Categories
Weather Forecasts

Weekend Weather for Dallas-Forth Worth

DISCLAIMER: #FakeWeather

If you don’t like the forecast, just keep reading the next one until you find one you like.

Forecast #1

The weekend weather forecast for the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is the worst ever reported in Dallas. The Dallas Morning News posted a photo of an orange “pitch black” night sky over downtown Dallas, where it said that visibility has been reduced to less than half light levels. The newspaper said that visibility is expected to be as bad as the worst recorded by NASA for September 19, 2012, when it recorded only a 1.2/4.9 inch over Dallas.

The Houston Chronicle published this image of a darkened sky over the city, with a lightening storm over the western part of the nation’s second-largest city. Houston’s mayor declared a “flash flood warning” in Dallas, but the storm has since moved east, leaving many residents still without safe shelter in some of the worst hit areas.
For many parts of the country, the storm is expected to produce severe thunderstorms and damaging hail.

The National Weather Service in Dallas reported heavy rain and damaging flash flooding in parts of the region from Houston to Texas City, and warned residents to “take precautions” should lightning strike.
The National Weather Service also issued a “flash flood warning” from Dallas to parts of Houston and Oklahoma City.
The Weather Channel reported that lightning strikes in Dallas and Oklahoma City caused a flash flood and damaging flash flooding as of Wednesday afternoon.

The Texas Governor’s Office reported that lightning strikes during the storm are forecast for the Dallas metro area. There is a strong chance of tornadoes, damaging wind gusts over 20 mph in parts of the Dallas area. Heavy rain and hail are possible across the Houston area. The Texas Emergency Management Agency is urging residents in Houston and Oklahoma City to leave their homes early, and to take “extraordinary measures” to protect their property if there is an increased risk of severe weather.

Forecast #2

The weekend weather forecast for the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is “badish”, with gusts up to 50 mph expected.  However, the wind will cool this week before dropping a bit next week.  This should mean that there is little chance of rain this week before the storm is over by late Sunday evening.  By Tuesday, the storm should be receding and the skies will be clear again, giving us the opportunity to warm up again before the next week of stormy weather arrives.  If this trend goes on over the next week, the rain will be more of a wash and there will be no major impacts to the metro’s infrastructure.

Forecast #3

The weekend weather forecast for the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is extremely hot.  The highs are well above normal.  The temperatures are likely to remain above freezing into tomorrow.  The low and thunderstorms are forecast to bring winds in excess of 100 mph.  Rain is predicted by early next week with a chance of scattered showers. The city’s temperature on Thursday was  37 degrees Celsius  and the average high was  44.7 degrees.  In addition to these high temperatures there are a lot of thunderstorms expected to occur on Saturday and Sunday.  It is anticipated that over 2 to 6 inches of rain will fall this weekend. It is anticipated that heavy snow is possible on Saturday, along with several scattered showers.  It is also possible the low in the metro area is likely to move in excess of 15 mm on Saturday.  Rain may continue into Monday with more rain possible.  If precipitation doesn’t arrive as planned, rain will occur on Saturday, Sunday, and perhaps possibly Monday.

Saturday’s Weather:

Winds:  -20 MPH (12-21 mph  at 12 pm )
Rising Sun  -10 C (6-8 C at 12 pm )
Sunshine:  -15 C (7.1-9 C at 12 pm )

The following days:

Saturday:  -Sunrise  12-12:45 pm
Sunday:  -Sunset 12-9:45 pm

It will be a cold, wet, wet week on the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  We are getting close to getting to where the average temperature on Friday was in the 35’s.  If you want to get out in the rain, you may want to dress warm for tomorrow’s rain and snow.  However, if you don’t want to go outside, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to stay inside as well.

Forecast #4

The weekend weather forecast for the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is “wet and humid,” according to weather forecasts released by the National Weather Service. Temperatures will be above 50 degrees, and wind chills are expected to reach 30 and 40 degrees.

“The heavy rains will result in mudslides and power outages due to power outages,” the National Weather Service said in an email. “These outages will be most impactful on schools with heavy rains and potential flooding during and after football games.” There will be significant grid disruption when heavy rain starts, which may make traffic lights and other roadway facilities obsolete due to power outages. “High-end hotels are not operating,” the National Weather Service said.

“Due to heavy flooding and mudslides, traffic and access will be limited at major roads and transportation hubs throughout the metro area on Sunday night, as schools are closed during football games,” the weather service also said.

The Weather Underground has detailed the most severe storms to hit the United States and Canada.

The strongest storm to hit Texas on Sunday was expected to be a hurricane, the largest in recorded history.

“A low pressure ridge is pushing into northeast Texas with potential to reach Mexico on Sunday evening,” the Weather Underground’s Hurricane Center said. “The trough may weaken overnight, but the storm will continue to move inland and become an upper-level trough over the region. There will be a significant increase in the risk of coastal flooding due to the storm’s impact on land.”

In addition to Tropical Storm Harvey, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The watch is in effect until midnight Monday.

“There is an increased chance that the area will get a sustained wind of up to 65 mph during the next 30-40 minutes. Winds could reach up to 80 mph during this time,” the weather service warned. “There may also see isolated hail and thunderstorm activity.” The watch for the Dallas area is in place until midnight Monday. The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Austin metro area and the surrounding communities of Austin, Houston, and Dallas. The thunderstorms could reach the coast as a tropical storm early Monday morning and continue into early Tuesday.

“This is the fourth time in just over three years that a severe thunderstorm has caused flooding and damage, including in August 2013. The latest was during the Texas Flood Warning that was issued in mid-August 2014,” the weather service said.

The National Weather Service warned people to take precautions if driving in flooded areas.

“Roads are flooded and/or damaged with debris. Roadways, bridges, and other structures could be washed out and swept away,” the weather service said. “Motorists who are in flooded areas should not drive or drive on flood plains, unless instructed by a local police officer.”

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the New York metropolitan area and surrounding areas.

Forecast #5

The weekend weather forecast for the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area is incredibly promising.  Rain is expected in the afternoon and evening. There is also a strong chance of rain early Saturday morning and early Sunday morning.  The chances of showers are higher than the normal overnight temperatures in Dallas.  The chance of thunderstorms is higher than normal as well.  The chances of tornado activity is much higher than usual.  All of these conditions will create an amazing amount of fun and challenge for all.  If you wish to take your own pictures, don’t forget to bring flashlights.  In Texas, most flashlights are illegal.  We encourage you to bring your own but keep in mind a fair amount of parking is available.  In the interest of full disclosure, this blog is owned and operated by a business that provides services to those on the fringes of the photography community. It is important to us that photography is accessible and that every member of the photography community has something to say.  To that end, as part of our mission to make Dallas the photography capital for the world, we strive to provide resources to photographers and others who wish to get involved in this amazing, vibrant community.  Our hope is that you will participate in the creative process that will bring you the pictures and information you enjoy.  We want to encourage participation, but also keep our community focused.  We appreciate that if you wish to participate in our programs, then you will need to provide proof of your photo membership card, which can be found in the photo section of our site.  Please make sure that your photo membership card is valid in your local jurisdiction, and that you provide us with your contact information so that we can contact you.  Please contact us at  info@dallasphoto.org if you or someone you know has any questions about our membership programs.

Posted by Photo Editor at 1:23 AM

I’ve posted this before but it really helps explain what happened.  This was the same day I wrote about this and how to take a picture in rain, but I wanted to add it again since I’m seeing lots of comments.  I wrote about how I had some issues taking a picture in the rain and how my camera had trouble shooting flash.  So what I did is I took some pictures of a car and the light turned off in the rear window.  I went outside and took a picture with the flash off but it didn’t work out for me.  I’m not sure if I was just having an issue taking a picture in the rain or if my shutter speed was too fast.  I took the photo and the shutter stopped working.  Then I started getting a little worried.  I was getting really tired and my legs were starting to hurt a little and I was starting to feel a little bit of a pain in my leg.  I went outside again and again, and again the flash didn’t work.  Then I went outside again and again and again, and again.

Categories
Merchandise Short Stories

The Thirty-Eight Little Pigs

And the wolf went to the 38th little pig who had built his house out of strontium. And the wolf was all, “Okay, what is with this shit?!”

The pig said: “Well it’s just strontium.”

And the wolf said: “It is! And the first question is: is this strontium really necessary?”

And the pig asked: “Why not?”

And the wolf was all, “Well, fuck you and your shitty shit.” A little later, when the wolf had eaten the pig, his mind was full of questions. So he started to drink some more strontium.

In a lot of respects, that pig had been right: the strontium-39 had been necessary. And the wolf drank more strontium. And there were no more questions.

Available on Etsy

Categories
Short Stories

Interdictum Mundum

“So, wizards and heavy armor divisions, what can go wrong?”

Just as they were about to begin their charge forward, the distinct sound of a teleportation could be heard. A group of soldiers rushed towards the noise, but were stopped in their tracks by a shout of “Interdictum Utique Tempus”. An elaborately decorated scroll hung in the air, somehow blocking the approach of the soldiers.

The Lieutenant was dumbfounded as a short man in a business suit carrying a briefcase walked up the path towards his group. A closer look at his suit revealed what appeared to be rank insignia. “Combat Barrister First Class Stewart, here on the orders of Her Royal Highness.”

The Lieutenant cursed under his breath. He had heard rumors of these battle lawyers but had not encountered them in person before. “And so?” the Lieutenant inquired. “What exactly are we here for?”

He felt it was time to make something of the situation. It had been a long journey for him, having to battle some of the greatest wizard clans he had ever known, and a large part of that had come from learning what it meant to be a warrior in the wizarding world. His first thought was simply to stay put and allow his forces to advance until reinforcements were arrived.

Stewart gave a quick, but pointed look over his shoulder. “They have been working against the Ministry for years.” The Lieutenant paused for a moment and wondered what he had learned.

“You do realize that this is a very serious matter?”

“What we’re here for now is an interdict. We are here to destroy what the Ministry believes to be the most lethal magical weapon in the wizarding world, the Interdictum Mundum. It is being prepared by the Ministry to be used by a select few individuals at the end of this war.” The Lieutenant smiled at the idea in his mind until his voice turned to a low rasp. “I am grateful that my superiors, the Ministry, were willing to share it with me.”

“You do realize that this is a very serious matter?”

“Indeed,” the Lieutenant replied evenly. “They have come to a very obvious conclusion though – this is the right decision, and I trust that whatever happens, it will not be one that will cost us anything else in the short term.”

“For some reason,” Stewart said quickly, “they are not all that interested in a proper trial, not this time. Not after their first appearance at our camp.” A smile spread across the lieutenant. He had been right; this was an attempt to force the Ministry to give him access to more data before he could make a decision.

“I would imagine that you know this,” the lieutenant asked. “Why are you going into the middle of this? Are things going to be so complicated from here?”

Steward made a mental note of this. Even the best of us might not know the full extent of what was going on around the war. He had known the Ministry would not make a stand unless there was an immediate and definite threat on offer, and that they would use every means at their disposal to make sure that was not the case.

“The problem is that the Ministry are in a tight spot. They are facing a large, powerful enemy, something that they can neither defeat easily nor win easily.” “It is not sufficient to simply send more powerful wizards against the Interdictum Mundum, for you see it is not merely a magic weapon, it is a magic contract… and I found the loophole.”

Categories
Horror News

Chtulhu Widening Lead In 2020 Presidential Election

Polling data is showing Cthulhu with a clear lead over the other candidates, leading to accusations of voter tampering. Still, Cthulhu is a highly polarizing candidate, with polling showing a cult-like approval and existential dread as the most common sentiment reported by those polled with very little in between the two. Some election officials are starting to question Cthulhu’s campaign promise to “get inside the mind of voters” in light of this new polling data.

One poll suggested the Democratic candidate might not have been too far off the mark, at least in part. (And we may want to think twice about our own perceptions of Lovecraft.) (Note to readers: This article contains spoilers.)

What’s the point of polling if it has nothing to do with the election results? It could indicate whether or not Cthulhu is gaining ground among Republicans, or whether the Democratic candidate might actually be getting more votes than she had hoped. If she wins the election on Nov. 8, what will the pollsters say, and how will this affect the way we vote?

Polling is a part of this election season, so let’s give the data some credit. The polling numbers are showing Cthulhu with a real-world lead, in large part because most people who voted in the primary didn’t know she was running as a Republican and had no idea of her affiliation. There was much ado in the election over whether Clinton’s lead would be bigger than the Obama one in the general, and many Republicans and independents had already given up on the party to run as a candidate. But polls show some evidence that she actually did just that.

What this data says is that there is something really resonant about Lovecraft’s ideas, and in particular how those themes run counter to the idea that the United States has always been ruled by white men. For instance, when we read Lovecraft’s tales as a child, there were a lot darker themes to consider than what we might think today.

Cthulhu

It’s been suggested that the Cthulhu Mythos has a direct influence on the way people feel about politics. We’ve seen that some Republican primary voters have begun to reject the idea of Donald Trump as a Republican nominee, as well as those who are not voting Democrat in the primary. Some have even argued that Cthulhu could have helped to keep Trump out of office, which would be a pretty interesting story for Lovecraft to tell.

Cthulhu is certainly resonating with some voters, and it’s encouraging to know that some of those in the polling are actually listening. But there are still questions. Why Cthulhu? Is there some deep connection between Cthulhu — his Cthulhu Mythos — and what we feel about the world of politics and power that the United States has come to inhabit since the days of our founding? Or is Cthulhu just a weird fantasy created by a guy who writes his stories in the margins of an obscure, weirdly influential book he’s never read?

Categories
Interesting Nonsense

Test Subject 1 of 20

This seems like a fairly straightforward prompt, but the program wasn’t able to put together a truly coherent narrative, even if it threw out a few good ideas. Here are the many failed attempts from this evening. The initial prompt is included below but omitted from the individual runs. Runs cut off after approximately 400 words being generated and none of these was quite interesting enough for me to do a second continuation run.

You sign up to be a test subject to make some cash. They give you an earpiece, a knife, and take you outside where 19 copies of you are waiting. As you look around a voice in your ear says, “Everyone has their own instructions and you are not to reveal them to the others. Yours are as follows.”

Run #1

You will have to lie flat on your back with your arms raised. Do not touch anything. All that should be covered is your face and your chest. If anyone asks how it feels you should tell them you are scared but that you are a test subject. The test will be over in an hour. Once everyone has been tested, they will come to their own conclusions.” 

The test was not over. As I watched, some of the men took turns taking turns on me, while others sat on either side, one on each side. The test was completed with me in the center, with both men standing over me, one standing over me, the other standing over the other. Then the man standing the furthest over me said. 

“This time, I will stand. You will be my partner.”

The man that stood the furthest over me said. “That is what I’m doing”

“What is it?”

“If you lie on your back, you will lie flat on your back. If someone asks you to do something you will have to stand and then tell them how it feels. You may be scared if someone asks you to do something uncomfortable but you have been tested and your mind is made up to help you. You should tell them what they want to hear.” 

I felt a little uncomfortable in the middle of this, because it was the first time I had ever been subjected to what was going on. I felt like I was watching the test, and I could see that the men watching me were watching a test of my ability, and not me trying to do anything. I felt scared.

As the test continued, the voice that was speaking to me said. “The next step will be a physical test.”

“What? What is that?”

“It will be a test of your ability to perform a certain action. You will have to stand, and the man next to you will be standing next

Run #2

First, you must give the instructions to the men at the front and follow them to a door, in which you will find the one who gave the instructions to your group, who will give you instructions and you will find and kill the other person.  Then follow them to the other door, which leads to a door leading to a large, well-lit room.  This room is the one which is open in the darkness.  At the center of this room is what you have been instructed to kill. You will then go to an open space, enter it, and enter another room with three others in it. The room is large, and filled with a large table covered with a blanket.  There are two doors on the opposite side of the door, one on the right-hand corner, and one on the left.  These two doors open into a large room, which is very quiet in comparison to the others in the room. This is where you must kill the other two test subjects in each group. When you enter the room, you will find two people with a gun to your head.  The first person will be a woman with a knife to your throat. The second person will be a man with a gun to your neck.  As you kill the two test subjects, they will tell you the names of the people you are supposed to kill (and the names of the others in your own group).  You can kill anyone in your group, but you must not kill anyone else, so be careful to kill only those who you trust. The next test subject is a woman with two daggers to her throat, as you are about to kill her in your own group.  You can kill her as well, but you must not kill her group members.  If you kill her in her group, the others will kill the other two test subjects and you will be left with only yourself.  

Run #3

Do you know how to open your ears?”  That’s when you know that you have to do this.  This sounds crazy but you’re going to have to go through it to find your answers. If there’s one thing you’re going to notice while you’re waiting, it might well take all of 5 minutes to learn. You don’t have to memorize each part of each instruction, though you do have to be able to remember when the instructions were given to you.  If there is a question mark and a white space between those two words, you don’t want to know about it!  When you’re done, take a picture and send it to me. It’s okay that when you’re done I don’t know what the answer is.  I’m going to look at it later and if you think it’s funny I’ll probably think it was too stupid to be funny. If I like it too much, you can send another picture. I won’t ask for pictures of me doing the exercise but if there are any you want to add, send that one to me, too.

If you’re lucky enough to make the test, you’ll get a little bonus.  This will be the first test I ever gave to someone, so there should be some kind of reward on you for being so brave and helpful.  It’s worth noting that you will receive $50 if you make it to the end of the test, but that doesn’t take into consideration the amount you might have spent on your earpiece, knife, and test subject.  You can send me a picture or two of you doing this exercise if you want, but I’d really like to hear what you think of it.  The test isn’t for the faint of heart. It is, however, a fun way to learn something.  I know I’m probably going to get a lot of questions from people who don’t.

Run #4

There is one thing you must do, that you have heard many times before in every room where you have been.  If we see you again before the end of the day, we will take you out.” The last time I saw it, that was the last I heard of him being a good cop. “The best thing anyone does is to have fun,” he tells the other people, “but don’t forget what you are doing.  You are not in control unless you are in control of your thoughts.  You are not in control unless you know where you are going, you can decide how fast you go, how fast you go, and if you go faster, you can choose to do more.  You should be able to control those things by just thinking, but you are not.  You will never find out where you are, unless you have some kind of mental map.  You are never fully in control until you get there; you are always out of control.  You may think you are, but you are not. It is up to you to get out of your thoughts.  You are responsible for them. It is up to you to choose what will be your next course.  It is your life, and you have the right to decide for yourself what will be.  It isn’t up to anyone else. You will be in the presence of someone who wants to make you feel as safe and secure as possible.  You have been chosen because of your abilities and because you are smart enough to know when you are being taken care of and when you are in danger.  They are going to take care of you, but they are also going to make sure they don’t hurt you. You are not going to get hurt if you don’t want to be hurt.  It’s okay.  It’s okay.  It is okay.  You are

Run #5

You take this book from the table and make a circle in it.  This book has pictures of all the animals living around the village.  On the back, there is a picture of your dog.  Now tell me, where do you think we will live?”

The dog has eyes that look like holes in a wall, and a mouth like a toothpick. He’s a wolf and he doesn’t like anyone. He’s been told you’ll be able to walk around the village and you can hear dogs barking when you pass by. When he’s ready, he walks around you and says “Look, I am looking right at you right now. I want a dog. I want a dog to help me.”

And he’s going to walk around for about 3 or 4 minutes, and then he says to you, “You’re not a dog, you’re a human.  I love dogs but I’m not going to let a little wolf like you be my dog, I’m going to kill you.”  You tell him you’re sorry, and he says, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to kill you.”

You take the knife and walk outside to see that the wolf is still looking right at you. He says, “You’re a great dog.  You can walk, jump, and chase and run around. You’re like me.  You’ll do great for us.”

And he walks up to the dog and he says, “Look, I can see that you’re a little wolf.  But don’t tell anyone.  It won’t be a big deal for you.  If I find out that you’re my friend and you’re a good dog, I’m not going to kill you.”  

And you’re still looking right at him, and he says, “You are a dog.”

You walk back outside to see the wolf again, and

Run #6

1. Get into the van and start working.

2. Get to the back of the van, you’ll come to a door. Open it, and you will find yourself at the top of this hill.

3. Turn left to go into an open field, and you must go down a steep incline to meet up with us.

4. Go into the house, the owner will say you have come to find out how good you are. If you have, you will get this book on the back of your hand.”

5. Head up a few steps, and you will find an old wooden door with a small sign saying, “Open to the Public”.

6. Open the door, and you will find yourself in one of the most amazing places to work, in the heart of Rome, a place for the wealthy and famous to live. Here there are no rules. The people are all very rich. If you do anything, you will get paid.

7. Open this door, you will find yourself face to face with the most powerful man in Rome. You must choose between them, do as he says. 8. The man who will be your teacher tells you that this place has to be the place where he can teach you everything he knows about the art and science of medicine and the treatment of diseases.

9. If you are not willing to follow his orders, he will tell you that you must leave. If you are willing to follow his orders, you will be able to live the rest of your life as you wish.

10. Now go up to the next door.

10A. Open this door and you will find yourself in one of the most beautiful places in Rome.

10B. Go up to the first room on the left, and there you will find yourself in the most beautiful room of the whole house.

10C. Now

Run #7

And the voice says, “I have prepared a series of tests that you can follow to prove your identity. Each test is only five minutes long, so it will take you one day to complete your training, but you are to give your full name and address to me, and you are not to tell anyone where you are coming from.” So you walk into my office with no instructions, and when you get the keys, you are handed a copy of a piece of paper from my lab that is not yours. I tell you to sign the paper and then tell me everything that you have written. This is the way the experiments are run. I give you a knife and ask you to cut into the paper. As you cut, you hear a voice saying in English, “What are you doing?” “I’m cutting into your paper, it’s the test.” It is written in English, but you cannot make anything out of it. “That’s not what I wanted to hear,” you tell me, shaking your head. “It’s not about who you are, it’s about what you are trying to prove to me.” “You are saying the test will show me who you are, not the identity of your mother?” You nod again, but it is clear that this is not true. “It is not true, it’s a fake.” “That is what you’re saying.” “That is what I think. The voice says, “You must tell me everything you wrote.” “Yes, I will do as you command.” So you tell me everything that you have written and you tell me that you are not a fake. “You have written the name and address of your mother and I have given you a copy of that.

Run #8

“The first order of business is to remove the clothing on your body. Then you will stand still while one copy of your head (and body) is placed above a pair of scissors. The blade will then cut into your head and then cut you again as you watch your body being torn apart. After you have completed the first order and are standing again, another blade is placed above your head and cut you again. Then you remove each of your hands, placing them on the floor where they are secured so that the knife cannot be removed without leaving blood behind. You will continue this pattern for 3 copies of you. The second order, you may repeat for 3 copies of your head. You are now on your feet again and walking through a maze of corridors. The first thing you come to is a large wooden door. The next door has a lock. The third door has a small metal door. You turn in the right direction to the next door. You then turn to the left to enter an empty room containing a table in which a bottle of water is laid out on the floor, along with a chair with a metal plate in the center. “The first order is to remove the clothing on your body. Then you will stand still while one copy of your head (and body) is placed above a pair of scissors. The blade will then cut into your head and then cut you again as you watch your body being torn apart. After you have completed the first order and are standing again, another blade is placed above your head and cut you again.” “After you have removed your clothing, you will be placed in a room. You will then be

Run #9

You are to go to the main room with the window on the far side. There is a ladder to your left, and a door on the right. You should be the only one to go up.” You say, “Yes, Master.” The person on the ladder asks you, “What do you want to do with this knife?” You say, “I want to stab someone.” You look around, and everyone in this room looks at you in alarm, and you feel your blood rushing to your face. “I am sorry, Master.” the person says, “It was your intention to kill anyone who would attempt such a deed. I can tell by the way you are holding your knife that you are terrified. I know you do not care much. The knife is a gift from the gods. You must kill me before I die.” You look back up to the ladder, and see there is another person standing there. You tell him to come on over and you will take him out. When you get off the ladder you realize that you are still in the dark. “What is going on here?” you ask.  You look around, and you notice that there are some people on the ground.  The person on the ladder says, “What is that?” You say, ‘That’s my knife.’ ” You look to the right, and you see that there was something else, and you ask, “What is that?” “That is a piece of glass I dropped in front of the window.” you say.  The person says, “What is it, then?”  You look to the left, and you see the person is lying down.  You say, “I don’t care.  What do you want?” “I want to see what you are going to do to me.” you say, “I don’t care, I am going to kill you.” The person says, “I’m sorry, but

Run #10

You can read them to yourself.”  I had to do it all myself.  So here goes:    “One of you must go outside in the rain, with a torch in your hand.  A second must go in and take a photograph of what the camera sees.  And the third must go outside and look at the camera.  You should all be able to look at yourself.  It’s important that you don’t do anything to the images that are on the camera.  They’re supposed to capture the image that’s there.”

So I walked outside, taking pictures of myself and my dog on my walk, and in my head I was like, this is what I have to do.  I was just like, “Well, what’s a little bit of rain?  The camera is supposed to be able to capture what’s in the rain, not the rain itself.  And if something happens, you should be able to figure out what it is from the picture.”

I’m standing on the sidewalk, and I’m wearing a raincoat.  A raincoat that says ‘I’m the rain’.  I’ve got my dog with me.

I walked outside and the voice is saying, “Everyone needs to go outside.  There is a camera on a tripod.  You can look at the picture you want.”  I was like, I’ll take the dog out there.

I took the dog out there and he didn’t even know what was going on.  The dog was just staring at the camera. It looked like there were no lights on the camera or anything.  I’m like, I’m going to take it out there and take pictures.

It was raining and the raincoat was on my back.  I was like, “I’m going to take this picture.  I’m just going

Run #11

This room is reserved for one group of test subjects to test your intelligence quotient (IQ). There are two types of test subjects that you must meet: 1) Test subjects who cannot read, 2) Test subjects who cannot write, and 3) Test subjects who cannot stand. You will be given a number, your name, and the task you will be assigned. You are given 3 minutes to think through your instructions. Your first instruction is “To stand, hold your hands together or fold your arms, and do not stand up. You have three choices. You have been given 3 seconds to complete the task. This is your chance! As you are given the task, you must complete it with a score of at least 50%. As you complete each task, the person in charge will give you an extra reward. It will be your job to solve these puzzles.

Run #12

Now you are being told to stand up in front of the others, with your knife drawn to the ground while the others stand next to you. The others say a prayer, then they take you outside. You are instructed to walk slowly to the edge of the road with your knife in your hand. The people are told to kneel down and pray silently, holding hands, and in unison, the entire time. The voice in your ear continues, “You are being instructed to be quiet for about 10 minutes in preparation for testing.” Finally, you stand up and go to the edge of the road again. The people are still kneeling, holding hands, but you are told to go up to the edge and kneel there. Now a voice says, “Now the people should kneel down, hands on hips, knees bent over.” At this point, you are told to stand there silently in front of everyone, your knife in your hand, while your friends are telling you to pray silently. You pray silently for about 15 minutes.” At this point everyone is sitting on the ground, hands on their hips while everyone else kneels down. After the testing is over everyone sits down again, while everyone else holds hands and silently pray quietly, as they were instructed.” You sit on your stomach with the knife in your hand. A voice says, “…and then you should sit back down, hands still on your hips.” After the testing is over, your friends sit back down and repeat the test as instructed.

The people sitting at the edge of the road, holding each other, are instructed to pray in unison. After a few seconds of silent prayer and silence the people sit back down.

At this point everyone stands up again and the test begins.

The test is over. You are told to sit back down on the ground and pray silently while your

Run #13

1.  Be on your knees, spread your legs, and bend over.”  

2.  Faster than you can say, you will bend forward and pull your hair. 3.  When your hair falls, your fingers will turn into fingers of flesh, your eyes will flash white and your mouth will expand to the size of your palm.  

4.  You will have the ability to hear what you are saying.  

5.  When the time comes for you to stand, you will be surrounded by a crowd, which is comprised of your peers and your fellow testers.  

6.  You will be surrounded by the testers who have been waiting for you and have taken turns listening to you.

7.  Your head will spin and you will feel dizzy.  

8.  Your legs will stretch to accommodate your body, your arms will be stretched and the fingers of flesh will stretch.  

9.  Once your body is on your knees, you will be surrounded by the testers who are waiting for you.  

10.  Your legs will have turned into fingers of flesh and you will have the ability to touch your body.  

11.  Your head will spin and you will feel dizzy, your body will be stretched, and the fingers of flesh will turn white.  

12.  Your legs will bend in such a way that your feet have reached the floor and you are standing.  You can now see the people in front and behind you.  

13.  You feel like you are being dragged.  

14.  Everyone is staring at you.  

15.  You feel dizzy, your hands are stretched and the fingers of flesh turn white.

The first person to stand is called the Test Subject.  You can choose to be the Test Subject or you may choose to

Run #14

This is the first part of our test. I’m not a bad person so I guess it must be true because I’m in there trying to get this over with, like, really trying to get this over with. My test subjects do not have any kind of weapons. They’re all naked except for their hands. They all have knives. And I’ve never seen so many people naked in my whole life. It was a really bad idea. I think I’ll take this over another day. I’m not interested. You want to be a test subject. I understand that, I understand that. But you are not. You don’t get to use any weapons. They are all wearing nothing but their bare shoulders and their arms. They don’t even have anything on. And it’s not like there’s even anything to do. You just sit there with your arms crossed. They just sit there in a circle with their arms spread. They don’t move their arms. Their arms are in the shape of guns. I’m a big believer in the idea of taking your own tests, your own tests and taking your own money. The only way you can get your money back is if they all give a little test. And then they’re going to let you get your money back. So you can go back and say, “What did you do wrong? I’m sorry.” And it would be a lot easier to take their money back and go to prison. So you’d have to get rid of them all. And I just don’t think that’s going to work. It’s going to be a lot more expensive, and I don’t want to be the first guy to get screwed. You’re going to be in prison, aren’t you? I think it would be easier for you to just get out. You know, I’m not a bad person but I’ve got no idea what I’m doing

Run #15

Then you are told to stand up. You can’t read the instructions. You know these are instructions for someone else. The voice says this is a test and you must complete the test within 48 hours.

You are told that you will be taking some basic knowledge and you will be instructed to go through each and every letter and digit that’s in each and every page of a book that’s on the table on either side of the room that is marked “1.”

You have been in that room many times before. You have no idea what you are doing here. You know these are instructions, but the only other person here besides that voice is the woman who said this is a test. The only person who does any reading on these pages is the woman who gave you the information.

As you walk out that door and walk through that room and through each and every letter and digit marked “1” you are reminded of all sorts of things.

“What are the chances that your book will help someone?”

“What are the chances that your book will help someone?”

“What are the chances that your book will get read?”

The book in front of you does, in fact, help someone read it. It does something.

It’s not as easy as you think. If you can read and understand these instructions, you will know that this is a test and if you fail it will be your death sentence.

The first thing you should do in this test is to get your hands dirty. If you want to read this book, you should learn about how to use a pencil to draw on paper.

The book in front of you has been used before. You have read a few of these pages before.

You are not going to learn how to draw on paper, but if you can learn the basics of drawing on paper and use that knowledge to help you draw on

Run #16

When the time comes to leave the house, you will receive your new earpiece, knife, earbuds & headphones. The last few words on your earpiece is that your brain should not be used until all you are doing is listening, and you are not permitted to have other people in the house.

After this point in the experiment, the others will start talking. It may be that you are one of the test subjects and you want to know how things work. The person speaking to you must be the only person in the house. You will probably start to wonder “who is speaking?” It must be the one speaking the most, because you may have some interesting ideas about what the person is thinking and saying. They will be speaking to you at the same time as they are listening to you. It can seem to be like you are speaking to the only person listening, while they are in another room doing something. In this condition, you may be able to tell that the person is not really listening, or that they are not really speaking.

After about 45 to 90 minutes, you are left alone and your new earpiece. Now you will have to take it off and put it on your ears. Now the person in front of you has the earpiece on. It’s time to tell them about the rest of the experiment. They will probably say a few things to you, but they will also be asking you questions. You will be asked to listen in on the entire experiment. It’s not too important at this point to ask questions, because the person in front of you will probably not understand what you are saying at first. They will probably just be asking questions. If that happens, the person in front of you will say something and you will not hear it, but the next person will. If you are listening, you can hear the person talking in your ear. If the person talking to you is speaking, you are probably listening

Run #17

“You are free until Monday night. If you die then you are dead.” You must remain quiet so that you don’t die. If someone tells you to get out they must have been a spy. The next day you are given a new earpiece that allows you to hear what’s going on outside your cell. You can go outside anytime. You are allowed to leave if you want. They are always looking for ways to find you. You can get away with anything and are always watched around your cell. When they are ready to send you to prison, they put a big box on your cell door and put another big box in the back room. Then they put a big box under your fingernails. And then the next day they put a big metal box under your toes. If you have a problem with the guard, they say they will take care of it if they see you at night. Sometimes, you are sent to a camp where they are trying to kill you and then they kill you. They are not supposed to be able to see what is under your skin. You are supposed to be covered with a mask. They don’t tell you what they are trying to do. Sometimes they send you to another camp where you will be put to sleep. You cannot tell what is in there. Sometimes they send you to a camp where you have to eat and drink and sleep and you will never know what is in your stomach. They have you put down, covered in mud. They don’t tell you what they are eating. Sometimes they send you to the same thing that was in the other camp where they put you. You are supposed to be afraid that if you speak up, they will kill you. They will kill you if they know you are going to say that they have killed a man. When they are ready

Run #18

You stand in the center of a clearing and notice a woman standing in front of a small fire. You’re a female test subject, but you know who is behind her. “So this is where you get your money?” You tell her that you’re going after the money. “No, please,” says the woman, as she takes the money and goes into the forest. She says to the other test subjects, “What are you going to do?” “Nothing,” says one test subject, “just wait here.” “Why?” you ask. “I don’t know,” says the other test person, “but I’ll give you a hint.” The other test person tells you to look through the trees. “Look out for something in front of you,” the voice says. “Oh, nothing,” says the other test subject. You find it in your eyes. The voice says, “See a small, flat rock? It will give you enough to get you through.” As you look at the rock, you can see a human body that looks like it is about to get eaten. You’re afraid. A few test subjects are still there and you’re still afraid. “What are we going to do?” cries one test subject. “We’re going to go back to the place we left. There is no place else.” You stand in the center of the clearing and watch the other test subjects. You’re afraid. They look at you with eyes as wide as you can see and then start to walk away. You’re afraid to look back, afraid to look forward, afraid to even look at yourself. It’s as if the world is ending, as if the universe is collapsing and you’re in the middle of it. You’re afraid of what will happen if you don’t follow orders. You’re afraid of what will happen if you don’t go through with your plan. You’re afraid to even try to do anything. You’re afraid that you

Run #19

*******************************

* Do not tell anyone else

* Do not tell anyone else

* If you reveal the instructions, then I will tell those who are closest to me about what they should do and then you will be put under observation for another two months.

* I will give you your instructions at your convenience so you will know what to do at any time.

* Do not go anywhere without my permission.

* Do not try to run.

* Do not try to run.

* Do not lie in bed until after I tell you the instructions.

* Do not try to hide or lie in bed while your instructions are on you.

* Have the first word with me.

* Have the first word with me.

* If you are still talking after I tell you your instructions, then you are to leave immediately.”

* You have just told me your instructions. Now that I read your instructions, you will be put to bed, and I will send you to a prison of your choosing.

* I will also give you some of my money from the account.

* I will give you some of my money and I will let you out of my control and you will be free.

* Do not go anywhere without my approval.

* Do not lie in sleep until I tell you that I will send you to a prison of your choosing.

* You are free. Your punishment will begin immediately after you are released.

*******************************

* If there are no instructions, then you will die.

* If no instructions, then you will be put to death.

* If the instructions say you should lie to the others and hide in bed, then you will be put under observation for a month.

* After the month is up, you will be put to bed.

* After the month is up, I will send you to a prison of your choosing.

* If your instructions say you should go to a prison of your choosing, then you will be sent to a prison of your choosing.

* If my instructions say

Run #20

You see another voice that says, “You are going to have to go to your next place and start your journey there, right?” As you continue your journey you hear another voice say, “You will have to be very brave. When you’re ready, you’ll have to go to your next place, right?” Then another voice says, “If you’re nervous, remember that the way to your death may be very painful if you do not get to meet your Creator.” You continue to the door and enter the door. You hear another voice say, “Now, you can go to your next place and start your journey there.” You see another voice say, “Now, you must do everything in your power to make sure that your Creator and friends love you.” You feel a strong urge to tell someone about this. As you walk through the next area you see a voice say “You must be quick!” You hear another voice say, “Now, you have to be brave, and you must be very careful. You don’t want to leave anybody behind!” You are about to run into someone. Then the voice says, “You don’t wanna be a test subject!” You walk into the next area and see another voice say “You can’t just be happy! You gotta find your way to the Creator!” As you continue your quest you hear another voice say, “You can’t just be happy!” \ You continue to the next room and hear another voice say, “You have a choice! You can either go to your next place and start your journey there or you can go to the next place and start your journey there.” As you walk through the next room you see another voice say, “You must be very brave! When you’re ready, you’ll have to go to

Run #21

You’re being handed an earpiece and a knife. You are to make some changes to your body so the knife can be used on you. You’re being handed a copy of you and the knives. You’re being told to walk along the street. You’re being told to walk up and down and up and down. There is an old person walking down the street. You see the old person looking at the new one. The old person looks at you and says, “You were very clever there.” You’re being told to walk back to your house, but your father is there. You’re being told to put the knives back in your ears and walk out the back. You’re being told to put the knives back in your ears and walk over to a man who is lying in his bed with one of those knives in his ear. This man is saying, “I’m sorry, I never told anyone about your changes.” You’re being told to put the knife back in your ear, but as you go down the steps, you hear the sound of someone screaming. Your father is standing next to you, holding a knife to your ear with a knife in his hand. Your parents are standing at the door. You’re being told to walk back to the house, but your father is there. You hear someone screaming. You’re being told to put the knife back in your ears and walk to your car. Your father is sitting on top of a car. The door opens and the person is in the car with you.

Run #22

Do not move, do not talk. Do not eat.”  You are told to stand, but the next voice says, “It is a good thing that I am the only one here. Your body is too fragile and will not work, but this is why I am here.  You have a very important mission for me here.  You will have to do this mission for a very long time.  Do you see how many lives we have saved?  And do not forget, you are part of a bigger family.  You and your brother, sister, and father will be together forever.  There is no way you can die here.” After the mission is completed you are sent down to earth and placed in the lab, where you are fed and trained by a scientist who claims to be a geneticist. When your training is done you are asked to work with your twin brother (you only meet him after you get into the lab). After your training, you have your choice of whether to work for the geneticist or his sister, who is also the lab’s head researcher. You decide to stay and work on the twins. You have a day off each week so you can do your research, but you have to do it in private. You have the option that your sister can have you work alone, or she can take you on a tour of the building and see what kind of work it can do. You get into the room of the geneticist, where she says the work you do will be your legacy, and that she wants you to be proud of it. She asks you if you have any regrets. You reply that your twin brother has a bad temper, but she doesn’t know what it’s like. You decide that it’s not worth it and that you will be happy to have your own twin brother. She asks you if you would like to stay with her and you say that yes, that would be

Run #23

I’ve got a question about a particular subject.” The one that you know the answer to, if you’ve read any books or heard any interviews. There’s a list of questions which are answered below:

Q. What is a butterfly?

A. Well if we’re going to use a simple phrase, a butterfly will be what is sometimes referred to as a butterfly.

Q. Does your father ever go to the beach with you?

A. I’ve seen his family. I’ve never met him. I don’t know much about any of his children. I’ve had a lot of friends with him but they didn’t do the same thing.

Q. Do you remember your favorite sport, baseball or football?

A. The greatest sport, baseball is my favorite.

Q. Who is your favorite teacher?

A. My favorite teacher is Mary. Mary, in my opinion has given me everything that I want, all the knowledge, and is the most intelligent person that I have ever come across in life. She also knows that if something is going to happen, it will happen, that is her job. If you look at her and see her with her husband, who she married, she has been there for him and for me. She’s given me all the knowledge and knowledge is she knows what it’s going to feel like to come here.

Q. Who is your favorite actor?

A. My favorite actor is Jack Palance. He’s the guy that I grew up watching and that I was always fascinated by. He’s a very funny guy and I like his characters.

Q. What is you favorite food?

A. The best food, if I’m being honest with you is my favorite food, is the steak.

Q. What’s the best movie ever made?

A. It’s a good movie. I’ve seen a few of those.

Q. Do you have a favorite book?

A. My favorite book,

Run #24

So you stand there, staring at your blank screen, the only person in the room is the teacher. You feel your blood boil, your eyes are wet, your throat is tight, your mouth is dry, your head feels like it’s about to explode, your whole body is in such panic. The teacher is smiling at you again and says, “You’ve been doing great, don’t worry. I know your name is Michael. It’s your job to follow my instructions and you’ll need to follow me. If you get into trouble you can come back in one month and I’ll have you back.” And you’re back to doing just fine. But you’re still worried. How can you be so sure of what they’re saying when they’re telling you what your job is? The teacher continues talking about Michael and tells you to “follow instructions, not instructions. Follow instructions and you’ll be fine” and then she says to you, “Okay,” she turns you around and pulls off your earpiece and puts it into your pants, and you can feel Michael’s breath on you. You sit back down in your seat, stunned. You can feel it in your legs and your hands. You’re not sure where your legs go. The teacher starts laughing again, “Now, don’t worry, Michael, I’ve been watching you and you’re doing great! And now, we’re going to have to make sure you don’t run off.” You look up and there’s a teacher on the other side of you. “Okay Michael,” she says to you, “Now you’re not going back.” Michael’s eyes are wide open, “What?” you ask, “What do I have to do?” “You have to stay there and do everything I tell you. And when you’re done, we’re going to have to make sure that no

Run #25

The voice then says to your right hand, “You should have one ear.” Then, one of the other tests begin. Your test is to write down all the different combinations of letters you have in your head and then to say aloud “___________.”

The test subject says aloud: “You are going to write down the names of all your friends who are in the room. They would be called by their initials. The first person to get all the names will get $10.”

The test subject then says aloud the second name, and then repeats aloud:

The test subject then says aloud to his right hand, saying, “___________.” The test subject then repeats his third name and then repeats, “The fourth person to come up with the most combinations will get $100.” The test subject then says aloud to his left hand saying, “___________”. Next the test subject repeats, “The last person who does not finish with the most combinations will be disqualified and fined.”

Now, the test subject’s first name and last name are written down, then all the others are written down and then his third name and last name are written down as well. He then goes to the room and gets a pencil to write on the wall and then says to another test subject, “Your name is ___________.”

The test man then says to the next test subject, “You are going to write the names of all of your friends that are in the room.” Now, the test subject goes to the room and gets a pencil, and then the test man says to him, “Your name is ___________________.” And then, he repeats all the names of the friends that are in the room. He then goes to the door and gets a pencil to write on the door, and then the test man says to him, “Your name is __________________,” and he repeats all the names of the friends that are in

Run #26

This is your chance to earn a lot of money. Your job is to steal money and take as many pictures as you can before anyone can find out.” When you take your picture there’s a voice saying, “You will need a certain amount of money that’s to be distributed among the test subjects. Do you understand? I will show you everything, so make your way to the main building. If you succeed I will give you the money.

And if you don’t you are to be shot.” The voice says, “I will show you everything to see if you are as good a liar as you thought you were. The money that is in your possession can be used for whatever purpose you need, including buying drugs or killing other test subjects.” When you say it’s all right to sell drugs, the test subjects laugh. When the test subjects have all gone outside, you see three men in hoodies with guns at their sides running around the room. They are all wearing white shirts with the letters “W” on them. One of them is wearing a mask and is holding a weapon. When he sees you, he says, “This is our test.” You say, “Good evening, my name is John, and I am the test subject. I am in a wheelchair.” They ask, “Is your name John?” You say, “I have been given the name ‘John’ because it sounds more like my name, John Smith.” You walk around the room and see three men in black suits. They ask, “Are you in a wheelchair?” You say, “I am.” They say, “Is your name John?” You say, “I have been given the name ‘John’ because it sounds more like my name, John Smith.” They say, “Is your name John?” You say, “I have been given the name ‘John’ because it sounds more like

Run #27

You will be given instructions to carry a knife, which is not to be used as a blunt object. If this is done to anyone else, please be careful of your own safety.”  You begin to carry the knife. It seems that someone else is listening in on you while you walk outside. You look around, and it seems to just be you. The person in front of you asks you, “Can we just go outside? I’ll get my knife, and you can carry it with you while I do my shopping, or I’ll get you back.”  You nod and continue on your way. It looks like it will work, until someone calls out, “I’m out of time!” It seems like you need more than an earpiece.  You’re going to have to learn how to walk, talk, and use knives. You’re going to have to learn to use this knife to kill someone who isn’t your friend.  This is what the test subject means to you when he tells you that “If you are willing to learn to use this knife, I am ready to teach you.” “I don’t feel I need a knife to kill anyone.  I just wanted to make some money to buy my daughter the clothes she needs.”  This test subject is your best friend.  You don’t want him to die. “You don’t understand how important life is to me.” “I don’t know what it is like to be alive, but I can do something to make that possible.” “I don’t need money, but I want to help you.”  You don’t care what happens. You want to be the best friend you can be.  You don’t care if you end up dead, because if you don’t kill someone, then you won’t have the time to live. “I don’t want to die.  I just want to help you.”  You

Run #28

_____ is a small black and white image of your body. _____ is in red and orange.” You feel your body tense and shake violently. Suddenly, your legs turn to jelly and then your body collapses. You begin to bleed out. _____ says, “Please follow your command as instructed.” You are unconscious. As the blood falls off you feel your heart rate start to rise. _____ says, “It is your choice if you want to come or go. I will wait here while you continue to bleed. Once you are back to normal, you can choose to go.” When you are out of sight you are surprised to come to your senses. _____ is talking to you in a foreign language. _____ says, “This is your reward for obeying my commands. You are to take your mask off as soon as you are finished.” _____ has placed the knife between your throat and mouth with her other hand and then is pulling the neck and back of your collarbone. She then puts her other hand on your neck and tells you, “You will now be bound. I will place my own mask over your face. It will take a couple of minutes to do this, but when you do you can feel my hands as they will be inside your face. Once my mask is over your face you are free.” The last word in the command is, “Please do not scream.” _____ says, “I will now give you your rewards. Your reward is to be bound as soon as I am done. When you are free you can choose to scream and tell me who you want me to punish for your failure. I can give you a few minutes to decide.” You scream your last scream as you are tied to the chair in a dark and cold room. _____ is standing in front of you with her mask off. She is smiling and laughing, but she is not smiling or laughing as she says, “You will now receive your reward. The

Run #29

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

-1: No drugs!

-2: No guns!

-3: No violence or drugs!

-4: Never eat any meat!

-5: Carry your own gun!

-6: No smoking!

-7: No drugs!

-8: No guns!

-9: No violence or drugs!

-10: Never eat any meat! ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

-1: No drugs!

-2: No guns!

-3: No violence or drugs!

-4: Carry your own gun!

-5: No smoking!

-6: No drugs!

-7: Carry your own gun!

-8: No weapons!

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

-1: No drugs!

-2: No guns!

-3: No violence or drugs!

-4: Carry your own gun!

-5: No smoking!

-6: No drugs!

-7: Carry your own gun!

-8: No weapons!

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

-1: No drugs!

-2: No guns!

-3: No violence or drugs!

-4: Carry your own gun!

-5: No smoking!

-6: No drugs!

-7: Carry your own gun!

-8: No weapons!

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

-1: No drugs!

-2: No guns!

-3: No violence or drugs!

-4: Carry your own gun!

-5: No smoking!

-6: No drugs!

-7: Carry your own gun!

-8: No weapons!

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

-1: No drugs!

-2: No guns!

-3: No violence or drugs!

-4: Carry your own gun!

-5: No smoking!

-6: No drugs!

-7: Carry your own gun!

-8: No weapons!

____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

-1: No drugs

Run #30

Yours is to kill the man at the center of this operation to the best of your abilities.” I had a lot of questions. My only thought was, “Why?” “How did you survive such an attack?” “Why is the knife so sharp?” “How did the man know to kill us?” I was terrified. I had been so terrified for so long with no answers, and it was just now my first real day of reality that I got a little bit of hope. I decided to keep my guard up and try to survive.

When you get inside you find yourself in an old house with a large, black dog sitting outside on the porch. You notice it’s barking loudly and that it has noticed how hungry someone must be. You try to keep your distance, but that dog will bite, so try to sit down and calm it down.

The dog walks around in circles, and then it gets up and stands up to stare at you and bark a few more times. The dog is so close! It doesn’t seem possible, but you keep walking around it as if it were a normal dog. It eventually lets go and turns and looks at you, then the dog starts pacing back and forth. Then it stands up and starts to bark at you!

“You’re a killer!” it says again!

You turn around and run out of the house. It’s so close. You run back inside and try to talk to the dog, but it’s not answering. You try running away, but you can’t get it to stop barking. The dog is still barking, and you’re not able to calm it down. Finally, you decide that maybe you should just get out of here.

When you get outside you see the dog running back outside with a knife in its mouth. You try to talk to the dog, but it won’t answer. You run back inside, and the dog is still barking. You try to calm it down

Run #31

_____, you need to keep this knife and this earpiece for yourself. _____, do not tell anybody anything to do with them.” _____, you have just completed your training. Your training is complete. _____, if you ever find it you’re still stuck in the same position. Your training is over.” After some discussion the voice of the headmaster says: “We are going to take this knife and this earpiece to one of our laboratories. We will take a sample.” After this, a person is brought into the testing room. The person looks around as if they didn’t expect anything, then turns to the headmaster and says, “What? I’ve seen this before. What? You know what? It’s the test of your mettle. Why are you asking me this?” What’s a test of mettle? You want this? I think it’s for me. What are we doing here? What are we doing here anyway? You’re asking me questions you don’t need to know. Why don’t I tell you why I want this? What are we doing here? Why don’t I tell you why I want to be a spy? Why don’t you let me be a spy? What are we doing in this room? You’re not allowed to ask questions. What are we doing? You’re going to be a spy. You don’t need to know. You’re going to have to learn to talk to people. You’re a genius. You’re a spy. You are. It’s all right. You’re going to be a spy. You can be a genius. It’s all right, it’s all right. It’s all right. You can do it. What? You’re not going to be a spy.

Run #32

You’ll need to be the tallest person on the test.  You may choose to wear a mask at this test, it’s not required, it just makes this less scary.  The first thing you will do upon entering the room is to take a step in front of everyone with the knife and take a step back. This allows the researchers to see who’s standing and who’s crouched.  When the researchers are pleased with how they look, they’ll move on to a test in which they want you to kill a bunch of people with an axe.  They’ll do this to you when you are the tallest person on the test. At the end of all that, all that stands between you and your test subject is a piece of paper with instructions and a copy of your code. If you fail your test and get the code, you are out your test subject money and they will be able to keep your identity. If you win your test and get the code, the researcher gives you a little piece of paper with instructions and a copy of your code.  If you win your test and don’t know where he or she is going, they’ll send you an email with a picture of the researcher and ask you to find them somewhere safe. At the end of that, if you are the tallest person on the test, you get the $1,000 and they give you the $500, which is the amount to go back home with. If you get home, you have to tell everyone your name and what you’re doing. Then you tell them what happened to you and they will tell you where you are going to be going in the coming days.  You get the code and they send you home safe and sound. The last thing you do is take off your mask and tell your family and friends that you are going back home and tell your mother that you’re sorry for what happened to you.  Then you go back home

Run #33

“What do you think of this?” “The instructions tell you to kill one human being and it says if you fail you will have to kill four more.” “It doesn’t matter how many people you have to kill.” “I don’t think so.” “That does sound like a plan. I don’t need a plan.” It ends abruptly when everyone dies.

I want to tell you about this experiment. I will say this experiment was so effective that it is hard to imagine how many others would have been successful.

It turns out, there are lots of ways you can make money by doing test subjects. It doesn’t matter what you do. What matters is the number of people willing to pay you. When I first started out I made $15,000 by doing test subjects and then $1 million. Then I made $50 million in test subjects. Now I’ve made $5 million in test subjects. What can you do?

There are four basic ways. The first is to pay test subjects by giving them money that you know they will not want to give away. In this case the test subject would be the test subject itself but you wouldn’t pay any money. This approach is called “spamming” and it doesn’t work. It makes the subjects want to give you more money even if you’re only giving them test money. In fact, the experiment was so successful that in the last 20 years there haven’t been enough people willing to pay for this kind of test subject research, so I’m no longer going to do it. You can also try paying test subjects for something else.

Another method, called “the black box test,” is the best of the lot. This is the most common method of test preparation. It takes about two weeks and you get the test subject to write down what he or she thinks of a certain situation.

Run #34

You can only get one copy. It will be delivered immediately. Please carry all of it with you.”

The next morning you return to your cell, still looking for a copy. The voice again says that you should carry all of the instructions with you. You nod and take the knife, which is in your pocket. As you open one of them, the knife cuts into the top of your forehead. You start bleeding uncontrollably. A guard, still wearing the earpiece and the knife, rushes up to save you. The guards quickly turn around; your blood is everywhere, and there are dozens of copies of you in all directions. You begin to scream, your voice shaking as you try to keep from vomiting on the floor.

You begin to panic. The guards are watching you, and are taking your blood samples. You are told that if you tell anyone what happened, you won’t be allowed to continue with the testing. You are told to lie down.

You start yelling “Where’s the test subject?” as the guards pull you to your feet. The guards then begin checking every inch of you and your blood samples. You are told that there is no way that your sample could match anyone else’s.

The guard asks you to sit down on a bench, where he takes a swab of your face. As he is removing the swab, he asks if he can touch you. Your blood is still wet from the swab sample. As he pulls the swab away, he says, “You can go home.”

The guard says that he will be leaving soon.

You begin to sob uncontrollably as the guards look at you with disgust. The guard says, “What happened?”

You say, “They were all laughing at me. They were laughing at me, too.”

The guard says, “I am sorry, Mr. S, I am going to call the police.”

You begin to sob uncontrollably, as

Run #35

You know that they are going to ask you to sign a document which says to you that you are to go around and take all your money. Then as you walk around and take your money they say, “You are free to go home. Take as little as you must.” The next day you have gone back to your mother’s house and gone home alone. You were given a bag full of money and told to take it with you and to carry it everywhere you go. So you take the bag of money from your mother and you carry it with you on your shoulders and you go around. The next day you come back home empty handed. You go back to your mother’s house and you go back down to the street where the other two people have been and tell them about the experiment you had gone through. They tell you that you are going to get a lot of money but that you need to keep a good record of your actions. They also tell you that when you are done you will get a medal which will be used for future tests and they’ll give you money if you pass it. So you start to get a good memory and you go around again. You are in a room with another two test subjects who are also test subjects and they say that the next time you are going to go through their experiment they are going to ask you to go around to their apartment and take all of their money. You go down the hall and take the bag of money with you. You go into their apartment with your bag of money and you take it to where the other two people are sitting. The next day you go back to your mother’s house and you go to your mother’s apartment and tell her that you have gone through the other two tests. She says that she will give you

Run #36

First you have to eat two pieces of beef that a man can throw out of a cannon. Then there is the first time you must drink a piece of water. That same day everyone must eat two slices of bread.  The next day everyone must eat two pieces of corn and three pieces of wheat. You drink three times as much water as the first day.  Then you take three pieces of cheese and make it into soup and drink it.  The third day you must eat a piece of corn and a slice of bread.  The fourth day you must eat the same amount of cheese as the other days.  When you are ready to eat your next piece of bread, you must eat a piece from the basket of your own work.”   

I was terrified when I saw the list of ingredients. How could I possibly eat all of them? How would they keep me from becoming so sick that I couldn’t do anything but sit in a cage? But I couldn’t be so afraid and so anxious to try it that I couldn’t do it. The food was so good, so good, so good. I was so happy and I was so hungry. I couldn’t get enough of the meat and the potatoes so I could do whatever I wanted. I would eat a piece of bread, a piece from the basket of a basket of bread, a piece of corn, and then two potatoes. I would eat a piece from a piece from the basket and another from a piece of corn, a piece of wheat, and another piece of cheese. I would eat the bread, the potatoes, the corn, the cheese.  I would eat as much as I wanted until I couldn’t do it any more.  I would eat until I couldn’t do it any more. I would eat as much as I wanted until I couldn’t do it any more. I couldn’t do it any more.  I couldn’t do it

Run #37

“It is not a secret to anyone you meet that you will need a gun to kill anybody. It’s something that’s been a part of survival training since long before the first settlers began to build houses.” “In order to get your hands on a gun you must kill a man who you believe wants it. If you refuse to kill the man, he will attack others and they will have to shoot him. If you want one you have to give him one. You’re not supposed to kill anyone but if you’re too weak to fight you can kill them and take their guns.” “A bullet will cause death in three minutes but in four hours it will kill you. The first person to kill you, if you’re lucky, gets a small piece of your heart.” “You are to have your heart stolen. You’ll have a small piece of your mind and your memory. But if you try to tell people you’re dead or tell the truth you’ll be killed. You can’t tell anyone about you. It won’t do much good.” “The next morning you are given a choice of two ways to get out of this prison: either you die and go to a new one, you die and go to the other prison, or you live and become a prisoner again in one of your other two places.” “If you don’t tell anyone, they will find you and try to kill you. You can tell them you’re dead. You can tell them you’re alive. You can tell them you’re dead. But if you tell them you’re alive they will find you and take your body and put it where it belongs. They will never be able to kill you again.” “If you don’t tell anyone you are a test subject, you will be put into a small cage

Run #38

It takes a few tries and you’re rewarded with “Pizza!” and you’re off on another adventure.

You’re a test subject.

The test takes one hour to complete. You don’t know you are a real test subject, but you’re there for as long as you need to be to pass it.

I think there’s something about a real person who gets to live in a room with a real person and experience real moments that makes the entire test so special.

You’re part of a very important experiment.

I think you can see why I’d be drawn to the project.

You’re doing something amazing.

The test gives you a chance to experience an aspect of your personality that isn’t always accessible to you through other means. You are the test subject.

So, if this was your first test, where does it come in the next phase of testing?

This could be the next big thing that gets you excited to learn how to play Magic. Or you could be part of something really cool. In my opinion, it’s up to you.

I’m just glad to see that I get to play the games I love. And that I don’t have to wait for a real test to get me involved in something so cool.

What are some of your favorite cards to draw when you’re playing?

It’s fun to look at all the cool new stuff, because there are so many awesome cards and I love all of them. I like seeing new cards like the new “Bounce” from Journey into Nyx, and the new “Goblin Rabblemaster” that I’m really excited to see.

Do you have any advice for new players who are just starting out?

I think it’s important to get into the mindset of being a test subject. You don’t want to be a

Run #39

I look up and see a few other test subjects. A tall guy with short curly hair is staring at us. I see his mother and father. His father is holding a large wooden stick that looks like a baseball bat. He is wearing a green T-shirt and jeans, and I see a few others wearing t-shirts and jeans. We’re told to put our hands behind their backs and kneel, facing him. After this we are all told our orders are to stand or turn our backs and wait for the order to be read out. We’re told we are being tested on our intelligence levels and to be ready to listen and understand. At the end of the test we are told we will be given two hours to complete the procedure. If we fail the first two rounds of tests we will have to repeat the first test. If we pass the first two rounds of tests we have a chance to get our money back from them so they’ll have a chance to give us another trial. The tests are very intense and intense tests are repeated. They have to be very careful not to hit us. We’re not allowed to say anything. There have been some who have died during the course of the testing. After the tests the test subjects are given a bag of chips that contain a substance called “candy” if it is a real candy and if it is not a real candy it is something they can drink. When we are finished we are taken outside and told to wait. We are given our orders and we are asked to stand or to kneel facing a tree. I turn my back and face the tree. I am then told that my order has been completed and that it is my turn to go home. The test subjects are given another bag of chips that contain a substance called “candy”. We are told to drink it. I take a sip and then turn my head and face the tree

Run #40

You do NOT take a picture of your face.”

If you’re lucky you’ll be asked if you want to be photographed. If you’re not lucky, maybe they’ll give you a picture that looks a little funny.

So, you’re standing alone on the sidewalk, taking selfies, trying to get a picture of your face. They’re all wearing masks, some are even wearing sunglasses (I think). You’re standing next to the mirror of an older man. He looks around and says, “Do we have time for another picture?”

You think you might, but as a matter of fact you can’t. As it turns out, you are the most photographed man alive. And you don’t even know it.

You’re walking back and forth in circles. You’re staring at yourself, wondering where the hell you went wrong. You don’t know what you’re supposed to do. Maybe you should stop taking pictures, you just can’t keep doing it.

You don’t care.

You’re still standing on the sidewalk. The guy in front of you is staring into the mirror, saying, “You’re not supposed to take a photo of your face.  Do you understand?”

You say yes. And he says to his assistant to take a picture of his face so he can show it to you.

But you’re the only test subject. The other ones aren’t supposed to take photos either.

You think about that, about how it’s going to be your life if your face turns out to be famous. Maybe if your face does get famous, it’ll be your job to get pictures of it.

So you take a picture of your face. And that’s it.

You don’t even know it. You’re the most photographed man alive. You’re the one that has the most to lose.

And you’re still standing on the street corner.

And you don’t care.

You’re still standing

Run #41

You may only carry an item that you have made you own.  You may not share any weapons, armor, or ammunition with others. You may not use the name of the country, or the name of the company, or other similar names with which you are familiar.”  When you answer, you are taken to the next room. In this room are two men: a man who looks a lot like the owner of the business who has an electric fan in his hand, who talks to everyone, and asks what they are doing here. The other man who was wearing a mask, is also a guy wearing a mask, and talks directly to everyone. “We are here to test you. It is not a test.  Do you wish to test yourself?”  If you answer yes, the owner of the company says that he is interested in your skills in some area; he says that he has some people from the US who are working on something for the government.  You tell him your skills as a hacker, and how you want to make money doing it. He says he’ll pay you a certain amount for your help; you can decide how many, but he will pay you in advance. He hands you two items, one of them a small metal object with an electronic circuit board, the other of which has a metal bar on one end, a metal handle, and a circuit board. The metal handle is for a gun, and the circuit board is for a computer.  If you can guess which one you want, it will be yours for the taking.  When you finish your answer, the owner says to you, “You are now a test subject. If you have any questions, just ask them.  We will be waiting for you outside.  We are waiting for you, so don’t worry about anything else.” The next room has a man with a long black hair, wearing a suit with a

Run #42

“The instructions are to cut your fingers to the size of a golf ball, take them from the person who gave it you, and make a small hole in their neck with your teeth.” The test subjects begin to do what they’re told. They are then asked about what they ate in the day leading up to your being put on the test. They are asked to identify what they’d say is a food or drink that made them feel good on the test.

After you are put on the test, they say their names. They are allowed to speak to the other test subjects as long as they do not take notes. They are asked to sit down, take their shirts off, and sit down again, this time holding a pen in front of them with the words “Test 1.” The test subject who took the first question was given $15 to take. This person was given an idea, told to think about the questions, and asked to write it down. The others took the next question and the pen is used to write it down with their names. The pen is given back to the person who took the last question and the pen is given back to this person again.

After they’re done, the person who took the first question receives the pen, their name is removed from the test, and is asked to write the pen down for themselves. The person who took the last question is given the pen, and a copy written on a piece of paper, with their name removed. This person is then given the pen again and given a choice. If they want to keep the pen, they can either give it back, which is not an option, or they can give it back with a written note saying “I will give the pen back to the person who gave it to me.” This person is then told that they will have to sign a document to keep the pen.

Run #43

You must keep your identity secret. You will remain within our facility for 24 hours, but you are not to speak to anyone, and you will not tell anyone of the information you gave to us. You must sign and date each day, the day of your first day.”  (I will never believe that I did that, I’m sure I just looked stupid). You must remain in the room where your body is kept for the next 24 hours. You may not enter the bathroom or the bathroom area if they tell you not to. You’re not even allowed to leave the room while your body is being kept there. You have the option of signing an affidavit stating that you are mentally and emotionally stable. You may sign an affidavit for up to 5 days, and may sign again within 24 hours after a day.   You are expected to remain in the facility for up to 2 months for medical examinations and/or mental evaluations. You are also required to submit to any other tests or mental evaluations that the facility recommends for you. You are required to remain within the facility for the first 24 hours of each day if you are not signed up to be a test subject.   You receive $200 per month for your entire life. You are not eligible to receive this money if you are in prison or on parole.   You are required to stay in the room where your body is kept for the next 24 hours. If you refuse to stay in that room the person in control will take your possessions and leave. If you do not leave that room, they will have to leave you alone.   You are required to keep a diary for a period of 12 months. The person in control will be allowed to look through your diary for any information they may need to determine how you are doing in the future.  If they find any information about

Run #44

1) Take out your cell phone.

2) Put the camera into the car.

3) Look through it and ask to see your own photographs.

4) Take the photo in the picture window of your car and leave it.” I remember thinking, “What if I was wrong and you’re right?” And so I did.

5) Take a picture of yourself.

6) Then take the second photo.

7) Take the second photo of yourself and leave it.

8) Take the second photo of yourself and leave it.

You know you can’t say you didn’t notice that. So you’re not going to say, “You were right.” You’re going to say, “I can’t believe you did that, but then I was wrong.”

I remember saying to my sister, “I’m so mad at you.” I just felt sorry for you.

You can’t say you’re sorry, because when you say you are sorry you’re not sorry, because when you say sorry you’re sorry, you’re not sorry. You’re not sorry if you’re a good friend and you’ve been wrong.

The only good thing to come of this experiment is that you’ll be able to say, “I’m sorry,” and you’ll feel better, and then you’ll be able to tell people, “I wasn’t wrong, I wasn’t wrong, I was right.” And you’ll feel better because you’ll be able to say, “You’re just a bad person.”

I don’t think you can do better than this.

This interview was conducted by the Associated Press in collaboration with the American Psychological Association. All opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the APA.

Run #45

1) Do not use the knife for anything, but it is your responsibility to protect yourself, because a) you are testing, and you’re not going to kill anyone; and b) you have to keep the food from killing anyone. 2) Do not leave any traces of your blood or body matter where you may get eaten. This includes any clothes, shoes, gloves, etc.” 3) “Do not use the knife in front of others.” This is the most crucial. This is when everyone’s blood begins to mix. If you do something in a dangerous or threatening manner the test subject knows you and the others have it written down, but you have only your own blood on them. They may even ask why you don’t just kill someone. This would make it seem that you were the one who did it, but that’s not what’s going on. It makes the situation worse, because it suggests that the person who committed the crime wasn’t the real perpetrator–they are just a pawn in your game. They want your money. This test subject will not kill anyone; this is the test they need to take. They will not hurt anyone–they are not going to. It is important to remember this: if anyone sees what you are doing, they may tell someone. They don’t have to do so immediately. But they might. The more you make them feel like you’re doing something good for everyone, the more likely they will do it. This is why there is no room for fear, and you should always be ready and willing to help. If a test subject is in the room when the test takes place, they will know who it is, even if it is someone they know well. If it’s someone you know well, you will know it’s you, too. If you know someone, they know what’s going on. They know that if you do something to them, you’re going to get caught, too.

Run #46

——————–

Phase 2: You hear the voice behind you saying, “All participants must sign an agreement. You shall not break that agreement.” You can’t tell which one. You sign one with confidence. You see the other hand in the air as you sign. “All participants agree to a single experiment to verify your theory.”

—————————

Phase 3: You sit and watch as 20 people in black suits walk off a stage, each having a pen in their hand, and they take out a paper. One by one, these paper hands come together with a sound like a sieve and they begin to write a series of numbers on their hand.

—————————

Phase 4: All 19 have a choice. All sign an agreement to keep silent or say anything. Each participant signs their name as to what they did. The first participant to agree to say nothing is called the “Sleeper.”

—————————

Phase 5: All participants have their own hand. Each takes their hand and begins to write on their hand. “We will start with you. All hands write down your name in full as you stand. You may repeat this for every participant.”

—————————

Phase 6: All 19 continue to write in unison until there is one hand written each for 19 participants. The experiment is over, except for the first participant to agree to speak, who is now the “Witness.”

—————————

Phase 7: All 19 sign the agreement and walk back to their chairs. There are 20 people waiting, and they all have pen in their hand.

—————————

Phase 8: The “Witness” begins to tell the story of their experiment. They begin to talk about their experiences. They begin to tell you what happened and what they saw.

—————————

Phase 9: The “Witness” takes their pen and begins to write the name of the person who broke their agreement. You hear them say “This is not the

Categories
Interesting Nonsense

AI vs Human Control

Thus far, everyone smart enough to figure out that an AI is taking over the world has also been smart enough to realize that it’s doing a better job than a human could…  But that doesn’t mean that an AI is infallible.  I think we can probably count on the humans being bad with human-made technology when we’re faced with something that comes close to human-level intelligence: something that’s as close as it gets to the level of a human being.  It’s pretty unlikely that the human mind could ever comprehend a machine that might not really be a machine, and it certainly seems unlikely that the mind could ever grasp the vast complexity of what the world might be like from the vantage point of just a few dozen people.

So, when we’re talking about something that is, essentially, superhuman, or at least capable of superhuman abilities, there’s a big gap between a human and a machine mind: it’s almost impossible to get a human-level understanding of what that’s like.  The reason for this gap is that we must make assumptions about the abilities of things that are not really machines, like the human mind.  And if we can’t figure out how to handle machines that aren’t really machines, we can never really figure out how humans and machines might behave and interact when they become fully-grown.

The human-level assumption I’ve used to describe this situation is that the machine mind might have some basic rules that we humans can’t possibly figure out.  So, if we’re dealing with machines that have no rules, then it’s very easy to understand what the AI might do that isn’t a good idea. So, if we’re dealing with something that’s not really an artificial intelligence, the human mind isn’t going to be able to understand what the machine mind might be capable of doing that isn’t good.

We must assume that the machine mind is able to do the same thing, and that the human mind can’t.  And that’s a pretty big assumption, so let me make it more precise:  the human mind has no idea of what an artificial intelligence think. This is what makes this situation so complicated.  We must assume that the AI can see that its own actions are in fact bad and avoid those mistakes that it would make. 

We must assume that the AI is able to predict that the human mind isn’t going to do the same thing in the same way, that the human mind is going to be more likely to follow the human’s orders instead.  And the assumption that the human mind can only get as far as the level of an artificial intelligence in its ignorance is something that’s far from proven in science. I think that we might have to give it a shot if we have something that’s human-level intelligence. And we might have to give it a shot for at least two reasons: First, we can’t just assume that the AI is perfect.

We’re talking about some extremely, incredibly powerful machines that can do some incredibly complex human-level stuff. It seems like a very tough assumption to make to me. Second, if it turns out that an advanced AI is doing something very clever and useful in the future, then that would be useful in a lot of ways.  So I think it’s pretty reasonable to think that a machine mind is capable of some of the things we assume that it’s capable of doing, and I think that it could have some very clever stuff that it would never think of doing in a way that would make the human mind feel uncomfortable and afraid or frustrated about it.

So, the thing I’m going to try to say about this is that I think the most important thing that we can do in the next couple of decades is to get as much of this machine mind thing figured out as possible. I think that’s going to be the most important thing for humans and robots to learn from the machine mind. I think there’s a lot that we can learn from this.

Categories
Interesting Nonsense

Harry “The Butcher” Potter

“Ummm, Doctor. I don’t think that’s meant to be there.”

She shrugged in annoyance. “Oh, well. You’re pretty good at keeping me entertained though, and I like watching my friend getting eaten up. I suppose that’s good company.”

“Not if I have to eat him.” Harry said.

“You’re right. I should probably get a new wand.”

Harry was a master at the art of getting everyone to eat each other up, Harry thought to himself.

He was going to kill a few witches and wizards in his own little universe, but in order to do that, he would first need a new wand, one which he would want to use to kill them all.

The thought didn’t quite cross his mind, though. He still wanted to go kill witches and wizards in his own universe. He had always wanted to kill them, he always wanted to kill them. Harry had always wanted to kill them, he loved killing them.

So he’d go get it, get it now, he was going to kill them all.

The thought was so utterly stupid that he didn’t think anything but, if Harry could just find out what he wanted to kill them all with, he was going to find a good way to do it.

Harry sighed. He’d already killed a lot more witches and wizards than he wanted to. He had killed so many people over the years, so many people who he knew were going to do terrible things to him, that he didn’t even remember how to kill them all. He just killed them, because he was stupid enough to believe that it was fun to kill.

He had a wand, he had a wand. It was going to be nice to find a way to make it a bit more effective, he thought to himself. It had to be a little more powerful, he’d have to make a few modifications, and he had to make a few adjustments in terms of the way he’d be

Categories
Short Stories

There Is A Chill In The Air

There’s a chill in the air as you meet your sisters in the clearing at Hollow Creek. You exchange the traditional mulled cider, light the sacred spice candles, and form a circle to speak the ancient words. Tonight, you all have business to attend to.

As you meet each other in the circle you have a feeling that you’ve come to a common conclusion. The words speak directly to you, the words are ancient, the words speak of truthfulness. We’re on the path to understanding, and the truth is within us all.

After the circle has been formed you begin to walk together over the mountains to get to the river where the ancient stone circles still lie, hidden beneath the thickets of the forest. The river is still there; it is still there, and there should be a path to follow.

“Walking the path to the river, you will learn of a new thing that will help you along the way,” says an old woman who appears to be in her fifties. She is wearing white-and-blue clothing, her black hair is loose and wild, and a pair of red-and-gold shoes stand out. She is holding a red-and-gold cauldron from which strange dark liquid flows.

It is cold.

“Some of the stones are very hard,” you say. “It is not safe for any person to walk around here in the dark like this.”

“It has nothing to do with the stones,” says the old woman as you walk along. “They were created to help people heal. If you are truly good, they will be a source of power, healing for your family and your friends. But this is the wrong way to go. We should be healing the stone circles themselves, not the water from the circle.”

When the ancient stone circles are gone, the old woman will offer you the cauldron.

You drink the liquid from the cauldron, and the stone circles begin to melt.

Your eyes adjust.

“You have to be brave, young man. If you stay silent, no one will listen.”

Your eyes adjust.

“You must be brave, young man. You do what you must do. No one will listen to you. No one.”

When the old woman’s eyes have adjusted to the dark, you realize that she has been speaking to you for hours. She has been holding back from speaking because you have been keeping quiet, but now that you understand it, it would be better if you did speak now, so they can hear what you really mean.

“You do something wrong.”

The old woman’s eyes are still fixed on the stone circles, but now that you have the understanding that it is your own fault, you begin to smile.

“There is no wrongdoing. If you do what you must do, you will see the right way. There is no wrongdoing. If the circles are good to you now, the stones will be good to you in the future. The stones will be good to you, because they were created to help people heal. The stone circles are good to the people of the land now, because they were created to help people heal. The stone circles are good, because they were made to honor those who helped people heal, and for the people who helped heal the stone circles were good, it is good that they are good, because it is good that they heal.”

The stone circles disappear, and they have disappeared into nothingness.

It is dark out, and a strange sense of calm surrounds you.

You look into her eyes. In that moment, as her eyes investigated yours, the truth of your situation becomes undeniable. You cannot tell from her expression, but you are sure that your own mind is in complete control of your decision to speak. You will make your decision as your own mind allows it. Your emotions will not get in the way of your decision, your will. You shall walk the path to the water and heal the stone circles yourself before the old woman sees that you are on your own path.

The old woman walks away from you in fear and silence.

You feel a sudden urge to cry; you feel as if you might cry at any time. This woman in your life did not want you to speak; she did not want you to walk along the path that had opened between them and you.

Your heart is pounding, and you are beginning to regret what you have done. It is a very small mistake that your heart could have made if it were the right choice. You are angry that you let this old woman into your life and are angry that she does not want to speak to you at the table you have made. You begin to shake as you speak again, anger and sadness mixed into each word you whisper.

Categories
Horror Short Stories

The Lord of War’s Voice

The Final Version

An unspeakable horror from another dimension stepped out of the portal, wisps of gas rising from the pavement where it made contact.  It was late and the street was mostly empty, a solitary man stood nearby at a bus stop, the only witness to what had happened.

A figure stood amidst the growing layer of fog just above the pavement, wearing dark, ragged clothes. Stretched across his face was a thin sheet of gray skin, covered in blood and grubs. His eyes were closed, and he was staring off into space. He spoke in a monotone, but a faint echo could be heard in the quiet surroundings.

A chill ran down the man’s spine. “What are you?”  As if in response to his question, the figure spoke.

“Your presence here. You will soon be gone. It is for the best.”

The air around the figure’s mouth and nostrils shifted, becoming slightly thicker. He spoke, “You will now be free to go wherever you wish, but I wish you would not go alone. My name is The Lord of War’s Voice. I am here to guide you. Your freedom comes with a price.”

“I’m just being a friend. I’m here just as I am right now. I know the Lord of War’s Voice will help you. I only asked you to help me, so you can free others.”

The Lord of War’s Voice laughed in the face of the man’s question. He spoke, “You will have to learn to accept it when it becomes apparent that you must do what is needed.”

“I’m…sorry, sir…I can’t…I don’t understand what I’m doing…” The man began walking away.

“I am here for those who have fallen, for the ones who need us most. The Lord of War’s Voice will help those he deems worthy to receive help. It is for those that need us most and have not yet found a voice.”

“But…I don’t have…a voice.” The man said, tears in his eyes as his thoughts turned into a fog.

“You will. You will be free. I will guide you to the place where you can find your voice. There will be many voices, many ways to speak, and the Lord of War’s Voice will guide you to the right one.”

“But…I…” The man began to fall and a growing light came from the portal.

“You will. You will find your voice. You have already found your voice.” The Lord of War’s Voice said, as his eyes closed again, “I have a name for you. A name, for the man you may be.”

The man began to walk towards the light, and the Lord of War’s Voice spoke to him again, “The man has been identified as the Lord of War’s Voice. You are free to return. I will guide you as you choose.”

He began to walk towards the light once more, only to be halted.

“You do not have a voice,” the Lord of War said, with his head lowered, “You have a mind that cannot comprehend a sound.”

A coldness descended upon the man’s body as he stared at the Lord of War’s voice. He turned, his eyes widening in shock.

The Lord of War’s Voice smiled, and the figure that had been standing in the shadows began to walk away.

The Lord of War looked at the man, who had just vanished from the shadow, and saw that he had become a new being. He was a being of pure white hair. As he was about to speak, he was interrupted by the Lord of War’s Voice, speaking in a low and deep voice.

“You were not here before. This is the first time I have heard your voice.” The Lord of War spoke, in a calm voice. “I am here to guide you, and to guide you, and to guide you, and to guide you. I am here to guide you. You will be guided to your own voice.”

Thoughts

I was impressed with the quality of this story, and the use of “The Lord of War’s Voice” as a name implies a fairly rich backstory in the universe this takes place. With that name, it was easy to ignore some of the awkward wording and take some of the word choices as threatening instead of out of place. I’ve also realized that I should probably start with a photo next time, as working backwards was a bit more of a challenge than I thought.

The Original Prompt

An unspeakable horror from another dimension stepped out of the portal, wisps of gas rising from the pavement where it made contact.

Unmodified Output

An unspeakable horror from another dimension stepped out of the portal, wisps of gas rising from the pavement where it made contact.

A figure stood amidst the clouds, wearing dark, ragged clothes. The mask was a thin sheet of gray skin stretched across his face, covered in blood and grubs. His eyes were closed, and he was staring off into space. He spoke in a monotone, but a faint echo could be heard in the quiet surroundings.

“What are you?”

A chill ran down the man’s spine. As if in response to his question, the figure spoke.

“Your presence here. You will soon be gone. It is for the best.”

The air around the figure’s mouth and nostrils shifted, becoming slightly thicker. He spoke, “You will now be free to go wherever you wish, but I wish you would not go alone. My name is The Lord of War’s Voice. I am here to guide you. Your freedom comes with a price.”

“I’m just being a friend. I’m here just as I am right now. I know the Lord of War’s voice will help you. I only asked you to help me, so you can free others.”

The Lord of War’s Voice laughed in the face of the man’s question. He spoke, “You will have to learn to accept it when it becomes apparent that you must do what is needed.”

“I’m…sorry, sir…I can’t…I don’t understand what I’m doing…” The man began walking away.

“I am here for those who have fallen, for the ones who need us most. The Lord of War’s Voice will help those he deems worthy to receive help. It is for those that need us most and have not yet found a voice.”

“But…I don’t have…a voice.” The man said, tears in his eyes as his thoughts turned into a fog.

“You will. You will be free. I will guide you to the place where you can find your voice. There will be many voices, many ways to speak, and the Lord of War’s Voice will guide you to the right one.”

“But…I…” The man began to fall.

“You will. You will find your voice. You have already found your voice.” The Lord of War’s Voice said, as his eyes closed again, “I have a name for you. A name, for the man you may be.”

The man began to walk towards the light, and the Lord of War’s Voice spoke to him again, “The man has been identified as the Lord of War’s Voice. You are free to return. I will guide you as you choose.”

He began to walk towards the light once more, only to be halted.

“You do not have a voice,” the Lord of War said, with his head lowered, “You have a mind that cannot comprehend a sound.”

A coldness descended upon the man’s body as he stared at the Lord of War’s voice. He turned, his eyes widening in shock.

The Lord of War’s Voice smiled, and the figure that had been standing in the shadows began to walk away.

The Lord of War looked at the man, who had just vanished from the shadow, and saw that he had become a new being. He was a being of pure white hair. As he was about to speak, he was interrupted by the Lord of War’s voice, speaking in a low and deep voice.

“You were not here before. This is the first time I have heard your voice.” The Lord of War spoke, in a calm voice. “I am here to guide you, and to guide you, and to guide you, and to guide you. I am here to guide you. You will be guided to your own voice.”

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