Will Hawkins

decapitated its head from itshis shoulders - decapitated its head from its shoulders Once again the mysterious maiden saves a life.

when he’d heard the voice spoken, - when he’d heard the voice speak, So the seer is shapeshifted from her normal old crone appearance and the army of hellhounds is moving on the keep. Indeed it looks like an interesting time ahead.

I’m in the mood for your condescending shit, - I’m in no mood for your condescending shit, Death magic. A black art as practiced by the dead -- zombies or those practitioners of the black arts who control them and the apparition in purple? Who is she? I assume all will be made clear in subsequent chapters, but there is much confusion at this point

Dreams that become nightmares - I asked a very learned Psychologist one time, many years ago by now, what was a dream and why were some dreams pleasant and others turned into nightmares? He answered my questions in a very straightforward and simple manner. "During the waking hours of the day, the human and even the animal brain accumulates images. These are usually in the form of snapshots, brief, unconnected flashes of memory. A sound, a smell, an image from the eye in the form of an incomplete and disconnected flash. Meaningless, but placed by the brain into a memory box. When we dream, these images, incomplete thoughts, and faint impressions are brought up into semi-consciousness and passed into the active parts of memory. They pass through the consciousness and then are discarded by the brain, in much the same way as potato peelings are thrown into the garbage. This is a healthy process," he said, "for if we did not clean out these images daily, they might accumulate and destroy our thinking processes by blocking new images that the brain must accumulate to remain aware and active." "In simple terms, a dream is the way the brain has of taking out the garbage. These images are neither good nor bad, it is only the way in which the remembering brain in its semi-conscious state links them together that makes the difference between a pleasant dream and a nightmare."

When the boy wanders around the house in his briefs, you will have to ask him about that!

Oh, indeed I am. At least here in my own bed, I can get a decent night's sleep and there are two Brazilian hands on the place who make sure I am fed and medicated according to schedule. One of them is a problem, however. He is just seventeen and a total beauty of a young man. Now I am far too old to be actively interested, but I do enjoy looking!

I accept your reasoning wholeheartedly so - no comments about Britishisms. From time to time, when I read a story by an Aussie, even I who has been a visitor down under, will have to look up a reference to understand what is being said

Our stallion seems to be normal physically and psychologically. The internet tells me that even cryptorchids can sire colts. Jose, he's my Portuguese partner, has even purchased a complete set of tack and is training Spicy to be ridden - apparently very successfully. Though I did quite a bit of riding when I was younger and lived in Texas and Arizona, at 85 years of age I am not fond of the idea of riding an untrained stallion, no matter how many or how few nuts he has. If anyone were to get hurt here, it is a long and bumpy dirt road to the nearest Clinic, though Brazil does have free medical care. I just got home from a two-day incarceration in that chamber of horrors. Apparently, there is no such thing as quiet in a clinic here, and I never even got a full four hours sleep while I was there. I was so very glad to be allowed to get back to the estancia and my own bed,

In my long life, I have almost always been owned by a cat. I even had one for a while here at my retirement location in Brazil, but my roommate is more of a dog person, we now have nine on the estancia, along with five guinea fowl, two chickens, two cows and a horse with one nut. Okay, back to my reading...

Well, we hear about an old boyfriend. I seems that Trevor was not the best sort of companion, so it's a good thing he is in the past. Of course, Penguin had to say 'thanks' for the posies by chewing on a flower stem or two. what self-respecting cat could refuse that opportunity? Will

Hey, there is an author at the end of the electronic connection between computers. I have just started to read Penguin (what a wild name for a cat!. I am already enchanted.) Of course, Danny was uncaring in the way he turned his back on Sean who was just being a good Samaritan. Maybe we can excuse his actions by taking into account the hurt wrist, but if he had been thinking I feel he would have at least said thank-you. It is just luck that there is the possibility of further contact through Penguin. I wonder if there was any catnip included in the flowers? At any rate, I am moving on to the next chapter, so far I am in love with the characterizations - including Penguin's

This story was first posted four years ago and a recent posting was in April of this year - that is a signal to me that you may be checking into recent comments. Most authors, by the time a story is posted, are so sick of the work that they don't ever check more recent comments. If you are checking the comments from time to time my notice will beep at me to let me know and I will, from time to time post a comment - otherwise, I will just settle back and read. Will

A very dark tale, but well written and showing the portent of expansion into a complete story.

A beautiful wrap-up to a lovely tale. Thank you Obecandecko for brightening my days with both of your tales about Poa and its magic.

Speaking from my exalted position on the podium as an old man, I fail to understand why so many parents, one or both, have such a difficult time accepting a gay offspring. If they are of an intensely religious sort, do they not believe the God they adore is perfect and has created every child in his perfect image? If they are agnostic, can they not accept that science says, wherever a son or daughter falls on the gay-straight continuum they are a product of genetic coding and is as much the fault of the parents as it is of society, education, or any outside influence? Parent, love your child, whether they be gay, straight, blue-eyed, brown-eyed, smart or dumb, they are a product of your genes and you are just as much responsible for their status as is anyone or anything else. End of rant. Will

A fitting conclusion to the performance -- and one that will reverberate through the halls of the institution for many moons. But what are we going to do for an encore?

When I was teaching in a small Community College atmosphere, we had an unspoken rule about both MM and MF relationships. No student, M or F could be touched below the shoulder and would have to be addressed as Mister Smith and Miss Jones in the classroom. So far as I know, in the 25 years, I was employed there, no charge of sexual harassment was ever brought against any teacher. I was in an even more precarious position than many of the instructors as I was boarding up to four male students in my home each quarter even as a gay [closeted] man. I guess I did an adequate job, however, because my boarders returned quarter after quarter and there was never any problem though we frequently saw each other nude in the showers and clad only in brief underwear in the kitchen in the mornings. I hope it was because we all behaved properly, but it could have been pure luck.

Apparently, the prejudice against blacks is just as strong in Oz as it is in Mississippi or Chicago. The cops in this country are just as prejudiced as apparently those in Oz. One small mitigating fact is that much of the equipment, bullet-proof vests, tasers, etc. Is designed to give the cops enough confidence that they do not feel as threatened when faced with anger and prejudice. The fact that all that crap does not do its job in giving them security is unfortunate. The same high ratio of blacks in prison in this country is a mark against the system. In many parts of this country, we are still fighting the Civil War, but the same bad conditions exist in South Africa as well. The prejudice against the black man in the South in this country is a result of Jim Crow laws that acted against him after the Civil War. These were an expression of the fear among the whites that freed slaves would take over the country when they were given the vote after that war. Prejudice is always the result of fear.

Okay, now we know that Snake\Karmai is an aborigine, which I should have figured because of the nationality of the author. 85 sounds like a cool place for the gang to live. Glad to see Sylvan, though I still think that is a coo-coo name for a Parks Ranger, lol.

Because this is a story by an Australian author the definition of a 'black' man is a little up in the air. Is Snake Negro, Aborigine, East Indian or African. Not that it makes a whole lot of difference, all these races are discriminated against by WASPs. Just a matter of clarity for your North American readers.

Sylvan Forray -- really! 'A walk in the woods' as a name for a forest ranger! Okaaaay!

My memories of the people of Australia are extremely pleasant. Sadly, I cannot say the same about the environment. Just as in America, a great portion of the continent is desert and, it seems to me that every natural thing, animal or vegetable, is either aggressive or poisonous. I do love the people, however. They seem to me to be very open and accepting -- just as long as you remember to shake out your shoes before you put them on in the morning. Now, I am not saying the US is much better. We have snakes, spiders, vicious mosquitoes and wild animals aplenty. Why I heard two mosquitoes buzzing around my head one night, arguing whether they were going to drain my blood dry there or take me home for the little ones!

The current political disturbances affect me a great deal, psychologically, not financially. I am overwhelmingly ashamed of my country, but most especially of the 30% of the electorate according to the most recent polling, that even today after two years of Trump insulting all of America's friends, still aver they would vote for him again.

In the downturn of 2008, I was a victim of the same sort of advice by bank management and ended up having to walk away from a beautiful 3Br home on ten acres of woodland with a creek in the country near Seattle. I ended up moving to Brazil with its cheaper living and medical support. It was one of the best things that happened to me in my later life. I am now living in a new (not yet quite completed) hillside home overlooking a lake in Bahia with a veritable zoo of farm animals, much beloved by my partner. Growing old, well cared for and other than not speaking much Portuguese, quite content.

You certainly have captured my interest, Rigby, and speaking of a connoisseur's appreciation for words, what does your dictionary say about 'exhaduration', mine stumbles in the dark. Great possibilities with the characterizations already in just the first chapter. I am looking forward to your exciting writing skills as the story continues. I am a great fan.