Lemon-flavored poppy-seeded pearls crunch
Between the iridescent glint of my smile
As river beds are littered with glittering
Scales of a tumbling rich white sneeth.
Snollywaggs petter through the trempint forest
Hanging off of each piece of foliage
Are glossy globs of translucent orange marmalade
Going mitter mitter by the Trillow tree
Is the hollow ringing of an intrinsic song

Produced by the withering of an Old God
Laughter trickles into the billowing air as humble giants
Hunt for peace about the cherry orchard grove as
Woven mittens craft themselves onto wriggling fingers, poking in and out
Of unintentional holes found among its wearer’s
***** memories that seep out of the cracks
Flowing with a sticky flag stripped with dreams
Lingering in the shadows and meshing through

The confetti-covered walls. Hushing the clorgals
Raining down through the forest’s tangles
Is a weary process’s manifestation into a string of lights.
Black holes **** in another wonder
Towards the Nymph’s saddened stories
Whispered as a second century passes
Across the timpited marks along their skin
And into their mind that flies
Only to start the journey home again for the first time.

When will I be young?

I asked after mum’s story --


of her girlhood years.

a mystic queen of clouds
stirring her golden mixing ***.
arms reaching up in crowds,
heads and legs getting caught.
she fully douses the creatures
in the prismatic solutions,
giving them distinct features
and eccentric attributions.
one by one they climb the ladle,
making neat rows of eight
up on the big smokey table.
her tiny whispers seal their fate.
making hexes, casting spells.
her eyes satisfied yet sharp.
off you go! she gracefully yells
as her novice sounds the harp.
wings of glass burst out their backs.
the creatures scared of its source
yet they mindlessly grab an axe
their monarch has her faithful force.

As blood poured out of the shadow mantis body and onto the ground the sun rose to vanquish this horrible night. Alston stood there absolute still gripping the enchanted sword tight.  

Alston had small tremors course through his hands in an intermittent pattern like response.  The tremors soon faded away and his hands no longer shook. Courage had infected his blood and killed away the doubt and fear he had.  The blade gleamed crimson, blue and white. This came as a surprise to the young wizard. Such evocations cast upon weapons only last a few uses.  This blade however seems to retain the power.  " Alston, may I see the blade? " The young wizard ask the new warrior if he could observe his blade while all together ease his mind that everything is okay.  Alston then looked at the enchanted blade he carried about with him on their travels.  It had always been just a sword. Normal and nothing special. Just a weapon to carry about on travels for the little inexperienced protection he could provide with it. Only now it was an instrument of power.  An emblem of one's courage gained. Not only did this sword **** the shadow mantis but also carved out a new warrior inside of one whom wasn't. The young wizard understood this in a moment realizing why the sword has not lost its enchantment. For Alstom and the sword have ascended together. The young wizard then remembered what he had told Alston before the shadow mantis arrived. " Trust in yourself and then trust in the blade." The young wizard may have inadvertently invoked the spirit of this man, this father, and also invoked the sword and somehow bonded them together spiritually. Many invocations used by the lineage of wizardry are mostly discovered by accident.  This happens to be another moment.  Only the young wizard did not understand how it happened. It was quite difficult to remember every detail which is important by all measure.  The position of his staff, his stance, the tone of one's voice, and the emotion given.  So much was happening at the time there was no time to remember it all.  Perhaps just an early morning breakfast and the start of a journey together could render some lost memories.

Alston gave the enchanted blade to the young wizard with a smile as he walked toward his sleeping boys to wake them and start breakfast.  The young wizard held the enchanted blade and turned to Alston. " Your new blade needs a name."

Into the veil of the night, the young wizard had to reconnaissance that of which hunted them.  

With careful steps, the young wizard moved through the night toward the cracking of twigs.  He then felt a stone near his left foot as it had parked down from a quiet march forward.  He then lifted the stone and tossed it in a westerly direction toward the denser side of the forest. The stone did its job well, creating noises of false escapes. The hunter then revealed itself, trying to chase the noise down.  The young wizard then returned to camp.

Alston waited back at camp with the empowered frost and flame sword, ready to fight and doubting himself all at once.  The young wizard returned with a slight concern on his face, which Alston had not yet seen in his new friend.  They whispered in the dead night.

" It's a shadow mantis, a very large one.  Something is strange about it.  It does not look natural, nor does it want to hunt for small prey. It must stand at least 6-7 feet high.  We have to go for the head.  I will distract it with my staff. There is an invocation of light that I will use to draw it near me. It will be fixated on my light for a short moment until it realizes that I am holding the light. In that time, I need for you to do your wild swings on its legs from behind. As the shadow mantis falls, strike the head as hard as you can. Remember, I have invoked your blade with immense power. Trust in yourself and then trust in the blade. There is no time.  Ready yourself, Alston."

Alston readied himself with so many questions he wanted to ask the young wizard as well as himself. But the questions never came, nor did he know what to ask.  He then saw the young wizard walk forth holding his staff upright. " Luminis Sados."  The young wizards staff burn brightly in the night.  Like a small sunrise in the dark forest. Alston then heard the nightmarish scamper of the very large shadow mantis.  It stood over the young wizard with gleaming yellow eyes as it was in a small trance looking into the light. Alston knew it was time.  He gripped the enchanted sword with both hands and closed his eyes. He called courage and bravery from all places, but none of them answered. He then opened his eyes and saw his boys sleeping behind the young wizard. Courage then called, and Alston came in swinging at the legs of the entranced shadow mantis. With war screams or fear screams, Alston swung his blade. The blade gleamed white with frost, then red with fire as Alston swung the blade widely.   Burning and shattering the hind legs of the shadow mantis it fell on its side, screeching and unholy voice through the forest. Alston then spun around swinging the blade true through the head of the shadow mantis.  The screeching stopped, and black blood poured out of the headless body of the shadow mantis.