My Muse

Cirrus Spray's Story
As they saw her approach, a fizzy comet on the brilliant blue canvas, they knew they'd better not forget.

Shivering, she entered through the window. The half smile kept growing till her facial muscles could do no more.

"Nothing like a warm photonic shower after a long twilight's work!"


Lily Strange's Story
Geena wondered about the wisdom of leaving the light at the end of the tunnel behind. She wondered indeed about the wisdom of venturing through the tunnel. Who knew where it ended, how long it would be before she encountered light again? Yet she had lived so long alone in the light, fearing the darkness. Her loneliness drove her to venture out and seek what was beyond the beautiful but empty world she'd known for as long as she could remember before she died of despair.


Lorena's Story
"Because her aura was purple, the most spiritual color, I could not help but fall in love with her. She is my now and my forever."


Frances Bo Bancess' Story
she closed her eyes. she was in a different time. a different place. a different reality. she was... in Rome? something felt odd about the familiarity of it all. in her first year out of college she had traveled around Europe with her beloved for two months during the summer. one of her fondest memories was that of Rome, and not just because she did as the Romans do. she spent a week there admiring the architecture, and swimming in the rich culture. in the sweltering heat of midday on their second last day, she begged her beloved to explore the baths in the heart of the city. he laughed when they finally discovered they had been drained after navigating through tunnels, dripping with sweat. his jovial chuckle echoed through the stone passageways and it made her smile.
that laugh echoed through her ears right now, in a way that made him sound as if he was being torn from her arms and sucked into an engulfing darkness. she reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it desperately. she felt herself being pulled into the darkness as well, but it wasn't cold as she expected, it was warm. a warmth that tingled at her fingertips and relaxed her racing mind. her eyes fluttered open, a bead of water traced down a path across her cheek.
"don't worry, you're still here," he whispered into her hair, arms intimately wrapped around her. He kissed her forehead. with a gracious "thank you" escaping her breath with a sigh of relief, she snuggled up to him and fell into a much more comfortable sleep.


MindFul MiMi's Story
She was lost in the catacombs of her mind. But somehow it did not feel uncomfortable - on the contrary. It was nice to be lost in her own mind for a while without having daily chores or the people she loved keeping her from it. As she was wandering, seemingly aimlessly, she moved from open plains to a walled in area. She did not feel afraid. She heard voices but she was not scared. She saw beautiful light which played on the walls around her and showed her all the colours of the rainbow. She felt safe. She knew she could leave this place - when the time was right. And she knew exactly where it would lead her: to the people who loved her and were waiting for her.


Kathy's Story
There was this luminescence about her. As though the divine inspiration fueling her determined efforts to return to her beloved were actually glowing from within. The aura was spell-binding and it became impossible to suppose for one minute that she would fail in her quest: she would heal, she would magnify her powers, she would share her magic for many years to come.


The OE's Caption
Out of the ruins the angel rises.


Mistery's Story
le Club Nosferatu
It was 3:00 am and they were hungry. Where could they go in the City to feed? There were hardly any people out and about and all the restaurants and take-away joints were closed. So after some debate they decided to go clubbing instead. When they got there the music was pounding loud enough to burst the eardrums of a beggar sleeping in the alley out back. He clutched his skull and wailed piteously. The blood ran down his cheeks. "Well that's handy," said Armand, "we can have a quick snack before we go in!"

© Copyright S R Schwarz 2007. All rights reserved.


Dead Letter Boy's Story
The light moved along above her, barely noticed above her other senses, swishing of the skirts and shuffling feet, the rough stone under her fingertips. The light could stay or go, it made no difference. Sight was the last thing that mattered now, and the rush of the water was, she knew, the feeling of being birthed.


Irene Grumman's Story
The beautiful and well loved woman glowed with the day's heat, although the air hinted at dankness and dampness. A scholar, she fancied she heard the voices of ancient Romans and Romanized Gauls enjoying sophisticated hygiene, exchanging gossip, making deals, and complaining about the weather. Since the baths were only to be seen, not used, she daydreamed of the scented bath in which she would luxuriate when she returned to the hotel.


Yumen's Story
Some folks think about leaving it all behind. Some folks talk about it, they even talk about it.
Not many really do it, but my love was one who did.
We were in Trier at the time, taking a late summer holiday.
One evening, after a fine meal in a moroccan restaurant, we went to see a German production of Macbeth which was being staged in the Roman baths.
We realised our mistake early on; the acting was stiff and the way the stage was lit made us feel like we were in the house of some really boring friends.
Halfway through the first act I wanted to leave, and was getting ready to do so when Jen grabbed a hold of my arm.
'Look!' she whispered, 'can you see it?'
Puzzled, I looked in the direction of her gaze and saw.
At the end of a stone corridor at the side of the stage a swirling lilac mist had materialised. The colour of it was enough; it was as obvious to me as it was to Jen that this was an escape into clarity, to a world where love spun boundless.
Jen sprang from her chair and pulled me toward the light, but at the edge of the stage I stumbled and fell.
I looked up to see Jen, halfway along the corridor, waiting for me. Behind her the light was fading. I realised I would not make it.
'Go Jen! I'll meet you there. Run!'
She hesitated.
'Run!' I cried.
Then my love turned away from me and jumped into the vanishing haze. She was gone.

Such an opportunity comes once in a lifetime, if you are lucky. I know I will have to wait until my natural time is up before I see her again.
I'm glad she made it though. I'm really glad she made it.
I came home early, I didn't feel like staying in Trier. I work in a bank, accounting for other people's business.


Ming's Story
roll the dice againts wisdom to check for secret doors.

failed

re-roll

failed

re-roll

you succeed in finding out, there are no secret doors


Viruswitch's Story
Freedom!

Her dictators had always been there, invisible and yet audible in every dark corner of the great maze. At first they had taken pleasure in her suffering, sending voices to scare her. The screams, the steps of gigantic beasts had manipulated her, and the labyrinth had seemed neverending. But in time she grew tired of running away. The imminent threats and the impending dangers had felt true, but never fulfilled themselves. She now knew that her fear was their fuel, her freedom was their death. Cold and confident, she was walking right towards the screams. The walls of the maze grew shorter and the paths wider. Amidst shadows and lights the figures of her dictators were barely visible blocking the way to a gateway. Standing right in front of them, she laughed loudly echoing through the thousand paths and walked on. Their figures were set on fire as soos as she walked out of the exit and the maze collapsed.