Pity & Charity came easily

“The last time someone did this there was a blue vapour that hung around the ground and scared all the honest citizens for months.”

Francis would not listen to any more objections.

"I will carry her there myself if need be” he said plainly.

Francesco had the strength - it could be done.

Pity and charity came easily into the arms and heart of Francis. One could have said that his very depth of being was defined by these two graces. They ever sat in the background of his knowing, and plain spoke their truths with his reason, content and holy.

“What of justice?" supposed Tobias - knowing that he was inviting a sermonious exposition from his beloved brother. His soul lived for such wisdom.

Francis perceived this sparring for what it was, and so gave a thought to his words.

“The courts of Heaven can decide well enough - it is not for the pure to be the judge of the devils - for in reason, they cannot.”

“How suitably inarguable, my obstinate friend”, said Toby missing the point entirely.


-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Nerve Glue

“Mr Johnstone, I could become an evangelist for your products so easily. As you know I came here looking for precisely this - a medium that could reconstruct and reconnect living tissue and nerves. Marsupials and primates …”

Calvin interrupted her, a little abruptly - “The veterinary practices would find the cost of this treatment prohibitive at this stage. High-end athletes, the ‘a’ class - that is our kind of market right now …”

“I see - yes of course. But then why did you involve me at all?”

“Well, er - for the long term and for the human purposes. I just assumed that you may be equally enthused with its applications to humans”, his voice sounded a tad judgemental. This was something an Australian did not appreciate.

However, it had not occurred to Robyn at all that she might be interested in humans - and she began to ask herself, why.

She stared down at her finger where it looked and felt entirely normal.

"This nerve glue - " she faltered before going on - he nodded to her to complete her sentence ... "is it manufactured from processed cadaver?"

"Yes."

"Animal?"

"No."

"Human?"

"Yes."

She drew breath. And then pointing to the little pot of clear gel she asked,

"Is this also made from cadavers?"

"No."

"What then?" she asked directly.

"Life. Life-forces we have contained" he replied - "we call it - Resurrection.”

- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Paper Cut

Calvin threw his rucksack down onto the table with a thud - some small vials and larger tubes rattled out.

“It's incredible - truly incredible" Robyn said with certain admiration, staring at the place where her paper cut had been just an hour before.

"Band-aids will be obsolete" he said - nodding in agreement "and, it's not a glue either. We have our nerve bonding material as you know - the kind that was applied to my hand just after the accident. But this - this is even more advanced."

Calvin pulled out a chair right beside her. Robyn chose to ignore that they were so uncomfortably, yet lusciously, close. If anything, she was flattered.

"Have you guessed what this is?" he asked.

“Is it a protein?" Robyn's mind was alight with the possibilities of this - she still had the little pot in her pocket. She took it out and removed its lid - the clear gel inside gave no clue.

Calvin reached over and took it quickly out from her hand.

"Samples cannot leave this compound" he said abruptly - his tone had shifted an octave down. He seemed offended - put off from what he was about to say.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Going to Ground

“Vivien needs be buried into consecrated ground" Francis pressed rather sternly.

Shortly after he had prayed over the remains, lines of living larvae and beetles were in exodus, trailing out, in minute trains towards him. Even the maggots were drawn to his aura. Francis brushed them down and away from his tunic.

"No, I don't think that you have that right, my honoured Francesco. Consecrated ground is for the pious only, and the saints … and possibly, nobility - but it is never for the tainted."

"If you inter her in a holy place, her soul will then have a chance to rehabilitate - or, if not, it shall be held back and confined in that place with no escape, and thus be of no harm to others. This is my reasoning. For the Vivien will become an apparition to remain as an unholy tribulation, if we are to do nothing."

"Oh, I hadn’t thought of that" said Toby washing his hands through some wet leaves.

Murmur interjected: "I don't want Hannah to see this trollop - this she-devil has caused much pain to her in a time of trial, and it is best that she not be reminded of it."

"Well then, so it can be. We will load up Granoldi's cart with dry hay and pack the body forthwith. He can pull it into the town, just as he might cart the groceries.

"One finger is still missing, should we be worried?”

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Vivien's Fate

“Stop!"

Murmur was kneeling over the bony wreck of what once was the old crone Vivien. A fetid dark green ooze was leaking from all of her orifices, and someone had opened her linens, having torn them to look for hidden silver sewn into it - leaving what was left of her chest and thighs now exposed.

When Murmur went to lift her from the ground her skirtle dropped off, exposing a full set of male gonads.

"I really couldn't have guessed that, even if I had tried" Murmur offered to Tobias who still looked very worried.

"She - he - is long long departed. See here how the fingers have dropped off?"

“Francis will know where to bury the witch", Tobias said rubbing his forehead.

“Yes” the Brother agreed, “best consult him as to the fate of this sorry corpse.”

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

The Man in her Bed

Charley appeared to be considerably embarrassed when Robyn had explained to her what had happened.

"Let me get you a cup of tea" she said in a motherly fashion; and moments later was back with a tray of breakfast. The toast smelled so enticing: marmalade and country butter; hot tea and a bowl of creamy bircher. It was a breakfast that would have done Paddington proud. Robyn had settled once again into her stable self, swilling down her cup steaming cup.

"Can you describe the man who was in your bed?” asked Charley with a fragile tone.

"Well yes, he seemed very old - and awfully skinny. I could see his ribs poking out from his skin."

"His skin?”

“Yes, his chest was bare you see ... but he had some sort of pjs on his second half thank goodness. Oh, and he had hair just like yours really curly and about just as long" she stopped to think and looked puzzled. "It's getting strangely vague for some reason" Robyn added.

"I see" said Charley biting her lip.

"Robyn I really have to apologise to you - the man you describe, well, he was - I mean is … my father."

- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Mirabella & Granoldi

“Mirabella don't antagonise the Bear!”

The small child was smearing globs of honey onto Granoldi's feet, laughing to herself as he was trying to lick the pads clean.

Hannah-Mary caught her by the arm just before she took a stick to the complaisant animal.

"Enough child!"

Mirabella turned to look at her mother, and finally caught her seriousness.

She burst into tears.

Even at the small age of two, Mirabella could feel awash with the shame of a disapproving mother - that, and her will being thwarted.

Hannah-Mary knew that her little daughter was good at heart - and never wantonly disobedient. She turned to Murmur who was cleaning a calf-skin behind her.

“Brother”, she began - in the tone that she had just used a minute before - “couldn't the Grande live elsewhere? You know how difficult it is for me having to watch over two children.”

“Where would you have him go? This is his home, Sister. He requires the fires we light, his arthritis pains him in the cold - the old one would not last long on his own in the forest. And were he in the village the people would tease hm overbearingly.

He smiled, she sighed.

“It is no use trying to convey to you - your heart is closed to my words. What am I to do? Time was when we were of one mind, as twins” she complained.

She stopped to wipe the blue berry stain from Bella's mouth. Her chubby hand was tossing the remainder onto Granoldi's face, who alike to any senior convalescent had dozed during the discussion, slumped at the base of his well worn tree.

Little Bella had crawled onto ''oldie's" lap and had now fallen asleep also - just after planting a crown of grass and leaves around his giant head. The old bear was snoring again.

“I wouldn't worry so Sister,” Murmur replied to her anxiety.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances