Shakespeare died a pauper
Poe died penniless and possibly rabid
H.P. Lovecraft died a raging, racist, lunatic living with his aunts
Kafka was a lonely banker that succumbed to cancer in his 40s
Sylvia Plath succumbed to suicide
I know this path isn’t easy
I know I may die penniless and alone
But my words will outlive me
The best goes on and on
Where is the future that they promised us?
The future that if we went to college and worked hard we would have the world?
That future fell with the towers, over twenty years and gone and unfurled
The ruling class sowed division and fear amongst us
The corrupt feed on our broken backs and aching hands
We argue with each other while the four horsemen rule the lands
Famine, led by plague, led by war, led by death
We carry on with our final breaths
This has to end
We have a voice to be heard and hands to lend
to lead towards a future, we can promise ourselves
and hope
The bear lies in darkness
hiding while his forked tongue lies to nations
Splitting nations in two
The red against the blue
Until the bear rears its ugly head
and tries to swallow the world
So many innocent lie dead
As his fire burst through
The night is long
Plague followed by war
The tired masses march against the tide
Not fearing the fetid breath of corruption
The world joins in unity
Sloughing their shackles of the plague
to rise up against the war
and scream louder than the bombs.
On any smartphone or any computer, make a profile on a dating site. The holder of your heart will find you. In a few days, you will receive a call or a text and you will answer back. The answers will become conversations that will span for days.
In any restaurant or movie, in any town or city, you will meet the Holder of Your Heart. You will dine with them, speak with them, and hang on to their every word. They will be the most beautiful person you have ever met.
Eventually, after weeks of meals, they will come into your life. You will start feeling drained and tired in their presence. They will blame you for the reason and ask you for more of your time. You will want to say no, but they are the Holder of Your Heart. The Holder will cut you off from your friends and family, control your finances and threaten violence. You will do everything to please the Holder, and it will never be enough.
The only escape is to leave. When you talk to them and ask to be let go, they will twist your words until you agree with them. Wait until the Holder is out of sight and leave quickly and silently. If the Holder finds you while you are leaving, they will kill you or spread so many lies to ruin you, you will wish you were dead.
However, if you succeed, you will receive item 2539, a small, silver, heart-shaped locket. It must never touch the other items. You will wear the locket to Hold Your Own Heart. Years will pass before you find it beating.
The Vault of Dreams and Nightmares 