Saturday, September 23, 2006

Mighty Fortress

Story #63, in which a poor beggar seeks grace.

To hear the story, ask pray at the tower.








To read, come to the church door.

This week in The Prattler, Global Gothic.

36 comments:

Minka said...

Ok then. I´ll be just first anyway! Have to make up some ground from yesterday.

Mighty Fortress,

a) belonging to someone that truly believes: Keep your enemies close, but keep your friends closer!

b) belonging to someone, who only got petite sand-castles to play with when little

c) belonging to someone with many paintings. You need a lot of wall to hang them all up!

Minka said...

I always thought it was 95 :) reformation is hard on everybody! Well done, Pascover...as soon as I heard Saxony I was pretty sure I got the idea behind this story for once. I am so proud of myself right now...I know it is a sin, but nothing three Hail Poobahs won´t take care of!

Mutha said...

Nothing like a little blood, guts , religion and politics to wake you up on a Saturday morning. Thank God I gave up caffeine last June.

dddragon said...

My, my, such violence so early in the day!

Doug The Una said...

Minka, of course it's supposed to be 95. Very sharp, lady!

Actonbell, only the Princes in purple and the artists formerly of that name.

Right, Mutha. A restful weekend to you.

It's been a rough week, Dddragonsister. Someone had to get stabbed.

Ariel the Thief said...

In Saxony or elsewhere men with no sins must die, and in Saxony or elsewhere grace should be reserved for the ones with many.

The Violent Vixen said...

I must have a very active imagination... it was way too graphic for me considering I just woke up a little while ago.
Anyway, as always, that was amazing!

Anonymous said...

Wasn't expecting that my dear Dawg! Violence, hatred... WHAT NO SEX???

mireille said...

This was amazing.

And Shayna, there WAS sex. Misogynistic, as usual, but sex. "Appetite led rich men into the dark market and led them back out, poor, redeemed and salivating" ... "women of shame comfort the clergy."

This was your best, Doug.

xoxo
m

Doug The Una said...

Ariel, it's nice to see your sense of justice or is there something we don't know about your past?

Thanks, Solace. A vivid imagination is the gift of a goof night's sleep.

Shayna, I've got to throw a curveball now and then, right? Do you need a link for Jenna Howards site?

Thanks, Mireille. For me the whole project is about pushing your superlatives. I'm hopin if I write a story for next week it will be my bestest. And I like to think of myself as misanthropic rather than misogynistic.

mireille said...

keep pushing, D. And we'll see where it leads us both. xoxo

Anonymous said...

Excellent story Doug...Mutha, no caffeine? Oh my...is that even allowed?

Ariel the Thief said...

I was told that one of the miseries of war is that you cannot get real coffee. hope everything is allright on your side of the planet, Mutha... :)

TLP said...

Someone wants poor ol' Poobah dead? I always vote that the unelected get to live. It's the elected I'd like to off.

Doug The Una said...

Mireille, I'll do my best, Should we have a safe word?

Thanks, Joel. It's certainly odd if legal.

Ariel, you should see us twitch without oil.

Hey, blogmama's come home! Great trip I hope.

Charlene Amsden said...

Many times today I have come here.
I listened.
I read.
I listened.
I listened.
I read.
And each time I left sad.
I remain sad.

mireille said...

Quilldancer, I'm sorry you're feeling sad.

Doug, that word should be: xoxo And every time I think you're a sweet, unsophisticated, naive genius of a writer, who wouldn't know s/m if it slapped him in the face, you say something like that. You fascinate me.

xoxo

Mistress Anna said...

Doug...did you just say safe word? (Gives head a shake)..fascinating...indeed.
I've seen this church up close and personal...quite beatiful. Dark but beautiful.
excellent story too.

Miz BoheMia said...

Ooooweeee! 'Tis a murderous tale of the Poobah, the one and only Omnipotent one! Dios mio!

Brilliant I tell you, BRILLIANT!!!

Violence, murder, gore, sex.... ooooh! Bohemians don't just like, they loooooveee!

Ariel the Thief said...

you Americans please tell me, DO safe words work in real life?

Lila said...

Thanks for the "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" earworm!

Another great story. Like actonbell, I always love the endings!

Doug The Una said...

Quilldancer, sorry to hear. What makes you sad?

Mireille, it was a long time ago and, besides, the wench is dead. You knew I could read, right?

Thanks, Mistress Anna. I took those pictures on my pilgrimage a couple years back.

Thanks, Miz B. This story would have had all the elements of a Bohemian tale if I'd just thought to involve a foreskin.

Ariel, I have no idea. Maybe ask a Brit.

Aral, Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious? Have a nice day.

FelineFrisky said...

Doug, great story. Vivid pictures filled my imagination. A twist in the end! Gasp! I so enjoy your tales. The thinkers stories. Thank you for sharing. D :)

mireille said...

The wench is no doubt the novelist, right? *reassures self* xoxo

Kyahgirl said...

In such a few words you painted a very clear picture of the ugliness of our species. I think I can understand why quilldancer feels sad. You are a very talented writer my friend.

oh, andvery interesting discussion you're having with my friend mireille. You two are fascinating to listen to :-)

Charlene Amsden said...

Kyah is right. Your words are beautiful, but the picture they painted is so ugly it hurts my soul. It wouldn't matter if I thought they were just words, but our city has a huge homeless problem and I see horrible things happening every day.

When I lived downtown in a neighborhood populated with homeless people I always kept the crockpot full of a thick stew and anyone who slept in the alley behind my house was certain to have a good meal. The pastor of my church -- the pastor -- was always telling me it was too dangerous and I shouldn't feed "those people."

Jesus said, "Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me." I told the pastor I wasn't feeding homeless people, I was feeding Jesus. Pastor told me I was too idealistic and needed to grow up. I'm 47. If I haven't grown up yet, he'd best not be holding his breath.

Ariel the Thief said...

God bless you Quilldancer. your pastor was right saying it was dangerous, but indeed you were feeding Jezus, the truth is that simple sometimes. my city is full of homelesses, too. if growing up means we are able to step over them and still look in the mirror every morning, we don't deserve to grow up.

Charlene Amsden said...

Thank you, Ariel. My thoughts exactly.

Doug The Una said...

Thanks, Diane. I save my thinking for Saturday AM about 3.

Mireille, I thought I was quoting James I of England, but according to Google I was misquoting Christopher Marlowe. Oh, well. Teach me to try and be smart.

Kyahgirl, that's interesting. I think the ugliness of the species is more beautiful to me generally. Thanks to you and Quilldancer for reminding me that some people like beauty.

Quilldancer, Felton May was once the Bishop of the United Methodist Church, I think for the Eastern Pennsylvania district. He spent a year in charge of Washington D.C.'s diocese and while he was there two boys, who were afraid of someone ran to a church seeking help which they didn't get and came to harm. After that Bishop May ordered that all urban churches stay open, which received considerable resistance. It's no surprise when a pastor isn't holy but a story worth remembering when a Bishop is.

Thank you, Ariel. That was nice to say all the more so for the truth of it.

Jamie Dawn said...

When I heard the 95 needles thing, I thought the beggar was getting a tattoo.
Those olden times were brutal.

Anonymous said...

JD: and i was thinking... accupuncture.

i know. i'm not worthy and/or smart enough to read this blog on any given day.

that said, i can still appreciate the beautiful way in which life (in all it's shades of ugly) is addressed and/or depicted herein. this was an excellent--not to mention thought provoking--story this week, Doug.

Logophile said...

Oh my,
no tiramisu today.
Gruel instead, but very well written gruel.

Doug The Una said...

Jamie Dawn, sure, but they were cool.

Good grief, Puppybrose.

More, Logo? The girl wants more?

Charlene Amsden said...

"I think the ugliness of the species is more beautiful to me generally."

As a writer, I could easily agree that it is much easier to write beautifully about ugliness. The fact that your story effected my emotions to the extent it did is a compliment to your craftmanship.

Anonymous said...

watch it, Charlie Brown.

i was just trying to give you a little praise for a story well-written... nothing to get worked up over. (beats a bunch of sharp sticks and/or needles in the eye, right?)

Omnipotent: ego-centric

Doug The Una said...

Thanks, Quilldancer.

It's equivalent, Lucy but thanks.