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Saturday, December 31, 2016

Love is a Roller Coaster - Backstage


Last night, er, early this morning, I finished reading Backstage by Jacqueline E. Smith.  It is the second book in her Boy Band Series.  While I have never been one to follow music bands, music is a vital part of what I do.  When poetry is written, I hear the notes.  Rhythm and rhythm are integral parts.  Having read other books by Jacqueline and loved her style of writing, I had to continue with the series.

Right off the bat, she weaves in so many axioms.  True relationships are complicated.  We are pulled one way and then another, sometimes at the same time.

That’s what Backstage is about: the balance of love, honor, integrity, and trust.  The heart knows what it wants, but do you act on it?  If you do, what happens to those around you?  Is it for the common good? Is it only for your heart?  When feelings are given free rein, there’s never an easy choice.

Suspense, love, and heartbreak: you’ll find all that here.  With Mel, Sam, Joni, and the others in the band, it’s never going to be simple, but isn’t that what love is all about?


And now it’s time for the next one!  A great read!

If you haven't read it, you can find it here!


James William Peercy

Thursday, December 1, 2016

EVER IN THE AFTER

What is EVER IN THE AFTER?
A. A hip phrase?
B. A rock band?
C. A title for an upcoming book?

If you answered C, a title for an upcoming book, you are correct!
(It might turn into the other two! :)

EVER IN THE AFTER: 13 FANTASY TALES is a brand new fantasy anthology that will be released on April 1st, 2017!

All proceeds from EVER IN THE AFTER will be donated to Lift 4 Autism as part of the Lift 2017 campaign. The authors selected to write for this anthology are Melle Amade, Miracle Austin, J.A. Culican, Madeline Dyer, Jessica Hawke, Alaina Hebert, Elizabetta Holcomb, Stephanie Keyes, Christopher D. Morgan, Mandy Peterson, Alice Rachel, Cadence Rae, and Jacqueline E. Smith. So please help us spread the word for this anthology far and wide!

Thx,
James William Peercy

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Island Cemetery: What spirits walk Galveston Island?

Warning: Please read no further unless you wish to know the truth.

HISTORY

Traditionally, spirits tend to walk outside of cemeteries.  Though the dead bodies are buried there, their life-force left long before they were laid down to their final resting place.

But Galveston is different.  In the great storm of 1900, thousands of lives died.  Some washed out to sea.  Others sank in the sand.  Still, some were buried in debris.


Children were paid to haul bodies in wagons.  So many dead were found that the adults in charge decided to dump the deceased, weighted down, into the waters away from the island.  Unfortunately, they washed back up bloated, rotten, and eaten.  This resulted in two huge bonfires to burn the putrid corspes.  It lasted for weeks.  The stench was terrible.  The land was corrupted.  Clean up began.

Note: For the longest time, no one would eat seafood for fear they would be devouring their own loved ones.

Men were forced at gunpoint to help in the collection of the dead.  Only one was shot for refusing to work.  The others then fell in line.  Of all the places known to modern civilization, can it be any wonder that residual energy would still exist there today?

Wars were fought on the island.  The cries of native women and children rose as they were slaughtered.  For untold years after the 1900 event, death haunted the city.  And yet, they rebuilt.

On the graves of those buried, burned, or without remembrance, entire blocks of buildings have been placed.  A seawall was added to help against nature’s attacks.  The city prospered again.

So did the spirits.



THE INVESTIGATION OF ASHTON VILLA AND FORT TRAVIS

For us, this particular adventure started on October 30th, 2016.  It was one of several.  For three days we hunted Galveston for the paranormal.

We arranged to meet our friends Charlie and Susie Clevenger for a downtown ghost tour.  ( http://susiessentences.blogspot.com/2016/11/time-for-ghosts.html )  

Our guide showed us around the Strand, an area of downtown Galveston.  We learned fascinating history and ghostly stories but the end of the tour became even more enthralling.

Our guide was part of a paranormal group that had their own investigation planned for later that evening.  So about 11 pm that night, we joined in at the Ashton Villa Mansion.  http://www.galvestonghost.com/storiesashton.html

It is a three-story home, was built before the Civil War, and was used as a hospital for Confederate soldiers.  It is constructed of brick and cast iron.  Interestingly, the house is not only surrounded by an iron fence but has iron rails and supports around its front interior.

Because of the investigation, we were given relatively free access to the house.  What we found was intriguing.  On the stairwell from the third to the second floor, sharp spikes would abruptly appear on our EMF detector and then vanish.

The stairway, we were told, was the one Tilly Brown would use.  A bedroom was on the third floor.  The third floor was said to have most of the paranormal activity.  Both Claudette Peercy and Jackie Smith https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/ghosts-of-galveston/  ) received readings at separate times: sharp spikes and then nothing.  The energy appeared to move up and down the stairs.

Down below, in the golden room, Jackie noticed high EMF spikes in the corner of all Miss Bettie Brown’s paintings.  It was always by the signature on the painting.  We found no electrical lines around these areas.  Was this Bettie’s way of saying she appreciated us enjoying her artwork?

In the great banquet hall, just as one enters from the main house, we found massive, constant, and repeatable EMF readings emanating from the floor.  When we asked our host what was down below, they said, ‘Nothing.’  Upon further investigation, we discovered a basement had been below the house at one time.  However, after the storm of 1900, they had filled it in.  It makes you wonder, had this basement been used as a makeshift tomb?


We snapped pictures, ran thermal scans, and recorded EMF readings.  Around 2 am in the morning, exhaustion started to set in.  Still filled with excitement but unable to continue without rest, we headed off to our hotel.

The next afternoon, we met with Susie and Charlie.  They guided us to another location called Fort Travis on the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County.  It was established in 1820 and modified through the years to be a defensive position for the United States. ( http://www.crystalbeach.com/travis.htm )


We took many pictures, ran a few EMF scans, but seemed to come up with nothing too unusual, until this one photo.

It wasn’t until later that it caught my attention.  It is the shadow of a person following us who was not part of our group.  I say ‘shadow’ because we saw no one else at the time.

By the evening, we were back at Ashton Villa.  This time, it was the official tour, not the investigation.  Our access was severely limited.  

We were not allowed on the third story so we could not verify the EMF readings we had recorded the night before.  We were guided room by room with some great stories by those who helped take care of the mansion and the odd things they had encountered.  A partial confirmation was attained.  The signal strength on the floor of the banquet room was just as strong as ever.  However, before the stroke of twelve, we were hurried out the door.

It felt like they were afraid of being in Ashton Villa after midnight, especially on Halloween night.  With some of the stories that our guide told, perhaps there was a concern.  I did notice that every time I raised the camera to take a photo, the tour guide watched me with darting eyes as if expecting I had caught something.

She warned us to be watchful for Confederate ghost soldiers as we left the manor out the backdoor.  Still taking pictures, I stopped by the gazebo and found this.

Once more, I thought nothing as I snapped it, not even realizing there was a shadow.  No people were in view.  It wasn’t until later when I was evaluating what we had captured that I realized the two images, one at Fort Travis and this one, were similar.  Had the ghost of Miss Bettie Brown followed us to Fort Travis?  Had she followed me at Ashton Villa?  Perhaps we’ll never know.  However, if I get another shadow in a picture, it will definitely make me look twice!


BISHOP’s PALACE       Oct 29th, 2016

The three of us, Jackie Smith, Claudette Peercy, and I head to a place called Bishop’s Palace.  We get there early.  We snap great pictures of the outside and explore the basement.  The basement has been converted into a souvenir shop.  It’s cool but much too commercialized.  On top of that, the EMF detector shoots to the top and holds all around the checkout counter.  Right off the bat, we know there is way too much electrical in that area to even try and detect a spirit signature.  To the store clerk’s surprise, we use the EMF device to identify the wifi router behind the counter.

Bishop’s Palace is one of the only four homes that remained after the flood in the storm of 1900.  At the time, it was built seven feet above sea level.  When the storm came in, they helped to fish out as many people as they could to save them.

The architecture is absolutely wonderful.  The rounded towers, statues, and ornate artwork make a unique and beautiful setting.

When the host comes out and invites us in, he is dressed in ghoulish white makeup and a suit.  In the spirit of Halloween, they have provided other actors to appear as the tour progresses.

All the lights are out.  We are given red lanterns.  Photographs can have no flash.  The host begins our tour of the house.  ( http://ghoststories.brazoriaresearch.com/2010/06/22/the-haunted-castle-of-galveston )

With EMF out, we probe as we walk.  The dumb waiter in the building no longer works.  They use it to run networking and electrical lines from the bottom basement to the top floor.  Once more, though we can detect the location of the lines, it makes the device useless for finding energetic spirit manifestations.

Our group is fairly large.  There are enough people that the thermal scanner is not practical.  As we get to the second story, a sensitive claims she detects a little boy playing on this floor.  There are no children in our group.  I can hear her talking outside the room I am in, but we get no spikes.  Nothing seems unusual until we get to the second floor chapel.

Strangely, on a hunch, we check each of the prayer benches.  The EMF detector shoots up to the top two or three times on three of the four benches and then drops to normal.  It does not repeat no matter how many times we check it again.  If we didn’t know better, it was like a child had played in the room bouncing from one cushion to another.

Our guide moves on, but if it was the child causing the spiking, he appears to have slipped away too.  We listen to the history.  The tour guide finishes.  We start the journey down the stairs.


Once we hit the bottom floor, everyone starts out through the front doors.  I turn back one last time to take a picture of the curving ornate staircase and the picture in the center.  One of the tour guides is holding a red lantern at the half circle landing in the upper right corner.  There is no one else on the stairs.  I snap the picture and turn to go.  Talking with some of those who helped with the tour, the lights come on.  We say our goodbyes.  It wasn’t until that night that I realize something unusual was caught.

Remember what I said?  No one else was on the stairs except someone on the landing.  Oddly, in the picture I took, there are now two people.  Not only is there a second person, but he is shorter than everyone else in the group we were just with and barely tall enough to have his shoulder over the banister.  Who or what he is, I cannot say, but the photograph caught him when my eye did not.

Thanks for reading!

James William Peercy

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Step Across The Barrier: Featured Creatures - Werevamcabra

What is a Werevamcabra?

Werevamcabra’s are a trio-hybrid (Werewolf, Vampire, and Chubacabra).  They are a merging of the three species in a way that werewolves do not like.  Though foggy in their origin, they are hunted down by pure werewolves in an ongoing battle against the ravages they bring against mankind.

They have a keen sense of smell, are very strong, and have a morbid sense of humor.  The person right next to you could be one, and you would never know until it was too late.

Are all werevamcabras evil?  How were they created?  When will they strike again?  Ask the author, Miracle Austin, after reading her short story, The Study Break, in Luna’s Children: Full Moon Mayhem edited by D. Alan Lewis.


What’s in Luna’s Children: Full Moon Mayhem?

We met Miracle Austin at an Author’s Fest event put on in downtown Denison Texas.  The first thing we noticed was the rather foreboding werewolf walking around with a lightsaber.


Miracle writes horror and suspense stories for teens and above.  One of her stories, The Study Break was featured in the anthology Luna’s Children: Full Moon Mayhem edited by D. Alan Lewis.  She would be glad to autograph the book and picture.  Just go to her website at www.miracleaustin.com and contact her through her online form at http://www.miracleaustin.com/contact !

Thanks for reading!

James William Peercy

www.JamesWilliamPeercy.com

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

A Man's Fanged Friend

Airbnb is offering a contest to see who gets to spend a night in Dracula's castle.  In celebration of this event and the upcoming All HallowsEve, here is a story for your entertainment:

A Man's Fanged Friend
by James William Peercy

Bark.  Bark.  Bark.

The cover pulled further over his head.  Refusing to open his eyes, Colby squeezed them tightly shut.

Bark.  Bark.  Bark.

The morning sun had already done its worst.  The open blinds had caught its glow the moment it peeked above the horizon.  A cool breeze fluttered the curtains through the half-open window.
He sluggishly remembered the night's event.  Not only had his car broken down, but no one had picked him up along the road.  Each time headlights had been directed his way they had either turned off or sped by.

Without the moon, it had been just short of liquid blackness.  No water had fallen, but the clouds had continued to build.  Short of a tow truck agreeing to haul the car back to his temporary residence, he would probably be fixing it in the rain.

Bark.  Bark.  Bark.

And Fido's persistent bark, that was driving him crazy.  Okay, the name wasn't original.  But could he help that his girlfriend had shown up with the animal and asked him to watch it for a day or two, three months ago?  Yeah, he sure could pick them.

Maybe that's why she was his ex now?  She never showed back up.  Then again, he had received a note saying she really couldn't keep the dog any longer, and he was so sweet to volunteer.  Any ordinary guy might have headed to the pound right there and then.  But nope, when he looked down into those little brown eyes, he knew he had been taken by both of them.

Bark.  Bark.  Bark.

"Fido, please.  Not yet."  His eyes shot open as his mind cleared.  Fido had followed him out of the car.  Fido had spotted a shuffling in the bushes.  Fido had run off.

Throwing the covers back, he grabbed his robe as he stood and flung it around him.  The sunlight warmed his skin, whenever it cut through the clouds, only to vanish a moment later.  With slippers on, he rushed out the bedroom door.

He had searched in vain for the dog.  Fido's small size and quick reflexes gave Colby no chance at catching the creature in time.  By the time he called out commands, the dog had already sped out of hearing.  With only the car headlights to see by, the darkness swallowed the animal up.

Passing through the hallway into the living room, his eyes searched for the direction of the noise.  It was tricky.  The angles of the walls obscured a clear detection.  But if he didn't know better, he could have sworn it was coming from the garage.

His hand turned the doorknob.  The button lock clicked as it ejected an eighth of an inch.  The barking continued but this time with a metallic ring.

Light filtered in from the open garage door.  It highlighted a dual-stacked red tool box.  That's right.  He had left the garage door open just in case Fido should make it home.  The metallic bark grew louder than before.  But why in the heck was the dog in the toolbox?

Colby stepped closer.  "Fido?"

The creature in the toolbox went into a frenzy of activity.  It's barks and playful growls, its thumps against the inside of the metal box, told Colby the dog was ecstatic to be home.  What didn't make sense was why the dog was in the box to begin with.  The bottom doors were normally open, but somehow, they had been closed just enough to block the light.

Colby squatted down.  "Fido, what are you doing in there?"  He pulled open the bottom metal doors.
The dog shrieked back from the light that filled one side of the box.  It whimpered, thrusting its body into the darkest corner.  It began to shake.

"What's wrong with you?"

Colby reached forward.  Fido received his pets with a warm assurance, but when his hands started to pull the dog forward.  It snapped at his hands but did not bite him.  It was then he saw the dogs extended fangs.  He released the dog and pulled back to stare.

He had heard of this in stories.  In Romania, the legend of vampires was rampant, not just because of the myths like Dracula, but also the actual history of Vlad the Impaler.  He had come here to write a story on that history.  Sometimes, there was more truth to legends than people spoke.

Fido whimpered.  The higher the sun rose above the horizon, the less darkness the toolbox gave.

Fear, concern, and indecision hit him all at once.  He had to do something, and it had to be fast.  "Fido?"

The dog's whine felt like a plea.

He thrust the fear away.  "Wait right here."

Colby closed the metal door and hurried into the house.  He grabbed up a shirt he had left on the sofa and rushed back to the garage.  Fido's tail thumped against the inside wall.

Opening the door carefully, Colby reached in and wrapped the shirt around the dog covering every place on his body.  In anticipation, the dog barked.  He lifted the creature from the toolbox and into the light of the garage.

Fido shook but did not whimper.  Somehow, even through the shirt, it could tell the presence of the sunlight.  Colby mentally noted down the reaction.  Curiosity overcame his caution.  This was an opportunity he could use to its fullest.

His thumb pushed the button lock as the inside door closed behind him.  He went to every window, closed the blinds and pulled the curtains tight.  Thinking back to the movies he had seen, he was sure candlelight would not hurt his pet.  However, Colby had no candles, and he needed to see.  The living room light had a dimmer.  That would have to do.  Setting the brightness to its lowest notch, he unwrapped his bundle and watched the dog's reaction.

Fido's head ducked as the shirt came completely off.  Gradually, the little dog looked up at its master until it leaped into his lap and began to lick his face.

Thinking vampire, Colby shifted it further from his neck although tension did ease from him.  "I've missed you too," Colby laughed.  After a moment's petting, he picked it up and sat it on the sofa.  

"But now, we need to run a few tests.  Stay."

Fido wagged his tail enthusiastically.  Colby headed to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door.  Ham would work.  He picked out a clove of garlic and hid it in his hand.  Pulling two saucers from a cupboard, Colby placed a slice of ham on each.  Beneath one, he concealed the garlic as he carried the two saucers into the living room.

His eyes caught Fido's.  The dog watched him intently.  Lowering both plates to the floor, he moved away and sat in a chair to watch.

"Fido, eat."

The dog placed both front paws to the front of the sofa and jumped.  Its feet touched lightly with almost no sound at all.  It sniffed the air as if in confusion, backing away from the plate that had the garlic under it.  Each step took it further from the smell and closer to the saucer without the herb.  It gobbled down the ham that had no garlic near it.

"Good," Colby nodded.  "But I need more tests."

He spent the rest of the day running different scenarios.  Fido loved the attention.  A checklist of things formed.  His pencil clicked against the top of the coffee table when he finally laid down his notepad.  Colby read the details out loud.

"No sunlight, but electric lighting is fine.  Fido can definitely smell garlic, but it must be close.  Fido feels lighter than I remember.  It is an odd fact, but I can't be certain that it is because of what happened or just because he stayed out overnight without supper.  Appetite seems good though he appears to do it more like a habit than being hungry."

Fido whined.  A cold breeze swirled into the living room from the short hall.  Colby glanced at the wall clock.  Where had the day gone?  Twilight was passing as evening took full hold.  The phone rang.

"Colby, I'd like to pick up my dog tonight."

Colby removed the phone from his ear and stared at it.

The female voice from the top sounded very tiny now.  "Colby, are you there?"

His eyes darted to Fido while bringing the phone back to his ear.  "Jess?"

"Yes?"

His mind swirled.  "Couldn't this wait until tomorrow at least?"  What was he going to tell her?  
Oops, your dog got lost, and now he's a vampire?  He needed time to think.

"I'm heading to Latvia early tomorrow morning.  It has to be tonight."

Colby swallowed.  "Uh, maybe," he sighed, "maybe you could just leave him here till you get back.  I certainly wouldn't mind."

Her voice exuded appreciation.  "That's what I liked about you: such a giving spirit.  But I'm sorry.  I've played upon your good nature far too long.  Is nine okay?"

Panic started at his toes and worked its way up.  "9 p.m.?"

She laughed.  "Certainly not a.m."

He cleared his throat.  "Certainly."

"Thank you!  You're such a sweetie!"  The other end hung up.

"Not so sweet that you'd stick around, huh?"  The handset slammed down.  He focused on his breathing taking deep inhales, holding them, and slowly letting them out.  "It's not that bad," he looked at Fido.  Fido wagged his tail.  "We can figure out a plan."

What was he saying?  It wasn't like he could take a file and sand down the teeth.  He blinked.  Could he?  No, what was he thinking?  His eyes caught the dog's cheerful grin.  What about pulling them?  Maybe?

This was dumb.  He didn't make the dog run into the woods.  He didn't turn the dog into a vampire.  She would just have to face the fangs.  He meant facts.  That's it.  And since she hadn't seen him in three months, maybe she wouldn't notice the difference.

He turned toward the bedroom.  Fido followed after him at a trot.  With the sun completely down, there was no reason to close the blinds.  The cold wind helped to calm him.  He decided to leave the window open for the moment.  After all, it had a screen.

Knock.  Knock.  Knock.

Now who was it?  Colby turned to Fido.  "Stay."

The dog dropped its rear end and gazed up cheerfully.  Its tongue hung out between the two long pointed teeth making it fold in the middle.  Jess not noticing the difference was probably out of the question.  He walked back to the living room.

Knock.  Knock.  Knock.

"Coming," Colby raised his voice.  He peered out the side blinds but could not see who it was.  With the press of a button, he brought the lights up full.  Since it didn't bother Fido, there was no reason to keep them down.  Making sure the security chain was in place, he cracked the door.  "Who is it?"

"Colby?"  Jess' brilliant smile flashed in his direction.

"Jess?"  He threw a glance at the clock.  It was nowhere close to nine.  "But you said--"

Her voice bubbled with excitement.  "I just couldn't wait.  it is such a great opportunity, and I wanted to tell you about it first!"

His hand reached up and slide off the security chain.  "You're talking about Latvia, right?"

"Yes!"

Her eyes glowed brighter than before.  She seemed to know the exact moment the chain was free.  Even as he swung the door back to allow her entry, she did not step in through.

"Can I come in?"

Colby's brows furrowed.  "Yes."

Almost too fast for him to see, she stepped across the threshold.  "Thank you.  I knew I could count on you."

His thoughts went to Fido.  "Yeah, about that--"

She sat at one end of the sofa.  Rather than take the center, he took the other end.  She spoke so quickly.  It was as if she had never heard his last statement.  Her voice kicked out details of the planned trip: where she was going, how long it would take to get there, and the type of business she would set up.  The details held his attention, but for some reason, he could not quite remember what they were even though they had just been spoken.

His eyes drew to hers.  The sound of her voice soothed him.  All at once he found himself nose to nose with those mesmerizing eyes.

"Colby," her eyes bore into his, "I want you to come with me."

He lurched back feeling disoriented.  He had no idea how she had gotten so close.  His back struck part of the sofa as his arm whipped out.  A lamp tilted.  Before he could react, it fell to the floor.  Fido barked.

She pressed closer to him.  "Colby, I need you.  We were good together."  Her long hair fell toward him as their lips met.  They were tender and giving but--cold.

He fought for air as their embrace released.  Her cheek rubbed against his as she whispered into his ear.  "Don't you remember the night we met?"

A whimper came from the other room.  He could hear Fido pawing at the floor.  Something about it brought him back to reality.

"Jess," he tried to put some space between them, but her hold would not budge.  "Jess, please.  I am very happy for you, but--but isn't this a little fast?"

She purred in his ear.  "I know what will change your mind."  She nibbled his ear, pressing more tightly against him.

"Really?  Jess?"  Again he tried to shift away, but her grip was like steel.  "Please, this isn't doing anything for me."  It was a white lie, but he wasn't about to let her know that.

"Wait for it."  Her tongue found its way to his neck.

"That's enough," he gasped trying to thrust her back.  Her steel grip held him like shackles.  Pinpricks touched the side of his neck.

Her voice cooed, "I can feel the beat of your heart.  I hear the blood running through your veins.  The first time must be slow to be enjoyed."

Colby panicked.  What in the world was she doing?  He grabbed for anything that might be a distraction.  "Fido!"

A growl erupted behind the sofa as a brown fur ball bounded up behind him.  Jess shrieked, leaping back.  To Colby's surprise, she cleared the coffee table without a hitch.  Fido landed on the sofa beside him.  The dog's lips pulled back in a vicious grin as he bared his vampiric teeth.

Jess hissed at him.  Before Colby's eyes, her fingernails grew.  The beautiful smile changed into a frightful glare.  "How dare you!  He is not yours but mine!"

Fido remained at his post.  As each second ticked by, his growl grew louder.

Jess hissed again.  "Traitor!  I'll be back!"  With speed Colby had never seen before, she fled past the coffee table and out into the night.  Fido leaped after, and the chase was on.

Colby rose quickly and closed the door.  Bolt locks slammed into place.  Security chains rattled.  As the events with Jess sank in, his whole body shivered.  His left hand rubbed the side of his head and down to his neck.  Eyes wide, he raced into the bathroom.

As the restroom light flipped on, he searched from every angle.  Two red indentations had been pressed into his neck.  He used soap and water.  He patted it dry with a towel.  Had the skin been broken?  If it had, how quickly did it heal up?  He didn't feel any different.  Had she bit him or was she playing with her food?

Just to be sure, he cleaned the area again looking for any tiny spots of blood.  He had felt the teeth, but had she bitten down?

Distant barks came from his bedroom.  He slipped out and peered cautiously into his sleeping quarters.  The sounds came from the open window.  Was a metal screen enough to keep a vampire out?

Stepping into the darkness of the room, the moon had begun to rise above the trees.  An unreal landscape opened up before him as he shifted to the window and peered out.

Fido's bark was unmistakable.  It came from the woods just beyond the house.  Something raced away before it.  He had no doubt what that was.

Exhausted, unnerved, and completely overwhelmed by the day’s events, he lay back on the bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

~

Colby stepped up to the counter.  A cute receptionist with short dark hair gave him a pleasant smile.  With research done and his story complete, it was time to go back to America.

"Ticket please."

He handed her two tickets.   "Sir, you know your pet can fit under the seat.  There is no need to buy a second ticket."

Colby glanced fondly at Fido.  "He deserves his own."

***************

I hope you liked the story!  To check out the contest go to
Contest: airbnb.com/night-at/dracula
Castle website: bran-castle.com

Monday, September 26, 2016

Love Not Forsaken


Borne by the breeze of love, the eagles’ wings soar.
When the wind drops away, is the eagle anymore?

So many definitions fill our heads about love.  We have puppy love, no it is not the love of puppies, deep friendship, love for humanity, long standing love, love of self, playful love, and sexual passion.  We crave love.  We seek love.  It is a void filled only by the wants of our desire.  In the end, love is dependent upon what we want to feel, not necessarily what is given to us.

What is that, you say?  Is that even possible?

It is our option to love.  You cannot be made to love someone, nor can that person be made to love you.  You can desire to be with someone, but they may not want to be with you.  Does that make a person less than who they are?  If the love you give out is not returned, what happens to your perception of self?

Sometimes, despair occurs as the soul of the giver shrinks in frustration.  Their world seems to crumble.  Nothing they do seems right.  The dark clouds of self-doubt roll in the sky as the earth quakes beneath their feet.  Could this be the end?  Will the longing never cease?

Other times, we recognize this anguish for what it is.  An empty hole we are trying to fill.  However, since the love given by others doesn’t meet our expectations, nothing is right.  The square block simply does not fit the round hole.  We have selected to overlook a most fundamental principle of human relationships.  Love is a choice.

When we feel that choice is mutual, the entire world glows in brightness.  Blue skies on a sandy beach meet our eyes.  Lush green forests with succulent fruits are only fingertips away.  The starry nights are beyond contemplation.  The waves of the ocean dance in delight.  Nothing can touch us as we stand against the sway of time.

With romantic love, it starts with infatuation.  They have blonde hair.  They are tall.  They are short.  They walk so cute.  Their name, oh, the name is adorable.  Did you see that little dimple on the side of their face?

None of these characteristics matter.  Oh, they may be the reason we first noticed them.  It was the laugh that caught our attention or the smile across their lips.  However, to make it go beyond infatuation, it had to become a choice.  We, of our own free will, had to choose to love them, and they, of their own free will, had to choose to love us back.

The reasons behind the choice are sugarcoating.  If I love someone because they are short and they grow taller, do I cease to love them?  If their voice is like a beautiful song and it changes, should I drive them away?  If they dye their hair a different color, are they still the same person?

Love is a choice.  We choose to love, or we don’t.  It may spring from an emotional state, an infatuation state, a playful state, or a sexual state.  However, if you choose not to love, the love is over.

In one’s body, certain chemical changes help set the perception of love.  When passion is felt for the first time, it is rarely forgotten.  If we act upon that passion and it is accepted, fireworks go off.  If we use anything but choice as a basis for our love that love can easily wane.

Love is good.  Love feeds the soul and lifts us.  It carries us to places we cannot reach without its boost.  It helps us realize who we are.

The next time you see someone and you know inside you love them, whatever love that may be, think about it.  Contemplate it.  See why you have chosen to love.  Knowing that may help determine how long it lasts.

Fly on, great eagle, reach unto the sun.
Understand the breeze that lifts you up.
The azul sky in all its splendor
Calls you onto glory.
Follow its directions to the light.

Just a few thoughts.

James William Peercy

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Tears of Hope


We knew it would come.  That time when our children would pass.  They counted down through the years, one at a time, lives that had ceased to be.

Slowly, their numbers decreased, but in the midst of this, their children had children, seven, and they became our grand puppies.


I know.  They are dogs, right?  Not human children.  Not worth a single tear to those who have never loved them.  Yet, their value to us was immeasurable.

At our grand puppies’ births, they were so cute.  My wife and I debated on finding them homes, but we could not part with any of them.  They grew from those tiny creatures one could hold in their hand, to dogs of medium height.  They would run and play, leap over the fence and disobey, but they were ours, and we were theirs.

Time catches all things.

They aged.  They became slower.  The fence jumping ceased to be an option.  One hurt its vertebra and could not walk.  Others died of causes we could not stop in time.  In the end, there was only one left.  Her name was Jessie May, named after her name sake, my mother-in-law.

She was tree climber, a fence jumper.  She broke her leg, and we had her leg repaired.  The intelligence behind her eyes was amazing.  She was pacifist, unless of course she could bluff you.  She was sweet.  She was the only puppy that had black hair.  She was the last.

All her brothers and sisters had passed on before her, yet she persevered.  Despite having strokes, each time she pulled out and began to function again.  We walked her, feed her, and loved her.  Yesterday, on June 14th, 2016, she passed away.

We will miss all our grand puppies.  The hole at their passing will not leave.  The tears in our hearts will not dry up.

They will be remembered.

James William Peercy
June 15th, 2016

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

The Winds of Life




There are two events in life: let what happens happen and grab every moment.  They are not exclusive of each other.  It’s a choice we make each day.  Do we lie in bed or rise to the morning?  Do we reach out a hand or sit back and watch?  Which are you?



Do you feel like life leads you by a chain, your every movement predicted?  Do you grab hold of the things you wish to happen and never let go?

We all vary.  It is both our gift and curse.  There is no easy answer.  What we perceive as reality is drawn to us.  What we desire can change from moment to moment.

I have heard people explain the difference between a writer and an author.  An author is considered someone that is published, presented by their peers, vindicated by someone who believes in them.  A writer writes.  They cannot do otherwise.  The words simply do not stop even though no one hears the pin drop in the forest.

But I suggest we are all authors/writers, that the two cannot be separated.  We create from the world around us.  We perpetuate a reality that influences our peers.  We are originators, whether we accept that destiny or not.

A glass of water spills upon a person in a restaurant.  I saw this happen to a very dear friend.  She jumped up, completely surprised.  However, instead of rising in anger, she rose with astonishment and immediately forgave the waitress with such genuine feeling, it turned the whole event into a wondrous experience.

As a group, we bonded.  At the situation, we laughed.  We enjoyed life.

Every action we take, regardless of how it happens, is recorded in life’s great stream of events.  Nothing is forgotten.  Whether judged as good or bad, happy or sad, all of life builds, forming the journey our reality will create.

It is magic, a magic from a world that we cannot see.

It is music, whose melody is uniquely us.

It is hope, when the winds of time push us strongly forward.

Destiny calls us.  The choices we make determine its inflection.  We feel the rumble as worlds shift at our every whim.

Be the author you were meant to be.  Find the hope, the love, the universe inside of you.  Be the joy to a child, a wonder to the one you love, an inspiration to those you may never know.

You can do it.  You are doing it even now.  There are no mistakes in creation.

Be the wonderful person that you are and sail the oceans of adventure with me.

Here is my hand.  Let’s go!

www.JamesWilliamPeercy.com