Sacred Ground

"You cannot be burying her here. Not in this plot, not in my land, not of this sacred ground.” His voice trembled with the emphasis.

He continued: “This sinner has no place here to rest, and you must take this witch away right now. She’ll be offending the good spirits, not to mention the children who are buried here. There'll be no coming back to collect her in the morning, do you hear?"

The old Priest admonished the three as though they were schoolboys taking part in a prank. He went on:

"You’re wearing some clothes now I see" he jibed with a sarcastic drawl staring at Francis. He then went on to recite the canticle in full Latin.

"But Father" Tobias began ...

"But nothing my son! There'll be no excuses or explanations! Be away with you lads - we've had much too much intercourse with the dark arts in this area as it is. They slime all the surfaces, and invite demons to hover over the outer walls. I have to walk through a crowd of the undead every night when returning home, and I care not for their ways at all.” he said shaking his head.

"How much will it take?" asked Francis knowing the Canon's dance with words - that his meanings would toss the truth every which way, until settling.

- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Dalmatians

A candle lantern was lit in the doorway of the manse nearby - and the resident Priest took no time to set the spotted hounds upon them.

Alexis, the Father to the farmers, bred Dalmatians as an income for his house. The stipend from the Church was never enough to support his large and growing family without this honest supplement.

He had taught his hounds to attack upon command, yet sit quietly at prayer time with the greatest obedience.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Some Coins for the Digger

The cart felt very heavy and Granoldi strained with the weight of it. The body had seemed to gather the weight of eight men.

When the path finally flattened, the three monks coaxed the wagon along with a push and a shove, the help of a bear, and an enduring psalm sung.

With just a mile to go up the road, they congratulated each other as to the success of the night’s venture.

Finally arriving at the burial spot, they found three holes side-by-side, with fresh clay mounded around them.

The men were pleased to see the arrangements had manifest. Murmur had given Hannah some coins for the digger who had prepared these lots. All seemed to be going very well.

Granoldi shuffled a little too close to the edge and promptly slid down into the hole, dragging the cart behind him as well. As it fell on his hind leg, he yelped.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Elvin Masters

Claude Monet

Many of the masters of oil painting will be revealed to be quite Elvin, having hidden pictures within their works, veiled to the humans, yet obvious to their own.

You can find these in any gallery today - especially in the Fine Art department. This is a great secret to the highest of prices they fetch ... with another picture embodied upon the canvas, being a grandiose whisper of worlds within worlds. They spoke to the Humans subliminally even though the Mortals were often blind to their message.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Ethereal Vision

The small corpse beside him groaned. To his annoyance she seemed to keep doing this every time he made a comment. It was beginning to get on everyone’s nerves. Granoldi squinted at the bulge in the flaxen sheet stirring.

"And what of the baby bones? Do we take those with us also?" asked Tobias a little timidly. He was not wanting to do this collection.

Vivien had littered her home with objects carved and moulded from small bones. Her cutlery, her combs, even her false teeth were all of crafted bone.

Some, she had polished, and assembled into parquetry, which later were cleaned with a paste made of finely ground bone.

Francis could see with a forensic certainty what was once belonging to another human, and what was not.

His eyes saw life in all substance, and added to this he could perceive its nature also, made apparent in shades and blends of other-worldly tones - colours that mortal men could not ordinarily and plainly differentiate - for this vision, his vision, was ethereal.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

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