Novadrome

Chapter 14 Balance of Power All at once, the whip was in my hand! I threw back my arm and hurled the razor cord outwards ahead of me. Down it came on the floating head, and a crack broke the face. The object stopped its progress and the flame wavered. This thing, minion, whatever it really was, became confused. It had never been hurt before. It had not, however, been stopped. “Get away!” Peter shouted. “Quickly!” “Stand back!” I called to him. I swung out the whip once again and lashed hard again across the face, coming in from another angle. Now half the face fell away and the flame coursed up the crack. Another head drifted near and I lashed at this as well, causing the whip to wrap around it. I jerked back on the cord with all my might and dragged it through air to impact with the broken one. The result was a volcanic blast, hurling stone meteors in all directions. “Rick!” Peter called. I turned to see the inflatable butlers closing in on my friend and

A wasp landed on his hand. Or, what remained of his hand. Even after all these years, his first instinct was to wave it off. This time, he restrained himself. It waved it's antennas. An old beekeeper once told him, that this was how they found their way. He still remembered the faint scent of flowers and honey in her breath. It was the first memory he had, that was not of his childhood home. He had stared in awe, as an entire swarm of bees landed on her. He was terrified at first. He had never been stung by a bee, but his older sister had. She was tough as nails, even as a child. But she wept as if she had been flogged. The beekeeper had just smiled, as the bees all but covered her. Her soothing calmness passed on to him, and he had let some of the bees land on his hand and arm. Since that moment, he had loved bees. Wasps? Now, that was a different matter. As kind as bees had always been to him, he had barely learned how to string a fishing hook, when he got stung by a wasp. He was

Contradictory entities are we Seeking significance in the absurdity Fabricating order in the bedlam Perceiving beauty in the loathsome Inquisitive wanderers are we Venturing into the unknown Challenging the orthodox system Disclosing new horizons Sentimental beings Rejoicing and mourning Adoring and detesting Aspiring and despairing Finite humans are we Breathing and expiring Flourishing and withering Recollecting and forgetting Strange creatures we must all be If you really want to live you must always be prepared to die But if you do life right It can be quite a ride Human predicament are we all Existing and perishing Enabling and restraining Enacting and abstaining But also, creative dreamers are we Imagining possibilities in the reality Crafting stories in the silence Expressing ourselves in the eloquent Compassionate carers are we helping others in the adversity Forgiving mistakes in the conflict Celebrating joys in the harmony So, let us embrace our humanity With all