The view from the mountains was spectacular, nay, it was breathtaking, no, more than even that... it was a reflection of just what God had in mind when he created earth, just one more way of mirroring his beauty and majesty. I was, for the first time in a long time, speechless. As I walked up the mountain, just one in a line of people climbing the hill, I could feel the sheer power of the vista before me refreshing my soul. It was incredible. It was surreal, so much so that I began to wonder, was it merely my imagination?
Suddenly we stopped, the ones trailing behind almost running into the backs of the hikers before. We slowly funneled into an enclosure, surrounded on all three sides by sheer cliff faces.
"Well, that's interesting," commented the group's leader, staring with puzzlement up at at the rocky faces, "the map never mentioned anything about a wall climbing spot."
By then the entire group had congregated in the hollow, most looking up at the cliffs with confusion quite evident on their faces.
Without warning the earth began to shake and all around, young people dropped to the ground, covering their heads or in some cases huddling together with nearby friends. The sounds of splitting earth ripped through the air, shattering the still tranquility that had blanketed the trail before.
Two of the cliffs fell away, leaving nothing but open air in their place. The trail from whence we came was littered with rubble, rendering the path back completely impassable. Before us lay the only way left, a downward sloping trail made of broken pieces of rock and earth, a series of natural steps. Of course by using the term 'slope' it really was more of an inclined fall, almost 45 degrees, and it looked dangerous.
The dust from the earthquake began to settle, and slowly the young men and women began to rise from their huddle crouches. We looked around, amazed at the changes in scenary, but eventually recovered enough to begin moving again. I realized that this indeed was reality.
I started down slowly, along with the ten other people in my group, feeling the way with tentative steps. However as I began to find a rhythm, I started to go faster, until I was literally running down the ridges of sharp rocks, flowing down the uneven stairwell like water flows down a river bed. I would leap off tall rocks, slide down flat sections, pause for long seconds on pointed pinnacles.
Up ahead there was a short uphill section and I didn't stop. Instead I sprang up, leaping up onto the rocks and pushing onwards, moving skyward, springing from right to left, ever onwards.
Suddenly the section curved, the track railed by a large rock. I slid to a stop and clambered on top of the stone to stare out at the mountain side filled with forest green trees. What a paradise, what a fun trek!
Onward I surged, moving with even greater speed and excitement, the thrill of physical exertion driving all thoughts of tiredness from my limbs. The stones blurred beneath my feet as my heart soared in the moment.
It was the most amazing feeling... one I will never forget.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
March 21 - Raided
The pulse of the bass reverberated through my body, cutting through far more than just my ear drums. The music crashed down from the myriad of speakers spaced around the dome above, a bowl that reflected the sound back down on the people who writhed to the beat. The dance floor itself was packed, bodies pressed against each other in the tiny space. Funnily enough, to me anyway, there were almost four times as many males on the floor as females, each small pocket of girls surrounded by a ring of boys, many of whom probably had no idea of how to strike up a conversation, nor would they be able too with the music so loud.
I surveyed all this from my seat, sipping my drink, a Gin and Tonic (which tasted strange) and observing the festivities. It was all fairly new to me, and yet not. I was almost 100% sure that I had never been clubbing before, yet this scene was so familiar. It was laughable and yet incredibly sad.
Looking out at the people dancing in the dark, my heart broke with compassion for them, knowing that the vast majority were here searching for something far more than what they would find. Whether through the drink, the smoke, the drugs or the dance, everyone there was searching for something to fill that void within. That emptiness that no longer existed within me.
My heart broke most of all for the girls, here, in places such as this, seen as objects of desire, not of respect and beauty. You could literally see, in the eyes and actions of many of those girls, just how many of them were searching for a man to lend them some strength, to see them for more than just their bodies, but for their soul. For a man to love them... even amongst the group that I was with, friends I had just met a few weeks ago, their plight was so evident. Each of them yearned to find joy, to find an experience of something worth more, and of men who would protect and defend them, not use and abuse. Of course you often couldn't tell that by how they were dressed or acted... and that was probably the saddest part of all.
All this I watched, my eyes impartially sweeping the room, dancing when I felt the beat, drinking slowly, taking in the experience. Noting how much people were seeking a spiritual, out of body, beyond physical experience. It was so surreal, was I really seeing what I did, or was it merely my imagination?
Suddenly the lights and music were cut, and even as cries of frustration and anger ripped through the air, the glass from the roof exploded. The cries turned to screams and both young men and women dropped to the floor, faces buried in their arms.
Out of the darkness above dropped men dressed in dark counter-terrorist fatigues. They slipped through the air, gloved hands sliding over the fly wires that were attached to something above, pistols aimed at anyone who moved around the room.
"FREEZE!" They cried, apparently in several languages, but I was far too pre-occupied to notice. "POLICE!"
In response I noticed several young men, all seated around a near by round table, reach into their jackets. There were all wearing dark suits and tie less white shirts. Immediately I realized who they were.
'This could get ugly' I thought, my mind flashing over the available options. I came to the conclusion that an all out gun fight could prove hazardous to the large number of innocent civilians in the room, so the question was really who to side with.
Well that much was obvious, as I did always believe in co-operating with the law, except, perhaps, when speed limits were concerned.
My hands flicked open as I activated the spring loaded throwing knife holsters beneath my jacket. In each hand three knives sprung into place and I them clutched between my fingers. With as little motion as possible I flung them at the men in black even as they ripped pistols from beneath their jackets. Two of the 8 doubled over, clutching at the blades embedded in their arms.
I realized that I'd need more knives.
Even as I threw the remaining blades in my right hand, pegging another 3 gangsters, the remaining few had unfortunately noticed me, and now their pistols were pointed in my direction.
"Oh snap," I breathed, slamming my foot down on a near by table as they fired. The table tipped on it's side, the long edge rising into the air to catch the bullets as they flew towards me and my friends.
"Get down!" I bellowed as I dropped to the floor.
As I looked up, the music had begun again and the table had tipped over, liquid was everywhere.
"Are you alright mate?" asked one of my friends, offering me a hand to help me up.
Laughing sheepishly, I smiled, "yeah, completely, didn't get any alcohol on me, really dodged a bullet there I guess."
They all laughed. Perhaps they were closer to getting drunk than I had thought.
I surveyed all this from my seat, sipping my drink, a Gin and Tonic (which tasted strange) and observing the festivities. It was all fairly new to me, and yet not. I was almost 100% sure that I had never been clubbing before, yet this scene was so familiar. It was laughable and yet incredibly sad.
Looking out at the people dancing in the dark, my heart broke with compassion for them, knowing that the vast majority were here searching for something far more than what they would find. Whether through the drink, the smoke, the drugs or the dance, everyone there was searching for something to fill that void within. That emptiness that no longer existed within me.
My heart broke most of all for the girls, here, in places such as this, seen as objects of desire, not of respect and beauty. You could literally see, in the eyes and actions of many of those girls, just how many of them were searching for a man to lend them some strength, to see them for more than just their bodies, but for their soul. For a man to love them... even amongst the group that I was with, friends I had just met a few weeks ago, their plight was so evident. Each of them yearned to find joy, to find an experience of something worth more, and of men who would protect and defend them, not use and abuse. Of course you often couldn't tell that by how they were dressed or acted... and that was probably the saddest part of all.
All this I watched, my eyes impartially sweeping the room, dancing when I felt the beat, drinking slowly, taking in the experience. Noting how much people were seeking a spiritual, out of body, beyond physical experience. It was so surreal, was I really seeing what I did, or was it merely my imagination?
Suddenly the lights and music were cut, and even as cries of frustration and anger ripped through the air, the glass from the roof exploded. The cries turned to screams and both young men and women dropped to the floor, faces buried in their arms.
Out of the darkness above dropped men dressed in dark counter-terrorist fatigues. They slipped through the air, gloved hands sliding over the fly wires that were attached to something above, pistols aimed at anyone who moved around the room.
"FREEZE!" They cried, apparently in several languages, but I was far too pre-occupied to notice. "POLICE!"
In response I noticed several young men, all seated around a near by round table, reach into their jackets. There were all wearing dark suits and tie less white shirts. Immediately I realized who they were.
'This could get ugly' I thought, my mind flashing over the available options. I came to the conclusion that an all out gun fight could prove hazardous to the large number of innocent civilians in the room, so the question was really who to side with.
Well that much was obvious, as I did always believe in co-operating with the law, except, perhaps, when speed limits were concerned.
My hands flicked open as I activated the spring loaded throwing knife holsters beneath my jacket. In each hand three knives sprung into place and I them clutched between my fingers. With as little motion as possible I flung them at the men in black even as they ripped pistols from beneath their jackets. Two of the 8 doubled over, clutching at the blades embedded in their arms.
I realized that I'd need more knives.
Even as I threw the remaining blades in my right hand, pegging another 3 gangsters, the remaining few had unfortunately noticed me, and now their pistols were pointed in my direction.
"Oh snap," I breathed, slamming my foot down on a near by table as they fired. The table tipped on it's side, the long edge rising into the air to catch the bullets as they flew towards me and my friends.
"Get down!" I bellowed as I dropped to the floor.
As I looked up, the music had begun again and the table had tipped over, liquid was everywhere.
"Are you alright mate?" asked one of my friends, offering me a hand to help me up.
Laughing sheepishly, I smiled, "yeah, completely, didn't get any alcohol on me, really dodged a bullet there I guess."
They all laughed. Perhaps they were closer to getting drunk than I had thought.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
March 18th - Ambushed
It was a quiet night, the stiff and cool breeze from the harbor soothing to my skin and soul. I loved the feeling of wind in the darkness, especially when there was a good view to sit back and take in. Around me sat several friends, mates of mine from this new city, chilling out on the sea's edge; talking, dancing, taking photos. It was relaxed, it was still, it was awesome.
We had come out to celebrate a friend's birthday, a simple dinner at a near by restaurant followed by a casual stroll, a well rounded night.
As we walked back to the subway station I continued to enjoy the sensations, my thoughts dwelling on my life, the darkness around, and my friends. Granted I was engaged in conversation, talking gleefully about random and inane subjects, yet I was still taking the time to enjoy the peace that I missed.
We got on a walkalator, heading into a tunnel and I could suddenly feel a rush of coolness against my thin white cotton shirt. The air seemed to carry a touch of malice, and my senses prickled against an unforeseen threat. My silver amulet began to the tingle, going hot, then cold against my skin. Glancing around casually, I noticed that none of my friends could feel approaching danger. Was it merely my imagination?
Suddenly, without warning, globs of darkness began to drop from the tunnel's roof. As they feel, each began to coalesce into humonoid shapes.
It was unlikely that such beasts had good intentions for me and my friends; and as the girls in our group started to scream, I dropped my bag and ripped a sword out from beyond the fabric of space and time. The blade gleamed bright silver, 4 feet of solid steel, razor sharp and double edged. The hilt and guard were plain silver, wrapped in sturdy leather, a weapon made with purpose and without embellishment.
As the ambushers began to finish their transformations, I could see that they were covered in fur and black cloth, tusks jutting from their thick and protruding lower jaws. Their fists were wrapped around large scimitars that shone dully in the flickering light and their eyes glowed with a evil intelligence.
I charged, the world around me becoming a blur for a brief second as I flew across the ground in a single bound, my sword a trail of silver behind me. Even as I encountered the first beast, I ducked low and swung, barely feeling any resistance as my sword sheared through his mid section.
My soon to be vanquished opponent raised his muzzle to the sky and tried to howl, but all that came out was dark liquid. Slowly it crumpled to the ground, and then dissolved, back into the shadows from whence it came.
I slid to a stop, a good ten meters from where my friends crouched in fear. Advancing on them, either ignorant or uncaring of their friend's plight, five other creatures of darkness lumbered, seemingly intent on some ill will towards my friends.
Rage and laughter battled within me as I began to race towards them, wondering if indeed they merely underestimated my strength or honestly had missed what I had done to their comrade.
As my sword flashed again, this time it met steel, and as one the five turned on me. It had been a trap and like a proud fool I had fallen prey to such a simple lure.
Their dull blades leapt in, each intent on crushing my bones and ripping flesh to shreads. I began to dance among the blades, my own sword flicking in and out like a silver snake's tongue, whirling amongst the cauldron of death in a desperate bid to escape.
Blood began to flow from the numerous cuts that I had received, but also that I had inflicted. As I fought I could feel fear bubbling up within, but I was determined not to given in. Slowly I began to establish a rhythm to their attack.
With one last whirl I leapt straight up, turning a massive back flip and landing in crouch between the animals and my friends, sword held cross ways, barring them entry. Up ahead I could see that the escalator was reaching its destination, and some how I knew that when it did, these shades would vanish.
A vicious smile touched my lips as my five enemies looked behind them and cried out in fear, their squeals of anguish sending a shiver down my spine. With a sigh I slid my sword back into the nether from which I had summoned it, and watched as they vanished into the night. Slowly my cuts began to fade as my natural regeneration kicked in.
Immersed in my own thoughts and concentrating on the healing process, I missed the edge of the walkway and stumbled off the end.
"Josh, are you alright?" asked one of my friends, raising one eyebrow.
I looked down at myself, wondering if I had worn a white or red shirt that day, "No permanent damaged," I replied, shrugging without concern as we continued off into the night.
We had come out to celebrate a friend's birthday, a simple dinner at a near by restaurant followed by a casual stroll, a well rounded night.
As we walked back to the subway station I continued to enjoy the sensations, my thoughts dwelling on my life, the darkness around, and my friends. Granted I was engaged in conversation, talking gleefully about random and inane subjects, yet I was still taking the time to enjoy the peace that I missed.
We got on a walkalator, heading into a tunnel and I could suddenly feel a rush of coolness against my thin white cotton shirt. The air seemed to carry a touch of malice, and my senses prickled against an unforeseen threat. My silver amulet began to the tingle, going hot, then cold against my skin. Glancing around casually, I noticed that none of my friends could feel approaching danger. Was it merely my imagination?
Suddenly, without warning, globs of darkness began to drop from the tunnel's roof. As they feel, each began to coalesce into humonoid shapes.
It was unlikely that such beasts had good intentions for me and my friends; and as the girls in our group started to scream, I dropped my bag and ripped a sword out from beyond the fabric of space and time. The blade gleamed bright silver, 4 feet of solid steel, razor sharp and double edged. The hilt and guard were plain silver, wrapped in sturdy leather, a weapon made with purpose and without embellishment.
As the ambushers began to finish their transformations, I could see that they were covered in fur and black cloth, tusks jutting from their thick and protruding lower jaws. Their fists were wrapped around large scimitars that shone dully in the flickering light and their eyes glowed with a evil intelligence.
I charged, the world around me becoming a blur for a brief second as I flew across the ground in a single bound, my sword a trail of silver behind me. Even as I encountered the first beast, I ducked low and swung, barely feeling any resistance as my sword sheared through his mid section.
My soon to be vanquished opponent raised his muzzle to the sky and tried to howl, but all that came out was dark liquid. Slowly it crumpled to the ground, and then dissolved, back into the shadows from whence it came.
I slid to a stop, a good ten meters from where my friends crouched in fear. Advancing on them, either ignorant or uncaring of their friend's plight, five other creatures of darkness lumbered, seemingly intent on some ill will towards my friends.
Rage and laughter battled within me as I began to race towards them, wondering if indeed they merely underestimated my strength or honestly had missed what I had done to their comrade.
As my sword flashed again, this time it met steel, and as one the five turned on me. It had been a trap and like a proud fool I had fallen prey to such a simple lure.
Their dull blades leapt in, each intent on crushing my bones and ripping flesh to shreads. I began to dance among the blades, my own sword flicking in and out like a silver snake's tongue, whirling amongst the cauldron of death in a desperate bid to escape.
Blood began to flow from the numerous cuts that I had received, but also that I had inflicted. As I fought I could feel fear bubbling up within, but I was determined not to given in. Slowly I began to establish a rhythm to their attack.
With one last whirl I leapt straight up, turning a massive back flip and landing in crouch between the animals and my friends, sword held cross ways, barring them entry. Up ahead I could see that the escalator was reaching its destination, and some how I knew that when it did, these shades would vanish.
A vicious smile touched my lips as my five enemies looked behind them and cried out in fear, their squeals of anguish sending a shiver down my spine. With a sigh I slid my sword back into the nether from which I had summoned it, and watched as they vanished into the night. Slowly my cuts began to fade as my natural regeneration kicked in.
Immersed in my own thoughts and concentrating on the healing process, I missed the edge of the walkway and stumbled off the end.
"Josh, are you alright?" asked one of my friends, raising one eyebrow.
I looked down at myself, wondering if I had worn a white or red shirt that day, "No permanent damaged," I replied, shrugging without concern as we continued off into the night.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Imagine Reality
Hey there people who periodically read this blog. Just letting you know that there will be a bit of a change as I start posting up blogs and stories combined. Should be pretty cool. Might take up a bit of my time, but hey.
So, from now on, let's see what it's like to Imagine Reality.
So, from now on, let's see what it's like to Imagine Reality.
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