SHE FOUND HIM BY MOONLIGHT.

She found him by moonlight. He was sleeping in the pines as those of the Burlick faith* do. She wanted him for her own, but she knew that he would never have her. He had made that point embarassingly plain. As he slept, she cut a wound in the bark above his head and silently watched as the sap oozed and mixed with his hair. When he woke he would be trapped, at the mercy of any creature that happened along, but it was she who would "happen" upon him. Crouching there in the moonlight she watched the sap flow and smiled at the thought of the coming confrontation. She would remind him of his words. They were already sweet in her mouth. She had been rehearsing them ever since the moment he had rejected her, and now he was under her power. He would plead for his life, and the thought made her shiver with delight. She liked the thought of him squirming and afraid. He could never be hers. She knew that now, but the birds, ah yes, the birds, with their beady merciless eyes, they would make him regret the things he had said. His last thoughts would be ones of regret. The birds could have him, and she would watch as they pecked out his eyes- eyes that would never look on her with love.



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"Burlick" means "the voices." Practitioners of the Burlick faith believe that different sounds in nature speak to different areas of life, but that most are unable to understand their meaning. The sounds are often interpreted (for a price) by an order of priests called "Jinkobs." The word "Jinkob" means "interpreter" in their tongue.

It is believed, however, that even the layman can understand the voices given the proper circumstances. The Burlick believe that if you sleep within earshot of certain sounds, the voices can speak through your dreams. Thus it is common for the young and unmarried to sleep in the branches of Evergreens to gain insight into matters of the heart. Even with a dream, however, it is often necessary to employ a Jinkob to give its interpretation. Jinkobs also sell a dizzying array of drugs, the mind-altering properties of which, are said to give the voices clearer access to the mind. They also teach that the voices can be understood in the midst of extreme pain and pleasure. At times of great personal and even national distress the Burlick faithful are often encouraged to alternate between the worst sorts of self-injury and debauchery in an attempt to gain direction from the voices. The high holy days of the Burlick Faith have been described to me as horrific scenes of drunken debauchery and painful misery.