A PSA

Today In Misery

An entire forest grew around the town in an hour. It stayed for three hours, before dying, then vanishing completely.

No one could damage the trees, with axe or fire, which were both attempted. About 10% of them had blue leaves, and fruits in geometric shapes.

People who had nothing to fear, like Colem Arth, tried this fruit.

Colem turned into a statue of diamond. A few others grew crystal horns, or had a ringing quality to their voice. One girl, a 7th grader named Nancy Hewitt, had her eyes and tongue turned to crystal. Unlike Constant Lee Anders, Nancy Hewitt could still see and retained the ability to speak. These effects did not disappear.

The moon was bright and full, visible even as the waning sunlight cast a purple glow on the remaining clouds.

I watched as they drifted lazily around the celestial body, and soon they covered its face, cutting off its light.

This was a mistake.

A single blade of red light fell to the ground , slicing its way through the offenders.

The clouds screamed; not an audible one, mind, but one you heard with your very soul. Scarlet bled into the clouds, creating a beautiful corpse. The moon stared at the town of Misery like a bloodshot eye.

I stared at the spot where the light fell, and I shudder to think of what would happen if it had fallen on someone.

The stars themselves cower from the moon, their light dimming to avoid offending it.

"The red skull favours those who consort with beasts and corpses."

~Told to me by a flagpole with a face

Here goes nothing...

My name is Story Page.

It has been three months since my family relocated to Misery, a town sequestered somewhere in the Northern Rock Coast.

And I will be the first to say it--this town should not exist.

Misery is a hub of supernormal activity. Danger stalks the night, and bloodsuckers watch their prey from the shadows. Spirits and invisible men walk amongst bakers and businessmen. Anything can be anything, and nothing is as it seems.

Out of the ordinary events happen on an hourly basis, and yet the townfolk are not only completely aware of this, they have embraced this.

Unfortunately, no one has ever tried to explain this weirdness; they've made their peace with and grown up with it.

So I've taken it upon myself to look at this town with fresh eyes. Through study and interviews, I will share what I've learned with you. Ask me anything; as long as the information gets out to the rest of the world, nothing is off limits.

THERE ARE NO BEES IN MISERY

The Moon was made of gold tonight. The Moon did not like this.

Today In Misery

The cougar came back today. This time, it had stayed past sunset, so everyone was forced to spend the night. Luckily, the staff stocks sleeping bags for this very scenario.

I was given a good glimpse at why no one is called to deal with the cougar whenever it shows up. One student, I believe his name is Colem Arth, came to MSAA late, and was immediately attacked by the lion.

I will spare the gory details, but let it be known that my hands shook as I typed this, and I didn't get any sleep that night.

Several dogs tried to attack the cougar, only to meet the same fate as Colem Arth. In fact, the only thing that went out into the courtyard and survived was Principal Lee Anders, who decided to wear a jester hat today. He was too far for me to see what he was doing, but he came straight to the cougar and touched it. When he left, he held 8 bloody cougar paws. Where he got them from, I don't know. The cougar still had all its paws, since it walked away fine come sunrise.

The school gave us the next three days off due to the incident.

Today in Misery

As school ended and all of the students left their respective buildings, a murder of crows descended and swarmed around a random student, carrying her away. No one seemed to register what was happening, even as she struggled and and kicked and screamed for help.

When I asked Julia what the fuck just happened, she informed me "That's just Margo. This happens every day."

Angels & Demons

As you know, you will only see an angel or demon several times in your life. Perhaps a black spot at the corner of your eye causes you to crash into mailbox. Or maybe you'll see a soft mote of light hover over your friend when they pass a test they didn't study for. Collectives are rarer; meeting one is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

In Misery, they are an integral part of life. No one has ever gone a day without seeing an angel or a demon; some even follow people around at two or three at a time (the townsfolk call these Collectives, fittingly, familiars). And there are enough Collectives at a large enough volumes to be considered citizens; Angel and Demon Collectives make up 2% of the town population, and there's even a business completely run by Demon Collectives. (All human employees are required to be possessed--I'm not sure why, but Micah thinks its so the Demons can practice possession).

As a newcomer, it was a bit....overwhelming. I have only seen three Demons before coming to Misery, and they were all motes. To have clouds of these creatures flying around was an....expirience. Further study is required--no one has seen this many Collectives in one area. It's unprecedented.

It's like something in the town is attracting them....

The Mists Are Angry

The moon was full tonight.

The Mists swirled around it, trying to both reach and flee from it's harsh glare.

Thunder roared in the distance, and claws of lighting streaked through the Mists. As if they despised the moon's silver glow...