Starting a new project. This type of pattern is so therapeutic.
The sound of cello music fills the lab as Annalis sits bent over her journal open on the experimental table. The Equine is visible in its full glory outside the open panels of the lab, relaying its influence to her deductions as she copies the results from her finished experiment.
“Glauert’s Eques Mass Spectrum Array.” She says to the silence around her. ‘Finally! A name to designate her obsession.’ She thinks to herself. The Equine seems such a brief name for such an enormous presence, but she has adopted this nomenclature for the Anomaly. Next to her journal, a printed copy of her sister’s latest report lies open to the data from the finished masterpiece, along with the final letter before her sisters departed for the research station. The numbers are amazing and Annalis runs her finger down the columns, caressing the results she has long awaited. “They are exactly as I imagined!” She voiced, again addressing the empty lab. One of the first things she had done after establishing herself at the station was to disable the automated voice response system. She had not realized how often she spoke aloud to herself until she encountered this system on the space station. The first time it had answered her, she had jumped out of her skin. The next time it was just annoying, and now it was disabled. It did however make her aware of just how strange her verbal conversations with herself were, and how often she conducted this one-sided dialog.
She looked up from the report and her gaze fell on the time display above the door leading out of the lab. “1900!!” she exclaimed, quickly closing her journal, trapping the report within its pages. She had nearly missed the opening window for the stations mess hall. The thought of again having to utilize the food unit in her quarters made her quicken her steps down the corridor leading from the lab areas into the habitation section of the Phycodurus 8. With 10 minute to spare, she joined the last diners in line for the evening meal. It was the only meal of the day which utilized the fresh produce from the massive greenhouse attached to the space station and Annalis regretted it every time she missed her chance to partake of the delicious offerings.
She received her tray filled with an aromatic and colorful assortment of delicacies from the woman across the counter. “Almost missed the window again Dr. Annalis,” the woman said as she added a slice of fresh bread onto the plate of Annalis. “I saved this back for you. It is always the first to go.” “Thank you Chef Emilia.” Annalis said, giving the woman a grateful smile. They always gave each other the honorary title to their names. They had become good friends almost immediately upon Annalis’s arrival and it was a running joke that she was constantly late or altogether missing the evening meal.
She took her tray with one last thanks to Emilia, and found an empty seat near the observation window displaying the Anomaly. The Equine was showing off its blue and green display at the moment and Annalis pulled from her lab coat pocket the letter she had started the evening before to her sister. Smoothing it out flat, she took up her stylus from the opposite pocket and continued from where she had left off.
……..
The scorching sun drops below the stone parapet, giving relief from the blazing heat of the Spanish summer. A warm breeze picks up the dust from the paving stones, caressing the footprints of countless visitors to the Alhambra terrain. The sky darkens and reveals a blaze of stars overhead and in the reflections of the pools and fountains of the palace. The sound of music echoes from the abandoned palace walls, carrying the melodious melody of the beginning of the festival. The breeze carries a touch of jasmine, picked up from the peasant gardens sprinkled throughout the hilltop complex. The resonance of laughter and festivities reach the portal, reminding the solitary figure which stands there that her sister awaits her presence.
Here I relate a wonderful memory of our visit to the Alhambra music festival. I can still feel the heat through my sandals and the memory of the scents that accompanied our trip there. I revisited the music that was presented during that memorable trip during my first days here and it felt as if I was there again with you. Dancing to the music with whoever was standing nearby and consuming the delicacies of the Spanish countryside. I have found these exercises are an important addition to my routine meditations and they improve the negative effect confined living is having on me. I still continue my daily practices, but I find the complete emersion into a memory as poignant as our trip to Spain does wonders for my physical and mental wellbeing. With the addition of aroma and sensory input, I have created an acceptable balance to the austerity of the space station. The Equine also plays a part in my continued recovery, supplying support and creative encouragement.
I still await your final report on the time spent with the rendition of the Equine to keep you company. Your initial findings were very encouraging, but as always I would like to see the numbers.The description of the dark hemisphere was a welcome addition to your other observations. I sometimes forget how the atmosphere and environment around a subject can affect them. It seemed to me from your musings that the austerity of the research center landscape had more to do with your reactions than the absence of the influence of the Equine. I have still to study the art pieces you produced during those tremulous three months in the other hemisphere, but I already can deduct from your descriptions that our joint production is not ready to replace the influence of the Equine yet. Even on a small scale. We will have to look deeper into the material and electrical field levels as you have pointed out.
On a happier note, I must report on the progress of the other task I was given. The first results are in for the effects the Equine is having on our control group of Aerial Moramets. They have been housed in an annex of the tropical gardens next to the observation lounge of the station. It is the closest enclosed area to the Equine and provides the maximum exposure for the AM’s. (As I have nicknamed them) They are thriving on the abundance of tropical plants and flowers that are available to them in the annex and also the many types of exotic foods that are grown for the kitchen seem to be to their taste. The research group has already seen increased cooperation between the creatures and a decrease in the malaise and illness that plagues their counterparts on Earth. I do not have any information on the group sent to New London, but hope to obtain that information in time. It was a relief when I returned to reality in the medical bay and was informed that my traveling companions had arrived as scheduled on the first shuttle from the Infinity. This was arranged by the Phycoduras 8 staff during my convalescence, along with the transfer of the group slated for New London. Simona’s team here on the Phycodurus has kept me informed of the progress of the hive on the station, but are still awaiting information on the New London colony. The project is still being kept very secret due to the backlash from environmental purists, but I was given permission to share this information with you. I hope within a few years there will be a thriving community of AM’s to support the all-important pollinators that are so scarce now on the planet. With the growing population, the need for more food production and more diverse supply will be paramount to the continued colonization of New London. I will now return to my music and research before it becomes too late. It is going to take me ages to go through the vast amount of data you have stored from the last year, not to mention your observation journal and renditions done on the dark side of the planet. My next deep dive will be into the vast deposit of letters you wrote me during you time on New London and the Equine journal. I want to do this after I have shared my finding on your isolation work with the Equine rendition. This way you can continue with your work while I look into your past.
I know you are very busy, but please write back as soon as you can. I want to know how it feels to be back at your studio under the full influence of the Equine again.
Love Annalis
Dear Annalis,
My heart is overjoyed at your safe arrival in the Alpha Centauri system. It is beyond description the way I have obsessed over your wellbeing. Dark thoughts have been my constant companion over the last months and the relief felt now that the burden of these has lifted is indescribable. Of course this worry could not have come at a more inopportune time. The bleakness of the landscape around the research station was detrimental even for a balanced and sane individual, but in the state I was delivered there, it was near disastrous for our project. Worry, depression, hopelessness and a limited diet all have taken a toll on me. It was a true test of the influence remaining in the work I produced and it screams insufficiency in its failure. As I said before, I will need to rethink the materials I have used and the amount of time the piece will need to remain in this quadrant of space before it can be used elsewhere.
I cannot help contemplating what my state now would be if I did not have the utilization of the painting during my hiatus at the research station. I assume I would be in a further state of neural decline, but the effective extent of the works presence is still not sufficient to deem the piece a success.
As to your cryptic description of where you have been and why you worried me so, I will leave that for another time. I can tell from your letter that it is not a thing to discuss over any type of electronic communication. A very concerning subject, but I can wait.
I do not regret the time I spent at the research station. It proved the useful application of the work we are doing, and also put a spotlight on the inadequacies. I now have a direction for improvement, and that was not clear to me until the end of this encounter.
I now return to my work. Maybe a bit more unstable, but determined as ever and happy to have you back in reality, and not in my mind alone.
Love Victoria
Dear Victoria,
How can I describe the feeling of being in contact with you once again after such a long period of one sided conversations. As I write this, you should be speeding back to your studio and the full influence of the creature we both are obsessed about. I am sorry for the worry I have caused you by my delay, but since you were out of communication range at the research station, I could not contact you upon my arrival at the Phycoduras 8, and no Louvre currier was available to personally travel with my news. I will relay to you in a more detailed letter the cause of my delay, although I myself are still unclear about what occurred during those lost months. I have been informed it had to do with stasis complications, but I doubt this conclusion. Multiple theories about what occurred and why have been swimming around in my head, but I want to sort them out myself first before trying to explain them to you. I also want to utilize a more secure communication system. Even with the encryption here on the station, I do not feel safe to share my concerns. Even a trip in person may be warranted to discuss this information, so I may wait until I have a natural break in my work before arranging a trip planet side. I am allowed two planetary visits during the duration of the project. I think this reason warrants one of those precious commodities. It will also allow us to be together after our long absence and that is a welcoming thought to get me through the next year. I was planning to make my first visit two years into the project, but I may use an opportunity to escalate the timeline thanks to professor Simona’s project. I will inform you as soon as I know more.
My sincere apologies for the cryptic conversation to start our first real contact in three years. I myself am not sure what has happened to me and what results will come from it. Let us just say it is all about time and how we perceive it.
Love Annalis.
Dear sister,
The snow covered hills are flying past, drawing me nearer each second toward the full influence of the Equine and the close of this chapter of the project. I have so missed the creative spark provided by the creature as I open my carriage window curtains to the morning and the vision of my New London companion. The isolation from the influence has been hard to bear, but the work I performed at the research station and the conclusions that were made will be paramount to our work. I now know which gaps need to be closed in the current rendition and the technical challenges that must be overcome. I hope once I am back under the full enchantment of the Equine, that I will completely solve the short comings of the interpretive piece. This will open the doors to the next stage of the project.
As I draw nearer to the studio, my hopes are that the weather will improve. It has been cold throughout most of the return journey and I can feel the bitter temperatures during this leg of the trip biting through the glass. The outside world is dead and bleak as only the winter world can be and I long for the temperate environment of the equatorial zone. I am still fourteen hours north of the Medici train station so as soon as the train descends into the desert valley the weather should become more climatic. Addison will meet me at the station to convey me the remaining kilometers to the studio site. It will be good to be home and give me time to concentrate on catching up with you on your adventures. I know from the messages sent from the Louvre representative that you have finally arrived at the Phycoduras 8 after a delay of almost four months, but she was not forthcoming about the nature or cause of that delay. The total communication dead zone near the research station was something I knew about, but was not mentally prepared for. I am hungry now for news of you and the outside world. During these last isolated months I would like to know more about the current situation than the little I could delve out of the monthly Louvre courier who supplied me during my stay. I feel like I was isolated on a desert island. I know this was what was planned out for this portion of the project, but as I said, I was not prepared. The news that you had finally arrived only reached me during the first leg of this train trip, and no other details; nothing about the nature of the delay or the state of your being. I hope all is well with you after your long slumber and also the functionality of your new limb. I assume if something was wrong the Louvre rep would have informed me in the message, but I am not certain.
I cannot wait until I am back in my studio to finally connect with you after all this time and to catch up on all the messages you have sent since my departure. It makes me wish we had arranged a more timely way of sharing updates. It would have been an astronomical cost for that type of communication method, but waiting over a year to hear what you were up too on Earth before you left has been torture. I can’t imagine what it has been like for you. At least I know you were safe on Earth for part of that time.
Now we can concentrate all our attention on the next phase of our project. The anticipated (but still disappointing) results from the study of the current production away from the influence of the Equine has given me many ideas on how to improve the technical workings of the material. I believe that if I increase the concentration of natural materials in the paint elixir, it should improve the saturation of the equine experience. As I reported to you in earlier letters, I used as much nature products as I could, but I might need to change the proportions of off world sourced material. Even as far as eliminating them all together or waiting until these imported materials have been under the Equine influence longer. This will mean additional study needs to be carried out for new local sources and alternative material or a delay in the next production, but it will be worth it.
The first thing I will do is try and clear my pallet of the preconceived ideas that I brought with me from Earth. Not exactly starting from scratch, but opening my mind to new ideas and perspectives. I wonder if you have encountered any material under study on the space station. I believe during my brief stay there, someone mentioned that there is an entire lab dedicated to material studies.
It is getting so hard to wait. Only a few more hours and I will be home.
I cannot wait to hear from you.
Love Victoria
The faint laughter of a child disturbs my sleep and I awaken to find myself standing on the edge of a dense forest. A dark haired girt stands on a path leading into the shadows beneath the trees, beckoning me to follow. The boughs create a mythical tunnel over my head as I follow the child, and the path is scattered with the first leaves of autumn. The sound of water greets my ears as I make my way further, just keeping the girl within my sight. Her simple gown flows behind her as she races down the track, and her long flowing tresses mingle with the colorful ribbons adorning the flowered crown about her head. She disappears through an archway of trees, once more turning to beckon me before racing from sight. The arch opens onto a sandy shore and I realize it is your lake. The air is heavy and I can see a storm brewing across the water. Black clouds heavy with rain engulf most of the lake and a distant rumble mixes with the sounds of the lapping waves. The girl is nowhere in sight, but the discarded crown lies on the edge of the water, slowly being encroached by the waves. A bolt of lightning hits the water pulling my eyes from the forgotten circlet. A torrential curtain of water drops from the sky, slowly making its way toward the shore. The view of the further shore seems to disappear from existence as the storm nears and I run back to the forest in hopes of escaping the deluge.
The archway through the trees is no longer there and I find myself facing a dark stone escarpment, climbing high into the sky above. The darkness of the coming storm and the shadow created by the stone barrier, closes off all light from the beach, and the world dims to a vague vision of ghostly images. I drop to my knees in terror, feeling like a trapped animal with no way to escape. My eyes drift upwards at the black strip between the oncoming storm and the imposing heights of the rock wall. Millions of stars shine through the narrow gap, no longer diminished by the light of the sun. I realize that this is my only path of escape and I leap to meet the sky.
Dearest Annalis,
It was not how I had hoped to be united, but you have returned to my dreams. Sadly it was only you as a child and I was not able to converse with your avatar, But any contact is welcomed during this distressing time.
I have delayed as long as I can, but I must now leave the studio and travel to the next stage of our project. There is still no update on your arrival although the scheduled date for your journey’s end has come and gone. Your transport is now a month overdue and even the reassurance I have received from the Louvre rep of the normalcy for this type of delay has not alleviated my worry, I have put off my departure for the remote research station to the last moment, hoping to hear news of your arrival, but the time has come where any more delay will jeopardize the project. The completed rendition has now been away from the full Equine influence for the allotted timeframe of two months and I must join it to continue our work. I had so hoped to have your support during this difficult stage, but it seems not to be. I am also missing Katryna. She still has not returned to the studio and my messages have also not been answered. The silence from her side is as deafening and disturbing as the silence from you. There was never any set agreement between us about her continued involvement here, but I cannot help but worry that her silence is not voluntary. If my mind was not so preoccupied with your delayed arrival and the eminent departure for the research station, I would investigate further. Even as far as making the journey to find her. Unfortunately I would not know where to start if I could. I do not even know her family name or what region she is from.
My greatest concern now is you and the effect your absence will have on our project. I will try and keep the worry at bay in the coming months so I do not skew the results of the research. It will not be the same as when my emotions distorted my art after you accident, but I will have to be cautious anyway. The neural scans will be paramount to proving the strength of the painting and you know if I am distressed, no amount of involvement from the Equine essence embedded in the work will eliminate this interference in the experiment. Your prompt arrival would alleviate these stresses, so please hurry. My imagination is creating every type of horror story it can. The dark dream was not a comfort. The fact that you disappeared into a black storm leaving me no escape but to leap into the stars was also not encouraging. I only question where that leap would lead. It seems somehow to prophesize something I must conclude for myself. If only my mind worked well enough at the moment to figure it out.
I leave first thing in the morning for the remote location. It is not the best time to be away from the full exposure of the equine, but I do have a substitute. Let us hope the rendition delivers on its promise and provides the full power of the Equine experience. If I do not hear of your arrival during the trip out, I will have to wait till the first supply deliver two weeks into my stay for any news. There is no contact at the station since the dead zone is definitive. No type of radiation can penetrate that area. Not even the influence of the Anomaly.
Love Victoria
A friend asked me to repair a pearl necklace for her. It is the first time I have tried pearl knotting. Completely remade the piece. I like the way it came out.
The amulet bag is complete.
The body of the amulet bag is complete. It is interesting how the different light makes the colors change.
The Beaded Tapestry 
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