I forgot I had to blog...

Greetings...greetings...to all...
Who am I kidding?

Hi Casey!
Hey thanks for the advice on Imagekind! I set up an account the same day I got your e-mail. I only got one artprint posted there so far (The CampFollower)...but it's a start!

Yesterday (SAT-Mar-14-09) I had some time off from work so I went down to Pioneer square with my three daughters to check some rare book dealers about a very old 'booklet' on Indian Fortunetelling that I have. It was copyrighted around 1923 by a W.S. Phillips (El Comancho) and sold in Denver Colorado...probably at one of those old tourist traps on Route 66. Here's a scan:

Here's another:

Kinda neat....nifty...keeno...eh?

Old Indian Magic Fortune-telling book...refers to standard decks-of-cards as well. Turns out it's a rare bird indeed. Nobody had ever seen such a critter before. Value: Maybe about $75.

Anyway..

While we wuz wandrin round...shreking out other stores...me and my daughters found this cool studio down a stairwell (and in the basement of a building that had a lot of other little artsy places innit) that had suits of armor and swords and stuff layin' around. There was two guys working on computers inside and a couple of little dogs as well. Well my daughter Calliope wanted to take a picture of some of the armor but I said she'd better ask first. The moment she goes in the dogs go defcon 1 and start barking and stuff...so I go in to try and fix it. Then my other two daughters follow me...the next thing you know...we've invaded this small studio and disturbed these two guys. They were both real polite and nice to us though and said it was okay to take Pix and stuff. The guys were swell...especially Carlos who did most of the talking. It turns out these guys do concept art for wizards of the coast and video game companies. So we got to talking...Carlos gave me their business cards and all was well. So tonight I checked out Carlos Paradinha...(http://www.abyssal.us/) he's a photographer and concepts guy...and the other guy...Kieran Yanner...(http://www.kieranyanner.com/) is a pro artist and...as it turns out...he has a blog here as well...so now I'm following two blogs on blogger.com. Kieran's a great artist so stay tuned...

More news...I got sick last week and couldn't work...so I decided to revive the old T.H.R.U.S.H. organization for the helluvit. Remember T.H.R.U.S.H.? The evil organization from the old 'Man from U.N.C.L.E.' TV series?

Hereza Link2it:

www.freewebs.com/thrushcentral

Go there...be amazed...JOIN or ELSE!

SMALL PRINT NOW!....Here's the start of my new novel:

ENJOY!

GODDESS OF ELYSIA
by Gary A. (GARTH) Edwards

Seattle Washington, downtown, Thursday, February 27th, 2008, 2a.m.

It was not a magical night.

It had just rained. Low clouds obscured the stars and only a faint glow waxed and waned behind them indicating the presence of a full moon. The tops of the highest skyscrapers disappeared into the low gray clouds and the muffled roar of a distant jet echoed in the distance.
Steel and brick buildings, some old...some new, stood darkened and lonely above the streetlights. Curtained windows, lit dimly from within, sported flickering blue television reflections and, now and then, human shadows.

The streets of Seattle were wet but not clean. Here and there a soaked alcoholic 'streetperson' shuffled in and out of a shadowed doorway or stumbled towards a neon lit nightclub that hadn't shut its doors yet. A taxi cab hissed by wet with raindrops and splashed a small puddle onto a sidewalk.

The city was alive but in a torpid half-sleep awaiting another gray Seattle morning and a bright new day of capitalist motion.
A light blue Seattle police car rolled slowly through Pioneer Square, spreading peace and quiet wherever it drifted.
Streetlights sparkled off wet car hoods. Errant sedans and SUV's whisked through the streets as their occupants called it a night and headed for home.

Then, above the night sounds, came a rythmic thumping of boots on asphalt.
It was a running man...running down the middle of the street. He had a green sack in one hand and a fire-axe in the other. He was dressed in blue jeans and a black t-shirt. He had a short black beard and and black glasses. His dark brown hair looked greasy and wet. He looked somewhat like a coffee house beatnik...somewhat like a microsoft geek.
Here and there people stopped to stare. What was this man's hurry? Where was he off to? What was up with the axe? Was he running from the police?

A lone drunk yelled "HEY!" as the running man thumped by...but the running man kept his stride.
"What was the deal?" people wondered to themselves. But no one wanted to stop the running man. The axe kept people at bay.

The running man was sweating as he held his axe blade forward and his arms pumped up and down. He hissed deep breaths as he ran...and a determined look was on his face. His eyes were furtive, glancing here and there but fixated on a goal up ahead.

The running man increased his speed. His goal was in sight.

Just then a a Seattle police cruiser turned a corner; just in time to spot the running man.
A second of assessment...then the cruiser's engine roared to life and the chase was on.
Too late. The running man had reached his goal.

'Pioneer Square Antiques' read the letters painted on the old front window. A second later and the window was shattered by the running man's axe. The running man leapt through the window and frantically chopped and kicked his way through the thin wood partition and into the dark antique store.

The police car rolled close to the front of the store and stopped at an angle, blocking off the street. Two burly Seattle police officers jumped out and pulled their service revolvers. One officer began to rattle off address information to the police dispatcher as he cautiously took a position at the side of the antique store. The other officer assumed a firing position on the hood of the cruiser and began to yell at the man in the shop.
"COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP NOW!" yelled the police officer.

"I HAVE A GUN!" came the reply from inside the store.
Two seconds sped by.
A loud report from a handgun broke the air. The closest officer backed away from the front of the antique store.
"Shots fired...officers need assistance!"

In the distance, sirens began to wail as more police diverted to Pioneer Square. People began to congregate closer until one of the officers yelled at them to 'GET BACK!'
Whatever was happening was now in full swing.
Quickly, the Seattle police began to cordon off a one block radius around the beseiged antique store. The alley behind the store was cordoned off as well. The police shone their spotlights down the alley and lit up the back exit door from the antique store. The crazy guy was not going to escape that way. And of course...
...S.W.A.T. was on its way.

KIRO and KING5 news vans were on their way as well. KOMO had the worse luck with only one van out and about near SEATAC airport. They would miss the action entirely.

Police diligently shooed away any gawkers who got too close. There was no real rush now. Just secure the area and wait for negotiators and S.W.A.T. to earn their pay. This incident should take them well into the morning.
The police officers kept vigil behind their cruisers parked up and down the block. A Seattle Fire department medical aid unit stood off to the side...just in case. T.V competing newscrews began to pick their way through the gawkers and find the best positions to set up their video camcorders.

Here we go again. Just another crazy perp with issues holing up in a building and...and...?!
What in the world was that?...

Suddenly an eerie silence fell on the scene.
People stared at each other for a few seconds.
Then, on perfect cue...
Everyone began to stare at the front of the antique store with the broken window and the perp hiding inside.
Something just went wrong.
Something was very wrong here all of a sudden.
Something very, very big and very, very wrong was starting to happen.
It was as if an electric pulse of power had shot through everyone within a certain radius of the antique store. No cars could be heard...nor planes...nor radios...nor talking.
Just...DEAD SILENCE.

Everyone felt the hair rising on their arms and necks. People began to instinctively back away from the scene. The police looked at each other fearfully.
What was going on here?
Everything was so still....and so fearfully quiet.

Then suddenly...(!?)...they heard it.
The police...the gawkers...the newscrews...S.W.A.T. and the fire department...the 'streetpersons'...
Everyone began to hear...'the music'.

It was like nothing you'd ever heard before. It was music...strange music...pagan and otherworldly...yet...just music....and somehow...somehow...it drew you in. it was a 'summoning' music of some kind...yes...summoning music. It wanted you...you could tell that...but not you in particular...not right now...just...someone else...someone else who was very unlucky and was being called by 'it'...to come to it.
Whatever 'IT' was...it was scaring the crap out of everyone within earshot. You couldn't speak...you couldn't scream...even though you wanted to...you couldn't run! There was nothing you could do...except listen.

It was beautiful in its own way...full of deadly promise...deadly 'changes'...and though not strictly music...and not strictly singing either...it was something inbetween. Something old...ancient...and yes...scary beyond belief.

Just then, a warm wind began to rise...flowing mystically...towards the store.
The music started to lilt higher into a scary 'crescendo'...a beautiful greenish light began to emanate and pulsate out of the antique store.
Then there was a quick 'flash' of some sort...
...and mercifully...
...the music...
...just...
...stopped.

There was a momentary collective sigh from all who'd heard.
That was it. Done. Over with.
But it left you feeling 'empty'...and sad..at not knowing the music better.
It was the lead S.W.A.T. officer that spoke first.

"What the hell was that?!" he shouted. "What the F--- just happened? Did all of you hear that...that music?!"
"I heard it all right!"
"Me too!"
"GOD!...That was creepy wasn't it?"

A shaken news reporter turned to his camera man.
"Tell me you got that on video."
The camera man shook his head affirmatively. He had.
"I'll be damned though if I'll be the one to replay it!"

TO BE CONTINUED...