10/31/12
Trick? Or Treat?
Trick? I.
The all Hallows Moon, in the sky above Vapeland, hangs like a yellowish-brown pock-marked silver dollar. It's saffron-beige rays strike the tree line that borders the meadow and the clearing in the center of Vapeland scattering twisted, odd, sinewy, shadows of its sparsely leaved branches, lace-like and dappled.
Heavy breathing can be heard approaching from the forest. The snapping of twigs and the rustling of leaves grows nearer and the figure of an old man, dressed in a ground length black robe with hood up, and carrying a scythe is running out into the open from the tree line as if being pursued. He begins slowing and the sound of heavy breathing amplifies and sounds like it is echoing. The presumptive nightshade, ghost, or image of the great equalizer draws nearer and his skull face is bright white! Getting nearer you can see the skull is painted on with makeup; it is James -yardbyrd's assistant. He looks at his right wrist, and as a tiny glint of red reflects from it, and looking around he saunters into the meadow looking up at that alien world hanging in the sky like a bizarre scone. His shadow long and black looks like a marker pointing to the shadows of the trees the bright spots of moonlight that filter through them taking on a silvery quality. The breathing becomes less loud and more regular. Then you can somehow hear James voice even though it is whispering and breathy, hoarse, low, and filled with awe.
"Hail and greetings Vapelandians! Viva Vapeland! Tonight I appeal to any and all witnessing this event to be tolerant, observant, and braced. What you are about to see happens very rarely and has hardly been observed over its ancient history. The origination of the Molting of The Royal Blue Byrd cannot be exactly fixed. Only on this night may I speak of the other Realms while relating some of that history. It is said long before the realm of the Earth was formed that Bea-Juh, the Great Stone One, who was imprisoned in his altered body atop the Hill of the Many was the first to see a vision of The Royal Blue Byrd as sent to him by the Master of Masters Kaalthuus as he stood, up to his shoulders, in the Milk-White bewitched sea of Kalthion. Much much later the cursed, and blessed, human and monster, insanely sane, the Cat Demon - originally a Terran, Spanish I believe- was said to have glimpsed him briefly while traversing space/time after this duel with the cruel, wicked, chaotic, and powerful Tholians.
Even so neither had ever witnessed the event which you are about see. It is cathartic and an epiphany, an ending and a beginning, it is the shedding of the old to make room for the new. I have an honored and difficult duty to perform this night. I do so not as an employee but as a friend...a friend to....yardbyrd!"
A deafening silence has fallen upon the meadow. The crickets stop their song. The moon appears to be frozen in the sky but it's light makes the scene eerie and clearly visible. The wind has died. James suddenly takes up his scythe and runs about 100 feet out into the meadow. An owl hoots and an image of James, close up, is seen reflecting off of gossamer webs held at crazy angles by fireflies providing a viewing screen, and a clearer closer image.
James seems to be running toward the camera angle, his skull makeup is glowing in the dark, his white contact lenses reflecting the moonlight weirdly, and he raises the scythe high and bringing it down releases an odd scream, "Scariiiiiiiiiii-eyah!" The ground sends out a ripple, like waves off a stone dropped into a pool, where the odd bluish blade strikes it. Slowly yardbyrd begins to ascend from the turf seated upon a plain wooden perch. The viewing angle shifts and James is standing over him looking downward and he pulls the scythe blade free, a look of near demonic intensity written on his face like a bad omen, and he raises the scythe high in a very threatening manner. The image wobbles and you can see James' figure in the distance, the moonlight reflecting off the polished flat side of his large scythe, the screen shows his face as it is so skull like, so real, so believable, then suddenly the skull makeup is gone! He is wearing his gold rimmed glasses and a diabolical look, near spell bound control, or madness, slowly transforms his old face into a horrid leering grin. The unimaginable thought of him slicing yardbyrd in two is now tangible. He is lost in the throes of something ancient and unknown, something bigger than himself, bigger than yardbyrd; bigger than Vapeland itself. The scythe begins its descent and you can almost feel James scream, "Scariiiiiiiiiii-eyah!", it is much louder and the blade is headed toward yardbyrd's head and he involuntarily twitches, and the blade misses the top of his head by scant millimeters.
Yardbyrd twitches again, his chest and stomach feathers reflexively rising by their quills, and they create an odd pattern on his body for an instant, as James raises the glistening metal tool again, his strength surprising,and disconcerting. On the close up view screen yardbyrd is fidgeting and jerking, his head shaking, his wings stutter-flapping, his odd legs are buckling on his normally webbed feet are growing paler and whiter. A line of white is drawing upward on yardbyrd,starting at the end of his toes and rising slowly erasing his color, and traveling on until, he is washed out of all color, white, even his beak.
The odd viewing screen shows James' face and it is gone covered by a smooth blackness no likeness there at all! Suddenly he shrieks again, "Scariiiiiiiii-eyah!", the sound is like a fingernail scratching a chalkboard, and this time the scythe falls so fast it almost blurs, it strikes low and at the last instant yardbyrd pulls up his feet as the cold blade takes a wood shaving off the top of yardbyrd's perch, just nicking his white tail feathers. Yardbyrd falls back on the post and there is a thunderclap and the moon is obscured. A cloud of things is obscuring it and as James draws up his tool, again, the sight transfixes him, as he looks up, to see a huge cloud of ghosts, goblins, unicorns, Angels, devils, giants and little people, witches on their brooms, warlocks floating downward, their lower-halves misty and gas-like, and just behind the pack is a huge Roc. Forked lightning -an odd purplish-blue-streaks across the sky stuttering like a strobe light and the threatening slicer falls once again.
"Scariiiiiiiii-eyah!", blasts James' voice not sounding old or weak at all. The blade starts to slide on its shaft as it gets lower and lower toward its target; the fog of unearthly and phantom-like creatures is almost on James! The blade is slipping, when, a huge Green dragon bursts from the phantom masses, with a gigantic white haired warrior on its back! His green eyes shine brightly and sparkles from their light reflect off the blade. He suddenly draws a huge scimitar, the scythe is almost there when James jumps reflexively and the blade shoots up a scant inch or two....it's headed right at yardbyrd's neck! The barbaric warrior swings his scimitar and as it strikes James it goes right through him without leaving a scratch. James bows his head, his arms at his sides and fades slowly away, while the scythe remains, inches from yardbyrd's throat when the spirit scimitar strikes it and it drops, cutting the perch off at its bottom spilling yardbyrd to the ground.
Trick? Or Treat?
Trick? I.
The all Hallows Moon, in the sky above Vapeland, hangs like a yellowish-brown pock-marked silver dollar. It's saffron-beige rays strike the tree line that borders the meadow and the clearing in the center of Vapeland scattering twisted, odd, sinewy, shadows of its sparsely leaved branches, lace-like and dappled.
Heavy breathing can be heard approaching from the forest. The snapping of twigs and the rustling of leaves grows nearer and the figure of an old man, dressed in a ground length black robe with hood up, and carrying a scythe is running out into the open from the tree line as if being pursued. He begins slowing and the sound of heavy breathing amplifies and sounds like it is echoing. The presumptive nightshade, ghost, or image of the great equalizer draws nearer and his skull face is bright white! Getting nearer you can see the skull is painted on with makeup; it is James -yardbyrd's assistant. He looks at his right wrist, and as a tiny glint of red reflects from it, and looking around he saunters into the meadow looking up at that alien world hanging in the sky like a bizarre scone. His shadow long and black looks like a marker pointing to the shadows of the trees the bright spots of moonlight that filter through them taking on a silvery quality. The breathing becomes less loud and more regular. Then you can somehow hear James voice even though it is whispering and breathy, hoarse, low, and filled with awe.
"Hail and greetings Vapelandians! Viva Vapeland! Tonight I appeal to any and all witnessing this event to be tolerant, observant, and braced. What you are about to see happens very rarely and has hardly been observed over its ancient history. The origination of the Molting of The Royal Blue Byrd cannot be exactly fixed. Only on this night may I speak of the other Realms while relating some of that history. It is said long before the realm of the Earth was formed that Bea-Juh, the Great Stone One, who was imprisoned in his altered body atop the Hill of the Many was the first to see a vision of The Royal Blue Byrd as sent to him by the Master of Masters Kaalthuus as he stood, up to his shoulders, in the Milk-White bewitched sea of Kalthion. Much much later the cursed, and blessed, human and monster, insanely sane, the Cat Demon - originally a Terran, Spanish I believe- was said to have glimpsed him briefly while traversing space/time after this duel with the cruel, wicked, chaotic, and powerful Tholians.
Even so neither had ever witnessed the event which you are about see. It is cathartic and an epiphany, an ending and a beginning, it is the shedding of the old to make room for the new. I have an honored and difficult duty to perform this night. I do so not as an employee but as a friend...a friend to....yardbyrd!"
A deafening silence has fallen upon the meadow. The crickets stop their song. The moon appears to be frozen in the sky but it's light makes the scene eerie and clearly visible. The wind has died. James suddenly takes up his scythe and runs about 100 feet out into the meadow. An owl hoots and an image of James, close up, is seen reflecting off of gossamer webs held at crazy angles by fireflies providing a viewing screen, and a clearer closer image.
James seems to be running toward the camera angle, his skull makeup is glowing in the dark, his white contact lenses reflecting the moonlight weirdly, and he raises the scythe high and bringing it down releases an odd scream, "Scariiiiiiiiiii-eyah!" The ground sends out a ripple, like waves off a stone dropped into a pool, where the odd bluish blade strikes it. Slowly yardbyrd begins to ascend from the turf seated upon a plain wooden perch. The viewing angle shifts and James is standing over him looking downward and he pulls the scythe blade free, a look of near demonic intensity written on his face like a bad omen, and he raises the scythe high in a very threatening manner. The image wobbles and you can see James' figure in the distance, the moonlight reflecting off the polished flat side of his large scythe, the screen shows his face as it is so skull like, so real, so believable, then suddenly the skull makeup is gone! He is wearing his gold rimmed glasses and a diabolical look, near spell bound control, or madness, slowly transforms his old face into a horrid leering grin. The unimaginable thought of him slicing yardbyrd in two is now tangible. He is lost in the throes of something ancient and unknown, something bigger than himself, bigger than yardbyrd; bigger than Vapeland itself. The scythe begins its descent and you can almost feel James scream, "Scariiiiiiiiiii-eyah!", it is much louder and the blade is headed toward yardbyrd's head and he involuntarily twitches, and the blade misses the top of his head by scant millimeters.
Yardbyrd twitches again, his chest and stomach feathers reflexively rising by their quills, and they create an odd pattern on his body for an instant, as James raises the glistening metal tool again, his strength surprising,and disconcerting. On the close up view screen yardbyrd is fidgeting and jerking, his head shaking, his wings stutter-flapping, his odd legs are buckling on his normally webbed feet are growing paler and whiter. A line of white is drawing upward on yardbyrd,starting at the end of his toes and rising slowly erasing his color, and traveling on until, he is washed out of all color, white, even his beak.
The odd viewing screen shows James' face and it is gone covered by a smooth blackness no likeness there at all! Suddenly he shrieks again, "Scariiiiiiiii-eyah!", the sound is like a fingernail scratching a chalkboard, and this time the scythe falls so fast it almost blurs, it strikes low and at the last instant yardbyrd pulls up his feet as the cold blade takes a wood shaving off the top of yardbyrd's perch, just nicking his white tail feathers. Yardbyrd falls back on the post and there is a thunderclap and the moon is obscured. A cloud of things is obscuring it and as James draws up his tool, again, the sight transfixes him, as he looks up, to see a huge cloud of ghosts, goblins, unicorns, Angels, devils, giants and little people, witches on their brooms, warlocks floating downward, their lower-halves misty and gas-like, and just behind the pack is a huge Roc. Forked lightning -an odd purplish-blue-streaks across the sky stuttering like a strobe light and the threatening slicer falls once again.
"Scariiiiiiiii-eyah!", blasts James' voice not sounding old or weak at all. The blade starts to slide on its shaft as it gets lower and lower toward its target; the fog of unearthly and phantom-like creatures is almost on James! The blade is slipping, when, a huge Green dragon bursts from the phantom masses, with a gigantic white haired warrior on its back! His green eyes shine brightly and sparkles from their light reflect off the blade. He suddenly draws a huge scimitar, the scythe is almost there when James jumps reflexively and the blade shoots up a scant inch or two....it's headed right at yardbyrd's neck! The barbaric warrior swings his scimitar and as it strikes James it goes right through him without leaving a scratch. James bows his head, his arms at his sides and fades slowly away, while the scythe remains, inches from yardbyrd's throat when the spirit scimitar strikes it and it drops, cutting the perch off at its bottom spilling yardbyrd to the ground.
