ANALYZING… FILE TYPE: Physical Book PERIOD: Colony Era TOPIC: "The Spirit Thief" SUMMARY: Part of a larger collection titled "The Severed Twins," this fairy tale appears to critique political circumstances around the launch of the UESC Marathon and the perceived "theft" of Deimos. This antiquated format proved popular and subversive. =================================================================== Once upon a time, a castle stood atop a lonely peak. The castle belonged to a cardinal, whose lofty title demanded red stone, red furnishings, and red banners. During pale sunsets, the castle leered bloody and bright from the mountainside. A thief crept through the castle's silent red halls. Bony fingers clutched his prize: a thin canvas bag containing a ruby reliquary. He thought not of the contents rattling within nor the legends of a haunting curse, only the hunger gripping his guts. The thief snuck toward the cellar, trying to ignore the voice haunting his steps. sever. vanish. drift. Strange words followed him from red stairwells into burgundy shadows. The narrow stone confines offered no relief from the whisper. vanish. drift. bleed. The thief crawled on his hands and knees through a tunnel in the cellars, dragging his burden behind him. drift. bleed. YEARN. The reliquary screeched in protest, and a piercing wail answered throughout the castle. But the thief was already free, tumbling from the tunnel into the frigid night air. With the wail still echoing in his ears, he ran for the road as fast as his legs would carry him. He did not see the trail of ghostly blood oozing through the canvas and splattering the ground. Nor did he feel ephemeral flesh tearing as the distance from the castle became too great to span. The thief ran, praying that what he'd stolen was a jeweled box and nothing more. =================================================================== TYPE: TEXT [X]; AUDIO [ ]