"Bittersweet Symphony"

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life
Try to make ends meet
You're a slave to money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
where all the veins meet yeah,

No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
But I'm a million different people
from one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

Well I never pray
But tonight I'm on my knees yeah
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now
But the airways are clean and there's nobody singing to me now

No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
from one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
I can't change
I can't change

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life
Try to make ends meet
Try to find some money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
where all the things meet yeah

You know I can change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
from one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

I can't change my mold
no, no, no, no, no,
I can't change
Can't change my body,
no, no, no

I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
Been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Have you ever been down?
Have you've ever been down?

Dusk had just begun to set in the sky.  A uncanny shade of crimson and clover.  She had not eaten like that in quite a while.  There really is something to be said of a meal that is prepared to not just please the stomach but also the palette.

She had to insist many times to the mother that she was done a greater deed being allowed to eat a meal prepared for more than sustenance, then the mother insisted on her helping her boys bring food home so that she could cook.

She grew weary of the thought of having to trek up the hillside, as she had promised herself she would.  She was tired and full from her meal.  If there was danger there however, it could pose a threat to this village.  There were plenty of cutthroat opportunist out there and this is just one of the settings that these people come to find such opportunities. 

She walked from the young boy's home to the closest inn.  She entered the door and walked towards the counter.  There was a thick hanging of pipe smoke and the smell of brew.  As she approached the counter she found that no one was there.  She waited a few minutes before scanning around to see if there was anyone there.

She looked to the left side of the counter and found a hallway leading somewhere.  As she began to walk down the hallway the smell of tobacco smoke and lagers became stronger.  The hallway ended in a doorway to a tavern built on the back of the inn.  There were about two dozen men dispersed throughout the tavern drinking pints and sharing conversation.

At the sight of her the tavern got somewhat quieter then it had been before she had been spotted.  She spoke nothing and walked up to the bar, passing several patrons whose thoughts at the sight of her were not the most holy.

She waved to the bartender and he brought her a pint fresh off the keg.  She drank several drinks from her stein.  She set it on the counter.  She spoke to the bartender, inquiring about the inn.  The bartender was also the proprietor of the inn and told her that he had no occupied rooms and to take whatever room she fancied.  She finished her pint paid with a few coins on the counter, turned and left.

She reentered the inn foyer and on up the stairs to the rooms.  She took the first door that she came to, entered the room, and deposited her excess gear on the bed.  She scanned the room and found it to be quite quaint.  She stowed her gear in the closet of her room.  She geared up the necessary gear that she would need for her trip to the hill.  She exited the inn and looked up at the top of the hill.  The smoke was still visible.

She sighed and began to walk towards the foot of the hill.

 ---------

When she reached the top of the hill, she could see more smoke.  She had probably spent a good two hours with her meal and finding lodging

However she spent a better part of an hour with the blacksmith.  She was intrigued at the construction of his blade.  He claimed no black arts were used in the making of it.  Yet it's sheer existence defied all known physics.  There was something residing in the blade.  She could feel it's almost symbiotic yearning for her since she first saw it.

She tried to push it out of her mind, but it still held a presence within her.  Like a addicts cravings for it's fix.  It consumed her thoughts.

She realized that she had been standing at the top of the deep in thought.  The blade has consumed her thoughts so much that she ignored her instincts that would have long told her that she has dropped her guard.

There was a rustling of foliage in the darkness.  her right hand grasped the hilt of her sword, while her left clutched her sheath in readiness.  Another sound echoed from the night.  With a silent stroke of her arm her sword was unsheathed and ready for battle.

I got this email from my brother-in-law.  I don't know how vaild the story is as it was forwarded mutiple times, but still.  If God wanted us in the water we would have fins and gills.

Family on holiday in Australia for a week and a
half when husband, wife and their 15 year old son decided to go scuba
diving. The husband is in the navy and has had some scuba experience.

His son wanted a pic of his mum and dad in all
their gear so got the underwater camera on the go. When it came to
taking the pic the dad realized that the son looked like he was
panicking as he took it and gave the "OK" hand sign to see if he was
alright.

The son took the pic and swam to the surface and
back to the boat as quick as he could so the mum and dad followed to see
if he was OK. When they got back to him he was scrambling onto the boat
and absolutely shitting himself.

When the parents asked why he said "there was a
shark behind you" and the dad thought he was joking but the skipper of
the boat said it was true and that they wouldn't believe him if he told
them what it was.

As soon as they got back to the hotel they put
the pic onto the laptop and this is what they saw.

(Try and tell me you wouldn't have emptied your
entire digestive system right at the point you saw it) and would you
have stayed to take the picture??

She entered town through the port.  She had been walking along the shore as she got closer to the town.  Earlier she had stopped to help some young boys who were not having much luck catching some fish for their mother.  She was working hard to raise her two boys since their father had been killed in a civil war some years back.  Which was not really uncommon in these parts.  Some townships would grow and expand and then they would need more space.  Many times this ended in civil war when the neighboring town would try and "aquire" land from another.  But Nihlim had established it's name quite well and very seldom had issues with the surrounding towns.

At any rate she wanted to help them catch some fish.  She showed them how to spear fish where the water was very shallow.  Also upstream was the best place to start, as the fish were spanning and it would be quite easy to pierce them from the water.  She fashioned the boys wooden spears with the blade of her knife, from sturdy oak roots.  In thanks for the great amount of fish that they caught due to her help, the boys insisted that she return with them to town and eat dinner at their house.  She told them that she had some business to conduct and that she would be honored to eat in their home after she was done with what she had to do.

She came to the port shop that she was looking for.  After eyeing some of the weaponry in the shop, she proceeded to go to the shopkeeper.  They talked for a bit, exchanging short words, and then the shopkeeper disappeared behind the counter. 

She continued to look around the shop, as she waited for him to return.  There were some fine blades he had in his shop, and one in particular caught her eye.  It was a slender blade, not weighing more than a pound or two.  The first six inches or so from that handle up were nicely serrated.  The double bolt harness for fastening to a handle, would ensure a sturdy and strong sword.  The whole blade was probably in neighborhood of 5 feet long.  Unusually long for a blade so slender.  However if it was crafted well, the blade would hold up under the strain of battle.

She turned as she heard the shopkeeper return from the back of the store.  In his hand he had a small package with a letter attached to it.  She walked towards the counter to retrieve her package.  She withdrew from inside he cloak, as small cloth pouch.  She extracted 6 coins from the sack and laid them on the counter.  The proprietor, scooped up the coins and handed her, the package.  She exchanged a few words with him, motioning towards the sword blade that she had been admiring.  He responded and with that she turned and left the store.

She started to walk back down towards the port.  Finding a tree, she sat beneath it and opened the package.  She took the amulet out of the small box and immediately placed it around her neck.  She pulled the attached paper off the package and unfolded it.

Buyer:

Hold this amulet in my greatest confidence.  When returned to me as agreed, I shall give you what you ask for.  But beware, the amulet has great power and is sought after by many.  I would guard it with the greatest secrecy, lest someone find it on your person.

X

She tucked the amulet under her cloak and sat up.  A breeze blowed past her, carrying with it the smell of burning.  She backed out from under the tree and looked to the west, above in the feet of the great mountains that surrounded Nihlim.  There was smoke billowing out into the sky.  The smell was that of redwood, but there was another scent accompanying it.  Something not quite right.  Something that didn't bode well with her instincts.  Yet she had a promise to keep, and frankly her long walk and earned her a appetite.

She would forgo seeing the blacksmith and find the young boys home, so that she could eat, and then find some lodging.  After a conversation with the blacksmith, she though it would be best to find what was going on in the hills before she retired for the night.  It would be an early morning for her to get a head start and she wanted to be well rested.

Yet she still wondered what it was that was transpiring in the hills.

She followed her nose to the scent of cooking fish and found the young boys home.  The smell was delicious and she was thankful for a good meal.  She knocked on the door of their home.