Monday, June 10, 2013

Still as a statue...

Photo by RJ Clarken
This is a photo of one of the graceful statues which ring the old hay barn site at Duke Farms.  The area is now a small oasis which is great for a quiet moment of contemplation, as well as something pretty to look at when bike riding or walking the grounds.  

While some statues are the stuff of a scary Dr. Who narrative, others have an interesting backstory.  

So...is her story about finding peace and being still...or was she bewitched (and turned into a statue, where she still remains to this day?)  How will her tale end...or will it ever end?  

Tell us about it, because everyone - yes, everyone - has a story to tell.

2 comments:

  1. CALANDRIA'S SACRIFICE

    Augustus Spiffious was a mighty warrior. Master of the battle, he knew when to negotiate peace and he knew when to drawn his hefty sword. Above all else, he knew that he did this for all of Greece, but for his fair maiden and betrothed, Calandria of Cotta. She was a fetching woman of dark beauty and a resolve as hard as granite. And she loved Augustus.

    It was in the time of the great purge of Olympus. Zeus brought his wrath upon all who had failed in their quest for peace among the quite mount that served as home to the gods. Calandria loved the stories that Spiffious told of engagements along the parapet and in the alleyways surrounding the sanctuary.

    But Augustus made it quite clear to Calandria, that if any mere mortal were to venture near the wall, the fate wold befall the invade that had befallen the thousands left to line the courtyard. Limestone and granite figures, once flesh and blood persons of a curious nature, were now silent sentinels to the sanctuary.

    Word came that forces from the North were advancing on the mountain. Spiffious instructed his soon-to-be wife to wait in the village for his return. Heading off to the next battle-to-end-all-battles, he anticipated a return to this lovely waif of a wife.

    Weeks passed as Calandria awaited word from Augustus. Her worries were well founded. The premonition that Spiffious had suffered a wound had come to fruition. In reality it was merely a flesh wound. But the messenger ran our of parchment to complete the message from his liege. It read as sch:

    Dearest Calandria of Cotta,

    I regret to inform you that I have been wounded. Know that my first thought is of you, as is my last. It is fast becoming dark and all I had hoped was to look upon you once more. I am dying...

    Here was where the page ended. The remaining message said...

    ... to see you on my return. Battle has me growing weary and I must return to you to begin our new life...

    Not knowing the rest of the scroll, she had to see her Augustus once more before he was gone.Calandria headed for the encampment surrounding the mountain..The wrath of Zeus had found the bride of his greatest warrior defenseless and without good reason to stay in a living form.

    Greek legend said that true warriors of the gods would assume the strength and wisdom of those who made love sacrifices to the gods, becoming one of more power. Spiffious marveled at the wonderful statuary surrounding the camp. And he knew he must tell Calalndria of the fetching statue that bore her likeness. To be immortalized for an eternity was a gift not often given to mortal beings. Seeing Calandria would surely make him stop stone cold.

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  2. Woooo Wooooo Woooo and a bang is all that came when the TARDIS landed in the backyard of Sullivan Manor. A funny man with spiked up hair, trench coat, and a suit walked out of the old blue Police Box. "Come Brielle!" he shouted.
    They walked into the house and the man took out a funny gadget. "Doctor, What's that?"
    "Sonic Screwdriver. Just imagine a screwdriver.... but more sonic-y." The Doctor scans the area, then holds it up to read. He has a concerned look on his face.
    Brielle goes to look around the house. This is only her second journey with the Doctor, and she went to meet Helen Keller because the Silence was there. She and the Doctor conquered the Silence and now are in modern-day. When she opens the door into the used-to-be living room, there is a statue out the window, a very pretty one, looking down. Brielle looks at it, wondering why it would be covering it's eyes, but turns around not really concerned.
    The Doctor walks into the living room, tapping Brielle on the shoulder. "Have you seen any.... statues, perhaps?"
    "Yes, why?"
    "Did you turn around?"
    "Yes, I did."
    " I want you to go back, and don't blink! Whatever you do, DON'T BLINK!"
    The statue had moved, it's eyes now uncovered and showing it's sharp, pointy teeth. "DOCTOR! WHAT IS THAT!!??"
    "It's a weeping angel! But this one is different... it's not an angel... more like a weeping person. They are called lonely assassins because they are quantum-locked humanoids, meaning they can't look at each other, or they will be frozen forever. If it gets you, you will be dropped into the past and have to live out your full life. They move when you blink, or when the lights are out."
    Brielle was frightened to death. Her eyes were watering and had to blink. So she did. The angel had it's arms out, about an inch away from her neck. "They are extremely fast..." she thought.
    "Doctor, I can't last much longer." she said. And she blinked. All of a sudden... she was gone.

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