GlassR

Dagon the Turtle’s Dream (Roger Glass) In ancient times, people believed in many Gods, but there was only one God. This God was no ordinary god: it was a turtle. The turtle’s name was Dagon the All Powerful. Dagon the turtle appeared out of nowhere in an icy place where time was frozen. Dagon became upset over the years because he had nothing to do all the time. Each time Dagon got upset, a huge piece of rock began to form on his back. Dagon soon noticed that a shell was growing on his back. He then got an idea: if that shell kept growing, it would explode and free him from the icy nowhere. Then maybe, if it was possible, he could do something with the shell’s magical power. The shell grew and grew and grew, and Dagon thought about how upset he was to be in the frozen place over again to make it grow even faster. The icy place seemed smaller and smaller. Soon Dagon realized that his shell was so large that he was stuck, and that made him even more upset. But he continued those feelings, and the rocky shell got larger and larger until suddenly there was a huge noise that sounded like a big bang. The huge shell had exploded the frozen icy cave! Dagon was free! He felt himself spinning and spinning round and round. The world around him seemed to be a spinning ball of blackness, but it was not as cold as the icy place where he had been trapped. Dagon spun around for six days, and then came to rest on the seventh day. He realized then that he would have six days to use the magic power of the shell, and then sleep on the seventh day. He knew that the magic would be in his thoughts and dreams on each of the six days, and he would rest and sleep dreamlessly on the seventh day. On the very first day, Dagon noticed that everything seemed to be dark, and that upset him greatly. He had broken out of a frozen dark place, hoping to see the light. The shell heard his thoughts, and as Dagon began to dream about the light, he said out loud to himself, “When a turtle puts his mind to something, then a turtle can do anything!” The magic shell was activated by these words, and split the Earth into a dark half and a light half, because light cannot be fully appreciated without darkness. On the second day, Dagon dreamt to himself that there should be a blue sky above and blue water below, because blue was his favorite color. He again said, “When a turtle puts his mind to something, then a turtle can do anything!” The sky and the oceans appeared with the help of the magic shell. With the shell’s magic, his dream for the second day came true. On the third day, Dagon dreamt to gather all the water under the sky, and to make areas without water which would be dry. He then dreamt that vegetation began to grow on the dry patches. He called the water seas because it was easy to see through it. Dagon quoted once again, “When a turtle puts his mind to something, then a turtle can do anything!” Once again, the magic shell created the vision of Dagon. On the fourth day, Dagon decided in his dream to create a large bright ball of light to which he would name the Sun to rule the daytime sky, and it would have many children called the stars. The Sun would also have a wife named Luna or the Moon, who would shine more weakly in the dark night sky, and who would watch over the many star children. “When a turtle, puts his mind to something then a turtle can do anything!” The magic shell again interpreted the dream, and made the wish of Dagon a reality. On the fifth day, Dagon dreamt of wondrous creatures that could roam his new world. He dreamt of birds that fly as high as the heavens, of fish with bright and colorful fins to jump and swim in the blue seas, and of animals of many shapes, sizes and colors to roam through the great green forests and jungles. He also dreamt of himself, and wished that he could create a creature that would look like him. That is what he did. He created his image at first with no shell, but, as he continued dreaming, he thought of the fact that since the shell that grew on his back helped create the world, he should wear it proudly for all time. Dagon excitedly cried out, “When a turtle, puts his mind to something, then a turtle can do anything!” He looked at himself proudly, and thought, “I will wait a little bit until I use my sixth and final day of magic. A few days passed, and Dagon notice the creatures he created were not very discipline as he hoped. He thought a while and went to sleep. As he slept, he thought of a creature that could stand up on two legs, be superior to all others, and keep control of the other creatures. On the sixth day he created a creature called Homo Sapiens, but thought of him as man. He said to himself, “When a turtle puts his mind to something then a turtle can do anything!” When he woke up, he saw man walking among the other creatures. He saw man hugging, helping and caring for the creatures. He was surprised to see man befriending instead of commanding other living things, so he named his new creature Amis. Dagon saw that Amis was loyal to him, and said to himself “When a turtle, puts his mind to something then a turtle can do anything!” But the magic shell was done and it was time to rest. Dagon was happy with his creations, and decided to watch over them after he slept on the seventh day, the day of rest. On the seventh day, Dagon said something different: “When a man puts his mind to something, then a man can do anything!” Dagon had great hopes for man on the day that he created him, and still does even to this day. James and Judi By, Roger Glass As James was walking to the barn house with his three horses, he looked out to the cornfield and beyond. Beyond the cornfield he saw the farm of his family’s rivals, the old Browns. As he looked past the farm, he looked towards the Browns’ house and saw one of the Browns’ kinsmen staring out of one of the out the windows. James saw his face and knew immediately that the Browns had their argumentative, short-tempered nephew visiting again for the third time that year. James didn’t like to get close to the Brown’s nephew because of a disagreement they had had the year before. As James thought of the Browns, his own brother, John Robinson, called him in to the house for dinner. The next morning, old Robinson told his son John to go to the market and buy seed for his crops. John listened and left early for the market with his brother Jeremy. As the two Robinson brothers loaded their wagon, they picked up a large canvas bag to hold seed at the edge of their property. They saw two Brown brothers nearby, the Browns’ son Jordan and their bad-tempered nephew Helmut. Helmut scowled and began to swear curses and threats at the Robinsons. After a few tense seconds, he threw the first punch. Jeremy reeled backwards as Helmut’s wrist slammed into his nose, and his face was covered in his own blood. John started to punch Helmut back, and Jordan started hitting the injured Jeremy. The sheriff suddenly appeared due to an observer of the violent encounter. No one was seriously hurt, but all four of the young men were arrested and released to their families on bail. “I warn all of you,” added the sheriff, “If this happens again anytime soon, I won’t be so lenient with any of you. And if anyone is really hurt or if there is major property damage, any one of you may find your farm confiscated to pay compensation to your victims. Violence will not be tolerated! And remember this: If you kill anyone, there is a death penalty in this town, and I won’t hesitate to use it if the lynching mob doesn’t bring justice to you first!” After her son’s left the sheriff’s office, John’s mother asked where James was. “Didn’t you know?” replied John. “He is at his girlfriend Sarah’s house for the day.” As they walked into their home, they saw James walking slowly through the cornfield with downcast eyes. “Something must have happened, John. You go on out to him and see what’s wrong.” John ran through the tall stalks until he reached his brother. “What’s wrong, James? You look as though something serious has happened. Is it Sarah? Is anything wrong?” “I wanted to surprise her and I did – in bed with another man!” “Sarah? I don’t believe it. Do you know who he is?” “No, he’s a stranger that she met last month in the city. Of course, I broke up our engagement immediately. But my broken heart, I think, will last for a while. And I will love her cheating little heart forever, because she is, or was, my first love.” The next day was difficult for James. He needed to walk to town to discuss the farm’s taxes with the local tax commissioner. This would be the first time in many months that James would go to town without Sarah by his side. As he was staring at his feet treading the dusty dirt pathway, he noticed a shadow that was not his own. Someone was walking towards him. James looked up, and his eyes met the eyes of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He knew that this was the great love of his life before any words passed between them, and the look in her eyes showed that she felt the same way. As they stared silently at each other, James suddenly noticed a tracker from the Brown farm nearby. His heart sank in his chest when he recognized the man as Helmut. Helmut ignored James entirely, however, and began to yell at the girl. “We are Browns and we do not associate with Robinsons!” he shouted. James heard Helmut call the girl Judi between his curses and threats. He just stood there, saying nothing, until Helmut finally firmly took Judi’s arm. James was silent as they drove away, but he asked himself, “How could such a pretty girl be born to a family like the Browns?” James knew in his heart that he must see Judi again. When everyone was asleep at the Robinsons later that night, James sneaked out of his house and started to walk towards the Brown home. He saw a light shining in one of the rooms, and the silhouette of a girl near the curtained window. James decided to take a chance, picked up a small rock, and threw it so it would strike just below that window. He felt overjoyed when Judi opened the window and smiled at him. James heard his voice telling her about his admiration for her beauty and his love for her, almost as if it came from the mouth of another James, who had no fears about the Browns or the future. His feelings of love flamed more intensely as she declared her feelings for him. James climbed a nearby tree and perched himself in its thick, strong branches so that they could converse at eye level. Both were amazed about how much they were alike. Soon after, out of nowhere, Judi said that they should get married. James agreed and decided to go priest for his approval. On the following, night James again sneaked out of his room, but this time headed to town to meet with the priest. His heart sank as the priest reminded him of fights that the families had in the past over issues as trivial as purchasing seeds in the market. But finally he told James that he could see how much he loved the girl, and agreed to secretly perform the wedding ceremony. He also agreed to absolute secrecy as long as necessary. “Perhaps this is indeed a blessing for the community,” the priest thought to himself. “The marriage of James and Judi may help end this ridiculous feud between their families and prevent further damage to themselves and to the rest of the community.” The secret wedding took place one week later in a small chapel in the church. There were no witnesses except the priest himself. As James kissed his new wife goodbye, he said that they would meet again soon, but no suspicions could be aroused. “I will not put you in too much danger,” James told his bride. “Now is the time for secrecy. I pray that someday our families will celebrate our marriage together.” As James walked back to the Robinson farm, he saw his brother John and two other men doing some trading. He noticed that they were trading drugs for money, and the sheriff was approaching. When the sheriff and his officers started to try to arrest John and the others, shots rang out. James stood frozen as he saw John fall, bleeding from the bullet in his chest. James knew that it was a fatal wound, and rushed over to John, holding his head in his arms as he took in his final breaths. At that moment, James vowed his revenge on the insolent sheriff for murdering his brother. Later that evening, James secretly left his mourning family, and followed the sheriff home from his office. He knocked on the sheriff’s door, and when the lawmaker answered it, James asked him, “What is the penalty for murder in this town?” The sheriff answered him calmly, “For killing a drug dealer, the penalty is a badge of honor from our governor and the gratitude of the people.” James felt a blinding rage take over his mind and body. He vaguely remembered gunshots, and soon found himself staring confusedly at the smoking revolver in his hand. The sheriff was lying in front of him, eyes wide open and staring into nothingness, with bullet holes in his chest and his brain. James dropped the gun as if it was a hot piece of coal, and ran all the way home. He told his parents what he had done, but they had no advice for him. He also told them about his marriage to Judi. His father shouted in anger, “I could forgive you for killing the man who murdered your brother, but this marriage in inexcusable. How could you shame our family by marrying a Brown?” Before James could answer, a group of heavily armed policemen burst into the house and arrested James for murder. James was then taken to jail to wait for his trial followed by his inevitable execution for murder of a lawman. Judi was waiting to impatiently to hear from her new husband when her father came into the room, rejoicing about the arrest of his enemy’s son. When Judi heard this, she started to weep instantly, not knowing what to do. She then decided she couldn’t say anything to her relatives because of their hatred towards her husband’s family. Judi decided that the only person who could help her would be herself, because only she knew hat the right thing to do. She thought about breaking James out of jail and running away with him. All night she sat at her desk writing a detailed letter to James about how he would escape. She then wrote in the letter that they should meet in the church in three nights, so that they could flee together to a faraway place where they would be unknown and safe. That night she dreamt of all the good things about James, and of their future life together. The next day she mailed the letter, and the following day it was received by James. James got ready for his breakout that very night. He was able to leave his cell, but an officer saw him just outside of the prison. He told James to stop, but James ignored him and began to run towards the park. The officer fired his weapon as Judi ran out of the church. Judi began to cry softly as she lay over the body of James. Then she noticed that there was a gun lying nearby, dropped by the nervous young officer who had shot and killed James. In that gun were two bullets, and Judi calmly used one to shoot the officer in the head, and then pointed the gun at her own head and pulled the trigger. The love story of James and Judi was over, at least in this world. It would take years for the Robinsons and Browns to reconcile with each other after the deaths of their children. The Robinsons and Browns would finally forget about their feuds, and would try to start awareness groups to help people with family and community feuds. James and Judi were gone, but monuments of peace, love and community would be created in their name as a legacy to replace the future that they were not permitted to have together.