The interview is where it all started
The interview was not what I expected
Someone died on my first day
The second challenge changed me
The next challenge made me question everything
I rediscovered something important
My third challenge was my last
The greatest risks bring the greatest opportunities
This is a story from the heart [Part 1]
This is a story from the heart [Part 2]
This is a story from the heart [Part 3]
This is a story from the heart [Part 4]
This is a story from the heart [Part 5]
My shoulder nearly crumpled as I barely dodged its tackle. Without any time to think, I got up and braced myself for its next attack, which came immediately. It was the same tackle move, but with more ferocity. Again, I dodged.
But the rate at which it recovered was inhuman, which, given that it wasn't human, made sense. I was not able to evade the next tackle and we both flew back a far distance. The moment we made impact with the ground, it propelled its legs back so as to keep on sliding. I let out a blood curdling scream as I felt my scales scrape against the jagged floor, seeing pieces fall off and hitting the ground with a small 'clink' sound.
It released its arms from around me and jumped backwards while I slid down a few feet further. I got up and felt wet. From my back, small amount of blood dripped onto the ground. I noticed that some of the characters from before appeared around my feet, accepting my body fluids into their mystical curvatures.
I studied them for a little bit, mostly because I was still in a daze after that last attack and because the thing in front of me hadn't moved at all. They stayed, creeping closer and closer into forming a circle, as if they would create a hole of light for me to fall through.
I refocused on Jello. It was moving side to side, watching me with dogged eyes. Left, left, left, right, right, right. It stopped on each movement for at least 2 seconds before moving again. Details like this in battle are important, or at least I think they are.
But for some reason, I couldn't move. My feet were glued to the rocks, impaled and immobile. The scribbles were moving faster and faster and faster until they were dizzying to look at. In a flash, red chains shot out of the ground and wrapped themselves around my limbs. I struggled as they brutally dragged me towards the ground. In seconds, I was knocked on to my back, gasping for air. The scribbles continued their encircling of me.
I didn't even try to escape. The more pressure I placed on my wrists to attempt unlatching myself, the harder the chains pushed back. Jello came and stood over me. An eerie cackle made its way out of its voice box, ricocheting once again off of the darkness. No words were spoken. It began to claw away at me.
The first few seconds were absolute torture. High pitched pangs of pain coursed through my epidermis and burrowed themselves in different parts of my internal workings. They were like worms, scavenging for blood cells to feast on. It all became even worse as it dug its ivory, smoky nails into the wounds. I cried like a baby, wondering where everything went wrong.
Black sludge was seeping out of the crevices of my scales, slapping the ground with a focused, audible explosion.It kept at the onslaught, sometimes using clawing, sometimes digging. After a while, my body had adapted to the pain. It felt familiar. It felt...peaceful. I wouldn't have to move or leave. I would just die here, with no regrets. Everything would be over and...I wouldn't have to worry anymore. The world can just go in whatever direction Jello willed it.
But then, I remembered the solitary appendage floating around in the darkness around us. Its silent tears for help, masked by infinite isolation. I could feel it, hear it, sense it. I was the only one that could save it from its misery.
So I mustered as much strength as I could into my decaying arms and tried to push Jello off of me. The black sludge on my own nails aided in my pursuit. It curled up one of it hands into a fist and smashed it right into the right side of my face. I felt nothing. I kept pushing until it grasp on my flesh had lessened. The scribbles on the ground were in disarray, as though they did not know how to react to their conjurer being overpowered. The chains disappeared for a second, but a second was all I needed.
Back on my feet, I put some distance between us. I had no plan of action, no ideas on how to even get a simple advantage on it. I had no resources to utilize.
So I had to improvise.
I gathered some of the black sludge it lodged into my scales and coated my nails with it. I would use the same clawing maneuver it did with me.
We simultaneously launched at each other. I closed my arms into a grappling motion to perform a submission. I believed in my own strength, but this thing's power was otherworldly. I had to rely mostly on willpower as the struggle continued. We rolled and rolled along the floor, each one having a fraction of a second of an advantage.
It roared a guttural and evil shout as it forced it muscles to react at a higher energy. It was able to hold me down with more force than the chains were able to. I looked on helplessly as it went absolutely berserk.
It pinpointed it feral attacks at the conjoining of my left arm and shoulder. I bit my tongue to prevent screams and lessen the pain, but my hold wasn't as strong. Blood splattered out like a fountain from the cuts It had made. I could see my scales darkening as the seconds passed by, gray mush taking place of the beautiful yellow-green emeralds.
Eventually, my arm came clean off. It's traversal across the ground was the only thing I could hear, as though it was a pebble skipping across water. It lay lifeless countless inches away from me. My right arm moved instinctively, attempting to rejoin with its brother. It could feel its anguish as the pain in my left side became the right's burden. I looked up at Jello in sadness and anger. What I saw wasn't unsettling, but confusing.
Its head of steam had simmered down. Its arms looked as comatose as mine did, dangling by its sides without a master to control them. The black nails it sported had become grey as well, teeming with lifelessness. Its grip on me had become a memory, a loose thread waiting to be tied again. My freedom had never been so assured. So I took the chance.
I pushed it off with ease. It didn't even reciprocate. I stood, switching between watching it and the drops of blood falling out of the stump of my left arm.
I thought I could kill it here. I wanted to. I really, really, REALLY wanted to. An ancient, deep-seated bloodlust had been awakened within my consciousness. I ground my teeth against each other, curled my remaining hand into a fist, and flexed the muscles in my legs. This thing deserved nothing but death and more.
But I couldn't do it. I knew I couldn't. I've killed, I know, but after everything that has happened...I couldn't. This was a member of kingdom that was deprived of their rule, deprived of their lives, brought to complete annihilation. In a sense, so was I.
I was part of something I never could have imagined. Maybe...maybe if I stayed and saw this through...I could bring Shaagen back.
But then I remembered the hand. The call for help. The anguish. The loneliness it was feeling. I felt everything it was going through.
Because, in it way, it was me.
So I stepped into the darkness.
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Everything was golden.
The dark mist became golden. The flooring, the slight breeze, even my body was coated in a halcyon gleam.
A door had opened farther down, revealing a bright, white light. I inched closer and closer and closer...until I finally stepped through.
Everything was back to normal. Except it wasn't.
I wasn't in darkness anymore. The floor was not sharp rocks, but soft grass. Jello was nowhere to be seen. But most of all, my left arm had become reattached. I felt it, caressed it. It was good to feel whole again.
Durant.
I turned around to see an all too familiar face.
Shaagen.
He walked forward ever so slowly, the majestic weight of his feet causing miniature tremors on the long grass. Deceased plant life revitalized under his spirited stumps.
It's like you're a god now.
Haven't we always been?
I laughed at that. Even though he was technically correct, it never felt like it. I realized our mortality was insufferably apparent. We bled like humans, we suffered like humans, and we even cried and empathized like humans. Or at least, Shaagen and I did. I turned to my comrade. No matter where it was, it was always wonderful getting to witness his incorporeal self. He was a spirit, but he was tangible and solid as a living being. Maybe being the previous guardian of life allowed him the courtesy to choose his own fate for this afterlife.
Shaagen...you've been here for a while, haven't you?
He frowned at my words. Not an angry frown, but one of raw sorrow.
It...has been difficult. Once I appeared here, I didn't know what to make of it. I was not able to find a way out nor was I able to find a way in. However, I was privy to information about the universe that had never crossed my mind before.
Like the Empire.
Precisely. This...empire, this kingdom of only animals. Animals who could build civilizations, trade and hunt, seduce and converse, and live freely. I was in awe when I realized their fate. How everything turned out for them. Humankind was never meant to prosper as much as it had. But, against all odds, they did. They were able to overwhelm their adversaries with great technology and weaponry that has been all but lost to the annals of time and history.
I kept silent. My thoughts had no meaning here, nor did my words.
It's wonderful seeing you again friend.
As it is with you, Durant. But you are here for another reason.
I heard a call for help. I...should know who it is coming from, but I cannot be sure.
Who do you believe it is?
An old friend? A stranger lost to these times? Maybe...me?
But why would you need saving? What help do you require?
I didn't know how to answer that. Countless times have I questioned my actions and countless times have I failed to provide myself an answer. It was as if I was meant to be this way; conflicted, dilemma-drive. A confused organism always doing the wrong thing and the wrong time. Or maybe it was the other way around. All I knew was that it boiled down to one thing.
My origin, Shaagen. Who I am. You said I would know in time. I feel like that is now.
He walked up to me and curled his trunk around my arm. He led me down the prairie, slowly and cautiously. Little insects peered out of their abodes in the soil to watch us pass.
Where are you taking me?
He stayed quiet. I followed suit.
Eventually, we reached somewhere with grey-green leaves and plants and murky water. My feet sank into dense soil, clutching onto my toes and coating the exterior. The dirt was grainy, but soothing. It felt familiar.
What is this place, Shaagen?
You will see soon enough, friend.
He led me through a thicket of leaves and bushes. The noise of cicadas was getting louder as well as more miniature creatures such as crickets and water striders. Upon seeing us, they dispersed into the grey depths.
Time passed like a snail travelling across a highway.
How much longer? I have to... I have to get back.
It won't be much longer now.
We must have been going through this murky land for at LEAST 2 months now. I...I need to go Shaagen. Please...
He simply smiled. I couldn't see it, but I could tell that that was what he was doing.
We're here.
We stopped abruptly behind a rather dense cluster of leaves. Behind them, I thought I could make out a tinge of a blinding white. Wind slowly crackled through the gaps of the vines, blowing calm breaths into my face. I looked up at Shaagen.
Do I...go through?
He merely motioned with his majestic trunk to move forwards.
I'll be right behind you.
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The envelope of light shut me in. I could neither see nor breathe properly. The only thing keeping my feet moving were Shaagen's words.
Continue.
The word resonated within my mind and eventually, my feet. I bet this is what Hazard must have felt when he was going through Shaagen's challenge.
Soon enough, a darkness had shown itself.
It coated the light like a parasite, infecting its flow while making its way over to me. I didn't even have to ask for Shaagen's help. His angelic form swatted away at the progressing darkness as if it were a mere insect. He bade me to continue forward.
The path was arduous. It was just like when we were in the swamp; it felt like an eternity of walking. However, my legs weren't even tired. They pushed forward, completely separated from the struggles of my mind.
The key to winning this fight and restoration is here.
Restoration? What did he mean by that?
Before I could answer, I was shoved into the cascading mixture of light and dark. Like a waterfall, it rained down and washed over me. I felt numb. I was scared, but also...hopeful.
I looked up and saw light. I looked down and saw dark. I knew what the meaning of this was; I represented both. I am both.
An innocent giggle touched my ears. I looked all over the place, but nothing was there. The giggle became increasingly louder. Louder. Louder.
MAKE IT STOP...SHAAGEN.
I was on the verge of tears. I could hear his smile telling me to push forwards once more. That I was almost there.
I CAN'T TAKE IT. WHY AM I CRYING? WHY IS THIS MAKING ME FEEL SAD?
This is the central location of humanity. Emotion. They embrace it in order to make their lives more meaningful. To show that they can do more than kill and hunt. To show that they deserve to survive. Turn around, friend.
I did as he said and the sight in front of me caused me to stop shedding tears. It only brought confusion.
A mother, a father, and their child were on a blanket of light. Any morsels of darkness that tried to invade were easily resisted. The mother was holding the child in her warm embrace while the father was playing with its hair. The child made the all too familiar giggling noise.
Why was I seeing this? Why was this scene here in the first place? Was Shaagen showing me this? But if so, what for? What do I gain?
As usual, my mind was stressed. I picked at my brain to release me from this, to take me back, to let me go find Hazard. To let me save him. I saw the hand again. That solitary arm, reaching out, silently yet profoundly asking for help.
My eyes flinched towards the child.
One of its hands reached out to the mom, the other one to the dad. They both grabbed tenderly and held on ferociously, with a peculiar love.
All I saw were the child's hands and the solitary hand side by side, both seeming so...analogous. I could feel unexpected water run down my scaly cheeks and disappearing into the darkness below me. The mom and dad gingerly placed the child's hands on both of their cheeks. Then, something happened that had me in even further shock.
They spoke.
He's a beautiful child...isn't he?
No.
He is. He's saved us...from so much.
Stop.
Even though he just got here...he's...\sniffles**
Please.
I know honey. He's our little hero. He's going to grow up and become the most beautiful human that this Empire, this planet, this UNIVERSE has EVER seen!!!
Why....Why is this...
I love him so much, just like I love you my dear.
So...
I love both of you as well. I hope...he never forgets us.
Familiar...
I don't think he ever will. Even if he does, I'm positive he will find a way to remember, even if it isn't his own doing.
...What should we name him, dear?
I had a name picked out way before he was born.
"No..." *sniffle* "No..."
What was it?
The lady smiled a beautiful smile at the man.
Durant.

Nobody asked but I was bored and wanted to listen to some Taylor. I legit just put a whole ass verse for some because I couldn't choose my favorite line from the specific verse.
Tim McGraw: You said the way my blue eyes shined put those Georgia stars to shame that night
Picture To Burn: I realize you love yourself more than you could ever love me
Teardrops On My Guitar: He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do
A Place In This World: I'll be strong, I'll be wrong, oh but life goes on
Cold As You: And you come away with a great little story of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you
The Outside: I tried to take the road less traveled by but nothing seems to work the first few times
Tied Together With A Smile: Hoping it will end up in his pocket, but he leaves you out like a penny in the rain, oh, 'cause it's not his price to pay
Stay Beautiful: Cory's eyes are like a jungle, he smiles; it's like the radio
Should've Said No: You should've known that word 'bout what you did with her would get back to me
Mary's Song (Oh My My My): Take me back to the creek beds we turned up, two AM, ridin' in your truck, and all I need is you next to me
Our Song: Our song is the slamming screen door, sneaking out late tapping on your window
I'm Only Me When I'm With You: Sometimes we don't say a thing, just listen to the crickets sing
Invisible: Like shadows in a faded light, oh we're invisible, I just wanna open your eyes and make you realize
A Perfectly Good Heart: And realized by the distance in your eyes that I would be the one to fall
Jump Then Fall: Well I like the way your hair falls in your face, you got the keys to me, I love each freckle on your face
Come In With The Rain: I'll leave my window open 'cause I'm too tired tonight to call your name
SuperStar: I'm no one special, just another wide-eyed girl who's desperately in love with you
The Other Side of the Door: With your face and the beautiful eyes and the conversation with the little white lies
Fearless: And I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress, fearless
Fifteen: But in your life, you'll do things greater than dating boys on the football team
Love Story: Romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel, this love is difficult, but it's real
Hey Stephen: The way you walk, way you talk, way you say my name, it's beautiful, wonderful, don't you ever change
White Horse: My mistake, I didn't know to be in love you had to fight to have the upper hand
You Belong With Me: Laughing on a park bench thinking to myself, hey isn't this easy?
Breathe: Music starts playin' like the end of a sad movie, it's the kinda ending you don't really wanna see
Tell Me Why: Here's to you and your temper, yes, I remember what you said last night
You're Not Sorry: And you got your share of secrets and I'm tired of being last to know
The Way I Loved You: Breakin' down and comin' undone, it's a roller-coasted kind of rush
Forever & Always: Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hide like a scared little boy?
The Best Day: Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay, but I know I had the best day with you today
Change: They might be bigger, but we're faster and never scared
Mine: You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
Sparks Fly: Get me with those green eyes baby as the lights go down, give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
Back to December: It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you, wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine
Speak Now: Fond gestures are exchanged, and the organ starts to play a song that sounds like a death march
Dear John: All the girls that you've run dry have tired lifeless eyes 'cause you burned them out, but I took your matches before fire could catch me, so don't look now. I'm shining like fireworks over your sad, empty town
Mean: Somebody made you cold, but the cycle ends right now 'cause you can't lead me down that road
The Story of Us: The battle's in your hands now, but I would lay my armor down if you'd say you'd rather love than fight
Never Grow Up: To you, everything's funny, you got nothing to regret, I'd give all I have honey if you could stay like that
Enchanted: The lingering question kept me up, two a.m. who do you love?
Better Than Revenge: Sophistication isn't what you wear, or who you know or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go
Innocent: Time turns flames to embers, you'll have new Septembers
Haunted: Come on, come on don't leave me like this, I thought I had you figured out
Last Kiss: You can plan for a change in weather and time, but I never planned on you changing your mind
Long Live: 'Cause for a minute a band of thieves in ripped-up jeans got to rule the world
Ours: So don't you worry your pretty little mind, people throw rocks at things that shine
If This Was A Movie: But if this was a movie you'd be here by now
Superman: Something in his deep browns eyes has me singin' he's not as bad like this reputation
State of Grace: Love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right
Red: Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street
Treacherous: And I just think you should, think you should know that nothing safe is worth the drive and I will follow you, follow you home
I Knew You Were Trouble: A new notch in your belt is all I'll ever be
All Too Well: Maybe we got lost in translation, maybe I asked for too much, but maybe this thing was a masterpiece 'til you tore it all up
22: We're happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time, it's miserable and magical
I Almost Do: I bet it never ever occurred to you that I can't say "Hello" to you and risk another goodbye
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: I used to think that we were forever and I used to say "never say never"
Stay Stay Stay: You took the time to memorize me, my fears, my hopes and dreams, I just like hanging out with you
The Last Time: You wear your best apology, but I was there to watch you leave
Holy Ground: Spinnin' like a girl in a brand new dress, we had this big wide city all to ourselves, we blocked the noise with the sound of "I need you", and for the first time I had something to lose
Sad Beautiful Tragic: And you've got your demons, and darlin' they all look like me
The Lucky One: And they tell you that you're lucky, but you're so confused 'cause you don't feel pretty, you just feel used
Everything Has Changed: And all I feel in my stomach is butterflies, the beautiful kind, making up for lost time
Starlight: He said, "Look at you, worrying so much about things you can't change. You'll spend your whole life singing the blues if you keep thinking that way"
Begin Again: I've been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end, but on a Wednesday in a café I watched it begin again
The Moment I Knew: And what do you do when the one who means the most to you is the one who didn't show?
Come Back...Be Here: The delicate beginning rush, the feeling you can know so much without knowing anything at all
Girl At Home: And it would be a fine proposition if I was a stupid girl
Welcome To New York: Walkin' through a crowd, the village is aglow, kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats
Blank Space: Keep you second guessing like, "Oh my God, who is she?" I get drunk on jealousy, but you'll come back each time you leave cause darling I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream
Style: You've got that long hair slick back, white t-shirt and I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt
Out Of The Woods: But the monsters turned out to be just trees
All You Had To Do Was Stay: But people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye
Shake It Off: My ex-man brought his new girlfriend she's like "Oh, my god." but I'm just gonna shake.
I Wish You Would: We're a crooked love in a straight line down
Bad Blood: If you love like that, blood runs cold
Wildest Dreams: You see me in hindsight tangled up with you all night, burnin' it down. Some day when you leave me I bet these memories follow you around
How You Get The Girl: And then you say I want you for worse or for better, I would wait forever and ever, broke your heart, I'll put it back together, I would wait forever and ever
This Love: This love left a permanent mark, this love is glowing in the dark
I Know Places: Loose lips sink ships all the damn time, not this time
Clean: Rain came pouring down when I was drowning that's when I could finally breathe and by morning, gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean
Wonderland: Didn't they tell us don't rush into things? Didn't you flash your green eyes at me? Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds? Ooh didn't it all seem new and exciting? I felt your arms twisting around me, I should've slept with one eye opened at night
You Are In Love: You understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars and why I've spent my whole life try to put it into words
New Romantics: 'Cause, baby, I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me
...Ready For It?: And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor, every lover known in comparison is a failure, I forget their names now, I'm so very tame now, never be the same now, now
End Game: And I can't let you go, your hand print's on my soul, it's like your eyes are liquor, it's like your body is gold
I Did Something Bad: I never trust a playboy, but they love me, so I fly him all around the world and I let them think they saved me
Don't Blame Me: Echoes, love your name inside my mind, halo, hiding my obsession I once was poison ivy, but now I'm your daisy
Delicate: This ain't for the best, my reputation's never been worse, so you must like me for me
Look What You Made Me Do: The world moves on, another day, another drama, drama, but not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma and then the world moves on, but one thing's for sure, maybe I got mine, but you'll all get yours
So It Goes...: You make everyone disappear and cut me into pieces, gold cage, hostage to my feelings
Gorgeous: Ocean blue eyes looking in mine, I feel like I might sink and drown and die
Getaway Car: Don't pretend it's such a mystery, think about the place where you first met me
King Of My Heart: 'Cause all the boys and their expensive cars with their Range Rovers and their Jaguars never took me quite where you do
Dancing With Our Hands Tied: I, I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us, so baby, can we dance, oh, through an avalanche and say, say that we got it? I'm a mess, but I'm the mess that you wanted, oh, 'cause it's gravity, oh, keeping you with me
Dress: I'm spilling wine in the bathtub, you kiss my face and we're both drunk
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: And therein lies the issue, friends don't try to trick you Get you on the phone and mind-twist you and so I took an axe to a mended fence
Call It What You Want: I recall late November, holdin' my breath, slowly I said, "You don't need to save me but would you run away with me?"
New Year's Day: Please, don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere
I Forgot That You Existed: It isn't love, it isn't hate, it's just indifference
Cruel Summer: I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
Lover: Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand? With every guitar string scar on my hand I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover
The Man: What's it like to brag about raking in dollars and getting bitches and models? And it's all good if you're bad, and it's okay if you're mad. If I was out flashin' my dollas I'd be a bitch, not a baller. They'd paint me out to be bad, so it's okay that I'm mad
The Archer: And I cut off my nose just to spite my face, and I hate my reflection for years and years
I Think He Knows: He's so obsessed with me, and boy I understand
Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince: It's you and me, that's my whole world, they whisper in the hallway, "she's a bad, bad girl". The whole school is rolling fake dice. You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes
Paper Rings: The wine is cold like the shoulder that I gave you in the street, cat and mouse for a month or two or three, now I wake up in the night and watch you breathe
Cornelia Street: Barefoot in the kitchen, sacred new beginnings that became my religion, listen
Death By A Thousand Cuts: You said it was a great love, one for the ages, but if the story's over, why am I still writing pages?
London Boy: He likes my American smile like a child when our eyes meet, darling, I fancy you
Soon You'll Get Better: I'll paint the kitchen neon, I'll brighten up the sky, I know I'll never get it, there's not a day that I won't try
False God: I know heaven's a thing, Igo there when you touch me, honey Hell is when I fight with you
You Need To Calm Down: And I ain't tryna mess with your self-expression but I've learned a lesson that stressin' and obsessin' 'bout somebody else is no fun, and snakes and stones never broke my bones
Afterglow: I lived like an island, punished you with silence, went off like sirens, just crying
ME!: I know I tend to make it about me, I know you never get just what you see, but I will never bore you, baby (And there's a lot of lame guys out there)
It's Nice To Have A Friend: Something gave you the nerve to touch my hand, it's nice to have a friend
Daylight: And I can still see it all (in my mind), all of you, all of me (intertwined), I once believed love would be (black and white), but it's golden (golden), and I can still see it all (in my head) back and forth from New York (sneakin' in your bed) I once believed love would be (burnin' red), but it's golden Like daylight

Everyone knew something about these Crow Kids they weren't sharing. It's some sort of town secret but we're outsiders. When I needed help to know what happened to Jenny these past few days, nobody was answering my questions.
"That's my little girl out there! She needs her Daddy! You people ain't telling me nothing I can use! Where's my daughter?"
They knew. Of course they knew. I could see it, despite their feigned looks of confusion. I could tell by the way they'd avert their eyes. They don't talk about the weird stuff that happens here. I don't neither. I'm not quite sure why. None of us do.
Wait.
I’m starting this off all wrong.
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I need to tell you about the house I got for sale. It's listed by MountainSun Kentucky Realty.
New Listing - 467 Webber St, Bradenville
Think about taking the drive out to have a look. Maybe it's for you? It's real affordable.
It’s a 3 bedroom but one of them is more of an office. That one's downstairs. We have a big open plan. The first floor’s got living spaces and that office. The other bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs. About 2,382 square feet total. I've got it priced under market. Upkept really well though it may not look modern outside, all of the fixtures and some of the plumbing are new from right after Jenny and I moved in.
Bradenville is a small, quiet town. A little slice of Americana where the mailman still walks door to door. People say hello to strangers. If you do something uneducated, somebody's mamma is liable to place her hand on her chest and mutter 'bless your heart' with a smile. It’s a beautiful place to live, too. My daughter Jenny and I moved here almost three years ago and fell in love with it. The people here are your salt-of-the-earth types. Hardworking, God fearing, enjoying the simpler side of Kentucky living. It's true what they say about Bradenville. If you come to live here, you'll stay till you die.
The house I got for sale ain’t one of those cookie-cutter ones you can buy anywhere in the country. You know the kind I mean. It was built by someone’s own two hands. You don’t want to live in some new development called Begonia Heights or Lavender Ridge or whatever other pretentious bullshit the places where you live are called. You want to live here.
Webber Street is Webber Street and Main Street is Main. These streets have normal names; not the breeds of birds or anything stupid. Every house is unique. These are places made with spirit and character built to raise your family in. My house is almost 100 years old now. A house like this one might even outlive you.
If it’s not big enough, it would be easy to add onto. When Rhiannon nextdoor got pregnant did she and Paul and their other two kids pack up and move? Heck no, goddamn them. They called a man, measured some walls, and added on another room. That was Rihannon's great grandma's place. That family’s gonna love that house for another 100 years to come. Beyond that even, till they're all dead and gone and the memory of them fades. That's how you're supposed to treat a home; take care of it and it takes care of you.
We don’t have an HOA so you can paint it any color under the rainbow you like once it's yours. I think my place would be the perfect spot for you. I'm sure you can afford it. The cost of living ain't much.
There's freedom in the country. You can feel it the moment you step outside and into the breeze. The colors seem brighter and you can hear the spirit of the place like a breeze through bluegrass. Warm music that fades into hazy memories. It's in the air here even if music ain’t playing. You'll see. The moment you take in the views, your brain will conjure up the sound of Ricky Skaggs singing "Bury Me Beneath The Weeping Willow" or something akin to that. Or maybe you'll think "All The Trouble" by Lee Ann Womaok, or Mumford and Sons or something that’s more current. Whatever country music is to you, that’s what you’ll think of. When you see the forest behind the place with mountains rolling up like a distant backdrop looking down on the sprawl of town that grew in the shadow, you're bound to get some melody. It'll start screaming like an earworm, burrowing its way into your bruised apple of a skull.
I don’t think I can do this. I won’t trick you like this. What I need is for you to buy my fucking house so me and my little girl can get the fuck out of here. Can't you do that? Can anyone out there reading this help me? Please? I'll give you whatever you want.
------
I bought the house with insurance money after my husband passed. Before he died, Daniel and I adopted Jenny to start a family. She was a little thing with strawberry-blonde ringlets and bright blue eyes, squirming and rolling around her crib. Wrapped in a blanket, like a wriggling bundle. I called her ‘Slug.’ And when I saw how much Daniel hated it, ‘Slug’ became my thing.
“Quit it!” He said, “that’s no nickname for a baby!”
“Of course it is!” I said, “Wooket squirmy wormy Jenny-Slug!”
She’d laugh, not knowing about the fuss. It was attention, that’s all.
“That’s gross!” Daniel said. "She looks more like a bird in an egg. You can call her Bird."
"Naw. I'll call her Slug. She can call me Daddy and you'll be Dad."
His ears turned red every time I called her that and I would laugh with her while he seethed. We always made fun of each other. That was the best time.
One of the things I loved best was how he kept on about moving to a place like this.
“When I was a kid in Kentucky,” he said as his eyes went glossy and bright with longing. “I remember the air...so fresh...the temperature...”
One awful morning, I woke up and Daniel was gone. He didn’t leave. His body was right there beside me, cold.
Jenny was turning 5; suddenly our family changed and it was just the 2 of us. I took the loss like dodging a rain of cinderblocks that didn’t stop for weeks. Some days I did okay. Other days I’d be covered until I was buried. I’d lay tangled in sheets, crying and too weak to move. Forget about getting back on my feet. I wasn’t even trying to stand. Instead of our forever-home in the country, I moved into a dark, dilapidated place inside myself. People talked to me, but I was walled in. Nothing they said made sense through the bricks.
Sleep apnea? My father snored all his life. People can’t die from snoring.
It didn’t make sense; I didn’t want it to. It wasn’t fair. He was 31 years old. He’d be 34 and a half now. It’s too young. We were just getting started.
Only Grandfathers are allowed to die in their sleep.
I hid depression as well as I could from Jenny. I saw the shrink. I took my pills. I wanted to teach her about being strong. I couldn’t do that if I kept falling apart in the dark. I needed to come out of this place, for her.
As for Jenny, it was bad for her at first. Being so young, I knew she didn’t understand much of it; not the funeral nor what she saw me going through. I wonder how much of this stays with her when she’s grown. I made 11 years worth of memories with him. Would she get to keep any of hers at all? I don't remember anything from when I was 5.
Could she remember the way they played teddy bears' tea party and the stupid voices he gave to every one of them? How he pushed her on the swings while she begged to go higher at the park?
“Higher! Higher please!”
"I can't push you higher, Little Bird!" He told her, "You'll get better hugs from the clouds and fly away from us forever." All three of us laughed.
She doesn’t have our genes, but I joke she got her imagination from his side of our family.
What if she don't remember him? What if the memories she keeps for him are how I fell apart when he'd gone?
I was going to give her that life he always wanted. I bought this house trying to do just that. Now we’re stuck here.
------
In Bradenville, people are friendly, you get to know them pretty quick. They’ll talk your ear off if in the checkout line if you let them. By the time Jenny was 6 we were well known throughout town. Yet a gay single father in a small town in Kentucky becomes adept at eluding the subject of partners. I didn't give much away. That’s how it was at first. I kept people from getting too close. That's how I was raised. I wasn’t hiding secrets. I just wasn’t walking around passing out copies of a biography. It wasn’t their business.
I found out Kariann Nathan, the local busybody, pieced all of the bits of information together and told everyone. Everyone. If you’ve lived in a small town you know there ain’t much room for secrets. It was a hassle, but different to what I expected. You forget the world of 30 years ago is gone now. Few people cared about my business. Most wanted to talk to me more. If the people of Bradenville were vaguely sweet prior, they became overly saccharine overnight.
------
I stared at the wall of canned vegetables, deep in thought when I heard, “Hey, ain’t it Eric Parker?”
Great.
An enormous creature was moving toward me clutching a purse that was lined with a layer of fuzzy black feathers.
“I thought that was you!” She called out.
Jenny looked up to give a knowing glance before returning her attention to the knots in her doll’s hair. I felt my body tense. I kept shopping nonchalantly, hoping she would leave.
“Yep, that’s me.” I kept my tone as casual and dismissive as possible. I knew what was coming. I reached for a can of green beans.
“Hi! I’m Patty Filmore.”
“Oh, Ms. Filmore, hi!” I replied pretending to read the label, “ It’s nice to see you again.”
I could see her smile creep its way up her cheeks, not quite reaching her eyes. She looked at me as though in initiating this brief exchange, she found some exotic treasure. “I just wanted to say, I think it’s great...what you’re doing.”
I looked up. “Oh?” I said, “Thank you. They say that this one needs a full pyramid of options for a well balanced dinner, and vegetables have to be on the menu. Gotta make sure she gets her greens.”
“I don’t like green beans!” Jenny squealed.
“That’s too bad Slug! The police said if I buy them, you gotta eat them or it's jailtime."
"No! Daddy don't buy them then!"
"Sorry, honey." I said, "them’s the rules."
“You know that’s not what I meant, silly.” Patty began again. She was still here. Why didn’t she leave? Given no reason to end the conversation, she resumed talking. A blush spread across her face.
“I do.” I said.
“My daddy doesn't like you, I don't think.” Jenny said without looking up.
“Jenny!” She gave me a look and a shrug and went back to fixing Barbie’s hair. "You don’t talk to people like that. It’s not polite.”
“Sorry, lady.” Jenny whispered. Still she didn’t look up. She knew she wasn’t in trouble. Daddy’s little spitfire was sometimes a brat on purpose. It was part of our deal.
“Ain’t she something,” Patty said. She chuckled and placed her hand over her massive breast adding, “bless your heart. You must be a handful.”
“That she is,” I said. “Ain’t you Slug?” Patty frowned at the nickname.
Good.
“I bet it’s hard doing this all by yourself.” She said.
“It’s not hard. We got each other.”
“Well,” Patty said, “when you’re ready to start dating again, My cousin Cricket would sure like to meet someone like you. He's good with kids. They like him.”
Cricket. Who in the name of God is called Cricket? Yes, I understand irony. Don’t care.
“Thank you, I’ve got my hands full now. Like you said.”
“If you change your mind, I can pass the word along.”
“That’s very kind. Lunchtime’s coming so we’d better go. This one gets a little bit ruder than this if she don’t get her juicebox.”
Patty laughed and wished us a good day before walking off.
“Daddy?"
“Slug?”
“She looked like a big fat bird.”
I laughed, “don’t call people names, okay?”
I bought Jenny some Skittles on the way out. A reward for her part in the interaction but I didn’t tell her. She probably knew. She’s a smart kid. I didn’t want to teach her to be rude, but the conversation ended more quickly than it would have without.
------
The week Jenny started Kindergarten was hard for me. I just kept thinking about Daniel and how he should be posing for the photos on her first big day with us.
Time marches on.
Jenny learned school lessons fast and made friends just as quickly. She got close with Rhiannon and Paul’s kids nextdoor long before the new baby. Dixon and Lincoln were funny boys and the Parishes quickly became the only real friends I made here. We took turns babysitting the 3 kids, their 2 and Slug, while they enjoyed date night. They'd look after Jenny on the few nights I went out myself. Usually, I went to the movies or someplace I could be alone with my thoughts.
One afternoon, they were in the backyard, hands tucked up under their armpits like chickens, running single-file in circle. Paul had to run to Lexington for work. I offered to watch the kids so Rhiannon could join him for the long ride.
The first time I heard it was that day. I set a plate of PB&J sandwiches on the picnic table in the yard and heard the boys teaching it to Jenny. It sounded like Ring-Round-The-Rosy, but the rhyme was different. She picked up on it quickly because she already knew the tune.
Crow kids are liars.
Eyes are black and beady.
Ignore the things they say because
They're all wet from their sleeping.
Feathers, feathers, you'll fly upsidedown.
I laughed. “What the heck is that song?” I asked the boys.
“Crow Kids song?” Dixon, the younger boy replied with a scoff. “Everybody knows that one.”
“I never heard it,” I said.
“Sure you have. Everyone has.” Dixon said.
Lincoln’s eyes grew as wide and white as eggs. “Shhhh,” He scolded his younger brother. The whisper was harsh. I pretended not to hear. I felt a strange pang of curiosity and fear at once when Lincoln’s face became dark and serious, “They’re not from here." He said. "They don’t know.”
Something about that stuck with me. It didn’t help that Jenny learned the whole thing, reciting it frequently after.
Crow Kids are liars.
Mouths are hard and beaky.
They're flying on the bottom,
And they’re offering their teaching.
Feathers, feathers, you'll fly upsidedown.
"Honey can you quit singing that? Gives me the creeps."
"All the kids sing it, Daddy."
I didn’t realize it meant anything until last weekend.
------
A lot of time passed and Jenny was getting taller every day. Growing up quicker than I liked. You want them to stay kids forever but they don’t care what you want.
By last weekend, Rhiannon was very pregnant. 9 months and 5 days. The addition was built and the nursery was furnished and painted blue, eagerly awaiting baby boy number 3.
Paul was there when I left Jenny at the house. I wouldn’t leave her to bother someone about to go into labor. Rhiannon needed rest, not to watch my kid chase her boys in the yard.
"Are you sure it’s okay?" I asked.
"Oh, yea," Rhiannon said. "I've been holding on longer than I'm supposed to already. Another hour won't change anything."
Normally I work from home. I take meetings on video chat and design e-commerce sites for companies all over. Last weekend, a local t-shirt company contacted me for a quote. It was only going to take an hour.
"I won't be long." I told them.
Paul told me to take my time.
I got the job but it doesn't matter. Not now.
Returning home, I walked over there. The boys were on the porch, turning the worn pages of a weathered comic. Their backs against the railing.
"What's this one say?" Dixon asked, pointing to the page.
"Says he doesn't feel pain. He is pain." Lincoln read, "says 'I know it at a molecular level.' Pulls at his atoms and sings to him in an alphabet of fear."
Jesus Christ.
Dixon is 8. Lincoln is older but he's still only 10. Where did they find this thing? I began to worry about the level of supervision Jenny had here.
"Hey boys," I began. They didn’t hear me approach and they both jumped. "Your mom and dad inside with Jenny?"
"They're at the hospital." Dixon said. "Mom said the baby's coming and they both ran out of here real fast." He followed making a noise like a car peeling out. I glanced at the driveway noticing the fresh black from the tires.
"Oh." Shit. "Uh. Okay. Is Jenny inside?"
"No, Mr. Eric," Dixon said, "it's just us."
"She went with them to the hospital?" I heard my own voice anxious and raw. My throat grew dry. I felt like I was floating somewhere else. I grabbed the porch railing to steady myself.
"No, Mr. Eric," Dixon said again. The younger boy grew quiet, "she's gone."
"What--what do you mean she's gone?" It came out a mumbled stammer.
Dixon looked at the ground. Lincoln didn’t look up at all the whole time that I stood there.
"What do you mean she's gone?!" I said again. My voice was louder than I'd meant for it to be. "Lincoln look at me. Tell me what your brother means."
"You're too late."
I wanted to slap the shit out of him. I kept reminding myself he was just a kid and not my kid.
I glanced frantically around the yard. I looked inside through the windows. "Boys, where is she?"
They were quiet. It was the longest moment of my life, stretching on and on forever. I felt my stomach churn. I was going to be sick.
"She left with the Crow Kids." Dixon said shuffling his feet. "They're gonna teach her to fly."
I dialed 911.
"Hi." I said. "I'm at 467 Webber Street. I need help please. Now."
"What is the nature of the emergency sir?" The operator asked.
"I just." I couldn't find the words. If I did. If I said them, that would make it real. "467 Webber. I need… I need help please."
"What is the nature of the emergency?"
"Neighbor's. Um. She's not here. I left her. Babysitter. Missing. Daughter. Gone." The lightheadedness intensified and the world went black.
"Sir? Sir? Can you hear me? Are you there? You said your daughter’s missing? Is that correct? Sir? If you can hear me, I'm sending a car there now, an ambulance too. Sir? Are you still there? Sir?"
------
I woke surrounded by people. Lincoln was talking to an officer, a woman in mirrored sunglasses. I could hear it but just barely.
"Mama said the baby couldn't come. There'd be too many." Lincoln's voice was shrill but calm. "So Daddy told me and Dixon to take her to the creek and introduce--"
"That's enough." The woman said softly. "I'm gonna see if Mr. Varney can take you boys to the hospital to meet up with your mama and daddy." She led the kids over to another officer.
They exchanged some words I couldn't make out, but I did hear her say something else to him turning away: "Tell the Parishes I wanna speak to them. Legacy or not, doesn't excuse you from our laws."
She started up to where the paramedics attended me, stooping down to pick up the comic book. Rolling it, she stuck it into her back pocket.
"Wait!" Lincoln's voice came from somewhere in the yard, "tell her to give back my comic!"
"Little boy, that's my boss. I don't tell her nothing. Besides this town's spooky enough without you filling your heads with more bullshit. Come along, ya hear me?"
"Is he good?" The woman asked one of the paramedics.
"For now."
"I need to ask him a few questions."
"He might not stay good then. This was a panic attack"
"I'm fine," I said sitting up. Slowly, I got up with the help of the paramedics on shaking knees. "What did he tell you? Where is she? Something about the creek?"
"Mr. Parker," the woman began, "I don't think we've met. I'm Sheriff Downs, but you can call me Tawnie."
I huffed out a sigh, "I know who you are, Tawnie,” I said trying to conceal my anger. "Where did he say she went?"
"He didn't give me much info, but I already called the pastor from the church up the road. He's got everybody's telephones and we'll get a party out here to search." She sucked her teeth and put her hands on her hips. "She ever run off before?"
I sat in one of the rocking chairs near the door and put my hands over my face. I could feel the wet of tears on my palms. I wasn’t aware I was crying.
"No. She's 8 years old."
"We’ll find her." She said.
"What do you need from me? Like a doll or some clothes or something?"
She looked confused, "come again?" She asked.
"For the dogs."
"I'm sorry Mr. Parker, we don't have resources for them kinda dogs." I felt my heart sink and settle in my feet. "Might be someone in the search party's got a hunting dog they'll bring. I guess. Keep that in mind. We’ll start at the treeline and the woods behind your property."
The wrong direction. Lincoln said something about the creek. The creek was across the road, and through the field beyond Hayes Jackson's property. Why would she want to look on the wrong side of the street?
I looked up at her, "Why?"
"That's where she's likely to be, Mr. Parker." She explained.
I didn't understand. "But why think that? Why not start at the creek?"
She looked at me a bit confused, "the creek's about a mile off that direction. She probably wouldn't go off that far."
"But that boy was--"
"That boy's full of fish tales. Takes after his daddy." She said, "he don't mean to be a liar, he's what, 9 or 10? He don't understand what he's doing."
I felt moving in the pit of my stomach, an unease, squirming like an eel. "What if it’s the truth?"
"Enough people from town will come and we can split in 2." Her voice was sympathetic but her face betrayed something else entirely. What was it? Pity? No. That wasn't it. Annoyance. My suggestions were annoying her. She probably didn't want to search at all.
"I can come over to the creek if you want to start there," she said. "We’ll send another team out yonder in the woods. We can cover more ground that way."
"He was trying to tell you something else," I said.
"I don't think he was." She said. I searched her face for any hint of compassion. All I saw of it was a tired, weathered mask beginning to slip. She was lying to me and not very good at it. She didn't care if we ever found Jenny. It was in her eyes.
"I think it was something about the Crow kids. Is that a family name? Crow?"
She sighed, "No Mr. Parker. Like I said: 'fish tales.' No family named Crow, just a small-town urban legend. Ain't no Crow Kids. Just made up stories. I don't remember how it goes. Kids been talking about them since before I was born. Get blamed for everything bad. They ain't real."
------
Many responding to Pastor Thomas's call arrived in hiking boots and thick pants. Some came wielding machetes and heavy duty loppers to clear paths through the brush. Nobody came with a hunting dog. A woman named Sheryl lumbered up to me where I stood in my driveway. Her arms were laden with paper sacks from the grocery store.
“All these people are gonna need to eat,” she said matter-of-fact as I led her inside and showed her around the kitchen.
I found it reassuring that so many people in town came already prepared to comb the woods and the creek beyond the Jackson property like they’d done it before. A few even brought maps of both spots, dogeared and well used, some marked the grids of previous searches. It wasn’t until later that I realized how troubling that should have been.
How many times did they do this before? What exactly was going on?
------
We searched for 6 hours, stopping before sundown. A large folding table was set up in my yard. Jim Thomas was unloading metal chairs from the back of the church van. The mood was painfully cheery as the town crowded around Sheryl’s spread of impromptu home cooking. Somehow she found enough time to bake 5 or 6 chickens, 4 hams, a few gallons of mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie and corn to go around. In just 6 hours in my tiny kitchen. From two paper sacks from Rife’s Grocery. It didn’t add up. I didn’t question it. There were more important questions. I held them in until everyone left except for Sheryl and Pastor Thomas’s wife who both stayed to clean up.
“I have to ask you ladies something,” I said coming through the kitchen door, my arms piled with serving utensils and trays.
“Oh my,” Gwen Thomas came rushing over, relieving the load I carried, “you stop right there and don’t do a thing.” She unloaded the dishes in the sink and led me over to my breakfast table.
“You’ve had a long day,” Sheryl said bringing over a steaming mug of black coffee “You leave the washing up to us.”
“I need to ask you two ladies something.” I said again. I weighed the implications of the question in my mind. Did I want to hear the answer?
I needed to know.
“Everybody seems to have done this before.”
“Mmm.” Gwen murmured as she scrubbed at the pans in the sink, “once or twice.”
I could see Sheryl in my periphery. She bit her lower lip, looking nervous and smearing some of her cheap lipstick on her teeth.
“I think it’s more than that.” I reasoned, “some of those maps looked pretty creased. Most of them had lines drawn too.”
We shared an uncomfortable silence. Eventually, silence was stalled by a chime from Mrs. Thomas’s phone. She looked relieved as she read the text.
“It’s Jim,” she said, “I should go. He’s wondering where I’m at.” On her way toward the front door, she stopped to place her hand on my shoulder, “I’m really sorry this is happening.”
I took a deep breath as she left and continued my questions. “Are you gonna pretend nothing’s up too?”
Sheryl sighed and I could see tears welling up in her eyes. “We ain’t supposed to talk about it. They might hear.”
“My daughter’s missing.” I said, “I need to find her. The boys nextdoor said--”
“I know what they said,” She wiped a tear away, “ain’t the first time.”
“Nobody will tell me,” I said pleading now, “I need to find my daughter.”
“It’s this town,” she said, “you need to find a way to leave as soon as you can. It ain’t easy but soon enough you can’t. You’ll be just like the rest of us. Get out.”
She wouldn’t explain further about the Crow Kids.
“I gotta go,” she said excusing herself. “I already said too much.” She showed herself out into the night, crying as she went.
We looked for 3 more days. Each day was met with fewer searchers, fewer answers, and more questions than I could count.
On day 4, I looked alone.
On day 5, I found her.
------
I wasn’t sleeping more than an hour or 2 at a time. Even drinking myself to oblivion was no relief. I was slowly losing hope, tossing and turning in bed as the hours continued to spin away with agonizing ticks from the clocks that continued measuring time despite me.
Paul and Rhiannon’s house remained dark as each sleepless night pressed forward. Good riddance. I wanted to hurt them. All of them. If not for their negligence, she would still be here, but I felt instinctively something more sinister was happening in Bradenville. It was the one piece of golden clarity I clung to as my life became a hazy tunnel of broken consciousness and deep dark dreams. Everything was diluted, and I sank into the inky black of the still and dark seas of depression.
I cried, and I drank, and searched, and did little else. I couldn’t recall the last time I ate and I didn't care because I never felt anything. I was Nothing now, and Nothing don’t feel hungry. My phone rang with calls from angry clients and their emails beeped notifications endlessly. They wondered why their projects sat unfinished? Why was I ignoring them?
Didn’t they know? I was building walls to die behind and diving further and further down.
When Jenny--my little bright eyed Jennifer--disappeared, the neighbors who’d known where she went disappeared and I disappeared too.
We’re sorry, the person you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time. Please try your call later.
As I walked, I could feel my insides bursting and dropping out with each step along the edge of the creek. This was the bottom and the pressure of the hopeless depths was crushing what was left. I continued to look, despite the lack of clues or answers. Sheriff Downs was no help. She began screening my calls because she was a worthless lying bitch. I must have left over a dozen disjointed, confusing messages as I drunkenly slurred into the phone. Slowly, I accepted there wouldn’t be answers. It didn’t take long to realize I was wasting my time.
My mind was locked in a downward spinning drain. A bathtub filled the glass of broken gin bottles and disjointed memories as I felt what was left of me circle away.
My daddy doesn’t like you.
Eyes are black and beady.
Higher and higher please!
All wet from their sleeping…
I think I vaguely recall Sheryl visiting me. Perhaps she brought food that she forced on me, or maybe I imagined her visits entirely? Maybe she came every day. I think she called my clients back. Explained to them. The phone stopped making noise. I should have thanked her, but I couldn’t because I was gone.
The voicemail is full and cannot accept messages at this time.
Her kindness did not erase her as part of the problem. Not a single person in town would give me a straight answer about what they knew. They definitely knew something. I stopped asking or speaking to any of them at all. I resigned myself to the unanswered questions and the prospect of wasting away. I walked the edge of the creek for shorter and shorter hours every day.
We're sorry. You have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel this is an error, please check the number dialed and try again.
My seeking grew evermore listless. The people here were monsters in plain sight spinning webs in the shadows. Southern charm and hospitality were ghosts haunting me and people began to look away from the silent wraith with the thousand yard stare that floated at the edge of their awareness and along the edge of the stream.
Thank you for calling. Goodbye.
The night that I found her, I woke up to take a leak. Lifting the seat, I began to empty my bladder staring out the second story window and into the night.
I rubbed my eyes and felt the harsh hand of sobriety shake me.
She was there. In the yard. Jenny. My Jenny. A little boy with shoulder length hair stood with her. They gazed up, motionless, staring through the window and through me. A large black bird sat on the boy’s shoulder and pecked at his hair as it flitted in the breeze. A second flew above them, the moonlight casting a shadow as it traced figure-8s. A third hopped in the dewy grass, pecking at nightcrawlers. Finding them with adept, psychic knowledge of where they hid, it pulled them free from the earth and swallowed them whole.
I stood there for seconds stretching on into forever and didn’t move, and they didn’t move either. Nobody moved except those crows. Breaking free from confusion, I ran down the stairs. Grabbing my keys from the kitchen counter, I tucked them into the waistband of my underwear, darting out the door. The night was chilly on my bare chest despite the heat that still lingered in the damp of the grass. The air was thick and oppressive with the humid memory of that forgotten summer rain.
She was gone. Both children were gone. I felt my heart sink. Was I hallucinating?
Perched on the powerlines above, a crow cawed in the darkness and took flight. I didn’t think about it and ran. I followed its shadow as it crossed the asphalt and cast darkness over the Jackson house and toward the creek.
I heard the chorus of frogs before I heard the water and I felt my breath hitch, stopping dead in my tracks when it came into view. Earlier in the day, I would have guessed the water at my chest at least, but now under the stars it was mostly gone. It flowed like clotted mucus, less than ankle deep and the uneven creekbed rose up like a muddy patchwork.
Overhead, dozens of crows circled the dark shapes that sood in the canal. I didn’t count the muddy children, gazing up at the sky. Occasionally one of the murder dove to land on one. They pecked at their faces, violently piercing mouths, ears and eyes. Cheeks. Necks. At a distance, I could see many were full of holes. The ragged skin of their faces pecked so often. Torn and bloodless. The kids didn’t flinch or react. They stood motionless as though they weren’t the feast spread for hungry birds at all.
I moved forward slowly, my feet cutting a cautious path toward the muddy edges as the din of the frogs grew ever louder around me. Their song became one uninterrupted note and amid that, I heard the voices of the children. The Crow Kids were squacking like birds.
"Take a dip.”
“Take a dive.”
“The water here’s just fine."
"Sink with us forever"
"We’ll teach you how to fly."
"Don’t you want to be a crow?"
"You’ll never know if you don’t try."
"Come soar with us through clouds of muck beneath our murky sky.”
My head swam with their voices. The children's rhyme came to me, blotting them out completely.
Crow Kids are liars.
Eyes are black and beady.
Ignore the things they say because
They're all wet from their sleeping.
Feathers, feathers, you'll fly upsidedown.
Crow Kids are liars.
Mouths are hard and beaky.
They're flying on the bottom,
And they’re offering their teaching.
Feathers, feathers, you'll fly upsidedown.
All of the voices spoke at once, but somehow, I could still pick the words out.
"Do you want to fly?"
"Sink with us."
"We'll teach you how to fly, Mr. Eric."
As I drew closer it was like I could feel them inside me. Over endless cries of the crows and frogs, and screaming of the kids at once. I began to hear whispers of other things…
“You don’t have to do it here. Maybe in the tub, or at the public pool? Fly down and stay there ‘till you drown.”
I don’t know why, but I found I actually wanted to do those things. My head was a rotten apple and the whispers, the worm. The crows knew it was hiding there, and they began to dive at me, longing to peck it out. Eager to pull it free. I swatted at them and cowered.
Where was Jenny? Was she here? There! Near the tangled roots of a tree on the opposite bank. I ran to her, shoving the children and the birds away as I went. As I neared, she reached out to me. I lifted her from the mud with some effort, feet squelching as they broke free from the suck of it. I trudged back the way I’d come, fighting the pull of the creekbed with Jenny’s added weight. The filth was pulling my heels and wrapping around my ankles.
“Where are we going Daddy?” Jenny asked. Her voice was quiet and dazed as we reached our driveway..
“We’re leaving, Slug.” I told her. I put her into the passenger seat of my car and drove.
Bradenville is not a large town. There are two roads leading in and out. Main Street goes north and south. Webber heads east and west. We lived on Webber and either direction would lead us out of this hellhole forever. All I needed to do was drive and we could be safe.
Fog was rising up from the asphalt as I cut our path west.
"I don't want to leave Daddy." Jenny murmured as we approached the edge of town. I glanced over her in the passenger seat. Her eyes were far away like distant stars. "I want to stay here so I can learn to fly."
Her voice gave me chills. Something was wrong, but the hand painted sign ahead gave me hope.
"Thanks For Visiting Bradenville, Y'all Come Back Now!"
The deer came out of nowhere and I slammed my brakes, narrowly missing. It leapt just past my hood at a hairpin angle and the massive buck changed its path to run out ahead of us in the road, where it disappeared.
It physically disappeared. An entire 8-point buck vanished in the center of the road.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Something was very wrong, and driving again, I learned why very soon.
The deer reappeared at the side of the road next to another sign. I was sure it was that same deer but not the same sign. Frozen in the lights, its eyes stared back at us like two pools of light before it spooked and bounded into the trees.
The sign next to where it stood read “Welcome To Bradenville, population: 2127”
This was the east end of town. We drove west out of town and we were on the east side, reentering now. Why? I drove up a little ways and stopped just past the sign. The painting on the back of it was the same as the one we’d just passed but we never turned around. How was this possible?
I tried to leave a few more times only to end up back at the beginning, on the opposite compass point of the road we traveled. I even tried Main Street to the same result. Finally, I headed home.
Sheryl stood in my driveway with Hayes Jackson at her side.
“Oh Jesus Christ.” She muttered as we pulled up, “he found her. He fuckin’ found her.”
“Nobody finds them.” Jackson whispered as I got out.
Slamming the door of the car, I moved around the front of it with fury at my back intent on letting the two of them have it. “WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!” I demanded.
“Now calm down, Eric.” Jackson said holding up his hands, “we ain’t got nothing to do with any of this. We’re all stuck. We come to tell you some things you ought to know.”
Sheryl looked terrified, “We gotta go inside. You can’t tell how you heard none of this, ya hear me?”
------
They told me the Crow Kids like playing games. Nobody knew what they were, but they seemed like they might be a ghost or demon. You can’t touch em or see ‘em most times, they just creep into your mind. They find you when you’re low and whisper sweet lies about drowning. Them dark whispers I heard that night, they fly into your head on black wings. They’re spirits of the drowned and their numbers been growing slowly as far back as their song goes. Everyone who grew up here knows those awful lines.
Ghosts. They said you can’t touch em or see em. That’s how come I know my Jenny ain’t one. She’s here. They eyed her warily and told me it ain’t her, but I know Slug. She ain’t talking much, but it’s her and she’s breathing. She ain’t dead like the others.
Sheryl and Jackson explained everything in whispers. Everything I wanted to know over the slow chords of “Delia’s Gone” as it played in repeat in the background. The population of this place don’t change. It ain’t allowed to. It’s been 2127 people here as far back as any town records go. You can’t go unless someone else swaps you out.
This is why I’m begging y’all, someone please come buy this fucker? I need two of y’all out there to come take our places. You don’t have to stay forever. You can pass this place onto someone else like someone else did to me. I bought it and I'm selling it cheap. You can buy and someone else will come along sooner than you think and buy it off you again. It doesn’t have to be a permanent arrangement for you. I know it might seem like you're perpetuating a cycle but I'm begging. We just need two people to come live here so I can get Slug some help. Ain’t there any kindness in you? She ain’t the same now. I don’t know if she ever will be. I won’t look for help here. We need to leave. She’s just a little girl and I’m dying here because I can’t get her out and we ain’t safe while we stay.
Especially after what happened yesterday, please just come buy it. I was lying in bed to rest and I could hear Jenny whispering something but I couldn't quite make it out. When I opened my eyes she wasn't there. I figured she must have run off. I wouldn't hear it because now she moves quiet like a mouse. I got up and began searching for her.
I found her at the bottom of the bathtub, her eyes were open wide and blue and staring up to someplace far away. She wasn’t under the water for long because when I pulled her out, she drew in a long, slow breath. Blinked a few times. Cleared water from her eyes. She asked where Dad went.
She told me Daniel was just there hugging her in the clouds. She remembered him and we could join him. It was simple. We just have to find the way down.
ss

I made a post about which lines got stuck in your head the longest, so here are all of mine from each battle. I don't think these are the best in terms of lyrics, but they are the catchiest to me.
John Lennon vs Bill O'Reilly

You can't buy me love, but I'll kick your ass for free. I'll take Maxwell's silver hammer and give you a lobotomy!

Darth Vader vs Hitler

You're a pissed off little prick with a Napoleon dick! You call that a mustache? I call that Dirty Sanchez on your lip!

Abe Lincoln vs. Chuck Norris

I am Chuck fucking Norris! I've spread more blood and gore than 40 score of your puny Civil Wars, bitch!

Sarah Palin vs Lady Gaga

Put down that teacup, honey! Go put on some pants, and Stop letting little monsters teach you how to dance, and You may be Gaga, but you ain't a lady at all!

Hulk Hogan & Macho Man vs. Kim-Jong-Il

North Korea, bitch! Let me give you a tour! By the way, your wife says my dick is bigger than yours!

Justin Bieber vs. Beethoven

Because my voice is incredible and your music is terrible. Who even listens to Classical, anyway?

Albert Einstein vs Stephen Hawking

There are ten million, million, million, million, million, million, million, million, million particles in the universe that we can observe. Your mama took the ugly ones and put them into one nerd!

The Easter Bunny vs. Genghis Khan

The Great Wall couldn't keep you out of China! Watch me rub my foot for luck and stick it right up your vagina!

Napoleon vs Napoleon

I'll rip your bones apart, Bonaparte! Turn your horse into glue! Welcome to the battle of Waterloo, part two! (Yes!)

Billy Mays vs Ben Franklin

Your boy George chopped down trees. You couldn't break a piece of balsa! Slap Chop your face, make a double chin salsa!

Gandalf vs Dumbledore

The prophecy forgot to mention this day, When I knocked your ass back to Gandalf the Grey!

Dr. Seuss vs Shakespeare

The Bard is in the building. It's a castle, I'm a boss! I bet I'm Parliament. I'm positive I'm killing it. I'm iller than the plague I've never caught or cholera, a baller baller, on some cricket bowler business while you're sitting in the bleachers!

Mr. T vs Mr. Rogers

Watch what you say. Kids love me more than lunch. I'm not the one with my face on some whack-ass Captain Crunch.

Christopher Colombus vs. Captain Kirk

So bring it on! I'll whip you like a Klingon! My rhymes will burrow in your ears like The Wrath of Khan!

Nice Peter vs. EpicLLOYD

This is one vid, kid, that you won't ever survive! I'll beat you, dislike you, then unsubscribe!

Hiler vs. Vader 2

Roar like Chewbacca: the voice of Mufasa! I'm on the leader of your limp-dicked Luftwaffe! I strike back hard against a Nazi! Brain-toss your ass in the air: Yahtzee!

Master Chief vs Leonidas

300 asses need a kicking; give more teabags than Lipton, so why don't you quit your bitching? My trigger finger's itching!

Mario Bros vs. Wright Bros

We'll be pressing all your buttons like we're the controller! Conquer every level of your 2-D scroller!

Michael Jackson vs. Elvis Presley

Here's a tip: don't swallow a bucket of drugs, so you won't die on the toilet dropping hunks of Burning Love!

Cleopatra vs Marilyn Monroe

Plus, you got so much experience down on your knees. Married a writer, but I don't even think you can read! You'll sleep with any ugly dude who say he likes it hot! Even Joe DiMaggio took a swing in your batter's box!

Steve Jobs vs Bill Gates

I make the product that the artist chooses, and the GUI that Melinda uses. I need to bring up some basic shit. Why'd you name your company after your dick?

Frank Sinatra vs Freddie Mercury

You had a hit song called "My Way", but someone else wrote it. You're the least talented rat in your whole pack of rodents!

Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney

Republicans need a puppet, and you fit! Got their hands so far up your rear, call you Mitt!

Doc Brown vs. Doctor Who

(Ooh!) Actually, if you don't mind, it's just "the Doctor". Doesn't even really matter who. Who am I even talking to? Oh yes, you!

Bruce Lee vs Clint Eastwood

I got the baddest fists of fury that the world ever saw! Defeat whole karate schools and mother fuckers with claws! How can you talk more shit with my fist in your jaw? Don't need words to serve ya; I'mma just say, "Waaataaaw!"

Batman vs Sherlock Holmes

Gotta secret 'bout your homegirl, Irene Adler: took her back to my nest to "bam pow kersplat" her!

Santa Claus vs. Moses

Or was there something in rule six I didn't understand? My list says, "Killed Egyptian dude, buried him in sand."

Adam vs. Eve

One pump chump, and you're hung like a weasel. (Pfft.) Ditch the fig leaf; get yourself a pine needle!

Gandhi vs. MLKJr.

You want to battle wits? See who's a better pacifist? I fought the caste system, but you still cannot touch this!

Nikola Tesla vs. Thomas Edison

What's inside mine was ahead of its own time! You did not steal from me; you stole me from mankind!

Babe Ruth vs. Lance Armstrong

So swing, batter, batter! Show me what a fatter rapper can do! I beat cancer! I can sure as hell crack you!

Skrillex vs. Mozart

Oh yes, I've heard that EP, and see, I transcribed it here. Tell me, what comes after the sixty-eighth measure of diarrhea? And what kind of drugs does it take to enjoy this? I've no idea!

Rasputin vs. Stalin

Дa, you want to mess with me? I spit hot borscht when I'm crushing these beats. Blow it up like a tuba, while I'm balling in Cuba. Doing judo moves and schooling every communist сука!

Hitler vs. Vader 3

You wrote a little book, got 'em fired up, had a Beer Hall Putsch, got 'em fired up, and when your bunker started getting fired up, you put a gun in your mouth and fired up! You dumb mother fucker, didn't Napoleon let you know? When you conquer Russia, better pack some fucking winter clothes

Blackbeard vs. Al Capone

I'm the emcee assassin, slash like Edward Kenway! Rap so hard, call me Al…dente.

Miley Cyrus vs. Joan of Arc

'Cause I'm the maid of Orleans. You're the Mardi Gras beads, honey. My father taught me things your daddy couldn't teach ya. Your highest calling was a text from Wiz Khalifa!

Bob Ross vs, Pablo Picasso

My name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano De la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso! Back…to…you, Bob!
Well, Bob is dropping bombs like this is Guernica. I served twenty years; Air Force, United States of America!

Michael Jordan vs. Muhammad Ali

I'll school you through your bug spray, off your Broadway play, over the Japanese dude sitting on your face! Hit nothing but net! You ain't seen nothing yet!

Donald Trump vs. Ebenezer Scrooge

Best put some friends on your wish list, 'cause you don't know the spirit of Christmas! If you did, then you would, at this moment, (aah!) be sharing your money with some of the homeless!

Rick Grimes vs. Walter White

Your monsters don't frighten me, and you can bite me! I'll be standing right here in my tighty Walter Whities!

Goku vs. Superman

My level is incredible! I'm out of your league! You want justice? I'll bust this nut up in your Chi-Chi! Greasy, slick emcee from DC! With one breath, I'll freeze your whole measly species!

Stephen King vs. Edgar Allan Poe

I'm so prolific! This sickly goblin won't be bothering me! I'm on a clobbering spree, and I'll be smacking you with any of the big thick books in my big dick bibliography!

Sir Isaac Newton vs Bill Nye

By the way, the answer to your little calculation is i, as in I put the swag back in science, while Isaac Newton was lying and sticking daggers in Leibniz, and hiding up inside his attic on some Harry Potter business. The universe is infinite, but this battle is finished.

George Washington vs William Wallace

Look at ya, in your little blousy outfit, looking like a stiffer white dick than your monument!

Artists vs. TMNT

I take a turtle, and I turn him into mincemeat. You don't really wanna step to da Vinci.

Ghostbusters vs. Mythbusters

Your science is preposterous; the opposite of competent process, and in this episode, we'll give you a synopsis, starting with the vacuum cleaners strapped up on your back! It's a fact: positrons don't react like that! You built a laser grid with no safety switch, and Walter Peck was right: that's some shady shit!

Romeo and Juliet vs Bonnie and Clyde

And you there, wench with the neck of a chicken, you'll get an ass-rippin' worse than your boyfriend's in prison!

Zeus vs Thor

You can keep your astronomers. I'll sail with the conquerors for thousands of kilometers, discovering the continents!

Jack the Ripper vs. Hannibal Lecter

I'm real! You'll find me making vacancies in brothels, while you only exist inside the pages of a novel!

Oprah Winfrey vs Ellen DeGeneres

Check the Fortune 500; I'm a media wonder! The Dalai Lama and Obama memorized my cell number! Try to beef with me, I'll make the whole market crash, honey! Once you go Oprah, you can't go back!

Steven Spielberg vs Alfred Hitchcock

I set up shop and got a few drops of that Got Milk money! Rose to The Rock, now I got that socks made of silk money! I ain't got that guilt money! I don't give a fuck! I take my checks to the bank, and I sign 'em with my nuts!

Lewis and Clark vs. Bill and Tex

We discovered bears and beavers and prairie dogs and weasels, rattlesnakes and catfish, owls, larks and eagles, and plus flora galore! And according to our observations, these two dickweeds right here are severely endangered!

David Copperfield vs. Harry Houdini

You failed at making movies, and you failed at making kids. You should stick to what you're good at and lock them lips!

Terminator vs Robocop

And I didn't think I had any feelings left inside me, but my heart was surely broken after Terminator 3!

Eastern Philosophers vs Western Philosophers

Okay, I see. You wanna make it like that? I'll smack that warmongering head out of your to-go box hat! So here's the real golden rule: I'm way above you weak rookies! Confucius say, you can all hold these fortune cookies!

Shaka Zulu vs Julius Caesar

You should take your cow skin shield and hide under it! You're fucking with the most triumphant third of the Triumvirate! I'm first of the empire and last of the republicans, and hunting you, accompanied by legions of my countrymen! (Ooh!) Ask my kidnappers if I'm just a shit talker. Doc J dunk on you like Boom Shakalaka!

Jim Henson vs Stan Lee

Heck, that face on your neck ain't sexy! You're one part Sweetums, the other part Skeksis! Step up to Lee and you get your butt kicked! Your muppet Snuffleupagus stuff is bupkis!

Boba Fett vs. Deadpool

I only need five lines 'cause I look fucking great. You look like someone spilled lasagna on your face!

J. R. R. Tolkien vs. George R. R. Martin

Because the backstory of my box office is billions! Got my children making millions off my Silmarillions! And I'm more rock and roll than you've ever been! Don't believe me? Ask Led Zeppelin!

Gordon Ramsay vs Julia Child

I mean, it's rubbish! Yes, chef! Look at page 408! Tell me, who the fuck yes, chef! wants to learn to cook calf brains?! You call these rhymes raw? No, chef! They're stale and soft! Now, here, take this jacket… Now, give it back and fuck off!

Frederick Douglass vs Thomas Jefferson

But I've yet to read the three books you wrote about YOU! Looking like a skunk in a three-piece suit, didn't come back from Paris to battle Pepé Le Pew! First Secretary of State, VP number two! Not to mention third President; the fuck'd you do?

James Bond vs. Austin Powers

It's the most prominent dominant bomb spy, so pay homage! Handing out ass-whippings, I'm on some real James Bondage!

Bruce Banner vs Bruce Jenner

That's probably not something you seen as a child! Not one day did you see your daddy smile! "Hulk not strong enough to deal with denial!" Laying you down, easy; that's kitchen tile!

Alexander the Great vs Ivan the Terrible

But I would leave 'em contorted and they'd be screaming and roaring until their vocal cords were torn up and shot! And I would holler "Bucephalus!", hop on my horsey, and trot! I win, Ivan; I vanquish! I'm an immortal; you're not!

Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton

I'll make this country great again! We'll all be living large! I'll tell Congress, "You're fired," and put Charles in charge! 'Cause this whole system's rigged, and we all know the riggers! For the last eight years, this country's been run by—

Ash Ketchum vs Charles Darwin

I'm a masterful naturalist! What I've glimpsed will outclass all the crap on your laughable list!

Wonder Woman vs Stevie Wonder

You need to echo-relocate to the fourth of July because you're Ms. Independent, or at least you try, but your first story is you, running off with a guy!

Tony Hawk vs. Wayne Gretzky

And all the ice underneath you will get melted into water when I hit you with a trick that's even hotter than your daughter! You're old and you're basic; your talent is faded! And Oiler alert: you're about to get traded!

Theodore Roosevelt vs Winston Churchill

I'll fight you on the beaches; I'll fight you on the beats, yes! Any way you want to fight, I'll fight ya, and I'll beat ya, see?

Nice Peter vs EpicLLOYD 2

I'm trying to make art, mother fucker; you're trying to find a rhyme for erection! I'm sorry, man! No, I'm fucking not! Fuck you!

Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg

Watch me, Oculus, Instagram, WhatsApp. Post! I'm cleaning up like a Wet-nap. Boast! I drive around in a hatchback. Beep beep! I'll end your story like Snapchat. Ghost!

Freddy Krueger vs Wolverine

So you've got the wrong room if you're looking for fear. Only thing scares me is a fridge with no beer! That face tells me you've met your match, but come back if you've got another itch to scratch!

Guy Fawkes vs. Che Guevara

Oh! What's the Fawkes say now? (Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya!) When they cut your junk out! I'm the hardest Marxist ever graced a banknote! You're an error-prone terrorist! Penny for the scapegoat!

Ronald McDonald vs The Burger King

Using Cheetos, dude? Get your recipes together, man! I've had the same fries since I was Willard Scott the weatherman!

Welcome to the first chapter of Malphasie Verses the World (Hereafter referred to as MVTW). A very strange look at the world of FFBE through the eyes of...well my party. I completely and totally blame u/flawlessmojo7 for encouraging me to do this. No seriously, blame him. I don't have much else to say, so I hope you enjoy. As an aside, I don't know how to get a horizontal rule to copy over from Google Docs. Does anyone know how to do that?
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The quiet on the plains was shattered quite abruptly. The loud and booming voice quickly coalesced into existence from nothingness. It was all encompassing, from everywhere and nowhere. But, mostly...It was very annoying.
“A New Foe Has Appeared!”
Far below, under the shade of a particularly comfy pine, a crow craned its neck to the sky eager to suss out the source of the voice. Instead it found only empty clear sky and so decided to go back to meticulously preening the raven hair of the girl it was perched upon. It really was quite good with that beak, straightening messes, detangling knots and occasionally making braids.
“Is, is that normal,” Malphasie asked nervously, her fingers gently clasping and unclasping in her hands as she shifted around. The poor girl quite obviously had no idea how to react in this kind of situation. The confident smile of her companion didn’t help much either.
“Oh that? Don’t worry about that,” Golden tresses flung this way and that as Ayaka giggled knowingly. She moved in closer as soon as she had promptly fixed her hair, something she seemed to do quite often. Malphasie seemingly wondered why the girl did not have a crow that fixed her hair if she was so interested in keeping it neat. It seemed like a rather odd thing to forget, “I’m pretty sure that the Smash announcer just decided he wanted to follow us around. He might be a bit of a perv though.”
“Smash?”
“Not important,” Ayaka’s hand firmly pressed into the girl’s back, guiding her along their path almost methodically, “What is important is how glad I am that you are joining us. You’re going to really elevate the power of our group. And that crow! I mean, it’s soo cute. How did you get it trained like that?”
“I was raised by crows,” Malphasie smiled, she liked nice everything was. And also how not on fire it was. This was going to be a good day, she was sure of it, “Jerry has always been around. He gives me advice to help protect me.”
“Oh, like Jiminy Cricket?”
“What’s a Jiminy Cricket?”
“He was a conscience,” Ayaka said matter of factly. Her confident smirk gently giving way to her know it all attitude, “He would give out advice for how to act nicely and properly and eventually taught his students to act with great manners. That sounds about right for Jerry!”
The crow suddenly looked up from his preening, staring down at Ayaka intently for seconds on end before opening it’s beak, “Mal, you should light her on fire and then steal her robes. They look comfy.”
Malphasie smiled graciously, seemingly unfazed by the crow talking or its comments, “No, I don’t think Jerry is much like your Mr. Cricket at all.”
Some time later...
The two gradually emerged from the forest back at the camp, Ayaka gently patting down the singe marks on what had been her pristine robe, “And here we are, at our camp. I’ll introduce you to the rest of the part and then we will agree never to leave me alone with that crow ever, ever again.”
Malphasie, humming casually, nodded in excitement. This was quite obviously a good day. She was meeting even more people and Jerry had been promised something shiny if he stopped setting fire to her new friend. Both were very content with this arrangement.
Soon the two were swarmed by new, unfamiliar faces, as the rest of the group quickly tried to horn in on the goings on. Pushing her way to the forefront was some kind of scantily clad hula hooper. Malphasie vaguely remembered those kind of hoops from her childhood, but she had never worn clothes like that while playing with them. Had she been doing it wrong all along?
“Mal, this is Soleil,” Ayaka began the introduction, but was quickly pushed to the side in favour of the quick talking girl.
“Oh finally, another normal girl. Please, please, please tell me you don’t think lipstick is some kind of holy spell. You have no idea how much I need someone to talk about makeup with. You have to give me this!”
“Lipstick?”
“Yes,” Soleil pushed on, gently prodding the girl. She would ignore a flashing sign in front of her in the hopes of having a someone to actually talk with, “You know, you put it on your lips? It’s colourful and makes you feel pretty?”
“You mean blood,” The crow picked up, looking the girl over. He seemed rather proud of himself, but he always did, “I knew you humans were dumb, but I’ve never heard blood called something so stupid before.”
“Why would you put blood on your lips,” Malphasie asked both of them, hoping for some kind of joint answer, but Soleil was far too shocked to properly process that.
“Sometimes it’s unavoidable,” Jerry continued on, explaining the finer points of lipstick to the poor confused girl, “Like when you are dissecting your prey and the blood squirts on your lips. Humans must consider it a status symbol.”
“I don’t think I would like that very much, I’m sorry miss Soleil,” Malphasie smiled graciously as Soleil slowly broke down and ran away. Malphasie felt bad, Soleil obviously didn’t have any friends to discuss blood lips with. Maybe she could learn to enjoy it?
“Right,” Ayaka interjected in the lull in discussion to gently pull the girl towards the next companion. He was very shiny and covered with lots of metal. All in all, it looked very heavy, “This is the Warrior of Light. I think his real name is Jacob, but he is very into the roleplaying thing. He gets pretty carried away sometimes.”
“My lady,” The shiny man kneeled down for some reason, perhaps his shoes had become undone. It was even stranger when he grabbed her cloth covered hand and began to place his lips on it. Perhaps he was confused by the fact that she was not covered in shiny things and thought that she was instead dirty, “I vow to protect you with all my might. Not a single thing will harm you as long as I draw breath.”
“Yes,” Jerry once again piped up. He seemed especially excited about this one, “That sounds very acceptable. You shall make an excellent meat puppet, and I will claim all your shiny once you have expired. Then I shall be the...Crow of Light!”
“Thy pet is certainly good at jests.”
“Not really,” Malphasie admitted, still smiling innocently.
The two expended pleasantries, neither completely sure what the other was talking about until Ayaka once again cut her way in again, “Okay, moving on...”
“Who are they,” Malphasie innocently pointed, as she was ushered on, to the one hundred and fifty people who seemed to be idly standing in the plain adjoining the forest. They stood stark still, almost creepily.
“We don’t talk about them,” Ayaka said sternly, her voice commanding, “For the most part they follow us around hoping to get into the main party. Sometimes we send them off on errands for esper food or stickers. You know how it goes. But, if we acknowledge their presence then they start to get hopeful.
That explanation seemed satisfactory as Mal was prodded along towards the last member of the camp. Much like the people in the clearing this woman stood stark still. She was clad in black plastic and had some kind of magical black shiny skirt. She had also apparently lost her eye in some kind of betting game as she was wearing an eyepatch. Malphasie was quite taken with her magical appearance.
“This is 2B,” Ayaka introduced the two and let the utter silence hang in the air for a moment, “She doesn’t talk really.”
The silence continued on, Malphasie admiring the woman and the woman not moving an inch. Finally, the curious girl got up the nerve to let her finger gently poke the robot woman’s cheek.
“Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope,” 2B began to spout out repetitively. She showed very little emotion aside from saying those lines over and over again.
“Miss Ayaka, is she okay,” Malphasie asked, genuinely concerned she may have broken her new friend.
“Oh god, not this again. How do I turn off the message again?”
Ayaka began impatiently fiddling around on 2B’s back pressing very inappropriately into the woman’s skin looking for something or other.
“Wait,” The voice carried over the clearing from where Soleil was recovering by the tent, “Are you telling me that we couldn’t afford the real 2B, so you just reskinned R2-D2 and passed it off?”
“That might not be exactly what I did,,” Ayaka called back as she continued fiddling with the woman’s clothing. It seemed like a very strange argument to be having. But, Malphasie didn’t dare argue. She wasn’t sure how many 2B you needed to make an R2-D2 after all, “This should do it.”
“General Kenobi. Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire,” This definitely didn’t seem like an improvement, but she was talking more so Malphasie wasn’t entirely sure.
“How on Lapis was R2-D2 cheaper than the real 2B,” Soleil’s voice called out again.
“Don’t you sass me or I’ll cut back your makeup budget. I hear it’s very hard to buy anything with 2000 gil.”
“As the dusk of a new day nears, we say goodbye to our intrepid heros, who have the weight of the world on their shoulders...”
“Who is saying that?”
“Are we supposed to be hearing the narration?”
“Stop breaking....”
“MALPHASIE HAS JOINED THE PARTY!”

This week we saw fifteen new fics, three completed fics, four new one-shot fics, seventeen snippets collections#snip), nine revived fics, and one hundred and one updated fics. We also saw one revived quest, and twenty-one updated quests.
Reminders:
Feedback can make or break a fic. Please take a moment to give the authors you read a reply!
In particular, please note the new [New Author] tag on fics and give these folks a warm welcome to writing in our little fandom!
Check out the permanent listing of all the fic tagged as having ships in my database: Worm Shipfic!
It isn't magic, though. If the fic wasn't posted on FFNet or AO3 with shipping metadata, I'll never know. That's where YOU come in! If you read a fic and it ends up ship-focused and it's not on the list? Let me know! I'll get it updated so everyone else can share in the shippy goodness!
As always:

• You can contact me by commenting on a thread, or DMing me on SB, SV, reddit, or Twitter.
• Got your first fanart, or added an image to your fic? Drop me a note and I'll make sure it shows up that way.
• Finished your fic? Edit the title of your thread to include the word completed, or drop me a note and I'll be sure to include you in the completed-fics section!
• Don't have a description in my listing? Drop me a note and I'll add whatever you like.

Alright y'all, taking longer this week, for REASONS. Like, work has kept me busy reasons, but also I've been lazy in my off time, reading Avatar fic like Born Lucky, an Azula redemption fic that I cried happy tears through the entire final chapter and Measure Each Step to Infinity another Azula redemption fic, this one with Katara/Azula (because I do so love the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope).
Meanwhile in our lil fandom…
Idiom Alpha started a new fic, Lean. (You'll remember Idiom from the awesome Trillium Waltz and Don't Do brains, amongst others.)
Twei started a We Know the Devil cross (or maybe fusion) with Worst Girl(s). If you're not familiar with We Know the Devil, it's an excellent indie visual novel centered on three friends at a religious summer camp, trying to make it through a harrowing night.
AParticularlyLargeBear gave us a oneshot called It's Probably Bears which I'm pretty sure has no relation to their name. No, rather, it's about Ursa Aurora, an often forgotten protectorate member from New York.
There were also a couple of updates that juuust missed the deadline, but I wanted to call them out anyway:
Hebert Family Values, the Addams Family fusion where Annette was Gomez's sister got an update!
And There's No Way My New Little Sister Can Be The Simurgh!, whence, well, the Simurgh takes on a more human form and sets herself up as Taylor's sister, updated as well.
And finally a big big thanks to Keira, who fiddled with Reddit table support and got me to reformat this using them, doing that shaved 5kb off the Reddit version which is huge, seeing as we've been running right up to the 40kb post limit for a while now.

Fanfic updates for Oct 27th to Nov 2nd

Concise list of updated fics:
Ward Updates (Parahumans 2 - The rules have changed)

Title	Author	Links	Added	Words
Ward	John McCrae	link	2 new chapters: Polarize: 10.2	805k

New Fics

Title	Author	Links	Added	Words
Brawn and Brains	Belial666	SB	4 new chapters	5.4k
A Father's Rage	Ten Tailed God	SB	1 new chapter and 1 informational post	5.8k
Fear The Reaper	ClockBlocker	SB	2 new chapters and 1 informational post	1.7k
Lean (AU)	Idiom Alpha	SB	1 new chapter	6.4k
Mysteries and Magecraft	ian25rebel	FF	1 new chapter	4.9k
A Prime Time for Escalation!	Apply Water Directly to Burn	FF	2 new chapters	24k
The Shards And The Bees	Eotyrannus	SV	4 new chapters	8.2k
Sink	Wellwick	SB	4 new chapters	10k
Some Changer	TimeGear	SB	2 new chapters	2.6k
Tall Spooky Guy	Ilovepievich	FF	1 new chapter	1.5k
An Unfortunate Insertion	BreezyWheeze	SB	1 new chapter	2.2k
Worst Girl(s)	Twei	SB, SV, AO3, FF	1 new informational post and 2 chapters	6.1k
Would You Like a Piece of Pi?	GoreslashDOW	SB	1 new chapter	1.5k
Wrath Incarnate	The War Dragon	FF	1 new chapter	3.6k
The Writings of Darwin P. Murdock	Vikaruss	SB	2 new chapters	1.5k

Completed Fics

Title	Author	Links	Added	Words
Collagen	T0PH4T	SB, FF	2 new chapters: Halloween Spook-tacular: The Canonization	184k
Obsidian Splinters	Tamoline	SB, AO3	5 new chapters	6.6k
[NSFW] Taylor at Winslow North	WestOrEast		2 new chapters	15k

One-shot Fics

Title	Author	Links	Added	Words
A Dragontale	AParticularlyLargeBear	AO3	1 chapter	1k
It's Probably Bears	AParticularlyLargeBear	AO3	1 chapter	3.3k
[NSFW] Synthesis	TravelerofTime		2 chapters and 2 index(s)	7.3k
What’s my plan for November?	TresHornyBoys	AO3	1 chapter	848

Snippets Collections

Title	Author	Links	Added	Words
BeaconHill's One-Shot Series	BeaconHill	SV, SB	2 new chapters: 64-1 "I Am Not A Superhero"	50k
[Ward] Bits of Fluff	Juff	SB	2 new chapters: P2V End	14k
Cat Fish Witch	6thfloormadness	SB	1 new chapter: (((Conspiracy)))	4.3k
Harper Plots	Harper Potts	SB	1 new chapter: Recursive: Day 1, Iteration 1	211
Herding Snips	audriuska12	SB	1 new informational post and 2 chapters	3.3k
Jaune Pendragon's worm snippets and ideas.	Jaune Pendragon	SV	2 new chapters: Bladeworks Blacksmith Self insert Naruto/Fate crossover.	3.9k
Man's One Shots and Snippets	ManMagnificent	SB	1 new chapter: The Barber II	5.9k
My Glorious Slush Pile	Fabius Maximus	SV	3 new chapters	3.3k
Noel's Wormverse Plot Bunny Pen	Noelemahc	SB	1 new chapter: Born From A Nightmare (Halloween Special)	3.4k
PlasticSoldier's Army of Snippets	PlasticSoldier	SB	2 new chapters: Return of the Master (Worm, Peggy Sue Tohu)	12k
Random Ideas that will probably go nowhere, but hey I figured you guys could have a look.	TheRealChuckNorris	SB	2 new chapters: Once Bitten	3.7k
S0ngD0g's Snippets and Such	S0ngD0g13	SB	2 new chapters: Wolves	55k
SeerKing's Asylum for Plot Bunnies That Won't Stop Bugging Me	SeerKing	FF	1 new chapter: Worm: The Rise of Skitter	26k
South's Bag of Snips	SouthernWind	SB	1 new chapter: All Hallows' Eve [Halloween/Worm Crossover / AU]	7.1k
T0PH4T's One-Shot thread	T0PH4T	SB	3 new chapters and 1 informational post: Smile Like You Mean It (3)	46k
Tascion's Snippets Thread	Tascion	SB	5 new chapters: 13. The Approach of the Start of the End of the Term	18k
Tiny Bears	ParticularlyLargeBear	SB	1 chapter: It's Probably Bears	4.4k

Revived Fics (last update was ≥ 3 months ago)

Title	Author	Links	Added	Words
Breaking the Game	Dhagon	FF	1 new chapter: Cutscene	54k
Deputy Director	Reyemile	SB	1 new chapter: Chapter 11	52k
Grunt Work	experiment	AO3	1 new chapter: Things Get Wavy- Part Two	2.1k
Heroic	Drich	SB, SV	1 new chapter: 2.6	13k
I remember Touch	MarekGutkowski	SV, SB	2 new chapters: Chapter 43	140k
Probiotics	redfoxdelta	SV, SB	1 new chapter: 1.5	7.2k
The U-Men: First Class	Murmur	SV, SB	1 new chapter: Chapter 2 Part 4 - Interlude (Emma Barnes)	17k
Valkyrie Cross	Hojo Norem	SB, SV	1 new chapter: Chapter 14	2.1k
We, Drone	Akallas von Aerok	SB	1 new chapter: 1.3 Meetings 2	1.6k

Revived Quests (last update was ≥ 3 months ago)

Title	Author	Links	Added	Words
Infernal Conundrum	Thief of Words	SV, QQ, SB	1 new chapter: Interlude 2.E.3: Emma--Of Moonscapes and Monsters	86k

Updated Fics

Title	Author	Links	Added	Words
Abaddon Born(e)	PublicLee Speaking	SB, FF, SV	1 new chapter: Leak 9.1	458k
Adaptation	ShayneT	SB, AO3, FF	4 new chapters: Giant	93k
Agency	KindaApatheticButNice	SB, AO3, FF	1 new chapter: 0.4.1	131k
[NSFW] Ah Fuck It, I'm Hungry	Lunahaile		1 new chapter: Static 5	34k
August Bravery	JonBerry	SB	3 new chapters: 040 - Element.04	68k
BIND	Amanuensis	SB, AO3	1 new chapter: Identification 1.8	40k
The Bird Of Hermes	Grey Dragon	SB, SV	1 new chapter: Worm Side-story: Kenta	221k
Blanket aka The Diaper Changer	ScottotheUnwise	SV	1 new chapter: Hook, Line and Sinker --A Fishing Yarn	121k
Bloody Stars	SirWill	SB	1 new apocrypha: After watching the show...	13k
Bobble	OperationArrow	SB	1 new chapter: Pop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	18k
Broken Mirrors, Black Cats, and Other Wonderful Things	T0PH4T	SB	7 new chapters: 5: Exhuastion	4.3k
Camera Shy	TheGreatGimmick	SB	1 new chapter and 2 media posts: Halloween Teaser Update	45k
Celestial Worm	Ack	SV, SB, QQ, FF	1 new chapter: Part Four: Settling In	41k
Chimera	Krieg Schnee	SB, AO3, FF, wattpad	1 new chapter: 2.2	21k
Commercial Break	Jonakhensu	QQ, FF	1 new extra and 1 chapter: Preparation 2.9	96k
Cultivation Addict	Rikimaru	SV	1 new chapter: The first spirit beast	1.4k
The Curious Tale Of Doctor Ophiuchus	HorizonTheTransient	SB	2 new chapters: Chapter 26: Unnatural Disaster, Part 1	47k
Cycle Eternal	ManMagnificent	SB	1 new chapter: Weaving Webs: Interlude II	44k
CYOAD is Unfortunately Not a Typo	PencilMonkey	SB, FF	1 new chapter: Chapter 2	6.4k
Danse Macabre	Potato Nose	SB	1 new chapter: Chapter Eleven: Perturbatio Messem	40k
Demon Lord of the End	TheAuraKing	SB, SV, FF	1 new sidestory: Omake 1 by Gear-2557	10k
Denial	Nara'la	SB	1 new chapter: Denial Chapter 3.5	69k
Dependency	PlasticSoldier	SB	1 new chapter: 2.01	16k
The Digicrest of Escalation	Stewart92	SB	1 new chapter: 43: The Green House Effect	82k
The Driver of Brockton Bay	Tale Swapper	SV	2 new chapters: Chapter 9- As Partners, Walk Alone	26k
Emissary	Noelemahc	SB, QQ	1 new informational post: Deputy Director is updating again!	193k
Ex Machina	Trekki859	SB, QQ	2 new chapters: Ascension	55k
The Faerie King	BirdestFriend	SB	1 new chapter: Chapter 3	3.5k
Fires of the Underworld	Blackhawk748	SB	1 new chapter: Chapter 11: Fallout	20k
[NSFW] Glory Hole	Railcannon		2 new chapters: Interlude VI: Miss Militia	36k
Golden Girl	Weathered Field	SB	3 new chapters and 1 apocrypha: Flicker 1.4	9.3k
The Greatest Villain Of Them All	Caasi	FF	1 new chapter: Clearer Future	8k
Gun Bunny	Selector	FF	1 new chapter: Chapter 10	22k
Harmony	Viev	SB	2 new chapters: Fire 3.1	73k
How to Train Your Endbringer	RavensDagger	SV, SB	3 new chapters and 1 sidestory: In Which Taylor’s Picnic Gets Slaughtered	29k
Howl the Wolves	S0ngD0g13	SB	2 new chapters: 76, Part Two: Manheim	126k
I Woke Up As a Dungeon, Now What?	Aku-dono	SB, SV	1 new chapter: Exploit 4.2	116k
In Golden Armour	ParticularlyLargeBear	SB, AO3	1 new sidestory: Omake: A Dragontale	23k
[NSFW] Joyride	bearblue		1 new chapter: Chapter 37	186k
Jurassic Tinker	markus j. fox	FF, SV	1 new chapter: Chapter 7	5.5k
Just Claws	Vhalidictes	SV	1 new chapter: 0.5 - Cricket & Stormtiger	7.7k
Let There Be Light	Shirazad	SB	2 new chapters and 1 media post: Twilight Morning - Interlude: Disaster	7.6k
Life Bends Down	Pericardium	SB, AO3, SV, FF	3 new apocrypha and 1 chapter: SIDE-STORY: Parable of the Gerbil	47k
The Little Ship that Could	JGregory32	SB	1 new chapter: Cape Taylor: Wake Me Up Part II	117k
Love is Murder	frustratedFreeboota	AO3	2 new chapters: Chapter 4	2.9k
[NSFW] Maid to Serve	WestOrEast		1 new chapter: Maid to Serve Ch. 3	20k
Mauling Snarks	CmptrWz	SV	2 new chapters: Chapter 144	768k
Mend	stabbyunicorn	SB	3 new chapters: Chapter Ten: Choices and Beetles	36k
Metastable	Tascion	SV	1 new chapter: 10.3 Interlude 10: Amy	149k
Miracleworks	s-lver	SB	1 new chapter: Ch. 8	21k
Mirrored Eyes	FantasticalContrarian	SB	8 new apocrypha, 1 informational post and 1 chapter: Bond 1.4 (Taylor)	9.8k
Mixed Feelings	Kittius	SB, AO3	1 new apocrypha: Not in the Moo-d	720k
[NSFW] My New Life as Taylor Hebert (NSFW)	Amazingking14		1 new chapter: Chapter 4	2.8k
Necrosis	MoragTong	SB, SV	1 new informational post: Case Files 73, 74, 75, 76, 77	3.4k
The New Court	Roverb	SB, SV	1 new chapter: Chapther 3: and the world turns	730
Newspaper Mama	DeviantD	SB	1 new chapter: Chapter 25	45k
Northern Light	Taliserian	SV	1 new chapter: Cruise 2.2	17k
NYC Continuum	Zacatigy	SB, SV, AO3	1 new sidestory: Encounter - West, Levi, and Opal	39k
The One	RoyalNoises	SB	2 new chapters and 1 informational post: Chapter 6.8	31k
Outsider	CleverPervertedPriest	FF	1 new chapter: Scrounger	1k
Outsider Chronicles: Devils Advocate	Dis Lexic	FF	1 new chapter: Chapter 5	14k
Overwhelming	Ilovepievich	FF	1 new chapter: First Roommates	2.5k
PHOverlord	ThoughtsOfDeath	SB	1 new sidestory: Omake: Overlord does Memes	31k
Pick A Card	Glazt	SB	5 new chapters, 1 media post, 7 apocrypha and 1 sidestory: 2.1 Pertinacity	38k
Plans Never Survive	Drake3520	SB	5 new chapters: Confusion 1.5	4.4k
Progenitor	metaldragon868	SB, SV, FF	1 new informational post, 1 chapter and 1 sidestory: Chapter 2	4k
Propa in Worm	The Propa Orky Reda	SB	2 new chapters: CRINGE	20k
Rank	The_Incorruptible	SB	1 new chapter: Trigger 5.5	112k
Reality Bites Worm	Selector	FF	1 new chapter: Chapter 23	47k
Red Hands	Shuubuu	SB	2 new chapters: Ignition 1.4	4.1k
Remnant of a Worm	Half Masked	SB, FF	1 new chapter: Chapter 3: Nostalgia	13k
Reprieve	ManMagnificent	SB	1 new chapter: Pentacle: 5.2	108k
Royal Gold	MkLo	SB, FF	1 new chapter: Beam 2.03	21k
Running Home	ericwinter	SB	1 new chapter: Walk 2.1	20k
Save The Bay: Fixing the City with Organized Crime	Stravick Ovmahn	SB, SV	4 new chapters: 96: I was Having a Good Time	175k
Scatterer	chickengun99	AO3, FF	1 new chapter: Roots 2-5	37k
Seraphim	TheShadowsOfVanity	SB, SV, QQ, AO3	1 new chapter: Chapter Six	36k
A Shard of Chrysalis	Jaesten	SB	1 new chapter: Imago 2.11.3	57k
The Simurgh's Son	Darth Marrs	FF	1 new chapter: Ascension 5	197k
Skitter Studies	The Laurent	SV	1 new chapter: Epilogue: Hoard 11.6	362k
Skittering Shadows	SatelliteFool	AO3	1 new chapter: Re:Trigger	1.7k
Snuggles the Symbiote	Rater202	SB, FF	1 new apocrypha and 1 chapter: Chapter 11	47k
Spinning The Gacha	Rhydeble	SB, FF	2 new chapters: Chapter 28	38k
Summoner	Akallas von Aerok	SB	1 new apocrypha and 3 chapters: 0.2 Father-Daughter Training	5.6k
Taylor Hebert and the Portrait of what Looked Like a Large Pile of Ash	Gourmet	SB, SV	2 new chapters and 1 sidestory: Chapter 4 - Interlude [Real Writing]	9k
Taylor Hebert, magical girl At your service	Aurora Moon	SV	3 new chapters: Chapter Three-- The battle at the docks	4.2k
Taylor Varga	mp3.1415player	SV, FF, AO3, SB	1 new sidestory: Omake - What's the damn delay?	1.5m
Titanfall	Selector	FF	1 new chapter: Chapter 4	5.4k
To Stand Tall	Conelly	SB, SV, AO3, FF	1 new chapter: Act 2: Progeny of a Legend - 02	132k
[NSFW] Totally Lewding It	Fedorable		1 new chapter: Night of Wildest Delights 4	34k
Trailblazer	3ndless	SB	1 new chapter: Side-Step S	97k
The Uncertain Predictions of Oliver Hebert	Adogdayz	SV	3 new chapters: Chapter Three	5.3k
Unsung Heroes: For What of a Crown...	Zaralann	SB	1 new chapter and 1 apocrypha: 1.2	10k
[Ward] Vermont Stretch Radio	fabledFreeboota	SV, SB	1 new chapter: Episode 21	43k
Viper's Bite	TheRealChuckNorris	SB, SV	1 new chapter: 3.4	29k
What is Time	BlueFlameMasta	SB	1 new chapter: 4.4	100k
Why Yes, I am an Evil Lair.	Automatonation	SV, SB	1 new media post and 1 chapter: Chapter 9	27k
A Will to Shatter Stars	Atlanrom	SV, SB, FF	1 new chapter: 1.4 The Morning After	8k
With This Empty Hand	Jaggerain	SB	1 new chapter: Genesis 1.2	2.1k
Wonderful	Mazinja	SV, SB	1 new chapter: Wonderful 21.0	47k
Xeno-Worm Chronicles	Hogg4	SB	6 new chapters: Chapter 11 (Interlude: M)	15k

Updated Quests

Title	Author	Links	Added	Words
Administrative Connection	Night Sentinel	SV	5 new chapters and 1 informational post: 2.1	3.2k
[NSFW] The Adventures of Taylor	UBW Persona		5 new chapters: Day 1, End	17k
Alchemical Solutions	Gromweld	SV, SB	1 new chapter: Chapter 10.4 (Part 3)	1.1m
Born in the Bay	ericwinter	SB	1 new chapter: Surprise!	45k
A Conjuror's journey	PieceThruWar	SV	3 new chapters: A Truly Ghastly Reunion	413k
[NSFW] Genesis of Heroes	Lunaryon		1 new chapter: Wakening (T)	2.1k
[NSFW] The Goddess of Brockton Bay	Metallix666		1 new chapter: 1-4	5k
Great Power Comes with No Responsibility	Niiyu	SB, SV	2 new chapters and 1 sidestory: Chapter 21: Week 6 - Surprise Wyrm, studying is still boring, a day with Panacea.	64k
[NSFW] It gets lewder	Belial666		1 new chapter: Exploration 2.02	11k
Poor and Desperate	Akallas von Aerok	SB	1 new informational post and 4 chapters: 2000.5.16	56k
A Shame It Can Only Get Worse	Flutters Is Shy	SB	1 new chapter and 1 informational post: Omake; Halloween	37k
The Shard-Touched	Spktr Alpha	SV	1 new chapter: Turn 3	3.9k
Shards of Ash and Earth	GreatWyrmGold	SV	2 new chapters: March 1012: Conclusion	7.3k
Shining Example	IKnowNothing	SV	1 new sidestory: An Open Market	146k
Striking the Aleph	helpmeimscared	SV, SB	1 new chapter: Pottery 2.2	9.9k
Tenno-quest Bet	Clerical Error	SV	2 new chapters and 1 informational post: Arrival 1.3	2.3k
[NSFW] Viral Worm	Sarssol		1 new chapter: Propagation 2.15	68k
The Warmachine	Spktr Alpha	SV	2 new chapters: Babel	26k
[NSFW] Weird Worm Quest	swarmling		6 new chapters: Turn-12	7.8k
The World According to Rocag	BMW	SB	2 new chapters: Day Two (ZB)	97k
Wriggle	Sereg	SV	1 new chapter: Part 17: Faces	10k

Jacob Fredrickson
CHAPTER 1
“I can’t help but feel like this is a crock of shit.” I stated, looking at the Ouija board in Liam’s hands with skepticism. “That stuff doesn’t exist.”
“Dude, listen to me. It works. I did it last night and the lights went out, and all day I’ve felt this sort of presence in my home.”
“The same people who made the Ouija board made Candy Land. It’s not real. The presence you feel is your mother, whom you’ll always live with.”
“Whatever. Please just try it this once.”
I sighed. I really didn’t mean to be such a cliche non-believer but I was just not the superstitious type. I had never encountered anything supernatural myself; not that seeing is believing, but I couldn’t buy into orbs and spirits and all that crap. I looked into Liam’s pleading eyes.
“Fine.”
CHAPTER 2
Liam is my best friend from high school. We were twenty one years old and he still wanted to play Parker Brothers games. Call me a dull crab ass, but he never really understood the concept of growing up in my opinion. And I’m not just talking about his belief system or whatever you want to call it. I love him to death, but he won’t hold down a job, therefore he’s broke and needs to “borrow” money all the time. Well, I’ve calculated almost two-hundred dollars of my money that he owes, and that’s since I’ve started counting. He’s a great guy with a big heart, my best friend at that… just a bit of a moocher… and he plays board games.
“Alright well I’m not going to waste a beautiful day sitting on your porch so let’s go play the stupid Ouija board then do something fun” I said bitterly.
“Alright asshole, for one, I’m not forcing you. You can frolic away under the sun and I’ll play it by myself.”
“I thought you weren’t supposed to play it alone. Isn’t that like the number one rule?”
“And I thought you didn’t believe in this stuff.” Liam stated, making a point.
“We’re twenty one, and it’s 3:00 PM. We should be hammered or something, aren’t there any parties going on?” I said.
“It’s Tuesday dude.”
“You have a point. Alright, lets go.”
“Wait.” Liam halted me, “I have a better idea. It’s 3:00 PM right? Well 3:00 AM is witching hour, it’s when all the spirits come out to play. So why don’t we enjoy the beautiful day, you can drink your life away until 3:00 AM and then we do it?”
Liam may be irresponsible but damn he’s persistent. “Well,” I said, “I have to work tomorrow morning but I could use a sick day. Okay, fine. You win. Can we go to the liquor store now, maybe downtown after?”
Liam grinned and nodded. I could tell he was proud of his little idea, and I’ll admit to have been a little more curious about this whole witching hour thing. I suppose it was a win for a win, I get to drink and he gets to play his game. Fine by me.
CHAPTER 3
The seventy-three degree day turned a little chillier when the sun began to set, but you can bet your ass I was plenty warm inside by then. 3:00 PM came and went, and so did Jack Daniels. See, Liam has his faults but in ways I’m more screwed up than he is. In most ways, actually. I was twenty one, already had a DUI, a few minors, and an open container. I have a very addictive personality; if I like it, I want it. Booze is a need, so I guess that makes me a damn alcoholic. Liam has had his fair share of partying because I’m an awful influence, but he has always stayed clear of the law and never gets out of control. Me, I went there.
The walk downtown posed as a challenge for me.
“If you stumble into me once more, you’re a dead man” Liam said, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“Dude. Cool it, you try walkin’ in a straight line after a pint of Jack.” I slurred.
The downtown city lights were a dizzying blur in the night at this point. A pint of Jack sounds bad, but I could still take more.
“I could really go for a long island right now, sounds refreshing.”
“You could really go for a water and something to eat instead,” Liam argued.
For a Tuesday, Downtown Saint Cloud was surprisingly popping. The whole strip is just loaded with bars and grills, alongside old antique shops and such. A little bar called the Veranda sat at the end of the block, which had been my favorite since I became legal. The atmosphere is comfortable, and they play a combination of ‘oldies’ music, which I love. The watch on my wrist displayed 12:56 AM.
“Alright man, bars close soon anyway. The Veranda is right down there,” I said, pointing down the block. “Let's grab a bite to eat then head back. I’ll buy”
“You bet your ass you will” Liam said. “Alright, let’s go.”
CHAPTER 4
A burger, a long island, and a couple shots later, I was feeling great. Drinking alone all night turned dull, so before leaving I managed to get Liam to take a few ?Rumplemintz shots with me, and he obliged. Liam loosened up, and I was completely detached. Upon leaving the Veranda, my vision turned to a spinning sensation, and I felt nauseous.
“You’d better stand back a few feet,” I slurred, stooping over, preparing to vomit.
Liam stepped back, and I upchucked the once delicious burger on the sidewalk below.
“Christ dude, how are we going to play the Ouija board if you can’t even make it home without me carrying you?” Liam asked angrily.
I sniffled, then coughed up what was left of my meal. Wiping my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt, I turned toward Liam.
“Lighten up, you won’t have to carry me anywhere. I’m good.” Liam heard ‘I’m good’ from me often these days, and usually, I’m not.
“Is it witching hour yet? Because now I want a bed.” The words ungracefully fell from my mouth.
“Oh no,” Liam replied, “We had a deal. We’re doing a legitimate Ouija board session, and that means you don’t sleep until I say.”
“Dude you’ve been obsessing about this all day. I know you’re into the supernatural and all, but you’ll see. It’s just another money maker.”
Liam chuckled in a know-it-all manner, and motioned for me to keep walking. Even in my stupor, his fascination with the board and witching hour and such was growing on me a bit, but I didn’t want to admit it. At the Veranda, we used our phones to look up ‘rules’ when playing the Ouija board, and people really take this seriously. I was slightly intrigued, and secretly hoping to encounter something paranormal.
CHAPTER 5
The walk back to Liam’s place seemed much longer than the trek from. When 2:45 AM rolled around, we were approaching Liam’s front door.
“Only fifteen minutes, man. We’re going to miss the demons.” I teased.
“Shut up” Liam spat, “we’re right on time, you wait here… I’m going to grab it, then I know the perfect place we can play.”
“Dude come on, are you serious? We can’t just do this here?”
“No way man, my Mom is home. She’s a devout catholic, if she catches me using the thing she’ll have an exorcist on my ass.”
I rolled my eyes, accepting the situation. “Fine,” I said, “I’ll wait.”
CHAPTER 6
Liam’s idea of a good place for this sort of activity was just down the road from his place, a dead end surrounded by brush where an old wooden crucifix marks the spot in which someone supposedly died. How and when, I don’t know. While walking there, Liam recited with sincerity the rules of playing the Ouija board. No one plays alone, don’t be disrespectful, and don’t ask about God or the Devil. Those were the golden rules we came upon, and we agreed to abide by them. Upon our arrival, my watch read 2:56 AM. Perfect. For some reason, whether this shit is legitimate or not, I was rather excited.
“Alright” Liam said firmly, “So we’re going to face each other and touch knees. Our legs are going to act as a table for the board.” Liam stopped his instructions to retrieve something from his back pocket, which he held up for me to see. “This is the planchette. This is the key to the other dimension I’m always talking about. So we place this on the board, our middle and pointer fingers on both hands are going to lightly be placed on top of the planchette…”
Interrupting, I ask, “Well why do we touch it if the spirits are supposed to move it?”
Liam rolled his eyes and said, “you’ve done this how many times again?”
I sighed in defeat, then nodded him on.
“So, once our fingers are placed, we ask a question. Anything we want, as long as it doesn’t go against the rules. After asking, if it works, the planchette will move over the letters printed on the board, spelling out their answers.”
I had to chuckle to myself a little bit. He spoke with such seriousness, and he’s never had a sense of urgency with anything. I didn’t realize how passionate he was about all of this.
“One more rule I forgot to mention, and this is probably the most important rule of all; always say goodbye. Good or bad spirit, say goodbye before ending the session. You don’t want to leave doors open.” I didn’t understand what he meant by that, but I didn’t question him. Sitting alongside the crucifix, touching knees, we prepared for the session.
CHAPTER 7
The moon was half shadowed on this evening, and the dead end road was scarce of any cars or people. Just Liam, myself, a ouija board and a crucifix at 3:00 AM. The night winds whispered by, rustling the bordering brush all around us. I shivered, but not because of the wind. The scene was a little creepy. The moonlight was temporarily masked by wispy clouds, providing a dim light that blended with the orange glow cast by the street lights, evenly spaced on either side of the road. The sounds of the night you would expect to hear, such as crickets or cars driving by in the distance, were nonexistent. When there was no wind, it was just dead silence.
The “presence” in Liam’s home that he had mentioned, well, I felt that presence. It’s a hairy feeling, like you need to be aware of your surroundings, and like we are not alone at this dead end. A feeling that you are being stalked. Shadows in the dimly lit street further down began to resemble evil hooded figures. Funny how the dark affects your psyche.
Liam, still holding the planchette, grabbed the Ouija board to his right, and placed it on our laps. The planchette was set directly in the center of the board.
“Look through the window of the planchette the whole time, that’s how you’ll read the answers we get”
“No, really? I thought it was there to look pretty” I said, smirking. Liam flipped me the bird.
Clearing his throat and arching his back in preparation, he instructed me to place my fingers lightly on the planchette, and he did the same.
“Alright. Hello there, I’m Liam. Are there any spirits willing to communicate with us on this evening?”
My eyes anxiously bounced from the board to Liam, wondering what to expect. Liam took a deep breath and looked up at me, then back down at the board.
“Okay, I’ll try again. Are there any sp…” and before he could repeat his question, the silence of the night was disturbed. What we heard was a single dog’s bark. Further down the road, opposite of the dead end, was a rather large man and his dog standing in the street. Even from his distance and through the darkness, he appeared to be at least six foot four and quite stout. I couldn’t tell whether he was facing our direction or not, it was just a distant silhouette of him and a labrador-sized dog sitting by his side.
“How long has he been standing there?” I asked.
Liam replied with, “beats me, man- I just noticed him. Probably just taking his dog out for a piss though.” Accepting Liam’s theory, my eyes went back down to the board.
“Alright man, ask something” Liam demanded.
“Okay… Are you the one who passed away here?”
Immediately, the planchette jolted over to the upper left hand corner, where it read YES. It traveled so quickly, so aggressively, it genuinely spooked me. It must have startled Liam as well, for he gasped. The planchette hovered back to the center of the board, ever so gently this time. Liam and I looked up at each other. There was still excitement in his eyes; probably from proving me wrong, because I was starting to believe this was a legitimate supernatural encounter. I’d like to say I was still excited for the unexpected at this point, but I was creeped out. I tried my best to maintain a poker face, but I’m not so sure I succeeded.
In that moment, I had forgotten about the man and his dog. Once I had remembered, I drew my attention to where he had been standing. Yes, ‘had been’. The minute we had our eyes off of him, he had moved closer to us. Much closer, but again, standing motionless.
“Liam are you seeing this? Look.” I motioned my head in the man’s direction. Liam took his eyes off the board and looked under the streetlight nearest to us and the dead end, where he had now been standing.
“Where’d the dog go?” Liam asked, confused.
“Who cares? He’s just standing there watching us, he has been for minutes. I don’t like this dude, let’s get out of here.” Liam chuckled and rolled his eyes back at me.
“Oh, is Jacob scared? Does he need a tampon?”
“Dude fuck you!” I exclaimed. “I’m serious, I have a bad feeling.”
“I think you need to take some Xanax and chill out. He’s just out taking his dog for a walk, we’re fine.”
I was getting pissed at this point. Two young men, playing with damn witchcraft at three in the morning, and there’s a potential threat just standing still as a board, but moving closer to us when we were not looking. I was on edge, and Liam could sense that in me.
“Alright. One more question, and then we’ll go. Okay?” Liam spoke in a pleading voice. I sighed loudly, straightened up a bit and said, “fine,” still not taking eyes off the creep. His dog really was nowhere in sight. Wouldn’t a concerned pet owner call for them? And how long does it take a dog to piss? Seriously. This was a hairy situation that I no longer wanted a part of.
“One more question, then I’m done” I stated. Liam just nodded and prepared for his final question.
“So. Where did you come from?” The planchette remained as motionless as the stout man in the night, still standing beneath the nearest streetlight to us. The more I stared, the more anxious I got. My body was prepared to take off in case he lunged, or sent his dog around the brush to attack us. I was really imagining the worst case scenarios.
“So… like I asked, where did you come from?”
Liam’s tone sounded demanding and somewhat ‘disrespectful’, if you will.
“Dude come on, let’s g…” I fixed my eyes on the board as the planchette started moving side by side, slowly. Side to side, side to side. From there it glided diagonally toward YES, then straight across to NO. I was about to let go and call it quits right then until the planchette picked up pace. Left, right, up, down, diagonal one way, diagonal another… quickly. So quick in fact, my arms felt as though they were being pulled from the socket with each motion.
“Liam quit fucking around, man! I’m done!” I shouted.
“Dude this isn’t me, I swear to God!”
Left, right, up, down, left, right and then… off the board to the left it went, soaring through the air like a vulture, heading straight for the brush, as if it had been ripped and tossed from our fingertips by some divine force.
“Say goodbye, Liam! Say goodbye, we’re done. I believe in this shit, okay?” I was nearly in tears, and could not wait to be anywhere but there.
“Dude we can’t without the planchette, we have to move the planchette over the GOODBYE printing at the bottom…”
“Well grab it then, goddammit” I snapped.
Placing the board by his side, Liam rose from the dirt, and then suddenly stopped in his tracks to stare above me. His look was telltale; petrified. I turned to see what he was looking at, and directly behind, towering over us was the stranger. I quickly hurried to my feet and huddled next to Liam in a squirm. I would have asked this man what he needed, or told him to back off had he not looked the way he did. Now, up close and personal, I could see his tattered flannel shirt, infested with holes bordered by what looked like dry blood. He had on only one left brown leather shoe, untied, and the right foot was bare and gashed up. His jeans were also torn, covered in some dark substance I could also assume to be dried blood. And his face, his face appeared to have gone through a dough sheeter; cut up and bruised beyond belief. Perhaps the most repulsive feature about him, was the left eye that dangled loosely down his cheek, only attached by a single, liquorice like tendon coming from inside his skull. I began feeling ill by his appearance, and I vomited once more.
The vomit spewed from my mouth and onto the Ouija board, splattering. There was a hissing sound that followed, a hissing coming from the board. A foul smelling odor arose from the board in a smoky fashion. The vomit on the board began to boil and sizzle, like an egg in a frying pan. Chunks of steaming vomit spat from the board’s surface and onto me, burning my flesh. I leaped backwards, and I believed in that moment, that board was being heated from the flames of hell beneath the earth, and that this mangled man was not a man at all… at least, no longer.
CHAPTER 8
Instincts would have said run like hell, but based off everything we encountered… I was bound to end this the way we researched, by saying goodbye. Liam and I were standing arm to arm, backing toward the brush in a frightened manner. To my surprise, the mangled man opened his mouth and gurgled, “Where am I from, you asked?” I watched as he spoke, a vile trail of blood dripped from his toothless mouth. I processed the fact that he hadn’t approached us until that question had already been asked, and I knew then what genuine fear was. This was no man.
I had never seen Liam in such a state of fear, nor had he seen me in mine. We were both speechless; absolutely terrified of our encounter, wishing every moment of it would vanish.
“Y- yes” Liam whimpered. I could hear the trembling in his voice. The “man” grunted as he turned to his left, stumbling toward the brush in a zombie-like fashion.
“Well,” the man said, gurgling and spewing blood from his mouth. “This isn’t where I’m from,” he stopped at the foot of the brush, twisting his body to face us once more. I began to feel ill again as I watched his eye dangle from cheek to cheek with every jolting motion. “This is where I was bludgeoned to death.” And,with that, his intact eye looked to the heavens as he began to fall backwards, into the brush. I flinched as he toppled over the dead shrubbery, tumbling a ways before resting in peace.
CHAPTER 9
Suddenly, all at once, the night was still once more. Liam stood there, completely catatonic and in shock I’d imagine. My knees began to feel weak, so I sat next to the Ouija board. Its edges were charred; bits of fried vomit lay in steaming piles along its surface.
“Liam. Find the planchette.” There was no response. His face was pale, and I could see tears welling up in his eyes. I knew he was in no condition to do much of anything, and nor was I. The whole scene was so surreal, I was convinced I was having a nightmare, wondering when I’d awake.
Cautiously, I rose and stepped over the smoldering Ouija board, and slowly walked over to the brush. I was genuinely afraid to dig through the brush, for a hand would emerge from the earth to drag me down to hell. But we had to say goodbye. Reaching my hand in the branchy mass resulted in my arms getting scratched from vengeful twigs and such, scraping into my flesh as I fumbled through the brush. Piles of sticks were tossed to the side until finally, the planchette was found. I grabbed it, expecting it to be hot to the touch as the board was, but it was not. Placing it in my back pocket, I turned to Liam and said, “found it.” I wanted to refuse to look over the brush’s surface, for I was certain the man would be back again from the dead, standing his mannequin-like stance. Curiosity got the best of me as I did look over; and there he was, laying face first in the dirt; and he had company. The dog we had seen earlier had his muzzle buried deep in the man’s neck, viciously mauling the man’s deceased flesh and innards; growling. I couldn’t bare to watch. I turned my attention back to Liam. “Alright,” I said. “Let’s finish this shit.”
The unrealism of the situation was far too much for him and I to bare, but we knew it had to be done. Slowly, Liam planted his knees on the ground, as I did the same. I grabbed the Ouija board off the ground, and placed it directly in our laps. The base of the board still felt warm. I retrieved the planchette from my back pocket, setting it down gently as we had done earlier. We looked at each other, not saying a word, just utterly shocked. Our fingers touched the planchette, and as we kindly said our farewells, the planchette slowly glided toward the bottom, and it read GOODBYE.