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okay here is my posting. From that other forum it was my first contest entry, and so, um, … should I post the extension?
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  Stowaway

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I frowned at the shackles and glared at the man. He smirked at me. I wanted to kick and scream and curse a lot, but it would do no good. Simply I was a stowaway, but a terrible stowaway. I was caught only a few hours out to sea.

“Stowaways are just another kind of vermin, boy,” the man said hooking the keys on a notch on his belt. “We don’t like vermin. The Captain will decide yer fate.”

I hoped the Captain didn’t recognize me. I wasn’t sure how he would react when he realized it was me. I was certain he would be angry.

“Bastard.” I spat while he climbed the rungs out of my hole. I slammed my shackled fists against the iron latticework of my cell. I ignored the chuckles above as they walked along creaking deck.

“Bastards.” I muttered sinking to my knees. I watched the water sloshing around my knees and wondered again what possessed me to be a stowaway.

“Because you are stupid, Josephine, just plain stupid.” I replied flopping into the water that covered the floor. I pulled my knees under my chin staring at the key hole of my hell. How could I have been so stupid? What was I thinking? I rested my forehead against my knees as the ship swayed gently on the Sea.

Regardless of my current condition I loved the Sea. It reminded me of my father and his adventurous tales. My emotions were starting to get the better of me. I quickly clamped them down and got to my feet. The portal opened and down came the man I was dreading to see.

Damn it! I thought.

The young man crossed his arms and shook his head. I had to fight my smile as he glared at me. I stood straight and proud. His glare darkened his normally handsome features.

“Damn it Joe!” he snapped. “What the hell are you doing here?”

I quickly turned my back to him. I pulled on the shackles trying to keep them from chaffing my wrists. “I wanted to go on an adventure.” I muttered as I crossed my arms.

“On MY ship!” He snarled. The sound of the keys cause me to face him. I shook my head and he spat his curses as he searched through the four keys to unlock my cell. “You have lost your mind!”

“I have not Garret!” I snapped stubbornly. “Leave me here. It is justice.”

“I am not going to leave my sister—!”

“Damn it Garret! I said, leave me here!” I ran to the door and struggled to keep it closed. I lost the battle and he jerked me from the cell unceremoniously and began fumbling with the keys “Stop it.” I breathed. “You can’t do this, Garret. I am a stowaway, and you know you can’t—”

“Yes I can, and I am!” He barked as he inspected my wrists. He pulled the cover from my head and snarled. “Jo!” he glared at me. “What did you do to your beautiful hair?”

Nervously I ran my fingers back through the tufts of hair I had left. I didn’t care about how it looked, just that it had to be cut. I glared at him. “I had to! I am not…s-stupid….” I choked out the last word knowing that I was very stupid.
“Do you know what would have happened?”

I smacked his hand away from my face and glared up at him. I hated that he towered above me.
“I don’t care.” I crossed my arms.

He gripped my shoulders tightly giving me a shake. “You should care!” He snarled. “Do you know what has to happen? Do you think this is some game? Mama would have—”

“She’s been dead six years now, Garret.” I snarled.

In those six years my brother had only returned long enough to pay his respects to their graves and leave again. I hated being alone. He didn’t know that, because he didn’t think about me. He only thought about his beloved ship, his men, and the Sea. She had been Father’s mistress, and my brother’s wife. I should hate the Sea for taking them from me.

Hours I would stand with the surf swirling around my ankles as I dug my naked toes in the sand feeling connected to them somehow. I was always waiting. I was always watching the ships wondering if Garret was coming home. I wanted him to take me away. I needed him to save me from the mundane life ahead of me. I didn’t want to marry the ogre that he had chosen for me.

I didn’t want to love the Sea, but I did. I could not explain it, but there was something that pulled on me just the same way it pulled on him and my father.

I didn’t want to be alone anymore. I wondered if Garret was lonely too? I let out a slow breath and wrapped my arms around his neck. I hated myself for doing this to him.

“I’ve missed you.” I whispered into his ear. “You should have come home more, Garrett.”

He let out a frustrated growl pulling from my embrace. His dark eyes looked at me intensely then began to fill with his tears. He jerked me toward him and hugged me tightly. He let out a breath releasing his hold on me. His shoulders slumped forward slightly glancing at the ladder he muttered. “You shouldn’t have done it Joe.”

“Garret, I’m sorry, and I understand what you have to do.” I breathed. “I love you.”

“I love you too Josephine,” he wheezed. “May God forgive me.”

I heard the report and smelled the gunpowder seconds before everything went black. I knew what he did. He had to. I was a stowaway, after all, and he couldn’t be weak. I was glad it was a swift death.

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The Order of the Gods


     In the early days before the time of men, when Gods and Goddesses coveted the now red planet known as Mars, they kept a beautiful garden on the top of the highest mountain.
      In the center of the garden was a pristine lake they called Heaven. Created by Zeus, the lake had magical properties.

     Zeus informed the lesser gods that they weren't permitted to enter the lake because it was his; seduced, they just couldn't stay away. Although the water brought an erotic feeling of euphoria and made them feel stronger, it actually took a small amount of their powers away, making the water's magic more powerful.

     On a day when Zeus decided to visit the lake he found the other gods and goddesses bathing. Their defiance angered him, he unleashed his wrath, thunder shook the planet, lightning bolts burned trees to the ground and crushing rain fell for many days. The garden was destroyed.

     Heaven overflowed its banks creating a wide, raging river. The river flowed fast and wild down the side of the mountain and across the grassy plains, leaving a path of destruction.  The river collided with the ocean. The magic of the river and the salt of the sea created a bright blue fire and bubbling, swirling currents. The water rose forming a hurricane that raged across the sea.

     When the hurricane passed over the shore of a small island  something very unexpected was left in its wake...a Goddess child. With long raven hair, deep green eyes, emanating pure white light. The powers from the others gave her unique abilities of her own.

    As a result of Zeus' anger there was a sudden explosion across the planet, the Goddess child was catapulted beyond the stars towards a desolate, poisonous planet. When she entered toxic atmosphere the toxic gases turned into oxygen, blue skies and white clouds. With a bump she landed on the planet surface, there trees grew tall around her, flowers and grass sprouted up everywhere. With one touch of her finger ice melted, turning into lakes and rivers.Her tears created oceans full of sea life.

     The Goddess child decided to claim this beautiful planet for herself and named it Earth.

     With his beloved garden and Mars in ruins, Zeus had an idea of his own for this new creation..... the human.

                                        The beginning....

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This is probably my most favorite short story I have written so far.
To cousin Rebecca with Love.
~~~~~~~~~~~


Rebecca
*
Rumours started out of jealousy,
accusations made in turn
The knife twists a little deeper
you will burn witch,
you will burn
~
The candle lit at both ends
forced are the Confessions,
no repenting on ground that is hallowed
Rebecca swings from the Gallows,
swinging on Gallows Hill

*
     The smell of the nights dinner filled the air, chicken and potatoes with basil stewed in the cauldron, fresh baked bread with blueberries and honey cooled on the counter top in a very large kitchen. The counter was lined with jars of herbs, oils and what not, there was always something good or odd cooking there.
*
     Nathaniel worked hard in the barn, hammering out shoes for the newest member of the family, a huge draft horse he bought to help plow their small spit of land. Rebecca was in the garden picking sweet peas while playing with a small red fox that adopted them. Rebecca's two children were out in the woods cutting trees, stocking up on wood for the coming winter.
*
     Nathaniel and Rebecca were newlyweds though not typical newlyweds, Rebecca was an older woman around 47, Considerably old back in those times. She had been married twice before, her first two husbands Abraham and Jarvis died. Abraham from Scarlet fever and Jarvis just collapsed dead one day. Her mother always told her they were cursed when it came to love, she herself had been married twice and had two stepfathers of her own in the family tree. Left with 2 children to care for Rebecca did a pretty good job alone.
*
     Nathaniel was younger, in his early 30's, he met Rebecca one day while they were both walking in the woods. Rebecca was searching for wild blueberries when she spotted Nathaniel playing with two red foxes and a big black dog. It was magic to her. Their friendship grew, though it really was love at first sight. The day Nathaniel took Rebecca as his wife the pastor was suspicious of them, he thought it odd that a young strong man would take an old woman as his wife especially one that had two children.
*
Rebecca had always been into nature and growing things, she felt a closeness with  Earth and her inhabitants. She would create her own tinctures, infusions, salves and lotions along with cakes and other things, selling them in town at the general store. She was very well liked by everyone and had many friends. Until the day she married Nathaniel and the pastor thought it such an odd thing.
The fact that neither Rebecca nor Nathaniel ever attended church came up in a conversation with one of the church's parishioners. The pastor planted a seed of suspicion.
*

Rebecca stood up in the center of her garden when she heard horse hooves pounding the ground, a couple of men rode up, they jumped off their horses in front of the barn doors,  Nathaniel greeted the men with a hand shake. Rebecca watched as Nathaniel took off his hat, he wiped the sweat from his brow, tossed his hat to the ground and walked back into the barn with his head hanging low. Later at dinner he told Rebecca that a deal he made went bad.  A terrible feeling washed over her and stayed there in the pit of her stomach.
*
To their surprise Nathaniel was arrested days later for theft. Soon the trial wasn't about a deal gone wrong anymore. When the pastor felt that Nathaniel was about to go free, out of jealousy or hate he shouted to the crowd that Nathaniel was keeping company with the devil. Oohs and ahhs were heard around the court room, With the hysteria of witchery Nathaniel was accused, his fate was sealed.
*
Everyone knew about other witch trials in a few of the other colonies, there was little hope for him now. He told Rebecca to separate herself from him to go home, tend the children and the garden.  He was carted off to his jail cell, Rebecca was cornered. She was told to write a confession about her husband or she herself would be tried as a witch. She went to Nathaniel and told him what his accusers had said. He wanted her to confess so she could save herself and so she did.
*
The trial went forward. Rebecca recounted Nathaniel's communing with foxes and other wild animals, his gift. She told of the times when they would gather with friends.  Building great bonfires and celebrating under the full moon, all of these things would be  nails in his coffin, convicted  he was sentenced to hang.  
*
While he awaited his fate, Rebecca was arrested. Beaten and tormented she was forced to give the names of her friends. If she confessed, they said she would stand trial for her crimes, her and her friends would be cleansed and the devils spell would be lifted.
*
Rebecca did what her accusers asked, under great duress, she confessed. She wrote a list of the names of her friends that joined in those celebrations, the Seagars, the Ayers, the Sandfords and the Palmers, among others.  In the trial the deaths of her two previous husbands was brought up, she was accused of casting a spell upon each one, killing them with her witchery.
Rebecca was losing the will to fight, there was no winning, one bit of reasoning just created another accusation. She wanted to live, if only just for the sake of her sons but there was no argument she could make to save herself.
*
Rebecca was hanged as a witch along with her husband Nathaniel in the bitter cold of January in the year 1662.
Her friends like herself were deceived as if by the devil hisself, they were arrested and tried, some were 'cleansed' by drowning others burned or hanged. The lucky few fled for their lives.

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I found it, pae 2 gah, unbelievable that literature types aren't writing here?