Tag Archives: featured jan 2017

Happy Anniversary, ReVo!

By Hippolyta

ReVo may not be the oldest HTML roleplay site out there, but its chatters consider it to be the best! Each year, the staff sets up an exciting adventure to thank our players for helping us grow. In this issue, we get an inside look at the planning process, courtesy of Hippolyta!

Building a Virtual Escape:
Behind the Scenes of the 2016 ReVo Anniversary Event

“We need to have an idea for the Anniversary Event.”

Those are the words that I say to Veritas every year in about September when we need to start working on celebrating ReVo’s yearly anniversary. Usually, we do a brainstorm and churn out 5 – 6 different ideas that may or may not work for an event like this, but this year, that is not how it came about. There was just one idea – to run the event like an escape room and challenge the good people of ReVo.

Escape rooms are a trend that is sailing up the entertainment horizon, and it is really a simple idea. You and some friends get locked into a room and during one hour, it is your mission to find your way out of the locked room. The room is filled with puzzles and clues, and you have to find the key. Very simple.

In the physical world, every good escape room needs to have a good backstory, something to link all the various clues together as the adventurers explore them. We realized that since we would be restricted to text and pictures (although we broke those restrictions where we could, such as with a sound file), we needed a great story. Great storylines are something that most roleplayers revel in, so we had a challenge on our hands when it came to designing this event.

“How about an old Victorian museum of some sort?” I said to Veritas one evening. We had just been to a Sherlock-themed escape room and managed to escape, so the theme lingered on my mind.

“Why not?” he replied in his usual, calm way. “It could be an old Civil War mansion.”

From there, we wrote an outline of a story about two societies, the Ouroboros Society and the Winnowers, who were both searching for the same thing – eternal life. Both societies had a backstory that went far back in history, and were rivals in a race for ambrosia.

As interesting a backstory this might have been, we both felt it was missing a final factor. “I have an idea,” says Veritas one evening. “We need to change the story.” From there, he outlined the story that you, gentle reader, may be acquainted with – the story of Dr. Henry Callow who searched for eternal life. Alas, he went insane with it, or as the story would reveal, got a little help along the way from Aleister Crowley, renowned occultist at the beginning of the 20th century. It also meant that we fixed the timeline of the mansion to 1917, and that lead to some changes in the puzzles that we had already created. A detective box got turned into an angel box since some of the detective stories referenced had not been written in 1917. Angels also made more sense, since Crowley was deeply interested in Enochian magic.

One of the considerations in planning escape rooms is setting the difficulty. In the physical world, escape rooms are a business. The average escape percentage is about 20-25%, so 3/4ths of people who play don’t escape the first time. We wanted our puzzles to be challenging but possible, so we made sure we loaded people up with information, since there were lots of potential red herrings, and we offered clues when needed. This wasn’t an attempt to make money, but a celebration of ReVo itself – challenging, but fun!

Finally, our plans were made, our puzzles created, and our story written. Unfortunately, not every puzzle is going to work the way you think. As the event commenced, it became clear that one or two of ours wouldn’t work, meaning that Veritas and I had to rewrite on the fly during the event! We decided, due to the time spent, to tighten up the puzzles and we presented the attendees with the completion of the evening’s story – the long dead body of Doctor Callow, and the knowledge that the world’s most notorious erotic magician might have learned the secret of eternal life…

We leave you now, gentle reader, to anticipate next year’s anniversary event. And we leave you with yet another puzzle as well. If you believe you have solved the puzzle, PM Hippolyta with the answer. The first one to PM the correct answer will win a $20 Amazon gift card.


Click to enlarge

What’s New on the ReVo Forums: The Wordslingers

By mouth{JT}

You may have noticed the recent activity on the Writing section of the ReVo boards, and wondering what got it going again. It happened like this:

For a few months, I had been reading the boards while keeping my usual low profile. But, as writing is a passion of mine, I also kept watch to see if anyone was going to take it upon themselves to give that section a “lift”. I wasn’t confident enough to do it on my own, but I did feel a little sad as, day after day, no one seemed to want to take it on.

Oddly enough, it was music that gave me that “push” to think maybe I could. I had posted a few songs on Laramie’s thread, Music That Saves My Soul, and we seemed to “click”. I didn’t know her very well, but the more we shared comments, the more friendly we became – so much so that it was with shaking hands I shot her a note asking if she would be interested in helping that section come back to life. To my delight and surprise, a very cautious “yes” came back, and so, along with torrid, we talked about it some more. A threesome was formed. Okay, I really was scared then, but I was also committed. With gritted teeth, I asked if we could do this. The powers that be came back with a yes, and the 1st of January was set as our starting point. Unfortunately, torrid has been taken away by real time concerns, but Laramie and I decided to forge on ahead.

We both had ideas that complimented each other, and some days, we helped push each other along as well. We decided early on that neither was going to take credit for anything specific – it would all be done as a team. Though we work in particular fields, the other is right there not only as support, but ready to take over, if need be. That was our founding promise to each other, and it’s probably our best idea yet.

So, what can you expect from the writing team?

We had so many ideas that we decided to run them out slowly, so as not to swamp the boards. The Blogs, Word of the Week, Pagan, and Poetry sections were started immediately. Discussions came soon after, and one of the new games was started just this week. It has never, nor will it ever, be a “sit back and let us entertain you” thing. Rather, it will always carry the intentions of getting others to join in by creating games and threads of their own, with emphasis on the thinking part of writing. Its whole purpose is to help, encourage, and give confidence to others, with the thought, “Well, if they can do that, maybe I could start a blog/put up this great game I thought of/throw up a word I find interesting.” There’s nothing that gives us more pleasure than to see someone diving in. Even if it’s just a comment! Please do comment. It tells us if we’re on the right track, or if there’s something we could be doing, but as of yet, aren’t.

Right now, some of the things we have planned for the future include more games, competitions with prizes, and a revamp of the old “Millers Hollow” role play for the boards – among others.

In closing, I would like to say that in two weeks, it has exceeded our wildest dreams with incredible support and input already. As we both know, it’s not easy taking a risk and posting, and for those that have, we take each and every one of them as a success.

A ReVo success!

Thank you,
The Wordslingers,
Laramie
Carrie (aka mouth {JT})
torrid (On hiatus)

Featured Room: Eternal Rebels

By Care

While our chatters are the heart and soul of roleplay, rooms are what give their characters a place to become incarnate. Managing rooms can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding task, and each leader has taken their own road to the “top”. In this issue, Care lures us to both the shadows and the recent past.

It’s a new year and a new quarter for the periodical, and we’re starting things off with a bang. I sat down with the owner of Eternal Rebels, Tat, for an interview about her room and what sets it out from the rest.

Hello, Tat, and thank you for taking the time for this interview.

You’re welcome.

Let’s take a moment and run down the basics. Eternal Rebels is a room featured in the Supernatural Awakening section of the whochat, and from what I have read, it’s based around the 1980s movie The Lost Boys. Tell us a little about what made you create such a room?

I love the vampire genre, and there are so many things that have been done, but this was something I had not seen. It’s a blend of modern vampire with a kick of nostalgia, where the Lost Boys type characters come into play.

Can you tell us a little bit of the storylines that you run with in the room?

There are several interlacing ventures going on at the moment, as well as some that haven’t yet connected. We have a young newly turned vampire trying to find her way, innocents slowly being exposed to the world around them in different forms, and some drama brought in by other vampires and vampire hunters.

Are there any stories that have been run that made you and your players go, “What The Fuck?”

There is a ghoul who turned a vampire into a pile of goo.

Have there been any roleplays within the room that you and your players were laughing so hard behind the scenes?

See above.

What’s a Typical day like in the life of a character in Eternal Rebels?

Party all night, sleep all day, never grow old, never die, is mostly the size of it – outside of the mortals, of course.

I have seen that you’ve held a few events in your room. You had the “Kill Off Your Character Party,” which if I remember correctly was a night of killing your characters off. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, but I read some. How did that night go?

That event went wonderfully, with a few great submissions of character deaths on the ReVo message board and on the day of the actual event combined. ReVo has an extremely talented bunch of roleplayers, and that made it very difficult to choose the prize winners.

Then you held another one, “Good Times,” which was a Trivia & Movie Quote Night. How did that one go for you?

Actually the “Good Times” event was held before the “Kill off your character” event, nearer the time when the room opened on site. It was a great experience as well. We had a terrific turnout and gave away some fun prizes with that one.

So tell us, is there anything in the works for the year 2017?

We’d like to increase roleplaying participation.

Is there anything that you would wish a reader and fellow roleplayer to know about Eternal Rebels?

To bring a friend if they are thinking about joining in.

Thank you for taking a moment with us, and happy roleplaying!

Interview With A Gamer

By Joy Naomi

Joy Naomi has been great about delivering gamer-focused content for the issues we’ve released so far, and we felt like she deserved some recognition for all her hard work! For the issue, we had her interview herself so that our readers can find out more about the girl behind the geek.

Name: Joy Naomi

Gamer Tag: country cutie83

Preferred Platform: Xbox (I would love to play on PC, but my laptop says no!)

Top 5 Games: Skyrim, Neverwinter, Borderlands 2, Deadpool, Guitar Hero Live

Top 5 Game Crushes: Farkas from Skyrim, Vilkas from Skyrim, Brynjolf from Skyrim (hello, sexy accent!), Drizzt from Neverwinter, Varric from Dragon Age Inquisition

Favorite Classes: It depends on the game I’m playing at the time, but usually healers and tanks if it’s in a game like Neverwinter, and magic users if it’s in Skyrim.

Favorite Races: Again, it depends on the game I’m playing, but almost always I go for the elves. In Skyrim, though, my longest running character is a Nord and my second longest running character is a Breton.

MMO or Single Player: I like both, honestly. It’s always nice to play with others (if you know anybody playing the same game), and it’s nice to have some help when you may need it. But on the other hand, I like my single player type games like Skyrim just as much as I can wander around and do my own thing. It depends on my mood.

Game you wish you could play: Right now, it would have to be World of Warcraft. I got the game and had so much drama trying to get it installed and running, and then my computer over heated when I finally got it going. At this point, I just want to play the game!

Advice for new gamers: Have fun! That’s what the games are there for – to enjoy and get lost in a story to escape reality. You will die – you will get pissed – you will want to throw your console out of the window at times (okay, that may just be me!), but in the end, just remember: It’s a game, so don’t take it too seriously. If all else fails, load a save and try again!

Where in the World is…?

By mouth{JT}

The ReVo family is a diverse group of people, coming from all corners of the globe to this space we clall our online home, and so I thought to kick off an occasional article about the countries we are from, with my contribution being, obviously –

New Zealand

A small country by any standard, New Zealand (NZ for short) is the closest country to the South Pole, and so is not, as most consider it, tropical. It has a mild climate, very rarely exceeding 35 degrees Celsius anywhere. A nation of two islands roughly joined together, it’s approximately the same size as the UK, but it has a much lower population – currently running at around 4 million. There is still a lot of rural land, and with it, dairy farming. The currency is the New Zealand dollar, and English is the main language spoken.

Because of its remoteness, it wasn’t visited by Europeans until quite late, around 1642. Full British colonization took place in 1841, with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the Maori and the English.

The Maori are the indigenous people, and their culture and look is somewhat akin to the Hawaiians, which they believe to be a “sister” tribe. Today, the Maori people have a significant amount of say about their country, but it wasn’t always so. Their culture and language were almost eradicated until, starting in the 1970s, a concentrated effort brought it back from the brink of extinction. Among the interesting customs still in use are the full tattooing of the chin on women, which has made a comeback in recent times, and the Haka, a traditional warrior war dance – though it’s now used only at sporting events and in social situations to welcome guests or honour people.

New Zealanders take great pride in their country, particularly their sporting prowess on the field in rugby and cricket, with swimming and netball coming closely behind. This pride also extends to the fact that New Zealand is a very “green” country, conservation wise, and due to very strict import laws, has no fatally venomous creatures. Being a small country in the Pacific Ocean, you could be no more than a 10 minutes drive away from a major river or even the sea, and they would be some of the most beautiful waterways in the world.

New Zealand has many interesting geographical features, including active volcanoes, glaciers, rain forests, geysers, hot mud pools, and several impressive mountain ranges. Its remote location has allowed the evolution of quite a few animal species found nowhere else. The most famous is the Kiwi, its national bird, but there are also the paua, a delicious tasty shellfish; the tuatara, a small lizard unchanged since prehistoric times; several unique native birds; and a huge variety of flora. In the past, significant gold deposits have been found, which exploded into gold rush fevers. Greenstone, a type of jade which mostly all comes from a river in the South Island, is in great demand around the world for its colour and clarity. It is considered to be the property of the Maori in the area it comes from, and is viewed by them as having great spiritual power (mana).

New Zealand is seen as a great place to live by the surrounding smaller Pacific Islands, as it offers good welfare, health, and social help, and the immigration laws for those countries are more lax than for others. It is seen as a good place to invest in as well, and there is now many Asian immigrants that have come for that purpose.

New Zealanders of note include Edmund Hilary, who was the first to conquer Mount Everest; Ernest Rutherford, the first to split the atom; Nancy Wake, the most wanted woman by the Gestapo in World War II and the most highly decorated servicewoman by the Allies; Charles Upham, the most decorated soldier of World War II; and a slew of other firsts in the areas of culture, sports, and science. A lot is made of the “Kiwi Spirit” of these people – that is, you never, but never, give up; an attitude still found in most New Zealanders today.

Where in the World: Proudly brought to you by the letters N and Z and the number 4,000,000.

A Tribute to Big Daddy Kev

By Anarchy

R.I.P
BIG DADDY KEV
12/17/74 – 12/24/16

Big Daddy Kev may have not been known by all of us here at ReVo, but for those who did, he affected their lives in ways he will never realize. He always had a ready ear when you needed someone to talk to. No matter what you had to say, he never judged. He’d just let you vent until the load on your chest and shoulders was gone. He never ceased to make me laugh when I was having a horrible day. Even when he was in sick or in pain, he wanted to make sure everyone else was okay.

In a quote from one of our own, Joy Naomi has this to say about him:

“He was always there when I needed a friend. One of my best memories of him was when my grandmother passed away. He stayed up with me the night she died and talked to me on Skype to make sure I was okay, and just listened as I talked and cried.”

This is only one of many good things I have heard about him, and I have many stories about him myself as well. When I found out he was sick, I was constantly checking on him; even sending him birthday wishes while he was in the hospital. I told him that I hoped he’d get well soon and that I was worried about him, and, of course, in that Kev sort of way, he came back with, “Oh I’m fine, I’m getting better!” After his birthday I kept messaging him but never got a reply, so I thought that maybe he was resting and needed a break. Days later, all that changed when I read that he had passed away. I would be a liar if I said I did not cry. I cried like a baby. He was the most gentle soul I have ever met.

In ending this, I want to pass a reminder to all of you. Never take anyone in your life for granted, because in one moment they can be ripped from you, leaving you with the hurt of things that you never got to do or say for them.

Kev, one day we will all see you again. Until then, rest easy, brother

With love and remembrance,
Anarchy

Confessions of a Drama Queen

The Lengths One Has To Go To

Hello, there! This time Little Miss CDQ is going to write about food – well, a fork, to be more precise.

Let’s begin.

I’m not terribly good with food, to be honest. I can’t eat if I’m upset, and I can’t eat if I’m happy. I have to go for the window that shows up as “medium”, or middle ground. Anything else, it’s sandwiches and crackers at best, nothing at worst, until the middle ground comes back again. Now, to make sure I eat properly in that narrow margin,I like to have everything in place. My own special 3/4 plate, red with white spots, an old blue bowl with a band (and a small chip) on it, any old knife (well, one of the plain ones), and my fork.

This fork turned up at my house one day and settled into my cutlery drawer like it had always lived there. I have no idea where it came from, but it’s cute. My guess would be circa 1960, 1965. It’s like a 3/4 sized fork. It’s bigger than a cake fork, but smaller than a regular fork, with a squiggly pattern on the handle, and the tines are perfectly straight. No one knew anything about it when I asked, and so I took a fancy to it and claimed it as my own. If it was dirty from use, I would wash it and immediately use it again. I don’t use other forks at all, unless I’m out, and that doesn’t feel right – and, well, if I don’t use my fork, the window for eating is gone anyway, so I don’t bother.

So, I decide to make a roast lunch with all the trimmings as well, including yorkies, mushroom gravy from scratch, the whole nine yards. Mmm mmm. My son and daughter get theirs, then me. Gravy, salt, pepper, napkin, cup of tea (I’m uncouth like that), and –

Hold on.

Where’s my fork? My food is getting cold as I root around looking for it. The drawer, the sink, the lounge, the bedroom (well, you never know), and nothing. Zip. Nada. Fork is gone. Elvis fork has left the building and gone back to where he came from. After all this time. Shit. Quite a bit of swearing follows before – I spot it.

Hey!

My daughter is using it to eat her meal with.

“Erm. You got my fork”
“Really? It was just in the drawer, Ma.”
“No, that’s my fork. You know that. Can I have it, please?”
“Ma, I’m eating!”
“Yes, I know that. Swap it for this one.” I offer a regular fork.

At this point we start to eyeball each other.

“No. You can have it when I’m finished if it means that much to you.”
“Aw, c’mon. Please, please, please?”
“No.. Go away”

I go away, not very happy. I want my fork. I can’t eat without my fork. I need my fork, and I can feel that window of middle ground opportunity slipping away fast. Think, think, think. I go in the kitchen to think.

Her cell phone rings. She puts her meal on the table and heads off to the lounge to answer it. No one’s there.

I’m not surprised, because the person that called her is in the dining room, taking back her fork.

Whole Beauty: The Mind-Body Connection

By halcyon

The winter holidays may be over, but that doesn’t necessarily mean our stresses melt away like snow! To help us get 2017 off to a great start, halcyon delves deeper into the links between our bodies and our minds. Please remember that it’s always advised to discuss changes in your regimen with your doctor or other health care provider, as he or she will be in the best position to address not only your personal needs and special concerns, but also the safety of alternative treatments, as herbs and supplements may also interact with medications or with each other – however, if you’re interested in holistic care, we hope this article will provide you with some opening discussion points!

Honouring the mind and body connection

The Mind and Body are not separate. What affects one, affects the other. (Unknown)

The lure toward holistic care, for myself, is summarised in that short quote. I think the drawback to Western medicine (and what some in the holistic community would deem a failure) is the continued practise of treating the parts as opposed to the whole of the body. This includes not only the body, but the mind as well. There seem to be specialists for everything, and while specialists are not a bad practise, there is an overdependence on them hoping they can fix one ailment, then going to another for a different ailment – and so on.

This makes truly caring for people difficult. If you have a patient with five different doctors for five different problems, you also have the possibility of five different medications, when you might only need one or two to fix a certain problem. If a doctor looks at the whole and not just the parts you reduce the possibility of issues arising from the medications you take. All the contraindications, side effects, and negative interactions that can happen with every medicine you can take, you may not be aware of, and neither may your doctor. This is not to say that some people do not need or benefit from a variety of doctors, and certainly doesn’t mean that you should forgo medical treatment for holistic care, but I think it often would be beneficial used in tandem with other treatments.

I have broken this article into three parts, covering anxiety, depression, and migraines. I have issues with all three, including bipolar disorder, which I have been able to control without meds (though still under the care of a physician) for three years now. I hope to share with you some strategies and alternatives to help combat these issues. I use the word “combat” purposefully, because for those of us with these challenges, it is war. Every day is a fight to maintain balance and feel good.

Anxiety Disorders

These are broadly defined as feelings of anxiety and fear, where anxiety is worry about future events and fear is a reaction to current events. Anxiety feels different for everyone. Mine was oppressive and constricting, so it felt like I could not breathe. My mind would race and I was restless and easily overwhelmed, which may mean I’d burst into tears or get angry within the same hour. Though I’ve tried several things from the list that follows, what works for me and what I will share with you is a combination of yoga, meditation, and aromatherapy. I have included a favourite yoga pose, breathing meditation, and aroma therapy blend.

Alternative treatments for anxiety:

• Acupuncture
• Massage therapy
• Meditation
• Regular exercise, including yoga
• Essential oils & aromatherapy
• Chamomile tea
• Avoid caffeine and nicotine
• Sleep more
• Natural B12, Omega 3’s and St. John’s Wort, & L-lysine

Yoga Pose: Baddha Konasana (AKA Cobbler’s Pose)
Cautions: Do not do this pose if you have a groin or knee injury. Always use a blanket as support under outer thighs.
Benefits: Stimulates the heart and improves general circulation. Traditional texts also say it destroys disease and eliminates fatigue which can help with anxiety.

Breathing Meditation Technique:

I have used meditative breathing for over 20 years now. I’ve used it not only to help reduce anxiety but to get through four childbirth labours. One of my favourites to use is:

The Measured Breath

• Breathe in slowly through your nose. Count to four, pacing your breath as you inhale. Keep your shoulders down and allow your stomach to expand as you breathe in. Once you’ve breathed in completely, hold a moment, then release the breath slowly and smoothly to a count of seven. Repeat as necessary.

Aromatherapy Blend for Anxiety

Relaxing Blend

• 1 drop Lavender
• 1 drop Sweet Marjoram
• 2 drops Red Mandarin
• 2 drops of Roman Chamomile

Add to your diffuser or whatever method you use to enjoy scented blends.

Depression

Depression is a prolonged feeling of unhappiness and despondency, often magnified by a major life event such as bereavement, divorce, or retirement. Many women often experience depression after childbirth. Mild depression can sometimes be alleviated using a few simple, natural strategies. It can also be used in combination with medical treatement to help lessen symptoms. I have listed a few that have helped me and may help you, too.

Tea for the Soul

• Hops, valerian, and powedered licorice are mood stablisers. Ylang ylang, lavender, clary sage, and chamomile are sedative and can calm depression.

Take a Break – Escape!

• A weekend, a day; heck, even a few hours will do tremendous things to boost your mood. Finding somewhere different, or even a favourite place you find restorative, can reset your mind.

Herbal Power!

• Did you know just 30mg of dried extract of saffron is as powerful as 20mg of the anti-depressent drug Prozac, without the side effects?

The Power of Scent

• A scented sachet of lavender or primrose may help you sleep. You can also try 2 drops each of rose and lemon balm oil and 3 drops of lavender for a restorative and calming effect.

Migraine

Migraine is a recurrent throbbing headache that typically affects one side of the head and is often accompanied by nausea and disturbed vision. These can be especially debilitating. I often find myself in the ER twice a year for a migraine that I can’t kill either with medication or one of the strategies I’ve included, but along with prescriptions designed to prevent migraine, I have curtailed the frequency with which I have them.

Relief – sip by sip

• Yes, we revisit tea. I have found a number of ways tea can enhance life and migraine is one of them. Try a blend of my favourite [1 TBS of the following combined herbs: feverfew, lavender and peppermint] boiled with a cup of water and allowed to steep for 15-20 minutes. You can also add a bit of honey or agave to sweeten it.

Eat your way to being headache free!

These foods have been shown to help prevent or treat migraine:

• Omega-3 foods like nuts, seeds, and wild fish like salmon help control blood flow, lower inflammation, and prevent electrolyte imbalance.
• Magnesium rich foods like Swiss chard, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, kefir, and almonds.

Editor’s note: Even a single health care provider may not be aware of every side effect or potential interaction of mixed medications, and, sadly, it’s also true that some simply don’t care. If your doctor is unable to answer questions to your satisfaction, or you find that you’re having difficulties with the treatment regimen you’re already on, do your own research and come to your next appointment ready to discuss the matter in more detail. If he or she still refuses to address your concerns and you have the option of visiting another provider, it may be time to seek a second opinion.

Evidence

By mouth{JT}

The bloodstains on what were once crisp, white, linen bed sheets stood out with more vulgarity in the cold light of day. He sat on the edge of the bed, observing them for the longest time, reflecting in his mind what had happened the night before. Why couldn’t she leave him alone? he had thought – not for the first time – as his eyes drifted to first one stain, then another and another. Already they had turned a rusty brown, never to be completely removed from the expensive bed linen.

His thoughts turned to his wife, Cora, and how she was going to react when she saw them. Cora had always put up with his peculiarities, as she called them, with a pained, resigned sigh. They had married late in life, with each accepting the other’s past, and all the little things that went with forty plus years of life. They rubbed together quite well, in fact, and with no children around, had kept up a very nice lifestyle. Comfortable, middle class suburbia, no fuss and no drama, each taking the other as they were – and in Cora’s case, with a small sigh when she saw he had invaded her space yet again. Cora liked everything neat and tidy; clean, ordered, and, well – starchy white. The mere sight of what he had done would send those lips of hers into a tight line. She would sigh and remove the offending sheets before he could even offer an explanation, really.

How he had felt he was going mad, to the point he couldn’t think straight, and just lashed out. The dead body that he had let his eyes drift onto lay starkly amongst the bloodstains. He hadn’t realized just how many there were – not until now, in the hard reality of morning. Cora was due home soon from her stint on the nightshift, her feet aching and wanting nothing more than a cup of tea and sleep. Ugh. He pulled a face. There was no way she could sleep in this mess. She wouldn’t anyway, and she would know if he changed the sheets. She was so proud of them, being of the finest Egyptian cotton and coming home for all the world to see, in a bag proudly displaying the logo of one of the finest (not to mention, most expensive) stores in town. No, Sir-ee, Cora was not going to like this at all.

It was all her fault, he thought, as his eyes drifted back to the body on the bed. If only she had shut up, had stopped with the incessant whining, never giving him a moment of peace. All he wanted was for her to leave him alone and let him sleep, but oh, no. she couldn’t – wouldn’t – shut up. So he had lashed out – well, isn’t that what any sane man would be driven to? And, as he surveyed the marks on his own arms, she had given as good as she got. Well, almost. He grimaced in a small smile of triumph. At least he was still alive. And once he had started, he couldn’t stop; hearing in his mind, even long after she was dead, that noise. On and on and on. But she had fought bravely back, evading the first few grabs at her with a dexterity that he admired, even as it fuelled him on, taunting him as he redoubled his efforts to kill her. Eventually he had, but not before she had left him with a few souvenirs of her own – not to mention the possibility of a nasty disease as well. His well-ordered mind made a mental note to make an appointment with the doctor later. Right here, right now, though, he was the victor. Survival of the fittest, baby, he thought with another grimace.

The sound of a key in the lock and the screened back door opening with a squeak that he had never quite been able to get rid of told him Cora was home, and he took a deep breath as he followed her footsteps coming closer down the hall to the bedroom. As she stood in the doorway, he looked up sheepishly. He caught the disapproving glance as her eyes went to the messy, unmade bed, and he felt her inward shudder as she took in the scene.

Then came the sigh, followed by, “Really, Colin. You need to stop mucking about and get that hole in the screen door fixed. You know how bad the mosquitoes get at this time of year. Look at the mess its made of my nice, new sheets!”