a collection fo thoughts

They sit atop the twin spired mountain, clouds as thick and tall as the world, what wonders do they hide?

Olympus herself behind their white majesty, the gods sitting upon the golden thrones, slaves to the golden apples and fine wine that makes them so great.

A cross so large it's cruciform casts a shadow upon the island below showing all men their eventual fate.

I have been there, through the massive rain pregnant clouds to the top of those mountains, a great crater lies there, red sanded and cold as hell. It's a different place up there, a glimpse of a Venusian landscape that should exist only in my imagination.

From down here, I can hardly believe that any mortal kin has traveled to the top of those godly heights and returned un-awed.

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The darkness fades as fast as an eye-blink and I find myself in a strange place. Blue carpet, white walls and thick book-cases lined with wide tomes, I stumble forward and read the titles, law books. Where am I? The slow fan turns over head stirring the dusty air, no lights are on but the afternoon sun illuminates the room with an eerie empty quality.

I shouldn't be here, I look out the window that stands sentinel over a pile of books and a large golden globe, the ground below is concrete and a fence surrounds the building. A sparse forest lies at the end of my vision and I follow the road to the horizon.

Sudden remembrance, Kentucky, Fort Knox, The J.a.g. office that I worked at, painting and doing handy-man jobs in. This is bad, the place has tighter security than some prisons. Somebody walks past the door, the shadow cutting across the carpet for a moment sending my heart into my throat.

Don't panic. This is easy, the world is a waking dream, just do what you will.

I find myself sweating...

++0

Trumpets blare and angels stare and I don't know where my pants are.
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The cards sat before me unrevealed and mysterious, my fate would be decided by the next hand. My opponent sat across form me, dirty and smelly he was a wide strong man and he wore a shaggy black beard on his cracked and hard face. The tavern was a din of sounds, laughter, and yelling, the tinkling of the piano in the corner I had to block it all out and concentrate on my cards.

"You gonna go or what?"

He smelled like whiskey and cheap cigars, I didn't know where he got the scroll but I needed it and it had taken me all night to slowly win all his money until he had only one thing left to bet with. I picked up my cards and looked at the copper case that sat before me, inscribed with ancient runes and concentric circles, it was the real deal.

I turned the cards over and my heart sank nothing. A Jack, a five, and an ace, he must have seen my crestfallen look because he laughed low and long, revealing broken and yellow teeth,

"I got you now, don't I boy?"

Thoughts of the past few months came to my mind, the few friends I had made in this dusty little town, the cute w****s I visited ever few nights, that quaint pasture a few miles out of town where I would sit with my horse and watch the sunset. Oh, well the world was a big place and I had to leave eventually.

The pistol fell into my hand and not for the first time I thanked my father for teaching me his old magic tricks, sleight of hand is very useful in a gun fight.

Snub nosed and painted black the little revolver was a fearsome sight with its long suppressor, I held it under the table and before my victim could stand I fired three times. The back of his chair splintered and he slumped forward, gore running down his front and on to the floor. The sharp smell of blood and innards made me gag for a moment. I had to leave now before anyone else noticed my companion's sudden narcolepsy. I frantically grabbed the copper case and checked inside it for the scroll as I pushed my way through the crowd towards the door.

It was there, yellowed and creased; I screwed the top back on and ran down the stairs and through the night street, the sounds of the tavern fading in my ears as I ran to my waiting horse.