Winter
Jan 2nd
Winter is a strange season. It is freezing cold, filled with hatred and malice. It’s a season that wants to kill you and leave your bones to freeze in it’s icy embrace. However, for all it’s negatives, it has one interesting quality.
For, you see, when you walk out into the winter landscape, something begins to happen. It’s slow, almost unnoticeable, but it’s there. At first, you just notice that it seems a little quieter. The cars rushing by don’t grate on your nerves as much; the children yelling across the street are muffled by the cold. It gets quieter. And quieter. And if you’re surprised, or slightly frightened, you turn around . . . but the house is right behind you, and really there’s nothing to worry about. So you take another step, and another.
Then something even weirder begins to happen. Because now, things seem to slow down. The cars drive by slowly; the kids walk instead of run. It isn’t just the air freezing, or even just sound freezing. It’s time slowly being covered with ice. And as you realize this, you come to a certain point.
At that point the world stops.
You stand there for a second, looking around, and everything is quiet. Nothing comes to your ears. In fact, you could be the last person on earth, the only person on earth. It’s just so quiet . . .
It is at this point that many people turn back. Many people turn and quickly walk away from there, finding somewhere with noise and people. Because something inside them starts screaming. It doesn’t want to be alone like that. It doesn’t want to be cut-off. It is afraid that if there is no one there to confirm its existence, it will cease to exist. So they turn away and run to the safety of others.
But a few stay. They stay, and listen. Listen to the silence. The peace. And they take another step forward. And it intensifies, the feeling of solitude, until it feels like their body could simply disappear and it would change nothing. They would simply continue to exist, a being of mind and silence. For nothing there can disturb them, no errant noise or stray human, no unwanted visitor or unexpected interruption. And it seems perfect to them, to be alone, so alone, that they need not worry about ever meeting anyone ever again.
So which are you?
Programmer
Aug 21st
I am a sorceror, a mage. I know secrets that ordinary people couldn’t dream of, understand information which confounds all others. At night I study books of lore, memorizing formulas which give me more power. By day I work, writing spells and incantations, making ever greater works. I do things that astound the layman, perform miracles with a flick of my hand. I am an acolyte of Logic, an initiate in the Order of Data, a follower of Syntax. I am a Computer Programmer.
The March of the Dark Elves
Aug 2nd
In those days the Dark Elves marched to war, and none could stand in their path for they came with fell blades and dark magics to overthrow and destroy. They strapped on armor and sword, prepared fell magic and foul incantation, and placed on their heads helms tall and horrid, like crowns but with spikes about them. The most fell of these were the Iron Maidens, who wore masks or steel to cover their faces and many indeed wondered if in fact they were not Elves but monsters under their masks, such was their strength and cruelty. The Orcs who had first incited their fury quailed and many were slain in their mountain strongholds, for the Dark Elves knew many ways under the earth and thus came unhindered and unforeseen into the midst of them and slaughtered them. Then they looked upon the sun for the first time, and many screamed, the light scorching their eyes, while others fled back into the darkness of the caves to quench the pain. But the Dark Elves were driven by a fell purpose and swiftly they learned to march by night and shelter during the day and they they became accustomed to the light. In that time they first encountered the towns and villages of men, and they slaughtered the top dwellers in their fey anger. They marched on, heeding neither tree nor stone, blast and obliterating all that stood in their way. Soon they marched upon Cilgarel, the City of Stone, the great fortress of the Dwarves and Men, whose walls had never been breached and whose defenses had never been stormed. The tramp of their feet was like the sound of thunder and their eyes were like a thousand red flames. Storms followed in their train, blocking out the sun, and the hopes of the defenders faded. The Dark Elves attacked at midnight, and the Impenetrable City was thrown down, for the Dark Elves had with them master of magic who summoned meteors from heaven to destroy the walls and battle mages to force their way through. Greatest in the assault however were the Iron Maidens, and none could withstand their presence, so great was the fear of them. They marched through the city, leaving behind a trail of slaughter, while others fought. To the very Pinnacle they marched, a tower of stone held fast by the staunchest defenders, and there the fighting was furious. But at their approach all quailed, and many fled in panic, forgetting everything but the terrifying spectres behind them. They stood, staring at the tower, then as one they marched towards it. The great gates were broke asunder before them, and none then could stand against them. Thus Cilgarel was taken, the proud city of the north, and the Dark Elves satisfied in their vengeance. They returned to their underground cities and deep fortresses, there to plot and scheme until they next marched. And when the Dark Elves marched, the world shook.
Mothers
May 13th
Happy Birthday Mom!
}~{
Love is a decision,
a decision to do good,
to set aside yourself,
for others whom you love.
It holds no animosity,
or hatred oh so bitter,
but radiates the purest kindness
found upon this earth.
Now there is another name for this,
this innocent small thing.
It hides itself in humans dear,
they who are our mothers.
}~{
Fathers
May 1st
Dictionary.com defines “father” as “a male parent”. But I think there is so much more to it.
}~{
A father is someone who guides you through life.
Who is there for you when you need someone to be your champion.
Who makes the best decisions for you when you can’t.
And who makes you feel wanted.
He picks you up when you fall down,
dusts you off, and gets you to try one more time.
He works hard to make sure everything goes right.
He loves you enough to discipline you.
He teaches you everything he can.
Some people say that college is the biggest thing that affects your life,
but I say differently.
It is who your father is, whether he is good of bad.
A good father leads to a good life,
a bad father to a bad life.
And I think I am going to have an excellent life.
}~{
Happy Birthday Dad!
Alliance with a Monster
Apr 30th
My name is Elrick. And I may be doomed.
My city, Valestone, is only two miles from where I stand, at the top of a ridge between two valleys. It is also only three miles from the black army which is marching through the vale as I speak.
Sure, we have defenses. Walls of the hard Vale stone for which our city is named. A militia service, which includes not only me, but also my Father.
But what can we do against the trained army of destroyers coming for us? Trolls who can break through our walls, orcs who can cut through any sort of defense we might try to put up. We train in our spare time. They do this for a living. We number two hundred. They number in the tens of thousands. They have destroyed and pillages so many other villages, exactly like ours, so what chance do we stand?
Well, not exactly like ours. We do have one advantage. My dark alliance . . .
The town council was opposed to it from the start. They could not sanction such an action. But I went ahead with it anyway. Nearly got killed in the process, but what is that for the safety of the town? And I did get what I needed, but at what cost? I’m not sure yet . . .
The army is getting closer. Only half a mile now. I look up into the sky, but there is nothing in the bleak grayness above me. I glance towards the army. They’ve seen me, some of them are charging towards me with bloodthirsty cries, weapons lifted. I look up again, and . . . there is something. Off in the distance between mountains I can see an occasional flash of red flitting through the mountains. Maybe he really will come . . .
The first orc is approaching me. I grip my ash longbow in one hand, swiftly let an arrow fly. Thuck! One dead. Ten thousand more to go. My arrows begin to fly as I try to hold them off long enough for . . . him.
A concussive blast rends the valley, as if from some huge blast of thunder. The army looks up, mystified, but soon continue to march on. Another one is heard, then another and another, but by now the orcs seem used to it. And I am out of arrows. One charges toward me, crude spear raised above his head, ready for the kill, when . . .
An earthshaking roar blasts through the valley, followed by perhaps the most terrifying sight these beings would ever see. A gargantuan reptilian body, covered in gleaming blood red scales, shoots over at an awesome speed. Suddenly a pair of huge bat-like wings snap open and the creature wheels about. He makes another pass, and this time they can see the glowing yellow eyes with snakelike pupils fixed on them, filled with anger. On the third pass he lands, his feet as large as a troll. He easily crushes the orc who was about to kill me, and sends another flying with a sweep of his tail. This is Malstryx, the Red Rage, an ancient red dragon with enough power to destroy a continent. Or an army.
For a second he stands there, looking like an incarnation of bestial rage, terrifying in his awful majesty. He looks regal, despite being a dragon. Then he turns his head ever so slightly, and with a snap of the bony edges of his eyelids he winks at me. He swiftly turns back to the orcs, but it reassures me. Maybe.
“Do you know me, pathetic creature?” His voice booms across the valley, filled with dread rage and power. “I am Malstryx, the Red Rage, anger incarnate! And you are interfering in my territory! So now, you will learn the meaning of rage at my claws!” And with this he leaps forward.
It is no contest. The first blast of his fiery breath, which is so bright it temporarily blinds me, reduces a fourth of the army to ashes. Somehow a few of the archers fire, but the arrows bounce off of his scaly hide. He doesn’t even notice them, instead charging through several battalions, like some gargantuan red juggernaut. Several trolls gang up on him, all swinging huge axes at once, but he kills them all with a sweep of his tail. Still, they drew blood, which just seems to make him more angry. Another blast of white fire destroys most of what was left. With a few more sweeps of his tail, claws, and teeth, the rest are dead. Not a single thing is left moving in the valley besides the red destroyer.
He turns, his eyes level with mine on the hill and smiles wickedly, showing his sword-like teeth. “That was fun. Now, about paying me . . .
Knowledge
Apr 29th
Knowledge is a light that illuminates the darkness of the unknown.
Knowledge is a sword that cuts through the monster of fear.
Knowledge is a medicine that dispels the illness of doubt.
Knowledge is a candle that shows the right path to take.
Knowledge is a mirror that helps us explain ourselves.
Knowledge is a crystal ball that can predict the future.
Knowledge is an ancient text that shows us the mistakes of the past.
Knowledge is a road sign that directs us in the here and now.
Knowledge is a skill that slowly grows as we grow.
Knowledge is a helper that is with us all though life.
Awareness, Intellect, Information, Perception, Thought, Cognition, Dogma, Lore.
All of it is Knowledge.
The Ides of March
Apr 7th
Hey, I’m back! Sorry, it has been a long time, but with several other things happening, I had to push this to the back of my mind. Now, thanks to the continued insistence of my mother, I am going to write again.
Just a little background: I love the Romans and the Latin language. My favorite is Caesar, followed closely by Augustus and Cicero. So I am going to write about them, especially Caesar. You see, March 15th is the day he died, and this is sort of tribute. A little late, but better than never.
Without further ado, the story.
*****
I know no fear. Why should I? I am Caesar.
In fact, I have never known fear. I did not fear the snake that crept into my crib as a babe. I made it a plaything. I did not fear the pirates who abducted me. Ha. They were weak-minded to start with. I was soon more their leader than their prisoner. I did not fear the Galls. Where are their leaders now, that they may challenge me? Vercingetorix himself was paraded at my triumph. And where is my friend Pompeii? Oh, truly I grieve for him, but I never feared him.
Who can challenge me? I am the dictator of the Roman Empire! I am the most powerful man in the world. I have outwitted, outmaneuvered, outfought all who challenged me. I am Caesar. Vere veni, vidi, vici.
I walk through the streets of our City, Rome, on it’s seven hills. It is beautiful, with the pale morning light washing over it. The stone seems to glow with an almost ethereal light as I stride past. And, oh how sweet, this is mine! My City, lively with rebuilding. To long have corrupt politicians stood by and let it fall into ruin. Honest farmers and soldiers left with no work or money while the corpulent old men grow even more so on their labors.
But I am changing that. Like the Graachi brothers, I fight for the common people. I give them land. I give them food. I give them work. After all, they are the ones who hold true influence right now. Let those doddering senators say what they may, the plebs are really in control.
I quicken my pace. Cassius’ letter sounded somewhat urgent. But I slow down as I approach the Forum. This place still commands my reverence.
I remember standing here, as a boy, with my father. It is one of the few memories I have of the man. We were standing, listening to a series of announcements on something I do not remember, when my father turned to me. He took my hand, and led me through the crowd, right to where the Twelve Tables stand. Then he pointed up and said, “No matter what you do with your life, Caesar, remember this: these words in stone are to here to guide you.”
His words have stayed with me. Whenever I have a decision that I cannot seem to make, I come and stand here and read. Not to find an answer, the stones do not do that for me, but, they do seem to convey something. Maybe it is the wisdom of their authors. Maybe an aura of knowledge and order. Maybe the change of scenery just helps me think. Whatever it is, I always can make my decisions with a clear head after that.
Enough time. I hurry on towards the Senate. It is a large building, but it is not overly ornate. It is practical, a feature of all our engineering. It serves its purpose, and that is all it needs to do.
I hasten up the stairs, pause for a moment to straighten my robe, then step inside. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. When they do, I see Cassius and several other standing in a circle, staring hard at me. And, ah, there is Brutus. My son really, since I do not have my own. I even put him into my will, after Octavian only in line for the inheritance.
I step forward, an notice how quiet it is. There is this strange ring of senators standing in front of me, with the rest sitting in their places, with not a word being said by any of them. Suspicion pricks her fingers at me, and I start to wonder if . . . but no. Brutus is among them, and he would not conspire against me.
I take another step forward and clear my throat. “What did you wish to speak to me about Cassius?” The man stares at me for a long moment, and a cruel smile forms slowly across his face. “Just this.” he murmurs and pulls forth a pugio, the same sort of dagger a soldier might carry, and then charges with a yell of “for Rome!”
Now, Cassius is no soldier, while I have been out campaigning for the last several years. I block his clumsy stab easily. And the next senator who comes at me, I think it is Casca. If I can simply hold them off long enough . . .
Another one comes at me. And it is Brutus. My own son, betraying me?! I stare at him as he moves, as if in slow motion. I have all the time I want to make sure his stroke does not fall.
But why should I? If I cannot trust my own son, who can I trust? The knife finds its mark. It hurts, but not as much as his betrayal. The others crowd around now, vainly stabbing at me. I only see Brutus. We stare at each other. “Et tu, Brute, mihi fili? Tum incide Caesar.” And everything slowly goes dark.
But, even then, I am not afraid. No, I hurt too much to be afraid.
*****
Well, I’m not sure if I like it. Might do another version. But this will have to do for now. Tell me what you think.
Tea is Good
Dec 20th
Okay, this post has a point. My little brother has been publishing some evil stories about tea. He says that it is a monster, which it is not. Therefore, I am publishing this story as retaliation. You can read the original, FAKE, story here.
The Tea Hero
Once upon a time, in a land far, far, away, there lived a horrendous hot chocolate monster named (cough, cough, BENJAMIN, cough) Choc. Choc was a horrid creature, made of chocolate and mold and slime. He would terrorize the people of the nearby towns, searching for victims. He stood ten feet tall and had only one eye. He was very bad.
One day, a wandering elf named (cough, cough, ME, cough) Armith came to the towns which Choc habitually terrorized. When he learned of the horrors the townspeople endured at the hands of the monster, he vowed to find and slay the beast. Traveling to the mountain where Choc lived, he prepared himself for the battle by sharpening his sword, rubbing tea leaves into the sword for extra potency, then enjoying a nice cup of Earl Gray Tea.
In the meantime, Choc had smelt the wonderful scent of tea brewing. It infuriated him. He charged down the mountain, wielding a huge mace of chocolate. Armith sat calmly, taking another sip of tea. Choc let out an unearthly howl, and tripped. Armith smiled slightly and continued drinking his tea. While Choc struggled to get up, tripping over his own club several times, Armith calmly finished, gazed into the bottom of the cup, deciding it would be better not to have a second cup just now, then packed up his supplies. He picked up his sword with a casual air and strode forward to finish Choc off.
Choc had finally managed to regain his feet, and actually keep them without tripping again. He screeched and charged, his mace raised high above his head. Armith sidestepped, throwing Choc off balance. Before he could swing the mace again, Armith had leapt up his arm, ran swiftly to his head, made a quick chop, then jumped back off, landing in an easy roll. Choc, roared in pain, still not knowing what had hit him. Not being very intelligent, he glared about him, trying to locate the pesky, tea-wielding elf. Armith whistled, making Choc quickly turn his head. With a roar of rage, he brought his mace down on Armith, who blocked with his sword. The tea in the sword actually chopped through the mace, leaving Choc with a shorn off stump. Before he could even register the thought, Armith dispatched him with a quick stab. He then sat down for another cup of tea.
Moral: Tea is good.
Some VERY Interesting Stories
Nov 7th
Greetings whoever is reading this.
Okay, so, a while ago, my family had another blog, for a reason that would take to long to explain here. The main point is that I wrote some amusing stories for that blog, that I thought you might enjoy seeing. Here they are.
NOTE: In the story, I have the power of telekinesis, just so you know.
Note: Pancake Mix may have Explosives in it.
I have an itinerary this time. Here it is.
1. Tell about title.
2. Tell story related to title.
3. Have some random babbling so that you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth.
4. End post.
Note to self: I need to be less organized.
Okay. Number 1. The title, if you have not already guessed, is rather peculiar. I don’t know what planet or alternate dimension you may be from but, but where I come from, exploding pancakes are not normal (although, in all honesty, the dimension I come from does not have pancakes at all so I guess I’m safe.). However, for whatever reason, Luke and Ben decided to make naturally explosive pancake mix. Do not ask me to explain the twisted, conniving, and just general all around craziness of my brothers. I, as a perfectly sane individual, do not know the inner workings of their minds (which I must say resemble gears to a degree, turning and grinding around and around and around and around and . . . I’m getting slightly seasick here.).
There is a story in this. I think. I know there is. I just forgot it.
Whatever.
Well, now what do we do? Or I do?
I guess I will just have to tell you about this evening, when I learned of thier dastardly plot. ( I always spell their wrong. Look at the spellings. Their is spelled t-h-i-e-r. Or is it t-h-e-i-r? . . . )
Anyway, This is how it happened. Dad and I had just finished playing our Age of Empires game (We finally beat them. It took forever and me killing 1204 enemy units, but we beat them.). We hadn’t had supper yet (We meaning me, my Dad, and my Brothers, Mom had already eaten out with Grandma.) so we started preparing pancakes for dinner. Somehow Luke let it slip that the pancake might explode under extreme heat. At that point, I, who really didn’t want to ingest something that might blow me to kingdom come, did the whole levitate the stove over the head thing, demanding to know what his plan was. He then morphed into a tiger.
Since WHEN could he do THAT!?!? HELP!!!
Okay, I have a grip on myself. Little flashback there.
Don’t worry I didn’t beat them up to badly (Oh yeah, did I mention that Benny had changed into a gargantuan BAT!). Okay, so maybe I was a little outmatched. I did throw several of the kitchen appliances at them and then ran out the door. Or, rather, I exploded the wall of the house and RAN. YIPES! Luke hadn’t even been phased by being hit in the face with a refrigerator. And Benny had easily dodged the microwave I had sent at him.
I ran out the side of the house, careened around a corner, leapt the fence (Actually I used my power to levitate over), and flew out of there (literally in my case.).
Benny was still after me so I decided to play a fast trick to slow him down. I screamed and pointed at the ground. He fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. BAM! I hit him in the face with a large rock and as he spiraled down to the ground I made good my escape.
Until Luke caught me. In my concentration on Benjamin I had failed to notice how low to the ground I was getting. To cut a long and somewhat annoying chase short, (I kept throwing trees at him and he kept shrugging it off. Not even most of the St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran School coming down on his head made him lie down for long.) I am now holed up in a place where neither one can get at me. If you could please send maybe half the United States Air Force I would be much obliged. A few lanterns would be helpful to as it is dark where I am holed up and I keep stubbing my toe.
Sincerely until next time (If there is a next time)(If I survive this)(That is way to many ifs for my liking),
Stanley.
(Probably the only one who stands between you and a world full of exploding pancakes.)
Okay, so that was the first one. The second one has me, with extreme magical powers and pretty good hand to hand combat skills to boot.
Which leads to my second point, which is the story about the mechanized zombie ninjas. (Listen, I hope your not offended, but from now on I am going to refer to the mechanized zombie ninjas as MZNs using the first letter of each word. The s is not part of the abbreviation. It just signifies a plural. MZNs stands for multiple mechanized zombie ninjas.)
You may remember that a while ago Mom put a post up about her visit to Wal-Mart with me. Well, she might not know it, but during that trip I was fighting off a fierce assault of MZNs. If you ask her however she will deny anything happened. I am that good.
It all started with the fierce enmity that exists between me and Wal-Mart. I have, on occasion, blown up a Wal-Mart or two. (In fact, my escape from Luke and Ben last night involved an exploding national monument, although I won’t say which one. Let’s just say that the president had better have some really good home insurance.) So I am not exactly on good terms with Wal-Mart. Or a bunch of other rather important organizations for that matter. (Pennys, Apple, Best Buy, and Burger King spring to mind.)
So you may be wondering why Wal-Mart is equipped with MZNs anyway. Well, the truth is that Wal- Mart is a world spanning empire more powerful then McDonalds. If you don’t think that is scary, than think about this. I am sure that you have heard, somewhere about, an odd little bit of gossip to the effect that there is a McDonalds in every country in the world? Well factor in the fact that the owner of McDonalds, Jim Skinner (Look it up, he truly is in charge of McDonalds.) wants to take over the world and try to not be too scared. I mean, think about it. They disperse mind controlling food. Everyone eats from a McDonalds at some point or another. And presto, McDonalds now owns the world. I have had to stop a plan exactly like that.
So now that I have explained sufficiently, we get down to the nitty gritty. I suggest that any children, or those with, Technophobia, Astraphobia, Heliophobia, Phonophobia, Necrophobia, Nyctophobia, Panphobia, Phasmphobia, Pyrophobia, Nomophobia, or Phobophobia leave the room. And if you are plain just simply scared out of your wits easily, you should leave as well. (By, the way, I suggest you look up all those phobias, they are quite interesting some of them.)
Everyone gone who couldn’t stand the fear? Good. Okay, here go’s nothing.
Okay, we were walking into Wal-Mart. I was on full alert, knowing that I probably had quite a few enemies here. As soon as possible I made an excuse and went out on patrol for any and all dangers that might dare to attack us. This was a gargantuan mistake. As soon as I moved away from Mom MZNs started raining down on me. Sigh. IT WAS ONLY 19 USELESS STORES! COULDN’T YOU GIVE ME A BREAK!
Well, I can tell you, if you offend the wrong people you can get in some really big trouble. Sigh. Not a moment of peace.
Back to the action. As soon as I saw the MZNs coming at me I knew I was in trouble. which means I fought as hard as I could. I wasn’t about to back down for some scrawny bunch of iron bolts, rusty gears, and fake dead skin. Hah! No way! Although there were a lot of them . . .
I charged them. A swift karate chop, spin kick and a few decisive punches and I was running through the middle of them. Hah! Once again, this was going to be easy. Just like old times.
Which is when they ambushed me. Sigh. They were getting smarter. Wal-Mart must have upgraded their programming. No problem though. “Ignis!” I cried and a pillar of flame launched itself from my hands and right at my assailants. They ran as fast as they could, away from me too, which was the important part.
I started running again, hoping they hadn’t set up another ambush. At this point more MZNs appeared throwing shurikens (If you don’t know what those are I suggest you look it up. I will simply say here that they can be thrown at an enemy and that they hurt. I know. Mainly from personal experience.) and I had to scramble out of the way. Backflipping as quickly as I could to avoid the deadly weapons, I put my amazing dexterity to use. I reached up and with surprising ease I grabbed a shuriken right out of the air and slung it right back at them. Halfway there, it changed direction and slammed into one of the MZNs full force. Before the other one could react I hit him with a bolt of lightning and ran, leaving them both lying on the floor with a cloud of static electricity buzzing angrily around them.
At this point I had to report back to Mom, so I walked with her for a while, catching my breath and keeping a desperate, vigilant, and worried watch. They might grow bold and try to attack again. Since I didn’t want Mom involved I made another excuse to her and nervously paced away.
I was prepared this time however and Mom said that she was approximately 1/4 done so I wasn’t too worried. Sort of. Not really. Okay, so it was a lie. I was incredibly worried, but this time I had a good spell prepared and I was on the lookout now so hopefully things wouldn’t go to badly.
These MZNs are amazingly punctual and predictable. As if I had told them to, they showed up in droves.
I proceeded to rip them to shreds.
A sound like a thunder-clap emanated from me, a solid wall of force following soon after sending several of them flying into walls and other rather unyielding objects. One jumped from the shelves and got in a lucky punch to my jaw before I managed to send him on a short glide to join his friends. I then erected a wall of solid wind around me to protect me while I got this next spell ready. As I yelled the last syllable, the ground began to shake and tremble and before any of the MZNs got what was going on several rows of shelves fell on them, flattening them. To bad for them.
Then it started going bad for me. They ganged up on me, sending a group of 4 in at a time and as soon as I was done with them another group moved in to take their place, giving me no time to rest. I was being forced to fight them hand to hand and while I could beat up any ordinary human, these things weren’t even remotely human. They were robots and stronger than me by a long shot. As attested to by my numerous bruises and broken bones.
To be frank, I was hurting pretty badly and had no choice save to use one of my most powerful spells. All it took was one word and I would win. “Intermitto” I whispered and every enemy stopped dead in their tracks. Very casually I walked over, brushed my fingers along the face of one, and watched as it fell to the ground. Hmm, the spell worked wonderfully.
I spent the rest of the night helping Mom shop. (And very helpfully getting anything in aisle 8 where all the MZNs were frozen.) We were not bothered anymore and I enjoyed not getting beat up quite a lot.
When we got home however I experienced such an energy drain I was certain I had been poisoned and was dying. After determining that there was nothing to do but sleep I lay down in bed at around 7 and did not wake up till 10. I still have not fully recovered and I just managed to get the energy together to post this.
Sincerely
An extremely exhausted Stanley.
Hope you enjoyed.
Stanley.