Rikku Writes

“Daddy’s helping,” she inhales and whispers as she points into the kitchen. My brows draw together, doesn’t he have better things to do on a Wednesday? Like torturing the souls of the damned.

I slide my purse off, laying it and the few groceries on the dining table. Unlike the small demon that comes from the back door to the table and begins opening ziplock bags, I don’t see nor feel the entity that is behind me now. “Darling, Wednesday is for flogging. Thursday is torture.” I jump, after ten years one would think I wouldn’t jump at his presence or his random visits. He still takes me off guard every time. I even knew he was there.

I turn and smile, fake like the illusion of suave he has put on, not that He isn’t a looker and his fallen angel status isn’t a turn on. In fact it is and he knows it but we both know the neighbors would talk if red, horned and blazing was what they peeped when they got nosey —Hell would break loose, so to say. “Helping with a bake sale, Ren?”

I don’t try to hide the smirk as his face drops and he brushes his hands on my floral apron. The flour powders my floor and smears across the pattern. “Well, yes. That Vanessa Smith woman, the one that heads the PTA,” he steps back, eyes closing as he inhales. My smirk dissipates, I know his pain. Vanessa has been president of the PTA for the last five years, our children have attended the same schools since conception; us having met at the OBGYN on a fluke.

Only a fluke due to the fact that I physically should not have children. Yet things change and a deal with a Devil with my first born bartered as his backfired-spectacularly. Now we have a daughter, half-human, half-demonic entity. Still somehow not as demonic as Vanessa Smith. “Can I try them?” I offer, I bring my hand to his arm and give it a squeeze for comfort.

He can’t smite her sadly. Nor do we want righteous retribution from Heaven. Oriens nods, “it’s Lucifer’s Woodstock recipe.”

“Woodstock?”

“Yeah that music festival in the 1960s.”

Exposed. 

A lesson in how to gird your loins.

A Writing Cheat Sheet: for linking actions with emotions. 

“I've thought of a wonderful present for you... Shall I give you despair?”

My definitive ranking of my least favorite bodies of water! These are ranked from least to most scary (1/10 is okay, 10/10 gives me nightmares). I’m sorry this post is long, I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this.

The Great Blue Hole, Belize

I’ve been here! I have snorkeled over this thing! It is terrifying! The water around the hole is so shallow you can’t even swim over the coral without bumping it, and then there’s a little slope down, and then it just fucking drops off into the abyss! When you’re over the hole the water temperature drops like 10 degrees and it’s midnight blue even when you’re right by the surface. Anyway. The Great Blue Hole is a massive underwater cave, and its roughly 410 feet deep. Overall, it’s a relatively safe area to swim. It’s a popular tourist attraction and recreational divers can even go down and explore some of the caves. People do die at the Blue Hole, but it is generally from a lack of diving experience rather than anything sinister going on down in the depths. My rating for this one is 1/10 because I’ve been here and although it’s kinda freaky it’s really not that bad.

Lake Baikal, Russia

When I want to give myself a scare I look at the depth diagram of this lake. It’s so deep because it’s not a regular lake, it’s a Rift Valley, A massive crack in the earth’s crust where the continental plates are pulling apart. It’s over 5,000 feet deep and contains one-fifth of all freshwater on Earth. Luckily, its not any more deadly than a normal lake. It just happens to be very, very, freakishly deep. My rating for this lake is a 2/10 because I really hate looking at the depth charts but just looking at the lake itself isn’t that scary.

Jacob’s Well, Texas

This “well” is actually the opening to an underwater cave system. It’s roughly 120 feet deep, surrounded by very shallow water. This area is safe to swim in, but diving into the well can be deadly. The cave system below has false exits and narrow passages, resulting in multiple divers getting trapped and dying. My rating is a 3/10, because although I hate seeing that drop into the abyss it’s a pretty safe place to swim as long as you don’t go down into the cave (which I sure as shit won’t).

The Devil’s Kettle, Minnesota

This is an area in the Brule River where half the river just disappears. It literally falls into a hole and is never seen again. Scientists have dropped in dye, ping pong balls, and other things to try and figure out where it goes, and the things they drop in never resurface. Rating is 4/10 because Sometimes I worry I’m going to fall into it.

Flathead Lake, Montana

Everyone has probably seen this picture accompanied by a description about how this lake is actually hundreds of feet deep but just looks shallow because the water is so clear. If that were the case, this would definitely rank higher, but that claim is mostly bull. Look at the shadow of the raft. If it were hundreds of feet deep, the shadow would look like a tiny speck. Flathead lake does get very deep, but the spot the picture was taken in is fairly shallow. You can’t see the bottom in the deep parts. However, having freakishly clear water means you can see exactly where the sandy bottom drops off into blackness, so this still ranks a 5/10.

The Lower Congo River, multiple countries

Most of the Congo is a pretty normal, if large, River. In the lower section of it, however, lurks a disturbing surprise: massive underwater canyons that plunge down to 720 feet. The fish that live down there resemble cave fish, having no color, no eyes, and special sensory organs to find their way in the dark. These canyons are so sheer that they create massive rapids, wild currents and vortexes that can very easily kill you if you fall in. A solid 6/10, would not go there.

Little Crater Lake, Oregon

On first glance this lake doesn’t look too scary. It ranks this high because I really don’t like the sheer drop off and how clear it is (because it shows you exactly how deep it goes). This lake is about 100 feet across and 45 feet deep, and I strongly feel that this is too deep for such a small lake. Also, the water is freezing, and if you fall into the lake your muscles will seize up and you’ll sink and drown. I don’t like that either. 7/10.

Grand Turk 7,000 ft drop off

No. 8/10. I hate it.

Gulf of Corryvreckan, Scotland

Due to a quirk in the sea floor, there is a permanent whirlpool here. This isn’t one of those things that looks scary but actually won’t hurt you, either. It absolutely will suck you down if you get too close. Scientists threw a mannequin with a depth gauge into it and when it was recovered the gauge showed it went down to over 600 feet. If you fall into this whirlpool you will die. 9/10 because this seems like something that should only be in movies.

The Bolton Strid, England

This looks like an adorable little creek in the English countryside but it’s not. Its really not. Statistically speaking, this is the most deadly body of water in the world. It has a 100% mortality rate. There is no recorded case of anyone falling into this river and coming out alive. This is because, a little ways upstream, this isn’t a cute little creek. It’s the River Wharfe, a river approximately 30 feet wide. This river is forced through a tiny crack in the earth, essentially turning it on its side. Now, instead of being 30 feet wide and 6 feet deep, it’s 6 feet wide and 30 feet deep (estimated, because no one actually knows how deep the Strid is). The currents are deadly fast. The banks are extremely undercut and the river has created caves, tunnels and holes for things (like bodies) to get trapped in. The innocent appearance of the Strid makes this place a death trap, because people assume it’s only knee-deep and step in to never be seen again. I hate this river. I have nightmares about it. I will never go to England just because I don’t want to be in the same country as this people-swallowing stream. 10/10, I live in constant fear of this place.

Honorable mention: The Quarry, Pennsylvania

hi- i sincerely apologize if this is annoying but i’d really hope to raise awareness on what’s going on in india right now! basically modi has passed 3 new reform laws which makes it extremely difficult for farmers; the backbone of india’s economy; to make money. essentially private companies now buy directly from farmers rather than the government having a set price on crops grown by kisaans (farmers) all year long. thus leading to a significantly lower income. overtime many farmers will go into extreme debts and would be incapable of supporting their families. 65 farmers in punjab have already taken their lives since this bill was passed.

there have been peaceful protests in delhi where many sikhs and punjabis (as well as farmers from other states and religions) are fighting for their livelihood back, however the police brutality that they are currently facing is unfathomable. they are getting shot with water cannons and tear gases for protesting against bills that make it borderline impossible for them to live.

3/4 of punjabs population are farmers, my own immediate and distant family are currently out protesting and are being actively impacted by this.

you can donate to khalsa aid right here! they are providing protesters with food and water!

you can purchase from kisaani.co! all their profits are sent directly to the kisaans in need.

No one is quite sure how cats arrived in Japan. The most supported hypotheses are that they traveled down the silk road from Egypt to China and Korea, and eventually made the hop to Japan. Why they came across also is debated. They may have come as ratters guarding precious Buddhist sutras written on vellum, or as expensive gifts traded between emperors. They may have been both, at different times.

The first evidence that cats were definitely in Japan come from the diary of 17-year-old Emperor Uda on March 11, 889 CE:

On the 6th Day of the 2nd Month of the First Year of the Kampo era. Taking a moment of my free time, I wish to express my joy of the cat. It arrived by boat as a gift to the late Emperor, received from the hands of Minamoto no Kuwashi.

The color of the fur is peerless. None could find the words to describe it, although one said it was reminiscent of the deepest ink. It has an air about it, similar to Kanno. Its length is 5 sun, and its height is 6 sun. I affixed a bow about its neck, but it did not remain for long.

In rebellion, it narrows its eyes and extends its needles. It shows its back.

When it lies down, it curls in a circle like a coin. You cannot see its feet. It’s as if it were circular Bi disk. When it stands, its cry expresses profound loneliness, like a black dragon floating above the clouds.