Laudus Himself

SIMONE PART 1 SIMONE PART2 Simone followed the young man towards the woods, dogs at his heel, seemingly oblivious to the world. She knew better than to be oblivious and complacent, now, thankfully, but that’s the beauty of dogs. As this new team got into the woods, trees closing in, fear swept up Simone’s neck. The boy suddenly clicked into gear and pricked up. He knew the dangers of a crowded wood. Why had she thought them so safe, she wondered. The car’s protection, perhaps. A steel and glass illusion of safety behind which she made poor decisions. Like all cars, really, but in a world where poor decisions meant something else. You can’t smell death in a vehicle. In the woods carrion carried on the breeze. With an expressive but controlled gesture, like an orchestra conductor, the boy sent the dogs off ahead. They sniffed the floor and air hungrily, hyper alert in an instant, back in work mode after the joy of their earlier kill. Simone saw the brilliance in keeping these creatures...

READ SIMONE PART 1 The petrol ran out after the warning faster than Simone could have thought. Minutes, perhaps an hour? Who knew, moreover, it  wasn't important anymore. The car coughed and slowed to coasting pace by the side of a field with long grass, leading to another wooded area in the distance. Simone was in an open space all of a sudden. It was pretty, actually. A good place to die. Simone had no idea where she was, it suddenly occurred to her, she had left without a map. In too much of a hurry to run away from everything. Improperly prepared was an understatement. A guess would have been Surrey somewhere, maybe south of London, she hoped. Or had she headed away from London now? Simone had wandered, slipping away like prey, trying to keep off the main roads and sneak in to wherever she was going. Fear and impulse. No maps, no preparation for this, it was the only time she’d not prepared in her life, and it was a mistake. Simone’s eyes whipped left and right. Forgetting her...

THE DEAD ARE COMING INTRO- JIM AND THE OLD MAN Simone tore recklessly down the country roads. All grit, corners and no line of sight. She had seen no other cars, cars with people in them capable of driving for some hours now, anyway. Days perhaps, ploughing forward unthinkingly. The sun was Simone’s only gauge and she’d not paid any attention to it through the trees crowding her. Every petrol station had been dark and fuel-less. Probably more cause to worry but no, no worrying now. Night was soon to be day, Simone’s eyes were bloodshot and tired. Physically bottomed out, emotionally torn. Fear and insanity had kept her going but her body was now telling her to stop. Just sleep until it gets light she told herself, but Simone knew what that would involve   Caving in against her will lest she crash the car through inattention, Simone pulled over by trees leading into a forest. The dark could have gone on for miles, she couldn’t tell.  Strange to think that the forest might spr...

Many years ago, a King ruled from the land on which you stand to where the earth meets the ocean in all directions. The monarch was a tyrant, a glutton and a man of moral turpitude. Not unlike other kings, and some Queens, it could truthfully be said. This King, however, had a religious zeal which flew like a gale and the consistency of conviction of a wind cockerel in a storm. The two do not mix well, and his favour fell where it fell depending on his mood and desires. This, combined with his absolute rule and power, led to the execution of thousands of his own people because of their differing beliefs in God, during his near forty year rule. Here follows the story of one of them, a young lady by the name of Daralis Drewet. A most interesting lady, who suffered a cruel and unusual end. Daralis was married off at a young age by her parents, to a man she did not love. It had been arranged that this man, James, was to marry her elder sister, but she died prematurely as people t...