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“Puppets and paintbrushes...
Mario was well on his thousandth decapitation when it occurred to him these simple objects were mere symbolic manifestations of his deep-seated phobias: fear of failure and fear of success. The first one had stopped him from following his dream; the second had stopped the dream from following him.
“To be simultaneously afraid of success and of failure is like going to bed scared and waking up terrified,â€� he reflected. “Your mind’s all wooden, your head’s screwed on backwards and before you know it, you’re a vermillion blotch on someone else’s canvas and the entire world is pulling your strings.”
― Louise Blackwick, The Underworld Rhapsody

“What time is it?â€�
‘Whatever time you want it to be,� she gave him a cheeky wink. ‘Now be honest, did you ask for free will?�
‘How did you�?�
Amanita joined Mario beneath the covers. The ethereal Threads tethering her wrists phased through the thick wool blankets like sunlight through a windowpane.
‘The bird that acknowledges its cage only ever sings of freedom,â€� she said dreamily.”
― Louise Blackwick, The Underworld Rhapsody

“gold light burned faintly.
From his cosy window seat, Mario was tracing a frost-flower on the windowpane with an unsure finger. Were its perfectly-rendered geometric patterns a product of nature, or were they an artefact of metaphysics? Was the frost-flower to the Masters what a work of Art was to him? Did the Masters of Strings truly control every aspect of reality?
The fractal flower slowly melted under Mario’s fingertip.
“No work of chance here,â€� he bitterly thought. “This was by design.”
― Louise Blackwick, The Underworld Rhapsody

“Mario blinked.

His reflection did not.

“That’s the odd thing about depression,â€� Mario reflected, “a human can survive anything, as long as they have a clear end in sight. A purpose. Take that away and they sink like pennies in mire: gently at first and then engulfed without notice by the dark waters of the bog.”
― Louise Blackwick, The Underworld Rhapsody

“Sometimes we must allow our locked-and-tethered inner demon a short glimpse beyond the bars,â€� thought Mario, “lest we forget the full extent of our virtue. One’s power does not reside in the length of their demon’s claw, but in the strength of its manacle. The unleashed demon is worthless, lest it’s controlled.”
― Louise Blackwick, The Underworld Rhapsody

“The demon looked insulted. ‘You don’t like the Underworld, brother?â€�
‘Can’ff ssay I do,� spoke Mario through the curved claw held firmly between his teeth. ‘Much bffetter up tffhere!� he pointed at the amber-glowing canopy perched at the very top of the World Tree.
‘Yeah but that seems likeâ€�,â€� the green-eyed demon paused, as though he was bracing himself for something. ‘–work,â€� he finally said. The word alone seemed to cause him unimaginable disgust. ‘How about you put that rock down and come waste time with us at the pit?”
― Louise Blackwick, The Underworld Rhapsody

“He was no marionette after all, but an autonomous individual in a staged performance; a production carefully arranged and assembled on his discrete behalf.

And he, Mario Fantoccio, had been invited on-stage to perform.”
― Louise Blackwick, The Underworld Rhapsody

“Everything I’ve previously attempted in my life was child’s play compared to this. The pathway I’m walking is not just riddled with all manner of uncertainty; it’s also excruciatingly difficult to follow through! How do I know this is the right path for me, when it’s been costing me every ounce of willpower just to stay on track? How do I tell what my purpose is?â€�

‘THIS is how you know it, Mario. This moment right here!â€� Amanita had told him. ‘If the path you are walking feels back-breaking and steep, know you are climbing the Mountain of Purpose. The more you sacrifice on your journey, the more valuable its end reward.”
― Louise Blackwick, The Underworld Rhapsody

“So you put me through all this suffering just to taunt me?â€�

‘Humans suffer because they take seriously that which we create for entertainment.�

‘Oh really? Because let me tell you, I wasn’t the least bit entertained!�

‘That’s because you were not being entertained, Mr Fantoccio, you were being enlightened,â€� stated the Mistress through a pair of foggy eyes. ‘You want to know why painting never worked for you? Because painters are creators and you, Mr Fantoccio, are an overseer. You don’t care about setting up the puppet show; you are merely interested in giving it a good ending. For you, Mr Fantoccio, creating the world was never enough; you aspire to run it. With every breath, you want to shape it. With every choice, you need to control it.”
― Louise Blackwick, The Underworld Rhapsody

“Masquerade of scripted lives,
A perfect play unfolds.

Masquerade of scripted...
Strings are being pulled.

Masquerade of�
Awakened to the truth.”
― Amogh Swamy, On My Way To Infinity: A Seeker's Poetic Pilgrimage