Phantasy Mün

[Deleted member 325]

"It started as such things often do. Seemingly small, almost insignificant, a simple and inconspicuous thing. It was as the slightest hint of a foul odor wafting in on the warm summer's breeze, marking the end of better days and the encroaching chill of autumn. Nothing then that would bring alarm to the unwary. Those who took notice were paid little attention - easily dismissed as doomsayers and panic-mongers."
"The world seemed so very different then. Rolling hills were plush with flowing waves of knee-high green grass, and dotted with yellow and purple wild flowers. Puffy, white clouds drifted lazily across cerulean skies on the gentle spring breeze. The air had a sweetness about it, a scent that no words of mine could ever impart how pleasant it was. The songs of birds and chorus of children's laughter seemed to be just around every corner, over every hill. Time almost seemed to stand still, and it seemed that those long days of youthful spring would last forever. And in those days I dreamed dreams of love and laughter and happy endings... of a fire haired woman with a smile that could warm the coldest of nights...of grand adventures to distant lands, and riches to be won...oh what dreams I had"
"I was not alone in the dreaming away of bliss. No. That was how it all came to be. So many Dreamers and idealists closed their eyes and walked blindly in hopeful abandon, completely incapable of thinking they could wander so far astray and the spring would yield to summer, and then to fall...and winter would some day set in and the darkness take us all. While we all dreamed and hoped and wished, sinister forces, practiced at deception and practical in their efforts, moved within the world. Though now it seems a great avalanche of monumental wrongs, it began with the smallest of pebbles, well placed, in successions. Slight but gradual changes, some so subtle they slipped the notice of even the most astute and vigilant. So darkness and evil grew, right under our very noses."
"A clever thing evil and darkness are, Hiding in our midst, and using our own fears of it to help nourish it... A weed becomes a sapling, a sapling becomes a tree, a tree becomes a forest."

Not sure where this is going yet... just one of so many fragments of stories and ideas kicking around my head. I once upon a time fashioned myself a writer... out of spaghetti-O's

 

[RedPhantom]

Ok, you have me hooked, so far. Very interesting start.

 

[Miss B]

I like it as well. You definitely have a way with words.

 

[Carey]

I always ended up eating my words and suffered a great deal from run on sentences being the soup is totally lacking in punctuation.....

 

[Miss B]

I've often accused myself of the same thing, but I spent 40 years working with lawyers, and they are the worst offenders when they're writing in legalese.

 

[Deleted member 325]

I need to find a good business lawyer now

Oh, and thanks for the kind words everyone.

 

[Red Eagle]

A very nice beginning indeed. Hoping you will write some more.

When I write it reads like a text book. I guess that comes from being a Technology Education teacher for so many year.

 

[Deleted member 325]

"It is now late in the last eve of summer, and a dark tree stands silent vigil over the glade. It's shadow is wide, and falls upon all free folk. Though I am not alone in my sense of fear and dread, I can not help but feel isolated and alien as I stare out upon this monstrosity and wonder why others do not fear it so. The time for recriminations and regrets has long since passed, and though action is needed, the actions of one are no longer enough to fell such a titanous and cancerous growth as the black wood. Anxiously I pace the carpeted floor in my living room and await the others. It has been hours since I sent for them, and surely they know it is urgent. I begin to wonder if they will come at all, or if they had only voiced similar fears and desires for change to assuage my own anxieties and suspicions. Have they drunk from the sap of that black beast? I already fear it's roots have spread far and reached the village well, and though I have taken steps to protect myself, I have been cautious not to let others see me carrying the jugs from the distant river - surely they would think me mad, and ridicule my fears. Yes, discredit and humiliate your oppositon and you have nothing to fear..."
"I poured myself some tea from the pitcher I prepared for myself and my inevitable guests. As I sipped, the branches of the unholy tree let out a baleful creaking and groaning under the caress of a summer eve's breeze. There was something wholly unnatural about the sound it made, and it sent a shiver through my soul. I fixed my gaze and narrowed my eyes, studying it's black mass in the pale light of the waning moon. Not even the fireflies dared fly too near the unholy growth. Yes, it was definitely a blight on this wonderful land, and it would need to come down and it's roots be burned... but there in was the problem... it's roots were deep indeed, well below the soil, and deep into the thoughts, minds, and hearts of men in the earthly realms. No small task was it set for this gardener to undertake."
"Finally, I thought I saw a hint of shimmering and movement past the base of the black tree, near the far corner of the square. For a moment I was afraid it was the shadowy and horrid things I had glimpsed once before perching in the boughs of the monstrous growth, and I held my breath. Relief came as I could make out four figures, clad in loose robes, as they rounded the square cautiously, clinging closely to the walls of houses and huts, making toward me. Finally, we would have a quorum. I turned from the window and swept my gaze once more over the room before receiving my guests, setting the tea on the edge of a fine glass-work table. Satisfied all was as ready as could be, I moved toward the arched doorway just as a gentle wrap in broken rhythm, pre-agreed for entrance, sounded upon it. I glanced at the sigils and wards upon the door, and was satisfied they were not enraged from any unwanted or malignant presence, and through open the aperture."
"I greeted each in turn as the four slid past me into the receiving hall, and the den beyond, "Oneroi, Moirai, Nott, Bormo" giving each a nod of respect. With my brotherly and sisterly powers assembled, I addressed them all "We have much work to do to remove this blasphemous darkness, but it must be done in the realm of men. I fear, it may be beyond our normal methods. Cryptic messages, symbols, and riddles may not be enough. Even now, the shadow falls upon the whole of us, and soon will block the sky."
It was Nott who spoke first, as she pulled her hood from her, and let her locks of silver hair fall upon her shoulder and catch the light of the oil lamp and reflect in a resplendent aura "I have long said the realm of man is a lost cause, let it fall to shadow."
Bormo was quick to chastise, his face twisting into a visage more feral, his hawk-like nose crinkled, his brows furrowed, "Without the realm of men, we are lost - why, in ten thousand-thousand millennium do you still not understand this?"
"Enough!" I thundered... "The time for bickering is lost. None of us have the leisure of time now. Let us begin the ritual."
"The Ritual" all repeated, and moved into per-ordained positions about the room. Long into the evening we chanted, and gestured, and danced, and swayed... not knowing if it would really do any good in the end.
Did men still hear us?
Could they?

 

[RedPhantom]

I was going to say wow. But that doesn't convey my thoughts accurately. Then I thought, OK, you have me hooked. But I said that already and while you still have me hooked, I wanted to say something different. I saw this early this morning and put the thread aside until I could read it at my pleasure. I was working on something else and returned to my browser to look something up. I saw this and decided to read it. It made me forget what I was working on. Very fascinating story so far.

 

[Miss B]

WOW! I don't know what else to say. I wish I had half your writing talent. I patiently await your next installment.

 

[Pendraia]

Next section please...what happens next? Not that I'm pushy or anything...

 

[Miss B]

 

[Red Eagle]

a great part II of the story. I can see some great renders coming out of this story. Not from me however, I could not do it justice.

 

[Deleted member 325]

I'm glad everyone is enjoying it so far. I am still not sure where it is going yet. Just filling it in as I get ideas.

 

[Carey]

Yea nice hook!

 

[Deleted member 325]

I call this next passage "The Dance"

"The rhythm of our chanting drummed and droned in concordant harmonies like none known to the ears of man since aeons long since forgotten. Notes chosen by ancient arts and sciences to resonate with the music of the spheres, the harmonics of matter, and the underlying tonality of universal creation. Not just tones, phrases, and songs - these were keys to time, space, thought, matter and all things known and unknown. Rhythm of dance and movement, too, were equally unique - a music all their own, unlocking it's own unheard harmonics in vibration and unwinding the firmament of our world. With each verse and choreographed set of steps and gestures, the world around us became ever more ethereal - shifting, changing, in slow gradations towards dimensions far removed. The walls of our reality became malleable and permeable - and we slipped through as one would pass through smoke and shadow.
"The familiar and solid surroundings of my parlour, with it's light earthen walls, decorative rugs, and brass standing clock in the corner, gave way to swirling plumes of purple and black mist, and cracks of lightning arranging themselves into streams and pathways. Embers and flashes of light in a panoply of colors burned brilliantly in clusters near and far. A feeling washed over us, as of falling or spinning into infinity - and it was a struggle to not break concentration but maintain the rhythm of the dance and song. The movements of our bodies became more profound, highlight by streams of light and shadow as we moved. Our hands tracing out shapes and sigils that now grew into almost tangible neon echos, trailing off slowly...the shapes clearly readable for but fractions of a heartbeat.Each bright echo of rhythm lasted slightly longer, until they almost hovered for moments and drifted outward from it's creator. Great rings of grew and radiated outward from our gathering, creating vast concentric patterns that encompassed the drifting and vibrant symbols as they flew from our hands and feat before slowly fading into mist.
"The Electric streamers and bolts dancing in the clouds around us took on a rhythm of their own, as if in their own wild dance. The dashed and darted between the myriad points of light, forming web-ways and patterns...as if interconnecting them briefly. The embers of light began to wax and wane in intensity too, individually at first, then in small groups and clusters. They, too, began to emanate concentric rings and spirals as they pulsed and flickered like millions of beating hearts. In time, fewer and fewer continued to grow in intensity and pulse increasingly violently, until there was but one that flared up, fiery rings and sigils encircling it... this was our destination.
"I am sure if it could be seen by an outsider looking on, the display would have been magnificent and terrifying to behold - as should the reforming of anyone's reality...
"With a single, blazing, iridescent, red orb encircled by a complex web of rings and runes dancing in the star filled, lightning dashed, swirls of purple and black our rhythm grew to a grand crescendo. A lash of electric vibrance whipped out towards us like a great tentacle, enveloping us. The sensation of suddenly darting headlong through the void was overwhelming as we were hurtled toward our new reality... my guts wrenched and tightened, no preparation adequate for the sudden shift. My vision was overcome by intense, white light and my ears split by the a roar and clap that defies any mortal description, then suddenly everything went black as I felt my body collide once more with a solid reality. I could feel a very cool, damp air on my exposed skin, as of night, and I could smell faint sweet tones of grasses in the air, and something unnerving I could not place. As the roaring in my ears faded I could hear my companions, somewhat disoriented, calling to each other and to me - we had all made the transition. I rubbed my eyes and blinked several times as shadows and forms slowly became visible again in a pale moonlight. I could see overgrown trees, hanging with clinging moss flowing in a slight breeze all around, and became aware of the chant of whippoorwills. My mind reeled trying to figure out what had gone wrong, this is not where we were supposed to be. I cleared my throat to speak, but before I could form words I heard it... a deep and rasping growl that seemed to roll off the night itself. I had heard this once before...the shadows in the tree..."

 

[Deleted member 325]

Not sure if the last passage was liked... all I have today is:

In the distant, gathering darkness I heard a faint voice whisper to me "You may know your destination, but not your path. Wander carefully the forest of lost dreams, and become a dream lost in the forest."

 

[RedPhantom]

Very intense. I had to wait until I had a chance for enough quiet time to read it. I enjoy when I see you've added to the story.

One question though. You wrote Great rings of grew. Great rings of what? Based on the rest, I'm guessing power, but I could be wrong.

 

[Pendraia]

I haven't had chance to read it yet...with being sick I wasn't up to focusing on reading large amounts of text. I'm hoping to get chance to read it this weekend. I should be writing my work program at the minute but I'm procrastinating...

 

[Deleted member 325]

One question though. You wrote Great rings of grew. Great rings of what? Based on the rest, I'm guessing power, but I could be wrong.

Sorry, there wasn't supposed to be an of in there... It was supposed to read
Great Rings grew, and radiated outward

Though, yes, rings of energy