This newsletter is WAY overdue -- I've been very busy with all of the projects I've been working on -- but I've finally managed to get the first newsletter completed. Hopefully from now on the newsletters will get sent out in a much more timely fashion.

So what are these projects I spoke of? Well, I'm glad you asked. Unfortunately, most of the projects are still incomplete, and many more are only in the planning phase, but I'll discuss those later. There are, however, some significant additions that have been made to the site recently.

The first part of my comic book unique Perception is now online. It is only four pages so far, but hopefully it is enough to intrigue people into wanting to find out what happens next. More parts of the comic book should start to be released an a regular basis.

The Imagery section of the site has had several new photographic works added in the past few months, with a couple more to be added shortly.

Also the comic strip Ed Fur's Dreams is back to a more regular update schedule after a slight hiatus. I am now up to strip number 38 and still going strong.

Now, getting back to those future plans I was talking about, there are many more additions and several new projects in the works.

I'm currently working on a new online game that should be done in the next month or so. It is an adventure game that should provide a good mix of cerebral challenges and wacky scenarios filled with even wackier characters.

The next short story should be online sometime in the next couple of weeks. And hopefully not too long after that something new will be added to the Literature section. I know you're all wondering what that might be, but you'll just have to wait and see.

Also in the plans over the next month is getting a forum for the site up and running. The forum will be a place where visitors to Transcendental Stage will be able to ask questions, give their feedback, discuss various topics with other visitors, and probably many more things that I haven't even considered.

So keep visiting the site to see all the cool new things that will be added in the future. In the meantime, you can enjoy reading the following bonus gift. That's right - it's time for the newsletter exclusive content. So without further ado, here is the first part of a story that will be continued in future editions of the newsletter.

It was an ordinary box. Ordinary is the only way you could describe it -- five sides, and a lid. There was nothing notable about it. And yet, anyone who caught sight of the box was immediately drawn to it. If you asked people who had seen the box, why they were so fascinated by it, no one would be able to give you a reason. 'Because', is the only response Aprisse Sterwin would give when asked why she absolutely had to get the box.

Aprisse was in the Green Pine forest that day because it was the winter, and the Green Pine forest was her favourite place to be in the winter. Ever since Aprisse was a little girl she loved evergreen trees covered in snow, and she especially loved to twirl around under falling snowflakes, surrounded by these white trimmed trees. She would spin until she got dizzy and fell over into the mounds of snow waiting to catch her. The Green Pine forest was her favourite place in the winter because it was far away from the busy cities, leaving the snow pure and untouched. As far as Aprisse could see in any direction the fresh white snow was glistening with bright innocence.

Now that Aprisse could finally drive on her own, she was able to come to her favourite winter destination to enjoy the snow and trees whenever she desired. And because Aprisse was in need of an emotional boost that day, she decided to take the long drive out to the woods and twirl until she couldn't twirl anymore. Twirling is all she had planned to do, until she saw the box.

Beauty had also brought Brenden Spitz to Green Pine that day, but he didn't much care for the snow or the tress, he was there because Aprisse was there. You could say that Brenden had known Aprisse for a few years, but it would be more accurate to simply say that the two had met a few years ago, because Brenden still didn't feel like he knew Aprisse. Brenden knew she was beautiful, but it wasn't her beauty that made her special. Unfortunately for Brenden, Aprisse didn't let anyone get close enough to her to discover what was truly special about her, but Brenden knew there was something magical about Aprisse. And maybe it was just the mystery that drew Brenden to her, but he was determined to get closer to her.

Aprisse probably wouldn't describe Brenden as a friend. She tolerated him hanging around her, maybe even appreciated his company on occasion, but no more than one appreciates a good umbrella on a rainy day. Brenden wasn't deterred however, and he took every opportunity he could to be around Aprisse. The one thing Brenden had come to learn about the mysterious Aprisse, was that she always seemed to be looking for something. Brenden didn't know what Aprisse was looking for, but he did foster hopes that Aprisse would come to discover that she had been looking for Brenden all along. Because in reality, Brenden was fairly convinced that even Aprisse didn't know what she was looking for.

On that day, Brenden had convinced Aprisse that it wasn't safe for her to go off into Green Pine forest on her own, so naturally he volunteered to go with her. He was legitimately concerned for her safety, but it didn't hurt that it also gave him an excuse to spend the day with her.

Brenden hadn't noticed the box until Aprisse began staring at it. Brenden did agree that there was something inexplicably alluring about the box, but Brenden had a much more cautious outlook about the whole thing. "I don't think you should go near it," Brenden called out to Aprisse, but she didn't take much notice of his warning. "Seriously - something doesn't seem right about that box," Brenden continued to caution Aprisse, but she was much to enthralled with the box to listen to Brenden.

Maybe it was the total unremarkable look of the box that made its appeal seem so unnatural to Brenden, or maybe what concerned him was the fact that every single inch of the forest was covered in snow except around the box. But it was probably the fact that the box was right at the top of one of the tallest trees in the forest that had Brenden most worried for Aprisse.

Remarkably Aprisse managed to climb all the way to the top of the tree without incident, and was now within reach of the box. Brenden's frantic commotion at the bottom of the tree still going unnoticed, Aprisse sat in silence for a moment before extending her arm out towards the box.

"I would not advise that course of action," calmly stated a well-dressed man who was up in the tree with Aprisse.

Aprisse found herself wondering where the man came from - or had he been there the whole time? "What course of action?" asked Aprisse.

... To Be Continued.