Lophyya had never been mindful of the many philosophy courses he and his brethren attended in the Russian camps where they were crafted, grown, and trained.

Lophyya had never been mindful of the many philosophy courses he and his brethren attended in the Russian camps where they were crafted, grown, and trained. Once he had come to the realization and acceptance of the fact that he was a manufactured being meant only to breed and eventually die, a damper was placed upon many of his existential quandaries. Yet, he had taken his training seriously, and philosophical studies were a part of that training. Still, he would have expected the afterlife to be somehow…drier.

Everything around him was wet. The sound of water filled his ears: tricking water, splashing water, dripping water, and waves.

Waves?

Lophyya forced his eyes open and quickly realized that he could only see out of his left eye. The other was matted closed. He hurt everywhere. Everything was extremely bright and shimmering and was covered with a reddish haze.

His blood.

He remembered his visor exploding and the cuts on his face. It was at that moment he realized that he was not yet dead, but alive. He cursed and slowly tried to push himself up out of his prone position. He was lying in a pool of water, but he was pretty sure he was still inside the Null.

“Null”, he croaked, “status.”

The vessel attempted a reply but seemed to be tongue-tied.

“So now you get quiet, eh?” Lophyya groused to himself, ripping his shattered and battered helmet off. Hoping to remove the blood and clear his vision, he splashed water on his face. At the needle stings across his face, he immediately sucked in a sharp breath. He glared at the water beneath him and on his hand like it was poison.

Perhaps it was.

Tentatively, his pink tongue snaked out of his black face.

Salt?

“What tricks are these?” Lophyya asked himself as he assessed his situation, starting with his person and moving outward from there. Minor injuries, at least that he could ascertain. There was no way to tell if he’d gained any internal injuries in the crash, if crash land was what had indeed happened to him. Lophyya knew well that he and his brethren healed quickly—at least quicker than the rate at which human’s healed—but that did not stop wounds from hurting, or even becoming infected. As such, he would need to figure out just how badly he was hurt, and soon.

From the looks of the Null, it had been pretty severely damaged in the crash. Yes, he was almost certain that it was a crash now, getting a better view of things. There was a massive gash in nearly every side of the Null…some larger than others, but for the most part, he was sure that the craft would never fly again. It would certainly never again achieve orbit. Power was still on in part of the vessel, but with all the water that was flooding the main compartment, he was not certain that having power was still a good thing.

Power!

He snapped his shaggy head towards the stasis pods and felt his blood turn to ice. One yellow and two red lights—he had to get to the Captain and the brides! Forgetting his own injuries, Lophyya leapt to his feet--

--Only to feel a massive tremor shake the foundations of the Earth beneath him. The entire structure of the Null quaked as if it were rattled in the hands of a mountain-sized monster. Metal groaned and squealed, instantly echoed by an inrush of more salt water. Sparks showered down from the Null’s ceiling and shot up like miniature rockets wherever the water touched.

“Out of frying pan into fire, eh?” the Officer grumbled to himself.

It was then that he heard the splashing from behind him…and the hissing.

Art Source: "MONO Ep05 pg03_Inks" (c)/by BenWolstenholme
Story and Characters: (c)/by Brannon Hollingsworth

#MMWW, #Makes, #Me, #Wanna, #Write, #BrannonHollingsworth, #Russian, #ApeMan, #Null, #outofthefryingpanintothefire, #Lophyya

Once upon a time, in the forests of Siberia, there lived a beautiful young maiden named Piya.

Once upon a time, in the forests of Siberia, there lived a beautiful young maiden named Piya. This lovely young girl lived alone with her Piter, father (as her mother had sadly, died in childbirth) who thought that young Piya was the sweetest creature ever to have trod the Earth. In truth, Piya was very sweet, thoughtful, and caring but far more was she a lover of the truth than any of those things. It was said by the forest folk that new Piya and Piter, that God Himself had sent an angel who touched the infant girl as she was being born and that one act filled her with the very goodness and justice of God. For, as everyone with a mind to think can tell you, there can be no judgement and no justice without true love.

Regardless, Piter and his daughter were happier than any father and daughter since the bright and shining time when the Father of Heaven and Eve walked and talked together in the Garden in the cool of the day.

Such as is the way of things, all was well with Piter and Piya until one day when a strange woman entered the forest near their home and trouble soon began. It had happened that in the weeks prior to the arrival of this woman, whose name was Yeva, a strange malady had befallen the forest folk. As luck should have it, this Yeva, who was also said to be most lovely to look upon, was a maker of unguents and poultices and draughts that were said to heal. Yeva was more than happy to help those to had fallen ill, but of course payment was required. For after all, she was a lone woman with no means of her own.

And so, the forest folk began to pay and Yeva began to tend them.

Until one day, when Piter fell ill. As it happened, the father of Piya took sick when he was amid the village of the forest folk, selling his fine ironwood axe handles, which he cut, curved, and carved himself. It was said that the illness took him low in a single blow and Piter collapsed to the ground without a word. Yeva was summoned and she appeared and no sooner had the two laid eyes upon one another than they fell in love. Yeva began to minister to the poor afflicted Piter but anyone who had eyes in their head could tell that these two were bound for the altar.

Word of this spread through the forest like a wildfire in summer and it was not long before Piya came to her father's side. One look at Yeva told the beautiful daughter the truth: her father had, of course, been snared by a witch. Not only a witch, but a foul woman who was creating the very malady that had overtaken the forest folk. All this, done merely so that she could sully their favors and forever in-debt these good and fine folk to her wicked will. Piya said as much and told Yeva that if she did not leave, then she would use the very name of Christ against her.

Yeva smiled and opened her mouth as if to make pleasantries, but instead spat out a horrible curse upon Piya. Yeva, with dark sorcery, changed Piya's truename, twisting her in form and spirit forever into Garpiya. And so, the once sweet and beautiful girl became the very first Harpy, a loveless and hideous thing that could never die, never know the light of truth, and never be loved again.

Art Source: "Harpyja" (c)/by znodden
Story and Characters: (c)/by Brannon Hollingsworth

#MMWW, #Makes, #Me, #Wanna, #Write, #BrannonHollingsworth, #Russian, #fairytale, #notwhatyouthink, #harpy, #spooky, #witch