<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[the not_book]]></title><description><![CDATA[things & stuff]]></description><link>https://www.bone.black</link><image><url>https://www.bone.black/img/substack.png</url><title>the not_book</title><link>https://www.bone.black</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 15:50:08 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.bone.black/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[ATB]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[boneblack@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[boneblack@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[ATB]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[ATB]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[boneblack@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[boneblack@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[ATB]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[word.0001]]></title><description><![CDATA[fanfiction]]></description><link>https://www.bone.black/p/word0001</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.bone.black/p/word0001</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[ATB]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 24 Oct 2023 17:12:56 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It started with an interesting prompt that sent me on a many-months journey of drabble writing. Short stories are not my forte nor is fanfiction really my thing, but I took on the challenge. My AO3 account is long gone, but the fics remain in the depths my files.</p><p>I&#8217;m feeling this one today, unedited, in all its 2012 glory.</p><pre><code>Title: Ghost Six Senses
Summary: After Reichenbach Sherlock grieves.</code></pre><pre><code>I saw the Rolls Royce advert and had to smile. <em>Ghost Six Senses</em>. It reminded me of you. Pearlescent. Bespoke. Champagne and caviar. You and your ghost. You, because you&nbsp;<em>are</em>&nbsp;a ghost. And you make your presence known at every opportunity. Even when you aren't being obvious, I can, yes,&nbsp;<em>sense</em>&nbsp;you.</code></pre><pre><code><strong>Auditory</strong>

I hear you. I hear you all the&nbsp;<em>fucking</em>&nbsp;time. I know, though, that it is not really you, just the damage done by your exit. My ears ring. I hear bangs that aren't there. I hear the click of trigger and the snap of my eardrums. Your head cracking on the pavement. Hell, my head cracking on the pavement. My heart fucking&nbsp;<em>splintering</em>. Ugly sound.</code></pre><pre><code><strong>Tactile</strong>

I get these headaches. (See aforementioned gunshots and head cracks.) And I hate them because they make me nauseated. They fuck with my vision. And I hate them because they, well, because they hurt. But I've stopped taking medication for them. I've stopped going to bed when they come on. I just sit there and ask for you. And your fingertips are there on my temples; gently massaging or applying pressure, you always know what I need.

God, you&nbsp;did&nbsp;always know what I needed.</code></pre><pre><code><strong>Visual</strong>

Strobes. Visual Snow. Blacked out peripheral view. (See aforementioned vision-fuck.) This pisses me right off. This interferes with my work. But even more irritating is when the world is closing in, I see you wandering by. I&nbsp;<em>fucking see you</em> standing there or walking down the hall. Like I wouldn't recognize your clothes. Or you in&nbsp;<em>my&nbsp;</em>clothes. Do ghosts even wear clothes? Maybe I should revisit that medication option.</code></pre><pre><code><strong>Olfactory</strong>

You have always smelled like&nbsp;<em>colour&nbsp;</em>to me. The colour of damp. The colour of the thicket. The way the forest smells when the seasons are changing. Just...like a man. You still fucking&nbsp;smell like a man. So pungent, at times, it stings my eyes. Or I just fucking cry because I want to cry.

I blame it on those headaches.</code></pre><pre><code><strong>Gustatory</strong>

I vomit a lot now. (See aforementioned nausea.) Everything I put in my mouth tastes metallic. The fucking&nbsp;<em>iron&nbsp;</em>in your&nbsp;<em>blood</em>. You prick.</code></pre><pre><code><strong>6</strong>

I think of you and you're there. I know that can't be described as a sixth sense or even much of anything short of delusion or brain damage, but fuck if it's not comforting.</code></pre><pre><code>They say the devil is 6 and if I'm conjuring you up I guess the devil is me. But I miss you.</code></pre><pre><code>I miss you.</code></pre><pre><code>I think I'm getting another headache...</code></pre><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>