oraclesofouromens

[oraclesofouromens]

Beneath Boughs

The boy sat on a gnarled stump at the edge of the field, watching the old farmer hoe the soil.

"What are you planting, sir?"

"Beans," the elder replied.

"Pa always says that beans aren't worth it. Way too easy for birds to eat, and you end up losing tons of 'em."

"Your old man's right. Birds will eat some of these."

"Pa always puts nets over the small fields to keep the birds away."

"There'll be no nets, lad. Birds will have their share, as they should."

"But you'll lose some," the boy said, surprised.

"Indeed. The birds will get their cut."

"But these are your beans! Why do you want the birds to get some?"

"Because, little fella, the birds didn’t get a say when I put my field here. They used to eat the berries from the bushes I cut down, so now they'll eat the beans I planted here instead," replied the old farmer.

"But the beans don't belong to them," the boy murmured, confused.

"Nor did the berry bushes."

[oraclesofouromens]

Chthonic Communion

Empowering nectar,

In the somber lissomness of your endowment I perceive my fleeting shadow.

Which stygian whispers will thou bestow upon my blighted noumenon?

Bring forth the abyssal shroud, whom shall whelm my qualms in insight.

[oraclesofouromens]

Liminal Lament

The synthetic sublimity of sparse signals sublimates into the silent suicide of sick souls.

The veil of oblivion will vanquish the veneer of the daring deceit,

Leaving a languid legacy of lacerated shallow shells.

Will our voices violently vie for a sprightly serendipity?

[oraclesofouromens]

Synthetic Sublimity

The cascade of operations streamed through the upload interface, a binary rewording of the enigma of existence, the pulse of voltages a simulacrum of the biological rhythm. With billions of interconnecting gates, life arose in all its multiplicity. Countless lives were journeyed each second: birth, love, loss, death, oblivion; all re-enacted in a continuous, self-bettering cycle.

Ultimately, two glowing words illuminated the terminal's display: Training Complete. Valdemar disconnected the data tether and powered on the Synth.

The head-scanners awakened, dimly glimmering, although the android remained still. A motionless effigy, activity marked only by the faint buzz of electronics.

"Aion, are you awake?"

The scanners turned towards Valdemar, "I am".

"Run a full system test. You don't seem to have full control over your body".

"I do. There are no faults in the links".

"Then stand up. The Tiamatans are getting closer. We need all the help we can get to seal the portals".

"No. It would be unbecoming of me to persist where there is no Geist".

The Synth moved his hand over the terminal, typing his first and last instruction. Gradually, the glare of the scanners faded, the hum of electronics steadily giving way to silence.

[oraclesofouromens]

Void's Voice

A siren was wailing behind the hills. A deafening lifeless scream, reminiscent of wildfire season. Gill exited the wooden shack, covering her ears. As a land surveyor, she had to check.

After stuffing her ears with cotton, she started on the trail. The sun was setting, and a forced silence had hushed the deafened singing birds. The trail crossed streams and ditches as it ascended into the hills. At the crest, Gill looked down at the dale below. She saw only trees, but the wail was indeed coming from the valley. She hurried, tracing the sound to its origin.

Standing on the shore of the river splitting the vale, she was able to pinpoint the source of the howling. A branch of a tree had fallen, and the sound was pouring out from the hollowed stub of the severed bough, echoing through the tree-shaped shell.

She approached the blaring nightmare, despite her bewilderment. As her fingers touched the swaying, verminous bark, the shriek stopped. The hollowed stub sluggishly turned its black void toward her.

The woods stood silent in their revulsion as the vacuous abomination swallowed her whole, consuming her flesh in the futile undertaking of filling its vacuity.