tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137660465257608452024-03-13T10:06:01.501-04:00Pen & TentacleAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513766046525760845.post-11643770585812588002013-06-24T20:00:00.000-04:002013-10-25T13:26:21.379-04:00The Blue Lady - Part VIII<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-vii.html" target="_blank">Part VII</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">J</span>ill took Matty into one of the small bedrooms to tuck him into a cot. It was the first time Cal had gotten a good look at him, a little small for his age with a mop of coppery hair and she thought she got a glimpse of freckles underneath the dirt.<br />
<br />
Lucas, Cal, and her grandfather sat at a small card table in front of the cast iron woodstove. Cal had her back to the comforting heat sipping a cup of tea. The pleasantries aside Russ got down to business, he wasn’t talking grandfather to granddaughter anymore but as the Guardian for Northern New England speaking to one of his Mediators. <br />
<br />
“This is the fifth time something has come through in the past six months and that’s only in New England.” Russ’ voice was gravelly with a heavy Maine accent. “First was that goddamned banshee on Route 1 you took dealt with. Then there were trolls in Vermont."<!--more--><br />
<br />
"Trolls? Is that what happened to your truck?" She had noticed the pickup had some new dents and the hood had been replaced.<br />
<br />
"Ayuh, I hit one there. Stove up the whole front end. I also banished a pixie that was playing tricks up in Machias." He chuckled before continuing with a more serious tone. "Then there was a fucking Black Dog in the middle of Boston last month that took Hilda and half a dozen other mages to corral and send back.” <br />
<br />
Cal had known about the trickster fairy but trolls and a Black Dog? That was far more and far nastier than should be coming through the Veil. Maine got more than it’s share of fae with all the wild places it still had but a city like Boston had wards in place and few enough green spaces for most to avoid the place. It should have been protected. This could be pretty bad.<br />
<br />
“No idea why?” Lucas asked, Cal didn’t need to she could tell from the look on her grandfather’s face.<br />
<br />
“I’m telling you I’m going to find out. Hilda has been digging too.”<br />
<br />
Cal didn’t get along with the Guardian of Massachusetts but she respected Hilda. She also had an extensive network of magic users, preternatural beings, and mundane informants. If anyone in New England knew what was going on Hilda Ingridsdottir would find out.<br />
<br />
“We’ll let you know if we hear anything Grampa.”<br />
<br />
Russ patted her softly on the back it, it was as close to affectionate as the old mage got. <br />
<br />
“You’d better take off, don’t want your bloodsucker to get sunburnt.”<br />
<br />
That was the closest to concern for Lucas he had ever shown. It was a definite improvement in relations when Russ didn’t want to kill him.<br />
<br />
Cal walked back to the bedroom where Jill had stayed with Matty. She was sitting on an old folding chair watching over the little boy. Russ’ dog Bandit was curled up at the end of the bed, his head laying across Matty’s feet.<br />
<br />
“How’s he doing?” She asked softly.<br />
<br />
“Seems okay. He must be exhausted, he didn’t even wake up when I carried him in.”<br />
<br />
“He probably is but Lucas also put him under.” She leaned down to scratch behind one of Bandit’s floppy ears. He was a big, good-natured, mutt. No one was entirely sure what breeds were in his background but he was shaped a bit like a labrador but with long thick fur and markings a bit like a husky, including the dark mask that gave him his name.<br />
<br />
“You know it’s creepy that he can do that, right?”<br />
<br />
“Yeah.” Cal didn’t like the direction the conversation had taken. Lucas’ ability to affect minds both disturbed her and frequently came in handy. She also felt strangely guilty that it was something she’d never had to worry about him using it on her, even before they’d really gotten to know each other, being a mage she already had strong mental shields up.<br />
<br />
“Callie, look at your pants. They’re ruined.” Cal looked down at her blue jeans, they weren’t very blue anymore. She doubted she’d ever be able to get the combination of drying blood and muck out of them. At least her shirt had been spared.<br />
<br />
Cal and Lucas said their goodbyes and climbed back into the Jeep. She was too tired to argue over who drove and just curled up into the passenger seat. They made it home a couple hours before dawn. Cal had insisted on finding someplace that was open to get food, they had finally found a 24-hour drive-through. One coffee and a blueberry muffin later they were back on the road.<br />
<br />
Cal barely took the time to undress before collapsing in bed. She didn’t even have the energy to wash off the remaining smears of dried blood. Lucas on the other hand didn’t seem to be too tired to her as he started nibbling on her ear. <br />
<br />
Cal rolled over and looked at her lover. “You are insane. I’m so tired I can barely move and you’re horny?”<br />
<br />
“Mm hmm… “ He mumbled into her hair. Cal thought this was taking his fetish for danger a bit far.<br />
<br />
“I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight.” She swore he was actually pouting but it was a fleeting thought as her body gave in to exhaustion.</div>
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Jill called that evening to fill her in one what had happened that morning. She and Russ had used a story about Bandit finding Matty while out for an early morning walk. Cal had to laugh at that, the big shaggy mutt wasn’t terribly bright. He’d once gone into a fenced pasture and couldn’t find his way back out through the open gate, finding anyone was well beyond him.<br />
<br />
Matty had been tired, hungry, and a little dehydrated but otherwise fine. Scraped knees were the only injuries. His parents thought it was a miracle and no one was all that surprised when he didn’t remember much. They all assume the funny blue lady he kept talking about had been a dream.<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>And that's the end of the Blue Lady. I'm already working on the next story featuring Cal and Lucas</i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-vii.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null">Part VII</a></span> </i></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513766046525760845.post-55175087721723574432013-06-17T20:00:00.000-04:002013-10-25T13:27:29.183-04:00The Blue Lady - Part VII<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://Part VI -- Part VIII " target="_blank">Part VI </a>-- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-viii.html" target="_blank">Part VIII </a></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid--ae55ddc-6c53-5836-fb54-c25911fa9edb" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><hr /><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span> “Vampire, why do you protect this child?” The voice was strangely melodious, flute-like. “It is mine now.”<br />
<br />
“He looks tasty.”<br />
<br />
A small shudder ran through Cal and she tried to remain focused on the spell. As much as she might with otherwise that was how he saw the little boy. Lying to fairies was much too dangerous. She had no illusions about how little compassion he had for most humans, they were only food to him. What he said wasn’t an answer to the question but it was the truth.<br />
<br />
She managed to bring her focus back to the spell, hoping that Lucas would keep the fairy too distracted to notice her for a few more minutes. Her blood was black in the moonlight as she held her bleeding hands over the bowl. Large, heavy drops fell onto the bread. Tendrils of power spouted out of it like vines, glowing faintly at first then stronger. Ember red.<br />
<br />
The fairy turned towards where Cal was crouched among the trees. It knew now that someone was trying to banish it. Cal would see everything now with the intense clarity that the magic gave her, enhancing all her senses. She had to stand her ground now, breaking the spell at this point would bring it back on herself. She pushed more power into the blood flowing out of her body. Hot rivulets ran down her chest and belly, far more than the shallow cut should have produced. This was the cost.<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Cords of power flowed out, twisting around the fairy. Please hurry up and work. The fairy was coming closer, the flutelike voice now a low trill. Is it growling at me? It seemed so slow to her magic flooded brain but there was nothing she could do without breaking the spell.<br />
<br />
Then Lucas was there with that ridiculous sword of his, it was cold iron though. His thrust was aimed at the fairy’s chest but didn’t connect. Instead he was hurled across the clearing into a tree with a sickening crash. A momentary distraction but it was long enough.<br />
<br />
Cal tightened the ropes of power and sealed the spell. She could feel the fairy’s departure as the spell pushed it through the boundary between the worlds, a soundless shock wave only she felt. It was almost disappointing that there was no flash of light or momentous sound, the fairy was just gone. <br />
<br />
She collapsed forward, bracing herself on all fours waiting for her head to stop spinning. As soon as she could move without being sick she looked around for Lucas and Matty. Despite his brief flight Lucas was unhurt though decidedly disheveled. He had the little boy in his arms, Matty looked awake but groggy. The vampire looked down into his eyes intently for a long minute, the toddler’s head nodded slowly as he sank into a deep sleep.<br />
<br />
“He should sleep for the rest of the night.” He laid the little boy gently on the ground.<br />
<br />
Cal nodded. “What will he remember?”<br />
<br />
“Hopefully not much, I clouded his memory. I don’t think anyone will be too surprised by that under the circumstances.” He looked Cal over. “Will you be able to walk out.”<br />
<br />
“I’m just tired, I’ll be fine.” Cal said, standing up slowly. <br />
<br />
The next thing Cal knew she was laying on the ground, she felt hot and dizzy. Lucas crouched over her.<br />
<br />
“Want to try that again?”<br />
<br />
“I’ll be fine, just give me a minute.” Cal tried to sit up but Lucas pushed her back down.<br />
<br />
“Stay there until you’re a bit less green.”<br />
<br />
“Fine. Could you hand me the bottle in my bag?”<br />
<br />
Lucas brought her the bright blue sports drink. She hated the taste, far too sweet, but she needed more than just water after a spell like that. As soon as she’d drained the bottle Lucas was over her pressing a hungry kiss to her lips, she realized she was still bleeding. He pulled away briefly before bending down to her chest.<br />
<br />
“This isn’t the time…”<br />
<br />
“Shh… just cleaning you up.”<br />
<br />
“Lucas.” More firmly this time.<br />
<br />
“Please…”<br />
<br />
There was a quality to his voice that Cal knew. It wasn’t hunger. It was the one that said ‘I need to know you’re still here’ and all those other things he never really said. He cared about her, the one exception to his usual coldness, neither of them understood why he’d chosen to let her in. It didn’t make him less amoral or care more about humans, just one. He needed this reassurance, besides it did feel wonderful.<br />
<br />
Something in the back of her mind was insisting that having your boyfriend lick blood off your body while laying in wet rotting leaves was wrong and shouldn’t feel so good or so comforting. She told it to go away and gave herself permission to enjoy it. This was a kink she’d embraced a long time ago—well not the part with the wet leaves—so she was used to ignoring that voice. She felt Lucas move from her abdomen to first one hand then the other, lapping across the palm and gently sucking on her fingers. Finally he pulled away and helped her sit up, she was still light headed but feeling better. Her skin was fully healed from his saliva, the cuts had been shallow but having them gone made her feel that much better.<br />
<br />
“Here’s your shirt love.” Lucas said, helping her back into it. “Think you can stand now?”<br />
<br />
“Yeah, if you give me a hand up.”<br />
<br />
Cal was still a bit wobbly but was able to keep her feet under her. Lucas was piled everything back into her bag and zipped it up before throwing it over his shoulder. The rapier already hung from his belt. He scooped up the still sleeping Matty and led the way out of the woods. It was slower going this time, but twenty minutes later they were back at the Jeep.<br />
<br />
The half hour drive to Erasmus Barnes’ fishing cabin went by silently. Cal had fallen asleep almost as soon as she climbed it. She woke to her grandfather gently shaking her awake.<br />
<br />
“We need to talk Calliope.”</div><br />
<hr /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-vi.html" target="_blank">Part VI</a><span style="font-size: large;"> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-viii.html" target="_blank">Part VIII</a></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513766046525760845.post-55328101058145164362013-06-10T20:00:00.000-04:002013-10-25T13:27:39.997-04:00The Blue Lady - Part VI<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-v.html" target="_blank">Part </a><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-v.html" target="_blank">V</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-vii.html" target="_blank">Part VII</a></span><br />
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The drive up to the lake took close to an hour. Lucas grumbled the whole time that if he’d been at the wheel of the Jeep it would have been much faster. They had left before sunset so Cal was forced to drive. The vampire had lain in the back seat with Cal’s jacket over his head. The fading sunlight wasn’t enough to harm him but was still painful. 286 years old and he could still be incredibly childish.<br />
<br />
“I swear I’m going to start keeping a ball gag in the glove box.”<br />
<br />
“Handcuffs too?” Lucas grinned.<br />
<br />
“Oh hell. I can’t win can I?”<br />
<br />
“No.”<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
It was just past 8 o’clock when she turned the Jeep up an old logging road that would get them close to the location on the map. Cal was relieved to finally hear the end of Lucas’ complaints about her driving, it’s wasn’t her fault she had normal human reflexes. The half moon had barely risen above the horizon and Cal was sure that the trees would probably block out even the slightest hint of light.<i> Great.</i> She thought. <i>Lucas is going to have to lead the way. I’ll never hear the end of it.</i><br />
<br />
“After you.” She said once they’d retrieved what they needed from the back of the vehicle. Lucas smirked and grabbed her hand. Yep, he’s going to tease me about this for weeks.<br />
<br />
Lucas led the way, still holding onto her hand. She trusted him to take the most direct path while avoiding anything that would trip her up or make too much noise. Cal was convinced he could walk across bubble wrap without making a sound but she was not quite so nimble.<br />
<br />
Cal's eyes adjusted to the darkness after a few minute but she could still see very little. There was the occasional maple or oak still mostly bare so early in the year letting in brief patches of moonlight but mostly the walked through dense pine trees. The only sounds other than her own footsteps was the constant chorus of spring peepers. <i>How is Lucas that silent?</i> She thought.<br />
<br />
Maybe ten minutes later Lucas slowed their pace. They were close to their destination now and he was relying on his heightened senses over his memory of the map now. Listening, or maybe smelling, for the little boy. He stopped Cal with a hand on her shoulder. She felt him lean in close. Lips brushed her ear.<br />
<br />
“I can smell the child.” He whispered so quietly she felt his lips forming the words against her skin more than heard them. “Maybe fifteen or twenty meters ahead. Fear but no blood.”<br />
<br />
She squeezed his hand, letting him know she got the message. Slowly they crept closer. Cal tried to walk as silently as possible. She could hear something now, small ragged breaths and a high pitched sobbing. There was a break in the trees, a small clearing, bright after the pitch dark of the woods.. It was circled with small mushrooms that glowed silver in the moonlight. On the far edge was Matty, small and huddled with his tiny arms wrapped around his knees. <br />
<br />
The fairy circle was expected, they tended to crop up wherever something has come through from one of the other worlds. Cal couldn’t see the fairy. She could feel it close by, like a vibration inside her head. A little bee buzzing around. It was the same feeling she’d had that night against the banshee, the feeling of something that was out of place in this world. Where was it? She needed to be able to see it in order to use the spell to send it home. If she had to force it to show itself too that would reveal her location and then she wouldn’t have much time to finish the spell. There was nothing she could do about that now.<br />
<br />
Lucas had already left her side, following the plan they had discussed on the drive up—when he wasn’t complaining. When the spell started he needed to be close enough to Matty to get in between the toddler and the fairy. If not then it could pull him along across the Veil when Cal cast the banishment spell.<br />
<br />
Working as quickly as she could without making noise, she pulled what she needed from her bag. This would both send the fairy back and bar it’s return, assuming it worked in time. She knelt in the mouldering remains of the previous autumn’s leaves—wet, slimy, and smelling of the new soil they were becoming—and made her preparations. A plain wooden bowl set in front of her knees filled with a piece of sourdough bread she’d grabbed from the kitchen on the way out the door. Cal quickly unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged it off, leaving her upper body bare. Next came an ointment, a recipe of her grandfather’s, it was oily and smelled of rosemary and something bitter. She started the breathing pattern that would bring the spell into focus. First dipping her fingers into the ointment she drew the symbols for the banishment spell across her chest, right over her heart.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4EEaRaACbRA/UYyWnRH6FUI/AAAAAAAACDg/zY3TYpgT7HE/s1600/Hand02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4EEaRaACbRA/UYyWnRH6FUI/AAAAAAAACDg/zY3TYpgT7HE/s320/Hand02.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>Preparations over she picked up the delicate stiletto. Long and thin with a silver hilt, beautiful and razor sharp. Cal preferred her scalpels but this was one of those spells with special requirements and she’d yet to find a pure silver scalpel handle. She had to admit though that it was a lovely blade, a gift from Lucas shortly after they met.<br />
<br />
Cal dragged the tip of the knife across the glyphs drawn on her chest, letting the pain wash over her. The ointment added an extra layer of stinging pain, like alcohol had been poured into the wound. Then a cut across each palm. As the blood flowed she could feel the magic welling up inside her.<br />
<br />
So focused on the spell, the mix of endorphins and magic flowing through her body, that she didn’t notice the appearance of the fairy. A high, frightened, cry brought her awareness back. Looking up she saw Lucas standing in the middle of the circle. Behind him lay Matty’s small form, now quiet, Cal wasn’t sure whether he had fainted or Lucas had put him under. She hoped the latter. In front of him stood a vaguely humanoid creature. Tall, thin, glowing blue, and frighteningly beautiful. <br />
<br />
<hr /><br />
<i>If you've never been to New England in the spring this is what peepers sound like. It's one of the most ubiquitous sounds of spring here and one I look forward to every year. The funny thing is that it is really tiny frogs making that sound, they're less than an inch long. </i><br />
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="135" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EgPNzvr_LK8" width="240"></iframe></center><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-v.html" target="_blank">Part </a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-v.html" target="_blank">V</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-vii.html" target="_blank">Part <span style="font-size: large;">V</span>II</a></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513766046525760845.post-14429629804862883052013-06-03T20:00:00.000-04:002013-10-25T13:28:12.853-04:00The Blue Lady - Part V<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iv.html" target="_blank">Part IV</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-vi.html" target="_blank">Part VI</a></span><br />
<hr /><br />
Jill let out a scream of surprise. The small explosion had sent glass dust over the table and both women. Cal just stared at the hole in the map.<br />
<br />
“What the hell was that?” Lucas’ asked from the doorway. He was clad in only his sleep shorts, his hair is disarray. <br />
<br />
“I don’t know but it’s not good.” Cal was surprised her voice was so calm.<br />
<br />
“Clearly. That much was obvious when I woke to an explosion. Are you alright?”<br />
<br />
Call nodded. Lucas grabbed her still bleeding hand and brought it to his mouth. <a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
“Do you have to do that in front of me?” Jill had never seen Lucas drink blood directly, only glasses of animal blood. She found it incredibly disgusting.<br />
<br />
“Yes.” He stated, holding up Cal’s now fully healed palm for her to see.<br />
<br />
“Cool trick.” It was still disgusting but the healing was impressive. No wonder Cal liked to have him around for spell casting if he could do that.<br />
<br />
Lucas rolled his eyes, he and Jill tolerated each other but Cal had given up on them ever being friends.<br />
<br />
“Is there anything else you can tell us about the disappearance?” Cal asked “Any small thing the family saw or heard that seemed odd.”<br />
<br />
“Disappearance?” Cal filled Lucas in as briefly as she could.<br />
<br />
Jill shook her head. “Not really. The sister, Abbie, said she heard music during the night. Probably from one of the other camps.”<br />
<br />
There was something familiar about that. Then it clicked and Cal hoped she was wrong.<br />
<br />
“Did it sound like a flute?”<br />
<br />
“Yeah, she called it ‘pretty whistling.’”<br />
<br />
“Bloody hell.” Lucas cursed<br />
<br />
“Bad?” Jill asked.<br />
<br />
“Fairies sometimes lure kids away with music. Flutes. They usually leave a changeling though.” Cal answered. Whatever had kept the fairy from making the changeling she was glad of it, the parents would never have known their child was missing and in a few months the magic animating the changeling would fail and it would seem to die. <br />
<br />
“Wait. Fairies are real?”<br />
<br />
“You’re surprised by that?” Lucas asked. “You already know that magic is real and that I am.”<br />
<br />
“But Callie is human and you used to be”<br />
<br />
“Well they exist, though most don’t venture into our world.” Lucas explained.<br />
<br />
“Our world?”<br />
<br />
“Cal, haven’t you taught her anything?”<br />
<br />
“That enough Lucas.” Cal snapped, their bickering was more than she could handle right then. “Go get dressed.”<br />
<br />
Jill glared after him as he left. “I almost miss when he was manipulating me, he at least pretended to be nice.”<br />
<br />
“If it makes you feel better, the fact he doesn’t means he has some respect for you.”<br />
<br />
“I’m not sure that it does.” Jill changed the subject. ”Why would a fairy take a little kid?”<br />
<br />
“Honestly, I have no idea why they do it. Grampa’s had more experience with fairies and I’m not sure he knows either.”<br />
<br />
“So what are we going to do to find Matty?”<br />
<br />
“I need you to go over to Grandpa’s and fill him in. Get him to drive with you up to his fishing cabin, its right on the lake. We’ll bring Matty to you when we find him.”<br />
<br />
“Getting me out of the way?” Jill knew this was out of her depth, she was a cop not a mage. Fairies were not in her job description.<br />
<br />
“Yes, but this is still important. Matty might be in bad shape when we find him. Fairies don't think the way we do, feeding him or keeping him warm just wouldn't occur to it." Cal explained, grateful for Jill's lack of a hero complex. Her own was enough to deal with. "Get the cabin ready and make sure it looks like you were staying there to help with the search."<br />
<br />
"I understand."<br />
<br />
"I'll give you a call on your cell when we have him. Don't try to call me, I don't want it going off at the wrong time."<br />
<br />
"What if something happens to you?"<br />
<br />
"That's why you need to take my grandfather with you, if anything does he'll know what to do."<br />
<br />
Jill didn't look satisfied by that answer but she agreed to do what Cal asked and left to drive the couple miles to Cal’s grandfather Erasmus’ home<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span><br />
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<div><hr /><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid--ae55ddc-6c4e-818c-63e6-10f3d9ced356" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lucas sat on the edge of their bed while Cal dressed for the night’s work—a pair of soft old jeans and warm gray flannel shirt. She half crawled under the bed to retrieve her hiking boots.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Are you sure this fairy hasn’t already taken the child across the Veil?” </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“If it had I would have found nothing with the spell. It can take days for a weak spot to be thin enough to punch back through but they’re unpredictable.” Cal wiggled out from under the bed, boots in hand. “Wish I wasn’t going in so blind, fairy magic is weaker on this side but still…”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“We should hurry then.” The vampire sounded impatient. It wasn’t out of any concern for the little boy she knew. He enjoyed danger a bit too much, sometimes it scared her how much. He pulled an elegant swept hilt rapier from the closet. “Maybe I’ll get to use it?”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I hope not, I’d rather avoid any real fighting. Could you grab my blue bag while you’re there.”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I thought you didn’t want a fight?”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“It’s not the weapons I need.”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">He handed her the small duffel bag, she made a quick check that everything was still in it. Satisfied with the contents she slung it over her shoulder.</span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Let’s go.”</span></div><hr /><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iv.html" target="_blank">Part I</a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iv.html" target="_blank">V</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-vi.html" target="_blank">Part <span style="font-size: large;">V</span>I</a></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513766046525760845.post-12478035736680756632013-05-27T20:00:00.000-04:002013-10-25T13:28:27.532-04:00The Blue Lady - Part IV<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iii.html" target="_blank">Part III</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-v.html" target="_blank">Part V </a></span><br />
<hr /><br />
Loud banging pulled Cal from her sleep. It took her a minute to realize it was someone knocking on the basement door. Only a few people other than Cal and Lucas had keys to the house, and none of them would let themselves in if it wasn’t important.<br />
<br />
“What is it?”<br />
<br />
“I need your help Callie.” Jill’s voice sounded strained.<br />
<br />
Cal grabbed her bathrobe from the floor and threw it on. It was just past four in the afternoon according to the clock next to the bed. That explained why Lucas didn’t wake up, it was hard to rouse him during the day. Opening the door she was greeted by Jill’s round, bright red, face. Her shoulder length blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she still wire her state police uniform.<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
“You look like a lobster.”<br />
<br />
“I know. I was outside all day and didn’t have any sunscreen.”<br />
<br />
“Ouch” It really did look painful, Cal was happy she didn’t burn easily.<br />
<br />
“Yeah. Actually that’s part of why I need your help.”<br />
<br />
“I can’t kiss it and make it better.”<br />
<br />
“Funny. I’ve been working a search all day, a four year old boy.”<br />
<br />
“Oh shit. You want me to find him?” She already knew the answer of course.<br />
<br />
Jill nodded anyway. They had known each other since fifth grade and had almost immediately become best friends. They had briefly dated in high school. Now as adults they were as close as sisters and considered each other family. Jill had long ago accepted the magic and sometimes asked her for her, very unofficial, help on police cases.<br />
<br />
“You have something of his right?”<br />
<br />
“Of course.” Jill said holding up a plastic bag containing a tiny white sock.<br />
<br />
“So what happened?”<br />
<br />
Jill explained how Jessica and Daniel Kelly had taken their two children camping near Sebago Lake the day before. It was school vacation week and the weather had been beautiful and warm for April. Sometime during the night four-year-old Matty had left the tent, when the family awoke in the morning he was gone. His parents had searched around the campground for an hour before calling police, they had been searching since.<br />
<br />
They had walked to the work room while Jill recited the story. Her workroom had originally been a large bedroom that she had filled with just about everything she needed as a mage. The walls were lined with crowded bookshelves full of not just books but also jars of ingredients, candles, magical tools, a human skull, and one large grumpy looking cat. Cal ordered Ghost out of the room before starting to gather up the supplies she needed from the shelves.<br />
<br />
Finding a person was a little more difficult than finding a lost bracelet but the theory is the same. Concentration, the finding glyph as a focus, and the always present blood. Not every mage evokes their magic in the same way, it’s an inborn ability that can present in a number of ways. For Cal’s grandfather it was a physical force, it could leave his tired and sore in muscles that never actually moved. For her mother and grandmother it was emotional energy, each spell pulled feelings from them. No one in the family had been a Blood Mage in many generations. It’s an obvious focus for magic but one rarely seen in those who are not of the Darkness. Cal didn’t consider herself wholly of the Light either, more in the soft fuzzy gray in between, but she tried to do the right thing and help others. <br />
<br />
“Could you grab the map of Cumberland County? It’s on the shelf over there by the big red dictionary.” She pointed at the middle bookcase.<br />
<br />
She started laying out what she needed on the work table once Jill had fetched the map. She’d pulled alcohol wipes, gauze, and a disposable scalpel from the box she had nicknamed the ‘sharp and pointy kit’. She preferred using medical equipment for drawing blood whenever possible, she didn’t see the point in risking infection or using a ritual blade when it wasn’t necessary for the spell. Cal just needed one more thing, an object to fill with magic to guide her to the right spot on the map. Looking through a box of odds and ends she settled on an ordinary glass marble, small and easy to roll around the map, and placed it on the map in the middle of the lake.<br />
<br />
“No one is going to miss that sock right?”<br />
<br />
“Nah, kids lose socks all the time. I know how you work, it won’t be fit to return.”<br />
<br />
“Thanks.”<br />
<br />
Deep breaths to focus her mind. Finding a person over such a large area would take more than a couple drops of blood, magic always has it’s price. Not a large one still but more than finding where an object had been in a room. Cupping her left hand to catch the blood she sliced into the ball of her thumb. She waited for a small pool to form in her cupped hand, just a teaspoon or two of blood. Dipping a finger into the blood she drew a wet red circle on the map around the marble. More blood was dribbled more over the small child’s sock staining it scarlet. Finally she touched the finding glyph on her arm triggering the spell.<br />
<br />
Cal felt the spell beginning to seek out Matty. Slowly the marble began to roll, spiraling outwards in a search pattern across the map. The family had been at a campground next to the lake so it was the logical place to start. Please don’t stop over the water.<br />
<br />
As the marble kept moving the feeling changed. It felt wrong inside Cal’s head, like something was pushing against the spell. The spell had already locked on to Matty’s location, all she had to do was keep it going. The marble slowed it’s search pattern, coming to a rest at a spot deep in the woods. It exploded.<br />
<br />
<hr /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iii.html" target="_blank">Part I</a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iii.html" target="_blank">II</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-blue-lady-part-v.html" target="_blank">Part V</a></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513766046525760845.post-64075109839163612292013-05-20T20:00:00.000-04:002013-10-25T13:28:35.918-04:00The Blue Lady - Part III<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Part II</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iv.html" target="_blank">Part IV</a></span><br />
<hr /><br />
Cal jerked awake in a cold sweat. She had fallen asleep curled up on the couch with her head in Lucas’ lap. Tears ran down her face and she was still shaking. Lucas ran his fingers through her hair to comfort her, he didn’t need to ask what the nightmare had been. <br />
<br />
“You didn’t scream this time.” His voice was soft.<br />
<br />
Cal nodded, at least that was progress she supposed. Lucas tried to give her what support he could over the past six months. He didn’t really understand what she was going through or how she felt. He hadn’t been human in so long he didn’t feel things the same way and he no longer dreamt. <br />
<br />
The nightmares were a regular occurrence. The memories of the banshee replayed in her mind nearly every time she slept. It had driven home how dangerous the work she did for the Guardians could be. She’d see the battle with the banshee, the pieces that had once been the three teenagers it had killed, Lucas’ chest in ribbons as he collapsed onto the ground, the look on his face at the hospital as they gave her blood transfusions. It hadn’t really been his fault he’d taken too much that night and almost killed her. Neither of them had realized just how much blood she had already lost to the magic.<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
“What time is it?”<br />
<br />
“Just past eleven, you only slept about half an hour. I downloaded the latest Doctor Who episode after you fell asleep, I’ll queue it up for us.”<br />
<br />
Cal smiled up at him, he may not understand how she felt but he did know how to take her mind off things. She settled back into his lap and let the Doctor chase away memories of the mangled bodies of two teenagers and the banshee’s wail. It would only be temporary of course. but she’d take it for now. <br />
<hr /><br />
<i>Short part this week, that's just where it felt right to put in the break. Things really start to get interesting next week. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Yes, Cal is a huge geek and loves Doctor Who. I can't help it.</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Part I</a><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-ii.html" target="_blank">I</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iv.html" target="_blank">Part I<span style="font-size: large;">V</span></a></span></span><i> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513766046525760845.post-31963528250058443422013-05-13T20:00:00.000-04:002013-10-25T13:28:44.890-04:00The Blue Lady - Part II<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-i.html">Part I</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iii.html" target="">Part III</a></span><br />
<hr /><br />
He was stretched out on the king size bed in the large basement room they’d converted into their bedroom. All cool darks and lights, pale skin and dark brown hair, against the deep red comforter. Lucas was a couple inches taller than Cal, thin almost to the point of bony. She have described him as willowy if he didn’t exude such a sense of strength, not surprising considering the fact she’s seen him throw a guy twice his size a good thirty feet. Cal always thought he looked different when he slept though, even with the complete stillness he looked more human to her. It oddly felt wrong to think of his like that, he was far from human and she wouldn’t want that to change.<br />
<br />
Sitting next to his motionless body Cal ran her wounded fingertip across his lips. He didn’t open his eyes or make any move other than smiling and gently lick the trace of blood away with his pale pink tongue. Cal pulled her hand away and replaced it with her own lips.<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
“Mmm... I like waking up like that. You always taste lovely.” His rich English baritone was practically a purr. He looked up at her with pale gray eyes. “How long have you been up?”<br />
<br />
“A few hours. I just finished a finding spell from Emily MacTire. One of her students has sticky fingers.”<br />
<br />
Lucas was stroking her neck. <i>No subtlety at all tonight. </i>Cal thought, closing her eyes for a moment. Her neck was a weakness of hers and he knew it. The vampire started laying soft kisses along her throat, when she felt him lick over the pulse in her neck she pulled back.<br />
<br />
“Emily also brought over some fresh lamb’s blood for you.” Cal bent down to the mini fridge next to the bed and pulled out a pint jar of blood.<br />
<br />
“Tease.” He whispered.<br />
<br />
“Yep, now drink your blood.” He scowled but took the jar from her anyway. She really did enjoy tormenting him like that. <br />
<br />
Animal blood isn’t a perfect substitute for human but it still has power. Vampires don’t drink blood for the nutritional value, if that was all that it was they’d never take the risk of acquiring human blood at all. There is power in blood, in life, in emotions and it’s this power that sustains them. Animal blood doesn’t have nearly the power that human blood has. It’s the difference between eating proper balanced meals and ramen every day, both keep you alive but only one is healthy diet.<br />
<br />
Lucas sat on the edge of the bed and drained the jar in a few big gulps, an expression of mild distaste on his face. Blood doesn’t reheat well and he much preferred it warm or at least room temperature. It was too soon to feed from Cal again, he just enjoyed the reaction he got from her as much as she enjoyed teasing him. <br />
<br />
There had been a time in their relationship that he would have pushed her a bit but that had changed six months ago after the banshee. Since then he’d been far more cautious, drinking more animal blood and occasionally feeding on humans other than Cal. She knew of course but wouldn’t ask questions. He didn’t take enough to hurt anyone, he doesn’t need that much, not much more than a donation to the Red Cross. Even if he didn’t know it would end their relationship—or worse—as he’d put it once ‘leaving bodies lying around attracts the wrong kind of attention’. Enjoying danger and having a death wish are very different things.<br />
<br />
Lucas shifted on the bed to sit behind he. Cal could smell the lambs blood, cold and coppery, as he leaned close to wrap his arms around her and softly nuzzled her neck. Even after two years together the smell of blood on her lover’s breath was disconcerting, the taste of it in his kiss even more so. Blood in general didn’t bother her, she was a blood mage after all and used her own in spells all the time. She even enjoyed being fed from. It didn’t make sense that she had this reaction to it still but she did. At least it was only animal blood, early in their relationship she’d had to insist he not kiss her after drinking human blood, Cal’s own excepted, after he’s done exactly that. Nearly three hundred year old vampires don’t always understand concepts like blood born diseases or boundaries.<br />
<br />
Cal squirmed out of his arms. “I should get something to eat too.”<br />
<br />
Escaping his embrace she bounced upstairs. Lucas followed after a minute, now dressed in a t-shirt and soft faded jeans. He flopped down on the couch and opened up his laptop to check his email while Cal rummaged around in the kitchen. She settled on making a ham sandwich and joined him on the couch.<br />
<br />
<hr /><i>I hope you enjoyed Part II. If you want to subscribe to just story updates <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/The%20Blue%20Lady">here's the RSS feed</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-i.html">Part I</a><span style="font-size: large;"> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-iii.html" target="">Part III</a></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513766046525760845.post-33597801828001554842013-05-06T20:02:00.000-04:002013-10-25T13:28:55.560-04:00The Blue Lady - Part I<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-introduction.html">Introduction</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Part II</a></span> </span><br />
<hr /><br />
Pale swirling lines wound their way across light bronze skin, even more noticeable than they had been just a few weeks earlier. It was only April but Calliope Bránán already had the start of the tan that would darken into a deep golden brown later in the summer. Most people assumed the subtle patterns were simply body art but the scars were much more than that, they were spell glyphs. She had dozens of them carved into her arms. A shortcut for her magic. Her blood pressed onto the right combination of symbols while focusing on the spell would cast it. She had turned her body into a spellbook over the years. There were of course spells that were too complex or rarely used to make it onto her arms but everything she used most was there.<br />
<br />
The spell she was preparing for today was one she used frequently. In fact it was one of the first she had ever learned and the very first she had thought to add permanently to her body: a finding spell. <a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
She finger combed her unruly auburn curls away from her face and pinned them in place with a couple barrettes, not bothering with a mirror, she just needed to keep her hair out of her eyes. It was nearly time for another haircut, she decided. Cal liked keeping her hair short for practicality and it rather suited her strong features. No one would call her conventionally beautiful but she made an impression. She was tall, just over five feet ten inches, with the lean muscular build of a swimmer. Her strong, angular face was softened by her large, round, amber eyes and a sense of humor that made her quick to smile or laugh. As usual when at home she was barefoot, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. Her magic could be messy and black didn’t show bloodstains as readily.<br />
<br />
Emily MacTire had asked for her help locating a bracelet one of her students had stolen from her desk. Normally this wasn’t the type of thing she’d cast a spell for but she did owe Emily a small favor and the werewolf had given her a jar of honey from her family’s apiary. Organic farming isn’t what most people picture werewolves doing, even those who know they exist, but the MacTire’s had one of the oldest and most successful farms in the area.<br />
<br />
Emily was a pleasant woman in her mid-forties with ashy brown hair and dark sparkling eyes, she was also an excellent fourth grade teacher. While she was attached to the bracelet, it had been a gift from her sister, she was more concerned about the student who had taken it. It wasn’t the first thing that had gone missing in the classroom over the last month. It worried her, sudden acting out like this always did, and she wanted to find out so she could help.<br />
<br />
Cal laid out the supplies she needed on the large oak desk she used as her work table—alcohol wipes, a half-inch hypodermic needle, gauze pads, a couple strands of Emily’s hair, a photo of her wearing the pretty silver and agate bracelet at her sister’s wedding, and a diagram of the classroom. Normally Lucas helped with her spells but this was such a quick simple spell that she didn’t see the need to wait for him to wake up. It did make preparations slightly more awkward but she had been doing this long before he was part of her life.<br />
<br />
Starting with the alcohol Cal swabbed her left index finger then carefully opened the needle package without using the disinfected digit. Holding the needle in her right hand she quickly jabbed it into the tip of her finger and immediately dropped it into the sharps container she kept next to the desk. Her practiced motions precise enough that she barely felt a thing. A bright drop of blood welled up on her fingertip. She focused on the image of the bracelet in the photograph and let a drop fall onto the strands of hair then pressed her finger to the small glyph on the inside of her left arm tinting the white mark red. The hair began to slowly move as the spell began to take effect. It left a thin crimson line as it slid like a tiny snake across the sheet of paper Emily had drawn the classroom diagram on. After a few moments it circled a desk labeled ‘Annie S.’ and came to rest. The entire spell had taken less than two minute.<br />
<br />
Holding a gauze pad to her finger, she dialed up Emily to give her the results.<br />
<br />
“Really?” Her surprise was clear even over the phone. “Annie’s never in trouble, she’s my bookworm.”<br />
<br />
“Yeah, unless another kid was sitting at her desk that day. The spell just tells me where the bracelet has been, not who took it.”<br />
<br />
“No, they all sit in assigned seats every day. I guess I’d better call her parents in for a conference. Thanks Cal.”<br />
<br />
“No problem, thanks for the honey.”<br />
<br />
Cal tidied up her workspace after hanging up. She set the photo aside to return next time she saw Emily and tossed the rest in the trash. It was starting to get darker in the workroom as the sun set. She quietly padded downstairs on bare feet to wake Lucas.<br />
<br />
<hr /><br />
<i>So that is Part I, I hope you enjoyed it. Please share and enjoy. Next part will be posting next Wednesday, May 15, at 8pm EDT. </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-introduction.html">Introduction</a> -- <a href="http://tentacle-pen.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-blue-lady-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Part II</a> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3513766046525760845.post-27275575615436361202013-05-03T16:52:00.001-04:002013-05-08T08:42:44.869-04:00The Blue Lady - IntroductionMy short story the Blue Lady is now finished and I've worked up the courage to post it here. I have to thank my friends who proofread and critiqued the story, their help and encouragement was invaluable. Starting on Monday, May 5, I'll be posting a new part of the story every week and it will run for 8 weeks. Now on to a brief introduction to the world I've created for the Blue Lady and other stories that are in the works.<br />
<br />
The Blue Lady and the other stories that will feature Cal and Lucas take place in a world where magic, vampires, and other supernatural beings exist. It's otherwise just like our own, most people go about their lives thinking such things only exist in fiction (a sort of psychological SEP field*). Sometimes that isn't possible and someone has to fix it.<br />
<br />
<i>*Somebody Else's Problem Field, see <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345418905/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0345418905&linkCode=as2&tag=nosarbl-20">Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams</a>. </i><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08386369227077404895noreply@blogger.com0