OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN --- THE DEAD GAME ---PART 10

Take me to the forest.
Please show me the way.
I need to find the house,
Where the evil play.

Their games have us all trapped.
They have us in a bind.
We must release our shackles
Before it's hell we find.

The earth is giving away.
I'm slowly sinking into the ground.
To a god I must now pray.
I will soon be lost and never found.

My arms reach out to the sky above.
Nothing is there but green mist and fog.
I need help to get out of this mess.
I'm sinking into the squishy bog.

THE DEAD GAME

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN --- THE DEAD GAME --- PART 9

The house is evil.
Its windows like eyes
That watch our every move.
Its doors like arms
That try to hold us in.
 
We've come this far.
We cannot give up.
An easy escape this is not.
There's no going back now.

A steep staircase waits for no one,
Its wooden railing broken and useless.
A throbbing sea waits for them below.
More victims to bob on its choppy waves.

Louise is determined to overcome the odds.
She cannot wait for Mike and David. 
Time has almost run out.
She tries the first step with her foot.
It creaks and crumbles away.

The winds kick up their legs
In their nightly dance.
They howl in glee
As the music picks up its pace.

The house intensifies its attacks.
With the winds
Come flying creatures.
Creatures from hell
With murder in their yellow eyes.

Louise feels talons pulling on her hair.
Shrieks fill the night sky.
They have no choice but down.
A cloud of darkness descends,
Its claws ready to grab hold of her.

She jumps over the first step.
The second one holds her weight.
Down she goes into the night.
The fog hides the remaining stairs.
But down she goes,
For she has no other choice.

Cries from her friends
Follow her in the darkness
Until she hits rock bottom.
Soft sand cushions her fall.

Time is running out.
She must make it back to town.
Leaving her friends,
She flees for her life.

THE DEAD GAME

 

 

OUR GAMES HAVE BEGUN --- THE DEAD GAME PART 8

The night is here.
Waves are lapping.
Dark blue ink creeping to shore.
Will I weather this storm?
Stand strong like the lone tree?

Flapping sounds fill the air.
Black spots cover the night sky.
Have they come for me?
For the town?

Waves hit me in the face.
The sand pulls me deeper.
The tree begins to bend.
I must go.

Shrieks echo in the wind.
Black feathers fly in the humid air.
Beaks pointing downward.
I must hide.

The trees call to me.
I will go to them.
They will hide me.
I must run faster.

Almost there.
A gazebo in the fog.
A noose hanging.
A body flapping in the wind.
The park can't offer me safety.
Nowhere can.

THE DEAD GAME

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN -- THE DEAD GAME -- PART 7

A party in the town of Oasis.
An elegant house.
Armed guards at the front door. 
The property lit by sparkling lights.
Snow flakes falling in the warm Florida weather. 
An unusual party in an unusual town.

The ball room's glass walls mirror the guests
Twirling among an army of glass figures.
Linda hesitates near a statue of a weeping woman.
Wet tears flow down her cheeks.
She's tempted to touch the woman's face.
Instead, she pulls Todd away from the sad sight.

The grandfather clock chimes midnight.
The dancers stand frozen
Until the last chime
Rings off in the distance.
The music begins again.
Dancing resumes.

How strange.
What was that about?
And those statues.
Are people frozen inside?
Linda turns to speak to Todd.
He's gone.
She's left standing alone among the statues.

Huddled in a corner are her friends.
Shana is ready to take action.
"Everyone has disappeared upstairs.
We should follow them
And find out what they're hiding."

The glass staircase gives them
A perfect view of the diminishing party below.
Three closed doors stand waiting for them.
The middle one offers them a tropical paradise.
Chirping birds.
Marmoset monkeys hanging from trees.
  
An illusion or not.

THE DEAD GAME

 

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN -- THE DEAD GAME -- PART 6

Another day in Oasis, Florida.
Another perfect day.
A party at the desolate End House
Leaves two party members missing
And the rest fleeing for their lives.

The Sheriff sits alone in his office,
Waiting for word about the party.
No phone calls.
And no deputy.
A deputy gone missing when needed most.

Louise runs ahead of Mike and David,
Down the treacherous back steps of End House.
Steep steps offering a long drop into the ocean.
The beach offers its own obstacles.
Swirling masses of sand hit her in the face.
Almost blinded, she makes it to the gazebo in the park.

Why has she come here?
Better to have gone straight to the Sheriff.
But something is pulling her forward.
Not a thing but an invisible force.
She feels like a puppet on a string,
Being controlled by a malevolent puppet master.

A noose hangs in the gazebo,
Swaying in the quickening breeze.
Who put it there?
Maybe by those hooded creatures,
Who are circling the gazebo and chanting.

"More games.
I hate games.
But even more,
I hate The Dead.
I refuse to join in the fun.

"Wait!
How did I get up here?
The noose is around my neck!
And those creatures are leering at me.
The leader has a deep voice that sounds familiar.
Could they be human?
Oh no! Now I recognize one of them.
But it's too late for me.
And too late for the town."

THE DEAD GAME

PURPLE HOT ANGER

PURPLE HOT ANGER

The sky flashes its purple hot wrath
Amidst flashes of white lights,
Reflected below on the silvery surface.
In shades of blues and purples.
How can I replicate this beauty?
How can I capture it in a picture?
I can’t.
Captured is only a glimpse of the fury.
A quick shot of its hot anger.
Don’t look away
For soon it will gone
By the clouds eager to take its place.

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN --- PART V

Linda lifts her face to the night sky.
The clouds part to reveal the light of the moon.
A light reserved for night creatures.
Footsteps echo behind her on the deserted walkway.
Sand from the beach swirls in mounds around her.
Laughter floats in the wind.

"Will I make it home in time?
I should never have taken a walk alone at night."
Head down, racing down the path,
She doesn't see the shadow detaching itself
From the trees flailing in the wind.
Into its waiting arms she flies.

"What the hell are you doing here?"
Linda looks up to come face to face with Todd.
He holds her steady against the wind's increasing fury.
"I'm just taking a walk."
She refuses to let him berate her or tell her what to do.

"The town isn't safe at night.
I will walk you home."
His dark eyes tear through her.
She isn't afraid of him.
Or is she?

THE DEAD GAME

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN --- PART 1V

Linda runs out from the Town Hall 
To find sunshine beating down on the sand. 
Birds are once again flying overhead.
Happy cries fill the blue sky.

The sun resumes its regal position.
The winds retreat as one,
Dragging their tails between their legs.
The palm trees stop their mad dance
To bend softly in the sea breeze.

"Are we finally safe?
The Dead must still be here,
Somewhere close.
I can still feel them.
But they won't win.
They can't!" 

Her friends walk down the steps of the battered Town Hall,
Climbing over fallen bricks and dead creatures.
No more cries of flying creatures.
Only the sounds of leaves shuffling in the breeze.

Linda is proud of her town and her friends.
With the help of The Watchers, human vampires,
And Father John, victory will soon be theirs.
Tears stream down her face.

They are safe.
This is all that matters to her.
Worrying about the future could wait for tomorrow.
Today is a day for thankfulness.
All is well.
All are safe.
The church bells gong in the distance.
Tomorrow will be a new day.

 THE DEAD GAME

 

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN ----- PART 3

"Hail is raining down from the sky!
Hell is reigning down from above!"
Linda races through the pummeled streets,
Dodging pieces of roof tops and garbage cans.

"How could this be happening?
The sun was out just minutes ago.
I smell fire.
My skin feels burning hot."

Her feet slow to a stop.
Linda lifts her head to the black sky.
Flames are shooting out of the church.
Red hot flames with swirls of yellow and orange.

Cries of horror float in the air around her.
Shrieks and moans that are lifted in the rising winds.
She turns around in a circle,
Desperate to locate the source.

"It's coming from the Town Hall!"
I knew it!
Everybody has to be there.
Please god let them be there."

The cries rise in intensity
With each footstep.
The front doors are open.
Darkness beckons from within.

The sight inside knocks the breathe from her lungs.
Flying creatures are circling her friends.
Creatures with furry bodies and human faces.
One swoops down and lifts Shana up to the ceiling.

"The Dead are here.
What should I do?
Wait! Father John is chanting.
Will he be able to save us?"

THE DEAD GAME

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN -- PART 2

"Why has the town turned so dark?
I must find my friends.
But where could everyone be hiding?
The lights are on but the stores are empty.
We're definitely in trouble this time.
The Dead aren't going to play fair.
They're determined to destroy us,
But we are just as determined. 
First, I must find Shana.
She'll know what to do.
She always has a plan."
The wind follows Linda down the side streets.
It is becoming impatient with her,
Whipping her hair around her face.
Colors explode around her.
She turns to find the Town Hall on fire.
"Could this be where everyone is hiding?
I must find The Watchers, Father John, and--"
An explosion rocks the town.
Bricks fall from crumbling walls.
"Am I too late?"

THE DEAD GAME

OUR GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN

"I leave the storefronts behind,
With their pastel colors and shiny windows.
Windows eager to let in the famous Oasis sunlight.
I want to reach the beach.
I want to leave work and troubles behind me.
The sand will trickle through my toes.
The sea breeze will propel me forward
To the every-waiting, omniscient ocean.
The waves dance and writhe in their demented dance.
A dance growing wilder and wilder by the minute.
I feel their salty sweat on my face.
The trees join in,
Flapping their branches as if trying to hold hands.
The wind follows last with a rage of its own.
It torments the water and the trees
Until leaves are flying free
And waves are attacking the shore.
Why is this happening?
I should go back to town.
The town behind me is being plummeted.
Roof tops are flying through the air.
Glass crunches beneath my feet.
Windows hang broken and twisted.
The saddest sight is the church.
The once white church stands charcoal black
In the midst of its debris.
A day gone terribly wrong.
Whose fault is it?
The creatures who visit our town at night.
They are determined to destroy each and every one of us.
Are they demons or humans?
Who knows?
Oasis will never be safe unless these evil ones are annihilated.
We must save our town.
I have friends who will help me.
There are those who doubt our wisdom and abilities.
But we will clean out the riffraff from town.
Don't get in our way or you might join the garbage."
Linda turns to find her friends.
Our games have just begun.

THE DEAD GAME

A MEMORY

"Take a long walk on a short pier"
was my father's favorite line.
Assuming he wanted to get rid of me,
I walked away.
Hurt.
We weren’t close.
We never talked.
But he could have been sharing with me.
His love of the sea.
A Marine in World War II,
he loved boats and the sea.
Now when I look at the ocean,
I think of him.

MY PERFECT FANTASY

I walk through the soft sand.
Dip my toes into the ocean.
The cold water soothes me.
The sun hits my face.
The salty breeze ruffles my hair.
A perfect paradise.
Until I feel the pressure.
A hand tugs my leg.
It’s time to leave my perfect fantasy.
Life has a way of interfering.
A demon rises from the ocean.
Clothing drips from its fingers.
I know what it is.
It’s the demon of laundry.
An ever-present and growing demon.
Will a stack of dishes be next?
Goodbye demons.
I’m going back to my fantasy.
I see dolphins swimming by the shore.
See you later.

WOE IS THE WORD

Woe is the word that can best describe a room such as this.
A room left to decay without concern or tribute.
A room full of books left unnoticed and uncared for.
Woe is the day when such a deed becomes common place.
For books need to be revered and touched daily.
They need to be cherished and loved.
Woe describes a world where the written word is secondary.
Secondary to silly movies and TV shows.
Secondary to reality stars.
Woe is the feeling in my heart as I look at this room.
I want to pick up all the papers from the floor.
But what is the use if no one cares?

THE CARNIVAL OF NIGHTMARES

I open my eyes.
I find myself at a carnival.
A clown chases me into a tent.
Mirrors surround me.
My reflections stare back at me.
Is this real?
Or am I in a nightmare?
A nightmare of my own making?
I need to get back.
Back to End House.
The haunted house in the woods.
I’m in a dark room.
I can’t feel the walls.
The floor is wet.
A mirror is looming ahead.
I touch it.
My hand flows right through.
My body soon follows.
I’m in End House.
Or in a house resembling it.
Time to go down to the basement.
That’s where I was going.
Wasn’t I?
The basement is dark.
What happened to the light bulb?
The floor begins to turn.
I can’t get off.
Then I hear the laughter.
“I’m back.”


THE DEAD GAME
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