The Once and Future Blog

Being hit by a truck was probably the most interesting thing in my life, though maybe I just think that because it just happened. Being dead hasn't really been all it was cracked up to be, but then again, the beings I've been dealing with have said that I'm not actually dead, just liminal. It's a weird phrase for that state being dead and alive, so they tell me. These beings call themselves psychopomps, which is another weird phrase they keep throwing around here. They seem to really like those. Alright, I guess some more explanation is in order. I'm not freaking out at the moment since I've had some time to get over the panic-about-being-dead part, and move on to try-to-understand-what-these-specters-are-saying part. Currently, I'm stuck in an uncomfortably cold hospital waiting room, with no decorations, furniture, doors, or other people, except for the beings that just show up every now and again. The first one I talked with scared me to the point where ...

Atop a quaint hill at the furthest end of the longest road in the kingdom sat a small cottage, wherein a small family of three lived. The father was old and gruff, with a beard down to his toes, and the mother was fragile and sweet, with a particular penchant for making the finest pies in the land. Their child, a single daughter, was a delightful, fair lass with the most elegant blonde hair in the whole of the kingdom. There they lived, beloved by the whole of the village around the hill, in peaceful harmony. One day in the village, residents reported that their livestock had been disappearing when they neared the hill to graze. None could find why such a thing was happening, so a pair of farmhands decided to keep watch over the grazing cattle during the night. The next morning, they were nowhere to be found. The folk of the village soon began to suspect the elderly couple atop the hill thereafter. As more and more livestock and villagers disappeared, the residents became angry. At l...

Caliburn - the sword of destiny, drawn from the stone of the king's court years ago by the now King Arthur, showing that he was the rightful heir to Uther Pendragon's throne. The sword itself represents control of Britain and its vassals, and Arthur closely guards it in his chambers at all times, save for intricate ceremonies such as knighting. Rumors in the court say that this manner of succession was a construction of the sorcerer Merlin, meant to protect the bloodline with his magic. Merlin himself is an enigma to put all others to shame - the son of a witch and an incubus with an ageless body and the ability to see all of time at a single moment, he operates only by offering his prophecy and assistance at unpredictable moments. One such moment was when Arthur was returned to the court so bloodied, they panicked to find a successor. More than one hundred children claiming to be Arthur's son suddenly came to light, from inside and outside Camelot. Merlin constructed what ...

An Empty Plain In the beginning, there was nothing more than a great, dusty plain with not even so much as grass upon it. In this plain, nothing changed and nothing was born, until at last the plain began to dream. Its dream was occupied by thoughts of grasses, bushes, trees, and birds, and soon, those things began to spread over the whole of the plain. The birds began to chatter amongst themselves, so lucky to have been given an infinite world of food and shade, but quickly found themselves parched. They echoed a cry to the plain, and soon, water began to flow over some parts of the plain, and the west of the plain became an infinite sea. The birds were happy, and they found themselves contented as before. This contentment did not last long, as the birds began to grow tired of eating, drinking, and flight from tree to tree. Once again, they expressed their discontent to the world, and once again, the world began to dream something new - the land itself began to leap up and fall d...

Hiawatha On the dawn of the day of the nineteenth year of Hiawatha, a great chill spread over the whole of the plain and forest. From where this chill was from, no man, woman, or creature could say. As the people continued working as they do in Spring, the grasp of frost began to eat at the sapling plants in the gardens. Such a plague of ice was unknown to these people, and it was not long until the men and women were without plan, without food, and without hope. Soon came a hare to the circle of wigwams, a meager beast of little more than bones and fur. It hopped to Hiawatha, seated within his dwelling next to a fire consuming a small ration of maize dried last harvest. The great warrior saw the pathetic look of the rabbit, and extended his hand to the creature in an act of mercy. The hare began to eat the morsels, the little food Hiawatha had remaining, and soon its strength seemed to return. It energetically began to escape, but indicated to Hiawatha to follow. The weakened war...

Prelude: I highly recommend listening to this song,  La Libellule et le Baobab , whose name and sound gave me the inspiration for this story. No really, I promise it improves the story.  A Great Baobab Tree At the center of a great, seemingly unending plain, there was a large lake at which many different animals came together to drink. Against the strain of the food chain, the animals here did not fight - the watering hole was not just an oasis against the elements, but against violence as well. No matter the day, no matter the rain, no matter the famine, no one dared to break the peace of the watering hole, lest they become the victim of its inhabitants in retaliation. Just a hair north of the lake was a great baobab tree, thousands of years older than any of the animals there. This baobab was no ordinary tree, but a spirit of unknowable wisdom and age. It was the symbol of peace at the lake, and told tales from eons before any of the lake's inhabitants were born. All ...

Following his triumph over the demonic Rakshasas, Rama was taken to the court of Janaka, wherein he was met with a great feast fit for the visit of a foreign royal. Rama, adorned in eloquent gilded armor, was abreast with Lakshmana as they entered the great hall of the Rajah. Their presence was immediately felt by all the in room, as though the very spirit of divinity flowed like smoke in the air. On entry, each ceremoniously disarmed themselves, and removed their helmets so that their radiant beauty could be taken in by all. Janaka, seated at a grand throne at the end of the table, rose to his feet in likewise respect. "Greetings, o anointed guests of my domain. Sit, and feast your hungry bodies to your delight in celebration of your victories." The lord gestured to a pair of seats at either side of his, labelled with the names of the young princes. As each seated themselves, they made merriment with the other guests as the feast swung into its peak tempo. Just before the f...

When the great spear of Hector ran through the other side of the body of Patroclus, a great quiet fell amongst the Trojans and the Greeks. The beautiful man, once believed to have been beloved by mortals and divine, bore the arms of the legendary Achilles - though the form of a legend cannot grant the spirit of one. The heat of the summer weighed down on the warriors, intermixed with the realization that this man's death could change the tide of the war entirely. As the two champions gave their final shouts to one another, the soul of the Greek hero succumbed to his wounds and descended to the underworld. The Greeks and the Trojans Fighting over the Body of Patroclus When the shock of the blow left the plain, the range of fighting shifted from an assault to a focused charge for the body of Patroclus. As Hector chased down the chariot for spoils, he abandoned his front line for a greed he could not fulfill. For a man of so loved as Patroclus by Achilles, the Trojans knew the ...

Pygmalion, from a very young age, was shown to be an artist of extreme talent. Even as a toddler playing in the mud, his creations were no mere child's play, but lifelike parodies of nature. When he grew older, he was apprenticed to a master sculptor, and quickly outgrew and outmatched students more than a decade his senior. By the time he had become a man, his master had nothing more to teach him, and Pygmalion struck out on his own.  As a young man, Pygmalion was requested by nobles and kings alike to carve their likeness into marble, securing their eternity in the history of the world. He was paid handsomely, and he surrounded himself with his work. Soon, it became rare to see Pygmalion outside of his workshop or the palace of some vain noble on the island. His workshop was littered with creations cut and scrapped, in search of something he couldn't grasp. Each time he tried, he felt closer, but no amount of work could bring him to the paragon he desired. Pygmalion  ...