San Joaquin Community Hospital, San Francisco
Samlin Greenham
I wake up from the strange dream.
Though I can't remember the dream and I don't feel or see any urge to remember it. My eyes move around the room, the smell of antiseptic hitting my nose. Almost everything around me is white, white bed cover over me, the curtains of the windows are white, the shirt I'm wearing right now is white.
So, I am in a hospital, the place I hate most.
I slowly lift my head up, it's pounding like someone is squeezing it forcefully. I remove the oxygen mask from my face and push it to the ventilator machine. I inhale deeply, but it's feeling like there's lack of air in the room.
"You are awake?" Emilia and Lucas shout in unison, stepping in the room. She sits beside me on the bed and hugs me tightly, laughing. "Oh God, Sam! Did you have to scare us like that?"
"I scared you?" I smile slightly. "Tell
At the same night, Hadassah had started a big fire at the middle of the Battle of Blood, while she was in the possession of little Celandine's body. The large vessel on the fire was filled with the sacred water for witches from Black Lake. It was an inaccessible lake inside a forest, only who had witch blood in their veins, could approach there. Beside the pyre, there were some ingredients which she would need to return back to her true self."Bonesbane," she muttered and picked up the tiniest bowl contained with a few bone shaped dark green leaves. She stared at the boiling black water for a while, then dropped the leaves into it and chanted, "Confundo." The flames exploded around the pyre when the leaves touched the water, her ragged breath quickened. She took a sharp intake and knelt in front of the pyre and picked up the next ingredient."Blood Soil," she muttered and poured the brown soil and tiny pebbles into t
He closes the driver's door.Lynn looks around the little house carefully and walks through the driveway, entering his hands into his pockets. He's not sure if this guy still lives here, but if anyone could help him to take the Feingold Brothers down, this guy would be one of them.But also, time changes people.Lynn rings the bell twice.After a while, footsteps approaches. A pale looking, red haired woman opens the door slightly, looking at him suspiciously."What do you want?" she asks coldly."Er....does Ray Jenkins live here?""Who are you?" she frowns."My name is Lynn, an old friend of Ray. Is he here?" Lynn replies patiently."Oh, he's here." The woman raises her eyebrows. "But I don't think you're gonna meet him.""Why? What's wrong?""You work for that secret society, don't you? Which screwed up his whole life, our life," she speaks harshly. "I don't know why you're h
Samlin Greenham"What did you tell your mother about where you're going tonight?" Lynn asks me, his eyes focusing ahead on the road, driving faster."Said that I'm having sleepover at Emilia's house," I look at my fists, my skin sweating. Well, I don't go everyday to break in a prison. "Hope she won't find out that I lied.""Try to relax, Sam," he smiles reassuringly, then looks at the rearview mirror. "You okay there, Uncle?""I am fine," Kramer replies. I met him already, a month ago, when I was stuck in a hospital. He was kind to me, of course, I didn't know it then that he was Lynn's uncle.I glance down at my wristwatch, it's a quarter past twelve, maybe the night officers already finished the bed checking."How far is the prison?""Be there in ten minutes," he increases the speed, needle of the speedometer hitting the place of eighty kilometers. I look out of the window, the road at night is
Somebody is brushing hairs from his forehead. Then nudging his shoulder."Cedron, wake up," a voice tells softly.A female voice.He is feeling confused. There's no female person in their home. Then who is it?He tries to open my eyes, but can't, because sunlight is hitting me. Who the hell opened the damn curtains of the damn window?He raises his hands to cover my eyes, but something is in them. Something muddy.Wait...I'm not in home, am I?"Cedron," that voice tells again.I snap my eyes open.A sharp face welcomes me.I adjust myself in a seated position, glancing around. Who is this girl?Shit!He squints at the sunlight, not feeling as panicked as others should be
Moriah was watching the parasites."Why would I waste my precious time by discussing that with a coward like you? You should know by now the reason why I am here, Ezekiel," she called him by his real name. The warriors were still stunned by the lightning and when they saw that two of them talking, they began to whisper between them again. The Commander of Moriah's army, Panther, he was feeling anxious and frightened at the absence of his Lord. He couldn't decide that what he should command the fighters; whether order them to continue fighting or surrender to their enemies. Nrikawn was also surprised while he just returned from the forest. He vaguely recognized the woman in front of his brother, he recalled that perhaps she was Hand of the King's wife, Hadassah Longleaf. He wondered what the hell she was doing there or talking about or acting like an unusual creature. He glanced at his army's Commander,"Alex. What do you t
"Ah...."Celandine observed the man curiously who just came out from the chamber, going downstairs. She noticed the small hand batch on his black robe, wondering what that might be meaning.Suddenly everything around her changed.They traveled dawn to dusk, past woods and orchards and neatly tended fields, through small villages, crowded market towns, and stout holdfasts. Come dark, they would make camp and eat by the light of the moon and the lamps. The men took turns standing watch. Celandine would glimpse firelight flickeringthrough the trees from the camps of other travelers. There seemed to be more camps every night, and more traffic on the kingsroad by day.She somehow knew it was a dream.Morning, noon, and night they came, old folks and little children, big men and small ones, barefo
Somebody is brushing hairs from his forehead. Then nudging his shoulder."Cedron, wake up," a voice tells softly.A female voice.He is feeling confused. There's no female person in their home. Then who is it?He tries to open my eyes, but can't, because sunlight is hitting me. Who the hell opened the damn curtains of the damn window?He raises his hands to cover my eyes, but something is in them. Something muddy.Wait...I'm not in home, am I?"Cedron," that voice tells again.I snap my eyes open.A sharp face welcomes me.I adjust myself in a seated position, glancing around. Who is this girl?Shit!He squints at the sunlight, not feeling as panicked as others should be
San Joaquin Community Hospital, San FranciscoSamlin GreenhamI wake up from the strange dream. Though I can't remember the dream and I don't feel or see any urge to remember it. My eyes move around the room, the smell of antiseptic hitting my nose. Almost everything around me is white, white bed cover over me, the curtains of the windows are white, the shirt I'm wearing right now is white.So, I am in a hospital, the place I hate most. I slowly lift my head up, it's pounding like someone is squeezing it forcefully. I remove the oxygen mask from my face and push it to the ventilator machine. I inhale deeply, but it's feeling like there's lack of air in the room."You are awake?" Emilia and Lucas shout in unison, stepping in the room. She sits beside me on the bed and hugs me tigh
Moriah opened his eyes, blinking at the light. Everything around him was white just like vast space, except there wasn't darkness. All around the place was so bright, but there was nothing except him as if he was floating on there alone, in the middle of nowhere. 'What happened? Where am I?' He slowly lifted his head up, it was pounding like a hammer. Of course, he found it slightly ridiculous that he was sitting on nothing or perhaps on an invisible seat. He should have been scared and worried and felt lost, but since he was unaware of those feelings, he became wary. "Slept well?" A female voice made his head jerk to the other side. Moriah grimaced. Hadassah muttered something under her breath, and the next moment he fell from that place. He opened his mouth to scream, but the air was rushing him down, he could feel the unbelievable weightlessness of him. He squeezed his eyes shut, a second later he heard the desperate shriek which could be his own voice... Crunch!
She was grubbing for vegetables in a dead man's garden when she heard the singing. Arya stiffened, still as stone, listening, the three stringy carrots in her hand suddenly forgotten. She thought of the Bloody Mummers and Roose Bolton's men, and a shiver of fear went down her back. It's not fair, not when we finally found the Trident, not when we thought we were almost saf Only why would the Mummers be singin The song came drifting up the river from somewhere beyond the little rise to the east. "Off to Gulltown to see the fair maid, heigh-ho, heigh-ho . . . Arya rose, carrots dangling from her hand. It sounded like the singer was coming up the river road. Over among the cabbages, Hot Pie had heard it too, to judge by the look on his face. Gendry had gone to sleep in the shade of the burned cottage, and was past hearing anythi "I'll steal a sweet kiss with the point of my blade, heigh-ho, heigh-ho." She thought she heard a woodharp too, beneath the soft rush of the rive "Do you h
"Ah...." Celandine observed the man curiously who just came out from the chamber, going downstairs. She noticed the small hand batch on his black robe, wondering what that might be meaning. Suddenly everything around her changed. They traveled dawn to dusk, past woods and orchards and neatly tended fields, through small villages, crowded market towns, and stout holdfasts. Come dark, they would make camp and eat by the light of the moon and the lamps. The men took turns standing watch. Celandine would glimpse firelight flickeringthrough the trees from the camps of other travelers. There seemed to be more camps every night, and more traffic on the kingsroad by day. She somehow knew it was a dream. Morning, noon, and night they came, old folks and little children, big men and small ones, barefoot girls and women with babes at their breasts. Some drove farm wagons or bumped along in the back of ox carts. More rode: draft horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, anything that would walk or ru
The morning air was dark with the smoke of burning goods. The old dry wood and countless layers of paint and varnish blazed with a fierce hungry light. Heat rose shimmering through the chill air; behind, the gargoyles and stone dragons on the castle walls seemed blurred, as if Moriah were seeing them through a veil of tears. Or as if the beasts were trembling, stirring . . "An ill thing," Hadassah declared, though at least she had the sense to keep her voice low "Silence," said Moriah. "Remember where you are. They were heading to the Garde Hundreds had come to the battle gates to bear witness to the burning of the Battle of Blood. The smell in the air was ugly. Even for soldiers, it was hard not to feel uneasy at such an affront to the gods most had worshiped all their live Moriah was thinking about his ancestors. They had overturned the altars, pulled down the statues, and smashed the stained glass with warhammers. The old Hand could only curse them, but Ser Hubard Rambton led
The drapes kept out the dust and heat of the streets, but they could not keep out disappointment. Dany climbed inside wearily, glad for the refuge from the sea of Qartheen eyes. "Make way," Jhogo shouted at the crowd from horseback, snapping his whip, "make way, make way for the Mother of Dragons." Reclining on cool satin cushions, Xaro Xhoan Daxos poured ruby-red wine into matched goblets of jade and gold, his hands sure and steady despite the sway of the palanquin. "I see a deep sadness written upon your face, my light of love." He offered her a goblet. "Could it be the sadness of a lost dream?" "A dream delayed, no more." Dany's tight silver collar was chafing against her throat. She unfastened it and flung it aside. The collar was set with an enchanted amethyst that Xaro swore would ward her against all poisons. The Pureborn were notorious for offering poisoned wine to those they thought dangerous, but they had not given Dany so much as a cup of water. They never saw me for a qu
xlq_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 Francisco, USA September, 2016 Mahone tightens the knot of his black tie around his neck, then fixes the collar of his coat. Actually, suit-coat always makes him feeling uneasy, but since it's a mourning day, he can't go there with his usual outfits. It has been three days since Garrett Greenham died. His daughter Samli
"I don't recall as we did." Giant was no more than five feet tall-his true name was Bedwyck-but a fierce little man for all that. "Slayer, did you ask Craster for his counsel?" Sam cringed at the name, but shook his head. He filled another spoon, brought it to Bannen's mouth, and tried to ease it between his l "Food and fire," Giant was saying, "that was all we asked of you. And you grudge us the food "Be glad I didn't grudge you fire too." Craster was a thick man made thicker by the ragged smelly sheepskins he wore day and night. He had a broad flat nose, a mouth that drooped to one side, and a missing ear. And though his matted hair and tangled beard might be grey going white, his hard knuckly hands still looked strong enough to hurt. "I fed you what I could, but you crows are always hungry. I'm a godly man, else I would have chased you off. You think I need the likes of him, dying on my floor? You think I need all your mouths, little man?" The wildling spat. "Crows. When did a b
"Mr. Jeong, are you okay? You suddenly seem.... distracted." "I-I'm...fine, it's.... fine," Sung-ho answered somehow, his hands were shaking because of that ugly memory. He pressed his hands together forcefully under the desk, ignoring the pain running through his nerves Choi Dea looked at him with slight worry, wondering why he was sweating so hard. After he explained everything what happened with her sister and him, even though she wasn't sure whether it was truth or not, her expression softened a bit. She also noticed how he had reacted when she had mentioned his father Shi-woo. So she assumed that the relationship between Mafia son and father might not be good "Thank you for your explanation about Joo-eun," she said after a moment. "And I would prefer if you don't tell about this incident to anybody. Ever. Sung-ho frowned a little. "Urm, sure. She glanced at the bracelet again which her friend had given it to her when she was little. Even though she couldn't remember that,
Samlin Greenham "I told Emilia about the real you," I pull out a grass from the ground, watching it closely. "I don't like lying to my best friend.""It's fine," the corner of his mouth moves up as a smile. "As long as she doesn't spread that I'm twenty-four years old and didn't even finish college. In the meantime, it's cool."I laugh, my eyes focusing at the sky. You might wonder where I am now. You do remember Alone Five, the tiny mountain, right? Like that, this place is Alone Two, a strangely beauteous fountain, it has a pretty little garden in front of it, full with wildflowers. And that's where I'm lying on, my mind is peaceful, quiet, Lynn is beside me. I inhale deeply, feeling the smell of flowers and fresh air and leaves of the trees."My eyes aren't burning looking up at the sky anymore. Maybe it will rain," he speaks in a low tone, then places his arms under his head. "Someday the sun shines so bright, so my eyes hurt, but I can't seem to pull my gaze from the sky.""Y