The Blog of armine

...So I went over my sister's place tonight,we both overdid it with the booze/ Her with her bubbly champagne and me with my red wine/ We talked a lot about makeup, because she used to want to be a makeup consultant but she told me 'That dream died...' / Anyway,she offered to let me stay over her place (even got the spare bed ready and everything), and I was tempted to do it but I HAVE to go to work tomorrow and I am used to the feel of my own bed/ As much as my roommate drives me crazy (I even feel like strangling her sometimes), I like sleeping in my own bed at the end of the day/ On the way home, on the train, these two guys (they actually weren't bad-looking) accosted me, and started talking about Bruce Lee/ If I had been sober I probably would have shooed them away, but I wasn't so I decided to talk to them/ I did not know that both Bruce Lee AND his son had died/ I told them that my dad had been a big fan of Bruce Lee's movies (that is not a lie), but also that I had had no idea that both Bruce and his son were no longer among the living/ One of the kids (they looked like 'Gen-Y'ers, and all Gen-Y'ers are kids to me, sorry folks) asked me if I was 'happy'; I told him flat out, 'Anyone who tells you that they are happy in life is full of ****, don't believe it' - and then it was my turn to get off. And now it is my turn to get off the computer and turn in for the night/ What can I say, I'm sorry God for messing up tonight, please just let me get some quality sleep and I will try to be more careful next time/ We didn't even drink that much, but we drank on empty stomachs (always a bad idea), and we started too late/ I left my sis in a drunken stupor on the couch/ I don't even know if she was aware that I left...

I say this for good reason. She doesn't have to work, because her mother pays her rent and utilities; she can get up anytime of the day that she wants, eat whenever she wants and all she does is plant her rear in front of the TV and sulk. She recently got on my case - can you believe this nonsense - by saying, 'You seem kind of stressed out because I haven't been working lately'. I told her that that wasn't true... but even if it were, how can she blame me, it does get difficult when the person you live with is home, ALL DAY LONG, expenses paid and she is nasty all the time. Now the kitchen sink is clogged; she went and bought some drain opening liquid but it isn't working, and I offered to do her filthy dishes but I can't because she clogged up the sink. I can't use the kitchen at all in this apartment, because she will eat my food and drink my soda without any remorse whatsoever. I tried using the fridge, microwave like a normal person when I first moved in here... but after several rows with her about her eating my TV dinners and drinking my sodas without asking, I decided not to use it anymore and now I hoard all my food supplies in my room. I cannot have anything that must be refrigerated, frozen or microwaved; no can do, my roommate is a thief and so I can only have non-perishable items in my room. But it's not all bad; fortunately there are a couple of 7/11's near my workplace and they sell fresh sandwiches and mini-meals, stuff like that. I had to work on Thanksgiving (too bad, but it was extra $$ for me); and I went to the store on my break, determined to pick up a turkey sandwich for supper. But they had a new sandwich - Black Forest Ham on a French baguette - so I decided to get that instead, and I was not disappointed! It was delicious; the ham was very tender and tasty. Ham can be hit-or-miss, sometimes ham can be bland but this ham was actually pretty good. Worth the $4.39 I spent on it, definitely... anyway, I was talking about my roommate. You know what she is, she is spoiled by her mother. I understand she's got mental problems, but I wonder if her mother realizes what a huge disservice she is doing her daughter by paying her rent and utilities. I don't care that she is home all day, with no life whatsoever except watching the boob tube... but if she's going to start with me about something stupid, I am going to defend myself because I have to work for MY money. And I don't want to hear any complaints out of her mouth, unless she is working like  I have to (and most other people as well). All expenses paid, wake up anytime you want, no job, TV all day long... what more can a person ask for??

My little sister (the baby of the family) and I are fairly close, and she likes to talk to me about stuff going on in her life. Lately she has been all hung up on this guy she met named Dan; anytime we are on the phone or 'hanging out' at her place she always talks about him. But now she's starting to make me a little crazy, because from the sound of things it doesn't seem to me as though Dan is all that interested in her. She tells me she likes to visit him at his place; but in the same breath she will say 'but we never have a good time, he always ignores me and he winds up falling asleep and leaving me alone in the kitchen'. It's like, 'HELLO, SISTER; do you have any brains in your head?' If you see someone a few times and they don't treat you very well, then why do you jump for the phone whenever he happens to call, and why do you keep going back? I told her flat out the other day, I think she would be better off trying to find a new friend - but no, she insists that this guy is the person she wants to spend lots of time with, and I told her not to expect him to change. And after offering her advice and my own slant on the topic (leave him and look for someone else), she said 'I'm going to call him as soon as I get off the phone with you'. OY!! Little sisters can be so annoying sometimes. 

...Sometimes it happens like that. I was going along with Count von Degenfeld's story, he lives in the Tyrol and he met the Bamberg (Bavarian) socialite that he will eventually become engaged to; I got a bunch of ideas for her character a couple of weeks ago (while doing an overnight shift), and I was pretty excited about diving into this new project. But the this past weekend, I don't know what happened - I was sitting down and trying to work on it and it was like, the wheels of my head just stopped, and I started getting ideas for a completely different story. This new one is much darker than the other one; it takes place in Kassel in the year 1700, and it has to do with an 'investigator man' (he's in fact the city prison administrator) working on a case of residents' disappearances. There is a string of hills, east of Kassel, that used to form the border with the former GDR; the character gets tipped off by several of the locals that this is a potentially dangerous area and so he sets out with a crew to investigate. Long story short: they discover a kind of 'cave cult' that lives underground and follows a branch of Paganism that originates from - get this - somewhere in Hungary. I can see the layout; they have books in German, Gothic (defunct language now, but people used to speak and write it, long ago), Latin and Hungarian; they have their own prayer books, their own set of rules and of course there is a 'ringleader type' and he has a few assistants. The 'informant woman' (her name is either Sharra or Kyriah; don't know yet) will appear to be an ally at first to the investigator man... but as the plot goes along, her intentions will become questionable at the very least and in the end I see her seducing him and he goes to join the cult. Additionally this main character has a married lover (her husband is off fighting some war, somewhere in the eastern part of Europe), and she will be deeply concerned about his findings about the secret clan and beg him to get taken off the assignment. This tale is very dark, but that's what I want to be into right now so Count Degenfeld is going on the shelf. I will return to him later - but this other story just seems to be calling for my muse to write it. And she gladly will... because she much prefers the darkness to the light. It just seems more exciting.

Herr and Frau Barkhausen set out from their home in Pirna one fair spring morning, destination Schloss Esenwein. It had been well over two years since either had stepped foot in the area of Hohnstein; they took a small pack of provisions with them, and walked among chirping birds and brightly-colored flowers blooming everywhere. In addition to the two of them, they also brought along a special gift that they hoped would please Klarissa's father - their main reason for trekking out to the castle in the first place.

For the first year, Klarissa had attempted to correspond with her father through letter-writing; but she was disappointed to only receive response letters from her mother (none of which Klarissa answered). After a year had gone by Klarissa finally received her first letter from Alger, who told her things were improving between himself and Marelda (he'd been given 'privileged time away from the dungeon' several days of the week). Even so, it was still made clear that he was not allowed to leave... and so after some writing back and forth it was decided that Klarissa and Zamiel would visit Alger at the castle. Klarissa was reluctant to do this for quite some time, as she saw going to see him under her mother's thumb as a form of acceptance of her father's unfair situation; but when it became obvious to her that this would be the only way to see him, she decided she would drop in to see him, if only for a few days.

They arrived at the castle entrance, and were immediately ushered in by a lookout guard that had been specially posted to watch for their arrival. They were escorted into the lavish palace sitting room; there they found Alger happily expecting them, and Marelda was waiting there too. Marelda sat a short distance away from Alger and his guests; she knew that Klarissa had made the trip only to see her father and not her. As Klarissa and her husband took seats across from Alger, Marelda was again painfully reminded that establishing a relationship with her daughter would never be easy to do.

Nevertheless, she put her personal feelings aside for the sake of her daughter, took a seat by a window and looked on as the reunion unfolded.

"So what did you bring for me to see?" asked Alger, after the routine polite small talking was out of the way.

"We've brought along something special", replied Klarissa, and lifted the content of the basket she'd toted along for the journey.

Her father stared at the darling little being resting comfortably in Klarissa's arms; and even Marelda's heart swelled with tenderness and pride upon seeing the new little face.

"Who is she?" asked Alger.

"She's your granddaughter", answered Klarissa, turning the infant girl around to face him.

"She looks so much like you did when you were that small", mused Alger, leaning closer to the child and peering into the pretty little face. Klarissa stole a glance at Zamiel, who was looking like the proud papa he'd become.

"We wanted her to be a surprise", said Klarissa.

"And indeed she is!" Alger agreed. "What have you decided to name her?"

Klarissa looked down at the precious little girl she held in her arms, and would always hold in her heart.

"Her name is Zelda", she replied with a little pixie's grin.

...And the band played on.

End of the story.

;)

The group resettled in Pirna, a village about (???) kilometers from Hohnstein. One month later Klarissa and Zamiel were married; Adelle Hennes was 'put in charge of the flowers', and all the other kids (from the Hohnstein journey) were in attendance at the ceremony. Not too long after the wedding, Herr and Frau Barkhausen (Zamiel's surname) took up occupancy in an old abandoned house, located beside a big forest park, and named it the Barkhausen Orphanage. Soon they were looking after many homeless, neglected and abandoned children; they arrived from all over Saxony, and were in dire need of quality care from adults. Zamiel landed a prestigious position with the local Pirna law branch, while Klarissa slipped almost effortlessly into the role of wife and homemaker. The many barnyard animals the couple came to adopt down the line added joy and sustainability to their new lives in the village.

For the next several hours the two wandered somberly through the destroyed village; they looked hard for survivors, but found very few who had survived the attack. One villager was found bleeding to death by several knife wounds; Zamiel and Klarissa offered to try and help him recover but he waved them away, telling them he would die in his home. The two found several small children who had hidden (or stayed outside) when the attacks had occured; Zamiel and Klarissa soon decided they would take the young ones along with them, wherever it was that they were going. They made a stop at the Hennes' (characters from prev. text) house, and sadly discovered that Herr and Frau Hennes had been killed.

Four-year-old Adelle was found in a remote corner of her bedroom with what looked to be a heavy wooden log sprawled across her lap.

"Foot stuck", said the weary little girl as her rescuers drew closer to her...

Zamiel and Klarissa left Hohnstein with about fifteen young children, shortly after sundown that night; they had gathered whatever provisions they could find in the wrecked homes they had visited, and fortunately they were able to collect enough food (and a small amount of firewood) to get them through a couple of days. Even so they knew they had to resettle somewhere new, and not take too long in doing so; they instructed the kids to join hands as they made their way through unknown forests and settlements. They all huddled close together when they took short breaks to get some rest, and everyone had to keep a lookout for everyone else. When the little pairs of feet grew tired and weary from the excessive walking they did, Klarissa promised the young travellers that she and Zamiel would make a special home (essentially, set up an orphanage) for them all, once they were settled in their new living place.

The scene when they arrived at the Klarissa's village was devastating. Her living area had been looted, vandalized and several homes were burned to the ground. Some of the damaging fires were still smoking and smoldering as Klarissa and Zamiel made their way through the ruins, toward Klarissa's house. What they were not aware of was that the destructive act had been carried out by Bruno's necromantic clan, who dwelled in the caves; they had discovered Bruno's body (or what was left of it) a few days after the swordfight he'd had with Zamiel, and decided to destroy Klarissa's village in retaliation for his death.

The two approached Klarissa's house from behind - and what they saw was greatly disturbing to them both.

All of the windows were smashed; the front door hung loosely from one hinge and looked ready to snap off at any moment. Inside the damage was extensive: the furniture appeared to have been hacked to pieces with a woosman's axe, and the walls were chipped and cracked beyond repair. All of the food preserves had been taken, and the backyard farm animals had either been stolen or slaughtered in their pens.

As Zamiel gravely took a look through the house, Klarissa sat in a broken old chair by a window and began to weep.

A few minutes later, Zamiel crouched beside Klarissa amid the ruins that had once been her home.

"I am sorry", wa all he could think of to say, knowing how difficult this discovery must be for his friend.

"My world has fallen apart", Klarissa confided to Zamiel, after her weeping spell had abated somewhat. "My father is being held prisoner by a mother I have never known, and there is nothing I can do for him. The priest (from previous text) I have trusted all my life is rumored to be sleeping with young girls. Trolls live in the forest, and hide where we can never see them. And now I find out that my house has been destroyed!"

Zamiel thought for a moment as Klarissa struggled with her frazzled emotions. "I am sorry for you, but I hope you understand that you cannot stay here. It is far too dangerous, and there isn't much here for you anyway".

"But I have no more home!"

"We'll find you a new one. Together".

Zamiel rested a hand over Klarissa's, and she looked at him with appreciation and gratitude.

"When I was a younger girl", she began, "I had a fairy friend who lived somewhere in the forest. Her name was Zelda, and she was very pretty and always happy". She paused for a moment, then continued. "I never told my father about her, because I knew he couldn't see her. Only I could". She sighed. "Then one day she was gone, and I never saw her again. I wish she were here with me now".

"She may not be - but I am", Zamiel told her.

Klarissa smiled at him through her receding tears. "You have been such a wonderful friend", she told him with heartfelt sincerity.

"Someday", Zamiel admitted, "I hope to be much more than that".

He kissed her then - he couldn't resist - and felt the first stirrings of love. He knew she did, too.

"Perhaps Zelda is still with you; you just cannot see her because you're not a little child anymore", he suggested. "If trolls can be invisible, surely fairies can too! They too have magical abilities".

"And they are beautiful", added Klarissa.

"You are beautiful too", said Zamiel, standing up and reaching for her hand. "Come, my lovely fair maiden. Will you journey with me and be the special princess in my life?"

Klarissa rose from the broken chair, gripping his hand tightly in hers. "Only if you will be my prince!"

"I would be honored", said Zamiel. "Let us both venture out, and find ourselves a new home".

Moments later they stepped out from the ruined remains of the house - and as they walked away from it Klarissa knew that she would never return.

A few hours later, after a lengthy heart-to-heart talk with Alger from his cell in the dungeon, Klarissa was escorted and officially released from the castle. It felt strange to her, to be outside and free again; as she walked toward the forest she wondered how she would fare without her father around. She realized she was completely on her own; she had always had Alger with her, and she wondered how things would be without his presence to guide and protect her. She was also nervous about getting back to her house, as she had only travelled to and from the fortress with Zamiel (and only during dark hours). One wrong turn, she knew, and she could be wandering around for days before (hopefully) finding her village.

She stopped just inside the thick of the forest, trying to remember which way led back to her home.

"Klarissa", she heard a voice say from somewhere behind her.

She turned around, and could not hide her feelings of joy and relief.

"Zamiel!" she cried, nearly knocking him over as she flew into him and embraced him. "My dear, sweet friend - how glad I am to see you right now!"

"I am glad to see you too", said Zamiel, "but I see your father is not with you".

"My mother will not let him go", Klarissa informed her friend sadly. "There is nothing I can do for him at this time".

Zamiel nodded in understanding. "May I escort you home?"

"Of course you may. Please do!"

With that, Klarissa and Zamiel looped an arm around each other's, then briskly set off for the journey back to Hohnstein.

I don't know why, specifically... but I have a sinking feeling about this year's presidential election. It started a few weeks ago, as I listened to people on both sides of the aisle; now I just feel a sense of dread and apprehension, like we're all on a ship that is going to sink under our collective weight. Maybe we should change this country's name to 'the divided states of America', because it seems to me as though we are really not just 'one nation, under God' anymore. There are so many different kinds of people who live in this country now - and the problems, the riffs that are popping up go beyond politics, religion, or education. It's even bigger than these things. There are people who have fundamentally different viewpoints on living in a general sense; this idea that we can 'all come to the table and hash things out' sounds a bit idealistic to me. It isn't any one particular issue, or idea, that is causing this country to splinter off into all these little 'American' subpockets of culture and lifestyles; it is rather, I think, a dizzying number of factors that go into the complications of today's America. Nowadays, the fabric of our nation is rather like a patchwork quilt, with all these different designs and colors and shapes and sizes. Consequently it is becoming more difficult to define us as a nation, much less talk about America as one entity anymore; if we still are then I'm just not seeing it. I feel vaguely apprehensive about what lies ahead for this country, because there are too many cooks in the kitchen at the moment and someone's going to blow up the oven.

Nearly a fortnight passed, during which time Klarissa remained a prisoner (albeit a very pampered one) at Schloss Esenwein.

She was tended to by hairstylists, tailors, cooks and bathing aides; she was waited on hand and foot by many of the palace's hired servants. All of this activity was conducted in an effort (by her mother) to win over Klarissa's reserved attitiude about coming to live there full-time. But all of the efforts at pampering her did little to warm the girl's heart.

The highlight of Klarissa's day, in fact, was not the sumptuous evening meal that was catered for her; nor was it the leisurely stroll through the beautiful gardens in the sunlight of late afternoon. It was the time she was allowed to spend visiting with her father, down in the sealed-off dungeon - and Klarissa admired the way he was handling what she perceived as a terrible situation. Even Alger attempted to convince Klarissa to move into the castle with her mother - but Klarissa held tight to her position, which was that as long as her father remained behind bars she would absolutely not live at the palace.

The subject was not even open for negotiation, as Klarissa made clear to both of her parents several times during different conversations.

Then, one morning after Klarissa's routine breakfast and beauty bath, Marelda paid an unannounced visit to her daughter in her private quarters.

"You are free to go, if you wish", she said without preamble.

Klarissa was happy to hear this, but nonetheless felt compelled to ask one question. "What about Father?" she inquired.

"He will be staying. You know that", was Marelda's answer.

Klarissa had expected this response, but even so it still pained her to hear it. "I have every intention of leaving", Klarissa said, "but before I do I would like to make one thing very clear. I will never forget about Father - and I will free him from these prison walls if it takes me my whole life to do it!"

Marelda only sighed. "He is my prisoner now".

Klarissa pursed her lips, but decided that arguing would be pointless. "How soon may I leave?"

"Anytime before sundown. Any day".

"Good. Then I will be leaving very shortly".

"You are always welcome to return", added Marelda, "and I do hope that you will. Perhaps one day you will better understand my position, and will have a change of heart about me".

"I wouldn't plan on that ever happening", stated Klarissa. "As I have told you many times, my main concern is for Father. He, not you, is clearly the victim in this case. And I want to talk to him one last time before I depart".

"As you wish", consented Marelda. "Let me know whenever you are ready to go".

Klarissa solemnly stared at the woman who was her mother, yet so much a stranger to her. "I WILL have Father freed someday", she said firmly.

"Goodbye, daughter", said Marelda and turned and left the room quickly, leaving only an eerie stillness in her wake.

Zamiel was making his way from one side of the forest to another, his mind on Klarissa and how he would see her again, when suddenly he was attacked from behind and felt a strong hand grab him across the neck.

As his unseen assailant attemped to drag him down to the ground, Zamiel reached for the sword that he always carried with him and released it from its place in the holster.

Using techniques and manoeuvers he'd learned from an early age, Zamiel fought his way out of the deadly grip holding him captive by the neck.

Moments later he spun around to face his attacker directly... his plan had been to warn the person to either leave or face a cruel fight, but he was given no opportunity to speak.

His attacker was also armed - and it was immediately obvious to Zamiel that he fully intended to kill.

Zamiel raised his sword high, having no choice but to fight to preserve his own life.

Zamiel's attacker was strong and also well-trained; their battle went on for a long time but in the end Zamiel took him down. He would have let his unknown assailant live, but the opponent kept trying to slash Zamiel to ribbons until his last breath had expired. The experience left Zamiel numb, as he hitherto had never killed anyone and it had given him no pleasure to do so. As he kicked piles of dirt onto the bloodied dead enemy, an exhausted Zamiel reminded himself that he'd had no choice in the matter. If he had not killed the attacker, the attacker would surely have killed him.

Tired and in need of a good washing, Zamiel left the area and headed toward the nearest river that he knew about.

As nightfall descended in the forest, nocturnal creatures crept out of their hiding places to feast on Bruno's rotting corpse (character Bruno is from previous text; not shown).

...So it's the day after my little wine drinking experiment last night; I guess the best way to describe it is that it went pretty well. I didn't throw up at all, I paced myself very carefully; I did get a bit of a pleasant buzz, but I wasn't driving or doing anything complicated so I guess it was okay. I did start getting dizzy in the head upon turning in for the night; but a couple bottles of Aquafina water seemed to help me in that regard. I did drink a little more than I'd planned to - but because I did not want to get sick, my thoughts of not throwing up stayed strong in my head the whole time. In the future though, I think I will just have a glass or two a week with a meal, because that is the way they do it in Europe and that is the right way to consume alcohol. I'm working on decreasing those wrinkles that are starting to pop up more and more... so whenever I have a drink of this stuff I am drinking it mainly for health reasons. As they say in France, "Salut!"

Klarissa was brought to Marelda's lodging quarters in the estate - a large, bright, beautifully-decorated room with plenty of sunlight and circulating air from outdoors. The walls were tastefully adorned with paintings of nature scenes and portraits of royal families (both living and deceased); the furniture and rug assemblies had a style reminiscent of medieval France. Several sets of exotic votive candles glowed mystically on mantels, shelves and tabletops spread out fairly evenly throughout the well-maintained living space.

Marelda greeted Klarissa with a look of caution at first... but soon she was feeling less inhibited, and longed to connect with her daughter.

"Your father has taken good care of you", Marelda began. "Please join me for tea in the sitting room".

"I want you to release him". Klarissa declared as she followed Marelda into a smaller adjoining room overlooking the magnificent castle gardens. "How can you just throw him in jail, when you haven't yet given him a chance to explain his side of the story?"

As Marelda took her place at a table, Klarissa noticed how well-dressed she was. Her jewelry, in particular, looked to have cost a small fortune.

"I wish you wouldn't make any judgments on the matter", said Marelda as a servant came out to offer light refreshments. "You were too young to remember what happened - but I will never forget".

"True, I do not know the specifics of Father picking up and leaving", Klarissa agreed, "but I do know he is a good man, and I know that he still loves you - even now, with the awful way you are treating him. I know that there wasn't a day that went by where he didn't wish you were with us. I know he never spoke badly of you - and I know that this whole thing was a set-up!"

"He left me to die", said Marelda. "I will never forgive him for that. I want you to come and live with me here. I can arrange for brief visitations with your father, if that is really what you want".

Klarissa stared at Marelda, not believing her ears.

"You will have the best of everything", Marelda promised with the slight wink of one eye. "You will want for nothing - everything you ask for you shall have".

"All I want is my father back - and to return to our home in the village", Klarissa said firmly. Marelda was not pleased with this response.

"Why do you say such a thing?" she asked. "Do you not desire to live a life of luxury and opulence? I am practically handing you such a life".

"The only life that I know", Klarissa retorted, "is the one that I share with my father. He is the only family I have ever had, and he has striven every day to be the best father he can be. No we do not have much money - but money can never buy what matters most to people like me and him".

Marelda looked taken aback, and could not speak for a moment.

"Keep your riches - your gold, your pearls, your playthings. You are a stranger to me, and I have no interest in your lifestyle - none whatsoever. Release my father from this prison, and let the two of us leave this castle forever!"

Marelda was torn, disappointed upon hearing these words. "Your father will not be leaving", she said sternly, "and quite frankly, neither will you".

Klarissa stood up suddenly. "You cannot keep me here!"

"Yes I can - and I will", Marelda declared with a chilling edge to her voice.

A short time later, Klarissa was escorted to her own private living quarters; it had everything a girl her age could possibly want, material-wise.

But all Klarissa wanted was to be back home with her father, and to see Zamiel again too.

As she watched the glorious sunset from her window later that afternoon, Klarissa believed she had never felt lonelier than she did right at that moment.

The next morning, guards were sent to fetch both Klarissa and Zamiel. After being whacked with a hefty fine (for trespassing on private property), Zamiel was allowed to go free but Klarissa was ordered to stay. Zamiel was not allowed to see Klarissa before leaving; as he was escorted away from the palace grounds he wondered when he would see his friend again.

If he would see her again at all.

He wandered slowly away, thinking only about Klarissa and how he could see her again...

Meanwhile, a bleary-eyed Klarissa (she had not slept well in her cell) was meeting with her father in a sealed-off wing of the palace dungeon. He was standing behind the cold iron bars of a prison cell.

"I am going to get you released", Klarissa promised him most sincerely. "I don't care how she feels about you - she cannot do this to you!"

Alger stared solemnly at his daughter from his place behind the bars. "It is a misunderstanding", he said, "and I will do what I can to convince your mother that she is wrong about me".

"She is being so cold, so unfair!" Klarissa exclaimed, glancing at the poker-faced prison guard watching her with great scrutiny.

"I have always loved Marelda", Alger confessed in a bittersweet tone of voice, "and no matter what may come between us, I will always be her prisoner in my heart".

Klarissa was unmoved by her father's rare display of emotion. "She owes us both an apology - and she needs to release you from this cell!"

A second guard came into the room and laid a firm hand on Klarissa's arm.

"Frau Maschke will see you now", said the guard.

"I am speaking with my father", countered Klarissa.

"Go and see her", Alger told her. "It will do no good to keep her waiting".

Klarissa leaned forward, the guard's grip still firmly holding her arm. "I will be back for you", she told him in a low voice. "I will have you released as soon as I can. I promise you this".

With that she left the prison chamber in a hurry, the impatient guard guiding her along by the arm...

With all of these sudden wrinkles that are popping up on my face, and the stresses of mid-life and anxiety (but hopefully not depression) just outside the door, I have decided that I am going to TRY to incorporate red wine into my diet. I am not a drinker, and I don't care much for the taste of any kind; but, red wine has some of the most concentrated antioxidants known to man in it, and this is what I need to start paying attention to if I don't want to wind up with a 'prune-face' later on in life. So tonight I'm going to have some wine (not when I'm online though, no way); tomorrow I will 'check in' and rate myself in terms of how I did. If I throw up, even once, that is an automatic 'flunk' on my report card; if I feel nauseous and sick all day, that isn't much better. I have stocked up on water, so I don't get too dehydrated; also I am drinking those little twist-off-cap 4-packs, so I won't go overboard. But you know, I admit it: I'm not just drinking because I want young-looking skin. I feel restless, like something is bugging me - I don't know what it is. I just want to 'zone out', shut down for a little while; turn on my fave band's CD's and dream, and hope that things get better. I'm just not quite sure what is bugging me. I feel like something is, though...maybe it's just part of the aging process, I don't know.

...So little sister called me on Tuesday, to tell me that Dad's in the hospital. At first I didn't want to call him, as we have never had the closest father-and-daughter relationship... but then I thought, what the hell am I doing, he's old and sick and in the hospital and I'm not even going to give him a call? I felt that that wasn't right, so I gave him a quick call last night and the conversation wasn't all that bad. He's got a terrible cough, and some kind of 'runaway heartbeat' which is bad for him at his age; we left it that I will check back with him (actually with my sis, because he might be home in few days) later on in the week. The sooner he is out of there, the better. That's how I look at it.

Marelda and Alger were now facing each other, but with some distance between them. It became obvious to those watching the scene that the woman did not share her estranged husband's sentiments upon the two reuniting.

In fact, she appeared to be angry.

Klarissa wondered just what was going on, as the festive mood was no longer felt by anyone who was present.

"Do you think I should be happy to see you?" Marelda asked her bewildered, still-in-shock husband. "You left me for dead all those years ago - now here you stand, ready to collect a great sum of money from a prince who happens to be one of my relatives". Her crystal-blue eyes narrowed; her dainty eyebrows creased into a small frown. "I will tell you at this moment - you will get none of our money. In fact, the only thing that we will give you now is a cold cell in solitary confinement. Guards, take him away!"

Shock waves rippled through the crowd as Alger was soon flanked by castle military personnel.

"STOP!" yelled Klarissa, making herself visible a moment later.

Zamiel became stricken with panic, but knew that an escape would be nearly impossible to manoeuver.

The prince and princess noticed Klarissa immediately, as did Alger and Marelda.

"Unhand him - he is my father!" yelled Klarissa.

The prince turned and said something to Marelda, who fixed an icy stare on the uninvited intruder.

"Seize her!" Marelda demanded - and soon guards accosted Klarissa and quickly apprehended her, despite her pleas and protests...

The guards soon found Zamiel along with the unknown girl; he too was taken prisoner and led away with his acquaintance. The two were led to separate holding cells; they were forbidden to see or speak to each other, and were told they would be given more information in the morning. Klarissa's cries of despair fell on deaf ears to anyone who could hear her; her fate now rested in the hands of the palace royalty, who would decide how best to deal with her.

That would be a task for Marelda Maschke to handle.

Prince Chrzan turned to Alger and cordially said, "Before we present you with your many rewards, there is one guest that must make your acquaintance first". The crowd's anticipation was palpable, tangible, contagious as it waited to see who the unannounced special guest would be.

A stunning blonde woman, well-dressed and looking quite royal, stepped out from behind the prince.

Alger's face seemed to drain of color in mere seconds, tipping Klarissa off that something might have gone wrong.

The friendly disposition previously displayed by Prince Chrzan quickly cooled. "Herr Maschke", he said soberly, "surely you remember Marelda".

Murmurs of surprise were heard from the gaping spectators.

Alger looked ready to faint, as no one - least of all him - had ever expected this to happen. "My dearest, sweet Marelda", he finally managed to say, "after all of these years, you are alive - to my great relief!"

Klarissa became restless and emotional; the surprise guest was the mother that she had never known. She stirred, wanting to stand up and call out to the parent long absent from her life - but Zamiel put a firm hand on her shoulder, as if sensing her sudden intentions.

"Don't make a sound", he told her in a harsh whisper.

Klarissa made great effort to fight her impulses, and willed herself to remain still behind the heavy oak panelling.

Okay, so this should work... well I went out and did it: burned up more on my credit card so I can have my own PC again. I can't stand being at the mercy of my schizophrenic roommate; already things are starting to 'go sour' between us again and I feel like she just wants to start a fight, so I can't use her computer. She still hasn't had her operation yet - what the heck is she waiting for? She told me today she will be 'going back to work on Monday' - but then, she told me she would be going back Wednesday of this week, and she didn't do it. So, the drama continues; I wanted to hold off until next month to go out and buy this, but I don't like being at her mercy. Now I am back in the saddle... back in control of my own Internet activity and I'm feeling good about that!

The royal palace of Esenwein (its official title, named after an extinct royal family from the previous century), glowed almost ethereally the night Alger Maschke's ceremony was to take place within the fortress walls. Fortunately for Klarissa, Zamiel had been able to obtain a map of the castle's underground tunnel system from the local authorities... and the two travelled slowly and cautiously through the maze of twists and turns below ground level, using only one candle to guide them along. It took them over an hour to make their way to the big ballroom where the ceremony would occur - and if they had taken a wrong turn anywhere along the way, they probably would have missed the whole thing. They didn't, however; and once they were close to the crowded ballroom they found a viewing place where they were well-hidden from the people. Zamiel believed - hoped - that the heavy oak panelling would keep them from being seen, but even so they needed to stay very quiet. They still had the return journey to make through the dark chambers, after the event had ended.

Klarissa and Zamiel stared in awe at the people attending the festivities. Most of the guests looked to be well-off, with fancy hats and long flowing gowns for the ladies and crisp, tailor-made suits for the gentlemen. Women displayed expensive-looking jewelry; a few donned masquerade-ball eyemasks. Wine flowed freely into goblets, the smell of tobacco and freshly-prepared food wafted through the air. Guests were talking and mingling with one another under sparkling chandeliers hanging from the high, lofty ceilings.

A well-dressed man in a powdered wig appeared at the front of the room - and with his low, booming voice and impressive physical stature, it did not take long for him to capture everybody's attention.

"Meine Damen und Herren", the man began, "it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Schloss Esenwein. We are gathered here this evening to witness the transformation of a gentleman, a humble villager who has come into great fortune from a tragic event in his life. Please join me in welcoming the newest member of the Chrzan royal family - Herr Alger Maschke".

A thunderous applause followed - and then Klarissa's father appeared at the opposite side of the large ballroom.

Klarissa could not see him all that well... but from what she could see, she could hardly believe the man standing there was her father. He looked completely different - from head to toe he was wrapped in the time's most luxurious apparel. Seeing his friendly yet diffident round of waves to the admiring spectators, it was clear that he already regarded himself as a member of society's elite.

The applause eventually subsided, and the man with the powdered wig spoke again.

"It is with great honor that I introduce to you now, the leaders of this ceremony and future leaders of our land. Please welcome the Prince and Princess of Weesenstein, Herr and Frau Chrzan".

A low appreciative rumble swept throught the crowd as a very royal-looking young couple appeared on either side of the announcer. The man bowed graciously to the prince, then took a moment to politely kiss the hand of his wife (whose first name was Unna). The couple smiled sweetly to the adoring people gathered before them; claps and whistles erupted and echoed through the mighty fortress halls.

"We are pleased to be here tonight, as we welcome Herr Maschke into our family as an honorary member", the prince stated in a clear-sounding voice. "We will now ask Herr Maschke to come forward, so that he may rightfully receive this gift from us".

Trumpeters on both sides of the room suddenly blared a cheerful medieval melody as Alger slowly made his way to the other side, where he joined the waiting prince and his wife. The biggest, most important moment in the life of Klarissa's father had finally arrived... and Klarissa watched his every movement with nearly breathless excitement.

...I'm going to go out and buy myself a whole new computer. My week's vacation from work is coming up; I think I should be able to fit some time into getting myself a whole new PC. Using my roommate's is too chancy and unstable; she got back from the hospital yesterday but she didn't have the surgery and she still isn't feeling very well. Now she has to take certain medications at certain times, and that will be almost impossible because of her mental incapabilities. It's going to be choppy waters up here for the foreseeable future; once I have my own PC I will feel more in control and stabilized. But even so I've decided, I'm still going to help her with the cleaning, because she really can't do these things on her own. She just left to pick up some more medication - I asked her how she is feeling and she says she is fine, but of course I don't believe that.

...and slowly plotting along with Klarissa's story. Greenland sounds very interesting culture-wise; and anyone who has gazed at Greenlandic nature views knows how beautiful it is. Yet, would I want to go and visit Greenland? On that one I'm really not sure. First of all: it's expensive. Secondly, they only eat fish, seal and caribou up there (mostly) and I've been bred on American food. Thirdly, a lot of the country does not have things like flush toilets (!), running water, or hot water for your bathing needs (mm; doesn't sound too appealing). Fourthly, I absolutely HATE mosquitoes... and during the summer months, the mosquitoes are so numerous you are advised to wear a 'head net' to keep from being eaten alive during your hikes. Fifthly: transportation in and around the country is tediously slow; if you are there and a storm comes along, you may have to wait hours - or days, depending on the severity of the weather - before you can get from Point A to Point B. Scandinavian travel also isn't cheap; however I like to learn about these different places, because I sometimes take notes and use certain info as background information in my stories. After my 'book trip' to Greenland I am going to Hungary; then it's on to Norway, Svalbard and Longbearyen, Iceland and Romania. Will update Klarissa's 'situation' in a future blog entry.

...and I feel a huge sense of relief. Her mom came and picked her up; we knew this day was coming and I am so glad she has enough sense to go in and get it done now, rather than wait because it only would have been more disastrous... I didn't feel asking her whether I could borrow the PC in her absence was appropriate; she doesn't know how long she will be gone for, it all depends on how the surgery goes. The most important thing right now is that she gets better; I have no