#the mummy love story

[angel-0f-verdun]

16 Unrelenting Turmoil

Previous Chapter

As we got to the top of the stairs Ardeth set me down on a chair in the library while he went searching for gauze to wrap my hand. I smiled to myself sitting there realizing that this was where the journey had all started. Had I never worked here or Rick never been missing, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. I found myself feeling grateful that we weren’t adopted as children, who knows how I would have turned out had I grown up a socialite in America. I cringed at the thought of those dresses with corsets I had seen in the papers.

I heard some commotion near the front of the building footsteps quickly rushing through the hall. I spotted the curator come out from his office to meet the group which was most likely my brother and the Carnahans. Dr. Bay greeted them and they talked in hushed voices as Rick’s eyes caught my own noticing me. Ardeth cut off my view of him as he stepped into my line of sight. I smiled at him as he gingerly took my hand wrapping the gauze around multiple times to staunch the bleeding. He then transferred his attention to my thigh where the fabric had ripped. He looked into my eyes asking for permission to rip the fabric more. I nodded as I felt the feeling of eyes on me. He tore it, wrapping the gauze around the wound as the blood-soaked through almost immediately. 

“I thought I told you to watch her, not maim her.” I heard the accusatory voice of my brother as his heavy footsteps approached us. 

“It’s fine Rick we were playing with swords. One way to pass the time while you were off gallivanting with the others.” I said to him waving my left hand around to make a point, annoyed that he suddenly started caring about this.

“What is that?” He asked, ‘fuck’ I mentally cursed myself hoping that we wouldn’t have to have this conversation just yet. 

“It’s nothing,” I said as I placed my hand underneath the leg that Ardeth was wrapping. This caught the attention of Evy and Jon who walked up interrupting Rick’s incoming fury. Evy gave me a look of confusion and intrigue, a smile tugging at her mouth. 

“Let’s see Eris.” She said as she stood next to Rick her fingers grazing his arm. I could tell he relaxed the second she touched him. I was grateful for her presence then. Ardeth looked up at me when he had finished the wrapping. I yanked the gauze out of his grip and started to wrap his shoulder to prevent him from moving. 

“Holy smokes, look at the size of that thing. It’s like a golf ball on your finger.” I heard Jon gasp as he caught sight of the rock on my finger. I watched my husband's face seeing a smile start to form. I could tell he was delighted at the reaction.

“Oh my god, it’s absolutely beautiful, let me see,” Evy said, brushing past Rick’s shoulder and kneeling down as well. I gave her my left hand and saw Rick turn as red as a tomato. Evy noticed the wedding band, I felt her fingers move it a little. 

“You and he?” she asked with a soft smile gracing her face. I nodded unsure how to break this news to my brother. 

“I wasn’t even invited.” I heard Rick slowly put the pieces together. His voice didn’t hold a tone of anger but rather sadness. 

“She is that missing link for me as you have found with Evelyn,” Ardeth uttered, watching me entirely while he said it. I smiled at him, unable to resist him. I leaned forward, capturing his lips in a soft peck. I stood up wincing at the blood rush to my legs walking toward my brother. His eyes met mine and it looked as if he was mulling something over. 

“You never were one to take things slowly. Are you sure about this?” Rick asked me, I nodded. 

“Alright, Ardeth, welcome to the chaos.” He said as he walked over to hug the man. As he did I saw Ardeth wince as his shoulder got the brunt of it. When Rick let go he chuckled a bit, 

“Watch out for her, she’ll annihilate you with swords… But it seems you’ve already figured that out.” He said. 

“Yes, a butcher taught her how to fight, not a swordsman.” He repeated the words he had told me just a few minutes ago.

“Yes, what was his name again Eris? Gary? It was some weird name.” I sighed as he kept the conversation going. I wanted to get off the topic.

“Geralt.” I said shortly, Evy knew what I was talking about as her head spun toward me with wide eyes. She cleared her throat, regaining her composure. 

“Yeah, that was it… I seem to remember--” Rick kept going as I gave Evy a look, she elbowed him in the ribs to get him to stop talking. 

“What was that for?” He grumbled looking down at Evy next to him. 

“We really should get started on finding out where the golden book is.” She said as she spun around and started walking towards the stairwell. 

“Sorry? What gold book?” I asked her as Ardeth and I followed the group up the stairs with the curator leading us toward the room that held the tablet sitting at the top of the steps. 

“Well, according to legend the black book that the Americans found at Hamunaptra is supposed to bring people back from the dead. Until now it was a notion I was unwilling to believe” Evy explained.

“Well believe it sister, that's what brought our buddy back to life,” Rick told her with a scoff in his voice as we made it to the first landing. 

“Yes, and I’m thinking if the black book can bring dead people to life…” Evy started her thought. 

“Then maybe the gold book will kill him.” Rick finished her sentence. 

“That’s the myth. Now, we just have to find out where the gold book is hidden.” Evy explained as we reached the second floor. 

“Imhotep” I could hear the chanting start outside. 

“What’s that?” I asked them unsure what to expect when we left the safety of the museum. Evy turned around away from the tablet to look out the window. 

“Last but not least, my favorite plague, boils and sores.” Jon morbidly breathed out. 

“They have become his slaves. So it has begun, the beginning of the end.” Ardeth said his hand slipping into mine. 

“Not quite yet it hasn’t. Come on.” Evy replied to everyone determined to get us out of this mess. She ran quickly back to the tablet as I eyed the crowd forming outside. I squeezed Ardeth’s hand as I moved quickly back down the stairs ignoring the pain that spread through my leg. 

“Where’re you going?” I heard Rick ask looking down at me over the railing with Ardeth. 

“To get a sword. We won’t be able to shoot our way out of this.” I told him as I continued on my mission. Ardeth nodded at me but I could tell he wasn’t happy to let me go alone. My legs carried me toward the path that Ardeth had led me down to the basement.

The air turned cold as I rushed through the storage area towards where the concrete turned to sand in the training area. I ran to the wooden stand and reached for the sheath strapping it to my back, then grabbing the sword that I had used not long ago to prove my skill to my husband. Just as I was about to sheath it my eyes flickered to Ahmanet hiding in the shadows of the room near the wall. Not wanting to confront the demon standing in front of me I turned on my heel trying to escape from her foreboding presence. Before I could start a run the wind was knocked from my lungs as I felt the cold concrete of the wall on my back. I groaned as I hit the floor, she was pissed and stronger than she was before. 

“You thought you could escape me?” She muttered walking up to my curled-up body on the floor as I coughed blood coming out of my mouth. I knew immediately that I had broken a rib as it hurt to breathe. I spit the blood from my mouth grabbing a handful of sand discreetly. 

“I can always try,” I told her, attempting to get up from the ground. She stopped that movement, putting a hand on my neck and pushing my face further into the grains of sand. I stopped struggling against her, the force too much for my broken body to withstand. 

“ARDETH!!” I yelled out before Ahmanet pulled me up by my neck, the cold wall behind my back again as she silenced my voice. I struggled to breathe as she choked me. 

“He can't hear your screams of peril,” She said menacingly as I tried to pry her hands away from my throat but the attempts I made didn’t matter as I started to see black fog my vision. I remembered the sand I held in my hand and thrust the grain at her face. She scoffed and squeezed tighter. The world fading away. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears slowing down. Just before the black took my entire world away I was dropped back onto the ground a groan emitting from my throat as I lay there for a second catching my breath yet again. 

“Eris, my love.” I heard his words echo through the space unwilling to open my eyes for fear I wasn’t in my body anymore. 

“What the hell happened?” I heard Rick as his feet hit the sand. 

“Open your eyes.” I heard Ahmanet’s now disembodied voice coming from inside my mind. I did as she asked, seeing Ardeth crouched in front of my head. I looked around the room trying to find her again. 

“She’s back, she was here,” I uttered, unsure how else to explain it at first. 

“She’s growing stronger from the catalyst of Imhotep rising. It’s almost as if she’s here with me in the physical world.” Ardeth nodded slowly then touched his forehead to mine. The intimate moment was interrupted by my brother clearing his throat.

“I hate to interrupt such a caring moment but we should really get going.” Evy said, breaking the tense silence that fell over the room. I moved to get up from the floor feeling the aches and pains more prominent this time. I reached for the sword that had dropped from my hand when I had tried to run away. I put it in the sheath behind my back, straightening out my muscles and stretching them. 

“Alright, let’s go.” I followed the group from the basement and out to the front of the building where Jonathan was waiting with the car. Right before Jonathan could punch the gas to get us out of there I heard a voice yell from the steps of the museum. 

“IMHOTEP!! IMHOTEP!!” Beni yelled, getting the mummy’s attention from where we had been standing at the window just a few minutes ago. Imhotep screamed, his jaw unhinging covered with decay that had not been fixed yet. The last person he would need was Daniels who was safely in the car with us. I cringed, not wanting to think about the man’s fate. I felt Ardeth’s arm hook around my shoulder steadying me as the car took off in the direction of the inner city streets. 

“You’re gonna get yours Beni, you hear me? You’re gonna get yours!”Rick yelled from the front seat of the car near Jon. He drove through the streets of houses that covered the block. Jon stopped abruptly, the brakes of the car squealing as we faced a mob of Imhotep’s slaves. After a moment of sitting there, Rick used his foot to push the car forward causing Jon to let out a squeak as the car started to move forward into the mob of people. 

“Hang on,” Rick told the rest of us as people started to hit the windshield of Jon’s car. After being bulldozed they started to climb onto the car. Separating me from Ardeth as we both prepared for a fight. I grabbed the dagger I had hidden in my boot, slashing the wrists of a few that were gripped onto the love of my life. I ducked as I noticed Ardeth about to punch me in the face. I heard the scream of a man behind me who went flying off the car and into some baskets of food that lined the streets. 

“O’Connell, O’Connell!!” I heard Daniels scream as he was being carried off the car by a few of the indentured. I shared a brief look with Ardeth as we let him go, continuing to fight off the others that were still latched onto the car. For a moment it was silent and everyone stopped. The crowd was gone from around us, going after the last American that had opened that chest in Hamunaptra. As soon as I had taken a breath a huge crash sent my body forward through the air. I felt Ardeth grab my shoulders holding me in place where we stood in the back of the car. The mob caught up to us, Ardeth pushed me out of the car to follow Evy, Jon, and the curator standing in front of the market that used to be set up every Sunday to buy fruits and other things that tourists would enjoy. I reached for my sword on my back holding it in front of the crowd that was starting to surround us. Rick was trying to hold them off with the torch he had picked up from the street. 

“It’s the creature, he’s fully regenerated.” Dr. Bay whispered to us pulling me from the nostalgic thought. The crowd made a path for Imhotep to walk through. There was no longer decay on his mouth he was entirely whole now. 

“Come with me, my princess it is time to make you mine for all eternity.” Imhotep walked up to Evy. I felt Ahmanet rise to the surface, once again. My posture changed abruptly as I looked over at Ardeth to find him already watching me. He reached for my hand and Ahmanet quickly pulled it away from him. I watched as his eyes showed a hurt expression watching as my eyes doubled. He knew what was coming.

“For all eternity, idiot.” Evy corrected Beni’s words as he was translating for the rest of us. 

“Fight her Eris.” I heard Ardeth whisper to me, catching the attention of the curator. I did as he asked, trying to push toward the front of my mind and get her out of my body. I felt her start to lose hold. 

“Take my hand and I will spare your friends.” Imhotep said to us. 

“Oh dear… Have you got any bright ideas?” Evy said to Rick as she debated her options. 

“You have nowhere else to go but with him” I heard my voice ring through the air. I pushed Evy forward towards Imhotep. I watched as Rick looked back toward me his eyes widening at the sight of me. He looked to Ardeth briefly sharing a look as one of his hands left the torch for Evy.

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking.” He said to her as I felt Ardeth wrap a chain around my wrists behind me. I felt Ahmanet scream in my head as the silver touched my skin. I crumpled into a sitting position on the ground. 

“You better think of something fast, because if he turns me into a mummy you're the first one I’m coming after.” Evy said to Rick as she started to walk forward revealing me behind her. At the sight of Imhotep Ahmanet easily broke the chain that bound my wrists, the jolt of energy pushing me toward Evy and Imhotep. She shared a look with the fully regenerated mummy.

“No,” Rick grunted out a look of desperation reaching for his pistol. Ardeth quickly reached out and stopped him from shooting. He held him back his own emotions running wild across his face. 

“Don’t, he still has to take me to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual,” Evy told Rick watching as the two men struggled internally with letting us go. My back straightened as I put the sword away watching my husband hold back my brother. 

“The sword skills were a delightful surprise Eris. They will come in handy.” She said to me as she let go of control for just a second. Allowing me to speak.

“I love you,” I whispered, talking to them both unsure if this was where we left each other forever.

“She is right, live today, fight tomorrow.” Ardeth breathed out not wanting to let me out of his sight. Rick put the pistol away begrudgingly knowing that it wouldn’t help the current situation. 

“I’ll be seeing you again.” Rick glared at Imhotep and me. 

“Evelyn,” Rick uttered as we turned away from him and started to walk towards the path that had been cleared for us out of the city. I watched as Ahmanet started to converse with the mummy. I was too bogged down with her to struggle anymore. I needed to refresh my mind to figure out a way out of this. I slowly let the darkness consume me as we traveled back across the desert toward the city that had started this unending nightmare. 

Next Chapter

[iamamythologicalcreature]

Carry On Through the Ages (all the way back to Ancient Egypt)

"A Prophesied Rivalry:

This painting, remarkably well-preserved, was recovered from the tomb of a previously unknown and as-yet unidentified woman of significant power, whose rediscovery has fascinated Egyptologists. Historical analysis suggests she was believed to possess a gift for prophecy, and this artwork is very likely an attempt to illustrate one of her visions.

Here, she and her husband are depicted championing their son, who faces an outsider in combat. The outsider is also supported by an enigmatic figure of seemingly great power, foretelling a great struggle between two mighty forces, though whether these forces were meant to be supernatural or more mundane is not clear.

The dog shown, intriguingly, held a place of honor within the family and was found interred in a nearby chamber. The cat's presence, however, remains enigmatic, as the "Cats vs Dogs" reputation cultivated by these domesticated animals today is not something observed elsewhere in Ancient Egyptian artwork. Noted Egyptologists Miriam Blackwood and Theodore Langston have half-jokingly speculated that its inclusion was a mere artistic preference, hinting at the painter’s fondness for cats."

I've always loved Ancient Egyptian art, ever since childhood. I've wanted to do something like this ever since I first read of Baz's ancestry, so @carryonthroughtheages seemed the best excuse to dabble in this ancient art style.

I talked to @monbons about it and apparently the stars and planets were in alignment that day, because she agreed to collaborate with me. She’s created some absolutely gorgeous fiber art to go along with Natasha’s prophecies. And then she surprised me with a Baz doll, because she is amazing. (I love him so much and we are going to look at fashion books together. It’s going to be awesome.)

This is definitely fanart of both Ancient Egyptian art and Snowbaz. Both are worth diving into if you find yourself curious to know more!

[thomas-life]

Here's some fanart I made of Mummy Joe's character Missy from his YouTube/instagram short "Deathface the Horsey."

I don't know what it is about their characters but I felt compelled to draw this brave rootin' tootin' rebel.

Obviously I took come artistic liberties seeing as Mummy Joe doesn't do a lot of details...

I hope Missy makes it to the Grand Canyon so she and Deathface can jump it!

[yandere-fetish]

2024 Monstober Masterlist

Oct. 1 - Haunted House “Yandere’s House of Horrors”

Oct. 2 - Under the Sea “Treacherous Waters”

Oct. 3 - Dinner and A Show “A Bloody Good Show”

Oct. 4 - Ancient Tomb “To Worship or To Be Worshiped”

Oct. 5 - Spider’s Web

Oct. 6 - Candy

Oct. 7 - Costume Shopping

Oct. 8 - Old book

Oct. 9 - Witch’s Brew

Oct. 10 - Spooky ball

Oct. 11 - Transmigration

Oct. 12 - Skeleton

Oct. 13 - Unlucky 13

Oct. 14 - Black Cat

Oct. 15 - Flames

Oct. 16 - Tentacles

Oct. 17 - Full Moon

Oct. 18 - Bloody fangs

Oct. 19 - Scythe

Oct. 20 - Pumpkins

Oct. 21- Corn maze

Oct. 22 - Hex

Oct. 23 - Ouija Board

Oct. 24 - Slasher

Oct. 25 - Zombies

Oct. 26 - Crystal Ball

Oct. 27 - Animatronics

Oct. 28 - Black Candle

Oct. 29 - Scarecrow

Oct. 30 - Mixing Potions

Oct. 31 - Sacrifice

[romancemedia]

Highlights of 2023 - My Top Couples

[deathshadowed]

𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕨𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕒 𝕄𝕒𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕟'𝕤 𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖

𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐝 // 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬

+18 only, fandomless, heavily Western / gothic Western rooted original character Karma with many significant verses to fit into certain fandoms & scenarios. Selective, OC & crossover friendly. Mun & muse are +21

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫

𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘: an unexpected take on death, chasing adrenaline at all costs, fears no evil because she is Death and the valley is hers along with the shadows, supernatural elements hidden in plain sight, 12 lives in two chambers, buried but never healed grief, a name which eventually catches up with everyone like death does, the true definition of chaotic little shit good, slow decline of identity, yet an another Véghváry who has no idea how she's gotten cursed, gritty gothic western & everything that comes with it

♡ / ↻ 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭

𝓛𝓮𝓽 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓫𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓼𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓮

[angel-0f-verdun]

17 As Above, So Below

Previous Chapter

I looked around concerned, I didn't recognize my surroundings. It was a place I had never been before but it did remind me of the catacombs of Hamunaptra. I looked around and to my right a torch lit, almost as if on cue, immediately pulling my attention toward it. I watched as the light bounced off the limestone walls illuminating the ornate artwork. I stood from my position on the ground hoping to find some answers from the paintings on the wall. When I walked through the room to the North wall I felt eyes on me, something was here with me in the room and I knew I needed to get out as soon as I felt the presence. The hair on my neck stood as I worked quickly to find the answers that I wanted. 

As above, so below. That which has been, will return again. As heaven, so on earth. 

I read from the wall, sighing as I knew it was just a riddle that the Egyptians loved to place in these underground areas. I looked elsewhere to see if I could find another passage to help me figure out where I was. Just as I was about to back away from the North wall and turn to the others, the uncomfortable feeling came back tenfold, and I quickly abandoned my plan to read more. I walked toward the wall again, reaching out to press on it to see if something would give way to get me out of the room. Shadows started bouncing around the room from quick-moving figures that no doubt wanted me out of the room as well. As I was starting to give up and face my fear, the wall opened sideways and torches lit one by one down a long hallway revealing a way out. Before I set my sights on running down it I decided to close the wall pushing it with all my might to keep the shadows away from where I had just escaped. Before it was completely closed I felt a sting run through my arm. Once it was closed I put my back toward the door and slid down to the ground into a sitting position. I sighed looking at my arm seeing a thin razor-like scratch running from my mid forearm to my wrist, the tattoos that had previously graced my body now gone. I watched as the blood beaded off and fell into the sand.

I knew I didn't have much time before something started to come after me in this area of the underground labyrinth. I stood tearing off a piece of cloth from my shirt and wrapping up the wound to staunch the blood flow. I pushed forward, slowly, through the well-lit corridor as it dead-ended, except for the small hole in the wall, I took a deep breath knowing there was no other way around it but I needed to continue or face an unknown death. I looked down the passageway and saw a creature curled up in the back, it resembled a very skeletal cat. I watched as it licked itself cleaning the thin leathery skin that covered its body. It noticed me, its eyes glowing yellow, hissing, it launched itself down the passageway at me. I quickly searched my person for a weapon and found a knife that was attached to my waistband. As the cat attached to my body, I thrust the knife into its body feeling it go limp the moment it touched me.

Cats are the guardians of the underworld. 

I heard Dr. Bey's voice flow through my head reminding me of the reason that cats were significant in Egyptian culture. I looked at the cat that was now at my feet curled up in an awkward position, I bet he'd never foreseen these demonic skeletal cats as protectors. I put the knife away as I started to ready myself to crawl through the very passageway that the cat had just attacked me from. I pondered the quote on the door that had led me here as I crawled through, distracting myself from the intense feeling of claustrophobia that erupted in my chest. As above, so below. I recalled a passage I had read in a book, the phrase was meant to be the key to all magic. It meant that what is within me is also outside of me. As I believe the world to be so it is. As I reached the end of the passage where the cat had been I noticed it started to go vertical, perpendicular to my current positioning. I propped myself into a squatting position as I attempted to shimmy up the passage feeling as if I was continuing to go downward instead of up as my internal compass was starting to diminish. I finally broke through into another room leaving the small hole as I pushed myself over the ledge. I heard scratching coming from behind me, I looked down to see a horde of cats running around below me trying to make their way to me from the vertical climb. It was too steep for them to climb, thank god. I looked around the room finding a wooden board to put over the hole in the floor. Right after it was covered I heard growling fill the corridor. But it wasn't emanating from a cat, rather it sounded like a giant dog. I shivered not wanting to hear what I knew was going to happen next. The tearing of flesh and monstrous hisses from the cats. I willed my emotions to remain clear as I eyed a bookshelf that could keep whatever had killed the cats from getting up here.

I stood on the wooden panel as I tried to topple the bookshelf onto the hole in the floor. When it finally fell a storm of sand and dust clouded my vision. I could feel the pounding on the board as the large dog creature tried to jump up. I felt for the wall feeling my way towards another open area. I leaned up against a column that held the ceiling up, overlooking a pit. I grimaced as I noticed the spikes that filled it just waiting for someone to fall into it. I looked around finding a rope that was tied off to the column that I was leaning on, it seemed someone else had been there before me. I pulled on the rope testing its limits, it didn't fray or break, and I felt confident enough that it would hold my weight for me to get down into the pit.

The bookshelf started shaking, propelling me to move forward quickly. I slid down the rope and into the pit where another hole in the wall opened revealing more cats. I ran towards the opposite wall where there was a door for a human to get through. I quickly moved, noticing that the cats were not after me this time, instead they were heading toward where the bookshelf was. I didn't stay too long to ponder what that was about, I was just happy that they weren't after me. I slammed the door shut behind me looking at a new chiseled limestone door. I quickly dropped to my knees trying to find a clue as I heard the cats getting louder and louder out in the pit. 

Words spoken by He who is in the Embalming Chamber: Pay attention to the decision of the truthfulness and the plummet of the balance according to its stance. For death is the doorway to new life. We live today. We shall live again. In many forms shall we return. 

I shivered as I read it but sweat dripped off my forehead. Was this it? The end of the nightmare that plagued me for so long? I watched as the door unhinged itself, debris once again moving through the area. It was dark as I stared into the room, I could barely see a foot in front of me and I knew something was in there with me before I stepped foot into the room. For an odd reason, I felt a wave of relaxation come over me, safety and ease immediately rolled over my body. I let out a sigh unsure what this feeling was and became mindfully weary of my surroundings. I walked forward into the middle, where I saw a board placed in a vertical position with straps that could hold someone in. I noticed a limp body with its head hanging down still strapped in. The man's heart was missing, more like ripped from his chest, dried blood still on his shirt. To the left of that, there was a scale next to the board. I knew exactly what this was, I was about to have my heart weighed on a scale to decide my sins of this previous world. As above, so below.

I watched horror-stricken as a jackal standing on two legs approached me from the shadows. Its skin much like the cat's, leathery and falling slowly off its skeletal form, this was Anubis. At that moment I realized what this was, this entire labyrinth was built to keep Anubis down here weighing the hearts of those who perished against Maat, the goddess of truth's feather. The muscles beneath his skin were red and decaying, it was an atrocious sight. I shrunk backward trying to fade away as the torches lit the room. Anubis roared, shaking the entire room as he stalked toward me. Before it could reach out to grab me another jackal came out from behind me. This one was not decaying or rotting instead he looked as if he had come from another world. I watched as they stalked each other roaming in a circle before lunging at each other. I stayed frozen where I stood as the two jackals fought teeth clamping on each other's necks. It lasted a while and I couldn't discern the two after so much damage had been done, they both looked the same. Eventually, there was a winner with a roar he threw the other jackal to the corridor I had come from knocking over the scales that lay in the room. Watching me curiously, his ears flicking towards me listening to my breathing. I knew immediately that this was the one who had come from behind me to protect me, at least I hoped. It slowly approached me, making sure not to scare me but because he towered over me I could immediately feel my heartbeat pick up. I was positive it could hear the beating inside my chest as it looked down at me and it lowered itself onto four legs instead of two. It came up to me and nuzzled its snout on my cheek. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, relief washing over me. It backed away from me looking me in the eye.

"I assume you are why I felt safe coming in here?" I asked it, noticing its heterochromia, one eye brown and the other green. My brain was reeling from the fight and I didn't know what to say. 

"Set?" I asked the jackal, his ears flickered as it nodded. I felt the tattoo on my wrist burn as Set's claw touched it. The eyes of the jackal on my wrist now colored the same as the one in front of me. I gasped unsure of what to make of this moment, I knew his history and it scared me. But I knew that the only thing on my mind was getting out of this tomb and being back in my mind and body. He must have sensed my will to leave this place where his prized child Ahmanet had stuck me. He reached his paw out opening it like a chair for me to sit in. I took the opportunity as his claws wrapped around me like a toy doll. And he quickly scaled the vertical chamber out of the pyramid and set me down on the sand. In the daylight, I could fully see the size of the jackal. He was massive, about two times the statue we had seen in Hamunaptra. 

"Thank you," I told him unsure of what else to say in this unreal situation. He showed me his teeth almost as if trying to smile. I nodded and ran out of the cave and into the sunlight which quickly warmed my skin. I realized almost immediately that I was having an out-of-body experience as I watched myself being controlled by Ahmanet who was standing with pride next to Imhotep as he was tossing a plane about in the sky. Evy looked helplessly between me and Imhotep debating her next move. I wasn't sure what to do so I ran with full force toward myself. 

***

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in 'The Pyramid', 'As Above, So Below', or 'The Mummy'. Only my original character within the story. 

[lonelylittledot]

you ever want to go on an epic supernatural adventure and fall in love with a charming swashbuckling rogue, but then you remember you have anxiety so bad you can barely write an email

[ava-of-shenanigans]

So, I watched The Mummy (1999) last night, and I thought it was a good movie (inaccurate to ancient Egypt and Egyptology, but still a good movie). But it did remind me of this one story from Greek period ancient Egypt, that’s actually kind of similar to the plot of the movie? So I’m gonna ramble about that for a while now.

This story is called Setne and Naneferkaptah, and it also has a Person Who Is An Expert In Fields Related To The Mummies and Curses™ looking for a magic book that’s protected by curses, and a dead guy from an older time and his girlfriend (wife, in this story) who want to stop them from doing that. The Expert™ in this story is Prince Setne (he’s a magician), who was an actual real guy who existed, he was the son of Ramesses II, and he was used in ancient Egyptian fiction as the protagonist of a few stories, not just this one. The magic book is called the Book of Thoth, it was made by the god Thoth, and there two spells in it that will give you a bunch of cool powers, including being able to talk to animals. The dead guy who’s tomb Setne breaks into is called Naneferkaptah, and he stole the book of Thoth from the original place where it was, but then him, his wife Ahwere, and his son all got killed by the gods because of that, so now the Book of Thoth is in his tomb.

Anyway, the story (well, the surviving parts of it that we have) starts with Setne in the the tomb of Naneferkaptah, with Ahwere telling him the story of how she and Naneferkaptah got married and were really happy, but were then killed after Naneferkaptah stole the Book of Thoth. The place Naneferkaptah steals the Book of Thoth from originally isn’t a tomb, it’s a multilayered box at the bottom of a huge body of water. I guess there are what you could call “traps” around it? There’s just a bunch of bugs. And snakes. Six miles of scorpions and snakes and other reptiles all around the box. Naneferkaptah uses a spell to get past all the bugs and snakes, and then he fights the guardian of the book, which is another snake. He fights it thee times, the first two times it comes back to life, but the third time he cuts it in half and it stays dead.

Setne demands they give him the book after Ahwere finishes telling him that story, and Naneferkaptah is like, “Dude, my wife just told you how taking this book is a super bad idea, why do you still want it?” But Setne is doing that protagonist thing where just hearing the story within a story isn’t enough to get him to learn the moral, and bad things have to happen to him in order for him to learn it, so he plays board games with Naneferkaptah to try and win the book from him. Setne keeps losing, and every time he loses Naneferkaptah hits him the head with the board they’re using, which makes him sink deeper and deeper into the sand he’s standing on. This keeps happening until Setne is about to suffocate in the sand, at which point he just cheats and steals the book from Naneferkaptah with magic.

Then there’s this fakeout sequence, where Setne gets so horny for a woman that he’s willing to orders all his children to be killed in order to sleep with her, but at the last moment it turns out the woman wasn’t real, Setne’s kids are fine, it didn’t actually happen and Setne’s just naked and embarrassed now. Having learned an important lesson about the destructive nature of greed, Setne returns the book to Naneferkaptah. Setne also finds the bodies of Ahwere and her son (they were buried in a seperate tomb) and moves them to Naneferkaptah‘s tomb, so they can be dead and in love together for the rest of time.

So anyway, if you ever wondered about what ancient Egyptian stories about tomb robbing cursed texts were like, now you know.

[chiropteracupola]

and here is kate all ghosted

[bronzewool]

Me researching genetically engineered fish after spending the last two years obsessing over FFVII and its entire SOLDIER programme subplot:

"I'm going to use this information responsibly" - I lied like the liar I am

Research Variation

Rainbow Trout - To study muscle development

Zebrafish - To study heart tissue repair and failure

Grasscarp - To study lactoferrin

Pet Variation

Zebrafish, Medaka Black tetra, tiger barb - Bred with the green fluorescent protein extract from jellyfish to develop fluorescent lighting when under white and ultraviolet light. Research eventually led to different colourations:

Trademarked names - "Starfire Red", "Moonrise Pink", "Sunburst Orange", "Electric Green", "Cosmic Blue", and "Galactic Purple".

Food Variation

Salmon, trout and tilapia - Injected with growth hormones to increase the rate of development by double or even 100x their regular body weight

[guiltyblogging]

Sorry in advance. My tags lost the plot. Take note and get some sleep, kids. Lack of sleep rots your brain, I'm proof.

[touchaheartnews]

How a Nigerian Woman's Early Morning Cooking Went Viral and Changed Her Life

How a Nigerian Woman's Early Morning Cooking Went Viral and Changed Her Life

Touchaheart – Mummy Zee, or Debbie, is a Nigerian woman who has become an overnight sensation on X (former Twitter). She shared a post on the social media platform about three days ago that sparked a lot of reactions and discussions. In her post, she confessed: “I’ve always been too lazy to wake up and get his lunch ready. But the day he told me a colleague brought two spoons so he’ll eat with…

[athena14044]

Here’s my Mummy movie ranking bc I didn’t watch 6 movies in a painkiller induced haze for no reason:

1. The Mummy (1932) - a little slow and I had a hard time focusing due to aforementioned pain killer induced haze but Boris Karloff slayed and it’s the only one with a unique concept which ig I can’t really complain about in a franchise like this but omg all the others feel like a worse rehash of something else not even necessarily of the original mummy

2. The Mummy’s Tomb - something about changing the setting to rural Massachusetts worked for me? It’s set in 1970 but makes no attempt to look like anything other than the 40s. If I had to choose one to remake it would be this one which probably isn’t good bc the revenge plot only works as a sequel but it literally just spent the first 10 minutes recapping Hand anyway so.

3. The Mummy’s Ghost - little dog named Peanuts <3 also kind of a bizarre iconic ending

4. The Mummy’s Hand - discount Abbott and Costello but also somehow funnier than the actual Abbott and Costello Mummy movie

5. The Mummy’s Curse - my only guess is that the only information given to the screenwriter was that the last movie ended with the Mummy walking into a swamp and bestie assumed all swamps are in Louisiana. Why is this set in a swamp in Louisiana.

6. Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy - I really believed in this but too many bad musical sequences not enough mummy :( the only genuine laugh it got from me was bc of the giant iguana

[1d1195]

Hummingbirds

~5.2k words

From me: Based on a song of the same name--you'll see the lyrics in a moment. You'll need to suspend your belief a bit. I'm not sure everything makes perfect sense, but. Some of this story takes place through emailing and I didn't have a good method for this. So bold will be Harry's emails. Pink writing will be hers.

Warnings: angst, fluff, anger honestly just fluffy. second chance love

Summary: Harry has been angry for a really really long time. Only one person ever made him confront his anger.

“Eli, baby, we have to go!”

Harry could hear her from outside. He smirked, sipping his tea while he waited for Buddy to do his business. The air was crisp just like October should be. Decorative spider webs lined the front porch and the flower bushes in front of it. He was utterly pleased with his life. So completely happy.

“Mommy! I can’t find my dinosaur sneakers!”

“I don’t know how to spell it,” Evie frowned. “I’m going to fail!”

“Just do your best and practice, my love. I believe in you,” she assured as she zipped her backpack up at the doorway and stuffed her feet into the slip-on sneakers by the door. They make me feel old, she told Harry. They’re the perfect shoes for a busy Mum, he assured her. And I think y’look hot wearing them.

“Eli, honey!” She called back. “They’re here by the front door!”

Harry couldn’t stop smiling. “How lucky am I, Buddy?” He asked shaking the leash slightly. The dog turned to him and then tugged him around the yard looking for the right spot; totally unaware or unaffected that Harry had the best life there was to live.

“I-M-P-E-R-U-T-I-V-E.”

“Close, baby girl,” she smiled encouragingly. “It’s an A, not U.”

She looked miserable as she stepped off the porch. Evie approached Harry while his wife bent to help Eli with his sneakers. “I’m going to fail, Daddy.”

He chuckled at the little nine-year-old. Crouched to her height twirling the leash tight around one hand. He straightened her little hair bow on the side of her head, pinning her hair back to one side. He kissed her forehead. “Mummy said y’were close. Y’did a great job. Y’jus’ have t’remember there’s an A,” he reminded her and then pinched her cheek gently. “Like the grade you’re going t’get, right?” He winked at her.

Evie’s sweet eyes lit up with new hope. She turned to the pretty woman at the door holding Eli’s hand to usher him quickly out of the house now that his shoes were securely on his feet. “Mommy! Did you hear what Daddy said to help me remember?”

She grinned so beautifully; it melted him. The center of his chest felt deliriously warm. It felt equivalent to being snuggled under a blanket with her, warm and close while it snowed outside their house. The kids drinking hot chocolate at the coffee table and a movie playing in the background.

It was unbelievable she was all his. “What did Daddy say, Evie?” Eli held onto her hand tight while he jumped from the second to last step of the porch while Evie explained the A she was going to get. “Well, I guess you inherited your smarts from Daddy, hmm?” Which was unequivocally a joke. She was a hundred times smarter than him. Or at least it felt that way. But he loved her so much for never making him feel less than. She was good at that. It was impossible to feel less than in her presence.

She was good at everything. Her job, being a wife, but perhaps his favorite thing, she was a tremendous mother. Something he knew she would be good at, but not to the extent he witnessed on a daily basis. Eli hurried to Harry and Buddy petting the dog’s head and giggling when he licked his face. Harry kissed the top of his head and gave his little body a squeeze. “What smarts?” Harry asked.

She rolled her eyes as she finally approached her family. “You’re plenty smart, baby,” she shook her head with a gentle smile. The two kids that looked like the perfect combination of them went to her car and climbed into their respective seats. Harry wrapped his free arm around her back and pulled her to his side. He kissed her temple, nosing along her hairline.

“Not as smart as m’beautiful wife,” he reminded her. She laughed.

“I love you.” She tilted her head up for a kiss which Harry never let her wait for.

“I love you,” he grinned into the kiss.

“Ew!” Eli called.

“Mommy, let’s go!” Evie was eager to get to school and ace her spelling test.

“Bye Daddy!” Eli shouted. She gave his cheek a final peck and she headed across the yard to take their kids to school. “See you at my soccer game!”

“Hey kitten?” He called.

“Yeah?” She asked over her shoulder.

“M’a lucky man t’have you,” he reminded her.

She shook her head, laughed. “Me too, baby. Luckiest girl in the world to have you.”

The second her door closed behind her a swarm of hummingbirds fluttered so loudly into the yard. Seemingly out of nowhere. The noise of their wings was unbelievable. A dull roar. It was hundreds of the little birds, and she paid no mind to them as she started her car. Buddy didn’t care about the intrusion either. Even the kids were indifferent. “Are y’seeing this?” He called out to her. He blinked curiously when she didn’t respond. “What’s with all the—”

*

I had a dream last night / we were married in that house you always talked about / you were rushing to get the kids to school / packing their lunches, reviewing their spelling words / it was hummingbirds

Harry’s heart was beating like he had just finished a workout. His skin felt clammy. The sheets were wrapped too tightly around his legs. He groaned as his alarm vibrated to the same hum of the birds in his dream. The music playing alongside the vibration made him grumpy. “What the fuck?” He whispered and smacked the song off. He wished he could go right back. Did Evie pass her test? Did Eli score a goal?

Did she still love him the way he dreamed about?

*

Dr. Hendren listened to Harry’s dream but very much already knew the ending. It was the same as all his dreams with the house and the girl that he had been hearing for ten years.

“Harry,” the doctor said gently as he watched Harry on his screen. “Do you know what hummingbirds symbolize?”

“No,” Harry was grumpy. He always was after a dream that was so real so lifelike. It wasn’t fair. He just wanted her back. Wanted to see her. Wanted to know.

“Healing.” Dr. Hendren was quiet while Harry processed that. He worked his jaw, swallowing, and flexing it as he tried to get the words to come out. His body felt tense. Like he was trapped inside a box that was too small. That didn’t seem right. He didn’t feel like he was healed. He was still frustrated most of the time. Work was a minor distraction, and the loneliness was crippling at times. The only reprieve was dreaming of that pretty girl he knew so many years ago.

Why did it have to be her? She didn’t deserve Harry and his bad attitude. She already suffered through it for two years at a time when life should have been fun, lovely, sweet. They were kids and Harry was an ass. He never even said he loved her back then.

“Don’t you think,” Dr. Hendren continued quietly, and Harry knew what he was going to say. “You’ve been quiet long enough about what you want?” He shrugged. “Harry,” he tutted.

“I wasn’t a good boyfriend.”

“You were a kid.”

“She deserved more.”

“Then tell her. Worst case scenario, she doesn’t want to talk to you and you’ll have some closure and you can stop dreaming about it.”

Harry remained silent, looking around his empty apartment. He took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright. I’ll reach out to her.”

“Harry,” Dr. Hendren said quietly. “Have you thought about the best-case scenario?”

He shook his head. Thatkind of hope could kill him. But he knew why the dreams were so powerful these days. Why they were so steady and quick.

Woke up bleeding from my mouth / I bit my tongue right through / well I broke the habit / I guess that I’d had it not saying the things I need to

The following morning, he searched his inbox from an email he hadn’t used in ten years and found the address he never thought he’d email again after he broke up with her way back when.

But Harry wasn’t twenty anymore. He was trying to move on. Trying to fix things that should have been fixed a long time ago. He sat on the couch, typed out seven different versions of the message and clicked send before he could overthink it any longer. He slapped the computer shut and rubbed his hands on his pants. He took a sip of the tea he made hoping to calm himself and told himself that it was okay if she didn’t answer.

Hey. Long time. Not sure if you use this email. I know it’s been a long while. Hope you’re well. ... I’ve been thinking of you. And truthfully, I had a pretty realistic dream that you were in the other night. Nothing weird. Just my old self and back then and... I don’t know. ... How are you?

If she was working, she might just be getting settled. Or maybe out with a friend. Running errands. He refrained from imagining a little family that was waiting on her for dinner but reminded himself anyway that there were a million reasons she—

His phone lit up on the table beside the computer and his heart skipped a beat.

Harry Styles. As I live and breathe :) I’m well! How are you?

That little smiley face made his heart ache with adoration for her. He could picture her pretty face smiling. But she answered.

Good. Yeah. I… I’ve been going to therapy regularly. Finally had to and... my doctor and I have discussed a lot of things. You were one of them. I just... wanted to chat with you. I’m sorry, this is so out of the blue and weird.

No! Not at all, Harry. I’m glad you reached out. It’s really nice to hear from you. Therapy? That’s amazing! Do you like it?

I’m a work in progress.

Aren’t we all? :)

He smiled feeling relieved. Even just reading words on a screen made him feel at ease. He could practically hear her sweet, encouraging voice.

What are you up to? Do you live in state still?

Yes! I actually just moved down the road from the college. I’m a guidance counselor at the local high school.

That’s lovely. I’m not surprised you accomplished your goals. Your students are lucky to have you. Are you doing okay? It has to be draining.

A lot of the time yeah. But it’s rewarding as hell. You know I love kids, and I love being able to help.

Harry wondered if it was possible to love her more than he ever had before.

There’s a shadow on my shoulder / always whispers in my ear / that I’m so angry all of the time / I should be alone another year / I didn’t say it how you needed it / must have written it down a thousand times / all the things I would scream at the top of my lungs / if I wasn’t so busy saying I’m fine.

Harry had a habit of not saying what he was feeling. He bottled so much of it up and hid it from the rest of the world. Even people he loved. When he was dating her back in college, he kept a lot hidden and exploded when she asked him simple questions about himself. Trying to understand him and why he was angry all the time. Her willingness to look past it, try and help, and just continue to be kind to him made him angry too. It was constant, draining. It was like he couldn’t help himself.

There was a tiny voice in his head that told him he was too angry for her. She deserved someone lovely and sweet. Someone who would talk to her and tell her things. Be the person she deserved. Because despite everything, Harry loved love. It was nearly impossible for him to show it back then. But he did. He wanted to love her the way she needed.

But he was so busy being angry and bottling his emotions he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t love her the right way.

It was so unfair to her and looking back on it made him feel like a proper ass.

So, he was grateful for the email communication. He couldn’t imagine having this conversation with her about all this in person. They chatted for days. Catching up on things, reminiscing. Their email chain was up to 100 something messages. Some messages were long. Harry chatted about his family and she about hers. There were updates on work. On friends they still spoke to and no longer did. The conversation continued over the course of a little under a week.

But the most shocking details came from her.

I mentioned I moved... my ex-fiancé broke off our engagement. Don’t feel too bad for me, it’s actually a relief in hindsight. Something I’ve been trying to figure through. It’s why I know that anything you feel you did wasn’t nearly as bad as you thought it was. There’s far worse relationship enders than a little bit of anger.

Jesus, I’m so sorry, kitten.

Well, isn’t that a sweet name for sore eyes :) Don’t be sorry. It’s good. I have this cute apartment to myself and it’s for the best it happened now before there were too many variables to consider...like kids or a house or something, you know? I’m definitely sad. But he wasn’t the one for me at the end of the day.

Sorry for dumping all that on you. It’s not really fair given our past. I think a lot of my friends disagree with my choice on this to let him go so it’s nice to just tell someone non-judgmental.

Harry felt angry the way he used to. The way that made him want to scream and he felt the desperate need to message Dr. Hendren because he felt out of his depth. All he said was sorry. How could she feel he was non-judgmental. He was judgmental. He was judging the fuck out of the piece of shit that broke her heart and made her sad.

But he was no better.

The man is an idiot to lose you. I know from experience.

:) I have to head to bed, there’s a big pep rally tomorrow at school so I have to have my brain ready for chaos. Sleep well Harry.

Good night, kitten.

He reread those messages over and over and right before he was going to fall asleep, his phone lit up with one more message.

You’re not an idiot by the way. He might be, but you, Harry Styles are not.

So of course, he dreamed of Evie, Eli, and the sweet girl at the other end of his emails that night.

And hummingbirds.

Thousands of hummingbirds.

*

Most of their messages were short.

I’ve been going to therapy for three years now.

That’s wonderful, Harry. Really. Do you like it?

Yeah...it’s hard.

:( Yeah... It really is. Do you like your therapist?

Yeah. I’ve had him the whole time.

Yeah? That’s good. I’m... proud of you. I don’t want to be weird about it, but I know you were angry. Really angry. It wasn’t good. You didn’t deserve that. I’m glad you have someone to help you work through it.

...You were so nice to me. When you shouldn’t have been. I didn’t treat you right.

You were wonderful, Harry. We were practically kids. If our relationship had any faults, it was because we were too young. I don’t regret a second of time being with you.

His heart skipped a beat. He felt that frustration from back when they were young, and she was so understanding but it didn’t make him grumpy or feel inadequate. All he felt was a sense of belonging. Something he probably would have felt back then if he could have gotten out of his own way. She was willing to look past it then as she was now.

You’re much too forgiving. He wrote. Because old habits die hard.

You weren’t fine, Harry. You didn’t know. We didn’t know what we were dealing with at that age.

Harry hadn’t a clue what he was dealing with. Did he even know now?

Can... can I give you something?

Give me something?

Yes. I... I can bring it to your apartment or to school or we can meet, I just... I’ve been trying to let it go but I think... I think my dream was reminding me that... there’s more to you. More I need to do for you.

Sure, if you think it will give you closure.

God, Harry wanted anything but closure.

Just to clarify: I don’t think you owe me anything.

I kept a lot hidden from you. I held back and it wasn’t fair. All you wanted was to love me and I wouldn’t let you.

It’s a vulnerable thing, Harry. To be loved. You didn’t do anything wrong. We were just young.

But... you knew I wasn’t fine, and you tried and... I just wasn’t fair to you.

You were fine, Harry. I promise. Bring me whatever it is that you need to give me to make you believe you did what you could with what you had.

*

Her apartment had a wreath on the door. It was beautiful with an array of burnt orange and red flowers and green vines. The perfect fall wreath. Beside the door were three pumpkins of different sizes. If he didn’t have her address, he almost thought he would know it was her place. He looked at the mat in front of the door that said welcome, and he wondered if there was any other place where someone actually meant it.

Swallowing, he took a deep breath and knocked. After a minute, the door was out of the way.

At 18, Harry thought she was beautiful. The most beautiful girl he had ever met. During the time they dated, he thought she got more beautiful every second. Apparently, he was right because the woman before him somehow got exponentially more beautiful. Her smile was so inviting, so warm. Like he was seeing an old friend. “Hey Harry,” her voice was sweet. Not an ounce of distrust, frustration, nothing. Their breakup was ten years ago. Not a degree of anger was left.

Harry wasn’t angry either. Not anymore. But if she had broken up with him and he hadn’t done all this work to better himself, he would have been. He didn’t know how she could be so sweet after all she went through.

“Hi,” he swallowed. “I don’t want t’keep you. S’really nice t’see you,” his dream didn’t do her justice. Sure, she was beautiful especially with their imaginary kids. Simply stunning. But this was more. This was the beautiful angel he loved so much even when she wasn’t his to love.

“You’re not keeping me; do you want to come in?” She shifted to open the door wider. “I can make some tea. Or we can order pizza?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I jus’ want t’give y’this,” he handed her the shoe box.

She opened the lid. “Well, you know I won’t say no to shoes,” she smirked.

As much as he wanted to laugh at her joke, he felt like he made a mistake. The box was out of his hands. Not because of what was in there but because of the fear of rejection and being so vulnerable. Feelings of inadequacy were currently circulating through his bloodstream. “Um... s’not—”

“What is this?” She asked, tilting her head. He swallowed, pinched his lower lip between his fingers and took a deep breath.

“S’letters.”

“Letters?”

“I wrote t’you.”

“Me?”

He took a deep breath. “M’sure y’know m’not good at saying what m’feeling.”

She replaced the lid, leaning against the frame. “I feel like I’m a little lost here, Harry.”

He nodded, shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t fidget or reach back out to take it from her. His mouth felt dry. He wished he had taken her offer for a glass of water now.  “I know y’said y’thought we were fine. But m’not happy with how I treated you. Y’were an angel. The perfect girlfriend and I treated y’unfairly a lot. I guess I’ve really held onto that and some of those letters are old but when I hit low points I thought ‘bout what y’said back then. How I wasn’t on m’own. I was allowed t’be angry. But I had t’let people in. All that. I wrote t’you a lot over the years. M’therapist said it was actually one of the smartest things I’ve done on m’own,” he chuckled. “I want you t’read them. When y’have time. I guess. I don’t know,” he cleared his throat. “This is really scary,” he admitted.

“Okay,” she nodded encouragingly and reached out to his forearm. She squeezed it reassuringly. It was only a touch on his arm, and he felt so good feeling it. He knew it was her training kicking in. Like a broken, beaten student at her office door. “I can do that,” she assured him. “Do you want me to text you about each one? Or just a summary of all of them? Or do you want me to not say anything?”

He looked at his feet. “Fuck...” he whispered to himself. “I don’t know.”

“Okay,” she took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she smiled. “I’ll start reading tonight and I’ll decide in the moment. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want.”

He nodded, looked at his feet. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“S’a lot.”

“I enjoy reading, Harry,” she grinned and moved her hand to his upper arm and soothingly rubbed up and down. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Of course he did. There was no one else he really did. He nodded, feeling nauseous but still lighter. “I’m gonna go now,” he swallowed.

“I’ll email you,” she assured him with a smile and headed inside.

*

Like it grows old real fast / how much you can love and not get it back / were we too attached? / It’s a shame how often goodbyes last / I thought we were better than that / I thought I was stronger at last.

The knock on the door was hurried, eager. Insistent on being heard.

At first, he felt frozen in the kitchen cleaning up the dinner he made himself and placing the dirty dishes in the sink. Maybe he imagined the knock. Maybe he was just dreaming again. Plus, she said she would email right? This wasn’t something to feel nervous about.

But the flutter of knocking continued. He hurried from his frozen position as the rapid taps hit the wood. He knew. His gut telling him exactly who was on the other side of that door. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed before pulling it out of the way.

“You bought me the house?!” She shrieked.

Harry dipped his head to avoid her eyes. “Yes.”

“Harry Styles, what the fuck?!”

He felt sick. “You hate it?”

Her eyes were red, glossy. Not what he expected at all. But why wasn’t it? This wasn’t normal. After a breakup of her own where she was sure she was going to marry the guy. Harry appeared out of nowhere. Telling her that he had a dream about her, and he hadn’t stopped thinking about her.

She covered her mouth and shook her head. “Harry,” she croaked.

“I’m—"

“You can’t buy me a house! We’re not even... Harry. This is insane! You have to see that!”

He shrugged. “I guess... but... I don’t know, kitten. I think about you all the time. I see this house in my sleep. I see our life in m’dreams every night.”

She was wearing only socks. Like she didn’t even have time to put on shoes. She held the paper in her hand wrinkled like she had read it hundreds of times already even though he had only given it to her the night before and he just knew which one was in her hands. She cleared her throat and read the date from ten years ago before she read the remainder of the letter.

To the resident(s) of 1278 Chestnut Street

My name is Harry Styles, and I am a college student in town. My girlfriend and I walk by your lovely home every day when we head to our favorite coffee shop after class. We love your home. Or I should say, my girlfriend LOVES your home. She claims it’s her dream home. The porch, the yard, the location... everything. She even loves your driveway. Every bit of your house is part of this fantastic dream she has of the life she wants in the future.

I don’t know if I’ll be with her forever. I am... working on myself. I’m not very good at all this relationship stuff. Especially when it comes to her. Quite frankly, I think she deserves way better than me. But on the off chance I am lucky enough to keep her in my life for as long as I would like, I want to make her dreams come true. She deserves that. She deserves every single one of her dreams to come true. She is the kind of girl that deserves every good thing that can possibly be provided for her.

If you ever find yourself selling, would you please consider emailing me first? Of course, if you have family that you plan on giving your home to, I understand. I can’t even promise I’ll be able to afford it, but I’ll want to know. If only to pass on the message to her somewhere down the line. She deserves the chance to have all her dreams come true.

I’m not sure where you are in life or if you have ever been in a relationship like this one. This girl is so special. She’s an angel. The kind of love that even a movie couldn’t show, or a book couldn’t write. I’m lucky to have her right now and I don’t know why she’s with me. I don’t know why I’m even sending this crazy letter other than I know I have to try. Even if she’s smart enough to leave me, I want her to know her dream home is available. Somewhere down the road. Even if we’re not on the same road anymore. That’s what she deserves.

I’m sorry to bother you like this. I hope you can understand what love can do to a guy in college with a girlfriend who is LEAGUES above him. Thank you for taking time to read this and I hope you continue to enjoy your lovely home.

Sincerely,

Harry

Her voice shook as she read it. “You sent that when we were in college.” He nodded, swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at the packet stapled together. “They emailed you,” she whispered. He nodded again.

“Dear Harry. We got your letter. When the time comes. We’ll be moving closer to our children. They’ve never expressed interest in our house the way you have. My wife and I met in college and believe me, I know a little something about finding the girl of your dreams. It’s nice you’re working on yourself. You deserve the life that fits this house too. We hope it’s with the girl that is leagues above you (although, we imagine she’d think differently). We’ll be in touch. The Andersons.”

Harry watched her flip the page as she made eye contact with him briefly before returning her gaze to the paper in front of her.

“Dear Harry. We hope life is treating you well. That you’re working on yourself, and your girlfriend is still around. If she’s not, we hope you’re not being too hard on yourself. We wanted to let you know we’ll soon be moving to a retirement community close to our son. We want to have you (and your girlfriend) over for dinner if you’re available. Let us know.”

Harry knew what was coming but he was still terrified. Why was she here? Barefoot. Reading the letters to him. What did she think.

“Dear Harry. It was so nice to meet you in person. Here is the contract we discussed. See you soon.”

He rubbed the back of his head. “Kitten,” he whispered.

“Dear Harry. We hope you get her back. Enjoy your home. Never stop giving out your love. The Andersons.”

She was teary, swallowing hard. Her hands were shaking as she held the papers in front of her. “You bought me a house.”

He nodded. There was a pause. “M’sorry I took so long.”

She dropped the papers and launched herself into his arms. He stumbled back at the impact. Her arms around his neck, her feet barely touching the floor as she tucked her face into his shoulder. “Harry,” she whimpered. Harry sighed, wrapped his arms tightly around her, one at her waist, the other hand cupping the back of her head.

“I’ve loved you for so long,” his voice felt raw. Like he was the one that was crying and shaking. Not her.

She sniffled and nodded. “I know,” because she did. She read every single letter. Watched the date change but one thing never did and that was the love she felt in each letter.

“M’so tired, kitten,” he croaked.

“Of what, baby?” She cupped his face. The emotion on his face was tender and nothing like she remembered from ten years prior. Her thumb soothingly rubbed his cheek.

“Life without you,” he closed his eyes tight. “This house is yours I want nothing more than for you t’have it, but I want it t’be ours.”

She sniffled, ducked her head briefly as she glanced around. “You decorated it for Halloween,” she whispered.

“You would have done better.”

She snorted. “Harry...”

“If this is the house that makes you happy then I want it jus’ as much, kitten. But you’re my home. You always have been.”

“I don’t know what to say Harry,” she whimpered.

“Say yes.”

“Harry...” she whispered.

“Please, I’m so tired of loving and loving and never feeling that way. I know s’how I made y’feel in college and y’jus’ dealt with it. Y’jus’ wanted love and I didn’t give y’what y’needed. But m’ready now. M’so ready t’do whatever y’need t’love you the way y’deserve. The way y’always deserved.”

Not for the first time in his life, Harry prayed that if this was a dream, he would never wake up.

He never thought he would hold her again. Never thought she would be in the house she always wanted. Or that she would know he was sorry for how he was back when he was an angry kid.

Perhaps most importantly, he never thought he would feel her lips on his ever again.

--

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[mammoth-clangen]

What a cool lineless style! I always find they have such a crisp aesthetic (though I struggle to get lineless looking this nice, personally cycbhj XD )

Tysm for drawing Bat and giving him a zoopals plate!! I don't think they have a bat shaped one so he'd probably choose the alligator tbh XD

@promisedclan is showing a lot of, well, promise so far! Go follow them!!

Fanart for some guys!!

Suncat from @jumalanpelko .. My precious baby. Sweet little angel. She is definitely not doomed by a tragic narrative and I am NOT huffing copium. (How very guard-core of me)

It was hard to pick a design from @redwallclan . The premise and character designs are all very cool!! But I eventually went for the leader, Rimemoon. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a guy with ice motifs.

Honeyspring from @mourningsbane .. My tragic girlboss. I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs. I think she should have infinity amount of revenge. Also I’m going to go buy her kits some dinosaur chicken nuggets and some zoopals plates to eat them on. I think that will fix them.

Bat from @mammoth-clangen is such a sweetie!! A king. If anything happens to him I will be inconsolable for approximately three months. He also gets a zoopals plate to eat his prey off of. He deserves it.

Saltburn from @nanistar ‘s Saltburn’s clan.. That comic is probably my current favorite WC fancomic. Silly cats in the desert? Check. A secret clan with glowy mushrooms? Check. Horrible horrible family dynamics? Check. Go read Saltburn’s clan if you haven’t.

Finally we have Lynxpaw from @salt-clangen I really enjoy Bonefall’s work. And I have a soft spot for Cleric/Healer apprentices that have to kinda figure everything out themselves. I’m rooting for her success. You go, girlie!!