Circadian 1 Chapter 1

BEEP

The essence of being, a pulse of blue light,
Through peaks and through valleys, it streamed in the night
It zigged and it zagged and it zipped and it zoomed,
And then it went off with a thundering boom.

Its cloud of specks turned to particle storm,
Its spread through the darkness, its flickering swarm
Its countless, jittery, shimmering arrows,
All settled below into town of Marrow.

Whose residents were a peculiar folk,
Translucent and supple, they were really stoked,
To bounce, to dance, and to shake with all might,
With arms in the air, they were known as the Cytes.

They looked to the sky, and they kneeled as they saw,
The pulse of blue light fill the air with its flow,
It rushed, and it dashed, and it flashed overhead,
And then it dissolved… Read the story ahead.

       BEEP

Through gap in the curtains, a glimmer of dawn,
Unchecked, it poured in to the sound of yawn,
Of Stemma, a youngling of rascally cyte,
She peaked from her blankets, so clean and so white.

A minute went on, and she sat up in bed,
She stretched, and she shivered, she bobbled her head,
And then she looked down - her eyes opened wide.
The horror, the terror, the panic, the fright!

A flower purple, and orange, and gold
On top of her arm it had taken its hold.
She jolted right up, and she yanked on a leaf,
The roots wouldn’t budge - Stemma couldn’t achieve.

Result she was desperately seeking to get,
“Ok,” she went on, “I will not be upset.
I must be still sleeping. I have to wake up.
It’s only a nightmare… But this dream I’ll disrupt.”

So she pinched herself hard and she slapped herself strong,
Her efforts were fruitless - the plant wasn’t gone,
Her mouth then quivered, her eyes got all wet,
She cried to mother… It’s time to reset.

              BEEP

With crown of burgundy dreads on her head,
The queen of the kitchen was plump Mama Red,
She stood by the stove, and she stirred and she sniffed,
Commander in chief with a ladle so swift.

A bouncy ball hit the floor with a bop
Behind it was Merkle, a slobbery blob,
Of pink and white fuzz. She caught up with her prey,
But then tumbled down and panted away.

Next came Papa Red, he arrived in a rush,
A business suit, tie, and a scarlet mustache,
Were his known features. He scuttled so quick,
And planted a kiss on his spouse’s cheek.

“My dear,” he sang, “My, your hair looks so fine!
Whatever you’re cooking, the smell is divine!”
He wouldn’t go on, as the kitchen door swung,
And in busted Stemma, she was in a funk.

“What’s wrong little darling?” inquired Mama Red,
“What is it that got you so very upset?”
Without a word Stemma lifted her arm,
“Oh my!” said her mother, she was quite stunned,

By sight of the flower, it was out of place,
With tears of despair running down her face,
Her foot Stemma stomped, and she sniffled her nose,
“Hello there, killer. That’s quite a rose,

You’ve got there growing,” declared Papa Red,
“I hate it, it’s ugly, it makes me so mad,
I look like a freak, and I want this thing gone,”
Cried out his daughter. “But Stemma, hold on,”

Replied Papa Red, “Yes, the flower is weird
Without a warning it simply appeared,
But just cause it’s strange, it don’t make it all bad,
It’s only a marking, come on, don’t be sad.

No more than a blemish, it ain’t worth the stress,
Cheer up little buddy, you’re quite a mess.
Go get yourself covered… so no one will know,
About this flower that won’t let you go.”

“You’re right”, said the rascal. “I’m wearing no clothes!
I’m totally naked, from head to my toes,
Forgive me my daddy, excuse me my mom,
I’ll just need a minute to dress up my bum.”

She bolted right out, but then she returned,
“Now, that’s so much better,” her mother confirmed,
A long sleeve in crimson, vermilion pants
Were clothing of choice, Stemma lifted her hands,

She hopped up and down - so full of delight,
“I got it all covered, I will be all right,
It’s time to go out and take on the world!”
She said with a smile… much more will be told.

             BEEP

The ring of a school bell, so vibrant and deep,
Was followed by patter of thousand feet,
Of rascals, their rowdy crowd poured in,
And flooded the yard like a bubbling stream.

They jumped on springers, they slid down the slide,   
They dug in the sandbox, all jolly, bright-eyed,
They swung up the swing-sets, but then they all froze…
Their queen had appearer, and her pointy nose

Was wrinkled with smug, and she grimaced her face,
“For those who don’t know me, the name’s Anaphase,”
I run this playground, ‘cause I wear high heels,
I’ve got all the toys, daddy pays all the bills”,

She yapped with a swagger, her fingers she snapped,
“Hey minions… by now you all should’ve clapped,
It’s just way too quiet, come on, give it up,
If I cared to listen, I’d hear a pin drop…”

The younglings responded with mighty applause,
Their choir of cheers thundered on with no pause,
But then Anaphase scowled one nasty stare,
“It’s getting too loud, shut up now! I swear,

My head’s gonna burst,” she declared quite irate,
The silence resumed, little brat walked up straight,
Ahead to the dome of a tall jungle gym,
“It’s time for a game,” she announced with a grin,

“We’re all gonna climb to the top, and we’ll see,
Who gets there first… you all know, it’ll be me.”
Compliant and eager, the younglings all sprang,
They swarmed up the dome, their rumbustious gang,

Surged towards its target, as Anaphase stood,
Below on the ground, a head start she would,
Allow at the time - she was up for a chase,
Her platforms of wonder would win her the race,

Strapped onto her ankles was pair of red pumps,
With crimson shoelaces, and gelatin vamps,
Those pink heels she clicked, and she clicked them once more,
The soles sparked a flame and ignited with roar,

Of tiny jet engines - the pumps were high tech,
She hovered about and said: “What the heck,
Let’s end this right now,” upwards she then rose,
Fists clenched overhead, she stroke victory pose,

She passed a quick gander at younglings below,
Despite their best efforts, they were way too slow,
To beat Anaphase in the race - they all flopped,
She spun a three-sixty, her bottom jaw dropped…

Directly across, Stemma stood on the top,
The winner of race - she’d completed the job,
She got there first with no help from ballon,
New queen of the hill? Well… we’ll sure find out soon.

BEEP

Old Merlot - the subject of this fantasy,
He sat at his desk, looking ‘round angrily,
Asleep were the rascals - they just didn’t care,
The sound of snoring was up in the air,

He just couldn’t reach them, so hard he had tried,
To pass on the knowledge that would be their guide,
In days that would come in their future ahead…
“Excuse me,” he said, “Now’s not time for bed,

You have to wake up, pay attention you will,
To lesson assigned,” rascals all remained still,
They kept their eyes shut, they’d been all mighty bored,
The facts and the figures were getting ignored.

Frustrated, Merlot jumped right outta’ his chair,
Red-faced, out of breath, he pulled out some hair,
He waited a bit, then… he let out a screech,
The rascals awoke, “Hey, what up there, teach,”

They all said at once. “Is it time for recess?
Your method of teaching is giving us stress,
We need to get out and burn it all off,
A break from this classroom we now would love.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” responded Merlot,
“You’ve slept through the class, now you’re ready to go,
To play outside… not a chance, not today,
Repeat after me - I will not go astray,

And fall to the clutches of horrible bugs,
That lurk in the valley of darkness… You schmucks,
Please listen to words that I’m trying preach,”
“We’re doing the best that we can here, teach,

But you keep on saying the same boring thing,
And we are so tired of your lecturing,”
The rascals cried out - they were so annoyed,
Additional schooling they hoped to avoid.

But teacher refused to give in to their pleas,
He pulled out a ruler, he made rascals freeze,
By striking his desk, causing deafening whack,
And scratching his nails on board that was black.

“Ok then,” he said, satisfied with effect,
He gazed at the ruler that now was wrecked,
He tossed it aside and said: “Now, we’ll go on,
But hear this warning - first rascal to yawn,

Will stay after class and do chore after chore,
They’ll wash every wall, clean the chairs, mop the floor,
They’ll climb up the ladder and paint ceiling too -
A rascal alone doing work of a crew.”

He uttered those words and he sat at his desk,
He put on some specks, they were thick and grotesque,
His eyes magnified pierced through all yet again,
“The bugs are horrific, they’d do all they can,

To drain your insides, what a grim end it’d be,
In valley of darkness… Good… listen to me,
My sweet little darlings, you all should be scared…”
He chocked on his words and froze up in a stare,

His eyes jutted out, his specks ran some cracks,
The buildup’s completed, it’s time for climax,
In rear of the class, lil’ Stemma sat still,
She starred outta window, not much of a thrill,

Her schooling experience was at the time…
The bell of recess belted out its chime,
So pitchy it was, lil’ rascals all jumped,
“Remember, the bugs look for ones that are plump,”

The teacher insisted, “They’re looking for you!”
The rascals responded with squiggly “Eww!!!”
Enough was enough, they would take it no more,
As just like the dickens, they ran for the door,

The teacher proclaimed, “So then be it, ok,
But one of you isn’t quite done for the day,
I see little scamp who will take all the blame,
Her mind likes to wonder, and Stemma’s her name.”

“But teacher,” protested my favorite miss,
“I’ve been super good, and I don’t deserve this,
I’ve listened to you, every word that you said,
I can’t miss recess, gotta go really bad.”

“I gave you a chance,”corresponded Merlot
Now here you’ll stay, and nowhere you’ll go,
The bucket is yours, say hello to the sponge,
Wipes come in a box, go ahead, grab a bunch,

Please put on some gloves and commence with the board,
The state of its surface should not be ignored,”
“But this is unfair,” Stemma whined in response,
“I looked outta window, I swear, only once,

A magical creature I saw out there,
With clothes full of sparkles and crystalline hair,
She smiled, she waived, and she gave me a wink,
And then she was gone, right before I could blink,

She faded away like a summery dream,”
“Enough with the yapping, your task is to clean,
Your head’s full of nonsense, and that just ain’t right,
Like going to valley of darkness at night,

There’re horrors in there you’d never think of,
The blackboard is waiting, let’s show it some love.”
Such was the demand - lil’ Stemma complied,
Ahead to the board she walked up teary-eyed,

She gave it a wipe, and the board formed a crack,
It grew into crevice, lil’ Stemma stepped back,
“There’s something behind it,” she said to Merlot,
“Go on, take a peek…” lil’ Stemma said: “No!”

She turned right around, to exit she dashed,
The crevice split open, a row of teeth flashed,
Gargantuan mouth revealed from within,
It stretched itself wide, and a blood curdling scream,

Was one piercing sound that sliced through the air,
The belch gurgled next… Empty space, not a hair,
Was left on the spot where Stemma had stood,    
So young and so precious, yet swallowed like food,

The teacher remarked, as he picked at his thumb,
“Consumed by the darkness this youngling’s become,”
She could’ve been special… an exceptional one…
You’ve barely met her, so why is she done?”

      BEEP

A backdrop of fog hung across like a veil,
Along came peptide with its squiggly tail,
It floated through air, and it floated on by,
Gelatinous cyclops with jittery eye.

It halted its passage, its tentacles spread,
They formed twisty halo around its head,
A transient breeze ripped through milk-colored haze,
The break in the clouds displayed the maze…

Of Node - megacity whose buildings below,
Were bleeding neon, mighty dazzling glow,
Of million lights filled the space. With a squeak,
The peptide plunged down, agile and quick,

It dropped out of sky, then it stopped its descent,
Right next to the pavement it hung by a dent…
And yelped as the tires of rumbling truck,
Came spinning above - it was flat out of luck,

The mess of its roadkill was left on the way,
A spectacle gruesome for sure one would say,
But guts dripping slime little critter perked up,  
And snapped into spherical shape with a pop.  

It hovered a beat, and it fluttered along,
Against a guard rail it pinged and it ponged,
It flittered across, then it flew overhead…
Beneath was the highway with traffic all red…

A ruby sedan, cherry bus, rufous truck,
Mahogany van - they were all very stuck,
In fast lane that wasn’t so fast anymore,
Backed up and congested - it was an eyesore,

The horns blared away, and the pipes blew their steam,
Fed up and frustrated, the drivers within,
They all shook their fists - it was one of those days,
The lack of the movement was causing delays.

An open-top buggy pulled up at the back,
The wheels were maroon, and the tires were black,
The fellow inside was my friend Mister Red,
Caught up in the jam, he was scratching his head,

With traveling on being action required,
The view in his windshield was one undesired,
The rear of the van blocked his road outside,
It sure wasn’t speedy his crawl of a ride.

“I need to get going,” exclaimed Mister Red,
“But stuck in this traffic I am - awfully bad,
It is for the wallet of worker that’s late,
Come on, move it now, I gotta get paid!”

He walloped the horn, and it hee-hawed at once,
A jet full of fumes was the gassy response,
From van in the front - it disgorged with a toot,
The pipe in the rear did best to pollute,

“Now that’s pretty rude,” coughed away Mister Red,
“This grade of emissions is toxically sad,
It’s noxious, it’s deadly, it’s poison I say,
A hefty old fine this compadre should pay,”

Those words he dispensed, and he pushed at the door,
He walked straight ahead to the van at the fore,
He banged on the rear, he slid to the front,
That nasty polluter he had to to confront,

He knocked on the glass, and the window rolled down,
The rogue at the wheel sported one nasty frown,
His upper lip popped, and the bottom went puff,
He wiggled his sniffer and snored with a snuff,

“What up,” he inquired with self-pleasing smirk,
“Forgive me my sir, why you act like a jerk?”
Came back Mister Red, “Your exhaust is a crime,
You’re spreading disease, it… should cost you some time,

You’re coming with me, I will take you right in,”
“Whatever you say,” said the rogue at the scene,
He opened the door, and he stepped to the road,
His body was huge, and his shoulders were broad,

He winked, and he sneered,”Boy… you think, you’re so smart,
To you it’s a hazard, to me it’s an art,
The sound’s my weapon, its waves I project,
The deafening racket with funky effect,

I’ll cut one that’s gentle, a whisper at night,
I’ll pass one that’s silent, but it won’t be right,
I’ll murmur, I’ll trumpet, I’ll whistle a bit,
But loud and heavy will have to be it,

The thunderous option is one I’ll employ,
Big property damage will bring me such joy,”
The rogue carried on, as he wiggled his rear,
“It’s gonna come out, you better stay clear,”

He grimaced, he groaned, then he let it all go,
Intestinal pressure, the one we all know…
Its rumbling echo pulsated through space,
Its wave of destruction rolled on through the place,

The vehicles flipped, and the pavement got cracked,
The overpass fell on freeway that was packed,
With all the commuters - their end was so sad,
“This jerk is for real and he stinks really bad,”

Remarked Mister Red, as he smashed into pole,
He rolled to the ground and fell into hole,
From bad to much worse, his commuting had gone
He’s found his villain, the show must go on…

BEEP

A school that’s redundant is also a chore,
Your path leads to darkness, when teacher’s a bore,
You struggle along, ‘til you end in your grave -
The one they called Stemma awoke in a cave,

She pushed herself up, and she looked all around,
She rose to her feet, “Yikes,” she fell to the ground,
She slid down a slope of slippery slide,
She splashed at the end of that tortuous ride,

Her head re-emerged, and she coughed, and she gaged,
“It looks like, I got me another one bagged,”
Said Coccus the bug, he’d emerged on the cliff,
He was rather stubby, a dumpy old stiff,

“Oh how exciting,” he chirped up above,
“This flavorsome youngling I surely would love,
But I’m just too frail, my back is a mess,
How will I retrieve’r - it’s anyone’s guess,”

He pondered away, fingers rubbing his chin,
“I got it,” he finally said with a grin,
“To pesky dilemma disrupting your life
 Solution is simple - just call on the wife,

Whenever a deed seems so very complex,
You better consult with the opposite sex,
Cause fellow that choses to do it alone,
Will end with a mess, there’s a fact that’s well-known…

Spirala my dear, you have to come quick,”
“What is this time,” came the ear-splitting shriek,
Of bug in a shape of a scaly corkscrew,
The lady in charge, also known as the shrew,

She made her appearance, right next to her mate,
“I got you a present - it comes on a plate,
It’s juicy, it’s scrumptious, it’s quite delish,
A quiche of a rascal - your favorite dish,”

Lisped Coccus the bug, mouth dripping with drool,
“You better be joking, cause I am no fool?”
Spirila responded, “That rascal’s all mine,
To catch, and to clean, and to cook’r on time,

And serve’r to you in a sauce that is sweet,”
“Forgive me my shnookums - but I have to eat,
Nutrition’s a must, and starvation’s no good,
Come on, do your magic and fetch me some food,”

He begged her sincerely, then dropped to his knees,
Both hands put together, he whined: “Pretty please”,
“You grow more disgusting, as time passes by,”
Spirala came back, “And I just don’t know why,

I’m stuck with a fella pathetic as you,”
“Cause I am your lover, and you are my boo,”
Charmed Coccus the bug, and he puckered his lips,
“You’re making me sick and you give me the creeps,

This miserable life I no longer can bear,”
Spirala complained, then… she pulled on her hair…
The coils of her dreads stretched away from her head,
They sprung down the cliff, all around they spread,

They crawled ‘cross the beach, squirming up to the lake,
Each one was a serpent, a sibilant snake,
Each twisted and twirled, each emitted its whiz,
The sound was evil, each charged with a hiss,

Each rushed towards Stemma - a wriggling sight,
That carpet of snakes creeping into the night…
She squealed, as they came like a sibilant drape,
She paddled for safety - there was no escape,

They seized her by hands, and they wrapped ‘round her feet…
“A meal to remember, a wonderful treat,
This scrumptious youngling will make such a feast,
Oh honey, you’ve caught her, don’t dare to release,

Come on, bring her in, time to heat up the stove,”
Sang Coccus the bug, as he hopped up above,
He jumped and he jacked, and he bounced with glee,
While Stemma resisted and fought to break free,

She pulled, and she tugged, even gave it a yank,
But dreads flipped her over and issued a spank,
They slapped her behind - Stemma wailed in protest,
She jolted her shoulders, she thrusted her chest,

She shook up and down with all of her might,
And then… she exploded with pulse of blue light…
With radiant fire, with brilliant blaze,
With glare full of anger engulfing her gaze,

She rose ‘bove the water, she sent out a roar,
She shone like a beacon atop of that shore…