I still haven't quite hit my stride with releasing these newsletters, but here it is at long last - Transcendental Stage Newsletter #2. Try not to think of it as a really late newsletter, try to think of it as an early Christmas gift (unless of course you don't celebrate Christmas, then think of it as an early Birthday gift, unless today is your birthday, then Happy Birthday).

Lots of things have happened with the site since the last newsletter was released. And I'm sure you're dying to know all about them, so here goes.

The site received a whole new design facelift. This isn't really recent news anymore, but if I had've gotten this newsletter sent out when I wanted to, the site redesign would have been very exciting news (at least for me). So let's all pretend the site's new look was actually new.

Along with the new look the site also received a new forum. The user base is growing and it should soon become a very active and fun place to discuss the site, and many other interesting topics, or just waste some time chatting.

A lot of stuff was added for Halloween, so you should check it out if you are into creepy images or zombie stories. And if you aren't into creepy images and zombie stories, well, I don't even want to think about what crazy things you are into.

Along with the zombie story, there was also another new short story added to the literature section. And the surprised I talked about in the last newsletter is still coming.

The Ed Fur's Dreams comic strip is now up to 58 strips and growing. The comic book Unique Perceptions has been stuck in idle for a little while, but it should soon get a boost with several new pages coming.

Unfortunately the game section is going to have to wait a little while longer before any new games are added, but they are still being worked on. Hopefully they will be worth the wait.

If you haven't checked out the shop in a while (I know it sounds crazy, but apparently some of you aren't browsing the shop 24/7), then you will be amazed by all the great new items, so visit the shop now and be amazed.

Now it's the time you have all been waiting for. The next part of the exclusive newsletter story. If you missed the last part you can catch up with the story here. This part of the story was written back when I was naive enough to think I would get this newsletter out in October, so the story feels a little more Halloween than Christmas. But I'm sure everyone loves a good nightmare before Christmas. So enjoy the story and I'll do my best to get the next newsletter out sooner rather than later.

Happy Holidays,

J.N. Rowan

"The box will not let you posses it. There is no point in trying," the well-dressed man continued.

"But, I must have it," replied Aprisse.

"Of course you feel that you must -- but you cannot."

"Why not?"

"You do not understand the box, so you could not understand the reason."

Aprisse was not going to let herself be dissuaded by the ominous words of the well-dressed man, "but I want to understand," she said.

"Naturally," the well-dressed man said with a grin on his face, amused by the fact that Aprisse would bother to say something so obvious, "but you could never understand."

Aprisse looked up at the well-dressed man, who seemed to have the most casual disposition she had ever seen, despite the fact that he was standing at the top of an incredibly tall tree that was swaying in the wind. Then she looked back at the box, still within her reach, still possessing an inexplicable allure.

Perhaps if the well-dressed man hadn't been so vague about the dangers of the box, then Aprisse might have given his warning more credence. Perhaps if Aprisse could hear Brenden shouting from below -- pleading with her to come down -- she might have considered climbing down from the tree. But Aprisse only had one thought in her mind as she quickly reached out and grabbed the box.

Suddenly Aprisse was jolted backwards, out of the tree, still holding onto the box.

"I warned you," said the well-dressed man, knowing full well that Aprisse could not hear him, "beware the journey."

Brenden had noticed something falling from the tree, and was horrified when he realized it was Aprisse. Fearing for Aprisse, Brenden was overtaken with panic, and did not stop to think how foolish it would be to try to catch someone falling from such a height. He reached out his arms and tried to position himself under Aprisse in a desperate, and seemingly futile, attempt to try to save her.

Aprisse, on the other hand, was not terribly concerned about the fall, she was still focused on the box, and now that she had the box in her hands, she was convinced that everything would be all right.

Just as Aprisse was about to fall into Brenden's arms -- bringing certain death to them both -- there was a bright flash that emanated from the box, and suddenly Brenden and Aprisse were no longer in Green Pine forest. Aprisse had avoided the grim fate of crashing to the ground, but her future would bring something much worse.

The first thing Aprisse noticed was that the box wasn't in her hands anymore. The second thing she noticed was that she wasn't falling anymore. And finally she noticed that she couldn't see anything. She wondered if the bright flash had caused her to go blind, but as she reached out and felt hard surfaces all around her, she began to suspect that she was trapped inside something.

She briefly entertained the thought that she might be inside the box, but she was certain that being inside the box would feel much better than where she was; where she was felt wrong, and it began to scare her a little.

Meanwhile Brenden was trying to figure out how he had ended up in a graveyard. He looked around and saw the box sitting on top of one of the gravestones. He looked down at the gravestone which had Aprisse Sterwin chiseled into its face. A wave of despair washed over him, until he saw that there was no date of death on the gravestone.

Brenden struggled to make sense of everything, and then he heard some faint thumping coming from the ground under the gravestone. He immediately went back into a state of panic, and began digging up the dirt with his bare hands.

"Get out of my graveyard!" shouted a voice from some unseen source. Brenden didn't take any notice, so the voice shouted again, "You aren't allowed in my graveyard. Get out!"

"Fine," Brenden shot back, "as soon as I'm finished here."

"You are finished."

"I have to save Aprisse," Brendend said, still digging furiously.

"Your friend belongs to me now," said the Gravekeeper as he revealed himself beside Brenden. The Gravekeeper was a ghostly figure that stood towering over Brenden, completely surrounding Brenden with his dark presence. "But you don't belong here."

"You've got that right," said Brenden, without losing focus on his task for one second, "and I'll be happy to leave -- with Aprisse."

"You will leave now!" the Gravekeeper shouted as he forcibly sent Brenden flying across the graveyard. Brenden slammed into a nearby gravestone, cracking the stone, and nearly breaking his back.

"You seem like a rational sort of ... person," said Brenden as he picked himself up. "Surely we can come to some sort of arrangement that would be acceptable to us both."

"I deal only in death."

"Well, I don't have any ... death," replied Brenden, "but maybe you would be interested in some cherry flavoured bubble gum." Brenden pulled a pack of gum out of his pocket and showed it to the Gravekeeper.

"I deal only in death," repeated the Gravekeeper.

"I see. If you ask me, I think you're being a little stubborn, but I don't have time to argue with you. Unfortunately, I also don't have enough time to get any death, but if you would be kind enough to let me dig up my friend, I'm sure I could bring you some death later." Brenden didn't care how ridiculous his offer was, or what he would do if the Gravekeeper actually accepted it, all Brenden wanted was to get Aprisse out of the ground before it was too late."

"This one is special. I would need something of great value in return for letting her go."

"No problem."

"Very well. I will allow you to take the girl and her life," began the Gravekeeper, "and in exchange you shall bring me the death of The Conductor before seven moons have passed."

Brenden immediately agreed -- even though he had no idea who The Conductor was -- and so the Gravekeeper released Aprisse, who sprung forth from the dirt of her grave.

Aprisse was a little confused, but mostly just happy to be free of the coffin. Then Aprisse saw the box sitting on top of her gravestone, and she quickly forgot about being buried alive. Aprisse ran over and grabbed the box, then Brenden quickly grabbed her arm and ushered her out of the graveyard.

Aprisse only caught a glimpse of the Gravekeeper as she was lead away; her focus was once again locked on the box.

... To Be Continued.