I See the Sea

I see the sea,

the rolling waves

washing their briny, musty scent

upon the shore,

again and again.

And my ears hear this

lapping and panting;

stillness is in the

foothills.

Passion is in the sea,

I see.

Kid in Love

You’re in the trenches. You don’t know how you got there, you don’t know when they were built, and you don’t know what lies for you above them.

But there you are, kid, right in the trenches. You’re fighting and you’re fighting hard. It’s not just about shooting the other guy, killing some faceless enemy across the mud and barbed wire. It’s about staying alive in this filthy mire of shit and decay. It’s about being able to breathe the air that still blows gently in, fetid with death. It’s about being able to enjoy the peace and quiet for the thirty seconds that your hearing comes back and that next shell is waiting to whistle. It’s about being able to smile with your brothers as you taunt the enemy just by being alive.

It’s also about killing the enemy.

The enemy? Nameless, faceless , formless. It’s not quite boredom, it’s not quite yearning. It’s desperate and demanding, but phantasmagorical, intangible. It’s realizing that you had something you truly wanted, but you’ll never get it back. It’s feeling a breeze across the nape of your neck in a heat wave—long enough to make you notice, cold enough to make you want more, and wicked enough to leave you there.

The enemy is this void in your heart, in your chest, hidden behind a damask shroud, luring you in. Sucking and pulling at your very will power to give in.

But there you are kid, still fighting. It only ends one way: with you in a trench.

One way or another, kid.

The pine box will stain and warp, bathed in your mother’s tears as they lower you in. The damask shroud will be around you this time, spreading from the inside out.

It will get you. You fought the good fight, but you just can’t win.

So they say.

New update

Chapter Six of my story The Thief With Wings is here.

Check it out:

http://michaeltreadway.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/the-thief-with-wings-chapter-six/

Chapter Five is here!

Check out Chapter Five of my story, "The Thief With Wings"

http://michaeltreadway.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/the-thief-with-wings-chapter-five/

Shifting Blog

I have moved my short story "The Thief With Wings" from this blog to my blog at wordpress. Follow along with chapter four here!

http://michaeltreadway.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/the-thief-with-wings-chapter-four/

Plane-guins

Don't let the tricky title fool you: It's exactly what it sounds like.

On a recent flight on Southwest, I was lucky enough to ride home with the Sea World PR Crew and two penguins.

During my voyage home from seeing the Illustrious Annie Chen, I was routed through Denver International Airport. I had heard much about conspiracies, but didn't see many causes for concern in Concourse C, which is the crappiest of all concourses, to be sure, but I didn't feel like exploring. Maybe some other time I'll be sure to travel through Denver with a layover and check it out the supposed creepiness.

Anyhow, on the plane ride I took back from San Diego, I was accompanied by Magellanic penguins. Two of them, Pete & Penny, in fact. Although, those are cute monikers, as both of these birds were males.

After refreshments were served, Pete came out to visit us!

I sat in the front row between Booker, the PR guy for Sea World, and Jason, a penguin keeper there. Across the row was Jen, and 18-year veteran keeper and two kennels with the South American birds. I talked with them for a while about Sea World, the Park, and all sorts of things.

They were in Denver doing PR for Sea World at the local ice rink, the airport and a lot of places around Denver.

This was honestly a dream come true. As a kid, I wanted to be a Shamu trainer and fly on the Shamu plane. I wanted to fly on a plane with the penguins like the pictures at the Penguin Encounter at Sea World show.

I think this was better than flying on the Shamu plane.

Check out my youtube video here: http://youtu.be/nKX8Z2lGYjo

The Thief With Wings - Chapter Three

I run at the wall, push up and grab the windowsill. I dangle briefly. The rush of blood makes me feel the pain all over my body.

I pull myself in. There’s something strange about breaking into my own house.

Everything inside is turned over. What Solon said was true. There was some kind of struggle. I move silently through the chaos that was my kitchen and head to the rooms. I don’t call out in case someone is hiding inside.

If word has already gotten out to the black market, chances are one or two of them have already made their way here to glean from the rubble. Not to say there’s no honor amongst us, but some things are just business. Lucky for me, I don’t keep my stash here.

I make a round of the house. No one inside but me. I clean off a chair and sit down. Emotions deluge my mind. I weep when I think of Seth and Kyra. The three of us lived here. Live here.

There is no other Nyx plant to bargain for their lives. I know what I agreed to with Solon. It seems the only way to have a chance at saving them. I must bring down the New Guild. But I have no idea what my next move is. And how can I bring them down in two days?

I can’t go to the black market. That much is clear. If Solon was keeping track of my moves, anyone there could be keeping track of my moves. I need direction.

I decide to go see Sambethe.

Sambethe is an oracle who operates at the end of Gryphon alley. She’s known to many, but getting a reading from her isn’t easy. She needs a relic of her quarry to prophesy. This severely limits the questions one can ask her. And her cost is steep. She often doesn’t want coin, but favors and promises. Sometimes the cost is too much.

I need to know where Seth and Kyra are. I have plenty of their possessions here, so the relic won’t be a problem. But I don’t know what the cost will be. Even if she can tell me where they are, what can I do?

I remember Kyra being taken away in chains. I shudder to think of Seth going the same way.

This is the first time I’ve had to think of what happened that morning and something doesn’t make sense. Why did the Captain open the box? He forced me to get the Nyx plant. Why would he open it in the sunlight? Wouldn’t he know that it would wither and die?

Then it dawns on me. The Captain was acting on orders. He didn’t want the plant for himself. Someone had hired him to retrieve it. He opened it to make sure that I had brought it. He didn’t know anything about the plant.

I stole it for someone else. Likely a member of the New Guild. But why couldn’t that person get it from the Healer himself. And if the Captain was acting on orders, why did he see to it personally and not just send his goons?

I am lost in thought when the front door swings open.

----------

I dive from the chair as a blade flies my direction and sticks into the wood where my back just was.

I roll into the closest door. Seth’s room. It’s a good thing he loves to play warrior. A couple of his wooden swords are scattered around. I grab one in my off hand. With my right I reach for his blanket.

I can hear something glass slip and shatter. I picture the mess in my head and know he’s stepped towards the oven. I wad the horse-skin blanket up and I peek around the doorway. Another blade flies my way and sticks into the jamb.

He’s hooded, so I don’t recognize him. But with how he’s fighting, I know he’s one of the thieves from the market. One of my rivals. He must not have been expecting me to be here or he wouldn’t have come through the front door.

“Ongredost, hear my prayer and give me strength,” I whisper. I take a deep breath.

I heave the balled up blanket at him as I come around the corner. It’s a heavy and cured and it opens as it flies toward him. Another blade thuds into it as I make my move. I sprint full speed behind the cover and ready the wooden blade with both hands.

As the horse skin falls I swing with all my might and connect with my attacker just above his right temple. The blow rattles my fingers and they sting. The hooded figure slumps to the ground.

I remove the hood and recognize Bruno, one of the thieves from the market. We specialized in similar jobs, so we were rivals. He’s unconscious and I leave him there after relieving him of his knives and coin purse.

It’s no longer safe to be here. I grab one of Kyra’s shawls and take Seth’s sword with me. I head off towards Gryphon alley to see Sambethe.