Early Writings of Evan Bailyn

Fantasy Art

Posted by on Thursday, January 24th, 2013 with 0 Comments

All of these images were created exclusively for evanbailyn.com and may not be used without permission. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="525" caption="This artwork was commissioned exclusively for EvanBailyn.com and is its original banner."][/caption] [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="525" caption="This artwork was commissioned exclusively for EvanBailyn.com. It was drawn by my good friend, the talented Anna Radomska."][/caption]

Continue Reading

Invisibility

Posted by on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with 0 Comments

It is a small fantasy of mine to become invisible.  My desire to be unnoticed usually presents itself when the pressures of life bear down on me so much that I instinctually retreat into my subconscious.  When I feel the need to withdraw from reality, some aspect of the environment I am in becomes my secret hideaway.  If I am in the bathroom washing up, it is down in the shadows between the bottles of moisturizer, shaving cream, and hair ...

Continue Reading

The Place At The End Of The Earth

Posted by on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with 0 Comments

One night as I was lying in bed, I saw the place at the end of the earth.  It was a hill, blanketed in virgin snow, at twilight.  At the edge of my vision, the branches of a pine tree hung calmly, lending their aroma to the cool, comfortable air.  On top of the hill was a log cabin with a chimney from which wisps of smoke drifted out into the purple-grey sky. Beyond the hill was a slope that tapered ...

Continue Reading

What If We Had More Senses?

Posted by on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 with 0 Comments

We all navigate our lives with our senses, stopping only rarely to appreciate how unique and interesting each one is.  What is smell, after all?  The ability to detect tiny particles that float out from matter and experience them in various chemical categories, such as sweet, fruity, and bitter?  And touch?  The ability to register the microscopic contours of matter and interpret them as a neurological feeling?  When we break down what our senses really are, it becomes possible to ...

Continue Reading

Being In A Small, Cozy Niche

Posted by on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with 0 Comments

The feeling of being tucked away in a tiny, remote niche is one of ultimate security. Apart from the coziness factor, knowing that you are in a place where you can’t be found has a certain excitement to it. When I build a house one day, I’d like to have a secret door in one of the walls that leads to my own private lair - a place with the coolness of a treehouse and the secrecy of an underground ...

Continue Reading

Wondering What I Would Do If I Had Three Wishes

Posted by on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with 0 Comments

“What would you do if you had three wishes?” is an age-old question that dates back to Arabian tales involving genies and magic lamps. The legend allows the master of the lamp any three requests except more wishes. In college, during boring lectures, I used to ponder what I would wish for. Coming up with a realistic answer is very difficult because one always wants to maximize the benefit of one’s three wishes. Considering which wishes might be encompassed in other ...

Continue Reading

Slowly Sinking To The Bottom Of A Swimming Pool

Posted by on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with 0 Comments

There is a peaceful solitude to submerging in a pool and hanging around at the bottom for a while. Water diffuses sound, so whatever noise is occuring above the surface becomes calmed and muted below. The sensation of floating and the rapid micro-bubbles that flit around your body add to the zen-like experience.

Continue Reading

Having A Really, Really Good Dream

Posted by on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with 0 Comments

A philosopher once wrote “If a pauper were to dream he was a king for half his life, and a king were to dream he was a pauper for half his life, then there would be no difference between the two.” Dreaming possesses the sometimes-scary, sometimes-amazing property of being extremely realistic. Dreams can be even more vivid than waking life, for in the unconscious state, all of one’s vulnerabilities, fears, and fantasies are laid bare. Often, the mind must spin elaborate ...

Continue Reading

Closely Inspecting Crystals Of Sand On The Beach

Posted by on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with 0 Comments

There is a micro-world to every object, which we seldom notice in the course of our efficient lives. If you look closely at the immediate surroundings of a blade of grass in a field, for instance, you will find a lot more than just other grass: a tiny white mineral deposit, a yellow thread that has peeled off a nearby aging stalk, an industrious ant scaling a three-leaf clover. It is kind of interesting to think that this blade of ...

Continue Reading

Staring Up At Something That’s Really High

Posted by on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 with 0 Comments

Looking way, way up is enjoyable in much the same way as looking far, far away. It allows you to view things that are larger than yourself in a more conceptual and complete way. Looking up is better than looking far, however, because it requires you to tilt your head back (which is sort of relaxing) and focus your eyes in a direction they typically don’t look. Very high objects also tend to have a majestic, unreachable quality to them ...

Continue Reading