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I'm sitting here in front of my computer tonight after I got home from my last class and turned in my last project. It's something I've done every night for the past 4 years, but tonight it felt so different. I've been excited, for a couple of weeks really, about finally finishing my degree; but tonight at my computer it really sort of hit me that I'd finished a chapter in my life. It was a very long, stressful chapter, full of challenges and accomplishments.
I thought of the hundreds, if not thousands, of hours I'd sat in front of this computer over the past four years, toiling away on projects. I thought of the many many nights that I'd come in here to work while my incredible partner, Thom, cooked dinner for us and cleaned and did the laundry, all so I could do my school work. I thought of the many weekends when I had to stay home and focus on those projects when I'd rather have been out having fun with my partner, and Thom steadfastly supported that work and tried to find something to do to occupy himself. We both have brand new Panasonic Lumix micro 4/3 cameras that we've bought just in the past 6 months, and we've barely even used them because of my school work. I thought about how patient, supporting, and loving he had been over these past two years since he moved here to be with me.
I was very successful in school, and I'm at the top of my class, but I have to give Thom a huge part of the credit for that. He pushed me to be a better designer, and he gave me the time I needed to focus on my work so that I could turn in great pieces instead of just mediocre pieces that would have gotten me by. There's no doubt in my mind that I have the most awesome partner I could have ever imagined and I am so truly thankful to have him in my life.
Now as we forge onward in this new chapter together I am so looking forward to getting out and truly exploring with Thom, and sharing some awesome weekends with him on road trips, camping, hiking, just getting out and being together, which is something he's had to sacrifice for me for the past two years.
Our most important goal now is to get moved to Vermont within the next year. It won't be easy with the job market the way it is, but then again, nothing worth truly having is easy. But even though I have no way of knowing how the situation will play out with our move, or how difficult it might be, having Thom with me to share the next chapter, and all the chapters after that, will make my life richer and happier than I could have hoped for in my wildest dreams.
So, thanks to all my flicker friends who've commented on my photos over the past two years and given me supporting compliments. Thanks to my incredibly awesome partner who has made me happier than I've ever been. Here's to closing out the old chapter and opening up a new one. I have a feeling this one's gonna be a LOT more fun!
TITLE CREDITS GO TO THE AMAZING MOLLY, OR SHOULD I SAY MOLLIAM? ♥
Before this chapter, lemme explain something.
I'm doing a different book, because I want to finish writing Switched before I posted it.Sorry for the inconvience!
It was like any normal day, except for one thing. I was going to a One Direction concert! I was very excited to be sitting in the first row! Being an only child has its benefits. I put on my favorite jeans and a shirt that said, "Future Mrs.Malik" on it, and made a posterboard that said "Zayn has that One Thing!" It turned out pretty well. We hopped in the car and blasted "Up All Night" through the car while I yelled to everyone outside, "Remember this name~ Mrs. Rylee Malik!" My mom laughed. She really didn't get it. We finally arrived, and I jumped out of the car and ran towards the stadium. It was already packed, but my mom and I made it to our reserved seats. I couldn't believe I was actually there! They sang a couple songs and then walked into the crowd. I couldn't believe it. Zayn was walking towards me! He grabbed my hand and said, "Hello beautiful. Would you like to sing Up All Night with me?" "OF COURSE!" I shrieked. Being the same age as him, and him calling me beautiful, made me feel like the only girl in the world. I couldn't believe I was on stage with my future husband! "Here's the girls! Whats your name?" Niall asked. "Carolyne" said the girl he had chosen. Harry had chosen a girl named Lily, Liam had chosen a girl named Molly,and Louis had chosen a girl named Aly. "What's your name?" Zayn asked me. I replied, "My future wife, Rylee!" "Everyone, this is My future wife, Rylee! Wait a second.... hahaha...." everyone in the stadium laughed. I couldn't believe this! People laughed at my joke, Zayn Malik had called me beautiful, and I was at a One Direction concert? This was the best day ever! When we started singing, I was a bit nervous. I felt like a good singer, and this was what I wanted to do when I grew up, but could I really pull this off? Zayn and I started singing, "Don't even care about the table breaking, we only wanna have a laugh," He stopped singing. I almost stopped, but he whispered, "Keep going." so, I sang, "I'm only thinkin' bout this guy I'm seein', I hope he wanna kiss me back." When the song finished, Zayn gave me a note. I waited till after the concert to read it, but it read, "Come back on stage when the concert is over. I wanna give you something :)" I showed my mom the note, and she let me go. I started walking to the stage, wondering what Zayn could possibly give me?, he called me beautiful, but he would've said that to anyone, right?
Sorry about any errors, my computer won't let me fix them unless I re-type the whole thing D:<
I haven’t known Jay that long but she already seems to know how I think.
The fact she thought she scared me with her threats was adorable. Just adorable.
Anyway, the next morning we packed up camp, put everything into the van and set off. The only seats were the driver's seat and the passenger seat. I sat in the driver and Brian sat next to me.
The girls sat along one wall, and the boys sat across from them.
Jay was holding Noel in her lap, Ming was reading, Buck works on his drawing of Ming, and Chris was showing Matt how to sharpen a stick with a knife.
So far, Noel had only talking to the girls and occasionally to Matt. She wouldn’t say anything about her past, so far.
I wondered where her twin was.
In case you're wondering… yes, I’m planning on selling her, Jay, and Dale at the end of all of this.
Nothing has changed absolutely nothing. Well, maybe something. For some reason I don’t feel the usual joy, I have when planning.
At least, not when it comes to Jay.
Jay, the only Type One to cause me this much trouble. The only one to make me feel this way…with her beautiful brown eyes, and a sweet smile.
Oh my gosh, what am I saying?!
Pretend I never thought that. It never happened.
Back to what’s important. After an hour we ran out of gas.
We grab our things and walk once more.
“Where in the world is the stupid lab?! I mean, how big could this stupid woods be?!” I hear Jay shout.
I roll my eyes, “did you think that we’d find it after a day or something? These woods are huge! It might be another week before we find it.” I tell her.
She glares at me, and keeps walking.
“How do we know that we’re even going in the right direction?” Brian asks. This question stops Jay.
“Well, the truck was heading this direction, so we should probably keep heading in this direction, until we no longer can.” Jay replies.
“So, technically, we’re lost. That’s just perfect.” Chris says startling everyone.
“Well, in a way, it was inevitable.” Brian tells us.
In the corner of my eye I see Matt mouthing the word, trying to figure out its meaning. I lean over, and whisper “It was going to happen no matter what.” He nods in response.
I start paying attention again to discover that the matter has been resolved. We go with Jay’s idea.
As we walk I think about Matt. He was only ten, and yet, he believes fully in our business and me. For someone so young, he was insightful and brave.
I cared for him. I cared for all my boys. Each one of them, in some way, hold a special place in my heart.
Crap. I’m being soft again, aren’t I? It’s the woods. All this walking is giving me too much time to think.
I stop suddenly. Everyone sees me stopped and does likewise. “What is it?” Buck asks me.
I put my finger to my lips and shush him. One by one they hear it too, well, except Matt and Noel.
“Water. It sounds like a river.” Jay whispers.
We walk towards the sound and sure enough, it’s a calm river.
“Why don’t we stop for the night and take proper baths for once?” I suggest.
Everyone agrees eagerly. We all begin to set up camp, discussing how we’ll do this.
It ends up that the girls go first, with one of them always blocking the path to the river. After that I let my boys go before me. Soon I’m the only one left.
I finish up and pull on my pants, and then hear a gasp. I turn around and find Jay staring at me.
“Crap. I thought you were done. No one was blocking the path. Sorry.” she says quickly.
“Nah it’s okay, I have to do is put on my shirt.” I smirk, loving how uncomfortable she is.
Thankfully, my chest is hairless and smooth, showing off my well-defined abs.
Jay collects some water in some bottles she brought with her. “Need some help?” I ask her, while walking over by her.
I reach for a bottle and accidentally brush her hand. She jerks it back and looks at me. I don’t see the usual hatred in her eyes, instead I see something I don’t identify.
She quickly stands up, I do to. She looks so beautiful, standing there in the moonlight. I slowly start to lean in. We’re very close.
Before either of us know whats happen our lips meet. Jay puts her hand on my neck, and I slide my down to her mid back.
My mind is exploding right now. I can’t think straight. What’s happening?
Suddenly Jay pushes me harshly away. “No… no, I'm sorry. We can’t, it would never work.” With that she runs back to camp.
I sigh, the memory of our kiss is already fading from my lips. I sit down on the cool grass.
I had failed. I had let my emotions win for a second. I just made things harder on myself.
The boys must never find out about this. Never. They would think I was weak and pitiful. Not worthy of leadership.
I vowed to myself right then and there I would never let my emotions win again. Jay was profit, not someone I felt something for.
We needed to finish this soon, I needed to forget soon.
I put my hand on my chin and discover angry tears. I wiped them away quickly.
I stand up, and look around. No one in sight, at least from what I can tell.
I head back to camp. Jay avoids me, and Brian stares at me, probably wondering why we weren’t talking again.
He would never know. Never.
_____
POSTED TONIGHT INSTEAD OF TOMORROW, BECAUSE I HAVE JOB TRAINING TOMORROW.
Prophesy of the Final Son
Marta found her parents' lack of concern disturbing. Her dear brother was lost in the forbidden forest, out of which he will likely never return, and her parents were going about their business as if nothing was out of place at all. At the evening meal, she confronted her father even though he disliked being disturbed while eating. "Father, Kieran is not here, have you not noticed?", she said making solid eye contact with her father.
"Yes, of course, Marta, but there is nothing we can do about it.", he said, but did not appear troubled at all.
"How can you not be troubled by this?", Marta asked quietly.
"Oh, Marta!", her mother placed the dessert dish on the table, and finally sat down at the table with them. She had a habit of not sitting down to eat until everyone else was nearly done eating. "We will have to tell her, I suppose, dear.", she said looking over at her husband.
Marta's Father solemnly nodded. "It is such a secret to bear, to be sure. Of course we must, now that it seems clear the prophesy must be true." His big hands pushed back his plate and he put his elbows on the table and crossed his arms. His eyes betrayed a deep, inner excitement coupled with a relief, as if a long and troubling story was about to come to an end. Marta began to listen as her father began to tell the story; it had none of the usual embellishments his customary stories had, he had obviously never told this one before.
"When I was your age, child, my father told me a story much like the one I will be telling you now. For my entire life I have been the keeper of this information, and I have only shared the story with your Mother, once. My father, and his father before him, and I have been told many generations of my family before him. My father did not know exactly how many generations, nor how many years the story has been kept alive in this way. Certainly it happened before recorded history, and it has been kept entirely secret. Only we will know, us three, when I have finished the telling." Marta's father paused for effect.
"Now, this story has been passed through so many ages and so many people that the original truth has likely been lost. Indeed it doesn't seem to make much sense to me, but I will try to remember how it was said to me. I was on a hunting trip with my father. I was the only male child in my family, as you know, the rest being your aunties. Father had asked that only I accompany him on the trip, and when we were alone on the second day of the trip, he sat me down on a stump. I was afraid I was in trouble for something, as it was unusual to talk to my father about anything besides my own wrongdoings. He explained to me that he was going to tell be a secret, and I must tell no one besides my future wife and my son. Alas, I fear my own son will learn of his own accord about the prophesy, for it is his fate. But I tell you now, Marta, because the story is at an end." He reached out and clasped Marta's small hand in his. The image of a caged bird flashed in her mind. But he let go again, and continued.
"My father told me that in the far distant past, our land did not exist. Instead there was only fire, and nothing could live upon fire. One day, a great being, outside our realm, decided to create a sanctuary out of the fire and sent enough water to quench the fires. Once the fires stopped burning, and the raging floods had subsided, he populated the lands with creatures of his own design. Then he created man and woman, and made them caretakers over the lands and all of its inhabitants." Marta was quite sure she had heard this story before.
"Father, I have heard the creation myth before. We learned it in our first year of school.", she remembered her crabby old teacher telling her the same story.
"Yes, of course, it is the same story told to everyone as children. However, my father continued to elaborate. He said that the original man had been given a great gift by the being from the nether realm. In his very blood was a message that would be passed down through the generations of his direct male bloodline. The first woman was given the prophesy that one of her distant sons would be holder of the keys of the sanctuary and would be the only one allowed to enter, and that he would become ruler of not only this realm, but the next realm as well. The keys would be given only to the first son of the first son, and his first son, and so on down the line. And so our family has held this secret, not only that we are descendants of the first family of our realm, but that our blood line has been unbroken in all that time. It is as if our family has had a strange charm placed on it, protecting the firstborn sons from harm." He looked at Marta, and continued.
"We were told that one of our family would enter a forbidden forest, and be the first ever to return from it. Marta, I suspect you know something about the fate of your brother that you have not shared with us." Marta's father looked at her hopefully.
"Yes, father. He has sent word to me in the most amazing way. He has been sending messages to me by way of a raven!", she said with excitement.
"As I had suspected." her father said, without reproach in his voice. "I believe him to be the prophesied son. The fact that he has not been consumed by that dark forest, that he has survived and learned its ways, is confirmation enough that he will pass its tests. I believe that, soon, we will know that he has succeeded in winning the final test."
"In his last message, he mentioned he was nearing his destination, however I had not written back as he bade me to. The bird is staying close to the edge of the forest in case I wish to send him a reply, I'm sure." Marta said.
"Then we shall write him together, and tell him we are proud of him." Marta's father seemed to radiate, he had a smile on his face and his deep blue eyes twinkled brightly. Her mother looked similarly proud, as they wrote a response together. After they had all finished their letter, they rolled it up and tied it with a small piece of twine. The large black bird dutifully came when asked to convey the message to Kieran, picked up the message in its shiny beak, and flapped its wings in takeoff.
***
Kieran had not yet reached the door when he heard the wings of the messenger bird behind him on the path. He turned in time to see the bird set down the parchment it had been carrying in it beak. Marta had written back! He excitedly unrolled the message to find the crowded script of his father's pen.
Dear Son,
Your mother, Marta and I are writing you with excitement in our hearts. I hope that you have, by this time, passed the feline guardian, and are walking toward the door in the hill. I, myself, made it as far as the gate to be turned back, for it was not my destiny to enter that glowing doorway. But, I was told by the guardian that it would be you who would be accepted. Somehow she could tell. I want you to know how proud I am of you! Whatever is to come, take at least that with you. Guard it, and always remember.
I dearly wish I had had a chance to talk to you about your destiny before you had committed to embarking on it. But of course, now you know the most of it. The secret of the hill will be yours, and yours alone, for knowledge of it has been lost in the depths of time. Guard the secret well, but I hope you will let at least us know of it.
I hope you will come home soon, so you can tell us the full story of your adventure. Our love will always be with you.
Mother, Father, and Marta.
Kieran read the note twice, and smiled inwardly. So, he thought, they had known. That explained why they had seemed not to care. They were holding this secret all along, waiting for him to be brave enough to embark upon the path that has now led him to this place. They were proud of him. That in itself was a salve to his wounds. He felt powerful emotions welling in him, and he paused before the open doorway and its glowing symbols. With a sudden flapping, the crow took flight and entered the doorway and suddenly it was if all of the feathers on the bird suddenly left its body, evaporating into the darkness itself. The bird had disappeared entirely!
Having seen stranger things on this adventure so far, Kieran decided to continue walking through the doorway. He found himself in a corridor, leading to a large chamber within the hill. He was quite certain it must be some sort of haunted, burial chamber. As he walked into the chamber, a single chair became lit from unseen fire from above it. The chair was not ornate, and was constructed out of what looked like a black metal. A female voice, that he recognized as that of the fairy Tess, came to his ears from an unknown source, and simply bade him to sit in the chair. He walked over to the chair, and sat down. Immediately the light above his head dimmed, and the dark walls disappeared around him, and became the forest. He could see the gateway he had just entered through, and the pathway beyond that, upon which he had traveled. As he questioned what was happening, his mind was filled with answers as if his head were a reservoir being filled from an unseen aqueduct. It was a strange feeling to suddenly know the answers to all of the questions he'd had along the way, but not only that knowledge was made available to him. He was now aware of the complete nature of this hill, and all of its secrets. He knew everything he needed to know about its operation, and how it came to be here in the first place. The grand design was laid bare, and he sat in awe for a long while absorbing these facts.
He decided that it was time to visit his old home, not just to say goodbye, but to satisfy his curious father before he left. He stood up and as he did so, the chair disappeared behind him, and through the break in the trees in front of him he could see the little cottage that was his home. Walking through the trees was easily done this time, there was no resistance because he was not really there. He was still inside the hill, being shown what his projection was doing. His projected self continued to walk toward the house, and then it knocked on the door. His mother answered the door, and immediately hugged him. He was amazed that he could even feel her arms around him, and feel her wet cheek on his, and for a long while he forgot he was being projected and immersed himself entirely in the projection so that he could experience it for himself. To his mind, there was only one difference, and that was that he knew he could instantly be back in the hill whenever he wanted to. Otherwise, his parents and sister would never know he was not really there. To them, the illusion could not be discerned.
His father was very happy to see him, and put his huge hands on each of Kieran's shoulders looking him deep into the eyes. He said, "So, you have made it through the gate and into the hill, I can see." They all moved toward the table and sat around it.
"Yes, father, I have. I must be going back to the hill again to complete my journey, but I wanted to come home and say farewell before I do." Kieran replied.
Marta looked shocked, as did his Mother and Father. "You are leaving?" Marta asked sadly.
"I'm sorry, I must. What I have discovered is so incredible I really must use it. And when I do, I will not get another chance to say what I want to say." Kieran sounded torn.
"Go on, son. Tell us what you can." his Father encouraged.
"Alright, even though I know you will not be able to fully understand, I have been given a great gift of understanding inside the hill, and will try to explain what I know in such a way that you will someday be able to understand." Kieran paused to collect his thoughts, and then continued. "Inside the hill lies an ancient ship, Father, but not a ship build for traversing the seas. It is a star faring ship, left here by the ancient builders of our planet. Yes, incredibly, our entire realm was fashioned in some way by the hands of countless tiny machines, mechanisms so small they cannot be seen by our eyes. Through their effort over many, many years, our lands became fertile, and the animals came to live here. I cannot explain this any more simply, I'm afraid."
Kieran's father did not look confused, but instead looked like a great light had gone on inside his head, and he was eager to know more.
"After I passed through the gate guarded by the feline sentinel, I walked into the hill and found a room with a chair. I was asked to sit in the chair and I felt a great rush of information directly into my head, Father. It was as if I was instantly given a lifetime of information. I was curious about all things, and immediately satisfied. I understood such things as Terraforming and Interstellar Travel and even though I can't explain these things to you directly, I can say that it all confirms the creation myths we've all been told as children. I will be the first of us to be able to go back and meet our cousins from the stars. They have waited many generations for this visit, as you know. I can hardly wait to meet them!" Kieran looked genuinely elated.
"Son, what an honour has been bestowed upon our family. I am certain you will make a great impression on our distant cousins. I can hardly believe what you have told us now, it seems so unreal. However, what can I do but wish you well? This day was foretold, and destinies can not be stopped." After his father had said this, he stood up from the table latched his hands again on Kieran's shoulders, and stood him up. When Kieran was standing, his father embraced him tightly and quietly said, "Goodbye, son. Journey safely!"
"I will." Kieran replied. He hugged his mother, and then stood before Marta and said "Goodbye dear sister. Remember when you accused me of not being real? Strangely enough, if you had accused me this time, you would have been right. I must go, do take care of Mother and Father." Kieran smiled.
"I will, brother. Be well." Marta said, with a tear in her eye.
With that, the image of Kieran disappeared from their home, quickly and silently. They all looked at one another with amazement. Kieran had wished himself back at the hill, and so he had instantly gone there. Back in his own body, standing near the black chair. He sat, reached into his mind to send the command to leave, and the hill erupted sending the ship into the sky, tearing a rent in the atmosphere itself, and finally leaving the realm far behind in both space and time.
We don’t go in the house through the front door. We don’t go in through the door in the garage that opens onto the family room, either. Not right away, anyway. First we stand on the threshold of the garage entrance, the three of us, huddled together, and my sister and I call for our dog in increasingly strident tones.
His name’s Rex. He’s a poodle who’s never passed up on the chance to run away. Never once. Now we’re asking him to run away, begging him, but he’s nowhere to be seen. We listen for the familiar clink of his dog tag, but the house is silent. So very silent.
We go in.
The heavy drapes drawn across the sliding glass doors give the family room an oppressive, funereal feel. I smell the ever-present stink of stale smoke and the mustiness of the boiled potatoes from last night’s pot roast. I feel sick, disoriented. My heart is hammering.
In the kitchen, I arm each of us with a knife. I take the biggest, the butcher, and lead the way into the entrance hall, where I open the front door and the storm door. We call again for Rex.
“Here boy!”
“Come on, boy!”
“Where are you?”
He trots into the hall, as if it’s just another day, and stops. His eyes cut from us to the open doors and back to us. He cocks his head.
Pointing to the outside, to freedom, I say, “Go on, boy!”
His nails clack-clack-clack on the hall tile as he runs in place for a second. Then he shoots out the front door like a black bullet. The three of us cheer.
I let the doors close.
Then, for reasons I will never understand, we turn toward the stairs, ours knives at the ready.
To be continued…
The ceiling in the Chapter House at York Minster. A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which larger meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there.
The last one and a half decade, I have visited Greece many tmes. In cultural holidays with a teacher of ancient Greece and Latin as a guide, we have visited many archaeological sites in Greece, but also learned a lot about the Byzantine and Ottoman period, as well as modern Greek history. Very interesting!
In this picture, we are in Delphi at the archaeological museum, with the giant statues of Kleobis and Biton. Read their story by Herodotus here: www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.0...
The original picture was taken in May 2019, the two self portraits and the post-processing are of today.
HSS!
52 weeks of 2019 - Week 42: Autobiography in four parts
Sliders Sunday (27-10-2019)
Chapter 9 of the Eurobricks Star Wars Forums Mysteries RPG Story: Raiders of the Lost Art. Check out the full story in the Eurobricks forum:
www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/199551-q...
You enjoy Star Wars, stories and building Lego? Join Mysteries, a global brickin' RPG in the Star Wars universe! Choose a side, create your Star Wars character and start building. Together with your teammates you score points, unveil the mysteries and rule the galaxy. Builders and storytellers of any size and level welcome. Mysteries main page:
www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/forum/201-myst...