The Wood & Copper Inn

An excerpt from the book: The Wood & Copper Inn…

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“What is your name sir?” Adams asked while poking at the fire with a stick. 

        “My name is… well honestly, names truly aren’t all that important are they?” the stranger replied, “But I have to say; people in this part of the country, from the lowly farmer to the wealthy landowner, usually don’t need a name to recognize me.” 

“And, who may I ask is your friend?” Adams asked, motioning to the stranger’s servant.

The stranger stared at Adams for a moment.  “As I said before, Mr. Adams, names do not matter,” the fancily dressed stranger replied.

Adams’s instinct kept his hand on his revolver that lay hidden within his shirt.  He kept his finger on the trigger. 

        The stranger smiled slyly.  “You will not need that, Mr. Adams,” the finely dressed stranger said as he slowly sat down on the smaller stone, the one closest to the cave entrance.  “Not that it would do you any good against the likes of me you know,” he said softly, yet quite menacingly enough that Adams noticed. 

Adams watched him sit, and he kept his eyes on the silver-tipped boots that shone in the firelight. 

        “To what may I owe this visit, sir?” Adams asked quite hospitably, “Why, may I ask, would such a richly dressed man such as yourself and his servant be doing in the wilds of these dark mountains?” the stranger did not answer, but he stared at Adams fixedly. 

“I do not recall seeing you sir.  I did not see you at the Wood & Copper Inn, nor did I notice you in the town thereabouts either,” Adams said, but received no answer. 

        The stranger stared at Adams for a moment, and then he reached into his weskit.  He produced a large, very worn, and black leather bound book.  He slowly placed it on the largest stone that lay between them, which was the one just to the side of the fire.  He put both palms back onto the top of his walking stick, and he leaned forward and stared at Adams with a wicked smile.

        Adams looked at the flames of the fire, and how they seemed to reach at the stranger’s boots.  He began to see images within the shadows cast from the firelight.  He noticed how they danced away on the wall.  He noticed how the shadows began taking human form, and how they twisted and turned as if they were now trying to move away from the stranger. 

Adams poured a cup of coffee and he offered it to the stranger. 

        “No thank you, friend Adams.  I never drink coffee, you see.  I prefer harder drink, and not unlike the fine ale that is made and served in that inn yonder through these fine mountain roads and hills,” the stranger said as he stared at Adams. 

“What part of the country are you from then?” Adams asked, keeping his wits under check.  Although, he already knew whom the stranger was, the purpose for the visit, and that he had been the very shadow had been following him since the Carolinas.  

He glanced back at the malevolent wraiths as they stirred in the storm strewn branches of the trees just outside of the cave.

“I am not from anywhere sir,” the stranger answered.

The King's Guard

Here we sit, on the third tower, my little friends and I.  We travel to the kingdom, and our party of merchants have taken refuge here for the night.  We sit here, and we watch the guard as they keep watch in all directions for evil creatures and sinister men.

The king's guard; how loyal they are. They watch the very edges of the kingdom.  They watch for the goblin hordes that live in burrows in the great southwestern forests.  They remain alert for the mighty stone giants that wander from the mountains.  They watch for the werewolves and werebears that prowl the great foggy fields that roll up and down as far as the great dark sea to the distant south.

One day, we shall grow and we shall hone our own skills.  We have pledged to do so, that we may one day join the ranks of the great king's guard.  How many monstrous ogres, crafty witches and foul cronks shall we slay?  Only the future will tell of our adventures as members of the king's guard.

Watchgate to the Sea

It was a giant gate that led to the eastern sea.  It can be seen by many leagues.  We do not know who built it, for it has always been there, and the languages carved upon it are not our own.  Some say that it was made by giants, who carried the colossal stones with which it is built.

Being a merchant, I myself have travelled under it many times.  Some say that it was built as a defense against marauders from the east.  Some say that it was built as a wartime defense of the ruins that lay a league to the west.  Some say that it will outlast us as it did it's builders, and that may be so.

One day, it will crumble and fall, and the last monument of a forgotten people will lie in ruin for an age.

In those days, those who are here will then wonder at it, and they will ponder and debate at what it looked like when it stood as the watchgate to the sea.

Tiny Creatures

There they are, friend.  Do you see them as they flutter through the grass and flowers?  You must look quickly, as they can see you before you see them, and they shall dart away in an instant.  Tiny and delicate creatures that they are, it was said that they were instrumental in the defeat of the great earthen armies and their master.

They moved silently through occupied lands, and whispered in the king's ear.  They revealed the wheres and the hows of the enemy's advance.  In the end, it was the king's army that was victorious.

Now, they fly and flutter about their favored patches and fields of flower beds and quiet dales.  There, they shall remain in peace.

I want my Summer back

It is freezing cold outside.  Its really freezing cold and slippery outside, and I don't like it.  Some people love the cold winds, and snow, and slippery ice, and good luck to them.  I keep saying to myself that I want to move somewhere where it never snows.

I obviously prefer the summer.  Let it reach high temperatures, and I'm fine with that.

The Summer is Gone

Where has the summer gone?  I want to see the leaves, and the grass, and the pile of rocks that we had set to be the marker between the river and our house.  The scrub grass is gone, although I didn't like stepping through it.  Now, I wish that I could run through it and reminisce.

The dogs that barked when we went to school would make us run by.  Now, the dogs, their fence, their house, and their whole block is gone. The trees that lined our playground; the sturdy trees that we could not wrap our arms around, are gone as well.  The elderly people that would always sit on that porch and talk as we came back from school are also gone.

How I wish that I could walk by once more and hear them again, but there is a mall there now, and the sound of conversation was replaced by the sounds of traffic, and fighting, and sirens.  Even the clean air is gone; replaced by the smell of gasoline, dirty oil, and billowing black smoke from tall smokestacks.

Now, it is cold and wet.  Now there is steel and glass and greed in every direction.

I miss the summer.

A 3D Pocket Watch by a 3D Muskrat

This image consists of several 3D objects that I built, and set them in a 3D world.  That means that they do not truly exist.  I built, textured, and rendered them in this composition.  It has been some time that I built such a composition of objects, and I would like to build another.

The only thing that I didn't like was the fake-looking wood texture on the oil lamp.

Maybe I'll take a day off from writing and build one.

Rambunctious Pet

We were about to sit down to dinner, when we noticed that puppy wasn't there with us.  We called for him in the living room, kitchen, and even in the laundry room where he likes to sleep.  We went out into the back yard and called out for him.

Finally, while searching near the tulips, we found him digging into the neighbor's carrot patch.  He had dug several holes, there were carrots everywhere, and he was filthy.  Luckily, nobody else had seen him commit the act.

We took him back inside, and cleaned him up.  We were hopeful that the neighbor would blame it on the squirrels or raccoons, but the following day, he brought over some of the half eaten carrots so that puppy could finish them off.

Oh well.

Coral and Volcanic Earth

Many leagues of relentless desert heat.  We fell in the sand long ago, and still we wander it.  We watch as the caravans pass, and we follow them.  Far from our last steps, lies the great sea.  We follow the coast up and down, and we watch those that live there.  They do not see us.  At the end of the day, we return to our last step, and we reminisce.

This is a scene of a desert town that sits at the edge of the sea somewhere.  Are there volcanoes in the desert?  Maybe.  Coral have built their colonies all over volcanic earth there, and even there, stories of ghosts exist.

Little Red

I used a previous scene to develop this one.  The subject is my favorite fairy tale of all time.  One would think that Little Red would stop walking through the dark and dangerous woods; and all by herself.  Well, if she did, then who would care?  So there she is, and always haunted by Mr. Big Bad himself.

It's way too cold outside.

Somewhere in the world there is a beach chair and a mai tai waiting… Who doesn't want to spend the winter in the tropics.

An unconventional convention

I built a little character and multiplied it an unknown number of times.  I rendered it and here it is.  What are they doing? What is the image's title? That doesn't matter.  Maybe it is something that is currently happening on a distant planet at this very moment.  Maybe it is something that happens in the refrigerator late at night when everyone is sleeping… or writing.

The ever elusive Jelly Park

A scene of a peaceful park someplace.  The birds always sing there.  There are no restrictions there.  There are no ridiculously expensive parking meters there.  People aren't mean to each other there.  You never hear fire engine or police sirens there.  You can fish there without owing anyone anything.  You don't have to buy permits for this and licenses for that.  Everyone is welcomed there.  I wish that there was such a place.

Just an old phone

Digging around my old renders, I found this one.

A few years ago, a friend of mine had this phone.  In those days, I had 3D building Madness, and I reproduced her phone in the virtual world.  From what I remember, this thing took me approximately one weekend to complete.  Every number, letter and shape was a separate object.

Too bad that the render result wasn't the best.

By the icy bank

By the icy bank of an unknown river, the last of the robbers lay.  They had planned the heist.  They shot down seven, and successfully robbed the small town bank.  They eluded those who came after them, and found themselves in the frozen plains.  One by one they perished as they foolishly continued northward.  In the end, the last of them gazed at the swaying trees and listened to the cry of the frozen wind.

I believe that the chest of gold is still there.  It remains there amongst the frozen hills and prairies.

Back from Neptune

I've been away on Neptune for a few weeks.  The scenery there is so spectacular!  If you ever get the chance to go, do visit the moons as well.  They are so distinct.  O.k., maybe I should lay off the Pepsi Throwback and Flaming Hot chips for a while.

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I built this composition some time ago, when I was in my 3D object building mega phase.  I still build 3D objects, although not near as much as I did back then.  The "foliage" is not mine, although, I did arrange it in my composition.  I did build the windmill.  I was looking over some of my images, and I thought that maybe I would like to build book covers for people.

What do you think?