“Politics,” quoth he, his lips curled in pensive stalwart. “What a demmed waste of time, begad.” His counterpart across the table shrugged with his face, his shoulders rigid. “Demmed waste of talent, you mean. Men make politics, and politics makes men. What it makes them, well…” he coughed in a dry and unconcerned fashion. “I [...]

War-torn Europe. 1941. The Polish man had no name. He had no need for a name. Only a number. Num?r Jeden. Number One. That was what he knew himself as, and that was all he needed. To others, he was simply known as The Polish Man. What an infamous name it had become. He always [...]

Late  October.   The Old Ruins at Slovenchka   Yellow leaves drifted slowly from the branches of the sycamore trees surrounding the ruin. The remaining leaves dripped slowly as a steady drizzle moved through the area. Spreading, low boughs of the trees provided a natural umbrella, only letting a small amount of rain into the [...]

BANG BANG BANG BANG.   ClickclickclickclickclickBANGclickclickclickclickBANGBANGBANGclickclickclickclickclickBANGclickclickclickclick.   Silence.   BANG!   Clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclick……..   Such was the ambience. Such was the song. Such were the sounds that were constantly in his head. He raised his pick slowly, then brought it down into the rock wall hard.   BANG!   Once.   Twice.   Thrice.   That [...]

Somewhere, a dog barked.   That was all. The only sound. Other than the wind. The wind, harsh and cold, uttering a whining dirge akin to that of a dying maiden lost in a weary sleep, blew across the flatland. Occasionally, the odd gust would hit a tuft of weathered grass just making its way [...]