Seven Shades of Pale
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
THE BOOK STORE
The book was heavy, with an elegant
binding of gold and rich leather. There
was a reading area in the back of the
store. It was to dim to read in the aisle,
so I went back there to examine the book.
As I neared a seat, the book seemed to
rumble and vibrate in my hand. I stared at
the cover. Lightning strikes were emanating
from the gold seal in the center, and
streaked across the blood red cover.
I sat there frozen, with the
crackling sound pounding in my ears,
and the blaze of lights forming strange
patterns on everything around.
Mystic, hissing voice.
Who, what does it belong to?
From whence does it come?
I paused. Then, with a burst of
determination, I flung open the cover.
"Oh my God!" I screamed. I threw the
book on the floor, and clawed my way
up the back of the couch I was sitting
on. My eyes were riveted to the open
book. Deep inside the pages raged
a fire like the bowels of hell. The
hissing flames were accompanied by the
crash of thunder, and augmented by
flashing bolts of lightning.
God! What have I done?
Acrid smoke filled my nostrils.
The gateway to hell.
A towering pillar of smoke, filled with
the flashing of raging flames and quaking
with the crash of thunder, rose from the
center of the open book. I pressed myself
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Book Details
About the Book
Seven stories. And inside the confines of their covers, reality stops. This is where the dark images from beyond the outer limits begin. These stories dwell in another universe. A universe of the mind. Step through the boundaries of thought, to a place where the senses move from the dark illusions of a shadowy quest, into a Disney type world of love as experienced by two swans in the wilds of a hidden lake and forest. Then step into the twilight of nightmarish hallucinations as you journey into a world of madness These seven stories run the gamut of emotions, ranging from uneasy panic in the "Book Store," into the terror of being buried alive in "The Casket." Then dwell in the shadows of a musician''''s battle with despair and drugs in "The Saxophone." As each story unfolds, you find yourself crossing different intersections of the defined limits of reality, into the twilight zone of emotion. You wont be able to simply sit and read these stories, for those who have read them previously, have said: Ray Hursh''''s writing is so descriptive that the reader will experience feelings of actually being there-and of being a participant of the story. (Judy Binder. Educator) Now. Enter into another dimension. The dimension of the mind. Cross the boundary into the outer limit of thought, and dwell in the twilight of the unusual. Experience another universe. A universe controlled by the secret recesses of the mind.
About the Author
From the beginning, words and language have been my forte. Due to my language skills, I was dubbed a word warrior. I started writing for my own pleasure, but soon, others began to read and enjoy my work. In my ten years of post secondary education, I honed my writing skills in creative writing classes, and studied various forms of literature such as English and American, Shakespeare, Chaucer, ancient Greek and Roman drama and other associated styles of writing. As my writing increased, so did my readership. It was they who felt I should compile my writing into a book. As a result, this is now my second book of poetry to be published, along with a wide range of anthologies in both the