#twory

Dziś poniedziałek. Za oknem w cholerę wieje. Znów szaro i buro. Ciągle zmienia się pogoda. Wczoraj świeciło słońce i jakby już wiosna miała zawitać do Polski a to dopiero luty. Idzie luty podkuj buty... No nie w tym roku chyba. Od samego rana wszystkie media społecznościowe grzmią o zagrożeniu pogodowym spowodowanym wiatrem, wszędzie powalone drzewa a sygnały wozów straży pożarnej nie milkną. Ale co by się nie działo ludzie idą. Idą bo muszą. Przecież fakt, że wieje nie zwalnia nas z obowiązku chodzenia do pracy, odprowadzania dzieci do przedszkola, robienia zakupów - przecież jakoś trzeba żyć. Ja dziś jeszcze nie pracuję. Dziś ostatni dzień zwolnienia lekarskiego, które dostałem w ramach opieki nad mamą. Mama jest po zabiegu i potrzebowała pomocy więc pomagam jak mogę. Dla wielu taka pomoc może być bezcelowa. Sam lekarz powiedział mi, że przecież mama nie wymaga opieki bo nie leży tylko może chodzić. Taki mały paradoks. Jak możesz chodzić to znaczy, że wszystko ok. A to, że nie możesz sobie tyłka podetrzeć bo masz szwy na prawej dłoni jest tylko małym problemikiem. W robocie pewnie też wszyscy wyrazili już opinię na temat mojej nieobecności. Bo przecież jak to możliwe, że od tygodnia nie możesz być w pracy jak mama miała zabieg operacyjny na palec. No tak dla wielu wstawanie o 3:00 rano, szybka kawa, mała kanapka, szybki prysznic i biegniesz na busa żeby dojechać na 5:00 do pracy jest normalne. Pracujesz w biegu do 13:00 - o ile w ogóle zdążysz przerobić piętrzące się stosy spraw związanych z firmą. Jak nie odkładasz na kupeczkę do przerobienia na jutro, dokonujesz selekcji na sprawy ważne i ważniejsze. Zarzucam kurtkę na plecy, szybko pakuję plecak i znów biegnę, tym razem na busa powrotnego do domu. Wpadam do domu, uprzednio robiąc zakupy dla siebie i mamy. Rzucam wszystko na ziemię w kuchni i znów biegnę. Szybka kanapka, szybki prysznic, szybkie przepakowanie plecaka i biegnę. Tym razem już na taksówkę, bo przecież odległość do pokonania w postaci 4 km dzielących mnie od domu mamy w moim mieście nie zawsze jest taka prosta. I jestem. 22:00 wracam wreszcie po ogarnięciu wszystkich zaplanowanych spraw do załatwienia z listą spisaną na kartce do załatwienia jutro - znów selekcja na sprawy ważne i ważniejsze. Po trzech dniach takiego funkcjonowania trzeba było powiedzieć stop! Ale to zatrzymanie ludzkiego postrzegania funkcjonowania innych dziś się kończy. Z mamą na szczęście wszystko ok, od jutra wracam do ponownego załamywania czasoprzestrzeni, wracam do pracy, do ludzi. Przecież w końcu bez kontaktu z nimi nie można funkcjonować. Choć czasami ma człowiek ochotę powiedzieć im: walcie się z tym waszym pędem, bo to za czym biegniecie szczęścia wam nie da.

The seventh story for the Twist of the Year December Solstice event! Click here for main post.

The Necromancer [on ao3]

The sun is high in the sky when Thor arrives at the house and he spares a moment to pat at his robes. Eh, it's not like mortals can see spirit dust, but well. He likes to be presentable.

Even now, when he's about to do the unthinkable.

With a last look upwards, he walks toward the entrance, musing at his life, which might as well be over by next morning.

He was but a small boy when he was given to Midgard by his father, a token to Strange, diplomacy at its finest. However, Thor knows the real reason behind this: Odin can't let a necromancer rule Asgard. Thor scoffs at the memory, pushing it aside. He's had wonderful centuries here, though. Stephen's a strange mentor, pun intended.

The sixth story for the Twist of the Year December Solstice event! Click here for main post.

Before Afterlife [on ao3]

Jim shakes his head as he closes the drawer. It's always hard autopsying kids, but the girls he just finished are very bright and very much in love. They've decided to haunt the house that killed them with toxic mold, to ensure that nobody else dies there. He knows it, it's on the other side of the city, in the middle of a semi-abandoned area of old houses. For good reason, too, because the cemetery that sits in the middle of the neighborhood is one of the most active in the region. It's why the city is building a new mortuary there. They hope they can study it under the guise of tending for the dead, but Jim is not so sure. Ghosts and spirits are reluctant to interact with 'the blind' as they put it.

"Morning, Rhodes," Dr. Banner mumbles as he ambles in, distracted as always.

"Morning," Jim tells him.

And that's the most interaction Jim usually has with the living. He works the night shift, he doesn't have friends, his parents passed away a while back, as for a more permanent companion... Jim doesn't really need one of those. Romance has escaped him, all his life, its meaning and purpose elusive. Don't get him wrong, he loved his parents, still loves his dog, but he's never understood the 'in love' part of love, not as they show it in the movies.

The fifth story for the Twist of the Year December Solstice event! Click here for main post.

A Friend for Forever [on ao3]

It's the ninth time they received a call from this address and the ninth time Maria came all the way down here. As usual, Phil was entirely unhelpful, offering her his seasoned detective smile. Yeah, yeah, he has seniority, so here Maria is.

The house is old, decrepit in most places, with a garden that could bloom to wonderful life if revived. Maria's passed it many times when she was a student, always thinking about how wonderful it would be to have it, care for it. Anyway, the salary of a cop won't ever amass to however much this mansion might cost. Also, pre-1900 houses are illegal to sell these days.

Well, only the haunted ones.

If one were to ask Maria about her biggest regret, she'd undoubtedly say "the day I admitted I can see them." In all fairness, it's a special talent, genetically inherited through patterns that the scientists haven't figured out yet. She was a child and couldn't foresee      this.  

When she joined the academy, she wanted to help people; instead, she is now stuck in the 'Other' division. Y'know, the one all cops crap on with various levels of taunting.

The fourth story for the Twist of the Year December Solstice event! Click here for main post.

The Haunted House [on ao3]

The air feels prickly, both with cold and with the stinging smells of the old house. Peggy’s heart pounds against her ribs in an asynchronous beat to the creaks and groans of the house. The walls seem to be moving, the floorboards appear to be shifting.

"Get it together, Carter," she mutters under her breath, "it's just shadows."

A soft snort comes from Sif and Peggy squints her eyes at her.

"This is all your fault," she grits. They've been separated from their friends a few steps after walking in the front door.

If Sif wouldn't have dared Peggy to spend the night in a haunted house—actually no, Sif taunted Peggy.

"Stop whining," Sif says and Peggy smacks at her arm.

This is terrible. The worst. How the hell is she going to save face now? After shrieking involuntarily earlier when Sif popped at her side, Peggy's irritation grew proportionally to Sif's proximity.

The Twist of the Year December Solstice is here! Click here for main post.

Seven prompts follow between December 19 and 25, each with two twists. Choose one or use your own!

Story 7. A necromancer has been making a living by bringing pets back for short amounts of time so that their loved ones can say goodbye. They never do people because that requires tying their spirit to the deceased’s, and that’s a big no in the magic world. - Our twist: The necromancer is forced to keep a famous person alive. - Our second twist: The necromancer’s favorite author passed and they take it upon themselves to bring the author back, no matter what.

Tag #wintertwists2016 and/or #twory on tumblr and twitter. Ao3 collection is here. (Please keep it sensible and tag triggers)

The Twist of the Year December Solstice is here! Click here for main post.

Seven prompts follow between December 19 and 25, each with two twists. Choose one or use your own!

Story 5. An exorcist is called to deal with a nasty haunting situation, week after week, at the same location. - Our twist: Turns out it’s just the same old lonely ghost calling them to have someone to talk to. They end up having tea. - Our second twist: Turns out a bunch of ghost kids discovered prank calling and now the exorcist is a reluctant supernatural babysitter.

Tag #wintertwists2016 and/or #twory on tumblr and twitter. Ao3 collection is here. (Please keep it sensible and tag triggers)