**WORK IN PROGRESS ~ DRAFT ONLY**

Cruz waited patiently for the phone to ring. There was no question the call would come today. It had been 10 days since he had spoken to Carey about the book they found in the ruins. The forests of Northern New Hampshire were full of dilapidated settlers camps and cottages, stone circles and wells left by residents long moved on. When they had been hiking that day Cruz and Carey had been thinking of nothing more profound than fresh air and perhaps an idea for their AH401 seminar paper.

When they sat down on a crubling foundation formed from lichen covered field stones to break out their lunch kits nothing but talk of the game last week and parties planned for homecoming was on their minds. "You going to the Omega Moo jam this year?" Cruz asked, pulling the cap on his Aquafina bottle.

"I don't know" Carey said. He crubmled up his napkin and shoved it in the pocket of his pack. "Lynn wants to go but I really hate chick parties."

Cruz snorted and tossed the plastic cap at him. "That's cause you got a chick, idiot."

Carey laughed. "Whatever." He leaned down to pick up the cap that had fallen down into the rocks behind them and saw a flash of white in a crevas. Reaching in he felt around carefully and realized that it was a book.

Carefully, Carey brought it up and set it gently down on the rocks. There was nothing but an inlaid gold symbol on the dark leather cover. No words on the spine either. The odor of wet leather and mold assailed him as he opened the book feeling the smooth leather and stiff pages resist under his fingers.

"What ya got there, man?" Cruz peered curiously over his power bar wrapper at his friend.

"What's it look like?"

"Shut up. I mean what's in it?"

"I don't know yet, I'm trying not to tear it up."

The brown pages were stuck together in spots and crackled loudly as Carey gently leafed through. Rune type characters, strange drawings and formulas in a bizzare script covered the pages he could safely separate.

"Just looks like an old grimoire to me. Probably a witch or shaman lived here a hundred or so years ago and this wall is where they hid it. These woods were full of 'em."

"Is there anything in there that would make a good seminar topic?"

"Hell if I know, man. I can't read runes."

"I'll bet the prof can. She loves that crap. Take it back to her. At least we can get brownie points for digging it up and 'showing the proper scholastic interest' in it." Cruz laughed again and pulled out one of his extra t-shirts. "Here, wrap it up in this and we'll put it in my pack. You're too lame to carry that kind of weight anyway."

Carey shot him a menacing look and took the shirt. He spread it out on a rock, layed the book down and wrapped the book securely. Then he put it in his own pack and stood up to pull the straps up over his shoulder. Taking a moment to get his bearings Carey said "You better hope I don't get back to the car before you do, chump." And headed off back up the trail to the parking lot.

Cruz scrambled to secure his gear and get his pack settled while he was heading up the trail behind. "You suck, man."

As they were cresting the hill, Cruz still felt something in his pack poking into his back so he looked around to adjust it a bit. Suddenly, a furious flapping of black wings surrounded his head and Carey heard his scream from up the trail.

posted by Kimber at 11:20 AM :: ~#~

I saw two pink lines on a plastic stick one day
It was too far away

I heard the heartbeat one day
It was too far away

I felt him kick my bladder one day
It was too far away

I saw his little body and great big head on my chest one day
And then they cut the chord...

He was too far away

He slept across from me in bed one day
He was too far away

He slept in a little bassinette one day
He was too far away

He slept in a crib in his room one day
He was too far away

He went to daycare one day
He was too far away

He rode the bus all by himself today
He was too far away...

posted by Kimber at 3:19 PM :: ~#~

Enlightenment through annihilation. Nadie felt her shoulder dislocate as her momentum met his inertia. He clung to her wrist as desperately as she struggled through the pain to escape his grasp. The Abyss opened below and she wanted nothing more right then than to be in it. Surrounded by the darkness, the quiet, the absense of thought and feeling she knew awaited her there.

"LET ME GO, CONNOR!" she shouted through the waves of pain eminating from her shoulder.

"No, Nadie. Come back. You don't have to come back to me but come back." his voice was steady, his eyes were firm and she looked away from them.

'Don't look' she told herself. She looked down again. The swaying of her body had almost stopped now, Connor's grip was still hard as steel. The pain in her shoulder was giving way a bit so that the pain in her soul could return. Her breathing became ragged, dragging through her clenched throat, hot tears stinging her eyes. More quietly she pleaded "Let me go, Conner. Just let me go."

Nadie heard the sigh, could almost see the dark lids come down over ice blue eyes. "I can't. I won't. I love you. I wish that didn't cause you so much pain but I do." She looked up to see his forehead lowering to the stone ledge.

"Come back Nadie. Tell me what you want and I'll do it. I'll leave if that's what you really want." He rasied his head again and met her eyes.

"Tell me you don't love me" she said needing to hear it with all her heart.

"I can't do that." Connor shifted his weight, getting his hips and feet under his center of gravity as best he could. Knowing it was going to hurt her more, he suddenly leaned, lifted and pulled her up.

Holding her screaming, trembling body close he lowered her to the ground. Taking her arm in one hand and feeling her shoulder with the other he found the spot. Without a word quickly popped the joint back in place. Nadie's final scream filled the cave and Conner sat back on his haunches while she adjusted.

"Is that what you really want? Is that what this has all been about? The drinking, the running around all this stupidity? You want me to stop loving you?"

Nadie looked up at him and swiped the tears from her face. "You DON'T love me! You can't love me!" She sat up and slammed back against the rock wall across from Conner grimacing as her shoulder hit.

"I don't understand. I guess I never will. I don't know how to get through that cast iron skull of yours. I love you. Whether you believe it or not, I do. I am never not going to love you. You can rant and scream and burn the city down but I will still love you. You can throw yourself off every cliff on the planet and I will still love you. When I am dead and gone you will still have to face the fact that I love you. If you can't face that, if it causes you so much pain that you would rather be dead than let me love you, I can't help you. I can't stop."

He rose and walked purposefully over to her. "Are you going to walk or do you want to be carried?"

"Where are we going?"

"To the emergency room. Then I'm taking you back to your place. From there, it's up to you."

"I'll walk."



posted by Kimber at 2:47 PM :: ~#~

skinned knees, honey bees
first car, first date
slept too long, out too late
5 more minutes mom
PULEEEEEZZZZZEEEEE

Mr. Right, Ms. Wrong
Third floor apartment, milk crate couch
Laundry bags, bottle of Shout
Just one more load mom
Can't stay too long

Welcome home sign, room full of flowers
Cards and hugs, talk and smiles
Emails and phone calls, prayers over miles
We have so many friends mom
Love truly does have power.

We love you.

posted by Kimber at 1:35 PM :: ~#~

The chair was hard on her back as she sat at the simple wooden desk staring and the blank parchment before her. All too familiar with the feeling that open white expanse evoked in her, she recapped the inkwell and placed the carved bone pen back in the box. The afternoon sun was bright and clear, a good day for a walk. No, a ride. Her mare hadn't had a good stretch in too many days. Rising from the chair, she grabbed her cloak from the peg in the wall by the door and strode purposefully toward the stable. The stablemaster was shaving the front hoof of a chestnut stallion when he glanced over and saw her coming across the dry packed dirt road. Grabbing the towel from his back pocket he threw it at the stableboy's head. "Get the tack for the roan". He knew she didn't want the mare saddled by anyone but her but she did like to have the tack ready when she was.

Creidne paused at the door while her eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the stable. Her ears picked up the familiar nicker of Ceredwyn in the stall at the far end. Ceri was well aware by now of Creidne's presence and stomped her hoof in anticipation of getting out into the fresh air. Almost tripping over himself in his hurry, the young boy carried the saddle and gear up to the stall and drapped it over the padded barrel next to the stall door. He wasn't much taller than the barrel, either, so when he had accomplished this task without dropping or scratching anything he stood erect and beamed up at her. She chuckled softly and tossed him a copper. "Good job, Pip. Good job." He caught it and stared for a moment in awe. When she turned back from hanging her cloak and saw him still standing there she leaned over, took him by the shoulders, turned him around and booted him gently on the rump. "Get going before he takes it's worth out of your hide!"

The fine knotwork shone in the leather of the saddle and the deep, musky smell assaulted her senses immediately. Opening the stall door, she waited for Ceri to walk out and take her place to be accoutered. When all was secure, Creidne patted Ceri's neck and reached up to grab the horn. Once again she paused, thinking how odd it looked without the crossbow draped over it. When will this be the norm and that be the oddity, she wondered. How long before I cease to feel naked without my blade? Shaking her head, she mounted. It's only been a year. You can't erase the instincts of a lifetime in a year.

Horse and rider merged into one as they passed the limits of the township and cut lose at an easy gallop toward the hills beyond.

posted by Kimber at 4:24 PM :: ~#~

Creidne stood in the quiet open stillness of the bamboo structure. The rays of the sunrise streamed across her face and she felt the warmth enter her lungs as it passed through her to spread across the wide wooden floor behind her. Taking a deep breath she spread her arms out wide calling out the name of the God in her mind, reaching for a communion with the eternal strength and fire of the dragon of the morning. Slowly the flame spread in her veins, she saw the great wings spread encompassing her... energy flowed freely within her and bristled from every pore. Creidne, the sage, the warrior, the small girl, knew at that moment the true meaning of life, the sense of total belonging of oneness with the universe and her part in the great mystery.

Ti stood awestruck at the rear of the do-jon. He had no idea what she was doing but by god it was amazing. It was almost as if she shone with an inner light that rivaled even that of the sun. He knew when he stood next to her that she barely reached his chin but looking at her now her presence fairly filled the room.

His legs began to move of their own accord, he was irresitibly drawn to her now, no thought of what it might mean to disturb her when she was in this state of meditation. The loose night shift blocked nothing and his eyes were riveted to the sillouette it reavealed. Instincts took over as he glided silently across the wooden floor, his feet knew where every creak was in the broad expanse and in a moment he was standing an armslength away from her. At this distance Ti could feel the energy surrounding her as a tangible force he half thought that if he put out his hand he would meet a physical resistance there. Her breathing was deep and steady and she swayed slightly in some unseen wind. Part of his mind watched in facination as his hand rose to touch her shoulder, knowing that men had lost their heads from this same maneuver, but the force drawing him was too great, the risk added to the feelings building up within him, pushing him inexorably on. Just as he felt the air move in the fingersbredth between his hand and her shift he saw the initial movement in her body and poised.......

posted by Kimber at 3:35 PM :: ~#~

The majestic spires of tall thin trunks towered over her head as she walked in awed silence through the wood. The mud between her toes was both a facinating sensation and a disturbing one. The river had been at flood stage for so long that clams had taken root in this part of the wood. The current had stripped all the lower branches clean or completely off and walking was quite unimpeded. Everything was open. The leaves left on the upper sections of the trees rustled in the soft breeze in a sound that was both encompassing and more quiet than the silence. She could almost feel the spirits of the trees swirling about her, casting a circle in the air. She saw a deer just off to her right, sniffing the ground and the air, looking directly at her. She stood perfectly still, barely breathing. Locking eyes with the quiet doe standing just a few feet away. Nothing tangible passed between them but she felt...something. The deer looked away again, sniffed the air, turned and trotted leisurely off over the hill at the back of the wood. So, she thought, a deer. I never envisioned my spirit animal as being a deer.

posted by Kimber at 9:26 AM :: ~#~