A Gift Ark

“Moma!” yelled the little child as he charged over to hug her legs tightly. This was all that she needed.

“May I prepare a meal for you?” she asked tentatively.

“Wot's in this sack?” Franco asked hopefully tugging at the ribbon trying to untie it.

“It is a gift I brought for you little man,” he replied helping him to untie the knot.

“I hope you will take care of it well - the wood I have hewn from a very special tree - one of the oldest in the netherworld … I crafted the pieces myself, for you to play with.”

Francis was suitably delighted - and he did what any little boy might do in the rush to see what was inside the big bag - he tipped it upside down and a hundred miniature animals spilled onto the floor. Stuck within the folds was yet another larger piece.

“Look Francis!” said his mother helping him get that one out too - "you have a boat to keep them all in!"

“Oh Uncle! they are lovely!” said the little boy contentedly setting to work to order them in pairs in one great line.


- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Beads of Black Sweat

When the stranger placed his slender hand onto Franco’s forehead the boy stirred in his bed, and beads of black sweat perspired from his pits.

Pica gasped to see this, but stood back, fixed on the spot - putting her faith with the one who had come.

He whispered into the boy’s ear, in a faraway language that mother Pica could not recognize; and he bathed the child’s arms with a tonic that filled the room with the fragrance of young trees.

Shortly after - in only minutes it did seem - little Francis opened his eyes and recognized the Elven visitor. He leapt out of the bed and twirled on the floor.

Pica put some water on to boil and continued as though nothing had happened.

She took care not to show her fear and busied herself - this being her way of steading the world around her.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

In the Dark

“But Dad”, interjected Charley (as she often would) “does that mean that there are people who are continually in the dark, just because they are only thinking about themselves?”

“Yes, it is exactly that. It can be impossible to reach someone who is always so self-involved without a care or concern for another - the darkness hovers around their head and their heart, blocking the light, as it were.”

“Can you teach me to see this?” Charley had asked hopefully.

“No”, said her father - “it is something that cannot be taught - but you my dear child will be able to feel it.”

He put his hand on her shoulder - finding that times like these were tough when their differences became underlined, yet again.

Charley never doubted her father - although they were literally worlds apart - she could sense the truth of his words, as the veiled ephemeral visions would flit before her consciousness - like ghosts beyond the veil - so many spirits would call to her whenever the world was quiet.

She looked up proudly at her Dad as he stood before the small gathering. A dark cloud hung over the room, infused with the brilliancy of a handful of souls.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Light Bulb Moments

Puck (Mr Black, as he was formally known by Calvin and the Company) was never offended by the thoughts of men as he could often see what they were thinking even before it entered their minds and formed their opinions. He was rarely surprised.

He once explained to Charley, “We don’t really have very much to work with when it comes to humans. There are but a few basic types of thinking in men: reactive, self-aware, empathetic and creative - added to these categories are the inflections of whether or not the thinker is basically selfish or kind. Selfishness draws thoughts back to referencing the past, whilst the kindly thinker held a projective capacity which could plan for the future, grasping the present with a comprehensive view that could see past themselves.

“When any individual is being selfish the cloud of thinking becomes quite dark, and when the mind is turned outward towards another person or need, then a certain light is attracted energetically to them. Oddly enough ‘enlightened thinking’ really has such a literal meaning - and pertains almost always to unselfish thought. The ‘light bulb moments’ are true - and such realisations that come with the greatest of revelation and insight, are those that are the greatest distance from one’s own self. Far reaching ideas need such distance!”

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

The New CEO

There was an extremely uncomfortable silence. The echoing auditorium with its stellar acoustics resounded nothing - not even a cough.

“Any questions?”

“What of our projects currently in play?” asked one of the senior researchers who also had a position on the board itself.

“There may be some” Calvin conceded - "I cannot say for sure, as this will no longer be my provence or responsibility.” Calvin felt pure relief as he said these words - finally he thought to himself.

He also privately knew that Mr Black had objections to some, if not all, of the products that were currently in development. What he did not realise was that the fastest way Puck had thought to close the operation was to simply buy it and shut it down. If he owned the patents he could stall most of the frankensteinian works for half a decade or more. He would of course go on to develop his etheric salve for healing.

It had been assumed up until now that this ‘crackpot’ was merely a guest venting his weirdo mix of metaphysical pseudo-science, and not one of the team had any reason to believe that he would have the controlling interest, or funds to make this to happen.

“And now I am going to hand you back over to Mr Black - please give our new CEO a hearty welcome.”


-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Stepping Down

It appeared that not one of the white-coats in the audience had been paying attention - their faces were blandly staring at their watches and phones, clearly willing for the session to pass. There were no questions forthcoming.

Calvin joined Mr Black and his colleague, Fabaceae, to front the tired crowd.

“I have something of a major announcement to make today, he began dryly - and that is … that is to say that it has been wonderful working with you all over the years. I know that my father was very fond of everyone here and most of you have watched me grow since my childhood …”

He stopped for a moment and saw a familiar face in the second row looking horrified.

“Good” he thought to himself, "they are finally listening.”

“Well as you all probably realized of late, with the passing of my father, the Company has not been the same.”

The shareholders all knew this.

“Try as I might, I am simply not big enough to fill his shoes, or invest my life in this business, as he has done. He gave his life for this Company and I personally am still mourning this loss.”

He steadily continued: “Mr Black has made me an offer I cannot refuse, and I would like you to welcome him now as both the CEO and major shareholder of this great Company moving forward. We wanted to give you the heads up before the papers get a hold of it later today. The contracts have only now been completed and I will be saying my farewells as the leader of this very fine team before me.”

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

The Room Filled with Hope

“Will he live?”

“Yes dear Mother, he will … because he must. Francis has a destiny.”

The young Elven man had a fire come into his eyes as he said this, and Pica felt deep down that he knew things that she herself could never understand.

The truth was that for all of Francis’s short life, she had waited in dread for the day to come when the Fairies could come and collect their boy.

When they had left him to her was it perhaps a mistake? A temporary stay? Her heart was heavy every time these wonderings crossed the threshold of her daily life.

As though Puck could hear her thoughts he said graciously, “No dear woman, I will not be taking your son away from you, his loving mother. I have only come to tend to him with the tonics he requires.”

She brightened at this and her room filled with hope.


-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances