It's Still Life

9.04: A Six – The Book of 27

Prologue (or Before)

ai art

Prologue (or simply: Before)

No one remembers the First Colour.

Before red bled into battle and blue sank into sorrow; before green curled into envy and gold haunted itself with greed, there was only one—a colour not seen, but felt.

It was whole, unnamed—and when the world cracked, when truth was broken into words, and words were broken into lies—the First Colour vanished.

They say a crow saw where it went—not just any crow—one who walks in stolen skin; one who carries a watch with no hands.

One who listens.

He does not collect feathers or shine; he collects sounds—the weight of things whispered, the colours they try to hide … and on the twenty-seventh day, beneath a sky unsure of its own name, he begins again.

Previous Instalments – To access all of the instalments on one page, please use this link

Written for Denise’s Six Sentence Story including the word “Haunt”.  Some artwork is created using Midjourney AI, and is identified as such in the ALT text or captioned. Images are copyright and not to used without permission, which I willingly give when asked, and when not for commercial use. Imagery and poems/prose ©Misky 2006-2025.

Misky

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14 responses to “9.04: A Six – The Book of 27”

  1. Violet Lentz avatar
    Violet Lentz

    L O V E this line, he collects sounds—the weight of things whispered, the colours they try to hide …

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Misky avatar
      Misky

      Thank you, Violet! I hope you’ll enjoy reading this new Six series. It’s inspired by a dream.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. Spira avatar
    Spira

    To say that I am already captured by the spell of your new ink-child is an understatement.
    Aye… The Book of 27.

    For some reason, last verses from Dante’s Inferno came to mind :
    Of a all rivulet, that there descendeth
    Through chasm within the stone, which it has gnawed
    With course that winds about and slightly falls.
    The Guide and I into that hidden road
    Now entered, to return to the bright world,
    And without care of having any rest.
    We mounted up, he first and I the second,
    Till I beheld through a round aperture
    Some of the beauteous things that Heaven doth bear;
    Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars… E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle”

    Lead the way, M, on what already seems an epic journey.

    ( let’s see if I can knot everything in a soundtrack… of course I can)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Misky avatar
      Misky

      “Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars”—that could not be more perfect—it frames the Book of 27 with a passage through the veined dark into sacred light. You’ve just given me a textual constellation.

      And of course you found the perfect soundtrack, and it is perfect! Thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. clark avatar
    clark

    “..when truth was broken into words, and words were broken into lies...”

    fave wordage

    am reading Sixes in reverse chronological order, and I would hazard to say, there’s something fun to your pair (not necessarily intended, but, then again, can any of us who would shape ideas into words keep the crayons (and highlighters and pencils, oh my) our of our Reader’s hands? Ed.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Misky avatar
      Misky

      Glad to know you liked that phrase. I was in complete chortling-mood as I scribble The Garden of Ordinary Apocalypses on paper with my pencil. I am old fashioned; I write my “stuff‘ longhand first, do a bit of doodling, dribble tea on the paper, and then type. Anyway, many thanks.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  4. messymimi's meanderings avatar
    messymimi’s meanderings

    If he has listened from the beginning, he is one smart crow.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Misky avatar
      Misky

      He is, Mimi, he is.

      Like

      Reply
  5. Frank Hubeny avatar
    Frank Hubeny

    I like this phrase: “one who carries a watch with no hands”

    They say a broken clock is right twice a day.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Misky avatar
      Misky

      “They” are very clever to see that, Frank.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  6. Chris Hall avatar
    Chris Hall

    Oh, this is GOOD. What a wonderful start… and then, the world begins, I guess.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Misky avatar
      Misky

      I am so glad that you enjoyed this start. The lost unnamed colours resinate as sound, or sometimes the sound resinates as colour (as it can with some people), and Felreil collects the sounds made by those 27 unnamed colours. There will be 27 different stories or tales as he collects each one … so about 6 months worth.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  7. Liz H-H avatar
    Liz H-H

    “Wow” seems inadequate; can’t find the word fragments to encompass, even approach the wonder of the First Colour.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Misky avatar
      Misky

      I hope you have a chance to read the first unnamed colour. https://misky.uk/2025/04/14/14-04-a-six-the-book-of-27/

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Your comments are always welcome