Beautiful rose.
Soft and velvety.
Protected by sharp thorns.
Bright in the sunshine.
Dark in the moonlight.
A two-faced wonder.
TWO-FACED WONDER
Month: August 2014
DARK SHADOWS OF MY MIND
The nightmare of my mind.
Crammed with trees and dirt.
A deserted forest of the night.
No visitors or intruders.
Only death and silence.
Graves mark the spots
where life once stood.
Now all that’s left is
darkness and shadows.
Shadows drifting across
space and my mind.
THE DEAD GAME — DAY 197
THE DEAD GAME — DAY 197
The town hall was under attack by flying creatures. Natalie stood before them, reveling in the control she had over the mere mortals.
Shana continued to struggle against the creature. When she looked up at it, it glanced back down at her. She was shocked to see that while it had a human face, it also had a beak. But its body was the body of a huge bat. It kept staring at her, turning its head sideways—like a bird analyzing its prey.
She pulled at her long hair trapped in its sharp talons. Its hooked claws were very sharp; she could feel their edges digging into her scalp. She was in a bad situation. She looked down at the strange scene being played out beneath her.
Father John’s voice bellowed out loud, causing Natalie’s lit reflection to fade and flicker. “If you vanquish me, you silly fool, then Todd’s girlfriend will fall into the fire and
burn up quickly. Humans roast very rapidly—if you need to know for the future.” Natalie laughed.
Sam quietly said to the Father, “I’ve got it covered; just vanquish her as quickly as you can.”
The priest’s voice rose high up into the rafters. The great devotion in his voice made the wooden beams crack and tremble. The whole building shuddered and shook; sections of the ceiling crashed down upon them. He lifted both his arms to heaven and chanted.
Natalie caught on fire: beginning at her legs and then traveling up her tiny body. She screamed and moaned as she tried to fight off the flames. She rolled across the floor in a ball of fire. She continued to sizzle and burn until all that remained of her were ashes. With Natalie annihilated, Linda began to fall into the fire. Sam promptly opened the hose at full blast, which extinguished the fire beneath her and protected her fall with soggy and wet firewood.
Kindle
Nook
THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW
What if our paths in life were obvious?
Set up before us.
Clearly outlined.
No branches.
No deviations.
Just the straight and narrow.
Would life be simpler?
Would life be easier?
Or would it be boring?
Too obvious.
Too narrow.
Too defined.
No choices.
No chances.
No deviations.
Definitely boring.
YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE
EXCERPT FROM THE DEAD GAME
Chapter 32
Intense feelings of claustrophobia began to overwhelm Shana in the narrow, confined space. The air was becoming heavier and thicker. She thrust her hand in front of her, where she could actually feel the air: it felt strangely thick and spongy. When she tried to move her arm back down, she found that it was being held firmly in place. She was being sucked into the unyielding darkness, where some unnatural force was probably lying in wait for them.
She felt a slight shift in the air—possibly even a slight breeze. The darkness slowly lifted and loosened its hold on her arm. She turned to flee, but her hasty escape was interrupted by a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream. What now? What else could be in store for them?
She looked ahead into the darkness and spotted Louise, standing as still as a statue with her huge blue eyes wide open in horror as she stared at the far end of the tunnel. The group edged closer to Louise and watched the bizarre scene that was being played out in front of them.
In the darkness of the tunnel, a light was being projected on one small area. In this subdued light sat a woman in rocking chair, rocking a baby in her arms while humming a sweet lullaby. To Shana, the scene looked very peaceful and serene—which didn’t at all fit with Louise’s terrified reaction.
She asked Louise, “Why are you so afraid? Who is that lady with the baby?”
Louise replied, “It’s my mother holding me. I’ve seen this scene numerous times in old pictures. My mother had died when I was only a baby.”
“The scene was obviously recreated from you own imagination. Before our minds are toyed with any further, we must turn around and leave! Right now!” Louise grabbed Shana’s outstretched hand and followed her back through the tunnel.
BEFORE
The skyline was beautiful before.
Hope was present before.
Brotherhood was keenly felt before.
Life was pure and simple.
Death wasn’t an everyday concern.
Before.
A DREAM COME TRUE
A shooting star.
A miracle.
Fleeting.
Temporary.
Luminescent.
A dream come true.
AN ISLAND TO MYSELF
Imagination(http://i-believe.tk) –
Do you ever feel alone?
No one close to you.
No one to understand your problems.
Thoughts rumbling through your brain
with no one to share them with.
I might as well be on a desert island
with only water around me for miles.
A desert island all to myself.
MEOW!
I know everything.
I know what you’re doing
and what you’re thinking.
Nothing surprises me anymore.
I know what to expect out of life.
All I need is food and a comfortable
place to sleep.
All else is unimportant.
Goodbye silly human.
I need my beauty sleep.
Meow!
ONCE IS ENOUGH
This is what life is all about.
The simple.
The pure.
The first time.
Done once.
And done the right way.
SUSANNE LEIST 