"This was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives," Dill starts the story. "Two friends Akiva and Katie where the bests of friends. they did everything together, but their lives were gonna take a sharp turn." "I'm so excited for soccer tryouts, TOMORROW!" Akiva says in her purest grin. Akiva has the best soccer skills in their school! She is one of those athletic people that actually like what they're doing. "Don't get to excited Akiva, you might not make it," Katie says grimly. Although her name makes her sounds cheerful like Akiva, Katie doesn't think she has any talent, so she is upset to know Akiva is AMAZING at everything. "What do you mean? I've beat lots of boys in a billion games. I can beat them again!" Akiva says really getting on Katie's nerves. "Akiva...How are you so good at this...at everything?" Katie says in a shrill voice. "I don't know...but I love it, all the sports that existed are so fun and amazing!" Akiva grins, yet again. this throws Katie off the road of a simple conversation to her blowing her head off. "AKIVA!!" Katie yells just about to say something else but stops herself from blowing up. "I don't get why you're amazing at all the sports in the land and I'm Dreading everything." "Wait Katie, you should join badminton team! I think you would love it. The best part is...Tryouts are tomorrow!" Akiva cheers. her voice is so high pitched and when she's happy, it's very contagious. "Oh, That's the thing where you have a birdie and a racket?" Finally Katie sounds excited about something. Next Day Katie I woke up from my restless sleep. Badminton? no, that's not for me. Akiva is just trying to make sure I'm not in her way! uggh so unfair! I am joining the soccer Tryout! I think I'd be better at that then Badminton. I put on my blue sweatshirt and Black pants the Normal. I head downstairs and have breakfast, the normal eggs. I put my homework in my bag and check my phone. Akiva, she's on her way? already? I don't really wanna spill that I'm doing soccer Tryouts too. I don't wanna feel her wrath. I pass her at our spot but keep going till I get to school. I hang with Stephanie till the bell rings. I see Akiva at soccer Tryouts, she seems confused to see me here. but I ignore her till then end of practice that's my goal. we do drills, kicks, blocks and cool stuff, but Akiva seemed as sloppy as me or maybe just a little more. That is surprising. "Think quick!" Ms. Soccer says to Akiva. I think Akiva didn't hear because the ball smashed her right in the face! she looked at all of us and then her face looked a little goofy! I couldn't help but laugh. Others saw her goofy face too and joined in too. I felt so good! my first laugh with possible teammates! I actually like this team now! "Tryouts is over," Ms. Soccer says. "I am proud MOST of you joined tryouts today. You'll find out who made the team tomorrow, It'll be on the gym doors." I go home with some of the other kids! I know what Akiva is taking about! It is sooo fun! I am excited to see the gym door tomorrow! All these thoughts make me feel loved. I put on the same types of clothes but different colour. I put homework in bag and rush to school! I talk with Dan a guy that tried out for soccer too! the bell rings. Me and Dan get to the gym doors. I look on the sheet! Oh My!!! I made it on the team! just barley with 77 points! I look for Dan too. YAY Dan made it too with 83 points! this is amazing! I see Akiva come up to the paper and I blend into the crowd. She looks destroyed! her head looks hot pink! oh man! she probably isn't on the team. she should've payed attention to Tryouts! "Why! KATIE! I had 76 points! you destroy everything!" she mutters loudly. I feel so bad. I am glad she didn't see me. Akiva was so close. but what's done is done. Akiva I woke up from my slumber as normal. but today is no normal day! it is the day of my SOCCER TRYOUTS!! this is gonna be the best day ever! I put on my white shirt with blue and green lines at the collar, my black legging pants, black thin conferrable socks that made my feel nice and ROCKSTARISH, the fabric of my clothes felt smooth and silky. I feel like the queen of the world! I quickly head downstairs to eat breakfast. Yum, it's like my mom knew it was my special day! I had the most delicious waffles ever! I gobble the waffles like it was nothing! I grab my Math, Science, History and English homework and put them in my pink and black bag. I run upstairs to get my phone it's 8:01! I swiftly put my phone in my pocket. I slide my feet into my soccer shoes and head out the door, no hesitation. I grab my phone from my pocket and text Katie, On my way. She reads it and we meet up. She seems like a ghost, like she had no sleep or anything! maybe she was too excited for badminton. we don't really talk when we get to school. She is just hanging with Stephanie, so I hang out with JJ. It is time! Finally, all my hard work will pay off! I get to the Tryout but I wasn't expecting to see...Katie?? I thought that she was doing Badminton why is she here? I approach Katie and she sees me, but she walks away? what? is Katie mad at me or something? I try to ignore all the nervous energy coursing through me. I need to concentrate, but all I can think about is why Katie is here. "Think quick," Ms. Soccer says as she kicks the ball. I was too dazed about Katie, to notice the ball that got plunged into my face. That toke me out of my daze. Oh My Gosh! I was too dazed about Katie that I forgot about Tryouts! Ms. Soccer glared at me and so did the other kids, including Katie. Katie started to laugh at me! others joined in too. I am gonna do better the rest of this practice so I secure a spot on the team. "Tryouts is over," Ms. Soccer says. "I am proud MOST of you joined tryouts today. You'll find out who made the team tomorrow, It'll be on the gym doors." Ms. Soccer left and all my joy got wiped off of me like that. I lay in my bed and stare at the wall. I completely flunked! I couldn't stop thinking about Katie. She laughed at me, stared at me in an embarrassing time, ignored me for almost the whole day and she didn't even walk home with me! I have 76 points...I could still make it on the team, I assure myself. I didn't do THAT bad. people could've gotten much worse? I think these thoughts till I flutter my eyes close. I awake in panic! Did I Flunk the team? was yesterday real? I bounce my clean clothes on and sprint downstairs. I shove food into my mouth as quickly as I can! I don't bother bring my homework back to school, cause I forgot, no I didn't want to do it. I shove my phone in my pocket and sprint out the door! I forgot my bag! you know what I don't care! I NEED to see the results! I get to school just as the bell rings. instead of going to English I Rush to the gym door just like the other people who tried out. I search the paper for my name and the point count...Not there! I look at the vert bottom. My Jaw clenches like it's gonna break! there it is, Katie Welt with 77 points! I am gonna KILL HER!!! I thought we were friends but by then it was too late.


Loreal paced the floor of her living room. Too anxious to even notice the beauty of the autumn colors bathing in the sunlight. Her third floor apartment windows offered her a bird’s eye view of the park and the tops of the trees. Leaves dancing along the sidewalks below went unnoticed.

Wringing her hands, she questioned everything. How did she end up agreeing to a blind date? A blind date ! “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” She gave her friend a sharp look. “You’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you don’t stop your frantic pacing.” Andrea sat calmly on the couch. “You’re becoming unhinged.” “I’m a nervous wreck. I’m meeting a complete stranger.” Her friend smiled inwardly. Complete strangers? Loreal would soon find out who the mystery man really was. What was the point of a blind date when she would be too nervous to be herself? Loreal stopped in front of the full-length mirror, turned in each direction to examine all sides of her, and smoothed her dress. At least the dress would make an impression. She hoped. The dark coral colored dress complimented her tan skin. The hem, ending just above the knee, revealed her slender legs. She had switched from bedazzled, eye-catching heels, to a more modest black pair with a strap at the ankle. She felt confident in the way she looked, if only her nerves would settle down to allow her personality to shine through. “You look perfect. Please just try to relax and enjoy the evening.” “You won’t even tell me his name?” She exhorted, hoping Andrea would divulge just a teensy bit of information. She shook her head, “No, that’s the fun of it.” “Then how on earth am I going to know who I’m looking for?” Loreal asked. Smirking, “Hopefully after tonight, you need not look any longer.”

Loreal laughed through her nose. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Andrea gave her an encouraging smile and handed Loreal her clutch, preparing to shoo her out the door. “He’ll be wearing jeans, a black blazer and a red dress shirt. Brown hair. And he’ll have a rose. Now go.” Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a similar conversation was happening. Nolan was pressing his friend for more information on the mystery girl he was meeting.

“How will I know who the rose is for?” He asked, frustrated. A rose, how cliché, he thought to himself. “You didn’t sign me up for that ridiculous Bachelor TV show did you?” “Ha!” Evan cackled. Slapping his knee, he stood up. “Just as long as you give it to the girl in the dark coral dress.”

Nolan was completely baffled. “I don’t even know what that color looks like.” “Neither do I, but that’s the description I was given.” The skin between Nolan’s eyebrows wrinkled with suspicion and confusion. He didn’t bother asking who the description came from, his friend wouldn’t give up any information. “This is going to be a disaster.” As instructed, Nolan headed for the bar to wait for his date. To sit or to stand, that was the question. He first decided to stand, then he sat, before finally settling on a combination of the two, with his back to the bartop. Either way, he felt absurd with the rose in his hand. No matter the age, any warm-bodied female that walked by eyed him up and down. The look on their faces were all the same. As if they were imagining what he looked like with his shirt off, offering the rose. Not that he wasn’t used to lustful glances being thrown his way, but this time he was awfully aware of the banality. Should he order a drink? What if he did and his date didn’t drink? Maybe he should just wait. Questions and thoughts pummeled his mind. A voluptuous blonde walked in in a color dress he couldn’t identify. She stopped. She was searching for someone. He watched her, hoping she wasn’t the one the rose was meant for. He had dated women who looked like her. A flicker of interest crossed her eyes when she met his own. He gave a faint smile and looked away. Closing his eyes, he thought to himself, please not her. Luckily, she spotted who she was looking for and trotted off. After taking too many deep breaths, Loreal felt a wave of lightheadedness come over her. She braced herself on the romanesque pillar outside the front doors before relinquishing herself to whatever the evening would bring. She headed for the bar, as instructed.

The majority of the barstools were occupied. Women. Men. Couples. One of them must be him. But who? Upon further inspection, only one man looked alone. The seat next to him was empty. There was no obvious rose, not from the angle where she stood, nor by the direction he faced. His right arm rested on the black granite surface, one foot setting on the footrest, the other firmly on the floor. The handsome profile of the lone man caught her attention.

He hadn’t noticed her yet. She took several steps forward, just a mere five feet away. Tilting her head ever so slightly in disbelief. The profile was unmistakable. Sucking in a breath of air, it caught in her throat.

Nolan must have heard the gasp, or sensed her presence. He instantly turned, meeting her eyes. “Loreal?” He rose from the barstool, electrifying the air that now sizzled between them. “Nolan.” Was all she managed from her lips as he approached. The look of surprise on her face was unavoidably obvious.

“I’m shocked to see you. I didn’t know you were back in town. What are you doing here?” His warm, brown eyes. His height. The tender, eager look upon his face. All of which brought back a flood of feelings. “I’m here to-” She cut herself off as her eyes drifted down to the rose dangling in his right hand. “I’m here to meet a man...with a rose.”

No way. No way was his blind date his high school sweetheart. Stunned silence inevitably followed the epiphany. Disbelief. Excitement. And most of all, hope infiltrated every corner of his being.

The edge of his mouth tipped up, “So does that mean your dress is what one would call dark coral?” She let out a small giggle. “Yes, this is it. I guess I’m the one you’ve been waiting for.”

Yes. Yes you are, for twelve years . But he knew he couldn’t say those words. Not yet anyway.

Loreal wasn’t sure how she felt about her long lost love being her blind date. There was never a doubt in her mind when they were younger that she wanted to marry him someday. But when she went off to college, he ended their relationship. Would this night dredge up old memories? Would she be left with the same heartbroken feeling from twelve years ago? Just put on a good face and get through this evening. Nolan held up the rose in the center of his torso. “Would you like this rose?” He twirled it in his fingertips. Her heart picked up its pace and then clumsily skipped a beat. What was happening? She peered up at him through her long lashes. “Yes.” She brought the petals to her nose and breathed in the sweet scent. He offered her a seat at the bar. She ordered a scrumptious autumn sangria. He chose a robust whiskey with accents of maple, chocolate and orange. The two former lovers caught up on life and everything that has happened since they last spoke, those twelve long years ago. Nolan let his feelings rekindle and ignite. While Loreal, held back her emotions, making sure they didn’t resurface only to sting her later. “I have an idea.” Nolan’s voice was energetic, his eyes lit up. “Instead of having dinner at a place that was chosen for us, how about we take this somewhere else?” Quirking a brow, she wondered what he was up to. “Where do you suggest?” “Oh, I don’t know...” A playful look clung to his face. He did know. “I was thinking our favorite place to get hot dogs and fries back in the day.” He waited for her initial response. His attention was drawn to her lips as she tried to suppress a smile. “You mean to Jibby’s Hot Dogs?” Her smile was on full display now. “Is that place still around?” Noland released a huff of laughter. “Yeah, it’s still around, let’s go.” He paid for their drinks and headed out for hot dogs. Neither of them saw a reason for her to take another cab.

Sitting outside under strands of lights, they enjoyed the place they spent countless dates. Hot dogs with cheddar cheese and chili sauce, and french fries dressed the same, was always their go-to meal.

Loreal’s nerves melted away like the cheese melting over her food. Both of their forks went for the same glob of fries on their shared plate. He, ever so playfully, swatted her fork away with his. Then shoved the fries in his mouth. Smiling and chewing victoriously. Her jaw jutted forward. Snatching the plate away, she turned and stuffed in the cheesiest of the fries. No longer did she have to worry about trying to be herself. Nolan always brought out the best in her. Their playful nature toward each other was as natural as the autumn breeze. He never forgot how much he adored her. Could this night have brought with it the beginning of a second chance? “So how is it do you think we came to be on this date together?” She took another bite of her hot dog. “Our friends who set this up have to know each other somehow.” “I’ve been trying to figure that out too. They must know our history. We dated, you went away and I stayed here.” He regretted the words the moment they left his lips. He hadn’t meant for the statement to sound flat and direct. The same pang of pain he felt stab his stomach he saw on her face.

The air was never cleared between them once she left for college. She thought he didn’t love her the way she loved him. Never wanting to return his phone calls, assuming he felt guilty. She didn’t want pity. And she never moved back home, until a month ago. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean for it to sound-“ She cut him off.

“It’s fine. It’s in the past. Let’s just enjoy what time we have left tonight.” She averted eye contact.

Unsure if she was avoiding the past, or if she simply wasn’t bothered by it anymore, he decided to leave it.

“I have another idea, if you’re up for it.” He gave a small, hopeful smile.

How could she say no to those soulful brown eyes? They always managed to pull her in. She was lost in them. “What do you have in mind this time?”

“Another place we used to go as teenagers.” Extending his hand, he helped her into his truck. The brief touch of their hands sent shock waves coursing through their bodies. She tried to remain as unperturbed as she could possibly muster.

“Do you ever miss your old truck?” She asked as they drove down the road. “Yeah, that was a good ole’ pickup.” He smiled at the memories. Drive-in movies, stargazing, bonfires and music. “We had a lot of good times with that truck. A certain first I distinctly remember.” He looked over at her briefly with a boyish grin. Luckily her blushing was hidden in the darkness of the evening. They rode the rest of the way in silence. Memories. Dates. Kisses. Embraces. Whispers. All swirling in both of their minds. Remembering made Nolan want more. Remembering made her want to forget.

“The roller rink? You’re taking us to the roller rink?” The inquiry and playfulness was evident in her tone.

With his left hand still atop the steering wheel, he faced her. “Why not take the opportunity to travel down memory lane? Ya know, for old times sake?” Secretly, he was hoping this would draw her closer to him. He suspected she was pulling away. But why? “I hope you won’t mind skating in a dress.” He chuckled as he stepped out of the truck.

They hit the rink with the old roller blades on their feet. Instinctively, he reached for her hand, clasping it firmly in his. She tried not to stiffen, but she couldn’t ignore how comfortable and familiar his hand was. She concentrated on skating, but his focus was solely on her.

Around and around they went, as if they were seventeen again, with nothing ahead of them but a future with each other. He stopped for them to rest along one of the back walls.

Loreal looked around, then back up at Nolan. “This is where we had our first kiss.” Her eyes looked as though the memory pained her.

He wanted nothing more in that moment than to reenact their very first kiss. To take back the biggest mistake of his life when he didn’t follow her to college. But what would a farm boy have done in a city like Duquesne? Back then he thought she could do much better than him. And now, both of them were in their thirties, and spouseless. Wasn’t she, too, wondering if they were meant to be? Still meant to be? Shaking herself from the emotion welling up inside of her, she changed the subject. “So what’s next on our little tour?” The sooner this evening ended, the sooner she could get back to trying to vanquish the hurt. And suppress what she still longed to have. Every moment she spent with him made it harder for her to deny that she still wanted those very same things with him.

He smiled in such a way that made her warm through to her very core. “Ice cream.” Humor lit her eyes. “Angie’s Corner?” He let out a laugh. “There’s no better place. Do you remember its nickname back in the day?” “Utter Relactation. How could anyone forget that?” Coconut cream pie was always Loreal’s favorite. Dark chocolate chunk was his. Shrugging off his blazer, he placed it over her shoulders. To his surprise, she snugged up closer to him while they sat on the bench. Oh how she missed his warmth and his masculinity. There was never a time when she hadn’t felt safe and protected by him.

The evening was coming to a close. She wanted to remain in those moments forever. To press pause and linger in the security of his presence. But Nolan, he was delighting himself in the wonders of what tomorrow could bring. Alongside the excitement that was bustling inside him, there was niggling hesitation. Nearing the end of their blind date, he wasn’t confident with where he stood with her. Had he convinced her of anything? She might not have confidence in where a future with him would go. How could she rely on him as a man when he left her high and dry? Even though he thought he was doing it for her own good, she still didn’t know that. Nolan cared deeply for her. Loved her. This night made him realize how much of those feelings never went away and only intensified the instant he saw her.

Fate stood at their door, offering each of them a second chance at the love they once shared. Nolan was eager to accept. Loreal didn’t want to be abandoned again. How could she accept fate's temptation when there was no guarantee? He reached over and tucked a tendril of brunette hair behind her ear. She could’ve sworn there was a physical spark that shot out when his finger brushed her cheek. He didn’t remove his hand, but instead slid it into the curve of her neck, gently pulling her in. Just before their lips met, she turned her face. Disappointment and the loss of all possibility lingered in the air between them. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek. That was his answer. She would never be his again. “I’ll take you home now if you’d like.” She heard the difference in his voice. Dejection. On the steps leading up to her apartment, was where they were destined to end. Loreal thanked him for the evening and for the reminiscing. They held a long embrace. Neither wanting to let go. He placed a kiss on her forehead, left her at the door, and headed for his truck. When he heard her key slide into the lock, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck him. His fight for her wasn’t over. “I never wanted to let you go.” Her heart stopped. Her breathing stopped. Everything stopped. She paused before she turned to him. “Then why did you?” Taking a few steps towards her, “I wasn’t good enough for you. At least, that’s what I told myself. A pretty girl like you, going off to a big city college, I didn’t stand a chance. I didn’t want to hold you back from finding someone better suited for you.” He shrugged, knowing his reason was just an excuse in her ears. “Don’t you think that was my decision? You broke my heart. But yet I still tried, I tried to love someone else.” She choked back tears as he went back up the steps. “My heart only wanted to love yours. And all the while it only made me love you more.” “Tonight made me realize I never stopped loving you.” Tears streaked her cheeks. “I never stopped loving you either.” Nolan pulled her into his arms as their lips met with fervor. Never again would he let her go. From this day forward, he would nevermore forsake his second chance.


It is a story as young as the beginning of Time. When the universe was in being, it was mere space and endless voids and abysses. But then, IT came into being. Time. Out from unknown depths and non-beginnings, Time spread throughout the vast emptiness, matching its nothingness with the potential of being. Thus birthed the entities of well-verse within Time itself: Creation and Destruction. The state of being and nothing. It was soon that Creation would shape the universe from nothing, and Destruction would dissipate all being within as well. And so it would be, the universe had not gained nor loss. It would remain as stagnant as it had always and forever will be..... Order had being. Then, a miracle. A random, misshapen happen-stance. From whence Order came, came Chaos into being. Suddenly, Destruction had waned and Creation did not. Amongst the Chaos of the entities, Creation had birthed Rie the Divine of Earth and Sei the Divine of Water. And as Creation have done, so too have Destruction birthed Kyr the Divine of Fire and Taer the Divine of Lightning. And as Order returned to the two Great Entities, it birthed Wos, the Divine of Wind. Each Divine, inspired by the forces that made them into being, asserted their essences onto the universe and sowed the seeds for the Arrival of Life and Death. Growth and Decay. With this new world, were born the twin Divines Lia of the Light and Dia of the Dark through the many entities of Time. Each day, Lia would give light to the world, ushering in the beauty of the universe and disperse the edging nothing of the natural universe. Dia, however, quietly hid away, unseen and forgotten for many ages until the stars of Kyr lit aflame the stars of the black sky high above our world. With it, came a most wondrous being. The first of the gods was unnamed, foreign to the Divines that it had been placed with. An anomaly within their realm, the first of the truly mortal beings. None may know the events of its birth, and yet, the child seems all too familiar to any who gaze upon its figure. Kyr was the first to embrace the newborn child, clutching her like a babe on the eve of its birth. As he gently held her in his arms, his flames quickly waned from his arms to lull the child to sleep. As the child slept, Rie built for it an ever growing cradle, to comfort its new and strangely wondrous life among the Divines. The cradle would outgrow the child, shaping its formations of rocks and stones into its home. When the child had soiled itself, Sei was ready to bless upon it her own wish for cleanliness and good health. She would take it upon herself to wash upon the dirt and mud away from the child, no matter the mess. When the child wept, Wos would sing a joyful tune only it could hear, always soothing its many tantrums and cries. The song would never again be heard from the Wind Divine as the child grew. Taer, however, did not take kindly to the Divines’ coddling of the child. She believed it would make it weak and dependent to the care of the Divines’ whims. Instead, she vowed to protect the child until it had come to age and teach it the lessons of life and death. And lastly, Lia, the Divine of Light, bestowed upon the child the most wondrous gift of all the Divines: a name. The name would carry weight upon those who spoke it, an acknowledgement of existence, an affront to entropy and recovery. Her name would be Luna. And with her arrival, the age of the gods came to being. The Divines would birth more children, many being the old and new gods we have come to worship throughout the ages. They, like the lesser mortals that serve them, would serve the purposes of the Divine, never with a grasp of their knowledge and always with a purpose solely ingrained upon their souls as ordained by the Seven Divine of the Elements. And when we mortals were created by the luster of the universe, it was only then, would the Divines finally slumber.


Mia had been brought up to think this island was the only place that existed. It was all she had ever known. She’d had vague childhood memories of living elsewhere, mentioned them to a Leader once, only to be told that she was a very bad citizen to even say such a thing. Now she was hiding in a cupboard, listening to The Leader telling his men that his supplies would be dropped off at Quern island. They were to fetch them the next day. They had to be certain, as usual, not to be followed back. So there was another island somewhere! Mia was just taking that in when he added, “We have enough citizens, don’t bring any more children back. Leader Ten, you have been loyal for the standard number of years. Citizen Susan is now of age and will become yours on your return.” “Thank you Leader.” He laughed. It was a strange sort of laugh, that made Mia feel uncomfortable. “Leader Nine, you are just coming up to the standard number of years and Citizen Mia will be yours.” “Thank you Leader. I’m looking forward to that.” More laughs from the leaders, and they clinked their drinking glasses together. They were drinking the funny stuff they always had during meetings. Mia’s heart was pounding. She thought she had years to go before there was any fear of that. She didn’t know the details of what being a Leaders woman were. Only one of the women had ever spoken about it. She said that what happened was painful, for the first few times, and that she was made to keep doing it whenever her Leader wanted, as well as still doing her usual daily work. Then she had carried a baby, still worked hard, until the baby arrived. The woman had never been seen again. The citizens thought she had died. That Leader had been given a new woman, who had raised the baby and carried on with her usual work. Mia had heard so many strange and frightening things that she shouldn’t have. If they found out she could hear them she would disappear, as other citizens had if they’d broken the strict rules. She hadn’t intended to listen in to the conversation. She had just been flogged and sent to clean the rooms of The Leader. It was a punishment for not growing enough vegetables, which was ridiculous because while she was cleaning, she wasn’t gardening. Mia had cleaned the main room and then gone into the cupboard looking for a bottle of the strong smelling fluid she cleaned toilets with. The cupboard door had swung shut. Before she could pick up the bottle and other things she needed, the Leaders had arrived and started their meeting. To be caught in The Leaders rooms when he was present was a crime. To be caught during a meeting would most likely mean she would to be flogged until she passed out and was left to die. Mia stood still, terrified one of The Leaders would open the cupboard door and find her. Eventually she heard them leaving, saying they would have to set sail early. The Leader was most likely still there. Someone shut a door close by. Soon after, the toilet was flushed. Mia crept out, closed the door quietly and headed for the outer door. The Leader opened the bathroom door just before she made her escape. She swung around and faced him as she saw him looking around. “Oh, sorry Leader. I was sent to clean, but there was none of this for the toilet. I went to fetch some.” What would he do? She had already said far than was allowed. “Clean the smelly thing and then get out of here.” He bawled at her, staggering about. She’d noticed the drink had a funny effect on them. Mia cleaned the toilet and left quickly. She had been brought up to believe that there were no other beings out there. Many questions had come into her thoughts even before the things she had just heard. If she had ever spoken of them she had been told off, she was being ridiculous and would be flogged. Her head was full of all the unknown things they’d talked of. She had once seen something going by in the sea, climbed up on the rocks to get a better view of it and been caught by a leader. She had been told that there was nothing there and if she climbed the rocks again she would crash to the ground, break every bone in her body and no one would come to help her. She would die in the greatest of pain and take days to do so. At the end of her working day, Mia climbed into her corner of the shed and wrapped up in her blanket. She had so much going through her head. She decided she had to escape. She would likely get caught and killed, but she had to take the chance, anything than become Leader Nine’s woman. She had noticed him looking at her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. Mia couldn’t sleep. How did she get away? She had no idea what was out there, apart from sea, and some other island, now. Was that island any better? Well the leaders were going to get there somehow. Mia had always wondered where some things came from. That bottle of liquid she cleaned toilets with, the drink that made the Leaders go strange, tools she used in the garden. No one on the island made them. There was a part of the island, citizens were not allowed on. Mia had wandered that way as a small child and been told to go back and never go that way again. That must be where the Leaders left the island, how, she didn’t have a clue. Could she make it to the forbidden part of the island if she went while it was dark? Mia slid quietly out, wrapping her blanket around her. There was no one around. The citizens made the most of what ever sleep they were allowed, which was not much. Where all the leaders still effected by the drink from meeting? Mia crept towards the forbidden part of the island. She eventually reached the rocks that surrounded the forbidden area and began to climb them. She saw several large floating objects tied to the rocks. As she stared at them, Mia heard voices and hid quickly. “Get the barrel on the boat first. We gotta have some drink.” Mia saw them carry a container on, then they returned and picked up some other things. “Right, we’ve got the important things on. Time to go get the money to pay for the supplies.” The Two Leaders set off back across the rocks. Mia got up and made her way to what she had now learned was called a boat. Was there a place she could hide on it? She opened the door they had carried the drink container through. There was a room, with the container up on a table, and boxes of food. She couldn’t resist grabbing a package of food. There was another door, a place to sleep, then another one. She opened it and saw with steps leading down. Mia saw several areas down there, boarded off but with gaps she could slip into and keep hidden. She went down and tucked herself away. Then the Leaders returned and soon the boat was moving. Mia had such mixed feelings, mostly fear of being found, but she couldn’t help wondering what she might discover. She could hear some of the Leaders conversation. “Lets have a drink now we’re off.” “I need a hair of the dog wot bit me.” Mia didn’t know what that meant, but they did sound like that when they had been on the funny drink. She was hungry and took the food out and eat it all. She was very tired too and soon had a short sleep. The boat moved around, making her feel odd. The boat kept moving about for a very long time. Then she heard one of the Leaders say they should drop anchor and go to bed. She had no clue about dropping anchor. If they were going to bed she would be safe for a few hours surly. The boat was still moving, not as much. She would have liked to go and find food and water, too dangerous. She stayed put. After what could have been all night, the leaders were about again, talking, and the boat was moving more. After quite a long time, Mia heard one of them shout, “Slow down, we’re there.” “Oh, so we are.” There was a big jolt, and the boat stopped. Mia heard the Leaders say they would go and eat and have a pint at the pub. Pint and pub meant nothing to her, it did sound as if she had some time to get off without them seeing her. She had been afraid that they would get those supplies and head back to the island straight away. When all was quiet she squeezed out of her hiding place and crept up the steps. She felt weak and wobbly, hunger, thirst and sitting in that small space for a long time. She opened the door, there was food and water there on a table and Mia grabbed as much as she could, wrapping it up in her blanket. She opened the door cautiously. There was a lot of things she had never seen before and Mia just stared at everything. Then she shook herself and concentrated on getting off the boat and hiding away from the Leaders. She climbed out and hurried away, walking towards some buildings, crossing a lane. A strang noisy thing whizzed towards her, making aneven loader noise. “Mind the cars dear.” A friendly looking lady told her. “Sorry.” “No need to say sorry. He missed you fortunately.” The lady smiled and entered one of the buildings. Mia walked on. No one seemed to be working, no one being flogged. Many of the buildings had huge glass windows with things in them. There was one with food. How did this work?. As she stood, looking, a woman walked in, chose some food and handed something small over in exchange for it. She had actually chosen what she wanted. Mia was totally confused by everything she saw. There was an area with grass, and seats, people sat there eating and watching children play. Mia sat in the quietest corner she could find and ate her food. Then the lady who had told her to look out for cars walked by. She saw Mia. “Oh hello dear. Can I join you?” She sat on the bench beside Mia. “You look frightened. I don’t mean to be noisy; I saw you get off the boat after two men left. You looked terrified. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. I’m Mrs. Wilson.” Mia had a think. She certainly needed help. “I’m Mia, I do need help, but I have already been flogged so much recently, please don’t tell the Leaders.” “You’ve been flogged! My dear, you sound as if you have been very wrongly treated. Now don’t be afraid, you’ve done nothing wrong. I should call the police. They will help you.” “Police, who are they?” The lady looked puzzled, “We should go to my house. No, it’s close to where their boat is moored. I’ll have to call them from here.” She took something out of her bag, pressed buttons and began to speak to someone, telling them she was with a very frightened girl who had managed to escape from two men whose boat had been in the harbour a little while ago. She told them about floggings, said the girl looked too thin and was very confused about her surroundings, as if she had been isolated for a long time. She finished by telling them where they were, now. “It’s alright my dear. You have nothing to fear, unless those men from the boat should see you.” Mia was very frightened. Could she trust this lady? She seemed very nice and friendly. Shortly after, two people in dark clothing came up to them. “Hello officers, this is Mia, the young lady I was telling you about.” One was a woman, the other a man. They asked Mia some questions and seemed puzzled when she couldn’t answer most of them, like what was her last name, what was the island called, what were the men called. She had always been called Mia. They looked shocked when she said she had never known there was another island. They had always been told that island was the only one. Mia had to go back to the beach to show them which boat it was After some discussion with Mrs. Wilson, they decided to take Mia to what they called the station. Mrs. Wilson went with them, to make Mia feel safe. “We will get someone to watch the boat “They were told to make sure they weren’t followed back.” Mia told them. “Thank you for that Miss. We’ll use various means to follow them so that they don’t know we are doing so.” More questions, many of which Mia couldn’t answer. She didn’t know how old she was, how long she had been on the island, names of the people who ran the place, or how old she was when she was taken there. Mia was given a place to live in, and to have some help to get over her fears and all the many things she didn’t understand about this new island. She was shocked and fascinated when she was shown something called a globe, and it was explained to her just how many islands there were, and how large some of them were too. Then days later the Police Officers, as she had now learnt they were called, told her that the boat had been tracked back to the island, the leaders arrested. The people they had been holding there were freed. Some would be joining her so they could be given help too. There was still no trace of her family, made more difficult because of lack of surname, or date for when she would have gone missing. Mia was beginning to relax, to understand that she would not be flogged ever again, that she didn’t have to work, at least not then. In the future she would have to get a job, to earn her keep. All of that had been explained. There was still a lot to learn. One day, most of the women from the island joined her. They were as confused and uncertain as she had been, but so very thankful to Mia for managing to escape and get them freed. When Mia felt confident enough, she walked to Mrs. Wilson’s house, to thank her for the help she’d been, let her know how she was getting on. The old lady was in her garden, struggling to dig a big bramble out. “Hello Mrs. Wilson, I can help with that.” Mia dug the bramble out by the roots and pulled up some other weeds. “You certainly know what you’re doing there.” Mrs. Wilson said. “I was one of the gardeners at that place” Mia didn’t like to say The Island. “I used to be glad that was my job. I was in trouble if I didn’t grow enough, but I liked being outdoors, far better than being stuck in the laundry room or the kitchen all day. I’ll have to find a job soon, I think. I still can’t read or write. We’re all being given lessons.” “You could work as a gardener. No need to read or write.” “I did wonder. They think I’m not be old enough yet, I should still be at school. I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about until they explained. ” Mrs. Wilson asked Mia if she would like a tea or coffee. “Water please. I have tried the other drinks, I’m not too keen on them.” Mrs. Wilson brought cakes out and water for Mia and a coffee for herself. “I had an idea Mia, no need to make a decision right away, but if you wanted to, you could come and live with me. I would be glad of the company and you would have a home. I don’t need looking after or anything. Your family could still be found, and you might want to go to them,ofcourse.” “Mrs. Wilson! That sounds fantastic. You are so kind. Are you sure I wouldn’t be putting on you? I have none of that money that people buy things with.” “I have enough of that. My dear husband left me plenty and I have a good pension. If I do need care, I can pay someone. I don’t want to put on you.” “I would be happy to care for you.” Mia got up and gave Mrs. Wilson a hug. “Oh Mrs. Wilson, are you sure you want me here?” “Time for you to start and call me Molly.” Molly Wilson sad, with a big smile.


“SPLASH!” Was the sound of once living flesh and bone being transformed into water molecules, soaking into the dry, parched floor of the desert planet – some twelve light years from Earth. “Hydro, what have you done?” The elder-looking statesman alarmingly asked. “That was the high priest of Orr. There will be repercussions now from the Orronauts.” “So what!” Came the impetuous reply. “If their guards get anywhere near me, I’ll lay my powerful hands on them and turn them into vapour.” “Stop! Wait!” Came the outcry from the furrowed brow wizard. “That’s not your superpower, Hydro-Man. You turn people into water when you touch them. You are water, not vapour. And why are we so far from Earth?” A small curious crowd mingled, listening to the bickering voices of an impromptu skit taking place on a small side stage at Oz Comic Con 23 - Melbourne’s ultimate pop culture event. Showcasing all the latest studio activations, comics, anime, cosplay, and video games, it provided an ideal escape for visiting fantasists of all ages to act out an alter-ego existence within a safe environment. “Yeah, nah, mate.” Hydro responded. “When I heat up, I turn people into steam.” “Have you even read your backstory?” The wizard-looking statesman rhetorically quizzed. “Yeah, mate. But I thought I’d just improvise.” “That’s not how it works,” Nico, the grey unicorn declared while watching on. “We’re all given role guidelines and rule nine-dash-three states cosplay improvisation is encouraged but not at the cost of cross-character spillovers. If you had done any research, you’d know that when you heat up, you evaporate. Heat is your weakness.” “If we’re sticking to the rules, mate. Where’s your handler?” Hydro immaturely demanded to know. “Why do I need a handler?” “Well, mate. The rules also state that large costumes must have a handler with you as a guide.” Dumbfounded, Nico huffed an exasperated frustration toward the self-appointed leader of their sector of the convention. “Whizzo?” “He’s new.” Turning to quietly address Hydro; Whizzo explained the sensitive and iterated issue of Nico’s predicament. “Look Hydro. First experiences aside, Nico’s costume is a… how do I put this politely? It’s a form hugger.” “What’s that, when it’s at home, mate?” “It’s true to size.” Hydro’s elucidated eyes darted from Whizzo to Nico, then back to Whizzo again – taking a moment to digest the sensitive explanation. Then, quickly darting his eyes back toward Nico once more, he took in Nico’s whole appearance from head to toe, then back up to head. “So, he’s a fat bastard, then.” Hydro commented. “We don’t call Cozplay performers, fat . We say worldly – on account of his broad girth.” “Yeah, nah mate. Fat is fat, and he’s a porker.” “That’s Blackfacing, Hydro,” explained Whizzo. “He don’t look like a black fella to me.” “No, Hydro. That’s just an idiom for a derogatory term,” Whizzo calmly clarified, before explaining further in a staccato cadence. “And it’s against the rules to Blackface – verbally or cosmetically.” “You mean, there’s some Drongos out there that try to pass themselves off as…” “Yes, Hydro,” Whizzo intervened - preventing Hydro’s lack of political correctness from offending anyone listening. “But they always get turned away at the door.” “Yeah, nah mate. That would defo put me in a cranky way, as well.” “Nice to hear you share our sensitivities,” Whizzo smiled. “Yeah, nah mate. If I’d spent hours of hard yakka sewing up a costume and applying black make-up to me face, travelled days to get here, only to be knocked back at the door, coz my face was the wrong colour, I’d look a right Galah. So, I reckon my fist would be in someone else’s face, mate.” “That would be extreme,” Whizzo dismissed. “But race reversal is a serious matter at Comic Con. We want everyone to enjoy their time here, without discrimination toward their chosen character or costume. Some visitors may look menacing in their home-made attire, but this is a safe place where participants can mingle with like-minded people – without judgement, without prejudice, and without the threat of violence.” “What about Nico, over there?” Hydro questioned, while still scrutinising Nico’s appearance. “He falls on anyone, mate, your safety record is out the window.” Whizzo’s exasperation snapped back at the flippant comment. “In such a scenario, that would be an accident, Hydro. We’re insured for that.” “I could turn him into water,” Hydro joked. “But I reckon he’d drown the whole place and everyone in it.” “Stop it! You’re blackfacing again.” “Nah, yeah mate. Apologies.” “So,” Nico interrupted impetuously. “Are we going to continue the rehearsal or not?” “Too right, mate. I’m ready. What’s your character’s name, again?” “Nico,” he insolently spat out. “Oh, I thought that was your real name.” “It’s short for Unicorn .” “Oh, yeah. That explains the horn sticking out of your lemon spread. With the size of yous, I thought you was a rhino.” “A grey rhinoceros with hoofs, wispy white mane, and a bushy tail?” Nico intolerantly asked. “It’s Comic Con, mate. Earlier on, I saw a rainbow-costumed He-Man posing as He-She-They, Non-Binary Person. There’re all kinds of weirdos here.” “There is indeed, Hydro,” Whizzo interrupted. “But we don’t call them that. Everyone here is a Cosplayer.” “Nah, yeah. Reckon I’ll use that word when someone back home does something strange. You bloody Cozplayer! I’ll yell. That’ll get ‘em thinking.” “As a matter of fact,” Nico pointed out priggishly. “I am a returning champion.” “That right, mate?” “It is,” Whizzo confirmed. “Two years ago, he was Jabba the Hut and won best costume and best cosplay skit competition.” “Yeah, well in that current horse’s costume, he’ll probably win the best shit competition this year.” “I am not any old horse,” Nico protested. “I am Alphabittle from the My Little Pony series.” “Well, not to boast myself, but I’ve made today’s cosplayoff. Against you, you oversized donkey! They’re reinforcing the stage now, to support your heavy hooves later on.” “Aren’t you a bit too old for all of this?” Nico tried an insult. “Mature is the word you’re looking for, mate. Didn’t see no age limit on the application. If anything, and by the looks of yous, you lot shouldn’t be out without your parents being present.” Irked at the derogatory nature of Hydro, Nico trotted aggressively towards him, but Whizzo managed to intercept, before any feelings were further bent out of shape. “Nico,” Whizzo playfully intervened. “Why don’t you canter along and brush your mane for the cosplayoff. Get a nose in front of Hydro-Man.” Smiling at Whizzo’s intended puns, Nico threw a snout up at Hydro, then headed off to get ready for the skit competition. Watching him trot off with real and animated legs in perfect harmony with each other, Whizzo commented on his impressive costume. “Amazing mechanics inside the belly of that thing.” “The costume or the bloke, mate?” Hydro flippantly asked. Ignoring the comment, Whizzo continued to espouse the genius of Nico’s costume. “Notice how all four legs move in synchronistic poetry. The way his head bobs up and down and the fly-swishing tail swinging from side to side. It’s going to take something spectacular to beat that costume.” “Yeah, nah mate. Typical horse’s arse, he is. Needs to grow up. Wait until he finds out that I’m packed with water balloons that burst when I touch my finger to someone.” “Bursting water balloons,” Whizzo pondered. “What happens, then?” “…They get wet.” “Oh? Nothing more?” “They turn to water. What more do you want?” “But that’s just cosplay, Hydro. What other features come with your costume? Can you levitate?” “Can anyone?” Hydro countered. “I mean, can you appear to levitate? “Mate, I’m literally one big shower of wet. You lift me off the ground and it’s gonna rain. Every padded six-pack looking stomach, bicep, and thigh muscle on this costume, is a water chamber. I can soak people for hours on end with these water pistol rings, see?” Pointing to one side of Whizzo, a spray of water escaped from the palm side of Hydro’s hand, sprinkling the small, assembled crowd, which prompted the last few hangers-on to disperse – giggling and feinting fear of getting wet. “That’s entertaining enough,” Whizzo admitted. “But isn’t that a lot of weight to carry around?” “Nah, mate. It’s all evenly distributed. Plus, I’ve been weight training for the last three months, carrying thirty-kilo weights on my back while bushwalking.” “Like I said,” Whizzo repeated. “You’re going to need something spectacular to beat him.” Dropping in on the two men unexpectedly, another Cosplayer in a very impressive Spiderman costume fell dangling from a wire-like device onto the small stage, then took up the typical one arm, two-legged crawl pose normally associated with the comic book hero. Positioned almost parallel to the ground, Spidey looked ready to do a one-handed push-up. “Look, Whizzo!” Hydro exclaimed in an amateur dramatic way – trying to create an improvisational moment. “It’s me arch-nemesis, Spiderman!” “Other way round, you clown,” the fully costumed comic hero belligerently spat through their face mask, while standing up. “I’m the superhero, so that makes you the villain. Superheroes can’t be an arch nemesis.” “Yeah, I knew that,” Hydro embarrassingly contradicted. “Was just testing to see if you knew.” “How d’ya like my entrance, Whizzo?” “Impressive, Spidey.” Whizzo complimented. “I’m the wildcard entry.” “To what?” Hydro enquired. “To today’s best costume and skit.” “I thought that was just between me and fatso?” “This your first Comic Con, wet boy?” The not-so-friendly neighbourhood superhero teased. “The skits are always full of surprises.” “Does everyone just make up their own rules, here?” Hydro lashed out. “He’s still getting his bearings, Spidey.” Whizzo inserted. “But he’s done well for a first timer to get to the cosplayoff.” “Step aside, Hydro Man.” Spidey musically commanded. “Let a professional through.” Pushing a button situated on Spidey’s wristband, the webslinger leapt into the air and disappeared over the stage backdrop. “How’d he do that?” Hydro asked Whizzo. “Cirque De Soleil. Came with an accompanying entourage who have rigged the hall at certain points to create the illusion of swinging from spider silk.” “Yeah? He allowed to do that?” “Within reason, as long as the apparatus doesn’t endanger anyone. Spidey covered the insurance premium and signed a waiver of indemnity. If anyone gets hurt, Spidey pays.” “Bloody hell, mate! That’s defo pro, there.” “I told you.” “Well,” Hydro enthusiastically stated. “I can’t hang around here chewing the fat all day. I’ve got a competition to win.” “Let me show you the way,” Whizzo kindly offered. Guiding Hydro to the performance stage, the water-carrying anti-hero, laughed, berated, and marvelled at some of the cosplayers he passed along the way. There were numerous Star Wars characters – including a very impressive Mandalorian who shot sponge arrows from his arms, a witch on a broom that made her look like she was flying just above the ground, a collection of Doctor Who Daleks, and a plethora of fantasy characters from cartoons to video games created a surreal but juvenile atmosphere of fantasy role playing. There were characters from Chainsaw Massacre, Ghostbusters, Game of Thrones, Scream, Harry Potter, IT, The Matrix, Alien, Predator, and many more. To Hydro, it looked like every character of every popular comic, movie, and tv series was passionately represented. However, the one that caught his undivided attention was Harlequin, and Hydro shared his approval with the whole floor by pretending to dry-hump Whizzo’s leg - as he watched her pass by. “Hydro,” Whizzo corrected him. “Blackfacing?” Hydro presumed. “Blackfacing also covers behaviour,” Whizzo pointed out - while unpeeling Hydro from his leg. However, there was no time for lectures, as the Tanoy system interrupted them, inviting the skit finalists to the stage. “ Hydro Man !” Came the call through the speaker system, as he ascended the eight short steps to the tall stage. “ Alpha…Bittle !” The announcer introduced the already in place Nico, prancing and using his front hoofs to mimic counting, by scraping them on the stage platform. “Ladies and gentlemen,” continued the announcer. “Guys and Ghouls . Presenting a first for this year. Swooping in on their own apparatus, I give you… Wait! Do you feel that tingling at the back of your neck? Like you’ve just been bitten by a radioactive spider? Yes, she’s back from last year’s best cosplayer as Poison Ivy... casting a tangled web of deceit, by switching allegiances from DC to Marvel, it’s Spider Girl!” “Crikey!” Hydro shouted down to Whizzo – who was standing at front row centre. “A girl…! Had me sucked in, mate!” “We cater to all,” Whizzo directed back his reply to Hydro. “There’s no preconceptions here at Comic Con.” “With that high-pitched voice, I just thought his balls hadn’t dropped, yet.” A crowd converged around Whizzo, in front of the stage, grouping together like room to stand was running out. It wasn’t. Mob rule had taken over the youthful excitement of escapism, and jamming themselves like someone had lassoed them together, increased their level of fervour. This was a convention for the young, where they could dress up and behave as someone completely removed from the humdrum of daily life. Where the abnormal is imitable and fantasy is the new reality. So Hydro thought - before his mental summation of the crowd was abruptly interrupted by the feet of Spidergirl clipping his head, as she swung down and onto the stage to a raucous reception. “Outta my way, Wet Boy,” she sang. “You’re in the big league, now.” “Let’s hear it for Spidergirl!” The announcer yelled, prompting more cheers and whistles of approval to ring out. “Can we please have the cosplayers on stage walk in a single-file circle. It’s time for best costume award!” Complying, the three contestants walked in an encircling pattern around the stage. The crowd cheered Alphabittle, screamed at Spidergirl and playfully booed Hydro, irking him just enough for him to stick his tongue out at them and grab his crotch. At the announcer’s command, the three competitors lined up arms-length from each other for the judging. Hydro found himself stuck in the middle of the other two – who were hamming it up for the audience by acting out various poses associated with their characters. Hydro just stood with arms raised slightly above waist level, squirting water at the audience – annoying some of the satin-wearing cosplayers when staining sprinkles of water landed on their costumes. “The judges have voted for best costume,” the announcer commented. “In third place is… Hydro Man, and the winner is… Alphabittle!” Nudging the disappointed Hydro, Nico took a pony-styled bow. “Not bad for a grey Rhino, hey?” “Well done,” Spidergirl congratulated Nico, as the announcer initialised the Cosplay Skit part of the competition. “What a waste of sowing thread, Hydro,” she added. “Now, watch what I have in store for these amateurs.” “That’s Blackfacing,” Hydro replied - right before he spitefully leaned across and pressed Spidey’s wrist button. Before Spidergirl could react, the wire she was attached to recoiled and yanked her off the stage, swinging her screaming in a circular direction. Then, returning in an arc back towards the stage, she swung straight down toward the panicked Nico, whose four hoofed extremities scrambled to get out of the way. In a microsecond of regretful malaise, Hydro threw himself in-between them and was hit full force by Spidergirl’s momentum. The impact burst every water chamber on Hydro’s torso, creating a wall of water flung into the air, masking the fallout of the impact. Teetering at the back edge of the stage, Nico fell backwards and out of view of the audience, while Spidergirl slid and landed on him unceremoniously. The crowd hushed, some brushing themselves down from being splashed. Hydro stood alone in a pool of water that began to drain from the slightly tilted stage. “Cosplayers and alike,” the voice from the stage speakers announced. “This is a first. Staying true to his superpower by touching his opponents, Hydro has turned them into water, and I don’t think anyone in this building will deny that Hydro is the winner of the sewing machine prize!” Before Hydro could argue that only he can turn himself into water and not anyone else, the crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers and whoops that silenced his protest. He had won something, and he was determined to revel in it. “A few words, Hydro.” The announcer prompted him, as she passed him her microphone. “Nah, yeah. I erm just wanted to thank me erm, mum for the use of her sewing machine.” Accepting an envelope from the announcer with the prize claim coupon inside, Hydro tearfully waved it in the air. “This is for you, Mum!” He shouted loudly. “Sorry I broke yours when it fell off the back of me Ute, but I’m bringing home a new one for ya! Latest model too!” As the crowd began to disperse, Whizzo greeted Hydro at the side of the stage. “Congrats, Hydro. That was spectacular.” “Yeah, nah. One use only, mate. All the chambers have split. I’m done. There’s no time to come back for the grand final tomorrow. Are Spidey and Nico okay?” “Nothing but pride dented. They’ll regroup,” Whizzo replied. “No doubt, one of them will win it all.” “I reckon I would have given ‘em a run for their money.” “There’s always next year, Hydro.” “Yeah, nah. Too many immature ankle biters here thinking they’re more than what they are.” “Hydro,” Whizzo admonished. “Remember your decorum.” “Yeah, nah mate. Fuck that. I won, mate! Whoo! Yous can all kiss my wet bum!” Disappointingly shaking his head, Whizzo watched as a drenched Hydro squished his way toward the exit, waving his prize coupon at every cosplayer he passed. Turning to shout back to Whizzo, a child-like expression decorated his face. “Me mum likes me singing. So, next year, I’m off to X-Factor as Elvis.” Faking a smile, Whizzo muttered under his breath, “God help Simon Cowell…”


Rhythmic, metallic thuds echoed throughout the chamber, resounding throughout my head over and over until it reached a loud, ceaseless buzz. A sting brought my hand to the back of my head. I brought back a palm covered in blood, leading my stomach to a churn. Before me stood the source of the unbearable noise, looking down at me as if a predator spying on its prey. His cold visage in the corner of my eye filled my chest with anxiety, unwilling to even look in his direction. He must have taken this as an insult, as he bent down, grabbing me by the chin and forcing me to look straight at him. An unsettling spectacle graced his face, as an impenetrable void breached his once-filled sockets. He spoke in an amalgamation of thousands of whispers, scratching at my eardrums, though the charismatic charm that everyone knew him for was still present, haunting me. “Son…” The bitter taste of sorrow left his tongue, as he paused to look down at my frail body, “I know this is a lot to ask, but you mustn’t be afraid. Don’t fear us. Don’t fear me.” He looked back into my eyes, “You know this is the path to salvation.” “Don’t call me that…” I felt disgusted hearing his voice, “How dare you use Gerius’ words against me. He is gone, you’re but an abomination.” I spat at him, pushing myself away from him. Hitting the wall behind me, I reeled back in pain. A distorted laugh followed by a monstrous sigh resonated across the chamber we stood in. The buzzing carried on in my head as my mind went numb. The possessed husk stood up and looked across the deck to the window that peered into the endless abyss of space. “It calls.” He spoke softly, but strange whispers resounded his words over and over until the message was clear. He looked down at me with a cold expression, causing chills to run down my spine. “Here. Let me help you.” He reached for my collar and lifted my limp body effortlessly. He held me far above him with monstrous strength. I had but one last attempt at escape with my teeth sinking into his wrist. Blood seeped down his arm, but he gave no reaction. Immediately after, I felt the cold and harsh surface hit my body. The incessant buzzing became louder. I wanted to scream, but my words were too feeble. I managed to open an eye and spied around at my surroundings. Bodies upon bodies littered the corners of the room. Anger grew in my heart as I saw the viciously murdered comrades of my past, but none of it could come out. My body was failing me, but in a last moment of despair, words were spoken. “You were our captain… Gerius.” I barely managed to whisper, “How could you.” My mind was wrought with pain as thoughts coursed through it. “Your captain was weak. We are stronger.” The many whispers nearly brought my mind to madness, only interrupted by more words, “It calls. Observe.” At that moment, I felt compelled to seek answers in the dark abyss. I stared deep into the endless void but all that I gained were more questions. Anxiety made my heart race as my eyes focused on the spectacle. The buzzing became louder and my chest became heavier. It finally dawned on me. We weren’t alone. We were being watched. I stared into the abyss and it stared back, thousands of times over. I wanted to scream my heart out at the terror the endless eyes brought me, but I choked on the little air that remained during my rapid breathing. A tear slowly rolled down my cheek. My limbs had lost all of their strength, leaving me powerless. Falling further to the floor, my mind had lost the last of its senses, crumbling to a catatonic state. I could still feel and think, but a reaction was beyond my strength. Once more I heard metallic thudding, only making the buzzing in my mind louder. I felt my body lifted once again. Whispers entered my ears and resonated over and over. “It’s time.” As the words finally registered in my mind, I felt my body flailing across empty space. Nothing but darkness speckled with spots of empty hope were to be seen for eternities on end. I tried calling for help but to no avail as my breath left me almost immediately. It was at that moment that I felt it. The warm and comforting touch of a mother. It caressed my skin softly and filled me with newfound hope. My once cold body had now been reinvigorated as my mind accepted this gift. I opened my arms to the abyss. My heart was then reclaimed by the cold. The void groped at my body and ripped it of all that was left. In my final moment before meeting my demise to the abyss, I did not feel grief. Solace filled my weak mind as I realized that this would not be the end, but a new beginning. The abyss was giving me a second chance. A chance to join them. Join them and become one with the universe. A chance to carry on, forever. A chance to carry on as something much greater than I.


Life has been like a momentary relapse, phasing in and phasing out, Angie had been in her dreams relocating to places, making memories in dozens, and replaying them in her mind in a loop. This is the story of a girl with a barely-there existence, not because she was not admired by her fellow compatriots, but she secluded herself to the truest of extent. A girl who somehow cushioned her apathies through learning bit by bit, then some more and even more, what fascinated her was time warps and how it's existence seemed all starry to her. She in her mind cocooned the possibilities and managed to establish in her head, there was this miracle, a gift laid down by civilization since time immemorial in the form of time capsules and what was bereft was the sensibilities that made people not recognize the importance of it all and hence they lacked obeisance. Angie was desperate enough to find a way to live and relive again, she always in her head had this notion of life that life is all but slow decadence and degeneration and the major flaw acted as a guard for one to be able to live life no matter whatever the aftermath. She wanted to transcend barriers and register her life so that it can be as prolonged as she wanted it to be. The fascination of it all to relate past with that of the future never allowed her to live in the present. But she was not the one to have succumbed to the pressures of it. Angie has always dreamt of creating seven different time capsules stocking each one up at each of the seven wonders of the world. She wanted her name to be there amongst the centuries to come by and worshipped as the one true observer of everything that relates the past, present, and the future all wrapped into one through time orientations. She began her preparation with much adherence to the nitty-gritty, from carefully penning down her thoughts of how she felt like when she was writing each of these seven notes, to her favorite tune, to the places she has ever been to and that she wants to, scribbling one after the other note but failing each time. She wanted the notes to be heart wrenching but she was not the one who could relate how people from the future would react to her approach, will her dream of time warp bundled in time capsules get lost in translation? A lot of thoughts kept crowding her mind and she was unable to find answers for every thought of hers. She thought to herself of keeping it quirky and mind-bending for every thought of hers was going to be locked up to travel the seven seas aboard the seven capsules and landing after seven millennia or so maybe? Angie smirked when writing her first note and contemplated a while, before finally putting her earnest efforts in a paper, she asked, if there was supposed to be a doppelganger for every person in the world, do the doppelgangers tend to ever meet in a lifetime? Her next could not even be considered a question, she had a weird request for the one opening her second note would have to exactly locate her place on the map and travel all the way and a reward would be awaiting the person who reaches first. She was bundling up mysteries one after another. Her third note, she was getting a little emotional while going through the process thinking she would not be there in person to witness even if her capsules found the light of the day and that made her upset. She took a break and after a while, her eyes glistened, she seemed to be leaning back to normalcy and was ready to pen down her third note. She started concocting a story full of delusions and that stemmed from the fact that Angie was never really living in reality and her mind kept shuttling between the past and future barely allowing her to deal with her present. Angie always had a desire of being heard and she poured her thoughts into a song and mentioning how all her life she wanted to write a song that exuded metanoia of how her living is straight out of the book of the current world but still somehow seems to find credence in whatever equivalent it is of the earth that will be the remnant of it all. Angie's fourth note reveals her brush with spirituality and how her newfound status from being an atheist to a believer and that one should never lose hope even if one is on the brink of death. Angie's fifth note was quite eccentric in terms of her keeping it all but blank but including a few strands of her hair, where she wanted her explorer to be able to get the whiff of her even if the smell faints over time or just fritters away. The sixth note to top it all she didn't make it at all. She left pieces of pieces of evidence in every other note of hers, that there were seven notes in total, where there were just six. The sixth note was all hers like it was frozen in time and she just knew its whereabouts, letting it all up to the almighty if it was ever to be found. The last note Angie was very particular about was the one that was pictographic and from the look of it all, it didn't give out much and it was strange to ascertain that whether anybody would be even interested in going so far ahead in discovering what it meant in reality. A loud thud and Angie fell from her bed, she almost freaked! Was she the one dreaming all of it? The time capsules to the seven wonders of the world? Life had been cruel to her and Angie ever so often felt her mind to be a pure escapist, showing her the life that could be but in flashes! Alas! Angie tended to like her little explorations and wondered what those time capsules had in store if she was the one unearthing a possible one, rather than being a creator herself??? A wry laugh and Angie was onto another of her procrastinations to give herself a day off!


‘I swear, Scallop stood by me’, said the blonde haired girl. ‘Admitting your mistake won’t help you this time Abigail Smith!’ her mother said scornfully. ‘I didn’t say I admitted it, I’m saying that I didn’t do it!’ her blue eyes almost filled up with tears as she said this. ‘What am I supposed to say? The whole school lied?’ her mother started shouting. ‘Oh! For once can you be in my shoes? You are supposed to support me’ she grabbed her guitar and sat by a corner and the rest she heard was her mother’s furious voice shouting, ‘BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!’ as she played it. The next thing she can hear was the breaking of the corner wooden piece of her precious instrument, her mother screaming, ‘ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?’ and her own heart breaking into a million pieces. She sobbed and her face went red with anger as she left the house with her diary and pen to the place she can call “Peaceful ” for a heart with raging emotions like hers. She sat down below a tree, she could hear her father screaming at her mom and she cried with agony. About an hour later she sobbed down and took her dairy and pen and made her heart speak as she wrote, “That morning,     I was standing in the crowd when our principal announced, ‘Our school mascot Scallop ,The Lamb has been stolen.’ Being a girl with not so much courage I was terrified. Then I felt something soft rubbing my feet, I looked down, my eyes nearly jumped off and I think they would have fell down. Because it was scallop itself all white with his pink bow around his neck. Lifting him up I was about to say,     ‘I fo…’ but suddenly a nice clear voice interrupted, ‘She stole Scallop’. It appeared to me as if the whole school was telling the same. The rest of the things were a blur and it was nearly a night mare coming true…” she fell fast asleep. She opened her eyes as Scallop licked her freckled cheeks. She got up on her feet to see a place that was in grief. She had a feeling that the place had been defeated by war. She looked upon a sand brown sky which was filled with dark red clouds, the trees stood bare, a chill down her spine told her that the place was haunted. The next thing she saw made her confirm the fact. It was a weird, dark shadow, coming towards her but it suddenly came to a halt but seemed to be moving sideways but fixed at the bottom. She made her mind to run away. As she was running a series of thoughts flashed on and off her mind. ‘Where should I go? What kind of creature was that? Why is Scallop with me? What place is this? Why are the clouds red?’ But the sight of something else made her stop running and go back. As she turned back she still saw the elephant like figure standing at same place. ‘ NO! I’m not courageous enough to take one more look at that horrible thing.’ But something told her to. She couldn’t win over her curiosity. She made small steps smaller than Scallop would! ‘ No I won’t go there!’ her heart screamed with fright. She could neither go right nor left. She stood there fighting with her intuition and curiosity. She then mustered courage to take one more daring look at it and then her heart jumped of her ribs . She screamed with fright as she saw two alien like creatures, both grey in colour , absolutely the same face , just like an upside down pear , and of the same height. They said, ‘Hi!’ but the sound was louder than she thought and seemed to be coming from her back. As she turned there were millions of creatures like that as if they were all copies of the other. She would’ve fainted if one of the two creatures she first met hadn’t said, ‘ Don’t be scared! We’re not going to hurt you.’ The other one said, ‘I know our appearance may make you terrified but we were once beautiful pixies, you know…’ ‘Shhh!!! She’s a stranger Friday!!’ interrupted the other one. ‘No she’s not Saturday’ said a pixie who looked like he was the oldest and wisest of all. He continued, ‘Don’t you all recognize? She .. is the Lost Princess!’ ‘Lost princess? Pixies? What are you talking about?’ asked Abigail. ‘Let me tell you my dear.’ the wise old pixie hastened to explain, ‘As Friday said we were all once pixies. But one day an enemy of ours killed our King and our Queen. We tried to save you, so we sent you to Earth. Goldpix as the name says was once golden, teemed with beautiful creatures but everything turned upside down after the war. You were our only faith. We’ve been waiting for you all these days. I hope you would set things right, won’t you?’ ‘I would if I knew what has to be done and had the courage to do it.’ said Abigail solemnly. ‘You have to use your powers’ said the wise old pixie. ‘Powers? I have powers?’ ‘Yes. You do’ , said Saturday. ‘Maybe she doesn’t know how to use them Saturday just like we did!’ said Friday to the other pixie. Abigail didn’t know if this was something she must be happy or sad for. After a long silence she said, ‘I don’t think I can help you, I don’t have any powers, I have to go home, please send me home.’ ‘We don’t know how to send you back ho..’ as the wise old pixie was saying, ‘ I do, you just have to fa…’ Friday interrupted him. He closed his mouth as Saturday kicked his feet. ‘Tell me.. please.. how do I go home?’ pleaded Abigail. But the old pixie said sternly, ‘Look dear, we lost you once. We don’t want to lose you again.’ Abigail turned back and started to run. The wise pixie ordered, ‘ Take her to the dungeons so she may not escape.’ Abigail cried with misery as she was sitting in a cell of the dungeon. It was dark but she was given nice meals as she was their ‘Princess Back Home’. ‘I just want to go back home, I don’t have any powers , please let me go..’ she cried bitterly as she said. She looked at Scallop who was lying solemnly on her lap. She heard a sweet voice say, ‘Who are you?’. She was mystified. ‘Scallop? Did you talk? How could you possibly talk? Well I think with were once pixies roaming around you talking wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.’ ‘No. It’s me. Hi, I’m Brent.’, said a boy nearly the same age of her. ‘Who are you?’ asked Abigail. ‘Nah! Asked the question first.’ ,said Brent. Abigail didn’t hesitate to answer, ‘I’m Abigail. Last night I fell asleep and opened my eyes to see this weird old lame place. They say they were pixies.. and that I’m their lost princess’. ‘YES!!!! I guessed it just right! I knew it! My King Richard and my Queen Leslie keeps talking about you all the time. Well not all times, only when they’re awake.’, said Brent in a slow soft voice. ‘What do you mean when they are awake? ,’ asked Abigail. ‘Well. There was a witch called The Red Witch. She captured me, King Richard and The Queen and left us in a lonely forest. The King and the Queen barely wakes up but they keep chanting your name as if they know you. They always describe how you look , you know , your blonde hair, blue eyes, freckled cheeks and most importantly that lamb, what is it’s name again? Scallop , yes. I followed the witch one day to Goldpix to seek for medicine to cure the King and The Queen. But they captured me here for some reason which they kept to themselves!’ said Brent. Abigail offered him a deal, ‘ Ok. If I help you escape this dungeon would you help me use my powers?’. This was a weird deal for Brent, ‘You never know to “use” your powers you “feel” it.’ ‘Well can you teach me how to “feel” it?’ asked Abigail. ‘I don’t know. But I’ll certainly try if you help me cure the King and Queen.’, said Brent. ‘Ok so tonight we escape this dungeon.’, said Abigail with a grin. That night after their meals Abigail sent Scallop running in a weird way. ‘Man, that lamb literally understands every word you say.’ Said Brent. Abigail smiled and took his hand and opened the cell gate with the most common hairpin trick and started to run like cats. Not a single soul noticed them. In about an hour of running at half past twelve they were in the heart of the forest. Abigail was in the depths of her fear. She kept close to Brent. Brent said, ‘ Be careful. I’ve never been in this part of the forest.’ They suddenly felt something soft rubbing against both of their legs. Their eyeballs widened as if they were going to pop out. The two jumped with fright and started running. When Brent was going to look behind, Abigail said, ‘ NO!! Don’t look back. Just don’t. You won’t know what horrible things you would see.’ But Brent wasn’t afraid. He looked back and stopped running for once and said, ‘Hey look!! It’s Scallop’. Abigail caught her breath back and went closer to see that Scallop was injured. ‘Scallop. Oh! Dear. How did you get this awful bruise. Oh it was my fault. She started crying and placed her hand on the wound. Taking her hand off she asked Brent to look for medicine. She saw the surprised look on Brent’s face and asked, ‘What are you looking at in yonder?’ Brent said, ‘ I think there is no need to look for medicine.’ ‘No need to look for medicine? Are you kidding? Scallop is bl..’ as she turned to look at the bruise in Scallop’s knee her jaw dropped open. Brent said, ‘ I think you have discovered your power and it is healing people!’ Abigail would have almost fainted. Brent asked her, ‘ What’s the matter?’. Abigail said, ‘ I don’t think I’m ready for this. I mean.. I don’t deserve it. You see.. I am no one special.’ ‘You may not have been special but now is your chance to be. You can’t get rid of it. You have to live with it. I know it’s heaven and hell.’ Said Brent. ‘Are you an expert at this or what?’ asked Abigail. ‘I am no expert. But experience speaks. I have the power to make people happy. C’mon let’s go. ’, said Brent. They went forward into the forest. ‘I think I know this part of the forest. Yes the path behind this ivy leads us to the place where the King and the Queen are.’ said Brent in excitement pushing the ivy apart and discovering the way. They could see a haunted cottage a few miles away. ‘This place is beautiful.’ said Abigail in awe. ‘This place may be beautiful but as much as it is beautiful it is dangerous.’ said Brent. ‘Oooh!’, said Abigail noticing that the place was already creepy enough. Suddenly they heard something behind the bushes. They turned to see nothing. The next thing they knew someone grabbed them by the feet. They were dragged by someone. The two of them started screaming, they were pulled ruthlessly , by something. Abigail shouted, ‘ Is it magical ivy?’ Brent assured her, ‘ No! It’s the Red Witch!’ The dragging stopped and they finally opened their eyes to see the King and the Queen. The witch said, ‘ Finally, it’s the Lost Princess’ in her fine English accent, ‘ Your powers will give me the title of The Greatest Witch in the Universe.’ Then she vanished into dark red ashes. As soon as she went Brent said, ‘ Soon heal them with your powers. ‘ I can’t do it on command. I don’t have the slightest idea how the hell did I heal Scallop’, said the alarmed girl. ‘You have to feel the same feel you felt while healing Scallop. Please you’re the only hope. The medicine I gave them didn’t work!,’ pleaded Brent. Abigail went and knelt near the King and touched him , he woke up immediately and opened his eyes to see the beautiful girl. He said, ‘ My daughter. You are back!!’ Abigail looked at Brent, he nodded as he knew that she was their daughter. All this was incredibly weird for Abigail as she already had parents ! Then she said nothing and did the same to the Queen , her mother. She hugged her lost girl as if the hug would last for a thousand years. The King broke the long emotional silence by saying , ‘ The witch. We have to stop her. She is the cause for all these crises. She caused a war between Goldpix and Prospix by subjecting the pixies of both lands to misunderstandings. She first kidnapped Brent from Prospix and blamed us for it. During war she defeated us , took us here and deprived us of all our powers. She did the same to all the pixies of Goldpix and Prospix. We managed to save only you by sending you to earth. You have the power to fight her. You are our only hope.’ ‘Fight her! NO!! Not me. I’m not as courageous as any of you here are. I won’t stand a minute in front of her. Please send me back home.’ said Abigail her eyes filling up in tears. ‘You have all the powers to fight her. You have to believe in yourself. You have to muster up courage. It is heaven or hell. You gotta fight her or you are gonna end up like us.’ said Brent. She sat for a few minutes and said, ‘ I dunno if this is all a dream or is it really happening? But I always give up on things before I even try. I must not do that to you too. It is your life and your powers and you must get it back. So I will try all possible ways to restore them to you’. ‘ Common we better be heading soon and if we are gonna stop that Red Monster we are gonna need back up.’ said Brent with a grin as if it said, ‘ I have a plan’. As they went past the ivy Brent bid goodbye to the three of them and started running towards Prospix. Meanwhile as they went to Goldpix they were stunned at what they saw. They saw the king of Prospix and the wise old pixie fighting. The king of Prospix threw his sword at the old pixie and he fell on the ground with a loud thud. The king of Goldpix at once took the sword in the pixie’s hand and went on to fight the King of Prospix. Abigail hurried to the old pixie’s help and in no time she healed him. Meanwhile she saw something that surprised her. It was the King of Prospix coming along with Brent. Then it occurred to her that the one fighting with the King of Goldpix was the Red Witch ! She at once shouted, ‘ She is The Red Witch. She is the cause for everything that is happening here. The Queen proved it as she was holding her magical glass towards the witch. The Red witch said, ‘ Don’t you dare take one more step towards me or I will blow your king to hell. Abigail said, ‘ I’m all you want why do you hurt these poor pixies?’ The witch smiled sarcastically and said, ‘ Why I hurt them? They once humiliated me. I don’t think you all might remember Alexa McCartney who once was a pixie like you? Now it’s payback time and you must accept it whether you like it or not.’ Abigail didn’t know what needs to be done. She can’t put the King’s life to bait. She had to do something and at once the idea flashed her heart. It was the same idea that was coming from Brent’s mouth, ‘ Abigail! Heal her heart!’ After she cast the magic the whole of Goldpix and Prospix was reborn and revived again. Friday and Saturday said in unison, ‘ The Revival of Goldpix and Prospix’. The Red Witch was no longer called that and everyone respected Alexa McCartney as a beautiful pixie. The coronation of Abigail as princess ended up in a celebration that lasted for a month! The king said , ‘ Don’t worry my child. You have the best of both worlds. He said a spell and she woke up to find sunshine blinding her eyes. ' All of this happened in a night? ' , she headed home wondering if it was a dream but Scallop assured it wasn’t. He also gave away the secret of who actually stole him! It was the girl who blamed Abigail. Scallop was indeed the magical lamb who took Abigail to Goldpix.


"So, you’re what, about thirty? You probably don’t remember much from back then, huh? How old you think I am? I’ll give you a hint: I’m definitely younger than I look. It’s about a 50-50 split, though, between years before and years after, which, well, complicates things a bit for me. I guess I’m about fifty-five now? Yeah, about that. Maybe fifty-six. Here’s something: I remember before everything happened you could look up and see maybe ten, fifteen stars at night. No lie. Ha, you don’t believe me, I can tell. You’d see maybe the Big Dipper and Orion, the North Star over there, sometimes you could see Mars, a few other of the bright ones here and there, but that was it, really. The city was so bright with all the electric lights that you’d look up and the whole sky would have this kind of hazy glow, this canopy of dirty orange light, especially in the summer when all that light would filter through the humidity, just light it up. It would catch it all like a net so that you couldn’t see anything past it except for those few really bright ones shining through. They used to call it 'light pollution.' That’s the one thing I remember from the first night. You’re lucky because you didn’t really know anything anyway, you would have been so little. Probably didn’t even know the difference. But I was twenty-nine. I was fucking terrified. TER-RI-*FIED*. At least at first. But I remember when it got dark that first night and I looked up and saw all *this*, and for some reason it surprised me. I don’t know if I just forgot they were there, or some part of me assumed that it would take all that city light longer to clear out of the sky—like it would just hang there for weeks or whatever, just stuck in the air— or what, but I didn’t expect to see all *this*, and definitely not that first night. But I sure as hell needed it. It’s like sometimes, when someone is so upset that they can’t think straight and you’re trying so hard to just talk to them, to get them to hear just one thing you’re saying to bring them back down to earth, but they’re so lost in whatever it is, and you have to just grab their shoulders and you know, just give them a little shake so that they snap out of it and they’re sort of forced to look at you, like they’re waking up from a dream or something, it was like that. It was like I woke up from a dream when I saw all those stars—these stars—and I could think straight again. I think maybe it was because it was the only thing that changed in such a way that it was made to seem even *more* real than before, that changed without completely falling apart. Everything else just seemed… I don’t know the word for it. I guess everything else just seemed like it was *exposed*.. You have to understand how it was. Look out there, look at all those buildings. I don’t really know what you think of when you see them, what they mean to you. I mean, you’ve never seen a construction crew putting one of them up, or been in one and walked around as you were passed by hundreds of people, all of whom seem to be on some kind of mission. All on task and wearing the most serious faces you can imagine, like the world would just fall to pieces if they took a goddamn breath. It’s kind of funny to think about now. A little bit. A little bit... You see that one over there? The brick one by the park. Yeah. That’s where I was going to school. That terrace is where I was standing when I saw all these stars for the first time. Twenty-nine years, and even on the clearest, driest nights—barely anything. And then… *this*. We spent the first few nights in that building, eating pop-tarts from the vending machine and stuff. People were really in a state. A lot of people throwing up, weirdly. We weren’t sick, we were just scared. It was like we were all detoxing from something, all sweating profusely, hyperventilating, barely able to talk, puking. The body’s funny like that—it seems like whatever the rest of the body can’t handle the stomach gets stuck with. Ever been in so much pain you threw up? Don’t really know why, doesn’t make sense, but somehow it always feels better afterward, right? Anyway, the first night. So we’re all puking and moaning and shaking, all kind of nervous types to begin with, totally in the throes of our respective panic attacks, and I decide to step outside, figuring it’s probably relatively safe up that high. You can’t understand how strange it was to see the city without its lights; before that all you could see if you were looking down on it from a place like up here were a million of them—the warm yellow squares of apartment building windows, the harsh white of the fluorescent-lit offices, what looked like rivers of red and yellow orbs passing each other moving in opposite directions along the highways—looking like a kind of pixilated version of this. Instead when I looked out all I saw were these huge buildings towering over me on all sides, blacker than black like they were gathering the dark to themselves, totally featureless and now set against a sky that held enough stars that I could make out their edges against it. I know it sounds crazy, but I felt like they were alive. Or that they used to be. Like they were these slumped over colossi that were casualties of a war waged between demigods, and here we all were just sitting in the wreckage—afterthoughts, collateral damage. I actually felt something like pity for them. Millions of stars hung low over my head, now seeming closer than ever, and I stood in the middle of a graveyard of gods. The very building I stood on was one of them, its purpose having just evaporated, like a soul leaving a body. Just a hollow mountain now. A kneeling colossus. And it was exactly at that moment that I realized that the knot in my chest was gone. One that I had forgotten was even there. I realized that for at least a decade leading up to that moment I had felt, without interruption, a sensation that can only be described as the somatization of utter dread, resting at the very center of my chest, in that exact place that your palm would land while indicating yourself. The place where you feel your breath. The place that fizzes with carbonation when you find yourself unguardedly hoping. The only place where you can feel a belief. And I had to ask—'Why now?' The sense of relief seemed to me to be a bit… incongruous with the broader context of the moment, to say the least. And don’t get me wrong—I was still totally terrified, absolutely—but I guess the thing that really changed was the quality of my fear, or maybe its direction. Because before that moment, despite the fact that I’d been feeling that knot in my chest long enough to forget it was even there, I had still yet to place it; I still had absolutely no idea where it came from or what it was attached to. It was… tonal… ubiquitous… vague… and now gone, somehow. Okay, so, imagine walking through those streets down there, in the middle of a throng of pedestrians all impatiently waiting for a light to change or something, the sounds of construction, car horns, sirens, helicopters, voices completely drowning out whatever little thoughts your mind was trying to have, surrounded on all sides by these giant buildings which you know are all teeming with the same kind of activity: phones ringing off the hook, people scuttling around with their grave faces on, yelling at each other, talking to themselves etc., and you’re now caught in the current of this perpetual motion machine. It creates a powerful illusion. You start to think that there’s something true at the center of it all, that there’s maybe even something like an end goal that all that commotion is working toward, a real unity of purpose. Sense. Rationale. And this, of course, isn’t really a conscious thought; it’s not a conclusion you come to after careful consideration. It becomes assumed. Just seems to make sense. And of course, subsequently, you start to question yourself. You might, for example, take note of how efficiently everyone seems to be moving, of how little hesitation you can detect in them, which might cause you to think about how directionless you might feel by contrast, about how arbitrary the decisions you’ve been making have felt to you—decisions that, mind you, will largely determine the trajectory of your whole existence— about the fact that there is no sense of true conviction that underlies those decisions, but that they are, rather, made in response to fears—more defenses against the ultimate ruin that chronic indecision promises than expressions of real desire. You might start to get the idea that you’ve been excepted from some rule about the clarity of self-determination. That for most people, the question of what to do is always easier than the question of how to do it, that answering the question of how is the real work, and you're behind the eight. And so you might make it a point to walk faster, to become part of the blurred motion in someone else’s periphery, to move with that same efficiency that caused you to doubt. You see now? Or you might scan the hundreds of faces passing you by and notice the tension in most brows, how the eyes stare off into some distant place as if searching for an answer to a question. And you might start to think that they have a question in mind, and maybe even that it's the *same* question. That they aren’t, in fact, rather, searching for the right one to ask, like you. And again, it might seem like the real work, as far as everyone but you is concerned, is in the answering, in the *how*. But slowly you suspect—maybe not exactly realize—but suspect that there is no question behind all those wrinkled foreheads, that maybe the only question being asked in any strict sense is 'What is the question I should be asking? *What is the question*?' And that's the question.


In the early days of Reddit, they used it as their logo, one of them had drew it and it looked cute, they even made a stuffed version and named it Snoo because the name also sounded cute. Snoo was kept on top of their computer and they adored him. But one winter, one cold cold winter, that ragtag band of the people who maintained Reddit huddled together in the last burning embers of their fireplace, for they couldn't pay the heating bill. They were growing colder and colder, and their hope of seeing the future of their small but promising site, Reddit. Suddenly, Snoo rose and spoke, "Fear not, my brothers, for I am your Savior Snoo" this of course scared the daylights out of everyone in the room besides Snoo who now had forgotten the cold and gathered around Snoo and asked him questions as to why he had suddenly spoke. Snoo raised an adorably small hand and said, "You mortals will not yet be able to comprehend my existence, only know you have a great piece in the puzzle of the universe, your site's members shall be many, do not lose hope for you shall survive this winter, you will one day by the last hope of the free thinking universe" One among the eager crowd inquired the Snoo, "But how, our fire is quickly waning and our bodies will not produce heat much longer" The Snoo turned to him and said, "Do not worry, that is why I have come, I know I must sacrifice myself to save the universe in the future, it is my piece in the puzzle and I shall take it with dignity" With one final adorable salute he cast himself into the fireplace and stoked the flames. This bold sacrifice somehow kept the fire burning for eternity, and it still burns to this day. The Redditors who witnessed that bold, and strangely vague sacrifice decided to make effigies of the Snoo so that his face and his sacrifice that saved Reddit would be remembered. Of course, they profit off them in the Reddit Store, but it's the thought that counts.