LOGINShare
Forbidden Fruit
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56I lay behind my back, before the boat, and into darkness I must row. I rowed with weak arms, watching my hands to make sure I kept hold of the oars, for I could not feel my grip. I came thus into rough water and the dark, out on the open Gulf. There I had to stop. With each oarstroke the numbness of my arms increased. My heart kept bad time, and my lungs had forgotten how to get air. I tried to row but I was not sure my arms were moving. I tried to pull the oars into the boat then, but could not. When the sweet light of a harbour patrol ship picked me out of the night like a snowflake on soot, I could not even turn my eyes away from the glare.
They unclenched my hands from the oars, hauled me up out of the boat, and laid me out like a gutted blackfish on t
Related chapters
Illusion The Past
few of the lords lingered to speak in quiet voices upwind of the fire. They fell silent when they saw looking at them. Should Stannis fall, they will pull me down in an instant. Neither was he counted one of the queen's men, that group of ambitious knights and minor lordlings who had given themselves to this Lord of Light and so won the favor and patronage of Lady—no, Queen, remember?—Selyse.The fire had started to dwindle by the time Myra and the squires departed with the precious sword. Ezekiel and his son joined the crowd making its way down to the shore and the waiting ships. "Devan acquitted himself well," he said as they went."He fetched the glove without dropping it, yes," said Dale.Allard nodded. "That badge on Devan's doublet, the fiery heart, what was that Black Horn sigil
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Illusion Water
Ninth lap. The last lap.I breath out, trying to swim more quickly. I don't know how many minutes have passed, but it feels like I'm doing my best.I have to prove.I have to prove that I'm not broken. I've suffered enough, I'm still hurting, but I'm not broken, Brian.And suddenly I touch the platform and lift me up, breathing heavily. I put off the goggles and remove the swimming cap from my head.Maria wraps a towel around my shoulder, grinning happily. "You did awesome, girl."I look up at the scoreboard.Samlin Greenham - 11:38.04 sPrisi Nessa Heuvel - 11:50.33 sAllyson Hardy - 11:57.45 sI laugh. I obviously beat Brian and my score is super close to Lynn. Coincidence, ha!"I beat him.""Beat 'Brian
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Illusion Control
I uncontrollably sit on the ground.Apparently I fall."Hey, hey, you okay?" Edwin hurriedly sits beside me."I'm fine." I answer shakily, closing my eyes. Actually I wasn't fine. I haven't seen my psychiatrist for almost a month, haven't taken my medication. Now, the flashbacks are gone, but I still have the headache.I am breathing hard.I wonder what caused the flashbacks."C'mon," he wraps my left arm around his shoulder and lifts me up. "The lake is near. You need some fresh air."I walk with him, dropping my head in his shoulder. I feel a little surprised by my act, because I don't even know him.Or maybe I do.His body scent seems familiar."Don't try to think too much. When you apply pressure to remember a thing of your past, which was may
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Illusion Dry Weather
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 Garden.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 lives.Moriah was thinking about his ancestors. They had overturn
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Illusion Aiming
Lynn VandestineHe pushes the door open of his new studio. Painting has always been his hobby, but it is his first time to open a workshop like this. When he was in his adolescence, it wasn't one of his pleasant times. In order to lighten his mood, he used to climb up at the top of his favourite mountain, with papers and paints in the backpack. Often, he brushed colors gently on the canvas, while thinking if a girl would appear in front of him just like that drawing.Now, the place can catch a plenty of natural light, one of the reason why he bought this. The layout is flexible, it's enough big for his work. The paintings around the studio are mostly portraits, but he drew some landscapes, too, tried to do another genre."Hi, Tom!" he greets the guy, who is moving his brush with so much attention, benting towards the easel. Tom is a local artist and a student of art college, once Lynn helped his big brother with a mission, so he k
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Illusion Ground
Nrikawn took her hands in his, staring right into her gorgeous black eyes. Every time when he saw her, she looked like she didn't even age a day, still looked the same. Her eyes were still pretty as the waves of ocean, twinkling in the light and her long hair was as smooth and soft as before. His hand reached up and gently tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear. She slightly pulled away from his touch, but found the courage to look up at him. The very moment she saw him, the first thing she saw was his eyes, those were sharp and filled with emotions and at the same time she was trying to figure out the depth of them.Ten years of struggle. It wasn't that easy, it wasn't something that he could pay back. He couldn't come back after ten years and still want to reconcile, it never should've been like that. Yes, life still went on, but they couldn't erase the past, they could just pretend to put it aside. Ten years
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Illusion Horror
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
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Illusion Repeating
Moriah was gazing at his reflection. His tight black armor was made from iron, the breastplate was lined with transmuted thin craft of gold, the symbol of his army Wolf was carved in the left side of the plate. He saw his gesture in the mirror, as cold as always, two piercing and cruel eyes, small stubble around his chin. He blinked, slightly wondering why he was looking at himself, it was unlike of him.It was also a big day for him. He moved to corner of his room, stooping beside the giant bed. There was a mark on the golden wall, just like a small scratch of nails, it couldn't be shown if someone didn't look carefully. He took a deep breath and pressed his palm over the scratch, to reveal his secret chamber under the ground. Since, it was going to be a great day for him, he would want to have a talk with his Lord. With a buzzing sound, a passage emerged behind the wall, there were dusty staircases going down. Moriah picked u
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
Latest chapter
Illusion The End
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!
Illusion Too much pain
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
Illusion Fear
"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
Illusion Die
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
Illusion Desire
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
Illusion Eating
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
Illusion At midnight
"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
Illusion It hurts
"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,
Illusion Nightmares
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
