Memorial to a Crazy Last Year

Once again absurdity ensued. This is a picture of my Memorial Day barbecue last year. Yeah, I'm sort of happy to be traipsing after gypsies this year. The smaller one is for a 1024x768 desktop and the larger is for 1200x800!

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Post number 50!

With that Basil vanished. I just sunk to the ground, and even though Kitty placed her arm around me I felt no comfort. Certainly Basil could be a bit ridiculous sometimes, maybe a lot of the time, but this seemed far too drastic. HAD things become so dire? “Indeed they are dire.” A voice called out, reading my thoughts and channeling them into a response. I stood up and turned my head. Before I found the voice I saw a long shadow stretching out behind me. It was an old woman. “Things are so dire, but only because Basil chose them to be so.” Kitty watched the old woman cautiously. “Who are you?” The hag smiled and sighed. “Ah, I am a woman with a past, a witch that has been cursed...” She paused and with a heavy heart continued. “There were three of us, foolish young women who were lured into a trap. For you see, the one who is behind all of this has caused much trouble for a very very long time. He has led the gypsies to steal your friend, and he has led Basil to consume the dark brew. And he has left me to rot in this tomb.” “But why do you remain here? Why do you not seek the daylight?” I asked quietly. She smiled. “I have been waiting for you, that is why. The curse of this monstrous body was placed upon me by him, and all I have left is a harbored vengeance. I will not tell you who he is, who guides all of this, but I will help you to subvert his plans. After enough subversion you shall finally see him soon enough.” She smiled. “I am here to prevent his tampering nay longer.” And so she beckoned us deeper into the tomb. It grew dim and dark, but eventually we came into a small round room. She seemed to glide to a large kettle in the center of the room. It looked like, though she was old, she still retained a few ounces of her former grace. With a simple flick of her hand the cauldron came to life. Swirling smoke of different colors swarmed around her body as she smiled at me. Then her face grew serious once more. “You can travel far in a moment correct?” Kitty and I exchanged a glance, not certain of how she knew so much, but we nodded. She grinned. From the smoke rose two faces. “If you seek to save your friends find these two men in Britain. Already you can travel far distances, but they shall grant you another piece which shall allow you to travel beyond even the conventional boundaries which you till remain bound by.” “Please tell us more.” Kitty started. The witch grinned and allowed herself to be enveloped in the smoke. Her hand shot out just before vanishing completely. It pointed to us and at that very moment a red glowing X-mark seemed to burn itself into our map...

PS:This is my 50th image post and still going strong! Here's hoping that more readers will come with the next 50!

A Leap in Many Ways...

With the ghost of Czar Samovar safely secured and in our control we pressed forward. The massive tomb grew darker as we progressed, the air was so stale. I felt ill in the stomach from the smells long forgotten and sealed away. But I glanced at Kitty who, though taken aback by the smell, never staggered. Certainly I could do the same. Basil was just somewhere completely different. He strode boldly, with the passion of an obsessed madman. I whispered my concern to Kitty, she agreed with me that drinking the tea was probably a bad decision. And so we quietly plotted behind Basil's back as he hummed a familiar tune. At this point it would be impossible to talk him out of this mad expedition, however, we could take the tea when we reached our destination and then, at least deliberate. I feared that his first instinct would be to drink it. And then we were there. Ancient torches, lit by some bewitching means, stood on either side. I looked around, this had to be it, we were in a vast chamber with a long staircase. Basil quickly bounded up the staircase. We tried to follow close behind. And then Kitty slipped. I turned to pick her back up and it was that moment that cost us our plan. Basil wads too far ahead by that point.

Upon reaching the top plateau the entire tomb began to quiver. The platform raised up from it's place deep in the earth and into the twilight above. A small pedestal rose as this happened. On it was a tea kettle. Basil turned and grinned at us. “It is perpetually steaming but never over steeping. It is an enchanted tea kettle of legend that makes the perfect cup every time.” I readied myself to make the jump onto the platform. But Kitty gabbed my hand, the distance between you and it is to far.” She motioned to the center of the staircase. Where it once sat was now filled by a deep hole. “If you miss the jump you shall fall to your death.” Our eyes met and we both knew our next course of action. She kissed my hand lightly and I jumped...

O'er heather through aether

Basil grinned devilishly as he bolted out of the tavern. Kitty and I followed closely behind. He ran to a shed out behind the tavern. “A friend of mine was able to negotiate this space for working. I’m not sure how the deal went down.” Basil paused as he screwed his face up, trying to remember. “I think it featured the auctioning of a termite farm and three souls on Ebay.” “I would hope souls would get you a better shed than THAT.” Kitty muttered. Basil grinned. “The termite farm got the shed, the souls got what is inside!” He applied slight pressure to the door and it swung open upon creaky hinges. He threw on some brass goggles and long gloves. From a dirty old wooden chest in the back corner he drew an ordinary looking jar. Inside there was a small glowing object suspended in the center. “What is that thing?” I asked. “A small luminiferous aether!” My jaw dropped. “What does it do?” Kitty asked skeptically. “This aether generates light, and works almost like a small controlled black hole of sorts.” Basil’s grin spread even further across his face as he did an aerial kick.

“My plan is to enter the tomb of Samovar and release the aether. Even the fearsome spirit of Samovar could not stand against this force. It shall consume him and we can use him as we wish.” A dark expression flashed across my half-cousin’s features. “And then I can claim his legendary tea, drink it, and with the wisdom it provides, outwit any of the gypsy traps.”

So we arrived in Samovar, safe and sound. If there wasn’t only one I’d highly recommend map travel, although the jet lag is something fierce. And so Samovar is where our story picks up. There’s not much there, in the background a large black object loomed, the towering tomb of Samovar. The people are friendly in Samovar, at least I bet they would be if we spoke the same language, right now their more indifferent than anything else, although there was an old woman who began barking at me… Anyway we found Basil huddled in a back corner of a tavern, in his hands he held a shot of vodka. We immediately asked what happened. He looked at us vaguely at first, and then, once he recognized me his features lit up. “Faux! You’ll never believe it. It’s horrid!” “What Basil, where’s Bella?” Basil looked up sadly. “She’s gone, they took her.” “Who?” I asked in a rather cliché manner. “The gypsies.” He paused. “I obtained invitations to the Count de Orlock’s grand ball. So Bella and I had prepared ourselves and were on our way. We passed a silent crowd on the way over, a strange sight but I though nothing of it. Nothing, that is, until I noticed they were following us. Bella and I ran, but the crowd separated and from it rose a giant Gypsy! ‘The girl is who we want!’ from behind him leaped a girl with a rope, I moved to fight them off but there were far too many.” I looked at Basil as he stopped again. “Basil, what are we going to do?” Basil hung his head low and his shoulders heaved as he sobbed silently. Then suddenly, as if transfigured, he raised his head, a crazed look captured in his eyes. “I have a plan…”