#i will be making you take trips to various watering holes for refreshment!

[kathyprior4200]

Zoophobia: The Remix

All characters, art, and settings belong to Vivziepop/Vivienne Medrano, no copyright intended. https://zoophobiacomic.com/

Chapter One: “Cameron’s Early Years”

“Greetings. My name is Salvia, a human staff member at Zoo Phoenix Academy. Don’t mind my thick red hair, it often covers my face. I love romance films and novels and I play violin. I also have extensive knowledge of psychic powers and prophecy. Me having existed since ancient times could explain it.”

 “Let me tell you an incredible, albeit bizarre story about the world I’m from. It is what mortals call ’Zoophobia.’ First, a provenance about said world…”

 “Safe Haven…it is a sanctuary, an oasis for animals, anthropomorphic beings and other creatures. The Zoo Phoenix Academy is part of it. We sustain ourselves here…and serve as a utopia and protected escape for all kinds of creatures that are ostracized by the human-dominated world beyond the Oceania Forest. That is why there are so few humans here.”

 “Safe Haven is split into seven districts and each district has an important purpose and contributes to the society as a whole. The Animal District, Capital City, the wealthy E! District, Marine District, Avian District, the Farming District and the District of Magic. (Do not go to Xirxine Labs, they do horrible experiments on beings deemed ‘troublesome.’) Pacts were made and spells were cast to prohibit malevolent forces from entering the boundaries of Safe Haven. But to maintain the peace and tranquility of this thriving culture, very specific rules were put into effect by the original peacekeepers who founded Safe Haven.”

 “Evil forces include evil spirits, rogue vampires, true demons, and blood hunters. (And don’t forget many of the entitled angels in Heaven, they can be deceiving.) The laws here are strict and they keep the dangers out, while keeping the citizens inside and safe. But this is why no living being is permitted to leave for good. It goes against the pacts that protect us. And breaking those pacts could lead to the corruption of the magic that shields us. Without magic, we would be at the mercy of not only dark monsters, but also outside humans who have wanted to hunt us all down. We would be overcome with the dark forces that have been wanting to enter Safe Haven for centuries.”

 “Safe Haven has not had a violent crime or a dangerous predator in years, and we do everything we can to keep it that way. But one circumstance changed all that we knew.”

 “This story first begins in the human world…and follows an ordinary female by the name of Cameron Walden…”

 0 0 0

 “Are you ready to go, sweetheart?”

 “Coming, mommy!”

 A jubilant fair-haired girl jumped for joy before dragging her small suitcase behind her down the hall. She was around six years old and her hair was slightly messy. Her golden-brown-haired mother looked at her with loving eyes.

 “What will we do on our camping trip today?” little Cameron asked eagerly.

 “Hmm,” she said. “Last year we went canoeing at the lake and made crafts out of sticks. Remember when we roasted marshmallows under the stars?”

 “Oh yes!” Cameron said. “Those snores were delicious!”

 “I think you mean s’mores,” her mother chuckled. “Your face and hands were so sticky afterwards. You looked like a goopy little monster.” She playfully pinched her cheeks and made a funny face as Cameron giggled.

 “But I’m thinking this year, we’ll do some of your favorite activities. I know how much you enjoy fishing.”

 “Oh yay!” Cameron cheered. “I remember daddy catching at least two. And I got to feel their smooth scaly skin. Glad he let them go at the end.”

 “He might teach you this time. But you’ll have to be patient.”

 “Don’t worry, I will…maybe.”

 Her mother chuckled again. “Let’s go, your dad is waiting for us.”

 Cameron’s father also had white skin and golden brown hair, except he had a scruffy beard that he often let Cameron feel. His eyes were kind and thoughtful and a Christian cross necklace hung around his neck. All of them wore casual jeans, brown hiking shoes and shirts of gray.

 Soon, Cameron and her family piled into their car and Cameron’s father drove them through the city streets. The city was dull and gray, reminiscent of New York City but without the splendor. But even the smoggy city didn’t deter Cameron’s excitement. During the long drive to the woods, Cameron and her family sang some songs, played I Spy and that game where you call out a word and then have to call another word that starts with the end letter.

 “Salad,” said Cameron’s father.

 “Diver,” said her mother.

 “River,” Cameron said.

 “Ratable,” said her father.

 “Uh, lion!” said her mother.

 “Ha! You lose!” said her father.

 “No fair! Ratable has a silent ‘e.’ You cheated!”

 Her father just shrugged playfully and winked at Cameron before focusing back on the road.

 “Why’d I space out like that?” her mother mumbled.

 They entered through the woods, trees surrounding either side as they rushed by. The dullness of the city faded behind them as greenery whizzed to life as they drove.

 “Have you ever thought about what you want to be when you grow up?” her mother asked.

 “I don’t know,” Cameron answered. “But I do want to help people and make the world a better place!”

 “Great spirit you have there,” her father remarked. “Anything in particular?”

 “Maybe…a counselor! Or a zookeeper! Or maybe a marine biologist! Surely it can’t be that hard comforting animals and humans the same!”

 “Well,” her mother began. “I know how much you love animals, especially fish. But humans are more…complex creatures. You need to have good listening skills in order to start. And…” she said in a singsong voice, “That means making friends!”

 Cameron groaned. She was quite shy, even in her youth.

 “I know it can be hard,” said her mother. “But you can’t expect to be alone forever. There are so many different individuals out there. And it’s true some of them may be...strange at first glance."

 “What if they…don’t like me or hurt me?”

 “No one would hurt you,” she said. “If they did, I’d make them run for the hills. Plus no one could possibly dislike such a sweet angel like yourself. Just take it one step at a time. You’ll find someone special to love. And I know you will be confident and successful one day, whatever you decide to do.”

 Cameron smiled at the thought as they continued down a dirt path. Her mother had always wanted her to be happy above all else. The car swayed and bounced as they went deeper in. At last, they found their favorite camping spot and parked. It was a pleasant area with a few pine trees, a wooden bench and a small ledge overlooking a nearby lake. As Cameron’s father pitched the tent and gathered wood, Cameron and her mother gazed at the nearby lake. Sunlight shimmered and sparkled on the water, mesmerizing Cameron. A few ducks quacked off to the side and horsetail reeds swayed in the cool breeze. A dragonfly zoomed in and out among the reeds, occasionally touching the liquid surface. It was a relief to get away from the city and into the much cleaner fresh air.

 After a fun day of hiking (Cameron identified several types of leaves and tracks), hide and seek (Cameron climbed a small tree but was found anyway) and fishing (Cameron caught one small fish), they had an early evening dinner over the fire. Cameron inhaled the scent of sizzling bratwurst and hamburgers as the meat cooked. A few stars had already appeared as the sun painted the sky orange and gold. The meat was delicious and slightly overcooked. Then they had s’mores for dessert.

 “Aw man,” groaned her father as he stared at his blackened marshmallow on a stick, “I overdid mine.” Then he grinned playfully and proceeded to eat it.

 “Gross!” Cameron remarked with a face. “How can you eat that?”

 “A marshmallow is a marshmallow,” he said with a shrug.

 Cameron’s marshmallow was a perfect golden brown in between the chocolate pieces and graham crackers. Cameron’s mother had her marshmallow plain white.

 After the satisfying meal, Cameron was eager to explore some more. “Can we go on a quick hike, Dad?” she asked. “It’s not as hot now.” A refreshing breeze caressed her skin.

 Her dad nodded. “There’s still some light out. We can look around and gaze at the stars too.”

 “Just don’t go too far,” added her mother. “And take a flashlight with you.”

 “See you shortly,” called her father as he took Cameron’s hand and began their nightly hike. Cameron’s mother waved with a smile while sitting on a log and finishing her dinner. The fire crackled brightly.

 By now, the sky has turned a dark indigo. The moonlight lit the path in front of them but they were still careful not to trip over any stray sticks, holes or rocks. Along the way, they spotted a rabbit, several squirrels, and even a stag hidden among the trees. The natural world was a wondrous place for Cameron. She and her father eventually relaxed on a cool boulder, naming the various constellations above them.

 “This is the best camping trip ever, Dad!” Cameron smiled.

 “It sure has been lots of fun, kiddo,” her father smiled. For a while, they let themselves be mesmerized by the twinkling stars and the comforting sound of the still night air. Then all too soon, he sat up and said, “We should head on back. After all, an overnight sleepover never gets old.”

 “Yeah, let’s go!” said Cameron. She let out a yawn and was looking forward to being warm in her cozy sleeping bag. They got off the rock and walked back hand in hand.

 As they wondered the trails back toward camp, the forest was quiet. Eerily quiet. There were no bird songs or bugs or even the swaying of the wind. Even with the flashlight and moonlight, it grew much darker than before. Cameron grew silent and scooted closer to her father as they walked. A prickling feeling crept up to her neck…she felt like something was watching her. With every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves, she flinched slightly.

 “Are there m-monsters out here?” she asked, almost in a whisper.

 “Don’t be concerned. Other than the devil and wild animals, monsters don’t exist. Everything is fine,” her father assured her.

 Cameron grew less and less convinced as they continued their trek. Shadows flickered and warped this way and that, a trick of the eyes. Cameron whimpered softly. Something tall loomed up ahead. A large tree was in front of them, larger than the other trees around. It looked like an ancient oak tree with hanging branches and a worn down trunk. Cyan fog surrounded the tree and the area, giving it an enigmatic and ominous feel.

 A low hooting sound came from nearby. Cameron glanced at a black hole in the tree, at her eye-level. A smaller branch stuck off to the side of it. She peered inside and didn’t see anything.

 But then…a pair of glowing yellow eyes blinked from inside. And a white owl emerged onto the branch! She shined her flashlight at it and it didn’t flinch. Just stared intently.

 Cameron had never seen such a majestic creature before. It had white feathers, tiny black spots on its coat and a sharp hooked beak. But there was something peculiar about this owl. Looking closely, Cameron could make out zig-zag yellow stripes down the front of its body. And its eyes…they were big and yellow like an owl’s but seemed…older. Instead of being a single color, the large orbs glowed yellow with dark stripes like a bumblebee. It almost appeared as if the lines in the eyes were moving. Strange small jagged eyelashes jutted out from the sides of the orbs. The owl eyed Cameron like she was an innocent mouse; she did not like the look at all.

 Cameron blinked and for a millisecond, she saw a bizarre being; what looked like a bird but with the head of a woman with white blonde hair and pale skin. Before she could comprehend what it was (a harpy), it had turned back into an owl in the blink of an eye. After letting out an ominous hoot, it vanished into the hole as Cameron’s father called her name. She hurried off to catch up to him.

 Cameron shook her head, convinced it was just her fearful imagination. No owl would come out and look through her like that.

 A strange sense of foreboding flowed through Cameron. She and her father quickened their pace.

  Back at camp, a low growling sound grew steadily louder.

 Growl. Crunch. Crunch. Tap. Tap. Tap.

 The sounds of steps and shuffling grew closer. Cameron’s mother looked around, holding a bratwurst in one hand.

 Grooooowwwlll….snort, snort.

 Hot breath on neck. Snapping of twigs.

 Cameron’s mother slowly turned around, meeting large dark eyes…

 A scream echoed out into the night, almost paralyzing Cameron in her tracks.

 “Dad?”

  It was shrill and pleading…and then it rang out again.

 Longer lasting screams and roars seemed to be coming from everywhere. The world seemed to be spinning.

 “What was that?!” Cameron cried.

 “I don’t know, but I have a feeling we need to get back,” said her father with concern. For the first time, he appeared sacred as well.

 Without hesitation, her father grabbed hold of her hand and raced as fast as his legs could carry him. Cameron briefly tripped over a log but her father picked her up. A sudden gust of biting wind pushed against them, but they still ran. They flinched from the sudden cold and the dust that flew in their faces. It drowned out the screams until they faded away. The wind came to a howling peak and then halted as they reached the clearing.

 Her father suddenly gasped and froze to a stop, Cameron almost bumping into him. His flashlight fell to the ground. There was the tangy smell of…Cameron figured it wasn’t the cooked dinner they had.

 “Stay back, Cameron!” her father ordered sharply, pushing her behind him. “And don’t watch!”

 But of course she did…then wished she hadn’t.

 Standing over a figure in the dirt was a monstrous brown bear. The bear bared his sharp teeth, paw on its food, mouth caked with blood. Tearing and squelching was heard. Crimson splotches looked jarring in the limited light. And underneath the bear was…

 “M-mom?!”

 In one swift motion, her father retrieved a gun he had safely secured behind him and took aim.

 Bang! Bang!

 Several shots rang out, deafening like bombs. Cameron covered her ears and yelped. A primal bellow of protest followed. The bear roared one last time before bounding and stomping away. Bush leaves rustled as a few more shots rang out. Her father yelled curses and raced toward where the bear had left.

 Creeping closer, Cameron sank to her knees and stared in disbelief. It was her mother…or what was left of her. Her face was ashen, dirty and pale, scratches all along her body. Her back and belly had disastrous bites, thick dark red blood oozing onto the grassy ground. Muscle and viscera were visible from the gashes.

 Cameron turned her mother’s face around and was met with guttural heaving breaths. The unnatural agonizing kind right before death.

 “Oh god, oh god, oh god…” Cameron muttered, voice cracking, eyes wide. “Somebody help! Help!” The smell made her gag, but she still stayed.

 Her mother’s eyes fluttered. She slowly reached a pale shaking hand toward Cameron. Cameron moved closer as both their hands met. The cold clammy hand squeezed her little fingers.

 “S-safe Haven…” she wheezed, staring long and hard into Cameron’s eyes. “You’ll do…g-great things. Unite them all. Stay safe, safe…”

 “Mom, w-what do you mean? Safe Haven, what?”

 “My a-angel…”

 Her mother wheezed and croaked again before her hand went limp, letting go of Cameron’s fingers. Her mother gave her one last kind look before her eyes glazed over. She had stopped moving. Nothing but cold flesh, blood and a lifeless form.  

 “Mom? Mom! Mooooom!!!”

 Cameron’s father pulled her back a bit. Without a word, Cameron’s father cradled his wife’s body as Cameron buried her face in her bloodstained clothes.

 Her father pulled her back a bit after gently lowing her mother to the ground. He closed her eyes with his fingers. She looked like she was asleep, even though she wasn’t. (Or if she was, it was eternal and dreamless. Or maybe she was already in Heaven; Cameron didn’t know). Cameron and her father stood silently still, embracing each other. Tears rolled down their faces, Cameron’s primal sobs echoing through the night. Her hands were stained with leftover blood. After about ten minutes of utter grief, her father looked at her.

 “Cameron, get in the car.”

 “W-why?”

 “Just do it.”

 A sternness and aloofness look appeared on his face, a look Cameron had never seen him make in front of her. The bright color and spark in his eyes had been snuffed out. Without waiting for another answer, her father picked her up, carried her over to the car and placed her in the back seat. The door closed. From outside, the fire was put out, leaving only dying embers and sad orange sparks. The light gray smoke curled into spirals, doing somber dances in the breeze before vanishing.

 Cameron waited in the back seat, curled up into a ball. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. Her mother had been mauled by a bear before her eyes…and she could’ve been next! The ruthless face of the bear would haunt her memories for many years. Not long after, she saw flashes of red and blue light through the dirt-spotted windows. Her mother’s body was covered by a white sheet and taken on a stretcher by medics who had driven by. Fortunately, they still had decent cell phone service. Without another word, her father packed up the tent and all their belongings, tossing them in the back. He got in the driver’s seat and took them home on a long solemn drive.

 0 0 0

The funeral went as well as one would expect. Prayers and condolences were spoken and family members talked in hushed tones, all wearing black. Cameron glanced around passively at the stained glass church windows, sad and bored at the proceedings. Her mother’s coffin was gently lowered into the ground afterwards. Vivid flowers were placed everywhere; red, pink, white, yellow and purple. Being so young, Cameron later didn’t remember the funeral at all. All she knew was that an important part of her life had vanished.

 She and her father were never the same afterwards. As Cameron grew up and went to the dismal public school, he became preoccupied with his work. She hardly saw him much anymore. They grew distant, not in a bad way but similar to how different friends grow apart when their interests take them down new paths.

 Cameron went to therapy for a while, with Mrs. Winkler, a kind old lady. But the sessions didn’t seem to help. For one thing, Cameron’s fear of animals grew worse each passing year. The fact that she had taken a trip to the zoo with her father only deepened it.

 Her father had hoped that a new trip would cheer her up. But the animals would scare her as they roared and pawed at her through the glass when she watched. No one noticed a glowing golden apple which appeared in the exhibits…it let out light and made strange humming noises. The animals all threw themselves menacingly at Cameron with roars, hisses, and growls: Lions, tigers, bears, cheetahs…But it wasn’t just the predatory animals that somehow grew agitated at her. The flamingos squawked nosily, the gators snapped their jaws, and the monkeys would laugh and throw food at her which bounced off the cage wall. The sharks and birds, and oh goodness, the snakes too. The only animals that didn’t appear to pay her any attention were the fish. They just swam around and around as if nothing happened.

 Strangely enough, her father didn’t notice.

 “What has gotten into you, Cam?” he asked in disbelief after she screamed and sobbed. “Those animals aren’t attacking you.”

 “Y-yes they are!” she cried. “Didn’t you see?”

 But no one else seemed to notice either. They were just smiling and observing the animals like regular visitors. And the animals were doing their normal routines. A few people gave Cameron looks and raised their eyebrows.

 Her father pulled her close. “You’re almost a teenager. Stop acting like a sacred child.”

 “I-I know what I saw!” she sobbed. “I know it!”

 Her father sighed and merely said, “Let’s go home.”

 Cameron lowered her head. She used to enjoy the zoo more than anything…now she had an unbreakable fear of animals. (It had gotten bad to the point where she didn’t even want any pets.)

 Cameron didn’t see a grinning yellow face with matching eyes blending within the trees when she left the zoo. Nor did she hear its high pitched cackle. A slender hand held up a golden apple and the illusions replayed.

 Another thing that didn’t help was school. Cameron was smart enough in class (especially in literature) but was often bullied for her meekness. Many of the bullies would make animal sounds and jump at her from behind corners.

 “Look how sacred she is!” they would mock. “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? And everything else in existence? Lamb Cam!”

 “Don’t call me that!” she spat. “It’s Cameron!”

 “Scram, Cam! Scaredy cat! Scaredy cat! Mrrow!”

 And the creepers too as she became a teen.

 “Ride me like an animal, Cam! Damn!”

 “Are you a turtle, dearie? Cause I’d love to fly through your tender shell…”

 “You must be a kitty cat, ‘cause you’ve got some fine pus…”

 “Don’t you finish that sentence!”

 After finally graduating high school hell, Cameron went to college. After hard work, she got her degree in Guidance Counseling. She figured she’d stray away from animals and gear more toward helping members of her own species. Helping others was her purpose…and getting her degree was a great accomplishment. Friends and boyfriends came and went. She soon lived on her own.  

 Getting a job, however…much easier said than done. No matter where Cameron looked or how many interviews she went to, they all seemed to dismiss her.

 “I’m sorry, you don’t have the right qualifications we’re looking for.”

 “We are currently reaching out to other applicants at this time. Thank you for your interest.”

 “No social skills…no experience…hmm…not quite fit for this position.”

 They always changed their minds at the last minute. Cameron never understood why.

 Cameron buried her face in her hands in her room. The fear and sorrow would never go away. The gray skies and the pattering of rain over the glum city matched her mood. She was now twenty-five years old, unemployed, and utterly alone.

 Her last hope was a new job position offered to her by a lady with white blonde hair. She had given Cameron her business card and office address: “KayCee: guidance counselor position interview, 12:00 sharp tomorrow.”

 Another failed interview, but she figured she’d give it a try.

 And then her nightmares. The nightmares that always seemed to come back. They were always the same. Cameron racing through the forest, being chased by every animal and mythical creature in existence. The gnashing of teeth, swipes of paws, being chewed on and swallowed into darkness. Then, thinking it was all over, she’d wake up…

 …only to see her mother’s dead body on the floor in front of her.

 “Monster! Monster!” a shadowy crowd chanted, surrounding her. But they were pointing their fingers at her, their glowing white eyes accusing.

 “No! No, I’m not a monster!” Cameron cried, looking down. Her mother’s head snapped up and her eyes were yellow and black stripes, eyelashes curling out on all sides. “Monster!” She let out a crazed laugh, white teeth sharp, tongue out, eyes rolling back.

 Cameron felt herself falling, falling, being watched by dozens of eyes. Eyes, eyes everywhere. Staring into her reflection, she gasped and screamed in horror. She saw her frightened blonde face, but her body consisted of white feathers, talon feet, a thin neck and bat-like wings. She was a harpy. An abomination…becoming what she feared itself.

 More screams as she fell down, down, her black pupils growing wider…

 0 0 0

Cameron’s pupils shrank back as she lay on her back on a couch. She wore a business casual light gray shirt and a dark skirt. A back headband sat on her golden brown hair, while a few strands hung from either side of her freckled face. The walls were stark gray on all sides. A lone palm frond plant sat in a pot to the side. A grandfather clock ticked quietly in the room, the pendulum swinging from side to side in rhythm.

 “I had that dream again…it was so vivid this time,” Cameron told Mrs. Winkler.

 “Perhaps your upcoming job assignment played a part in that?” The elder Mrs. Winkler suggested. The therapist wore a gray dress and took notes on a clipboard.

 “Maybe,” said Cameron. “But why that dream? I haven’t had it in so long. It was just…so unexpected.”

 Cameron sat up. “It was like reliving the whole thing. And bringing back all those memories.” She shuddered slightly, glancing off to the side. “I mean, I’ve been stressed out lately but…I’ve never had that dream so suddenly…”

 “Well, dear…” the therapist began, looking at her clipboard. “It sounds to me like…”

 Cameron glanced up at the clock, which chimed 12:00.

 “Oh! Oh my god, I’m late!” she cried. She leaned in, hands clasped. “Thank you so, so much for listening, Mrs. Winkler! Wish me luck!”

 Cameron grabbed her handbag, turned the doorknob and hurried out of the room. “Taxi!” she yelled as she bounded out of the building and down the steps. The rain poured down as she got in. She soon arrived at the other building.

 Inside the office, a voice came over through the PA with a bzzt.

 “Ms. KayCee. The 12 0’ clock is here…late.”

 “Send her in,” replied the woman. She had a tan face, long white hair and narrowed eyes that appeared to glow. She wore a gray business suit and a green pendant around her neck. She sat at her desk with an apple and a pencil holder off to the side. She glanced down at some paperwork in front of her, pen in hand. Rain pattered from outside the window.

 Cameron appeared in the doorway. “I’m so sorry I’m late!”

 “Come in,” said the woman.

 Cameron caught her breath and hustled over to the desk. “I uh…lost track of time.”

 “It’s quite…alright…”

 The woman glanced up in surprise, noticing Cameron’s wet hair.

 “It’s, heh…r-raining outside…” Cameron stuttered nervously, making a gesture.

 “Take a seat please,” said KayCee. “So we can begin to discuss your placement with this program.”

 Cameron lowered herself into a chair.

 “Again, so sorry for being late,” Cameron said.

 “It’s alright,” KayCee replied.

 Cameron nervously glanced off to the side. KayCee stared intently at Cameron, a faint yellow glow around her eyes. She rested her chin on her hands.

 Cameron raised an eyebrow, a faint chill racing through her body. “Do…I know you from some…”

 “Yes,” KayCee cut her off.

 Cameron knew that KayCee didn’t want to get into the déjà vu moments. After a brief moment of staring, KayCee cleared her throat and looked at the forms in front of her.

 “Well looking at your report and resume, I wasn’t able to find a suitable position for you. We don’t seem to have a vacant job here with need of your skills…”

 ‘Oh no. Not again,’ Cameron thought with dread.

 “I’m afraid there is not much I could do…”

 Cameron leaned forward and put her arms and elbows on the desk in a begging position. “Please! I really need this job! I have been waiting for an assignment for so long, there has to be something!”

 Lightning flashed and thunder cracked from outside as KayCee looked over the form again.

 KayCee observed the form. It read “Classified” in bold letters at the top. “Needed positions” “Possible applicants” were shown. “Guidance Counselor” was heavily circled underneath it. Off to the side read: “Agreement to transfer required.” “Must be informed of where.” Below was a “job applicants” list.

 “Well…” KayCee began. “You do have a degree in counseling, do you not?”

 “Yes! I do!” Cameron said. She didn’t even question how this lady knew that fact. “I’ll take it! Please!”

 “It’s a transfer position, it would require relocation,” KayCee mentioned.

 Cameron stood up and leaned into her face. “I’ll take it! Wherever it is, I’ll take it!”

 “Very well then,” said KayCee. “A private jet will take you from this building on Thursday, 9:00. I suggest you pack all your things.”

 Cameron raced over and hugged her. “Yes! Oh yes! Thank you!” KayCee’s eyes briefly turned white with glowing yellow stripes. She narrowed her normal eyes and deadpanned, “Don’t be late.”

 “Oh I won’t!” Cameron declared, stepping back. She put her hands together. “Thank you so much!”

 “You are quite welcome, Ms. Walden,” KayCee said, reaching for the red apple.

 “Oh! Call me Cameron!” Cameron took her bag and opened the door. “Thanks again!” she called before shutting the door with a click.

 “Hm, hm, hm, hm, hm,” KayCee chuckled lowly. Her fingers grew crooked and her black nails grew sharp. The apple in her hand vibrated and a golden spiral emerged from the center. Soon the apple was golden and glowing in her hand. KayCee lounged on her desk, knocking over the pencils in the holder off the desk with a foot.

 “No Ms. Cameron…” She then spoke in a high pitched echoing shrill, “Thank you!”

 In a flash of magic, KayCee had turned into her true form. A being with wild white poufy hair that sizzled with white electricity strands. She wore a white dress with holes in them. She grinned a sinister grin of sharp golden teeth. Her black and yellow striped eyes and long jagged eyelashes made her appearance all the more untamed. She let out an evil maniacal laugh.

 0 0 0

 “Salvia here again. As you probably have figured out, KayCee is no ordinary human. She is Eris, the Greek Goddess of Strife and Chaos. For she was the one who tossed the Golden Apple of Discord to provoke arguments between Aphrodite, Athena and Hera over who was the fairest goddess. Paris of Troy chose Aphrodite, igniting the Trojan War. Eris, along with Jestine and some other deities, exist to cause discord, nightmares and all sorts of trouble. KayCee/Eris indeed, sent Cameron to Safe Haven, knowing full well that she had no knowledge about the denizens of the destination. Her plan is thus: with Cameron fearing the animal residents and Safe Haven having been discovered by an outsider, the magic protecting it weakens over time. Eris hopes the barriers will eventually break, resulting in war and mass murders from the dark forces…and the humans. For the more chaos there is, the more her power grows. And she won’t stop until every world becomes her chaotic playground.”

 “None of us knows what Eris truly wants, but one thing is for sure. Cameron and all of us have to keep our guard up. Eris thrives on manipulation, deceit and black sorcery. To her, the apocalypse is an entertaining musical.”

 “For now, we continue our story of Cameron, who soon departs her hometown and embarks on her journey toward Safe Haven…”

 Chapter Two: “Cameron’s Arrival to Safe Haven” 

 It wasn’t long before Cameron arrived outside the building where she had her meeting with KayCee. The sky was clear but smoggy with tan pollution. The city silhouette stood in the background. She soon spotted the jet…which looked more like a dull forest green plane. The plane was old-fashioned with a propeller in the front and two wings on either side of the craft. It was dull green in color and decorated with black stripes. Cameron wore her usual gray clothes and carried her suitcase. At the ramp of steps, a figure stood waiting for her.

 “I’ve never been on a private j…plane, before. Are you the pilot, Miss…?”

 “Snake.” The woman answered in a low voice.

 “Snake?” Cameron asked in confusion.

 The woman had light green skin and strangled forest green hair decorated with dark specks. A pair of sunglasses rested on her head. She wore a green tank top, an emerald green scarf and a green-gray skirt. Long elbow-length gloves covered her hands and a white cigarette was in her mouth.

 “Interesting name,” said Cameron. “Does it mean anything?”

 Snake did not answer.

 Cameron continued, “Because I have never heard of someone naming a child something like that.”

 Had Cameron been anyone else, she would’ve gotten a harsh slap for the insult. Instead, Snake crossed her arms, holding her cigarette between two fingers. “Save the jaw-flappin’ fer later, hunny. I don’t wanna fly with a headache.” She dropped her cigarette and crushed it with her green high heel on the ground.

 Cameron flinched. “Oh! I-I’m sorry! I’m just a bit anxious…”

 Cameron walked up the steps and into the aircraft. “Going to new places and everything, ya know?”

 “Sure,” Snake answered with disinterest. “Just put a sock in it ‘till we get there.”

 Snake sat down and pulled various levers and pressed buttons. The plane was soon off the ground and flying over the city. The propeller spun fast and they zoomed away. Cameron sat nervously in her seat. ‘I hope this was a good idea,’ she thought to herself. ‘There’s no turning back now…’

 As the plane swooped over a vast forest, a spectral form of KayCee/Eris grinned mischievously against a large boulder, watching the plane. The sun rose over the hill in front of them, a promise of a new life and adventure.

 Snake piloted the plane, sunglasses over her eyes, lost in thought. She briefly cleaned her teeth with a toothpick in one hand, going around her two white fangs.

 Snake was in fact, a loner and shapeshifter, who could transform into a green snake at will. One of her friends was Taxi, a yellow werewolf who worked as a cab driver, mechanic…and merrymaker. She would drive monster trucks around while Snake would fly and fix various planes. The two of them bonded over their love of machines, smoking and drinking. Snake was also a secret agent in Safe Haven, skilled with guns and weapons. Her skills in stealth were so great, that she was soon hired by the Zoo Phoenix Academy staff to travel to the human world to retrieve recruits.  

 Snake, Taxi and Taxi’s werewolf friends would often party, drink and get into trouble. Although Snake had enjoyed it, she also was not proud that she had killed other people on the streets. So in a way, this job was fine with her.

 But then Cameron broke the tranquil silence.

 “Wow! I didn’t know the forest was this big,” she exclaimed. “We’ve been flying over it for hours…it’s like, endless!”

 Snake scoffed. “Yeah…why ya think it’s called the f*ckin’ “Oceania” Forest, hm? ‘Cause it’s big. What’d I say about talkin’?”

 Honk!

 Honk!

 Cameron looked out the window with a loud gasp. “Oh my…” A giant sky blue bird was honking outside her window. It was larger than any regular bird she had seen.

 “Snake!” Cameron wailed out loud, making Snake flinch. “T-there’s a giant bird outside the window!” Cameron grabbed onto her.

 “What?” Snake asked.

 “G-giant bird! It was huge…giant…! What if it attacks the plane?!”

 “Get back to yer seat!” Snake yelled, baring her fangs.

 ‘Snakes on a plane!’ Cameron thought in fear, after spotting her fangs.

 Cameron obliged and looked out the window. The bird was gone.

 ‘Great, now I’m seeing things…’ she thought.

 The sun set outside, turning the sky pink and yellow. Cameron sat, bored. She fell asleep as night fell. The next day, Cameron woke up, sunlight shining through the window.

 Snake was nowhere to be seen.

 “Hello?”

 She stood up and walked down the dark empty aisle.

 “Uh…what’s going on?”

 No answer.

 “S-Snake?!”

 Cameron looked out the window and saw a bunch of shadowy creatures outside.

 “Oh god.”

 Trying to be brave, she peered out the window.

 “Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god…”

 “Surprise!” hollered the bizarre creatures.

 Cameron walked down the steps, stunned. There were so many strange new faces, she couldn’t keep track. Fabian the fox, Perci and Malcom the red and green dragons, Carrie the blonde demon, Zechariah the cheetah, Principal Winston the one with the yellow squid head, a teal eel with a monocle, a person with orange and yellow hair, a midnight blue stag, a yellow fox, and Salvia too. All the Zoo Phoenix Academy staff were there to welcome her.

 Cameron stared off into space, seeing the creatures. Was this some kind of prank? Were these just people in costumes trying to bully her again?

 Just then, Perci the dragon got into her face and said, “Welcome to the zoo, Cameron Walden! Well—hah! Of course it isn’t really a zoo! Sorta ironic that I just called it that, really! Hahahaha!”

 Cameron gulped. She felt like it was a zoo…a dangerous wacky one with escaped mythical creatures. Perci put an arm around her. The eel shook her hand. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, my dear!”

 Were these really talking animals?

 A strong hand lifted up Cameron’s arm as a tough light gray face with blonde hair inspected her.

 “She sure is a scrawny-gangly-shaky li’ thing, ain’t she?” Carrie remarked in a gruff voice.

 “Oh nonsense Carrie,” said Fabian the red fox. “I think Ms. Cameron looks perfectly fine.” He gave her a wink and a sultry look, Cameron cringing in disgust. Was that fox hitting on her?

 “I’ll take your word on that, Fabian!” called the blind green dragon teacher Malcom. His hair was black, skin light green. He walked up to her. “Good evening? Morning? Day!”

 There was a brief silence.

 “How about a kiss, pretty lady?” Fabian cooed, getting close to her with his tongue.

 “Eeeeiiiiahhhhhhee!”

 Cameron screamed at the top of her lungs. “S-stay back! A-all of you! Don’t come any closer!”

 The animals glared at her, teeth showing. Any moment, they would pounce on her. For several moments, Cameron could only hear growls, slurps, mutters and hisses.

 The cheetah rumbled in thought as the squid principal slurped his tea loudly beside him.

 Cameron took more steps back. “I-I mean it! Stay away from me! Stay away! D-don’t come any closer!”

 “Calm down, dearie,” Perci reassured. But Cameron only heard a strange growl from him that sounded like “Raaalmm, rrowwn, geeerrek!” She was too scared to properly comprehend the human speech.

 Cameron suddenly pointed behind them. “Look! What’s that over there?” She promptly dashed away with a zip while only Perci glanced behind him. The others narrowed their eyes in confusion.

 Cameron screamed some more before skidding to a halt. She gasped. “Oh my! What on Earth?”

 Before her lay a vibrant magical world beyond her greatest imagination. It was a cross between Jurassic Park, Zootopia and a child’s version of New York. A blue sea creature eel with three eyes slithered across a teal street with dark stones on it. A slender red bird appeared to be pulling a covered wagon in the distance. A yellow cab drove by a golden dragon and a yellow bird with long feathers. The buildings were curved, concaved and had glass coverings around them. There was a small pond, several sidewalks and lamps illuminating the small park below. Birds of many colors flapped and fluttered freely in the air, some of them looking like pterodactyls. A large red spotted wall had several archways of different sizes, green vines going up it and a large golden eye in the center. Several birds were perching on the top of the wall. A few waterfalls flowed through the arches of the wall. There were several dinosaurs too; a two headed blue longneck, a golden dinosaur with multiple eyes and a flap of skin on its head, and a violet triceratops that looked like a pincher beetle. Nearby buildings of blue, yellow and pink read “Gym,” “Liquor,” and “Le Crumbles” respectively.  

 Cameron shook her head. “This is not happening…I’m dreaming this.”

 Cameron felt something soft and furry press against her back. Without a word, her eyes darted upwards and met the gaze of a cheetah.

 “Is there something wrong, Miss?” asked the cheetah.

 But of course, Cameron only heard hungry growls. She saw the cheetah’s teeth and maw and felt lightheaded.

 “Uhhh…”

 This was it…she was now cat food. Her eyes rolled back and she fainted onto the ground. The cheetah rolled his eyes and sighed in concern.

 “Somebody get our new visitor to the infirmary.”

 “I can do it,” Fabian purred.

 “No. I got it,” barked Carrie, lifting up Cameron’s form easily.

 0 0 0

“Wuuuhh?”

 Cameron groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision cleared and she saw a man with tan skin and blonde hair with bangs jutting off to one side. He wore a sky blue shirt, a torn white tie and dark pants. Cameron was lying on a table. In the dark room, a sky blue poster with a yellow smiley face read “Smile! It’s almost over!”

 “You okay, hun?” the man asked. He was Chastopher the nurse.

 “W-what’s going on?” Cameron asked, sitting up.

 “You are in the nurse’s office, my dear!”

 Cameron rubbed her head. “Oh thank god…I just had the worst dream ev…what is that?” Her face turned pale.

 The man held a red power drill in one hand. As he turned around, Cameron swore she heard the screeching music from “Psycho.”

 “Willis said you needed a checkup!” he babbled, leaning close to her face. “Willis is very smart, you know!”

 He hugged a stuffed lime-colored unicorn with a black button eye and flicked on the drill. The drill buzzed loudly, mixing with his crazed giggles.

 “Help!” Cameron screamed. She dove under his legs off the table and scrambled away. Cameron flung open the door and gulped with a pause. The cheetah was back, blocking her way.

 “Are you feeling better, Miss Walden?”

 “No.” Cameron replied, eye twitching. Why was she talking to a cheetah? Animals didn’t talk, yet here they were. She turned around, clutching her head. There had to be a way to escape.

 “Okay! O-kay! T-This is just a big crazy dream! Wake up! Wake up Cameron! Wake up!”

 “Wake up,” the nurse sang with a dopey expression, holding his toy. After closing her eyes, she opened them again. To her disappointment, she was still in the same place.

 “Are you finished?” the cheetah deadpanned, an annoyed look on his furry face.

 Cameron sighed. “Okay…I give up…w-what’s going on?”

 “Were you not informed about…”

 “About what? Informed about what?!”

 The cheetah stared at her in confusion. “You were not informed about this place before being sent here?”

 “Sent where? Where am I?!”

 Oh dear, this was going to be hard to explain. They needed a better place to talk.

 “Follow me, Miss...” said the cheetah, moving on four legs.

 Feeling like she had no choice, Cameron awkwardly obliged. Cameron peeked back toward the room and saw the nurse sleeping against his toy.

 “S-So…” Cameron began as she raced to catch up to the cheetah. “Y-you’re a giant cheetah?”

 “Yes.”

 “Just checking…”

 They walked past green lockers and into an office.

 “Have a seat, Miss,” said the cheetah. He mentioned to a large purple desk chair as Cameron slowly sat down.

 Sluurrrrppp!

 The principal with a yellow and red squid head with three lip-like designs on his forehead was slurping loudly from a pink teacup. He wore a dark business suit with buttons. A matching pink teapot sat at his desk and slobber dribbled onto the desk surface. Cameron darted her eyes toward him in bewilderment.

 The cheetah smiled. “Oh this is Principal Winston. He is quite harmless.”

 “Right…” Cameron breathed, pulling her knees closer together.

 The cheetah stared at Cameron with concern. He felt bad for this newcomer who had been so traumatized on her first visit. He remembered when he himself first arrived to Safe Haven, formerly being a regular cheetah and accidentally falling through a portal. He had magically gained the ability to talk thanks to Salvia and became one of the staff members at the school. Although he missed his original family, he had found other creatures like himself…a new family.

 Perhaps he could help Cameron be a part of it…quirkiness and all. But the hard truth had to come first.

 The cheetah straightened his spine and cleared his throat.

 “Well my dear Miss Cameron. I have some news for you. My name is Zechariah, and I regret to inform you that there seems to have been some sort of mistake with the company that employed you. You were hired to be a guidance counselor, correct?”

 “Y-yes.”

 “Well, all humans employed or chosen to be sent here are given strict details about this world, and it is their choice to be transferred.”

 Zechariah’s eyes glowed yellow and narrowed in suspicion. “Whoever sent you, did an incredibly dishonest thing…for once here, you cannot return to the outside world you once knew…”

 Cameron could hardly breathe. “S-So I’m stuck in the crazy magical world of oversized talking animals?”

 “I am afraid so, Miss.” Then he added in a more professional tone, “Also, this is an interspecies society. There are many different creatures. Not just ‘animals.’”

 Cameron shuddered with renewed terror. “Like what? Other scary things? Vampires?”

 “Yes.”

 “Mermaids? Demons? Ghosts?”

 “Yes.”

 “Aliens?”

 “Aliens do not exist, Miss Cameron.”

 “Where am I right now?” Cameron wondered out loud.

 “You are in the Zoo Phoenix Academy,” said Zechariah. “This is where you were employed. So we brought you right here. Would you like a tour?”

 “Okay?” Cameron hesitated.

 Zechariah held up his tail which had a watch on it. He spoke into the device. “Jackie, can you come to my office please?”

 “Absolutely!” a voice replied.

 Cameron grabbed onto Zechariah’s tail. “Who’s Jackie?”

 Cameron soon got her answer when a woman strolled into the room. “Hey, hey hey!” she trilled in a sing-song voice. Jackie wore a long dress in different shades of blue; navy blue at the top to sky blue at the bottom. Her dress had yellow trim around it and she wore matching yellow shoes. Her skin was light brown and her hair was in vibrant shades of blue, with yellow tufts toward the back and a green tip that served as a bang. Her hair was reminiscent of parrot feathers.

 She was a parrot shapeshifter…and she chatted like one too.

 She walked over to Cameron and eagerly shook her hand.

 “Hello, hello, hello! I’m Jackie! Drama instructor. So you are the new girl everyone’s talking about? What’s your name?”

 “Cameron,” she replied nervously.

 “You caused quite a scene huh, Cam?”

 “It’s Cameron.”

 Zechariah leaned over.

 “She is in need of a tour, Jackie.”

 Jackie put an arm around a stunned Cameron and guided her through the door.

 “Not another word, Zech! I got this!”

 0 0 0

 Jackie eagerly showed Cameron around the vast campus. Despite being inhabited by strange beings, Cameron couldn’t help but admire the buildings and scenery. The grass was bright green and fresh and the trees provided ample shade for hot days. The building exteriors were made of smooth glass and round in globe shapes. They walked through a cobblestone courtyard, where a fountain trickled in the center. On either side of the entrance, there were statues of phoenixes made of bloodstone, garnet and rubies. The phoenix was the mascot, symbolizing rebirth and new hope. “Rise from the ashes, soar into success!” was the academy motto.

 “I love our mascot, don’t you?” Jackie asked Cameron. Cameron mostly zoned out as Jackie chatted on and on. “Though I’d much prefer parrots! They’re so beautiful and lively. The school would do good to spread some more musical cheer. And parrots would be perfect! Just notice how well they can talk and sing. The Zoo Parrot Academy, wouldn’t have to worry about changing the acronym.”

 They soon walked through some double doors and into a vast chamber made up of the red spotted wall.

 “I really think you will love working here, Cam! This is the main lobby. All the subject wings branch off from here.”

 Reflected watery light of an aquarium danced around the floor and walls. Jackie guided Cameron through a large room with an elevator and long tan chairs off to the side. A winding green staircase swirled up to an upper level with glass panes and a marvelous view of the outside. Several archways branched off to different sections. They passed under an arch, which was against a light blue wall, leading to the aquarium. Inside, Cameron could see a friendly-looking fish, a hammerhead shark, a swordfish and a bottlenose dolphin gliding playfully through the water.

  “Have I gone insane?” Cameron breathed as she looked up at the aquarium ceiling in wonder.

 “No, not really!” Jackie replied.

 One archway had a grandfather clock beside it, another was adorned with red curtains and another was supported by Greek pillars.

 Cameron stopped for a moment as Jackie turned around.

 “You ready?” she asked.

 Cameron stood there puzzled as Jackie wandered off toward the stairs. Jackie looked at her and laughed sheepishly.

 “What? Did you think I was gonna be like ‘Come, I’ll show you my wing first?!’”

 Cameron nodded.

 “Oh, that would be kinda silly. I mean, why not save the best for last?! There are so many great places to explore here, wouldn’t want to deprive you of the diverse experience, ya know?”

 Cameron let out a small understanding smile. “Thank you.”

 “Alrighty! Let’s flutter on up! Heh…or walk, rather…”

 Cameron rolled her eyes as she followed Jackie up the stairs.

 They walked into the first wing supported by Greek pillars, and Cameron could smell the scent of dusty books.

 “This is the library!” said Jackie. Then she covered her mouth, speaking softer. “I forgot I’m supposed to whisper in here!”

 Going inside, there were rows and rows of books on shelves all around them. Some were leather bond with yellowed pages while others looked brand new. There were also magazines and modern computers on round desks where students were doing their work. Several winged birds were busy organizing the books on the higher shelves, which arched toward the high stained-glass ceiling. The ceiling had glass designs of owls, phoenixes and trees. At the front desk, a camel lady with thin glasses was busy exchanging books with passerby.

 “Here you’ll find everything you need to study on counseling techniques, textbooks or just reading for fun. It’s the go-to place for research of all kinds. The students here are teenagers but we have majors and college-like courses in this high school!”

 “Quiet!” whispered a nearby gray owl with a monocle at Jackie.

 “Sorry!” she whispered.

 “Well…that’s quite something,” said Cameron.

 “I know, right? Trying to combine different curriculums, school systems and diverse races and species of students can be a lot of work. But thankfully the founders of Safe Haven helped out tremendously.”

 “And they are?” Cameron asked.

 But Jackie instead got distracted and waved at a red-haired woman in the distance.

 Toward the back of the library was a shadowed section labeled “Restricted Section,” which housed books on dark magic. Sitting at the edge of that section on a chair was Salvia with a book in hand. Jackie guided Cameron over to the red-haired woman. They stopped just short of her.

 Salvia lifted up her face slightly from a book labeled “Romeo and Juliet 2: Love and Lies.” She wore a black dress with red etched patterns.

 “Can I help you?”

  “This is Salvia, one of the staff members,” said Jackie in an excited whisper. Jackie gestured for Cameron to introduce herself.

 “Uh…hi,” Cameron said with a nervous grin and wave. Salvia peered at her closely, her eyes hidden behind her hair. “You’re the newcomer, right?”

 Cameron nodded.

 “Welcome to Z.P.A.,” she said.

 “Huh?”

 “Zoo Phoenix Academy, the place you’ll be staying at briefly until we can get you a new home nearby.”

 Cameron paced back and forth, anxious again. “No one has explained exactly what is going on here, what this place is, what’s it called?” Cameron asked. “I know you guys are trying to keep me from getting scared but I’ve had it with being confused! Explain things to me.”

 “Shhh!” several voices shushed Cameron when she raised her voice.

 “Oh of course,” said Salvia, putting the book down and conjuring magical images and sigils in front of her. “Might as well explain it to you now rather than wait three whole weeks later after witnessing a vampire attack to do it.”

 “W-What?” Cameron asked before she was shushed again.

 “I can see glimpses of the future,” Salvia mentioned. “Anyway, Cameron, you’ve only been exposed to the Zoo Phoenix Academy and its grounds…we were gonna wait until you felt more comfortable with the school but, if you insist on knowing this place…”

 “Yes, I’m still a capable adult,” Cameron added.

 “This place is much bigger than what you have experienced. It is called…Safe Haven.”

 (“Salvia here. For the next few minutes, I described the magical protection and the origins of Safe Haven that I had already verbalized in the introduction narration. Feel free to go back if needed but let’s skip and continue on.”)

 Cameron stood, jaw dropping. “Oh my God! There really are monsters out there?!”

 “Do not worry,” said Salvia. “As long as you’re here, you should be safe. I’m hoping you’ll get more used to this place and not cause the magical barrier to eventually collapse.”

 “I’d never do that!”

 “Not intentionally. But someone else wants to make sure that happens.”

 “Who is it?” Cameron asked, but Jackie stood in the way, much to the annoyance of Cameron and Salvia.  

 “Thank you Salvia,” said Jackie with a nervous chuckle, pushing Cameron along, “But we better get going! Heh, heh! So many things to see.”

 Salvia gave Cameron a knowing apologetic look before going back to her book.

 Moe shushes followed them out of the library. “Whew, I can speak again!” Jackie boomed as they entered a hall with brass walls. Jackie’s voice echoed off the walls. “Echo! Echo!” Cameron flinched and grit her teeth.

 “On with the tour!” They passed through another archway flanked by torches and five golden rings overhead. “This is the Sports Wing!” said Jackie as they walked down the hall. “Here you’ll find our gymnasium, our pool, outdoor courts and dance studios.”

 Cameron looked through a glass window at an indoor basketball court. The court walls were decorated with vines. A monkey was busy swinging from the vines with his tail, dribbling a basketball in his hands. A bear, a bull, a ram, a goat and a chipmunk were stomping around, trying to get the basketball. The monkey dunked it into a nearby hoop as a zebra coach blew his whistle.

 Outside in the courtyard, a few lions were practicing fencing while a fox and a hare did gymnastic tricks on bars. Several cheetahs raced each other along a round track and a black bearded centaur hopped over hurdles along the way. A dog and a cat were busy playing hand ball. A few hyena hybrids snickered as they taped a “kick me” sign on the back of a student with peacock feathers.

 In a swimming pool, a boy with shark features and a girl with blue scaly skin laughed as they raced each other down the lanes. A woman with swan feathers was preening herself in a hot tub as several male ducks peered for a closer look. A mermaid relaxed beside her, staring at her reflection.

 Several brightly colored werewolves were listening to blaring electronic music in the weight room as they lifted barbells and rapidly punched hanging bags. A lone black-wearing vampire stood in the corner drinking dark red liquid from a bottle. The boxing ring was currently being used by bi-pedal boxer dogs.

 “Too much sweat and exertion for me,” Jackie mentioned. “I’m more for the grace and beauty of the theater! Onward!”

  They soon left the Sports Wing and headed through the arch with the grandfather clock.

 “Here is the History Wing!”

 They walked around what looked like a museum, with a variety of items on display. There were ceramic pots from ancient civilizations within glass boxes all around. Various paintings were hung from the walls, with signatures. Several weapons were on display further back. Among the weapons were a few that glowed white with swirls and crosses.

 “Oh, those are angelic weapons. They are highly valuable and rare. It is said that they can kill any demon in Hell.”

 “Why not use them to fight off the monsters?” asked Cameron.

 “Good question. Some demons gather the weapons and sell them on the black market for later use. They kill each other off, causing lots of chaos. Heaven’s been using the Exorcists who wield these weapons to eliminate demons each year for centuries. Archangel Adina’s idea to insure ‘purity’ up there.”

 “How do you know all this?”

 “A friend of a friend of an ex told me. Horrible stuff, I’m telling you. Best to lay low and stay safe.”

  They continued onward past treasure chests, antique clothing and various art of mythical creatures in battle or passionate embraces. Exiting that wing, they turned toward another wing made of metal.

 “Ah, the Science and Engineering Wing! Perhaps the most confusing and loud section there is. Try not to touch anything!”

  It was indeed very loud. Clanks, hisses, bangs and booms permeated through the rooms. Cameron had to cover her ears as she followed Jackie. In one area, raccoons, cats and a few dwarves were working on a metal machine that bellowed smoke and sparks. It had wheels, engines, pipes and canvas wings on either side of it. “Primitive flying car” was labeled next to it. A gopher was working on a computer as green 0s and 1s blinked down a screen. A few other students were taking notes on a steampunk blimp made by a snake inventor of the Industrial Revolution.

 There were also several dimmed laboratories illuminated with teal blue fluorescent lights. Blue flames flickered under Bunsen burners while students peered through microscopes at their ant friends. A blue anglerfish man was pouring colorful contents from different vials together, snickering. A mad scientist in a lab coat was instructing one class on how to make a serum that could strengthen the DNA of animal hybrids.

 “Let’s move on,” Jackie coughed, swiping away the nearby smoke.

 They exited the wing and had arrived at the vast bustling cafeteria.

 “The heart…erm, stomach of the campus!” Jackie joked.

  Rows of white tables hosted hungry students and staff. Several birds were slurping up bowls of worms. Werewolves were munching on raw meat while horses chewed casually on hay blades. There was also regular food for the more human-like beings as well: salads, sandwiches, soups, potatoes, tacos, casseroles, stews, banquet style meals, fruit desserts and ice cream. There was even a stand giving out spectral food for ghosts. Like many college eating areas, there were various sections serving different kinds of dishes like a miniature food mall. It was an all-you-can-eat paradise.

 Cameron’s stomach grumbled as she inhaled the scents of exotic foods. But Cameron soon led her out and back to the main lobby.

“And now, for the best and last part of the tour…” she led Cameron through the wing with red curtains. Rusty and another spotted animal watched them go from the top of the stairs.

 “This is the Arts Wing!”

 Jackie held her arms in the air as they walked down a hall. The walls were red and decorated with spirals. A poster with a comedy and tragedy theater mask shone within a frame of lights. There was a red “Just Dance” poster and a green movie posted with a clawed black hand labeled “Now showing: The Ded.” There was a painting of a waterfall and a nearby forest.

 Cameron looked around. “Oh my, never woulda guessed…”

 Jackie laughed. “Hahaha! Sarcasm! I like you Cam!”

 They stopped by the dance room and pushed open the double red doors.

  “Baby! I got someone for you to meet!” Jackie trilled.

 A man with the same colored skin as Jackie, clapped his hands. A group of girls, Mia and Ava, Penelope and Camilla were in pink tutus and ballet slippers doing practice.

 “Okay girls! Once you’re warmed up…Jackie!”

 The man turned around and beamed.

  “Oh god…” Cameron looked in disgust.

 The man wore a vibrant red pinstriped suit with blue vertical stripes on it. His bow tie was yellow with red and blue dots on it. His hair was mostly red with a white spot to the left side and blue tips toward the bottom back. His hair also resembled parrot feathers. He currently wore dark blue pants, pointed black shoes and a pink tutu. He also had a gold tooth.

 He leaned into Cameron, his eyes golden yellow.

  “Salutations senorita! Name?”

 “C-Cameron.”

 “Soopity, doopity to meetcha! My name is Alanzo but call me Al! It’s shorter!”

 He also eagerly shook Cameron’s hand before hugging his wife.

  “Heh, nice to meet you,” Cameron began. “So what subject do you…”

  “Dance!” Alanzo explained with a flourish.

 Jackie chuckled nervously, guiding Cameron out of the room. “Well honey, we gotta run. Got a lot of school to show!”

  “You do yer thang, gal!” Alanzo said with a snap of his fingers.

  “So he was…” Cameron began as they walked out of the room and down the hall.

 Jackie smiled. “That was my husband. We both work in this wing!”

 Jackie showed Cameron more rooms.

 “And here is…the Art Room!”

 Addison and his adoptive Indian snake mother Latika were busy painting on a canvas. A vivid painting of a flying phoenix hung in the background.

  “The Music Room!”

 Calvin, a yellow crocodile with a black and yellow back with squares on it, played a tuba, which matched his color scheme. A smiling brown fox named Christopher played a white saxophone with blue swirls on it. A black porcupine named Priscilla played a black cello.

 Dodododo do-do-do-do…they played a cheerful tune that sounded like Gooseworx’s two Zoophobia themes. (Look it up on YouTube!)

  “The Film Room!”

 A white and gray wolf twin (Leonardo or Vincent) held onto a fire hydrant with a joyful expression as a fan blew him back. A green screen was in the background. A cheetah, a gray-haired student and the other wolf twin looked at a screen in bewilderment. Another guy with a black hat, flinched from the force of air.

  “Why do the animals have giant fans?” asked Cameron.

  “Guess they got a bigger budget!” Jackie exclaimed.

 “But why?”

  “Their last film almost did win at the festival,” Jackie pondered.

 At last, they entered a vast auditorium.

 Jackie spread out her arms. “And here is my domain! The Theater!”

 Cameron glanced down at a group of figures sitting on the stage.

 “A-are those your students?”

 Jackie wiped a tear from her eye. “Yep! They are my little prodigies!”

 Then she trilled in a sing-song voice: “Good afternoon my sparkling little turtle doves!”

 “Hey Jackie!” the students harmonized in song.

 To Cameron’s bewilderment, an orange fox named Spam, peered at her from atop her head…then licked her face randomly before scampering off.

 Spam, Penelope, Jack, Makenzie, Zillion, Kayla, Sahara, Daimon, Taylor and Vanexa were all there.

 Penelope wore a stylish white dress and a teal headband with two peacock feathers on it. She was currently admiring herself in a small hand mirror. Mackenzie the cat girl had messy red hair, pale skin and a lavender shirt with a cat on it. She saw herself as a cat after being raised by her equally cat-loving mother Margo.

 Jack was a light brown jackal with a worn down body and droopy ears. Zillion was a mix up of creatures and had yellow skin, purple eyes, purple antennae-like ears and a small green snake for a tail. Taylor was a guy with red sclera eyes, light brown hair with purple sides, and he wore brown clothing. He and Zillion were currently locked in an arm wrestling match.

 Kayla the beautiful kangaroo was Zillion’s girlfriend; she was happily perched on top of the black grand piano. Sahara was a dark skinned woman wearing a pink head scarf over her dark hair. She had an affinity for magic. Behind her was a darker colored jackal Damion, with red pupils, black sclera and wearing tattered clothes of red and black. Finally, Vanexa was a purple bi-pedal cat, reading a book with a disinterested look on her face. She viewed those around her in a detached annoyance.

 ‘These are her students?! Just more magical freaky animals?! How crazy can this world get?!’ thought Cameron.

 Zillion pinned down Taylor’s arm, much to the latter’s annoyance. “Who’s your friend, cracker jacks?” he asked Jackie.

 Jackie put an arm around Cameron. “This here is your new guidance counselor fellas!” Cameron awkwardly looked off to the side.

 “Oh good!” Jack and Damion called at the same time.

 Damion smirked sarcastically, “I need a lot of ‘guidance!’”

 Cameron walked over and pointed at Zillion. “Um sorry, I hate to ask but…what exactly are you? I want to know how scared I should be…”

  “Well I…” Zillion began to explain but Jack snickered with a “Kekekeke!” from beside him. Zillion glared at Jack.

 “Pass,” Zillion deadpanned. “Not even I know what I am.”

 McKenzie sniffed Cameron for a moment, then let out a “Hiss!” It was her habit among strangers. Cameron flinched in confusion.

 Damion chuckled and leaned toward Cameron. “You really got your work cut out for you, lady! Just sayin’.”

 Cameron stared at him. “H-how are you floating like that?”

 Damion grinned. “Oh well it’s because…” He turned on a flashlight under his face and bared his fangs wide, his eyes swirled stripes of red against black. “I’m the Antichrist! Hahahahaha!”

 Cameron almost felt like fainting again.

  Jack inched closer to Cameron with an apologetic look. “I’m really sorry about my cousin!” He smiled and clutched her hand. “Hello! My name is Jack! And I would like to schedule with you as soon as possible!”

 Cameron raised an eyebrow. “Uh, okay?”

 Jack let go. “Sorry! It’s been a while since I had someone to talk about my problems…”

 Clang!

 A stage light fell down and collapsed on top of Jack. He fell to the floor in a heap. A pool of dark blood was visible on the floor around his head. One of his paws had an exposed bone. Cameron covered her mouth in fear and shock.

 “Aw man! Not again! You okay dude?” Zillion asked in concern.

  Zillion turned to Cameron. “Yeah, this happens a lot. He’ll be alright.”

 “Hey, Jackie! Another light fell!” Taylor called.

 “I saw it!” she answered.

 “So Cam!” said Jackie. “Do you wanna stick around for the class?”

 “I’m sorry to say…I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed,” Cameron breathed in almost a whisper.

 “Understandable, hun! Vanexa, would you mind escorting Cam to her office?”

 The purple cat nodded and led the way, book in hand.

 Jackie turned back to the class and clapped her hands. “Alright guys! Showtime!”

 They soon reached a pair of wooden doors underneath a sign that read “Guidance.”

  “T-thank you. V-Vanexa was it?” Cameron asked nervously. Vanexa did not answer. There was an awkward silence as they looked each other in the eyes. They each seemed to be trying to decipher the other’s thoughts. Cameron coughed.

 “W-well…yeah…good evening to you, talking cat…” Cameron stuttered.

 “Enjoy your stay,” said Vanexa before she walked back down the hall.

 0 0 0

Cameron slammed the door shut behind her, catching her breath. Her office was small and dimly lit with a few books on one shelf to the left. A palm plant was off to one side and blinds were in the center of a yellow wall. In the center was a desk with a couple chairs and “C. Walden” on a label. A pink gift bag lay on her desk with a bunch of strange items inside; a pink flower with yellow tips, a green dragon figure, and what appeared to be cosmetics. Cameron read the tag on the gift: “Dear Cameron, Welcome to the Family! Z.P.A. Staff.”

 Cameron smiled slightly at the thoughtful gift.

 Cameron was reminded of Mrs. Winkler’s office…and then was reminded of home. This small space didn’t feel much like home.

 “How are you coping with things thus far, Cameron?”

 Cameron whirled behind her and spotted Zechariah the cheetah.

 “Holy mother of…please d-don’t do that…”

 “My apologies,” he said.

 Cameron sighed. “Yeah…well all things considered…” She slide down onto the floor, overwhelmed.

 “I’m sure this is a lot to handle,” said Zechariah.

 “Yeah…”

 “This place will take some getting used to, Miss. Miss?”

 To Zechariah’s surprise, Cameron was sniffing and sobbing, burying her face in her knees. This was not how Zechariah imagined the newcomer would feel.

  “I am truly sorry this has happened to you, Miss,” Zechariah said empathetically. “I wish there was more I could do…”

 Although stern on the outside, Zechariah had a sweet and protective heart. Being a staff member had gotten him exposed to more human emotions. As the ZPA staff had welcomed him during his arrival to Safe Haven, it was no wonder that he went out of his way to try and do the same for others.

 Zechariah nuzzled his furry face into Cameron’s like a comforting cat. Cameron didn’t flinch this time. In fact, she cried and wrapped her arms around the cheetah. She didn’t care that he wasn’t a regular human. She just needed something…someone to give her comfort. Someone to let her know she wasn’t alone in this strange new world. Zechariah’s warm soft chest felt good to Cameron…like a comforting blanket or a pet. Zechariah stared in brief surprise, before closing his eyes and embracing the gesture. Cameron reminded him of when he had been a young cub, trying to find his place.  

 Cameron’s animal-loving side from her childhood briefly came back…before it faded with the moment of their separation.

 “There is…something you may like to see,” mentioned Zechariah in a soft voice. He had an idea. “This way, Miss.”

 Cameron followed Zechariah up the stairs and into the observatory.

 “W-what’s up here?” Cameron asked.

 Then she looked skyward and gasped.

  “Oh my god…”

 Shimmering in the starry night sky were glowing yellow koi fish floating in the air. They had yellow skin, glowing white eyes, white lines and spot designs across their bodies. One large fish had a yin-yang symbol on its forehead and was as big as an airplane. Their fins were transparent and flowing gracefully like they were angel wings underwater.

 “These are guardian fish spirits,” said Zechariah. “The Fish of Peace. They appear when everything is safe. Similar to the butterfly orcas, used to calm anxiety.”

  “How…how’d you know I like fish?” Cameron breathed. “This is…beautiful!”

 ‘Salvia’s magic of course,’ Zechariah thought.

 Zechariah purred. “Welcome home, Miss Cameron.”

 A magnificent ocean-colored whale swam by among the fish, decorated with bioluminescent spots along its back.

 For several minutes, the two of them stared in wonder at the ethereal spirits. Cameron felt like maybe this place wouldn’t be so bad after all. Especially with her new furry friend and mentor.

 Then a question spilled out of her mouth.

  “So…where am I going to live anyway?”

 One of the fish in the sky turned a deathly white and took on yellow and black stripped eyes. She peered closely at Cameron. “And so it begins…”

 0 0 0

 One day later, an earth-colored griffin-like creature named Skoni pulled a cart of packages around the street. He sang the “Mail Time” song out loud:

 “Here’s the mail

It never fails

It makes me want to wag my tail

When it comes, I wanna wail

Mail!”

 He stopped and knocked on Cameron’s door.

 Cameron cracked open the door of her new small home. “Y-yes?”

 “Package, ma’am!”

 Cameron took the package and stared at Skoni. He suddenly appeared to be sprouting eyes all over his body…

  “Get away monster!” Cameron cried, waving a bat at him.

 Skoni looked taken aback. “You just arrived yesterday, lady! I’m here to deliver your mail! Gaah!”

 “Demon!” Cameron yelled, squirting hose water in his face.

  “Fine!” Skoni scoffed. “Have a nice day!”

 Cameron blinked a few times and saw a regular pouting Skoni trot away. “Oh you were just delivering the mail again... Sorry!”

 Eris (or “KayCee”) laughed as the Skoni illusion replayed from her golden apple. She ate a sub sandwich in the darkness. “So let’s get this party started then, shall we?”

Chapter Three: “Jack’s Counseling Session”

Cameron’s first test of her new career began several days later. Jack had mentioned that he wanted to get an appointment with her as soon as possible. And by sheer luck, his desire was granted. (However, he had to deal with several shoves from Rusty, slipping on a banana peel and tripping on the sidewalk several times on his way there.)

 Cameron glanced at a long list of confidential session notes provided to her by Salvia for the week:

 Client One: Jackson Wells. Concern: Daily bad luck.

Client Two: Addison Woods. Concern: Trauma from experimentation in Xirxine labs.

Client Three: McKenzie Payoray. Concern: Daily bullying and coping with feline lifestyle.

Client Four: Damion Beelzly. Concern: Proper educational environment.

Clients Five and Six: Zillion Martinez and Kayla Christling. Concern: Anniversary troubles.

Client Seven: Vanexa Pierce. Concern: Solitude and fitting in.

Client Eight: Camilla Jimenez. Concern: Dancer, hopeless romantic, doesn’t like her rep.

Client Nine: Autumn. Concern: Increase self-worth.

Client Ten: Tom. Concern: Break up with Addison and stealing souls.

Client Eleven: Daphne Dafadellia. Concern: Being less judgmental toward men.

Client Twelve: Rusty (Call him by his real name Reuben, he hates it). Concern: Bullying issues.

 (Don’t mind my mind reading.)

 Cameron smiled as she stood on a chair and hung up a sign on her office door that read “Ms. Walden. ZPA Guidance.”

 She placed a small green tree in a pot on a side table, hung up a blue poster of two fish that read “Just keep swimming,” and placed a golden dragon statue on a side table as well. Her desk was polished and had a label on it with her name. She stepped back and observed her handiwork.

 “Mhm! Much better!”

 She glanced at her watch and sat down at her desk, arms folded in front of her.

 ‘Okay, you can do this,’ she encouraged to herself. Her heart jolted when she heard a knocking at the door.

 Jack peered into the room.

 “Um Ms. Walden? I’m uh, here for my session…”

 “Oh yes! Jackson, good morning to you,” greeted Cameron. She mentioned to a purple beanbag chair on the floor. “Please take a seat and we can get started! Hope you don’t mind bean-bags…”

 Jack settled onto the bean-bag, enjoying the comfort. “Naw, they are actually really nice, heh…Also I, um, like what you did with the new room! It’s very humble!”

 “Thank you!”

 Cameron placed a hand under her chin with a sheepish grin. “Yes I’m…very thankful to Zechariah for letting me change rooms. I kinda have a weird connection with my surroundings. The old room was just a little too intimidating on first arrival…”

 “Yeah, I understand what you mean…” mentioned Jack.

 Cameron cleared her throat. “So! You are my first official counseling session here at Z.P.A.! Is there um, anything bothering you at all that you would like to talk about? Anything!”

 Jack stuttered, already beginning to feel a sort of crush for her. Cameron had appeared so nice on her first day and he figured maybe she could ease his current situation a bit. “Umm…well…I think for things I tell you to make sense…I have to kinda fill you in a bit about...myself...and my “condition,” or well…my curse…”

 Jack then explained his origins.

  “You see…my parents were extremely close…according to my mother. And when she got pregnant with me, they were very excited. But…before I was born, my father was killed in a very freak accident. My mother was devastated by it. In desperation, she turned to her sister. My aunt Narissa, who…well is married to the devil…as creepy as that sounds. She begged him to make a deal but as a gift to his wife, he granted my mother her wish. To give her unborn child the gift of eternal life…But the devil’s magic works in very odd ways…so his gift was really a curse. When I was born, he cursed me with immortality…along with a supernatural affinity for bad luck…and, heh…thing is…I still feel pain…”

 He barely remembered himself as a pup, flinching in a grass bed as Lucifer’s long dark finger shot a bolt of hot magic through him…burning him to his very core.

 His mother was grateful she didn’t have to worry about him dying, but was concerned about the bad luck.

 Jack glanced off to the side. “So, um, yeah. Not being able to die on top of the very crazy, often violent things that happen to me…with the pain…it um…yeah…not fun.”

 Jack looked at Cameron in concern.

 “You okay, Miss. Walden? I’m sorry if my story is a little strange…”

 “No…” Cameron replied. “I’m just…still getting used to hearing about the…supernatural things…and the devil being real…”

 Cameron continued. “Phewww…I am very sorry for your situation, Jackson. It sounds…simply dreadful. What else would you like to share about your hardships? I can tell there is a lot you have to tell…”

 Jack twiddled his thumbs. “I really hope you don’t mind me talking a lot about myself. I just think it’s a good idea to fill things in.”

 “No Jack, it’s fine,” Cameron encouraged. “It helps to know these things!”

 “Yeah, I’m sorry, it’s just…been a while since I explained this stuff. I don’t often tell people about the curse anymore.”

 “Why is that?”

 Jack buried his face in his hands as he explained.

 “Well because…It just gets hard explaining it over and over to people…why so much crazy stuff happens to me, around me. And the moment I mention that it is an actual “curse,” people immediately get sacred to be around me. I can’t really blame them; they don’t want to get hurt. But…sometimes I don’t really like it. I don’t like people avoiding me out of fear. And I don’t like people thinking I’m making it up for attention!”

 Cameron was reminded of how many people with disabilities felt similarly about having to explain their conditions to other people who didn’t experience them. Some had trouble walking or controlling their bodies. Others felt chronic pain or experienced constant negative thoughts in their heads. Their disabilities were things they were born with and had no control over. Similar to Jack’s bad luck.

 Jack continued. “It just gets a little stressful sometimes, plus some people think I’m pretty…well, weird ‘cause the whole curse thing and my luck has made me pretty superstitious. It really doesn’t help how people see me with all my behaviors and, um, customs. Heh. (You’d feel the same if you noticed me with four ladybugs on my ears, four leaf clovers and a dreamcatcher around my neck, a rabbit’s foot and dice hanging from my legs and me holding a cricket in a cage. Trying every good luck charm imaginable to counteract the bad. Of course, nothing works.) Most people here kinda avoid me for the most part just seeing what kind of stuff happens and finding me odd.”

 “Do you have any real or close friends, Jack?” Cameron asked.

 Jack brightened. “Oh yes! I have a few. And honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without my best friend Zill…”

 “I think I know him…in Jackie’s class, right?” Cameron asked. “What creature is he anyway?”

 “I have no idea! I’m not sure he knows either. In fact, he always seems confused about it.”

 “He doesn’t know?”

 “I don’t think so!”

 “So how long have you known Zill?”

 “Since I found him! About thirteen years now,” said Jack.

 Cameron appeared confused. “I…I’m sorry, you ‘found’ him?”

 “Yeah!”

 “What do you mean by that?”

 Jack chuckled a bit. “Oh heh-yeah sorry, let me explain!”

 Jack then explained the next part of his origins.

  “I was born in Safe Haven’s animal district. It’s a kind and more natural environment, so my upbringing was more ‘traditional,’ I guess. My mom never really explained my curse to me when I was younger. I just thought the world was against me and that she didn’t even care. So I ran away from home a lot back then. I just felt I had to escape somehow.”

 “It was never much help, but I seemed to kinda enjoy the time away from her. I remember the last time I ran away, I was like five, and during a really foggy rainy night, I took shelter in a tree. I heard some growling in the forest. It was really scary at the time, cause most animals in the district respect private boundaries, plus I was young too…heh. I heard this creature emerge from the bushes. He approached the entrance to where I was hiding. His eyes were glowing green. I had never seen anything like him before and I was extremely scared. He was just really curious of me I think, but he behaved much more…well bestial than what I was used to. He was like…well, an ‘animal,’ which was new for me. Most animals in the district can still speak universally! Especially upon first meeting.”

 “Zill was extremely wary of me and I was just terrified! But really he was just extremely curious of me. Unlike me, Zill was just unafraid and bold! Also surprisingly unfazed by my curse. (He put back my broken arm like it was nothing.) In fact, for the first time, I had met someone who not only was unfazed by it, but he actually…intervened! (After water poured on my head from a leaf, he used his wing to keep me dry.) So really, Zill meant a lot to me, almost right off the bat.”

 “We actually kinda lived together in the forest for like a full month, getting to know each other as friends. He didn’t talk to me at first, but when he started to talk, he only spoke Spanish! Which was like jibberish to be…heh. So the language barrier was still there, yet we still understood each other somehow. After a while I decided to actually bring Zill home with me! My mom was beyond happy I was back. But she actually didn’t take very warmly to Zill.”

 He remembered going along with Zill, with his mother being worried that Zill might harm him. He then told his mother that he didn’t need constant protection all the time.    

 “How did Zill get his name?” Cameron asked.

 “Oh! Well, he spelled his name for me in the dirt while we were in the forest.”

 Cameron listened with intent curiosity. “It’s interesting he was so intelligent, despite living in the forest!”

 “Well I mean lots of intelligent animals live in the wild! But I understand what you mean. Zill did come off as pretty primitive at first.”

 “So did you two live together?”

 Jack nodded. “Actually we did! For a little while before we officially started school! Zill was with us through the move to the city district. During those first years, I taught him how to speak English. (Notecards with pictures and words on it were helpful for us. He’d read words like “apple” and lots of food terms to start off with.) By the time we did first start school, he was already decently bi-lingual! A lot of other kids would call Zill names and stuff cause of how he looked. But he never let it get to him though.”

  “But when I was picked on…”

 Jack remembered Zill admiring a butterfly before he was knocked to the ground by a hard dodgeball to the face. Rusty the bully dog laughed after Jack had fallen.

 “Haha! Take that you wimpy loser!”

 Zill growled and his eyes flashed green. He shot a flaming dodgeball back at Rusty which hit him in the face with a “wham!” Green energy glowed around his hand.

“Zill didn’t take kindly to that. Neither of us ever really found out how exactly his ‘powers’ seemed to work, but he had a lot less control back then.”

 A young Kayla rushed over to Rusty. “Oh gosh! Are you okay?”

 But Rusty just elbowed her away, causing her to fall with an “oof!”

  “Get off me you dumb girl!”

 Zill growled in anger again.

 “Zill has always had issues with people who bully or attack.”

 Kayla stood up, furious. She separated the two boys. “Stop! No more! I’m fine,” she told Zill. “Both of you! No fighting! This is a playground!”

 Rusty scoffed at her. “Get out of my way or I’ll beat you up too! I’m not afraid to hit a dumb girl…”

 Kayla then smacked him hard in the face with a “pow!” before he landed flat on his back. Kayla let out a “hmpth” and strolled away. Zill instantly admired her courage and feistiness.

 “Zill met his girlfriend Kayla on the first day of grade school,” said Jack.

 Cameron gasped. “Oh my! They have been dating for that long? Oh how sweet.”

 Jack shook his head. “Oh, no, heh. Zill didn’t get with Kay for a while. Through most of school he was…well, um ‘loose’ with girls. Flirting with them, showing off his strength and dazzling them with his charm. Many teen boys are like that. He always had genuine feelings for Kayla, but he never had the guts to go for her. He just didn’t think she’d be interested.  Which I guess was understandable. He didn’t have the best rep with the ladies, growing up. He was a party animal…heh, sorry.”

 “But! He used to love to sing! And had a knack for it! So I suggested he try out for the school musical once we entered Z.P.A.! He scored the lead alongside Kayla in the show! (I remember them getting a standing ovation at the end. Zill wore a purple suit and hat while Kayla wore a cross necklace and a blue and white dress.) And that was when they really got to know each other! Once they really got together, Zill really slowed down on his party lifestyle. It was interesting how much of a change there was. But! I was really happy that he had found such a stable relationship. Plus Kayla was a wonderful girl honestly!”

 Jack faltered. “But once he started dating…like I said, our relationship kinda, I dunno, changed…”

 ‘”Our relationship changed?’ How so?” Cameron asked. “Was he just less close as a friend?”

 Jack stuttered slightly. “Um, well! I mean, maybe I said that the wrong way. It was just…so hard to explain! He just suddenly had so many friends and attention once he changed with Kayla. I guess I just missed a little of the constant we had before he had such a serious relationship. I’m just a little worried that the way things might progress…”

 Tears came to Jack’s eyes, his face glum. “That maybe he…eventually won’t need me as a friend…I’m sorry, it’s a dumb worry…”

 “No Jack,” said Cameron. “When a friend starts to change, or befriends other people, it’s normal to feel worried about where you stand. But I’m sure if the two of you are as close as you say, you will never grow apart!”

 “Yeah?”

 “Ya know, we talked a lot about Zill. Why don’t you tell me more about yourself! Do you have many other friends?”

 Jack pondered in thought. “I think that’s why I have this insecurity. Like I said before, I only have a few friends because people are scared to be around me, understandably.” He remembered getting his head sawn off, a beehive landing on his head and getting attacked by a green sewer monster.

 “I have one other really close friend but I rarely see her.”

 “What about your family?” asked Cameron.

 “My family?”

 Jack thought of Damion the troublemaker teen jackal, Lucifer and his jackal wife Narissa, Tentradora the succubus pink cyborg nanny and a blue demon guard named Major Styx. (Grumpy Major Styx wanted Damion to be his submissive love servant and Tentradora was very “touchy-feely” and overprotective. Narissa kept to herself and Lucifer was very prideful as a goat-like demon.)  

 Jack explained, “It’s complicated. I think deep down I love my family, but they do just remind me directly of my curse. My mom Mindy used to take me to visit my uncle and aunt a lot.”

 “Your uncle? The devil?”

  Jack sighed. “Yeah…”

 “I felt very alone when I went there. To Hell. That side of my family has nothing in common with me. Plus when Damian came along he just became a constant pain. Sorry if that’s mean to say. My family makes me look out for him a lot, so I tend to get frustrated with him often. Anyways, even though it was pretty stupid, I decided one day to sneak out of the palace just to clear my head. Hell outside of the protection of the palace gets pretty dangerous. But I kinda stopped worrying about my own physical well-being. So my carelessness caught up with me, and a demon attacked me!”

 “A one-eyed, stripped giant monstrosity! It had two slender legs and a tail…and a large maw under its red glowing eye. Yeah, I guess it was pretty freaky. Dangerous situations tend to shock me more than actually scare me. But then Jill showed up.”

 Jack remembered a purple cat demon leaping into the air and stabbing the monster with a triangular bladed scythe. After several deep stabs and Jill slicing off its hand, the monster tumbled down to the ground. Jack watched with fear and awe against a rock wall.

 “Jill?” asked Cameron. ‘Jack and Jill…’

 “Yeah!” said Jack. “I figured I was on the subject of my only close friends. Jill is definitely one of the most important people in my life…heh. She saved me. Besides Zill, she was the only one who ever protected me. Jill and I started spending time with each other after that. She was a stray demon who spent a lot of time fending for herself against other demons.”

 Jack added, “Sorry if it seems I’m jumping around too much. I get carried away.”

 “It’s fine, Jack,” said Cameron.

 Jack continued. “Anyway, I loved spending time with Jill. She was rough with everyone but with me, she was so soft. Her hugs were the best! I snuck out to hang with her during every Hell visit, and as we got older…”

 Jack let out a forlorn sigh. “I guess nothing really stays the same.”

 “I encouraged her to test herself to be a member of the royal guard. She passed the test with flying colors and was accepted to live in the palace! Lucifer gave her a black collar with a red diamond gem on it to mark her new status. I was so proud of her! She ended up head of the royal guard. I was so happy because we would be able to see each other more often. But then she met this guy she worked with. And kinda…ended up spending more time with him than with me. Which hurt a bit. I had always hoped we would stay close…maybe even get closer.”

 “So you had a crush on her?” Cameron asked.

 “Well, I crush easily,” Jack answered. “I’m happy she found someone though. She deserves that. So does Zill. I just get lonely...”

  After a few sad moments he muttered, “I’m sorry this took a turn. I don’t want it to seem like I’m complaining about the fact they are happy. I hope that’s not what it sounds like.”

 Cameron stared with empathy at Jack. “Jack, it’s fine. I can tell you are a very emotional person, and it’s normal to get lonely in your situation. But I really think you’ll be able to find someone for you in time. And talking about these feelings are the point of counseling. So no need to apologize. You seem to talk very highly of others. What about yourself?”

 “This event was…not a highly moment...I…there was one time Damion locked me in a locker for a whole week. All because he didn’t want me to tell Zill that he had missed Kayla’s anniversary. S-since I couldn’t die, I was just trapped inside my head…starving, deteriorating, not knowing what time it was. It felt like I was dying again and again in a nightmare. By the time someone found me and unchained me, it had been one week later. Took me a full day of fluids to recover, even though my body regenerated itself. It may sound strange to you but…I wanted desperately to die in those moments.”

 A chilling silence permeated the space.

 “Sometimes…I wish I hadn’t been born. I wish that dad hadn’t died. Then my mom wouldn’t have been so obsessed with keeping me alive. It feels like Hell much of the time. Sometimes I blame her, wishing she could experience the curse through my eyes. Other times I blame myself; what did I ever do to deserve…”

 A few books randomly toppled from a shelf and hit Jack in the head. “…this?” He groaned and rubbed his head.

 Cameron looked at Jack with a somber expression. “I’m…sorry you had to go through that. And regarding your curse…no one should have to go through anything like that. I guess death isn’t the worst thing in the world…”

 As Jack sobbed and sniffled for several minutes, Cameron walked over and gave him a comforting embrace. Jack breathed deeply, face blushing. Even after Cameron let go, he still felt her warmth and kindness. He wiped more tears away.

 “S-sorry…”

 “It’s okay Jack.”

  “Besides the curse and all the negatives. Tell me about Jackson,” said Cameron.  

 “Me?”

  “Yes! Your interests? Goals? Hobbies? Things that make you happy. Anything!”

 Jack thought hard about it. “Um…well let’s see. I play the drums! I play the drums while Spam does guitar and lyrics. Kayla and Zill sing and play piano and Vanexa helps too. I also, um, work part time at the Safe Haven observatory. I really love space. Just everything about the universe and its infinite vastness fascinates me! It’s inspiring. I love studying astronomy and science.”

  “Oh!” Cameron exclaimed with joy.

 “I also love to cook! That’s my favorite hobby! I don’t have many people to cook for, so I usually take food to the foster home, the same one that took Zill in for a while. I’m still deciding which path I’d like to take for a career, being like a real chef or going into astronomy.”

 Jack continued. “Next year is my final year at the academy so I need to decide soon what my final major will be. I’m still able to take plenty of classes for both, though!”

 Cameron was very pleased. “Well! Well working at the observatory and being able to exercise your culinary skills gives you a good way to sample your career options. I’m sure you will make the right choice and have a successful career, Jack!”

 Jack smiled warmly. “Thank you, Ms. Walden. Thank you for listening! You’re more attentive than the last counselor.”

  “Well that’s what I’m here for!”

  “So…are you still scared living here after the past few days?” Jack asked.

 Cameron glanced off to the side. “Well, uh, ya…I mean…I’m getting used to things. Talking to you wasn’t scary. You are very kind and not frightening at all, past the fur. Which alone is surprising but there are a few people here who don’t scare me as much. So thank you! For not being scary. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about in this session?”

 Jack stood up. “I think that’s enough for this time. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

 He opened the door and looked at her one last time with a smile. “Thanks again, Ms. Walden. Welcome to Safe Haven!”

 Cameron waved. “Take care, Jackson!”

 As Jack was walking down the hall…

 Slam!

 Rusy slammed him into a locker and he slid to the floor. Rusty barked in laughter, leering over Jack.

 “Watch where yer goin’ wimp! Heh heh! You gonna cry or what?”

 “No?” Jack whimpered.

 “Yeah you are! P*ssy! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

 Rusty laughed as he strutted away. Jack made his way to the observatory as the setting sun turned the sky a salmon pink. He spotted a blonde man wearing glasses and a blue suit with a tight white collar.

 “Hey Dan!”

 The man smiled. “Jack! You’re early! It’s barely dark out!”

  “Yeah. I feel like coming in before my shift to relax a bit. Can I go up?”

  “Of course! Nobody is up there right now.”

  “Thanks Dan!”

 Jack slipped on a blue uniform and climbed up the stars. He made it to the top and his eyes grew wide in wonder. Yellow ethereal koi fish swam and glided across the starry night sky. The spotted bioluminescent midnight blue whale traveled beside the fish as well. The city lights and the greenhouse globe buildings illuminated the night in their spectacular vivid glows. One building was pink, the other a faded golden yellow. Jack became transfixed by the spirits. For the first time in a while, he felt hopeful and positive.

 Jack smiled and sighed contently as he gazed dreamily up at the Fish of Peace. “It’s never lonely at night.”

 Despite the bad luck, Jack knew he wasn’t alone. He had Zill, Spam, Vanexa, Jill, Kayla…all those who cared for him. His bandmates were the ones who helped save him from a monster, and it led to him being more tolerant of his curse. Zill had tried to “save” him multiple times by deflecting the bad luck events but Jack didn’t want him to get hurt. Instead of exhausting themselves to try and stop the curse, Jack’s friends helped pull himself together (literally and figuratively) and were simply there to support him after the bad moments. Although some of them were often preoccupied with lovers, they would always come back for Jack. For he was the silent supporting stone of their bonds.

 And now he had Cameron…a loving mentor…and perhaps a new mother-like figure in his life. Although he had a crush on her, it was not solely romantic. It was mixed with feelings of appreciation and friendship.

 Jack felt at home with himself for the first time in years. Because he realized an enlightening truth: not even a curse could keep his friends away.

 0 0 0

 Zechariah was busy jotting down notes at his desk when Cameron entered the room.

 “Z-Zechariah?” Cameron asked.

 “Miss Cameron!” Zechariah greeted. “Did your first session go well?”

 Cameron smiled, pleased to have helped out Jack. Helping others made her feel truly at home for the first time. “Actually, it really did!”

[somniferouseyes]

Home Sweet Prison - Thoughts on Silent Hill 4: The Room

Recently I had the pleasure of finally playing the fourth Silent Hill game after years of planning to get around to it. I just finished it last night after three lengthy play sessions over the past week. It definitely had its flaws but I couldn’t help but love the game and wanted to share some of my thoughts. Obvious spoilers below.

This is going to be a long one, so buckle up. First, a little background. If you really don’t care and just want my thoughts on the game, skip down to below the line of ‘=‘s.

It must have been around 7 years ago I played my first Silent Hill game. I had heard bits and pieces about the series for a long time and finally I managed to get my hands on a Playstation 2 along with a copy of Silent Hill 2. The TV at my mom’s place didn’t make much sense to play games on, as I had to share it with a family that didn’t care much for watching games, and so only allowed me to play for short bursts. Definitely not suitable for playing through a game where atmosphere is one of the key elements to the experience. So instead I absconded with my PS2 and the game to the ancient CRT TV in my bedroom at my dad’s place, where I spent the night at most a few times a week. The solitude and old television at night made for a near-perfect playing environment for a game like SH2. The sound effects of the menus and the vibrant red of the save screen casting a bloody shade over the walls of that room are memories permanently imprinted in the inside of my head.

I had a great time with the game and eventually picked up Silent Hill 3 as well, excited for another journey to that destitute, foggy town. Unfortunately, after playing through around a third of the game, I discovered my disc was scratched and couldn’t continue, despite my best attempts to clean and buff it out. At that point I didn’t have any sort of disposable income so buying another copy just didn’t seem worth the expense. So unfortunately, my journey with that game ended there.

I was aware that the fourth game, like the first three, was fairly highly regarded, so I kept a tab on it in the back of my mind for opportunities to play. This past fall, I finally got my chance. I jumped with excitement at seeing GOG offering the now-ancient (by video game standards) title and immediately purchased it, fully prepared to experience what I had been missing all this time. I booted it up several days after and played for around an hour. There was the gameplay I remembered in all its clunky glory. As well as the haunting sound design and twisted visuals. It was a great throwback, but for some reason I didn’t come back for more. I planned to play more but it sat on the digital shelf for months before I would finally touch it again, this time with my partner at my side to experience it along with me. At first I worried having another person there would take away from the atmosphere, which is what I always saw as the strongest part of the series. Thankfully this wasn’t really the case. Anyway, now after enough extra shit, my thoughts on the game itself.

================================================

What first struck me was how creative and intriguing I found the setting to be. I’ve known for a long time what it was, but actually playing it now I found it resonated with me in an unexpected way. I recently moved into my first non-college apartment and as I played I found myself sort of day-nightmaring about what it would be like to wake up one day and find myself trapped in my apartment, door chained shut, windows stuck, and no real communication to the outside world but a strange hole which has appeared in my bathroom wall. Letting myself sort of float in that headspace really got me immersed into the world and I really grew to appreciate the apartment as a sort of hub world in the game. A safe space from the horrors that lay on the other side of the hole. At least, temporarily safe as I would eventually discover. Throughout the first half of the game the apartment served as a resting point in between forays into the unforgiving outside world.

Then one time I came home to discover that the ceiling fan had mysteriously broken and smashed down upon the coffee table. Henry, our lovely protagonist, commented that the air felt heavier as though a weight was bearing down upon him. The in-game ramifications of this event didn’t become clear until a bit later, when I discovered that my health no longer regenerated when in the apartment. My one reliable form of healing had been taken away from me. And the game being a survival horror game, I very quickly felt its effect. Healing supplies were very limited and I found myself struggling to survive through various enemy encounters now where before I had done alright with occasional trips home to heal up. But this was only the beginning.

It couldn’t have been more than an hour or two later that upon entering the apartment I was greeted by a castrophony of crashing and banging coming from the living room. I entered and found the windows there shaking and slamming against their frames, as if by the manipulation of some violent poltergeist. Even so much as nearing them damaged me and despite the frustration at not being able to interact with them anymore without fear of taking lethal damage, it was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a game for a while. From that point onward every few visits to the apartment, I was met with some new form of haunting in various parts of the few rooms I had. Eventually they crept in the way of the save point, forcing me to put myself at risk in order to even so much as save my game. It was a level of brutality that has become much less common in games. Thankless and cruel. But I loved seeing my safe prison twist and disfigure into a dangerous nightmare. For once in a piece of horror, whether game, book, or movie, I felt as if I was the one being haunted. This was my home and it was being slowly but surely wrenched from my hands. The hub easily became one of my favorite things about the game as a result.

My feelings about the rest of the game were a little more mixed. As is Silent Hill tradition, the controls were a clunky mess. I’m sure it was by design, as fumbling with them creates a tension in common interactions in the game not unlike the loss of coordination one might experience in a dream. As neat as that is as an artistic touch, from a gameplay standpoint it did sour the experience a bit when it came time to deal with enemies (FUCK the ghost victims).

On a related note, for some reason the devs thought it’d be a good idea to have the entire back half of the game be a goddamn escort mission. One where the quality of your performance affects the ending you get for some reason, no less (???). In general I liked Eileen as a character and appreciated the whole slow possession thing she had going on, but trying to maneuver through the cramped corridors of the game while also trying to move around her and make sure she didn’t get left behind with a bunch of enemies was a nightmare in and of itself. One of the worst things about the game, honestly. There were times I made sure she got left behind in areas just to give myself some room to breathe.

Enemies in general were a massive pain in the ass, at least until late in the game when I figured out how to deal with them efficiently. It didn’t help that their designs for the first third of the game were so bland. One of my favorite things about the series is seeing all the fucked up enemy designs and the speculation from the fanbase about what they might represent from a narrative standpoint, so I was super disappointed to find the first chunk of the game only feature zombie dogs, some ghosts, and pointy bats. Later on I discovered that the ghosts were actually Walter’s past victims who had lost all control and sense of reality after being slain for his ritual, which was a VERY cool detail I missed early on. It lent a whole new dimension to what would otherwise be boring generic ghost enemies. I just wish it had been conveyed better, because obviously I didn’t recognize any of them until Cynthia’s showed up during the second visit to Subway World (Yep. It’s actually called that.) It was a lot of fun seeing how each of the people I had seen murdered had unique abilities as ghosts meant to represent their personalities or behavior in life.

Once I hit the water prison, the game’s enemy design picked up though. I had seen images of the Twin Victims before, but it hadn’t prepared me for their sudden appearance in those cramped circular halls. In the past games and the beginning of this one it seemed like enemies usually had a sort of introductory cutscene showcasing a little of their personality or abilities, but for the Twin Victims? Nope, you get nothing. One second you’re in ignorant bliss of their existence, the next a two-headed shrouded figure is charging at you on its hands.

The rest of the enemies were all decent I think in my memory, though some better than others. I’m not sure who gave the okay on the decision for the Patient creatures in Hospital World to fucking let loose the most wild burps known to man whenever they take a hit, but it was simultaneously tension-ruining and laugh-inducing to knock one down the stairs by accident only to receive a musical number comprised solely of belches in response. Definitely a highlight of the experience, if an unintended one.

Since I don’t want to spend a ton of time on the areas themselves I’m gonna just throw together a little list here of quick opinions on them.

Subway World - Awful. Boring area, especially since this exact type of thing was done already in a fairly lengthy section in SH3. Fuck the dogs. Second visit wasn’t any better because being chased by Cynthia’s ghost was incredibly annoying, especially since you’re still just figuring out the mechanics of Eileen following you at this point.

Forest World - Refreshing after Subway World but still boring. Just a bunch of trees and annoying bats. Highlight was Jasper, my bro whose character arc consists of being scared of rocks, drinking some choccy milk, then burning to death. Second visit was a little better? I liked the torch mechanic and finding the body parts in the 5 wells was a creepy little sort of puzzle.

Water Prison World - One of my favorite areas. Really interesting design and home to one of the few true puzzles in the game, even if it is kind of explained to you outright. Also home to the debut of one of the creepiest enemies, Twin Victims. Second visit was kind of underwhelming and frustrating because of Eileen getting swarmed by them though.

Building World - Other than winning the Dumb Area Name of the Century award, this place was fine. Some areas were a bit too swarmed with enemies, but otherwise a pretty fun place to explore. Reminded me of past games in the series in terms of design. Second visit was ROUGH. I finished with no healing items and only a sliver of health remaining as I went into the boss fight, so I had to make sure I wasn’t hit once for its duration. Also what the fuck is up with the way Richard’s ghost moves? Thought my game was straight up glitching for a bit.

Apartment World - I think possibly my favorite area of the game. Just your classic Silent Hill apartment complex. Loads of rooms to explore and find keys for, etc. Second visit was exactly what I wanted. Just chaos throughout the building and creepy shit around every corner. Highlight for me was the chains on the superintendent’s door, for some reason. Just thought it was cool setpiece.

Hospital World - A pretty cool place overall, but too short and with no second visit it had me wishing there was more of it. A bit simplistic in design but I had fun checking out all the various rooms and the creepy shit inside them. Creepiest Shit in the Game award goes to the massive bloody head of Eileen that stares you down with eyes that can only be described as vibrating. Normally I’d be annoyed at Henry literally not reacting to it, but it somehow adds to its disturbing factor. Almost as if its some kind of meta-scare that Henry can’t even see.

As for the characters, I found them overall to be okay. Nothing special really. Henry is boring as hell and doesn’t really seem to react much to any of the crazy things happening around him, which makes me question his mental state a bit. Eileen is probably the best of the group in my eyes. She goes through a LOT during the game. I thought the possession mechanic with her was very cool and loved eventually finding out that her level of possession actually modifies her dialogue at various points in the game. Definitely a very nice touch. Walter is pretty meh. Just your ordinary insane serial killer really. Nothing to write home about. Didn’t really have a personality beyond “I’m bloodthirsty and I want my mommy.” Also, for someone who was trying to kill me, it really didn’t feel like his heart was all in it. He was easy to sidestep and he’d just sort of become disinterested and wander off. I was a bit underwhelmed to find the superintendent didn’t have any role really past the halfway point in the game. Where did he go? In one of the endings he’s confirmed to be dead but otherwise not mentioned at all. He got a lot of the spotlight in the first half so it really makes no sense.

The plot was pretty entertaining. Might be sacrilege to say so, but I think I preferred it to SH2′s despite its flaws, though it’s been a while since I played that so maybe I’ll have to give it another run-through sometime and see. I just had a lot of fun following Joseph’s notes and slowly learning about the Wishing House cult and Walter’s murders. I found myself guessing at what we could expect from Walter and his twisted ritual around every corner and how the tale would eventually unravel.

Upon tearing into it more closely my partner and I found a number of weird little issues and nitpicks with the plot that we couldn’t seem to find any explanation for. Was Walter ever really in prison? The game is deliberately vague about this detail, and I assume we’re meant to come up with our own conclusions, but it felt a bit strange to not give a more solid explanation, as other issues arise from the lack of one. If he did really kill himself in prison, how did he get out of his grave and perform the Ritual of the Holy Assumption? If that wasn’t him in prison, why would anyone bother digging up the grave at all? And either way, why mark the coffin with his number, 11/21? It doesn’t really make sense. Not quite related, but we’re also missing the why of Walter’s split manifestations. What about the ritual caused him to split off a child version of himself? It’s not exactly important to the plot’s progression, but it’d be nice to know if he fucked up some part of the ritual, or was punished for being a little shit by God or whatever.

Unfortunately my partner and I found the endings to all be pretty lame. I got the ‘21 Sacraments’ ending, which I guess is to be expected because I wasn’t very careful in taking care of Eileen due to the controls being a massive pain in the ass while also not really understanding how to purge the apartment of hauntings with candles. I understood the mechanic but literally couldn’t figure out where to place the candles to achieve the desired affect despite all my attempts to, which was a shame. I’m also still not entirely sure why the ending I got results in Walter possessing Henry’s body when I clearly followed the instructions to put a stop to his ritual, but the other endings aren’t all that much better. In the ‘Mother’ ending, apparently Eileen is somehow still possessed? Why? By who? No explanation is given! Always a good time.

Despite the nitpicks at the plot, the confusing decision to make most of the game an escort mission, and the messy Silent Hill game controls, I still had a fantastic time. I still felt just in love with the atmosphere, sound, and enemy design as I did back when I played SH2. I wish there were more in the series to experience, but it seems like my options aren’t all that great. The first game is kind of a dated mess visually, I’m not sure I have the heart to replay so much of the opening of the third game to allow myself to experience the entire thing, and apparently all the games after kind of suck in various ways.

I find myself leaving Silent Hill 4 with a renewed sense of sadness at the cancellation of PT and the grim hopes for the future of the series, but excited to maybe get back into playing more horror games. It’s a genre I used to be all over but eventually fell out of entirely, save for a few recent titles, such as Resident Evil VII.

I’d definitely recommend Silent Hill 4: The Room in a heartbeat to anyone who can stomach the clunky controls as well as some some dated graphics and game mechanics.

Goodbye for now, Silent Hill.

[birdsandspades]

I Was Never Good at Waiting (Sugawara X Reader) Chapter 3

- It was your last year in highschool, everything had been going smoothly until you got assigned the new teacher. Sugawara Koushi was handsome, maybe too handsome for his own good. Be he wasn't flirting with you right, teachers shouldn't do that....I guess we will see where this year goes.

Word Count - 3,163

----

Sunlight peeked through your blinds as the soft vibrations from your phone woke you from your dreams. Opening one eye you turned to look at the digital clock on your desk next to your bed. It was 6:00 a.m, time for you to get ready for the day. Lifting your legs into the air you rotated side to side, gathering enough momentum for you to roll yourself off the bed. 

Soft padded footsteps echoed through the silent house as you meandered to the bathroom. You ran your hand over the wall a few times, finally hitting the light switch. The lights flickered on, your eyes burning at the sudden shift in brightness. You rubbed circles on them with your palms, fuzzy white dots filling your vision. 

After the blurry vision dissipated you took a look at your groggy state. Most of the hair that had been inside of your bun had found it's way out, standing up in various directions. The underneath of your eyes were sunken and dark, but this was normal. Tired was just another word to describe your features at this point. Taking out your hair tie you combed through your nest like hair while turning on the shower, attempting to guide the temperature to a desirable position.

Stripping yourself of your nightly bedwear, you stepped inside and pulled the door closed. You recoiled as the cold water hit your back, cursing as you adjusted the temperature once again. Your morning showers were quick, only for the purpose of taming your bedhead, you showered at night for cleanliness. You ran through your morning shower cycle quickly before shutting off the water. You felt around for your towel, grabbing at nothing. You pulled open the shower door, glaring at the empty towel rod. You look in a deep breath, sprinting out of the warm bathroom and into the cold hallway. You b-lined for the linen closet, practically ripping it off it's hinges as you pulled something warm and fuzzy out of the dark hole in the wall. 

After your refreshing, brisk morning run you towel dried you and your wet feet prints.You peaked out of the bathroom again, looking at the bright red numbers on your clock, 6:15. 

Next you brushed your hair, teeth, and dressed yourself for class. Today’s dress was for the most part what you wore every day. A short sleeved light blue button up, a faded red tie (the same one you had received on your first day of first year), your tan plaid pleated shirt, black knee high socks, and to top it off the one thing you could change as you pleased. Most days you opted for the light cream colored sweater vest under your white school jacket, but today felt like a cream cardigan kind of day instead. Most likely because the news reports called for a rainy day today, but also because you wanted to mix it up. 

Your makeup was easy to put on, your hair was just as simple. You had always liked leaving it down but always brought a ponytail just in case. The watch ticking away on your wrist read 6:45, your morning was passing by fast. You gathered your bag and coat before walking downstairs and laying them on the couch. 

Pulling open the fridge doors you pulled out everything you had prepped the night before, all you really had to do was assemble it in your lunch box and you could leave for school. Once you finished that you put it all away and placed your lunch in your bag before pulling on your coat and situating your bag on your shoulder. Walking out the door you locked it behind you and started your walk to school.

Your trip was always the longest part of your day, you had chosen Sejoh because of the impact it had on your moms adolescent life, sure it was out of the way. But that's what legs and trains were for right? 

It took you approximately an hour and fifteen minutes to get to the school from your house. In that time you would walk fifteen minutes to the train station, take two different trains to the station by the school, and walk another ten minutes to the actual school. As long as you were on time, the distance didn’t matter. 

You liked to use the time for writing, mostly songs. It was a hobby only your friends knew about, they also were the only two who knew about the band you had joined last year. It was never an end game option for you, no career would ever come out of the group of ragtag college students who had formed the group years ago. But they were nice enough to let you sing for them when the original member had graduated and moved on from the dream. As long as you could come up with songs, and of course make the time for practice, well they liked having you around. 

You would love to tell the volleyball club about what you did during your weekends away from the club and schoolwork. You probably would have if it wasn’t for the looming threat of every single shitty dive bar you performed at finding out that you indeed were seventeen (going on eighteen, that was important), and in fact not twenty one. But whatever, you were having fun. 

You walked past the front gates and into the lockers at around 8:10, twenty minutes before classes would start. Siding on your slippers you placed your practice gear and outside shoes inside your locker. Today would be your first practice back, it was exciting to say the least.

“Hey, we haven't talked in awhile.” A sweet voice turned your attention away from your thoughts. 

“Yoshiki, hi.” You looked the boy over in surprise, the morning fog still leaving your brain.

“So your homeroom teacher this year is Sugawara-sensei huh? He comes to my class after lunch for science. He seems nice, he made some really bad science jokes yesterday when he introduced himself.” Yoshiki laughed as he remembered the not so funny pun. It reminded you both of simpler, less uncomfortable times you both shared so long ago. 

“I wish I could have heard them.” You giggled, mostly with Yoshiki and less at the statement. I felt nice to take in the easy feeling of being together again, even if it was fleeting. “He was pretty straightforward with the homeroom class. Probably because Yua wouldn’t shut up.”You walked with him down the hallway, his pace matching with yours as you talked.

“I could tell you some of them over lunch.” He paused as you reached your classroom door, his foot digging into the tile. “Unless things are still weird between us?” He couldn’t meet your eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. You had rejected him once, could twice be just as bad?

“Sure, that would be great. Since we ruled out the potentially dating option, all that's left is to go back to being friends again.” You let out an out of place laugh, your enthusiasm forced. You felt awkward, your attempt at mending the relationship uncomfortable to your own ears. 

He on the other hand smiled, it seemed to be just the words he was hoping for. He gave you a brief wave before leaving for his own classroom.

He was right, things were still weird between you. But that's what happens when you fall in love for the first time, try to go on a date, and run away from said date leaving him alone, and then proceed to ignore his calls all winter break. The least you could be was give him a lunch period to feel things out.

You made your way into the classroom, greeting a few students before setting your things down at your desk. Yua and Hiroto were already sitting at their desks when you slid into your seat next to them. 

“Good morning F/N-chan.” They greeted, the unity of their tone made you giggle. 

“No coffee this morning?” Hiroto questioned as he looked at your usually occupied hand. 

“I’m gonna try and quit drinking it so much, save some extra money...” You frowned already painfully aware of the lack of caffeination.

“You're like an addict!” Yua laughed, “I give you a week tops before you crash.”

“Thanks for the support!” You chirped, pinching her exposed arm. You shook your head as she hissed at the pain, the morning bell drowning out her cursing.

Sugawara walked in on cue holding a mug of coffee and a black binder. “Good Morning class.” He smiled as he set down the items on his desk.

“You look nice today Sugawara-sensei!”A voice spoke from somewhere behind you. You needn't look behind you, the high pitched tone was easy to pick out. 

“Thank you.” He smoothed out his suit jacket, nodding in appreciation. His eyes scanned the room before landing on you. “L/N-san, will you come up and take roll for me please?” He gave you a sweet smile, wiggling the board your way. 

“Yes sensei.” You moved your chair back and made your way up to the front of the room. He stood on the other side of his desk, reaching across to take the clipboard and pen from his hands.

“This one is you.” He pointed to your name and smiled sweetly,“Don’t forget this time ok?”

 The class laughed at his teasing remark as you slid the pen out of his hand.

“Yes, sensei.” You mocked him in your head as you walked to the middle of the room looking around the class as you checked off the names. “Maybe if you didn’t walk into class trying to fluster me I wouldn’t have such a hard time functioning.” You finished and handed the board back to him, giving him a forced smile.

“Thank you, you can go sit down now.” He glanced up from his syllabus before sliding it out of your hand. 

Taking your seat again he began the homeroom meeting for the day. It was the same information, just saying what events the school had going on, what the menu was for the day, and if any school deadlines were coming up. Then he broke the class up for independent study as he pulled students to the front for their daily college discussion. Next week this would become a weekly discussion as homeroom would turn into a study hall period for students to get help on school work. 

You were waiting for your turn as the bell rang signaling for the classroom switches. You were a bit sad that you had been the only one left out for the day's discussions, maybe more so that you couldn’t talk to Sugawara. 

Everyone waved a goodbye to Sugawara as he exited the classroom and your next teacher settled into the next subject. Class passed by as usual, your attention fading in and out as you watched out the window. The grey storm clouds had started to roll in as the sky darkened. The sun had permanently tucked behind the clouds around noon, the chill of threatening rain permeating the window next to you.

Before long the bell rang and students made for the cafeteria. As the crowd dispersed, Yoshiki peaked his head in at you and your group of friends. 

“Hey, are you eating in here today?” He made his way over to your desk holding his own bento box. 

“Yeah, you can stay with us if you want.” You beamed as he pulled a chair over to your desk and set his lunch down. It was cutely wrapped, the cloth around it was bordered with brightly colored dinosaurs, as he opened it so were most of the food wrappers. 

“It’s my little brother's box I promise, he took my lunch this morning when he left.His cheeks tinted pink as he shook his head back and forth. He placed both hands over the box, covering it from view.

Giggling you placed a hand over his “It’s ok, dinosaurs are pretty cool.” He relaxed into his seat as you opened your own box. 

“Oh Sugawara-sensei, do you need the classroom?” Hiroto asked as Sugawara walked over to his office door.

“No.You're fine to stay here, I have a few papers to grade in my office.’’ He paused on you, looking between you and Yoshiki.”L/N-san i’m sorry I missed you for our council time.’’ He rested his hand on the doorknob, squeezing it slightly. 

“It’s ok Sugawara- sensei! The class is so big, I don’t know how you could make enough time for all of us in one day.” You waved your hand at the notion and laughed, he had no reason to feel bad. You had all year to college prep, one day wouldn’t set you back.

“I’m free after school if you want to wait in my office? We can run down your requirements before volleyball practice.” He shifted on his feet slightly, Yoshiki’s gaze heavy on him.

You agreed to the offer, thanking him as he disappeared into his office.

“Two days in a row, look at you!” Yua laughed as she slapped your back causing you to choke on your food. 

“Yua-chan he’s our teacher!” Hiroto whispered aggressively as he handed you his water bottle.

“I know, it's just funny seeing how flustered she gets.” Yua winked at you, as if her flirtatious actions would justify the burning in your throat. 

You passed the lunch period chatting amongst your friends, Yoshiki easing into the conversation as if nothing had ever happened. You were grateful for the new start, happy to have your friend back. As everyone finished their lunches, Yua and Hiroto waved a goodbye. They were on a mission to find the raccoon that lived by the track dumpsters, leftover food in tow. You and Yoshiki were left in the classroom, silence settling around you both.

“So, are you still doing soccer with Hiroto-kun?” You tried to fill the conversational gap, hoping it would disperse the awkward feeling around you two.

 “Yeah, but they pretty much benched me. The new first years are really good.” He laughed, sounding sadder than he had planned.

 You opened your mouth when the office door clicked  open and Sugawara peaked his head out.

“L/N-san come here please.” He waved a hand at you, disappearing back into his office.

You looked between the open door and Yoshiki before standing up. You turned to speak, Yoshiki already packing up his belongings.

He said a hasty goodbye, leaving before you could get a word in.

You watched as he walked out the door, turning back to the open office.

“Yes Sugawara-senpai?” You pushed the door open a little more before stepping into his office. 

It was nicer inside then you had anticipated. He had one large window facing the courtyard, while the other 2 walls adjacent to the door were lined with rows and rows of books. A large dark oak desk sat in the middle of the room, free of clutter and debris. He had pushed a small black sofa under the window, it looked comfy and worn in. Like it held more stories then the actual shelves. But the most notable feature of the room was the abundance of small and large plants placed around the room. Some sat on the windowsill, others were placed between the sections of books on the shelves. The larger plants were tucked into the corners of the room, leaves fanning out over everything nearby. But one particularly pretty pink succulent sat on his desk, perfectly positioned to sit in the ray of sun that shined through the window. It looked like it was basking in the warmth, soaking up all the sun had to offer. 

“Can you do me a favor L/N-san?” Sugawara questioned as your eyes stopped roaming. You landed on his hand, reaching out towards you, grasping something out of sight. 

You reached out and opened your hands,“Of course Sugawara-senpai.” 

He opened his hands to drop a few yen into yours. “I didn’t have time for lunch today, can you go grab me a hot drink from the vending machines by the south gym? You can get yourself something as well if you want. There should be enough money for two.” 

“I may be late for class sensei…” You cupped the warm metal, how long had he been holding the coins? They heated the palm of your hand slightly, melding with your own warmth.

”It’s ok, just come in quiet when you come back.” He sat back down, picking up a red pen.

You nodded and smiled before running off towards the south gym doors. You would hurry, maybe if you ran you would make it back before the bell rang.

“Um, what should I get him?” You scanned over the drink options presented to you.“It is flu season, maybe something that will keep him healthy? But he did say he didn’t eat lunch, what's thick. What if he fails me because I got him something gross.” You were shaking your head back and forth, this was becoming much more tasking then it should have ever been. You pushed the green tea button twice, grateful he was kind enough to give you enough money for something as well. 

The rain was starting to come down, getting heavier by the minute. You took the two hot drinks and ran for the main entrance, hoping the rain wouldn’t soak your cardigan too much before you made it inside. 

It was a short walk back to the classroom, you could hear Sugawara on the other side, he had already started the lesson. Deciding to finish your own green tea in the hallway you emptied the container before heading inside. 

You slid the door open just enough to fit inside, attempting to be quiet enough to not distract the classroom. Eyes were all on you as you closed the door and turned around to face your peers. Breathing stopped as they waited for their sensei to reprimand you for being late.

You walked over to Sugawara and handed him the tea before fishing his remaining change out of your cardigan pocket and rushing back to your desk, eyes on the floor as you sat down.

“Thank you L/N-san.”His smile was sweet and gentle as he turned back to the class. “So this diagram differs from the previous in what way?” He continued on with the lesson as everyone's gaze slowly started to leave you. 

After a few minutes it seemed as if everyone had lost interest in your tardiness, almost everyone. Two pairs of eyes from the back of the room bore holes into the back of your head for the remainder of class, you didn’t have to turn around to know who they belonged to.

----

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

----

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: The Real Housewives of Storybrooke (19/?)

A fic based on this premise here, following the lives of Storybrooke’s elite wives, with all the scandal, bitching and backstabbing that goes on behind the scenes of high society…

This verse is open for prompts!

====

[One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five] [Six] [Seven] [Eight] [Nine] [Ten] [Eleven] [Twelve] [Thirteen] [Fourteen] [Fifteen] [Sixteen] [Seventeen] [Eighteen] [AO3]

====

Nineteen

MARY MARGARET

“Stop curtain-twitching.”

“I’m not curtain-twitching!”

David raised an eyebrow and Mary Margaret sighed, coming away from the window and sitting down on the sofa beside him. Emma and Bae were out on their first official date as boyfriend and girlfriend, and although she was anxious to see their return, that was not the reason why she was looking out of the window every five minutes - especially since the two teenagers had only just left and were not expected back for at least another three hours. 

“I’m just curious,” she said eventually. 

“There’s a difference between curious and nosy. Don’t go giving the new neighbours the wrong impression now.”

“I know that.” Mary Margaret looked over her shoulder towards the window again, where three doors down a removal van was unloading several items of furniture into a house that had lain empty for months. Even from this distance, Mary Margaret could tell that whoever was moving in was not short of money. Well, moving to a town like Storybrooke always guaranteed a certain degree of affluence since property prices were so astronomically high - and if Belfrey Developments managed to get a foothold then they would sky-rocket once again. 

Hopefully, that wouldn’t happen. The end was so close that Mary Margaret could almost touch it. Just a few more bits of paperwork to sign and then they would be home and dry. Gold was confident that it would all go smoothly, but Mary Margaret couldn’t help fearing that something might happen to throw a spanner in the works at the last minute. 

Being curious about the new neighbours was helping to take her mind off it all, and she said as much to David.

“All right then, I take your point. But there’s no need to be so furtive about it. You can just go out there and introduce yourself, you know. Ask them if they need to borrow a cup of sugar or something like that.”

“Well, that’s the thing. I don’t think that the people moving in are actually there. It’s just removal men at the moment.” She went back over to the window and peered around the corner. “There’s certainly no-one standing around looking like they’re supervising and fretting about large vases being broken. There are some very impressive large vases though.”

Curiosity finally overcoming him, David came over to the window and stood beside his wife, appraising the furniture being unloaded. 

“I’m not quite sure how they’ve managed to fit all that into the truck,” he observed, just as a second truck pulled up, followed by a sleek white sports car that certainly gave Gold’s Cadillac a run for its money in the ‘most ostentatious car in the town’ stakes. 

“I think they’ve arrived,” David said mildly. “If you stop gawping long enough, you can go and say hello to them when you go out to take Neal round to Mulan and Rory’s.”

A couple got out of the car, and Mary Margaret knew immediately that they would fit right in amongst Storybrooke’s elite. Everything about their appearance screamed of the very best that money could buy. 

She couldn’t get a very good look, but she thought that they were a younger couple, perhaps just starting out. She turned away from the window with a little reluctance, going to get Neal ready for his playdate with Philip. Not that it was really a playdate; both boys were too young to do much other than sit in a play pen with various stuffed animals and soft building blocks and chew things, but it was always nice to get out of the house and meet up with friends, as opposed to the trips out of the house that took her into the office. Mary Margaret would be glad when it was all over, and she could get back to ignoring the company and focussing more on being a mother again. 

That said, though, having seen first-hand what had gone on behind her back whilst she had been on maternity leave - and if she was being honest, then it had probably been going on for a lot longer than that - something made her want to keep a much closer eye on things from now on. She was definitely going to be keeping a much closer eye on Sidney. Maybe she could delegate to Johanna and get regular reports without having to actually go in and see them all. 

At last they were ready to leave the house. Mary Margaret didn’t know what it was about babies that meant they came with so much paraphernalia, but it had been just the same with Emma. Going out always took twice as long when strollers and diaper bags and everything else had to be taken into account, but Mary Margaret would never regret any of it. 

David leaned in and kissed her cheek as she pushed the stroller out of the front door. 

“I’ll see you later. See if you can find out about the new neighbours without resorting to peering in through the front window.”

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes, but she would be lying if she said that exact thought had not already occurred to her. 

She pushed the stroller slowly down the street. Given that half of the house’s furnishings were sitting in the driveway or on the sidewalk whilst they were unloaded, she felt that she was justified in doing a bit of rubbernecking. 

The couple were nowhere to be seen, the removal men doing most of the work bringing things in off the street, so Mary Margaret hung around for a while on the pretence of either admiring the gleaming white Ferrari or waiting for a large marble sculpture that could only be described as a particularly abstract example of abstract art to be moved out of her way. 

After a few moments, the young woman who had been in the car came to the door, and on seeing Mary Margaret standing there, gave a nervous and tentative little wave. 

Mary Margaret waved back cheerfully. 

“Welcome to the neighbourhood,” she called. “I’m Mary Margaret, I live at number three.”

The woman didn’t respond, instead hurrying back inside the house, leaving Mary Margaret standing on the sidewalk, extremely puzzled by what had gone on. 

Maybe she was just incredibly shy, but all the same…

She shook off the feeling that something wasn’t quite right, accepted that the specimen of statuary wasn’t going to be moved any time soon, and manoeuvred the stroller around it, making the short journey across the town to her destination.

Mary Margaret did feel a little embarrassed on entering Mulan and Rory’s house to find that it was nowhere near as chaotic as her own was. She tried to justify the mess by considering the fact that she also had a teenager living in the house as well as two adults and a baby, but Emma had never really been that untidy. Well, no untidier than she and David were. She would have thought that owning a multi-million-dollar company would have made her more organised but given the chaos that seemed to follow her through her professional life as well as her personal one, maybe it was just destiny. 

“So, what’s been happening whilst I’ve been getting bored out of my mind in meetings and trying to stop the board members from fleecing me?” she asked, once they were all settled with refreshments and the two babies were playing happily on the carpet with soft toys. She had already heard a lot of the local gossip from David and from her other friends, but Mulan and Rory, being new to the town, always had a different perspective.

“Well, David’s been causing quite a stir bringing Neal to the mother and baby group.” Mulan grinned. “First lesbians, now fathers. I think Ashley’s beginning to see it as a sign of the end times, and she’ll hole up in a bunker soon.”

Rory laughed. “It couldn’t happen to a nicer person.”

“With any luck, maybe she’ll take Zelena with her,” Mary Margaret muttered. 

“Other than that, not much is new. We’re just plodding along with our lives. I’m sure that you’ve got much more exciting news than we have.”

Mary Margaret smiled. “Well, the paperwork is nearly signed and sealed. I just have to hope that no one does something fatal at the last minute. I mean, Gold’s done the best he can to make sure that every single possible loophole has been covered. We’re exploiting enough of them ourselves to try and get this done, after all. But I can’t help thinking that someone’s going to pull something out of the woodwork.”

“Well, we’ll just have to hope that your trusty legal advisor will get you out of any scrapes.” Mulan paused. “I don’t know all that much about Gold other than the fact he owns most of the town.”

“Oh, he’s absolutely terrifying when you first meet him, but he’s a good guy once you get to know him. He’s a very devoted husband and father. I didn’t think that cute would ever be a word I would use to describe him, but he and Belle are ridiculously cute together.” She thought back to the gala the previous weekend. Despite all the drama that had occurred around Belle and Gold, they had shrugged it all off like water off a duck’s back, and it had been nice to see them dancing together, happy and relaxed, especially knowing that Belle did not always enjoy such social occasions.

Remembering Belle’s usual tension at big events brought Mary Margaret’s mind full circle again to her new neighbours and the unusual shyness she had seen earlier in the day.

“We have new people moving in on our street today,” she said by way of restarting the conversation. “They’ve only just arrived, so we don’t know anything about them.”

Rory raised an eyebrow. “Somehow I sense a ‘but’.”

“What? No, no, no buts.”

Rory remained unconvinced and Mary Margaret sighed. “Ok, ok. But I just get the impression that there’s something not quite right about them.”

Rory and Mulan looked at each other, digesting this statement for a moment.

“I know, I know, I’ve only seen them for about ten seconds, and moving house is a very stressful business during which no one is ever in their right mind, but still… you know when you get a gut feeling about something?”

Rory nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Still, I’m sure you’ll find out more about them sooner or later.”

Mary Margaret nodded, but even so, there was something about the newcomers that she couldn’t put out of her mind.

[czechthecount]

Rialto Beach, Washington

September 7th 2017: Although this was just the second day of my camping trip to La Push, this day was certainly the most memorable out of the whole week, and definitely one of the most memorable days of my life … up to now. I don’t know why, but the sheer amount of joy and happiness that I felt throughout this day was simply at such high levels that I was honestly so close to crying happy tears at various points of the day. Maybe it was that this solo trip that I was planning all summer long actually took place, maybe it was just the initial sort of excitement and adrenaline you get at the beginning of each adventure, maybe it the fact that my tent was not swept away by any of the waves in the night, maybe it was the looping sound of crashing waves that just relaxed me, maybe it was the beautifully refreshing mist that anyone from the Pacific Northwest is used to, or maybe it was just the absolutely stunning landscape of lush green forest just a beach width away from the majestic sea stacks that were in the water. Even though I might have lost some sleep since this was my first night at this spot, and I set up my tent relatively close to the water at low tide, I wasn’t sure if the high tide that was going to come at 2 AM was going to flood my tent or not. But I set up an alarm for about 1 AM just to be sure. And even though at first I was quite annoyed at having to wake up, after a few seconds of hearing the thunderous noise that the waves were making, it was clear that I had to get out of the tent to check to see how far the water reached. Thankfully my tent was a safe distance away from the shore, but nonetheless I stayed out for about half an hour just looking to see how far the waves would reach. I honestly can’t say that I’ve ever experienced a moment that was so equally stressful, yet relaxing as the beauty of being at the beach in the middle of the dark night is truly amazing. Unfortunately the alarm that I had set for sunrise didn’t bring good news, as the misty fog outside my tent hid the scenic sea stacks behind such a thick layer, that there was no point in getting up. Fortunately the conditions improved slightly once I eventually woke up a few hours later and was greeted to one of the most beautiful morning views imagine. I didn’t even care that it was this misty, because that’s what makes the Olympic Peninsula so magically unique. Full of excitement and eagerness to make the most out of my time, I set off to explore as much of the surrounding area. But of course only after making sure the bear canister with my food was still where I originally hid it. The only sad thing from this whole day was when I finally noticed why the view of the sea stack looked different from the postcards, because I finally realized that a whole sea stack was missing. If you look closely at the second photo, you’ll see that it’s not just one big rock, but rather it’s multiple giant chunks of what used to be one tall rock in the water. With the force that is mother nature and continuing evaporation due to the sheer strength of endless waves, strong wind and misty environment of Rialto Beach, not even this rock could withstand all this pressure. This was unfortunately a reminder that not everything in life is forever, not even the landscape. So if you’re ever wondering if you should go out and travel to visit a spot you’ve always wanted to, you should probably not wait, because who knows if in in a few years it’s still going to be there. One of those could potentially be one of my favorite elements from this beach, which was the so called Hole-In-The-Wall, which is what this sea arch literally looks like. While the hole is sealed of during high tide, you can walk underneath and through the arch during low tide. This was hard for me to imagine in the morning, because the water level was quite high and it almost looked like there was no beach around the corner. Nonetheless after a little round trip where I took so many photos of the various spots on the beach and who knows how many photos of the sea stacks in the mist and after a short break in my tent to hide from all the rain, I returned to taking more photos of the same spots, except this time the mist had slowly evaporated, a soft glow of the sun was faintly becoming visible and the beach beautifully opened up as it was time for low tide. It was so incredible to see all the tide pools creating reflections on the beach, along with all the rocks that were originally in the water starting to appear. Eventually even the sun appeared in all its colorful beauty and just when it looked like there might be an actual sunset, another wave of mist returned. So instead of a red sunset, I ended up getting the true mysterious twilight mood that the area around Forks is known for thanks to a book you’ve pretty heard of.  Although I didn’t end up going as far down the coast as I originally planned before having to return to my tent, I was more than happy with how magical the day turned out. It would have been nice to be at multiple places at once to experience all the spots for each all conditions that were so rapidly changing towards the end. Nonetheless, I jumped into my tent for the night as happy as I possibly could have been because I would certainly not complain if I would ever have the opportunity to live this exact day all over again. more photos from this area

[hellolightbulbmoments]

Our trip to Ghana (part 2)

Keta

This village town is about two hours drive East of Accra. It's got great views of the Volta River, it's got its own lagoon and is close to the sea so a great place for water lovers. We came here to stay in the holiday home of my mum's friend's brother-in-law. His place was really nice, large rooms with en-suite, a swimming pool and plenty of things to do in the river like canoeing, paddle boarding, jet skiing. It was the first place that I have ever kayaked, and the place where Hannah got terrible sunburn in her legs but it was fun.

We drove far east of Ghana and were almost an hour away from the capital of the next country. During the journey back we stopped over at our first slave trade fort, Prinzenstein one owned by the Danes. It was in pretty bad condition considering more than half of it was washed away by the sea, but there was enough of it left for us to get an idea of what went on. Our tour guide told showed us where the women used to bathe, where they slept, and where they were sold. We saw a model of the full fort which looked large. Unfortunately, the upstairs was too dangerous for us to walk on but that's where the generals quarters would have been.

Cape coast

Our time in Accra and Keta was fun and although we enjoyed the tourist attractions we seemed to be the only ones around. That was all about to change when we entered the former capital of Ghana. Cape Coast is a place booming with tourists attractions as well as local and international tourists.

Cape Coast castle

The first of two castles we visited at Cape Coast and I would say the first proper museum we visited in Ghana not because it was large and had loads of tourists in it (we were unfortunate to have a large group of schoolgirls in front of us), but because of the information that was provided. There were books and pamphlets in the ticket hall, a gift shop, and the self-guided tour section had loads of pictures and text to go along with it. There was a section that replicated the inside of a slave ship and another that replicated the ring where slaves would be sold. It was impressive and added to the effect of the area's sad history.

The castle itself was very well built and was better preserved than the one in Keta. Originally built by the Swiss for trading slaves it was taken over by the British who did the same thing. We saw the dungeons where the male and female slaves were kept. Our tour guide was very good and simulating what it felt like to be down there by giving us detailed descriptions while turning off all electric lights as there wouldn't have been any in those times. The floors which were originally brick were caked with a layer of hard grey which was years of human [faeces] and dirt which was a surprise to me, as well as the bad sanitation that was in the dungeons.

We saw a prison that was used for both slaves and misbehaving officers which was built in an interesting way. The first section had a door with holes where the white soldiers were kept for a day. The second section behind the first had a much thicker door which no holes and it lead to a place which no ventilation whatsoever. This is where the misbehaving slaves were kept and were left there until they died. We walked along the edge of the castle closest to the sea which had loads of cannons, these were used to fend off invading pirates and attacking countries. Each castle had a fort nearby built on a hill so a lookout could spot the enemy from afar. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit any forts in Cape Coast but we might do that on a future trip.

We then walked up to the place where the governors would stay which was a drastic difference to the dungeons. They had large rooms with plenty of windows, there were kitchens and bathrooms. Many of those rooms had been modified and were being used as offices. I know Osu castle (which we didn't visit) has been completely taken over by those in government and used as offices.

Cape Coast castle was such a great tourist attraction and I recommend it for anyone visiting Ghana.

Elmina castle

This castle is a similar size to Cape Coast castle but was originally built for a different purpose. This was the first castle built in Africa around 1400 by the Portuguese to share the gospel and for fair trade. They traded gold for things like mirrors, guns, gunpowder and so on. However, when Columbus discovered the Caribbean islands and the riches it contained, they realised they needed people to work on them, for various reasons they decided to take the people from Ghana to those islands and the castle changed from a place of goods trade to a place of the slave trade.

I don't want to go too much into the history of what happened but I will say once again our tour guide did a very good job of explaining it to us and showing us around.  We started in a church at the centre of the castle, then moved to the storage places which later became the dungeons for slaves. There were loads of similarities between this place and Cape Coast castle. The conditions in which the slaves were kept in was worse than animals. Misbehaving officers were kept in a prison with air and light for a day whereas misbehaving/revolting slaves were kept in a much worse prison and left to die. We saw a ball and chain in the courtyard of the women which was used to torture the slaves who refused to sleep with the generals that requested them. It was all very moving, especially seeing the gate of no return, the place where the slaves would leave to go on boats.

This castle, unlike Cape Coast, showed clear signs of a takeover. The Portuguese lost it to the Dutch who had reinforced it after destroying parts of it and built their own protestant church as opposed the Catholic Portuguese one and built their own kitchen.

I think it's amazing how much of the castle was preserved in the condition that it was. This castle, in particular, was around 600 year old and rooms were still being used as offices and gift shops.

Kakum National Park

Our final tourist attraction in Cape Coast was the Kakum National Park. I had heard a lot about this place before visiting Ghana, the famous canopy walkway that was so high up people were so afraid to set foot on it. I spoke to someone at work who closed her eyes all the way across.  So upon entering the park I was pretty nervous, I didn't know what to expect.

Upon paying for our tickets we sat in the wooden waiting area and watched a documentary on the cape cost tourism board. A group of American students also came to the waiting area before our tour began.  Once again, we were touring with school kids. We let them go ahead of us as we toured through the rainforest.  We were told there were 240 elephants in Kakum, all sorts of snakes and birds, but unfortunately, we didn't see any of them, what we did see however were large ants, driver ants. Our tour guide told us not to step on them as their death would all an army of them to attack. Inevitably someone didn't listen and killed a few ants, we were told to run quickly across the path as not to get swarmed, so we did, this made the tour feel a bit rushed.

We got to the canopy which was really high up above the ground but it was incredibly well reinforced. The wooden walkway was on top of a metal ladder type structure placed horizontally. The walkway was walled with a thick rope mesh and there were ropes all around it to keep it from falling, this put my nerves at ease, this and the knowledge that since the park had been built no one has ever fallen through the walkway.

We walked through first and the Americans walked behind us. There were about 20 students overall which made the bride feel very wobbly but safe enough for us to take videos and pictures of it. We were on and off all 4 bridges in less than 15 minutes and I wanted to do the whole thing again.

Conclusion

Although I wasn't a huge fan of the humid heat, the long long car journeys, and the mosquito bites I enjoyed my time in Ghana overall.

I really missed having Hausa Koko, Tom brown or Cerelac for breakfast with hard dough bread. The taste of fried plantain and beans, goat meat kebabs, grilled chicken with Jollof, Malta Guinness, and of course, Milo with evaporated milk. Fresh coconut juice, watermelons, sugar cane, pawpaws, and mangos were also great additions to my diet.

I enjoyed having conversations with family members I hadn't seen in a while and brushing up on my [Fante]. It was weird at first seeing billboard, adverts and TV shows with just black people on them, especially for brands that are in the UK as well like Vodafone and Barclays, but I got used to it after a while and it was actually sort of refreshing. It was also quite shocking to see loads people on the roads selling food, open shipping containers on dirt pavements with shops, and driving on bumpy dirt roads. A lot Ghana to my surprise looked very third world, even in Accra, the capital. I was shocked to see that at first, but like most things there I got used to it.

For those who have been swung by this article and really want to visit Ghana, I have a few tips for you. Make sure you keep the fan on when you sleep, it makes it harder for the mosquitos to bite you. Don't drink water from the taps or eat any vegetables. The water is safe to drink and eating vegetables that have been washed in said water isn't good either. Take a face towel with you or buy one when you're there, you'll sweat so much that it will be uncomfortable so the towel will be your best friend. Take money out of an ATM instead of a forex bureau, the exchange rates are usually better. And finally, be a generous tipper.

[lindoig8]

Another excursion

Sunday 23 May

We had another long drive today – and a most interesting one at that. We (more or less – actually more) followed the second suggested itinerary given to us by the shop. We did the other one to the East MacDonnells a few days ago.

We were a bit later than usual getting away today - almost 10.30 and we were planning a 330 km trip that ended up being almost 400. We went 90 kilometres east on the Plenty Highway, past where we went fossicking on Friday. (We have had the Plenty on our ‘ToGo’ list for years and still have almost 300 kilometres untrod.)

We passed most of the spectacular Harts Range - probably still part of the East McDonnells, but at least as spectacular. They parallel the road (or does the road parallel them?) for maybe 30 km or so and they are stark and dramatic, wonderfully shaped with pyramids and eroded overhangs, rounded bluffs and rocky precipices - we tried to take a few pics, but you simply have to see the real thing to appreciate the beauty. With so many trees blocking the view, photos are problematic but watching as you drive along, being able to see several kilometres of the range at a time, imagining the forces that created them, and then shaped them into their current architecture, is simply awesome. The same goes for many of Australia’s natural landscapes - nowhere more so than where we ate lunch - it is just soooo frustrating not to be able to convey a hint of the grandeur in either words or photos. At least we have seen it for ourselves and it is embedded in our memories to be recalled and refreshed at will, perhaps even embellished, even if we can only share a diffused shadow of the majesty with others. It is not always that these sights are huge, but they tower above the specks that we present on the landscape and they are unique in that they simply aren’t anywhere else. We see them in Australia because if they were anywhere else, they would be different.

Ninety clicks from camp, we turned north on yet another section of the Binns Track. We have actually travelled quite a bit of the Binns Track in various sections. It was created some years ago as a tourist route running more or less north-south, some on pretty ordinary tracks and some on major highways. It meanders for 2230 kilometres, starting at Timber Creek and finishing at Mt Dare – or is it the other way around. We have probably driven at least a quarter of it in small sections.

We crossed the dry and very sandy Plenty River and on to Mount Swan. Despite the signage, we only got to the gates of the Mt Swan Station, via two different tracks, and only saw Mt Swan itself in the near distance - a mass of rocky outcrops and ledges with deep shadowy crevices as far as I could see.

Then it was on to Tower Rock where we ate our lunch. It is a bit like Queensland’s Devil’s Marbles on steroids - mountains of red and orange rocks, big boulders, huge boulders and even bigger boulders and more extensive than I recall from our visit to the Devil’s Marbles. Utterly spectacular!

Eating our lunch!

The site is called the Mac & Rose Chalmers Conservation Park in memory of a couple who lived in the area and protected it for many years. (We believe that the owners of the caravan park here are the sons of the Chalmers and that they grew up on a farm near Tower Rock.) Their joint grave is adjacent to the small camping area where we had lunch and marvelled at the mountains of beautiful coloured rocks. It was a very special place in the remotest area and I am sure we will remember it.

The itinerary we were following had us backtracking nearly 40 kilometres at that point, but we had a map that allowed us to go a little further (past the Chalmers’ farm-gate) and loop back to where the itinerary was taking us. We decided to do that and hope that the road was still OK. It had been pretty rough in places to that point and one always needs to be watchful in case a mammoth bull or his equally daunting harem should appear on the road unannounced.

We succeeded in finding our own way, despite missing one turn and heading a few kilometres in the wrong direction, but we found our way back via yet another section of the Binns Track to the Box Hole Crater, arriving from the opposite direction from that marked on our mud-map.

This is yet another meteorite crater (and there are still several more in the area that we haven’t explored), maybe two or three hundred metres across, perhaps more eroded and less dramatic than the Henbury Craters, but still pretty amazing standing up from an otherwise flat landscape and enough to make one think what it must be like to be near the site of a meteorite strike. One crater we saw a week or so ago was believed created by a rock of only 600 grams. There may well be hundreds more rocks heading for Earth, each weighing thousands of tons, so it is not hard to imagine the end of the Dinosaur Age. Maybe the end of the Human Age is just around the corner (of Space-Time).

We drove the 140 clicks home with no real stops apart from a few for photos and a detour through the Aboriginal Settlement at Atitjere. We had passed another similar settlement without detouring, but this one was only a kilometre off the road and I wanted to check the fuel prices there - not cheap! But it was interesting to reflect on what life must be like for such isolated communities, and even for the denizens of the few station homesteads we passed. I am sure their expectations are very different from those of more urban dwellers and they certainly adapt to the conditions and presumably enjoy them, but there are some things that I would have trouble coping with long-term. The water tastes a bit funny and everything is constantly dusty and gritty. The skin on my hands, in particular, is always dry and scratchy and the prickles are always in your shoes and socks and get embedded in the carpet or distributed on the floor. Picky, picky - but I could still enjoy being here for a few more months (at least). I certainly enjoy the proximity of so many unfamiliar (and familiar) birds and I am slowly building a short list of wonderful trees I just love seeing - the River Red Gums, Ghost Gums and Weeping Myalls and the to name just a few.

[aleatoryalarmalligator]

Life Story Part 65

The 2007 Austin City Limits festival was the first music festival I ever went to. It sounded enormous and grand and it was kind of experience I had never had and didn't know what to expect from. We got up quite early the morning before, to drive down to Austin and be there on time for everything. Austin was an hour away from Alex's parent's home. We goal was,  to go to sleep the night before and make sure we were well rested for the next day – which we all knew might very well be full of fatigue and hectic energy, but of course I did not sleep. I never sleep when my brain tells me to sleep. I respond only to my instincts, and my instincts don't like when my mind tells it to do stuff. I stayed up anxiously instead of course. I was excited, but I felt kind of awful in a way at the very same time. To a certain extent, I was afraid I wasn't cool enough to go anywhere. Honestly, I was a total wreck and it was only getting worse from here for me. I just felt ugly, and poor -essentially. Sarah loved me for who I was, but in all honesty, I had no decent clothes to wear. So I took this oversized neon pink shirt and I wrote NEIL YOUNG on the front – just to have something kind of interesting or worthy of note to wear. Most girls my age who went to these festivals were dressed like gorgeous hippies. Their skin was perfect, they had perfect faces and figures. Their clothing was exotic and unique. I had nothing and I knew that compared to these girls, I was fat and ugly and forgettable.

I pinned my rainbow hair tightly to my head. I figured it would help me survive the heat and keep my hair out of my face. It looked like I had short hair. It would be the only thing I wore all weekend. I never sleep the night before a trip or great undertaking of any kind. Call it a strange sort of stubbornness I have when it comes to doing something rational, call it anxiety, I can't make myself do it. I wait till the last minute, often telling myself to go to sleep, go to sleep over and over, only getting more and more anxious and disoriented the more I try. My heart beats faster and faster. How do people tell themselves to do anything? I just feel sick and shaky the next morning, and I've done this to myself time and time again. I am good natured in the morning though. I know what I do, and I don't take it out on people. I have never really liked morning grouchiness.

Sarah and Alex probably had thirty dollars to their name. They didn't have a job, or very much food. We bought a twelve pack of knock off Coca Cola, and some rich chocolate cookies that Alex liked. That would be our food for the entire weekend. All the money had been spent on tickets to the festival and an incredibly low end hotel. I had maybe ten dollars to my name that would have to somehow last me all weekend.

Even at six in the morning, the Austin streets were packed. I don't know if it was due to the festival or what, but I couldn't believe how busy traffic was. Our hotel was in a terrible part of town, and the hotel itself didn't have a running toilet, which maintenance got sent up to fix on more than one occasion. Still, despite these negative realities, I was stoked to be doing something. I was happy to not be holed up hiding in my mother's bathroom for nine hours straight– excellent as the book I might be holding was; trying to avoid the hell of my family, or any mirror in sight, which would show me my puffy face, the streaks of tears from clenching my right eye shut due to intensely bad eyesight that was only getting worse and worse. Or the weight I was gaining. I wasn't per say afraid to leave the house yet, but it was getting closer and closer. I had been shutting down, and inside, though I didn't let myself feel emotions anymore, I was beginning to panic. I had been terribly lonely. I was forgetting what being alive felt like or meant. Intellectually, I tried to understand life. But there was nothing to understand at the same time. Some aspects of living just involve the dynamic and immediate presence of experience. Anger, joy, sex, fear, jealousy. I had nothing. It's good to reflect, but things need to occur to you in order to have a life. You have to make mistakes, experience joy. The feelings I did have were unstable manifestations that my brain hormones sometimes kicked in on nights when I was alone or lonely, and the lights were too dim. I would pace on these nights, feeling simultaneously euphoric, like I was waiting for some great thing to happen that never would, and complete suicidal misery. And underneath that, there seemed to be simply a case of internal death that I had to do everything in my power to keep at bey.

This concert was everything to me. I was so ecstatic to be doing something for once. I would be seeing The White Stripes and Bob Dylan for the first time. What I would not have given the many years I suffered through high school to be where I was. And most all the money I had ever made in my entire life had been entirely been for this. It didn't matter if I got dehydrated or starved. I was here.

The whole process of getting into the festival was complex. We first went down to downtown Austin. Texas is very conservative, but Austin is a bit different. There, we waited in a line that went on and on for about two miles down sidewalks. I had not realized what an event Austin City Limits actually was. And the city people were very friendly. Idaho people are quiet and reserved. People in cities are very outgoing. If they like your shoes, you will hear about it, or if they think you fucked them over in some way, they will let you know. I found it strangely refreshing. From there, we finally came to an area where they had designated buses to take us the miles away from the downtown to where they were holding the festival. It was a long process.

They took us to the gates of the festival eventually, in a big field. They frisked us, and checked our backpacks. I had brought nothing. We weren't allowed to bring beverages. They wanted people to drink and buy the stuff from inside the festival. I didn't really like that idea. The water ended up being three fifty for a very minute bottle of water. And it was over 100 degrees outside – and humid. I couldn't believe it. There were moments where the sun beat down so hard I wondered if I could even breath properly. I had enough money for three bottles of water. Alex didn't think we could afford water either. But there was so much to see. There were so many people there. So many young beautiful people who I could never be. I overhead two rich girls talking about how her father was going to send her out to see the Led Zeppelin reunion in Europe, and the other girl talked about how annoyed she was that her family was choosing to summer somewhere exotic, and she wanted to go to another place that summer.

I couldn't believe that kind of nonchalant wealth existed. I seemingly had nothing in common with these multitude of festival brats who danced everywhere. I am pretty sure they were the reason that everything was so expensive at the festival – partly. It was hard to understand that summering in Spain rather than Italy was a problem worth considering, when one of my basic problems was honestly the fact that I was running out of underwear that wasn't tearing to pieces and having no money to buy, and my eyes were always stinging and oozing this stick substance. I felt ugly and gross compared to these girls. I felt concrete class envy. I flat out didn't believe these girls deserved to go to Paris on a whim whenever they so chose when I, and many other people like me were suffering. And forget me, think of all the various concerns that people have in other places. It made me sick. And yet, I guess I was a little happy to be who I was as well. These girls would never fully be developed, at least not the way I saw it. Not to dehumanize rich girls, and not to say that they are not valid. For all I know, these girls suffered psychologically in ways I couldn't understand. I just didn't think so.

We quickly decided to take shelter in one of the tented areas. We were really only there for Queens of the Stone Age on day one. Elsewhere, there were several stages set up, and several different kinds of acts playing. People were happy. There was so much going on here, you could never take it all in. And the Texas sun burned down on all of it. Why people lived here, I didn't know.

The tented small area we went to was the gospel tent that seated maybe fifty people. It was a special area. So we sat and listened to soul and gospel. It wasn't something I was used to. The church music I had always been used to was pretty awful. Small town church stuff, where everyone just kind of sings in monotone through their nose. These people really wanted to feel something. Their was an all consuming fullness in their faith. They wanted to dance and feel it, the crowd, and the performers. Though I didn't catch the holy spirit myself (probably allergic), I grew to admire the spirit of the whole thing, and it opened my eyes kind of in a way I can't really explain.

We decided to leave that area and walk around to look for something to drink. I think Sarah and I ended up sharing a bottle of water, which I drank with an anguish and unbridled passion. But soon enough that water was gone, and we were even more broke. The sun was beginning to really get to me. Alex was faring far better than we were. My legs hurt, my throat became so dry that when I swallowed I could feel the walls of the insides of my neck sticking together a little. I began to get dizzy. But I had to stay upright and not let this get to me. For a time, we watched some fiddle band playing a rendition of the Devil Went Down to Georgia. But we realized we needed to get into place early if we wanted to be in front for Queens of the Stone Age. So we ended up watching this Contemporary Free Jazz band called Bella Fleck and the Fleck Tones (forgive me if I misspelled), which revolves around this really complex bassist who plays lead bass. It was the second to last act before Queens of the Stone Age played. I liked Queens of the Stone Age, but Sarah and Alex loved them. It was probably the sun, but I resented the music as I faded in and out of consciousness. All around me, corporate hippies danced. I eventually fell over and laid in the grass. People were annoyed (I took up valuable dancing space), but I simply couldn't stand anymore. I knew the ground was disgusting at this point but I hardly cared. I could not stand any longer. Sarah and Alex tried to pry me off the ground, but to no avail.

Then, this wonderful girl in her early twenties who had been standing besides me picked my head up off the ground and gave me water. I felt like a baby, and it was kind of weird, but I went with it. She then took out this magical contraption (a small necklace fan), and she fanned my face. She gave me water and fanned my face for a good forty minutes. Sarah and Alex were amused. I felt helpless, but went with it. She was really a sweet person too. She saw I was down, and she decided to help. I laid on her a little bit. She was fairly plump, with long blonde hair, and a cowboy hat. I tried to apologize, but she just hushed me. In my delirium, I decided to believe she was this maternal elemental being had I never had but understood in this deep primitive way. Free jazz continued to play around us, and people continued to dance, getting used to me as an inevitable

She was there to see the next act, which would be Crowded House, which had recently reformed (if you can't remember who they are, just remember they did that 'Hey Now, Hey Now' song). She explained to me that she loved Crowded House, and they had been separated for several years, and were finally back together, and she didn't mind caring for me, but she had to stop to see them. She didn't mind if I laid there still, she just couldn't fan me anymore. She even gave me the fan to keep. I don't think I ever fully thanked her enough. And as miracles happen, it began to rain and cool down. I felt ridiculous seeing Crowded House for some reason. It really started raining when they sang their signature hit. People were singing along and took the rain as a sign of some mysterious good fortune. Still, I felt so much better due to that precious angel of a girl. She left after Crowded House. I can only hope that good things came her way in her life.

Queens of the Stone Age was good, not great, but good. I told Sarah and Alex that I loved it, but I didn't. I merely liked it – with consideration to the immense heat and thirst and exhaustion (mind you I hadn't slept for about forty-eight hours).They didn't really perform that well outdoors. There was a lack of intimacy with the crowd. Something in their sound was lost. Sarah and Alex were leaping for joy of course. Couldn't go against that.

We got back to the hotel. The knock off cola was about seventy-five degrees but I guzzled it anyway. My stomach love/hated me for it, burning and gobbling it up simultaneously. I was starving, but somehow those cookies made me me feel like I was going to vomit. My shirt was soaked in sweat. I scorned that morning's self for only going with what was on my back. I wanted to shower, but I was afraid that if I did then I would have to smell my shirt. If you are dirty, then you don't smell how rotten your clothing actually smell. I know – it's cheating yourself because you actually smell foul, but I knew I would only wake up and smell foul again the second I left the room, so I stayed. It didn't cross my mind to wash the shirt with me that night. Plus, the toilet wouldn't work and it took a very long time for the maintenance men to arrive. I fell asleep watching Bleach and Blood Plus trying to make sense of these weird anime dialogues on adultswim in the gross hotel. We promised ourselves begrudgingly that we would at least go find a Subway somewhere the next day.

The next morning, I was excited, despite still feeling exhausted, smelling damn near like vomit and still thirsty and hungry. I was developing quite a sunburn. We managed to find a Subway. I chomped that sandwich down so fucking hard. Then we got on the buses and we went back to the ACL festival. The same scene pretty much. We walked around a little bit. This was part of a dream come true for me. I was finally going to see The White Stripes. I remembered freaking out at my mother and just wanting to hurt her, but compromising by taking the folded clothes and throwing them at her. No longer was my anger necessary. I was going to really see Jack White, someone I had always imagined was my older brother. I just felt like he could be. He was pale, with black frizzy hair. He was weird, and sort of built. I had always wanted an older brother – I guess I just made up in my mind that Jack White filled those shoes somehow. The White Stripes had meant so much for me creatively as a person. Their songs had been there with me when I was crushing so hard over Zack that my chest hurt and I was left to sit it out in that dark room for months and months. I loved Meg to death too. She was such a unique and ethereal symbol of something honest and intense and yet silent. I was so excited.

At first, I really did my best to block out the whispers I was hearing. People around us kept talking about how the White Stripes had bailed. Everyone was speculating as to why that was. I didn't want to believe it, so I simply pretended I had not heard it. Eventually, a girl came up to Sarah, Alex and confirmed it by warning us directly. I was speechless. I had gone above and beyond to try to see them. We sat there at these benches and processed the information. Really, on day two I don't know if there was that much I wanted to see. I didn't actually know that many bands back then. Looking at that lineup now, I might have wanted to stay. Amy Winehouse was playing, Arcade Fire, Wilco. I would have loved to have seen them. But Alex had other plans, and Sarah and I followed behind him. He was walking very fast, as we scampered behind trying to keep up, still trying to process that I wouldn't be seeing the White Stripes. As it happened, the White Stripes had canceled their tour. That was the first concert they canceled on. The canceled tour turned into hiatus. Hiatus eventually became official break up three years later. They only played live one more time, live on television. I literally missed the White Stripes by the skin of their teeth. And it truly does not seem like they will ever be getting back together. Meg White was done. She was just done. I don't know why, but she was, and I have to respect that. Jack White's solo stuff was okay. It really didn't do it for me though.

We ended up going back to the downtown area of Austin. It took me awhile to get the proper communication of what the heck we were doing. I guess Queens of the Stone Age was playing at a venue that day. They were in town from yesterday, and were going to do a show that day. We didn't have tickets – which were sold out, but Alex wanted to see if we could magically get into the venue anyway. He was a man on a mission. I was sort of confused as to why he thought we could procure tickets with what little money we had. We found the venue eventually after asking directions. I could see the capital building which was somehow specifically memorable in this strange sort of way. We came up on the venue, and there were people there, a small crowd of maybe twenty five to thirty people, even though the concert wasn't going to start for several hours. Alex and Sarah asked around. It turned out, they were going to do a top secret acoustic set before they did their main concert. The only people who were there was twenty five people who won some kind of radio contest, who knew about it. Alex, Sarah and I, and this one guy who was madly obsessed and just came early for the main show.

It was rather exciting to be privy to this little concert that so few people knew about. It wasn't The White Stripes by any means. But it was definitely cool. There is a live recording of this performance online. They covered Christian Brothers by Elliott Smith. If you look carefully upon the ground, you can see Sarah's, Alex's and my shadow against the gate. We were not allowed in at first, and we simply watched from behind the metal gate. Afterwards, Josh Homme, the singer and his other band member, Troy something let us in through the gates, telling the venue workers to open the gates for us four, and we were let in.

Josh Homme and Troy walked around meeting everyone. Sarah came up and asked for a hug and (I think) a picture if my memory serves me well. Some man kept taxing Josh Homme about how he wanted Josh Homme to remember him from some concert four years previous. It was very interesting. It was mostly exciting because it was not what I had ever imagined would happen. It all seemed almost choreographed to me, like our good fortune in the situation was too good to be true. I didn't think we would be meeting Queens of the Stone Age ever in such an intimate setting. Josh Homme was friendly in an aloof sort of way. Sarah got bold, and she asked Troy if he knew anything about getting tickets to the show. He was very nice about it – like surprisingly concerned about us getting in. He told us he would see what he could do, he went into the building and he came out with two tickets. Free. We couldn't believe our fortune. Now, all we needed was a third ticket. Sarah was prepared to ask on our behalf. We all three figured she would have the best luck weaseling a ticket since she was not chubby and weird and socially awkward like myself. She was tiny and cute and brimming with irresistible charm, unlike myself. Alex was just another dude. Nobody was going to pay any attention to him. As Sarah went around talking to people, she was randomly confronted by this man – who, was so happy he had met his idol, he couldn't even handle the concert. It made literally no sense, but he wanted to give his third ticket away to us for free. He didn't even know that we only needed one more in order for all three of us to have tickets. And so, it just worked as naturally as that. We got in to the venue.

I did a strange thing as I went into the venue. For some reason, at the ticket booth outside the door, I just started to dash into the building without having my ticket checked. I just tried to bolt right in. Because of this, the men at the door grabbed me. It was my own fault. I looked like a lunatic trying to get in for nothing, I really really did. Actually, Sarah and Alex had been checked in before me, and I suddenly became incredibly anxious to lose them and my impulse control gave way. Anyway, it was all good once they realized I had a ticket. It was an interesting feeling, being grabbed by two people from both sides. I just suddenly lost control of my body and was being held back, almost like losing your ability to move in a dream.

We got to the very front and held our places. The venue piled up behind us. The crowd was mostly men, many of them quite inebriated. One man was hollering louder than I had ever heard anyone holler. He was just screaming hoarsely and inaudibly. I could really not believe how loud he was. At some point during the concert, another man tried to beat this hollering man up to try to make him stop since he was ruining the concert. Hollering man was so loud that he could outshout the P.A. I really hated it. There were two opening acts. The first act had many member and they really sounded like a band from the sixties, but weren't. They didn't stick with me. They were a jam band more or less.

Dax Riggs was next. I  had never heard of him, and at first I wanted to dislike him. But his voice was beautiful, and he was glowing with some otherworldly presence that is very hard for me to describe. Vocally, to me, it is comparable to Van Morrison at his best, mixed with Kurt Cobain, something bluesy, and something metalish and folkish and everythingish. Nothing is like Dax Riggs. It's definitely hard to explain unless you know why Dax Riggs is. The people I have met who know who Dax Riggs is get it without me explaining. And the rest of you all will not get it no matter how hard I try to express the glory of Dax Riggs. His presence was very strong. His eyes looked possessed. It was one of my most cherished performances I have been fortunate enough to be present for. I think I caught Dax Riggs at some weird place in his life. I can truly say that I think he is one of the top most underrated musicians I know.

Queens of the Stone Age eventually came out, and their light show as amazing. The whole concert was very loud. It might in a very real way have damaged my hearing a bit. They were much better in a club than they were at a festival. I loved it and was just blown away. At the end of the show, Sarah, Alex and I walked through downtown Austin at night. We walked through places where there were clubs and parties, and other places where there were homeless people. I genuinely didn't have anything to give else I might have given something, but what I really feared was the communication with a stranger, of which I was too socially anxious to emotionally handle. So I pretended I was insane, bugging my eyes and twitching. Sure enough, the homeless men looked me over and accessed I had nothing to give. I could almost read their thoughts, 'who is this crazy bitch?' We went back to the gross hotel, I decided I had to take a bath. I just had to. I had never been so disgustingly filthy in my entire life. When I got out of the tub, I took a smell of my shirt. How I had been able to wear that without gagging I shall never know. There is a point where your clothes might smell bad, like a skunk. Then there was this shirt, which now had become so thickly soaked in my sweat basking in the Texas sun that it now smelled like horrendous vomit. I realized that the only thing do to was to wash the shirt in the bath with me. I fell asleep that night in soaking clothes watch more weird anime battles I scarcely could follow.

Day three. I was looking forward to seeing the incredible Bob Dylan. I still could not believe he was a real person. I looked myself in the mirror and envied that girl because she knew she was going to see Bob Dylan, and somehow that girl was me. We set off for day three, which of course was very hot. We had to make the decision between food and liquids. We didn't have money for Subways. We would have to live on two bottles of water for the entire day. We trekked over to the area Bob Dylan would be playing fairly early because there were apparently a lot of people who wanted to see him. We watched the tail end of a band called Bloc Party, which I wasn't really into. Then My Morning Jacket played. I didn't like them at the time. I just didn't get it. The singer was dressed like a Hawaiian hula dancer. I like them okay now though I confess they still aren't really my thing. For about six months come five years, I spent a little time thinking the singer was a little bit cute (probably the only full-bearded guy I ever thought so about). He had a brief period where he seemed mildly cute.

We looked around us, and people were really and I mean really crowding in to see Bob Dylan. What's more, it was sort of like Where's Waldo. There were so many young men dressed as Bob Dylan from different periods of his life hair and all. There was young first album Bob's, Transition between acoustic and electric Bobs. Electric Bob's with sunglasses, post-motorcycle-accident Bobs, lowkey-seventies Bobs, and going into even later. It seemed weird to me. Like, I wondered how Bob felt about this. Though I read a book of interviews with him once, I feel like Bob Dylan – personality wise, has always been kind of a mystery. He doesn't maintain a core personality, and yet he does. The only thing that stays the same is his preference for obscurity and privacy. He's like the wind. You can't get too close. And what you do see or grow to understand is that he is painfully normal, flawed even. Possibly boring in some ways. It's interesting that someone like that can also produce the body of work he has produced.  

The crowd got bigger and bigger. I tried to look out behind us (we were in the second row of Bobs) but all I saw behind us was a sea of people tightly packed as far as the eye could see. There was no getting out either. The crowd itself was not a mean one. People were trying to adjust in a friendly way. I saw several counterfeit versions of Bob who were tall give their space to the smaller counterfeit Joan Baez knock offs so they could see better. All the same, the crowd became tighter and tighter. It was some time before Bob came out on stage, but we all felt it coming closer. And as we all felt it coming closer, the crowd squished tighter and tighter. We were body to body into some strange new life form, a single body with the same intent. Finally, the unthinkable happened and Bob Dylan himself came out. Old, sharply dressed. Croaky voice and all. When he walked out on stage, the crowd got so tight that all two-hundred pounds of me was lifted off my feet. I was laughing hysterically. It turns out, I love it when shit gets out of control – not in the scary violent way, but in this weird bizarre kind of a way that takes you out of your reality. Sarah and Alex didn't enjoy it as much as I did. Bob Dylan looked at everyone for a moment and said 'Hello Friends' in a scratchy familiar voice. I internalized that greeting to myself specifically. Bob Dylan really was my friend, in so many ways – no matter how he had really meant that.

The concert was pretty good. Honestly, I wasn't really attuned to Bob's new music, or his new voice, at least back in those days. It was not bad by any means, I just couldn't believe I was actually seeing him, a living breathing person. I remember he played some stuff from Blood on the Tracks, but mostly he played newer material. He came back for the encore. And eventually, it ended. We crawled through the sprawl of people to somehow get to where the front was. As people moved to make way for us, there were excited faces from hundreds upon hundreds of people all around me with pure love and delight on their faces. It was such a silly but positive thing. People hugged me as I went through and told me just how much they loved my homemade Neil Young shirt and my pinned back rainbow hair. It was strange for me I guess. When I saw a crowd of people, I inevitably thought about high school and always associated a crowd with being sort of negative and hating me. But there really was a lot of good will in these people. Maybe it wasn't the makings of some kind of unique approach to critical thinking, but I do think there are moments when human beings are collectively good. It doesn't happen very often, and maybe it has an expiration date. But it's there, and it is real.

I was so exhausted. We went back to our hotels and collapsed. I was relieved that it was over, and also a little saddened honestly. I had spent so much time to get to this place – to reach something I would have died for when I was stuck in class instead. Looking forward to seeing Bob Dylan had been a highlight for me in my otherwise depressing empty life. And as awful as I felt in some ways, there had been purpose in my intent and my actions. I had had a goal, albeit a short term goal. It had felt great, and now the sinking reality was that it was all over, and I was left with a sad reality that I was going to have to go back to Idaho and struggle again in that bleak hopeless void of grotesque misery. I had actually started to feel things again. It had been so nice, but that moment in the sunshine was over and I had to start being a person and put those feelings away.

Alex's parents came home. Robert was finally better. I think because he was now safe to have sex, I could hear Alex's parents in their bedroom, humping away. It seemed weird to me, but I got over it eventually. At least they were trying to be quiet. They took us to their favorite Mexican restaurant. It was good, but the way that Alex's parents liked it seemed harmless, but nonetheless, such a rich white older generation attempt at being 'cultural'. As they sat their at the table, they just talked about how they simply loved how oh so richly cultural they were for going to this restaurant with a mariachi band playing. I mean, it was good Mexican food. The atmosphere was nice. There was just something about Alex's parents that annoyed me, like they thought they should win some kind of award for choosing this restaurant. It didn't really matter I guess. They were quite nice to me. Rebecca was an especially sweet woman. They paid for my meal.

We took one last trip on the last week I would be there to see the Alamo. I guess everyone has to go down to see the Alamo. I will admit, I was not so much enchanted by the historical context of that battle for the Alamo as I was for the fact that Pee Wee Herman's Great Adventure had once been my favorite movie in my youth, and I had been fascinated to see the Alamo in person – presumably to see if the Alamo for sure didn't have a basement. In any case, I was a little disappointed. I had always imagined the Alamo in this field out in the middle of nowhere. But that's not what it was at all. From my recollections, there was a park around it, but it was very much in an urban corporate area. There were tons of tourists there. We walked through it. What's more, I guess it isn't even really the Alamo, more like some building that was built way way after, several miles from where the real Alamo had been. It was a tourist trap, basically. But I can now say at least that I have been there. Didn't Ozzy Osbourne pee on this thing?

They had definitely found a way to cash in on the Alamo. There was this area near by with the world's smallest river, and on either side of that river their was a yuppyish wooden walk area. All around where these fancy little steak houses and Alamo based trinket stores. Everything was expensive as fuck, but people liked to come here for whatever reason, and many of them believed they were having some genuine experience of the old west. My father had wired me a fifty to live on for the last week. I used some of that money to buy these two cups with fake guns coming out of either side for Allison and David. Both cups sported the names Allison and David.

The last days that I was there, I found myself in my room realizing I would have to go home. I had had so much fun. The idea of going back to the bathroom to hide, or tiptoeing around my creaky old childhood home afraid of my dad randomly lashing out at me was horrendous. I started crying. I hadn't cried in a very long time. Sarah found me crying. She tried to be supportive, but what really could she do? Her life was here in Texas now, and mine really was up in Idaho. I would just have to suck it up, and survive for the sake of survival I guess. They drove me to the airport very early in the morning. I had never been on a plane alone before and I was very nervous. I was assured that all manner of signs and indications to where you would need to be was plainly spelled out and all manner of people far stupider and more clueless than I could ever imagine being were there everyday wandering about and they even found their way. I waved goodbye to them and I was off.

On the plane ride back, I tried to sleep. There was some professional college football team (I think some team from Denver if I remember, and when the pilot talked on the intercom, it was mentioned that we were going to be sharing our plane with these talented athletes, and everyone on the plane whooped for joy, except me and maybe a few old women. We stopped again at the Denver airport. The plane I was supposed to board was to board about ten minutes after my arrival. It was easy to find the plane terminal, but I had to practically run a quarter of a mile. By the time I got to my destination, I was the last person in line. Most of the passengers had already boarded. That plane ended up taking me to Spokane, where my father and siblings were awaiting me.

This is how bad it was in my family, and how little people actually seemed to care. Everyone missed me for themselves only. They clearly missed that I was always there for them, the listener and while I had been gone, I hadn't been there to be a listener. We drove two hours back down to Lewiston before anyone asked me about my trip. I had literally met Queens of the Stone Age, got into a concert for free on some magical whim that turned into a magical reality. I had gone to the Alamo and had a ton of interesting experiences on a major vacation, but there wasn't any curiosity about how that trip had gone. Allison, to her credit was now a sixth grader. I would give her a pass. But my father seemed disinterested, possibly even a little annoyed that I had gone somewhere and had done my own thing. He didn't shout me down or anything, I could just tell in his attitude that he didn't want to think about or imagine I had left and had my own fun.  As soon as they saw me, Allison and my father were mainly aggressively vying for me to listen to stuff that had happened at school or at work since I had been gone. It had been practically nothing – mostly mundane. I didn't volunteer any information about my trip. I wanted to see how long this would last, and it did last a very long while. Eventually my father asked a little bit, and I told him.

These were my folks.

PART 64 - https://tinyurl.com/y98zxljs

PART 63 - https://tinyurl.com/ybosu235

PART 62 - https://tinyurl.com/ybjrvccn

PART 61 - https://tinyurl.com/ybm99k8o

My Life Story in Chapters, PARTS 1-60 (this link below will lead you to a list of all the chapters i have written thus far). 

http://aleatoryalarmalligator.tumblr.com/post/168782771574/life-story-sections-1-60

[cnfhumss12a-blog]

Recollections of a Warm Day in Binondo

By Abraham Diaz

Under the sweltering heat of the midday sun; wearing a thick bright yellow pull-over sweater in Binondo might not have been the best decision to make. After all, with the hustle and bustle of street merchants along with old Chinese men wearing nothing but white Sandos, prove that even the local residents of Binondo notice the warmth of the urban jungle they dwell in.

More than the humid air that permeated all throughout the vicinity, there was a sense of warmth that entered my heart as I walked the hallowed streets of Ongpin. Growing up, my parents would frequently go to Binondo. I’d either accompany my mother for business related activities, or we’d visit my father’s Chinese relatives. Regardless, the outcome was the same; I would get to explore the labyrinth of China town, and feast on scrumptious Chinese food.

For me, walking around these streets is like walking back in time; I see old buildings, and familiar stores we’d frequent long ago, juxtaposed by a skyline filed with the progression of unfamiliar new developments such as high-rise condominiums and strip malls. As cliché as it might sound, Binondo truly is a melting pot of culture — a hodgepodge of relics from a nostalgic past, and new surprises presented by a  progressive future. Like my trips here during my younger years, I’m eager to get into the heat of the action.  

My friends and I started our journey by looking for the best way to reach Binondo. We asked a security guard working in a condo around Taft for directions, and he told us that the best way to reach China town was via Jeepney. While we considered taking the LRT or UV vans, given the tropic afternoon heat, we went with riding the Jeepney, One, because it was one straight ride to Binondo. Two, it was the cheapest commute. Being broke-ass senior high school students, we already knew we were going to burn a hole through our wallets with our China town adventure, so we chose the most efficient form of transportation.    

Cruising down Jones’ bridge after a short Jeepney commute through Manila, we were greeted by the iconic Filipino-Chinese friendship arc that welcomes you to Binondo. Immediately we noticed the Chinese letterings that garnished the façade of establishments and institutions. Food stalls, medicine shops, and fruit vendors were sporadically seen all throughout the area. Despite the seemingly topsy-turvy state of disarray that was evident in China town, there was a chaotic order to things. Where seemingly foreign concepts coexist with one another; A Catholic church meters away from a Buddhist temple, a traditional Chinese medicine shop that sold herbs, and crystals as cures to debilitating disease right beside Mercury drug store, and a vegetarian restaurant adjacent to a Peking duck stall that slaughtered fowls daily. For the average reasonable person, Binondo might be jarring and overwhelming, but these quirks lead to warm encounters that are truly memorable.

We definitely didn’t expect to find mouthwatering food right beside a river of sewage and garbage. Running on a limited budget, we asked around where we could find authentic Chinese food at good prices. People pointed us towards a place called Estero, an alley filled with Chinese food stalls and restaurants right beside a creek. The stench from the murky waters of the Pasig River didn’t aid in selling the idea that this was a place that sold appetizing meals. Regardless, we were persistent to try what these hole-in-the-wall food stalls had to offer despite the unorthodox ambiance.

           The waitress of Estero fast food ushered us to their air-conditioned dining room that shielded us from the elements of the creek. The room was small and covered in bright pink linoleum; they had sparse décor, and we ordered from a laminated menu. We decided to get Spicy chili prawns, Yang chow rice, beef broccoli, and fried spareribs. While we were waiting for our food, they gave us complimentary tea; it was hot and soothing, but it lacked flavor. One of my friends commented how it tasted like warm tap water.

           When the food arrived, we were surprised by the large portions, considering how we ordered medium platters for all the dishes. We expected that it would suffice for four people; evidently the food could have fed six people easily. The food tasted alright, it wasn’t anything mind blowing, but it was enough for our group to lick the plates clean. My favorite dish was the Chili prawn, given how it was sweet and savory with the right amount of spice. The shells were soft and easy to take off, and the meat was well cooked. The spareribs were a close contender, with how soft and crunchy they were, it had massive portions, so much so that we had a bunch left over, even after gorging ourselves full.  My least favorite was the beef broccoli. It was bland and chewy, and I didn’t go for a second portion after tasting it. Overall, the food in Estero was acceptable, what they lacked in overall taste was offset by their huge portions, considering that the four of us each spent less than 180 Pesos , the amount of food we got was ridiculous.

           We continued our adventure through Binondo by exploring the various streets that encompass the district. We passed by a shop called Dragon Phoenix enterprise, a store that sold Chinese trinkets and knick-knacks that helped promote good fortune. Large Jade crystals and Statues of Buddha stood throughout the store, some costing hundreds to thousands of Pesos. A store clerk told us about the Bagua, a Feng Shui symbol in the shape of an octagon with a mirror in the middle; it represented the eight fundamental principles of Taoist – Cosmology, and was a source of good fortune. Looking into the beautiful Baguas we asked the clerk if staring into the mirror caused death like in Kris Aquino’s block buster film Feng Shui. Much to our relief, he reassured us that only good fortune comes from their products.

As we got deeper and deeper into the belly of China town, we noticed the various shops spread all throughout: stores that sold stationaries, shops that stocked Hello kitty toys, and hardware stores ran by old Chinese men. The heat of the mid-day sun forced us to loiter in shops with air-conditioning. With that, we decided to look for refreshments, we settled on some Mango Sago from the famous Salido restaurant. Salido was back in Ongpin while we were already on the opposite side of the district near Reina Regente Street; exhausted, we decided to hail a Pedicab to take us there. The drivers offered to take us for 200 pesos, I haggled with him, and eventually he agreed to take us for half the amount. The Pedicab ride was long and traffic laden, the tight streets of Binondo favored legs over wheels, eventually we arrived at Salido’s and realized that we had already passed the restaurant when we arrived at Binondo earlier that day.

Salido’s had an unassuming façade that you wouldn’t find unless you were actively searching for it. Its small entrance led to a diner-esque café on the second floor that felt like taking back a step in time. Right from the get go, you could see that not only was the building itself vintage, but the majority of its patrons could pass off as terracotta warriors if you didn’t know better.  

We were served warm tea as we were waiting for our mango sago, and we asked the waitress if we could get an interview with a local resident. The waitress pointed towards the very corner of the restaurant, where her boss sat and read his newspaper. At first we were intimidated by his appearance, because he looked like a brooding Dragon who didn’t want to get bothered, but she assured us that he was a big softie more akin to a Panda bear. The owner’s name was King Arthur, a name fitting for a man who owned a restaurant filled with round tables. King Arthur grew up in Binondo, managing Salido’s as it was passed down from his grandfather, the original owner of the restaurant. He recounted how their restaurant started as a karinderya or a turo-turo, before it was destroyed during the bombing of Manila in the course of World War II. Despite the adversities faced by Arthur’s family, they continued to persevere and as Binondo prospered so did their eatery; transitioning from a wooden structure to a one made of cement. King Arthur told us about his various patrons— Manila Mayor’s such as Erap and Atienza would frequent the shop every Sunday; the old Terracotta warrior-esque men on the other side of the room were his childhood friends, He told us that the bald 92 year old Chinese man adjacent to us was a drunkard and a ladies' man, but was also the owner of Ace Hardware in the Philippines.

As the warm rays of the dusk strike my neck as I ride a Jeepney back to Taft the lingering heat of Chinatown, leaves a mark not only on my skin, bit on my soul. Much like the hot tea and weather in Binondo, there is layer of warmth for the history and culture that is present in the area. The tinge of red lanterns, the smell of oriental spices, and the various hidden gems spread all throughout the area, add character to a place that has been the focal point for various lifestyles. Only in Manila’s Chinatown can you see Spanish architecture, Chinese traditions, and Filipino people seamlessly intermingling with one another. When worlds collide, you expect there to be friction. However, the friction and heat present in Binondo creates a cultural energy unlike any other. Although I regret wearing my thick bright yellow pull-over sweater during our China town adventures, I will never forget the warmth of Binondo, and the heat it has kindled in my heart.

Gallery: https://cnfhumss12a.tumblr.com/tagged/Abraham

[247krp]

— Rejoice, little lambs! We have recovered our own Seo Juhyun, spotted prancing about in the Southeast Side. I don’t remember seeing her with any clique back in high school, but I’m not here to spill yesterday’s tea. So straight to the rundown: can you say elusive and secretive? Apparently now she spends time as an actress and college student, and keeps skeletons buried at Macheon Hill Community, 203. But those won’t stay hidden for long, if you and I have any say on it. Welcome back, The Starlet; we missed you so.

In case you don’t remember the devil’s name, here’s to refresh your memory:

a conscientious student, most of juhyun’s attention and effort was focused on achieving the grades to graduate, but also satisfy the requirements set by her parents, specifically her father. being an actress didn’t bode very well with him, but a high school diploma would ease his concerns about the industry she was partaking in. she was typically viewed as the busy bee; the girl balancing various extracurricular activities along with her fledgling acting career. despite appearing to manage her hectic schedule with a smile on her face, only those closest to her were aware of the stress slowly taking its toll, resulting in more than a few sleepless nights.

previous experience of seoul’s elite society had prepared her somewhat for the never ending drama of cheongnam. the gossip and rumours weren’t foreign to her. the talk of ruined friendships didn’t surprise her in the slightest, except it did push juhyun to steer clear of any trouble to put her mind at ease. but not even her preference for the sidelines was enough to prevent the accusations that she won her roles by name and money alone, rather than pure talent. wave upon wave of criticism and judgement, the once optimistic student finally realised that people were right about high school: it was equivalent to hell.

too bad things would only get worse outside school gates.

Nevermind the memory lane though, the present is always the ripest fruit:

she’s no longer banker seo’s daughter, but seo juhyun; a successful actress in her own right. a string of popular dramas has boosted her reputation within the entertainment industry, where it’s often difficult to go a day without seeing her face plastered on shop front windows along busy gangnam streets. boasting an impressive filmography, juhyun is the undoubtedly the envy of budding actors and actresses everywhere, yet she finds her passion and love for her job is waning by the minute.

the spotlight is a burden, not to mention the pressure on her shoulders to ensure she doesn’t ruin her image. if the long hours shooting on set isn’t exhausting, then the stress of being a celebrity definitely is. juhyun’s usually warm and sociable nature has taken a hit with every harsh comment left behind by bitter fangirls, and intrusive questions from reporters intent on uncovering further details about her private life. privacy and freedom is virtually non existent; a fact she despises whenever she reflects on the drastic changes each year has brought.

besides the few friendships she’s bothered to maintain since high school, she otherwise spends her time on her own, wandering through the streets incognito or holing herself up in her room for days on end. while “on set” juhyun is the definition of happy and talkative, “off set” juhyun is secretly counting down the days until she eventually figures out whether to stay or go. by the way things are going, it might just be the latter.

But we are nothing if not open books – my job is to ensure you get to the best pages:

they’re another one of those families, where there’s more than enough to cover the costs of necessities and any other luxury they may desire. neighbours are politicians, actors, corporate businessmen; all faces a person residing in the outer city wouldn’t have the fortune of seeing on a regular basis, yet all faces she considers normal. seo juhyun doesn’t think her lifestyle is anything special. then again, surrounded by other families who boast the same lavish spending habits and penthouses, there’s no opportunity for a fair comparison.

she’s a talkative and clever child, interrupting discussions at the dinner table with her own special tales and endless questions. the talk of anchoring and adjustment heuristic and investment funding is drowned out by her endless chatter. her brothers learn to ignore her, while her parents nod and smile away, patiently letting her say her part. in a dog-eat-dog society such as theirs, her innocence is a rarity, and for that, everyone’s grateful.

when her mother’s director friend searches for an actress for his latest film, the offer is made for juhyun to make an appearance instead. despite only appearing on screen for a short time ( five minutes, to be exact ) she finds herself enjoying the brief moment on set, staring in awe at the massive cameras and listening to advice relayed by staff. for an inexperienced actress, she fits in perfectly alongside other actors, prompting many to suggest the little girl look into acting.

the suggestion is initially rejected. her father deems it appropriate for a girl with an impressive pedigree to consider such an occupation. juhyun doesn’t understand his reasoning; too young to fathom the importance of status, too young to see through the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. what she does understand is her dream to return to a film set once more has been dashed— until her mother decides to test the waters for the sake of curiosity, much to the joy of juhyun and the disappointment of her father.

she joins acting classes, then signs to an agency the following year. the first few roles are small, filming commercials for major toy companies to the extra in dramas. no judgement is made on any the offers she receives, however. the lack of lines does little to dampen her spirits when juhyun buzzes around the set in full costume and makeup, eager for filming to begin. her happiness is obvious to see, and her father reluctantly agrees to allow her to continue on, so long as she remains passionate and upbeat.

and she is, at least in the beginning. the balancing act between being the ideal high school student and actress isn’t easy. in fact, she trips up once, twice, thrice before eventually buckling beneath the pressure to succeed. no amount of optimism can overcome the lack of sleep and exhaustion. for the very first time, juhyun’s forced to assess if the suffering is truly worth it for an increasingly uncertain goal. she graduates a weary and confused soul, devoid of the positivity she starts off with.

thing is, what’s meant to be her “final” audition shouldn’t have led to her big break. she doesn’t expect her name to be the number one search topic after the drama takes the nation by storm. neither does she expect to be pushed head first into a world she was looking to escape; the exits blocked off by constant media interest, commercial deals, and back-to-back offers. juhyun’s rooted in the one place, and she’s bitter, disappointed and so damn tired.

[stevep-uk]

MONDAY the 24th. Morning Kanga, Morning Roo! 😊 (Sorry it’s a bit late – see later!)

06.30am: An extra thirty-minutes in bed this morning! This must mean our bodies are finally switching into ‘holiday-mode’.

07.45am: Ahh, the legendary Meredith House Breakfast experience is well documented on various feedback sites, so we just couldn’t wait for 8am!!

The View from our breakfast table (Spot the Koala!)

…and the other view! 😁

…and possibly the best view of all!

The breakfast was out of this world! Everything was home- made, including the croissants, muffins, danish pastries and rolls – and it was a work of art. It’s unusual for me to limit my intake, but it was ALL so good, I thought I wouldn’t manage it all! 👍

09.00am: What a shame we only had one night booked here! Reluctantly, we checked out, and said goodbye to Noel & Neal the Owners and a very sleepy Swansea. We were now back on the road and heading towards Launceston in the north of Tasmania for a look round, before heading back to Longford for our bed!

Before we go any further, here is a tip we learned about how to pronounce Launceston. Apparently, if you’re a Brit, you’ll likely to call it: Lawn-stern, but over here the locals know it as Lawn-ses-tern.

Longford will look after us for the next two nights at the rather plush Wellington Deluxe Studio B and B. (More about that later).

As we did yesterday, we’re breaking the journey into chunks, and our first stop, will be a short drive to picturesque Campbell Town – population just 772 (+ 2!).

After yesterday’s road-trip where it felt that I was behind the wheel all-day (I wasn’t really!), this was a gentle drive of just 40ish miles.

09.52am: Wow! you can set a stopwatch by us! Exactly as predicted, fifty-two minutes later, we arrived in Campbell Town.

09.53am: …and just sixty-seconds later, we passed through it without stopping. In spite of all we’d read, it just didn’t look that exciting… or pretty… or anything really (sorry Campbellians, I’m sure we’re doing you a complete injustice!) 😕

So we motored on to Launceston – and it was probably the most enjoyable drive of the holiday so far! The roads were better in every sense – hardly any traffic, slightly wider, and in most cases they were white-lined too! Luxury! 👍

I think we only saw 9 cars on the whole of the journey!

10.50am: We arrived in Launceston, parked the car, paid the parking fee and wandered towards the Harbour. It soon became obvious that some serious money has been spent here on the area – and it showed! Very upmarket (and as we later learned, not that expensive compared to UK property prices).

The weather was getting warmer – it must have been up to about a comfortable 22-23 degrees, when we spotted an opportunity for a boat tour around the harbour and up to Cataract Gorge. Perfect!

11.30am: We bought our tickets and were soon on board. With a boat that could hold around 30 passengers, but with only six tickets sold, it was the perfect ratio of sea-dog to land-lubbers! Our skipper, Denise, gave a lively, informative and interesting commentary given the reduced number of passengers, and we learned a lot about the local area. We also learned that her Boat was unique – a diesel-electric hybrid (it allowed her to sail completely silently, without pollution on large parts of the journey).

(Click on the thumbnails for a larger version)

It was certainly a gorgeous day and the best weather we’d had since we arrived. The downside to all of this from Denise’s perspective was that the whole tidal system was out-of-whack and they were experiencing VERY low water levels around the harbour.

A bridge so good they replicated it locally!

12.30pm: Sixty-minutes later, we were back where we began with our tour completed. We took the short walk into town for no other reason that to see what it looked like…

(Click on the thumbnails for a larger version)

It was all very pretty, architecturally speaking, lots of 1930s art deco-styled buildings! 👍

1.05pm: All that gazing at buildings left us in need of refreshment, and we settled on a filled croissant and a soft drink (fast becoming our go-to meal so far this trip!) at the imaginatively titled Charles Street Pantry (the Pantry in Charles Street)… 😉

We grabbed a table outside and watched the world go by – unaware that sinister forces were at work planning on de-railing the rest of our afternoon. 🙄

As these events were playing-out elsewhere, blissfully unaware, we finished our afternoon of exploration by visiting Launceston’s Queen Victoria Art Gallery (free admission!). The main benefit? It was a lot cooler inside that it had become outside!

With an air of sophistication surrounding us, after a quick look round, we reflected on our interesting day and congratulated ourselves on making good use of time today, before our final drive, heading back to Longford – and our next B&B accommodation.

We wandered through the the Park, heading for the hire-car, expecting it to be like an oven inside. Luckily, it wasn’t too bad…

…but that’s when our troubles began… 😩😩

We’d navigated out of the car-park and onto the main A1 road towards Longford. Even with the AC on full, we could hear a strange noise coming from outside the car. At first, we convinced ourselves that the noise was the motor-bike in the next lane to us. But as, he sped away and the ‘noise’ continued, we suddenly realised that our trusty hire-car was not at all well.

2.10pm: The ‘pulling to the left’ convinced us that it must be a puncture…

…and sure enough, it was!

2.15pm: Time to contact the Car-Hire company – what could be simpler? Well, for a start, the quoted number for their breakdown service wasn’t working. A quick call to their local office in Launceston confirmed problems with their telephones including their complete INability for them to dial any mobile numbers (of course, including mine!), but at least Ann was able to confirm our location with them.

The situation wasn’t helped by the jack and wheel-nut spanner being so cleverly concealed in the boot, I wasn’t able to find them otherwise I would have changed the tyre myself! 🔧🛠🔨

2.55pm: Hurrah! Australia’s equivalent of the RAC arrived, where ‘Jon’ came to our rescue. He popped on the space-saver tyre (I hate those!) and then escorted us to a (very) nearby tyre-centre, where the guys there confirmed that there was a large hole in the tyre and concluded: “It’s knackered mate…”.

I think it was at that moment we reflected that we were ‘lucky’ to have broken down in the middle of a city and not out in the Bush. Having spent the past two days covering close to 600km, most of it ‘wilderness-like’ with no stopping points and no mobile signal, it could have been so much worse 😯

You can imagine the local headlines! “Local Brits found drinking brake fluid whilst they waited two days for rescue” etc etc 😜

3.35pm: The guys at the Good Year Centre couldn’t have done more for us. Within 35 minutes, we were back on the road – albeit £117.56 lighter (A$215).

4.05pm: We were back on schedule arriving at Wellington Deluxe Studio B and B, our home for the next two nights. First impressions were extremely good. The building itself looked like it had arrived from the 25th century and clearly no expense had been spared on anything…

Wellington Deluxe Studio – just another Tasmanian B & B! (not!)

We met the owners, Glen and Bev and they were (like everyone else we’ve met here in Tassie) very welcoming where nothing was too much trouble.

4.30pm: We quickly unpacked the essentials – clothes, laptop, car-hire agreement and paracetamol – and got on with the rest of the day. Ann tested the sun-lounger, whilst I tested the wi-fi! We going to take on Budget rent-a-car when we return the car on Wednesday.

After today’s adventure, where our perfectly ordered world, took a wrong turn, we don’t plan to do very much else today.

Tomorrow though is a different matter! See you tomorrow Possums! 😁

Holiday: Return to Oz – Day 7 (of 18): Launceston for the Retyred MONDAY the 24th. Morning Kanga, Morning Roo! 😊 (Sorry it's a bit late - see later!)

[princess-of-purgatory-and-bass]

Stranded Siren

Alright, I know I mentioned before in a post new things may be coming, new original stories besides ShapeShifter, and here is one of the secret projects I have decided to work on. But now it’s no longer a secret obviously. Also, props to Quotev for having a cover maker ON THEIR WEBSITE rather than being an extra app you have to get. 

this is part 1 for now, and I really hope you enjoy it 

taglist- @macherie02

The River

The sun was setting for the evening. Pink and red dyed the once white clouds in the process, mimicking a warm feeling to the view despite the breeze along the shore of the river. A red haired woman, locks matching the hues of the warm sky, walked with the flow of the current as her known companion. But below the waves there rested others of her kind, something she knew there was a possibility of though she never tested her theory. When the waters grew dark, their bio-luminescence would begin to show through. Scales of greens and browns to blend into the foliage and the mud of the riverbed would begin to glow, designs of beautiful reds and blues replaced the worries of camouflage from the day. Above on shore, the water droplets on the glowing scales would become glitteresque against the sand. The red headed woman hadn't seen her scales in quite a long time though since she had been left behind on the beach those moons ago. To be near water again, they itched beneath pseudo-skin of legs she had not been born with.

The young woman had a set of striking silver eyes, storm clouds full of passionate sparks ready to manifest at any moment. She was still so young, already a woman but still with her whole life ahead of her. And the passion that was held in her eyes seemed to always be accompanied by a persistent curiosity, determined to always learn more. So when the young girl found what seemed to be a man sitting on the edge of the river bank, her curiosity peaked. Even more questions raised to her though, when she caught the beginning of his glow. The bright, internal shine finally drew her eyes to his tail. Once black and green was becoming white, with blotches of orange, black, and red much like that of a captive koi fish living in a pond. Though there was something about him besides his tail that seemed radiant, and somehow magnetic even. He was tan compared to her freckled, pale skin, and his eyes were black holes to get lost in. Some may try to describe them as chocolate, but she knew that was not enough. They were the empty spaces taken for granted until that was the only thing left you wanted. Then, they were bliss. His hair was rather dark as well, all gathered on the top with the sides somehow shaved down, perhaps by a person in the human world who knew of him. And to the red haired girl, he was quite beautiful.

Next her eyes fell upon the bleeding gash running along his toned abdomen, the blood still quite fresh. She was not one to be squeamish, however she was quite concerned about him anyway. She quietly moved a bit closer to him, thinking up a spell she remembered from when she first started studying magic. Merfolk needed to be touching water to perform any magic, particularly healing, but wasn't blood just cells and water? There was only one problem though. River merfolk and oceanic merfolk had different dialects. Both were rooted in Latin, but when the two breeds split off from each other various words got changed over time for both sides. "Do you need help?" She first tried in her native tongue. It caught his attention at least, got across that she wasn't the human she appeared to be. "Do you need help?" She tried again, now in English. Her friend who took her in had been teaching it to her the past couple years, and he did have human hair stylings to him, so perhaps English would work better?

"Do you have something to help? He responded back in English. He had actually understood her the first time, there were enough ocean born merfolk that moved to the river for him to understand her. It was more the shock of her presence that caused his pause though. He had never seen her before, much less was he expecting her to come up and speak to him.

She showed him the palm of one of her hands, the silver of her eyes gaining an eerie, unnatural shine to them matching ocean depths. She carefully closed the distance between them, letting her fingertips run through the blood a moment, his muscles twitching away from her touch subconsciously, before resting her hand over the cut. She mumbled under her breath once again in her native tongue and felt an icy chill come to her hand. The cut below grew cold as well before beginning to get bloody ice crystals over top, making the dark eyed male tense and whimper out. But as her hand moved away, the crystals melted and the gash was gone where the ice had formed. "Oh," he let out in a curious shock.

"Do you feel better?" She asked him. The spell was good for surface healing, but she hadn't put enough energy into it for if there had been any internal damage. She didn't think it looked deep enough for that, but she still wanted to make sure.

"Yeah, thank you. That's a lot better actually," he admitted to her. "How did you do that? I didn't think magic was still around anymore."

"It ran dormant in my family line. I decided to bring it back. Took a long time studying and practicing to get it to resurface, though," she explained. "You speak and have hair styled like a human. Have they named you too?"

"They call me Landon, or Lane for short. You?" The dark haired male told her.

"Luna. Luna Malokanai," was all the red head responded with.

Lane slowly lowered himself back into the water and turned to face her, resting his forearms on the mud with his back edging along the surface of the water. His fluke fluttered a moment in the cooling waters as he got used to the change in temperature. The water looked so refreshing, though not as clear as the oceans the red head was used to. In the back of her mind, as well as her heart, there was a tug Luna just couldn't seem to resist. She quickly went to remove the outfit she never quite could understand, why were humans so obsessed with hiding their bodies and expecting a mate to come to them that way, and say along the edge of the river bank to dip her toes into the water. She kicked at first with her feet for a moment before fully joining Lane in the water.

He was unsure as to why, but Lane found himself grinning in amusement at the young Maid. It was a bit hard to tell until she broke the surface of the water again to rest next to him with relief to her silver eyes, but she was a few years younger than him. Posing as human seemed to make her appear so much older than she actually was, aged her soul and her eyes a bit. But now, with a deep blue tail where tips of scales glowed a magenta hue, she finally looked comfortable enough to reveal her real age. Until a distant voice called her name. "Luna? Luna! Where did you go? Say something next time you decide to just run off!" The higher female voice called out.

"Rita! I'm here! I'm okay!" Luna called back to her friend before taking a moment to look at Lane. In the ocean, merfolk were taught to hide from humans, but he was making no such effort to do so. "Wait, why aren't you hiding from her?"

"Humans here are typically understanding and peaceful with us when they find us. Besides, you trust her," Lane pointed out to her, giving her a warm smile still.

Soon a woman with short, dark hair tied in pigtails came across the two merfolk. Her eyes were an icy blue, looking between the ages of Lane and Luna. She was on the shorter side as well, a thin frame to match. And between her eye and ear, just below her left temple, was a small pentagram tattoo in red ink. An adventurous woman who once drove a road trip a couple states over to see the ocean for the first time and ended up coming home with a mermaid stranded from her family that she named Luna. Young Rita MacFarland.

Now to say Rita was stunned to find Luna the first time was an understatement. She had just planned a spontaneous trip to the ocean, who could anticipate a beached, confused Maid along the way? She had taken her in, found books and videos about teaching English, and before her eyes two years passed. Rita had moved out of her family home since then and brought Luna with her to the new home, the two having become the best of friends. She found at times Luna was subconsciously untrusting, nervous, anxious even, and shy to new comers after her abandonment. And if Rita wasn't watching, she would disappear without a trace to watch the sunset along the river like she had tonight. Never before had Rita actually seen her get into the river, let alone revert to her natural Maid form in their time living together, though. So once again she found herself stopped in her tracks as she had been two years previously by the beautiful mermaid. Especially as now she was not alone. 

"Did you make a friend Luna?" Rita finally managed to say once she collected herself from the shock again.

"He was hurt. I fixed it," Luna admitted to her, casually tilting her head in his direction while she smiled softly.

"That's very nice. But the sun's set and night is coming on fast. We should get home before it gets too dark to see how," Rita reminded the Maid.

Luna couldn't help but to frown a bit, not wanting to leave the river she was just beginning to enjoy, to feel at home in. But then she felt Lane's forehead press to her cheek, making her realize he agreed, and she turned to return the gesture, resting her forehead against his cheek before looking up so they were pressed temple to temple, cheekbone to cheekbone, and then pulling away. A gesture shared and understood by all merfolk, though it was learned generations ago before the split of the breeds from watching whales and household felines. "Will you come back tomorrow? Please?" He asked her, attempting his best oceanic dialect, though it was easier for him to understand then to speak as he rarely had ever needed to actually speak it previously. "I'll find you at sunset, Lane," she assured him, glad to now have someone to use her native tongue to as she placed a hand to gently cup his cheek.

It wasn't until the two were half way home hat Rita finally said something again, her and Luna having been walking in silence so far. "So what was that back there? You two were really touchy feely, and what did you two say to each other?" The red haired Maid had been smiling to herself as she had been lost in though, so it took her a second to process what was asked of her to think of how to say the answer. "Sound travels differently in the water, so merfolk rely a lot more on body language than humans do. The first merfolk couldn't even speak underwater for decades according to the stories. What you saw us do was how we say goodbye, typically to friends and family. Loved and cherished ones you show affection towards. A standard goodbye, as would have been more appropriate for the situation probably, is just the lowering of one's held until the other does the same in acknowledgement," she explained to her friend.

"And what did he say to you?" Rita repeated to her.

"He asked if I was coming back tomorrow, and I told him I would be back at sunset," Luna admitted.

"You gotta date, you gotta date! You should totally fuck him," Rita couldn't help but to tease her.

"How is it a date? Why would he be seeking to mate with a stranger when he seems friendly enough to know many desirable mate prospects?" Luna questioned her, not understanding why she suddenly felt unrecognizably warm at the topic of dating or sex. She had never felt such a warmth during conversation before, particularly on these topics of conversation, so why was she reacting in such a way now?

"I'm just saying, this is really cute. You seemed really happy back there, happier than I've ever seen you before. I want to keep seeing you that happy. Maybe if you start to feel anything tomorrow, just try and go for it? Don't try to think yourself out of the moment, just go for it," Rita advised her, placing a hand on the taller Maid's shoulder.

When next sunset began to arrive, Rita didn't even bother to stop Luna when she heard the bell above the front door ring out, letting anyone in the apartment know that the door had been opened and closed. The silver eyed Maid found the opening of woods around the city again that led to the river, walking along the flow of the water until she found the spot again from the night before. Today her outfit had just been a simple sundress that found itself abandoned next to a tree by the riverbank as Luna kneeled along the edge of the water, excitedly watching for her new friend. She caught a glimpse of his back tracing the surface of the water and grinned to herself over finding him, but didn't have long to be proud of herself for spotting him before she found herself pulled under the water. Arms held her still under the water as her body changed back to the form she was born with, deep blue not yet glowing magenta hues as it was still too bright out for her tail to glow. But when she finally got to move, bringing her firey hair out of the face of the one who pulled her down, the pink that would be in her tail was suddenly a flush on her face. Lane smiled to her as he let her go fully, coming around to now face her and move some of her long strands behind her ear.

He quickly gestured to follow him before beginning to swim away upstream, having Luna trail behind him quickly as she tried to take in where they were going. Along the way she saw unfamiliar fish the colours of sand and dirt just beginning to hide away for the night, ready for a hopefully peaceful night's sleep. She stopped following Lane long enough to sit at the bottom, a juvenile coming to nuzzle into her hand for a moment. It made her smile and think of home. The male of the two stopped and watched her for a moment, glad to see she was enjoying herself. Finally she caught back up with him again once the small fish had left her hand to tuck in with its family, following once more. He was beginning to get his evening glow to him, making it easy to follow as they traveled through a long batch of seaweed and kelp that, to anyone unfamiliar with the path, would be easy to get tangled and lost in. 

When the foliage of the river finally cleared up, the waters were completely black. No light was managing to get through now, so the only way the two could see was by the glow of the two merfolk. Lane stopped swimming forward now, going above the surface of the water and waiting for Luna to join him. She was hesitant, though. The darkness of the water reminded her of creatures she would find in the trenches her family would travel through. Creatures with large eyes and matching teeth, born with bodies that seemed disfigured compared to most other species of fish. Creatures that would terrorize the dreams of her childhood and just the memory of them had her frozen in her spot now. It made her uneasy at first to be in such dark waters. "Luna?" She heard Lane say above the water, coming back under to grab her hand. He didn't understand why she was reacting this way, but never the less he still came and guided her to above the water. Then Luna's eyes were met with the source of all of the darkness.

Above their heads was the ceiling of a cave, dripping condensation onto solid rock ground and back into the water. The walls of the natural structure blocked the setting sun from view, causing how dark the waters were. Her and Lane sat up on the rock floor out of the river, him wrapping an arm to bring her close and wait for her to calm down. "What's got you so scared Luna? It's just the cave. Haven't you ever been in a cave before?" He asked her, once again attempting to speak in oceanic for her to help make her comfortable. She just nodded at first before unsuccessfully attempting to pull away from him, his arm remaining around her waist until he was sure she was okay. "Dark waters are never empty. They always come with things looking for a meal. In the depths, everything just wants to eat you, and nothing is familiar or welcoming. Dark waters just mean survive to whatever is in them," she explained to him, beginning to ring out her hair a bit once she was no longer being held.

"Not here. You're safe here. The only thing here are just the small fish. There's nothing that can hurt you here," Lane tried to reassure her, going to lay on his back with his arms behind his head. "I promise, it's safe."

She was still a bit hesitant over it all, but for now she pushed it aside to lay next to him. As her skin began to dry, her form changed to the human form she still was not a fan of. To join Rita in her home, she had cast a spell that allowed her to disguise herself as human, and that spell meant being human when she was on dry land. Sea water let her be back to her born form, but filtered water could never bring her the peace that sea water could. She hoped for a time where she would no longer need to live under the spell she cast, where she could once again have a life and a family in the water, but she also knew that meant leaving Rita behind. And since Rita had become her only family she could count on by this point, she just couldn't bring herself to leave her behind. Especially not after all she had already done, and was still doing, for her. In a way, they had become a small pod of their own despite not both being from the water.

In the cave, besides the flowing current of the river as it splashed along the rocks, time seemed to stand completely still. Luna had no way to tell how long had passed that they laid like that, and it was a welcome change. The past two years had been learning to live obsessed with the time that passed, obsessed with being in the moment and making your mortal existence count. Staying alive is not enough reason to live to humans. Not anymore. It was never enough to just be alive. To them, it was about how you influence others that seemed to determine if your life was worth living, and Luna could not manage to wrap her mind around it. Adventures and learning were fun, finding value in your day to day could help with a feeling of repetition and monotony, but why could it never be accepted that it was okay to live for the sake of living rather than the sake of others anymore? 

When a wave began to run along the bottom of her foot, bringing her back to her current reality, Luna sat up again and looked into the dark waters. It was like looking into a black mirror, and all she could see was her own reflection outlined for her against a glassy black backdrop. The longer she stared, the more a sick feeling rose up from her stomach. Here she was with a complete stranger, laying with him as if they were long friends, as if they were close, and suddenly she found herself feeling quite stupid. Letting herself be lured so far from home based on the smile of someone she met the night previous, how could she ever expect such a situation to turn out well? And to let herself think the night she met him, listen to Rita about her ideas of sex and spending time with him when the sight of her own reflection made her sick to her stomach anymore. What she considered to be her own stupidity made her run her hand through the water, the resulting small waves from the motion distorting her reflection. "Are you okay? You look upset." "Just take me back. I shouldn't have even come here."

"Hey, hey," Lane's voice was gentle as he responded, sitting up with her and placing a hand on her back. "Talk to me, what's wrong? What's on your mind?"

"I don't belong here. I'm still just such a stupid little Maid. I'm just going to end up alone again, as always. I shouldn't be trying to change that. Fate doesn't change." Luna brought her knees up and rested her chin on them, her arms wrapping around them to keep them where they could hide her body. Hide her. Lane could only watch her sadly for a moment. "Just take me back Lane."

As he had when he first saw her that day, Lane moved her hair out of her face. She had gone back to staring at her own distorted reflection, and he couldn't help but to wonder how much more distorted it was in her own mind than he could see in the water. Beyond that, what would make her think, after being from an ocean full of life, that she would just end up alone? She seemed so sure of it, as if she knew concrete evidence that could explain it all, and now it was his turn to be confused of the whole situation. "Alright, I'll take you back if you want. But can I ask you something?" She looked back at him, the silver eyes once full of light what felt like moments ago to him now suddenly dull, as if something behind them had broken in front of him. Perhaps he pushed her too far? Maybe he somehow accidentally reminded of her something? "Why do you think you're going to end up alone?"

"No one will want me. I'm a freak left on a beach by the ones who raised her. The back and forwarth between forms, the magic, I'm just too much for anyone to want to have around," the red head told him, gluing her eyes back to her reflection. 

Lane wrapped an arm around her and held her close again, letting her rest her head on his chest while his chin found a home on the top of her head. She wasn't here by choice, she was beached by her family. Abandoned. Even less, now, he seemed to want to fulfill her wish to take her back. If anything, now he wanted to take her home and show her his family, a regular sized group of merfolk who all took refuge in each other. Besides his brothers, none of them were actually related, but still they were a family. She seemed to need to see that there was somewhere where someone who felt so different could still be cared about. But she seemed insistent she needed to be back on land, and he wouldn't take her against her will. She was hurting enough. He slowly pulled out of the embrace he had brought her into to get back into the river, holding a hand out to help her back in as well, watching how her body changed shape again. Did it hurt her? It looked so drastic to go between the forms, even if they were so similar, it was still enough to make him realize how much it must bother her to go back and forwarth so much.

Her tail seemed the only thing light about her now, a magenta shine to her scales by this late in the evening though the same radiance was no longer seen in her eyes anymore. He guided her through the foliage to take her back where he had found her, only to find the spot wasn't empty anymore. A human friend of Lane's sat there, looking over the water like Luna had when the evening began. Luna looked her over through the water, dirty blonde hair and with brown eyes and full, pink lips. She was as beautiful as he was, though obviously human. She could see how Lane went to the shore to greet her, but Luna couldn't bring herself to do the same. "What was that Lane?" The friend asked, briefly noticing a pink glow that quickly disappeared out of sight. Lane looked besides him and found the waters were now empty, much to his disappointment. Luna was gone without a goodbye, or a promise to see each other again. "Someone new. A friend I hope."

When Luna was sure she was finally out of sight down stream, she stopped and laid on her front at the bottom of the river. She hid her face in her arms and just wished she would stop glowing. She wanted nothing but to disappear now, being unseen simply wasn't enough anymore but rather she wanted to be non-existent. She was right all along. To imagine belonging here or finding a mate in someone when there was so much better for them was just a foolish dream. She knew she was alone in this, she had been alone longer than she had realized. A hand ran down her back, and she looked up in curiosity. It definitely was not Lane, though there was a resemblance. His hair fell in his face and down his neck though, and his skin was a shade darker. And while Lane had dark eyes, these eyes were quite green matching the glow to his tail. Before he could say anything to her, though, she was gone again like she had done with Lane moments ago. 

"I swear I just saw the weirdest thing," the second male commented when his younger brother now caught up with him, noticing how Lane looked a bit distraught. 

"By chance, was it a red head?" Lane asked him.

"Yes she was. Was that the red head you were telling Brook and I about yesterday?" The older brother told him, quickly putting two and two together.

"Yeah, yeah she was," Lane admitted.

"Dude, what did you do to her? She looked ready to cry in the like five seconds I saw her before she swam off again," the green merman now questioned, curious how someone Lane had been so excited about could be so upset after being around him.

"Honestly Simon, I think it's all in her head. She was so happy when we first went to the cave. Which, by the way, you were right. Oceanic and dark cave really was a bad mix. Scared the shit out of her at first. But then we were laying on the rocks and everything seemed so peaceful and nice until she got up, and suddenly it was like her whole demeanor changed. She looked so sad and broken, and apparently she was beached by her family? Found that out when I tried asking why she kept saying she should just be alone. And she started asking to be taken home, so I went to take her back and there was a friend of mine there and then she was gone," Lane explained to him, trying to go through the whole time. He had to admit, being able to use a river dialect was a lot easier for him now. A lot easier than English, and especially easier than oceanic.

"Was that friend a girl?" The older brother, Simon, asked him.

"Yeah why?" Lane responded. 

"Because it sounds like she has self-esteem issues, and to a Maid with self-esteem issues a girl would just be more proof to themselves that they're right to view themselves so poorly," Simon informed him.

"Well I couldn't anticipate her showing up. How is any of this my fault?" Lane asked him.

Simon just placed a hand on his brother's shoulder for a moment. "No one said it was. I'm not, and most likely she isn't either. She's just feeling really bad right now and probably needs some time. If you're patient, I'm sure you'll see her again if you really want to."

[thehungrykat1]

Take A Taste Trip Around The Philippines With Locally Blended Juice Drinks

Are you bored drinking the same type of juices again and again? There are usually just a few choices when it comes to fruit drinks. Mango, orange, pineapple, and watermelon are basically the only options we can choose from at restaurants and supermarkets. Fortunately, here comes a new unique brand that offers something totally new. 

Locally Blended Juice Drink is the first quirky ready-to-drink juice line which makes use of unique, delicious, and indigenous Filipino flavors that are made from natural, homegrown ingredients. The brand captures the spirit of Filipinos with its witty puns and fun persona, thus, capturing the charmingly irreverent humor of Pinoys. It is 100% homegrown in the Philippines with local fruits sourced from various locations in the country. 

We were introduced to this new refreshing juice drink at a media event held last December 1 at Early Night? in Bonifacio Global City. This popular watering hole used to be part of Aracama Filipino Cuisine but they have rebranded it into its own separate location.

Hosting the event was none other than the energetic Sam YG who introduced this new brand that Filipinos will surely love. Locally is the first beverage venture of NutriAsia which is known for producing iconic Filipino brands such as Mang Tomas, UFC, Datu Puti, Golden Fiesta, and many more. They are now offering these all-Pinoy flavors you’ve never had in juices before. 

With Locally, you’re going on a taste trip around the Philippine regions with its ten indigenous flavors: Mangosteen (Mangosteenie Miney Mo), Sineguelas (Save The Best for Sineguelast), Dalandan (You’ve Dalandan It Again), Tamarind (Tamarind My Bell), Guyabano (Guyabano-body But You), Calamansi (Calamansi’z The Day), Pomelo (Pomelong and Lasting Love), and Buco (Merci Buco 100% Coconut Water, Lychee, Buko Pandan). Ms. Gretchen King, Group Product Manager of Locally, mentioned that “loving local” is definitely in right now, and it’s a good thing because it enables us to support our own communities and promote Filipino pride, which is exactly what Locally is all about.

Locally believes in responsible goodness: great-tasting and indigenous flavors that’s not just good for you, but good for the community too. Each of their flavors is created from natural, homegrown fruits sourced from different parts of the country. This supports the Filipino farmers and the farming community as well by raising awareness and appreciation of our local fruits. 

To educate the consumers about the product, the cans and bottles have a Philippine map on it with pinpoints of provincial locations where the fruits were harvested from. The variants capture the tasty, fruity flavors that are grown in rich, Philippine soil, farmed by Filipino hands.

Calamansi’z The Day comes from Pangasinan, Isabela and it offers just the right amount of citrus goodness in every bottle. Locally also wanted to reflect something uniquely Pinoy on the brand so they used the names of the fruits and injected a “punny” twist to them. I don’t know how they came up with all of these punny names but they really did a hilarious job.

The mangosteen grows primarily in Southeast Asia and Locally harvest these from Davao. Mangosteenie Miney Mo is quite a unique flavor that we don’t often taste, but it really translates well into juice form. This is the same with the Save The Best for Sineguelast from Pangasinan. The juices have a light and refreshing taste that is easy to drink but packed full of natural flavors.

Sourced from Davao and Quezon, the pomelo is a very hard fruit that is quite difficult to pry open and extract, so with Pomelong and Lasting Love, you get only the good parts and have this sweet tasting juice without the effort. 

Tamarind My Bell is sourced from Central and Southern Luzon, and despite its hard pod, the tamarind has a soft spot and is one flexible fruit. It is mostly used as a souring agent for soups or a sweet treat made into candies. Now, it can also be enjoyed as a fruit juice.

Locally also offers its Merci Buco line with three amazing variants: Pandan, Lychee and Coconut Water. The coconut water is gluten free, not from concentrate, non-GMO, with no fat nor cholesterol and is a good source of electrolytes. These are sourced from Bicol and Quezon, my grandparents’ home province, and they are the first to offer coconut in fun flavors like Pandan and Lychee.

Locally ensures that its products are as widely available and affordable as possible. This entails packaging it in different formats customized for the retail channels and the product’s nature. Whether in bottles, cans, or tetra paks, Locally ensures that all its packaging is eco-friendly and recyclable.

Locally is also great for parties because you can combine it together to create Mixed Juices and even Cocktails! The Maharlika Mojito is a mix of Calamansi and Dalandan flavors with a squeeze of lychee and a whiff of mint. 

On the other hand, the Salaguinto comes with a combination of Sineguelas, lambanog, and gin. There are so many ways to enjoy Locally fruit juices especially with their distinct flavors.

Aside from the overflowing beverages, the guests at the event were also treated to some Filipino delicacies courtesy of Early Night like fried Fishballs and Calamares Frito.

A full luncheon was also prepared which included punny names as well like the Lechon Cara-Hay nako, Bangus Belly’ve it or not, Gising Gising na, Adobong Kanin get it, and GINUMISsing you. Who comes up with these names??

There were also a few fun games with celebrity guests like Kiana Valenciano playing Pinoy Henyo and incorporating the local fruits into the game. We all learned a thing or two about our local produce and harvest.

Locally juices are available in all leading convenience stores and supermarkets with a Standard Retail Price of P30.95 for the bottled juices and P24.50 for the canned juices. As for the Merci Buco line, the tetra packs are sold at P34.45 for 330mL and P91.95 for the 1-liter variants. For more information, you may visit @LocallyPH on Instagram and Facebook. Refresh yourself, take a taste trip around the Philippines and start #LivinLovinLocally.

[attainsulationtips-blog]

Shielding the Attic - 8 Tips to Keeping Your Property Refreshing Along With Attic Insulation

Protecting the attic is crucial for both keeping your home conveniently warm and comfortable and cool. In the course of the winter season when our experts aiming to maintain the house cozy, we consider attic insulation and whether additional insulation will help. Just what we sometimes neglect is the necessary duty attic insulation plays in helping maintain the house cool during the scorching summertime.

Protecting the attic is among the absolute most set you back effect steps you can do to preserve comfort, preserve electricity, as well as spare cash. The cozy sky your heating unit generates as well as the cold sky your A/C gives as if absolutely nothing far better than to leave by means of our attics.

If you're having a little bit of problem keeping cool this summertime without functioning your AIR CONDITIONING unit 24 Hr a time, don't neglect the option that the number one retrofit you must apply is actually to incorporate attic insulation.

Including attic insulation will not automatically produce the convenience, energy financial savings and also reduced power costs that you are actually seeking. Like every little thing else in the house retrofit business, merely doing this straight will definitely produce prosperous results.

Here are 8 tips for including insulation as well as achieving success at keeping your house cool.

1. Sky Tape the Roof First:

Insulation slows the movement of the heat off one side from the insulation coating to the other side. That excels, the warm air cheek by jowl takes a number of years to pass through the insulation and combined with the cold air on the other side. Insulation readies at reducing heat energy move, yet certainly not therefore efficient at decreasing air streams, especially if the air is actually pushed by means of the insulation as a result of pressure distinction, pile result, or the prevailing wind.

As soon as sky streams travel through the insulation, a few of the insulation market value is actually lost. The insulation can refrain the project this was actually created to perform. Before insulating the attic, make sure to sky seal the holes in the ceiling. Air seal those ceiling infiltrations brought in by plumbing technicians, electrical contractors, HEATING AND COOLING, and fireplaces.

2. Pre-Wire the Attic for Present and Future Innovation:

I have actually remained in a lot of attic rooms as well as seen the insulation destruction that happens when every satellite dish installer, phone company adapter, web carrier, safety, and security specialist, as well as pest control operator, receives done the walking and also crawling via the attic.

These people merely love acquiring you hooked up, they do not care concerning your insulation. As soon as 6 men with footwear possess walk around the apex and also smoothed the only thing that fluffy, loosened filler, gone in insulation, you do not possess very many R-values left behind.

If you possess a possibility, pre-wire the attic and be ready for innovation. If installers coming from the web need to access the attic, inform them to leave that like they found that. If you pressed this, fluff this back up before you leave.

3. Offer attic venting:

Think it or otherwise, an attic has to breathe. Otherwise, it turns into a stove. I make certain you recognize just what I am actually talking about, you have experienced the oven have an effect on many nights in your lifetime.

This functions similar to this:

This's a bright sunny time and the warm and comfortable rays from the sunshine depress on the roofing all morning plus all mid-day. The attic area receives warm and comfortable, at that point that gets hot, at that point that obtains blazing. Concerning 4 PM in the mid-day, the blazing temperature levels in the attic start to transmit by means of the ceiling and also add heat to the residing place. As the sunlight drops, your home just keeps acquiring hotter and also hotter.

Outside temperature levels are cooling down a bit, you open the doors and windows, but the attic maintains food preparation. With ice water near your bed as well as an awesome, damp clean cloth over your forehead, you attempt to come to rest.

City Property Departments will inform you what does it cost? air flow you ought to have for your attic. They will definitely claim you need to have so many straight feets of available attic ventilation for every 100 cubic feets from the attic area. My assistance is to give additional attic venting than the lowest advised.

Just what the heck, off-set your attic oven with plenty of attic venting, the extra the merrier.

4. Mount Solar Attic Exhaust Fan:

I have not located a single person that didn't like their solar energy attic exhaust follower. This is actually one technique to actually turn off the oven. Homeowners show that the fans definitely help always keep the attic off heating the living space throughout the night.

When the sun attacks the photovoltaic array installed precisely the supporter cover, the follower begins to turn attracting warm air out of the attic. The air is after that substituted through the cooler air that enters the attic along the lower portion of the roof covering. Oven fumigate the cooler sky in.

5. Set Up Solar Light Tubes:

Before protecting the attic and making the trip into the attic more difficult, why not install a sun tube or more and afterward incorporate more attic insulation. Solar pipes are actually a fantastic method to incorporate natural reprimand a space that performs not possess yet another resource from light other than a lightweight bulb.

Popular models to set up sun tubes are actually hallways, bathrooms, mudroom, entryways, wardrobes, garages, as well as home kitchens. About the only spot that carries out not work well for a solar cylinder will include a room that you might yearn for dark during the day. Such as a bedroom for the person that works graveyard.

If you install a solar cylinder, don't forget to air seal the opening that allows television to pass through the roof. Seal the tube to the roof.

6. Lighting and also Electrical Outlet:

While you're preparing to incorporate attic insulation, that might be convenient to incorporate attic illuminations and also an electrical outlet or more. This not only aids you throughout the insulation retrofit, but this could also support the digital kids when they attack your attic to take you the best, HD picture accessible.

The light change, as well as electrical outlet, is placed near the attic gain access to cover.

7. Spray Foam for Maximum Results:

The insulation that deals with the attic flooring is good at dividing them in the house environment off the attic environment, however, if you are actually definitely possessing issue with avoiding the attic from becoming an oven, squirting foam insulation on the underside of the roofing system sheath may be a significant perk.

Spray foam insulation is actually extra cost in comparison to fiberglass or even cellulose, however, the froth gives insulation defense at the resource. Through using this to the bottom of the roof covering sheath, the warm transfer between the roof covering as well as the attic is reduced dramatically.

8. Seal the Attic Accessibility Cover.

The majority of attic accessibility deals with just don't suit very well. In the course of a blower door exam, the quantity of air that distributes pass the cover is commonly very obvious. The smokestack and infrared video camera possess little bit of problem in quantifying the amount of leakage.

The method to sky tape the cover is similar to the weatherstripping on a door. Froth or various other flexible product is placed between the 2 adjacent areas. Now the trick is actually to latch the cover down to the roof somehow that it a little presses the weatherstripping.

Do not think about attic insulation as one thing that is finest suited for the chilly winds of North Dakota, shielding the attic could properly be your finest trump card versus having a pooped out a/c in Texas.

Succeeded, insulation can keep the stove in your attic from getting into the space listed below. You could maintain the room merely cool good enough that you can ultimately get some sleep.

In the course of the wintertime months when our team is actually attempting to keep the residence hot, we think regarding Orlando insulation and whether additional insulation will help. What our team often fail to remember is the important function attic insulation plays in aiding keep the property cool during the course of the hot summer season months.

They will certainly state you need so many straight feets from available attic air flow for every ONE HUNDRED cubic feets from attic space. When the sun strikes the sunlight range mounted right on the enthusiast cover, the supporter starts to turn pulling hot sky out from the attic. The sky is actually after that changed by the cooler sky that gets in the attic along the reduced part of the roof.

[craleighbeamer]

Overture and first movement

Fishguard to Wexford

The choice was difficult from the outset. Full waterproofs, or jeans and lightweight oversuit? Ireland’s reputation for rain had preceded the holiday planning and so, on the day, we simply opted for both. Jeans squeezed in the tail pack and waterproofs on the riders. For us, the Oxford Section Ireland Trip was an adventure of an entirely unprecedented scale. 10 days of riding, 5 hotels, close to 2,000 miles, and 2 up. When fully loaded, at trickling pace, our R1200RS was a bit of a ‘handful’ but once underway, with the suspension suitably dialled-in, the bike was still, as ever, a joy to ride.

Ready for the off

Although some of the Section’s members were meeting near Chippenham, we would have needed such an early start as to render our participation impractical. Instead, we chose a leisurely first day ride to Fishguard on the Sunday. Riding a cross-country route, we passed through Farnham, Basingstoke, and through to Newbury, opting for the A4 instead of a thrash along the motorway. The weather was favourable excepting a couple of small showers and a nagging, blustery wind, that seemed to follow us for most of the holiday.

Our Welsh accommodation, close to the ferry terminal, was comfortable and gave us the opportunity to relax with an enjoyable evening meal and a cheeky G&T at the ‘local’ before the adventure started for real.

Monday 12 June

The ferry sailing was booked for around 13.00 leaving us a morning to explore Fishguard with its Victorian industrial heritage and architecture, and views across the picturesque bay. This was an ideal way to ‘chill’ before Mrs. M faced her nemesis, the Irish Sea with its millpond-like swell.

Mrs. M’s nemesis, the Irish Sea at full force in the bay at Fishguard

Wending our way down to check-in, we found ourselves close some earlier arrivals and, as with all BMW Club events, we soon got to know each other. George and Ruth, and Tim, on their respective RTs, and Ray on his GS. Following a comparison of bike notes, and the arrival of further members of the Group, we were soon ready for embarkation. This was all new for me with my prior experience only being the melee of loading for the TT. Manx veterans will be familiar the cattle herding process, the vast numbers of bikes, and the loading ramp with its steep, challenging hairpin ramp. I’ve seen too many riders come to grief simply trying to start their TT holidays. In contrast, the ramp onto the Stena Europa was a straight run with a right-hand turn onto an open, if rather greasy, car deck.

We were treated like customers instead of an irritation to the deck-hands, with the bikes strapped down with some care. Although windy, the gentle, undulating crossing was made bearable with the usual banter being exchanged, and time for us to get to know the rest of the party.

Disembarking in Rosslare, we headed, en-masse, to our first hotel. First impressions of Ireland as we rode away from the port’s hinterland was both the contrasts and similarities with the UK. The architecture and ‘feel’ was UK and yet, European influences in such things as the road layout and signage were quite marked. The roads were wide and well maintained, with many drivers willingly pulling aside into the yellow marked, peripheral lanes, allowing us to pass.

After negotiating the evening peak traffic, the ‘Mustard Monolith’ that is the Talbot Hotel hove into view. Paul Fitzgerald of Wild Irish Tours, agent for tour, had arranged reserved parking in an otherwise limited space, allowing us to check in with the minimum of fuss. The bar proved a strong attraction before enjoying one of the more formal dinners for the now 18 members of the party for the trip.

  Second Movement

Wexford to Ballyvourney

Tuesday 13 June

Acknowledging the impracticality of not only riding in such numbers, but the varying interests of each member, Tuesday saw us splitting up into various sub-groups, each with its own preferences. Mrs. M and I teamed up with Geoff, Rob, Clive, and Tim for this ride. Our agreed agenda was to make Waterford, with its famous cut-glass crystal factory, our first port of call.

Loosely following the GPX on the satnav, with Geoff taking the lead, the first part of the route took us along the major ‘N’ roads, through the gently rolling, green, countryside, but somehow missing the turning to our destination. This minor error left us to the mercy of a section of toll road, over an impressive, modern suspension bridge, directly to the toll booths, just to turn-off immediately after payment. Vaguely following the signs, we made our way past the contemporary industrial developments to the heart of the City with its associated congestion.

Stop-start, we turned onto the quayside road and, in a controlled wobble on our heavily laden bike, for some distance before the decision was made to make enquiries as to where the factory was. Our slow progress did allow us time to appreciate the varying architecture, some dating from Georgian times, and through to the heritage structures along the, now largely ornamental, quayside. Somehow, 5 of us had managed to ride right past the well signed building without seeing it. Nothing to do but turn around and fight our way back!

Rob and Geoff debate: Is it possible that 5 people can ride past the Waterford Crystal Factory without seeing it?

Finally parking in the Waterford Factory courtyard, the coffee shop was a welcome sight. Unfortunately, it was the unofficial parking that was our undoing, being asked to move-on just as we finished our refreshments. Let’s face though, we couldn’t practically have bought anything – nowhere to put a piece of lead crystal on the bike, and for another 8 days.

Picking up the GPX route out of town, we soon found ourselves in the stunning Irish countryside, heading for the Copper Coast. This is not only a beautiful area of coastline, but is recognised for its geological importance being a UNESCO Geopark. Following the undulating, curvy, coastal road, not only did we have a superb ride, but saw some spectacular views of inlets and deserted sandy beaches. The historical working of the minerals was further highlighted by abandoned mine buildings.

DCIM101DRIFT

Our original plan had been to head toward the Cobh Heritage centre, last port of call for the ill-fated ships Titanic and Lusitania. This was however, our first education in Irish touring. On the map, without deviations, the route was ‘only’ 157 miles but these are winding, country lanes with many photo stop opportunities and, some time before Cobh was even on the horizon, a comfort break and lunch was called for.

The closer alternative was a break at the Jameson Distillery Visitor Centre, Midleton. The full Distillery tour, it turned out, was too long for our schedule and sampling would be even more inappropriate than buying Waterford Crystal. Lunch in the café however, was very welcome and gave our journey renewed impetus.

Following a car park conference, we headed for a pure tourist spot; Blarney Castle, home of the eponymous Stone. The scenery continued to impress as the afternoon’s ride progressed until we reached the Castle car park where we were able to dismount and get relief from numb bum. The Castle gardens were worth a visit in their own right, but the Castle itself, although swathed in builders’ film, was spectacular.

The queue to reach the Stone was disguised by a 600 year-old, spiral staircase, that fortunately, only took us about 20 minutes to negotiate. After a circuit of the Tower parapet, the kissing was a slightly unceremonious process. The guide helps to position you on a mat before being pushed, upside down, through a gap in the tower wall and promptly being pulled back with the ubiquitous photograph ticket being thrust into your hand to exchange, with payment of course, as a memento of you discomfort.

Meandering back through the gardens, Rob suggested it was ice cream time. This was the first time on the trip we saw his prowess at negotiation.

Rob: ‘Do we get volume discount?’

Young lady serving (YLS): ‘Oh, no.’

Rob: ‘Discount for pensioners?’

YLS (with giggle): ‘No, but I’ll give a slightly bigger one.’

Rob disappointed.

We sat under a tree eating until Rob managed to drop the ice cream off the cone.

Rob: ‘5 second rule – it’ll be OK.’

Seconds later, he managed to crush his cone, nearly repeating the earlier drop.

Rob: ‘I’m going back to complain.’ (with a cheeky grin)

2 minutes later he returned, not with a new cone but, with a complete new ice cream.

Rob: ‘I’ll never eat all of this.’

Moral: Be careful what you wish for!

Tired from the events of the day, we finally headed off to the Mills Inn Hotel in Ballyvourney.

  Third Movement

Ballyvourney to Spanish Point.

Wednesday 14 June

Following the procedure from the previous day, we split into our touring parties and headed off. Although breakfast seemed only a blink away, our first stop was the beautiful, natural harbour of Kinsale, in the mouth of the river Bandon. On advice from Wild Irish Tours, we parked in a corner of the local pay and display car park without paying (rebels? BMW Club? Surely not!) before setting off in search of refreshments.

Reinvigorated, we headed for the hills following the now sign-posted Wild Atlantic Way (WAW). The roads were a riders’ delight. Bends, climbs, drops, and a few straights, all against a backdrop of stunning views across the hills, which, at times, were an inappropriate distraction. As we progressed westwards, so the cloud cover increased until we reached another notable natural harbour at Bantry.  The weather was becoming muggy demanding, and finding, another delightful watering hole for lunch.

The promise for the afternoon was the Healy Pass. There wasn’t much detail but the name should have been enough. Setting out from Bantry, we headed north along the N7, along a good wide road with plenty of sweeping curves to keep it interesting. After a series of tighter bends around Glengarriff, we turned onto the R572, a lower class of road. At this stage of the tour, I had no maps or information except what was on the sat nav. That said Healy Pass. It definitely wasn’t!

We had been moving-on at a good pace, overtaking some of the HGVs that had to take this route by necessity, before turning down a narrow country lane and there it was, set out before us. The Healy Pass, climbs 335 metres into the Caha Mountains. This is a road that was originally conceived as part of an initiative to improve the Country’s infrastructure and create paid employment during the 1845 Potato Famine. But, like so many Government initiatives, even to this day, failed to meet its original goals succeeding only through the drive of Cork politician, Timothy Healy. This was a challenging climb with multiple hairpins, adverse cambers, and not a lot of Armco. The view back down the valley from the peak was stunning, and was equalled by the view down ‘the other side’. Sadly, the descending cloud base encouraged us to move on before being fogged in.

Rob lead the ride down from the peak with many more wonderful views and still able to see the coast, to the north, in the distance. Passing the hamlet of Lauragh, Rob followed his satnav (not always a good idea) joining one of the network boreens, the single track, metalled roads, that go on for many kilometres, often without any passing places or turnings. This route was ‘entertaining’, riding 2 up, close to any hedges or brushwood, with grass in the middle, but still definitely enjoyable. After what seemed like 10k, we finally came back to civilisation, heading back to The Mills for a welcoming shower and refreshment.

  Thursday 15 June

After a post-breakfast, campaign meeting, it was agreed that the famous Ring of Kerry circuit was good, as per the GPX route for the day but in reverse, allowing a visit to the picturesque Gap of Dunloe as the first stop.

Having got away quite early, the car park at Kate Kearny’s Cottage, the entrance to the Gap, was deserted. The local pony ‘wranglers’ were preparing their stock for a day’s trading, (fleecing?) offering tourists pony and trap rides up through the narrow valley in the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountains. Rob stepped forwards with his Chief Negotiator hat on. The wrangler had an opening bid of E22, Rob haggled down to E20 but wanted E18 based on 5 passengers sharing but failed and withdrew. (We weren’t bothered about going, saving us E36 altogether.) There was a suggestion of riding up the road on the bikes but were ‘discouraged’ by the ‘wranglers’ who pointed to nicely weasel worded signs that the road was ‘predominantly’ for the use of the ponies and traps. Instead, we walked about ½ mile to the first peak in the road to see deeper into the beautiful, tree covered valley before returning for refreshments.

Returning to the bikes, the weather was beginning to deteriorate with a light shower. The roads remained dry for a while but the weather then closed-in, with the blustery winds blowing rain horizontally. This was a popular route and, in addition to the rain, we had coaches, caravans, and cyclists, all making sightseeing difficult.  The clouds finally descended onto the mountains, generally making this a less pleasant part of the expedition. Descending through Cahersiveen, the rain eased and by the time we got to Portmagee for our lunch stop, the sun was starting to peep through the clouds. Portmagee is a small, widely dispersed, fishing community with its pretty, low level houses, set into the gentle, grassed slopes that descend into the Portmagee Channel. To me, this was a picture that almost seemed to be set in a different time and place.

The view back to Portmagee

After lunch, we continued along the coastal road, through to the Coomanaspic Pass,stopping for a photo opportunity from its peak. Looking to the North was Portmagee and, to the south, the shapes of the bird sanctuaries of Little Skellig and Great Skellig could be made out through the mist, the latter doubling as the home of one Mr Luke Sky Walker from the recent, Star Wars – The Force Awakens, film.

The Wild Atlantic Way followed the line of the coast, dramatically rising and falling, rounding small coves and bays, giving us a thoroughly enjoyable, if not tiring, ride. Following a brief tea break, we continued, following the WAW back to Kenmare, before picking up the R569 back to the Mills Inn for a very welcome evening of relaxation. The evening was augmented by a live quartet of accordion players entertaining us with traditional Irish music and song, complemented by some Irish dancers. The keener members of our party were charged E15 for entry to the venue, but those of us more leisurely with our repast, walked in a little later unaware of any admission charges. Result!

  Friday 16 June

Bikes packed for moving on, we set off under low clouds and light drizzle. The scenery however, even under these conditions, was more than adequate compensation. Initially riding past hills and mountains, the landscape gradually gave way to the lower lying, coastal plain. Turning along the coast to Castlemaine Harbour, we followed the road around its periphery to the Dingle Peninsula and to Dingle itself.

Inch Beach, County Kerry

Although the GPX route allowed for a circular route onwards, to the end of the Peninsula, the rigours of constant riding were taking their toll with the more reserved of us, opting instead, to remain in the town waiting for the return of the hardier riders looking to squeeze every last drop of the Irish roads.

Following advice in an article in Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, we had decided that as a cure for the increasing prevalence of numb bum, we would treat ourselves to a sheepskin seat cover. Dingle, with its shops (and time to look), would surely be able to offer something. We were not disappointed. We found the one. A beautiful colour, generously sized, but a little more expensive than we’d wanted. Even Rob couldn’t negotiate the price down. Hey ho! We are now the proud owners of our own piece of Irish ovine memorabilia, now affectionately known as Dingle. The difference has been significant, especially on longer runs.

Satisfied customer with sheepskin seat cover aka Dingle

Following lunch, and with the murky weather prevailing, we headed North, towards the Conor Pass. Climbing sharply out of Dingle, despite the wind, we soon found ourselves enveloped in a swirling mist and, the higher we climbed, the more dense the mist became. When we reached the summit, the road curved around to the right, with a sheer drop to our left, shrouded in mist, but at least secured by crash barriers, and a sheer rock face to the right. Visibility was down to about 30 feet as we began to descend. Suddenly, we were confronted by an array of car rear lights littered across the road, and worse, some of them were starting to reverse. On a fully laden bike, down an increasingly steep slope, this was not my idea of fun. I pulled over into a small recess in the rock wall to wait for any cars coming up but it was a complete impasse. Drivers incapable of driving their vehicles were effectively locked together in this surreal, swirling mist.

Rob decided to take the bull by the horns, shoehorning himself through the melee of cars, and out of sight. Eventually moving out from our refuge, the car in front of us began to creep forward preventing us from overtaking but not moving fast enough to allow me to either engage the clutch or get my feet up onto the pegs. I had no option but to control a heavy bike, trying to run away on a steep gradient, on the front brake. Tending to snatch at this speed, the ride was both uncomfortable and disconcerting. Eventually, the car scored 4 faults for a refusal at the next hurdle – an up-coming coach, allowing us to sneak through the space and continue our descent. This was probably one of the most frightening rides I have ever had, particularly given how slowly we were moving.

Re-grouping, we continued our run down, out of the clouds, into bright sunshine. The view across the peninsula from this altitude was both breath-taking and reassuring. We continued our run with only a couple of satnav related glitches, through to the Shannon Ferry.

The Shannon Estuary…

..and its ferry

On the crossing, we did catch occasional glimpses of the famous dolphins, but not long enough for any photographs, until we disembarked for the final run to Spanish Point and sanctuary.

Fourth Movement

Spanish Point to Ballina

Saturday 17 June

The early morning cloud at Spanish Point soon burnt off, leaving a beautiful sunny day for our ride up the coast towards Galway Bay.

First stop on the satnav was the 700 foot, sheer cliff face, that drops directly into the Atlantic Ocean at The Cliffs of Moher. A popular attraction, this natural phenomenon involves an entry fee and a consequent challenge to Rob’s negotiating skills. Declaring us to all be pensioners, Rob managed a reduction from E12 down to E5, and then a further 50 cents. It emerged that, although Mrs. M, who would never pass as a pensioner, had to close her crash helmet discreetly as we passed the pay booth. It later emerged that the E7 reduction was for BMW Club Membership and only the 50cents was for being pensioners. The views from the cliff top were spectacular.

Returning to the bikes, we followed the coast for a short ride to Doolin for coffee, before moving further North, where we found ourselves in the familiar territory from the home counties, a cycle race. The cyclists made riding very challenging on the narrow, undulating, roads when trying to see the magnificent views across to Galway. The precession continued for 6 or 7 miles, through Black Head to Ballyvaughan, with hundreds of participants, each paying little heed to other road users in their quest for the winners’ laurels.

Following the GPX route to the Alliwee Caves and a belated lunch break, we did the tourist bit, and took a guided tour round the caves, finally emerging into the bright sunlight of the afternoon, like mis-guided moles.

Having been a follower to this point, I volunteered to lead for the first time with an agreed destination of Father Ted’s House. Programming this into the satnav, set on curvy roads, we went ‘off-piste’ as far as the ‘official’ GPX file was concerned, through some beautiful country lanes, across The Burren National Park with its stunning limestone pavement landscape.

Being so far off the route, there were twitching sounds from some of the party, but Mr Garmin came good, delivering us to the site of pilgrimage (if you watched the series – to the rest of us it was an anti-climax).

The noises were now growing for a quick return to Spanish Point. Re-tuning Mr Garmin, we were soon underway, eventually re-joining our route from the morning. Bowling along, nicely, Rob overtook us and in what can only be described as a lapse in concentration, clipped a grass bank, catapulting him and his bike into the air, and down with a horrifying crash. He sustained a gashed nose and broken leg requiring the attention of paramedics and hospitalisation. (I only include this episode because it had an impact on the rest of the trip and that Rob is making good progress, anticipating a full recovery.)  Rob’s attempt at aviation delayed dinner somewhat, not least because Geoff took on the role of administrator, arranging insurance claims, bike collection, and advising Marrion of Rob’s condition. It would be fair to say that it took some of the polish off the trip going forwards.

Sunday 18 June

Loaded up once again, we had another priority besides the GPX today. A visit to Limerick A&E to see our injured mate, Rob. Another warm day, and I have to admit, the shock of the earlier events had hit me, leaving me and some of our other riding buddies, more weary than perhaps we realised.

Having done 4 laps of the new, but poorly signed, Limerick A&E building, we eventually tracked the lad down. Rob was as perky as ever, recounting his chat with the female paramedic,

Rob: Have we got the blue flashing lights on?

Paramedic: Yes

Rob: Have we used the sirens?

Paramedic: Yes

Rob: Cor! I’ve waited 74 years for this.

Reassuring him that everything was in-hand, we left Rob in his upbeat mood, with time for lunch. For those of us who are fathers, this must rank as one of the more memorable Fathers’ Day lunches: Sandwiches and tea in the new A&E Reception of Limerick Hospital. As hospital reception areas go, this one was better than most but…

Returning to the bikes, we headed north towards Ballina, with an intended visit to Galway en-route. This was a disappointment, with heavy Sunday afternoon traffic, we got as far as PC World / Tesco before turning back to the road northwards.

Tim lead, eventually taking a diversion to Pontoon for a brief photo opportunity before hitting Ballina, about 5.30, absolutely exhausted from the day’s ride.

View across the lough at Pontoon

The hotel and its location gave us quite a lift, with a beautiful post-dinner walk across the River Moy in the evening sunshine, before turning in for a good night’s rest.

From the bridge at Ballina

  Fifth Movement

Ballina to Wexford and Home

Monday 19 June

Our riding had been quite intensive up this point and the general view was that today’s ride needed to be less demanding. I had identified Lough Melvin, a lesser known tract of water on the border between The Republic and Northern Ireland but slightly off the tourist trail. This was a totally idiosyncratic choice on my part but I was touched that our riding buddies wished to join us.

Setting off northwards at a leisurely pace, we followed the WAW route along the coastal road, once again, being treated to the stunning scenery. Eventually, following the signs, we took a spur to Aughris Head. This was a delightfully deserted beach, with nothing but a few caravans and a charming pub, and a disproportionately large car park indicating its popularity at other times.  This was the traditional Irish pub that we’d all anticipated but not previously found.

Tea and tiffin later, we resumed our run along the coast, offering yet more scenic treats. Ballysadare Bay, Sligo Harbour, Strandhill Beach, and through to Mullaghmore Head, a continuing wealth of riches, before following the satnav for the final run across country to Kinlough, on the banks of Lough Melvin.

DCIM101DRIFT

I’m not sure what I’d expected, but this wasn’t it. Although beautiful, this was right off the mainstream trail. It was so quiet that even the cafes closed for lunch – fortunately not all of them. We parked up and wandered along ‘Main Street’, past the pub that also offered undertaking services, until we found Giovani’s Café, cum photographers, cum museum, cum formal meeting facility, where the locals all met for lunch. The food was exceptional, home-made, and reasonably priced. Result!

Kinlough – do the cafes close for lunch?

Replete, we agreed that with the loops around the bays, this had become a longer ride-out than anticipated and a direct route back was in order. We returned to Ballina around 4 o’clock with time to wander around the town and relax before dinner.

Our group, the ‘Famous Five’, met for dinner in the reception of the Hotel. The view was eating out was the preference, with Tim suggesting The Lantern, Chinese restaurant, one that we had also seen. Geoff let a couple of the others know where we headed, before presenting ourselves as 5, possibly 7, diners.

Team dinner

Gradually, in dribs and drabs, the rest of the party joined us, swelling our numbers to a total of 15 and having a proper Chinese/Irish hooley. With the Hotel unable to offer Guinness on draft that evening, the hooley then moved to an adjacent pub (cum fishing tackle shop!) where further imbibing took place until all-fall-down, either through tiredness, drink, or both.

Tuesday 20 June

The previous day’s run was ‘only’ 120 miles, but with the final leg of the tour scheduled for Wednesday of 250 miles, and with very few motorways, we really did need to go for a shorter ride-out. Taking the GPX route, we made our first stop at Downpatrick Head with its dramatic sheer cliffs, and offshore stacks. As an author, your supply of superlatives becomes readily exhausted in this stunning countryside, and the vista at Downpatrick Head was another superb example.

Our second stop was a visit to Ceide Fields, a preserved, Neolithic, agricultural community site. Preserved under the peat bog for several millennia, this is one of the most extensive sites of this type in world and includes defined field systems, enclosures, and tombs, dating back about 5000 years. The coffee in the imaginatively designed, visitor centre wasn’t bad either.

Following the GPX route again, we traversed the fantastic moorlands around Creagan Beag. This is a virtually uninhabited area, with rolling hills and mountains, stretching as far as the eye can see in every direction, with only a handful of sheep for company. We stopped for a photo opportunity in the sunshine, and all that could be heard was the occasional, inquisitive insect, buzzing past.

With another group consultation, in order to manage the mileage, we agreed a trip along the nearby Mullet Peninsula to Black Sod, before a return ride to Ballina via Bangor. Black Sod lighthouse, with its extreme westerly location, was used as the weather forecasting station to determine the final decision for launching the D-Day campaign.

Today, this area is a sublimely peaceful, headland and quayside, with a few fishing boats bobbing up and down in the natural harbour.  It doesn’t take too much imagination however, to realise that it could be quite hostile in different weather conditions.

The run back to Ballina was yet another treat, arriving in time for a dinner in the restaurant, overlooking the River Moy.

Wednesday 20 June

The cross-country ride back to Wexford was always destined to be a challenge, but our detour to visit Rob, made our journey that little bit longer. The weather was changeable during the ride but, finding yet another excellent café with home-made cakes, kept us going.

Transferred to Croom Orthopaedic Hospital for surgery, Rob was now located a few miles outside Limerick, in a hospital that, with its adequate, free parking, tended gardens, and informal atmosphere, seemed to be locked into a 1960s time-warp. Post-surgery, Rob was still very upbeat and reassured us that things were heading in the right direction. The conversation soon turned to repatriation of both rider and bike with great optimism, although, only time will tell what conditions emerge.

Our final stop en-route was Tiperary, just because it’s a long way, before arriving back in Wexford for dinner and, finally, home on the Thursday morning ferry.

The Finale

Looking back at the whole trip, this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience throughout. As interlopers from The Southern Section, we were made extremely welcome by all of the party and were delighted to be able to participate in the routeing and leading of some of the rides.

The GPX files, created and supplied by Paul Fitzgerald of Wild Irish Tours, were very comprehensive and a delight to follow. The overall length of the rides however, were often quite ambitious at times, leaving little time for exploring some of the fascinating places we just passed through. In total, we rode around 2,000 miles in the 12 days, largely without motorways to ease the distance. The scenery was amongst the best we have ever experienced.

The hotels were generally of a good standard although, there were a few concerns expressed about some of them, particularly for those who shared rooms (I’m not referring to Clive’s snoring, Rob).

Our thanks go out to Geoff Clough and Frank Butler for arranging the whole trip and to the Oxford Section for letting us join them.

Bob & Susan Melvin

                                                      Wild Irish Rovers Overture and first movement Fishguard to Wexford The choice was difficult from the outset. Full waterproofs, or jeans and lightweight oversuit?

[sweetsuccesssociety]

Have Your Best Summer Yet: 25 Ideas Under $20

Who else is so excited that summer is HERE?

We get to enjoy sunlit outdoors until 9pm, wear our bright colored dresses, lounge by the water, decorate our homes with flower bunches, and get more involved with community activities and events. Summer evening get-togethers become the new norm, we suddenly eat a lot healthier, and restaurants are chosen for their patio aesthetics. The kids are out of school and everyone’s itching to make the most of this favorite season!

As fantastic, refreshing and exhilarating as summer can be, we also understand it, well, gets expensive. Like, really quickly. If you’re on a budget like me, you may feel a little unmotivated to leave your air conditioned home out of fear of spending money. It’s a yucky feeling that sometimes gets in the way of all that summer fun, so it’s important we stomp out that fear. Let’s start some new habits of budgeting like a boss for all your favorite summer activities.

25 Ideas for a fun-filled summer:

1. Go to a summer concert in the park. Or at the downtown pedestrian mall, town square, amphitheater,  wherever the concert may be. Your local event websites are probably your best bet, and you can also simply search Facebook events or just Google. Especially keep an eye out for the weekly/monthly concerts for future summer outings!

2. Explore nearby towns. Local bloggers can be a great resource of where and what to do for these types of excursions, ask friends who live in the area, and Yelp it up to map out an awesome day trip. Save a little extra money by bringing a homemade meal or lots of snacks (but honestly, I recommend enjoying lunch at a hidden gem cafe with a beautiful patio).

3. Go to the local farmers’ market. ‘Tis the season! Treat yourself to a $5 bundle of fresh-cut flowers, gigantic zebra zucchini, a dozen tamales, handpicked fruit, or local honey. You can find really well-priced local goodies and it’s always great to support your community! Remember: Bring your own bag(s) and cash.

4. Go out for one drink and split dessert or a happy hour appetizer. Who says you have to go all out at a restaurant to enjoy the refreshing ambiance and full experience? Plan ahead to spend just $20 (including tip), and only get one drink and share an inexpensive dish on the menu. Have dinner at home and then go for a romantic evening out-on-the-town to grab dessert. Or go out for happy hour with your girl friend and agree to share an appetizer. Also be on the lookout for restaurant deals on Groupon and Living Social.

5. Shop at garage sales in your area. They pop up everywhere during the summer and there can be such great (cheap) finds! Check Craigslist’s “Garage Sale” form and your local publications’ “Classified” section for upcoming sales. Negotiate, but be polite about it. Create a wish list if you want to give yourself a little more direction when garage sale shopping.

6. Or better yet, have a garage sale yourself to make extra money! It takes a lot of work, but you’ll feel so refreshed afterward with a cleaner home and a few more dollars. I’m in the process of prepping one, so stay tuned for a how-to guide (after all, I learn from the best–my mother). There’s a lot of excellent garage sale guides and this one from Helene in Between is definitely a favorite!

7. Go to a block party. These are particularly popular during holiday weekends and breweries are especially known for throwing these kind of events. Look ’em up on event websites or check local organizations on social media.

8. Enjoy a BBQ with friends and family. Remember it’s totally okay to keep it simple and ask them to bring a contribution, so you don’t feel responsible for all the food and drink. If you have a community grill like at your apartment complex, take advantage of it! If you don’t have a grill, team up with a buddy who does or screw it and use the kitchen. Check grocery listings on Flipp to find good deals, especially on meat.

9. Go on a hike. Yes, it’s the go-to answer for summer activities, but only because hikes are awesome. Even if you have to drive more than an hour or settle for an urban hike (depending on where you live), do your best to go on at least a few this summer! All Trails is a resourceful app to discover local trails and national or state parks (and it’s always useful to read reviews and see photos).

10. Play frisbee golf, ultimate frisbee, soccer, volleyball, flag football, basketball… you get the idea. Get a group together or join one that regularly meets to play (aka a rec league).

11. Seek out the best photography spots in the area and go on a photoshoot adventure with someone you be a goof around. (Shoutout to our amazing Instagram Husbands!) Look up recommendations from local bloggers or Instagram hashtags/locations. Even just go to a cool spot and walk around to see what you can find.

12. Rent a movie, make a dollar store trip for popcorn and candy, and curl up on the couch. This is especially nice for those super hot days you just want to spend inside. But seriously, the dollar store is where it’s at for cheap snacks and treats.

13. Lay out a towel at a park, pool or even your backyard and soak up the sun while reading that book you’ve been meaning to pick up. Or plug your earphones in and listen to audiobooks (if you haven’t already, sign up for Audible and get your first month free!) Oh, and be sure to put on sunscreen out there in the heat.

14. Fill a truck bed or lay on a blanket to go stargazing. I know–super cheesy, right? But last summer, my S.O and I went on a random excursion with new friends and watched a meter shower 50 miles outside the city, in an open meadow. There’s nothing cheesy about being in that moment.

15. Find live music at free events, restaurants, etc. There’s so many live music options wherever you live and there’s always ones with free entry. Whenever you go out, keep your eyes open for flyers or announcements about upcoming music, and there’s always Yelp, social media, and the spots’ websites. So pull up a chair or put on your dancing shoes, and go have some fun!

16. Go wine or beer tasting at a nearby winery or brewery, limiting yourself to one flight to keep the bill low. Instead of drinking, engage in conversation with the bartender–chances are, they’re pretty knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. If you’re nice enough, you may even get an extra free taster or two.

17. Get creative with sidewalk chalk. Even if you don’t personally have a driveway, there surely must be a nearby sidewalk that could use some color. Check out this post for design ideas: “22 Totally Awesome Sidewalk Chalk Ideas.”

18. Do yoga. To stay on a budget, you can take free online yoga classes (Yoga with Adriane is my absolute favorite!), find a good deal on Groupon or figure out when studios offer discounted, free, or trial deals. I’ve created various yoga routine playlists (like morning, bedtime, workout, stress/anxiety), so it’s always easily accessible!

19. Find a new favorite coffee shop or give the one you already love some extra attention. Does it have a nice patio space, free coffee refills, beautiful foam art? Whatever suits you best, discover a coffee shop to truly love and appreciate. And yes, this will probably be a trial-and-error process. Don’t forget to share your findings with your audience!

20. Plant a garden. No matter where you live, it’s possible to have a garden! No dirt ground? Potted plants are a perfect solution (my hanging tomatoes #cantstopwontstop). If you’re unsure of your gardening skills, don’t start with seeds and instead get the plants that you can easily transfer into the ground/pots. I’m personally a big fan of Home Depot’s gardening section.

21. Take a bike ride off the beaten path. Dust off your bike and start using it! Whether it’s riding through a beautiful, quaint, urban neighborhood or through a nearby meadow or to the water’s edge of a lake/river. Don’t have a bike? Seriously consider investing in one and buy from a sales listing website, or see if you can get any good rental deals with a simple Google search.

22. Do a DIY project. Dive down the Pinterest rabbit hole (just remember to actually come back out and do the project). There’s countless options under $20!

23. Find the cheap-but-amazing brunch spot out there. I promise it exists. Cheap mimosas, nice patio, and decent-priced/big portion meals. If the meal is a bit of a price stretch, settle for a delicious side. Yelp is gonna be your best friend here.

24. Go to a local festival with cheap/free entry. Maybe it’s an international/culture festival or the annual chili festival. Whatever kind of festival it is, there’s an opportunity to explore! Remember: Keep an open mind to new experiences

25. Attend a free movie showing. Parks, community centers, even colleges sometimes host a free movie showing. It might even be a monthly community event. If you ask me, the outdoor movies-in-the-park evenings are a summer staple, complete with blankets, wine in plastic cups, and snacks.

Tips for a budget-friendly summer:

Get in the habit of frequently checking at least one website dedicated to events in your city. Check your local publication’ “Events” pages, download a useful app and even pay attention to some of those targeted digital ads. Follow their social media platforms because you know that’ll be one of the first places upcoming events are promoted! (Bonus: Look for hashtags to use that can lead to local exposure.)

Always keep an eye out for deals on Groupon, Living Social, etc. You may find tickets, activities or restaurant discounts that are much more within your budget! (Remember to read the fine print in case of restrictions.)

Can we all agree alcohol is what really racks up costs?

Stay on the alert for great grocery sales, specifically meat and booze, that could inspire you to host a get-together or have a romantic dinner with your S.O.

Utilize your network. You may have more resources than you think! Maybe your friend works somewhere that has free or discounted offers for friends, or they’re halfway through planning out an idea so you can combine forces. Share and talk out ideas with friends that can turn into a memorable experience.

Keep a calendar in a visible spot at home. We already have too many dates and events to remember, so why add even more to our plate? Every time you’re interested in an upcoming event, add it to the calendar that’s positioned in the kitchen or in your bedroom (or wherever else is visible).

Like these summer ideas? Pin it for reference all summer!

Are you looking for more summer ideas for the whole family or a date night? Find even more on our Summer Fun Ideas Pinboard!

Did you know? Sweet Success Society now has a Bloglovin’ account! Follow along here to always stay up-to-date with new posts.

The post Have Your Best Summer Yet: 25 Ideas Under $20 appeared first on Sweet Success Society.

from Have Your Best Summer Yet: 25 Ideas Under $20