The black night has always been the most spectacular canvas. It’s inspired so many artists perhaps none more famous than Van Gogh, but these earthly painters don’t hold a candle to the artist who has painted our skies for millennia.
A being that has gone by many names and yet themselves possess none. The being of absolute love and light, who tasks themselves with bringing day to our world.
They painstakingly paint every single detail of our immense sky. It takes them so long that by the time they reach one side of the planet the paint has faded from the other and so they must undergo the grueling labour of forever circling the globe and painting the sky.
If the task were simply to paint the sky you may think it easy, but the bringer of light is not the only ethereal presence in our universe, there are of course others.
Beings that bring rain and the clouds work in tandem to annoy the bringer of light. Shrouding their work and wetting it the moment they leave. And what can they do? They cannot retrace their steps, that’s not to say they don’t, but it does take up a lot of their time.
I suppose we should be thankful to the light bringer for giving us daylight when otherwise we should be in eternal darkness.
It has happened before when the bringer of disaster rained rocks from the heavens and ruined the canvas.
It could happen again, so we can hope it doesn’t and that our days always arrive even if they might not be blue.
Look at him, those thunderous thighs stomping into the room like they own the place. The sight of those tiny shorts hugging them. I could never pull those off! Not with my twigs for legs.
And that chest, it’s so broad, and his stomach is so tight, does he even eat? I just look at a chocolate bar and I gain a pound.
It’s not fair that chiseled jaw, those tree trunk arms. Why did God bless him with these attributes and not me?
Who is this Adonis? It wouldn’t be so bad if he was modest, but he knows how good he looks. He struts about and he flaunts himself like a floosey.
He taunts me with his presence, winks at me from across the room, blows a kiss and rubs his chin before pushing his fingers through his golden hair.
His piercing blue eyes stare at me from across the table and I can’t help but get lost in them.
He’s trapping me like a fly to honey and I can’t stop him.
I hate him and everything he does to me.
I want to be him, I want to be with him, I don’t know what I want from him. What does he want with me? I just wish he’d leave me alone and stop torturing me like this.
He needs to make up his mind does he want to kiss me or does he want to hit me.
I wish he’d just ignore me, but at the same time I long for his attention.
I wonder if he thinks of me the way I think of him.
No that’s not possible, I’m not worthy of him.
I’m simply a bug he likes to toy with before he burns.
I bet he was a bully in school. The big hard man everyone’s scared of. Well I’m not scared of him! He doesn’t frighten me.
Look at him coming over now.
He slams his hand on the desk. “Hey,” he smirks.
I take a deep breath and go to tell him what’s what, but then I just sink into my chair and avoid eye contact.
He laughs and walks away and I exhale again before seeing the slip of paper he left me on my desk.
“Come meet me in the toilets handsome x”
I look over to the toilet door and look around.
I smile to myself as I get up from my chair and head straight towards his trap.
I was born in a time where cats were persecuted. Killed for being harbingers of evil. My first witch Elizabeth found me and allowed me to drink a potion that would protect me. Little did she knew the potion would have the side effect of immortality.
After she was tried and sentenced for witchcraft at the age of forty-five I fled to her daughters arms.
We travelled far to escape persecution only to end up persecuted in the New World.
And so it continued hand to hand, generation to generation, place to place.
A familiar to every descendant.
Until we reach now the year of the Goddess 2025 where my current witch an individual called Gunner is currently holding me up in the air and cooing at me.
I was once feared just for existing, I was the advisor to witches for generations and now I’ve been demoted to a domestic cat. Forced to embrace kisses and things waved in my face that I try to swat away.
What injustice is this?
Well I suppose I can’t complain too much, I get fed every day, I used to have to hunt for my supper, now I get it delivered in a silver dish.
He left so sudden and it broke my heart.
I can’t pretend it didn’t tear me apart.
But as time moves on you find yourself healed.
Little reminders slowly fade and you can find yourself making it through each day.
I never knew being single could be like this.
Feeling this inner bliss.
I love myself now more than ever and I’m happier now we’re not together.
So when he showed up at my door I said to him “you’ve come back, but I no longer need you and not just that, but I don’t want you anymore.”
As the princess walked down the aisle she smiled from ear to ear. The guests looked warmly upon their soon to be Queen and were happy to see their old King find love in his later years.
The King reached out to his bride, tears of joy wetting his cheeks as the princess took his hands in hers and they completed the ceremony.
That night as they lay in their marriage bed the Queen waited for the sound of her husband’s first snore.
She climbed out of bed and tiptoed round to his side before pushing his messy hair behind his ear and placing a tender kiss on his forehead.
Then after standing up straight she clicked her neck and scowled as she reached over him to grab one of her pillows.
She brought it down onto his sleeping head and sang to herself as she waited for his gasping to seize.
Once satisfied she dumped the pillow and stormed out of the room.
Servants bowed before her before looking at the door she left open with curiosity.
She stormed down the halls barefoot as the distant sounds of screaming servants found their dead king.
She scarcely made it to the top of the stairs before she was apprehended and restrained in cuffs.
She made no effort to fight back as she was pushed spear on back towards the tower where she would no doubt await her death sentence.
As she sat in her cell she smiled to herself for she had gotten her revenge.
I had to make it perfect for him, I only see him once a week. I can’t believe how lucky I am I get to see him for his birthday.
I thought taking him to the fair would be a great idea. A little wind wouldn’t be an issue.
He was nervous to go on the bouncy castle, I was showing him there was nothing to fear.
But then the branch flew at it.
Luckily I was the only one on it, but it started deflate faster and faster.
My son cried for help as I scrambled to get to him, to comfort him.
But I couldn’t keep my balance and before I could even blink I was covered in the plastic.
I tried to claw my way out, but the weight was too much even for me.
The last thing I hear is my son’s muffled cries for me as he searches desperately for me.
He finds me, but his weight holds the plastic down more, he can’t hear me.
I’ve ruined not just this birthday, but all of them to come.
Everytime I arrive the door breaks just a little more. Deep cracks appear on the crimson wood. Everytime I feel broken.
Why do I keep opening the door? Why, when all that ever happens is it breaks.
Over and over.
I sigh as I place the key into the lock.
I turn it and the door opens, I dare not look in.
But then I hear something.
It starts as a low thud and then it quickens. It becomes steadier and steadier.
“No way!” I exclaim as I turn to look.
The cracks on the door are mending, a bright glow shines from within.
“They’ve done it! They’ve actually gone and done it!” I jump up and down with joy as I realise this isn’t like any of the others.
He’s found the one to mend his heart and I get to witness it.
A heart is like a plant except it doesn’t need watering instead it needs affirmations to allow it to keep beating.
It needs compliments to halt the love from fleeting.
A heart needs gifts to keep it going, little surprises to keep you knowing that the one they’re from is the one to keep in your heart for years to come.
A heart needs acts that show you care, like sharing your food or knowing you’re there.
A heart needs quality time, it needs to know that the one is the one to maintain your blood flow.
It beats and it beats and pleads for attention a heart needs to be touched for it to keep going. It needs to be held so we can keep knowing that the one is one who’ll keep our love growing.
Red. Bloody red, the colour crimson, merged among the greens.
A cloaked figure approaches you unseen.
It wears a red robe akin to Little Red and as it approaches it whispers for your death.
You fear the red, you fear being dead.
But nobody can escape the reaper’s scythe.
Nor the Red Robe’s knife.
It shields beneath its sleeve.
Your family they shall grieve as they find you on the ground covered in red.
Red. Bloody red, the colour crimson, merged among the greens.
-Space-
The ship sailed towards the ozone layer, its captain checking the map to make sure it’s the right place.
“Golorb pador falom pe??” It looks to its colleague who gives a shrug. The captain sighs realising they’ve arrived at the wrong destination. It goes to change course, but realises they’ve used up all their fuel getting to this planet far out from where they were headed.
The captain looks to its colleague with a scowl before proceeding to slap them on the cheek with its tendril.
“Wol pi mor gasta!!!” It flails its four vines into the air as the colleague runs their leaf over their sore cheek before looking down at the planet below.
“Er gok lon do?” They ask the captain.
The captain sighs and stretches one of its appendages across the room before grabbing a small purple coin which it inserts into the dash board.
“Terra” an automated voice confirms.
“Terra” the two creatures say in unison as they take in the blue marble below them.
-England-
Ryan looks up to the night sky, shopping bag in one hand, freshly opened can of beer in the other. His eyes bulge in shock as he stares at the silvery object above. He’s never been one to believe in aliens and he’s not going to start now.
He looks down at the can in his hand and scampers over to the closet bin before lobbing it in.
“Dodgy beers making me see things” he shakes his head as he carries on his way home refusing to look above him.
“New Zealand-
“I reckon it’s aliens!” Kai says to his sister.
“Aliens? Nah it can’t be they only go to America.”
“Ah yeah you’re right. What is it then?”
Annie raises a hand above her eyes to stop the glare of the sun on the metallic object. Not that it does much good.
“Hopefully new satellite, the reception out here is rubbish.”
She carries on leaving Kai behind as he stares up at the ship.
“Fancy” he shrugs as he follows his sister’s lead.
-Mexico-
Paulo makes the sign of the cross and places a kiss on his rosarie as he kneels on the ground his eyes facing away from the sky.
He begins to whisper a prayer as other people in the street begin to do the same.
Matías looks over at the commotion with a sceptical look before looking up to the sky and seeing what all the drama is about.
He immediately pulls out his phone and points it up to the sky. He starts streaming the stationary object to his followers as thousands of messages pop up saying they can see it too.
-Space-
A notification pops up on the console and the captain clicks accept. Matías’ video among hundreds of others appear on the screen and the colleague smiles awkwardly as they look away from the captain.
“Digbo!” The captain exclaims as it slaps the colleague yet again, this time all four of its vines snapping simultaneously.
The colleague cries out in pain as they too raise their vines and begin to whip at the captain. The two get into a fight and send the ship rocking back and forth before one the eight vines knocks a button and the ship goes hurtling towards Terra.
They look at each other wide eyed before holding each other firmly, screaming as they head down straight towards a place that pops up in red flashing lights saying Nevada.
