A Stranger in Copper Creek Chapter 1: Crystal Clear As Barrett Hawke crossed the threshold into the dusty town, the scent of deception that clung to his soiled handkerchief mingled with the air of suspicion that hung heavy over the desolate streets. The windows of ramshackle buildings bore the gaze of a dozen hidden onlookers. Through the heart of this forsaken town flowed a narrow, serpentine rivulet, the unassuming “Copper’s Creek” that gave this place its moniker, a fact that drew a wry chuckle from Hawke. His boots splashed in the shallow water, scattering droplets onto the parched, sunbaked sand. His destination was the general store he had spied a few miles off, a simple establishment marked by a spigot standing sentry at its entrance, sporting a sign that declared, “5 cents a bucket”. From the dimness within the store emerged a rotund man, his jovial face belied by the town’s desolate atmosphere. “Good lord, son, you’re a sight for sore eye...
2023 In the thought of Armageddon, there is thrill and fright, A spectacle of ends conceived in the dread of night. From faiths sprung and life's work swung on this dire thought, Since Atlantis' tale was first taught, the human mind it sought. This cosmic vision unfolds, a saga where we lose, In the universe's entropy, our identities diffuse. 'Twas merely a nightmare in our history's early stage, 'Til weapons and the world's rhythm pushed us to this age. The harmless dream, a reality, a looming, potent threat, Closer to obliteration than we've ever gotten yet. Each advancement, each creation, chips at our protective shell, Facing the apathetic cosmos, an unsympathetic hell. Energy borrowed, moved, not birthed anew, Teetering on the precipice, a chasm broad and true. False safety, false era, delusions of our time, All history, all struggles, on the edge of a dime. Great minds and riches, obliterated, unreme...