I apologize ahead of time. This post is significantly longer than my typical offering. The whole thing kind of flows together, and it just didn’t read the same way split up. Sorry!  — Shang Simla occupies a special place inside the hearts and minds of the Barimen family.   Luke’s trip here was not planned. Well, not entirely planned anyway. The idea had come to him after Desiree McAllister’s ghost suggested he speak with one of his ancestors. It is probably safe to assume that the arrangement did not actually require him travelling to China. The honest truth is that Luke has … Continue reading Chapter 8.12 – Lesson

When looking out from the top-floor breezeway, the sea stretches all the way out into the horizon.   There is nothing but water, as far as the eye can see. As huge as this mansion is, the sea could easy swallow it whole, and it would never be found. And it (the sea) is only just a small spot on the planet when viewed from space. Even the universe is just one paper-thin layer inside an infinitely complex system. And Kacey is out there, somewhere. The entity has reached out to her every night since the visit with Desiree McAllister. … Continue reading Chapter 8.11 – Progress

Luke stops reading when he hears Sandi’s breathing slow to a soft, whispering snore.   Poetry is not his first choice of reading material. But he knows Sandi well enough to understand that reading it to her satisfies the hopeless romantic within. Luke gently picks Sandi up off of the sofa and carries her to the guest suite, then covers her with a silk and down comforter. If you had asked him yesterday about their future together, he would have told you there was no future. But the answer would be quite a bit different at this point in time.   Honestly, he’ll … Continue reading Chapter 8.10 – Poetry

It is nearly morning before Luke emerges from the fissure, more confused now then ever before.   Knowing his parents will be frantic (his over-protective mother particularly so), Luke reaches out to her as soon as his phone shows a signal strong enough to carry the call. She had once told him that he could talk to her about any weird experiences he encounters. He had failed to mention his meeting with Bebe and Julian the night Grandma Faith died. He had also neglected to tell her about the ring, and the confrontation with Corwin’s spirit. In some way, Luke had … Continue reading Chapter 8.9 – Seed

She hangs like a delicate and pristine ornament in the alien sky, gracing it with her understated elegance and beauty.   She has traveled as far as one can travel in search of answers. Who is she? What is her purpose? What is she supposed to do?   But after decades of searching, it has become clear to her that there are no answers to those questions. Now she just feels lost. Perhaps she is intended to stay here, in this desolate void, to grow old as a reclusive hermit. It seems to be what she is best at. Besides, the times she has managed … Continue reading Chapter 8.?? – Garden

Reid Kimura had been a brilliant scientist, mathematician, and engineer. Under different circumstances, perhaps he could have been regarded as such. But things being as they are, he is remembered by those few who knew him, only for the disturbing evil he had committed. The others who did not know him, are left with the ponderous question asking what had happened to change the course of such a promising, young prodigy.    —   As a young boy, Reid had discovered a silvery-haired baby hidden inside Sunset Valley’s abandoned mine. She was alone and scared when he found her crying deep within the malevolently dark tunnels. Her … Continue reading Chapter 8.8 – Entity