Week 15A Reading

the final reading notes shall be from dante's inferno by tony kline

1. dante and virgil
the time was at the beginning of the morning, and the sun was mounting up with all those stars that were with him when divine love first moved all delightful things, so that the hour of day and the sweet season gave me fair hopes of that creature with the bright pelt.

2. the gate of hell and charon

he replied: 'i will tell you, briefly. they have no hope of death, and their darkened life is so mean that they are envious of every other fate. earth allows no mention of them to exist: mercy and justice reject them; let us not talk of them, but look and pass.'

3. limbo

a heavy thunder shattered the deep sleep in my head, so that i came to myself, like someone woken by force, and, standing up, i moved my eyes, now refreshed, and looked round, steadily, to find out what place i was in. i found myself, in truth, on the brink of the valley of the sad abyss that gathers the thunder of an infinite howling. it was so dark, and deep, and clouded, that i could see nothing by staring into its depths.

4. poets and philosophers, heroes and heroines

so i saw gathered together the noble school, of the lord of highest song, who soars, like an eagle, above the rest. after they had talked for a while amongst themselves, they turned towards me with a sign of greeting, at which my master smiled. and they honoured me further still, since they made me one of their company, so that i made a sixth among the wise.

5. paolo and francesca

i came to a place devoid of light that moans like a tempestuous sea when it is buffeted by warring winds. the hellish storm that never ceases drives the spirits with its force, and, whirling and striking, it molests them. when they come to the ruins there are shouts, moaning and crying, where they blaspheme against divine power. i learnt that the carnal sinners are condemned to these torments, they who subject their reason to their lust.

6. ceberus and plutus

like a sail, bellying in the wind, that falls in a heap if the mast breaks, so that cruel creature fell to earth. in that way, we descended into the fourth circle, taking in a greater width of the dismal bank that encloses every evil of the universe.

7. fortune and phylegyas

phlegyas in his growing anger, was like someone who listens to some great wrong done him and then fills with resentment. my guide climbed down into the boat and then made me board after him, and it only sank in the water when i was in. as soon as my guide and i were in the craft, its prow went forward, ploughing deeper through the water than it does carrying others.

8. the fallen angels

so the gentle father goes and leaves me there, and i am left in doubt: since 'yes' and 'no' war inside my head. i could not hear what terms he offered them, but he had not been standing there long with them, when, each vying with the other, they rushed back. our adversaries closed the gate in my lord's face, leaving him outside, and he turned to me again with slow steps.

9. the furies and the heretics

flames were scattered amongst the tombs by which they were made so red-hot all over that no smith's art needs hotter metal. their lids were all lifted, and such fierce groans came from them that, indeed, they seemed to be those of the sad and wounded.

nine circle's of hell

Week 14 Story Lab - Microfictions

Author's Note: Part TWO of my story with my golden retriever. Part One can be found here.

The Quarrel - Part Woooooof 

OH! Now you want to play fetch?
WOOF!
Well I don't want to play.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF!
Don't give me that!
WOOOOOOF!
What did I say?
woof.

woofers

Week 14B Reading

week 14 will be russian fairy tales by ralston

1. the witch girl
straightway all the sotniks and desyatniks came together and went from house to house. in this one there’s nothing, in that one there’s nothing, until at last they come to the ponomar’s cottage.

2. the headless princess
she began rushing at the priest’s son, but she couldn’t anyhow break into the circle. then she began to conjure up all sorts of horrors. but in spite of all that she did, he went on reading and reading, and never gave a look round. and at daybreak the princess rushed at her coffin, and tumbled into it at full length, all of a heap.

3. the warlock
when he was about to die, he gave orders that his sons’ wives should keep watch over him after his death for three nights, taking one night apiece, that his body should be placed in the outer chamber, and that his sons’ wives should spin wool to make him a caftan. he ordered, moreover, that no cross should be placed upon him, and that none should be worn by his daughters-in-law.

4. the fox physician
the old man was just beginning to say: “not much farther—” when the sack slipped from between his teeth, and the old woman fell to the ground and was smashed all to pieces. the old man slid down the cabbage-stalk and picked up the sack. but it had nothing in it but bones, and those broken very small. the old man went out of his house and wept bitterly.

5. the fiddler in hell
the fiddler hid behind the stove-pipe. then came fiends, and they began to beat the rich moujik, reviling him the while, and saying: “there’s for thee, o rich man. pots of money didst thou bury but thou couldst not hide them. there didst thou bury them that we might not be able to keep watch over them. at the gate people are always riding about, the horses crush our heads with their hoofs, and in the corn-kiln we get beaten with flails.”

6. the two friends
he ran to the village—but the village was not what it used to be. the houses were different; the people were all strangers to him. he went to the priest’s—but the priest was not the one who used to be there—and told him about everything that had happened. the priest searched through the church-books, and found that, three hundred years before, this occurrence had taken place: a bridegroom had gone to the graveyard on his wedding-day, and had disappeared. and his bride, after some time had passed by, had married another man.

7. the shroud
in a certain village there was a girl who was lazy and slothful, hated working, but would gossip and chatter away like anything. well, she took it into her head to invite the other girls to a spinning party. for in the villages, as every one knows, it is the lazybones who gives the spinning-feast, and the sweet-toothed are those who go to it.

8. the coffin-lid
the moujik cut off the left skirt of the shroud, and gave up the coffin-lid. the corpse went to its grave—the grave opened. but just as the dead man was descending into it, all of a sudden the cocks began to crow, and he hadn’t time to get properly covered over. one end of the coffin-lid remained sticking out of the ground.

9. the two corpses
there wasn’t a soul in the chapel, but stretched out on a table there lay another corpse, with tapers burning in front of it. the soldier hid himself in a corner, and remained there, hardly knowing whether he was alive or dead, but waiting to see what would happen.

10. the dog and the corpse
they fastened it to a chain; for a whole year they kept it chained up. but in spite of that, it never forgot how its master had offended it. one day it got loose, flew straight at him, and began trying to throttle him.

11. the soldier and the vampire
they came to where the wedding was; there they were given drink, and treated with the utmost hospitality. the warlock drank and drank, revelled and revelled, and then grew angry. he chased all the guests and relatives out of the house, threw the wedded pair into a slumber, took out two phials and an awl, pierced the hands of the bride and bridegroom with the awl, and began drawing off their blood. having done this, he said to the soldier: “now let’s be off.”

Leshy

Week 14A Reading

week 14 will be russian fairy tales by ralston

1. the dead mother
at midnight the cottage door opened. some one stepped up to the cradle. the babe became still. at that moment one of the kinsfolk suddenly brought out the light. they looked, and saw the dead mother, in the very same clothes in which she had been buried, on her knees besides the cradle, over which she bent as she suckled the babe at her dead breast.

2. the treasure 

he did not go on digging the grave any longer, but took the pot of gold and carried it home. well, we all know what money will do—everything went as smooth as oil! in a trice there were found good folks to dig the grave and fashion the coffin. the old man sent his daughter-in-law to purchase meat and drink and different kind of relishes—everything there ought to be at memorial feasts—and he himself took a ducat in his hand and hobbled back again to the pope’s. the moment he reached the door, out flew the pope at him.

3. the bad wife

well, the imp went to where there were merchants' wives and merchants' daughters, and when they were possessed by him, they fell ill and went crazy. then the peasant would go to a house where there was illness of this kind, and, as soon as he  entered, out would go the enemy; then there would be blessing in the house, and everyone would suppose that the peasant was a doctor indeed, and would give him money, and treat him to pies. and so the peasant gained an incalculable sum of money.

4. the three copecks

the landlord agreed to the bargain. the merchant gave him the cat, received a sackful of gold, and as soon as he had settled his affairs, started on his way back. as he sailed across the seas, he thought: “why should i give the gold to that orphan? such a lot of money in return for a mere cat! that would be too much of a good thing. no, much better keep it myself.”

5. the miser

well the wife did everything exactly as her husband directed  her. while she was sitting there drowned in bitter tears, the moujik came into the room.

6. the water snake

a week passed by, and one day they saw ever so many snakes, a huge troop of them, wriggling up to their cottage. “ah, mammie, save me, save me!” cried the girl, and her mother slammed the door and barred the entrance as quickly as possible.

7. friday

then they told her all that had taken place. she listened to it all, and then began imploringly: “mother friday, forgive me! pardon me, the guilty one! i’ll offer thee a taper, and i’ll never let friend or foe dishonor thee, mother!”

8. wednesday

so the woman took a couple of pails and went for water. as soon as she was outside the door she thought: “mayn’t something terrible happen to me? i’d better go to my neighbor’s instead of fetching the water.” so she set off. the night was dark. in the village all were still asleep. she reached a neighbor’s house, and rapped away at the window until at last she made herself heard. an aged woman let her in.

9. the leshy

the léshy groaned and seemed to be going to fall across the log, but directly afterwards he got up and dragged himself into the thickets. after him ran the dog in pursuit, and after the dog followed the sportsman. he walked and walked, and came to a hill: in that hill was a fissure, and in the fissure stood a hut.

10. the metamorphosis of the dnieper, the volga, and the dvina

one day, after toiling hard afield, they sat down under a bush to eat their last morsel of bread. and when they had eaten it, they cried and sorrowed for a while, and considered and held counsel together as to how they might manage to live, and to have food and clothing, and, without toiling, to supply others with meat and drink.

11. emilian the fool

meanwhile, the townspeople got up a petition against him, and denounced him to the king, saying: “folks say there’s no getting hold of him the way we tried; we must entice him by cunning, and the best way of all will be to promise him a red shirt, and a red caftan, and red boots.”

Leshy

Week 14EC Biography

MUSICAL MEMORY.

I love listening to soundtracks since they help calm me down.
Not only do they calm me down but I use them to study.
I have over 15,000 tracks on my phone.
Composed by Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Brian Tyler, Alan Silvestri, James Horner, etc...
I can listen to them all day.
But I use Howard Shore's music from The Lord of the Rings to truly trigger memories as the score is one of the, if not the best, score ever composed.
I always get lost in the blend that Shore was able to pull off.
Just true and pure symphonatic harmony from his team.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Complete Recordings)

Week 14EC Microfiction

Author's Note: 
I wrote The Quarrel because my golden retriever does not like giving me his ball back when we play fetch. So in order to get the ball back to throw it I always have to threaten him by saying I am leaving.

The Quarrel
Bring me you ball so we can play fetch.
No? Play fetch by yourself then.
Oh now you want to give me the ball.

Pup Playing Fetch

Week 13 Story - King Arthur

Author's Note: Merlin and his followers have enlisted Arthur and his Knights to fight against the Saxons who are invading and killing their families.

Arthur and his Knights have long been unbeatable on the battlefield. That record will be tested against the Saxons. After years of trying to kill the young Roman Knight, Merlin has enlisted Arthur to help repel the invading Saxons. The Romans and Britons shared a common enemy in the Saxons. Together they hoped to repel the invaders. But the Saxons easily overwhelmed the defenses of the Britons and Romans through sheer strength in numbers. The Roman cavalry led by Arthur covered the infantry's retreat to Hadrian's Wall. At Hadrian's Wall the Britons and Romans prepared massive traps. The Britons Archers were lead by Guinevere, when she saw the advancing Saxons she ordered the archers to empty their artillery and to charge out for hand to hand combat. In awe the Roman cavalry lead by Arthur and Lancelot charged into the teeth of the Saxon army. Thousands died. But the Romans and Britons prevailed. The remaining Saxons retreated back to their homeland or were cut down by Roman cavalry before they could board their ships. Merlin and Arthur made a new found alliance to protect Britain long after the Romans left. As a result Knight Arthur became King Arthur. Together he and his new bride Queen Guinevere ruled Britain fairly. And it was all thanks to Merlin being able to put aside his petty difference and join together with an enemy that truly could be his friend if they had just spoken to each other instead of trying to cut each others throats the entire time. Finally, the deceased Knights and Britons were never forgotten. They were never mourned. They were never celebrated. Their memories and sacrifices were handed down for generations to come. Of how King Arthur and his Knights made Britain. An country that would become its own empire as the Romans had theirs.

King Arthur and his Knights