Homebound for the Horizon

   The lighthouse was the first building in the town to be built, guiding cargo ships across the treacherous waters of the great lakes to the near by harbor. A nice little community had sprung up around the lighthouse, but the beacon of hope now belonged to an eccentric couple.    Rift stood on the balcony, enjoying the storm. Lightning thundered overhead, the rain cascaded down and the wind shook the glass. Behind her, safely under cover, Mathias was working on getting the light back up.    Rift's attention was drawn to the stony path leading up to their house. A lone figure was struggling up it, wrapped in cloak and mystery.    "Hey" Rift called, turning around. "There's a-"    It was at that moment Mathias got the light working again. Right in Rift's face.    "Eureka" Mathias declared proudly, straightening up. "... Rift?"    He ran over to the balcony, desperately looking around, fearing the worst. Rift, han...

   Two men in dark suits and sunglasses entered the library. It was empty, except for a tall man pouring over some notes and books on a table, muttering to himself.    The librarian was in his office, back turned and listening to the radio.    "The search continues for the Catholic Church's most beloved leader... Her disappearance early last year remains unsolved... the title of First Mother, an office believed to have begun with the Virgin Mary, was really codified in the second century by..."    The two strangers crept past the office, approaching the studying man.    He didn't look up at first, but when one of the men cleared his throat, he finally noticed them, pushing his thick rimmed glasses down on his long pointed nose.    "May I help you gentlemen?" Mathias asked.    "You have something we want" The first man, a muscled blonde, announced.    "I doubt that" Mathias said.    "Don't p...

   The visitor looked around the crowded cargo hold of the Homebound. It was full of many strange and interesting objects, though the stone statue of a little girl sitting on a crate grabbed his attention in particular.    "That is Samantha" was Mathias's only explanation.    That night, the visitor was tossing and turning in the former crew quarters. He sat up, intending to go for a drink of water, but nearly had a heart attack: the stone girl was sitting on a nearby bunk, apparently staring at him.    "Have YOU ever known a child who could stay still?" Rift calmly told the panicking man standing in her work-space. "She was just making sure you weren't going to hurt us, such a sweet girl. She comes down here and talks with me during the night, sometimes."

In the first season of "Gargoyles", the gargoyles have to move from their castle on top of a skyscraper (long story) to another empty building. Because gargoyles can't fly, only glide, they choose a tall building. A clock tower that happens to have a kitchen and a library in it. Because all clock towers have libraries. (Maybe they actually do, I've never looked into it). I figured I could make Chaser the owner, put some TMNT in the basement, and maybe even talk Carol into talking with other characters sometimes. Just because I think we could come up with more interesting stories for a library clock tower in New York than what they were doing. This world has both advanced technology (if you're rich enough) and magic. The bad guys were able to bring a cyber-gargoyle to life using both technology and spells.  Gargoyles are protectors by night, stone by day. While in stone form they have no defense but they obtain healing and energy from the sun. Gargoyle...

The city streets were busy. The snow muffled the sound of tramping feet, but not the happy shouts and glad greetings. A chilly wind could not daunt the merry shoppers, or the delicious sound of baking pie. There was a sense of magic in the air. But darkness stalked the streets. A tall man in a jet black hat and coat. He didn’t say anything to anybody and the cold air seemed to follow him. Crowds grew silent and whispered among themselves as he passed. “Is it really him?” “They say he killed a 100 men” “Don’t get too close!” He didn’t pay any attention to them. Some kids were playing in a snowy courtyard. One of them fired a snowball at her friend, but it sailed over the fence. Time seemed to freeze as everyone watched in horror as it sailed right towards the brooding man’s back. In an instant, he whirled around and swiped the snowball clean out of the air. The children gasped in amazement, then yelped and ducked out of sight as the man glared at them. With a s...