BEAUTY ALL AROUND US

clusterpod:

Mycena interrupta
Myrtle Forest, Collinsvale, Tasmania

Beauty can be found in
the most unusual places.
Beauty surrounds us each day.
It can take on many forms.
It can be a soft laugh.
The smell of a rain shower.
A dog wagging its tail.
We are surrounded by beauty
whether we are able to discern it or not.

The Cat & The Ducklings (Animal Odd Couples)

THE FULL MOON ON FRIDAY THE 13TH

hocuspocus13

Magickal Arts

Happy Friday The 13th AND Full Moon!

Posted on June 13, 2014 by hocuspocus13

Originally posted on A Little Bit Funny:

Today is an awesome day!
by Meg Scanlon
picture via americanlivewire.com

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 143

Linda was pulled into the deserted garden to face Wolf and his side-kick Hayden.

     However, Wolf didn’t seem the least bit focused on her, but troubled over something different. “I didn’t come here to play parlor games with you. I need you to convince Todd to join with us. He can never be human or accepted by them. He belongs with us! It makes more sense for him to stick with his own kind.”

     “He’s not like you in any way at all: he cares too deeply for people and is loyal to his friends. On the other hand, you and your kind enjoy killing too much and have no feelings whatsoever.”

     “Todd will never be accepted by humans or by his own kind! He will be an outcast with nowhere to go!” screamed Wolf.

     “Todd is human and will always be accepted by humans.”

     “Let’s kill her now, boss. She’s going to be trouble; I could take her away and no one will ever see her again,” urged Hayden.

     Oops, she did it again: her big mouth had now sealed her fate.

     Wolf strolled over to her with a wicked gleam surfacing in his eyes. “I have a much better use for her in the future. When she finally comes to her senses, she’ll realize that she will be better off with a real vampire with limitless powers than with a pathetic human. She’ll learn about intoxicating love and passion—not the games that humans play that pale in comparison. Here comes the human. Let her go for now.”

     Linda was horrified to find herself wrapped in Wolf’s strong, muscular arms. She became hypnotized by his black eyes and tempted by his deep voice. He seemed perfect in every way. Suddenly, she only wanted to be with him.

     “I’ll be back for you,” promised Wolf as he held her tight against him, whispering dangerously in her ear. ”I love the way you stand up to me with your flashing blue eyes. Soon you’ll be mine, my beautiful ice queen.”

     Linda couldn’t move; she was stuck in some kind of trance…she couldn’t leave or even want to leave if given the choice. His voice soothed her and made her think of love, passion, and great need: a need that could only be met by Wolf with his expert hands and mouth. She knew that one day she was going to be with him, to be joined with him.

     His mouth lowered onto hers, drawing her into a swirling miasma of unexpected feelings and desires. His mouth fully covering hers introduced her to a new realm of pure pleasure. His powerful form enveloped her, making her feel feelings that were foreign and untried for her. She couldn’t get enough of him. She tentatively began touching his face and then his body with an eager and unrelenting hunger.

     She didn’t know what she needed, but she knew that she wanted and desired this beautiful man standing right before her. Her past life was washed out of her mind, never to be considered again. She begged him to take her with him tonight. In response, Wolf lifted her in his arms—as if she weighed nothing—and turned to leave the party. His beautiful face looked victorious and happy. His black eyes filled with passion. She hoped that it was because of her. Then he looked down into her small face and gave a hearty roar.

     While Wolf carried her in his powerful arms, a dark shadow swooped out of the house and flew directly at them. Linda was knocked out of his strong grasp, while Wolf was thrown across the patio.

     She looked up to see who had attacked them. It was Todd, his eyes a deadly shade of green, standing there panting. Linda backed away in horror. His eyes clearing, Todd looked beseechingly at her. “Don’t ever be afraid of me! I’m here to protect you!”

     Then he was struck down by Wolf.

     They began circling each other like two wild animals. Todd thrust his whole body at Wolf, causing Wolf to lose his balance as they crashed together to the ground. Wolf violently pushed Todd aside and swiftly stood back up. He lunged at Todd, who neatly sidestepped his maneuver. Todd quickly retaliated by lifting him high up in the air and flinging him through one of the glass doors to the house. Wolf rose up, dusting glass off his clothing; bewildered that Todd had somehow bested him.

     He warned Todd, who stood before him, “We are not anywhere near finished, my dear friend. The next battle between us will be more private—without so many witnesses. If I were you, I would watch your back…and your pretty little girlfriend,” said Wolf as he stalked away with Hayden following close behind. Todd quickly followed.

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 134

WELCOME TO THE PARTY FROM HELL. NOTHING IS WHAT IT SEEMS.

     Linda noticed Shana, Mike, and David, whispering in a corner. She walked over to them. “Where did everyone vanish to?”

     Mike said, “After the clock finished chiming, the hill people disappeared—one by one, up the staircase. They didn’t say goodbye or anything, but just left.”

     Shana seemed to be excited about something. She had been waving her arms about during her whispered conversation with Mike and David. She had to be bursting with some new idea or scheme.

     “It is finally show time!” Shana announced. “I’m not waiting any longer for Sam to include me in his secret meetings and plans. We must follow them up the stairs and discover what they are planning tonight.”  She led them up the circular staircase.

     As they climbed the stairs, they peered through the clear glass to watch the diminishing party below. Where is everyone?

     The second floor was half the size of the main level. The back half was sectioned off behind a protective glass railing, with the railing running down the center of the house, dividing the floor into two equal halves. The front half was left wide open to the high ceiling, where the huge glass dome sparkled and glistened as it provided a green tinted window to the night sky.

     After Linda turned from the banister, she was faced with three closed doors, standing side by side. She’d heard about the three doors in the basement of End House and prayed that elaborate traps didn’t also await them here.

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 129

The party was full of strangers. Each one more beautiful than the next.

     Todd brought Linda over to a group of people standing by the tall windows overlooking the garden. She was first introduced to a blond-haired couple, both dressed in white: the man in a white tuxedo and the woman in a long white gown.

     “Linda, these are my close friends from England, Duke

Alan Rutherford and his wife, Duchess Amy Rutherford. They came in for Diane’s party—as did everyone else in this room.”

     The duke bowed to Linda while the duchess bowed her head in greeting. They held themselves stiff and erect like proper English nobility. The duchess displayed ruby jewelry around her elegant neck and wrists. Linda even noticed sparkling rubies nestled among the blonde strands of her long wavy hair.

     “You old fox, you finally found a woman that you could introduce to us,” the duke said as he nudged Todd with his elbow. The duke was tall and handsome with blond hair and dark-green eyes. He kept a watchful eye on all the guests: he was laughing with Todd, but his eyes never left the dance floor.

     While Todd grimaced in reply, the duchess walked over to Linda and whispered, “They are very old friends who love to tease each other…. Just ignore them.”

     Linda smiled at her in response. The duchess seemed to be very pleasant and cheerful.

     Next Todd led her to a dark-haired couple, who were standing off to the side, listening to their conversation.

     “Come meet Count Vladimir and Countess Leona Stravinsky. They are from Russia.”

     This remark brought a dark scowl to Vladimir’s face. At first Linda had found him scary, but now with the scowl he seemed positively terrifying. Vladimir and his wife had perfectly chiseled features, tall lean bodies, and luscious dark hair; but all their beauty didn’t at all improve upon their icy cold demeanors. Linda nodded hello and then moved back to the duchess.

     The last couple walked over to introduce themselves. The tall, broad-shouldered man spoke with a heavy accent. “We are happy to meet you. I am John von Strobe and this is my wife, Caroline. We have come from Romania.”

     The woman spoke with the same accent. “We are happy to meet a friend of Todd’s. We have known him for many years and have never before met any of his friends.”

     Linda said, “Thank you…I love your accents. Were you both born in Romania?”

     The woman smiled. “Yes…however, I was born to a farmer and John was born to nobility.”

     Linda was impressed. “Should I be bowing?”

     “Oh no!” said Caroline. “We are very down to earth people and expect no special treatment from our friends. No one ever calls us Baron or Baroness.”

     Linda hoped that she hadn’t insulted them. But they were still smiling at her. John had such a beautiful face, with blue eyes that sparkled mischievously, while his wife had gorgeous black hair and dark-blue eyes. What a beautiful couple.

THE DEAD GAME -- DAY 128

 

A strange party in a glass house. Linda felt lost among the guests, who were strange in their own ways.

     All of a sudden, Linda had a strange feeling that she was being stared at. She glanced around and was rewarded with a quick glimpse of Leanne standing behind a glass wall. She wore a severe-looking, long-sleeved black gown. It looked like she’d been watching them before she hid behind the green wall. A glass wall doesn’t hide too much.

     She watched Leanne make her way up the clear staircase. But maybe Leanne hadn’t been hiding: she could have been innocently climbing the stairs. Leanne was creepy. She was tall and skinny with long black hair, a serious look forever plastered on her long face. She was never seen laughing or smiling. In retrospect, she was hardly ever seen at all in town.

     Sounds of laughter flowed in from the entrance. She turned and noticed Reece standing in the middle of a group of ladies—all giggling and vying for his attention.

    He gave them equal attention. Maybe he wasn’t the recluse that people portrayed him to be. Reece was tall and ruggedly good-looking, but she couldn’t figure out his age. He had a full head of dark hair without any grey running through it. He could have easily picked any one of the beautiful women standing around him, but instead he chose a short and chubby brunette. She seemed to have a good sense of humor, since Linda could hear their laughter bubbling across the ballroom.

     Todd said, “Reece is a good person. I hope he finds someone to replace his wife, who died this past year.”

     “How did she die?”

     “She died from old age.”

     “How could that be? Reece doesn’t look old.”

     He didn’t answer, and she decided not to pursue it any further for now.