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Shafts of Imagination

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Logan Shafts
Dec Member 2023

Logan Shafts

Posts: 3,211 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
A lone cockroach crawled along the barren soil of your mind.
Darkness surrounded. Malnutrition set in upon the poor little creature. Its meager existence was not embellished by the deserted home it inhabited.

Above it lay rocks, below it lay stones. Soil enveloped it, though it was hardly a motherly cradle.

But luck was with the solitary creature today. Above it, the ground was punctured by a stiff shaft. The shaft quickly retreated back into the over world, but it left a small tray bearing a very attractive meal for the cockroach.

A gleaming ray of sunshine poured through the hole, illuminating otherwise bleak surroundings. Hundreds of cockroaches crawled from their hiding places, their exoskeletons glistening in the sun as they feasted. Isolation ended.

Above, a man talked with the exterminator. “Sure, they’ll all be dead in a week or less, you have my guarantee.”

On the ground rested a small pole, its poison-bearing tip now glossed over, devoid of its deadly contents.

It was a shaft of imagination.

-Logan Shafts




Index:

-=[Page 1]=-

Introduction & Index

"To Douse the Sun" - "Cycle"

"In the Grasp of God"

"Toil"

"The Riddler Fox"

"The Axis"



-=[Page 2*=-

"Desiring Vice"

"The Beast"

"Hero"

"Best Friend"



-=[Page 6]=-

"The Future"



-=[Page 7]=-

"The Happiness Principle"



-=[Page 9]=-

"Conqueror"

"Of the Beholder"



-=[Pages 13-14]=-

"In this instance, it had occurred to me"



-=[Page 21]=-

"Influences"



-=[Page 23]=-

"The Lesser Body"


-=[Pages 24-25]=-
"Creativity: Pending"

-=[Page 35]=-
"Dancing on Steel Toes"

---------------------------------------------------

As a side note:
All of my work on this thread is Copyrighted under
an Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported Legal License (Creative Commons).

31-Mar-2010 19:55:32 - Last edited on 15-Jul-2011 17:03:47 by Logan Shafts

Logan Shafts
Dec Member 2023

Logan Shafts

Posts: 3,211 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
--In the Grasp of God--:

Reflections of reflections churned around me. The light dazzled my eyes.
My fellows danced, and the breeze waded through them effortlessly.

The roar of a crowd enveloped me. I didn't dare fight it. Before long we were all dancing, up and down and in and out, brushing into each other before sliding along our seemingly predestined paths, each one of us fighting a desperate battle.

Our bodies meshed together, and I felt a distinct intoxication, as though I was part of a larger scheme.

The light grew ever brighter as I danced my way nearer to it, my mind overwhelmed by desire.

It surrounded me. I was finally reaching the center of the crowd, forcing myself nearer, closer.

Intense and burning sensations cascaded through my body.
I found myself toppling suddenly to the ground...

My wings beat their last stroke, and my antennae dangled wildly.

I plummeted, remorseless, to a silent landing. My lifeless form was soon eaten by a cat.

****

The souls of many butterflies giggled as I finished my tale. I scowled at them briefly before setting off on my journey to find eternal rest.

31-Mar-2010 19:56:36 - Last edited on 15-Jul-2011 15:09:38 by Logan Shafts

Logan Shafts
Dec Member 2023

Logan Shafts

Posts: 3,211 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
--Toil--:


Sweat found its way slowly down my brow, fighting its way through the mud which clung fiercely to my skin.

I brought my weapon around again, hacking away fiercely at my opponent.
The seemingly useless thing clanked futilely against rock-hard defenses.

This battle seemed to have been lost already. No matter how hard I struck, I simply couldn't defeat this foe. My endurance was wearing thin, and all my attempts thus far at victory had been pitiful at best.

My enemy seemed to taunt me, though not a word was spoken. My shoulders slumped.

Suddenly like an epiphany, I found a weak spot, and I took my shot.
I brought my weapon around over my head for one final blow.

It shattered through my opponent’s defenses, and metal clanked to the ground.
Relief flooded through me, the tenseness of my muscles finally beginning to subside.

I slowly gathered the coal into my backpack, before finally setting off towards the bank once more.

Perhaps next time I would try woodcutting.

31-Mar-2010 19:56:59 - Last edited on 23-Apr-2010 19:53:15 by Logan Shafts

Logan Shafts
Dec Member 2023

Logan Shafts

Posts: 3,211 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
--The Riddler Fox--:

Excellence was a long abandoned art.
I was a student of history.

Yet another creature found its pitiful way into my den.
I scurried over to the entrance, looking up at it delightedly.
This would surely prove entertaining.

The being was strange, as beings go. It was a biped; I didnt see many of those. This one was especially strange though, as it didnt even have a tail.

It looked down at me, its hideous furless face reciprocating my curious glance.

I curled my tail about me, and smiled up at it. “Why, have a seat, young one. Welcome to my den. Would you like some tea?”

I had put on my most diplomatic of voices, attempting to make it more comfortable. I appeared to have failed, for it stared at me incredulously.

Surprise was written all over its features as they contorted interestingly into a myriad of shapes.

“Did you just…sp-speak?” The creature asked.

I was insulted. What did it think I was dumb or something?
I would repay it by testing its intelligence harshly.

“Of course I did. Now sit down, you can’t leave this place until you’ve passed my tests. They call me the Riddler fox; I must live up to my name.”

The creature sat obediently, though the dumbfounded look on its face didnt disappear as promptly as I would have liked.

“What is your name?” I asked, confidently.

“Ned A Ni Depp'art." It stated, bluntly.

“Well Ned, you are hereby trapped as my prisoner. When you can answer my riddle, it will set you free. Until then, feel free to make yourself comfortable.”

His countenance suddenly changed from bewilderment to self assurance.

He smiled down at me. “Exactly how do you intend to keep me here, little one?”

I returned his smile tenfold. “Exactly how do you intend to escape? There is no exit.” I said, glancing behind him at the hole he had used to enter.

He quickly followed my eyes behind him and saw that the ‘entrance’ was closed. I saw his cocky attitude diminish considerably, and eventually subside altogether.

31-Mar-2010 19:57:48 - Last edited on 01-Nov-2010 00:35:43 by Logan Shafts

Logan Shafts
Dec Member 2023

Logan Shafts

Posts: 3,211 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
He looked back at me, the first edges of fear winding their way into his demeanor. “Alright, then get on with it. What’s this riddle of yours?”

I saw him glancing about my cozy little dwelling, looking for a means of escape. His eyes locked onto the small fire in the corner which lit the entirety of my den. This would be interesting, indeed.


“You seek me, but cannot find,
for I am well hidden, in my makers mind.
I am not green, and I am not blue,
and certainly not red for that would not do.
But yet I am, too, for I am in whatever
spectrum you choose to seek through.

I’m not a plant, nor an animal, nor any physical thing.
But not a thought, with a pattern, and yet both I do bring.
You may dance about in searching, you may swing
about, lurching, but yet no correct thing will cling.

You will search for the conclusion, but there
is no institution, which can teach you
an execution, or even give a contribution.
Your thoughts now fill with pollution,
And soon will again with confusion,
for I am the solution, and there is no
substitution.”

He glanced at me, his apparently sharp intellect quickly overwhelming his desire for freedom.

“Interesting…” He mumbled to himself.

I waited, wagging my tail patiently and sipping my tea.

“Was that some twisted way of saying that I can*t escape except by begging you for the route?”

I smiled. He was sharp. “No. The route is in the riddle. Answer it, and you’ll be free. Not by any power of mine though. Need I clarify further?”

He shrugged. “Yes, please.”

I grinned. “You have an eternity to figure it out. Drink some tea, why don’t you? It’s quite yummy, Earl Grey. I have sugar around here somewhere, I’ll dig it out of that’s your preference.”

He put his hand on his chin and stared into the fire, without the decency to answer me.

31-Mar-2010 19:58:27

Logan Shafts
Dec Member 2023

Logan Shafts

Posts: 3,211 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
His eyes were glancing about, as if he was reading a parchment. I could see the synapses in his brain firing, his intellect roving about desperately trying to find the answer.

I leaned back reading a book. Through the night, still he sat. The crackling of the fire was his deepest conversation, the slow gusts of wind from the fan behind me his only companionship.

I woke from my sleep repeatedly, only to see him with his hands running along the walls of my den searching for a nook, or to hear him mumbling different verses of the riddle I had shared with him.

Toying with various creatures was a daily pastime of mine, so I was well accustomed to this behavior.

Many meals passed -- my meals anyways. My dear friend rarely stopped to eat.

Soon, he finally started to grow a little fur on his face, though he insisted on calling it a ‘five o’clock shadow’, whatever that meant.

I was just getting back to my tea and opening a new book when the biped suddenly leapt from his sitting position, only to bash his head on the ceiling of my den rather mightily.

He held his bruised scalp in his palm and gritted his teeth. I heard a sharp intake of breath. “I have it!” He announced.

I looked up, mildly surprised. “Really? Go on.”

He glanced down at me. “The answer. That’s the answer. You said ‘for I am the solution’.”

I smiled up at him. “Alright, now how does that help you out of this den?” I asked dully.

He stared at me awkwardly for a moment. “What do you mean? Shouldn’t you be letting me out now, since I answered your riddle?”

I sighed. “You weren’t listening. I said it would set you free. The answer, that is.”

His chest puffed out, I heard his breathing quicken.
“You tricked me. You liar! I should smash your puny little body until there isn’t enough powder left to be mistaken for coffee grains!” His voice filled my den.

31-Mar-2010 19:58:45 - Last edited on 22-Sep-2012 08:40:25 by Logan Shafts

Logan Shafts
Dec Member 2023

Logan Shafts

Posts: 3,211 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
“You scoundrel!” He half screamed. “The answer! The ANSWER!”
His voice rose, cracked, wavered, and rose again.

He angrily punched the ceiling of the cave which had earlier attacked his scalp so entirely unprovoked.

It returned the favor, chunks of it falling out and landing on him. He rolled to the side, trying to avoid the tumbling clay and dirt.

Rays of light raced to puncture through the hole, diminishing the glare of my fire.

His eyes widened. “The answer?”
He stood and stumbled, mumbling, over to the hole.

Quickly, he pulled himself up through it. I caught onto his leg and pulled myself up alongside him.

A great grassland rolled around us, trees speckling it sparsely here and there, surrounding themselve in bushes.

He stepped into the grass, stretching his limbs as if waving at the sun. His happiness at escape quickly conquered the rage which had preceded it.

I stepped ahead of him, smiling triumphantly. “Well. Thanks, been working on that one for weeks, I never got it myself.” I said quickly, before scurrying away into some bushes hurriedly.

His eyes followed my movements, surprise and anger seething within them. “Why, you…”

31-Mar-2010 19:59:02 - Last edited on 05-Oct-2010 19:00:03 by Logan Shafts

Logan Shafts
Dec Member 2023

Logan Shafts

Posts: 3,211 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
--The Axis--:

The frogs, crickets, and birds all alone played their parts.
A symphony of beauty, creation screaming its heart,
The wind soon chimed in with a three part harmony.

The trees bristled under this cacophony, their own noise a quiet supplement to the orchestra of life.

The clouds drifted silently, an audience of the most subjective kind, basking in their comfort, unexcited by the gain of the world, remorseless for the loss.

The sun shone down, knowing itself to be the most important part. Without it, surely all else would perish. So it would be strong, though arrogant, and share its glory with the dependant earth.

Soil muttered annoyingly at is lowly role, to be trodden and deformed for the sake of its keepers.

Rivers and Oceans each spoke up, their voices wading over the noise of nature, trying desperately to call for peace in a world of clamor.

The predator stalked, unsympathetic for its prey. After all, it was the stronger.

The prey cowered, unsympathetic towards its hunter. After all, it was the kinder.

Somewhere in-between, man domineered, unaware of the others, he lived his life as he pleased, his only battles directed towards his fellows.

Grass grew its highest. Flowers bloomed their brightest. Poison Ivy mocked them both.

Every one of them scorned the other, unaware that they were brothers.

Unbeknownst to each, they were synergetic, and not one could thrive without the next.

31-Mar-2010 20:00:08 - Last edited on 30-Apr-2010 16:49:06 by Logan Shafts

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