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THE GAIAN PRESS - Issue 6.1 + 6.2/July '05
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. The Neighborhood Watch - Gaian news for our attention deficit generation.
2. Honorable Mentions - Writing submitted and scouted by the best.
3. Point! What's Your Point? - Anti-social, anti-state, anti-you.
4. Best of Issue - As voted by the members of the Press.
5. Writer's Aide - Featuring some helpful advice from our very own Gypsy_Hart!
6. Beyond the Box - Featuring Jahoclave's Political Writing Project!
7. The Afterthought - Preview for the next issue and then some.
Kraeela reports:
.....-In case you don't read stickies, here's the Writer's Workshop and Contest Charity Foundation.
.....-Short story conteston topic. Win Nitemare/Angel Scarf, Devil Tail or Baby Seals!
.....-H.A.R.S.H's Monthly Prose Contest. On topic. Fee: 250g. Prize: 500-5000g.
.....-A place to list descriptions and discuss your main characters. Click here!
.....-Don't even know what WriMo is? Check out the official NaNoWriMo!
.....-Do you use sex to round out your characters' personalities? Or is it just smut to you? Discussion.
Serieve reports:
.....-Here's a helpful website that gives the latest updates for Gaia with full item lists, what shops they're in, and even an avatar simulator to help you find the look you want!
.....-Can't stand the dirty words? Get a Word Filter!
PART I. Poetry
Listed in alphbetical order.
The High Shrine at Delphi
by Gypsy Hart
There is a beuaty
of gray and green,
in the hills and the rocks.
A circle stands tall;
and an unexplained charisma
surrounds it.
It calls to one
and all,
to come
to where Delphi stood.
The innards of mens' minds
and answered mystries,
are fallen now
in ruins.
Hopeless Love (Confronting the Villain)
by S. Houser
A Villain and a Heroine.
A story old as rhyme.
A star-crossed love between them, cursed
by Destiny's design.
And shattered crystals, brightly gleaming,
hold to Fae enchantment's seeming.
A maiden lies among them, Dreaming
deeply in her mind...
There's someone that she searches for,
yet whom, she does not know.
And all around she sees within
the hazy candle glow
fine Dancers dressed in bright array.
Seductively they spin and sway,
like glittering rubies on display
with naught but glass below.
Then through the swirl of colors
she discerns the one she seeks.
His alluring gaze beguiles her
and leaves her feeling weak.
Across the hazy, crowded room,
his eyes filled with despondent gloom,
he drifts to her, as though to Doom;
She finds she cannot speak...
The adoration in his gaze,
it rends her very soul.
The kiss bestowed upon her hand,
it leaves her feeling whole.
His spell begins to mesmerize,
from silver tongue slips honeyed lies.
She stands enraptured by his eyes;
Enchantment takes its toll.
Into his arms he takes her then
as into dance they're spun,
and something magic fills his eyes,
for Something has begun...
With velvet voice, he croons his song
and leads her through the milling throng.
She understands where she belongs;
From him she'll never run.
Yet something lingers in her mind.
Uncertainty remains
that alluring words cannot suppress.
His spell cannot restrain
the knowledge that there's much amiss.
And as he offers her his kiss
her doubt dispels the flawless bliss,
her reason now regained.
Now Dancers start to press her in
and masked eyes glitter coldly.
Their lips are twisted sneers of hate
as rough hands clutch her boldly.
Their laughter mocking, vile rasps
upon her ears, she cuts their grasps
and stumbles through the sea of masks
amid their howling glee.
Yet sorrow haunts her memory;
His eyes she can't escape.
Her soul is held in jeopardy,
and yet her will is great.
She fights against his strong Command,
his plea for her to understand
the gift he holds in outstretched hand
as through glass walls she breaks.
Then screams of horror fill the air
to end the mocking laughter,
and everything begins to fall
as all ends in disaster.
Yet Dancers still mechanically
sway to discordant melody,
for even now they are not free;
they'll Dance forever after.
Amid this broken spell she stands.
Her enemy she faces.
Her Dream is coming to an end
as to an end Time paces.
From 'midst the shadows he appears.
His face has aged a hundred years.
His ancient eyes hold all the fears
of a hundred ancient races.
Now pale mist gathers like a wraith
about his weary form,
and garbs him in a cloak of gray,
a piece of darkness shorn.
His haunted eyes are begging, pleading,
and his soul is bleeding, bleeding...
Why must true love be so fleeting?
Why must his heart be torn?
An echo of a tolling bell;
the hour is at hand.
Before him comes this Heroine
to make her final stand.
Determination conquers fear,
and mercy has no holding here,
yet in her eye there shines a tear.
She gives him her Command.
And even as she speaks
the world's foundations start to quake.
The very air surrounding them
begins to heave and shake.
Then comes the chiming of the bell
obliterating faerie spell.
Her Dream, a fragile, shining shell,
is shattered in its wake.
She knows her choice was justified.
He was not meant to stay,
but his eyes still haunt her memory;
his love won't fade away.
The Story comes into its end,
and even True Love cannot bend
the rules of iron. In the end
the Story has its way.
Upon Awakening she knows
she's lost her greatest chance.
Her dreams had been within her reach;
within his lonely glance.
And in her mind she stands before
the threshold of Enchantment's door.
With him she's bound forever more...
Forever shall they Dance.
The Sender's Blessing
by Atreas
With parting time
Upon us now,
Go we our separate ways,
And with you goes
The blessing that I
Speak and breathe and say.
The world around us
Changes, friend, throughout
The night and day,
And where you go,
And where you step,
Find you hope, I pray.
May the mundane
Still inspire
Your unrelenting muse
And weave upon
You wisdom wise to
Trust and ever use.
Shore to shore within
Your grasp, I pray you
See each treasure,
From golden skies
To forests green,
Plunderous the pleasure.
Dream ever deep
And wink alive
With every sunlit dawn,
And live each day
Without regret, lest
Tomorrow you be gone.
Heed well this blessing,
Dearest friend, that I
Grant unto you.
Wary may you
Always be, and
May your heart guide true.
PART II. Fiction
Listed in alphbetical order.
The Badger Brigade
by Hemp Fandango
Note: To read more of "The Badger Brigade," visit Hemp Fandango's thread or visit our guild to read past issues.
Chapter 6: How To Teach A Class
Lesson #34: Beat the crap out of the students. It helps them learn.
"Aaah," Alex said as she stretched out her arms behind her head. "Another day, another donor."
Sara sighed. "First of all, it's "another day, another dollar and second of all, that's what you say at the end of the day. It's breakfast." she said flatly.
Alex scowled. "Oh, whatever. It feels like the end of the day, given what I've had to put up with." She gestured vaguely at her surroundings with her butter knife.
The great hall was packed as usual, although certain tables were more packed than others. Alex glanced over to the Gryffindor table, which had to get an extension recently and yet some people were still forced to sit on the floor. She shook her head sadly.
"Poor dopes," she mumbled.
"It's kind of fun watching the Slytherins." Elizabeth said jabbing her fork in the direction of their table. "I wonder what would happen if I took a big magnet and held it near all of them." She took a bite out of her toast. "Like the kind Wile E. Coyote had."
"You'd rip their faces off," Alex smirked. "That's not the kind of thing you generally see on Loony Toons."
"Not true. Daffy got his beak blown off on many occasions." Elizabeth pointed out.
Sara stared at her friends blankly. "Daffy...?"
They both turned to her with looks of pity. "Oh, Sara," Elizabeth said mournfully. "The things you miss by being a pure blood."
Sara frowned. "This is all fascinating, really," she said in annoyance, "but shouldn't you two be more concerned with our new lessons?"
Elizabeth and Alex sighed. Yes, Sara was right. They had many new classes to attend, including Martial Arts, Glamouries, Advanced Elven Magicks, The Art of Mages, Faith Healing, Meditation, Advanced Charms, Ancient Languages, and Interior Design. Of course, all of which were being taught by charming, lovely young girls who seemed to crawl out of the woodwork these days. Some of them barely looked old enough apparate, much less teach a class. As if that wasn't insulting enough, many of the old teachers had mysteriously vanished and had been replaced by new, pretty young ladies, often fresh out of school.
Alex glared up at the teachers' table. She had noticed that as the days went by more and more of her old teachers vanished and were replaced. Last week, Flitwick had vanished and was replaced with an elven maiden, Professor Iluthuwen Tinuviel or something unpronounceable like that. She made Alex truly appreciate Flitwick, her with her deep blue medieval style dresses and deep chestnut coloured hair and the deepest ocean blue eyes which reflected the innermost sorrows-
Alex blinked.
"Hey, guys," she said slowly, not taking her eyes off of Tinuviwhatever. "Why is it that whenever we start to think about those..." she trailed off, struggling to find the appropriate vitriolic term. "Things we start to think about how they look?"
Sara sighed and put down her fork. "I noticed that too. I think it's part of their magic."
"Magick," Alex corrected, bitterly swallowing the "k". "Damn things are everywhere now. They're like rats."
"I wish I could understand where this all started," Sara complained, pushing her plate away. "I wish I knew why some people became like them and others were just replaced entirely. I wish I understood this- this- this utter nonsense!" She ran her hands through her mousy hair in frustration.
Elizabeth nervously glanced over to the Ravenclaw table. Luna's seat was empty. "I wish I knew why too," she said quietly.
"I miss Flitwick."
The girls sighed and sunk into a gloom.
Alex's eyes narrowed as she swung her gaze back to the teachers' table. They were replacing the teachers, that was certain. There was even a new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Hagrid had suddenly and mysteriously decided to retire, shocking most of the people of functioning brain cells. Alex had thought he had adored his subject. He had been replaced with some Japanese twit. Sakura something. She sat at the teachers' table, chatting animatedly with another new professor. She had the most beautiful-
'She had brown hair and green eyes, dammit.' Alex thought as she packed up her things. 'Quit trying to dress it up. Brown hair. Green eyes.' She stood up. "I've lost my appetite," she announced flatly.
Elizabeth stood up with her. "Yeah, me too."
"Then why are you buttering another piece of toast, Liz?" Sara asked.
"This is my last piece," she said defiantly as Alex rolled her eyes. "I'm just that upset."
Sara glanced at her watch. "We have class soon anyway." She grabbed her bag and pulled herself up.
"What do we have first?" Elizabeth asked as they sped from the great hall.
Sara rooted around in her bag until she pulled out her schedule. "Um. Says here we have Glamouries first."
Alex sighed and ran her hand through her short hair. "What is Glamouries anyway?"
"The study of changing your appearance through magic... I think."
Alex sneered. "What a waste of magic. Who the hell made this class mandatory, anyway?"
"I think it's going to be a neat class," Elizabeth said meekly as she fiddled with her earrings.
Alex didn't comment further and they continued to walk in silence.
***
"It's getting harder and harder to eat," Pansy moaned as she and Edwina marched from the hall, following behind a group of Hufflepuffs. "How can you eat with all those girls in the ugly make up?"
"It takes a strong constitution, I admit," Edwina sniffed. "I just try to think of happy things, like kittens or money. Besides," she continued. "It's much harder to keep a straight face than to keep the food down."
Pansy grinned. "I noticed you were snorting in your pumpkin juice," she sniffed and stuck her nose in the air. "How very unladylike," she said in a simper resembling her mother's.
"Oh, Pansy dahling," Edwina pulled herself up straight and spoke in a haughty tone. "You absolutely must forgive me. I think I may have caught a cold whilst I was dining in le bon Paree. Oh!" Edwina's hand fluttered to her chest in mock surprise. "Did I forget to mention my trip? I'm fabulously wealthy, you see." She laughed airily.
Pansy joined in the airy laugh before speaking. "Le bon Paree, you say? Oh, yes, I've been to that little town. It's definitely a good place to go for people like you," she touched Edwina's shoulder briefly, taking care to patronize to her fullest extent. "The French are welcoming of neveux money, like yours." She laughed airily again.
"I think we'll make great matriarchs one day," Edwina said, shaking her head with amusement.
"I'll be the best Malfoy matriarch there ever was, once Narcissa is out of the way." she added, flicking an imaginary piece of lint from her shoulder. "What do we have first?"
"Martial Arts, I think."
Pansy snorted. "I'll never understand why that class has become mandatory."
"I think I can guess," Edwina said quietly as they rounded the corner and stepped into the classroom. Inside was an Asian looking girl with short onyx hair, which shone like silk, and dark amethyst eyes, like jewels on a porcelain face. She couldn't have been much older than the two Slytherin girls
She looked over the two Slytherins swiftly. "You're late," she announced.
Edwina and Pansy exchanged confused glances. Edwina spoke first. "No, we're not. We're the opposite of late, actually." She said slowly, as if speaking to the very dense. "That's "early," by the way," she added helpfully.
The petite girl frowned. "No, you're late. I decide when the class starts. 50 points from Slytherin."
"What!? You can't do that!" Edwina exclaimed, looking outraged.
"Hm, that's another 10 points." She said disinterestedly while examining her nails. "Now take your seats."
Edwina stared open mouthed at the girl in silent outrage. Pansy glanced at her scandalized friend and spoke quickly. "Oh, you'll have to excuse my friend, professor," she simpered. "She's not well in the head."
"I could tell," The girl said, leveling Pansy with a sharp stare. "Now sit down."
Pansy glanced around the sparse room. The light wooden walls and minimalist decorating suggested to Pansy a Japanese dojo. There were no chairs or desks in sight. "Um, sit where?"
The girl rolled her brilliant eyes, and pointed to the floor. "There," she said, gesturing to various small white cushions on the floor. "Kneel on those."
Edwina gave the cushions a thoroughly disgusted look. "You can't be- argh!"
Pansy gave a sweet smile to the teacher before dragging Edwina to the cushions.
"Hey, that was uncalled for. Why did you kick-" Edwina began in a furious whisper.
"Shh!" Pansy hissed. "With Snape gone insane we have to watch our step, okay? We need house points and you snapping at the teachers won't help us."
"I suppose," she relented grudgingly. They waited in silence as the Japanese girl paced around the room, pausing now and then to adjust the cushions.
'I wonder what she's so nervous about?' Edwina narrowed her eyes.
Pansy leaned in close to her. "We have this class with the Hufflepuffs," she muttered from the corner of her mouth, keeping her eyes on the teacher. "We'll ask them then, all right?"
Edwina sighed and nodded slightly, privately thinking how undignified and un-Slytherin it was to join a group of Hufflepuffs, for God's sakes. 'Oh well,' she thought as she picked at a small hole in the cushion. 'It could be worse,' she paused, trying to think of possible ways it could be worse. 'Well, it could probably be worse. I mean, they could be bears.'
Finally, the bell rang signaling the start of the class. Edwina noticed, with growing bitterness, that the teacher didn't deduct any points from the teens streaming in. She glanced furiously at Pansy, raising her eyebrows. Pansy rolled her eyes and gave a weak attempt at a reassuring smile...
...which froze solid as Draco walked in, following the raven-haired Polaris with a blank look on his face. Many other students dressed similarly as Polaris followed in after, some of them shooting Pansy dark looks. Edwina looked away in embarrassment.
"Welcome, class, to Martial Arts. I am your Sensei, Ayame Suzaku, but you will refer to me as Sensei Suzaku at all times. In this class you will learn all the finer details of the noble arts of martial, also known as the martial arts. Some of you may have noticed that I am barely older than you, and you would be correct. However, I am more than capable of teaching this class; I have a black belt in almost every kind of martial arts known to man and some that aren't," she threw her impressive chest out proudly. "Of course," she continued. "I don't expect the likes of you to achieve the same things I have, because I am a special chosen warrior of destiny who will rise up and defeat the Dark Lord and the vampire lord and what is so funny, Ms. Parkinson?"
"Er," said Pansy, looking briefly like a deer caught in the headlights. She recovered quickly. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I had something caught in my throat and I was merely coughing, you see," she explained smoothly. Suzaku gave her a deeply skeptical look. "I know it sounded a lot like laughter, but it wasn't. Not in the slightest. Why would I ever want to laugh at you?" She asked, radiating innocence.
Edwina, who had been struggling for several minutes, had buried her face in her hands. Her body shook with silent laughter.
Suzaku gave Edwina a curious glance. "Is your friend alright?"
Pansy shot her a quick look and very subtly elbowed her in the ribs. "She's fine," she said innocently as Edwina gave her a sharp look and rubbed her chest dramatically.
"Anyway," Suzaku continued, still eyeing the girls suspiciously. "As I was saying, martial arts is very, very tricky. It requires peace of mind and body and," she hesitated. "the ability to grasp pebbles from old men's hands. Yeah," she paused again to examine her students. Most watched her with quiet reverence, but one - no, two faces looked at her with barely disguised amusement mingled with disbelief. Sensei Suzaku bristled. They were mocking her.
"But first," she said loudly, staring hard at the one that looked like a pug. "I'll do a demonstration. You," she jabbed her slender, well manicured finger at the pug girl. "Get up here."
Pansy hesitated. There was something about the way Suzaku was looking at her. She began to wonder if perhaps the girl really did know martial arts. Suzaku must have seen the slight flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. She smirked.
"What's wrong, pug face? Afraid?"
Pansy stiffened. She gave her the coolest look she could manage, and stood up in a single graceful movement. She took a moment to smooth out her robes, before sauntering over to Suzaku. Suzaku gave her a brief once over and assumed a fighting stance.
"Right," Suzaku said, as Pansy uncertainly imitated the stance she had adopted. "Get ready."
"Get ready for wh-" Was all Pansy managed before being struck by a series of sharp punches. She stumbled backwards, clutching her stomach. Suzaku moved in a blur, sweeping her leg under Pansy, and knocking her to the floor.
Suzaku pulled away from the whimpering Pansy and turned to face her students. Most students - that is, the new students who had arrived at the beginning of the year - looked at Suzaku with admiration. Polaris and a few other girls even began to clap. Edwina, who had gone white with rage, stood up and hurried over to her fallen friend.
"That is what you'll be able to accomplish with martial arts," Suzaku said after the applause died down.
"And what's that?" A girl in black and yellow robes Suzaku had not noticed earlier asked in a harsh voice. "Beating up defenseless girls? You're supposed to be a teacher!" Susan yelled in outrage. Suzaku stared at her carefully, as if she wasn't sure Susan was really there.
"Dumbledore will sack you for this," Edwina said in a quiet, trembling hiss. Her eyes had become dark, malevolent slits on her pale face. She helped Pansy to her feet. "Come on, Pansy," she murmured. Pansy hissed in pain, and Edwina noticed for the first time that her foot was twisted at an odd angle.
"Where do you think you're going?" Suzaku asked in a level voice. "Class is not finished, yet."
"I'm taking her to the hospital wing," Edwina snapped much louder than she expected.
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I think I was perfectly clear the first time, Dorian-san." Suzaku said smoothly.
Edwina stared at her in bald disbelief. "You... can't be serious."
Suzaku gave her a cool look. "Sit down, Dorian-san."
Edwina clenched her jaw and glared as hard as she possibly could at Suzaku who met her gaze impassively. They stood like that for some time, Edwina with murder in her eyes, her head buzzing with obscenities, while Suzaku simply looked amused. The class went dead quiet, no one daring to move.
Polaris watched them both, a small smile on her lovely visage.
Edwina broke the silence first, speaking through clenched teeth: "We're going. Take points off us if you want, I don't care!" She said shrilly. "Our house has gone to the dogs anyway," she spat, while looks of anger blossomed on the faces of many of the transfer students.
Then, feeling light headed with rage, Edwina began to lead Pansy from the room-
"No," Pansy whispered, pulling back.
Edwina momentarily forgot her anger, staring baldly at Pansy. "What? Pansy, your foot-"
"Slytherin's don't run," She cut in, raising her head to level her gaze on the "sensei". Her face was blotched and tear streaked.
Edwina looked confused. "Yeah, we do. We do it all the time."
"It stops here, then," she said firmly. She pulled herself gently from Edwina's grasp and pointed her wand levelly at Suzaku.
The Japanese girl smirked. "Awww," she cooed. "Is the widdle Slytherin girlie sad that I twisted her ankle?"
"Yes. Furnunculus!"
Suzaku gasped in surprise and stumbled backwards, clutching her face and hissing in pain. Pansy smiled in triumph, but before she could react, Suzaku was charging towards her, her face devoid of any boils, drawing her fist back...
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Suzaku fell to the ground, immobile and furious. Hannah stood over her, a dark look on her face.
"That's what you get for beating up students, bint." She paused. "Even if they are Slytherins."
Suddenly, a girl with ruby red hair and flashing sterling eyes stood up, a fierce look on her face. "How dare you attack a teacher!" She yelled shrilly. Others began to stand up as well, all of them in green and silver Slytherin robes, looking determined. "You stupid pug-faced b***h!"
Pansy raised her wand again, her mouth forming around the words for the bat-bogey curse, when the fallen Suzaku rose in front of her like an avenging angel. Her face was terrifying to look at. "b***h," she hissed, her flame-like crimson aura flickering around her. She raised her hand, red energy collecting in her palm and pointed it straight at Pansy.
Pansy stepped back, her face paling, eyes fixed on the sphere of red. Fear clenched her stomach and took her voice. She distantly thought she heard Edwina yelling something...
"Deletrius!"
The red energy vanished as the spell struck it. Suzaku froze, her eyes wide.
"B-but... no..." she stuttered. The other girls looked equally horrified. All eyes were fixed on Suzaku's now empty hand.
Hannah recovered first. "Purus Morbis," she whispered. The spell burst from her wand and struck the horrified teacher.
Suzaku fell to her knees clutching where the spell struck her, giving an ear piercing scream. Blinding red light enveloped her prostate form and her scream wavered-
-and was suddenly cut off, due to her exploding.
Silence filled the room like the late Ayame Suzaku. The sticky, red taffy clung to the walls, the cushions, and the students.
Most of the students, anyway.
"Heeey," Justin said. "Where'd all the Slytherins go?"
"Who cares," Ernie muttered, picking taffy from his hair with little success.
"I care," came the shaking voice of Edwina, who was huddled on the ground with Pansy. "What in the world was that? And what is this red stuff?"
"Well, to answer your first question: um... We don't know," Susan admitted. "And to answer your second question: taffy."
"Taffy," Edwina said flatly.
"Yeah."
"Of course it's taffy. Why wouldn't it be?" Pansy said faintly. "I'd like to go to the infirmary now, Persia."
Edwina hesitated. "Um, Susan, was it? After I take Pansy to the hospital wing, I'd like to speak with you," she said with as much haughtiness as she could muster.
Susan shrugged. "Okay. I'd kind of like to ask you some questions too."
"Yeah," Hannah butted in. "Like, how can you guys resist those..." she gestured vaguely, struggling for the right word. "Thingies."
"I don't know if I can answer that," Edwina said as she guided a dazed Pansy from the room. "I'm not completely sure, but it may have something to do with how wonderful I am..."
Their voices faded away, leaving the dojo in dead silence. A bit of the former Suzaku fell from the ceiling with a "plop." After a few minutes, the red taffy was nosed by a curious Mrs. Norris.
"Strange things have been happening lately," A cross looking Filch commented quietly. He glared at the red mess. "How am I supposed to clean this up?" He asked the world in general.
"I don't know, uncle," a soft feminine voice said from behind him. Filch turned, revealing a girl of average build and shining chocolate locks, holding a mop and bucket in her hands. A scrawny-looking obsidian cat curled itself around her ankles, leering at Mrs. Norris.
"Clean it up," Filch grunted.
"Yes, uncle," the girl said tiredly. Filch gave the look another disgusted look before marching out, his dusty grey cat in tow.
Megan Filch sighed, placed the bucket on the floor and began scrubbing, muttering angrily as went.
"Stupid twits, with their stupid hair, and stupid eyes. Why did I get stuck with the janitorial work? I can be just as sparkly," she paused, mid-rant to wring out her cloth. "You could be helping you know," she said loudly to her cat, seated on one of the cushions. The cat sneered and began cleaning itself.
"Stupid cat. I hate cats. Nasty little buggers," her muttering continued long into the night, while she cleaned up what was left of Ayame Suzaku.
Gerber Kerosene Fires
by FleurDuSang
She arranged bleached baby-food jars along the window sill and along the side of the door. Hot with life and Gerber kerosene fires, the small back bathroom seemed twice as large. Her son giggled as his momma peeled the bloated cheeks of advertising from the jars and discarded them into the sink, where the child sat cradled in porcelain. The woman lifted the pink, buoyant bundle of pliant, chubby limbs into her arms and carried it with her to a copse of flaming tongues positioned by the tub. The makeshift candles warmed the child's wan cheeks as he recoiled from his momma to study the amber jewels suspended in the air.
Cupping a single, sallow palm to the base of the baby's skull, the woman's other hand maneuvered precariously to a spool of yarn, unraveled, and gathered into a heap of copper in the basin of the tub. Tugging the thread over the eggshell-white rim, she soon acquired enough yarn to wrap gently around the thumb of both her child's hands. After tying knots around each of her own lithe fingertips, she stretched her newly adorned digits into the air, the glow of the candles catching each minute fiber of the yarn. The child giggled and lifted his own arms; he pawed and probed at his momm's webbed fingers till she lowered her hands over his, brushing the pad of her thumbs across his skin.
Then, the yarn began to twist and churn over junior's hands, creating portraits banked by the plumes of smoke from the flames: a London Bridge, not falling, but wilting into a palette of red and orange seas; a hill from which Jack and Jill can tumble down, clutching at each other's throat; three bold men faring an open, turbulent sea. The child clapped his hands and ripped the copper ties just as Mary plummeted to the ground, and deeper into the Gerber kerosene fires.
Twisted Innocence
by Fayes
The branches of the wrinkled tree bent, as if in greeting to the girl in the green silk dress. Her eyes were a misty blue, her hair strewn all over her face. She was so pale she almost seemed to glow; her fingers so thin they appeared fragile. The girl leaned against the welcoming tree, trying to catch her breath after the steep climb up the cliff.
As she rested, her gaze sweeping over the endless pane of glimmering water, she felt the light swish of the freshly bloomed daffodils against her ankles. They tickled her skin, almost teasing.
She shifted her gaze up to the branches of the old tree and stroked the trunk serenely. How long had she been gone? How long had she abandoned her old friend? Her eyes twinkled in delight as the vacant branches rustled against each other in reply.
The first time she had known of this place was when her best friend, one day after school, had told her about it. They had both giggled excitedly and sworn to keep the place a secret. The girl smiled slightly at the memory. It had been so long.
She remembered the first time they had finished the climb up the cliff, both of them flopping down atop the bed of soft daffodils and panting loudly, disturbing the calm silence of the atmosphere. They had greeted the lone tree as it had to her just moments before, then had stayed for hours, just talking and laughing.
At that moment, the girl leaned to her left and peered around the thick trunk of the tree. Spotting the familiar mark on the earth, she smiled, almost smirking. She walked forth and bent down to touch the hardened dirt with her fingers, tainting them brown.
"Hello again, my friend," the girl whispered.
With the sound of lapping waves on the beach nearby and the shade of the old tree accompanying her wild thoughts, she smirked, then settled back on her haunches, satisfied.
Closing her eyes, she called to her mind the precise memories of that fateful day.
Her best friend and she had come running up the cliff, both years older than when they had first arrived. This time, they no longer panted as loudly as they had then, only hesitating a few moments before playing. When they were about to leave her best friend had suddenly broken down in tears.
Shocked, the girl had rushed to her friend's aid, thinking she had cut her ankle on one of the many rocks on the ground. Instead, her best friend had confided in her that she was about to move, and that it was her last visit to the place they had kept secret for so long.
The girl had frozen, suddenly silent. The leaves of the tree had rustled, as if urging her to comfort her still sobbing friend. But she had not moved. Rage had built up inside her, jealousy and possessiveness. She could not let her friend go, it was not right. Her friend was to stay with her forever, she had had promised. Her face had turned pale, her eyes emotionless. With her small fists clenched, she had spoken in an inhuman voice.
"I won't let you go. You can't go, you promised. Forever, remember?"
She had laughed, not in a boisterous way, but in a soft, tinkling manner, almost like a mischievous little elf. Her lips had curled up slightly to form a smile and with one fist unclenched, had placed it on her friend's shuddering shoulder. Her friend had gazed up at her, eyes red and teary. Then, the girl remembered, with shocking accuracy, the move she had made.
She had pushed her friend down to the ground, then climbed atop her. Then, she had gripped her by the shoulders and slammed her head on the hard earth. Her friend had screamed at her to stop, but she had ignored her. A rock lay near. She had grasped it and brought it down on her friend's shocked expression, ignoring the crack of bones and the withered cry.
"You can't leave. You can't leave," she had muttered as she repeatedly brought the rock to her friend's face.
She had watched as the blood flowed from her friend's nostrils and mouth, had watched as her friend's face grew out of shape and had watched as her friend's eyes lolled back into her head. But, through it all, she was smiling and repeating the same phrase.
"You can't leave."
Then, satisfied with her doing, she had stopped and sat back on her friend's legs, admiring her work. The leaves of the tree rustled fiercely in the wind, as if screaming at her for what she had done, but she had not cared. It was done. Her friend would not leave forever. She had gotten up, brushing off the leaves from her dress and carefully rolled her friend to the edge of the cliff.
"No one will find you here. I'll make sure no one takes you away. I know how much you want to stay. I know you're thanking me too, although you don't seem to want to talk. I know, I know. It's alright, I'll be here," she had whispered to her friend, before planting a light kiss on her friend's bloodied forehead and pushing her off the cliff into the murky waters below.
She had lain on her stomach, peering over the edge, and had watched as her friend shattered the glass of water with a splash. Finally, she had gone back to the tree and buried her friend's hair ribbon which she had taken earlier, making a makeshift cross as well when she was done.
"Forever."
The girl blinked, returning to the present, then laughed softly as she touched the weathered cross once more.
"I'm back."
Headlines
by Alicemae
In a world much too wise
to humor unseeing eyes
such Pretty Perfect Words, flow
from parted lips
that barely even, kissed
two decades of this life.
"Unity!" Cry the voices.
"Peace!" Shout the masses.
...While the sweet lull of
a hungry boy's violin
is drowned within those sounds.
Funny that only, This,
echoes through my thoughts
when That Space Between My Ears
ought to be filled with
More Important Things, such as
Saving The World, and
Speaking My Mind, and not
the melodies of skeletal boys
plastered across the covers
of National Geographics, aimed
to tug on simple heartstrings
Not So Different From Mine.
Watch;
As these glossy pages
carry our minds, and
Capture Our Hearts
like a ******** Hallmark card.
Tomorrow: Another bomb
Goes Off In Tokyo
They say it may become: The Second Shot
Heard Around The World?
But I don't know, I don't know.
Mushroom clouds fill my dreams,
churning visions of World War Three,
but why should I believe?
They're calling for the troops again;
Marching off to war again,
Vietnam or The Middle East --
It's Really All The Same To Me.
Tempers rise and nostrils flare
tension builds and arrogance ferments
The Brilliant Air,
the walls expand, and --
Then, explode. Leaving puddles
of brain matter
Splattered Across The Floor.
Point! What's Your Point?
#3 It This Land is OUR Land
Jeff A. Van Booven
This land is our land. That's right, "our" land. I'll say it again least you forget that the key word is "our." So don't forget, it's our land. Now that we've established this is our land and not just your land lets continue on with the actual point of why I've repeated this sentence five times.
There are more people than just you. They don't all agree with you and they don't like everything that you do. They don't act, think, or talk like you either. Though, just like you, they have rights. Rights, which shouldn't be denied to them simply because you have a problem with them. Such rights as abortions, guns, gas powered cars, large houses, fur coats, hamburgers, electricity, video games, pornography, drinking, gambling, and the right to give themselves cancer are prime examples of rights that shouldn't be denied.
Just because this country -or any other country for that matter- is a democracy, does not mean that the majority has the right to oppress the minority. This is something that is very hard-pressed to be understood in today's society. Censorship is everywhere, anti-everything advocates can be found on nearly every street corner, and you can thank the nice Sierra Club for being so helpful in making gas so expensive.
Gas prices are a prime example of what happens when a group of people neglect the fact that they don't have the right to deny rights to others. Simply because of protests, distortion, and other such activism by environmentalist groups oil refineries can't be built in the United States. Which, if you don't understand what an oil refinery does, this may not make much sense. But, those refineries are the key to turning oil into gas for your car, and without more of them, it won't matter how much oil is taken out of the ground.
To put it bluntly, you do not have the right to deny others an activity that does not direct or indirectly cause harm to you or others through proper use of the product. This being said, many of the things mentioned above don't have any effect on people. Abortions have absolutely no effect on anybody outside of the medical staff, patient, and those in link with that patient. That number is surprisingly smaller than the amount of people who go marching on Washington every year.
These people simply believe that because their religion says something is wrong that they have the right to deny it to everybody. As much as they would claim to be tolerant, this blatant ignorance of the people's rights is surprising. Sure, there is the first amendment, but they are wasting their time. The first amendment does not give you the right to deny rights to others. Abortions do not pose any effect on the church, ergo, the church should respect the right of other Americans to have abortions.
This doesn't go to say that our more liberal friends are without blame either. I've already mentioned problems environmentalists have caused. This doesn't excuse conservatives either.
Now I'm not against gay marriage -another right which the Christian theocracarists have been apt to deny. But honestly, I want to know how homosexuals getting married destroys the sanctity of marriage? I've never understood what the sanctity of marriage actually is. However, in light of fifty percent of marriages ending in divorce I'm pretty sure the sanctity has already been destroyed.
I still don't enjoy being around gay people. I don't like to see them kiss. It's the same with ugly people. It is just my preference not to be around them. I have no ill will towards them. I tolerate them. However, I would prefer that more people could take an interest in making themselves look decent when they go out in public or that they would have heterosexual relationships. I don't demand they have to. Unfortunately, our liberal brethren have a tendency to overreact any time somebody objects based on preference. Like in this case, being around gays, or seeing pictures directly affects me. Thus, I have the right to object to being exposed to that. It doesn't make me anti-gay. It just makes me a person who doesn't like to see these displays of affection, even heterosexual, when I am in a public setting.
Many cities these days are considering, if they haven't already, instating smoking bans. This bans smoking in all public places. Now last time I checked, private businesses were supposed to be allowed to make these decisions themselves. Why should the government tell a bar that they can't have smoking simply because it's harmful to people and that the majority of people don't like it. Well guess what? The majority of people don't have to patronize locations that allow smoking. We don't need big brother government to clean up places. Businesses have a right to allow smoking; you have the right not to visit that location. You don't have to visit smoky environments, thus you are safe from the smoke.
Now, I've given many examples of situations where you don't have the right to complain or to demand that the government step in; but you need to understand why I make it such a big deal. These sorts of things bring massive groups of people into conflicts each day. Especially in the political arena. Entire elections can be won or lost on social issues that shouldn't be issues at all. And part of the problem is that if the majority doesn't realize that they are trying to infringe on other's rights, then the majority effectively becomes a dictatorship. Even right now, such groups can be seen, The Christian Coalition, Liberals, the Sierra Club, PETA, etc. You can see, many of these groups are a threat to America and its way of life. So, you need to realize that you have to make your own decisions, not what these groups pay millions of dollars to politicians to achieve. These groups don't elect politicians, the people do.
The next time you decide to take a stand step aside and think for a moment, "How does this actually affect me? How does this affect the general public? Do I have the right to deny others their rights? Is it really a problem, or is it just against my morals and ethics?"� Once you are done with these questions, there is a good chance that you'll have discovered that you really shouldn't have a problem and that your stand would only negatively impact those who actually enjoy what they are doing already. So be smart, respect others and save us all some grief.
CREATIVE THINKING #2
Becoming a Logical Thinker
Quick Guide
The steps below cover the logical thinking process from start to finish. Look each step over carefully and try to get the big picture. Then apply what you have learned the next time you need to use logic in an argument, a debate, or in your writing.
1. Decide on your purpose.
2. Gather information on the topic.
3. Focus on a central point that you feel you can support.
4. Add "qualifiers" as necessary.
5. Define any terms that may be unclear.
6. Support your points with evidence that is both interesting and reliable.
7. Explain your evidence and why your audience should accpet it.
8. Consider any objections your audience could have.
9. Make concessions; admit that some of your arguments may be week.
10. Point out weaknesses in the other side of the issue, the arguments you don't accept.
11. Restate your point or central claim.
12. Urge your audience to accept your viewpoint.
NOTE: You will probably not use every one of these steps, or stages, each time you set out to prove a point. Each situation is different and, in addition to logic, requires some creative thinking and common sense.
We find the best so you don't have to.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. The Neighborhood Watch - Gaian news for our attention deficit generation.
2. Honorable Mentions - Writing submitted and scouted by the best.
3. Point! What's Your Point? - Anti-social, anti-state, anti-you.
4. Best of Issue - As voted by the members of the Press.
5. Writer's Aide - Featuring some helpful advice from our very own Gypsy_Hart!
6. Beyond the Box - Featuring Jahoclave's Political Writing Project!
7. The Afterthought - Preview for the next issue and then some.
Kraeela reports:
.....-In case you don't read stickies, here's the Writer's Workshop and Contest Charity Foundation.
.....-Short story conteston topic. Win Nitemare/Angel Scarf, Devil Tail or Baby Seals!
.....-H.A.R.S.H's Monthly Prose Contest. On topic. Fee: 250g. Prize: 500-5000g.
.....-A place to list descriptions and discuss your main characters. Click here!
.....-Don't even know what WriMo is? Check out the official NaNoWriMo!
.....-Do you use sex to round out your characters' personalities? Or is it just smut to you? Discussion.
Serieve reports:
.....-Here's a helpful website that gives the latest updates for Gaia with full item lists, what shops they're in, and even an avatar simulator to help you find the look you want!
.....-Can't stand the dirty words? Get a Word Filter!
PART I. Poetry
Listed in alphbetical order.
The High Shrine at Delphi
by Gypsy Hart
There is a beuaty
of gray and green,
in the hills and the rocks.
A circle stands tall;
and an unexplained charisma
surrounds it.
It calls to one
and all,
to come
to where Delphi stood.
The innards of mens' minds
and answered mystries,
are fallen now
in ruins.
Hopeless Love (Confronting the Villain)
by S. Houser
A Villain and a Heroine.
A story old as rhyme.
A star-crossed love between them, cursed
by Destiny's design.
And shattered crystals, brightly gleaming,
hold to Fae enchantment's seeming.
A maiden lies among them, Dreaming
deeply in her mind...
There's someone that she searches for,
yet whom, she does not know.
And all around she sees within
the hazy candle glow
fine Dancers dressed in bright array.
Seductively they spin and sway,
like glittering rubies on display
with naught but glass below.
Then through the swirl of colors
she discerns the one she seeks.
His alluring gaze beguiles her
and leaves her feeling weak.
Across the hazy, crowded room,
his eyes filled with despondent gloom,
he drifts to her, as though to Doom;
She finds she cannot speak...
The adoration in his gaze,
it rends her very soul.
The kiss bestowed upon her hand,
it leaves her feeling whole.
His spell begins to mesmerize,
from silver tongue slips honeyed lies.
She stands enraptured by his eyes;
Enchantment takes its toll.
Into his arms he takes her then
as into dance they're spun,
and something magic fills his eyes,
for Something has begun...
With velvet voice, he croons his song
and leads her through the milling throng.
She understands where she belongs;
From him she'll never run.
Yet something lingers in her mind.
Uncertainty remains
that alluring words cannot suppress.
His spell cannot restrain
the knowledge that there's much amiss.
And as he offers her his kiss
her doubt dispels the flawless bliss,
her reason now regained.
Now Dancers start to press her in
and masked eyes glitter coldly.
Their lips are twisted sneers of hate
as rough hands clutch her boldly.
Their laughter mocking, vile rasps
upon her ears, she cuts their grasps
and stumbles through the sea of masks
amid their howling glee.
Yet sorrow haunts her memory;
His eyes she can't escape.
Her soul is held in jeopardy,
and yet her will is great.
She fights against his strong Command,
his plea for her to understand
the gift he holds in outstretched hand
as through glass walls she breaks.
Then screams of horror fill the air
to end the mocking laughter,
and everything begins to fall
as all ends in disaster.
Yet Dancers still mechanically
sway to discordant melody,
for even now they are not free;
they'll Dance forever after.
Amid this broken spell she stands.
Her enemy she faces.
Her Dream is coming to an end
as to an end Time paces.
From 'midst the shadows he appears.
His face has aged a hundred years.
His ancient eyes hold all the fears
of a hundred ancient races.
Now pale mist gathers like a wraith
about his weary form,
and garbs him in a cloak of gray,
a piece of darkness shorn.
His haunted eyes are begging, pleading,
and his soul is bleeding, bleeding...
Why must true love be so fleeting?
Why must his heart be torn?
An echo of a tolling bell;
the hour is at hand.
Before him comes this Heroine
to make her final stand.
Determination conquers fear,
and mercy has no holding here,
yet in her eye there shines a tear.
She gives him her Command.
And even as she speaks
the world's foundations start to quake.
The very air surrounding them
begins to heave and shake.
Then comes the chiming of the bell
obliterating faerie spell.
Her Dream, a fragile, shining shell,
is shattered in its wake.
She knows her choice was justified.
He was not meant to stay,
but his eyes still haunt her memory;
his love won't fade away.
The Story comes into its end,
and even True Love cannot bend
the rules of iron. In the end
the Story has its way.
Upon Awakening she knows
she's lost her greatest chance.
Her dreams had been within her reach;
within his lonely glance.
And in her mind she stands before
the threshold of Enchantment's door.
With him she's bound forever more...
Forever shall they Dance.
The Sender's Blessing
by Atreas
With parting time
Upon us now,
Go we our separate ways,
And with you goes
The blessing that I
Speak and breathe and say.
The world around us
Changes, friend, throughout
The night and day,
And where you go,
And where you step,
Find you hope, I pray.
May the mundane
Still inspire
Your unrelenting muse
And weave upon
You wisdom wise to
Trust and ever use.
Shore to shore within
Your grasp, I pray you
See each treasure,
From golden skies
To forests green,
Plunderous the pleasure.
Dream ever deep
And wink alive
With every sunlit dawn,
And live each day
Without regret, lest
Tomorrow you be gone.
Heed well this blessing,
Dearest friend, that I
Grant unto you.
Wary may you
Always be, and
May your heart guide true.
PART II. Fiction
Listed in alphbetical order.
The Badger Brigade
by Hemp Fandango
Note: To read more of "The Badger Brigade," visit Hemp Fandango's thread or visit our guild to read past issues.
Chapter 6: How To Teach A Class
Lesson #34: Beat the crap out of the students. It helps them learn.
"Aaah," Alex said as she stretched out her arms behind her head. "Another day, another donor."
Sara sighed. "First of all, it's "another day, another dollar and second of all, that's what you say at the end of the day. It's breakfast." she said flatly.
Alex scowled. "Oh, whatever. It feels like the end of the day, given what I've had to put up with." She gestured vaguely at her surroundings with her butter knife.
The great hall was packed as usual, although certain tables were more packed than others. Alex glanced over to the Gryffindor table, which had to get an extension recently and yet some people were still forced to sit on the floor. She shook her head sadly.
"Poor dopes," she mumbled.
"It's kind of fun watching the Slytherins." Elizabeth said jabbing her fork in the direction of their table. "I wonder what would happen if I took a big magnet and held it near all of them." She took a bite out of her toast. "Like the kind Wile E. Coyote had."
"You'd rip their faces off," Alex smirked. "That's not the kind of thing you generally see on Loony Toons."
"Not true. Daffy got his beak blown off on many occasions." Elizabeth pointed out.
Sara stared at her friends blankly. "Daffy...?"
They both turned to her with looks of pity. "Oh, Sara," Elizabeth said mournfully. "The things you miss by being a pure blood."
Sara frowned. "This is all fascinating, really," she said in annoyance, "but shouldn't you two be more concerned with our new lessons?"
Elizabeth and Alex sighed. Yes, Sara was right. They had many new classes to attend, including Martial Arts, Glamouries, Advanced Elven Magicks, The Art of Mages, Faith Healing, Meditation, Advanced Charms, Ancient Languages, and Interior Design. Of course, all of which were being taught by charming, lovely young girls who seemed to crawl out of the woodwork these days. Some of them barely looked old enough apparate, much less teach a class. As if that wasn't insulting enough, many of the old teachers had mysteriously vanished and had been replaced by new, pretty young ladies, often fresh out of school.
Alex glared up at the teachers' table. She had noticed that as the days went by more and more of her old teachers vanished and were replaced. Last week, Flitwick had vanished and was replaced with an elven maiden, Professor Iluthuwen Tinuviel or something unpronounceable like that. She made Alex truly appreciate Flitwick, her with her deep blue medieval style dresses and deep chestnut coloured hair and the deepest ocean blue eyes which reflected the innermost sorrows-
Alex blinked.
"Hey, guys," she said slowly, not taking her eyes off of Tinuviwhatever. "Why is it that whenever we start to think about those..." she trailed off, struggling to find the appropriate vitriolic term. "Things we start to think about how they look?"
Sara sighed and put down her fork. "I noticed that too. I think it's part of their magic."
"Magick," Alex corrected, bitterly swallowing the "k". "Damn things are everywhere now. They're like rats."
"I wish I could understand where this all started," Sara complained, pushing her plate away. "I wish I knew why some people became like them and others were just replaced entirely. I wish I understood this- this- this utter nonsense!" She ran her hands through her mousy hair in frustration.
Elizabeth nervously glanced over to the Ravenclaw table. Luna's seat was empty. "I wish I knew why too," she said quietly.
"I miss Flitwick."
The girls sighed and sunk into a gloom.
Alex's eyes narrowed as she swung her gaze back to the teachers' table. They were replacing the teachers, that was certain. There was even a new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Hagrid had suddenly and mysteriously decided to retire, shocking most of the people of functioning brain cells. Alex had thought he had adored his subject. He had been replaced with some Japanese twit. Sakura something. She sat at the teachers' table, chatting animatedly with another new professor. She had the most beautiful-
'She had brown hair and green eyes, dammit.' Alex thought as she packed up her things. 'Quit trying to dress it up. Brown hair. Green eyes.' She stood up. "I've lost my appetite," she announced flatly.
Elizabeth stood up with her. "Yeah, me too."
"Then why are you buttering another piece of toast, Liz?" Sara asked.
"This is my last piece," she said defiantly as Alex rolled her eyes. "I'm just that upset."
Sara glanced at her watch. "We have class soon anyway." She grabbed her bag and pulled herself up.
"What do we have first?" Elizabeth asked as they sped from the great hall.
Sara rooted around in her bag until she pulled out her schedule. "Um. Says here we have Glamouries first."
Alex sighed and ran her hand through her short hair. "What is Glamouries anyway?"
"The study of changing your appearance through magic... I think."
Alex sneered. "What a waste of magic. Who the hell made this class mandatory, anyway?"
"I think it's going to be a neat class," Elizabeth said meekly as she fiddled with her earrings.
Alex didn't comment further and they continued to walk in silence.
***
"It's getting harder and harder to eat," Pansy moaned as she and Edwina marched from the hall, following behind a group of Hufflepuffs. "How can you eat with all those girls in the ugly make up?"
"It takes a strong constitution, I admit," Edwina sniffed. "I just try to think of happy things, like kittens or money. Besides," she continued. "It's much harder to keep a straight face than to keep the food down."
Pansy grinned. "I noticed you were snorting in your pumpkin juice," she sniffed and stuck her nose in the air. "How very unladylike," she said in a simper resembling her mother's.
"Oh, Pansy dahling," Edwina pulled herself up straight and spoke in a haughty tone. "You absolutely must forgive me. I think I may have caught a cold whilst I was dining in le bon Paree. Oh!" Edwina's hand fluttered to her chest in mock surprise. "Did I forget to mention my trip? I'm fabulously wealthy, you see." She laughed airily.
Pansy joined in the airy laugh before speaking. "Le bon Paree, you say? Oh, yes, I've been to that little town. It's definitely a good place to go for people like you," she touched Edwina's shoulder briefly, taking care to patronize to her fullest extent. "The French are welcoming of neveux money, like yours." She laughed airily again.
"I think we'll make great matriarchs one day," Edwina said, shaking her head with amusement.
"I'll be the best Malfoy matriarch there ever was, once Narcissa is out of the way." she added, flicking an imaginary piece of lint from her shoulder. "What do we have first?"
"Martial Arts, I think."
Pansy snorted. "I'll never understand why that class has become mandatory."
"I think I can guess," Edwina said quietly as they rounded the corner and stepped into the classroom. Inside was an Asian looking girl with short onyx hair, which shone like silk, and dark amethyst eyes, like jewels on a porcelain face. She couldn't have been much older than the two Slytherin girls
She looked over the two Slytherins swiftly. "You're late," she announced.
Edwina and Pansy exchanged confused glances. Edwina spoke first. "No, we're not. We're the opposite of late, actually." She said slowly, as if speaking to the very dense. "That's "early," by the way," she added helpfully.
The petite girl frowned. "No, you're late. I decide when the class starts. 50 points from Slytherin."
"What!? You can't do that!" Edwina exclaimed, looking outraged.
"Hm, that's another 10 points." She said disinterestedly while examining her nails. "Now take your seats."
Edwina stared open mouthed at the girl in silent outrage. Pansy glanced at her scandalized friend and spoke quickly. "Oh, you'll have to excuse my friend, professor," she simpered. "She's not well in the head."
"I could tell," The girl said, leveling Pansy with a sharp stare. "Now sit down."
Pansy glanced around the sparse room. The light wooden walls and minimalist decorating suggested to Pansy a Japanese dojo. There were no chairs or desks in sight. "Um, sit where?"
The girl rolled her brilliant eyes, and pointed to the floor. "There," she said, gesturing to various small white cushions on the floor. "Kneel on those."
Edwina gave the cushions a thoroughly disgusted look. "You can't be- argh!"
Pansy gave a sweet smile to the teacher before dragging Edwina to the cushions.
"Hey, that was uncalled for. Why did you kick-" Edwina began in a furious whisper.
"Shh!" Pansy hissed. "With Snape gone insane we have to watch our step, okay? We need house points and you snapping at the teachers won't help us."
"I suppose," she relented grudgingly. They waited in silence as the Japanese girl paced around the room, pausing now and then to adjust the cushions.
'I wonder what she's so nervous about?' Edwina narrowed her eyes.
Pansy leaned in close to her. "We have this class with the Hufflepuffs," she muttered from the corner of her mouth, keeping her eyes on the teacher. "We'll ask them then, all right?"
Edwina sighed and nodded slightly, privately thinking how undignified and un-Slytherin it was to join a group of Hufflepuffs, for God's sakes. 'Oh well,' she thought as she picked at a small hole in the cushion. 'It could be worse,' she paused, trying to think of possible ways it could be worse. 'Well, it could probably be worse. I mean, they could be bears.'
Finally, the bell rang signaling the start of the class. Edwina noticed, with growing bitterness, that the teacher didn't deduct any points from the teens streaming in. She glanced furiously at Pansy, raising her eyebrows. Pansy rolled her eyes and gave a weak attempt at a reassuring smile...
...which froze solid as Draco walked in, following the raven-haired Polaris with a blank look on his face. Many other students dressed similarly as Polaris followed in after, some of them shooting Pansy dark looks. Edwina looked away in embarrassment.
"Welcome, class, to Martial Arts. I am your Sensei, Ayame Suzaku, but you will refer to me as Sensei Suzaku at all times. In this class you will learn all the finer details of the noble arts of martial, also known as the martial arts. Some of you may have noticed that I am barely older than you, and you would be correct. However, I am more than capable of teaching this class; I have a black belt in almost every kind of martial arts known to man and some that aren't," she threw her impressive chest out proudly. "Of course," she continued. "I don't expect the likes of you to achieve the same things I have, because I am a special chosen warrior of destiny who will rise up and defeat the Dark Lord and the vampire lord and what is so funny, Ms. Parkinson?"
"Er," said Pansy, looking briefly like a deer caught in the headlights. She recovered quickly. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I had something caught in my throat and I was merely coughing, you see," she explained smoothly. Suzaku gave her a deeply skeptical look. "I know it sounded a lot like laughter, but it wasn't. Not in the slightest. Why would I ever want to laugh at you?" She asked, radiating innocence.
Edwina, who had been struggling for several minutes, had buried her face in her hands. Her body shook with silent laughter.
Suzaku gave Edwina a curious glance. "Is your friend alright?"
Pansy shot her a quick look and very subtly elbowed her in the ribs. "She's fine," she said innocently as Edwina gave her a sharp look and rubbed her chest dramatically.
"Anyway," Suzaku continued, still eyeing the girls suspiciously. "As I was saying, martial arts is very, very tricky. It requires peace of mind and body and," she hesitated. "the ability to grasp pebbles from old men's hands. Yeah," she paused again to examine her students. Most watched her with quiet reverence, but one - no, two faces looked at her with barely disguised amusement mingled with disbelief. Sensei Suzaku bristled. They were mocking her.
"But first," she said loudly, staring hard at the one that looked like a pug. "I'll do a demonstration. You," she jabbed her slender, well manicured finger at the pug girl. "Get up here."
Pansy hesitated. There was something about the way Suzaku was looking at her. She began to wonder if perhaps the girl really did know martial arts. Suzaku must have seen the slight flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. She smirked.
"What's wrong, pug face? Afraid?"
Pansy stiffened. She gave her the coolest look she could manage, and stood up in a single graceful movement. She took a moment to smooth out her robes, before sauntering over to Suzaku. Suzaku gave her a brief once over and assumed a fighting stance.
"Right," Suzaku said, as Pansy uncertainly imitated the stance she had adopted. "Get ready."
"Get ready for wh-" Was all Pansy managed before being struck by a series of sharp punches. She stumbled backwards, clutching her stomach. Suzaku moved in a blur, sweeping her leg under Pansy, and knocking her to the floor.
Suzaku pulled away from the whimpering Pansy and turned to face her students. Most students - that is, the new students who had arrived at the beginning of the year - looked at Suzaku with admiration. Polaris and a few other girls even began to clap. Edwina, who had gone white with rage, stood up and hurried over to her fallen friend.
"That is what you'll be able to accomplish with martial arts," Suzaku said after the applause died down.
"And what's that?" A girl in black and yellow robes Suzaku had not noticed earlier asked in a harsh voice. "Beating up defenseless girls? You're supposed to be a teacher!" Susan yelled in outrage. Suzaku stared at her carefully, as if she wasn't sure Susan was really there.
"Dumbledore will sack you for this," Edwina said in a quiet, trembling hiss. Her eyes had become dark, malevolent slits on her pale face. She helped Pansy to her feet. "Come on, Pansy," she murmured. Pansy hissed in pain, and Edwina noticed for the first time that her foot was twisted at an odd angle.
"Where do you think you're going?" Suzaku asked in a level voice. "Class is not finished, yet."
"I'm taking her to the hospital wing," Edwina snapped much louder than she expected.
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I think I was perfectly clear the first time, Dorian-san." Suzaku said smoothly.
Edwina stared at her in bald disbelief. "You... can't be serious."
Suzaku gave her a cool look. "Sit down, Dorian-san."
Edwina clenched her jaw and glared as hard as she possibly could at Suzaku who met her gaze impassively. They stood like that for some time, Edwina with murder in her eyes, her head buzzing with obscenities, while Suzaku simply looked amused. The class went dead quiet, no one daring to move.
Polaris watched them both, a small smile on her lovely visage.
Edwina broke the silence first, speaking through clenched teeth: "We're going. Take points off us if you want, I don't care!" She said shrilly. "Our house has gone to the dogs anyway," she spat, while looks of anger blossomed on the faces of many of the transfer students.
Then, feeling light headed with rage, Edwina began to lead Pansy from the room-
"No," Pansy whispered, pulling back.
Edwina momentarily forgot her anger, staring baldly at Pansy. "What? Pansy, your foot-"
"Slytherin's don't run," She cut in, raising her head to level her gaze on the "sensei". Her face was blotched and tear streaked.
Edwina looked confused. "Yeah, we do. We do it all the time."
"It stops here, then," she said firmly. She pulled herself gently from Edwina's grasp and pointed her wand levelly at Suzaku.
The Japanese girl smirked. "Awww," she cooed. "Is the widdle Slytherin girlie sad that I twisted her ankle?"
"Yes. Furnunculus!"
Suzaku gasped in surprise and stumbled backwards, clutching her face and hissing in pain. Pansy smiled in triumph, but before she could react, Suzaku was charging towards her, her face devoid of any boils, drawing her fist back...
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Suzaku fell to the ground, immobile and furious. Hannah stood over her, a dark look on her face.
"That's what you get for beating up students, bint." She paused. "Even if they are Slytherins."
Suddenly, a girl with ruby red hair and flashing sterling eyes stood up, a fierce look on her face. "How dare you attack a teacher!" She yelled shrilly. Others began to stand up as well, all of them in green and silver Slytherin robes, looking determined. "You stupid pug-faced b***h!"
Pansy raised her wand again, her mouth forming around the words for the bat-bogey curse, when the fallen Suzaku rose in front of her like an avenging angel. Her face was terrifying to look at. "b***h," she hissed, her flame-like crimson aura flickering around her. She raised her hand, red energy collecting in her palm and pointed it straight at Pansy.
Pansy stepped back, her face paling, eyes fixed on the sphere of red. Fear clenched her stomach and took her voice. She distantly thought she heard Edwina yelling something...
"Deletrius!"
The red energy vanished as the spell struck it. Suzaku froze, her eyes wide.
"B-but... no..." she stuttered. The other girls looked equally horrified. All eyes were fixed on Suzaku's now empty hand.
Hannah recovered first. "Purus Morbis," she whispered. The spell burst from her wand and struck the horrified teacher.
Suzaku fell to her knees clutching where the spell struck her, giving an ear piercing scream. Blinding red light enveloped her prostate form and her scream wavered-
-and was suddenly cut off, due to her exploding.
Silence filled the room like the late Ayame Suzaku. The sticky, red taffy clung to the walls, the cushions, and the students.
Most of the students, anyway.
"Heeey," Justin said. "Where'd all the Slytherins go?"
"Who cares," Ernie muttered, picking taffy from his hair with little success.
"I care," came the shaking voice of Edwina, who was huddled on the ground with Pansy. "What in the world was that? And what is this red stuff?"
"Well, to answer your first question: um... We don't know," Susan admitted. "And to answer your second question: taffy."
"Taffy," Edwina said flatly.
"Yeah."
"Of course it's taffy. Why wouldn't it be?" Pansy said faintly. "I'd like to go to the infirmary now, Persia."
Edwina hesitated. "Um, Susan, was it? After I take Pansy to the hospital wing, I'd like to speak with you," she said with as much haughtiness as she could muster.
Susan shrugged. "Okay. I'd kind of like to ask you some questions too."
"Yeah," Hannah butted in. "Like, how can you guys resist those..." she gestured vaguely, struggling for the right word. "Thingies."
"I don't know if I can answer that," Edwina said as she guided a dazed Pansy from the room. "I'm not completely sure, but it may have something to do with how wonderful I am..."
Their voices faded away, leaving the dojo in dead silence. A bit of the former Suzaku fell from the ceiling with a "plop." After a few minutes, the red taffy was nosed by a curious Mrs. Norris.
"Strange things have been happening lately," A cross looking Filch commented quietly. He glared at the red mess. "How am I supposed to clean this up?" He asked the world in general.
"I don't know, uncle," a soft feminine voice said from behind him. Filch turned, revealing a girl of average build and shining chocolate locks, holding a mop and bucket in her hands. A scrawny-looking obsidian cat curled itself around her ankles, leering at Mrs. Norris.
"Clean it up," Filch grunted.
"Yes, uncle," the girl said tiredly. Filch gave the look another disgusted look before marching out, his dusty grey cat in tow.
Megan Filch sighed, placed the bucket on the floor and began scrubbing, muttering angrily as went.
"Stupid twits, with their stupid hair, and stupid eyes. Why did I get stuck with the janitorial work? I can be just as sparkly," she paused, mid-rant to wring out her cloth. "You could be helping you know," she said loudly to her cat, seated on one of the cushions. The cat sneered and began cleaning itself.
"Stupid cat. I hate cats. Nasty little buggers," her muttering continued long into the night, while she cleaned up what was left of Ayame Suzaku.
Gerber Kerosene Fires
by FleurDuSang
She arranged bleached baby-food jars along the window sill and along the side of the door. Hot with life and Gerber kerosene fires, the small back bathroom seemed twice as large. Her son giggled as his momma peeled the bloated cheeks of advertising from the jars and discarded them into the sink, where the child sat cradled in porcelain. The woman lifted the pink, buoyant bundle of pliant, chubby limbs into her arms and carried it with her to a copse of flaming tongues positioned by the tub. The makeshift candles warmed the child's wan cheeks as he recoiled from his momma to study the amber jewels suspended in the air.
Cupping a single, sallow palm to the base of the baby's skull, the woman's other hand maneuvered precariously to a spool of yarn, unraveled, and gathered into a heap of copper in the basin of the tub. Tugging the thread over the eggshell-white rim, she soon acquired enough yarn to wrap gently around the thumb of both her child's hands. After tying knots around each of her own lithe fingertips, she stretched her newly adorned digits into the air, the glow of the candles catching each minute fiber of the yarn. The child giggled and lifted his own arms; he pawed and probed at his momm's webbed fingers till she lowered her hands over his, brushing the pad of her thumbs across his skin.
Then, the yarn began to twist and churn over junior's hands, creating portraits banked by the plumes of smoke from the flames: a London Bridge, not falling, but wilting into a palette of red and orange seas; a hill from which Jack and Jill can tumble down, clutching at each other's throat; three bold men faring an open, turbulent sea. The child clapped his hands and ripped the copper ties just as Mary plummeted to the ground, and deeper into the Gerber kerosene fires.
Twisted Innocence
by Fayes
The branches of the wrinkled tree bent, as if in greeting to the girl in the green silk dress. Her eyes were a misty blue, her hair strewn all over her face. She was so pale she almost seemed to glow; her fingers so thin they appeared fragile. The girl leaned against the welcoming tree, trying to catch her breath after the steep climb up the cliff.
As she rested, her gaze sweeping over the endless pane of glimmering water, she felt the light swish of the freshly bloomed daffodils against her ankles. They tickled her skin, almost teasing.
She shifted her gaze up to the branches of the old tree and stroked the trunk serenely. How long had she been gone? How long had she abandoned her old friend? Her eyes twinkled in delight as the vacant branches rustled against each other in reply.
The first time she had known of this place was when her best friend, one day after school, had told her about it. They had both giggled excitedly and sworn to keep the place a secret. The girl smiled slightly at the memory. It had been so long.
She remembered the first time they had finished the climb up the cliff, both of them flopping down atop the bed of soft daffodils and panting loudly, disturbing the calm silence of the atmosphere. They had greeted the lone tree as it had to her just moments before, then had stayed for hours, just talking and laughing.
At that moment, the girl leaned to her left and peered around the thick trunk of the tree. Spotting the familiar mark on the earth, she smiled, almost smirking. She walked forth and bent down to touch the hardened dirt with her fingers, tainting them brown.
"Hello again, my friend," the girl whispered.
With the sound of lapping waves on the beach nearby and the shade of the old tree accompanying her wild thoughts, she smirked, then settled back on her haunches, satisfied.
Closing her eyes, she called to her mind the precise memories of that fateful day.
Her best friend and she had come running up the cliff, both years older than when they had first arrived. This time, they no longer panted as loudly as they had then, only hesitating a few moments before playing. When they were about to leave her best friend had suddenly broken down in tears.
Shocked, the girl had rushed to her friend's aid, thinking she had cut her ankle on one of the many rocks on the ground. Instead, her best friend had confided in her that she was about to move, and that it was her last visit to the place they had kept secret for so long.
The girl had frozen, suddenly silent. The leaves of the tree had rustled, as if urging her to comfort her still sobbing friend. But she had not moved. Rage had built up inside her, jealousy and possessiveness. She could not let her friend go, it was not right. Her friend was to stay with her forever, she had had promised. Her face had turned pale, her eyes emotionless. With her small fists clenched, she had spoken in an inhuman voice.
"I won't let you go. You can't go, you promised. Forever, remember?"
She had laughed, not in a boisterous way, but in a soft, tinkling manner, almost like a mischievous little elf. Her lips had curled up slightly to form a smile and with one fist unclenched, had placed it on her friend's shuddering shoulder. Her friend had gazed up at her, eyes red and teary. Then, the girl remembered, with shocking accuracy, the move she had made.
She had pushed her friend down to the ground, then climbed atop her. Then, she had gripped her by the shoulders and slammed her head on the hard earth. Her friend had screamed at her to stop, but she had ignored her. A rock lay near. She had grasped it and brought it down on her friend's shocked expression, ignoring the crack of bones and the withered cry.
"You can't leave. You can't leave," she had muttered as she repeatedly brought the rock to her friend's face.
She had watched as the blood flowed from her friend's nostrils and mouth, had watched as her friend's face grew out of shape and had watched as her friend's eyes lolled back into her head. But, through it all, she was smiling and repeating the same phrase.
"You can't leave."
Then, satisfied with her doing, she had stopped and sat back on her friend's legs, admiring her work. The leaves of the tree rustled fiercely in the wind, as if screaming at her for what she had done, but she had not cared. It was done. Her friend would not leave forever. She had gotten up, brushing off the leaves from her dress and carefully rolled her friend to the edge of the cliff.
"No one will find you here. I'll make sure no one takes you away. I know how much you want to stay. I know you're thanking me too, although you don't seem to want to talk. I know, I know. It's alright, I'll be here," she had whispered to her friend, before planting a light kiss on her friend's bloodied forehead and pushing her off the cliff into the murky waters below.
She had lain on her stomach, peering over the edge, and had watched as her friend shattered the glass of water with a splash. Finally, she had gone back to the tree and buried her friend's hair ribbon which she had taken earlier, making a makeshift cross as well when she was done.
"Forever."
The girl blinked, returning to the present, then laughed softly as she touched the weathered cross once more.
"I'm back."
Headlines
by Alicemae
In a world much too wise
to humor unseeing eyes
such Pretty Perfect Words, flow
from parted lips
that barely even, kissed
two decades of this life.
"Unity!" Cry the voices.
"Peace!" Shout the masses.
...While the sweet lull of
a hungry boy's violin
is drowned within those sounds.
Funny that only, This,
echoes through my thoughts
when That Space Between My Ears
ought to be filled with
More Important Things, such as
Saving The World, and
Speaking My Mind, and not
the melodies of skeletal boys
plastered across the covers
of National Geographics, aimed
to tug on simple heartstrings
Not So Different From Mine.
Watch;
As these glossy pages
carry our minds, and
Capture Our Hearts
like a ******** Hallmark card.
Tomorrow: Another bomb
Goes Off In Tokyo
They say it may become: The Second Shot
Heard Around The World?
But I don't know, I don't know.
Mushroom clouds fill my dreams,
churning visions of World War Three,
but why should I believe?
They're calling for the troops again;
Marching off to war again,
Vietnam or The Middle East --
It's Really All The Same To Me.
Tempers rise and nostrils flare
tension builds and arrogance ferments
The Brilliant Air,
the walls expand, and --
Then, explode. Leaving puddles
of brain matter
Splattered Across The Floor.
Point! What's Your Point?
#3 It This Land is OUR Land
Jeff A. Van Booven
This land is our land. That's right, "our" land. I'll say it again least you forget that the key word is "our." So don't forget, it's our land. Now that we've established this is our land and not just your land lets continue on with the actual point of why I've repeated this sentence five times.
There are more people than just you. They don't all agree with you and they don't like everything that you do. They don't act, think, or talk like you either. Though, just like you, they have rights. Rights, which shouldn't be denied to them simply because you have a problem with them. Such rights as abortions, guns, gas powered cars, large houses, fur coats, hamburgers, electricity, video games, pornography, drinking, gambling, and the right to give themselves cancer are prime examples of rights that shouldn't be denied.
Just because this country -or any other country for that matter- is a democracy, does not mean that the majority has the right to oppress the minority. This is something that is very hard-pressed to be understood in today's society. Censorship is everywhere, anti-everything advocates can be found on nearly every street corner, and you can thank the nice Sierra Club for being so helpful in making gas so expensive.
Gas prices are a prime example of what happens when a group of people neglect the fact that they don't have the right to deny rights to others. Simply because of protests, distortion, and other such activism by environmentalist groups oil refineries can't be built in the United States. Which, if you don't understand what an oil refinery does, this may not make much sense. But, those refineries are the key to turning oil into gas for your car, and without more of them, it won't matter how much oil is taken out of the ground.
To put it bluntly, you do not have the right to deny others an activity that does not direct or indirectly cause harm to you or others through proper use of the product. This being said, many of the things mentioned above don't have any effect on people. Abortions have absolutely no effect on anybody outside of the medical staff, patient, and those in link with that patient. That number is surprisingly smaller than the amount of people who go marching on Washington every year.
These people simply believe that because their religion says something is wrong that they have the right to deny it to everybody. As much as they would claim to be tolerant, this blatant ignorance of the people's rights is surprising. Sure, there is the first amendment, but they are wasting their time. The first amendment does not give you the right to deny rights to others. Abortions do not pose any effect on the church, ergo, the church should respect the right of other Americans to have abortions.
This doesn't go to say that our more liberal friends are without blame either. I've already mentioned problems environmentalists have caused. This doesn't excuse conservatives either.
Now I'm not against gay marriage -another right which the Christian theocracarists have been apt to deny. But honestly, I want to know how homosexuals getting married destroys the sanctity of marriage? I've never understood what the sanctity of marriage actually is. However, in light of fifty percent of marriages ending in divorce I'm pretty sure the sanctity has already been destroyed.
I still don't enjoy being around gay people. I don't like to see them kiss. It's the same with ugly people. It is just my preference not to be around them. I have no ill will towards them. I tolerate them. However, I would prefer that more people could take an interest in making themselves look decent when they go out in public or that they would have heterosexual relationships. I don't demand they have to. Unfortunately, our liberal brethren have a tendency to overreact any time somebody objects based on preference. Like in this case, being around gays, or seeing pictures directly affects me. Thus, I have the right to object to being exposed to that. It doesn't make me anti-gay. It just makes me a person who doesn't like to see these displays of affection, even heterosexual, when I am in a public setting.
Many cities these days are considering, if they haven't already, instating smoking bans. This bans smoking in all public places. Now last time I checked, private businesses were supposed to be allowed to make these decisions themselves. Why should the government tell a bar that they can't have smoking simply because it's harmful to people and that the majority of people don't like it. Well guess what? The majority of people don't have to patronize locations that allow smoking. We don't need big brother government to clean up places. Businesses have a right to allow smoking; you have the right not to visit that location. You don't have to visit smoky environments, thus you are safe from the smoke.
Now, I've given many examples of situations where you don't have the right to complain or to demand that the government step in; but you need to understand why I make it such a big deal. These sorts of things bring massive groups of people into conflicts each day. Especially in the political arena. Entire elections can be won or lost on social issues that shouldn't be issues at all. And part of the problem is that if the majority doesn't realize that they are trying to infringe on other's rights, then the majority effectively becomes a dictatorship. Even right now, such groups can be seen, The Christian Coalition, Liberals, the Sierra Club, PETA, etc. You can see, many of these groups are a threat to America and its way of life. So, you need to realize that you have to make your own decisions, not what these groups pay millions of dollars to politicians to achieve. These groups don't elect politicians, the people do.
The next time you decide to take a stand step aside and think for a moment, "How does this actually affect me? How does this affect the general public? Do I have the right to deny others their rights? Is it really a problem, or is it just against my morals and ethics?"� Once you are done with these questions, there is a good chance that you'll have discovered that you really shouldn't have a problem and that your stand would only negatively impact those who actually enjoy what they are doing already. So be smart, respect others and save us all some grief.
CREATIVE THINKING #2
Becoming a Logical Thinker
Quick Guide
The steps below cover the logical thinking process from start to finish. Look each step over carefully and try to get the big picture. Then apply what you have learned the next time you need to use logic in an argument, a debate, or in your writing.
1. Decide on your purpose.
2. Gather information on the topic.
3. Focus on a central point that you feel you can support.
4. Add "qualifiers" as necessary.
5. Define any terms that may be unclear.
6. Support your points with evidence that is both interesting and reliable.
7. Explain your evidence and why your audience should accpet it.
8. Consider any objections your audience could have.
9. Make concessions; admit that some of your arguments may be week.
10. Point out weaknesses in the other side of the issue, the arguments you don't accept.
11. Restate your point or central claim.
12. Urge your audience to accept your viewpoint.
NOTE: You will probably not use every one of these steps, or stages, each time you set out to prove a point. Each situation is different and, in addition to logic, requires some creative thinking and common sense.
