East of the Nirvanic Regions

Spiky Lee

All three were standing at the water’s edge - where the Divine pool of the Lesser Heavens reflected inwardly, on a usual day - east of the Nirvanic regions, graced with a fifth season of perennial calm, shining gold and silver depending on the light - gateway to all Worlds beneath, a fluid embodiment of all times pooled together, and a mirror to the upper worlds, being the connecting link to the physical realm as well - yet today it was black - black and thick, as thick as mud.

Puck himself had the jitters seeing this dark disturbance. The waters had putrified, solidified, and its energy was all but a low Tibetan-like hum.

“I’ve done this.”

“No, they’ve done this …” he assured Jupiter, inwardly blaming him regardless.

Jupiter felt as though he had woken from a very long sleep. What had he been thinking? Was this worth it? He dipped a stick into the tar-like sludge and it stayed, standing upright.

“It looks and smells like excrement” said Eve casually, thinking that she had been taken to the edge of a sewer farm. She had somehow been transported with the two the moment Granoldi had strode back into the apartment just moments earlier. Eve had assumed that this whole scenario was nothing more than a silly dream. She found herself enjoying the atmosphere of the Lesser Heavens, regardless of the two looking so concerned. Overall she felt pretty good.

Eve looked over at Puck who was smearing some of the mud onto a wide leaf and wrapping it tightly with a vine - she noticed his hair looked lit by a light that came from nowhere and was trailing almost to his belt - he was wearing a fine cotton shirt that seemed to change colour every few minutes. The effect was very trippy.

Beside him was an exceedingly tall and muscular man who appeared angelic in countenance, in that he had a white kaftan so fine that the sun shone through with what seemed to be an aura that followed his every movement. He seemed familiar. No, she did not feel disturbed at all - even with the smell of turds now all around her.

However the Elvish gods were devastated by what was before them - their minds were not clouded by the upper atmosphere - for the Heavenly ethers brought them clarity, unlike the Mortals; it breathed a complex intelligence into the cosmic fields which magnetically restored their own health as well.

“I don’t like this at all” said Jupiter, now becoming nervous within his own soul. 

-Gabriel Brunsdon, Finding Self - Second Guesses- Azlander Series 

The Recklessness of Jupiter

Tijana Lukovic

Granoldi had been through all of this before, periodically throughout the centuries there would be those mortals who would hold him captive, torture him, for one reason or another it made them feel grand to do so; yet this day however was different for he had fallen in with the dark occult arts. 

His irritation and disgust motivated him very quickly into action. With one swift movement the three hundred kilogram bear pulled his arms out from the chains and the bleeding apparatus (that was still pumping), pushed on the cage door with the force of ten men, and magicked the padlocks into springing open.

They had certainly underestimated his strength and willpower when roused. He then, one by one, pushed Peter and Violet to the ground, followed by Letitia who was hurrying feebly away - followed by an almighty slap to Bryan across the face, engraving four distinct claw marks into his cheek.

There had been a wailing and a moaning, but it had not come from Granoldi. The four lay on the apartment floor shredded by the claws of the great White Bear.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Eve’s apartment, Puck had been trying to say, just who and what the Fairy Bear was. But he found it near impossible to frame the words to explain why a young god would want worldly experience as he had.

“It’s just like a human youth who takes a drug and become less than themselves, and their consciousness dissipates into a void of life … perhaps this is the recklessness of Jupiter when he gives over to a random happening here. I watch over him whenever I can. Be more worried for those that have taken him, for he truly can look after himself.”

Eve had felt something inside of her drawn to this bear, yet she still had not the vivid reckoning of any past life recall: she just knew in his essence there was, for her, a magnetic pull of wonderment and great attraction. She felt she needed to be close to this being, whoever or whatever he is. He was her sun to which she would orbit. All of this she kept quiet, but of course Puck could read these thoughts and in turn respected her desires. It was he, after all, that had brought Granoldi to her, knowing of their past together back in the early years of the Franciscan community. It was what it was.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, Finding Self - Second Guesses- Azlander Series

Out of Place

Eve felt fragile with worry finding out that Granoldi had escaped to God knows where from the safety of her keep.

She was finding it hard to think straight - or even at all - this day had turned out to be so disturbing.

Needles sat (invisibly) on the other side of her on the couch tuned into her upset - he was unnerved terribly, as he was now so synchronised to her mind and mood he was feeling her feelings acutely.

“We have to find him” she said urgently all at once to Puck, who answered:

“Before we do I need to tell you a few things I think you need to know.”

Eve had heard a few stories from him in their narrow past but this did not seem an appropriate time …

He persisted - “this is important Eve”, he took her hand in his, getting her attention.

“There once was a young god - Jupiter - who for many reasons - too many to mention now - felt the urge to enter into the realm of Earth …”

-Gabriel Brunsdon, Finding Self - Second Guesses- Azlander Series

Dark Path to the Wizard

It appeared that the older these elderly four had grown the more ambitious they had become to acquire a strength of immortal proportions at any cost.

Over the years together they had done a great many things to achieve what they believed would bring them power, and youth, using various rituals with vampiristic means. To look at them it was obvious that none of this had worked. They were not exceptionally powerful or magnetic, and there was nothing outstanding about any one of them.

And yet they still had hope, and a faith of their own. In all of this striving there was a larger character motivating the group unseen - one that they that they had adhered to for decades - and it was hard to say if they had found him during a mad incantation, or if he had found them and inflamed their delusions of greatness.

Romulus was a foul character of dark design. He was, one could say, the Wizard of Oz of the black arts: and they, the four, the alter egos finding their way on this dark path to the concealed tower.

Yes, this is a very good picture tale … of a mirror world, where human life is so distorted, upside down and back to front, and the souls involved have truly lost their way, believing in a misguided chance for a never-won prize that would have been theirs anyway, should they have travelled the moral road instead of the greedy one.

And just alike to the Wizard of Oz, Romulus kept himself concealed, and their communications were brief but to the point, and in this also, he was always arms-length to the evil they perpetuated.

Peter had a personal history of military service for which he was most proud and of the four he was the least the squeamish at doing what he believed had to be done.

The room stunk of burnt fur, as Peter had been setting light to Granoldi watching his white curls frizzle back to a pale pink skin beneath.

Lettie had been poking him with her knitting needles - and even though Granoldi was secured well she kept her distance, by using her foot long prongs.

“Don’t poke the bear” laughed Bryan repeating himself.

The other three failed to see the funny side of this - their minds have converted to literal speak only and simple humour was as impossible to this sinister lot, as was doing a pushup.

Any simple joy or happiness had departed them same moment they pledged themselves to the push and pull of the will of Romulus.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, Finding Self - Second Guesses- Azlander Series

Bryan, a Scholar

“Don’t poke the Bear”, Bryan chuckled, strutting around him as though he were ten foot taller.

The old woman laughed a tobacco-worn raspy laugh beside him. This would usually get on Bryan’s nerves, but today he would let it pass, for today he was too absorbed with the capture.

The occult four had been aware of Granoldi’s presence for some time. Not only did they see he was a bear hiding out in the flat above, but they had the inner knowledge of who and what Granoldi was, and this was very dangerous.

Old Peter had wet himself with excitement. To capture a god was a dream come true. Granoldi was still in a half-sleep half-wake condition. Whenever he would rouse from his journeying in the spiritual worlds back into earth, his consciousness was slow to resume. Added to this his demeanour was generally so affable that he allowed the ropes and plastic ties (the type with teeth) to constrain him as they pushed him into the waiting cage.

They had plotted and planned for some weeks.

The activist Peter had believed that all possessions belonged to him and thought nothing of the taking for himself, even of another life. Yes, these four knew full well that Granoldi was no simple animal. They perceived the prize within. and by some mishap of imagined reflected glory thought to take power from the young god that he naturally emanated, expecting to make it for their own.

It wasn’t quite the kidnap one might think. When the four elderly stole away Granoldi from the flat, they used a key that Violet had taken some time ago. When Eve was out shopping she used to like exploring the knick knacks in the draws; Violet had always been something of a snoop. Although one might not have guessed this from her quiet demeanour.

Peter, Bryan, Violet and Leticia had simply gone in knowing that he was about to wake. Granoldi had no reason to doubt the seeming kindness of the elderly four. and they appeared to know him, and so he followed obligingly into the corridor and down to Violet’s apartment below.

It had started with the borrowing of the wheelchair when she knew something was up. Bryan, a scholar, in archaic mythology and occult demonology, was intrigued with her story she confided of discovering Granoldi in the bed.

“This is important enough to consult with the great one about” Bryan had said authoritatively.

And so it had begun.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, Finding Self - Second Guesses- Azlander Series

Bear Gone

“What do you mean he’s gone?”

“He’s gone, he’s gone I tell you.”

“How could that possibly happen - we have just been talking, I did not hear him … I didn’t hear the door, I didn’t hear him get up - what do you mean he’s gone? he can’t have gone, maybe he’s just gone to the bathroom.”

“Bears don’t go to the bathroom.” Puck snapped.

He couldn’t believe it, thinking out loud Puck said, “Perhaps Needles let him out, or took him down the street.”

"Needles, who’s Needles? What do you mean Needles?”

Puck sighed. How could this happen? “He’s his own man after-all.”

“What do you mean Man?”

Eve was really beginning to get worried.

“But he was asleep … maybe we woke him up, do you think?”

Puck sped out the door with Eve closely behind him, up the landing and into the street.

“You go that way, and I’ll head into the shops.” Puck said determined to find Grandoldi before he was taken into custody by some well meaning ranger, or worse still, a police officer using undue force.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, Finding Self - Second Guesses- Azlander Series

Capturing a God

Granoldi shook himself - a taser’s ray had just caught him on the back of his neck and a thin tube with his blood dripping into it was tugging at the fur, caught on his arm - it was connected to some kind of extractive device that wheezed with electronic bellows. 

Four elderly humans were glaring at him through a wall of wiry mesh. He groaned a deeply mournful bear’s groan. Jupiter had returned back into his familiar body to find himself being kidnapped and tortured by what it appeared to be some very low forms of life indeed.


Bryan had had the genius idea of purchasing a shark cage some weeks before - the kind where divers contain themselves for a subterranean viewing. It was assembled in Violet’s apartment ahead of time, and fitted with padlocks on the outside. It proved to be the ideal size for restraining a very large Bear.


“Like mother, like son,” snarled Peter.


“The great Romulus has delivered him to us”, Violet said with an almost childish compunction that did not suit her weathered face at all.


Lettie kept skewering Granoldi through the holes in the mesh - it had been some time since she had a victim larger than a cat to torture and she was clearly enjoying it. 


“I’ll go and get the acid” Bryan said matter of factly - his tone was so cool you might think he was about to serve a beverage. 


The four apprentice magicians were extremely pleased with themselves. 


“I’ve waited all my life for a conquest like this” Violet confided to Letty who was wiping the drool from her mouth with a handkerchief. 


The atmosphere of excitement from these depraved four was creepily sexual.  


“Who would have thought?” Leticia snickered, “We captured ourselves a god.”


-Gabriel Brunsdon, Finding Self - Second Guesses- Azlander Series

Kisung Koh