Uncanny Phenomenon

When Peter had been brought to the community by Murmur after his first turn-about from death into his newly forged body, he had lived contentedly until his next death … following the routine of a simple life, and blending with the brothers quite happily until his body simply had tired and died.

His funeral was held in the town in the Abbey grounds, where he was to be interred. Murmur was far away on the other side of the country at this time living in the Franciscan community … whilst Pietro-Peter was being sung his final song.

It was an uncanny phenomenon, for his soul to have taken the form of another as he did. And during this second chance at life, Peter-Pietro had quite forgotten much of what he had done in the years earlier. Yet when he was released yet again, his spirit remembered the will and wishes it had carried before - and the great desire to find his son, as he had had, when he had died by arrow the first time in the forest.


- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Earthbound

There had been twenty-two transformations Pietro had undergone before becoming the dog known as Anon- twenty-two body-hopping slides into a life that would not let him go home into the other-words - the heavenly afterlife, after each time that he died..

When his soul yearned for the stars, all he had got was the cold hard reality of more hunger, more pain and more restriction, within a ceaseless cycle of immediate incarnation - conspiring to keep him earthbound seemingly ever more.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Find a new Body

He hastened down the corridors to the hatchery, finding Francis on his knees in morning prayer.

Not wanting to disturb him Puck backed his way out of the door, but then heard his friend calling as he did this.

“Pook get in here - I need you now”. Pook was short for ‘Pookah’ a nickname of Francis’s from long ago. Their familiarity was something reserved for in private. But the two went back almost a century and they had evened out to equals long ago.

Puck heard the urgency and went immediately to Francis’s side to see him on the floor bending over the dog whose head rested limply placed across his knees.

Chips had been whining of late of being weary, and the two had just thought it was his usual complaining which seemed to be a large part of the Weimaraner’s temperament.

It was plain to see that the poor beast was labouring with his breathing. His eyes looked frightened beneath it all. Puck knew exactly what this meant.

“Well, it's lucky you have me here this time” he said with a mock confidence.

The truth was Puck had no idea how this would go, yet had promised Francis he would help if he could, the next time Pietro had to find a new body. Looks like now was this time.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Two Unicorns

Everyone knew that the sighting of two unicorns together was a rare occurrence. It was obviously going to be a good day.

Puck had long been planning to shut down the questionable divisions of the phytogenetic Company he had acquired. He was still answerable to the lesser share holders and had to go about his sabotage discreetly. They must not know that his sole intent was to put a stop to what he liked to call their ‘Frankenstein range’ before it was released into the world.

When he had tried to explain to Charley where he was going with all of this, she had dismissed him out of hand. He reluctantly realized that there were some core concepts she simply could not grasp as yet … her thinking was intrenched in materialism, and she could not comprehend the finer points of any esoteric implication.

Not all advancements were a great idea, and certainly ‘finding a way forward’ was not always the best way to go.

Some places one does not want to go, or need to go, or would safely go - and he had a lot of experience firsthand of trying paths he later wished he had not gone down.

- Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

The Drill

The drill made no sound - it had a fine jet of tooth dissolving liquid that also lit the tooth remaining with a purple light which made it obvious to what was being targeted. Within a minute it was cleaned out and down to the gum. With precision, then, the Dentist (who was around Calvin’s own age of not yet twenty) clamped a mould onto the area and injected it with a ‘tooth paste’ that hardened under UV light. The whole procedure was over in less than five minutes and Calvin was being told to sit up and rinse.

“That’s it?” he asked with a jaw that was like chewing gum still feeling fuzzy.

“Yes, unless you would like any of your other teeth looked at”.

“No, fine for today. But thank you.” he added thoughtfully. As Calvin walked out from the building he realized that he really did love his father’s business and had a fixation for the innovations which lay ahead. He did not want to leave at all and whilst the responsibility may have felt too much, this was where he belonged.

His father’s ghost walked beside him as he was thinking this, and was pleased.

“I knew you’d come around” he said proudly to his son.

For not only had he invested his life in this business, he had also invested his spirit. Johnstone Snr could not leave now either - even if he had wanted to.


-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Dental Project

"I have only fifteen minutes before I have to go in”, Calvin said, a little nervously.

He was not looking forward to this: a dental appointment arranged by Symes, the chief chemist in cements/dentures.

Nerve death and tooth loss had been one of the priority projects his father had financed just before passing on.

Once upon a time Calvin never questioned the trials he would put himself through for the Company, but now it let loose of his reins, he began to feel very differently about it.

His jaw twinged - that damn needle had hurt more than it was worth, and with the numbing block kicking in, he felt like Moonface from the Faraway Tree.

“Just lie back Mr Johnstone” the male nurse had said authoritatively whilst tying a bib around his neck and clasping it uncomfortably tight. He then slid a pair of charcoal dark sunglasses onto the bridge of Calvin’s nose.

A clamp was placed in his mouth before he could say much, and the bright light above still managed to stream into his eyes. Calvin thought of all the places he would rather be right now.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances

Magic began the World

Not all magic is a perversion of the fixed and natural world. It was magic that began the World.

And it was a higher magic that brought the harp into the hands of the shepherd boy David, to play before the power of the modern world; of pure note, of pure thought, bringing the movement to change.

Saul listened because he understood the higher language.

The voice of the harp delivered a prophesy he had beseeched the heavens for, and as it foretold to his soul, it transcribed that which needed to be deciphered from within and above, and then he knew.

But how could a young, lowly boy, have been given this power?

It is where it is. It is where it is. He could not deny it.

-Gabriel Brunsdon, AZLANDER: NEVER ENDINGS: Second Chances