Breaking the surface.
Waves crash upon her bow.
A trail left in her wake
Of death and despair.

The essence of the ocean
Filling tattered sails,
With the breath of her children
Living and dead.

No destination! No purpose!
She floats seemlessly
Blinded by sin.
Laden with the Damned.

Fog embraces.
Her silhouette faint.
The Deck stained with good and evil
The ocean floor wails as she passes.

Hull speckled with flaws and weakness.
Rot has set in.
Pristine no more
Her integrity lost.

Reflection on the surface
A farce.
A doppelganger
Lingers.

Haunted by a False past
She sails to the end of the earth.
Her name a curse
Her deeds infamous

To Rest
To Finally Dissipate
She Grinds to a halt
To Die in Unchatered Waters.

Opening his eyes as if for the first time, his vision blurred and speckled with purple spots as if he had looked into two bright lights. The blurriness passed but the purple spots remained burned onto his retina. He could see a loose light fitting hanging from a crumbling rotten ceiling above him. Where was he? This was not his room it couldn’t be but it felt familiar as if he had been here before.

He peered around the dimly lit room trying to observe every detail. The room was long and narrow but the end of the room was not visible and flowed into darkness. The windows covered by wooden planks placed in a haphazard manner only allowing flickers of light to pass through. The walls were grey and soiled as if they were meant to be this way. There was no furniture except for a rickety old rocking chair and the bed in which he lay. He was surprising calm. Trying to remember what had happened to him Who had brought him here and why?

A cold trickle of sweat rolled down his forehead and off his face, suddenly he heard a voice. It was faint and inaudible and it was coming from behind him, from behind the wall. With his heart beating faster and faster he turned towards the origins of the voice, his pupils already dilated suddenly constricted as he was face to face with two flaming red glowing eyes. Instead of being scared he was fixated, no matter how much he wanted to he could not close his eyes or turn away from these abysmal eyes. They were speaking to him but he could not understand, or maybe he didn’t want to understand. The rickety old chair began to rock slowly and abruptly a spine chilling sensation slithered down his spine, he felt rejuvenated, he felt more in control and he broke the gaze that had transfixed him. The eyes disappeared and the voice stopped.

He knew he had to get out, he knew he could not stay in the room because whatever was behind the wall wanted his obedience, wanted his living soul. He got out of bed and began to run barefoot towards the darkness at the other end of the room. His steps became heavy , no further from the wall he eventually stopped. What was happening to him? Could this be real?

He turned back towards the wall and saw that cracks were starting to appear in the moldy wall. Something was trying to come through something wanted to get him. He began to run again, tears rolling down his face pleading with God to help him. His screams only resonated off the walls of this God Forsaken room back into his skull it was no use he was doomed. As cracks grew the voice became louder and more malevolent and it was accompanied by the loud banging of drums. Images of suffering and horror flashed before him. He was starting to crack he could not take it anymore he had to get out he had to escape. Finally he could see a shape at the other end of the room it had a bluish glow. What was it? Could this be his salvation?

A door, it was a door. It was misplaced and out of proportion it didn’t belong in this room but rather it belonged in a more opulent home. It didn’t belong in this room just as he did not belong here. It was a massive oval door made out of either oak or mahogany with gold and silver symbols emblazed on it. It didn’t have a handle, a latch or lock of any kind and seemed sealed from within the room. Through the cracks between the door and wall an eerie blue fluorescent light was visible and he could feel a cool breeze. He needed to open the door but how?

The cracks in the wall behind him started widening and similar to the colour of the eyes a bright red glow shone through. The wall was almost breeched it was only a matter of time he needed to open the door but he couldn’t. He tried everything but the door would not budge. He gazed upon the symbols etched on the door and he knew that they were the key but he could not read them.

The voice was now becoming unbearable searing its inaudible words onto his ear drum. The sound of the drums made the room shake and it started to collapse. He banged the door with all his might but it was no use force would not be enough he would need more.

Looking at the wall crumbling he resigned himself to his fate and with a silly smile looked upon the wall with rank disregard as if saying “show me what you got” If he had a cigarette this would be the part in the movie where he lights it up before the final showdown with his nemesis.

The wall disintegrated with a sudden bang. He could see the flaming eyes but it was now embedded into a distinct human figure. It was breathing heavily and walking towards him dragging its left foot. Every step it took scorched the floor. The figure stopped just before him. it looked at him in a pitiful manner. It raised him to his feet and stared at him quizzically. He tried to resist but he couldn’t he had to see this being he had to see what was going to be responsible for his demise. He glanced at the being’s red flaming eyes and was once again transfixed by its gazed. He stared in its eyes for what seemed to be an eternity but instead of being afraid he was content. He felt the pain and suffering of his past fall away. His guilt and his fears evaporated. He actually felt better in the hands of this being. Was this being his salvation?

The voice continued to ring in his head but it was softer and more audible. He could hear it he could finally hear what it was saying. “Let go of your Fears” “Let Go of your Fears” “Take a chance and you will live” He felt less transfixed and was amazed at who the being looked like. He could swear he was looking into a mirror or the being was him.

The drums stopped and then it then let him go. He dropped to the ground like a lifeless corpse but he felt content and happy. The being stared at him and then began his walk back to the broken wall. He looked at the being walking away and felt the need to thank him from releasing him from his pain. He turned to the door which was open. The cool breeze came forth and bathed his body with a fresh sense of hope. He got up from this ordeal a better person and walked through the door a new man, a free man.

My bones slowly begin to ache,
Frost setting in
Disturbing the surface of puddles
I walk alone.

The day has been long
The thought crosses my mind.
The wind and water erodes my soul
I cant take it any more.

Finaly I cross the divide.
Like my ancestors prior
112 Dolor Road
False shelter I find.

Greeted by despair
A deafening silence sets in.
In the dark solitude
I gravitate towards the fire

A rotten presence approaches
Inching ever closer
Shrouded in deceit,
A glance of malice

A pyroclastic torrent flows from this presence
How dare he?
His hate has made him
My suffering will define me

The residents of 112 Dolor Road.
Afflicted by the same disease
Enslaving Generations
Will the cycle ever end?

The darkness of the room is engulfed by his abhorrence
Deafening silence still pervades
The tyrant has no power
My frozen demeanor is my shield.

The cold grey world
My salvation!
I have come of age
I will not continue a cycle.

The torment of my past will stop
The Tyrant has not defined me
My offspring shall never know such Dolor
The Tyrant’s cycle has come to an End!

Hesitant in the face of my destiny.
I approach it.
Each step alerts it to my presence
It stares at me with its cracked panes.

Familiarity Returns,
Contempt Renewed.
The Deafening silence is broken,
My presence has awakened it.

Clawing at its very foundation.
With a cynical smirk
The door slowly swings open.
welcoming me to enter its foreboding bowels.

I step upon the porch
The mahogany screams below my boots.
Each step familiar
De Ja Vu Strikes.

Pushing the door aside
I feel its pain.
The evil within is archaic,
It has taken up residence.

I stand in the door way.
The moon to my back
It casts my shadow within
Iluminating the seamless abyss.

I stop Dead.
My shadow upon the guttered interior
Ignites memories of a forgotten despair.
The House seizures.

I see my past, its still a blur
My future crystal.
There are no answers here only questions.
With my head bowed I turn around
Locking the door forever!.

The Day fades
Darkness Prevails
The Angels trumpet is in full bloom
Jasmine lingers

Life force spent
In daily pursuit.
My eyes fail me
A yawn infects me.

Lurking in the shadows
She reveals herself.
Shrouded in beauty
Dark and mysterious.

Her presence comforts
She is inevitable.
I cannot run from her gaze
She shall have her prey.

Pale skin,
Soft features,
Gentle green eyes.
I loose myself.

Conscious lost
Reality slips back into focus.
Fighting against the current
Nyx observes this game.

Lurking in my mind
I feel the need to surrender.
Keeping her at arms length
I waste time in this realm.

My eyes start to to close.
I see a vision of her
Mystery forgotten, truth revealed
She glides towards me.

My defence has been breached.
She speaks directly to my soul.
I cannot resist her advances.
I’m drowning in her glance.

I have nothing to fear.
She has become dear.
She is my one constant
My companion in the darkness

I fall into her warm embrace.
We fall forever together
I am safe
I am sound
I am asleep.

In pursuit of futility
Time lost
Chasing clouds
Not lined with silver but with the pain

The cruelty of Life
Known!
What have I learnt?
Nothing But the Fear

What did I accomplish?
I’ve let myself down
The Fear breaks
Only The Fury Remains

Rank with Regret
I fall back on the past
Will it mirror in my future
All I have is The Sorrow

Wasted years is all I have
Accountable for every second
How will I answer?

She placed the Kettle back on the stove and sat down to stir her tea. As Anne sipped her tea her mind wandered to happier times, thoughts raced around her mind of the days when she was a young lady, attracting the attention of many wealthy suitors only for her to cut and run after she had had her fun. She kept memento’s of each of her conquests in the observatory upstairs so that she may revel in her conquests. Despite Anne’s eery smile time’s scars were evident upon her face. Each wrinkle told a different story, each blemish and imperfection in the skin had a reason. She thought of the afternoon’s at the Mckenzie’s lake house and her exquisite dinner parties she threw to impress the neighbours and to attract men. The neighbours had all but gone now and Ivy Lane had been forgotten by most people. It was sort out by the rich as an exclusive place of privacy and tranquility but it lost its allure. Anne tried to remember what had happened but she couldnt for the life of her remember anything after the summer of ’76. Her memories elluded her. “Why cant I remember?, she said to herself shaking her head violently from side to side as to shake the memory loose from some forgotten corner of her mind.

She suddenly remembered that she had guests who had arrived from Winchester and she had almost completely forgot about them. One of the guests was Archibald Heatbee, a Maple Syrup Baron who Anne had taken a fancy to and which she intended to add to her collection of male suitors. Pouring another three cups of tea she set them upon a silver and gold serving tray and place a plate of biscuits and cake besides the cups. She walked towards a large mohogany door which seemed to be rotting and falling apart but she paid no attention to this and pushed the doors. Still with the smile fixed upon her face she made her way into a large dining room where three figures, three men, could be seen sitting at the far end of the grand table motionless. She called out in a soft tone “Tea is served, It is impolite to leave tea sitting”, and placed each cup before her guests. Her guests however remained silent and only the creek of the redwoord floor beneath her feet greeted her words, cold and dead. The House like Anne had lost most of its beauty. Cracks had formed in all the floor boards and the roof was damp due to the leaky roof and broken second floor windows. The once golden gates which adorned the entrance to Exathor manor were now covered in dirt and the driveway once kept clean and pristine had been reclaimed by nature.

“Well Mr Heartbee what do you think of my prize horse Natty?, a beauty isnt she ?”, Anne said. Mr Heartbee sat silent and motionless neither acknowledging her question nor paying any attention to the tea that had been placed before him. Puzzled by the silence Anne exclaimed “Now Mr Heartbee dont be impolite and ignore me, I asked you a question ! What say thee?”. Still Mr Heartbee and his associates remained lifeless and in the eyes of Anne they were being very rude. Her smile disappeared and was replaced by a snarl, “I do declare I have never been so offended in my life”. Anne felt a sharp pain surge from her spine to the side of her head, the silence of the house was replaced by the thunderous roar of what sounded like a locomotive. She shook her head once again as she had done in the Kitchen and the noise stopped, everything was still and finally Mr Heartbee spoke. “Now was that so difficult Mr Heartbee ?”. Anne, whose smile had returned, and Mr Heartbee talked for hours and hours, she laughed and smiled at Mr Heartbee’s attempts at humor which she had all heard before. Mr Heartbee had a strange feminine voice, but that did not detract Anne. All the while Mr Heartbee’s associates remained silent and motionless.

Anne glanced at the mounted clock above the door which lead to the Kitchen, the clock like the door was made from mahogany and had a pendulum which swung beneath it, The face of the clock read a quarter past two, “Good Lord is that the time ?, Mr Heartbee I insist you stay the night and your associates are welcomed to stay as well”. Anne stood up and motioned towards the Kitchen but stopped as if she had walked into an invisible wall. She stood still motionless, staring blankly at the door behind her. Confusion began swelling up inside her mind and she realized that she was standing in pitch darkness. “But why are the lights off?”. “Mr Heartbee is this some kind of tomfoolery?”. Anne turned around and saw the silhouette of the three men still sitting in their chairs. “I will not have this in my house ! I will not be made a fool of ! I can see you Mr Heartbee and I do not appreciate your childish behavior, please leave” she bellowed out. Yet the three figures remained motionless.

She made her way into the kitchen and picked up the lantern which was upon the kitchen table. Anne made her way back to the Dining room with the lantern in hand. The light from the lantern invaded every open space of darkness which had previously existed. The darkness receeded as if being washed away and she saw the Dining room empty and in disrepair. “Ah Mr Heartbee and his associates have left, good”. Behind her the Kitchen door swung open and shut violently with a menacing thud. Anne dropped the lantern and placed her hands on her mouth as to stop herself from screaming. “Mr Heartbee, why are you doing this ? I am an old women?”. The darkness returned and Anne’s mind began to unhinge, she did not know whether to run upstairs or to run for help. “Mr Heartbee is trying to kill me” she whispered under her breath. Her pulse quickened and her hands began to tremble. “These men just want to take my money, they want to use me as they always do,” Anne began to breathe heavily. “I wont be broken again I wont be hurt and violated by a man, any man !” she exclaimed in a gruff tone. Anne rushed back into the Kitchen and reached for the knife on the Kitchen table. The Knife was covered in dry blood, and was filthy, “Whose blood is this?”.

Anne did not know what to do, Mr Heartbee intended to hurt her, to steal from her. “Ill go up to the observatory, he wont be able to get in”. Anne headed for the staircase which was in the front entrance all. Each step Anne took was followed by another, she was being followed, she was being hunted. Anne began to run up the stairs, each step was followed by the creeking sound of old wood and the sound of another footstep. “No Mr Heartbee please please don’t , Please !”, tears began streaming down her face. She reached the observatory and opened the door. It was too late Mr Heartbee stood before her, silent and motionless. Anne without a moments hesitation planted the knife squarely into Mr Heartbee’s chest. She removed the knife and plunged the blade a further several times into the lifeless motionless figure before her.

“Misses, wat ar yer duing?, I put old man Heartbee up heer last week”, Anne spun around and saw Miranda’s portly figure at the doorway to the observatory, “he ded, last week” Anne was confused she did not know what was happening. Miranda was Anne’s house servant and took care of the essential running of the house. “O Misses yer ferget sime of the times” Anne’s mind raced and tried to grasp at any explanation for what Miranda was saying. “Ah Misses yer ferget yer meds, heer let me show yer”. Miranda flicked the light switch on the wall next to the door, Anne turned around andsaw an arch way illumninate with a sign above it, HACKLEYS TAXIDERMISTS. Mr Heartbee stood before her smiling and wearing his finiest suit, rigid and lifeless. The knife was still lodged in Mr Heartbee’s chest. “is this real?, who is Hackley ?” Anne looked puzzled. “Ye Misses ye Anne Exathor Hackley an we keep the bad men heer”. “What do you mean bad men?” Anne’s voice shrieked. Miranda waved in the direction of the sign and said “Go der misses yer will remember”. Anne hesitantly walked pass the arch and made her way into a large circular room. She dropped to her knees and realization swept across her face and so did the Doll like smile. She saw before her, in all its glory her collection of suitors, she saw each and every triumph perfectly preserved as if they had walked into Exathor Manor just yesterday. Each suitor was placed upright and dressed in the finest clothes. “Ye see now misses old man Heartbee has holes in his front, gonna take me all night to repair” Miranda sounded annoyed.. Anne got back to her feet and turned around making her way out of the observatory. Anne looked at Mr Heartbee and laughed “I got you didnt I?” She grabbed the hilt of the knife and wrenched it out of his hollow chest. “Miranda we will be having guests tomorrow for tea and I want the Kitchen and Dinning room spotless, My collection is not yet complete”. “Yes misses yer take yer meds or yer ferget again” Miranda still annoyed by Anne’s episode.

This is still a work in progress.

Anyways I picked up my phoned looked at the number which i did not recognize and as I was about to ignore the call something told me “JUST ANSWER THE DAM THING”. So I answered in a rather annoyed tone and to my surprised I heard my brothers voice as I had never heard it before. He was rushed and anxious, he was hasty and afraid. The next thing I knew was that I was on the road on my way to lenasia to catch the N1 to Bloemfontein as my brother had met up in an accident. All I remember him saying was “bad accident”, “car written off”, “im ok but please hurry”.

At that moment nothing mattered to me, not the needs of my clients, not the approval of my boss, nor his permission to attend to my brother. My brain in the midst of a crisis had a moment of sheer clarity when all that mattered was getting to my brother and making sure that he was alright. As I raced down the N1 to find him, not knowing exactly where he was I could not help but think of the most horrifying images that would greet me, as if my mind was preparing me for the worse. 82 kilometers outside Johannesburg I saw in the distance the flicker of ambulance lights, I had found him. When I got to the scene the first thing I saw was the car on its side in a ditch mangled. I heard my brothers voice and saw him and everything was good again. He has somehow managed to escape the wreck with only minor cuts and bruises.

I have always maintained that my priorities in life are my Family and my Religion, work and worldly success no matter now important they may seem come in very far behind. The smile my brother gave my when I saw him was worth more than any paycheck I could ever receive. His voice talking to me as we were in the ambulance gave me an absolutely indescribable feeling. To think that in a matter of seconds all of that could have been gone, (ofcourse the Almighty is the best of planners I know).

We in today’s world have a tendency to drown ourselves in our work and neglect our families as modern society has now shifted the emphasis on the individual rather than the collective. I for one will not be an individual on an island, my family is what has shaped and molded the person I am today.

I have decided to never ever let work get in the way of time with my family or having a life. Building a career is important and you need to work hard and sacrifice, but I draw the line at family.

However having said that, I’ve downloaded the trailer and the role of Perseus will be played by Sam Worthington who you would have seen in Avatar as Jake Sully and Terminator: Salvation. I must say that the trailer looks good but we will have to wait and see. Will it be a CGI extravaganza ? or will it blend excellent CGI and remain true to the original ? Who knows. Check the Trailer out for yourself

Excelsior !

One of the funniest MTV sketches I’ve ever seen. Its old but still classic !

Excelsior !