Darkness Until Dawn

Your Presence is like a smile in my soul When darkness preys on my mind I think of you and my heart is warm.   Your voice is like a song in my heart The words are verse and the tone is the melody It makes me strong just to hear you call   Your eyes are the looking glass I hold dear Within them I see everything that we are A gallery of memories shining brightly through   Dance with me, we’ll make our own tune Laughter that echoes louder than a symphony And more sweetly then the finest chimes. It echoes forever through the sands of time. ©️ 2024, Accountec, LLC

For Ashes, life was always about the spark. The hard part was avoiding a wild fire. With the spark, everything was meaningless. But after a wildfire, there is nothing but death remaining. Ashes had seen a few wildfires in his time. In fact, that is how she found him. It had been a day like any other day, back in another lifetime, when he had used a different name and lived a completely different life. Flames of hatred came down on him daily, until they consumed him. When there was just a shell of a person left, he was thrown out of the home he had known and was to never return. So he wandered aimlessly, a broken shell looking for something that broken people can’t find: love, compassion, acceptance. He worked odd jobs and found shelter where he could. It wore on him. Always a different place, low pay, total isolation.  He found himself in a store, staring at the food on display, yet with no coin to buy any. It would be so easy just to take some. He was so very hungry and discourage...

 There was a loud impact not 30 yards off, followed by something or someone crashing through brush and over rough terrain. Then Ashes realized that there was not one, but two creatures hurtling straight towards him, obscured by thicket and trees. As his ears attuned to the chaos, he realized that one was chasing the other, though the front runner moved with agility and much greater speed. At the same time, he heard a loud bird call in the distance, which could only mean that Diamond was moving towards with all haste. For a split second Ashes’ mind went from the runners to Sarah to Jenn and back and forth until suddenly he began breathing again and clarity and context returned to his consciousness.  Eddie burst out of the brush, his tongue lolling despite himself. Jess could be heard whimpering not far behind. For a moment they just stared at each other, Eddie eying the tree line across the road and Ashes too stunned to react.  “Hey there!” a sweet voice called. Eddie and ...

 Sarah was poised, motionless, on a large tree branch near the point where the trail looped back around the perimeter towards the footbridge by the clearing. Her eyes were closed and her brow furrowed in focus as she listened. Above the rustle of the faint breeze she could hear the faint sound of the water moving down the riverbed. Birds called and the occasional squirrel darted about. This is where she belonged, out in the world, losing herself in the flow of time. Her body was like a metronome set to the rhythm of nature. She did not miss a thing. Today she was perfectly in tune. She needed to be. The gang really needed this. The sun was sifting through the trees, the air warm and calm. She smiled as she watched the birds  That’s when she heard the scream.   ©️ 2024, Accountec, LLC

 “I don’t know vhat you see in this stuff.” Vlad said as he sipped a fresh glass of gnat juice. Dat bat. Nebber before had ennyone gotten so far under Spidey’s carapace. He was worse den a can ob Ortho Home Defense. Now he had di nerb to insult Spidey’s specialty beverage.  “I tell you vhat is truly delightful, a nice bottle of A negative with extra platelets. Last time I flew by DI/LO they were having a sale… 4 pint barrels, 2 for a forearm. Vhy, there were undead lining up past the rusted gates. I saw one ripping off an arm near the entrance. It was to live for!” All dis talk about di dead. And nebber enough about DI/LO. Vlad’s eyes just light up when he talks about blood. On and on, di types and di qualities ob di stuff. Drive an arachnid just plain webby. Worse, now der were udders around, the bat tells me. Humans!  “Quite dull around this wooden castle. Reminds me of my uncle Boromir. We used to call him Bor. He never figured out why. You know what hits the spot? A v...

 What I wouldn’t give to be more like Sarah. Don’t get me wrong, being invisible has its perks, but it’s not much use if you’re uncoordinated and trying to track someone through the wilderness. Sarah was so graceful that stealth came naturally to her. She could sneak up on people easily, even pick pockets, all while being perfectly visible. It was hard not to be jealous. I had stopped by every flower on the way here, even picking a few. Flowers, bright colors, and strays were some of my favorite things.  After many broken branches and falls, I was nearing the reservoir on the North side of the preserve. I stopped to take a breath. Sarah had become like a big sister to me. She had such poise and presence, could fly under the radar or command attention as she pleased. Yet she never seemed to need attention, somehow social and independent at the same time. She could easily laugh or be serious on the spot. She had a calm confidence, good intuition, and good instincts. Honestly, sh...

 Ocean waves press the sand as wisps of cloud skirt the edge of the skies. The bluest waters caress the land as sunlight shines bright in my weary eyes I built a strongpoint upon a crag, to keep myself true and rest my mind Watchers, walls and towers with flags, to protect what’s left of my ability to be kind I strive to release the slights of the past, for wisdom builds what a fool destroys Night creeps in and the cold wind blasts, yet the flame of faith, the darkness avoids When someday my strength falters and at last gives way I’ll rise to the altar, thanking God, I pray. ©️ 2024, Accountec, LLC