur.
***
I found out later that the same ‘employee’ who’d taken me had told my Mom that I’d fallen and gotten hurt on my way up the slide a few minutes earlier. She’d only noticed the man leading me away by chance when she’d spotted me out of the corner of her eye and gone to see what was going on.
I thank God every day that she did.
The ‘employee’ who’d taken me wasn’t actually employed at Splashtown. He was a man from Sudbury by the name of Paul Young, although some of the people who worked at Splashtown swore they’d seen him ‘working’ there several times before, and when the police searched Young’s house, they found ‘trophies’ he’d taken from some of the other kids who’d disappeared at Splashtown and once they found those trophies, it wasn’t too long before they found the bodies.
Three of them, all buried in shallow graves a short distance away from the shed that Young had taken me to, just on the edge of the property.
People finally knew the truth about the kids who’d disappeared after riding the Electric Blue… and the truth was far more horrifying than any of them could have imagined.
Paul Young died in prison about three months after he was sentenced, but that wasn’t really surprising. I don’t think they ever figured out who killed him, and I don’t think they looked that hard either.
Splashtown closed about a week after my kidnapping, and it never reopened. The water park sat vacant through the 1980s before eventually getting demolished. Now all that’s left is the memory.
I wish I could say that every memory I have of Splashtown was a happy one, like some people. But every time I pass the spot where it used to be, all I can think about is that last trip. It’s a strip mall now, with some condos behind it. I don’t think there’s anything left of the old Splashtown.
I’m of two minds about that. On one hand, there’s a small nostalgic part of me that misses it. On the other, I think I can do without the reminder of what almost happened to me that day.
2023.06.07 21:26 snacksandpuppies Air Purifier?
Hey Astoria!
We've searched high and low (aka Home Depot, Best Buy, Bjs and Costco) and all air purifiers seem to be sold out. Does anyone have a spare they'd be willing to let us borrow or buy? I'm 6 months pregnant and the smell of the smoke indoors is making me feel pretty gross. Thank you so much!
submitted by snacksandpuppies to astoria [link] [comments]
We've searched high and low (aka Home Depot, Best Buy, Bjs and Costco) and all air purifiers seem to be sold out. Does anyone have a spare they'd be willing to let us borrow or buy? I'm 6 months pregnant and the smell of the smoke indoors is making me feel pretty gross. Thank you so much!
2023.06.07 21:17 JastaBlueMax Any place that rents metal detectors?
I tried Home Depot but it doesn't seem to have them. My neighbor and I want to locate survey pins on our properties but don't want to involve the city. Any suggestions?
submitted by JastaBlueMax to milwaukee [link] [comments]
2023.06.07 21:13 JoshAsdvgi THE PRINCESS WHO REJECTED HER COUSIN
 | submitted by JoshAsdvgi to Native_Stories [link] [comments] THE PRINCESS WHO REJECTED HER COUSIN (TSIMSHIAN) There was a custom among our people that the nephew of the chief had to marry the chief's daughter, because the tribe of the chief wanted the chief's nephew to be the heir of his uncle and to inherit his place after his death. This custom has gone on, generation after generation, all along until now, and the places of the head men have thus been inherited. So it is with this story. A very long time ago there was a great village with many people. They had only one chief. There was also his sister. They were the only two chiefs in the large town. The chief also had a beautiful daughter, and the chief's sister had a fine son. All the people of the village were glad to see the young prince and the young princess growing up, and they expected that these two would soon marry. Therefore the relatives of the prince went and talked with the father of the princess, and they also went to the uncles of the princess and talked to them. Now, the relatives of the girl accepted, but the girl rejected the proposal and said that she would not marry him; but the young prince loved her very much, and still she refused him The young man loved her still more, and he was always true to her. Moreover, he was very anxious to speak to her, but the young woman rejected him. Now, the princess wanted to make a fool of her cousin. One day she dressed herself up and went to the end of the village to take some fresh air. The young man saw her pass by his door, and he went after her. Soon he saw her sitting under a large tree, and went up to her, and the girl was very kind to him. She smiled when she saw him coming. Then the young man sat down by her side under the tree as gently as he could. He asked her if she did not want to marry him. The girl said, "If you make a deep cut in your cheek, then you may marry me." Therefore the handsome young man took his knife and cut down his right cheek. The girls laughed at him, and they went home. When the cheek of the young man was healed, the princess put on her finest dress, passed the door of her cousin, and the young man saw her pass by. He followed her, and saw her sit at the same place where he had met her before. He went to her; and she stretched out her hands to greet him, put her arms around him, and kissed him once, since her cousin wanted to marry her. Then the young man loved her still more because she had kissed him the first time ever since he had loved her; and when the young man was overflowing with love, she said, "If you love me so much, show your love and make a cut down your left cheek; then I shall know that you really love me." The young man did not like to do it. However, he wanted to marry her, and so he took his knife and made a cut down his left cheek. They went home, and the young man was always thinking of her. Soon his wounded cheek was healed. He did not mind his foolish acts. On the following day he saw her passing his door. The young man followed her, and she was sitting under the tree. She smiled at him when he was coming to her, and said, " Do you come to me again, my beloved one?" and he replied, "Yes, I come to marry you." Then he put his arms around her, and she kissed him again. He asked her, "Do you love me, my dear cousin?" and she replied, "Yes, you know how much I love you," and the princess asked him, "Do you also love me, cousin?', and he replied, "Indeed, I love you very much." Thus said the young man, for he wanted to marry her. Then the princess said to him, "Now, show me your love. Cut off your hair; then you may marry me." So the young prince took his knife and cut off his beautiful yellow hair. (In those days the young men and the old men wore their hair as long as women's hair, and it was considered dishonorable to cut a man's hair as we do it now.) They went home, and on the following day the young man sent some one to her, saying that he wanted to marry her now. Therefore the messenger went to her and told her what her cousin had said; but the woman replied, "Tell him that I do not want to marry a bad-looking person like him, ugly as he is"; and she gave him the nickname Mountain With Two Rock Slides, as he had a scar down each cheek. She laughed at him and scorned him' saying, "I do not want to marry a man who cut his hair like a slave." The young man's messengers came back to him and told him what she had said. Therefore the youth was very much ashamed. He remembered that he also was a prince, and he cried because his own cousin had mocked him. Now, he decided to leave his father's house and his uncle's house, for he was ashamed before his fellows of the scars which he had made on his own cheeks by order of his beloved one. He went about, not knowing which way to go. Day by day he went, and he came to a narrow trail. He walked along it, and saw a small hut away off. He went toward it. Before it was evening he reached there; and when he was near, he walked up to it quietly. He stood outside and looked through a small hole. Behold! a woman was sitting there by the side of a fireplace. She said, "Come in, dear prince, if it is you who was rejected by his own cousin!" So the young man went in, and the woman made him sit down on the other side of the fire. She gave him to eat. When he started from home, four young men, his own friends, had accompanied him on his way; but three of them had gone back home, and only one, his dearest friend, followed him all along the way until they came to the little hut. After the old woman had given them to eat, she said to the young man, "Soon you will arrive at the large house of Chief Pestilence, which is just across the little brook yonder. Leave your companion at this side of the brook, and you yourself go to the large house. When you get there, push open the large door, then say this: 'I come to be made beautiful in the house of Pestilence!' Shout this as loud as you can. Then you will see that the house on both sides is full of maimed persons. They will call you to come to their sides; but do not go there, because they will make you like one of them. When they stop calling you, then Chief Pestilence will call you to the rear of the house. Follow his calling. He will make you beautiful." Thus said the old woman to him. On the following day, after they had had their breakfast, they started. As soon as they crossed the brook, the prince said to his companion, "Stay here, and I will go on alone. Wait until I come back to you!" So the companion staid there. Now he went on alone. Soon he saw a large house in the distance, and went as quickly as he could. He pushed open the door, ran in, and shouted at the top of his voice, "I came to be made beautiful, Chief Pestilence!" Then all the maimed people on both sides of the house beckoned to him and shouted. Those on one side would say, "Come this way, come this way!" and those on the other side said, "Come, come, come!" The prince remained standing in the doorway. There were many good-looking women among these maimed persons. They shouted and called him; but he stood still, waiting until Chief Pestilence should come forth from his room in the rear of the large house. Soon the noise of the maimed people ceased. Then the door of the chief's room was opened, and, behold! Chief Pestilence came forth with his beautiful daughter. He said, "Dear prince, come this way!" Then the young man went to him and sat down on his right side. Then Chief Pestilence ordered his attendants to bring his bathtub. They brought him a large tub full of hot water. Then the chief took the young man, put him into this tub, and, as soon as he was in the tub,the water began to boil and the water boiled over the tub, boiling of its own accord. When the dross was all off, the chief took the bare bones of the young man, put them on a wide board, joining them together, and after he had done so, he called to his young daughter, who leaped over the bones. Then the young man was alive again. His features were changed, and his body was as white as snow. Then the chief said, "Bring me a nice comb!" and his attendants brought him a comb of crystal. The chief took it and combed the prince's hair down to his loins. His hair was red, like tongues of fire. He was the most beautiful of all. The chief did not want to let him go at once, but kept him in his house for two days. The young man thought he had been there two days, but in reality two years had passed. Then the young man remembered his friend whom he had left by the brook before he entered the house of Chief Pestilence. Now, the prince told the young woman that he loved his friend by the brook; therefore the young woman said, "Let us go to see him!" They went together; and when they came to the place, they found the man's bare bones heaped up there. Therefore the young prince wept, but the young woman commanded him to take the bare bones to her father's house. The young man did what the young woman had told him, and took the bare bones to the chief. The chief ordered his attendants to bring his bathtub. They brought it to him, and he put the bare bones into the tub. Then the water began to boil, and the dross of the bare bones boiled over the tub. Thus the young man saw what the Chief Pestilence had done to him. Then the chief took out the bones and placed them on a wide board and joined them together; and the young woman leaped over them four times, and the young man was alive again. Next the chief asked for his own comb. They brought it to him, and the chief asked what color of hair he wanted. The man said, "Dark-yellow hair." He also asked him how long he wanted it; and the man said, "Right down to the knee." So the chief combed his hair down to his knees; and this man was lighter color than the other. Now they started for home. It was not many days before they arrived at their home. The prince looked like a supernatural being, and his friend too was handsomer than any of the other people. They came and visited them; and all the people talked about these two men who had just come back from the house of Chief Pestilence, who had transformed them and given them great beauty. The young people coveted their beauty, and they questioned them one day to know how far the house of Chief Pestilence was from their village. Then the prince's friend told them that it was not very far away. Now, let us go back to the princess who years ago had refused to marry her own cousin. She was very anxious to see her cousin who had just come home from the house of Chief Pestilence. People were talking about it, that he was more beautiful than any other person in the village; and she heard the people say that he looked like a supernatural being. Therefore the young woman tried hard to see him. One day the chief, the father of the princess, invited his nephew to his house. The prince went with some of the chief's head men; and as soon as the prince entered his uncle's house, the young princess looked at him. Oh, how fine he looked! and more beautiful than any of the people. Then she tried to make her rejected cousin turn and look at her, but the young man took no notice of her courting. His hair was like fire, and his face shone like the rays of the sun. Now, the young woman came down from her room, and walked to and fro behind the guests, laughing and talking, trying to make the beautiful prince look at her; but he took no notice of her. As soon as the feasting was over, he arose and went home, and the young princess felt full of sorrow. The following day she sent her maid to call the beautiful prince. When the girl came to him and told him what her mistress had said to the prince, he did not answer a word, and the maid went back to her mistress and told her that the prince would not answer her a word. She sent to him again; and when the girl came to him, she told him that her mistress wanted him to come and see her. But he said to the girl, "Go and tell her that she rejected me then, so I will not go to her now." Then the girl went and told her mistress what the prince had said. The princess sent her girl again. "Go and tell him that I will do whatever he desires me to do." She went and told him what her mistress had said: " My mistress says that whatever you desire her to do she will do." Then the prince said to the girl, "Go and tell her that I desire her to cut down her right cheek, and I will come and be her guest." Therefore the girl went and told her mistress what the prince had said. So the princess took her knife and cut down her right cheek. She said to her maid, "Go and tell him that I will do whatever he wants me to do." She went and told the prince what her mistress had done. Again the beautiful prince said, "Just tell her to cut down her other cheek, and then I will come and see her." So she went and told her mistress, and thereupon the princess cut her left cheek. Again she sent her maid, who went to him and told him. This time he said, "Let her cut her hair, then I will go to her." She went and told her, and the princess took her knife and shaved off her hair, and she sent her hair to him. The maid took it to the prince; but when the prince saw the hair, he refused to accept it. "Don't bring it near me! It is too nasty! Take it back to your mistress and tell her that I don't want to see the ugly scars on her cheeks and her ugly shaved hair. It is too nasty for me." Then he left, and laughed louder and louder, mocking her; and the girl returned to her mistress very sad. She came slowly; and her mistress asked her, "My dear, what tidings do you bring?" Then she told her mistress how scornfully he had spoken of the ugly scars on her cheeks, and of her shaving her hair, and that everybody had been laughing at her, and that every one had heard him mocking her. Then the young princess was very much ashamed. She set out with her maid, and walked along crying. She wanted to hang herself, but her maid talked to her and comforted her all the way. They went on and on, trying to go to the house of Chief Pestilence. Her heart took courage, for she hoped to get there and ask Chief Pestilence to make her beautiful. They went on and on, and passed many mountains and rivers and valleys, and reached the edge of a large plain. There they met a man, who asked them which way they intended to go; and the princess told him that they intended to go to the house of Chief Pestilence. She passed by him, and did not look at him, for she was ashamed to let any one look at her. Soon they saw a large house in the distance. They went toward it; and when they reached the door, they went right in and shouted as they stood in the doorway, "We come to the house of Chief Pestilence to be made beautiful!" Then all the maimed people on both sides of the house called to them, "Come, come, come!" and those on the other side shouted, "This way, this way, this way!" and the princess went to those who called her to come; and the other one went too those who shouted "This way!" Then the maimed people fell on the princess, broke her backbone, and made her lame. They turned her head to one side, and broke one of her arms; and those on the other side plucked out one of the eyes of her maid, tore up one side of her mouth, and scratched the two women all over their bodies, and then threw them outside. There they lay wounded, and nobody came to help them. The princess was more severely injured than her maid. When the maid felt a little better, she saw her mistress lying there with wounds all over her body. She went too her, and saw how she was bruised. They were both in great distress, and the princess was groaning. So her maid helped her up and led her home. They spent many days coming down, and finally arrived at their home. Then she lay in bed, and finally died. |
2023.06.07 21:13 Future_Ad_3485 Valley of the Unknown Part Twenty-Six: A Bittersweet Ending
Ember played with the boys on the floor, their hands reaching for him. Pouring over the files of the latest security breach on our magical borders, my eyes fell on Alex playing with his new friends outside. Waving at me, Jack embraced me from behind. Kissing the top of my head, it felt as if something big was going to happen today. A tender blush rose to my cheeks, my hand cupping his face.
“We need to raid an outpost today. Hopefully we can get information on the main headquarters.” He informed me warmly, biting my neck. Drinking his fill, my crippling anxiety stole any joy it normally would have given me. Missions like these frightened me, every cell in me wanted to turn into a raven and fly away for the day. Finishing up his breakfast, he set down an armored filled dress with leggings. Salford whispered something in his ear, sliding him a pair of car keys. Rising to my feet, I took my new outfit to our bedroom. Changing quickly, the dress felt heavy on my frame, the leggings seemed to be lined with chain mail. Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I ran into Jack on the way out. Embracing me lovingly, the keys dangled off of his fingers. Feeling his simple black suit, a light armor lined it. Chewing on my lips, our friends waited for us in matching black armor.
“We are ready to go.” Raven announced proudly, my eyes falling on Salford. “Salford said that he was going to watch the boys.” Adjusting their backpacks, weapons clanged in their bags. Guilt gnawed at me, the concept of putting them in danger sickening. My lips parted in protest, Raven raising her finger.
“We are coming. Those bastards killed my family and they are going to pay.” She asserted firmly, pulling her hair into a ponytail. “Besides, I want to back my friend up.” A deep sadness haunted her eyes, my hands cupping hers. A gentle but broken smile dimmed her features, silent tears staining her cheeks.
“I appreciate it and I apologize for not being there to stop it. I ruined everyone’s life by not being there.” I choked out shamefully, bowing my head. “I failed you and everyone else. I will make it up to you guys, I fucking promise you that.” Grabbing my shoulder, her other hand lifted up my chin.
“You were busy doing your own shit. I heard you showed up, girl!” She chatted pleasantly, my shaking fingers wiping away her tears. “You have a place where humans and monsters get along with ease. Have you been sleeping? You look like hell.” A deadpan expression appeared on my face, her last comment ticking me off slightly. Brushing it off, Jack cleared his throat. Placing me on his back, he carried me to a delivery van. Hopping off of his back, I let myself in. The Tainsworth twins sat in the front with their armor on, Raven climbing in with Ruby. Messing with her curls, Raven basically sat on top of her. Adjusting my bell sleeves, the leather hugged my slender arms. Oppressive silence hung between us, Ruby refusing to look at me. Folding her arms across her chest, something needed to be said. Choosing not to say it, the time passed horribly slow. The van screeched to a halt, Jack pulling me into a hidden compartment. The door squeaked open, heavy footfalls echoed in the back.
“Who are you?” A gruff voice demanded, Ruby speaking up. Clearing her throat, her voice tone seemed rather bitter.
“We wish to join your ranks. I can’t stand vampires, especially their fucking queen. She could die for all I care.” She snapped hotly, truth oozing from her words. “She is hiding somewhere in this van.” Horror rounded our eyes, her betrayal striking us in the heart.” Opening the compartment hiding us, she took a step back. The hunters slapped handcuffs on us all, Ruby grinning evilly ear to ear. Wicked laughter rumbled in her throat, her head cocking back.
“I have been working with them the entire time. There is no information, just the home of your executions.” She gloated sensually, the twins cursing in her direction. “I am not even a teenager. I am a witch who has been alive for centuries. Can I tell you a secret? I am the leader of the hunters. Everyone else was just a puppet.” Sighing with satisfaction, she circled us. Tears welled up in my eyes, Raven sobbed softly next to me. Pulling a gun from her pocket, Ruby shot her in the head. Time slowed, the twins crying out. Emptying her gun into them, a broken wail burst from my lips. Their bodies dropped forward, ruby dripping from the holes in the middle of their foreheads. Jack twitched darkly next to me, my mind officially broken. His bangs hid his eyes, his claws extended from his fingernails. Unlocking his handcuffs, he pretended to get madder as he worked on mine. The metal clanged to the ground, Ruby’s eyes widening with terror. Tears blurred my vision, my scythe sliding into my eager palms.
“You fucking bitch!” I screamed vehemently, pacing back and forth. Reapers held their souls in their palms, all hope of saving them was gone. “You are going to pay.” Shrugging her shoulders, she leaned forward.
“How pathetic for the queen to lose her cool so quickly?” She taunted cruelly, Jack fumed dangerously next to me. “You can’t damage me. You can kill this body and all I have to do is find another one. Angel of darkness! Kill all of my hunters and give me their lives.” The hunters holding us hostage dropped to the ground, thousands of white glowing balls flowing into her. Panic gripped my face, reapers burst from the ground surrounding her. Death himself popped up next to me, one raise of his hand stopping them.
“I am going to bring these souls to Heaven. Take her out.” He commanded urgently, the balls floating into a worn leather sack hanging off of his wrists. “They are all dead. You did all that you could. Good luck.” The last ball of light floated into the sack, a snap of his finger signaling his disappearance. The three of us remained, a ball of shadowy energy building in her palm. A low hissing noise echoed around us, the delivery truck fading to the base of a dead twisted tree. Violet grass danced around me, a chill running up my spine. Gripping my scythe tightly, rage mixed with depression. Sauntering out from behind the tree, a single wave of her hand sent us a couple of yards away. Gone was the armor she wore, a tight leather number hugging her body. Violet needles rested in between her fingers, dead man’s blood dripped onto the grass.
“I suppose you want to hear about my tale and why I am doing this?” She mused with a wicked chuckle, licking the blood off her hand. “I have a bomb ticking away. The lovely thing will release a virus that will kill all of the monsters in the world. Humans will be infected with a magical mind control. Don’t worry about your friends. I killed them because they were annoying me. Do you know how hard it was to pretend to be friends with you and arrange your fucking role? I made a deal with your father to kill you. How did you like the little bonfire?” Wanting to charge at her, Jack held me back. Raising my scythe into the attack position, the corner of my lips curled into a snarl.
“You freaking bitch.” I growled through gritted teeth, leaping into the air. Raising her hands in the air, thousands of needles floated behind her. Flicking her wrists, the rain of needles tore through my body. Jack would die, my boots pushing off the branch. Covering Jack with my body, the needles struck me instead. A burning sensation coursed through my veins, inky sludge pouring from my eyes. Cracks lined her face as needles struck the tree, an idea coming to mind. Jack trembled underneath me, his eyes falling on the blackened veins coursing lining my porcelain skin.
“Shoot her in the hands. She can’t throw her needles if her wrists can’t move.” I wheezed, coughing up blood. Dragging him behind the tree, my chains blocked the needles heading towards Jack. His hand quaked, his bullets hitting everywhere but the target. Lining my free arm up with his, my hand steadied his.
“I can’t!” He protested with wet eyes, his mental state beyond repair. “My friends are dead. My friends are dead! She used to be my friend!” Shimmering teardrops crashed to the grass, the grass darkening to an inky black. Confusion dawned on his face the moment I held his gun underneath his eyes. Teardrops flooded the chamber, my hand guiding his hand to the level of his eyes. Getting behind him, I clicked the safety. Aiming for her palm, a quick yank sent a blackening bullet up her arm. A wave of relief washed over me the moment her needles glitched, the muzzle of his gun aimed for her other palm. Pulling the trigger, the bullet shattered her other arm. Dropping to her side, cracks echoed in the air. The cracks on her face had deepened, my attention turning towards her tree. Swinging my scythe into the tree, her shrill shrieks filled the air as flames raced into the center of the tree. Water snaked around their branches, my chains clinking their way around the thick trunk. Mouthing a silent spell, the needles floated out of me.
“Water from my heart! Flames of the Dead! Chains from my master! I call upon thee to burn the tree down, drown it from the inside. Choke the shit out of it.” I ordered sharply, each word hurting. “Final spell, turn my blood into venom for a witch.” Raising my right hand, a bell rang the moment the tip of my scythe made contact. Closing my fist, the needles dug themselves into the tree. Flames devoured her skin, cold water filled her lungs. Chains snaked up her body, a sea of fiery orange coloring her skin. My vision blurred, Jack snapping out of his paralyzed state. Raising his gun, a bullet whistled into the tree. The bullet being the last thing we needed, the tree decayed to dust along with her. The dimension crumbled away, my legs giving out. Leaning against the destroyed van, fresh tears flowed freely at the sight of our dead friends. Jack picked up one of their backpacks, his tears soaking the top of the bag. Pulling out a medical bag, he ripped out a needle filled with milky liquid. Jamming the needle into my leg, the effects of the venom dying down. Pressing my ear to the ground, an ominous ticking echoed in my ear. Tick, tick, tick! Feeling around the dirt, a metal door clanged underneath my hand. One look in Jack’s direction, he understood. Spinning the rusty handle, he lifted up the door. Gathering the rest of my strength, I popped in. Shutting the door behind me, the lock sealed my fate. Jack protested outside, the top refusing to budge, my heart sinking at the only option. The only way to stop the bomb was to set it off in a dome, the spell caster having to be in the center of it. Praying that my reaper side would keep me alive even Jack had to know that he didn’t stand a chance. Using my scythe as a walking stick, my feet moved with adrenaline. Sniffing the air, the sweet smell told me where to go. Limping through the twisted concrete halls, my breath hitched at the orange angry metal ball. Taking a deep breath, the image of my dead friends and that town I called home flashed in my mind. Pushing through, I sank to my knees. The last of my power built around my hands, a sad smile haunting my face the moment I placed my palms on the surface. A water dome glittered over me, reaper’s flames reinforcing it. Channeling the rest of my flames into core, the metal rattled violently. Preparing for the worst, a giant raven folded its wings around me.
“I will protect you no matter what.” Dr. Death promised warmly, his energy providing me safety as the chemical blasted everywhere but us. “Dissolve the poison.” The colorful particles lightened to a snow white, everything hitting me at once. Ruffling my hair, he disappeared back into my mind. Jack sprinted in, his shattered expression speaking volumes.
“I am so sorry I couldn’t save them.” I blubbered uncontrollably, falling to the floor. “I don’t deserve you. You should just k-” Rushing over to me, he clutched me desperately to his chest. Tears flowed freely, neither of us able to move. Laying back, the clarified chemicals reminding me of snow. A tortured wail burst from my lips, my quaking fingers clinging to his jacket. Saphiro and Hazard skidded to a stop, their faces dropping at the sight of us. Shaking our shoulders to see if we were alive, gracious grins brightened their features at us breathing. Their words faded in and out, a rough darkness enveloping me in it’s sea of madness.
Jerking awake, an eager Alex and Hazel hovered by the white hospital bed. Covering my eyes from the blinding lights, their arms embraced me from either side. Eloise smothered Jack in love, his numb expression matching mine. Bursting into tears, their smiling faces taunted me. Holding me tighter, his words faded in and out. Jack screamed for everyone to leave him alone. Kissing Hazel on the head, Alex dragged her out. Walking over to my bed, his little sister sulked out. Crawling in next to me, his head rested on my chest. Wail after wail burst from his lips, my slender hands being the only thing comforting him. These were his friends and now they were gone. The fault was all mine, guilt eating me raw from the inside. Hours passed like this, him going numb then screaming with raw emotional agony. Swinging his feet over the edge of the bed, he tugged on his boots.
“Are you coming?” He asked hoarsely, offering me his hand. “We need to go home and raise our family.” Accepting his hand cautiously, he yanked me to feet. Placing me on his back, the look in his eyes begged for me to rest my head on his back. Walking into the hall, he ignored the pleading nurses. Saphiro blocked his path, his depressed smile not helping the situation. Tugging anxiously on his navy vest, my mind chose to focus on the midnight black blouse underneath his vest. Clearing his throat, clammy sweat drenched his skin.
“Come with me.” He begged kindly, Jack seconds from saying no. “Please. I have a couple of things to show you.” Caving to his request, we walked for a solid ten minutes to the cemetery. Three caskets waited to be lowered to the ground, Jack dropping me. Struggling to my feet, my heart shattered at him draping his arms over the coffin. Whispering a prayer to them, he took a step back. Pulling me close to his waist, his sobs grew louder as they lowered the caskets into the ground. Death popped up behind us with three letters in his hands, his head bowed in respect to the dead bodies.
“These are from your friends. Call it one final letter.” He informed Jack sullenly, turning towards me. “Thank you for your services. Unfortunately, I can’t remove the curse.” Offering me his hand, my fingers curled around his hand. Shaking it once, he bowed in my direction. Pressing his palms together, a twinkle glinted in his eyes.
“Once everything settles down, we should get together to have tea. I am sorry for your loss.” He expressed serenely, understanding death but not the grief part. Snapping his fingers he was gone, an eager Jack reading the letters. Curiosity burned a bit but my inside voice told me to leave it alone. Tucking them into his pocket, he placed me on his back. Following Saphiro back into town, his crooked grin lit up his face for a quick second.
“They said not to lose you.” He chuckled softly, a bit of hope glinting in his eyes. “Time will heal my wounds.” Hundreds of eyes watched us enter back into town, my jaw dropping at the statue of the five of us. The plaque read the heroes of the dawn, the two of us unsure of what to feel. Jack thanked him profusely, Saphiro pointing to the Victorian mansion at the top of the nearby hill.
“That mansion is yours to conduct your business as well as living in it.” He promised earnestly, fresh tears flooding from my eyes. “We hope you choose this town as your home.” Jumping down, I cupped his hands. A tender blush rose to his cheeks, my real smile illuminating my features for the first time since yesterday.
“Only if you'll have me, good sir.” I returned politely, his brow cocking at my response. Alex ran up to me with the boys in his arms. Accepting them, life was okay. Please karma, grant me peace for the rest of my life.
Epilogue:
Alex had his head buried in his work, the twins ran around the yard. Elise read in the tree, the two kiddos looking so grown up. The morning sun bathed the idyllic scene, a good five years had passed. Holding my swollen bump, two wails snapped me out of my trance. Jack stepped out with our white haired twins Sammy and Raven, the one year old girls reaching for me. Their fiery orange and red eyes glittered with love, my arms scooping them up. Wrapping his arms around my bump, Mark was due in a couple of months.
“Alex, Elise!” He barked with his trademark grin as they rushed up to him. Elise smoothed out her white summer dress, Alex adjusting his glasses in a brisk manner. An irked look greeted him, his stern gaze shutting down any protest.
“Watch the boys for us.” He ordered lightly, passing them wrapped boxes. “I need to take your sister somewhere. Boys, go in and watch a show with your uncle and aunt.” Sprinting into the house, Alex shot him a thumbs up as he followed them inside. Guiding me down the hill and through the town, his beard kept capturing my attention. Grabbing three bouquets on the way, he dragged me to the cemetery. Stopping in front of our friends' graves, he laid a bouquet on each tombstone. Dusting off his navy designer suit, my simple orange summer dress felt like a sad attempt to match him. Rubbing my back, he kissed my bump.
“We came by to tell you how things are going. Alex and Elise are learning how to drive. Yeah, that is as scary as it sounds. Sammy and Raven’s birthday happened a couple of weeks ago. They are both one year old. Crazy, isn’t it?” He chatted pleasantly, happy tears welling up in his eyes. “We have one more on the way. It’s another boy. We are going to name him Mark. I miss you dummies every fucking day. I wouldn’t have survived if you gave me that letter. Thank you.” Wiping away his tears, Sammy and Raven cooed in my arms. Kissing the top of my head, Jack guided me to the square. Sitting me down at the fountain, he took the girls in his arms. Passing me a bundle of envelopes, they were all from the townsfolk and monsters all over the world.
“Word got out about where you live and they all wanted to write their thanks.” He explained jovially, sitting down next to me. “Read them tonight and write back. They would love to hear from you.” Flicking through the pile, this was going to take a while. Popping to my feet, I could sense that Alex was getting frustrated. Walking back home, the fact that people wanted to thank me touched my heart. Opening the door, my boys bounced towards me. Dragging me to the couch, one of Alex’s shows was playing. Climbing onto the couch next to me, Jack took the other seat next to me. Hazel skipped in, her long hair grazing the worn wooden floor. Sitting down by my feet, Elvira laid on her lap. Basking in the moment, this was how life was supposed to be. Thank you for the gift of a good life. All the tragedy led to this moment. All of the scars told the tale of my twisted journey here. Jack leaned his head on my shoulder, the boys laying on my lap. Playing with their hair, I hoped sincerely that this would never end.
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“We need to raid an outpost today. Hopefully we can get information on the main headquarters.” He informed me warmly, biting my neck. Drinking his fill, my crippling anxiety stole any joy it normally would have given me. Missions like these frightened me, every cell in me wanted to turn into a raven and fly away for the day. Finishing up his breakfast, he set down an armored filled dress with leggings. Salford whispered something in his ear, sliding him a pair of car keys. Rising to my feet, I took my new outfit to our bedroom. Changing quickly, the dress felt heavy on my frame, the leggings seemed to be lined with chain mail. Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I ran into Jack on the way out. Embracing me lovingly, the keys dangled off of his fingers. Feeling his simple black suit, a light armor lined it. Chewing on my lips, our friends waited for us in matching black armor.
“We are ready to go.” Raven announced proudly, my eyes falling on Salford. “Salford said that he was going to watch the boys.” Adjusting their backpacks, weapons clanged in their bags. Guilt gnawed at me, the concept of putting them in danger sickening. My lips parted in protest, Raven raising her finger.
“We are coming. Those bastards killed my family and they are going to pay.” She asserted firmly, pulling her hair into a ponytail. “Besides, I want to back my friend up.” A deep sadness haunted her eyes, my hands cupping hers. A gentle but broken smile dimmed her features, silent tears staining her cheeks.
“I appreciate it and I apologize for not being there to stop it. I ruined everyone’s life by not being there.” I choked out shamefully, bowing my head. “I failed you and everyone else. I will make it up to you guys, I fucking promise you that.” Grabbing my shoulder, her other hand lifted up my chin.
“You were busy doing your own shit. I heard you showed up, girl!” She chatted pleasantly, my shaking fingers wiping away her tears. “You have a place where humans and monsters get along with ease. Have you been sleeping? You look like hell.” A deadpan expression appeared on my face, her last comment ticking me off slightly. Brushing it off, Jack cleared his throat. Placing me on his back, he carried me to a delivery van. Hopping off of his back, I let myself in. The Tainsworth twins sat in the front with their armor on, Raven climbing in with Ruby. Messing with her curls, Raven basically sat on top of her. Adjusting my bell sleeves, the leather hugged my slender arms. Oppressive silence hung between us, Ruby refusing to look at me. Folding her arms across her chest, something needed to be said. Choosing not to say it, the time passed horribly slow. The van screeched to a halt, Jack pulling me into a hidden compartment. The door squeaked open, heavy footfalls echoed in the back.
“Who are you?” A gruff voice demanded, Ruby speaking up. Clearing her throat, her voice tone seemed rather bitter.
“We wish to join your ranks. I can’t stand vampires, especially their fucking queen. She could die for all I care.” She snapped hotly, truth oozing from her words. “She is hiding somewhere in this van.” Horror rounded our eyes, her betrayal striking us in the heart.” Opening the compartment hiding us, she took a step back. The hunters slapped handcuffs on us all, Ruby grinning evilly ear to ear. Wicked laughter rumbled in her throat, her head cocking back.
“I have been working with them the entire time. There is no information, just the home of your executions.” She gloated sensually, the twins cursing in her direction. “I am not even a teenager. I am a witch who has been alive for centuries. Can I tell you a secret? I am the leader of the hunters. Everyone else was just a puppet.” Sighing with satisfaction, she circled us. Tears welled up in my eyes, Raven sobbed softly next to me. Pulling a gun from her pocket, Ruby shot her in the head. Time slowed, the twins crying out. Emptying her gun into them, a broken wail burst from my lips. Their bodies dropped forward, ruby dripping from the holes in the middle of their foreheads. Jack twitched darkly next to me, my mind officially broken. His bangs hid his eyes, his claws extended from his fingernails. Unlocking his handcuffs, he pretended to get madder as he worked on mine. The metal clanged to the ground, Ruby’s eyes widening with terror. Tears blurred my vision, my scythe sliding into my eager palms.
“You fucking bitch!” I screamed vehemently, pacing back and forth. Reapers held their souls in their palms, all hope of saving them was gone. “You are going to pay.” Shrugging her shoulders, she leaned forward.
“How pathetic for the queen to lose her cool so quickly?” She taunted cruelly, Jack fumed dangerously next to me. “You can’t damage me. You can kill this body and all I have to do is find another one. Angel of darkness! Kill all of my hunters and give me their lives.” The hunters holding us hostage dropped to the ground, thousands of white glowing balls flowing into her. Panic gripped my face, reapers burst from the ground surrounding her. Death himself popped up next to me, one raise of his hand stopping them.
“I am going to bring these souls to Heaven. Take her out.” He commanded urgently, the balls floating into a worn leather sack hanging off of his wrists. “They are all dead. You did all that you could. Good luck.” The last ball of light floated into the sack, a snap of his finger signaling his disappearance. The three of us remained, a ball of shadowy energy building in her palm. A low hissing noise echoed around us, the delivery truck fading to the base of a dead twisted tree. Violet grass danced around me, a chill running up my spine. Gripping my scythe tightly, rage mixed with depression. Sauntering out from behind the tree, a single wave of her hand sent us a couple of yards away. Gone was the armor she wore, a tight leather number hugging her body. Violet needles rested in between her fingers, dead man’s blood dripped onto the grass.
“I suppose you want to hear about my tale and why I am doing this?” She mused with a wicked chuckle, licking the blood off her hand. “I have a bomb ticking away. The lovely thing will release a virus that will kill all of the monsters in the world. Humans will be infected with a magical mind control. Don’t worry about your friends. I killed them because they were annoying me. Do you know how hard it was to pretend to be friends with you and arrange your fucking role? I made a deal with your father to kill you. How did you like the little bonfire?” Wanting to charge at her, Jack held me back. Raising my scythe into the attack position, the corner of my lips curled into a snarl.
“You freaking bitch.” I growled through gritted teeth, leaping into the air. Raising her hands in the air, thousands of needles floated behind her. Flicking her wrists, the rain of needles tore through my body. Jack would die, my boots pushing off the branch. Covering Jack with my body, the needles struck me instead. A burning sensation coursed through my veins, inky sludge pouring from my eyes. Cracks lined her face as needles struck the tree, an idea coming to mind. Jack trembled underneath me, his eyes falling on the blackened veins coursing lining my porcelain skin.
“Shoot her in the hands. She can’t throw her needles if her wrists can’t move.” I wheezed, coughing up blood. Dragging him behind the tree, my chains blocked the needles heading towards Jack. His hand quaked, his bullets hitting everywhere but the target. Lining my free arm up with his, my hand steadied his.
“I can’t!” He protested with wet eyes, his mental state beyond repair. “My friends are dead. My friends are dead! She used to be my friend!” Shimmering teardrops crashed to the grass, the grass darkening to an inky black. Confusion dawned on his face the moment I held his gun underneath his eyes. Teardrops flooded the chamber, my hand guiding his hand to the level of his eyes. Getting behind him, I clicked the safety. Aiming for her palm, a quick yank sent a blackening bullet up her arm. A wave of relief washed over me the moment her needles glitched, the muzzle of his gun aimed for her other palm. Pulling the trigger, the bullet shattered her other arm. Dropping to her side, cracks echoed in the air. The cracks on her face had deepened, my attention turning towards her tree. Swinging my scythe into the tree, her shrill shrieks filled the air as flames raced into the center of the tree. Water snaked around their branches, my chains clinking their way around the thick trunk. Mouthing a silent spell, the needles floated out of me.
“Water from my heart! Flames of the Dead! Chains from my master! I call upon thee to burn the tree down, drown it from the inside. Choke the shit out of it.” I ordered sharply, each word hurting. “Final spell, turn my blood into venom for a witch.” Raising my right hand, a bell rang the moment the tip of my scythe made contact. Closing my fist, the needles dug themselves into the tree. Flames devoured her skin, cold water filled her lungs. Chains snaked up her body, a sea of fiery orange coloring her skin. My vision blurred, Jack snapping out of his paralyzed state. Raising his gun, a bullet whistled into the tree. The bullet being the last thing we needed, the tree decayed to dust along with her. The dimension crumbled away, my legs giving out. Leaning against the destroyed van, fresh tears flowed freely at the sight of our dead friends. Jack picked up one of their backpacks, his tears soaking the top of the bag. Pulling out a medical bag, he ripped out a needle filled with milky liquid. Jamming the needle into my leg, the effects of the venom dying down. Pressing my ear to the ground, an ominous ticking echoed in my ear. Tick, tick, tick! Feeling around the dirt, a metal door clanged underneath my hand. One look in Jack’s direction, he understood. Spinning the rusty handle, he lifted up the door. Gathering the rest of my strength, I popped in. Shutting the door behind me, the lock sealed my fate. Jack protested outside, the top refusing to budge, my heart sinking at the only option. The only way to stop the bomb was to set it off in a dome, the spell caster having to be in the center of it. Praying that my reaper side would keep me alive even Jack had to know that he didn’t stand a chance. Using my scythe as a walking stick, my feet moved with adrenaline. Sniffing the air, the sweet smell told me where to go. Limping through the twisted concrete halls, my breath hitched at the orange angry metal ball. Taking a deep breath, the image of my dead friends and that town I called home flashed in my mind. Pushing through, I sank to my knees. The last of my power built around my hands, a sad smile haunting my face the moment I placed my palms on the surface. A water dome glittered over me, reaper’s flames reinforcing it. Channeling the rest of my flames into core, the metal rattled violently. Preparing for the worst, a giant raven folded its wings around me.
“I will protect you no matter what.” Dr. Death promised warmly, his energy providing me safety as the chemical blasted everywhere but us. “Dissolve the poison.” The colorful particles lightened to a snow white, everything hitting me at once. Ruffling my hair, he disappeared back into my mind. Jack sprinted in, his shattered expression speaking volumes.
“I am so sorry I couldn’t save them.” I blubbered uncontrollably, falling to the floor. “I don’t deserve you. You should just k-” Rushing over to me, he clutched me desperately to his chest. Tears flowed freely, neither of us able to move. Laying back, the clarified chemicals reminding me of snow. A tortured wail burst from my lips, my quaking fingers clinging to his jacket. Saphiro and Hazard skidded to a stop, their faces dropping at the sight of us. Shaking our shoulders to see if we were alive, gracious grins brightened their features at us breathing. Their words faded in and out, a rough darkness enveloping me in it’s sea of madness.
Jerking awake, an eager Alex and Hazel hovered by the white hospital bed. Covering my eyes from the blinding lights, their arms embraced me from either side. Eloise smothered Jack in love, his numb expression matching mine. Bursting into tears, their smiling faces taunted me. Holding me tighter, his words faded in and out. Jack screamed for everyone to leave him alone. Kissing Hazel on the head, Alex dragged her out. Walking over to my bed, his little sister sulked out. Crawling in next to me, his head rested on my chest. Wail after wail burst from his lips, my slender hands being the only thing comforting him. These were his friends and now they were gone. The fault was all mine, guilt eating me raw from the inside. Hours passed like this, him going numb then screaming with raw emotional agony. Swinging his feet over the edge of the bed, he tugged on his boots.
“Are you coming?” He asked hoarsely, offering me his hand. “We need to go home and raise our family.” Accepting his hand cautiously, he yanked me to feet. Placing me on his back, the look in his eyes begged for me to rest my head on his back. Walking into the hall, he ignored the pleading nurses. Saphiro blocked his path, his depressed smile not helping the situation. Tugging anxiously on his navy vest, my mind chose to focus on the midnight black blouse underneath his vest. Clearing his throat, clammy sweat drenched his skin.
“Come with me.” He begged kindly, Jack seconds from saying no. “Please. I have a couple of things to show you.” Caving to his request, we walked for a solid ten minutes to the cemetery. Three caskets waited to be lowered to the ground, Jack dropping me. Struggling to my feet, my heart shattered at him draping his arms over the coffin. Whispering a prayer to them, he took a step back. Pulling me close to his waist, his sobs grew louder as they lowered the caskets into the ground. Death popped up behind us with three letters in his hands, his head bowed in respect to the dead bodies.
“These are from your friends. Call it one final letter.” He informed Jack sullenly, turning towards me. “Thank you for your services. Unfortunately, I can’t remove the curse.” Offering me his hand, my fingers curled around his hand. Shaking it once, he bowed in my direction. Pressing his palms together, a twinkle glinted in his eyes.
“Once everything settles down, we should get together to have tea. I am sorry for your loss.” He expressed serenely, understanding death but not the grief part. Snapping his fingers he was gone, an eager Jack reading the letters. Curiosity burned a bit but my inside voice told me to leave it alone. Tucking them into his pocket, he placed me on his back. Following Saphiro back into town, his crooked grin lit up his face for a quick second.
“They said not to lose you.” He chuckled softly, a bit of hope glinting in his eyes. “Time will heal my wounds.” Hundreds of eyes watched us enter back into town, my jaw dropping at the statue of the five of us. The plaque read the heroes of the dawn, the two of us unsure of what to feel. Jack thanked him profusely, Saphiro pointing to the Victorian mansion at the top of the nearby hill.
“That mansion is yours to conduct your business as well as living in it.” He promised earnestly, fresh tears flooding from my eyes. “We hope you choose this town as your home.” Jumping down, I cupped his hands. A tender blush rose to his cheeks, my real smile illuminating my features for the first time since yesterday.
“Only if you'll have me, good sir.” I returned politely, his brow cocking at my response. Alex ran up to me with the boys in his arms. Accepting them, life was okay. Please karma, grant me peace for the rest of my life.
Epilogue:
Alex had his head buried in his work, the twins ran around the yard. Elise read in the tree, the two kiddos looking so grown up. The morning sun bathed the idyllic scene, a good five years had passed. Holding my swollen bump, two wails snapped me out of my trance. Jack stepped out with our white haired twins Sammy and Raven, the one year old girls reaching for me. Their fiery orange and red eyes glittered with love, my arms scooping them up. Wrapping his arms around my bump, Mark was due in a couple of months.
“Alex, Elise!” He barked with his trademark grin as they rushed up to him. Elise smoothed out her white summer dress, Alex adjusting his glasses in a brisk manner. An irked look greeted him, his stern gaze shutting down any protest.
“Watch the boys for us.” He ordered lightly, passing them wrapped boxes. “I need to take your sister somewhere. Boys, go in and watch a show with your uncle and aunt.” Sprinting into the house, Alex shot him a thumbs up as he followed them inside. Guiding me down the hill and through the town, his beard kept capturing my attention. Grabbing three bouquets on the way, he dragged me to the cemetery. Stopping in front of our friends' graves, he laid a bouquet on each tombstone. Dusting off his navy designer suit, my simple orange summer dress felt like a sad attempt to match him. Rubbing my back, he kissed my bump.
“We came by to tell you how things are going. Alex and Elise are learning how to drive. Yeah, that is as scary as it sounds. Sammy and Raven’s birthday happened a couple of weeks ago. They are both one year old. Crazy, isn’t it?” He chatted pleasantly, happy tears welling up in his eyes. “We have one more on the way. It’s another boy. We are going to name him Mark. I miss you dummies every fucking day. I wouldn’t have survived if you gave me that letter. Thank you.” Wiping away his tears, Sammy and Raven cooed in my arms. Kissing the top of my head, Jack guided me to the square. Sitting me down at the fountain, he took the girls in his arms. Passing me a bundle of envelopes, they were all from the townsfolk and monsters all over the world.
“Word got out about where you live and they all wanted to write their thanks.” He explained jovially, sitting down next to me. “Read them tonight and write back. They would love to hear from you.” Flicking through the pile, this was going to take a while. Popping to my feet, I could sense that Alex was getting frustrated. Walking back home, the fact that people wanted to thank me touched my heart. Opening the door, my boys bounced towards me. Dragging me to the couch, one of Alex’s shows was playing. Climbing onto the couch next to me, Jack took the other seat next to me. Hazel skipped in, her long hair grazing the worn wooden floor. Sitting down by my feet, Elvira laid on her lap. Basking in the moment, this was how life was supposed to be. Thank you for the gift of a good life. All the tragedy led to this moment. All of the scars told the tale of my twisted journey here. Jack leaned his head on my shoulder, the boys laying on my lap. Playing with their hair, I hoped sincerely that this would never end.
2023.06.07 21:12 JoshAsdvgi THE POWERFUL BOY
 | submitted by JoshAsdvgi to Native_Stories [link] [comments] THE POWERFUL BOY [SENECA] The Seneca, one of the Iroquois nations of the Northeast, have their own version of the all-conquering little one. • A man and his wife lived with their five-year-old son in an ugly-looking lodge in the woods. One day the woman died giving birth to another boy, who was bright and lively but no longer than a person's hand. Thinking that the infant would not live, the father wrapped it carefully and placed it in a hollow tree outside the lodge. After that he burned the body of the mother. Then as he had done before, the man went hunting every day. The five-year-old played around the lodge by himself, feeling lonely. After a time he heard crying from the hollow tree, for the baby too was lonely, and hungry as well. When he discovered his little brother, the boy made him some soup from deer intestines, which the baby drank with relish. Much stronger, the newborn crawled out of the tree, and the two played together. The older brother made a little coat out of fawn skin; when he put it on, the baby looked like a chipmunk scampering around. When he came home, the father noticed that the deer intestines were gone and asked the boy what he had done with them. "Oh," said the child, "I was hungry." Seeing a small track of very short steps around the fire, the father said, "Here are a boy's tracks. Who is it?" So his son confessed that he had found his little brother in a hollow tree, and that he had given him soup and made him a fawn-skin coat. "Go and bring him," said the father. "He's shy; he won't come for anything," the boy said. 'Well, we'll catch him. Ask him to hunt mice with you in the old stump behind the hollow tree, and I'll get him." Gathering a great many mice, the man hid them in his clothes. Then he walked beyond the tree and crouched down so that he looked like an old stump. The boy went to the tree and called, "Come on, let's catch some mice." The baby climbed out, and they rushed around the stump catching mice. Wild with excitement, the tiny thing laughed and shouted; he had never had so much fun. Suddenly the stump turned into a man, who caught the little one ,in his arms and ran to the lodge. The infant screamed and struggled, but it was no use; he couldn't get away, and he would not be pacified until his father put a small club into his hand and said. "Now hit that tree." The baby struck a great hickory. The tree fell. Then he laid about him with the club, and everything he hit at was either crushed or killed. He was delighted and stopped crying. Now the baby stayed with his older brother while their father went hunting. "You must not go to the north while I'm away," the father told them. "Bad, dangerous people live there." But when the father had left, the tiny one said to his brother, "Oh, let's go north; I want to see what's there." The boys started off and walked until they came to wooded, marshy ground. Then they heard what sounded like many people calling, "My father! My fatherl" Actually they were frogs singing the frog song, "Nohqwa! Nohqwa!" "Oh, these people want to hurt my father!" the little boy cried. He fixed himself a pile of red-hot stones and, hurling them at the frogs, killed everyone. When the boys came home, their father was very angry. "You must not go again," he said. " And you must not go west; it's dangerous there too." But the next day when their father had left, the little boy said, "I want to see what's in the west; let's go there." So they traveled westward until they came to a tall pine tree, with a bed made of skins at the very top. "That's a strange place for a bed," the little boy said to his brother. "I'll climb up and look at it." Up he went. In the bed at the top he found two naked, frightened children, a boy and a girl. He pinched the naked boy, who called out, "Father, Father! Some strange child has come and scared me nearly to death!" Suddenly the voice of Thunder was heard in the far west. It rumbled toward them faster and faster until it reached the bed in the treetop. Raising his club, the little boy, the powerful one, struck Thunder and crushed his head, so that he fell dead to the ground. Then the boy pinched the naked girl, which made her call, "Mother! Mother! Some strange boy is tormenting me!" Instantly the voice of Mother Thunder sounded in the west and grew louder until she stood by the tree. The powerful boy struck her on the head as he had done with her husband, and she fell dead. The powerful one thought, "This Thunder boy would make a fine tobacco pouch for my father. I'll take him home." He struck the boy with his club and then threw both children to the ground. The two brothers went home, and the tiny one said, "Oh, Father! I have brought you a splended pouch!" "What have you done?" the father said when he saw the dead Thunder baby. "These ~thunders have never harmed us. They bring rain and do us good, but now they will destroy us to revenge their children." "Oh, they won't hurt us-I've killed the whole family," the powerful boy replied. So the father took the skin for a tobacco pouch, but he said, "You must never go north to the country where Stone Coat lives." The next day the older brother would not disobey his father, so the powerful boy headed north by himself. About noon he heard the loud barking of Stone Coat's dog, which was as tall as a deer. Thinking that the master must be close by, the little boy jumped into the heart of a chestnut tree to hide. The dog kept barking, and Stone Coat came up to look around. "There's nothing here," he said, but the dog barked and· stared at the tree. Finally Stone Coat struck the tree with his club and split it open. "WVhat a strange little fellow you are," Stone Coat said, looking at the boy as he came out. "You're not big enough to fill a hole in my tooth." "Oh, I didn't come to fill holes in your teeth. I came to go home with YOll and see how you live," said the boy. "All right, come on," Stone Coat said, and began walking with enormous steps. In his belt he carried two great bears, which seemed as small as squirrels. Once in a while he would look far down and say to the boy running by his side, "You're a funny little creature!" His lodge was huge and very long; the boy had never seen anything like it. Stone C.oat skinned the two bears, put one before his visitor, and otok the other for himself. "You eat this bear," he said, "or I'll eat you and him together." "If you don't eat yours before I eat mine, may I kill you?" asked the boy. "Oh, yes," said Stone Coat. The little boy cut off pieces of meat, cleaned them as fast as he could, and put them into his mouth. Then he ran out of the lodge to hide the meat. He kept running in and out, in and out, until all the flesh of his bear had disappeared. "You haven't finished yours yet," he said to Stone Coat. ''I'm going to kill you!" 'Wait until I show you how to slide downhill," Stone Coat said, and took him to a long, slippery hillside which ended in a cave. Putting the boy in a wooden bowl. Stone Coat sent him down at great speed. But presently the powerful boy ran up the slope again. "Where did you leave the bow!?" asked the surprised Stone Coat. "Oh, I don't know--down there, I suppose," the boy replied. "Well, let's see who can kick this log highest," said Stone Coat. "You try first," said the little one. The log was two feet thick and six feet long. Putting his foot under it, Stone C.oat kicked the log up twice his own height. Then the boy, slipping his foot under the log, sent it whistling through the air. It was gone a long time. Then it came down on Stone Coat's head and crushed him to death. "Come here," said the boy to Stone Coat's dog. The dog came, and the little one climbed on his back and rode home. "Now my father will have a fine hunting dog," he said. When the father saw the dog, he cried, "What have you done? Stone Coa t will kill us all!" "I have killed Stone Coat. He won't trouble us any more," replied the boy, the powerful one. "Now, boys," said the father, "you must never go to the southwest, the gambling place." But the next day about noon, the younger brother started walking southwest. He came to a beautiful opening in the woods, with a lean-to at the farther end. Sitting under the lean-to a man with a large head, much larger than a buffalo's, played dice for the heads of all who came along. He used wild-plumpits with designs on them for dice. Crowds of people were betting in groups of three. When they lost, as all did, the big-headed man put the three persons to one side. Then he played with three more, and when they lost he put them with the first three, and so on-until he decided that the number was large enough. Then he got up and cut all their heads off. As the boy approached, a number of people who had lost their bets were waiting to be killed. Hope came to them all, for they sensed that this child had great orenda-power, or medicine. The boy took his place, and the game began immediately. When the big-headed man threw the dice, the bay caused some to remain in the dish and others to go high, so that the dice came to rest with different designs showing. But when the boy threw, the dice turned into woodcocks, flew high, and came down as dice of the same design. The two played until the boy won back all the people and the gambler lost his own big head, for the boy instantly cut it off. The whole crowd shouted, "Now you must be our chief!" The boy said, "How could a little thing like me be a chief? Maybe my father would be willing to do it; I'll ask him." The boy went home with the story, but his father would not move to the land of gambling. "Now," said the father, "you must never go to the east, where they play ball." But the next day the boy traveled east until he came to a great, level country of beautiful plains. There the Wolf and the Bear clans were playing against the Eagle, the Turtle, and the Beaver clans. The boy took the side of the Wolf and the Bear. "If you win," they told him, "you will own all this country." They played, and the boy won. "Now,"they say, ' "you are the owner. " The powerful boy went home and told his father, "I have won all the beautiful country of the east; come and be chief of it." His father consented and moved with his two boys to the country of the east, and there they lived. Told by by Jeremiah Curtin and J. N. B. Hewitt around 1910. |
2023.06.07 21:10 JoshAsdvgi The Origin Of The Pleiades And The Pine
 | submitted by JoshAsdvgi to Native_Stories [link] [comments] \"The Origin Of The Pleiades And The Pine\" Long ago, when the world was new, there were seven boys who used to spend all their time down by the townhouse playing the gatayû'stï game, rolling a stone wheel along the ground and sliding a curved stick after it to strike it. Their mothers scolded, but it did no good, so one day they collected some gatayû'stï stones and boiled them in the pot with the corn for dinner. When the boys came home hungry their mothers dipped out the stones and said, "Since you like the gatayû'stï better than the cornfield, take the stones now for your dinner." The boys were very angry, and went down to the townhouse, saying, "As our mothers treat us this way, let us go where we shall never trouble them any more." They began to dance, some say it was the Feather Dance and went round and round the townhouse, praying to the spirits to help them. At last their mothers were afraid something was wrong and went out to look for them. They saw the boys still dancing around the townhouse, and as they watched they noticed that their feet were off the earth, and that with every round they rose higher and higher in the air. They ran to get their children, but it was to late, for they were already above the roof of the townhouse, all but one, whose mother managed to pull him down with the gatayû'stï pole, but he struck the ground with such a force that he sank into it and the earth closed over him. The other six circled higher and higher until they went up to the sky, Where we see them now as the Pleiades, which the Cherokee still call Ani'tsutsã (The Boys). The people grieved long after them, but the mother whose boy had gone ihnto the ground came every morning and every evening to cry over the spot until the earth was damp with tears. At last a little green shoot sprouted up and grew day by day until it became the tall tree that we call now the pine, and the pine is of the same nature as the stars and holds in itself the same bright light. |
2023.06.07 21:10 axefishgoddess I feel like HD should be getting a piece of this action... Right? I mean these people are making $22 a candle using Home Depot's name 🤷🏼♀️
 | (the whole "subtle hints of cement floors" part had me scratching my head though....) submitted by axefishgoddess to HomeDepot [link] [comments] |
2023.06.07 21:07 endersgame69 Adopted By Humans VII C20
There is a human expression, the candle that shines twice as bright burns for half as long. Perhaps the short lifespans of humans has something to do with this, but in the days following the Walker decision to abide by the wishes of both governments, the reality of the danger seemed to settle in over them all.
Not just because of the trip itself, and space travel was still not without its risks, pirates, accidents, natural disasters, many things could happen that would leave someone dying in the void to drift forever between the stars.
But also because the very success of our collective task might well be the axel on which the future peace of the galaxy. Everybody wanted to land on the Rogue World.
Everybody wanted the technological secrets that the scans from so long ago hinted might be there, nobody wanted anyone else to have it, and everybody was willing to kill everybody else to keep that from happening.
And with this rising danger came not a deep, dark depression, but a kind of strange celebration.
We had some months before the station could be completed, after which William would no longer need to do more than survey the final work and be briefed by the foreman of each section, a few days of tests and diagnostics at most.
And even when that was done, Bonny Red was six months away. True, Rebecca still had her role in the Methuselah Initiative, but she worked from home for the most part and then not every hour of every day.
So as a kind of send off, before the world itself was alerted to any dangers, William arranged for a family reunion. Rebecca, unfortunately, had no surviving family members on her side, which is unfortunate, but also perhaps explains her particular care for the one she shares a household with.
William Walker’s family tree however, is vast. Not just in his sisters, but also in his father’s brothers and sisters who in turn had wives, husbands, and children, and the same went for his father’s father, who had brothers and sisters who… well let it simply be said that a ‘family reunion’ for the Walker clan is an extensive one. On the unexpected upside, that did make it easy for Professor Sxlith to ensure every one of his chosen students had a Walker family branch to host them.
As a matter of necessity our collaboration was minimal and our professor, while available, kept himself distant unless we expressly sought out his advice, and I seldom had occasion to do so.
So it had been quite some time, actually years, now that I thought about it, since we’d been in the same room together and months since I had written anything other than progress notes to my professor and a request for his opinion on how the University would respond to my fighting league.
Arranging for the reunion took the better part of a month, and it had to be scheduled three months out and certain calls had to be made to ask certain people to call various supervisors, bosses, and so on, and ensure that they understood it was important that nothing interfere with their brief absences.
I think, for the sake of the historical record, that it’s important to say that William did not ask the government to do this for him. However modern Earth society puts a great deal of emphasis on general ‘wellness’ and having high morale in their work.
To put this in analogous terms, on Dlamias, if you recall my previous writings about my homeworld, we have a veritable army of surveyors who are always checking social trends in order to control for any potential issues. That process kept us stable for millenia, as we could identify shortfalls and dangerous elements, possible corruption, and more. I daresay our statisticians are some of the hardest working in the galaxy and we are the best documented people…anywhere.
By contrast, the humans of Earth kept experts on mental wellness, something my world never had, and their role was to ensure that demographics were not experiencing uncertainty, doubt, or struggle. The occasion of the Silent Civil War showed that, if anything, they were significantly underfunded and so their numbers rose. More than that, they were now tied to other social service and survey work, keeping closely tied to their own census offices to look for social trends that might pose a danger or identify a growing weakness.
Somebody involved in that office likely suggested that the Walkers would perform best if they gained a profoundly positive experience beforehand, and a large reunion seemed to fit the bill.
Or rather… fit the will.
William’s puns are rubbing off on me. I know it. It is a sickness and I cannot stop. May my readers forgive me.
Moving on… in the aftermath of that decision and having made arrangements for the family reunion, Fauve took the unusual step of buying tickets to Waterland Park.
I was at the table when the notification came in on my datapad.
Fauve was at the table munching on a crispy piece of bacon. I did not know there was a smug way to chew. But apparently I was wrong.
She sat there tinkering away on her datapad while eating her breakfast, steam rose from the eggs and while she waited for the biscuits to arrive, and a moment later Byron and Boatswain came into view as they passed through the library of the house.
The bullet holes in the wall were all patched and the blood was long since cleaned up, the whole place looked like new. I could still smell the faint odor of blood even years later, but on reflection I considered that more likely to be mental than real.
“Waterland Park? Isn’t that where…?” Byron didn’t finish the sentence. He may have been a brute of a soldier, but as a man, as someone who was virtually part of the family, he was very sensitive about anything to do with the Walker children. Even if that ‘child’ was now an adult in her own right.
I think if he had been there that day, he might have killed the one responsible. I won’t pretend I don’t sometimes wish I had. Now the park was under new management and it had a much better reputation.
But even so, I was surprised to see the purchase.
Rebecca set the tray of biscuits down and Fauve immediately snatched one up and began to make a bacon and egg biscuit out of the three components.
“Yes. It was. But the old bastard is who knows and who cares where now, and his trash son is rotting in a prison somewhere. Besides, it’s summer, we should go somewhere fun.” Fauve pointed out as her father entered the room after having dressed.
“But there? Is that really wise?” He asked.
“Yes.” Fauve said, considering it was now summer, her voice was cold as ice.
“We need something fun to do for the reunion, I mean, dad, I know how the rest of your side of the family gets.” She gave him a phony death stare and William, to his credit, sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
“They are a… funny lot.” He acknowledged.
“Uh huh.” Fauve agreed, “But we can’t just have them hanging out here all day, the house has only so much space, and they’ve got a bunch of kids Michael’s age and younger. We should get everybody good and tired so they can really relax for the rest of the day.”
“But there?” Boatswain pointed out, “We could just as easily go to the local park and set up a barbecue and some games.”
Boatswain’s response was practical, it was true, but unironically we’d all still end up getting wet, I’d wager.
“True, but…” Fauve stopped and reached for the pot of coffee her mother set on the table, as she filled her cup she said, “Who knows if I’ll ever get to go there again, that’s the last thing, the last place where I ever felt weak. I want to go back and conquer it, before I go out into space…again, to go do something else. I can’t…” She breathed out a weighty sigh and began dumping spoonfuls of sugar into her coffee cup, the faint noise of the metal spoon ‘tinking’ against the mug before the scraping of it as she stirred was like a timer counting down the moments until she explained herself.
“I can’t just leave for months, or a year, or whatever, without going back there first, it’ll feel like running away again. It’s nobody else’s problem, everybody else will have fun, but I want to know that I can. I want to face that place and laugh and splash and get wet and go down slides like we were supposed to. You know? Besides, everybody will have fun and if I do struggle, I’m ten minutes from home.”
The table was quiet, Michael was yawning as he came down the stairs with his face buried in his datapad. “Are these… tickets?” He asked.
“Besides, I already bought them so now you have to go or your Fauve’s heart will just be utterly shattered.” She made a gasping noise, leaned back, and clutched melodramatically at her heart before winking at the rest of us.
“Well we don’t want that… so fine. It’s not like nobody can get a swimsuit.” William agreed.
Rebecca looked toward Michael and answered, “Yes, your big sister bought us all tickets to the waterpark for the reunion.”
“Hey, thanks Fauve!” He said and gave her a big hug, squeezing her around the upper arms when he leaned forward behind her.
“You’re welcome.” Fauve said, though I think not just to Michael, and took a big bite out of her bacon and egg biscuit, which she proceeded to chew quite slowly.
That, settled that.
And yes… she was definitely looking smug about it.
submitted by endersgame69 to TheWorldMaker [link] [comments]
Not just because of the trip itself, and space travel was still not without its risks, pirates, accidents, natural disasters, many things could happen that would leave someone dying in the void to drift forever between the stars.
But also because the very success of our collective task might well be the axel on which the future peace of the galaxy. Everybody wanted to land on the Rogue World.
Everybody wanted the technological secrets that the scans from so long ago hinted might be there, nobody wanted anyone else to have it, and everybody was willing to kill everybody else to keep that from happening.
And with this rising danger came not a deep, dark depression, but a kind of strange celebration.
We had some months before the station could be completed, after which William would no longer need to do more than survey the final work and be briefed by the foreman of each section, a few days of tests and diagnostics at most.
And even when that was done, Bonny Red was six months away. True, Rebecca still had her role in the Methuselah Initiative, but she worked from home for the most part and then not every hour of every day.
So as a kind of send off, before the world itself was alerted to any dangers, William arranged for a family reunion. Rebecca, unfortunately, had no surviving family members on her side, which is unfortunate, but also perhaps explains her particular care for the one she shares a household with.
William Walker’s family tree however, is vast. Not just in his sisters, but also in his father’s brothers and sisters who in turn had wives, husbands, and children, and the same went for his father’s father, who had brothers and sisters who… well let it simply be said that a ‘family reunion’ for the Walker clan is an extensive one. On the unexpected upside, that did make it easy for Professor Sxlith to ensure every one of his chosen students had a Walker family branch to host them.
As a matter of necessity our collaboration was minimal and our professor, while available, kept himself distant unless we expressly sought out his advice, and I seldom had occasion to do so.
So it had been quite some time, actually years, now that I thought about it, since we’d been in the same room together and months since I had written anything other than progress notes to my professor and a request for his opinion on how the University would respond to my fighting league.
Arranging for the reunion took the better part of a month, and it had to be scheduled three months out and certain calls had to be made to ask certain people to call various supervisors, bosses, and so on, and ensure that they understood it was important that nothing interfere with their brief absences.
I think, for the sake of the historical record, that it’s important to say that William did not ask the government to do this for him. However modern Earth society puts a great deal of emphasis on general ‘wellness’ and having high morale in their work.
To put this in analogous terms, on Dlamias, if you recall my previous writings about my homeworld, we have a veritable army of surveyors who are always checking social trends in order to control for any potential issues. That process kept us stable for millenia, as we could identify shortfalls and dangerous elements, possible corruption, and more. I daresay our statisticians are some of the hardest working in the galaxy and we are the best documented people…anywhere.
By contrast, the humans of Earth kept experts on mental wellness, something my world never had, and their role was to ensure that demographics were not experiencing uncertainty, doubt, or struggle. The occasion of the Silent Civil War showed that, if anything, they were significantly underfunded and so their numbers rose. More than that, they were now tied to other social service and survey work, keeping closely tied to their own census offices to look for social trends that might pose a danger or identify a growing weakness.
Somebody involved in that office likely suggested that the Walkers would perform best if they gained a profoundly positive experience beforehand, and a large reunion seemed to fit the bill.
Or rather… fit the will.
William’s puns are rubbing off on me. I know it. It is a sickness and I cannot stop. May my readers forgive me.
Moving on… in the aftermath of that decision and having made arrangements for the family reunion, Fauve took the unusual step of buying tickets to Waterland Park.
I was at the table when the notification came in on my datapad.
Fauve was at the table munching on a crispy piece of bacon. I did not know there was a smug way to chew. But apparently I was wrong.
She sat there tinkering away on her datapad while eating her breakfast, steam rose from the eggs and while she waited for the biscuits to arrive, and a moment later Byron and Boatswain came into view as they passed through the library of the house.
The bullet holes in the wall were all patched and the blood was long since cleaned up, the whole place looked like new. I could still smell the faint odor of blood even years later, but on reflection I considered that more likely to be mental than real.
“Waterland Park? Isn’t that where…?” Byron didn’t finish the sentence. He may have been a brute of a soldier, but as a man, as someone who was virtually part of the family, he was very sensitive about anything to do with the Walker children. Even if that ‘child’ was now an adult in her own right.
I think if he had been there that day, he might have killed the one responsible. I won’t pretend I don’t sometimes wish I had. Now the park was under new management and it had a much better reputation.
But even so, I was surprised to see the purchase.
Rebecca set the tray of biscuits down and Fauve immediately snatched one up and began to make a bacon and egg biscuit out of the three components.
“Yes. It was. But the old bastard is who knows and who cares where now, and his trash son is rotting in a prison somewhere. Besides, it’s summer, we should go somewhere fun.” Fauve pointed out as her father entered the room after having dressed.
“But there? Is that really wise?” He asked.
“Yes.” Fauve said, considering it was now summer, her voice was cold as ice.
“We need something fun to do for the reunion, I mean, dad, I know how the rest of your side of the family gets.” She gave him a phony death stare and William, to his credit, sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
“They are a… funny lot.” He acknowledged.
“Uh huh.” Fauve agreed, “But we can’t just have them hanging out here all day, the house has only so much space, and they’ve got a bunch of kids Michael’s age and younger. We should get everybody good and tired so they can really relax for the rest of the day.”
“But there?” Boatswain pointed out, “We could just as easily go to the local park and set up a barbecue and some games.”
Boatswain’s response was practical, it was true, but unironically we’d all still end up getting wet, I’d wager.
“True, but…” Fauve stopped and reached for the pot of coffee her mother set on the table, as she filled her cup she said, “Who knows if I’ll ever get to go there again, that’s the last thing, the last place where I ever felt weak. I want to go back and conquer it, before I go out into space…again, to go do something else. I can’t…” She breathed out a weighty sigh and began dumping spoonfuls of sugar into her coffee cup, the faint noise of the metal spoon ‘tinking’ against the mug before the scraping of it as she stirred was like a timer counting down the moments until she explained herself.
“I can’t just leave for months, or a year, or whatever, without going back there first, it’ll feel like running away again. It’s nobody else’s problem, everybody else will have fun, but I want to know that I can. I want to face that place and laugh and splash and get wet and go down slides like we were supposed to. You know? Besides, everybody will have fun and if I do struggle, I’m ten minutes from home.”
The table was quiet, Michael was yawning as he came down the stairs with his face buried in his datapad. “Are these… tickets?” He asked.
“Besides, I already bought them so now you have to go or your Fauve’s heart will just be utterly shattered.” She made a gasping noise, leaned back, and clutched melodramatically at her heart before winking at the rest of us.
“Well we don’t want that… so fine. It’s not like nobody can get a swimsuit.” William agreed.
Rebecca looked toward Michael and answered, “Yes, your big sister bought us all tickets to the waterpark for the reunion.”
“Hey, thanks Fauve!” He said and gave her a big hug, squeezing her around the upper arms when he leaned forward behind her.
“You’re welcome.” Fauve said, though I think not just to Michael, and took a big bite out of her bacon and egg biscuit, which she proceeded to chew quite slowly.
That, settled that.
And yes… she was definitely looking smug about it.
2023.06.07 21:03 andrei-mo How do I find things in my Costco? Is there a map of some kind?
I don't shop there that often and finding a particular item takes quite a bit of wondering.
With Home Depot for example, isles are labeled on Google Maps if you zoom onto the store. ( https://goo.gl/maps/Nv4DRogCuto7VCW7A )
Is there something similar with Costco?
submitted by andrei-mo to Costco [link] [comments]
With Home Depot for example, isles are labeled on Google Maps if you zoom onto the store. ( https://goo.gl/maps/Nv4DRogCuto7VCW7A )
Is there something similar with Costco?
2023.06.07 21:00 The_Fallen_1 [THJVerse] Arcane Starfarers - ep 41 - Non-alien tech support
First / Previous / Next
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Daniel heaved up Hannah’rah to prevent her from falling off of his back as he carried her back from their walk, which she happened to misjudge the length of. He didn’t mind too much, as she was fairly light, but the frequency that it was happening made him suspicious that she might be doing it on purpose.
“Hey, sleepy, you still awake?” he asked.
“Mmh?” she quietly replied.
“If you’re this tired, I’m not sure we’ll make the gaming tournament tomorrow.”
“I’ll be fine, ‘s why I’m resting now.”
“Uh huh. And do get to rest as well at some point, right?”
“You need less sleep than me,” she mumbled.
“Any chance I can sleep in a little and wake up to a nice breakfast?”
“‘Course.”
“Thank you,” he replied, turning his head and kissing her on the lips.
-----------------------------
Daniel yawned as he woke up, looking around his room on the Trailmaker, and at Hannah'rah who was still asleep next to him. He gently stroked her head for a moment wondering if there was any chance he could get her planet side with him, maybe even to go on a walk like they used to, but with her duties to defend the ship, especially with an open connection to the station, and the fact that there wasn't anything that only she could do down on the planet, he realised it was practically impossible. He instead spent his waking energy running through his spell exercises, manipulating a weighted ball on the desk completely with magic and getting used to holding spells for a longer period of time. As he did it, he attempted to recall some of his dream again, but all he could remember of it was that it was based on a memory of them hiking together.
As he was doing so, he realised that it had been a while since he'd attempted to speak with Ordos, and now that he was back in UPC space, there was a better chance of success. He uttered an invitation, and waited.
'There's a reason us Deities don't respond all the time, you know,' Ordos told him.
'Sorry, but I had to try again to see if I could,' Daniel apologised.
‘What did you wish to ask?’ Ordos asked.
‘You probably know, but I have two questions. The first is, am I the first person to align with you?’
‘You are currently the only person aligned with me. A sort of test, if you will,’ the God confirmed.
‘Thank you, and second, are you here in this system?’
‘No, I’m on Earth, or my main physical form is anyway.’
‘When I come back to Earth, can I meet you please?’
‘That depends on many things, and some are unlikely.’
‘I understand. Thank you for taking the time to speak to me.’
‘You’re welcome,’ Ordos told him. ‘I do have something for you, however, which is why we’re talking right now. There’s a “friend” of yours on the station, looking to have a chat like before the Trailmaker left port. Do what you will with this information.’
‘Thank you, Ordos, I appreciate the warning,’ Daniel replied, sensing the connection end.
-----------------------------
Daniel adjusted his jacket, making sure it was sitting comfortably over his uniform and obscuring his rank slides and brassard, and disembarked from the Trailmaker onto the station. He mainly wanted to wear it so he wasn’t purely in space uniform when he was planet side, but it would help him be slightly harder to spot in a crowd, as anyone could own a jacket, but not his ranks and awards. He knew he had a little time to kill before his shuttle was ready, so he began to check some of the select civilian stands laid out in a small market that had been allowed to set up shop to sell some things to the Navy personnel, as well as allow the few Langan aboard to try some of the smaller luxuries the UPC had to offer. He joined the back of a small line to a food stall to see if he could grab a few small treats, and he was pleased to see signage saying that everything on sale was rated safe for all species, including Langan.
When he got to the front of the line, he picked up four bars of chocolate, as well as four bottles of cola. He presented his holo to the payment terminal, confirmed the slightly overpriced transaction, and made sure it went through. He smiled at the stall attendant who was just there to restock and deal with any Langan customers, and walked away, stuffing the items into his jacket pockets, securing them properly.
Finding he still had a bit of time, he also headed over to a less busy stall nearby that was staffed by a Lagan looking to make a head start in their new life, selling some copies of Langan items. Daniel had a quick browse, and his eyes landed on a set of books he thought could make a useful tool to help him learn Langan writing a little faster if he decided to learn it. He saw the price and knew he could just wait a few months and get them online for dirt cheap, but he admired the stall keeper's desire to get started out again, so he bought the books which worked out to be about two day’s salary, making the Langan very happy.
He checked the time once again to see that he could probably start boarding the shuttle very soon, so he began to casually make his way towards the shuttle bay, checking his messages to see if anything had come through, finding a few messages from his group of friends welcoming him back to UPC space, and correctly guessing that his ship was the one to make first contact. He sent a quick reply to them all, thanking them and promising to talk properly when he had more time. He also found a message from an unverified source, which he quickly read and deleted, finding the information within to be useful but disappointing, reminding him he still had to sort out the chip he was hiding.
“Lieutenant Daniel Hardbrooks, what a pleasant surprise!”
Daniel stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking to his side to see someone he didn’t recognise, wearing the stereotypical agent suit. “Wrong person, sorry.”
“Don’t be like that, I just want to have a quick chat, that’s all.”
“I’m not a Lieutenant, and you’re not wearing a Navy ID or a visitor pass, so I strongly suggest you identify yourself before I call for security,” Daniel replied.
“Agent Johnson, CSB,” the man told him, flashing their ID.
“Ok, but you’ve still got the wrong person, and I don’t have a lot of time, so sorry, and good luck on you manhunt.”
“Sorry, Lieutenant Commander Hardbrooks,” the man apologised in a snide tone.
“I still don’t have time, goodbye,” Daniel replied, walking away.
"I'm afraid I really need to talk," the Agent insisted, grabbing Daniel's left arm to prevent him from walking away.
"I politely request you let go."
"There's a quiet room down the way where we can talk."
"I strongly suggest you let go," Daniel sternly persisted.
"And I strongly suggest you come with me," the Agent warned him, glancing at Daniel's arm as it beeped, indicating something that shouldn't be used accidentally had just been powered on.
"I am giving you one-"
"Come on, Lieutenant Commander, you're holding up the shuttle."
Daniel looked over his other shoulder as Milla grabbed his other arm and firmly pulled him away from the Agent and towards the shuttle bay, forcing the Agent to let go. Daniel looked back at the Agent, who prepared to give chase, but was immediately confronted with two military police officers.
"Thanks for the save," Daniel told her.
"We're even for you helping me after the jump, right?" she asked, messing with her holo.
"Yeah, sure. How did you kn-"
"Saw the guy arrive yesterday, and heard about your CSB encounter from Hannah'rah. I put two and two together, and got the MPs to keep an eye on him. They probably can't do anything to him, but they can waste his time for not wearing proper ID, which is great for an opportune moment. The timing of me being there to call them over and pull you away was just luck really," she shrugged, closing her holo. "Oh, and by the way, you're on my shuttle now."
"Oh, thanks," he replied, checking the notification as it came through.
"No problem. You'd really think that they'd drop the suit and try to blend in, making sure they at least have fake IDs on display, but nope. It's like everyone there is addicted to century old spy movies or something."
"I know what you mean. A high-vis jacket and a clipboard would be a much better disguise. People might even help you."
"Don't give them ideas," she warned him as she guided him onto a small shuttle, revealing that they were the only two passengers, and when she closed the door, they had complete privacy. "So, why is a government agency after you?"
"I'm not 100% sure, as both times they never managed to get to the point," he shrugged, sitting down and buckling in. "I have a suspicion they want to recruit me, as if they wanted to arrest me, I wouldn't have gotten away so easily. As for where this comes from, well, I have a grey hat background. They could just be trying to find out if I know anything I shouldn't do from that I suppose."
"Grey hat is legal, right?"
"Yes, but you have to tread carefully, as a small slip up can get you in a lot of trouble."
"That's fine then," she replied, signalling to the shuttle pilot on her holo that they were good to go once they were both securely seated. "If that man is still on the station when we return, I think you should stay with me until we're on the ship, just to make it so you can't be singled out."
"Thanks, Milla."
"So, I'm curious to know what you would have done if I didn't arrive in time."
"Oh, I probably would have tased him and reported him for assault after he didn't let go. He wasn't operating by the books, didn't present his ID well enough for me to verify it, and ignored my requests, so I was about to electricity my arm. After all there was no way for me to know if he was telling the truth, and I'm not going to let myself be taken to an unknown place by a shady person," he explained, slightly smirking. "I am a senior officer after all, it's a massive security risk to the Navy if some crook captures me. I can only comply with MPs while on a Naval facility."
"Sounds reasonable to me," Milla chuckled as the shuttle touched down. "Perfect, we're here."
"That was fast."
"Good shuttle and a good pilot," she explained, disembarking and sending the pilot a message of thanks.
"So, I managed to get planet access to help Oprin, but how did you manage," he asked as the shuttle took off behind them.
"Oh, I just needed some fresh air after my recent incident."
"You're lucky you're a Gater. That excuse would never fly with anyone else."
"Yeah, probably not. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get special treatment, such as the ear of MPs, and being able to squeeze friends on private shuttles, instead of slightly more open ones that might have an unwanted ‘friend’ onboard."
“Very lucky and very useful,” he agreed, pulling a bottle of cola and a bar of chocolate out of his pocket. “Here, I was going to give you this when I was back on the ship, but now is as good of a time as any.”
“Giving treats to other women? You’re brave.”
“I’m giving them to all my friends. I have the same for Hannah'rah and Oprin,” he explained.
“I’m glad I’m your friend then,” she replied, opening both and having a small amount of each. “So, what are your plans for today?”
“Just help Oprin with whatever she needs.”
“Mind if I tag along? I didn’t really come here with any more plans than to just wander around and help out where I could.”
“It's up to Oprin really.”
“Fair enough.”
Daniel began to lead Milla down various roads, away from the temporary spaceport, and down to the residential area Oprin’s house was located in. The streets stretched for much longer than they did when he left the day before, but the addition of new homes had been halted to save on the currently limited resources, as there were far more than were required for the current residents, plus a tenth of the currently frozen Langan, and more could easily be built when the logistics hiccup had been resolved. Instead, the few deliveries were more focussed on permanent infrastructure, delivering resources to a few construction ships that had landed and started building a small fusion power plant and multi-purpose factories. Ignoring all that though, they continued until they arrived at Oprin’s home, and Daniel knocked on the door, it opening a moment later to reveal Oprin.
“Oh hello, Daniel,” Oprin happily announced. “Oh, Milla too!”
“How are you doing, Oprin?” Daniel asked.
“Good, but having a few issues with some of the new stuff,” she replied. “Come in and sit down.”
Daniel and Milla obliged, entering and noticing that Oprin’s holo was turned on, but waiting on standby mode with half a dozen icons on display, including the mute, 2D mode, and resolution adjustment mode. A few moments later, she put some glasses of water and a plate of biscuits on the table in front of them, and sat down next to them.
“So, how are things?” Daniel asked.
“It’s nice to live somewhere so comfortable, but I wish I understood more of your technology,” she replied.
“The best thing to do is not to overthink things. We try to keep most things as simple as possible so even a young child would have no problems operating things. All you need to do is slow down and think simple,” he told her, holding up the two remotes, one with significantly more buttons than the other. “Let’s start with the holo here. Ignore the programming remote, and just focus on the normal one. The number buttons allow you to switch to a channel quickly if you know the number, but you don’t, so we can ignore those for now, as well as the circle underneath, as we aren’t dealing with menus. Next, we have two flick switches, once for channel, and one for volume. Flick either up to increase either the channel number or volume number, or down to decrease them. The four buttons underneath are for the channel menu, display resize, dimension mode, and mute. The first can be ignored as it hasn’t been translated yet, and the display resize can as well for now. The dimension mode will change it between 2D and 3D, depending on your preference, and the mute turns the sound on or off. Finally, the red button at the top turns the holo on and off.”
“Ok, so how do I get back to the start?” Oprin asked.
“Just a second,” he replied, playing around with the programming remote to undo everything she had done, slowly resetting everything to its default and setting the holo to the state-run news channel. “Ok, there we go.”
“So what’s this now?”
“So this is the most popular new channel. It details the major headlines from all over the UPC, with segments about local news as well. It gives factual and unbiased reports on many things, but given how general it is, it might not always be relevant to you, and given how it does its best to be unbiased, it can be a bit robotic and boring at times. They worry that any significant emotion will impact how viewers perceive different stories, rather than being able to freely interpret it their own way. It’s a good way to catch up on big things, but it gets boring very quickly, so if you want actual entertainment, you can try one of the other channels. There are a fair few more news channels sprinkled about, but the majority of the remaining channels are purely for entertainment.”
“I see,” she replied, flicking through a few, stopping on one that was currently running a program about various types of spaceships, focussing more on personal high-performance ones. She also spent a few moments flipping between 2D and 3D, and eventually settled on 2D, as she could pick up some faint lighting issues thanks to the sunlight with 3D.
“Also, just so you’re aware, though you don’t have to look now, there are some subscription streaming services that allow you to watch premium content on demand, but you will have to pay and the controls to navigate aren’t as simple. Just so you know if you end up looking for more in the future. They also don’t break up what you’re watching with advertisements.”
“How frequent are the advertisements?” Oprin asked.
“It depends on the channel. State-run ones don’t have any, aside from advertising new shows that will be on that channel later, but some of the others can run up to five minutes of ads every 15-30 minutes.”
“Sounds better than our radio already. About half of the broadcast was advertisements on a good day, and the other half were carefully curated news stories.”
“Sounds like it wasn’t much fun to listen to,” Milla commented.
“No, it really wasn’t. Thankfully, I was too young at the time to have any interest in it.”
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First / Previous / Next
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Hi all, just wanted to sorry if the dream sequence felt a little odd for what I normally do. I wanted to make some small changes based on some feedback to show a little more of Daniel and Hannah'rah's past, which is hard to do in the current situation.
I also wanted to make people aware of the Reddit blackout protest happening on the 12th of June. I just wanted to say that I will continue to post my episodes here during the blackout in case any of you are worried, partly due to the sub not taking part in it as well as me not wanting to disrupt your entertainment, but I do agree with the premise behind it and encourage people to look into it if they are unaware of what’s going on.
submitted by The_Fallen_1 to HFY [link] [comments]
-----------------------------
Daniel heaved up Hannah’rah to prevent her from falling off of his back as he carried her back from their walk, which she happened to misjudge the length of. He didn’t mind too much, as she was fairly light, but the frequency that it was happening made him suspicious that she might be doing it on purpose.
“Hey, sleepy, you still awake?” he asked.
“Mmh?” she quietly replied.
“If you’re this tired, I’m not sure we’ll make the gaming tournament tomorrow.”
“I’ll be fine, ‘s why I’m resting now.”
“Uh huh. And do get to rest as well at some point, right?”
“You need less sleep than me,” she mumbled.
“Any chance I can sleep in a little and wake up to a nice breakfast?”
“‘Course.”
“Thank you,” he replied, turning his head and kissing her on the lips.
-----------------------------
Daniel yawned as he woke up, looking around his room on the Trailmaker, and at Hannah'rah who was still asleep next to him. He gently stroked her head for a moment wondering if there was any chance he could get her planet side with him, maybe even to go on a walk like they used to, but with her duties to defend the ship, especially with an open connection to the station, and the fact that there wasn't anything that only she could do down on the planet, he realised it was practically impossible. He instead spent his waking energy running through his spell exercises, manipulating a weighted ball on the desk completely with magic and getting used to holding spells for a longer period of time. As he did it, he attempted to recall some of his dream again, but all he could remember of it was that it was based on a memory of them hiking together.
As he was doing so, he realised that it had been a while since he'd attempted to speak with Ordos, and now that he was back in UPC space, there was a better chance of success. He uttered an invitation, and waited.
'There's a reason us Deities don't respond all the time, you know,' Ordos told him.
'Sorry, but I had to try again to see if I could,' Daniel apologised.
‘What did you wish to ask?’ Ordos asked.
‘You probably know, but I have two questions. The first is, am I the first person to align with you?’
‘You are currently the only person aligned with me. A sort of test, if you will,’ the God confirmed.
‘Thank you, and second, are you here in this system?’
‘No, I’m on Earth, or my main physical form is anyway.’
‘When I come back to Earth, can I meet you please?’
‘That depends on many things, and some are unlikely.’
‘I understand. Thank you for taking the time to speak to me.’
‘You’re welcome,’ Ordos told him. ‘I do have something for you, however, which is why we’re talking right now. There’s a “friend” of yours on the station, looking to have a chat like before the Trailmaker left port. Do what you will with this information.’
‘Thank you, Ordos, I appreciate the warning,’ Daniel replied, sensing the connection end.
-----------------------------
Daniel adjusted his jacket, making sure it was sitting comfortably over his uniform and obscuring his rank slides and brassard, and disembarked from the Trailmaker onto the station. He mainly wanted to wear it so he wasn’t purely in space uniform when he was planet side, but it would help him be slightly harder to spot in a crowd, as anyone could own a jacket, but not his ranks and awards. He knew he had a little time to kill before his shuttle was ready, so he began to check some of the select civilian stands laid out in a small market that had been allowed to set up shop to sell some things to the Navy personnel, as well as allow the few Langan aboard to try some of the smaller luxuries the UPC had to offer. He joined the back of a small line to a food stall to see if he could grab a few small treats, and he was pleased to see signage saying that everything on sale was rated safe for all species, including Langan.
When he got to the front of the line, he picked up four bars of chocolate, as well as four bottles of cola. He presented his holo to the payment terminal, confirmed the slightly overpriced transaction, and made sure it went through. He smiled at the stall attendant who was just there to restock and deal with any Langan customers, and walked away, stuffing the items into his jacket pockets, securing them properly.
Finding he still had a bit of time, he also headed over to a less busy stall nearby that was staffed by a Lagan looking to make a head start in their new life, selling some copies of Langan items. Daniel had a quick browse, and his eyes landed on a set of books he thought could make a useful tool to help him learn Langan writing a little faster if he decided to learn it. He saw the price and knew he could just wait a few months and get them online for dirt cheap, but he admired the stall keeper's desire to get started out again, so he bought the books which worked out to be about two day’s salary, making the Langan very happy.
He checked the time once again to see that he could probably start boarding the shuttle very soon, so he began to casually make his way towards the shuttle bay, checking his messages to see if anything had come through, finding a few messages from his group of friends welcoming him back to UPC space, and correctly guessing that his ship was the one to make first contact. He sent a quick reply to them all, thanking them and promising to talk properly when he had more time. He also found a message from an unverified source, which he quickly read and deleted, finding the information within to be useful but disappointing, reminding him he still had to sort out the chip he was hiding.
“Lieutenant Daniel Hardbrooks, what a pleasant surprise!”
Daniel stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking to his side to see someone he didn’t recognise, wearing the stereotypical agent suit. “Wrong person, sorry.”
“Don’t be like that, I just want to have a quick chat, that’s all.”
“I’m not a Lieutenant, and you’re not wearing a Navy ID or a visitor pass, so I strongly suggest you identify yourself before I call for security,” Daniel replied.
“Agent Johnson, CSB,” the man told him, flashing their ID.
“Ok, but you’ve still got the wrong person, and I don’t have a lot of time, so sorry, and good luck on you manhunt.”
“Sorry, Lieutenant Commander Hardbrooks,” the man apologised in a snide tone.
“I still don’t have time, goodbye,” Daniel replied, walking away.
"I'm afraid I really need to talk," the Agent insisted, grabbing Daniel's left arm to prevent him from walking away.
"I politely request you let go."
"There's a quiet room down the way where we can talk."
"I strongly suggest you let go," Daniel sternly persisted.
"And I strongly suggest you come with me," the Agent warned him, glancing at Daniel's arm as it beeped, indicating something that shouldn't be used accidentally had just been powered on.
"I am giving you one-"
"Come on, Lieutenant Commander, you're holding up the shuttle."
Daniel looked over his other shoulder as Milla grabbed his other arm and firmly pulled him away from the Agent and towards the shuttle bay, forcing the Agent to let go. Daniel looked back at the Agent, who prepared to give chase, but was immediately confronted with two military police officers.
"Thanks for the save," Daniel told her.
"We're even for you helping me after the jump, right?" she asked, messing with her holo.
"Yeah, sure. How did you kn-"
"Saw the guy arrive yesterday, and heard about your CSB encounter from Hannah'rah. I put two and two together, and got the MPs to keep an eye on him. They probably can't do anything to him, but they can waste his time for not wearing proper ID, which is great for an opportune moment. The timing of me being there to call them over and pull you away was just luck really," she shrugged, closing her holo. "Oh, and by the way, you're on my shuttle now."
"Oh, thanks," he replied, checking the notification as it came through.
"No problem. You'd really think that they'd drop the suit and try to blend in, making sure they at least have fake IDs on display, but nope. It's like everyone there is addicted to century old spy movies or something."
"I know what you mean. A high-vis jacket and a clipboard would be a much better disguise. People might even help you."
"Don't give them ideas," she warned him as she guided him onto a small shuttle, revealing that they were the only two passengers, and when she closed the door, they had complete privacy. "So, why is a government agency after you?"
"I'm not 100% sure, as both times they never managed to get to the point," he shrugged, sitting down and buckling in. "I have a suspicion they want to recruit me, as if they wanted to arrest me, I wouldn't have gotten away so easily. As for where this comes from, well, I have a grey hat background. They could just be trying to find out if I know anything I shouldn't do from that I suppose."
"Grey hat is legal, right?"
"Yes, but you have to tread carefully, as a small slip up can get you in a lot of trouble."
"That's fine then," she replied, signalling to the shuttle pilot on her holo that they were good to go once they were both securely seated. "If that man is still on the station when we return, I think you should stay with me until we're on the ship, just to make it so you can't be singled out."
"Thanks, Milla."
"So, I'm curious to know what you would have done if I didn't arrive in time."
"Oh, I probably would have tased him and reported him for assault after he didn't let go. He wasn't operating by the books, didn't present his ID well enough for me to verify it, and ignored my requests, so I was about to electricity my arm. After all there was no way for me to know if he was telling the truth, and I'm not going to let myself be taken to an unknown place by a shady person," he explained, slightly smirking. "I am a senior officer after all, it's a massive security risk to the Navy if some crook captures me. I can only comply with MPs while on a Naval facility."
"Sounds reasonable to me," Milla chuckled as the shuttle touched down. "Perfect, we're here."
"That was fast."
"Good shuttle and a good pilot," she explained, disembarking and sending the pilot a message of thanks.
"So, I managed to get planet access to help Oprin, but how did you manage," he asked as the shuttle took off behind them.
"Oh, I just needed some fresh air after my recent incident."
"You're lucky you're a Gater. That excuse would never fly with anyone else."
"Yeah, probably not. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get special treatment, such as the ear of MPs, and being able to squeeze friends on private shuttles, instead of slightly more open ones that might have an unwanted ‘friend’ onboard."
“Very lucky and very useful,” he agreed, pulling a bottle of cola and a bar of chocolate out of his pocket. “Here, I was going to give you this when I was back on the ship, but now is as good of a time as any.”
“Giving treats to other women? You’re brave.”
“I’m giving them to all my friends. I have the same for Hannah'rah and Oprin,” he explained.
“I’m glad I’m your friend then,” she replied, opening both and having a small amount of each. “So, what are your plans for today?”
“Just help Oprin with whatever she needs.”
“Mind if I tag along? I didn’t really come here with any more plans than to just wander around and help out where I could.”
“It's up to Oprin really.”
“Fair enough.”
Daniel began to lead Milla down various roads, away from the temporary spaceport, and down to the residential area Oprin’s house was located in. The streets stretched for much longer than they did when he left the day before, but the addition of new homes had been halted to save on the currently limited resources, as there were far more than were required for the current residents, plus a tenth of the currently frozen Langan, and more could easily be built when the logistics hiccup had been resolved. Instead, the few deliveries were more focussed on permanent infrastructure, delivering resources to a few construction ships that had landed and started building a small fusion power plant and multi-purpose factories. Ignoring all that though, they continued until they arrived at Oprin’s home, and Daniel knocked on the door, it opening a moment later to reveal Oprin.
“Oh hello, Daniel,” Oprin happily announced. “Oh, Milla too!”
“How are you doing, Oprin?” Daniel asked.
“Good, but having a few issues with some of the new stuff,” she replied. “Come in and sit down.”
Daniel and Milla obliged, entering and noticing that Oprin’s holo was turned on, but waiting on standby mode with half a dozen icons on display, including the mute, 2D mode, and resolution adjustment mode. A few moments later, she put some glasses of water and a plate of biscuits on the table in front of them, and sat down next to them.
“So, how are things?” Daniel asked.
“It’s nice to live somewhere so comfortable, but I wish I understood more of your technology,” she replied.
“The best thing to do is not to overthink things. We try to keep most things as simple as possible so even a young child would have no problems operating things. All you need to do is slow down and think simple,” he told her, holding up the two remotes, one with significantly more buttons than the other. “Let’s start with the holo here. Ignore the programming remote, and just focus on the normal one. The number buttons allow you to switch to a channel quickly if you know the number, but you don’t, so we can ignore those for now, as well as the circle underneath, as we aren’t dealing with menus. Next, we have two flick switches, once for channel, and one for volume. Flick either up to increase either the channel number or volume number, or down to decrease them. The four buttons underneath are for the channel menu, display resize, dimension mode, and mute. The first can be ignored as it hasn’t been translated yet, and the display resize can as well for now. The dimension mode will change it between 2D and 3D, depending on your preference, and the mute turns the sound on or off. Finally, the red button at the top turns the holo on and off.”
“Ok, so how do I get back to the start?” Oprin asked.
“Just a second,” he replied, playing around with the programming remote to undo everything she had done, slowly resetting everything to its default and setting the holo to the state-run news channel. “Ok, there we go.”
“So what’s this now?”
“So this is the most popular new channel. It details the major headlines from all over the UPC, with segments about local news as well. It gives factual and unbiased reports on many things, but given how general it is, it might not always be relevant to you, and given how it does its best to be unbiased, it can be a bit robotic and boring at times. They worry that any significant emotion will impact how viewers perceive different stories, rather than being able to freely interpret it their own way. It’s a good way to catch up on big things, but it gets boring very quickly, so if you want actual entertainment, you can try one of the other channels. There are a fair few more news channels sprinkled about, but the majority of the remaining channels are purely for entertainment.”
“I see,” she replied, flicking through a few, stopping on one that was currently running a program about various types of spaceships, focussing more on personal high-performance ones. She also spent a few moments flipping between 2D and 3D, and eventually settled on 2D, as she could pick up some faint lighting issues thanks to the sunlight with 3D.
“Also, just so you’re aware, though you don’t have to look now, there are some subscription streaming services that allow you to watch premium content on demand, but you will have to pay and the controls to navigate aren’t as simple. Just so you know if you end up looking for more in the future. They also don’t break up what you’re watching with advertisements.”
“How frequent are the advertisements?” Oprin asked.
“It depends on the channel. State-run ones don’t have any, aside from advertising new shows that will be on that channel later, but some of the others can run up to five minutes of ads every 15-30 minutes.”
“Sounds better than our radio already. About half of the broadcast was advertisements on a good day, and the other half were carefully curated news stories.”
“Sounds like it wasn’t much fun to listen to,” Milla commented.
“No, it really wasn’t. Thankfully, I was too young at the time to have any interest in it.”
-----------------------------
First / Previous / Next
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Hi all, just wanted to sorry if the dream sequence felt a little odd for what I normally do. I wanted to make some small changes based on some feedback to show a little more of Daniel and Hannah'rah's past, which is hard to do in the current situation.
I also wanted to make people aware of the Reddit blackout protest happening on the 12th of June. I just wanted to say that I will continue to post my episodes here during the blackout in case any of you are worried, partly due to the sub not taking part in it as well as me not wanting to disrupt your entertainment, but I do agree with the premise behind it and encourage people to look into it if they are unaware of what’s going on.
2023.06.07 20:58 bomontop not really needing a tutorial but need help with why this is crashing
 | how come whenever I create a new node in blueprints, my project crashes, even when I'm not over loading things submitted by bomontop to UnrealEngineTutorials [link] [comments] like once i drag the white line over, it crashes once i click it, no menu for it even pops up specs: radeon 5500 xt 16gb ram AMD ryzen 5 3600 6 core processor https://preview.redd.it/a18m91cz7n4b1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=d749482ca36617fd8f51cd01dedc592e317e0469 |
2023.06.07 20:45 stella_is_my_cat Updated UFS!! Feeling thankful to everyone who has helped re-home from my collection! Getting out of collecting, & hoping to get these cuties adopted! Lots of sales & trades proof!! Prices listed on the last slide 😌💖
 | Flower BumBumz: $7+ship submitted by stella_is_my_cat to squishmallows [link] [comments] All micro seacows are $8+ship, but unfortunately butt tags were cut. Will sell the lot (all 11) for $80-- it's like getting 1 micro for free! Always willing to bundle everything & everyone needs a travel buddy!! 🥹🥰 |
2023.06.07 20:44 stella_is_my_cat Updated UFS!! Feeling thankful to everyone who has helped re-home from my collection! Getting out of collecting, & hoping to get these cuties adopted! Lots of sales & trades proof!! Prices listed on the last slide 😌💖
 | Flower BumBumz: $7+ship submitted by stella_is_my_cat to Squishmallowsforsale [link] [comments] All micro seacows are $8+ship, but unfortunately butt tags were cut. Will sell the lot (all 11) for $80-- it's like getting 1 micro for free! Always willing to bundle everything & everyone needs a travel buddy!! 🥹🥰 |
2023.06.07 20:44 stella_is_my_cat Updated UFS!! Feeling thankful to everyone who has helped re-home from my collection! Getting out of collecting, & hoping to get these cuties adopted! Lots of sales & trades proof!! Prices listed on the last slide 😌💖
 | Flower BumBumz: $7+ship submitted by stella_is_my_cat to BSTsquishmallow [link] [comments] All micro seacows are $8+ship, but unfortunately butt tags were cut. Will sell the lot (all 11) for $80-- it's like getting 1 micro for free! Always willing to bundle everything & everyone needs a travel buddy!! 🥹🥰 |
2023.06.07 20:43 Future_Ad_3485 The Swallow and the Mad Hatter Part Eleven: A Lilac in the Bayou
Laying in bed, my hand rested on my bump. How did I end like this? Demonic and pregnant, that very statement sounding like a cheap movie title. Demy slumbered next to me, the day was ours to be had. Demy promised me a date today, and I suppose I should take it. Swinging my feet over the edge of the bed, a black box waited for me. Opening the top, my breath was stolen from me. Golden lace sparrows flew over a scarlet rockabilly dress, my shaking fingers pulling it out. Holding it to my body, the measurements were exact to me. The mattress creaked as Demy sat up, the morning sun bathing his handsome features.
“Do you like it? I ordered it a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, it will fit.” He yawned groggily, rubbing his eyes. “I also ordered new jeans for you, considering that they won’t fit eventually. Try it on.” Tugging on my snug bra, the dress fit perfectly. Loving the way the skirt floated away from me, Demy was already dressed in a simple black dress shirt and dark jeans. His casual look threw me off, a scythe charm dangled off of his wrists. Staring at him with pure bewilderment, he tugged his hair into a neat man bun. Shrugging his shoulders, he sauntered over to me. His hungry eyes devoured me.
“I like it very much.” I stammered with a fluttering heart. Wrapping his arm around the small of my waist, his lips pressed against mine passionately. Arching my body towards him, time stopped once more. Why did this keep happening! Releasing me from his spell, his forehead pressed against mine.
“I forgot to tell you that I can disguise myself. Now I look like an albino goth.” He explained playfully, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “Let me fix your hair.” Brushing through it, he twisted it into a simple side braid. Kicking over my boots, he kissed my forehead while I slid on my boots. Spinning around the room, he swung me underneath him. Smothering me in kisses, he placed me on his back. Walking downstairs, we burst out onto the busy street. People smiled at us as he took every turn to an abandoned mansion. Vines had claimed the red brick, the metal porches barely hanging on.
“I bought it for us.” He proclaimed proudly, placing his hands on his hips. “I thought it was time we got a place of our own. What do you think?” Tears welled up in my eyes, my hand falling on my bump. He didn’t have to, my other hand clenching into a tight ball. Glancing up at the top window, a lone female spirit floated in her flowing nightgown. Cocking my head, shadowy hands ripped her back. Bursting through the front door, dust covered the water damaged walls. Sprinting upstairs, my fingers curled around my staff. The stairs creaked dangerously underneath my boots, a jump in the air saving me from a painful fall as the steps crumbled. Landing on the metal railing, my boots clanged against the metal with every step. A ghost was in trouble, the scene shifting around me. Demy caught up to me, the inside of the house rewinding back in time. Pristine walls with ornate wallpaper greeted me, Demy letting out a long sigh.
“We are trapped in another time bubble.” He groaned to himself, rubbing his forehead. “We know the only way out is to kill the ghost who brought us here. This bubble reeks of something else though. Can you smell the sulfur?” Sniffing the air, he wasn’t wrong. Hiding me underneath the staircase, my breath hitched at his body pressed against mine. A man with chocolate brown hair and caramel eyes landed inches from us, blood pouring from his eyes. A child’s scream snapped me from my horror filled trance, a thirteen year old girl ran by us with her long brown waves flying behind her. A shadow figure chased after her, a jagged blade sliding through her chest. Watching the ruby drops hit the floor, the worn wooden handle became stained with her blood. Dropping to the floor, her hand reached for me. The demon snapped its head towards us, rows of bloody fangs clicked together. Spinning his blade in his palm, his wrist flicked abruptly, Demy’s back caught the blade, his scythe charm glowing red hot. Pushing the knife out with his muscles, the charm grew to its full size. Ravens cawed behind him, the bracelet turning back into his top hat. Scarlet flames twisted with golden flames, the feathers floating behind me. Cocking his head back, crazed laughter burst from his lips.
“You are going to have to find me first.” He taunted cruelly, clapping his hands. “I will never let you claim my home.” Demy narrowed his eyes in his direction, the annoyance disappearing into the floor. Coming out of our hiding spot, jazz music played outside. Creeping around the corner, my flames died down for a second. A pile of bright yellow liquid coated the spot he went through, Demy crouching down to examine it.
“He is ancient.” He grumbled under his breath, his kind gaze watched me take in the information. “The brighter the sulfur the older they are.” Feeling stupid for not understanding him, the solution wasn’t obvious to me. Shifting uncomfortably, no words came to the tip of my tongue. The ghost of the girl floated over to me, tears flowing endlessly down her cheeks. Her hair floated up behind her, her quaking hands gripping her ragged nightgown. Her milky eyes met mine, surprise rounding her eyes at my outreached hand.
“We are going to get rid of him for you. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can free you because of the whole murder thing. Maybe we can find your father.” I offered sincerely, her icy hands cupping mine. “We can turn on the television for you every now and then. I’ll even cook your favorite foods so you can smell them. The one thing you have to do is help me out. Can you do that?” The spirit of the father floated around the corner, his snow white hair danced wildly. Fixing his mustache, his milky eyes fell on us. Dusting off his suit, he cleared his throat. Holding out his hand, I gave it one good firm shake.
“I am Mr. Smillet and that is my daughter Milly. We would love to help you.” He introduced himself politely, ruffling his daughter’s hair. “Unfortunately, we can’t leave because of an eternal curse on the land but your idea sounds lovely. Let’s make this place a home once more.” Floating through the floor, his head popped up through the center of the hole.
“This is going to sound backwards but he is in the attic.” He chirped warmly, pulling himself out. “We will lead the way.” Walking past the photos of them, the nineteen twenties raged outside. Stopping at the attic door, they took a step back. Thanking them silently, we pushed the door open. Pressing our backs against the wall, the stairs creaked with every step. Glancing behind me, the door slammed shut behind us. The only light flickered, my heart seconds from beating out of my chest. Pop! A sea of darkness swallowed us, cold breezes lashing our cheeks. Summoning my flames, my heart sank into the pit of my stomach at his face inches from mine. Slamming my heel into his chest, he smashed into the wall. Climbing the stairs, I kicked a pile of boxes down the stairs. Spinning my scythe over my head, balls of flames whipped in his direction. Stopping them before they hit him, he raised his hand over his head. Hundreds of those damn daggers spun over his head, my metal feathers destroying them upon impact. Snapping his fingers, cold hands smashed through the floorboards. Slicing my palm on an exposed nail, Demy seemed to be dealing with his own problems. Smearing my hand on the wall, the scent was enough for me to summon my pets. Whistling sharply, the attic door rattled violently. Wet snarls echoed on the other side, my three pets taking him down to the ground. Pulling his gun from his pocket, Demy towered over the howling demon. Pressing his gun to his forehead, his finger tugged on the trigger. His bullet burst from the end, his body decaying to ash. My pets bounded up to me, their tails wagging a mile a minute. Rubbing their bellies, they melted into puddles.
“Who are good doggies!” I spoke with my dog mom’s voice, tongues licking my face left and right. The time bubble still remained, my eyes narrowing. Something felt off, a glowing orb bounced in the corner. Walking over to it cautiously, the ball of light floated into my clammy palm. Tears welled up in my eyes, the spirit was her mother. The real reason the time bubble existed was because of her, her soul purpose had been served. She stayed behind to protect them, one more thing stopping her.
“I need you to promise to take care of them.” She spoke gently, the orb floating in the air. “I can’t stay here because I dragged myself outside of the property line. I need to know that they will be okay.” Drops of light hit the floor, sobs bounced off the wall. Demy embraced me from behind, his chin resting on my head. Flashing the orb with his crooked grin, the drops of light slowed to a halt.
“We vow to give them a lovely afterlife. I was thinking we could give them the attic.” He promised sincerely, kissing the top of my head. “We can furnish the space as they wish. Then they can hang out with us downstairs. How does that sound?” Thinking for a minute, the orb floated into the sky. The time bubble glitched, a dusty attic greeting us. Pressing my palm to the splintered floor, a bright light blinded us. Covering his eyes, the light died down. Pristine floors brushed against my palm, a neat bedroom pleased me. The simple furniture would do, a picture of the girl's family hung on the wall. Running downstairs, the two spirits waited on the other side of the door. Opening the door for them, I motioned for them to go on up. Gasps of wonder bounced off the wall, my eyes scanning the scarlet walls. The hall seemed empty, my fingers tracing the one ancient mirror. Demy’s jaw dropped, my finger picking it up.
“If I can heal living things I can bring inanimate objects back to life.” I bragged with a wide grin, poking it to see if it was real. “I didn’t think I could do this well. We do have to get some furniture though. I could only manifest theirs because it had existed at one point. Do you like it?” Parting his lips to speak, a distraught woman sprinted in. One of our marks entered the hall, I put my foot out. Not seeing my foot, his face smashed onto the floor. Pressing my staff into his back, he put his hands up. The silky onyx hair contrasted the restored wooden floors, my three dogs surrounding him.
“If you move a fucking muscle you'll become dog chow.” I snapped hotly, flaming feathers hovered over him. “Tell me why you were cha-” My face dead panned at my former colleague charging at me with a haunted expression. Grabbing her by the arm, I tossed her over my head. The floor groaned in protest, the boards repairing themselves. Examining her closer, her eyes were ruby. Her lilac waves cascaded down her back, the white frilly Lolita dress hugged her petite body. A diamond collar sparkled on her neck, my eyes falling on the inky stain spreading on the white lace. Sniffing the air, I let them both go. A nasty bugger limped down the hall, a curved lilac blade quivered in his sludgy back. Demy raised his scythe, his ravens cawing behind him. Harsh winds blew our hair around, my flames roaring to life. Crouching down to their level, I yanked both of the heads up by their hair.
“If I help you, you join my army. No ifs, and or buts.” I barked sternly, the two of them nodding. “Sit back and watch the show.” Resting against the wall, her master fussed over her. Spinning my staff over my head, flaming feathers landed in the body. Demy leapt over my head, his scythe cutting into the body. The demon roared, horror rounding our eyes as it absorbed our power. Opening up its mouth, a wall of lilacs blocked its path. An idea came to mine, the flames of the burning lilacs illuminating my features.
“We need to hit it with everything we have.” I whispered so it wouldn’t hear, bewildered expressions meeting my determined grin. “You have trust in me.” Allowing my powers to build up at the top of my staff, Demy’s pure power built at the end of his scythe. Swinging our weapons at the same time, a rush of hot air blew our hair back. Taking the mirror off the wall, I held it in front of us. Let’s see how much power he could take. Demy held me by my hips in preparation for the impact. Absorbing the power as I had planned, a beam of our power slid us back a few feet. The beam hit him, the cracks beginning to form on his skin. Absorbing the doubled energy, he blasted the mirror again. The frame creaked, the beam striking the mirror once more. Demy held me down with all of his strength. The game of tennis continued until the energy decayed him into a pile of ash. Lowering the mirror, the house repaired itself. Demy huffed behind me, his arm spinning me around. Kissing me hungrily, he seemed grateful that I was alive. Crouching down to her level, Demy’s top hat absorbed his scythe and ravens.
“Where is she wounded? I won’t hurt her. I want to heal her.” I assured him kindly, the fellow demon taking a step back. “Do you mind?” Lifting up her dress, a nasty spike stuck out of her back. Ripping it out, she cussed like a sailor. Hovering my hand over the gaping wound, her muscle fused back together. Watching her skin patch itself, a nasty scar throbbed underneath my touch. Demy kicked her blade over, her trembling fingers gripping the worn leather hilt with raw terror.
“You must be Davidos Darth and Lilac Mattson. These two defected a couple of years ago.” Demy explained calmly, the petite woman embracing me graciously. “They were just hunted down by one of her sludgy monsters. The Golden Lion must be after you. The question is why.” A two year old girl peeked out from around the corner, her lilac waves grazing the floor. A white summer dress floated away from her body, her ruby eyes falling on me. A bright smile illuminated Lilac’s purple lips, the girl’s purple lips curling into a matching smile.
“Mommy!” She cried out, Lilac tossing me to the floor as she caught her daughter. “I am glad you are safe. I hid in my invisibility bubble like you told me too. Who is the pretty lady?” Crouching down to her level, I held out my hand.
“I am Scarlet Deaclon, your mother’s best friend. How do you feel about living here? Is that alright with your mother?” I inquired sweetly, her face lighting up. “I can’t have you guys running like that. I will put a protection spell on the house if it makes you feel better. Us defectors have to stick together.” Silent tears stained Lilac’s cheek, Davidos seemed seconds from crying.
“Seriously, I can’t have you guys on the street. Fight with me and we can have a miniature family.” I continued jovially, ruffling the girl’s beautiful hair. “I can also babysit if you need it.” Lilac began to sob, several fresh cuts and bruises caught my eyes.
“Why are you being so nice?” She wept softly, wiping away her tears. “I don’t deserve it. We left in s-” Putting my hand in the air, confusion mixed with sadness. Cupping her face, she quaked underneath my touch.
“She is the best reason to leave.” I comforted her kindly, my three dogs bounding up to the little girl. “Don’t worry they don’t bite. What’s her name?” Oreo, Stripes, and Darkness smothered her in love, the girl's giggles twinkled in the air. The four of them played as Davidos helped Lilac to her feet, Demy pacing back and forth. An irritated growl rumbled in his throat, a hand on his shoulder calming him down. He had to know that we needed allies, his lips brushing against the top of my head. Fishing around his pocket, a worn pocket knife sat in my palm. Cutting the blade across my palm, my eyes watched the blood pool. Drawing a powerful protection spell on the wall, the house rattled the moment I slammed my palm onto the wall. A golden dome hummed to life around the house. Mouthing a silent spell, five necklaces appeared in my palms. Golden feathers dangled off of the golden chains, no words being said as I passed them out.
“These will protect you when you leave the house.” I informed them with my real smile, dropping the necklace over the little girl’s head. “This should increase your ability to become invisible.” Clearing her throat, she stood in the attention position. Holding her head up high, Demy grinned at her proud stance.
“I am Lavender.” She introduced herself boldly, cupping my hands. “I vow to be your ally.” Chuckling softly to myself, my hand fell to my stomach absentmindedly. Hoping my kid was this awesome, hope glittered in her eyes. Demy spun me on my heels, placing my necklace over my head. Hooking his elbow in mine, he glanced back with concern.
“We are going to pick up some grub. Is pizza okay?” He asked with his crooked grin, their heads nodding. “We will be right back.” Guiding me out the door, our neighbors stared at us long and hard. Waving to them, they waved back awkwardly. Letting the moonlight bathe me, he spun me around. Holding me by the small of my waist, scarlet colored my cheeks.
“Did you see that adorable little girl? Do you think ours will be as awesome?” He mused playfully, kissing my lips feverishly. A goofy look dawned on my face, the feather necklace I made glittered on his shirt. Following my gaze, he fiddled with the magical charm.
“I would be a fool not to wear what my wife made for me.” He continued happily, his hand sliding down to my slight bump. Getting onto his knees, his lips brushed against the surface. Hugging my bump, a deeper crimson rose to my cheeks. People watched with warm smiles, the older couples holding each other tighter. Rising to his feet, he hooked his elbow in mine. Making me feel like the lead in a romance novel, pride swelled in his eyes. Walking me to the local pizza place, a warmth came over me. A shadow figure darted in the distance, the serenity leaving my mind. What the hell was that?
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“Do you like it? I ordered it a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, it will fit.” He yawned groggily, rubbing his eyes. “I also ordered new jeans for you, considering that they won’t fit eventually. Try it on.” Tugging on my snug bra, the dress fit perfectly. Loving the way the skirt floated away from me, Demy was already dressed in a simple black dress shirt and dark jeans. His casual look threw me off, a scythe charm dangled off of his wrists. Staring at him with pure bewilderment, he tugged his hair into a neat man bun. Shrugging his shoulders, he sauntered over to me. His hungry eyes devoured me.
“I like it very much.” I stammered with a fluttering heart. Wrapping his arm around the small of my waist, his lips pressed against mine passionately. Arching my body towards him, time stopped once more. Why did this keep happening! Releasing me from his spell, his forehead pressed against mine.
“I forgot to tell you that I can disguise myself. Now I look like an albino goth.” He explained playfully, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “Let me fix your hair.” Brushing through it, he twisted it into a simple side braid. Kicking over my boots, he kissed my forehead while I slid on my boots. Spinning around the room, he swung me underneath him. Smothering me in kisses, he placed me on his back. Walking downstairs, we burst out onto the busy street. People smiled at us as he took every turn to an abandoned mansion. Vines had claimed the red brick, the metal porches barely hanging on.
“I bought it for us.” He proclaimed proudly, placing his hands on his hips. “I thought it was time we got a place of our own. What do you think?” Tears welled up in my eyes, my hand falling on my bump. He didn’t have to, my other hand clenching into a tight ball. Glancing up at the top window, a lone female spirit floated in her flowing nightgown. Cocking my head, shadowy hands ripped her back. Bursting through the front door, dust covered the water damaged walls. Sprinting upstairs, my fingers curled around my staff. The stairs creaked dangerously underneath my boots, a jump in the air saving me from a painful fall as the steps crumbled. Landing on the metal railing, my boots clanged against the metal with every step. A ghost was in trouble, the scene shifting around me. Demy caught up to me, the inside of the house rewinding back in time. Pristine walls with ornate wallpaper greeted me, Demy letting out a long sigh.
“We are trapped in another time bubble.” He groaned to himself, rubbing his forehead. “We know the only way out is to kill the ghost who brought us here. This bubble reeks of something else though. Can you smell the sulfur?” Sniffing the air, he wasn’t wrong. Hiding me underneath the staircase, my breath hitched at his body pressed against mine. A man with chocolate brown hair and caramel eyes landed inches from us, blood pouring from his eyes. A child’s scream snapped me from my horror filled trance, a thirteen year old girl ran by us with her long brown waves flying behind her. A shadow figure chased after her, a jagged blade sliding through her chest. Watching the ruby drops hit the floor, the worn wooden handle became stained with her blood. Dropping to the floor, her hand reached for me. The demon snapped its head towards us, rows of bloody fangs clicked together. Spinning his blade in his palm, his wrist flicked abruptly, Demy’s back caught the blade, his scythe charm glowing red hot. Pushing the knife out with his muscles, the charm grew to its full size. Ravens cawed behind him, the bracelet turning back into his top hat. Scarlet flames twisted with golden flames, the feathers floating behind me. Cocking his head back, crazed laughter burst from his lips.
“You are going to have to find me first.” He taunted cruelly, clapping his hands. “I will never let you claim my home.” Demy narrowed his eyes in his direction, the annoyance disappearing into the floor. Coming out of our hiding spot, jazz music played outside. Creeping around the corner, my flames died down for a second. A pile of bright yellow liquid coated the spot he went through, Demy crouching down to examine it.
“He is ancient.” He grumbled under his breath, his kind gaze watched me take in the information. “The brighter the sulfur the older they are.” Feeling stupid for not understanding him, the solution wasn’t obvious to me. Shifting uncomfortably, no words came to the tip of my tongue. The ghost of the girl floated over to me, tears flowing endlessly down her cheeks. Her hair floated up behind her, her quaking hands gripping her ragged nightgown. Her milky eyes met mine, surprise rounding her eyes at my outreached hand.
“We are going to get rid of him for you. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can free you because of the whole murder thing. Maybe we can find your father.” I offered sincerely, her icy hands cupping mine. “We can turn on the television for you every now and then. I’ll even cook your favorite foods so you can smell them. The one thing you have to do is help me out. Can you do that?” The spirit of the father floated around the corner, his snow white hair danced wildly. Fixing his mustache, his milky eyes fell on us. Dusting off his suit, he cleared his throat. Holding out his hand, I gave it one good firm shake.
“I am Mr. Smillet and that is my daughter Milly. We would love to help you.” He introduced himself politely, ruffling his daughter’s hair. “Unfortunately, we can’t leave because of an eternal curse on the land but your idea sounds lovely. Let’s make this place a home once more.” Floating through the floor, his head popped up through the center of the hole.
“This is going to sound backwards but he is in the attic.” He chirped warmly, pulling himself out. “We will lead the way.” Walking past the photos of them, the nineteen twenties raged outside. Stopping at the attic door, they took a step back. Thanking them silently, we pushed the door open. Pressing our backs against the wall, the stairs creaked with every step. Glancing behind me, the door slammed shut behind us. The only light flickered, my heart seconds from beating out of my chest. Pop! A sea of darkness swallowed us, cold breezes lashing our cheeks. Summoning my flames, my heart sank into the pit of my stomach at his face inches from mine. Slamming my heel into his chest, he smashed into the wall. Climbing the stairs, I kicked a pile of boxes down the stairs. Spinning my scythe over my head, balls of flames whipped in his direction. Stopping them before they hit him, he raised his hand over his head. Hundreds of those damn daggers spun over his head, my metal feathers destroying them upon impact. Snapping his fingers, cold hands smashed through the floorboards. Slicing my palm on an exposed nail, Demy seemed to be dealing with his own problems. Smearing my hand on the wall, the scent was enough for me to summon my pets. Whistling sharply, the attic door rattled violently. Wet snarls echoed on the other side, my three pets taking him down to the ground. Pulling his gun from his pocket, Demy towered over the howling demon. Pressing his gun to his forehead, his finger tugged on the trigger. His bullet burst from the end, his body decaying to ash. My pets bounded up to me, their tails wagging a mile a minute. Rubbing their bellies, they melted into puddles.
“Who are good doggies!” I spoke with my dog mom’s voice, tongues licking my face left and right. The time bubble still remained, my eyes narrowing. Something felt off, a glowing orb bounced in the corner. Walking over to it cautiously, the ball of light floated into my clammy palm. Tears welled up in my eyes, the spirit was her mother. The real reason the time bubble existed was because of her, her soul purpose had been served. She stayed behind to protect them, one more thing stopping her.
“I need you to promise to take care of them.” She spoke gently, the orb floating in the air. “I can’t stay here because I dragged myself outside of the property line. I need to know that they will be okay.” Drops of light hit the floor, sobs bounced off the wall. Demy embraced me from behind, his chin resting on my head. Flashing the orb with his crooked grin, the drops of light slowed to a halt.
“We vow to give them a lovely afterlife. I was thinking we could give them the attic.” He promised sincerely, kissing the top of my head. “We can furnish the space as they wish. Then they can hang out with us downstairs. How does that sound?” Thinking for a minute, the orb floated into the sky. The time bubble glitched, a dusty attic greeting us. Pressing my palm to the splintered floor, a bright light blinded us. Covering his eyes, the light died down. Pristine floors brushed against my palm, a neat bedroom pleased me. The simple furniture would do, a picture of the girl's family hung on the wall. Running downstairs, the two spirits waited on the other side of the door. Opening the door for them, I motioned for them to go on up. Gasps of wonder bounced off the wall, my eyes scanning the scarlet walls. The hall seemed empty, my fingers tracing the one ancient mirror. Demy’s jaw dropped, my finger picking it up.
“If I can heal living things I can bring inanimate objects back to life.” I bragged with a wide grin, poking it to see if it was real. “I didn’t think I could do this well. We do have to get some furniture though. I could only manifest theirs because it had existed at one point. Do you like it?” Parting his lips to speak, a distraught woman sprinted in. One of our marks entered the hall, I put my foot out. Not seeing my foot, his face smashed onto the floor. Pressing my staff into his back, he put his hands up. The silky onyx hair contrasted the restored wooden floors, my three dogs surrounding him.
“If you move a fucking muscle you'll become dog chow.” I snapped hotly, flaming feathers hovered over him. “Tell me why you were cha-” My face dead panned at my former colleague charging at me with a haunted expression. Grabbing her by the arm, I tossed her over my head. The floor groaned in protest, the boards repairing themselves. Examining her closer, her eyes were ruby. Her lilac waves cascaded down her back, the white frilly Lolita dress hugged her petite body. A diamond collar sparkled on her neck, my eyes falling on the inky stain spreading on the white lace. Sniffing the air, I let them both go. A nasty bugger limped down the hall, a curved lilac blade quivered in his sludgy back. Demy raised his scythe, his ravens cawing behind him. Harsh winds blew our hair around, my flames roaring to life. Crouching down to their level, I yanked both of the heads up by their hair.
“If I help you, you join my army. No ifs, and or buts.” I barked sternly, the two of them nodding. “Sit back and watch the show.” Resting against the wall, her master fussed over her. Spinning my staff over my head, flaming feathers landed in the body. Demy leapt over my head, his scythe cutting into the body. The demon roared, horror rounding our eyes as it absorbed our power. Opening up its mouth, a wall of lilacs blocked its path. An idea came to mine, the flames of the burning lilacs illuminating my features.
“We need to hit it with everything we have.” I whispered so it wouldn’t hear, bewildered expressions meeting my determined grin. “You have trust in me.” Allowing my powers to build up at the top of my staff, Demy’s pure power built at the end of his scythe. Swinging our weapons at the same time, a rush of hot air blew our hair back. Taking the mirror off the wall, I held it in front of us. Let’s see how much power he could take. Demy held me by my hips in preparation for the impact. Absorbing the power as I had planned, a beam of our power slid us back a few feet. The beam hit him, the cracks beginning to form on his skin. Absorbing the doubled energy, he blasted the mirror again. The frame creaked, the beam striking the mirror once more. Demy held me down with all of his strength. The game of tennis continued until the energy decayed him into a pile of ash. Lowering the mirror, the house repaired itself. Demy huffed behind me, his arm spinning me around. Kissing me hungrily, he seemed grateful that I was alive. Crouching down to her level, Demy’s top hat absorbed his scythe and ravens.
“Where is she wounded? I won’t hurt her. I want to heal her.” I assured him kindly, the fellow demon taking a step back. “Do you mind?” Lifting up her dress, a nasty spike stuck out of her back. Ripping it out, she cussed like a sailor. Hovering my hand over the gaping wound, her muscle fused back together. Watching her skin patch itself, a nasty scar throbbed underneath my touch. Demy kicked her blade over, her trembling fingers gripping the worn leather hilt with raw terror.
“You must be Davidos Darth and Lilac Mattson. These two defected a couple of years ago.” Demy explained calmly, the petite woman embracing me graciously. “They were just hunted down by one of her sludgy monsters. The Golden Lion must be after you. The question is why.” A two year old girl peeked out from around the corner, her lilac waves grazing the floor. A white summer dress floated away from her body, her ruby eyes falling on me. A bright smile illuminated Lilac’s purple lips, the girl’s purple lips curling into a matching smile.
“Mommy!” She cried out, Lilac tossing me to the floor as she caught her daughter. “I am glad you are safe. I hid in my invisibility bubble like you told me too. Who is the pretty lady?” Crouching down to her level, I held out my hand.
“I am Scarlet Deaclon, your mother’s best friend. How do you feel about living here? Is that alright with your mother?” I inquired sweetly, her face lighting up. “I can’t have you guys running like that. I will put a protection spell on the house if it makes you feel better. Us defectors have to stick together.” Silent tears stained Lilac’s cheek, Davidos seemed seconds from crying.
“Seriously, I can’t have you guys on the street. Fight with me and we can have a miniature family.” I continued jovially, ruffling the girl’s beautiful hair. “I can also babysit if you need it.” Lilac began to sob, several fresh cuts and bruises caught my eyes.
“Why are you being so nice?” She wept softly, wiping away her tears. “I don’t deserve it. We left in s-” Putting my hand in the air, confusion mixed with sadness. Cupping her face, she quaked underneath my touch.
“She is the best reason to leave.” I comforted her kindly, my three dogs bounding up to the little girl. “Don’t worry they don’t bite. What’s her name?” Oreo, Stripes, and Darkness smothered her in love, the girl's giggles twinkled in the air. The four of them played as Davidos helped Lilac to her feet, Demy pacing back and forth. An irritated growl rumbled in his throat, a hand on his shoulder calming him down. He had to know that we needed allies, his lips brushing against the top of my head. Fishing around his pocket, a worn pocket knife sat in my palm. Cutting the blade across my palm, my eyes watched the blood pool. Drawing a powerful protection spell on the wall, the house rattled the moment I slammed my palm onto the wall. A golden dome hummed to life around the house. Mouthing a silent spell, five necklaces appeared in my palms. Golden feathers dangled off of the golden chains, no words being said as I passed them out.
“These will protect you when you leave the house.” I informed them with my real smile, dropping the necklace over the little girl’s head. “This should increase your ability to become invisible.” Clearing her throat, she stood in the attention position. Holding her head up high, Demy grinned at her proud stance.
“I am Lavender.” She introduced herself boldly, cupping my hands. “I vow to be your ally.” Chuckling softly to myself, my hand fell to my stomach absentmindedly. Hoping my kid was this awesome, hope glittered in her eyes. Demy spun me on my heels, placing my necklace over my head. Hooking his elbow in mine, he glanced back with concern.
“We are going to pick up some grub. Is pizza okay?” He asked with his crooked grin, their heads nodding. “We will be right back.” Guiding me out the door, our neighbors stared at us long and hard. Waving to them, they waved back awkwardly. Letting the moonlight bathe me, he spun me around. Holding me by the small of my waist, scarlet colored my cheeks.
“Did you see that adorable little girl? Do you think ours will be as awesome?” He mused playfully, kissing my lips feverishly. A goofy look dawned on my face, the feather necklace I made glittered on his shirt. Following my gaze, he fiddled with the magical charm.
“I would be a fool not to wear what my wife made for me.” He continued happily, his hand sliding down to my slight bump. Getting onto his knees, his lips brushed against the surface. Hugging my bump, a deeper crimson rose to my cheeks. People watched with warm smiles, the older couples holding each other tighter. Rising to his feet, he hooked his elbow in mine. Making me feel like the lead in a romance novel, pride swelled in his eyes. Walking me to the local pizza place, a warmth came over me. A shadow figure darted in the distance, the serenity leaving my mind. What the hell was that?
2023.06.07 20:36 BroMandi [Home Depot] 2-Piece StyleWell Mix & Match Grand Marina Metal Outdoor Dining Chair Set $49 + Free Shipping [Deal: $49.00, Actual: $99.00]
![[Home Depot] 2-Piece StyleWell Mix & Match Grand Marina Metal Outdoor Dining Chair Set $49 + Free Shipping [Deal: $49.00, Actual: $99.00]](https://preview.redd.it/e42whuc74n4b1.jpg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=8a96d107d7f269244bd89f0636f3c9f99da0919f "[Home Depot] 2-Piece StyleWell Mix & Match Grand Marina Metal Outdoor Dining Chair Set $49 + Free Shipping [Deal: $49.00, Actual: $99.00]") | submitted by BroMandi to ShoppingDealsOnline [link] [comments] |
2023.06.07 20:32 BroMandi [Home Depot] 3-Piece StyleWell Steel Papasan Rope Outdoor Patio Conversation Seating Set w/ Gray Cushion (Dark Gray) $280 + Free Ship to Home Depot [Deal: $280.00, Actual: $399.00]
![[Home Depot] 3-Piece StyleWell Steel Papasan Rope Outdoor Patio Conversation Seating Set w/ Gray Cushion (Dark Gray) $280 + Free Ship to Home Depot [Deal: $280.00, Actual: $399.00]](https://preview.redd.it/i9k0gxlh3n4b1.jpg?width=320&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=360125803d8051bceb33fee526b1b4db74cb7309 "[Home Depot] 3-Piece StyleWell Steel Papasan Rope Outdoor Patio Conversation Seating Set w/ Gray Cushion (Dark Gray) $280 + Free Ship to Home Depot [Deal: $280.00, Actual: $399.00]") | submitted by BroMandi to ShoppingDealsOnline [link] [comments] |
2023.06.07 20:24 breadandsoupp Where can I rent a Drill
I looked at the Home Depot website and they don’t have any standard electric drills. Any ideas?
submitted by breadandsoupp to abbotsford [link] [comments]
2023.06.07 20:21 notxrbt TIL you can literally buy home kits from the Home Depot and assemble your own home
 | submitted by notxrbt to interiordesignformen [link] [comments] |
2023.06.07 20:18 Kendalf Methinks the Larry doth protest too much - Reflection on LH call with Financial Journey
This post may now be moot with indications that Hardge is walking from Mullen, but the academic side of me wants it on the record that there were clear signs that Hardge was not being on the level with his sayings and dealings. Plus the fact that I already had most of this written last night, and was waiting for Financial Journey to release the actual recording of his call with Hardge to confirm what had been said earlier.
On the one hand, Hardge has repeatedly spoken boastfully (not at all humble) of all the massive deals he personally had lined up, all of whom wanted to work with HIM and not Mullen. He then talked like he was doing Mullen and its shareholders a favor by sharing the alleged profits of these deals with Mullen. Hardge sounded quite miffed that Mullen seems to not want to agree to his terms for the deal and considers it a huge knock against his public credibility. And yet despite all this, he still wanted to try to work something out with Mullen so he can be paid the $5M that he believes the company owes him.
Let’s take what Hardge has previously claimed at face value.
He claimed that all these international agreements were in the works and ready to go BEFORE Mullen entered the picture. The only thing that Mullen would seem to do is take 51% of the revenue. LH claims he wanted to share these deals to “take the load off”. But if he had BILLIONS in financing commitments, shouldn't he be able to hire ALL the necessary labor and engineering expertise he could ever need?
Credit to Cal for asking Hardge (26:27 mark) why he doesn’t do the deal direct with the Saudis. Hardge claims he needs the engineering staff and facilities that Mullen has to do the work installing the EMM. Hardge’s response is just unbelievable, and again credit to Cal for trying to pursue it a bit further with Hardge in asking him why that would be such a big problem if the return is so much greater. Hardge claims that he would have to hire “consultants to do all of that in the midst of an already hectic business schedule.” But that’s just a basic part of running a business!
And then at the 28:48 mark Hardge talks about Mullen’s vans. Here’s a key statement Hardge makes: “They didn’t have a manufacturing for the installation, I went and got my own that I already was working on*. Now we got a deal, they can provide any numbers around the world, international manufacture*.” It sure seems like Hardge knows how to arrange for manufacturing and installation deals, which directly contradicts his explanation just a couple minutes earlier for why he wants to work with Mullen.
Hardge has also said on multiple occasions that the EMM is “easy to install” and “plug and play” such that “a high school drop-out could install this system in these vehicles” (8:15 mark in the Mullen Troy livestream). In other FB livestreams, he spoke about the EMM as an aftermarket device that the buyer would install on their own vehicle, just like putting on a window shade or cell phone cover.
In addition, Hardge himself said as reported by Cal in Twitter space meeting that Mullen engineers apparently didn't know how to do any wiring stuff, and that when he was at Mullen's Troy facility doing work on the vans that he had to do it all himself, or something along those lines. Not exactly a sign of confidence in Mullen's technical staff, is it?
It makes no sense for Hardge to say (2:09 mark) that it would take the Saudis 2-3 years to build a factory in Michigan to manufacture the EMM, given that he has said previously that the cost to make the EMM is just $85 and can be built using off-the-shelf parts from Home Depot or Lowes.
There are multiple clear contradictions between what Hardge claims he has on hand (deals, financing, manufacturing) and the degree of effort that he has put in to try to get paid $5M from Mullen to finalize the Definitive Agreement. Hence my play on Shakespeare in the title of this post: Methinks Larry doth protest too much. It seems unbelievable that anyone that genuinely has all the deals and such that Lawrence claims he has lined up would still be sticking around trying to work out some sort of agreement with Mullen. I believe that Hardge was trying to pull a fast one on Mullen from the start, and unfortunately for the company and its shareholders David Michery bought into the con and dragged Mullen into the last several weeks of buffoonery involving LH. And the damage has already been done.
EDIT: Added bullet points formatting
submitted by Kendalf to Muln [link] [comments]
On the one hand, Hardge has repeatedly spoken boastfully (not at all humble) of all the massive deals he personally had lined up, all of whom wanted to work with HIM and not Mullen. He then talked like he was doing Mullen and its shareholders a favor by sharing the alleged profits of these deals with Mullen. Hardge sounded quite miffed that Mullen seems to not want to agree to his terms for the deal and considers it a huge knock against his public credibility. And yet despite all this, he still wanted to try to work something out with Mullen so he can be paid the $5M that he believes the company owes him.
Let’s take what Hardge has previously claimed at face value.
- He owns the patents and IP for the EMM. So all intellectual RIGHTS and LICENSING is apparently set.
- He has multiple independent test results proving that the EMM does what he claims. So all VALIDATION of the technology is apparently set.
- He has deals with Saudis and multiple other Middle East countries ready to provide BILLIONS of dollars. He even has individual investors wanting to put “a billion dollars” into his company (15:20 mark). So all FINANCING needs are apparently set.
- He has an international manufacturing company that is ready to make tens or hundreds of thousand of EMM devices starting within 4 weeks (2:36 mark). So all MANUFACTURING needs are apparently set.
So why does Hardge need Mullen Automotive to sign any agreement at all?
What does Mullen bring to the table that Hardge did not already have in place?He claimed that all these international agreements were in the works and ready to go BEFORE Mullen entered the picture. The only thing that Mullen would seem to do is take 51% of the revenue. LH claims he wanted to share these deals to “take the load off”. But if he had BILLIONS in financing commitments, shouldn't he be able to hire ALL the necessary labor and engineering expertise he could ever need?
Credit to Cal for asking Hardge (26:27 mark) why he doesn’t do the deal direct with the Saudis. Hardge claims he needs the engineering staff and facilities that Mullen has to do the work installing the EMM. Hardge’s response is just unbelievable, and again credit to Cal for trying to pursue it a bit further with Hardge in asking him why that would be such a big problem if the return is so much greater. Hardge claims that he would have to hire “consultants to do all of that in the midst of an already hectic business schedule.” But that’s just a basic part of running a business!
And then at the 28:48 mark Hardge talks about Mullen’s vans. Here’s a key statement Hardge makes: “They didn’t have a manufacturing for the installation, I went and got my own that I already was working on*. Now we got a deal, they can provide any numbers around the world, international manufacture*.” It sure seems like Hardge knows how to arrange for manufacturing and installation deals, which directly contradicts his explanation just a couple minutes earlier for why he wants to work with Mullen.
Hardge has also said on multiple occasions that the EMM is “easy to install” and “plug and play” such that “a high school drop-out could install this system in these vehicles” (8:15 mark in the Mullen Troy livestream). In other FB livestreams, he spoke about the EMM as an aftermarket device that the buyer would install on their own vehicle, just like putting on a window shade or cell phone cover.
In addition, Hardge himself said as reported by Cal in Twitter space meeting that Mullen engineers apparently didn't know how to do any wiring stuff, and that when he was at Mullen's Troy facility doing work on the vans that he had to do it all himself, or something along those lines. Not exactly a sign of confidence in Mullen's technical staff, is it?
It makes no sense for Hardge to say (2:09 mark) that it would take the Saudis 2-3 years to build a factory in Michigan to manufacture the EMM, given that he has said previously that the cost to make the EMM is just $85 and can be built using off-the-shelf parts from Home Depot or Lowes.
There are multiple clear contradictions between what Hardge claims he has on hand (deals, financing, manufacturing) and the degree of effort that he has put in to try to get paid $5M from Mullen to finalize the Definitive Agreement. Hence my play on Shakespeare in the title of this post: Methinks Larry doth protest too much. It seems unbelievable that anyone that genuinely has all the deals and such that Lawrence claims he has lined up would still be sticking around trying to work out some sort of agreement with Mullen. I believe that Hardge was trying to pull a fast one on Mullen from the start, and unfortunately for the company and its shareholders David Michery bought into the con and dragged Mullen into the last several weeks of buffoonery involving LH. And the damage has already been done.
EDIT: Added bullet points formatting