Part One:

 Every town has their own version of “The Boogeyman”. A monster, cryptid, phantom, whatever you want to call it, it’s all essentially the same thing- just a scary story they tell kids in an attempt to get them to behave. An urban legend is just a life lesson disguised as a horror story after all. For us folk living up in the tiny and once prosperous gold-mining town of Trillium, ours was known simply as The Locust Man. Now, let me start by saying, I realize how ridiculous that name must sound to you. “The Locust Man”?? Pftt…What’s he do, besides get stuck in the grill of someone’s pick-up truck. Destroy some crops? Oooh, he sounds real scary... yeah, I know. But yet, as I sit here today 20 years after the fact - a grown woman who’s wiser, stronger, and even more grounded in reality than she was at 12, I still hesitate to even write down that name. 

As a young child I had always thought it to be a little weird that our town was called Trillium, considering I had never seen a single one growing there. If you don’t know, a trillium is a small flower, usually white but they come in other color varieties as well, with three pedals and a bright yellow center. They sort of look like if you took a lily and tore off every other pedal playing “He loves me, he loves me not”. In school, about 2nd grade or so, we were taught everything about this elusive flower I’d never seen in real life, and told how proud our town was to be named after it. Trillium, Colorado was established in 1922 - A new town born in the wake of a great tragedy which befell the town that had previously sat in the same location. For us, and those that came before us, the trillium was supposed to be a symbol of hope. Knowing all that I know now, that sentiment almost makes me want to laugh - in a morbid way. Growing up in a small, mostly isolated town, there really wasn’t much for a kid to do. You’d have to drive 45 minutes to get to the closest mall and movie theater. The high school kids would usually all hang out at the roller rink downtown or at the old run-down burger joint called Slim’s that sat across it. But at that age, I wasn’t allowed to go hang out there by myself yet and for me, going with my parents tagging along wasn’t an option I was open to. My neighborhood was on a long dead end road leading up to a large patch of woods that separated the main part of town from the abandoned mine. The old trail the miners used was still accessible up until a point, and so me and the other kids from my street would hang out in those woods all the time. We had a “secret spot” which was, what we thought at the time, about half way through the woods, 10 steps away from a small shallow creek that pretty much ran the length of the area. Rain Creek, we called it. There was a small clearing there, and we had created our own little clubhouse using old milk crates as supports, half- broken wooden pallets as walls, along with some old lawn chairs one of the neighbors was throwing out one day. I made my contribution by bringing a tarp we had in our basement that served as the roof of our establishment. Our parents didn’t love the idea of five 10 to 12 year olds running around in the woods by ourselves, but as long as we stayed within earshot and made it back before the streetlights came on, they probably figured it was safer than us being across town galavanting unsupervised. It was me, Lacey, Devin, Mikey and Michelle. We were all best friends - pretty much inseparable, except the boys weren’t invited to the girls’ sleepovers and vise versa. Everyday after school, we’d get dropped off by the bus at the very beginning of our road, and it was a running joke between the Rain Street Gang (as we liked to call ourselves) for all of us to try and run off the bus as quickly as possible, while me, Lacey and Devin would all yell in unison ‘Last two home are some rotten eggs!!’, as Mikey and Michelle tried to push past us to get a head start. The aforementioned two were siblings, and lived in the very last house on our row right next to the woods, so they’d always get home last, regardless of their efforts. Although, the year that Mikey got a pair of Heelys for Christmas he finally got his edge over the rest of us, leaving Michelle to be the lone “rotten egg” until the next summer when one of his wheels broke off. The whole point of it all was just to get home and get our chores and homework done as fast as possible, so we could meet up at Mikey and Michelle’s house with enough daylight left to make our trek into the woods and back - together as a group. All five of us had made a pact to never visit the clubhouse without all members present, although us girls always had a sneaking suspicion that the boys thought themselves exempt from that rule. They, after all, were the ones that had discovered the spot in the first place, and not to mention, did most of the physical labor of dragging our provisions out there. Me and Lacey initially only heard about the spot a day after the boys found it; Michelle had walked into Mikey’s room in the middle of him and Devin talking about it, and immediately relayed the message to us. Michelle wasn’t necessarily more loyal to the girls than the boys, she was just the youngest among us and honestly couldn’t resist blurting out any mildly relevant information she thought she might have, in an effort to be included. But in that regard, if the boys had ever gone out there on their own, they would’ve had to be extremely sneaky about it, because Michelle’s number one objective in life was to gather any piece of intel she could. It was a seemingly normal Saturday morning when we learned our suspicions about the boys may have been warranted. I had slept over at Lacey’s house the night before. We had just woken up and were still sitting on her bed discussing our possible plans for the day, when Michelle busted through the door with a look on her face that immediately told us she had finally gotten a hold of some juicy information, before she could even open her mouth to stutter out, “You-you-you guyssss, guess w-w-what!?!” Lacey gestured the nail file that was in her hand toward her, raising her eyebrows bluntly as Michelle tried to catch her breath. “So… Devin came to sleep over last night, annnnnd I was pretending to go to the bathroom so I could spy on them. Seeeeee, I was supposed to be sleeping but I -“ “Ughh come on Michelle, get to it! What’d you hear?” Lacey snapped “Ughh okay okay. So, I heard the boys talking, anddddd…. they’re planning to go explore the old mine today!!” “Alright Michelle! Good spying!” I chuckled, trying to encourage her after Lacey’s impatience. Lacey rolls her eyes, then immediately stands up. She takes the scrunchie off her wrist, ties her long blonde hair into a messy bun, and simply said, “Let’s go.” “Lacey..” I said “What??” She responds as if she hadn’t registered the tone of my voice at all. As I opened my mouth to begin explaining all the logical and practical reasons why even if the boys were stupid enough to go play around somewhere dangerous, we shouldn’t be, Michelle exclaims, “That’s where the Locust Man lives!!” I close my mouth in defeat, as I know Lacey will take this nonsense as a challenge, and because of that, no amount of my warnings concerning actual dangers would have any effect on her decision. Lacey dismisses her comment as she attempts to shove her foot into one of her new pink sneakers that she refuses to admit are too small for her. “Pshhh, don’t be such a baby Michelle, he’s not real, you do know that right?” Michelle crinkled her face and yelled back, “Yes he is Lacey! He is!! And th-th- that’s where he lives, and he eats kids that go there!” Lacey laughs at her and says “Oh yeah? You still believe in Santa clause too? What about the tooth fairy?” Michelle looked down at her shoes, and although she could admittedly be annoying, I found myself feeling bad for her. “Come on Lacey, she’s just scared.” Lacey shot me a look like she was expecting me to burst into laughter, but I just gave her a smirk and a shrug, and she rolled her eyes and said “Get dressed.” We walked in silence toward the end of the road, though the reasons for all three differed drastically. Lacey’s was determination and resolve, mine was comtemptousness and defeat, and Michelle’s was just fear. I found myself half-way hoping the boys had left already, but as we approached the driveway we caught them just as they were about to step off the porch. “Hey!!” Lacey yelled, in her trademark cheerleader cadence. “Where do you boys think you’re going without us?”. Mikey let a groan and rolled his eyes, while Devin said through a coy smile, “Well, we were actually just heading out to go to find you girls.” “Liar.” Lacey snapped, quickly wiping the grin off Devin’s face. “Michelle already blabbed- we know where you two are going and we’re coming too.” The boys looked at each other, then Mikey shot Michelle an angry look as she tried to shrink herself behind me, and said, “Fine, whatever, but no cry baby snitches allowed!!” Michelle then proceeded to prove both of his accusations correct by yelling back, “I am not a cry baby!! I’m telling mom if you don’t let me come with you!!” At that point I finally spoke up. “Alright, listen.” I said sternly, then once I had their attention I lowered my voice a bit to say, “Just for the record, I think us going to that grody old mine is a dumb idea and a big waste of time, but if one of us goes, we all go. That’s the deal, so make your decisions.” Lacey folded her arms in solidarity beside me, and with that we all had an unspoken understanding. So, with the boys out ahead leading the way, we headed toward the tree line. As we entered the woods, I felt a sense of dread wash over me - but to be fair, as a preteen emo kid who had already reached an adult level of cynicism, I felt a certain level of dread towards almost everything in life. So take my premonition with a grain of salt, but for some reason, this felt… different. I remember the woods being abnormally quiet that day. It took some time for me to even notice, but as soon as I did, I interrupted the mindless chatter going on to say, “Where are all the freakin’ birds?” Everyone turned to look at me as if I’d completely lost my mind. “Uhhh… What are you talking about?” Devin asked me. I pointed up toward the treetops. “Listen…. ” They all looked up, then looked around at each other in confusion. “Every time we’ve ever been in these woods, there’s always birds chirping back and forth. We’ve been walking almost 5 minutes now and I haven’t heard a single bird, have you guys?” “Damn, yeah, that is weird.” Mikey agreed. “They probably all just migrated!!” Devin goofily offered. “That’s stupid Devin, it’s spring. If anything, there should be more birds here, not less you moron.” Lacie argued. Devin flipped Lacie off, which was the best rebuttal he could usually come up with, and then turned toward me and said, “Okay whatever, what’s your point exactly?” “Just that - “ I looked over to Mikey, then back at Devin. “It’s weird.” I didn’t want to say what I was actually thinking. That the woods being too quiet was never a good thing. That when birds aren’t chirping, it could mean there’s a predator nearby. Besides, I was pretty confident that the boys, having both been in the scouts, knew what I knew, so saying it out loud would only serve to annoy Lacie and further frighten Michelle. Mikey broke his gaze that had been fixed on me, and while scanning our surroundings he said, “Let’s stop by the clubhouse on the way.” With a nod from me, we continued. When we arrived at our pit stop, Lacey hobbled over to the closest lawn chair and plopped herself down in it. “Ughhh, my feet are killing me!!” “I wonder why.” I mutter under my breath. “Excuse me, what was that?” “Just saying. Those shoes are gonna be the death of you Lace, you can barely walk in them.” “Pshhh, shut up. They just need to be broken-in okay? You’re just jealous cuz you’re still wearing your dirty old Vans from last year.” “Oooh yeah, you got me there. I am so sad I don’t have a pair of ugly pink Sketchers that don’t fit me.” She stuck her tongue out at me and we both laughed. I was just about the only person who could go toe to toe with Lacey’s sass. It’s part of the reason we ended up being best friends, besides being neighbors. In regard to style, personality and interests, we were almost polar opposites. But when it came to humor we were equals. And more importantly, we both had a mutual understanding when it came to our differences- I was me and she was her, and neither of us felt the need to try and make the other one be more like us. Besides, I was the only person who had ever really stood up to Lacey and didn’t take any of her crap, so I think she respected that. While that exchange had been going on, Michelle had started picking tiny pink flowers, and the boys were rummaging in the clubhouse for something. I yelled in their direction, “Hey! Big Mike and Dirty D!!” Me and Lacey giggled and she mouthed the word “big” with air quotation marks. They didn’t respond, so I walked over to the entryway and looked in. They were standing with their backs to me while looking down at an open metal box, and Mikey was reaching to grab whatever was in it. As he stood back up, I could see what it was. “What the fuck Mikey, seriously?” Hearing me cuss, Lacey and Michelle crowded in behind me. “Chill, it’s just a BB gun.” “I know it’s a BB gun Michael, what are you doing with it, and why is it here?” I was livid at the thought that he might be coming out here and shooting at animals just to be a shithead. I expected something like that from a goober like Devin, but not Mikey. Michelle butted in, “I’m telling mom!!!” “Nice try, dad knows I have it.” He looked at me and softened his tone. “It’s for protection, just in case we come across a black bear, or some weirdo creep out here. Seriously… it’s just to scare off something, not hurt it.” He knew how I felt about killing animals, especially for no good reason. A lot of people out here are poor and hunt for food, which I could accept as a reality. But hurting animals just for fun is psycho behavior, so I was relieved to hear him dispel my fear; I really didn’t want to have to hate him. “Do you even know how to shoot that thing?” Lacey asked. “Yeah, my dad showed me.” Devin clapped his hands together, making us all jump and himself laugh. “Well alright then, let’s get going!” I turned to Michelle, still holding the flowers. “You okay?” She nodded. “If you want me to walk back with you, I can.” I was slightly hoping she’d say yes so I’d have an excuse to get out of this excursion, but she just shook her head and forced a smile. I knew she was scared, but she was just too curious. Maybe I was too. We walked for what felt like half an hour. The trees had gotten more dense and the path narrowed from the overgrowth. Still no birdsong. I kept scanning the area in search of any sign of life other than us. Looking for movement of creatures scurrying away, listening for the sound of rustling as we passed, hoping for a squirrel, a lizard, even a bug. Nothing. “How much further is this damn thing?” Lacey groaned. Mikey answered without even turning around. “We should be coming up on it any time now.” “You said that like 10 minutes ago.” “Yeah, and now we’re like 10 minutes closer to it. And hey guess what, you insisted on inviting yourself - so suck it up buttercup.” “Hahahaha!” Devin laughed like a maniac at Mikey’s quip, while Lacey folded her arms and for once in her life didn’t have a snappy comeback. This time however, I did. “Well we really only came along to make sure you idiots didn’t kill yourselves.” “Oh, so you girls came out here with us to be our protectors, huh?” Devin laughed. “Ehh, more like babysitters.” Needless to say, I was flipped off for that statement. We rounded the next bend and suddenly all came to an abrupt stop one after another, starting with Mikey. Devin positioned himself beside him and let out a disappointed groan. “Shit Mikey!” A huge tree had fallen and was blocking the trail completely. There was no way we could climb over it because of all the leaves and branches - we’d have to go around it, which meant leaving the safety of the trail and crossing Rain Creek twice to get back to it. “Seriously???” Lacey exclaimed. “Maybe it’s a sign that we shouldn’t be going.” I shrugged. Mikey didn’t seem fazed by the obstruction at all. In fact, he seemed more confident. More calm. More sure of his intended mission. “It’s fine, we’ll just go around.” Michelle, who had been mostly quiet this whole time, finally broke her fear induced silence. “We are NOT supposed to leave the tr-tr-trail Michael! We could get lost!” “We aren’t gonna get lost Michelle, I have a compass. Plus, it’s literally just a few paces that way, then we cross the creek and circle back once we pass the tree and we’re right back on the trail.” “Oh you have got to be kidding me” Lacey said, “I’m not treading through that nasty water!” “Yeah Mikey, what about Lacey’s brand new shoes??” I laughed, and she playfully slapped me in the arm. Mikey’s patience was wearing thin with us. “Look, we already walked this far - if we turn back now, we’ve wasted the whole day for nothing. If you girls wanna be lame and turn around, then go for it - but me and Dev are going.” That’s all Lacey needed. A challenge to accept; someone to prove wrong. “I’ll show you lame.” She pushed past the boys and lead the way into the thick brush towards Rain Creek. It wasn’t very wide across, and there were lots of fallen limbs and large rocks spread throughout it. The current was barely that of a trickle, and the depth was no more than knee deep for us. It was definitely doable - just an inconvenience. And of course, one more ominous obstacle lying directly in our path. Another hint from the universe telling us to turn around. We didn’t listen. Lacey placed one foot on the closest limb and pushed down a few times to test its sturdiness. “I got this.” She stepped out onto it with both feet, then shimmied sideways until she was close enough to the large exposed rock in the middle of the creek, and hopped onto it. She turned around with a full grin and said, “Coming?” Mikey made his way across the limb as Lacey hopped onto a different limb which led her to the other side of the creek. Devin followed, then me, and then it was Michelle’s turn. “I’m scared to fall in!” Of course she is, I should have made her go before me. “It’s okay Michelle, it’s easy!” I reassured her. She didn’t look convinced in the slightest. “Come on Chelle, we’re leaving you!” Mikey yelled, already walking away. “Nooo!! I’m coming! Wait!” She made it across, but instead of just walking like everyone else did, she got down on her hands and knees and gripped the limb as if it were the only thing in between her and a 50 foot drop to the ground, which was funny to see but prolonged the whole process further. After all, we were about to have to do all of this again. Next go round went a lot smoother. The creek was more shallow here, and there were a whole lot more stepping rocks and debris built up. Having just crossed successfully a few minutes ago, we were all more confident in our abilities, including Michelle - who this time we made go first. “Just walk across like it’s a bridge! You got this!!”, we all cheered for her, and then clapped when she made it to the other side. Before we knew it we were back on the trail, and it wasn’t long after that we finally arrived at our intended destination. We all stopped and stared at it for a minute, carefully examining the dilapidated exterior of the place that had brought both prosperity and destruction upon our town. Mikey bent down, picked up a rock and threw it into the entrance. We heard it bounce a few times before it stopped. “Just to make sure nothing’s in there.” he turned around to clarify. “Did anyone think to bring a flashlight?” I asked. “It’s dark as hell in there.” I was hoping for just one more reason not to go. Devin reached into his cargo shorts pocket and pulled out a small keychain-sized flashlight, smiling with the satisfaction of finally being useful. “Okay, Mikey’ll hold the gun, I’ll shine the light and you girls follow behind us. Let’s go.” Mikey shifted the BB gun from its position of resting on his shoulder, to holding the barrel in his left hand and the butt in his right; trying his best to emulate a soldier’s stance. Something his dad had taught him I’m sure. We ducked down a bit to enter. “How far in we going?” Lacey asked. “Until we see something cool.” Mikey answered. I turned around to check on Michelle, still hovering in the doorway. “You coming?” I could see in her eyes that fear had finally gotten the better of her, and curiosity had taken a backseat. With wide eyes she shook her head. “The-the Locust Man lives in there.”, she tried to whisper. “I knew you were gonna be a baby about this!” Mikey yelled. I crouched down and put my hand on her shoulder. Against my better judgment, I say “How bout you just wait here for us and pick some more flowers. We won’t be long, there’s nothing in there, I promise. Just.. don’t move from this spot and we’ll be right back, okay?” I could feel her unease, but she seemed to accept my reassurance nonetheless. “Okay.” I smiled, then stood up and looked down at my watch to check the time. 12:46 PM. I turned and headed into the darkness, trying to catch up with everyone else. I didn’t feel good about leaving Michelle, but I didn’t feel good about letting the rest of them go in there alone either. And if I’m being honest, maybe a little part of me wanted to see what was in there too. When I caught up to Lacey she asked, “Where’s Michelle?” “Stayed behind at the entrance, she was too scared. I told her to pick flowers and wait there for us.” “Pshh, figures.” “Yeah. How’s your feet?” “At this point, numb actually.” It was so dark in there that even Devin’s rinky dink flashlight was illuminating the area enough for me to start taking a closer look at my surroundings. I looked around at the rock walls, they were covered in what looked like orange mold and green algae. There was a slight breeze coming in from the entrance, but the whole place just had a staleness to it. The boys stopped and turned around as we arrived at the first curve. “So ladies, what do you think? Cool huh?” Devin asked excitedly. “Smells like a fart in here.” I said. The most dangerous thing about exploring an old mine wasn’t getting lost in the maze of tunnels, or tripping on the rusted tracks and slamming your head against the wall - it was something simply referred to as bad air. Pockets of still air that have dangerously low levels of oxygen, the old men in town would call it “black damp”. There was also something produced from the old chemicals they once used called “stink damp”, which smelled like rotten eggs. Both were lethal. “I wonder if there’s dead bodies in here!” “Uh, Dev… we’re gonna be the dead bodies in here if we go in too far. I wasn’t just making a joke, you know that rotten egg smell can mean bad air.” Mikey interjected. “The entrance isn’t far behind us, there’s still enough fresh air coming in. We won’t go in too far, let’s just get to the end of this tunnel where it splits off and look around a bit, then we’ll turn around.” The fork in the tunnel really wasn’t that much further, and even though I knew once we rounded this curve I wouldn’t be able to see the entrance behind me anymore, I decided what the hell. Maybe a hundred more steps, then we can finally turn around and this whole dumb situation would be closer to being over with. When we got there, we looked down the length of the connecting tunnels each way. Everything looked unusually identical in its deterioration. I could see how someone could easily get disoriented and lost down here. “Hellooooo…” Mikey yelled to the left, his voice echoing through the corridor. Devin turned to the opposite direction and called out, “Hey yo, Locust Man!! You in here?” We all giggled, which made me think about Michelle, still waiting at the entrance for us, alone in the woods. I looked down at my watch. 12:46 PM. “Hey what the f-“ My cuss word was interrupted by a loud bang that came from the passageway Devin had just been hollering into. We all froze. I didn’t have time to process that my watch had stopped right as we entered the tunnel, or that Michelle had been left alone for who knows how long now, or that we had just heard what sounded like a support beam crashing to the ground, because next came a horrifying screeching buzzing sound. It sounded distant at first, but was quickly increasing in volume. We silently looked around at each other and backed away stunned at what we were hearing. Mikey never took his eyes off the tunnel though, and slowly he began to raise the BB gun to firing position. Without even thinking, I grabbed the barrel and pushed it downward. He quickly tore his eyes away from his target to look at me. I shook my head and managed to barely choke out the word, “Explosion.” He nodded and I let go. I looked down at the gun in his hands, and seeing his finger had already been on the trigger, I realized how lucky it was that I didn’t make him shoot himself in the foot. All of a sudden, the noise stopped. “What the hell was that?” Lacey asked. “I don’t know, nothing good.” I said. “Let’s just get the fuck out of here before this whole place caves in on us or something.” Another loud bang erupted from the right, extremely close to us. “Shit!!!” We all turned around and ran as fast as we could back toward the entrance. Devin tried to push past me, but as he did my elbow knocked the flashlight out of his hand. “My flashlight!!!” “Leave it!” Mikey shouted “The turn is right here, we won’t need it!” We rounded the corner, and using what little light there was illuminating from the entrance to guide us back, we ran like our lives depended on it. And they may have- none of us dared to look back, not like we would have been able to see anything anyway. When we finally made it out, we were all completely out of breath. I felt like I was going to throw up. I have to admit though, once we had made it back to safety I felt a rush of adrenaline like I had just had a near death experience. That feeling quickly faded into sheer panic when I looked around and realized Michelle was nowhere to be seen. “Uh, where’s Michelle?” Mikey asked me. “I told her to stay right here, she can’t be very far… Michelle!!!!” We all called her name, as loud as we could. No answer, no sign of her anywhere. “Alright look, she probably went off a little further looking for flowers to pick.” I tried to rationalize. “Let’s just split off in 4 directions and walk in a straight line while calling for her. She’s bound to hear one of us.” Everyone agreed, and even though I appeared outwardly as the level-headed calm person you need to take control in an emergency, inside I was petrified that something had happened to her, and that it would be my fault. I took the east, and headed out. It didn’t take too long before I passed a large tree and saw her sitting down behind it, looking at something on the ground. “Michelle! Oh thank god!! Didn’t you hear us calling for you??” She didn’t answer me, or even turn around. “Michelle, didn’t I tell you to stay by the entrance and not move?!?” My relief was quickly turning into annoyance as she continued to ignore me. I walked up closer to see what she was looking at, and my mouth dropped in awe of what she had found. It was a single white trillium. They say it takes 8 years for a trillium plant to produce a flower, and conditions have to be just right for it to bloom. That’s what makes them so special and rare. I stared down at it almost in a trance, like I was seeing a mythical creature. Michelle slowly reached out her hand towards it and I snapped out of it. “No!!” I grabbed her by the arm and she finally turned around to look at me. “If you pick the flower, the plant will die.” She ripped her arm away from my grasp and whined, “But I want to show my mom!” We heard Mikey calling from the north and I cupped my hands over my mouth to yell back, “I found her, she’s over here!!” I looked back at her. “No Michelle, come on, you can just tell her about it when we get back home.” I had enough, I was beyond ready to go and we still had at least another 45 minutes of walking to even get back to the clubhouse; an hour if Michelle kept up her crap. I grabbed her arm again and pulled her up to a standing position, looking back at the trillium as I walked her away. Mikey caught up to us, breathless but trying to hide his concern. “You little shit, we should have left you out here! What the hell were you doing?” I let go of her arm and she walked toward Mikey. “She was trying to pick a flower over there.” “It was a trillium!!” Michelle said, with the biggest smile on her face. “Wait, really?” He looked at me in disbelief. Before I could respond, a blood curdling scream echoed through the forest, coming from the west. It was Lacey. My heart dropped into my stomach and once again, every molecule in my body went into full blown panic mode. This time, I couldn’t contain my composure. “Laceyyyyyy!!!!!” A panicked shriek erupted from my lungs and I took off running. Mikey grabbed Michelle and sprinted after us. The trees became a blur; I didn’t even feel all the scratches and scrapes. Had she come across a coyote? A mountain lion? A bear? I didn’t even stop to think about the danger I might be about to come in contact with, I just ran. And then I found her. She was lying on the ground, holding her left foot. “Lacey!!” I said, trying to choke back the tears that were building up. “I think I twisted my ankle!!” “Oh god damn it, you bitch.” I struggled to catch my breath. “I thought you were dead.” “I might as well be, I have cheerleading practice on Monday!” Mikey and Michelle caught up to us. “What happened?” He asked “She’s being a drama queen, she just rolled her ankle.” I was angry. “Can you get up?” He asked her. She was able to stand, but as soon as she tried to put any pressure on her foot at all, she screamed in pain. We spotted Devin running over from the south as he was yelling out, “Hey yo, everyone alive and accounted for?” “Yeah, Lacey hurt her ankle.” Mikey yelled back. As he approached he looked concerned. “Can you walk on it?” He asked her. “No.” Without hesitation he replied, “Well alright then, looks like you’re gonna have to piggyback it all the way back home.” He lowered himself enough to where she could hop up onto his back, and we headed back toward the trail. Even though my nerves had begun to settle a bit, I knew we were still far from being out of the woods, in more ways than one.

Hey WebDevMauritius community,
I want to spark a discussion on a topic that often comes up among web developers and designers: WordPress vs. Webflow. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, and choosing the right one can significantly impact the success of your project. Let’s dive into the pros and cons of each to help you decide which might be the better fit for your next website.

WordPress

Pros:

1. Flexibility and Customization: WordPress is incredibly versatile. With thousands of themes and plugins available, you can customize your site to fit almost any need, from blogs and portfolios to e-commerce stores and membership sites.
2. Large Community and Support: Being one of the most popular CMS platforms, WordPress has a vast community. This means plenty of tutorials, forums, and third-party support to help you solve any issues you might encounter.
3. SEO-Friendly: WordPress is built with SEO in mind. Plugins like Yoast SEO make it easy to optimize your content and improve your site’s search engine rankings.
4. Cost-Effective: WordPress itself is free, and many themes and plugins are available at no cost. Even with premium options, it’s generally more affordable than many other platforms.

Cons:

1. Learning Curve: While powerful, WordPress can be daunting for beginners. Understanding how to effectively use themes, plugins, and manage updates requires some learning.
2. Maintenance: Regular updates and maintenance are essential to keep your site secure and running smoothly. This can be time-consuming, especially if you’re managing multiple sites.
3. Performance: Depending on your theme and plugins, WordPress sites can sometimes suffer from performance issues. Optimizing for speed and performance often requires additional effort.

Webflow

Pros:

1. Design Freedom: Webflow offers a visual, drag-and-drop interface that allows for precise control over the design. It’s great for designers who want to create visually stunning websites without writing code.
2. Built-In Hosting: Webflow includes fast and secure hosting as part of its service. This eliminates the need to find and manage a separate hosting provider.
3. No Plugins Required: Many features that require plugins in WordPress are built directly into Webflow. This can simplify the development process and reduce potential security vulnerabilities.
4. CMS Capabilities: Webflow’s CMS is user-friendly and flexible, allowing you to create custom content structures that can be easily managed by clients.

Cons:

1. Cost: Webflow’s pricing can be higher compared to WordPress, especially for larger projects or e-commerce sites. While it offers a lot of value, the cost might be a consideration for budget-conscious projects.
2. Learning Curve: While Webflow’s interface is intuitive for designers, it still has a learning curve, particularly for those not familiar with web design principles.
3. Limited Community: While growing, Webflow’s community and support resources are not as extensive as WordPress's. Finding specific solutions or custom integrations might be more challenging.

Conclusion

Choosing between WordPress and Webflow largely depends on your specific project needs and your personal or team’s skill set. If you need a highly customizable, scalable platform with a vast array of plugins, WordPress might be the way to go. If you’re a designer looking for maximum control over your site’s design without diving deep into code, Webflow could be the better choice.
Have you used WordPress, Webflow, or both? What has your experience been like? Let’s discuss the pros and cons, share tips, and help each other make the best choice for our projects!
Looking forward to your insights!

Cawthon, Scott. The Bobbiedots Conclusion: An AFK Book (Five Nights at Freddy’s: Tales from the Pizzaplex #5). Scholastic Inc, 2023. 

Hello there! This will be a long post but I do encourage you to read all of it so you have an idea what kinda game you are applying for. This would be a long-term campaign, so be willing to commit to the game! Have fun reading!
Game details:
We play using both Discord for voice and video and Foundry VTT for maps and character sheets! Webcams are mandatory since we all have been using them and it helps a lot with roleplaying when you can see the other people! Make sure that your PC or laptop is capable of running Foundry, here is a link to the Foundry system requirements: https://foundryvtt.com/article/requirements/
Do note that you don't need to buy or download anything! How Foundry works is that I send you a link and you'll join through there so no need to worry about that!
We are here to make the story together so while there is a main plot for you to follow, there will be distractions along the way and of course, things that relate to your characters and what they might find interesting!
During session 0 we will go over the initial plot hooks, how your characters might know each other, safety rules, and so on!
The available days are listed in the questionnaire. The start time for the session regardless of the day would be at 9 pm GMT+3 and when a day has been chosen, we would play consistently on that day every week!
RP to combat ratio:
I would say 50-50 since you as players can with your decisions affect how much combat or roleplay there is going to be but I as a GM, am geared more towards weighting narrative but that doesn't mean that there wouldn't be some cool combat set-pieces ;).
There might be moments in the game where we focus more on the social aspect of the game, interacting in character with the world around them and then there might be some more action-oriented sessions where you get to sit at the edge of your seat!
I will say that how I like to run games, I like to focus on characters and what their motives, goals, and flaws are. This would be a more character-driven game so be ready for that and don't be afraid to get into character and have fun while doing so!
How to apply:
All that I require from you is that you read the whole post and then fill out the questionnaire to the best of your ability. I pour a lot of time into making sure that the sessions are good and that everyone is having fun and you can contribute to that by being genuinely interested in the game!
Here is the questionnaire: https://forms.gle/TAnUSBRAoEpKe1Ra8
Basic rules of the campaign:

• Be consistent: I know that emergencies can happen and sometimes life throws a curve ball. Those happen to me too but if it does, I expect you to let me know ASAP when you know that you are not going to be able to join for the session. The general rule in my table is that as long as we have four people playing, we will continue with the game.
• Cinematics: I like to inject some cinematic in the game and I will let you know when there is a cinematic. This happens usually at the end of the session to show you what happens somewhere else where your characters are not necessarily present.
• Campaign may have mature themes: I like to run narrative games and they usually lean towards a more serious tone and while there are moments of lightheartedness, it's not what I am going for this campaign. This is not a campaign for joke characters or happy-go-lucky characters. I will NOT include SA or intense torture roleplaying in my games and there is no tolerance for that. These will be discussed more during the session 0!
• Be attentive during the sessions: During the session, I would like you to feel that you want to be there so I do put a lot of time into prepping the sessions with maps, NPCs, music, etc. So as a player, all I require from you is to know the basic rules, how your character works, and just generally be respectful towards everyone on the table!
• Don't be a dick: Don't rage quit if the dice don't go your way or if you do something in the game that can result in a bad consequence to your character and then it happens. No PvP, unless both agree to it and it needs to have a good reason! Just be respectful and be able to communicate and I am sure we will get along very well!
• There is always a possibility of death: We are here to make an awesome collaborative story together that we can look back to years later with fondness! This however doesn't mean that I am going to pull my punches in combat so that's why I roll in the open. If the dice decide that it's time for your character, then that's how it's going to be. Of course, sometimes there is something that can save you but those are rare. Also, I am not going to go out of my way to kill you and I will make sure that you always know what kinda situations your characters are going to.
• Have a good mic and connection: Having a good mic is important because most of us use headphones so if your audio quality is so bad that it makes our ears bleed then that would be a dealbreaker :D. Bad mics can also negatively just impact the flow of the game if they keep cutting out!

The most important rule is to: HAVE FUN! We are here to play a game and make a story together and everyone's comfort is important to me! If you have doubts or if something feels off, you can always come to talk with me!
Game Rules:

• Write "One Piece is real" in the final questions so I know that you read this far ;)
• Ability scores are determined using point buy with 28 points or a standard array.
• Death saves are rolled in secret
• We are starting from level 2
• Criticals are maxed damage + die rolls
• If you go down, you get a wound up to a maximum of 3 when you get up again. On your third one, if you fall, you die

The reason for Banned spells is that I like to make mysteries and that players need to think. For example, Remove curse would make a situation where you can get cursed not that tense. I like to make curses into plotlines so thus banning the spell gives us that opportunity.
Here are the banned spells:

• Identify
• Detect Thoughts
• Locate object
• Zone of Truth
• Remove curse
• Goodberry
• Silvery Barbs
• Geas
• Legend lore

Banned subclasses:

• Twilight cleric
• Eloquence bard
• Peace cleric

Races from Eberron, PHB, and MPMM are available minus Tortle, Fairy, and Centaur. Also, flying races are not allowed
Here is a little bit of info about me!
My name is Michael, 22 years old. I have been a GM for 3.5 years now! I have enough experience so I won't fumble around but obviously, I don't know everything.
Something about myself is that I have been a huge fan of TTRPGs ever since I started 3.5 years ago. In that period, I have had the pleasure to play multiple systems such as 5e, pathfinder 2e, Call of Cthulhu, cyberpunk RED/2020, mothership, City of Mist, etc. So I have quite a lot of experience and I know the ropes! I also like to draw, write stories, do worldbuilding, play video games, and watch movies and anime.
I am a huge fan of One Piece, it was also an inspiration for this setting so if you are a fan, you'll notice some subtle references here and there!
I do enjoy Eberron as a setting and have read quite a bit on it! Still, while it's an established setting with its lore, that means that there will be things that I might be unaware of or I might change things here and there. I like to stick to the established lore since it's quite expansive and really good but expect changes at some points!
Final words
Thanks for reading this long-ass post and I do hope that you can see that I am putting my all into this! I hope you do too so feel free to fill out the application! Take it slowly and don't rush it since I am using it to gauge how interested you all are to join in! I will keep the post up for a few days and conduct interviews before Sunday. If you have questions, feel free to comment and I'll answer when I have time!
I hope all of you have a nice day/evening and I hope to talk to you later!

Hello there! This will be a long post but I do encourage you to read all of it so you have an idea what kinda game you are applying for. This would be a long-term campaign, so be willing to commit to the game! Have fun reading!
Game details:
We play using both Discord for voice and video and Foundry VTT for maps and character sheets! Webcams are mandatory since we all have been using them and it helps a lot with roleplaying when you can see the other people! Make sure that your PC or laptop is capable of running Foundry, here is a link to the Foundry system requirements: https://foundryvtt.com/article/requirements/
Do note that you don't need to buy or download anything! How Foundry works is that I send you a link and you'll join through there so no need to worry about that!
We are here to make the story together so while there is a main plot for you to follow, there will be distractions along the way and of course, things that relate to your characters and what they might find interesting!
During session 0 we will go over the initial plot hooks, how your characters might know each other, safety rules, and so on!
The available days are listed in the questionnaire. The start time for the session regardless of the day would be at 9 pm GMT+3 and when a day has been chosen, we would play consistently on that day every week!
RP to combat ratio:
I would say 50-50 since you as players can with your decisions affect how much combat or roleplay there is going to be but I as a GM, am geared more towards weighting narrative but that doesn't mean that there wouldn't be some cool combat set-pieces ;).
There might be moments in the game where we focus more on the social aspect of the game, interacting in character with the world around them and then there might be some more action-oriented sessions where you get to sit at the edge of your seat!
I will say that how I like to run games, I like to focus on characters and what their motives, goals, and flaws are. This would be a more character-driven game so be ready for that and don't be afraid to get into character and have fun while doing so!
How to apply:
All that I require from you is that you read the whole post and then fill out the questionnaire to the best of your ability. I pour a lot of time into making sure that the sessions are good and that everyone is having fun and you can contribute to that by being genuinely interested in the game!
Here is the questionnaire: https://forms.gle/TAnUSBRAoEpKe1Ra8
Basic rules of the campaign:

• Be consistent: I know that emergencies can happen and sometimes life throws a curve ball. Those happen to me too but if it does, I expect you to let me know ASAP when you know that you are not going to be able to join for the session. The general rule in my table is that as long as we have four people playing, we will continue with the game.
• Cinematics: I like to inject some cinematic in the game and I will let you know when there is a cinematic. This happens usually at the end of the session to show you what happens somewhere else where your characters are not necessarily present.
• Campaign may have mature themes: I like to run narrative games and they usually lean towards a more serious tone and while there are moments of lightheartedness, it's not what I am going for this campaign. This is not a campaign for joke characters or happy-go-lucky characters. I will NOT include SA or intense torture roleplaying in my games and there is no tolerance for that. These will be discussed more during the session 0!
• Be attentive during the sessions: During the session, I would like you to feel that you want to be there so I do put a lot of time into prepping the sessions with maps, NPCs, music, etc. So as a player, all I require from you is to know the basic rules, how your character works, and just generally be respectful towards everyone on the table!
• Don't be a dick: Don't rage quit if the dice don't go your way or if you do something in the game that can result in a bad consequence to your character and then it happens. No PvP, unless both agree to it and it needs to have a good reason! Just be respectful and be able to communicate and I am sure we will get along very well!
• There is always a possibility of death: We are here to make an awesome collaborative story together that we can look back to years later with fondness! This however doesn't mean that I am going to pull my punches in combat so that's why I roll in the open. If the dice decide that it's time for your character, then that's how it's going to be. Of course, sometimes there is something that can save you but those are rare. Also, I am not going to go out of my way to kill you and I will make sure that you always know what kinda situations your characters are going to.
• Have a good mic and connection: Having a good mic is important because most of us use headphones so if your audio quality is so bad that it makes our ears bleed then that would be a dealbreaker :D. Bad mics can also negatively just impact the flow of the game if they keep cutting out!

The most important rule is to: HAVE FUN! We are here to play a game and make a story together and everyone's comfort is important to me! If you have doubts or if something feels off, you can always come to talk with me!
Game Rules:

• Write "One Piece is real" in the final questions so I know that you read this far ;)
• Ability scores are determined using point buy with 28 points or a standard array.
• Death saves are rolled in secret
• We are starting from level 2
• Criticals are maxed damage + die rolls
• If you go down, you get a wound up to a maximum of 3 when you get up again. On your third one, if you fall, you die

The reason for Banned spells is that I like to make mysteries and that players need to think. For example, Remove curse would make a situation where you can get cursed not that tense. I like to make curses into plotlines so thus banning the spell gives us that opportunity.
Here are the banned spells:

• Identify
• Detect Thoughts
• Locate object
• Zone of Truth
• Remove curse
• Goodberry
• Silvery Barbs
• Geas
• Legend lore

Banned subclasses:

• Twilight cleric
• Eloquence bard
• Peace cleric

Races from Eberron, PHB, and MPMM are available minus Tortle, Fairy, and Centaur. Also, flying races are not allowed
Here is a little bit of info about me!
My name is Michael, 22 years old. I have been a GM for 3.5 years now! I have enough experience so I won't fumble around but obviously, I don't know everything.
Something about myself is that I have been a huge fan of TTRPGs ever since I started 3.5 years ago. In that period, I have had the pleasure to play multiple systems such as 5e, pathfinder 2e, Call of Cthulhu, cyberpunk RED/2020, mothership, City of Mist, etc. So I have quite a lot of experience and I know the ropes! I also like to draw, write stories, do worldbuilding, play video games, and watch movies and anime.
I am a huge fan of One Piece, it was also an inspiration for this setting so if you are a fan, you'll notice some subtle references here and there!
I do enjoy Eberron as a setting and have read quite a bit on it! Still, while it's an established setting with its lore, that means that there will be things that I might be unaware of or I might change things here and there. I like to stick to the established lore since it's quite expansive and really good but expect changes at some points!
Final words
Thanks for reading this long-ass post and I do hope that you can see that I am putting my all into this! I hope you do too so feel free to fill out the application! Take it slowly and don't rush it since I am using it to gauge how interested you all are to join in! I will keep the post up for a few days and conduct interviews before Sunday. If you have questions, feel free to comment and I'll answer when I have time!
I hope all of you have a nice day/evening and I hope to talk to you later!

What's up guys, brand new to the computer building scene. I've recently had some minor success on YouTube making content, but the computer I have been using has been well below what is needed for quality video editing, so I have saved some to do a build. I've always had some casual interest in making my own build, but this being my first attempt, would love some guidance. I'd consider myself more tech savvy than an average individual, but I have 0 advanced knowledge of PC components/what works with what other than what I have learned over the past couple days researching this preparing to buy. That being said:
What will you be doing with this PC? Be as specific as possible, and include specific games or programs you will be using.

• Video editing primarily. As of now I don't do anything overly complex or requiring a lot of processing power, but would like to branch more in to that after obtaining a PC that can actually handle that sort of thing.

What is your maximum budget before rebates/shipping/taxes?

• Want to keep it as close to $1,200 as possible, but willing to go up to $1,500

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Note: beyond a week or two from today means any build you receive will be out of date when you want to buy.

• ASAP, within the next week ideally.

What, exactly, do you need included in the budget? (ToweOS/monitokeyboard/mouse/etc)

• Tower

Which country (and state/province) will you be purchasing the parts in? If you're in US, do you have access to a Microcenter location?

• US, Indiana. Yes, I have access to a Microcenter

If reusing any parts (including monitor(s)/keyboard/mouse/etc), what parts will you be reusing? Brands and models are appreciated.

• currently already own a Acer Nitro 27" WQHD 2560 x 1440 1500R Curved PC Gaming Monitor, a RK ROYAL KLUDGE RK68 Keyboard, A wired mouse I've had for a long time (unsure of brand)

Will you be overclocking? If yes, are you interested in overclocking right away, or down the line? CPU and/or GPU?

• No overclocking

Are there any specific features or items you want/need in the build? (ex: SSD, large amount of storage or a RAID setup, CUDA or OpenCL support, etc)

• Large amount of storage, but honestly I'm completely new to this, would listen to any recommendations of what I would want to have in an editing PC

Do you have any specific case preferences (Size like ITX/microATX/mid-towefull-tower, styles, colors, window or not, LED lighting, etc), or a particular color theme preference for the components?

• I like the Lian Li Dynamic Evo from what I have seen. Would prefer a build with it, but understand it is a bit pricier than other PC cases. If you can fit it in a build, great. If not, I'd be willing to cut it out for a more economically feasible case though. I do like RGB so would be interested in that as well

Do you need a copy of Windows included in the budget? If you do need one included, do you have a preference?

• No need to factor Windows in

Extra info or particulars:

• Not anything I can think of, but open to recommendations

Cawthon, Scott. The Bobbiedots Conclusion: An AFK Book (Five Nights at Freddy’s: Tales from the Pizzaplex #5). Scholastic Inc, 2023. 

For a while I've been wanting to downgrade my phone to a Blackberry.
I used to have a curve 8520 way back when, and I miss having a phone with an actual keyboard and it being able to fit in my pocket and not having to worry about dropping it and the screen smashing. I now have a ZFlip3 which I do love the flip aspect I dislike how fragile it feels and also how un-ergonomic all new phones feel.
I would like to go back to a similar type of phone, but not sure which I could use, as 3g seemingly is going to be gone by the end of the year, but I'm not sure about any of that. I would mostly use it to text and take photos and hopefully listen to music.
I also am not sure how to get around certain apps I would like to have such as mobile banking and emails. Although I'm willing to give them up and just use it when I'm at home on my PC.
I am looking for any advice that ya'll are willing to give.

Date: 05/20/2024

Reading time: 11 minutes, 2335 words

🪖 Military

Details of Armenia’s housing subsidies project revealed

Armenia will provide housing subsidies to forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh at no charge. 25,000 families will receive housing certificates and will be able to either buy real estate or build their own house. Azerbaijan launched a full-scale invasion of Nagornan in September 2023 using artillery, UAVs, and aircraft.

ArkaAm

Armenia-India defense cooperation is going very well, we are working to expand it further. Indian Ambassador's interview

Nilakshi Saha Sinha, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Armenia, spoke to Armenpress. Sinha: The relations between Armenia and India are warm, and there are frequent contacts. The prospects for military cooperation are indeed very good and we are working to further strengthen it, Sinha said.

Armenpress

🏛️ Politics & Government

Land ownership certificates issued to some Tavush residents ‘do not prove’ portions of land handed over to Azerbaijan are de jure Armenia – Ministry of Justice

The Armenian Ministry of Justice responded to a news.am inquiry commenting on an earlier statement by a ‘Constitution expert’ who claimed Armenia handed over its sovereign territory to Azerbaijan. Representatives of Yerevan and Baku signed a border. protocol on 15 May that recreated the old border between Soviet Armenia and Soviet Azerbaijan, based on a 1976 map.

ArkaAm

FM Mirzoyan calls for prohibition of threats against nuclear facilities at International Conference on Nuclear Security

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan took part in the International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS 2024) in Vienna titled “Shaping the Future” Representatives from more than 130 countries were participating in the conference. All participants held a minute of silence in memory of Iran’s high-level officials, including the President and the Foreign Minister, who died the day before due to a helicopter crash.

Armenpress, Ararat Mirzoyan attends international conference on nuclear security in Vienna, Ararat Mirzoyan sends condolences on death of Iranian president and foreign minister, Armenia reaffirms unwavering commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty – FM

UN Security Council observes minute of silence for Raisi

Members of the UN Security Council observed a minute of silence in memory of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage who were killed in a helicopter crash. Russia, China and Algeria requested the moment of silence at the request of Russia and China.

Armenpress

There are favorable opportunities to advance the peace agenda - Azerbaijan’s Aliyev

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev says there are favorable opportunities to advance peace agenda. He said positive agreements have been reached regarding border delimitation and demarcation. Azerbaijan and Latvian parliament speaker Daiga Mierina met in Latvia.

Armenpress

Armenia top security official receives the delegation of the Foreign Relations Committee of the German Bundestag

Secretary of the Armenian Security Council Armen Grigoryan received the delegation of the Foreign Relations Committee of the German Bundestag headed by Johannes Schraps. The German side reaffirmed its ongoing support for the democratic reforms being implemented in Armenia.

Armenpress, Armenia’s top security official briefs German lawmakers on the process of democratic reforms

Yerevan Municipality's construction and improvement department has a new head

Armen Harutyunyan was appointed temporary head of the Construction and Improvement Department of Yerevan Municipality. Mayor Tigran Avinyan introduced him during a procedural meeting of the Municipality and wished him success.

Armenpress

Security Council Secretary to visit on working visit to Qatar

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan will go on a working visit to Doha, Qatar, to participate in the World Security Forum. bilateral meetings are also planned within the framework of the working visit.

Armenpress, Secretary of Armenian Security Council to leave on working visit to Qatar, The Secretary of the Security Council will go on a working visit to Qatar, Armenia Security Council chief traveling to Qatar

Armenia to loan $100m from Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development

Armenia’s Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan met with Andrey Shirokov, the Managing Director of the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development. The meeting touched upon various projects, including the planned 7 km long tunnel in the projected Sisian-Kajaran highway. The parties emphasised the importance of the EFSD Strategy for 2022–2026, as well as the strategies of member countries.

ArkaAm

European Education Foundation experts to assess Armenia's secondary vocational education system

Experts of the European Training Foundation (ETF) will assess Armenia's secondary vocational education system on May 21-23. Director of the National Centre for Professional Education Quality Assurance Foundation Ruben Topchyan said experts from 12 EFT member countries arrived in Yerevan at the invitation of the center he heads to study the Armenian education system.

ArkaAm

Yerevan and Paris deepen interaction: 3-year cooperation program signed between the two capitals

Yerevan and Paris' Île-de-France region have reached an agreement on the implementation of a three-year cooperation program. The program will cover several spheres, including urbanization, transport, and waste management. The members of the Armenian delegation visited the architectural bureau of Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

ArkaAm

US offers condolences over death of Iranian president in helicopter crash

US offers condolences for deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other members of their delegation in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran on Sunday. "We reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms," State Department spokesman says.

Armenpress, UN chief extends condolences to Iran over deaths of president, Minister of Defence Papikyan sent a message of condolence in connection with the death of the President of Iran, Alen Simonyan sends condolence message on the occasion of the death of the President of Iran and his accompanying staff, Ali Bagheri Kani appointed as Iran's Acting Foreign Minister after Amir-Abdollahian's death – IRNA, Iran declares 5 days of mourning after president Raisi killed in helicopter crash, Foreign ministry responds to news of planned visit by Raisi to Armenia on May 19, Armenian President conveys condolences to government and people of Iran, Ararat Mirzoyan sends condolences on death of Iranian president and foreign minister, Pashinyan sends condolence message on the occasion of the death of the President of Iran and his accompanying staff, Iran's president, foreign minister martyred in copter crash – Iranian media, Raisi’s crashed chopper found, “situation not good” – Iran Red Crescent, Papikyan expressed condolences to Iranian Defense Minister on the death of President Raisi and other officials, Armenian Foreign Minister expresses condolences to the people of Iran over helicopter crash, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expresses condolences on the death of Iranian President, US expresses condolences for death of Raisi, EU offers condolences for the death of Iranian President, other officials, Armenian Foreign Minister regrets “tragic loss” of Iranian counterpart, Armenian PM sends condolences to Iran

Iran to hold extraordinary presidential election on June 28

Iranian presidential election intended to identify Ebrahim Raisi's successor will be held on June 28. June 28 is the date for the fourteenth presidential election in Iran’s history.

Armenpress

ICC seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leaders

Prosecutor Karim Khan KC seeks arrest warrants against Israeli prime minister and defence minister. Charges against Netanyahu and Gallant include ‘starvation of civilians as a method of warfare’ Charges against Hamas leaders include “extermination … murder … taking hostages … rape and other acts of sexual violence”

Armenpress

Iranologist foresees no major changes in Armenian-Iranian relations after tragic death of Iranian President

Iranologist Gohar Iskandaryan discusses Armenian-Iranian relations during the administration of President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi. Iran's foreign and domestic policies of Iran were developed with the consent and approval of the spiritual leader of the country. Iranian President Raisi governed during the most difficult period in terms of regional security.

Armenpress, Minister of Defence Papikyan sent a message of condolence in connection with the death of the President of Iran, Alen Simonyan sends condolence message on the occasion of the death of the President of Iran and his accompanying staff, Iran declares 5 days of mourning after president Raisi killed in helicopter crash, Foreign ministry responds to news of planned visit by Raisi to Armenia on May 19, Armenian President conveys condolences to government and people of Iran, Ararat Mirzoyan sends condolences on death of Iranian president and foreign minister, Iran's president, foreign minister martyred in copter crash – Iranian media, Raisi’s crashed chopper found, “situation not good” – Iran Red Crescent, Armenian Foreign Minister expresses condolences to the people of Iran over helicopter crash, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expresses condolences on the death of Iranian President, US expresses condolences for death of Raisi, EU offers condolences for the death of Iranian President, other officials

Iraq declares mourning for death of Iranian President

In Iraq, May 21 has been declared a day of mourning in connection with the death of neighboring Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi in a plane crash. The helicopter carrying Raisi on May 19 crashed during landing in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. Tragically, none of the occupants survived the crash.

Armenpress

Syria declares official mourning for death of Iranian President

Syrian government declares official general mourning for three day-period in connection with death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Flags will be flown at half-mast across the Syrian Arab Republic. Helicopter carrying Raisi crashed during landing in Iran's East Azerbaijan province.

Armenpress

Iran's first vice president Mohammad Mokhber to become interim president before new elections

Iran's first vice president Mohammad Mokhber will become interim president following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. President Raisi was returning from a ceremony to inaugurate a dam on Iran’s border with Azerbaijan, when his helicopter crashed on Sunday.

Armenpress, Mohammad Mokhber named Iran’s interim President

Yerevan Metro to replace plastic tokens with QR code payments

The Yerevan Metro is planning to replace plastic tokens with QR code payments. QR code and credit card payments will be available to the passengers. Vice Mayor Suren Grigiryan said a total of 49 turnstiles are expected to be replaced within a month.

ArkaAm, There will be no more tokens in the Yerevan metro, QR codes will work

Pillars installed in Armenian border village of Kirants

In the Armenian village of Kirants, three border markers have been installed, and border guards stand next to them.

PanArmenian

💵 Economy

Armenian Economy Minister to make trip to UAE May 20-22

A delegation led by Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan will travel to the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi on May 20-22

PanArmenian

CBA puts into circulation “100th Anniversary of Charles Aznavour’s Birth” gold collector coin

Central Bank of Armenia puts into circulation “100th Anniversary of Charles Aznavour’s Birth’ gold collector coin on May 20, 2024. Aznavours was born in Paris to an Armenian immigrant family that escaped the Armenian Genocide. He gained universal recognition after performing at the Olympia concert hall in Paris.

Armenpress

Organic agriculture development program for 2024-25 starts in Armenia

Acba Bank and the Armenian branch of the German Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) are launching a free Development of Organic Agriculture program for 2024-2025. Entrepreneurs interested in participating in the competition are welcome to file an application until 10 June 2024.

ArkaAm

Ameriabank's Trade Finance portfolio enriched with four prestigious awards from EBRD and IFC

Ameriabank has received four prestigious awards from international financial institutions in recognition of its trade finance operations. Ameria was the first Armenian bank to receive confirming bank status under the EBRD Trade Facilitation Program (TFP) Ameria is a leading financial and technology company in Armenia, a major contributor to the Armenian economy with assets exceeding AMD 1 trillion.

ArkaAm

🧪 Science & Technology

Armenia as a new technological hub: Yerevan to host WCIT congress again

The World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT) is back, to identify Armenia as the region's new technology hub for global players. The 2024/DigiTec conference, under the theme "THE POWER OF MIND, Artificial Intelligence Beyond Borders, Within Ethics", will serve as a global platform to emphasize the significance of enhancing the impact, investment, and solutions of information and communication technology across regions and economies.

Armenpress, World Congress on Innovation and Technology in Yerevan to unveil Armenia as new tech hub of global game-changers

⚽ Sport

Armenian chess players continue competing at Sharjah International Tournament

Shant Sargsyan and Manuel Petrosyan ended their matches in a draw. Hayk Martirosyan lost, Samvel Ter-Sahakyan won the Sharjah Masters tournament in Sharjah, UAE. Among the representatives of Armenia has 3.5 points, while leader is a participant from India.

Armenpress

Date: 05/19/2024

Reading time: 0 minutes, 168 words

🪖 Military

Armenia is developing new defense capabilities, will it be enough?

CivilNet sat down with Colonel Jean-Luc Theus, France's former defense attaché in the South Caucasus, to better understand Armenia’s defensive framework in the coming years. Following the war, Armenia has sought to rearm with the help of India and France. Armenia allocated $785 million for defense in 2021, this spending amounted to approximately $663 million.

CivilNet

Armenia ready to provide all necessary support to Iran – MFA

Armenia has expressed readiness to provide all necessary support to Iran as search for the helicopter carrying Iranian President is under way. The helicopter carrying Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has been involved in an accident.

ArmRadio

🏛️ Politics & Government

Raisi attended dam openings on Azerbaijan border before helicopter accident

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi was returning from an Iran-Azerbaijan border area. Helicopter made a hard landing after it got into difficulties in heavy fog. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi says ‘various rescue teams’ are still searching for helicopter.

ArmRadio

Armenian FM to attend International Conference on Nuclear Security in Vienna

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to Vienna (Austria) on May 20. He will participate in the International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS 2024) titled “Shaping the Future”

ArmRadio

Date: 05/18/2024

Reading time: 2 minutes, 420 words

🏛️ Politics & Government

France accuses Azerbaijan of supporting unrest in New Caledonia

France has accused Azerbaijan of supporting riots against French rule in New Caledonia. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanini said it was a reality that some of the supporters of Caledonian independence signed a deal with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani media reported that the initiative group of Baku organized a video conference on Thursday.

CivilNet

Housing security program for Artsakh residents. pros and cons

The RA government approved the state support program for providing housing for families forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. Aram Tadevosyan: The government abandoned the idea of a part of the support money being returned to the state by the beneficiaries over time (by members of the beneficiary's family of working age) The minimum amount of assistance is AMD 2 million per person, which is given to families with an active mortgage loan.

CivilNet

EU, CoE welcome progress in Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process

The EU welcomes progress made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. The demarcation process began on April 19 in Armenia's northern Tavush region amid opposition accusations of territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.

ArkaAm, EU welcomes progress made in the framework of Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process, EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress”

Minister: Armenia seeks to join major transportation projects from China to Europe

Finance Minister Vahe Hovhannisyan: EBRD promise to invest up to 500 million euros in a number of projects in Armenia during 2024. Two of the projects will be implemented in Armenia's southern Syunik province bordering Iran. The remaining funds will be directed to the private sector, namely financing of projects through commercial banks in Armenia.

ArkaAm

Armenian FM, OSCE Chair discuss situation in the South Caucasus

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had exchange with OSCE Chair-in-office, FM of Malta Ian Borg. Interlocutors touched upon issues on OSCE agenda and regional topics, South Caucasus in particular.

ArmRadio

India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port

India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says.

PanArmenian

India is considering deepening its strategic partnership with Greece

India-Greece is considering strengthening bilateral ties with the two countries. The India-Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) aims to transform trade routes from India to Europe. Greece and India are convinced that the project is still viable and pledge to do what is necessary to ensure its implementation. Greece is the first EU member to join the Belt and Road Initiative.

CivilNet

Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip

Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh.

PanArmenian

Mkhitaryan raises arrest of former Karabakh leaders in Azerbaijan

Inter Milan star Henrikh Mkhitaryan has shared a news story about the extension of the arrest of former Karabakh leaders.

PanArmenian

🎭 Culture

Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge

The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture.

PanArmenian

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I believed in fairies as a kid. More than believed in them. I think something terrible happened to me, and I've just buried it until now.
Call me a typical emotion-bottling man, but I have never considered therapy. No matter what I went through, no matter how many times I thought to myself, verbatim, that I should talk to someone about this, I just never thought of it as an option. It simply wasn't on my roster. It was just one of those things that existed on a separate plane of existence than I was living in, never to cross paths or interact lest the universe collapse in on itself.
I have no problem with therapy, don't get me wrong. It isn't like I don't understand the overall appeal. I have plenty of friends who swear by it, swear it has helped them tremendously, including my wife. It just wasn't ever something I thought was in my cards.
"I just never really thought about it," I told Alice one evening, when she had brought the topic up once again after dinner.
There was a serene sense of peace wafting through the entire house that day, and I was feeling content. It was a Sunday, and swimming season, so we had dropped Emmie off that morning at the public pool for practice and gone straight to our favorite breakfast place. The rest of the day was filled with all the conversation that had built up over the week, all the topics we couldn't fully dig into with each other while babysitting our eight year old, and lounging, all crammed in between sporadic bursts of housework and paperwork we had to catch up on. It was the perfect day, in my humble opinion. It was a lovely moment of peace in the midst of a chaotic life, as is life with kids. And now the sounds of Mario Kart drifted in from the living room, Emmie's squeals cutting through the cheery music every now and then, causing Alice and I to share small smiles of acknowledgement.
Oh, to be a child again. Still a little drenched from a post-swimming shower, full of chili, eyes glowing with the reflection of a television screen.
"Well, maybe you should." My wife was scooping leftover chili into a Tupperware with a ladle. Her hair had been tied up like it was every day after dinner, as if she planned to run a marathon rather than do the cleaning up. She wasn't looking at me, dialed into the task at hand.
It's crazy how some parts of my memory could be so good, and others nonexistent.
I reached over from where I stood before the dishwasher, sliding my arm around her waist. She gave me a look, like, what?
"I just don't think it's for me, babe," I muttered, resting my mouth on her shoulder as if I was trying to skip her ears and speak right through her skin. "You know those things make me uncomfortable sometimes."
She let out a half groan, half sigh, setting down the container and the ladle and turning to face me, draping her arms over my shoulders.
"Everything makes you uncomfortable, John."
I smiled, letting my hands fall to her hips. I knew her frustrated act was just that, an act, at least for the most part.
"It's good for you," she continued pointedly, reaching up to tap her pointer finger against my forehead as I swayed her back and forth to a nonexistent tune. "Like medicine. And I know for a fact there are some things you need to work through."
I feigned offense. "You think I'm some kind of nut job?"
"Everyone needs therapy," she snarled, pulling out of my arms, but she didn't resist when I reached out and drew her back in. "Not just nut jobs."
And that was how most of those conversations went. Some got a little more heated, ending with a lightly slammed door (so as not to wake our daughter) and a whisper-shout of "this is why you need therapy!"
I feel I'm making it sound bad, but it wasn't. Even our more serious fights never quite felt like fights. They felt like playing. We were like two cats, biting and tackling and swishing our tails, but never baring our teeth to hiss. I never felt genuine, full-bodied anger towards her, and I knew she felt the same. It sounds sappy, but we were just very in love. I sometimes felt that we had never actually left the honeymoon phase.
I'm also making it sound like that conversation was incredibly common, and it wasn't. It came up maybe once every few months. I knew she was just looking out for me. She knew me better than anyone.
We had met through mutual friends, and we had initially bonded over our terrible childhoods. We both had moms who were out of the picture, and over emotional, over compensating dads, although this manifested in vastly different ways. Alice's mother left her father for a D-list rockstar type, following him on his state wide tour. She would sometimes send Alice letters or postcards from the road, although her dad wouldn't always let her keep them if they seemed to be stained with blood or seemed to have made contact with any strange white powders.
Her dad coped with anger. He never laid a hand on her, but his shouting and the sounds of glass bottles smashing against the walls kept her up almost every night. During the days he'd take her out, buy her things, go mini golfing and bowling and to the movies. Anything to seem more fun than her mother.
My mother passed away on my seventh birthday. She was driving home from work, which was at a law firm half an hour away from our house, when it began to rain. She was texting my dad her ETA when she ran a red light and a semi truck T-boned her, completely obliterating her car.
After that, everything changed. My seventh birthday could've been my twenty-first. At night it was the worst. I remember sitting with my dad as he cried, curled up in a sobbing ball on the filthy living room carpet, whimpering like a kicked puppy. He would scream and wail so loud the walls shook. He would say, over and over as if I wasn't hearing him, sometimes mumbling and sometimes shrieking, "She was cut in half. I'm sorry sir, she's gone. No, there's no chance she survived, she was completely cut in half."
The days were almost worse. During the day, when he could decrease the helpless wails into weeping at the very least, his attention turned to me. He tried to get something out of me, almost silently begging me to break down with him. Every other second it was, "How are you feeling, son? Do you understand what's happening? You poor thing, you must be devastated, your mommy is gone... Don't you want to cry?"
But I couldn't indulge, and I didn't want to. I had to wash the sheets, because he'd pissed them again, and I didn't want him to sleep in it and smell like pee when he took me to school the next day. I had to vacuum the carpet, so the next time he curled up on it and begged God to take him too, when he finally stood up, his cheek wouldn't be caked in crumbs and dust.
I don't know if I ever truly mourned. My mother's death was more like an absence, as if someone had taken a pair of scissors and carved a chunk out of my side, or snipped off a limb. I could still feel her, I could still talk to her, but all I got back was a deep ache and a crushing silence.
I hated how people reacted when I told them my mom was dead, and had been since I was a little boy. I hated the looks on their faces when they asked how she died, and when I told them. How their mouths fell open dumbly and their eyebrows twisted and contorted in sympathetic horror. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know," they said, as if there was vomit rising in their throats, and I wanted to say, "Well, you fucking asked, didn't you?"
Alice never reacted like that. In fact, she never really even asked me what happened. We were on our second date, nursing beers while leaning against the pool table a a dingy speakeasy, when she told me about her own mom. It was the first time in a long time I actually felt like the conversation was open, like I could respond and she would listen and care, but not too much. Not an uncomfortable amount. When I told her about my parents she didn't say anything, and her pretty face didn't contort. She leaned over the corner of the pool table and kissed me on the cheek, took my hand.
The day she found out she was pregnant, we promised each other to be better, to not let our child ever have to grieve alone or feel the very specific hopeless terror that only a parent can cause.
So maybe I should have listened to her. Maybe I should have gone to therapy the first time she brought it up, the first time she told me how it had helped her get through her own terrible memories. But if I'm being honest, I didn't think I had anything to get through. I had left it in the past, I had coped so far in my own somewhat crooked way, I didn't want to dig any of that back up. I didn't want to be put back in that place where I was expected to talk, to cry, to open up. It made my skin crawl just thinking about it.
"I was always the therapist," I would say to her with a crooked grin. "And I like it that way."
Then, the dreams started.
I could tell you I don't know what triggered them, I don't know why it was now. But that wouldn't be the truth. I know exactly why I started to remember.
At first, they were brief. Nightmares that I couldn't quite recall or explain, waking up disoriented and a little sick. The rest of my day would feel strange, like I was surrounded by a thick fog. Eventually, they started to wake me up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and screaming, scaring the shit out of my wife. Once I ran to the bathroom and threw up, barely making it to the toilet. That was when the word "therapy" came up again.
It feels like I've been in a coma for twenty years, and I'm just waking up now.
It's so strange how different the world looks to a child.
I believed in fairies as a kid. Laugh it up if you want. When I turned four, my aunt brought me this book - we've all had one, I think. It was one of those huge hardcover books filled with information about something mythical, with little patches of fabric to simulate a mermaid's scales or a dragon's claw.
Mine was about fairies, and it was so real to me. My mom would sit up with me later than she probably should have, reading to me, placing my hand on the textures to feel. I wanted to know everything about them, I became obsessed, and naturally, my parents played along. They bought me toys, books... every year I had a fae themed birthday cake, and any kid who dared to giggle behind their hands weren't invited to next year's celebration.
When I was old enough to use the internet, supervised of course, I began further research. My mom helped me navigate Wikipedia first, and they had plenty of information to sustain me for a while. My interest turned from wings and magical powers to different types of fae from every corner of the earth, mushroom rings and their alleged distaste for iron. While I still wasn't very good at reading, I would just look at the pictures until she got home from work.
When my mom died, the fairy memorabilia began to amp up. My aunt bought me new books, gave them to me wrapped and tied with ribbons with tear filled eyes, and my dad brought them up whenever he thought I needed comforting and felt strong enough to leave the house. "Wanna go look in the forest for fairies, son?"
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I began to worship the fairies. I was convinced they lived in the forest behind my house, just behind each tree I looked at, hiding from me. I would spend my weekends escaping into the woods with a bucket and a cheap pair of binoculars, positive that this time, this day, I would see one.
At night, when my dad finally passed out in his own puddle of tears and other bodily fluids, I would pray to them. I never believed in God, we weren't a particularly religious family, and besides, I had seen what good He had done for my dad thus far. But I believed in the fairies.
I asked them for help with my father. I asked them for peace. I asked them to bring her back to me.
They never answered.
Until they did.
It was a Friday. I remember now, I'm not sure how I could have forgotten. After school I had sprinted into the shade of the trees before my dad could stop me, gripping the hem of my shirt in my fist, the thin fabric bearing the weight of two handfuls of the shiniest silverware and most colorful buttons I could find in our dusty cabinets.
I had a plan that day. I was going to lure them to me.
My path began in a clearing where I thought a ring of mushrooms may have begun to grow... but even without that, it was just the perfect spot for fairies. I could picture them flitting between the trees, chirping to each other happily, picking wildflowers to weave into flower crowns.
I walked backwards all the way back to my bedroom window, dropping another item every few steps. When I got inside and looked out my window, I could see my trail of shiny things curve through the overgrown grass in our backyard and disappear into the trees.
I was so excited, I could hardly contain myself. Tonight, surely, they would come to me. They would show themselves, and they would help me. But after another few late hours of coddling my father, finally convincing him to drink some water and get in bed, I was exhausted. I completely forgot about my plan. When I got to my room I collapsed on my mattress, not even bothering to undress before I closed my eyes.
Then I heard it. The scratching.
I opened my eyes. The moonlight shining through my bedroom window casted strange shadows across my ceiling, shadows of the swaying grass and the creaking trees.
It was strangely silent, other than the sound. Usually there was lots of noise, or at the very least a few crickets, but not tonight. Tonight, I realized, I couldn't even hear the wind.
I sat up slowly, as if in a dream, and looked toward my window. I couldn't see anything out there, nothing glaringly obvious at least, that could be making that noise.
The scratching turned to a tap. Tap tap tap, like a fingernail against a glass. It had a playful air to it, like someone was saying, look over here!
I stood, rubbing my eyes, and stumbled over. The tapping stopped abruptly when I got to the window and peered outside, out to the dark yard, pitch black if not for the moon's glow. The grass didn't sway, the trees didn't creak. I frowned and unlatched the window, sliding it up above my head.
I was right, there was no wind. Not even a gust. Everything was still outside, like it was frozen. I actually started to believe it was frozen, that time had stopped completely somehow, before I saw it.
My trail of silverware and buttons. Sparkling softly in the moonlight.
Disappearing.
It began where the path met the trees, curving off where I couldn't follow it anymore. A fork disappeared right before my eyes, right on the edge. Just vanished, as if someone who was invisible had picked it up and stuffed it in a pocket very quickly.
Then another went, a spoon. Then a particularly large gold button. Whatever was taking them was doing what I had wanted, it was taking my bait, it was coming to me. And it was as if whatever had tapped at my window had wanted me to see this, wanted to show me.
But something felt very, very wrong.
This wasn't how I had pictured it. There was no twinkling, tiny winged thing at my window, winking at me before dashing back into the safety of the trees. There were no secrets being whispered in my ear, no fairy dust or promises of better things.
Something about this wasn't right. It felt like a mimicry, almost a mockery, of what I had imagined. Like something was trying to give me what I wanted, but was rusty at it.
I didn't want this anymore.
My stomach twisted and my hands shook as I pulled the window back down slowly, watching more glittery things disappear from the grass, growing closer and closer. As soon as it was closed I quickly locked it and pulled the blinds shut, turning my back to the window as if something would happen that I didn't want to see.
Nothing happened. The deafening silence continued for a few seconds as my ears strained to hear anything else happening outside. Then the wind picked up, and the sounds of crickets, muffled by my closed window, filled the night air.
I don't remember when I fell asleep that night, I just know I felt unnerved and jumpy for a while. I woke up the next morning feeling guilty. Had the fairies really come last night? Maybe they had come to talk to me, to bring me gifts, favors, and what had I done? I had closed my window on them. I felt ungrateful. Why had I even been scared? Because it was dark outside? What was I, a baby?
When I opened my window and peered outside, I gasped. The trail of silverware and buttons was completely gone, all the way up to the last one, which I had placed on my windowsill. In its place was a shoe. I didn't know what kind of shoe it was, but it looked sort of nice, fancy. I remember smiling out the window as I opened it, as if they were looking, and taking my gift.
How could I forget that night? How could I have forgotten what happened after? I feel crazy, either like I made it all up or like I've made up everything since then, like my life isn't truly my own.
I remember telling my dad. I remember saying, "Dad, the fairies came last night!" and the absent smile he gave me.
Until I showed him their gift. The shoe. Instantly his face went pale and he snatched it from my hands, staring at me as if I was something unholy.
"Where did you get this, Johnny?"
"The fairies, dad, I told you!"
He didn't respond. Just gave me another long, solemn look, before turning away from me, still holding the present I received close to his chest. I was upset, but I knew better than throwing a tantrum. That would be too much emotion anyways, too uncomfortable. Even back then, I didn't know how to handle those things.
I didn't show him their gifts after that. I didn't want to risk having them taken away. I tried not to be scared of the fairies, even though they always came at night, but I didn't go to my window when they came anymore. I read everywhere that fairies didn't particularly like to be seen, even though this one seemed to want to be. It always began with tapping, but otherwise complete silence that almost felt like it was swallowing me... and eventually the tapping would stop, the silence would pass, and I would fall asleep. In the morning there was always another gift for me, sitting on my window sill. A sparkly gold ring, the other matching shoe, a hat... I smiled when I took every one, wanting them to know I was grateful. And I would leave things for them too, little sweets or shiny things like coins or paperclips that I found on the ground at school.
Things seemed to get better with my dad for a while. He kept to himself more, he was quieter. At night he would cry softly in his room, rather than his uproarious wails that I used to have to quell so the neighbors wouldn't come knocking. During the day, he would talk to me, but more casually. He didn't ask me how I was feeling anymore, or tell me to let it out.
I hoped this was the fairies. I felt invincible, like I had a secret superpower that no one knew about. I was friends with fairies.
Then one night, everything changed.
It started with the tapping, as always. That night I was fast asleep, catching up on well earned rest since the nightly therapy sessions had ceased.
The tapping woke me. It was that loud. It was louder than usual... but it seemed like it stopped abruptly as soon as I raised my head to look.
That was different...
That night, I had left my blinds up and my window open by accident. Since that first night, even though I wasn't scared anymore, I had always closed them... but this time, I must have forgotten.
It was silent outside. It seemed darker than usual. I could almost make out something, a shape, way on the other side of the yard, but it was too dark and I was too far away to tell.
That feeling from that first night retuned. A twisting like a hand reaching into my stomach and mixing things around, a heavy feeling in my chest like someone had stolen all of the air from my room, even though the window was open. The silence seemed to crush me, bearing down on me from every angle, making my ribs hurt.
The feeling that something was very wrong.
I don't remember deciding to stand: looking back, I have no idea why I would do that in my state of fight or flight. I don't know if I consciously chose to. I don't remember walking over, but I remember getting there, my hands on the windowsill and my head poking out into the completely still night air.
There was something there. On the edge of the trees. Right where I had seen that first fork disappear into thin air. I squinted, leaning further into the darkness to try and make out what it was.
When I finally did, the outline taking shape as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I began to shake uncontrollably. I remember that I tried to scream, but no sound would come. I couldn't move, couldn't do anything but stare.
Two legs stood in front of the trees, facing me. Two legs, a blood-soaked pair of slacks, no shoes on the purple, swollen feet. And a jagged, violent rip in the torso where the rest of my mother's body had been severed from its lower half.
It took me a while to realize that the legs weren't standing on their own. They began to move, jerking clumsily toward the window, like something I couldn't see was struggling to hold them up. I finally forced myself out of my trance and fell to my carpet, vomiting.
I don't remember much else about that night yet. My dad came running when I started crying, I'm sure, but he didn't see what I saw. My mom's legs were gone, or hidden. Because they weren't for him.
They were for me.
We moved after that. Before now if you had asked me why we moved so far away so suddenly, I probably would have mumbled something about the grief, and it being too hard to stay where my mother had died. But I remember why now.
It was because the next morning, when I checked my windowsill, there was a hand. My mother's hand. Purple and stiff, and missing her gold wedding ring. Reaching, fingers rested against the glass, like it was trying to get in.
Like it had been tapping.
I don't want to think about what else it might have brought, had we stayed.
That thing, whatever it was, wasn't my mother, and it wasn't a fairy. I had invited something else with all my praying, with all my naive and innocent beliefs, and with all my bottled up emotions. I had invited it, and I had let it in.
And then I had forgotten everything. Maybe I bottled that up, too.
Now I remember. Now I'm having nightmares, and waking up with that sick feeling in my gut, my eyes jumping to our closed bedroom window.
Because a week ago, my daughter woke me up very early in the morning my jumping on our bed. A week ago, she shook me awake, her eager smile stretching all the way across her face. A week ago, she told me, "Dad, the fairies came last night!"
She showed me a doll, a ballerina, with a pink tutu and beautiful long blonde hair.
And now, with all these terrible memories hitting me like cold water to the face, only one keeps me awake at night.
I asked them for help with my father. I asked them for peace. I asked them to bring her back to me.
It has granted two of my wishes, in its own twisted way. My father grew distant from me and my mother was brought back in pieces.
I'm happy now. But I don't have peace. I don't think I'll ever fully have peace, at least not with a child and a wife to try and provide for, and not with all of these memories.
So what has it come back for?

Hello Everyone!
Lamorosii here, back with another trek into K-Pop history. Today's topic? Roo'Ra!
Ever wondered what reggae would sound like in Korean? Wonder no more! This group was definitely a bit of a curve ball back in the day, I'm sure. A different sound, a different look and a whole lot of cheese. Not really my style to be honest, but they were surprisingly popular. They are also fans of either covering or remaking songs for their albums and from rather far fatched places. The Eagles, The Beatles, Biz Markie and even John Denver, of all people.
Any fans here? I feel like this group is quite devisive. You either like them or you don't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• Korean Name: 룰라
• English Name: Roo'ra
• Labels: World Music Company, A&B Productions, EMI Records, Madang Dream, LOEN Company
• Years Active: 1994 - 2001 (Disbanded), 2009 (Reunion)
• Final Group Members:
  • 이상민 (Lee Sang-min)
  • 고영욱 (Ko Young-wook)
  • 김지현 (Kim Ji-hyun)
  • 채리나 (Chae Ri-na)
• Former Group Members:
  • 신정환 (Shin Jung-hwan)
  • Mikey Romeo
• Discography:
  • 9 Korean Studio Albums
  • 1 Korean Special Album
• Informational Links: Wikipedia, K-Profiles, Namu Wiki (Korean)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1st Korean Studio Album: Roots Of Reggae
Release Date: July 1, 1994
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Roots Of Reggae (Roo'Ra Theme)	--	--
2. 100일(日)째 만남	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	KBS Performance
3. 너의 작은 기억 하나까지	--	--
4. 공주와 하인	--	--
5. Roots Of Reggae (House ver.)	--	--
6. 내가 잠못드는 이유	--	Performance
7. 비밀은 없어	--	KBS Performance
8. 통일	--	--
9. 100일(日)째 만남 (Club Mix)	--	--
10. 100일(日)째 만남 (inst.)	--	--
11. 너의 작은 기억 하나까지 (inst.)	--	--

​

• This is the only album that Shin Jung-hwan participated in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2nd Korean Studio Album: 날개 잃은 천사
Release Date: March 28, 1995
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Roo'Ra In 1995	--	--
2. 날개 잃은 천사	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	KBS Performance
3. 안녕	--	Performance
4. 사랑의 기도	--	Performance
5. 친구를 보내며 (신정환 Theme)	--	--
6. 영웅은 어디로	--	Concert Performance + 안녕 & 프로와 아마추어
7. 프로와 아마츄어	--	MBC Performance
8. 그후로 3년후 (내가 잠못드는 이유 Ⅱ)	--	--
9. Hotel California	--	--
10. Koreana In New York	--	Performance

​

• This is the first album Chae Ri-na participated in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3rd Korean Studio Album: Reincarnation Of The Legend
Release Date: December 26, 1995
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Roo'Ra In 1996	--	--
2. 천상유애	Official Music Video	Performance
3. 사랑법	--	Performance
4. 하얀새	--	--
5. 아스라이	--	--
6. 인간인가?	--	--
7. 착한 사랑	--	--
8. 웃긴 아이	--	--
9. Rap-Hop	--	--
10. Come Together	--	--
11. 천상유애 (Remix)	--	--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4th Korean Studio Album: All System Go
Release Date: June 18, 1996
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. All System Go! (Intro)	--	--
2. 3!4!	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	MBC Performance
3. 오늘	--	Performance
4. 그대 곁에서	--	--
5. 우리에겐	--	--
6. 흔들리며	--	Performance (Poor Quality)
7. 아자	Official Music Video	Concert Performance
8. 내 슬픈 사랑은	--	Performance
9. 일,상,성	--	--
10. 희망의 이름으로	--	--
11. 다같이	--	--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1st Korean Special Album: Pops and Party
Release Date: September 20, 1996
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Love Me Tender (Remake)	--	--
2. Circles	--	MBC Performance
3. Bong Diggie Bong	--	--
4. Rap Hop (Remix)	--	--
5. 날개 잃은 천사 (Remix)	--	--
6. 남행열차	--	Performance
7. 100일째 만남	--	--
8. 비밀은 없어	--	--
9. 사랑법	--	--
10. 프로와 아마추어	--	--
11. 친구를 보내며	--	--
12. 어두운 곳에 빛을	--	--

​

• This is the first album that Mikey Romero participated in.
• I personally uploaded this album to YouTube. I ask that you PLEASE re-upload or spread it around. It's an almost lost record and I'd like it to survive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5th Korean Studio Album: The Final
Release Date: January 24, 1997
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Introlude	--	--
2. 연인	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	Performance
3. 미래로	--	--
4. 영혼식	--	MBC Performance
5. Go Go		Performance
6. 난 너의	--	--
7. Party	--	--
8. 뚝! (내가 잠못드는 이유 Ⅲ)	--	--
9. Tonight Is The Night	--	--
10. The Final	--	--

​

• This is the last album Mikey Romero Participated in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6th Korean Studio Album: Six n' Six
Release Date: February 26, 1999
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. 6N6 (Intro)	--	--
2. 기도	Official Music Video	KBS Performance
3. Moving	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	Performance
4. 고백	--	Performance + 아듀인터뷰
5. Spring (혼자한 사랑)	--	--
6. Late Night (밤이여)	--	--
7. Flora (향기로운 너)	--	--
8. 미워도 다시 한번 2	--	--
9. Adios	--	--
10. 변심	--	--
11. Take Me Home Country Road	--	--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7th Korean Studio Album: 풍변기곡
Release Date: June 12, 2000
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. 아리랑	--	--
2. 풍변기곡	Official Music Video	Performance
3. Summer Of Love	--	MBC Performance
4. Thinking	--	--
5. 재미	--	--
6. 즐거운 사랑	--	--
7. 기억해	--	--
8. 연서	--	--
9. Big, Big	--	--
10. Sweet Game	--	--
11. 신비	--	--
12. My Life	--	--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8th Korean Studio Album: Roo'Ra 8th Best & Last
Release Date: July 27, 2001
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. 정리	Official Music Video	--
2. Oh	Official Music Video	--
3. It's Mine	--	--
4. 함께	--	--
5. 후회	--	--
6. 행복을 주는 사람	--	--
7. 기대	--	--
8. Summer Of Love	--	--
9. 희망의 이름으로	--	--
10. 사랑법	--	--
11. 날개잃은 천사	--	--
12. 무빙	--	--
13. 풍변기곡	--	--
14. 연인	--	--
15. 연서	--	--
16. 기도	--	--
17. 착한 사랑	--	--
18. 호텔 캘리포니아	--	--

​

• I personally uploaded this album to YouTube. I ask that you PLEASE re-upload or spread it around. It's an almost lost record and I'd like it to survive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9th Korean Studio Album: A9ain
Release Date: July 2001, 2009
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. 고잉고잉 (Going Going)	Official Music Video	MBC Performance
2. 같이 놀자	Official Music Video	--
3. Dance Dance	--	--
4. Everybody	--	--
5. 가고 싶어	--	--
6. 우리가 간다	--	--
7. 우리들의 축제	--	--
8. 취해서	--	--
9. Beautiful	--	--
10. Smile Again	--	--
11. 별이 진다네	--	--

Hello Everyone!
Lamorosii here, back with another trek into K-Pop history. Today's topic? Roo'Ra!
Ever wondered what reggae would sound like in Korean? Wonder no more! This group was definitely a bit of a curve ball back in the day, I'm sure. A different sound, a different look and a whole lot of cheese. Not really my style to be honest, but they were surprisingly popular. They are also fans of either covering or remaking songs for their albums and from rather far fatched places. The Eagles, The Beatles, Biz Markie and even John Denver, of all people.
Any fans here? I feel like this group is quite devisive. You either like them or you don't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• Korean Name: 룰라
• English Name: Roo'ra
• Labels: World Music Company, A&B Productions, EMI Records, Madang Dream, LOEN Company
• Years Active: 1994 - 2001 (Disbanded), 2009 (Reunion)
• Final Group Members:
  • 이상민 (Lee Sang-min)
  • 고영욱 (Ko Young-wook)
  • 김지현 (Kim Ji-hyun)
  • 채리나 (Chae Ri-na)
• Former Group Members:
  • 신정환 (Shin Jung-hwan)
  • Mikey Romeo
• Discography:
  • 9 Korean Studio Albums
  • 1 Korean Special Album
• Informational Links: Wikipedia, K-Profiles, Namu Wiki (Korean)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1st Korean Studio Album: Roots Of Reggae
Release Date: July 1, 1994
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Roots Of Reggae (Roo'Ra Theme)	--	--
2. 100일(日)째 만남	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	KBS Performance
3. 너의 작은 기억 하나까지	--	--
4. 공주와 하인	--	--
5. Roots Of Reggae (House ver.)	--	--
6. 내가 잠못드는 이유	--	Performance
7. 비밀은 없어	--	KBS Performance
8. 통일	--	--
9. 100일(日)째 만남 (Club Mix)	--	--
10. 100일(日)째 만남 (inst.)	--	--
11. 너의 작은 기억 하나까지 (inst.)	--	--

​

• This is the only album that Shin Jung-hwan participated in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2nd Korean Studio Album: 날개 잃은 천사
Release Date: March 28, 1995
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Roo'Ra In 1995	--	--
2. 날개 잃은 천사	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	KBS Performance
3. 안녕	--	Performance
4. 사랑의 기도	--	Performance
5. 친구를 보내며 (신정환 Theme)	--	--
6. 영웅은 어디로	--	Concert Performance + 안녕 & 프로와 아마추어
7. 프로와 아마츄어	--	MBC Performance
8. 그후로 3년후 (내가 잠못드는 이유 Ⅱ)	--	--
9. Hotel California	--	--
10. Koreana In New York	--	Performance

​

• This is the first album Chae Ri-na participated in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3rd Korean Studio Album: Reincarnation Of The Legend
Release Date: December 26, 1995
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Roo'Ra In 1996	--	--
2. 천상유애	Official Music Video	Performance
3. 사랑법	--	Performance
4. 하얀새	--	--
5. 아스라이	--	--
6. 인간인가?	--	--
7. 착한 사랑	--	--
8. 웃긴 아이	--	--
9. Rap-Hop	--	--
10. Come Together	--	--
11. 천상유애 (Remix)	--	--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4th Korean Studio Album: All System Go
Release Date: June 18, 1996
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. All System Go! (Intro)	--	--
2. 3!4!	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	MBC Performance
3. 오늘	--	Performance
4. 그대 곁에서	--	--
5. 우리에겐	--	--
6. 흔들리며	--	Performance (Poor Quality)
7. 아자	Official Music Video	Concert Performance
8. 내 슬픈 사랑은	--	Performance
9. 일,상,성	--	--
10. 희망의 이름으로	--	--
11. 다같이	--	--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1st Korean Special Album: Pops and Party
Release Date: September 20, 1996
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Love Me Tender (Remake)	--	--
2. Circles	--	MBC Performance
3. Bong Diggie Bong	--	--
4. Rap Hop (Remix)	--	--
5. 날개 잃은 천사 (Remix)	--	--
6. 남행열차	--	Performance
7. 100일째 만남	--	--
8. 비밀은 없어	--	--
9. 사랑법	--	--
10. 프로와 아마추어	--	--
11. 친구를 보내며	--	--
12. 어두운 곳에 빛을	--	--

​

• This is the first album that Mikey Romero participated in.
• I personally uploaded this album to YouTube. I ask that you PLEASE re-upload or spread it around. It's an almost lost record and I'd like it to survive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5th Korean Studio Album: The Final
Release Date: January 24, 1997
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. Introlude	--	--
2. 연인	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	Performance
3. 미래로	--	--
4. 영혼식	--	MBC Performance
5. Go Go		Performance
6. 난 너의	--	--
7. Party	--	--
8. 뚝! (내가 잠못드는 이유 Ⅲ)	--	--
9. Tonight Is The Night	--	--
10. The Final	--	--

​

• This is the last album Mikey Romero Participated in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6th Korean Studio Album: Six n' Six
Release Date: February 26, 1999
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. 6N6 (Intro)	--	--
2. 기도	Official Music Video	KBS Performance
3. Moving	Official Music Video (Poor Quality)	Performance
4. 고백	--	Performance + 아듀인터뷰
5. Spring (혼자한 사랑)	--	--
6. Late Night (밤이여)	--	--
7. Flora (향기로운 너)	--	--
8. 미워도 다시 한번 2	--	--
9. Adios	--	--
10. 변심	--	--
11. Take Me Home Country Road	--	--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7th Korean Studio Album: 풍변기곡
Release Date: June 12, 2000
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. 아리랑	--	--
2. 풍변기곡	Official Music Video	Performance
3. Summer Of Love	--	MBC Performance
4. Thinking	--	--
5. 재미	--	--
6. 즐거운 사랑	--	--
7. 기억해	--	--
8. 연서	--	--
9. Big, Big	--	--
10. Sweet Game	--	--
11. 신비	--	--
12. My Life	--	--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8th Korean Studio Album: Roo'Ra 8th Best & Last
Release Date: July 27, 2001
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. 정리	Official Music Video	--
2. Oh	Official Music Video	--
3. It's Mine	--	--
4. 함께	--	--
5. 후회	--	--
6. 행복을 주는 사람	--	--
7. 기대	--	--
8. Summer Of Love	--	--
9. 희망의 이름으로	--	--
10. 사랑법	--	--
11. 날개잃은 천사	--	--
12. 무빙	--	--
13. 풍변기곡	--	--
14. 연인	--	--
15. 연서	--	--
16. 기도	--	--
17. 착한 사랑	--	--
18. 호텔 캘리포니아	--	--

​

• I personally uploaded this album to YouTube. I ask that you PLEASE re-upload or spread it around. It's an almost lost record and I'd like it to survive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9th Korean Studio Album: A9ain
Release Date: July 2001, 2009
​

Song Title	Music Video	Live Performance
1. 고잉고잉 (Going Going)	Official Music Video	MBC Performance
2. 같이 놀자	Official Music Video	--
3. Dance Dance	--	--
4. Everybody	--	--
5. 가고 싶어	--	--
6. 우리가 간다	--	--
7. 우리들의 축제	--	--
8. 취해서	--	--
9. Beautiful	--	--
10. Smile Again	--	--
11. 별이 진다네	--	--