Pangaea Origins: The Raven's Call

In the far reaches of the snowy northern mountains of Pangaea the night sky was hidden above the dark clouds.  The moonlight broke through a crack within the clouds and illuminated a desolate patch of snow within a darkened valley.  In the middle of a thick blanket of snow stood an unusually large pine tree as wide as it was tall.  The green leaves kept hidden anything that took refuge inside.

Not far from the ground concealed within the dense leaves a ten-year old boy sat on the edge of a large branch with his legs dangling in the air.  Jacob was wrapped up warm in thick animal fur clothes with his head buried within a large hood.  Behind him crouched against the tree trunk was his guardian.  Beth too was clothed in animal fur with a scarf around her mouth to protect her face from the chill of the wind.  She had taken care of Jacob since he was taken from his parents at birth.

They had come to the wilderness to hunt.  Jacob had just turned ten and Beth decided he was old enough to learn how to stalk his prey.  They had sat in the tree for over an hour.  Unfortunately, during the winter there was not much light this far north except for that of the moon.  In Jacob’s right hand he held a wooden bow and had a satchel of arrows attached to his back.  In front, there was a gap within the leaves and Jacob could see enough of the land in front.  There was a burrow of hare’s nearby and it was only a matter of time before one appeared.  Neither Beth nor Jacob would speak, the air too cold to open their mouths.

Beth tapped her foot to get Jacob’s attention.  He glanced at her as she pointed to another gap in the vegetation.  He looked and saw one of the hare’s.  The tall grey hare stood on its back legs and used its front legs to scratch its long floppy ear.  Jacob made himself forget about the innocent nature of the animal and instead focused on what he had come to do.  He delicately pulled an arrow from behind and raised his bow.  He licked the end of his finger and thumb, and placed the end of the arrow between them.  He closed one eye and rested the bow near his face.  Jacob pulled back on the string and took aim. 

A gust of wind howled throughout the valley and the tree swayed.  A dusting of snow swept across the land but the hare was unmoved.  Jacob calmed his breathing and closed one eye.  In his head, he counted to ten and released his hand.  The arrow flew from Jacob’s grasp and within a moment pieced the animal through the chest.  The wind died down and against the silence of the valley Jacob could hear the hare kick out against the snow. 

Jacob lay down his bow and took a leap from the tree.  His feet disappeared within the deep blanket.  The large leather boots helped protect his feet from the frost.  He parted the branches with his hands and stepped out into the open space.  The moonlight had once again fallen behind the clouds and Jacob was left in a vacuum of darkness.  He could see the small paw prints of the hare in the snow and followed them until he could see the dying animal.  It rested on a clump of blood soaked snow.  Jacob was saddened by the purity he saw in its eyes.  He pulled the arrow from its chest and used his coat to wipe the blood from the arrow.

Jacob lean't down to claim his prize but heard an unnerving sound before him.  A growl murmured from within the darkness.  Jacob could not see where the sound came from or from what animal.  It was all too apparent when he spotted two dark crimson eyes appear.  The growl came from the large intense mouth of a huge brown bear.  Jacob felt the snow shiver with each step the bear took forward.  Jacob gulped and stood backwards, he was frightened by the bear.  He looked back to the tree for any sign of Beth but she did not appear.  He remembered that before they came out to the wilderness that she had told him under no circumstance was he to ask for help.  If he were to one day leave the northern mountains of Pangaea he would have to learn to overcome any danger he encountered.

The bear approached the dead hare and sniffed its carcass.  It pushed the body with its nose.  Jacob gained his composure and stood forward.  He clenched his fist and stood tall.  The bear looked up at Jacob and growled once more.  To Jacob’s surprise two ravens squawked as they flew past the tree.  They landed in front of the hare and squawked again this time at the bear.  The bear did not respond to the ravens, it sniffed the hare again and walked away.

Jacob was relieved as the bear left into the night.  He looked back at Beth but the tree had disappeared.  In its placed a small fire flickered.  The snow around it had melted to leave behind the dry dirt underneath.  Behind the fire a man rose to his feet, his face was illuminated from the glow of the flame.  His weathered face had a faded peculiar tattoo across the right side.  His left eye was missing but he stared at Jacob with his right eye.

“Esau awaits,” the man whispered.

Jacob was confused, he had never heard of that name before.  The two Ravens glided past Jacob and perched on the man’s shoulders.  Jacob glanced back at the hare and when he turned back the tree returned.  Jacob did not know what to make of his encounter, was he dreaming?  At his age, Jacob did not think too much of it, instead he grabbed the hare and took his prize to Beth, ready to celebrate his coming of age.

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Pangaea Origins: Atreus

The midday sun broke through the naked branches of the once lush forest.  The only leaf, dry and decaying fell to the ground.  It lay to rest with the other leaves that decayed into the cracks of the dried-out mud.  A small grey rabbit rustled through the pile of leaves for vegetation that looked remotely alive.  The shape of its spine showed through it fur, it had not eaten for several days.  Its eyes widened as it kept a look for predators.  In such a harsh environment, it was almost impossible for such a small creature to survive. 

Amongst the leaves, it found a few strands of grass tall enough to nibble on.  The grass allowed the rabbit to let its guard down for a moment.  This gave the opportunity for a predator to react.  Hidden behind a fallen tree crouched a young woman.  Her small olive frame dressed in fur lined hide skirt with a fur lined cotton sleeveless shirt.  She wore knee high pelt boots and wore a hide wrist band that reached to her elbow.  Around her neck were several multi-coloured bead necklaces.  Despite the plain clothes worn with an attempt to blend in to the environment, it was not helped by her long bright purple hair braided at the side and two crimson painted stripes below her eyes.

When she finally caught the perfect sight of the rabbit she lifted a wooden bow and picked up an arrow.  With the end of the bow an inch from her face she held her nerve and released the arrow.  It sailed through the air.  Unable to react the rabbit was pieced through its stomach.  The rabbit lay on the floor flinching as the blood drained from its body.  The woman congratulated herself on her kill.  She stood up and strapped the bow to her back. 

Before she approached the rabbit, she heard the echo of a horn blown in the distance.  This was not a good sign.   Weeks ago, a party of four men had travelled far from the forest to scout the land afar.  The horn was to only be blown as a signal of their return and impending danger.  The woman ran over to the rabbit and pulled her arrow from its limp body.

“Run!” A loud male voice screamed from a distance.

The horn blew once more, she did not hang around any longer.  With the arrow now secure in its pouch she bolted.  She zigzagged through the decaying forest and jumped over fallen trees.  She could hear more voices behind her.  Shouting and screaming was followed by gun fire.  The party had returned but it sounded like they were not alone.

Away from the woman a man lay on his back, his baggy clothes covered in dirt and blood.  He had been shot in the leg and was unable to run any more.  His pursuers soon caught up with him.  Two larger burly men approached.

“Is he the one sir?” A masked soldier in black armour asked.

“No, put him to sleep,” the larger of the men replied.  This was Atreus, the Commander of the Guardians of the Ark, an elite group of soldiers who served as an army directly for the Chancellor of the Ark.  The Ark was the great city that looked down upon the decayed land of Pangaea.  Unlike the solider Atreus’ armour was white.

The solider followed Atreus’ orders and placed the barrel of his gun against the man’s head.  He pressed the trigger but nothing happened.  He pressed it several times to no avail.  The man cowered.

“It appears we are within the realms of Arcadia,” Atreus smirked.

“What does that mean?” the solider pulled away the gun.

Atreus pulled out a long-polished steel sword from his side.  He grabbed the golden handle and thrust the blade into the chest of the man.  He screamed out in agony and coughed blood.  Within moments his head dropped and he stopped breathing.

“Since the formation of Arcadia, the land the it encompasses became unlike anything we have seen before.  The change in the atmosphere in this part of the world means we are defenceless here, hence why we never come.  Join the others and search for the last one, you may need your sword,” Atreus sent the soldier to the others.  He wiped the blood from his sword with a cloth from his pocket.  As he put the blade back in its sleeve he caught glimpse of the purple haired woman.  He had always been taught that no enemy escapes the Guardians.  With that in mind he sprinted after her.

The land had begun to slope downwards the further she ran.  The ground sloped into a thick blanket of fog.  Whilst this gave her the opportunity for cover it also meant she could not see where she was headed.  She slowed down as the ground soaked up the moisture from the fog.  Suddenly her foot slipped against a sharp rock and she lost her footing.  She lost her balance and crashed into a tree.  She fell to the ground and cried in agony as she hurt her leg.  In the distance, she could hear Atreus approaching, she kept low and tried to stay quiet.

Atreus descended into the fog.  He kept his balance on the tricky surface by holding onto the rotten branches.  The sunlight faded above the forest, it was unusual given the midday sky was clear.  The moon had moved before the sun and Atreus became engulfed by a total eclipse.  For a moment, he was surround in darkness.  To his surprise the forest lit up.  Tiny microbes on the tree’s sparkled green in the darkness.  Fireflies rose from the ground and danced in the air.  He was mesmerised, the only colourful sights he was used to were the city lights from inside the Ark.  The only colours he had seen on the ground were the pale brown and greys of the dying land.

Atreus walked for another minute until he decided it would turn back.  As quick as the eclipse appeared it soon disappeared into the midday sun.  The shadows moved across the forest and revealed the woman before Atreus’ eyes.  She saw Atreus stood before her and froze in fear.  Atreus placed his hand on his sword and stood tall and powerful.  He careful looked at the threat in front of him. 

“Please don’t hurt me, I was just hunting for food!” she cried out.

Atreus was confused, she was not the threat he had led to believe.  Instead he was taken back by her beauty.  From his birth, he had always been told the land dwellers of Pangaea were savages unwilling to accept the rule of the Chancellor.  But here was a beautiful woman out on her own hunting to survive on scraps.

An animal growled from behind the woman.  Atreus tightened his grip on the handle of his sword.  From out the fog a large white wolf appeared.  It was five-foot tall with a black stripe lined across hits back and its tail split in two.  He was left speechless at the splendour he found in its emerald eyes.  The wolf stood over the woman to protect her.  If Atreus wanted to kill her he would have to go through the wolf first, something he did not want to do.

“Sir we have the prisoner,” a soldier spoke over the radio on Atreus’s waist.  He took another look at the woman, the bond between her and an animal was inspiring.  Pangaea had always appeared a waste land and yet in five minutes Atreus had saw such natural beauty to make him question what he had always been told.

“I’m heading back,” he spoke into his radio.  “Leave,” Atreus told the woman.  He turned his back and disappeared into the fog.

The wolf lowered its head and the woman used it to lift herself up.  She got to her feet and slowly limped in the opposite direction of Atreus.  She thought for sure she would die in that instant, she could not figure out why a man sent from the Ark would spare her life.  Never had a Guardian showed remorse to one of her people, but he was different, he did not have the immoral look of the others.  He had the look of a warrior like those of Arcadia, perhaps one day she would see him again.

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Pangaea Origins: The Olympus

                In the vacuum wilderness of space a small jagged piece of rock floated alone.  It slowly span as light from the sun sparkled off tiny grains of sand.  Five Hundred kilometres above the Earth on the edge of the thermosphere the rock impacted the outer shell of the huge space station Olympus.  The main centrifuge of the station was a large circular orb.  The thin outer walls were made from titanium and aluminium to create a lightweight puncture proof shell.   It rotated at such a speed it created artificial gravity.  Extended from either side of the station were two long compartments that stretched as far as a football field.  These both rotated in the opposite direction to the rest of the station.

                Inside, Olympus was comprised of several floors that started from the centre and made their way outwards.  The orb was split into five different compartments, living quarters, a science lab, engine room, control deck and a large garden across the southern deck.  Along one of the extended compartments was a docking station and on the other an array of satellite dishes.

                Olympus was populated by one occupant.  Alexis a Russian cosmonaut whom was half way through her twelve month tour in space.  She was petite, slim with short dark hair, the perfect size for navigating cramp living quarters.  Alexis had been alone for a month since the last crew departed and the next were due to arrive within twelve hours.  She was not completely alone though, there was an on board computer programmed to help run and maintain the station.  Selene was programmed with a strong dominating female voice.

                Alexis was in the southern region of the station tending to her plants.  Inside the large open room, tall green leafy plants reached up ten feet around the outside of the room.  In the middle were rows of tables with vegetable plants, from tomatoes to raspberries there was enough for the station to be self-reliant.  The plants were kept alive by ultraviolet lamps that hung from the ceiling.  Under the glass flooring pipes carried recycled water to feed the plants.  Oxygen given off by the plants was taken in by a ventilation shaft and stored in tanks.  Alexis inspected every plant, pruned the leaves and sprayed them with a cool breeze of water.  At the end of the table stood an over grown tomato plant.  Alexis removed the stems that had grown toward the floor.  She pulled off the five tomatoes that had grown from the stems.  She wiped away the moisture off the skin and took a bite.  The taste was refreshing.

                Alexis placed the empty stems in the trash compactor near the exit.  She press a red button and the stems were taken away.  The door slide open and Alexis left the room.  She entered a small narrow room with a ladder.  The room was bare, the floor and walls all made from plain grey metal panels.  Alexis held onto the ladder and made her way up.  Alexis could never get use to the coldness in the ladder rooms.  Each internal room was heated but the ladder rooms that connected each room were left with minimal heat barely just enough to breathe.  She climbed past the next floor and toward the control deck.

                For most part the control deck looked like an empty room that curved with the centre of the station and had a glass outer wall.  A small part of the floor slid open and Alexis climbed up onto the deck.  The open floor closed behind her.   She walked to the edge of the deck and placed her hand against the glass wall.  She took a long look at the picturesque Earth in front of her.  The sun fell behind the curved horizon and for a moment she was submerged in complete darkness but for the unnatural light from the mass cities of earth.  Spot lights in the ceiling switched on.

                Alexis walked to the inner wall and placed her hand on the wall.  She removed her hand and a faint blue hand print was left behind.  The hand print slowly brightened and trickles of light spread out either side.  Alexis turned to face the glass wall.  In front of her a small spec of light appeared and sparkled mid-air.  It expanded and stretched out ten meters wide and four meters tall.  The light faded to expose an array of control panels and monitors.  To the left Alexis could control the movements of the station, and to the right were monitors displaying each room.  In the centre was a larger monitor.

                “Selene, please can you connect me to Earth Base Alpha” Alexis spoke to the on board computer.  Over recent years space exploration had become a unified program between nations.  This particular station was the biggest ever constructed and kept contact with a newly built mission control in a neutral location on Earth.

                “Connecting,” Selene replied.

                The monitor switched on but the signal was poor, she could not make out who she was talking to, the image was fuzzy but the sound was clear.

                “Ground control to Olympus do you read over,” the male voice spoke.

                “I am here, but the picture isn’t coming through very well,” Alexis moved a dial to the right of the monitor to see if a slight change to the frequency would improve the signal.

                “Sir, we are receiving a very poor signal and cannot make contact,” the man spoke to a colleague, before the signal cut out.

                “Hello,” Alexis stepped back and waved her arms to no avail.  “Selene what is going on, we have only powered down the systems for two days, why have we lost contact.”

                “I have performed a diagnosis but all systems are reading ok,” Selene confirmed.

                “Then what is going on…” Alexis took a moment to think about what could be happening.

                The fuzzy image reappeared, “I repeat Alexis if you can hear me, power down the antimatter reactor, an unusually large solar storm is approaching and it will destabilise the reactor!” the voice shouted.

                The signal cut out again.  The science lab was at the centre of the station, it was used solely for the purpose of creating and stabilising antimatter.  With a battle to find alternative fuels researching antimatter in space was a safer option then on Earth.  The reactor would automatically resume once Olympus was powered up and antimatter would begin to be produced.  If the storm was powerful enough it could cut power throughout the station and the antimatter would react with all around it and annihilate Olympus.

                “Selene, why did you not see the storm approaching?” Alexis snarled.

                “I only scanned the systems within Olympus, my sensors have not picked up any unusual solar activity.”

                “Is it possible one of your antennas have been damaged and your sensors have not picked it up?”

                “That is a small possibility, but the likelihood is doubtful.”

                Alexis stepped over to the right side of the screen in front.  She scanned over the monitors and rested her eyes on the science lab.  She pressed her fingers on the monitor and dragged over the image.  It expanded in the centre of the screen and she got a better look into the lab.  It was a large circular room with a square reactor eight feet tall made from a solid heavy metal.  Inside the reactor were thousands of smaller magnets to house the antimatter.

                “Selene I want you to carefully power down the reactor, I cannot take the chance.”

                “As you command,” Selene obeyed.

                Alexis heard deep humming noise and the floor vibrated.  She looked at the readings from the reactor and nothing had changed.  “Where is that noise coming from?” she asked.

                “The reactor does not appear to be shutting down,” Selene responded.

                 “What do you mean? You are the station’s computer you control everything,” Alexis became agitated.

                “It would appear the reactor’s communication circuits have been damaged and I am no longer able to connect to it.  If you wish to power down the reactor you will have to pull the manual override.”

                Alexis did not hesitate, she hastily ran to the end of the control deck and waited for a door to slide open.  On the other side was another ladder she had to climb to reach the lab but this was not a long as the one she had previously climbed.  At the top she burst through the hatch and rolled into the lab.  Much like the control deck the room was relatively sparse but for the reactor.  Alexis was deafened by the hum from the reactor, and could feel an intense heat.  She rested her hand against the grey wall and her hand print lit up.  Another control panel became visible mid-air.  She typed in a stream of code onto a keypad, once complete the words ‘access code accepted’ flashed red on the panel.  The room became submerged in a red glow and a panel lifted up from the wall to reveal a yellow handle.  

Alexis blinked rapidly as she began to see streams of light pass through the room.  At first she thought she was seeing things but soon came to realise they were as a result of the solar flare.  It wold only be a matter of minutes before her life was put in danger.  Alexis pulled down on the heavy handle but nothing happened.  She lifted it back up and repeated several times with no success.

“Selene what is happening? Why is this not working?” Alexis shouted.

“To power down the reactor safely you must continue to pull the switch several times.  If that does not work then you much press the kill switch.”

“The kill switch?  But that could be fatal?”  Alexis feared.

“Whilst the probabilities of a fatal outcome are high, the likelihood of you powering down the reactor are now looking very unlikely.”

“So you are saying the kill switch is my only option?”

“I am saying it is the option with the least probability of a fatal outcome.”

Alexis typed another code into the keypad and a red button appeared on the screen.  With her hand shaking she nervously pressed her finger against the button.  A loud siren erupted every two seconds, a plume of steam vented from underneath the reactor.  Olympus violently shook and Alexis failed to keep her balance.  She fell to the floor and banged her head against the wall.  Her vision became impaired and she slowly lost consciousness.

When Alexis regained consciousness she was surrounded by a dark solitude.  The lights were out and the humming had ceased.  She wiped her eyes and felt dry blood on her forehead.  She felt her wrist and on her watch she managed to switch on a small practical torch.  It gave off enough light that she could just about see.  Oddly enough though there was less gravity then before and her body steadily floated an inch from the ground.  She had not felt weightlessness since arriving to Olympus.  Alexis gained her balance and looked around the room.  She pushed herself along the floor and through the open hatch.

Alexis made her way back to the control deck.  She climbed down the ladders to find the mid-air panel still illuminated.  With that lack of things to grab onto it was difficult to navigate through the control deck.

“Selene are you there?” Alexis asked.  She waited five minutes for a response but there was nothing.  On the panel there was a section for Selene.  It had been switched to hibernation, this was normally used for when the station was to be left for long periods of time.  Alexis swiped her hand over the hibernation screen and green box appeared with ‘active’ written inside.

“Good morning Alexis,” Selene responded.

“Selene what has happened? How long was I out for?” Alexis asked.

“To your body it will have only appeared that you were unconscious for a matter of minutes.”

“What do you mean to my body?”

“When you switched off the reactor it caused the magnets to fail, the antimatter reacted with the particles from the solar flare.  I am not sure how it has happened but whilst you were in that room time around you continued at an accelerated speed.”

“An accelerated speed?” Alexis was confused.

“You have travelled further in time Alexis.”

“Further in time…” Alexis murmured in disbelief.  “Well what year is it?”

“I cannot tell you, once the reactor was switched off a lot of the circuits burned out including the time circuits.”

Alexis walked away from the panel and toward the clear outer wall.  “Why hasn’t anyone come to get me?”

“Alexis the world you once knew has changed.  Take a closer look for yourself.”

She stared deeply at the vast clear blue oceans of Earth that bathed in sunlight.  “When you say changed how do you mean? It looks the same to me, blue sea, white clouds.”

“Can you see any land?” Selene asked.

Alexis scanned the image in front of her but could only see blue.  “What’s going on why is there only water?”

“Wait for a few more moments and you will see.”

Alexis waited patiently as they flew across the Earth.  After waiting for five minutes a large unrecognisable continent appeared.  “I don’t understand Selene this cannot be Earth I do not recognise that land?”

“Our position has not changed Alexis; that is Earth you see before you.  I cannot tell you much about what has happened.  I was placed into hibernation a few years after you had switched off the reactor.  My estimates from what has happened would suggest a catastrophic global event has wiped out a large majority of the Earth’s population.”

“So there are still people alive down there?”

“All of our communication servers appear to have been destroyed so I cannot radio a transmission to Earth.  The station is running on a low power supply at the moment, now you are awake I would estimate you have six months before you run out of oxygen and about three months before you run out of food.”

“But what about the garden.”

“It has been destroyed.”

“How will I survive, I only have enough food for three months and no way of leaving this place? I don’t suppose the other crew ever reached Olympus?”

“The other crew docked with Olympus twelve hours after you switched off the reactor.  However due to the power failure they were unable to leave their capsule and could not release themselves from the station.  Soon after communication was lost with Earth and we have been in darkness ever since.”

Alexis walked back to the panel and looked at the monitors.  “Why are some of the monitors switched off?”

“Those are from the docking bays.  They have been switched off since the other crew arrived.”

Alexis pressed the monitor screens and they switched back on.  She was horrified at what she saw.  Three decayed bodies floated motionless in a small capsule.  The crew were unable to escape.  Alexis pushed herself back from the monitor and let out a cry.  “Is the capsule capable of flying?” she wiped away her tears.

“The engines remain intact but it needs refuelling.  However the navigation systems are destroyed.  The Earth’s magnetic field has altered.  You will need to re program the navigation systems to have any chance of surviving a flight back to Earth.  I’m afraid my programming does not have the capabilities to do that.  It would have to come from Earth.”

“That’s it I’m alone,” Alexis did her best to crouch against the wall and hold her head in her hands.  She quietly remained still for an hour contemplating her options.

                To Alexis’ surprise the main monitor switched on, she lifted her head and saw another fuzzy image on the screen.  She looked at it for a moment to figure out what was happening.  The picture switched on and off several times.  The picture cleared up and remained on.  In front of her was a young looking man with a trim beard and stocky shoulders.  He was sat in a poorly lit room with what appeared to be a hologram of the Olympus behind him.

                “I am making this call to anyone who is alive on the Olympus space station do you read over,” the man repeated over and over.

                “Jacob give up will you no one is going to reply,” Alexis heard a female voice in the background.

                “Quiet Freyja the read outs here are saying someone is alive on there,” Jacob replied to her.

                Alexis’ eyes widened and for a moment she smiled.  She rose to her feet and approached the monitor.  “I read you over,” she replied.

                “See I told you,” Jacob joyfully spoke.

                “My name is Alexis Mikhailov and I am the sole occupant of the Olympus Space Station,” she spoke with hope that she would be saved from her isolation.

A Game of Social Media

I usually use this blog for showcasing my short stories however my recent family situation and dealing with the local education authority made me decide to share some of my experiences.

Without going into too much detail I have taken custody of my 8 year old son and pending a decision from the courts it will be made legally binding.  Now my situation has become worse by needing to remove him from his school in Birmingham due to a child protection issue (again not going into too much detail).  I have followed the correct procedures and applied to schools in Sandwell as I reside there.

I have waited the '15 working days' for a decision to be made at which point they have told me there are no spaces in year 4 in the whole of Sandwell.  Despite our sensitive situation and the fact that he is currently out of school (something I thought parents get told off for) the council workers repeatedly told me there is nothing more they can do and I would have to try other local authorities such as Walsall or Birmingham despite not being a resident.

Now for they best part of the conversation, as if they were not being helpful enough already her next suggestion was priceless...

"If you have a problem with this then you should contact your MP"

Really that is what my tax is paying you for?? Not to help a family in need out but to pass the buck?😤

Sure enough I have spoke to Tom Watson's staff who could not understand why on earth they would be suggesting that.

After phoning many schools across Walsall and Birmingham and hearing the words "sorry we're full" (now I know how Mary and Joseph felt) I am at a loss, what am I suppose to do my son is out of school no one is helping me and I have bills to pay so I cannot afford to take that much time off.

Out of frustration and anger I vented on Social Media as you do these days.  Now I'm not sure if many if you have complained via Twitter but it's got me a free £10 voucher from pizza hut 😀 and a cheeky dig from Dominos pizza so always worth a go.

It took the council a matter of minutes to respond (can't say you would be the same turn around if you complained via email), they asked me to direct mail them and I went on to explain the details.  At which point they told me they would investigate the matter.

A couple of hours later and surprise surprise they may have found a school place after all and I would be receiving a phone call.  To their word I got a call and now we are waiting for confirmation on Friday that this place is ours 😆

The sceptic in me and my lack of faith in public sector workers (I'm sure your not all that bad) I'm not getting my hopes up but we are in a better position then we were at 1:30 this afternoon.

All this has made me question how people are treated by companies/public services.  If I had used the usual channels and followed what they suggested then I would still be waiting for a letter in the post.  But because I have put my issue in the public domain it suddenly becomes a priority?!  So companies/public services say they treat everyone fairly up until you make your issue public where their usual policies fall out the window and all of sudden they can resolve the matter with a couple of hours and not the 5-10 working days they advise over the phone.

Another question raised from this was the current state of our schools.  Everyone I have spoken to have told me one way or another that year 4 across the country is full, so either in 2006/07 there was something in the water or our country is filling up?

Now we have just had the European In/Out vote, I didn't actually vote as I did not trust either side.  One thing I did not really get from either side was the impact migration has on education in our country.   If you look at the 2011 census it tells us that 5% of white residents in Sandwell were born in the EU and 7.5% of non-white residents were born outside the EU.  Both a significant rise on the last census.

I'm not blaming this for the situation I find myself in however it cannot have helped.  I believe in having a free world and the right to live where you wish but if your country is at breaking point then surely something has to be done.  I know the Corybn militia will be screaming at me that it's not but if all schools at year 4 are full then what's their definition of full?

As for Teresa May she is hardly helping the situation.  Perhaps instead of spending her time trying to bring back selective grammar schools, she should sort out the mess that is our full overloading public schools.  But then again that would mean a Tory helping out the working class and we all know that doesn't happen.

If i had the opportunity to vote again I would listen closer to what either vote would have on school places.

All in all what conclusions do I have from all this.  Take time to decide who your populate with, never transfer schools and always complain via the social domain.🙋


*****Blog Update 15/09*****

I have since phoned the school and they have offered Adam a school place. Ain't that just champion 😂😂
So it goes to show never doubt the power/fear of social media👍🏻

One Man's Choice

A man stumbled down into an underpass, knocked his head against the wall and fell unconscious.  He woke up and could better take in his surroundings.  The underpass was brightly lit up; the white tiles along the floor were discoloured.  The lights flickered every so often especially when the thunder echoed through.  The rain hammered the floor outside.  He glanced at his watch, it 3:33 in the morning.  He climbed to his fight and slowly walking along down the underpass to the other side.

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                At the end of the underpass a huge bolt of lightning struck a tree and the clouds above erupted into a monstrous roar of thunder.  The lights behind him flickered and one by one switched off, until the underpass was engulfed by complete darkness apart from the street lights on either side until they too went out.  He was left with the dim light from his watch.  The rain continued to drop onto his face until that too stopped, odd seeming he could still here it. 

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                He looked behind and the lights ignited from the other side until the underpass was illuminated again.  When he turned around the exit that was once in front of him had been replaced with a wall.  To the right and left of him were other ways the underpass lead.   He was confused how could this be, where did the exit go.  He pressed his hand against the wall to see if it were real.  Sure enough the wall was cold, damp and most importantly it was real.  There was graffiti below his hands on the wall.  “Choose” had been painted on in a dark crimson red.  Beneath that toward the floor a picture of a dismantled body, there was no telling if this were of a woman or a man. 

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                He turned around and to his pleasure the entrance was still there.  He walked through the shallow murky puddles back toward the entrance.   There was a darkness that set its self upon him, not physically but spiritually, he could feel the lights dim and bitterness in the air.   His body was brought to a halt by a pane of glass so clear he could not see it.  His breath appeared on the glass and the rain tapped against it.  How could this be, who put this glass there he asked himself.  No matter how much weight he put against it; he could not even put the smallest of crack in it.

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                The only choices he had left stood waiting either side behind him.  A young boy’s voice began to echo through the cracks in the tiles.  Drops of blood leaked from the dank mould above his head.  He walked to the other side and decided to turn right and see what was waiting around the corner.  It almost seemed like he was stood in the exact same underpass, the stain on the walls, the mould above his head, and even the words ‘choose’ wrote on the wall at the end.  The only difference here the drops of blood rose from the floor to the ceiling.  Despite the bizarre nature of the blood it made it easier for him to avoid them.  Confused he walked to the other side where again he was offered a choice between turning right or left.

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                The wind suddenly howled through the subway and thunder followed behind with an enormous roar.  The lights to the left of him illuminated and scored the mould from the tiles.  To the right it stayed dark; the illuminated lights could not penetrate the darkness.  He took this a sign to turn left and continue along what he deemed to be the safest route. 

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                To his displeasure he was greeted with the same scenario.  The voice he heard before deepened and brought chills to his spine as it whimpered across the tiles.  The blood no longer dripped from the ceiling or the floor; instead there was a steady stream of crimson either side of him.  The light became darker with each turn.  He could still hear the rain pat against the glass and the occasional growl of thunder.  The graffiti at the end of the subway now looked like it had be hand painted in what he hoped was red paint.  A shadow stood next to the words, it looked like that of a small boy.  Enflamed eyes stared back at him, the blood halted and rain fell still.  The shadow took a few steps forward and evaporated into the tiles.  The mould on the walls began to move, it looked like tiny creatures crawling down the tiles and across the floor.  They all headed to his direction, he took a step back and looked to where he came from to perhaps head back. 

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                A dark mist had set down on his previous route; there was no sign of the previous entrance.  The tiny creatures moved closer, he could hear them crawl along the floor.  His skin already started to itch even before they reached him however the walls behind bubbled and hissed as the mist swept across the tile.  He had two options, either run through the mysterious mist or attempt to jump over the crawling floor and take a right or left. He leapt across the floor and brushed pasted the boys shadow with no hesitation.

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                To no surprise he was greeted with the same passage, and like the others this one was darker and more mysterious.  Candle sticks now replaced the lights that we screwed to the wall.  Brown water drops fell from the ceiling.  There were no tiles, stone walls with rotten wooden beams were in place instead.  The floor a mixture of dirt and stones.  Dead rats littered each side of the passage, this really was the worse one so far.  The words were still written on the wall in front however these were now scratched into the wall with what looked like fingernails. 

                He took small steps forward, his feet squelched through the soggy mud.  Behind he could he footsteps, he slowly peered over his shoulder and saw a boys hand reach around the corner.  The hand was covered in rotting flesh with no finger nails.  It pulled the rest of the boy’s body around the corner.  His clothes were tattered, flesh peeling and rotten.  The boy stared at the man and opened his dry toothless mouth, “Choose” he whimpered.

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                “Choose what” the man replied.

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                “Meet your maker or head back and face the truth” the boy whispered back.  He stumbled forward and his thigh bones pierced through his skin.  He did not scream nor cry but only stared at the man.  The boy fell to the ground, his arms cracked as he hit the floor.  His body now disintegrated into dust and laid to rest amongst the soggy ground.

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                The man was horrified at watching the boy disappear like that but quickly composed himself.  A sudden rush of wind swept through the passage and blew out the candles one by one.  He was engulfed in complete darkness, the wind came to rest and he was surrounded by silence.  Behind a faint light rose from the ground until he could see his shadow stood before him.  He turned around and the usual wall was no longer, instead there was an underground station platform.

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                He stepped forward onto the platform, it seemed like any other underground platform he had stood on before expect opposite he saw a sign “Acheron”.  He did not recognise the name, this had not been a station he had been too before.  He looked up and down the platform and saw only one person sat on a bench reading a newspaper.  He walked hesitantly over to the man.

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                “Hello” he said cautiously.

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                The looked above the paper, half of his skin was missed from his face leaving exposed muscles and bones.  The odd cockroach crawled from out his check, each one that crawled back into his mouth his crunched with his stained teeth.  “Are you coming along too” the man replied.

“Coming where?”

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                “With the Reaper of course, what did you get sent here for?”

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                “Get sent here for? I don’t know what you mean, I was in my car next thing I know I’ve woke in these bloody tunnels” he was confused by this decaying man.

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                “There must be a reason, you don’t get summoned for nothing.”

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                “No I pulled over in my car and got out, I slipped and woke here.”

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                “Well whatever it is I’m sure you’ll soon find out, talking of which looks like he’s arriving.”  The man folded his newspaper and stood up.

                Lights from a train appeared in the distance.  A gust of smoke blew through the tunnel, the train hurtled through and came to grinding halt.  It like the platform looked like the usual underground trains.  The doors opened, he looked inside but there were no other passengers.  At the front of the train he noticed a tall dark shadow.  There was only one person on the train and they were at the front.  This must have been the driver he thought to himself.

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                “Better not keep him waiting” the decaying man boarded the train.

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                He however did not, he stood back and waited for the shadow to move.  After a couple of minutes it did.  The driver’s door opened.  A figure in black walked from out the train holding a long sharp scythe.  Its ghostly walk towards him sent shivers through his body.  The figure looked up, there was no face in the hood only darkness. It lifted its arm and pointed to him.  He stepped back and looked down the passage from where he had come, it was still engulfed with darkness.

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                “Come forth” the figure spoke in a deep voice.

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                The man afraid did not move forward, instead he took yet other look behind.

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                “Now” it repeated.

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                This time without hesitation he turned and stepped into the darkness.  The walls trembled with the roar of the figure.  The tiles above crumbles and fell in small pieces.  The floor shook from left to right.  To escape the danger of the collapsing tunnel he ran as quickly as he could.  The tunnel became lighter and lighter until he reached the end.  The rain continued to tap against the glass preventing him from leaving.  He repeatedly hit the glass as he heard the shattering footsteps of the figure that followed him.  Next to him the rotting corpse of the boy appeared.

“You must choose, face him or face your truth” the boy whispered as his body crumbled into dust.

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                The figure appeared at the opposite side, it walked closer and closer.  The man was running out of time.  Furiously he kicked the glass, a small crack appeared he was making the glass weaker.  With every step the figure got closer.  There was only one last thing he could try, jump through the glass.  He took a few steps back and ran toward the glass.  He leaped shoulder first into the glass shattering it into a million pieces.  Behind he could he the figure roar one last time.

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                He woke back in his car.  His head thumping, eyes blurry and ears ringing from the broken car horn.  He wiped blood from his forehead.  As his vision slowly returned there was a horrifying sight that waited for him in the middle of the road.  The boy from his dream lay motionless in a mangled heap.  He mangled to open his door and stumble over to the body.  He fell to his knees once he had realised what he had done.  The figure from his dream stood on the other side of the road unnoticed and spirit of the boy next to him.

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                “He can wait” the boy smiled.

A Crows Nest

A man sat alone in his house typing up accounts for his online customers.  A bottle of cold beer accompanied his lonely existence, along with his microwave dinner also bought online.  Never did he feel the need to leave the dark empty looking apartment. His living room had a leather sofa in front a huge plasma television, a simple empty layout for a simple empty life.  On his radio classical music echoed across the room.  The only other life in the apartment came from his plant on the coffee table.

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                The same time every month a crow would sit on the balcony ledge outside, ready for his companion he kept a tub of worms in his fridge.  He did not speak to the crow but took inspiration from its majestic flying ability across the city landscape.   At the same time a different woman would knock at his door.  She would come to pleasure and satisfy his animal needs, each one different to the next.  After the appointment was done four fifty pound notes were left on the side.  He would simply roll over and fall asleep , leaving her either to leave or spend the night in his comfy silk covered bed, either way he never saw them the next day.

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                Why only once a month you ask, every time he was intimate with a woman he would suffer terrible nightmares.  Lay down in his bed paralyzed he could not move, stood in front of him a creature dressed in an undertaker suit with a vultures skull for a head.  Despite it only being a skull it was clear to see the expression of hate.  It would not move from that spot, a faceless woman would always walk past it and onto the bed, she would saddle him naked, her body was ice cold her breath frost and her skin was pale white.

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                The creature would watch as she rode him back and forth.  Its expression did not change all it showed was anger and hatred.   It would pick up large knife from the floor and slowly lift it in the air.  It then grabbed the girl by the hair and pulled her off him.  The face revealed it would always be the girl from that night, her face compelled with terror.  The creature first sliced through her stomach, the knife pierced into her flesh, cock crotches ate away at the now rotting flesh, her body began to age, her skin dried up, and her screams could no longer be heard she was a mute.  After it lifted the knife from her gut it would pull her head back and forcibly grab her by the neck.  The knife now across her neck sliced into her throat.  Her mouth lined with blood her stomach emptied onto the bed.  Once her body had been drained the creature would release her.

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                Her body lay on the bed wounded and empty.  The crow from the balcony would nest within her stomach to pick out the worms that wriggled around in her intestines.  The creature now moved toward him, it dropped the knife and stared at him the anger still there, except for blood stained tears that flowed from its eye socket.

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                Overcome with fear he would wake up in a pool of sweat.  He always had a split lip and a sore head; he put his down to an aggressive pleasurable night.  Why the nightmares he did not know.  There was no sign of the horror from the visions in his apartment so they could not have been real, could they?

The Red Hood

The orange sun set over a dark depressed rotten forest. This once flourishing green haven now decayed in the damp soggy swaps.  The birds all flew into the clear sunset away from the darkness that now beset the forest.  Thunderous grey clouds made their way across the orange sky ready to release an explosive storm.

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            Beneath this desolate sky just outside the reaches of the forest stood an old stone cottage, smoke roared from the chimney above the straw roof.  Inside an old man sat in a rocking chair and read a bed time story to his three grandchildren.

           

            "What big teeth you have" he read from the book. "All the more to eat you with" he read with a snarl and a grimace upon his face.  The youngest held onto her brother's arm scared at the image of Little Red Riding Hood being eaten by the wolf.  All is well with the climax of the story when Little Red and her Grandmother are pulled to safety from the wolf's stomach.

            Grandad ended the story with a ‘happily ever after’, bent down to plant a kiss on each of their foreheads.  He pulled the curtains shut and kept the stare of the monstrous trees away from his grandchildren.  The moon rose, its glare broke through holes in the clouds. The curtains could not contain the ghostly silhouette of the haunting trees whaling in the wind.

            Like good little children they drifted off to sleep.  The wind from the storm scratched at the house, as it battered the garden fence back and forth until a moment of silence the gate stopped tapping at its lock. The wind had not died down, their Grandad had not left the house, and so what could have caused the gate to halt?

            The eldest walked over to the door.  "Where are you going?" the youngest whispered.

            "I'm going to get Grandad, someone's outside" the floor boards creaked as he crept to his Grandad.  He knocked on the door but there was no answer.  He knocked again but still no answer.  His Grandad wasn't there, he had already gone downstairs to investigate the strange goings on outside.  The boy stood at the top of the stairs and listened to his Grandad fumble about downstairs.

            The youngest looked outside again and this time saw a small dark figure stood by the gate draped in a hooded cloak.  He ran to his brother "There's someone outside" he trembled with fear.

            “That’s just the wind blowing the trees it’s probably just the shadow of the trees” he laughed in reply.  To help his brother he went back into the room to confront this hooded shadow.  He peered out into the front garden “See there’s no one there” whatever his little brother thought he had seen was not there anymore.

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            Suddenly they both heard a vase smash on the floor downstairs and a few large bangs against the walls, almost as if someone was fighting.  There were no voices only the reoccurring thuds.

           

            The eldest now concerned scurried back towards the top of the stairs “Grandad” he spoke calmly.  He repeated himself hoping for a reply.

The youngest again glared out of the window, the hooded shadow made another appearance, this time it made its way from the entrance of the house to the front gate.  Unable to take his eyes away from the shadow it turned around and caught his stare.  The shadow gave away no features, apart from the deathly glow of dark crimson eyes.  He soon fell to the floor with a pale white face overwhelmed with fear.

            Their sister woke up amongst all the noise, unaware of what was happening.  The eldest came back into the room “we need to go and see if Grandad is ok, he won’t answer me.”

            “I just saw it again” the youngest cried.

            “Ok if we all stay together we will be fine, come on get your dressing gowns and let’s go downstairs.”  He helped his sister out of her bed and picked his little brother up.  He grabbed the torch from top of the wardrobe where Grandad kept it for emergencies.

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            Huddled together all three slowly made their way downstairs with the torch leading the way, there was no sign of Grandad at the bottom of the stairs.  The youngest caught a glimpse of someone lying down on the porch as the light flicked around the dusty old cottage.  “Hey, there, I think that’s Grandad.”

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            “Why is he lying on the floor?” his sister asked.

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            “Grandad” the eldest whispered. 

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            There was no movement, they crept ever closer to see if he would respond.  “Grandad” all three took turns to whisper his name, but there was no reply.  They reached the entrance of the porch where his body lay still.  The eldest pushed the other two away so they would not have to see the horror of him lying on his back motionless,  there was no signs of a struggle just the look of terror upon his face and in his eyes almost as if had seen the devil.  Someone so frightening had caused him to collapse and life to weep away from his frail body.

            The boy looked up outside the porch where the hooded figure stood watching by the gate, those crimson eyes staring through him.   Goosebumps shivered throughout his body, he felt he could no longer stay in the house waiting for the hood to return.  He turned back to his brother and sister, took their hands and ran to the rear of the house.

            “Where are we going?” they both asked.

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            “We need to leave this house now, let’s go into the woods” he replied back.

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            “But why” both spoke in unison.

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            “Grandad wants us to play hide and seek, he thought it would be fun to play in the dark.”  He knew pretending this to be a game would be the easiest way to get them out of the house on such a dark and gloomy night.  He looked back over to his Grandad the hood now stood at the front door; he knew he had to leave now.

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            “When I say go let’s all run as quickly as we can into the woods.”

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            They both nodded to agree.

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            “Ready, set, go,” they all ran out of the house and into the gusty night air.  They ran across the muddy back garden and into the forest that backed onto the house.  It was dark and moody, everywhere they looked trees gathered around them.  The branches crackled in the wind, the leaves blew from the limbs of the trees and into their faces.  The air became colder, the fog became thicker.  Owls hooted at the moon hidden behind the rain soaked clouds.

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            They let go of each other’s hands as they ducked and jumped over puddles, fallen trees.  Their shoes sodden with mud became heavier to run in.  They did not look back they did not talk.  The youngest brother caught his trousers on a fallen branch.  He twisted his ankle and fell into the fog, hidden from his siblings who ran without him unaware of his unfortunate fate.  He lifted his head and tried to shout, but his mouth was full of moss and dead leaves.  Next to him lay a dead bird, worms wriggled around its corpse and insects crawled through the eye socket and beak.

The forest went silent, not even the hungry insects made a noise.  He lay there scared, abandoned all alone.  Footsteps slushed through the sodden ground behind him.  For a moment the moon broke through the clouds, the hooded shadow appeared within the fog.  He was too afraid to move or scream, he waited for the shadow to move closer and closer.  Worms squirmed through his fingers, more and more of them came from out the soil.  The ground softened, his body started to sink into the mud.  The shadow now stood in front of the moonlight and eclipsed him in darkness.  The ground hardened around him, the worms huddled over his neck.  The weight of them made it difficult to breath.  The shadow halted at his saturated feet, it lifted its head and its dark crimson eyes pierced through his.

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            The eldest brother and his sister had made some distance through the forest.  Their brothers scream echoed throughout the forest.  The wind picked up, the crows screeched as they fled the ever increasing fog.  He held his sister as she cried into his arms.  He caught sight of the shadowy hood floating amongst the trees, it almost glided without touching the floor.  The moon made another appearance from within the clouds.  The light lay upon a rundown cottage just behind them, the fog made a pathway almost inviting them in.

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            “Quick run into the house” he pushed his sister forward.  The shadow darted through the trees quicker and quicker sensing their urgency to escape.  The wooden door opened to the girl as she made her approach.  The brother took another look around for the shadow, but it had disappeared.  A crow came back and sat on a tree in front of him.  He and the crow locked eyes; it squawked and ruffled its feathers. He sensed a fright within the crows shrills squawk.  He ran to his sister, her hand held out ready to grab him.  He reached the entrance to the cottage, he smiled, but her face turned to horror the shadow was behind him and within a breath he was grabbed and taken into the depths of the forest.  The door slammed shut and flung her across the hallway.

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            On her front she opened her eyes, the dust stirred as she slowly gained her breath, plucking up the courage to move, knowing she needed to find somewhere to hide she climbed to her feet.  The atmosphere was different to outside, the air was warm, and the dust was thick.  She found it difficult to breath.  The cottage was small not to many places to hide.  She scrambled into the nearest bedroom; an old rusty bed lay against the back wall.  The decayed sheets hung over the bed just enough to touch the floor.  She crawled under, waited and silently prayed.

The door to the cottage scraped across the floor, the shadow had finished with her brother it had come for her.  It followed her footprints within the dust.  It knew her exact hiding place.

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            “Oh! Grandmother, what big ears you have” she heard a voice speak, it did not come from the shadow, it felt like the house had spoken.

The shadow walked closer and closer, she saw the feet of the figure.  The feet of a little girl bare, muddy, maggots wriggled on the empty nail bed and ate away at the rotten toes.

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            “But Grandmother, what big eyes you have” the house spoke again.

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            She scurried against the wall, shaking terrified of what stood in front of her.  The shadow did not move, only the maggots refused to stay still.  Fearing the worst she decided to make a run for it.  Taking a deep breath she braced herself and shot from out the bed.  She tripped over the shadow but it evaporated into ash.  The shadow simply disappeared; she got back up and ran to the front door.  The handle would not move the door had locked itself.  She turned around and saw another room, sliding her hand down the splintered door she walked inside.

“Oh! Grandmother, what big teeth you have” the cottage spoke for one last time.

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            She entered the room and was overpowered by the stench of death.  She had walked into the lounge; dried blood stained the wooden floor.  The moon again made an appearance; it released the shadows of the room.  A corpse sat in a mouldy chair in the corner.  A rat rested in the lap of the corpse feasting on its foul decayed flesh. 

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            The crow from before mounted upon the window, it peered through the glass.  The door shut behind her, she turned but no one was there.  The moon once more hid behind the clouds.  The room became engulfed in darkness.  She inched closer to the corpse; she could hear the rat enjoying its meal.  A mystical crimson glow shone from where the corpse’s eyes once sat.  Unlike her bother she was not scared she was taken by it, she was mystified by its beauty.  She got closer and closer; the rat spooked jumped from the corpse and scurried under a table.

The wind stopped, the warm air became colder and the dust lightly glided across the room.  Her breath danced in the now icy callous air, her heart pumped with warm blood as she forgot her fears.  The room became colder, the dust thickened.  Her fear returned to her flushed face, the corpse twitched, a breath from its wretched mouth danced with hers.

“All the more to eat you with” the corpse growled.