The Poison Pie Publishing House presents:

December 1, 2025
Ben-Yassib halted the unit when a scout alerted him to the presence of an enemy encampment down river, little more than an hour march ahead. The troops spent a vigilant night, wary of an ambush, while the behemoth indulged in a lengthy, nocturnal bath. In the chill air before dawn, Melite's suspicions were confirmed for they first had her bring the beast ashore to be outfitted in its armor before ordering her to don her own. After Obodas tightened the straps on her cuirass, Rabbas, much to her astonishment, handed her a straight, double-edged short sword sheathed in a wooden scabbard.

written while listening to:  SOON: Roberto Soggetti, Giulio Corini & Emanuele Maniscalco - Something Out Of Nothing (Caligola, 2240, 2018, Italy, cd, discogs.com)

December 2, 2025
As Melite rode upon the back of Theopompos down the Yarden River to battle, she thought to herself, "If they expect me to draw this sword, they are dearly mistaken!" Rarely had someone of a disposition so utterly antithetical to the martial calling been summoned to war. She resisted the urge to discreetly allow the weapon to slip from her belt into the river. The bottom lip of the bronze chest plate chafed against her stomach causing her to sit up perfectly straight. From the bank, the marching soldiers mistook her erect posture for resolute mettle in the face of the imminent fray.

written while listening to:  Guillaume Gargaud & Patrice Grente - Grente Gargaud (Fiasco Records, no catalog #, 2016, France, cd ep, discogs.com)

December 3, 2025
Rabbas and Obodas disrobed and slipped into the water. Ten men followed them, as they began to swim downstream. Those left on land, including the general, veered away from the river. Before long, Melite smelled smoke from a cooking fire and heard the bustle of activity in the enemy camp. Obodas approached the side of the behemoth with the intent of grabbing her as before to lead the beast ashore. However, she indicated with a wave that no abduction would be necessary. She was perfectly capable of making her wishes known.

written while listening to:  Magda Mayas, Koen Nutters, Morten Olsen & Carlos Galvez - It's Dirty in the Different Tradition (FMR Records, FMR CD173-i0505, 2005, United Kingdom, cd, discogs.com)

December 4, 2025
The amphibious unit waited low in the water, hidden by the steep bank. An alarm was raised in the enemy encampment, for the forces of General Ben-Yassib had been spotted by a sentry on the far side of the base. At a silent signal, the dozen men crept onto land and drew their swords. Auntie Ibis gave a call of danger, to which the behemoth responded by rapidly swimming to shore and ascending the bank. There he found an arrangement of tents and a pair of wagons, several wild donkeys and the backs of men running in the opposite direction.

written while listening to:  Derek Bailey & Simon H. Fell - At Sound 323, sides C & D (Confront, CORE 03LP, 2023 (rec. 2001), United Kingdom, lpx2, discogs.com)

December 5, 2025
Theopompos remembered his training. Although the ibis was secure upon his back, he felt her anxiety. It seemed a simple thing to please her by flattening the tents to prove that no predators lurked behind them. His charging, therefore, was initially somewhat lackadaisical. He playfully uprooted tents and tipped over wagons. He scattered the donkeys but did not pursue them. Alerted by the panicked braying, the Israelites turned to discover the horror of a rampaging behemoth bearing a pale, armored demon, surely a manifestation of the night hag, Lilith.

written while listening to:  Keiji Haino & Masataka Fujikake - How many times would you have to raise "Hard" to a power for particles of light to rain down? (Fulldesign Records, FDR-1026, 2014, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

December 6, 2025
Two soldiers turned to bravely face the supernatural menace. The hostility in their stance was obvious to both beast and rider. The behemoth grunted and charged while Melite hung on to his armor for dear life. Never did it cross her mind to unsheathe her sword. Theopompos had no need for her assistance in this matter. Without slowing, he barreled into the first fighter, trampling him underfoot. Swerving sharply, he nearly unseated Melite, who futilely shouted to the second soldier, "Watch out!" This cry was understood by none on the battlefield, least of all the man soon ground to a pulp beneath her.

written while listening to:  Joëlle Léandre & Giorgio Occhipinti - Incandescences (Jazz'Halo, TS007, 1999, Belgium, cd, discogs.com)

December 7, 2025
The behemoth continued to leave a trail of carnage and destruction in his wake. The Israelite troops remained engaged with Ben-Yassib at the perimeter. Confusion regarding the presence of a second force within the camp reigned in the ranks. The company of Obodas and Rabbas slew many unaware. However, they missed an archer, who, despite his terror of the beast, notched an arrow, drew the bowstring taut and let the missile fly. It whizzed past Melite and lodged deeply in a gap between two pieces of armor on Theopompos' neck and shoulder.

written while listening to:  Susan Alcorn, Dave Benham, Samuel Burt & Killick Hinds - Go Ahead (self-released, no catalog #, 2020, United States, digital files, discogs.com)

December 8, 2025
The sting in his shoulder convinced Theopompos that he had sated his interest in this stupid game. Still, the pain enraged him; he made sure to take a roundabout detour as he retreated to the river, crushing the archer along the way and upending a cart laden with clay jugs for good measure. He slid down the bank into the cool waters of the Yarden. The donkeys cheered his departure with hee-haws of good riddance. Seeking to put some distance between himself and the annoying clamor of battle, he swam downstream, carrying a stunned Melite along for the ride.

written while listening to:  Tyshawn Sorey Trio + 1 - The Off-Off Broadway Guide To Synergism, disc 3 (Pi Recordings, PI96, 2022, United States, cdx3, discogs.com)

December 9, 2025
Thus, the entirety of the military exploits of the Athenian rider and her Egyptian mount were captured in scarcely ten minutes. It is no wonder that reference to the event is wholly absent in the historical record. Survivors of the amphibious assault found that attributing their defeat to the presence of a mythical beast within the Aramean ranks was viewed with skepticism, if not derision. In later years, even Hazael had mention of the behemoth stricken from official accounts of the court, for he judged its desertion to paint him in an unflattering light.

written while listening to:  Tomeka Reid, Isidora Edwards & Elisabeth Coudoux - untitled (Relative Pitch Records, RPR1174, 2024, United States, cd, discogs.com)

December 10, 2025
Theopompos moved of his own accord down the river. Little current pushed him and the ibis urged him neither to hurry nor slacken his pace. Eventually the terror of battle receded, allowing Melite's senses to return. They had traveled into a lonely country, visited by men infrequently. The banks of the river supported a margin of grass and trees with scrubland beyond. Her eyes returned to the behemoth where she discovered the shaft of the arrow jutting from his flesh. "Oh, my dear friend," she cried, "I have failed to tend your wound."

written while listening to:  Mary Halvorson - Code Girl, sides C & D (Firehouse 12 Records, FH12-04-08-027, 2018, United States, lpx2, discogs.com)

December 11, 2025
She dared not attempt to pull out the arrow while floating in the river, opting to wait until evening when Theopompos came ashore. He continued a slow progress in the same direction as he devoured the grass along the bank. Melite did not remove the behemoth's armor, though surely he would have been more comfortable, for fear of another attack. Nor would she discard her own armor until it was safe for them both to do so. When his hunger was tempered, he settled beneath a cluster of sycamore fig trees. A cool breeze prompted her to set aside her helmet.

written while listening to:  Jakob Bro, Wadada Leo Smith, Marilyn Crispell & Andrew Cyrille - The Montclair Session (Loveland Records, LLM025, 2025, Denmark, lp, discogs.com)

December 12, 2025
There, Melite drew the short sword and slit his coat to expose the injury. She cut a bandage from the back edge of the blanket intending to staunch the flow of blood. She begged her friend's forgiveness, then held her breath as she gripped the shaft with two hands and yanked it from his flesh. Theopompos whimpered once but tolerated the ministrations of Auntie Ibis as she cleaned and bandaged the wound. Afterward, he slept soundly, a comfort not available to his nurse due to her anxiety over infection and the hunger in her belly.

written while listening to:  Evan Parker & Andrea Centazzo - Bullfighting On Ice! (Ictus Records, ICTUS RE 0009, 2025 (rec. 1977), Italy, lp, discogs.com)

December 13, 2025
A full week the pair of fugitives traveled down the Yarden. They passed several small villages situated along the river. Kneeling at the bank to collect water, local women peered at Melite, garbed in bronze plates, seated atop some creature whose outline was only hinted at by the round, gray contours emerging above the surface. Melite smiled at the gaggle of children to convey her peaceful intentions. She received no welcoming expressions in return, for the design of her armor identified her as an invader, never mind her monstrous companion.

written while listening to:  Marilyn Crispell - Labyrinths (Les Disques Victo, VICTO CD 06, 1992 (rec. 1987), Canada, cd, discogs.com)

December 14, 2025
Reaching the north bank of the Salt Sea, they passed into the Kingdom of Judea, though Melite was no more aware of political borders than was Theopompos. The behemoth was disappointed by the high salinity of the water. He waded for a while then briskly followed Melite south along its western edge, bounded on the far side by an expanse of desert. The pair of travelers agreed to avoid settlements, returning to the water to swim only so long as it took to bypass the obvious signs of human habitation.

written while listening to:  Katie Porter - Conversation No. 1 / Collecting Rocks From The Places We've Been (Relative Pitch Records, RPRSS048, 2025, United States, cd, discogs.com)

December 15, 2025
In pursuit of food and potable water, Theopompos wandered a quarter mile from the shoreline along a stream. He led Melite to an oasis surrounded on three sides by high cliffs. A thin but steady waterfall cascaded from the heights into a pool. The arrival of the behemoth terrorized the locals who had come to enjoy the shade while gathering water. All scrambled up stone stairs of an ascending ravine to their homes. Two hours later, the bravest among them collected their courage and returned. By then the beast and his keeper had vanished.

written while listening to:  Art Ensemble of Chicago - Sirius Calling (Pi Recordings, PI11, 2004, United States, cd, discogs.com)

December 16, 2025
The travelers came to the southern end of the Salt Sea, where Melite succumbed to despair for she was utterly lost in the wide, desolate world. Without the company of Theopompos she would have collapsed. By means of navigation unknown to her, the behemoth carried Melite one day west across a barren landscape. Venturing after dark into hills, he followed the faint scent of moisture in the air. He brought her to the head waters of the Nahal Beersheba. There he sought its depths while she lay, weighed down by her armor, spangled by starlight face up in the shallows.

written while listening to:  Believe - Spirits of the Dead are Watching (Ramble Records, RAM-191, 2025, Australia, lp, discogs.com)

December 17, 2025
They approached the outskirts of Beersheba. When Theopompos could no longer control his hunger, he trespassed onto the property of a wealthy landowner, putting a hapless servant to flight. Crashing through the barn door, he found a winter store of grain, which he voraciously devoured. It was a meal unsuitable for Auntie Ibis, so the behemoth next wandered to the nearby dwelling, trod over the gate and invited his friend to sample the pantry. She filled a sack with foodstuffs and the bandits made their getaway. Thus did Melite improbably become a thief.

written while listening to:  Air - Air Show No. 1 (Black Saint, BSR 0099, 1986, Italy, lp, discogs.com)

December 18, 2025
The crime weighed heavily on Melite but she ate the food anyway. On the following day, they swam past the confluence with the Besor Stream, when the behemoth grew hungry again. They invaded a second homestead, raiding both silo and the house of the landowner. This time, Melite was somewhat better prepared. She left an armored plate, inlaid with silver, from the hindquarters of Theopompos, as compensation for the food they had otherwise stolen. She accepted that it did not excuse their transgression but it did partially soothe her guilty conscience.

written while listening to:  Chet Baker - Introduces Johnny Pace (Riverside Records, RLP 12-292, 1959, United States, lp, discogs.com)

December 19, 2025
The pair never lingered in any one place, continuing to swim downstream. They moved faster than word of mouth, so the rumor of a mute woman astride a predatory behemoth never preceded them. The local authorities at each crime scene were not spurred to assemble a posse for what they regarded as an isolated and scarcely believable incident. The theft was not repeated, at least not in precincts within their jurisdiction. Three more pieces of armor—from the other hindquarter and both flanks—were similarly left behind before the Besor Stream delivered them to the coast of the Great Sea.

written while listening to:  Hank Mobley - The Flip (Blue Note, BST 84329, 1970, United States, lp, discogs.com)

December 20, 2025
Theopompos chose to follow the coast, not at the beach, but along the inland road maintained by the city states of the Philistines, which it connected. Melite had not thought traveling in the open was possible but each secured the other's safe passage. The sight of the behemoth prevented molestation of a lone woman on the road, while her presence allowed Theopompos to pretend that he was a domesticated, albeit unusual and grossly over-sized, pet. Curious merchants and other Canaanites scurried by when the beast yawned, baring his prodigious tusks.

written while listening to:  John Zorn's Cobra - Tokyo Operations '94 (Avant, AVAN 049, 1995, Japan, cd, discogs.com)

December 21, 2025
She traded with vendors of livestock fodder to feed her companion. Melite managed the exchange without a common language and did so early in the morning, before Theopompos' appetite got the better of him. Too soon all the armor was dispensed, not just that of the behemoth but her cuirass, leg plates and helmet as well. Bartering the last of it was a cause for anxiety since she did not wish to return to the life of a bandit. At the same time, ridding herself of Hazael's unwanted gift also brought relief for it implied freedom; they would not be coerced to fight again.

written while listening to:  Rob Mazurek - Matter Anti-Matter, disc 2 (RogueArt, ROG-0051, 2013, France, cdx2, discogs.com)

December 22, 2025
Unbeknownst to Melite, the inland road became the Way of Horus, a route leading them past the border into the Egyptian desert. Waystations were maintained along this route, vital for military movement and trade. The soldiers deployed in each small fortress emerged as one from the barracks to observe the arrival of the behemoth and its petite rider. Such an unlikely pair had never been seen. Men eagerly volunteered to bring hay for the beast to eat or buckets of water to drink and to pour over its broad back. Wine and delicacies were offered to its silent companion.

written while listening to:  Anthony Braxton - Compositions No. 10 & No. 16 (+101) (hat[now]ART, 108, 1998, Switzerland, cd, discogs.com)

December 23, 2025
Their reception in Egypt caused Melite no small bewilderment. Certainly, she humbly accepted the generosity of the soldiers, for their well-being depended upon it. She could only imagine that a mixture of fear of the behemoth's latent ferocity and reverence for its relation to Taweret caused the men to view her as an emissary of the goddess. Perhaps, she was a divine envoy. Famously uncommunicative, the gods deigned mortals, even those whom they used as earthly instruments, unworthy of comprehensive disclosure of their purpose.

written while listening to:  Miles Davis - Ascenseur Pour L'Échafaud (Fontana, 660.213 MR, 1958, France, 10", discogs.com)

December 24, 2025
Further into Egypt the woman and her bestial companion trod. In appearance, the men reminded Melite of Djedi-Khnet and she wondered if he had yet reached Babylon. She fantasized as she walked of traveling to the city of Bubastis, where, she recalled, dwelt the Cretan mother of the scholar. It would be nice, thought Melite, to find someone with whom she could speak again and to spin a tale of her wandering adventure. However, she continued to allow Theopompos to guide their steps, pursuing a destination hidden behind his inscrutable mien.

written while listening to:  Ahmad Jamal - All of You (Argo, LPS-691, 1962, United States, lp, discogs.com)

December 25, 2025
In time, the two travelers entered the fertile delta of the Nile. Theopompos' pleasure in leaving the desert for the wetlands manifested in long bouts of luxurious wallowing. Absent armor, Melite noted with satisfaction that his arrow wound had healed, leaving just a small scar as a memento of his military campaign, a badge she envied. They avoided settlements for Egyptians knew the behemoth not as a myth but an animal capable of devastating crops. Together they shared the final stage of their sojourn, wading through marshes until the web of smaller branches converged into a single mighty river.

written while listening to:  Loren MazzaCane Connors & Suzanne Langille - Crucible (Black Label, BLACK 4, 1996, United States, cd, discogs.com)

December 26, 2025
So arrived the day when to Melite's ears came the unmistakable grunts and bellows of a herd of behemoths. Skittish of his own kind, Theopompos wisely kept his distance for the dominant male warily eyed him and his odd-looking passenger. The pair safely passed through this territory and others like it until Theopompos found a group of young bachelors who expressed a benign curiosity at his appearance. Perched atop his broad back, Auntie Ibis had a uniquely privileged vantage as boisterous introductions were made. Only passing interest did she merit.

written while listening to:  KK Null - Terminal Beach (Manifold, MANCD13, 1996, United States, cd, discogs.com)