Under Construction

Greetings, everyone.

In the next two weeks, I will be undergoing training for my new position at work, which has me coming to the office in the mornings. Afterwards, I will be fully integrated into my new afternoon shift, and hopefully into a more comfortable position at my company.

So until that time, this blog will be put on hiatus. I wish I didn't feel guilty about taking a break, but having missed the last two weeks of entries unavoidably turns this brief departure into a full month of neglect.

But fear not, readers (assuming I have any left); The blog has never left my mind, and I have been restlessly toying with some new changes I will be adding in two weeks time. You can look forward to new improvements such as:

1) Two entries a week.
2) Samples and drafts of my past and future written work.
3) Shorter, less pretentious articles.
4) All-Around more fun.

I'm also working into changing the name and address as well. Basically, consider the first few entries as practice. I hope you will notice significant improvements in future entries to come. And I especially hope you stick around long enough to read my written work, after I feel satisfied enough to host them.

I hope to see all of you, newcomers included, back in two weeks.

What's In Your Wallet?

My wallet must be pretty much empty at this point, based on the amount I've funded toward the Xbox 360. One person chided me when I was still indecisive toward purchasing the machine, stating that whenever he wants to buy a new system or videogame, he just does it.

Simple. Except it isn't.

I partly wanted to avoid this, as I would have remained content on my monetary ignorance, but here is the breakdown of all my Xbox-related purchases, all within a singular September shopping spree.

1. Xbox 360 Premium (with HDMI port): $360 (rough estimate after tax and irony)

2. Gears of War: $40 (thanks to a previously unknown CompUSA special)

3. Bioshock: $50 (Ebay)

4. Dead Rising: $28 used (after coupon)

5. HDMI Cable: $16.66 (monoprice, the cheapest place to get cables)

6. Ethernet Cable: $4.51 (same)

7. Halo 3: $60

8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: $8.00 (since you can only buy points in increments)

9. Optical Audio Outlet: $20 (normally $50, though I found a Gamestop employee nice enough to sell his after hours)

10. 1 year subscription to Xbox Live Gold: $35

Total: $622.17.

Pricey, but not quite as high a number as I initially expected, thanks in part to coupons and discounts and whatnot. However, this October won't be a spend-free month either, as I eagerly await purchasing The Orange Box, Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Then in November there's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Mass Effect.

This could be a record year for my video game spending budget, but with a new well-paying job, I don't feel very guilty about it. Although I did miss my chance to earn a $750 bonus from work, I still have one more chance to earn at least $500 extra. Anything to help cover the costs from last month would be greatly appreciated, but I'm not holding my breath on earning any bonuses, since I worked so hard for the former and ended up empty-handed.

But fortunately, my wallet is nowhere near empty, so I'm thankful for the job regardless.

The Current State of Things

Sorry for missing last week's entry. It was actually vacation time for me, though I suppose I could have at least included a short entry reminding all of you about said vacation; Originally, I dismissed such an entry as a lazy excuse, although in hindsight skipping the week altogether may also be considered lazy. Two lazy's don't make an up-to-date blog.

Part of it had to do with my scheduled deadline of Sunday. I had originally picked this particular day due to my upcoming work schedule, although I had recently found out that my new schedule won't take into effect until December.

Therefore, I'm moving the deadline up to Monday. From now on, all weekly entries will be made every Monday.

A vacation from work was greatly needed, considering the debacle that occurred last week; All of us trainees were under investigation, as it turned out a few of us were prematurely hanging up on our customers, either to reduce our call time (one out of three things we get scored on) or to just shut that annoying jerk up. Shortly after, a couple of people were called aside and to this day have not returned; Their silence confirmed their guilt. One person I wasn't terribly surprised about, since he was the equivalent of that one jerk in high school who always hung in the back of the room, laughing it up with his idiot friends and constantly being shushed by the teacher. I'm surprised he even lasted this long.

The other person, however, was a complete shock to me; He sat behind me under one cubicle, always showing dedication to his new job with clipped notes and daily monitoring of his scores. He even asked me beforehand if I had any clues which one of us was responsible for the early hang-ups. Either he was putting on a show, or he had no idea what he was doing.

Between the shock of seeing him being "suspended until further notice", and the fact that I was carrying the lowest hold time scores (lowest is best, by the way), I was constantly looking over my shoulder for the remainder of the week, worried that I would be approached next, despite my confidence that I was performing as expected. It didn't help that I had a vivid dream the following day, where I'm typing away at my cubicle, when suddenly this giant man (giant for someone who's over six feet, mind you, so he had to have been at least twelve or so) with a thick long beard and glasses towered behind me, quietly but deeply muttered "We need to talk." as he hoisted me up effortlessly with one hand on my shoulder. After taking me to a small desk, he then bellowed "Sit your ass down" and dropped me right to my chair. Afterwards, he pulls out a thick book and begins flipping the pages.

That's when I woke up. Needless to say, I constantly looked over my shoulder the following day. My boss got a good laugh out of the dream, though, and assured me that I the investigation was over.

I really needed that vacation. Sadly, I spent the majority of it playing Halo 3, though the real sad thing was that I'm not that sad about it; I'm late into the series, but I can see why it's so popular, although it's still ridiculously overrated (reports say the game made more money on its opening day than the movie Spider-Man 2).

As for this blog, I'm currently researching templates in the hopes of making the site stick out a bit more (although I made it a big priority that the text would be easy on the eyes, so I'll be sticking to light backdrops). I also included a little slideshow application in the bottom, which I'll be routinely updating with my photos. Feel free to pass along the ones you find preferable.

Finally, I'll be typing my first story, the one I mentioned in my opening post, onto my computer, then sharing it here. I won't make any promised dates on when it will be finished, but I can promise "soon".

Later.

Not a Haiku

Ever had one of those dreams, during the work week, where you're doing your job as you sleep, unable to satisfy your customers or your boss?

They should pay us overtime for working in our dreams.

Ever had one of those dreams, during the school week, where you're trying to get dressed, get your homework ready, and try to figure out the impossible exam in class?

They should give us A's for studying in our dreams.

Ever had one of those dreams where you're dreaming about your lack of sleep? You toss in turn, watch the sun rise through the window cracks, but all along you've been sleeping the whole time?

That's just messed up.

-Not a Haiku, by JSF

Does the Box Rock my Socks?

Greetings, readers.

I realize I run the risk of alienating a small amount of readers by dedicating two weeks concerning my somewhat impulsive purchase of a videogame console that some of you might A) not care about, or B)have been an avid owner for the past two years.

I even considered the notion of posting a series of daily entries concerning my impressions with the capabilities and features of the Xbox 360, but that notion was quickly abolished, as I knew full well I had not the time nor the dedication to accomplish such a task. If you've been keeping track, I haven't been following my promised plan to keep the blog updated in a specific time frame, even postponing last week's entry by two days past Sunday.

But make no mistake, I will remain dedicated to keeping this blog running. Every day I think of future posts to compose, different template styles to make the layout stand out more, and anything else to get the message across. Even now I'm typing this with a heavy flu affliction, which I could have easily used to delay this entry.

But again, I'm getting through this. Perhaps you already own a 360, or you have no interest in purchasing one. But maybe you are interested, and just need some extra encouragement to help you reach a decision.

Either way, I'm now going to take the time to post my impressions regarding the different features, games, knick-knacks and paddy whacks regarding the Xbox 360.

Now take a deep breath and step out of the chamber. I won't leave you twisting on the wind.

Taking the Box out of the box:

I was a bit leery about purchasing the system, considering there was a small dent on the outer box, but I didn't have the heart to send the Best Buy rep out to find a smooth looking box. Fortunately, everything inside was neatly packed, although that still didn't stop me from retching.



I have expressed before to several people how I absolutely abhor the green scheme used throughout Microsoft's products, so witnessing the copious amounts of green wrapping didn't fill me with confidence. Nevertheless, I pressed onward.

The one time I would hope to see Green:

Okay, so it does sound silly to complain about a style choice with the packaging, but after plugging all the cables and finding a temporary placement for the system, it was at this exact moment where my biggest fears were apparent.



As you may have heard, the Xbox 360 is rather infamous for breaking down at a completely random moment, which could happen in just the second day, thirty days, or even two years after purchase. No matter what sort of technical issues your system may have faced, they are all represented by the power circle in the front of the machine. Green may be tacky, but it also means everything is working fine. But once it hits red, your system is dead.

Fortunately, everything booted up just fine, and after a couple of hours testing things out, everything was still fine. It wasn't too noisy, it wasn't too hot, and one week later it's still running well.




That plug is still ridiculous, though. Just look at it, it's bigger than the Wii.

Update Required? Son of a...oh wait, it finished:

Usually, setting up systems can be a pain, but it only took me a good three or four minutes to add all my information to the Xbox 360. It detected my wireless ethernet bridge without any problems, I was able to transfer the gamertag I made online a week prior, and the one required system update took but one minute at the most. With everything set to my preference, I was greeted by the multi-menu system, or the "System Blade".

I was also greeted with a plethora of ads, with small little graphics urging me to surrender more money into Microsoft's campaign for global supremacy; Halo 3 wireless pads, downloadable Family Guy episodes, the aforementioned Gamerfuel, it's like a timeshare. One would think Micro$oft would be content with the hardware profits plus the subscription fees to Xbox Live, but to charge "gamer points" for Gamertag pictures and wallpapers is kind of foul (look under "Xbox Live Arcade").

All Good Games have "Gears" in their name; Metal Gear, Guilty Gear, Xenogears...:

One can't go wrong with making Gears of War one's first 360 game; All the praise it received nearly a year ago still stands today. The graphics are absolutely outstanding to the point of nearly achieving perfection. This is due, in my opinion, largely to the direction of the graphics; Everything is portrayed with nurturing care and precision. The character designs are generic Hollywood caricatures (especially Cole Train, who stands to outdo Barret as gaming's biggest stereotype, with grotesquely large biceps, a backstory of being a professional football player, and a need to address his fellow soldiers as "baby"), but they are such an accurate representation of Hollywood sci-fi characters that they feel more imaginative than they actually are.

The real draw with Gears of War is how brutal and unforgiving everything is; despite the rather obnoxious dialog that eschews GI Joe (and not the original '80s version, but the "Extreme" '90s version), this is one of the most adult games ever made. All the shooting, killing, and action is done with sheer ferocity and carnage, it's practically an adrenaline rush whether you're playing alone or against other people. The sheer detail of the violence can also drive even the most avid enthusiasts a bit queasy after a while; I've read how some people just can't stomach the "Curb Stomp" move, as it brings back too many memories from the infamous moment in American History X, although it's not like using a chainsaw to grind your enemies into meat chunks is any more humane.

And I have yet to mention my favorite aesthetic in the game, the running animation; For the first time ever, a game developer has successfully managed to mimic the viewpoint and intensity that a real person experiences when running in a hasty and focused manner. I learned yesterday that fans of the series refer to this as the "Trailer Run", due to its repeated use in famous movie trailers. It's incredible to just simply run, and it looks even better when your whole team is running at once.

Multiplayer:

It goes without saying that Gears' multiplayer mode was my first experience with Xbox Live, giving me a first look into the kind of community Microsoft caters to. It was a pretty rocky start at first, with my very first teamplay resulting in one of my own teammates shooting me in the head, not to mention the copious amounts of racial slurs, name calling, internet usage, and hyperventilating laughter whenever someone is pwned in the worst way possible.

But fortunately, not everyone is like this, and when you're playing for or against a group of people with the right kind of skills and braincells, it makes for one of the most fun and addicting multiplayer experiences ever. There's so much fun and experimenting to be had, you don't even feel upset about losing, since you'll almost always die in a bloody spectacular fashion. One session ended abruptly with four people from both sides chainsawing each other in sequence, their body parts splattered across the concrete.

I feel the best thing about Gears' multiplayer is that it's impossible to completely dominate in it; I was worried I would be utterly destroyed by the kind of people who give up work or social status to master this game, but it could go either way here. Get them before they get you, it's as simple as that.

Not Hazard, Not Dome, Not Sphere...It's Bioshock:

My next experience was Bioshock, albeit in demo form (but not to worry, I hold the retail copy in my hands now); The amount of hype and praise this game received became one of the biggest deciding factors for me to purchase a 360.

Sadly, the game did not live to the hype....it went above and beyond it. The virtual world created here is truly believable, as beautiful as it is horrifying.

In fact, I'm going to refrain from trying to describe the experience in words and just move along. It wouldn't do the game any justice to describe everything to you. If you're a gaming enthusiast, find some sort of way to play this, and be done with it.

Paying for Gold:

As you likely know by now, Microsoft requires that you pay an annual fee to play against other people. While it seems unfair (and in part, it is), I do find the various amounts of online features (such as a dedicated friends list, being able to see what your buddies are playing, sending voice and picture messages, etc) and achievements quite commendable. I was promised a free month trial before plunging in the required $50 fee, but I was unfortunately short-charged; it seemed the free trial was only eligible for anyone who created a gamertag within the console, not beforehand. So I had to make due with an obvious-sounding duplicate account until I could find a good enough deal for the subscription.

While they aren't all outstanding chaps, the online community in Xbox Live far exceeds anything else console-wise. It seems there's always someone playing something, so finding a group of people to play with is not nearly as taxing as with other consoles. I finally caved in and purchased Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the Xbox Live Arcade, and I didn't regret it; The game played great with four other people (pending decent connections), the action was frantic and still held up to this day.

The catch, however, was that you couldn't simply pay for the game itself, which was a cheap 400 points ($5). You could only purchase "Microsoft Points" in increments, forcing me to spend $6.50 total, leaving only enough points to purchase a Gamertag picture.

That's how they get you, and that' s why I'm currently wearing a Brock Samson avatar.

Custom Music:

The ability to play whatever music I please with whatever game I choose was one of those gaming features I've been wanting to try since my high school days; While some purists will insist that you should only play the default music as the developers intended, I can't help but find this music-swapping feature incredibly cool. Getting the 360 to recognize my PC was the most difficult thing to do, although a quick install of Zune and a simple restart got things running.

I'm still looking for appropriate music to use, but I've found a few tracks that I tend to load up regularly during Gears of War multiplayer. I've become especially fond of using BT's "Dark Heart Dawning"

, though I couldn't possibly tell you why. The rhythm just matches, I suppose.

Whoever concluded that the Benny Hill theme matches with whatever game you're playing deserves a gold medal, however, because that is very true. It alone makes Dead Rising worth the purchase.

Conclusion:

There was a comment I read from a certain gaming forum that hit hard and true for today's situation:

"If you enjoy gaming, you need to own all three consoles."

As things stand now, truer words were never spoken. Even though the next generation of videogame systems has barely begun, there isn't a single console that is dominating with its respective lineup. Each system has strengths and weaknesses, and games worth enjoying.

If you grew up with Nintendo, or remain loyal to Sony, let me break it to you: There's no shame in owning an Xbox. Microsoft has a good thing going here, with an incredibly dedicated online community. If you've ever considered purchasing one, now is the time to do it. It isn't conformism, it's just the way the times are moving. We all thought they wouldn't succeed, but at this rate they're here to stay. It still remains to see who will dominate the hearts, minds, and wallets of today's generation of gamers.

Until then, give Dr Shizuma an invite. I'm going to go see what all this Halo hullabaloo is about.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Box

So yes, I'm late once again with my entry, although I do have a legitimate excuse this time. Although considering how I promised to improve on getting these entries done on time, no excuse is justified.

But hey, it's Labor Day weekend, so I'm sure most of you can cut me some slack. This Monday is the real Sunday...except for those of you who work.

Like me.

But don't cry for me, since I'll be paid for double time and a half, along with free pizza and lax phone calls. But more to the point, here's today's entry.

So as I mentioned before, I'm into videogames. Since I began my hobby, I've always been strictly a 'two system per generation' player. In the beginning, I thought Nintendo's systems were the only things I ever needed. But despite the childlike level of excitement I felt when I first received the Super Nintendo, the sudden presence of Sega's Genesis machine, featuring a new teen driven attitude in its advertising (especially with a certain blue hedgehog that was drawing attention away from Nintendo's jumping man) had pulled me over and purchase a second system.

Things became more complicated when Sony arrived on the scene, charging in with guns blazing against Nintendo's time honored traditions and wholesome family fun. The Playstation's vast array of games and full motion videos made me regret buying a Nintendo 64 early on. And when it came time to upgrade again, with the Playstation 2 and Gamecube entering the scene, the choice for my first new system was made much more obvious.

Then things took an interesting turn when Microsoft decided to follow in Sony's success, with the advent of the Xbox. No one took this machine seriously at first; An obnoxiously large design, little to no Japanese support, a plethora of additional accessories and subscriptions that required more money to be plunked down, and Sony taking an early dominance with their second system left the Xbox clear away from my interest. The only thing about Microsoft's intermediate gaming machine that surprised me was the fact that it actually lasted longer than anyone anticipated.

Turns out people were really digging this game called Halo.

Now we are square in the beginning of the "next generation" of games, for the fourth time since Mario's 8 bit beginnings, and the choices available to me aren't as black and white anymore. Sony's Playstation 3, which promised the most realistic graphics and horsepower that no other system could hope to match, is currently failing to dominate the video game kingdom as its forefathers had done twice before. The Nintendo Wii has taken everyone by surprise with its worldwide numbers, yet despite all of its praise and multimillion profits, its actual selection of games have been paltry, with a large majority catering to a new sort of crowd that leaves us '80s OG's out of the loop.

But perhaps most shocking of all is Microsoft's continuing existence. Despite early doubts and scoffs that seemed eerily similar to their first system's debut, the Xbox 360 is enjoying a surprising level of success, especially in North America. No longer relying on Halo alone, the 360 has been home to a good amount of quality exclusive titles, the most recent a wildly praised first person horror game called Bioshock.

But despite that, I still held reservations about the system, even scoffing at the mere notion of owning one; The system was infamous for periodically breaking down, the additional charges regarding simple additions (such as wallpapers, pictures and the like) were absurd, and the community that Microsoft was catering to were of the MTV/Myspace/Xtreme variety of thirteen year olds that I had no desire to be a part of.

Ironic how I was repelled by the same attitude and presence that had compelled me to purchase a Genesis years before.

But then the increasing hype, along with my increasing paychecks, had forced me to take a serious consideration to purchasing the system. With the recent arrival of HDMI-enabled models that reportedly contain stronger heatsinks to reduce (but not eliminate) the possibility of machinery malfunction, and the current drought plaguing both the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii, I had finally put aside my inhibitions....

And henceforth decided to "Jump In".



It took a little digging, but I managed to find a Premium model with HDMI enabled in Best Buy during Labor Day, and then proceeded to purchase Gears of War in the CompUSA next door, which I remembered was advertised for $50. Turns out there was a promotional special at the time, though, and I ended up paying only $39 for it.

And how have I enjoyed the system so far? Well, that's something you can look forward to in my next entry. Sorry, but if I were to post all my impressions now, I'm certain it would take another day or two for this entry to go up, and I'm late enough as it is.

See you this Sunday. Double promise, this time.

The Farmhouse: Part 2

A little over a year later, I found myself driving back down the "trail, unimproved" in my jeep, with three five gallon jugs of gas in the backseat, a sheet of handwritten prayers tucked into my pocket, and my dog Baxter curled up near the jugs. Leaving with these things in hand, I told my mother the area where I was going to 'hike', and took off.

I only hoped they were enough to finish what I had started.

I kept the events of that place to myself, knowing that I had experienced what some in my faith might call "a minor miracle”. I had told the story about my first ghostly encounter as a kid to some people as a means of entertainment, (much like I am now). The room would always get quiet shortly afterwards, until someone would softly mutter "That's fucked up"…and that was that.

Still, I knew the house was there, and unlike in the first case, I knew that I had disturbed whatever presence haunted that house.

I arrived at noon, with the first whispers of an early summer thunderstorm stirring in the horizon. If this fire ended up out of my control, I had hoped to let nature deal with it. I hauled the three cans out of the jeep, along with a coil of rope, and a shovel. I kept my knife in the small of my back, and clumsily hefting the three cans, I walked towards the house, ignoring the sudden sinking feeling in my stomach.

Where there had once been a good wind moving through the wood line died when I began walking towards the house. Baxter's tail went stiff, and his hair stood on end again. Everything was literally silent; No birds flew, no trees moved. It felt like high noon at Dodge City, and to break the tension I blew the first few notes of that song you hear in most spaghetti western flicks.

Apparently, I hadn't broken shit; I had only driven it away from me in a desperate moment, and I couldn't be sure when it might come back. As I set the cans down, one of the 2x4s from the second story window chose that time to pop out, making an empty thunk as it hit the top of the awning. Baxter barked once, and I loosened St. Mike's medal from inside my shirt, wearing it openly while spreading the contents of the first can around the outside of the house.

The complete lack of anything happening was more frightening, I believed, than if it had appeared gibbering and screaming around the corner of the house. I took a note from Ghostbusters, of all things, and tried my damndest not to think about what the hell it could do. When my foot got caught around a root, I let out a scream, thinking that it was coming out of the ground for me. My heart was beating as loudly as the first time I jumped out of a plane, and I was relieved when the first can was finally empty.

The second and third cans were meant for the inside of the house, and while it was still noon, the light inside seemed less substantial. The door opened like a yawning mouth, inviting me inside. Calling Baxter to my heels, I marched in and immediately spread the gas around as fast as I could. With my first step, a hard stiff wind blew from the direction of the storm front, and the entire house groaned in protest. The hand I had seen before had not moved an inch from where I remembered it, but I avoided it all the same.

As I went into the kitchen, I took a moment to look around, and noticed on the counter a fresh patch of footprints on the dust, about infant sized. I quickly drowned them under the onslaught of gas, and had used up over half of the second can when I saw the entryway into the parlor.

Draped over the windows were large white sheets, each painted with a single pentacle…A hex mark, in other words. Was it designed to keep something in…from escaping? The darkness was more alive in there, and my bravado failed me when I tried to take the first step in, pouring the gas from the safety of the threshold and letting it leak into the room. Something thumped around upstairs, and I felt I didn't have much more time before things got out of hand again. I went back to the center of the kitchen, grabbed the last can, and started spreading it on the hallway walls that led to the upstairs. I definitely wasn’t going up there, but I didn't count on the small trapdoor in the pantry, leading to what might have been a root cellar.

Flicking my lighter, I could see that it was covered with steel-banded wood, holding down the rusting door. There was no need for a lock, as the boards over the door were bolted into cement around the trapdoor. Nothing was getting out of that. All the same, when I flicked my lighter shut and continued on my crusade, something wailed in the dark place under this house, causing my dog to howl in response while I dropped the gas, spilling it all over my boots and jeans. Something down there made the house shake, sending loose chunks of ceiling down on me.

It was time to leave.

I drove my knife though the jug and tossed it down the hallway, ignoring the persistent thump thumping upstairs, like a heartbeat, and ran until I was clear of the pooling gas. Running my lighter along the wall, the gas began to spread into blue flames running in both directions. Carefully keeping the flame away from me, I ran for the door.

The inside of the house had shielded us from the wind that waited for us outside. The storm had snuck up on us and I was almost thrown back by the sudden gush. Reaching down I picked up the dog, threw him over my shoulder, and ran towards the car, taking shelter behind what trees I could. I turned back towards the house, and the fire was starting to take, licking against the dried and rotted wood. I stood there as the wind bent the trees almost sideways, and watched as one tongue of flame formed a blue ring around the house.

Then the smell came, the stench of rot and the decay from last time, with unseen figure slamming around the doorway, highlighted by the flames. I felt my fear drain away at that moment…all the anxiety that had been building was replaced by a sudden anger. Anger at what, I didn’t know….maybe at whatever had caused all this to happen; Regardless, I laid Baxter on the ground, drew my knife, and took a step forward. I was literally seeing red, going into the berserker drive that had won me so many fights before.

"I'm right here motherfucker! I'm not going anywhere!" I screamed over the wind, as if it was just another dude talking shit. The absurdity of it all still strikes me today, a guy yelling at the air and brandishing a knife like a retard at something that wasn’t there. Baxter came up next to me, growling low in his throat, eyes set deep in his massive head.

I still wonder today why it didn't charge me. Was I just taking out my rage and frustration on a figment of my own imagination? Or was it really there, and merely unused to simple human courage, of bravery that drew a line in the dirt and proclaimed "Here, and no further". Whatever the reason, it stopped thrashing, and the outline of flames surrounding it disappeared.

The red faded from my vision shortly after the first story ceiling caved in, and I walked backwards the entire time, never taking my eyes from the house.

I went to the jeep, got in with the dog, and we had dinner at Subway.

Roast beef with bacon for two, on cheese bread. It started to rain when we arrived at Subway, and kept on after we had returned to the smoking embers of the house. I had made a stop on the way back to pick up a flashlight and a crow bar. Using the shovel, I shifted the ashes, not finding anything of interest until I got near the trapdoor. Baxter dug it out, which turned out to be a caved in skull that was partially destroyed by the fire. The skull was too large, and the eye sockets uneven. I ran a finger around the nose and wondered again what had happened here. After several minutes of work with the pick and crowbar, I more or less had an answer. The faintest smell of corpses rose up to meet me, like a soda can in winter that housed a dead mouse from the spring.

There was a skeleton down there, and from the wider set of the hips, I deduced it to be a woman, with both of her femurs smashed. Several skeletons surrounded her…small infant skeletons. Making several knots, I tied off the rope to a sturdy looking tree nearby. If worse came to worst I could always chimney my way up, as it was only a ten foot drop. Either way, I had made sure that someone knew where I was if the shit hit the fan.

I crawled down, looking at the skeleton surrounded by three infants with odd skulls and other deformities. I was surrounded by great despair, and shook my head at the madness of it all before carefully shouldering the skeleton and making the climb up with it. My inner revulsion was offset by a need to do the right thing here, so it took me several trips to collect all the bones, and even longer to dig the actual graves in the dirt, softened by the rain. I piled stones over each, five graves in total. One for the mother and, I assume, her four children, and pulled out my sheet of prayers. I prayed to God, to Saint Michael, and afterwards folded up the paper and offered my own blessings. Baxter sat and watched quietly, and when I was done, he howled low and long.

I walked from that place filthy while covered in soot and dirt, and my nose was filled with the smell of fire. There was no scent of roses, no smell of gunpowder freshly burnt, but there was a smell of things growing underneath it all that hadn't been present before. That, I thought, was all I needed to know that we had done the right thing.

I got in the jeep, and we drove away. I have never taken the supernatural for granted since.

-End