Ode to Love

I was in that place once more.  I felt my skin tingle at the prospect and looked for her.  Only a soft light in the distance could be found, so I made my way over, footsteps making no sound on the dark featureless landscape.  It took some time, how much I cannot say as I had no point of reference, but then there she was growing on the horizon, holding a glowing orb.  I approached and smiled, but she looked concerned.  "I found this in the darkness, did you make it?" "No, but I've seen it before.  Would you mind?" I reached for the orb and she handed it to me.  As soon as I touched it and her hand the scene inverted to a bright shallow sea, stretching as far as the eye could see in all directions.  The orb, now a pitch black ball, fell into the water.  I reached for it, but it was gone. "I'm beginning to think we are not alone here." We both nod in agreement. I reach for her hand and she smiles and holds it in her own.  "A walk on the...

He lifts his head, a smirk dancing playfully on his face.  Bound in a cell, his environment seemed to be a display of strength, but in truth conveyed the terror he had imbued his captors with.  Three men walk into the room: a heavily armed soldier opens the door, followed by a middle aged man in a lab coat, flanked by another soldier.  The scientist opens with bravado, but a slight crack of his voice hints at his true feelings on the matter. "So, you are the one I have heard so much about.  Called Wanderer by some, The Bard by others, true name..." He flips through a few pages on his clipboard "yet unknown." The bound man's expression changes to that of a sarcastic earnestness.  "How can I help you this fine day?  Or is it night?  It is so hard to tell in these places." "Some sources have claimed you are the most dangerous man in the world, but as far as I can tell, despite all the talk of what you are capable of, you have never actually don...

The light visited And the darkness fell in love Then the light would leave First the darkness wept Then raged against the nightmare Of a lightless life But the light returned Despite the storm all around For better or worse First they learned to talk Then they began to listen To the rumblings The wall was falling This was inevitable So they hatched a plan Smuggling secrets First one way, then the other The final stage set Then The Bard gathered The citizens of both realms For one Final Tune Jesus Christ is King The rest is to be revealed It's a brand new day.

I have forgotten who I am Every piece of me falling away I feel like once there was a plan But it unravels every day This life feeling like a dream Even my dreams all disappear Nonsense pulling at each seam Till I can't remember why I'm here There's too much noise And not enough to listen to There are too many words And not one shred of truth There's nothing but time on my hands But they're so damn full I can't handle anything And mind is overwhelmed With a million motes of minutia What kind of stupid game is this You can't even be bothered with a heroine? Will I crumble or explode Neither based on the state I'm in When I think about the day And all the garbage I must endure So some festering cesspool of a man Can get a piece of paper saying he has worth Such a proliferated lie Makes me miss the days where i Could rip reality to shreds In the blink of an eye Don't be fooled, they'll be back soon, in the m...

The first chime rings out, it is midnight once more.  It is funny how the fulfilled promise of a new day always comes at the darkest hour.  I climb the stairs, footsteps echoing.  I know these steps by memory, despite the dream that engulfs me, constantly pulling at my mind and making me doubt so many aspects of the world around me.  I feel my heart beating in my chest, a solo drummer beating through the night, unsure if the reason for the increased pace is due to fear, excitement, increased activity, or some combination.  It pounds on boldly, drumming a steady beat as it has done through years, the first internal mark of a new day, unplagued by the doubts my mind has that anything is promised.  The second chime rings as I climb the third stair.  Chimes three through seven pass quickly as they often do, as I finish my ascent more quickly, counting each aspect so as not to lose track.  Such a simple task for others crushes me now, as I know the con...

The party entered the fabled chamber, unsure of what to expect.  All they knew was that the book said to come here if the fate of the world was at stake, and the angel had indicated that whoever the writer was had been writing in earnest.  So it was, and so they came.  The door was not easy to open, but they had come prepared with the correct spells and words to pass through.  The ancient and massive yet unassuming stone door creaked open, as dust spilled from its inner edge.  Despite the torches, the inside was pitch black, only the flames themselves could be seen, eerily dancing against the backdrop of black.  As soon as they cleared the door, it slammed shut.  Panic struck the party for a moment, but then white wisps could be seen about 100 feet ahead.  Small at first, but growing from a central point into two wings made of a pure radiant energy in stunning blue.  They swept outward, engulfing the party, which now felt a rush of truth perm...

I fade into consciousness.  The light and horn from the approaching train still blaring in my mind, a dream suddenly ended.  While the end was sudden, the dream was anything but, seeming to take an entire lifetime of struggle.  The pain of knowing something was off the entire time had become too much to bear, but here laying in bed I began to feel myself again, and shake the dissonance of the dream.  Light was barely creeping through the window at dawn, and I could feel my arm once more wrapped around her.  I heard a griffin caw from outside, and a distant train horn.  She stirred.  I squeezed her a little, almost to remind myself of who I was after such a terrible night.  It was not a nightmare, perse, but what made it terrible was the loneliness.  I remembered why I had done it though, as she turned to meet me face to face, eyes still closed.  "How was your night?"  My voice creaked out of me faintly, virtually toneless which was ...

Awoken now, I stare boldly into the light.  My eyes have finally adjusted to this brightness, but I have not lost myself in the process.  Perhaps I was never meant to, only to feel like I was.  The test is to be willing to lose oneself, but that was never meant to be the result.  I consider all of this, as brightness gives way to a scene.  I am back on the beach, but I have the power of the kingdom, and the awareness to use it as I will, and not on instinct alone.  Never again will the innocent look at me with terror, at what I may do without a conscious thought.  Never again will I judge the innocent guilty.  A weight has been lifted, the curse of knowledge without understanding.  The games have not ended, nor will they ever end now; I wait for my love on the shore.  I hear her approaching in the sand, the slight crunch of wet sand shifting under bare feet.  She begins to sing as she approaches- "only once the sea has brought you b...

She had finally found it.  From what her sources had gathered, this location in spacetime was extremely important.  She stared at the map, at the deep valley amidst an ancient forest, and Lake Tanganyika.  20,000 years, give or take.  That was how far back she would need to go to be present for the event.  What was the event?  She had no idea.  All she knew was that his trail had gone cold, this time travelling mystery man.  He was all over recent history until about 6 months ago, and then he was just gone.  On his last appearance he had left a clue written in blood.  His own blood mind you, uncharacteristically he cut himself on some broken glass when shattering the windows of a front for human trafficking that had been hiding under everyone's noses for decades.  It was the single biggest takedown in law enforcement history, not entirely out of character for him since he had discovered his powers.  The blood was different thou...