Killers, Ghosts, and other Dangers

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kaylagd1  Website: https://kayla-daniels.weebly.com/

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

Check out my review of The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin

See the hostile, snow covered world of Gethen. and as Genly Ai, an alien to the worlds tries to lead the society into a new frontier by joining the interplanetary union, The Ekumen. However, it's not that easy. The politicians of Gethen are paranoid, and distrustful of him. He'll have to be careful who he decides the trust if we wants to survive the shadowy political world and the baron climate surrounding him.   

You can read the full review here, leave a comment or a like if you enjoy it. :)

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

The Flood and The Deer

The moon came too close to the earth. The water rose, and ran into the forest. I made a sandwich as the clock struck one. The bread tasted stale and metallic. The water rose and ran into the forest. There are water marks on the floor. The bread tasted stale and metallic. We don’t usually see big animals here. There are water marks on the floor. I trace them with my foot. We don’t usually see big animals here. There is a deer in the backyard. I trace water marks with my foot. I finish the sandwich, my tongue tastes like lead. There is a deer in the backyard. I watch it through the curtains. I finish the sandwich, my tongue tastes like lead. The deer is eating my mom’s Daylilies. I watch it through the curtains. The moon is so, so bright. The deer is eating my mom’s Daylilies. It turns and looks at me. The moon is so, so bright. The deer has so, so many eyes. The deer looks at me. My mouth tastes like copper. The deer has so, so many eyes. I can hear rushing water in my ears. My mouth tastes like copper. I can’t remember why I got up. I can hear rushing water in my ears. I feel afraid. I can’t remember why. I left the bread out on the counter. I feel afraid, and I can’t look away. The neighbor’s car alarm goes off. I left the bread out on the counter. The floor is covered in water. The neighbor’s car alarm goes off. The deer runs away. 

Hey, I wrote this for my creative writing class. If you like it you can find more of my writing Here or share and leave a like!

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

These are new stories I wrote based on an assignment I had for my freshman seminar class. 

You can read one for a standalone story or all of them for an overarching narrative. 

*Click Here To See Them All*

If you enjoy reading any of them, reblog this post, leave a comment, or like to help me find new readers. :)

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

These are new stories I wrote based on an assignment I had for my freshman seminar class. 

You can read one for a standalone story or all of them for an overarching narrative. 

*Click Here To See Them All*

If you enjoy reading any of them, reblog this post, leave a comment, or like to help me find new readers. :)

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

The Problem with Moles

Dr. Von looked up at the high, overbearing building of the sanctuary. It was huge, spanning miles on all sides, colored a dark metallic grey. Surrounded on all sides by construction, moving vehicles, and clouds of brown dust. He didn’t know what he had expected but this was more like a warehouse then an animal sanctuary.

There was a gust of wind, then an eruption of squeaks from the cage under his arm. He realized he had been standing still for too long.  After taking a moment to mumble to the cage, “Sorry about that guys” then began walking briskly to the entrance.

The entrance looked incomplete. Standing there were a pair of metal doors with foggy barred windows. No handles or hinges, the only feature was a single button bellow a large camera and speaker. Around it were piles of materials and temporary plywood covers to protect the exposed walls. He tried pressing the button, and the small speaker crackled to life, a moment voice asked gruffly, “Name and identification?”

“Oh, Dr. Rodney Von, P.H.D. um, I’m a Zoologist at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Reid should be-”

“Your full identification,” the voice interrupted.

Von was put off but complied and gave his full identification. The voice was silent for a moment.

“And what’s in that package?” the voice asked.

“What, oh. These are animals for the sanctuary.” He explained, awkwardly moved the cage in his arms. He had to remove the cover over it, then held up the cage to the camera.

“Gah!” The voice said on the other side of the speaker. “Okay, okay I see it.”

Von blushed embarrassed and covered the cage again. The voice asked, “You said you were expected by someone?”

“Yes, Dr. Reid.” Von nodded. The voice was quiet for a few minutes. Dr. Von thought he could hear some movement underneath the static, possibly a muffled conversation before the voice came back.

“Alright proceed ahead, prepare yourself and your. . .ah, animals to be searched before entering the facilities.”

The heavy doors slowly slid open and Dr. Van walked through. He had to go through a metal detector, heat detector, and an x-ray machine while someone came out to check the cage for anything suspicious. The process took about fifteen minutes He was allowed to proceed with the cage, but not his watch. He didn’t have time to feel upset because as he left the security section Reid was waiting for him on the other side.

“Rodney!” He greeted him warmly, taking his free hand in a firm handshake. “Great to see you again! God, How long has it been. A year, or two?”

“Three at least, “ Von smiled, “I think the last we saw each other was the graduation party at the Alpha Sigma house.”

“Alpha Sigma!” Reid laughed, led Von further into the building. “Those were the days. That was the year we placed fourth in the national Debate tournament, right?”

“Yeah” Von nodded along not really invested in reminiscing with Reid. He let his friend ramble on about past academic tournaments and awards while trying to find the right moment to change the subject.

After a while, they stopped beside another set of unfinished metal doors, Reid was finishing up a long winded story, “-I tell you what, we were the smartest group of drunks that bar had ever seen. Ha ha.”

Von laughed along, “Yeah, that’s funny, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to get the point of why I asked to speak with you.”

“Of course! Forgive me, I almost forgot.” Reid said, “You came here for the sanctuary.”

As he said that, he turned entered a code on the keypad and the door swung open. They walked into an enormous clear tube, with a cobblestone path, on the bottom. The tube was suspended at least ten feet in the air above a fertile, green deciduous forest. The underbrush was full, vibrant. The trees were tall, beautiful pines. Von could almost smell them through the inch thick glass. He could see birds flying through the branches, deer eating grass with tiny fauns, and a glimpse of a bright orange fox before it jumped out of view.

“This is our Pine Forest section. It holds about 200,000 acres and is one of our most advanced biomes. The forest floor you can see is completely natural. Most of the trees are synthetic, but it’s almost impossible to tell from here. We hope to have half of these replaced with natural trees in the next sixty years.” Reid explained, unable to hide the smugness in his voice. “The water levels, temperature, prey to predator ratio, health of all the animals are regulated through over seventy sensors in this area alone and each animal is microchipped. We can detect where they are at any given time. All two hundred of them. We can start a small rainstorm in dry areas if we need to, we can treat diseases that appear in one animal the moment symptoms appear. We could even start a small forest fire to clear up the underbrush if we need to.”

Reid turned to Von with a wide grin, waiting for words of amazement that usually followed when someone first saw the sanctuary.

“This is amazing!” Von gasped. While he was gazing over the forest his hold on his cage slipped for a moment, and he was distracted by a volley of squeaks from inside. “Oh, oh, sorry!”

Reid looked like he had just noticed the cage Von brought with him, “Hey, what do you have in there?”

“They’re not used to being above ground for so long, but this was the best way to get them here.” Von explained and took the cover off to show two confused, hairless but healthy “Scalopus Aquaticus, or the common moles.”

“Oh. . . and I am right to say that these are the animals you spoke about over the phone?” Reid asked. Von was surprised by his disappointed tone.

“Um, yes. Is that a problem?” He asked.

Reid looked uncomfortable then motioned further down the path, “Why don’t we continue this in my office.”

Reid’s office sat between two of the biomes, supported by the five foot steel wall between them. The walls to the office were two-way mirrors, on one side there was a great view of the forest and on the other side was a beautiful wild grass field, with a small herd of buffalo grazing in the distance.

Nervously, Von began to talk, “you know these guys could survive in either of these biomes. They thrive in loamy soil, but as long as there are earthworms and plant matter for them to eat-”

“Rodney”, Reid stopped him, took his seat behind the desk, and gestured to the two empty ones. “Please take a seat.”

Von went ahead, holding the cage on his lap.

“Listen, How should I put this” He sighed, and said bluntly, “At this time the sanctuary is focused on creating a welcoming, and interesting environment so we can continue to expand. So at this time we can accept..unsolicited donations.”

“I’m sorry, ‘Expand’ ?” Von was confused.

“Yes, of course. You see, government funding has covered most of the construction so far, but in order to complete this project and keep it running once all six major biomes are completed, the sanctuary needed to be tweaked so we could generate active income.”

Von thought about that for a moment, then asked for clarity “So, it’s a zoo now?”

“Yes, if you want to put it that way.” Reid shrugged.

“I don’t see why that would mean my animals can’t be in the sanctuary.”

“Yes, well you see in order to make this place more appealing to the general public we had to rebudget a lot, You may have noticed the construction out front, and well we don’t have enough resources to care for just any animal. We’ve had to become selective with what we take in.”

Von blinked, suspicious, “I. . . I thought the sanctuary was supposed to be self-sustaining.”

Reid, a bit embarrassed, explained, “Projections say the biomes will be self-sustaining in another ten to twenty years. Like I said we had to rebudget, so they could be presentable to an audience.”

Von didn’t respond, just stared at him in shock for further explanation.

“Look the initial plan was to have self sustaining biomes by the end of the year, but then the government cut our budgets. So we had to find a way to generate profit, more money had to be drawn away from the actual biomes. That’s all to say the biggest cuts were to our insect budget. A couple of natural predators like those two,“ He pointed at the moles, “could wipe out our entire worm population.”

Von balked, “That doesn’t make any sense, what’s pollinating all those plants?”

“We are.” Reid answered, simply. “We have some advanced bee drones donated by the AIST that can---”

“How will the soil stay fertile if there aren’t any decomposers? What will happen when one of those deer die?” he stammered

“We have a contingency for that.” Reid interrupted, “and for the record this isn’t a permanent solution. We’re working within these constraints so we can continue to advance in the future. Once the sanctuary goes public and we can count on stable funding, we’ll be able to take in all sorts of animals.”

“What about protecting endangered species?” Von brought up. “The moles natural environment is being destroyed by construction, and pollution. There could very well be less than a hundred left in North America.”

“That is still our focus, but we have other duties to ensure the sanctuary can continue to thrive long into the future.” Reid explained “Those duties mean doing what is best for the sanctuary as a business and that means...prioritizing animals that please the customer.”

Von felt stung by that comment but tried not to let it show, “So, you’re saying the sanctuary can’t take these moles.”

“Yes, I am afraid so.” Reid nodded.

“Okay then.” Von moved to stand up, taking the cage back under his arm.

“Hey, don’t lose hope completely. Check up in another five to ten years, we’re almost guaranteed to be back on track by then.” Reid said, trying to sound ernest. “And in the meantime if you have any hamsters or guinea pigs that need a home. We might be able to squeeze them in.”

Von looked at his friend, confused again “I thought this facility was only for fauna and flora native to North America?”

“Yes, it is.” Reid nodded blankly.

“Hamsters are native to Sierra.” Von explained, “and Guinea pigs come from South America.”

“Oh” Reid blushed, suddenly really embarrassed. “ Sorry. My ah, rodent zoology is a little rusty.”

“I see.” Von nodded, “I see, it was nice to see you again. Reid.”

“Hey, wait you don’t have to go right now,” Reid got to his feet while Von was half way out the door. “You haven't even seen the rest of the prairie biome yet, and we just finished putting together the desert biome. It’s more impressive than you think.”

“Thank you, really but I should get these two back to the institute. I need to feed them soon anyway.” Von said. Gesturing to the two moles.

“I see. Another time, then.”

Von didn’t answer him. The door had already closed behind him. He made his way back through path.

If You liked this story you can read more and book reviews on my blog https://kayla-daniels.weebly.com/.  leave a ❤️ or a comment to help me find new readers

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

The Problem with Moles

Dr. Von looked up at the high, overbearing building of the sanctuary. It was huge, spanning miles on all sides, colored a dark metallic grey. Surrounded on all sides by construction, moving vehicles, and clouds of brown dust. He didn’t know what he had expected but this was more like a warehouse then an animal sanctuary.

There was a gust of wind, then an eruption of squeaks from the cage under his arm. He realized he had been standing still for too long.  After taking a moment to mumble to the cage, “Sorry about that guys” then began walking briskly to the entrance.

The entrance looked incomplete. Standing there were a pair of metal doors with foggy barred windows. No handles or hinges, the only feature was a single button bellow a large camera and speaker. Around it were piles of materials and temporary plywood covers to protect the exposed walls. He tried pressing the button, and the small speaker crackled to life, a moment voice asked gruffly, “Name and identification?”

“Oh, Dr. Rodney Von, P.H.D. um, I’m a Zoologist at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Reid should be-”

“Your full identification,” the voice interrupted.

Von was put off but complied and gave his full identification. The voice was silent for a moment. 

“And what’s in that package?” the voice asked. 

“What, oh. These are animals for the sanctuary.” He explained, awkwardly moved the cage in his arms. He had to remove the cover over it, then held up the cage to the camera. 

“Gah!” The voice said on the other side of the speaker. “Okay, okay I see it.”

Von blushed embarrassed and covered the cage again. The voice asked, “You said you were expected by someone?”

“Yes, Dr. Reid.” Von nodded. The voice was quiet for a few minutes. Dr. Von thought he could hear some movement underneath the static, possibly a muffled conversation before the voice came back.

“Alright proceed ahead, prepare yourself and your. . .ah, animals to be searched before entering the facilities.” 

The heavy doors slowly slid open and Dr. Van walked through. He had to go through a metal detector, heat detector, and an x-ray machine while someone came out to check the cage for anything suspicious. The process took about fifteen minutes He was allowed to proceed with the cage, but not his watch. He didn’t have time to feel upset because as he left the security section Reid was waiting for him on the other side.

“Rodney!” He greeted him warmly, taking his free hand in a firm handshake. “Great to see you again! God, How long has it been. A year, or two?”

“Three at least, “ Von smiled, “I think the last we saw each other was the graduation party at the Alpha Sigma house.”

“Alpha Sigma!” Reid laughed, led Von further into the building. “Those were the days. That was the year we placed fourth in the national Debate tournament, right?” 

“Yeah” Von nodded along not really invested in reminiscing with Reid. He let his friend ramble on about past academic tournaments and awards while trying to find the right moment to change the subject. 

After a while, they stopped beside another set of unfinished metal doors, Reid was finishing up a long winded story, “-I tell you what, we were the smartest group of drunks that bar had ever seen. Ha ha.”

Von laughed along, “Yeah, that’s funny, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to get the point of why I asked to speak with you.”

“Of course! Forgive me, I almost forgot.” Reid said, “You came here for the sanctuary.”

As he said that, he turned entered a code on the keypad and the door swung open. They walked into an enormous clear tube, with a cobblestone path, on the bottom. The tube was suspended at least ten feet in the air above a fertile, green deciduous forest. The underbrush was full, vibrant. The trees were tall, beautiful pines. Von could almost smell them through the inch thick glass. He could see birds flying through the branches, deer eating grass with tiny fauns, and a glimpse of a bright orange fox before it jumped out of view.

“This is our Pine Forest section. It holds about 200,000 acres and is one of our most advanced biomes. The forest floor you can see is completely natural. Most of the trees are synthetic, but it’s almost impossible to tell from here. We hope to have half of these replaced with natural trees in the next sixty years.” Reid explained, unable to hide the smugness in his voice. “The water levels, temperature, prey to predator ratio, health of all the animals are regulated through over seventy sensors in this area alone and each animal is microchipped. We can detect where they are at any given time. All two hundred of them. We can start a small rainstorm in dry areas if we need to, we can treat diseases that appear in one animal the moment symptoms appear. We could even start a small forest fire to clear up the underbrush if we need to.”

Reid turned to Von with a wide grin, waiting for words of amazement that usually followed when someone first saw the sanctuary. 

“This is amazing!” Von gasped. While he was gazing over the forest his hold on his cage slipped for a moment, and he was distracted by a volley of squeaks from inside. “Oh, oh, sorry!”

Reid looked like he had just noticed the cage Von brought with him, “Hey, what do you have in there?”

“They’re not used to being above ground for so long, but this was the best way to get them here.” Von explained and took the cover off to show two confused, hairless but healthy “Scalopus Aquaticus, or the common moles.”

“Oh. . . and I am right to say that these are the animals you spoke about over the phone?” Reid asked. Von was surprised by his disappointed tone. 

“Um, yes. Is that a problem?” He asked. 

Reid looked uncomfortable then motioned further down the path, “Why don’t we continue this in my office.” 

Reid’s office sat between two of the biomes, supported by the five foot steel wall between them. The walls to the office were two-way mirrors, on one side there was a great view of the forest and on the other side was a beautiful wild grass field, with a small herd of buffalo grazing in the distance. 

Nervously, Von began to talk, “you know these guys could survive in either of these biomes. They thrive in loamy soil, but as long as there are earthworms and plant matter for them to eat-”

“Rodney”, Reid stopped him, took his seat behind the desk, and gestured to the two empty ones. “Please take a seat.”

Von went ahead, holding the cage on his lap. 

“Listen, How should I put this” He sighed, and said bluntly, “At this time the sanctuary is focused on creating a welcoming, and interesting environment so we can continue to expand. So at this time we can accept..unsolicited donations.”

“I’m sorry, ‘Expand’ ?” Von was confused. 

“Yes, of course. You see, government funding has covered most of the construction so far, but in order to complete this project and keep it running once all six major biomes are completed, the sanctuary needed to be tweaked so we could generate active income.”

Von thought about that for a moment, then asked for clarity “So, it’s a zoo now?” 

“Yes, if you want to put it that way.” Reid shrugged. 

“I don’t see why that would mean my animals can’t be in the sanctuary.”

“Yes, well you see in order to make this place more appealing to the general public we had to rebudget a lot, You may have noticed the construction out front, and well we don’t have enough resources to care for just any animal. We’ve had to become selective with what we take in.” 

Von blinked, suspicious, “I. . . I thought the sanctuary was supposed to be self-sustaining.”

Reid, a bit embarrassed, explained, “Projections say the biomes will be self-sustaining in another ten to twenty years. Like I said we had to rebudget, so they could be presentable to an audience.”

Von didn’t respond, just stared at him in shock for further explanation. 

“Look the initial plan was to have self sustaining biomes by the end of the year, but then the government cut our budgets. So we had to find a way to generate profit, more money had to be drawn away from the actual biomes. That’s all to say the biggest cuts were to our insect budget. A couple of natural predators like those two,“ He pointed at the moles, “could wipe out our entire worm population.”

Von balked, “That doesn’t make any sense, what’s pollinating all those plants?”

“We are.” Reid answered, simply. “We have some advanced bee drones donated by the AIST that can---”

“How will the soil stay fertile if there aren’t any decomposers? What will happen when one of those deer die?” he stammered

“We have a contingency for that.” Reid interrupted, “and for the record this isn’t a permanent solution. We’re working within these constraints so we can continue to advance in the future. Once the sanctuary goes public and we can count on stable funding, we’ll be able to take in all sorts of animals.”

“What about protecting endangered species?” Von brought up. “The moles natural environment is being destroyed by construction, and pollution. There could very well be less than a hundred left in North America.”

“That is still our focus, but we have other duties to ensure the sanctuary can continue to thrive long into the future.” Reid explained “Those duties mean doing what is best for the sanctuary as a business and that means...prioritizing animals that please the customer.”

Von felt stung by that comment but tried not to let it show, “So, you’re saying the sanctuary can’t take these moles.”

“Yes, I am afraid so.” Reid nodded.

“Okay then.” Von moved to stand up, taking the cage back under his arm. 

“Hey, don’t lose hope completely. Check up in another five to ten years, we’re almost guaranteed to be back on track by then.” Reid said, trying to sound ernest. “And in the meantime if you have any hamsters or guinea pigs that need a home. We might be able to squeeze them in.”

Von looked at his friend, confused again “I thought this facility was only for fauna and flora native to North America?”

“Yes, it is.” Reid nodded blankly.

“Hamsters are native to Sierra.” Von explained, “and Guinea pigs come from South America.”

“Oh” Reid blushed, suddenly really embarrassed. “ Sorry. My ah, rodent zoology is a little rusty.”

“I see.” Von nodded, “I see, it was nice to see you again. Reid.”

“Hey, wait you don’t have to go right now,” Reid got to his feet while Von was half way out the door. “You haven't even seen the rest of the prairie biome yet, and we just finished putting together the desert biome. It’s more impressive than you think.”

“Thank you, really but I should get these two back to the institute. I need to feed them soon anyway.” Von said. Gesturing to the two moles.

“I see. Another time, then.”

Von didn’t answer him. The door had already closed behind him. He made his way back through path.

If You liked this story you can read more and book reviews on my blog https://kayla-daniels.weebly.com/.  leave a ❤️ or a comment to help me find new readers

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

The Problem with Moles

Dr. Von looked up at the high, overbearing building of the sanctuary. It was huge, spanning miles on all sides, colored a dark metallic grey. Surrounded on all sides by construction, moving vehicles, and clouds of brown dust. He didn’t know what he had expected but this was more like a warehouse then an animal sanctuary.

There was a gust of wind, then an eruption of squeaks from the cage under his arm. He realized he had been standing still for too long.  After taking a moment to mumble to the cage, “Sorry about that guys” then began walking briskly to the entrance.

The entrance looked incomplete. Standing there were a pair of metal doors with foggy barred windows. No handles or hinges, the only feature was a single button bellow a large camera and speaker. Around it were piles of materials and temporary plywood covers to protect the exposed walls. He tried pressing the button, and the small speaker crackled to life, a moment voice asked gruffly, “Name and identification?”

“Oh, Dr. Rodney Von, P.H.D. um, I’m a Zoologist at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Reid should be-”

“Your full identification,” the voice interrupted.

Von was put off but complied and gave his full identification. The voice was silent for a moment.

“And what’s in that package?” the voice asked.

“What, oh. These are animals for the sanctuary.” He explained, awkwardly moved the cage in his arms. He had to remove the cover over it, then held up the cage to the camera.

“Gah!” The voice said on the other side of the speaker. “Okay, okay I see it.”

Von blushed embarrassed and covered the cage again. The voice asked, “You said you were expected by someone?”

“Yes, Dr. Reid.” Von nodded. The voice was quiet for a few minutes. Dr. Von thought he could hear some movement underneath the static, possibly a muffled conversation before the voice came back.

“Alright proceed ahead, prepare yourself and your. . .ah, animals to be searched before entering the facilities.”

The heavy doors slowly slid open and Dr. Van walked through. He had to go through a metal detector, heat detector, and an x-ray machine while someone came out to check the cage for anything suspicious. The process took about fifteen minutes He was allowed to proceed with the cage, but not his watch. He didn’t have time to feel upset because as he left the security section Reid was waiting for him on the other side.

“Rodney!” He greeted him warmly, taking his free hand in a firm handshake. “Great to see you again! God, How long has it been. A year, or two?”

“Three at least, “ Von smiled, “I think the last we saw each other was the graduation party at the Alpha Sigma house.”

“Alpha Sigma!” Reid laughed, led Von further into the building. “Those were the days. That was the year we placed fourth in the national Debate tournament, right?”

“Yeah” Von nodded along not really invested in reminiscing with Reid. He let his friend ramble on about past academic tournaments and awards while trying to find the right moment to change the subject.

After a while, they stopped beside another set of unfinished metal doors, Reid was finishing up a long winded story, “-I tell you what, we were the smartest group of drunks that bar had ever seen. Ha ha.”

Von laughed along, “Yeah, that’s funny, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to get the point of why I asked to speak with you.”

“Of course! Forgive me, I almost forgot.” Reid said, “You came here for the sanctuary.”

As he said that, he turned entered a code on the keypad and the door swung open. They walked into an enormous clear tube, with a cobblestone path, on the bottom. The tube was suspended at least ten feet in the air above a fertile, green deciduous forest. The underbrush was full, vibrant. The trees were tall, beautiful pines. Von could almost smell them through the inch thick glass. He could see birds flying through the branches, deer eating grass with tiny fauns, and a glimpse of a bright orange fox before it jumped out of view.

“This is our Pine Forest section. It holds about 200,000 acres and is one of our most advanced biomes. The forest floor you can see is completely natural. Most of the trees are synthetic, but it’s almost impossible to tell from here. We hope to have half of these replaced with natural trees in the next sixty years.” Reid explained, unable to hide the smugness in his voice. “The water levels, temperature, prey to predator ratio, health of all the animals are regulated through over seventy sensors in this area alone and each animal is microchipped. We can detect where they are at any given time. All two hundred of them. We can start a small rainstorm in dry areas if we need to, we can treat diseases that appear in one animal the moment symptoms appear. We could even start a small forest fire to clear up the underbrush if we need to.”

Reid turned to Von with a wide grin, waiting for words of amazement that usually followed when someone first saw the sanctuary.

“This is amazing!” Von gasped. While he was gazing over the forest his hold on his cage slipped for a moment, and he was distracted by a volley of squeaks from inside. “Oh, oh, sorry!”

Reid looked like he had just noticed the cage Von brought with him, “Hey, what do you have in there?”

“They’re not used to being above ground for so long, but this was the best way to get them here.” Von explained and took the cover off to show two confused, hairless but healthy “Scalopus Aquaticus, or the common moles.”

“Oh. . . and I am right to say that these are the animals you spoke about over the phone?” Reid asked. Von was surprised by his disappointed tone.

“Um, yes. Is that a problem?” He asked.

Reid looked uncomfortable then motioned further down the path, “Why don’t we continue this in my office.”

Reid’s office sat between two of the biomes, supported by the five foot steel wall between them. The walls to the office were two-way mirrors, on one side there was a great view of the forest and on the other side was a beautiful wild grass field, with a small herd of buffalo grazing in the distance.

Nervously, Von began to talk, “you know these guys could survive in either of these biomes. They thrive in loamy soil, but as long as there are earthworms and plant matter for them to eat-”

“Rodney”, Reid stopped him, took his seat behind the desk, and gestured to the two empty ones. “Please take a seat.”

Von went ahead, holding the cage on his lap.

“Listen, How should I put this” He sighed, and said bluntly, “At this time the sanctuary is focused on creating a welcoming, and interesting environment so we can continue to expand. So at this time we can accept..unsolicited donations.”

“I’m sorry, ‘Expand’ ?” Von was confused.

“Yes, of course. You see, government funding has covered most of the construction so far, but in order to complete this project and keep it running once all six major biomes are completed, the sanctuary needed to be tweaked so we could generate active income.”

Von thought about that for a moment, then asked for clarity “So, it’s a zoo now?”

“Yes, if you want to put it that way.” Reid shrugged.

“I don’t see why that would mean my animals can’t be in the sanctuary.”

“Yes, well you see in order to make this place more appealing to the general public we had to rebudget a lot, You may have noticed the construction out front, and well we don’t have enough resources to care for just any animal. We’ve had to become selective with what we take in.”

Von blinked, suspicious, “I. . . I thought the sanctuary was supposed to be self-sustaining.”

Reid, a bit embarrassed, explained, “Projections say the biomes will be self-sustaining in another ten to twenty years. Like I said we had to rebudget, so they could be presentable to an audience.”

Von didn’t respond, just stared at him in shock for further explanation.

“Look the initial plan was to have self sustaining biomes by the end of the year, but then the government cut our budgets. So we had to find a way to generate profit, more money had to be drawn away from the actual biomes. That’s all to say the biggest cuts were to our insect budget. A couple of natural predators like those two,“ He pointed at the moles, “could wipe out our entire worm population.”

Von balked, “That doesn’t make any sense, what’s pollinating all those plants?”

“We are.” Reid answered, simply. “We have some advanced bee drones donated by the AIST that can---”

“How will the soil stay fertile if there aren’t any decomposers? What will happen when one of those deer die?” he stammered

“We have a contingency for that.” Reid interrupted, “and for the record this isn’t a permanent solution. We’re working within these constraints so we can continue to advance in the future. Once the sanctuary goes public and we can count on stable funding, we’ll be able to take in all sorts of animals.”

“What about protecting endangered species?” Von brought up. “The moles natural environment is being destroyed by construction, and pollution. There could very well be less than a hundred left in North America.”

“That is still our focus, but we have other duties to ensure the sanctuary can continue to thrive long into the future.” Reid explained “Those duties mean doing what is best for the sanctuary as a business and that means...prioritizing animals that please the customer.”

Von felt stung by that comment but tried not to let it show, “So, you’re saying the sanctuary can’t take these moles.”

“Yes, I am afraid so.” Reid nodded.

“Okay then.” Von moved to stand up, taking the cage back under his arm.

“Hey, don’t lose hope completely. Check up in another five to ten years, we’re almost guaranteed to be back on track by then.” Reid said, trying to sound ernest. “And in the meantime if you have any hamsters or guinea pigs that need a home. We might be able to squeeze them in.”

Von looked at his friend, confused again “I thought this facility was only for fauna and flora native to North America?”

“Yes, it is.” Reid nodded blankly.

“Hamsters are native to Sierra.” Von explained, “and Guinea pigs come from South America.”

“Oh” Reid blushed, suddenly really embarrassed. “ Sorry. My ah, rodent zoology is a little rusty.”

“I see.” Von nodded, “I see, it was nice to see you again. Reid.”

“Hey, wait you don’t have to go right now,” Reid got to his feet while Von was half way out the door. “You haven't even seen the rest of the prairie biome yet, and we just finished putting together the desert biome. It’s more impressive than you think.”

“Thank you, really but I should get these two back to the institute. I need to feed them soon anyway.” Von said. Gesturing to the two moles.

“I see. Another time, then.”

Von didn’t answer him. The door had already closed behind him. He made his way back through path.

If You liked this story you can read more and book reviews on my blog https://kayla-daniels.weebly.com/.  leave a ❤️ or a comment to help me find new readers

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

Hey check out my review of Rosemary’s Baby. 

Leave a comment about your favorite horror novel and I might read it later. Or reblog it to help me find new readers :)

Also find me on Twitter @kaylagd1.

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

Hey check out my review of Rosemary’s Baby. 

Leave a comment about your favorite horror novel and I might read it later. Or reblog it to help me find new readers :)

Also find me on Twitter @kaylagd1.

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

The sequel no one asked for. Helpful big sister.

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

A few drawing of one of my OCs. I know it’s not the best, but I’m trying to draw more. 

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

Hey check out my review of Stephen King’s The Shining. 

If you like it, please reblog and leave your favorite horror novel in the comments and I might review it in the future.

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

Hey check out my review of Stephen King’s The Shining. 

If you like it, please reblog and leave your favorite horror novel in the comments and I might review it in the future.

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

The Coven

Esme sighed. Here eyelids felt heavy, aching for any moment of rest. The best she could do was lean over her backpack while it sat on her knees. Her anxious mind wouldn’t let her rest, she saw danger everywhere: the sleeping strangers in the corner were planning to mug her, the dirty tile floor hosted an undiscovered fatal disease, beyond the unwashed windows, past the harsh neon of the bus terminals was an army of monsters in waiting. The digital clock on the wall read 4:32 am she checked the tickets in her pocket for the hundredth time. With little else to do, her eyes wandered over to the windows. A sudden flurry of white lights passed by then disappeared around the corner as quickly as they appeared. The muffled sound of engines followed like thunder after lightning. Surprised she sat up straight, staying still for a moment then tentatively walked toward the nearest windows. Just as she practically pressed her nose against the glass a group of women rounded the corner. As they entered the quiet station they split. Half heading to the bathroom, and half heading towards the vending machines. Esme managed to get a good look at them all. About ten, most looked to be in their twenties or thirties there was one who couldn’t be much older than she. More interesting each one was wearing an identical black jacket. Old worn leather, some with the sleeves cut off. The back of each was embroidered with a strange symbol. Not like the expected designs of a leather jacket wearing gang. It was simple, composed of green lines, looked like an angry eye inside of a square diamond with a few extra shapes and lines thrown in. It made her think of modern art, and she felt a little safer. While the group moved around, The youngest of them, locked eyes with her. She was tall with sleek black hair pulled in a loose ponytail. She had a pair of goggles resting around her neck. To her surprise, she strutted over and coolly said, “Hey, Name’s Hester. You travelin’ alone?” “Um, Hi. I’m Esme.” She said, shyly. “And yeah.” “Going to DFW?” “Ah, No. I’m leaving actually.” She explained, “I’m going to Colorado to visit some friends.” “Really?” Now Hester looked surprised, “That’s a long way to go alone. Especially when your young.” “Oh, no, no… I’m- I’m older than I look.” Hester went quiet for a moment, staring with dark almond shaped eyes. Esme suddenly felt as though she was trying to open up her mind, like a worm struggling through a dry surface. “Where are y’all traveling?” She asked to break the silence. “West.” Hester answered simply, “We always go west this time of year. We wanna reach the great basins in time for the hunter’s moon.” “What... what does the moon have to do with it?” “Nothin’.” She shrugged, and nodded towards her group. “Come sit by us if you’d like. We have plenty of snacks.” 

Esme watched her rejoin the larger group. They had taken over a section of seats, eating, and laughing quietly. Her eyes traveled over the different faces, young and old, some rougher than others, some more masculine, and some more feminine.

These women didn’t seem like a gang to her, the thought of Nomads came to her mind. Like the traveling Romani in medieval Europe.

From behind her more rays of light appeared, her heart skipped a beat before the light disappeared into oblivion.

She decided instead, to move away from the windows to a more comfortable dark corner. From there she watched the gang, Her eyes gravitated to one them. She seemed to be sitting at the proverbial head of the circle.

She was older but clearly strong, on her right forearm was an incredibly detailed star made of woven bands and set in a circle made of vines. Esme thought it was beautiful, and considered asking about it, but despite Hester invitation she was too nervous to approach and risk interrupting.

Soon she found herself straining to hear their conversation.

“I’m more worried about the actual desert.” One woman said, “You know in those flats it’s easy to lose your sense of direction. Almost everything looks the same you could get turned around and wonder in the wrong direction for hours maybe.”

Esme grimaced a little, Hester quickly spoke up, “Yeah, but the view alone is worth it. Once we’re out there, no light for miles. You can see galaxies away.”

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

At the Mountains of Madness

Check out my review of this horror classic. As i discuss the book, the odd life of the author, and the effect certain context has on how we should view this piece. Read Here

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

Update

I have a new short story on my website. If your fan of horror, fantasy, or isolated towns with dark pasts then you’ll like The Horn Curse. 

A quick Summary: There’s a town in the forest with no roads leading in or out. The people their are simple farmers, family men, and worshipers of the harvest god. Life is good for the people, living in a safe haven from the demonic woods. Until a centuries old curse returns once again and puts many young children’s lives in danger. One of the cursed, a girl named Gertrude, is determined to find a way to reverse it. All the while a mysterious figure, a large man with inhuman abilities only known as the horned man is reeking havoc but she will quickly learn, everything is not as it seems.

[killersghostsandotherdangers]

Update

I have a new short story on my website. If your fan of horror, fantasy, or isolated towns with dark pasts then you’ll like The Horn Curse. 

A quick Summary: There’s a town in the forest with no roads leading in or out. The people their are simple farmers, family men, and worshipers of the harvest god. Life is good for the people, living in a safe haven from the demonic woods. Until a centuries old curse returns once again and puts many young children’s lives in danger. One of the cursed, a girl named Gertrude, is determined to find a way to reverse it. All the while a mysterious figure, a large man with inhuman abilities only known as the horned man is reeking havoc but she will quickly learn, everything is not as it seems.