Character Stories
Whirling Blooms
Ramona
Smoke sings praises to memory,
finding the way back to the grave.
Between glass and petals,
a dream loses its way.
Spring Comes Slowly
Paper Heron
We meet again in the new year,
as Mei blossoms fade
and apricot flowers bloom.
Let the past drift away
on the wind—
let it bring us spring.
Counterpoint of Life and Death
Lorentz Butterfly
Hidden memories,
unfinished journeys.
Faces, neither real nor false,
rise and fall.
From death to life,
only a single glance is given.
To Slay a Tiger
Cheng Heguang
Saying goodbye to the
black-tiled roofs of his home,
he steps onto the road ahead,
going off into the bright world.
An Unheated Gem
Brume
When even the most dazzling
brilliance begins to fade,
You, who set forth once more,
will find the story meant for you.
The Long Rain of Fate
Beryl
She was born a ray of brilliance,
Refracted in the arpeggios of fate's symphony,
Between what's to come and what's already written.
Cold Steel
Corvus
Amidst the flying sparks,
The once fragmented crimson,
Piece by piece,
Stitched back together again.
Fuga a 3 Soggetti
Charon
A body weighs more than a shell, yet a name becomes lighter than the dust.
Death moves among them without making a sound,
Granting the same eternal stillness to both body and dust.
In Nomine Equitatus
Marsha
Old bandages, the scent of blood,
An inescapable gloom.
Ancient oaths converge with future duty.
Bring light where there is darkness.
Bring comfort where there is pain.
Dawn Rises over the Kill Zone
Sentinel
At ease, attention, then back to the bloodshed.
The gunfire fades into a future cloaked in silence.
A Shadow's Weight
Rubuska
Sew wounds with shadows,
Fill eyes with moonlight.
In the dead of night, they awaken,
As the warm candles of "home"
are reignited.
A Moment on the White Expanse
Moldir
A path, a memory, a conviction,
left unspoken, buried deep beneath the ice,
crystallizing into a single snowflake.
In Her Own Reflection
Nautika
Rocks, curiosity, and an explorer's dreams—
these form the foundations of her world,
now the long-sought promise of another
spring lies before her, just within her grasp.
Doomsday & The Days After
Kiperina
Farewell to a tomorrow swept by rain,
Journeying forth on a long campaign,
The past whispers of spring's refrain.
Gap Month
Hissabeth
A way of life that we strive to hold,
Of me, of us, and of our dreams so bold;
Yesterday's labor, tomorrow's gold.
Ruinas Gloriosas y Directrices de Metáforas
Recoleta
Symbols, metaphors, and a literary labyrinth,
She wanders through,
The adventure never ends.
The Answering Machine, the Butterfly, & the Literary Critic
Aleph
Alone in the room, he murmurs to his memory.
The Great Trickster
Noire
The lights are dim and the chairs are soft,
Please, take a seat.
Forget the spilled popcorn in the corner
and forget yourself in this retreat.
Stories are but well-told lies,
This is a truth bittersweet.
Sow and Reap
Liang Yue
The moon ascends and descends,
The tides ebb and flow.
From the distant horizon,
Comes a young, promising hero.
Beyond the Coastline
Barcarola
On wings of melody, she takes flight.
Embarking to lands beyond the ocean's sight.
From the Depths of Space
Ulrich
Beating signals, resonating thoughts.
Night Escapades on Cross Street
Flutterpage
Flutterpage, Liberti, Little Miss Why.
Why so many names, oh my.
And still, I wonder, why ask why?
Shadow of the Sun
Willow
What is the worth of gold, or a medal's weight?
Our aspirations soar far higher than this.
Yet so often they are shackled by such constraints.
Into the Rainforest
Lopera
Enter the jungle with caution and care
Take a deep breath, and release your fear
Keep your eyes open, for danger may be near
The Overcast October
Anjo Nala
Lost, frightened, searching
Trapped in a labyrinth of memories
Will the nightmare ever cease?
Bedtime Story
Tuesday
Through the keyhole,
A glimpse of a fearful face.
Tonight, the story continues ...
The Red Wall
Argus
In the darkness, a burning gaze.
There she lingers, in search of truth.
Is what she sees reality, or is it a ruse?
On the Thousandth Night
Mercuria
A stroll on the Golden Gate Bridge,
a respite by the sea in Manchester.
Her fingers move with fluid grace,
mirroring the infinite flow of the universe.
The San Francisco Kids
J
A group of friends, a bunch of old pals,
A story of San Francisco.
For Haight Street, boys!
We gotta stake our claim in this crazy world!
Into the Maelstrom
Igor
"Soldiers, soldiers,"
The commander orders,
"Face the golden steppe.
"Don't look back at the flowers behind us."
Dawn Arrives as Usual
Vila
The paper birds and eternal souls
The greetings that transcend
the curtain of rain and gloom
And the sun that endures in defiance of it all
Flying to the Past
Lucy
She wades through rivers,
boarding one small boat after another,
Traversing the long journey of time,
Not looking back, until she merges with the sea,
While the birds take flight above the water.
Flowing in the Wind
Getian
Hexagrams. Guidance. Fluttering Wings.
Familiar rivers, mountains, and courtyard trees.
A fateful encounter.
Light to the Tavern
Jiu Niangzi
Xiangrui. Jiu. A distant city.
Busy markets and lively taverns.
The daily affairs of the mundane world.
The Small Room
Isolde
A small, narrow room with a plain door.
A vase of violets sits on the table.
No, there's nothing to see here at all.
Through the Glass
Kakania
From an unmerciful destruction,
From the fragments of yesteryear,
Comes truth.
Trudge in the Long Night
6
He is perfect, but he is far from satisfied.
Silver Knot
Windsong
Coat on, shake off that snow
Hills and valleys, she has roamed
Every step through high and low
As the Driven Snow Falls
Ezra Theodore
Ezra is a model of pure humanity.
He is a bright sparkle on a snowy mountaintop.
Reunion of Fires
Spathodea
The flame, a bodiless collection of heat, is held in the hands of this brave child.
The story began with a long journey, a call from ancient times, and a cocoa-scented dream ...
Back then, both she and she were just a small flame.
Bells Echoing in the Valley
Shamane
As he fell into the abyss, he became lost in the ashes, thorns and his own memories,
seeking pain like an endless gale howling against rugged stone.
Now, as snow begins melting into streams,
he will choose to embrace nature with feet firmly planted on the ground.
Between Dusts and Stars
Kaalaa Baunaa
There have always been those who reach out for the stars,
though they lie light-years away,
it might take tireless work,
and excessive amounts of coffee and energy bars,
but eventually the stars will stop twinkling before your eyes.
As the Sand Remembered
37
She is the gold that glitters in the sand.
The Tall Lighthouse
Marcus
A mailbox, a few good friends, and a pivotal choice.
These are the things you often read about in books.
And now, a new chapter begins.
The Puppy and The Hippie
Pickles
The hero puppy is always the center of attention,
but the indigo part in him is always lonely.
Thief of the Thieves
Melania
Every well-planned theft is a puzzle-solving process.
Tonight's action will go exactly as Melania has planned,
not one thing more, not one thing less.
One Flew Over the Old House
Jessica
The mist and water.
Her four limbs remember those cold and gentle feelings,
just like her mind recalling the games, the moon, and the nest non-stop.
However, change is necessary.
Within eleven days, she must complete a leap supported by six pairs of hands.
The Old Teeth & The Worn Marks
Tooth Fairy
People name lasting wounds that never leave as scars, and call lasting memories that never fade as stories.
And within this light yet weighted bag of woven yarn, one finds nothing but some teeth.