Season Two Episode Twenty Three

Twilight settles over me, as the smouldering candlewick of dusk slowing goes cold.
As I lie upon this hilltop, thinking of what I am meant to be, I listen to the crickets, the frogs, and the rest of the nightlife as they come into action.
Softly and steadily a cool breeze passes over me, causing the trees to dance to and fro, their leaves singing their simple melody.
Looking up at the stars I search out for the constellations I learned at school. As I find some but not others, I begin to make some of my own. Their stories are like those of the ancient gods of Greece and of Rome.
Fireflies have now come out to play, flying about. I watch as their little lights momentarily overlap the stars. In my mind I picture them going to their little parties, drinking tea and eating their sweets.
That’s when I hear a faint rustling. Barely discernable from that of the leaves in the trees, these are the leaves on the ground being trampled underfoot. I sit up, quickly.
Pockets of thunder rumble in the distance, making it harder to hear who or what is coming towards me, or if they are coming towards me at all. Can I reach my backpack in time, to get my flashlight? I say a silent prayer and try not to assume the worst. I get a rush of adrenaline as I try to see what’s in the bush in front of me, straining my ears to hear what’s about to meet me. I wasn’t sure which was more prominent in these woods, bears or cougars, but I was sure I did not want to meet up with either.
Suddenly a sound! A voice calling out! “Hey!” Who could be out here? Could it be a psycho killer hunting poor unsuspecting travels, waiting for them to drop their guard, for the perfect time to strike? I sprang to my feet ready to either fight or fly. Again the voice called out “Hey Dave, did you find the marshmallows?!” What?! They know my name? How did they know... -Right then the person cleared the bushes, it was Dave! Not some crazy lunatic who’s out to get me, but just plain ol’ Dave. I relaxed.

“Sorry” I said to Dave, “I was distracted by the beauty of the stars. I guess I forgot what brought me here in the first place”.“Hey, no problem big guy, I’m just anxious to make some smores!” Dave replied. “And hey, what was with that crazy ninja kung fu pose?” He asked with a big grin on his face. “You were all like ‘Waahh!’ ready to kill me with your death strike!” We laughed for a bit and I said, “Oh, I just thought you’d like to see something like that, thought it would make you laugh.” I said laughing, not wanting to reveal the truth. And so we grabbed the marshmallows, made some smores, and set off to find Dave, to make the Trifecta complete once more.

Season Two Episode Twenty Two

Sailing along the currents of the eastern sea, just miles out from the coast, I spoted him. As I looked through my scope, it seemed to me that his ship was in need of repair. If that was the case, why doesn't he come into the yard?

I sat down on the bench behind me, it over-looked the port and the western coast of Reikhord, in the eastern sea. It was in the middle of May, just 3 hours before sun rise. I had been out for my daily walk in the country side beyond Reikhord, thinking about all the events of my life in the last 20 years, and where my life was headed now. I had been living a life full of, what I thought was, purpose, but it was only now that I found my true path.

I had been a scrapper from the age of 5 until 10, a fighter from 11-16, a combatant from 17-25, on my way to becoming a warrior, but I could not carry on. After what I saw in the battle at Lightson, and when I found what I had found, I did not want to fight any longer. Now was a time for peace, now was the time to teach children, not to fight as I did, but to increase their knowledge. One book at a time, one subject at a time; the children of the next generations would become scholars.

Just under a year ago, 10 months, the army of Reikhord had been on the march, to a settlement just beyond Lightson. It was said there was a group of invaders encamped at that settlement, bringing up supplies, weaponry, and machinery for a rally against Reikhord that would be once and for all. Turned out it was a monestary, and the only thing being kept there were books. The monestary and everything and everyone in it was completely destroyed because of misinformation. That was when I decided that never again would I hold a sword, that never again would I fight in battle and that the only battles I would ever fight again were of wits. That the only weapon I would ever hold again was a book. I have become a protector of the mind, a preserver of knowledge. I am, a librarian.

Season Two Episode Twenty One

The first event happened upon the 12th of August, 1953, at 2pm in Colorado, 20 miles west of Walden, Jackson county. His name was Reese Piekson, from Wisconsin, Portage county. He had a wife and three daughters, he was a 43 year old, a geographer, and had been hiking throughout Colorado's Rocky Mountains. He had brought his chocolate lab with him to keep him company and for its nose.

The event in question happened during the second day of his hike. He was just getting into the more interesting territory, finding more and more to study, document, and illustrate. It was around 1:30 when he discovered the forked pathway, and about 1:40 when he chose the one to the left. At 1:55 he was just bringing out his compass to check up on his bearings when he saw that he had come upon a small town, just north of where he was heading. It was at that point that if he had decided not to investigate the town, none of this would have been reported, but for the want of a phone call home.

The town was neatly kept close together, but something was a little off.. the town seemed more like a cluster of buildings than a town, it didn't have a right feel to it. This was something he did not notice until he was twenty yards out of the town. He felt a certain lack of character, that the town lacked that "lived-in" feeling that one comes to expect of small towns, a nice lived-in look. Where the downtown would have been, Reese noticed that not one of the buildings had any sort of identification to them, except the post office and the grocery store. Even those buildings weren't named, they were just "Post Office" and "Groceries", and the town didn't appear to have any restaurant or convenience store of any kind.. That's when Reese noticed someone coming out of a house, one block east of the post office. Two people were leaving the house and.. it seemed they were dressed in some kind of one piece suit, like how a bee keeper would dress but instead of a mesh shield around the face, it was plastic.

The two people were carrying little black and silver boxes, about the size of a lunch box, and were headed for the post office. Reese thought of going up to them but was a little wary. That's when he noticed that he hadn't seen anyone else in the town. There was no other sign of life. He suddenly became very aware of his situation and worried that he may have come across a contaminated area. He sniffed the air, but it didn't smell any different. He looked around at the plant life, but it did not look to be affected. He listened for other signs of life and that's when he noticed that there wasn't any. No insects, no birds, no animals of any sort, only his ..! Cocoa! His lab was nowhere to be seen, Reese hadn't even noticed when Cocoa had gone missing. He thought of calling for the dog, but didn't want to alert the two men who had gone inside the post office, just in case he wound up in some kind of trouble. It would be best just to find Cocoa and leave.

Suddenly he heard growling behind him. Reese whirled around expecting to see a wolf or coyote, but instead he found Cocoa, who was growling at him! Cocoa looked rabid and Reese, believing he only had an instant, took off at full speed into town. He opened the first door he came to and shut the door quickly behind him. This noise and the sound of Cocoa's rough barking alerted the two men who had gone inside the mail box. They had stepped out of the building to see what the commotion was about, and one of them was carrying a shotgun. Cocoa spun around to face them, lunged and was quickly upon the first man, the one without the gun. He frantically tried to get away from the dog, tried to get Cocoa off himself, but it was too late. Cocoa had torn into the fabric and had started ripping at the man's arms and torso. With that man down Cocoa turned on the other man, lunging at his throat.

He had just gotten off a shot when Cocoa had bit him on the shoulder, the shot getting Cocoa in her left hind leg. It seemed the injury just seemed to aggravate Cocoa even more, and she was tearing into the man's neck, but he was able to get off one last shot before he died, killing the dog. It had all happened so fast that Reese hadn't time to think of what to do. It seemed to him that both men and his Cocoa had died before he had a chance to react. Afraid to go over to the scene, he looked around him, searching the house for a phone.

There didn't seem to be much of anything in the house, no furniture, no picture hanging on the walls, nothing in any of the drawers, and no sign of a phone. He found the house had a side door, and exited through there, hoping to avoid the two dead men and his dog, afraid of what might happen if.. He didn't want to think about it. How had Cocoa become like that? He hadn't heard that she had been attacked by a rabid coyote or anything of that sort, it was like she had suddenly transformed into a rabid beast. He took a round about way of getting to the house where the two men had originally come out of, thinking if anything, that's where a phone, or something useful, would be.

When Reese got to the front door, he noticed through the window that this house had furniture. He turned the doorknob and went in.

Season Two Episode Twenty

The Screaming Adventures of Danika (dan-ih-ka) the Mighty:

Our story starts not at the beginning but during a battle most important to the kingdom of Oxany. You see, the Oxian people were on the verge of annihilation and unless they had a mighty warrior to save them from that brink, they would become only a story, and that story, if not retold to each generation, would be lost. Alas, they did not know this was to be their fate no matter what, but when such a thing as hope still exists, such things as being forgotten are cast into a dimmer light.

The Oxian people and their king sent out word for Danika to come to their aid, hoping word would reach him in time. When the messenger at last found the inn where Danika had stayed the night, in the town of Brovensty, he relayed this message: "To Danika the Mighty, from the people of Oxany and their king: 'Danika, we urgently-' " The messenger cut himself short for Danika had winced now for the second time, so he inquired "Is there something wrong, sir?" "Ah, yes there is boy. You pronounce my name as if you were a little girl shrieking at a mouse! It is not "Dan-eek-ah" it is "Dan-ih-ka". Get it straight now and relay the rest of the message. Then after you have done so you must point me in the direction of the dog who so pronounces my name incorrectly and I will slay him like the pig he is!" Danika said, with a mean looking grin. "Aye sir, I will sir, but first this urgent message from the Oxians and their king!" replied the messenger, now with a bit of nervousness.

The message is this: (being careful to get his name right this time) " 'Danika we urgently request your assistance in battle! Your skill with a blade is known well to us and we would ask that you use that skill to keep us from being lost forever! We're over-run, we're over-run and we believe your presence will turn the tide. Pick up your sword and come to our aid!' As for the mispronunciation of your name, I must confess that I do not know how it originated, but many people have heard it as Da-"

"Don't even SAY IT!" Danika screamed, pointing his finger! The messenger stood, now trembling. "S-s-sir, i-it is only that I mean to say that I cannot possibly come to point out any one person who would come to say your name incorrectly, and certainly not on purpose, it is the only way in which we have heard it said, we mean no harm or mockery by it! P-please, you have to believe me, we all put you in high esteem! We have heard of your deeds and it brings a song of hope to our lips! Just the mere thought of-"

"Yes, yes, let us to Oxany, win the battle and then we shall hunt down the dog who was so ill advised as to mispronounce my name! Now let me get my things, horse up, and we'll be off." With that the two set out on their journey to Oxany, to win a battle and to set things right.