J L Mac

L G Pace III

Most people only believe in what they can see. Born without the most basic gift of sight, I rely on my other senses to guide me. Yet, what I believe in most is a phantom that resides in my dreams. Under the blanket of twilight, I smell him. I feel him. I hear him. I taste him. But above all else, I see him. And I want him. I have no evidence that he's real. But if he isn't, why do I wake with the taste of him on my lips? I long for someone who doesn't exist and even if he does, he's forbidden, dangerous. He's from a different world, a frightening place beyond the walls that protect me. The Dark Lands, a broken world beyond the reach of the corporate control is what's outside the gate. A lawless hellhole full of death and chaos, where savagery thrives under the cloak of darkness. The irony is that my phantom, the one I want so badly, seems driven to destroy everything I've ever known.

Oculus

"This is Beast. Beast is the size of a Volkswagen and has an impossible amount of buds and blooms. Beast also has thorns. But if you can sneak close enough to catch a whiff, and avoid the gnarly thorns, you'll be ruined for all the other roses for the rest of your life. The sweetest, most addictive scent amongst the thorns." That's what mom told my little sister and I once. She led us close enough to look but no further as she spoke of her favorite rosebush that she had affectionately named Beast.That was a long time ago. These days I know another Beast. A different kind of wild, untamed thing. He too is dangerous to get too close to. It's unfortunate that I can't afford to care, not when he's the key to finding my sister. They called him The Beast of Boston when he was a professional boxer. Now he rules over a bunch of criminals-the same criminals I hope will lead to my sister. I won't stop until she's found. I'll get as close to Beast as it takes, gnarly thorns and all. The problem is I'm so busy worrying for my own physical safety that I never considered how my heart would behave. Mom was right about one thing: I am ruined for all the roses for the rest of my life and it's much too late to change it now.

J L Mac

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