The Cracks in Nickolas' Armor

the MISFIT LIBRARY, volume 1

"I went away for a little while, drifting in and out of the tiny happy place we all harbor inside ourselves. With the fiery stone of magma smoldering in my left eye socket, however, my fortress of solitude wasn't a real haven. Thin tracers of crimson chased me. Tiny rivulets of lava ran across the untextured floor, the smooth surface offering no impediment to the narrow streams.

There were other things that came with the red streams, dark blots of shadow which moved of their own volition. I wasn't alone in my secret fortress and every time I turned my back on them, they shifted, moving into different positions.

I knew this place -- I knew all the blind corners and secret holes -- and yet, wherever I fled, there was darkness waiting for me. There were cracks in the walls and floors, scarlet tracery that oozed black blood.

At some point you have to stop running, you have to stop and realize that there isn't anywhere you can go where you'll be completely safe. You may think you've gone away to a mental sanctuary that is safe from physical turmoil, but it is just a shell, a hard blanket that you've thrown over your head so that you can pretend that you are secure. It just takes time, that's all, for whatever is pounding against your shell. Sooner or later, a crack forms."

From "The Transformation of Nickolas Caspian," found in Volume 1 of the Misfit Library quarterly journal. You can purchase the book here for $13.00 (and shipping, of course, they always get you with the shipping!).

« « little fictions || 03.07.2005 @ 10:23 PM

The Opiate Suite

The Opiate Suite @ opiate.com

She knows the pharmacology, knows the exact combination of chemicals that will induce paralysis along with the psychotropic hallucinations. Delivery of the cocktail is best achieved through the carotid artery -- rapid access to the sensory chambers and control centers of the brain. She feels the rounded shape of his head, her delicate fingers exploring the faint seams of the plates of the skull. She finds the shallow divot just above the ear and places the sharp tip of the 1/2" drill bit against his head.

She knows the anatomy, knows just how far to drill and, just as the resistance against the spinning bit changes, she backs it off. He doesn't move -- he couldn't if he wanted -- but she can tell by his eyes that he knows what she has done. She puts the drill aside as the round hole in his head slowly leaks. She shows him the gold-plated audio jack, shows him what she is going to do, and then, with the easy motion of a practiced junkie, she shoves the headphone jack into his brain. "This is my opiate," she says as she places the headphone cups around her ears. "I want to hear what you are dreaming."

The Opiate Suite: A Deconstructed Symphony in Four Parts is curated by our Minister of Sound, Mark Teppo. The OPi8.com mascot, SOMA, was illustrated by Neal Von Flue.

« « little fictions || 03.03.2005 @ 04:49 PM

Light, Across The City

The young ones -- the men fresh from the police academy -- are assigned the night watch, what was once known as the 'beat' and now is simply the dead part of night where the new recruits go to earn their scars. The first night on the beat, the watch sergeant tells the new recruits one law. "The city returns the affection of those who are affectionate. Those who aren't, don't come home." This is the only maxim they needed to know about Empire City.

One year a watchman paused on the portal and asked: "What happens when the city loses her edge? What happens during twilight?"

« « little fictions || 03.02.2005 @ 08:08 AM

writing

BIBLIOGRAPHY
This is a reasonably comprehensive list of my published work, both virtual and physical.

THE MISFIT LIBRARY
I am Nine of Thirteen, one of the members of the Misfit Library, a writing collective which puts out a quarterly journal of our respective work. We are scattered across the globe and determined to change the face of the planet one story at a time. The link above will take you to Misfit Central where you can acquire copies of the journal as well as read exclusive online material.

SYMBOLIC
I wrote a column for OPi8.com's Transmit blogs: journals of the new dark underground. SYMBOLIC tracked the novel I was working on, referencing the process and the research materials which mad up the backbone of the work. In addition, SYMBOLIC busied itself with ruminations and considerations on the nature of language and communication. And a wee bit of mythology. The first 100 entries of SYMBOLIC can be found here on this site as well as at OPi8.com.

LITERARY REPRESENTATION
I am represented by Scribe Agency as my literary agents. Please contact these gentleman if you have any queries about my work.

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