This part is true:
There is a Medieval castle in my hometown, St. Olaf's castle and like every castle, it has a ghost or few.
It is said that during a siege, a maiden from the castle fell in love with the opposing sides officer. They agreed to meet, but he betrayed her and his men stormed the gates.
The castle held, though, and later an investigation found the maiden guilty of treason. As a punishment, she was buried alive in the wall. From her rowan berry-necklace sprouted a tree that had pure white blossoms and blood red berries, declaring her innocence and placing blame on her prosecutors.
No proof of her existence nor punishment has been found. Though there was indeed a rowan tree growing from the wall, but one stormy night it fell.
Strange lights have been sighted from the hall where the lovers were supposed to meet...
B
Hundreds of years, the same loop. Meet the lady, storm the gates.
Get killed.
Get her killed.
You could hear her scream for hours.
Hours alone in the wall, screaming for her Lord Father to save her, screaming for her lover to return. One could do nothing, one was dead.
Storm the gates.
Storm
Storm
Don't storm!
Don't!
Change it.
Cut the tree
Set her free
Thunderstorm.
Storm
Cut the tree
Help me
He picked up his ghastly sword, hacked at the old rowan that bound them to their doom.
The wind tore at him and the tree alike.
A lightning split the sky open and a mighty rumble shook the grounds.
And the tree broke. It fell to the old courtyard and smashed to pieces.
From its core, she rose.
And finally, he could hold her.
Say her name out loud:
Pihla
Saturday, 30 July 2016
Monday, 25 July 2016
Sympathy for the Devil
You see what you want to see.
A look to the left: A tall, dark man in a smart suit appears.
A look to the right: A full-figured black woman with a mighty afro takes his place.
But there's more to it than mere preferences or fetishes.
And that man over there, all he wants is to be a father. His wife keeps having miscarriages, though, and his heart is breaking. Give up his dream or risk the love of his life?
That girl outside, the only thing she desires is a home. A proper home, with a proper family, where she doesn't have to run away from.
All that business with the Christ... ...wanting things became outlawed. So they banished me. Gave me a bad name, called me evil.
I'm not evil. Not any more than you are.
I don't want to cause chaos or pain. I just want to grant a wish, if you will.
Do you know what you want most of all?
Because I do.
A look to the left: A tall, dark man in a smart suit appears.
A look to the right: A full-figured black woman with a mighty afro takes his place.
But there's more to it than mere preferences or fetishes.
And that man over there, all he wants is to be a father. His wife keeps having miscarriages, though, and his heart is breaking. Give up his dream or risk the love of his life?
That girl outside, the only thing she desires is a home. A proper home, with a proper family, where she doesn't have to run away from.
All that business with the Christ... ...wanting things became outlawed. So they banished me. Gave me a bad name, called me evil.
I'm not evil. Not any more than you are.
I don't want to cause chaos or pain. I just want to grant a wish, if you will.
Do you know what you want most of all?
Because I do.
Tuesday, 19 July 2016
Chosen
I always had nightmares. Vivid, horrifying dreams about monsters.About things that couldn't possibly be. And a voice whispering about the One in every generation. They made me afraid of the dark and of sleeping and even people. Like I never knew what kind of a beast was hiding behind the faces of angels.
I never learned to fight. Even less to fight back.
He was hitting me again. It was my fault, I burned the dinner. Can't cook, can't keep a house. I deserved every punch, for being such a nuisance. Useless, that's what I am.
He was just trying to make me better. More useful, I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt me, just to teach me a lesson.
I'm weak, nothing really.
And then.
And then. Something. This force flushed over me like a tidal wave. A woman's voice called me in a strange language.
And I saw him for what he really was. A bully and a coward who only feels like a man when someone else is crying, hurting.
And I stood up. He had no power over me anymore.
I walked out the door and never went back. I didn't even take my keys. Just wallet and phone. For the first time in a long... ...ever I held my head high, and really looked at the world. And it was beautiful.
I had to find this woman.
I never learned to fight. Even less to fight back.
He was hitting me again. It was my fault, I burned the dinner. Can't cook, can't keep a house. I deserved every punch, for being such a nuisance. Useless, that's what I am.
He was just trying to make me better. More useful, I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt me, just to teach me a lesson.
I'm weak, nothing really.
And then.
And then. Something. This force flushed over me like a tidal wave. A woman's voice called me in a strange language.
And I saw him for what he really was. A bully and a coward who only feels like a man when someone else is crying, hurting.
And I stood up. He had no power over me anymore.
I walked out the door and never went back. I didn't even take my keys. Just wallet and phone. For the first time in a long... ...ever I held my head high, and really looked at the world. And it was beautiful.
I had to find this woman.
Saturday, 9 July 2016
Two part 3: Lessons
"So, darling, you know how this goes?"
"Yes, Daddy.
There's to be no feud between our cities than that of brotherly rivalry.."
"That is true. But what do you think it means?"
"We shouldn't argue?"
"You can argue," warm, fatherly laughter echoed in the classroom. "Everyone argues sometimes. It means don't let it take over your friendship.
You see, a long, long time ago, there was a big and horrifying war between Day and Night..."
"How long?"
"At least a thousand years. The cities weren't much more than villages and unlikely yet called Night and Day.
But focus now, dear. I know this isn't fun, but you need to know these things.
There was a war and the whole land was suffering. The high king, a wise man that he was, sent two of his sons to negotiate peace. And they did.
The two brothers were different in many ways, and I'm sure they argued a lot sometimes, but they kept the peace. They figured out ways to trade, so life got easier. They made companions of very different folks.
They became the first Lords of Day and Night, remained close and together wrote a law to keep the peace. So that their descendants wouldn't start another war, they should meet as children, grow up keeping as much contact as they could and, if possible, think of each other as brothers."
"Or sisters!"
"Yes, indeed."
The same lessons in history and life were given to both Sunny and Ray, by their fathers. They wrote long letters to each other, trying to figure out themselves, the others and growing up in general.
"Dad?" Sunny asked shyly one day. She was fourteen years old now and had noticed an ever growing gap between her and her girlfriends. "What if I don't want to marry?"
Her father was perfecting a stone, fitting it into a bracelet. He stopped to think.
"I don't know dear," he answered.
In Day the Lord and his son were planting apricots.
"Dad, why do you read so much?"
"I want to have answers for your questions. Yours, and your sisters."
Ray nodded, padded the dirt softly over the fragile roots of the tiny tree and wished it luck.
"Yes, Daddy.
There's to be no feud between our cities than that of brotherly rivalry.."
"That is true. But what do you think it means?"
"We shouldn't argue?"
"You can argue," warm, fatherly laughter echoed in the classroom. "Everyone argues sometimes. It means don't let it take over your friendship.
You see, a long, long time ago, there was a big and horrifying war between Day and Night..."
"How long?"
"At least a thousand years. The cities weren't much more than villages and unlikely yet called Night and Day.
But focus now, dear. I know this isn't fun, but you need to know these things.
There was a war and the whole land was suffering. The high king, a wise man that he was, sent two of his sons to negotiate peace. And they did.
The two brothers were different in many ways, and I'm sure they argued a lot sometimes, but they kept the peace. They figured out ways to trade, so life got easier. They made companions of very different folks.
They became the first Lords of Day and Night, remained close and together wrote a law to keep the peace. So that their descendants wouldn't start another war, they should meet as children, grow up keeping as much contact as they could and, if possible, think of each other as brothers."
"Or sisters!"
"Yes, indeed."
The same lessons in history and life were given to both Sunny and Ray, by their fathers. They wrote long letters to each other, trying to figure out themselves, the others and growing up in general.
"Dad?" Sunny asked shyly one day. She was fourteen years old now and had noticed an ever growing gap between her and her girlfriends. "What if I don't want to marry?"
Her father was perfecting a stone, fitting it into a bracelet. He stopped to think.
"I don't know dear," he answered.
In Day the Lord and his son were planting apricots.
"Dad, why do you read so much?"
"I want to have answers for your questions. Yours, and your sisters."
Ray nodded, padded the dirt softly over the fragile roots of the tiny tree and wished it luck.
Sunday, 3 July 2016
Meow
Lost, little kitty
Hiding from the rain.
Under a chair
Under a tree
"Go away!" Mommy said
"Go find your place."
"Go away!" Brothers said
"We don't want you here"
Under a chair
Alone and soaked
Alone and miserable
Alone.
Human passed
Human with a dog
Human with a child
Even a human with a tiny pig
"Be my friend"
She called
Only a quiet meow
Came out.
"Be my friend"
She tried again
No one turned
No one heard
"Be my friend
And I'll be yours"
Lonely, lost kitty
Cold and drenched and sad
Hiding from the rain.
Under a chair
Under a tree
"Go away!" Mommy said
"Go find your place."
"Go away!" Brothers said
"We don't want you here"
Under a chair
Alone and soaked
Alone and miserable
Alone.
Human passed
Human with a dog
Human with a child
Even a human with a tiny pig
"Be my friend"
She called
Only a quiet meow
Came out.
"Be my friend"
She tried again
No one turned
No one heard
"Be my friend
And I'll be yours"
Lonely, lost kitty
Cold and drenched and sad
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