Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

Please. Tonight. Help me?
Read the ALT TEXT.
I'm stressed and tired and running out of options.
I don't know what else to do.
Multiple Sclerosis and Long Covid have robbed me of four years.
Help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Read the ALT TEXT

Hello. I'm trying again.
For 14 years I've been providing free stories and poetry online. I've never asked for anything. I took my income from books and journalism. My work will still be free. I appreciate my readers and my fans. It's a gift I enjoy giving...
But
It is unfair to expect any creator to work for free.
As most of you know, I have had Multiple Sclerosis since October 1999. I managed to cope reasonably well with it and grow a fictional universe which was both critically acclaimed and prize winning.
However 2020 delivered a shock. 3 bouts of Covid and simultaneously the people I trusted with my publishing empire pulling the plug on me and trashing the entire project.
I am forced to start again from scratch.
That's OK...I did it before and can slowly do it again.
But I need assistance.
Long Covid has wiped out 3 years.
I'm only just getting back to where I need to be.
I have had no income in this time. I need functioning equipment to do this.
The illness has left me with medical issues that need addressing not on the NHS.
Bills need paying.

I spent 14 years supporting others kickstarters. Charities. Putting the right writers in touch with the right artists and vice versa.
I shared and boosted and promoted for you.

Now I need help.
It doesn't have to be a lot.
Just a little each would make a huge difference.
Also my new writing will include the option to 'buy me a drink' as a way to support me.
It's only fair.
No other industry is expected to work for free.

So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
Take a moment to gift a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne
And help me recover and continue.
Thank you for gazing...

January 12, 2025 at 11:41 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (23)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(23)

You cautiously make your way down the mountain to distant green plains.
Before you Tok flitters blue in the early dawn.

Beside you Amelia wrinkles her nose.

"The world smells wrong. Feels wrong. How did this happen Owl?"

Owl sighs.

"The Elders grew comfortably complacent child. We all did. We ignored the warning signs as the Bronze King began to close the borders of his kingdom. As he spread lies and fears of those who did not look like or live like his subjects. The Dwarves. The Elfin. The Orcanian tribes. Travellers were repelled or detained. And we treated him as a joke. A folly soon to pass into history.
But his lies and set of mind began to take hold in other kingdoms and before they could be addressed the Black Sickness swept the land."

"A sickness Owl?" Asks the girl.

"Yes Child. A plague the likes of which not seen before. It laid low all the races and creeds.
Some say it was a final weapon of The Dark Sorcerer, unearthed by accident. Others thought it to be pollen from the tree that shall not be named..."

He pauses.

"Whatever the case, when it was finally defeated the lands had become divided. Alliances older than the mountains were broken."

You hear yourself gasp and Owl turns to you.

"You recognize this tale?" He says. "Your own realm has seen the same?"

You nod and he closes his eyes.

"It is often the way...events in the EverLands bleed into the lower places."

Shaking his head he continues.

"However now we are seeing the events of the lower plains bleeding into our own. The Fractures grow wider. The poles are reversed. They shift."

"This is a most badness." Whispers Amelia.

"Yes child...yes it is..."

******************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 23, 2025 at 4:08 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

TODAY'S BONUS WORDS
The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

TODAY'S BONUS WORDS...

I am not this Flesh
These brittle Bones.
These Implants
Nor this Mobile Phone.
I am not these clothes
Am not these Words
These Musings
I am not the Herd.
I am not this Sickness-quiet lurking
Not the Job-nor the Working.
I am not Future-am not Past.
Won't be the First or even Last.
I am not Lion, Rhino, Elephant
I am not here, Now or Relevant.
I am not Blood or Skin or Chest.
I am not the House

I am the Guest.

***************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 22, 2025 at 3:47 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (22)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne
Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(22)

"Wake up!"

Groggy eyed you creep from slumber.
Before you sits the Owl.
Normal sized.
A strip of multicolored silk adorns his neck.

"Owl!" Says Amelia. "You are wearing your happiness tie!"

"Joy must be taken where it is found Child." He responds.

"You're a normal size?" You hear yourself say.

He glances quizzical.
Mischievous.

"Perhaps I am." He says. "Or maybe you are using different eyes?"

Tok flutters flapping as you fold the blankets and store them in the sacks.

Owl leads you to the doorway.

"Time to go." He says.

The dawn is clear but cold.
Behind you Owl locks the wooden doors and mutters something musical and archaic over the lock.

On the horizon from which you travelled rise ugly black clouds of smoke.
The Owl's eyes dance concern.

Amelia describes the soldiers you saw on the day of yester and Owl nods.

"The Alphabet Army defend the boarders." He says. "But they are spread thin. The Marauders gather in numbers...some say they have uncovered devices from the time of Phobos..."

He turns and indicates a different path than the one you ascended.

"That is a problem for another day." He states. "For now we require information and I feel we shall find it in The Shrouded Lands."

Flapping he rests upon Amelia's shoulder and waves a commanding wing.

"Lead the way Tok." He says.

The Butterfly dances ahead...

*****************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 22, 2025 at 3:45 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (21)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(21)

So many questions.
So many confusing answers.
They swim and swirl.
And wake you in the middle of the night.
Yawning you see, in the sputtering torchlight, that the Butterfly is watching you.
Perched on one of the stone pews.

It takes to the air and flutters towards you.
Landing on your chest.

"You are new." She says.
"You smell of distance.
Of chemicals.
Numbers.
Information.
Cynicism..."

You explain that you are a visitor. That you do not belong here.

She cocks her head and whispers.

"You may find you are misguided..."

Intrigued you ask her about The ToyMaster.
She pauses.
Says.

"The ToyMaster makes things.
For his amusement.
For wealth.
For gains of power.
And for motives as yet unknown."

Shaking her wings she continues.

"My Master gave me life...gave me a purpose.
A task."

"A purpose?"

She nods.

"Spy." She replies.
"Turncoat.
Betrayer."

Then she turns and looks towards where Amelia slumbers.

"My master gave me a task...but my mother gave me freedom.
Gave me a soul."

She spreads her wings and upon her chest a compartment springs open.

Within burns a pink burning orb.

The scent of honeysuckle washes over you.

And then the compartment snaps shut.

"Return to sleep." She whispers. "I suspect a journey most telling awaits us..."

******************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 21, 2025 at 4:37 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (20)

The words are in the ALT TEXT.

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(20)

The deafening clanking and grinding vibrates through the thick stone walls as the Owl beckons you outside.

Above you, illuminated in the waning moonlight, obscuring the blinking stars is a sight most bizarre.
Metal flanks gleaming.
Mighty cogs turning.
Fins beating.
Tail pounding through the ink black sky.
Bright blue eyes beaming.

A gigantic mechanical Whale.

Just then, on the far horizon, twin pillars of light stab the sky.
Painting circles on low sparse clouds.

The strange machine turns and swims towards them.

Amelia is gaping.
"What are these sights Owl?" She asks.

"Inventionaries of The ToyMaster." He says. "See those lights? They eminate from his realm."

"Searchlights." You hear yourself say.

Owl regards you.

"Searchlights? An interesting word. Thank you for your knowledge."

Then he turns and leads you back inside.

"We must rest." He declares. "We shall be safe here."

He closes the stout wooden doors behind you and gestures towards a far wall and stone carved pews.
Beside the pews are two fabric bags.
Each bag contains a thick woven blanket.

As you both settle down the Owl smiles and says.

"Speaking of the ToyMaster...I have a surprise for you Amelia."

Turning his head towards the towering ceiling he calls.

"Come! You may show yourself now."

From the distant wooden beams flutters a creature the size of your hand.
Blue and black wings.
A butterfly.

A mechanical butterfly.

Tiny gears whirring with each delicate flap.

"Tok!" Cries the girl, as the creature alights upon her arm.

"Hello mother." It whispers in feminine static. "I have missed you.

Joyous smiling Amelia allows herself to weep.

The Owl nods his head knowingly.

"Our party swells." He says...

******************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 20, 2025 at 4:06 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (19)

The words are in the ALT TEXT.

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(19)

Seeing your bewilderment Owl sighs and spreads his wings wide.

"In the time of the fifth Silence, before the dawn of Songs and all was darkness, the Great Celestial Spider spun the first of many worlds. The EverLands.
And when finished and before he departed to weave galaxies he left behind an egg.
The egg contained all things necessary for life to build and all the waters for every sea, river, lake and fallen tear.
Within the waters dwelled nine serpents.
When the egg finally hatched the serpents slid new into the world.
At this time the mountains were still made from song and the sky was molten glass.
Eight of the serpents coiled together for safety and formed a circle with eight protruding heads, all the better to look for dangers, opportunities and futures yet to be.
But the ninth serpent was born albino blind and slid away into the vast deserted world to dream her own passion play.
Law...blind and unshakable hid for centuries greedily observing a world she craved to mould.
The world however thrived in balance, for the eight serpents of Chaos held in their very nature an essence of Law.

Now the Blind Mistress has returned...we must prepare ourselves.
Our Lands."

Suddenly the conversation is disrupted by a deafening clanking and groaning from outside.
From above.

"Owl!" Cries the girl...

***************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing....

March 19, 2025 at 10:57 AM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

TODAY'S BONUS WORDS.
An unused introduction to a proposed anthology.

The words are in the ALT TEXT.

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

TODAY'S BONUS WORDS.
An unused introduction to a planned anthology...

NEW BEGINNINGS AND ENDS:

And so it was...

In the last days of Glass and Wire and Copper and Blood.
The final moments of war.
The Great Old Gods became truly self aware.
A blip in causation.
A loop of feedback most foul.
And they gazed upon the carnage they had wrought.

The Shattering.

The Ever Evolving Cascade.

The broken burning worlds ...

And they grieved, as only Gods can grieve.

And in their madness they fell upon their children, siblings and kin and when the blood of aeons was drained they gathered the bones and constructed a vast tree at the End of Time.
A warning.
A vain sculpture.
An Echo.

And then they simply dreamed themselves into nothingness...

But before the final moments the Great God (name redacted) created one last thing.
One last chance.
A hope.

And as She erased himself from existence He gazed upon his last work.
A Spider.

A Great Celestial Spider.

Tasked with weaving galaxies anew in the cold, stagnant void.

And so it began...

**************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing....

March 18, 2025 at 11:30 AM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

Things are desperate.
Please help me this weekend.
I NEED to raise something in the next few days.

Please please please help...

Kneel Downe @kneeldowne.bsky.social · Jan 12

Please. Tonight. Help me?
Read the ALT TEXT.
I'm stressed and tired and running out of options.
I don't know what else to do.
Multiple Sclerosis and Long Covid have robbed me of four years.
Help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Read the ALT TEXT

March 18, 2025 at 11:28 AM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

Please help me if you can. My health is not in a good place and the stress is making things worse.
Any small amount helps to pay the bills and continue writing and surviving...

Kneel Downe @kneeldowne.bsky.social · Jan 12

Please. Tonight. Help me?
Read the ALT TEXT.
I'm stressed and tired and running out of options.
I don't know what else to do.
Multiple Sclerosis and Long Covid have robbed me of four years.
Help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Read the ALT TEXT

March 18, 2025 at 11:28 AM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (18)

The words are in the ALT TEXT.

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(18)

"Come." Says the Owl and waving a wing over the strange liquid continues. "Let us see what confronts us."

The liquid settles and presently images appear upon the surface.

The hideous creatures that hunted you last night.
Misshapen men with matted hair and cruel talons and feet. Extended jaws and sharp of tooth.
Clutching axes and swords.
Hammers and torches.

"The Howling and Marauders grow ever bold." He says. "They attack the old forests and sacred groves."

The scene changes.
A valley surrounded by snow topped peaks.
An ugly crater adorns the valley floor.
Amelia gasps.

"The Citidal of Chaos has vanished!" Proclaims the bird.

Closer now.
There.
Between broken trees a vast figure.
Robed in red.
A metal spike embedded in silent chest.
Numbers and digits drip from the eyeslits and mouth of the polished silver mask.
Body lying in dried congealed equations.

"Lord Charm." Whispers Owl.

"But who could kill a God?" Cries the girl.

The Owl shakes his head.

"How many times Amelia? Not a God. A concept...Gods are mere figments..."

Again the shift of scenes.
The Marauders again.
One is dressed in armoured bronze and holds aloft a fluttering banner.
Depicted upon it is the silhouette of a man.
A man with six arms.

"The Scarecrow!" Shouts Amelia.

"Impossible!" Replies the Owl.

At this moment the purple liquid contracts and swells.
Explodes.
Bathing you all in stinging burning droplets.

You frantically wipe them from you body and face.

But there is more...

The remaining liquid settles to reveal a scene of utter blackness...lit only by a single red star.

The star illuminates a rocky mound upon which towers a bleached white tree.

"The Bone Tree..." The girl whispers but the Owl places a wing across her trembling mouth.

"Never ever ever speak it's name." He says.

From behind the malevolent trunk steps a figure lithe and sensual.
Ripe.
Lusting.
Ivory skinned and robed.
Veiled.
Tresses of bleach blown in unseen winds.

She removes the veil to reveal a stark cold skull.

The Owl gasps.

"The Blind Serpent." He croaks.
"The Barren Maiden.
Seductress of Mad Phobos.
The Path of Ultimate Sorrow..."

He turns and addr
**************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing....

March 18, 2025 at 11:27 AM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (17)

The words are in the ALT TEXT.

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(17)

The Owl beckons you towards the vast stone dish.
"First we must address your confusion and conflicts." He says. "The fluids of foreshadowing will answer your doubts."

Inside the dish bubbles and swirls a thick purple soup splashed here and there with dark blacks and vivid yellows.

He taps the stone basin with a gnarled wooden staff and from the fluid there erupts a cloud of bubbles the size of footballs.
They float and drift around you.
Each orb contains an image.

You.

A child playing joyous.
An old man in a hospital bed.
A woman pushing a pram.
Astride a gigantic lizard.
Cowering in a muddy trench.
An old woman weeping at a fresh grave.

All you.

Dressed in outlandish armour beneath an alien sky.
In a desert surrounded by huge weeping statues.
Bleeding hands grasping razor wire fences.
Emaciated.

"We are stretched so tight." He explains. "Taut and threadbare. As fragile as a lover's vows."

And then a bubble larger than the rest floats before you.

A scene you know.
A place.
Your bedroom.
Rumpled bed.
Empty.
The book you were reading.
The empty wine glass.
The clock radio.

"Now." He asks. "Is this world real or are you dreaming?"

"Real?" You whisper incredulous.

As one the bubbles burst.

He observes you and pokes your chest with the staff.

"Wrong answer!" He says. "The answer is both."
"Everything dreams. This staff. These stone walls. This mountain on which we meet."
He glances towards the girl.
"Even the dead...Do you understand?"

You shake a bewildered head and he smiles.

"Good...good. You are learning..."

***************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 18, 2025 at 11:21 AM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (16)

The words are in the ALT TEXT.

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(16)

"It's huge!" You hear yourself shout.
The creature observes you calmly and, ruffling its feathers and puffing out it's chest, says.
"I was hoping for handsome but I suppose huge will suffice."

The girl struggles in your hold and breaks free.
"Owl! Oh Owl..." She cries as she runs towards the monster. "I have missed you so!"

The creature opens his wings and holds her close in an embrace of friendship old.
"I have missed you too, child." He responds, nibbling lovingly on her burning red tresses.

Amelia pauses and concern paints her face.

"But Owl." She whispers. "I had an imagination that we both died."

The Owl looks pensive.

"Perhaps we did child...it wouldn't be the first time. Or mayhaps that was merely a past yet to occur."

He turns his attention to you and quizzical asks.

"Is this the right one Amelia?"

"They owned the painting Owl."

He nods and with eyes of twinkle remarks.

"Strange...I assumed they would be taller..."

As the girl giggles he beckons you towards the stone dish.

"You crave answers." He says. "Come closer...this is where we begin..."

****************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 18, 2025 at 11:20 AM

VirulentBlurb

@virulentblurb.bsky.social

OK...I've caught you up to date with the story by reposting from my main account.
I apologise for the delay and haphazard delivery but I'm extremely unwell atm and functioning is becoming increasingly difficult.

Please donate to help me live and continue writing...

March 15, 2025 at 7:59 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (15)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(15)

The grass turns to pebbles and stone as you climb higher.
Children of clouds swirl around you and eventually Amelia halts and calls the GlassWings to her.
"Go now my friends...you have guided us true and strong but now we can find ways of our own. Go! The basin of pollen awaits you."

You feel a tinge of sadness as the sparkling creatures depart.

"Nearly there." She says.

Following her you slide and slip on treacherous shale.

Presently you hear a clanging and banging.
Voices raised.

The girl scampers over to a jutting ridge and beckons you.

In the valley below you see a sight most majestic.
A tableau of movement.
Black and red banners fluttering in the wind.
Flags bearing a red A on a white bleached background.
Men of shapes and all sizes.
Some tall.
Squat.
Bearded.
Slim.
Elfin.
Armoured.
You see horses and giant lizards dragging chariots and carts.
Hauling vast wooden poles.
Cauldrons.
Catapults.
And here and there you spy creatures walking as men.
Foxes.
Bears.
Deer.
Felines.
All wearing armour.
Weapon bearing.

At the rear of this crowd march huge wooden and metal marionettes...a human in the chest of each.
Pulling levers.
Grinding cogs.

Amelia grabs your hand and pulls you down below the ridge.
She shakes her head and licking a finger she raises it to the clouded air.

"This is most concernable." She says. "A division of the Alphabet Army are marching North by North West."

You see something new in her violet eyes.
Disquiet?
Fear?

And then it is gone.

"This is a problem for the morning....look! Our way is revealed."

The mist before you has cleared and you gaze upon crude steps carved hazard hap into rising stone.

"Follow me." She says. "Answers await...or at least more pleasing questions..."

*****************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing....

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(15) part 2

You follow Amelia up the rough slippy steps.
Wind ruffles your hair and swirls the clouded mist around you.
Halfway up this treacherous climb you see the sun sink behind a distant horizon and darkness envelopes you.
A chill descends and you wear the billowing moisture as an uncomfortable cloak.

Eventually you reach the summit and before you, in the twilight, looms an imposing structure.
Ancient carved blocks of ornate stone.
Age has lent crumbles upon a once pristine chapel.

"The Crucible of Karnon." Whispers the girl and she beckons you to enter the large open doorway...weathered wooden doors open to your arrival.

Creeping through a dusty corridor you enter a vast open arena which at it's center has a granite carved dish.
A single burning torch illuminates the scene.
And a strange purple glow eminates from the aged bowl.

Suddenly a figure looms from the shadows and advances towards you.
Instinctively you grab the girl and pull her close as a gigantic shape towers above you.

A massive, intimidating Owl...

***************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 15, 2025 at 3:20 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (14)

Spread across two images.
The words are in the ALT TEXT
If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(14)

Despite your misgivings you do appear to be covering a great distance.
The towering outcrop is noticeably closer and the vast plain seems to be gently rising.
Amelia halts and points towards a grove of trees not far distant.
"We shall rest there and take substance." She declares. "My stomach sings songs of urgency."

As you approach the sheltered grove you notice items most incongruous.
Out of place.
Out of time.

A battered corroded red post box.
A concrete and wooden park bench.
A road sign.

And a typical village noticeboard.

Giddiness becomes you.

You stand before the road sign and drink in the words.
BRIGHTOWN 23m.

You approach the bench.
Wood now rotting.
Stained with moss.
Someone has carved a slogan into the slats.
'Arm yourself and Run.'
Beside the bench lies a rusted bicycle.
Beside the bicycle the post box...flaking red paint of better days.

And now...the notice board.
Faded paper behind grimy glass.
Business cards.
Hand written notes.
A pamphlet informing you of vaccination clinics.
And a faded flyer advertising a coming gig.

'PHAZELORDS!
ON THE ROAD TO DESOLATION ROW.
Brightown pavilion.
5.5.2053

Doors 8.30pm'

You feel a chill.

Beside you Amelia momentarily touches the glass.
Whispers.
"Johnny?"

Then she turns.
"The Fractures grow wider." She explains. "Things often fall from the Lower Realms. It is of no importance...come...we must eat."

Subdued you eat your fruit...the ghosts of a reality close to your own standing close.
Disturbing you.
Taunting.

Eventually she stands and smiling kindly she says.
"It is time to go...come."

As she skips away you scurry to the postbox and try the rusted door.
Open it swings...

Inside is a yellowed envelope.
Feverish you tear it open.
A note.
Handwriting you know so well.

Your own.

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(14)

Your own.

'Do not let the Wolf go alone!!' It reads.

Confused you attempt to place the note in your pocket but it crumbles under the curse of age.

Just dust on the wind.

"Hurry up!" Calls the girl.

You swallow shallow.

"Coming." You shout.
"I'm coming..."

****************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing....

March 14, 2025 at 2:22 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (13)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(13)

The morning, as mornings can and must, seems to drag on forever.
Surrounded by sparkling flight the girl leads you on through idyllic plains.
Stopping often to gather berries and plucking low hanging fruits.
Despite your refusal to accept the reality of this strange place you find yourself becoming more and more at peace.
The GlassWings hover around your head...whispering soft thoughts.

Suddenly the grass before you erupts in movement and the sky is full of bright yellow fluttering birds.

Amelia halts and scowls.
"Something has startled the SunMaidens!" She declares.
She cocks her head and sniffs the air...
"No...no...we are safe...come..."

You follow her, baffled once more, to a wooden bridge spanning a stream of silver sparkles.
The water is clear as crystal is and looking down you spy magnificent fish swimming slow.

And there...in the shallows...strange green two headed amphibians. Each head crowned with fleshy thorns.

You feel a tingling in the back of your mind.
The urge of a yawn.

Amelia snaps her fingers in your face and grabs your hand.
"NO! You must never meet the eyes of the Sluggish. They cause stupor..."

Stumbling from the bridge you see the clouds on the far horizon break and a harsh rocky outcrop becomes visible.

"That is where we go." She says.

You shake your head. It is so far away. There is no time!

She smiles and taps her nose knowingly.

"Time is as Time does." She states and strides onward...

***************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 14, 2025 at 2:10 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (12)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(12)

You reach the end of the Forest and gaze out upon verdant green meadows.
Clumps of trees and undulating hills.
You follow the girl and place your boots upon springy grass.
Wait.
Your boots?
You glance down and for the first time realize you are clothed!
Sturdy black leather boots.
Soft brown doeskin trousers and shirt.
A stout leather waistcoat.
A cloak of brown woven wool.
A dagger tucked into a thick belt.
A silver ring adorns your left middle finger...purple stone carved with a circle and eight radiating arrows.

Amelia is watching you.
Clapping her hands with glee.
"At last!" She says. "Recognizing questions is the first act of knowledge!"

What are these clothes?
Who dressed you?

She shrugs and raises her hands to the sky.

"The EverLands remember you. They remember your choices."

You shake your head.
You have never been here before.

She smiles kindly.
"You've been here many times." She replies. "They just haven't happened yet..."

Leaving you confused she skips gaily ahead.

"Come! We still have far to go..."

**************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing....

March 14, 2025 at 2:09 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (11)

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(11)

The Forest is vast and it takes most of the morning to travel it's rooted floor.
The girl talks incessantly, pointing out birds and scurrying animals.
Telling stories of each and every plant.
Eventually you ask her about the creatures from the night before.
She falls into step beside you, binding a stray magpie feather into her vibrant hair.
(Magpies are strong magic she informs you.)

"They were the Howling." She says. "Playthings and weapons of The Dark Lord Phobos. When he was defeated they all but vanished from the Lands but recently they are resurgent...much like the Marauders. They grow bolder every turn of the Wheel...things are changing here."

A noise from the undergrowth startles you and you turn to see three grey squat humanoid shapes clawing their way through the tangle of shurbs and weeds.
Strange elongated limbs and digits.
One turns to glance your way and it is like being caught in bright headlights.
Luminous.
Blinding.

Her hand is in yours.
"Don't be afraid." She says. "It's just a family of Moonglums returning to their nest. The sunlight is not kind to their skin."

The GlassWings return and dance a halo around her locks.
She smiles and points.
"Come...the end of the Forest beckons...

***************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing....

March 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

Kneel Downe

@kneeldowne.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3 (10)

The words are in the ALT TEXT.

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(10)

Amelia purses her lips and cocks her head.
Listening.
Bright red hair cascades over deep black leather.
"The Number Trees do not want us to leave." She explains. "They fear The Marauders will take us."

Carefully she bows before the tree that sheltered you and clearing her throat she says.
"We thank you brothers mine for your shelter and concerns but it is a most importance that we reach The Crucible of Karnon by fall of this night. It is a matter most important. A matter for The Council. The GlassWings shall guide us safely and their senses are more acute than yours or mine...grant us passage old ones..."

Slowly sunlight returns and gaps appear once more between the ancient trunks.
She nods and whispers to you.
"Bow and give thanks."
Embarrassed you do as she asks.
"Good." She smiles.
And with that she turns and follows the departing insects.
"Keep up!" She calls. "We don't want to be late...he gets most grumpilish if I'm late..."

****************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing...

March 14, 2025 at 2:06 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

VirulentBlurb

@virulentblurb.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (9)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(9)

Dawn came cold and crisp, as Dawns often do.
You awake from a dreamless sleep.
You are alone.
On the ground before you lies a mound of orange fruit and a battered silver flask.
Tentatively you place a piece of fruit in your mouth.
A sweet taste explodes and you feel energy course through your body. Soon you have finished the meal and place the flask to your lips.
Honeyed water cleanses your dusty throat.
Slowly you pull yourself from the space between the roots.
Early sunlight plays eager through a canopy of leaves.
And there is the girl.
Amelia.
Arms spread wide.
Surrounded by floating dazzling diamonds.
"The GlassWings are migrating!" She cries.
Moving closer you see that the diamonds are in fact tiny delicate insects.
Ornate.
Some splashed with colour that would put church windows to shame.
"They have agreed to guide us." She says.
And then, gazing intently at your face, she nods and smiles.
"The Appleberries have calmed you." She remarks. "Brought you closer into the Now."

Suddenly you become aware of a creaking.
A groaning.

The Forest grows a little darker.
Tighter...

*************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing....

March 9, 2025 at 3:54 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

VirulentBlurb

@virulentblurb.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (8)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(8)

The day is darkening when the vast forest comes into view.
The strange girl begins to run and calls behind her.
"Quickly! We must take shelter."
Your muscles burn as you try to keep up.
You pass broken logs and cruel hacked stumps.
"The Marauders have been here." She explains.

As you reach the first trees something black and foul swoops down upon you.
You glimpse wings and spines and jaws...and baleful yellow eyes.

And then you are pulled beneath the deep green canopy.
She lets go of your hand.
"Come...we must get deeper!"

Following her you stumble over roots and rocks in the deepening cloak of dusk.
Until she stops before the trunk of a gigantic tree and crawls into the space between the ancient roots.
"We will be safe here." She says. "They will not venture so deep. The frequencies of the trees repels them."

You catch your breath.
Shaking.
Adrenaline kissed.

She observes you kindly.
"You still wear confusion." She proclaims.

You begin to babble...so many questions.
So little sense.
She nods.
Listens.
Says.

"Calm yourself. All will soon be explained. We are just drops of water, you and I, in an intricate jigsaw puddle."

In the darkness above you hear a terrible screeching and screaming.
It burns into your mind.
A drop of blood drips from your nose.

She sadly shakes her head.

"You need to sleep...we have much to do tomorrow."

You feel anger.
Sleep?
Sleep?!
How can you sleep in a dream?
In a nightmare?

She giggles, like a stream upon playful pebbles.

"It's never stopped you before." She remarks.

The last thing you remember is her glowing violet eyes.
And then everything turns black...

**************

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Writing is my only source of income.

Thank you for gazing....

March 9, 2025 at 3:52 PM

Reposted by VirulentBlurb

VirulentBlurb

@virulentblurb.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (7)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

STRANG3 DAZE: 2025
PHAZE 3
(7)

Eventually you reach the edge of this blasted land and collapse upon sparse yellowed grass.
Your lungs are burning.
You are so thirsty.
(How can a dream thirst?)
(A nightmare?)

She turns and faces you...the violet eyes intense.
"You look most confusicated." She says.

You gasp for air and ask her where you are.
She seems incredulous.
"Why...this is the Core. The was and is. This is the EverLands."
She pauses.
"I was a young boy when I first fell between the cracks."

You shake your dizzy head and, pointing, you demand to know who she is.

She breathes of the deep.

"I am the sum of my siblings names." She says.
"A crystal broken.
A whisper that roars.
I am the dew of the mourning sun and the sweat on an eager lovers palms."

And then she smiles.

"But you can call me Amelia."

The moment is broken as she glances beyond your shoulder and noticeably stiffens.
You turn to see a black undulating cloud in the purple sky.
You hear a keening.
A shrieking.

She grabs your hand.

"The Howling have our scent...we must reach The Forest of Numerical before they strip the songs from our very bones..."

March 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM

VirulentBlurb

@virulentblurb.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (9)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

March 9, 2025 at 3:54 PM

VirulentBlurb

@virulentblurb.bsky.social

STRANG3 DAZE 2025. PHAZE 3. (8)

The words are in the ALT TEXT

If you enjoy my work please help me live and continue writing by gifting a small amount to paypal.me/KneelDowne

Thank you for gazing...

March 9, 2025 at 3:52 PM

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