July 21, 2010 was the last day I saw my father alive. I wrote a blog entry at 436am on July 22, 2010 because I had a lot on my mind about my dad and was extremely worried about his inability to breathe. It bothered me when I saw him in the hospital on July 21st. It was difficult watching him gasp for air as he removed his oxygen mask to eat his dinner. It was painful for me to see him struggle to breathe.
By 815am on July 22, 2010 my father was dead. My mother called me at work around 915am and told me that I needed to get to the hospital because they had called and told her that they thought dad had a heart attack and were working on him. Thankfully, and I am forever thankful for this, my Judge drove me to the hospital. I arrived before my mother and was informed by the managing nurse that dad was gone. The hospital sent a taxi to pick up my mom because they didn't want her driving down to the hospital but they hadn't told her that he had died. I couldn't believe it! He wasn't supposed to die, he looked fine on July 21st. The only issue was the breathing, otherwise his color had returned and he was eating real food and was able to keep it all down. He was even watching TV and laughing at the show that was on.
By the time mom arrived, I had been there close to 40 minutes. The hospital chaplain and social worker sat with me, which I am very appreciative of. My dad's internist also sat with me while I waited for mom, her name is Dr. Crabtree. She is very nice. Actually everyone at the hospital was extremely nice! When mom arrived, she saw me as Dr. Crabtree led her into the visitor waiting room and she knew. It was all over my face. I think I was more devastated for her, my father was the love of my mother's life. They had been married 38 years and one month when he died. It's rare that people stay together that long anymore and my parents had a really great love affair.
We were taken into dad's room to see him. I can't really get the image of dad out of my head, his body laying there on the bed. He was cold to the touch but I kept thinking that at any moment he'd take a deep breath and open his eyes and smile at us. I kept thinking I saw his chest move, but then I'd blink and reality would set in again. my eyes were playing tricks on me. My mother was able to call our good friend, CC, who contacted her son, Andrew and both came to the hospital. Andrew got to us first, and it was really great having him there! Dad's clinical drug trial oncologist, Dr. Henshaw, came and spoke to my mom about a recent CAT scan result -- dad's cancer had spread to his bones, there were tumors in his spine. It seems the trial drug didn't work for him.
We started making phone calls. Nana called my mom (because she had called her, right after the hospital called and Nana wasn't able to get the phone) and I told Nana that dad was gone. She said for mom to call her later. Then, mom had to call Granny Wheez (Louise, my dad's mother) and she hesitated. I knew this was going to be a difficult call for her, and she dialed and got Louise on the phone but wasn't completely able to give Louise the details, so I took mom's phone from her and went into the hallway to tell Louise that dad, her son, was gone. CC and Andrew also made calls to Steve (husband/dad) to let him know what happened and that mom was going to need his assistance with preparing for dad's funeral.
I also made some calls, during the course of the day both while we were at the hospital as well as once I got home. I called my Judge and let him know that my father had died. I then called my godparents, Charlie and Jan, and left messages for both of them. That was a difficult call for me, the one to Charlie. He's my father's best friend and I just couldn't believe I was delivering this kind of news to him. I then called my best friend Christine, and left a message for her. Her phone was off and I knew she was deeply involved in the funeral for her own mother, who passed away on July 15th. I hated having to tell her my news. I had purposely not told her that my father was in the hospital because I knew she was mourning the loss of her mother and I didn't want to stress her out. I figured dad would get out of the hospital that Sunday, July 24th so there was no reason for me to stress her out. Then, he was gone and I knew I had to tell her! After Christine, I called Pastor Bruce and Mary, telling them about dad and giving them my mother's cellular and home phone numbers so they could get in touch with her about the service.
On July 23rd, thanks to CC's diligence, we went to an appointment at Olinger Mortuary. CC had made several phone calls shortly after arriving at the hospital on July 22nd and she got a list together of people who would assist with the funeral at the USAFA cemetery. So, we met with Stan, who was so compassionate and sincere and very helpful. He was just very HUMAN! It was a nice experience, working with him to pick dad's urn. My father wanted to be cremated and we picked out a really beautiful urn, I think he would have really liked it if he had been picking it out himself.
I am so very grateful for the staff and doctors at Presbyterian-St. Lukes hospital. They were very kind and gentle when delivering the news to both myself and my mother. I am very glad that United Airlines gave my mother and CC special security passes so they could get to the gate to meet my sister when her flight landed. I am so grateful for Stan at Olinger Mortuary, he was so nice! I owe a huge thanks to Steve, CC and Andrew. They've known us forever (Steve and Dad were classmates) and I think mom, my sis and I would have been lost without their help!
We buried my father on July 30th at the United States Air Force Academy cemetery. He was buried with full military honors. He received the 21 Gun Salute and Taps was played. Even though we were authorized to have it, unfortunately the Missing Man flyby did not happen. My mother was given the US flag and the commander who gave it to her said "On behalf of the President of the United States and a grateful nation it is my honor to present you with this US flag" and he saluted her. That broke my heart! My mother is a widow! Of all the things in this world that I think are grossly unfair, the biggest is that my mother is a widow at the age of 61!
I knew that one day my father would die. It's part of our life cycle: birth, growth, death. I just didn't think he'd be gone this quickly or suddenly. He looked fine Wednesday night when I saw him. I thought we had a few more years with him. I was really looking forward to telling him how I did in a writing contest I entered (I won't know where I stand until October/November). I was hoping to see him play with at least one grandchild (neither my sister nor I have children yet). I wanted to throw a huge 40th Wedding Anniversary party for my parents. I just thought I had more time with him.
It's been a difficult month. I'm not doing okay, although I tell people that I am. I am pretty damn good actress, I should get a freaking Oscar! I'm going to go see a counselor and I know it will help. I do need help with my grief. I need to heal.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
My dad
My father is currently in the hospital. He is having issues with his breathing and the internist is having difficulties pin-pointing what is going on with him. My father is 61 years old and is battling cancer for a third time within a 4 year period.
My father was first diagnosed with cancer in September 2006. The cancer was in his bladder and his oncologist took out his bladder, building a new one out of a part of his intestine. My father recovered faster than expected and his new bladder proved strong and stable. We were all extremely happy and relieved. After being on medical leave, he was able to go back to work in April 2007. My father loves his job -- he's a pilot. He flew in the Air Force for 20 years, retired and immediately went to fly for the airlines. I'm not going to name the airline here, it's name isn't important. What is important is that my father was living his dream and loving every minute of it.
So, in March 2009 my father felt some lumps in his groin area when he urinated and made an appointment with his doctor to see what it might be. I have to admit, my hope was that it was just a build-up of scar tissue that could be removed and nothing more. On my father's 60th birthday, he informed me that his cancer was back. I was really upset by that news. I had convinced myself that it was just scar tissue and had refused to even let the idea of cancer trickle back into my head. So, his oncologist started him on chemotherapy and radiation. This cancer was pretty aggressive. It spread from his groin to his shoulder, spine and lymph nodes -- this usually indicates terminal cancer. The doctor got more aggressive with the chemo and radiation and my father was at the cancer center 3 days a week. He had side effects off and on during his treatment. By June 2009, the tumors were completely gone but the oncologist had concerns about stopping treatment, so my father continued. In February 2010, the oncologist decided that dad had been doing chemo and radiation long enough and the tumors had not returned so he stopped treatment. We all thought dad was in remission and things would go back to normal. During that treatment period, my father medically retired from the airlines, retiring from his dream 5 years before the mandatory retirement age of 65.
April 2010 dad's cancer came back. This time it was in his liver and wasn't moving. Even though the oncologist had stopped the treatments, he hadn't stopped the regular scans. My father had a routine PET scan and that's when they found the tumors. So, the oncologist and my dad started getting things set up for him to enter into a clinical trial for a new cancer drug. My father was accepted into the clinical trial and initially had a really great beginning. His 2 week check-up was really good and his bloodwork was really great! Then, last week (the week of July 12, 2010) dad started vomiting. He had some days where he kept stuff down, and he had some days where he didn't. By Thursday of that week, he was feeling a little better and actually went to the movies. But by late Sunday night/early Monday morning, he was in a lot of pain and having trouble breathing. He had an appointment at the clinical trial center so he and my mom did their best to make him comfortable until his appointment time. Upon arriving at the cancer center, dad was put on oxygen, checked by the oncologist and rushed to the ER of the nearby Presbyterian St. Lukes Hospital. By 4pm Monday, July 19, 2010 my father had been admitted as a patient and was on 24/7 oxygen. The ER doctors, internist and my father's oncologist all believed there was a blood clot somewhere in his body, which was causing the oxygen issues and the pain. He was placed on Heparin and Coumadin to break down the clot. He's been at the hospital ever since.
It's hard seeing my father struggle for air. He's 61 years old and has always been a strong man and now cancer has brought him down. I hate that! I'm very angry over a lot of things with this cancer and am feeling extremely desperate. I know that science and medicine make huge advancements every day. I know that every day, new cancer drugs are tested and developed and put before the FDA for human clinical trials. My father is in one of those. Right now he can't continue in the trial until his oxygen levels are normal. All of the x-rays and CAT scans show no clot, so why can't he breathe? He doesn't have pneumonia, so why can't he breathe? What the hell is going on? Why can't he breathe? I don't get it at all!
I haven't been able to sleep. I went to bed at about 1030pm last night (July 21) and was awakened by a motorcycle revving its engine outside my building at 1230am (July 22), dozed off and was awakened again by the complex's sprinkler system at 230am and I've been awake ever since. I decided to get up and try to workout but I couldn't focus so I half-assed a 20 minute Brazilian Body workout and did 15 minutes of yoga. I haven't had a good night's sleep in a year. I'd like to be able to go to bed at 9pm and not wake up again until my alarm went off, but for some reason that hasn't happened. I'm troubled by concerns over my father, my disappointment with my job and a failing relationship with my sister. Having my father in the hospital right now is not really helping my peace of mind or my stress. Right now, I feel extremely low and extremely alone. Cancer sucks! I don't really think I can handle losing anymore loved ones to it so if there is a someone out there reading this, if you could add your prayers and positive thoughts to mine, I'd greatly appreciate it!
My father was first diagnosed with cancer in September 2006. The cancer was in his bladder and his oncologist took out his bladder, building a new one out of a part of his intestine. My father recovered faster than expected and his new bladder proved strong and stable. We were all extremely happy and relieved. After being on medical leave, he was able to go back to work in April 2007. My father loves his job -- he's a pilot. He flew in the Air Force for 20 years, retired and immediately went to fly for the airlines. I'm not going to name the airline here, it's name isn't important. What is important is that my father was living his dream and loving every minute of it.
So, in March 2009 my father felt some lumps in his groin area when he urinated and made an appointment with his doctor to see what it might be. I have to admit, my hope was that it was just a build-up of scar tissue that could be removed and nothing more. On my father's 60th birthday, he informed me that his cancer was back. I was really upset by that news. I had convinced myself that it was just scar tissue and had refused to even let the idea of cancer trickle back into my head. So, his oncologist started him on chemotherapy and radiation. This cancer was pretty aggressive. It spread from his groin to his shoulder, spine and lymph nodes -- this usually indicates terminal cancer. The doctor got more aggressive with the chemo and radiation and my father was at the cancer center 3 days a week. He had side effects off and on during his treatment. By June 2009, the tumors were completely gone but the oncologist had concerns about stopping treatment, so my father continued. In February 2010, the oncologist decided that dad had been doing chemo and radiation long enough and the tumors had not returned so he stopped treatment. We all thought dad was in remission and things would go back to normal. During that treatment period, my father medically retired from the airlines, retiring from his dream 5 years before the mandatory retirement age of 65.
April 2010 dad's cancer came back. This time it was in his liver and wasn't moving. Even though the oncologist had stopped the treatments, he hadn't stopped the regular scans. My father had a routine PET scan and that's when they found the tumors. So, the oncologist and my dad started getting things set up for him to enter into a clinical trial for a new cancer drug. My father was accepted into the clinical trial and initially had a really great beginning. His 2 week check-up was really good and his bloodwork was really great! Then, last week (the week of July 12, 2010) dad started vomiting. He had some days where he kept stuff down, and he had some days where he didn't. By Thursday of that week, he was feeling a little better and actually went to the movies. But by late Sunday night/early Monday morning, he was in a lot of pain and having trouble breathing. He had an appointment at the clinical trial center so he and my mom did their best to make him comfortable until his appointment time. Upon arriving at the cancer center, dad was put on oxygen, checked by the oncologist and rushed to the ER of the nearby Presbyterian St. Lukes Hospital. By 4pm Monday, July 19, 2010 my father had been admitted as a patient and was on 24/7 oxygen. The ER doctors, internist and my father's oncologist all believed there was a blood clot somewhere in his body, which was causing the oxygen issues and the pain. He was placed on Heparin and Coumadin to break down the clot. He's been at the hospital ever since.
It's hard seeing my father struggle for air. He's 61 years old and has always been a strong man and now cancer has brought him down. I hate that! I'm very angry over a lot of things with this cancer and am feeling extremely desperate. I know that science and medicine make huge advancements every day. I know that every day, new cancer drugs are tested and developed and put before the FDA for human clinical trials. My father is in one of those. Right now he can't continue in the trial until his oxygen levels are normal. All of the x-rays and CAT scans show no clot, so why can't he breathe? He doesn't have pneumonia, so why can't he breathe? What the hell is going on? Why can't he breathe? I don't get it at all!
I haven't been able to sleep. I went to bed at about 1030pm last night (July 21) and was awakened by a motorcycle revving its engine outside my building at 1230am (July 22), dozed off and was awakened again by the complex's sprinkler system at 230am and I've been awake ever since. I decided to get up and try to workout but I couldn't focus so I half-assed a 20 minute Brazilian Body workout and did 15 minutes of yoga. I haven't had a good night's sleep in a year. I'd like to be able to go to bed at 9pm and not wake up again until my alarm went off, but for some reason that hasn't happened. I'm troubled by concerns over my father, my disappointment with my job and a failing relationship with my sister. Having my father in the hospital right now is not really helping my peace of mind or my stress. Right now, I feel extremely low and extremely alone. Cancer sucks! I don't really think I can handle losing anymore loved ones to it so if there is a someone out there reading this, if you could add your prayers and positive thoughts to mine, I'd greatly appreciate it!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Training
I have started training for a 5K -- the Skirt Sports Skirt Chaser 5K to be held on August 28th in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver. I have never really trained for a 5K before and I have only walked in one, the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure back in 2007. I am actually very excited about my training though. I'm actually part of a team and have received a complete training program that breaks down training each week for 7 weeks. I am now in Week 2.
Back in June, I decided to apply to be part of Team Kick Start through the Skirt Sports website. I am pretty out of shape for a 34 year old woman. I can't really tell when the last time was that I worked out. I'm really disappointed in my sedentary lifestyle. I used to be a ballet dancer, I took lessons for 10 years. I used to love dancing but then I sort of lost the desire to dance and perform and started sitting and reading a lot. I read a lot of books, I enjoy fiction and non-fiction. So, instead of working out I grabbed a book and sat on the couch with a cup of tea and read. I also knit and crochet, which are also very sedentary hobbies. So, I'm lazy. Well, April of this year my father found out his cancer was back for a third time in a 4 year period. I got angry! I was pissed that daddy's cancer was back again! He had only been in remission 10 months this time around and it was back! I wanted to hit something! Then, I sat down and calmed down and took a long hard look at myself. I have a family history of cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. My paternal grandmother had a triple bypass in December 2008. My paternal grandfather was diagnosed with diabetes about 5 years ago. My maternal grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 88 then went on oxygen for emphysema and passed away in November 2009 at the age of 93. My maternal grandmother suffers from high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure. Actually, all of my grandparents have the cholesterol and blood pressure issues. So, knowing that there is all of this stuff in my family and that my father has cancer again, I decided I needed to take action with my own body.
So, I applied for Team Kick Start. I wasn't really expecting to be picked and then I got the email -- I'm part of the team. Wow! I had an intense moment of excitement and then a lingering moment of fear. Am I going to be able to succeed? Am I going to meet my goal to start having a healthier lifestyle? Boy, I certainly hope so. My goal with this 5K is to be able to walk it at a good pace that gets my heart rate up and my body sweating and feel really good and exhilarated when I cross the finish line. If I manage to comfortable walk 5K during my training weeks, I might even try to add some running, but right now I'm walking. I'm feeling really great! I'm actually looking forward to getting home and walking around the lake at Clement Park in the evenings (even though it has been extremely hot, with temps in the 90s and even 100). I'm doing yoga at home in the mornings. Boy, yoga is harder than I thought, but I like it!
Onward and upward is all I can say right now! I have every intention of walking this 5K in 1 hour or less and crossing that finish line with a huge smile on my face and tons of joy, pleasure and excitement. I am NOT going to cross that line exhausted, gasping for air! I will succeed and I will keep the training going, I will keep walking as part of my life and eventually add running to it. There are two books that have been recommended by the Team Personal Motivators that I am going to purchase: ChiWalking and ChiRunning. I think they both are going to open my mind to whole new ways of looking at walking and running.
Next stop: Boulder Running Company to have my stride examined and to purchase new sneakers!
Back in June, I decided to apply to be part of Team Kick Start through the Skirt Sports website. I am pretty out of shape for a 34 year old woman. I can't really tell when the last time was that I worked out. I'm really disappointed in my sedentary lifestyle. I used to be a ballet dancer, I took lessons for 10 years. I used to love dancing but then I sort of lost the desire to dance and perform and started sitting and reading a lot. I read a lot of books, I enjoy fiction and non-fiction. So, instead of working out I grabbed a book and sat on the couch with a cup of tea and read. I also knit and crochet, which are also very sedentary hobbies. So, I'm lazy. Well, April of this year my father found out his cancer was back for a third time in a 4 year period. I got angry! I was pissed that daddy's cancer was back again! He had only been in remission 10 months this time around and it was back! I wanted to hit something! Then, I sat down and calmed down and took a long hard look at myself. I have a family history of cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. My paternal grandmother had a triple bypass in December 2008. My paternal grandfather was diagnosed with diabetes about 5 years ago. My maternal grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 88 then went on oxygen for emphysema and passed away in November 2009 at the age of 93. My maternal grandmother suffers from high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure. Actually, all of my grandparents have the cholesterol and blood pressure issues. So, knowing that there is all of this stuff in my family and that my father has cancer again, I decided I needed to take action with my own body.
So, I applied for Team Kick Start. I wasn't really expecting to be picked and then I got the email -- I'm part of the team. Wow! I had an intense moment of excitement and then a lingering moment of fear. Am I going to be able to succeed? Am I going to meet my goal to start having a healthier lifestyle? Boy, I certainly hope so. My goal with this 5K is to be able to walk it at a good pace that gets my heart rate up and my body sweating and feel really good and exhilarated when I cross the finish line. If I manage to comfortable walk 5K during my training weeks, I might even try to add some running, but right now I'm walking. I'm feeling really great! I'm actually looking forward to getting home and walking around the lake at Clement Park in the evenings (even though it has been extremely hot, with temps in the 90s and even 100). I'm doing yoga at home in the mornings. Boy, yoga is harder than I thought, but I like it!
Onward and upward is all I can say right now! I have every intention of walking this 5K in 1 hour or less and crossing that finish line with a huge smile on my face and tons of joy, pleasure and excitement. I am NOT going to cross that line exhausted, gasping for air! I will succeed and I will keep the training going, I will keep walking as part of my life and eventually add running to it. There are two books that have been recommended by the Team Personal Motivators that I am going to purchase: ChiWalking and ChiRunning. I think they both are going to open my mind to whole new ways of looking at walking and running.
Next stop: Boulder Running Company to have my stride examined and to purchase new sneakers!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Books
Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.
4) Tally your total at the bottom.
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen x+
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien x
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte x+
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling x+
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee x+
6 The Bible x
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte x
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell x
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman x
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens x
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott x+
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy *
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller *
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare x+ (took a Shakespeare class in class)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier x
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien x+
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger x
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger x+
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot *
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell x
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald x
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy *
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy x
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky *
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck x
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll x+
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame x
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy *
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens x
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis x+
34 Emma - Jane Austen *
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen *
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis x+
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini x+
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden x
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne x
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell x
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown x
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving *
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery x+
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood x+
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding x
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel *
52 Dune - Frank Herbert *
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen x
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens x
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley x
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon x
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck x
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov x
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold x+
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding x+
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie x
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville x
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker x+
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett x+
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson *
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath *
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray *
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens x
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker x
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro *
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert *
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White x+
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn x+
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle x
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad x
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams *
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole x
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas *
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare x
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl x+
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo x
UPDATE: I've read 55 of 100. Yep, I've missed my calling as a book reviewer! :)
Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.
4) Tally your total at the bottom.
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen x+
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien x
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte x+
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling x+
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee x+
6 The Bible x
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte x
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell x
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman x
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens x
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott x+
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy *
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller *
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare x+ (took a Shakespeare class in class)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier x
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien x+
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger x
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger x+
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot *
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell x
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald x
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy *
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy x
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky *
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck x
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll x+
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame x
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy *
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens x
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis x+
34 Emma - Jane Austen *
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen *
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis x+
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini x+
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden x
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne x
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell x
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown x
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving *
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery x+
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood x+
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding x
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel *
52 Dune - Frank Herbert *
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen x
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens x
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley x
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon x
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck x
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov x
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold x+
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding x+
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie x
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville x
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker x+
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett x+
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson *
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath *
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray *
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens x
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker x
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro *
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert *
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White x+
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn x+
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle x
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad x
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams *
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole x
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas *
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare x
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl x+
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo x
UPDATE: I've read 55 of 100. Yep, I've missed my calling as a book reviewer! :)
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Why Parents Drink
(This was sent to me by a friend and totally made my day)
A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an
Envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed to 'Dad.'
With the worst premonition he opened the envelope
with trembling hands and read the letter.
Dear Dad:
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you.
I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice.
But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercing, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it' s not only the passion...Dad she's pregnant.
Stacy said that we will be very happy.
She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children.
Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone.
We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy.
In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so
Stacy can get better. She deserves it.
Don't worry Dad. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself.
Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can
get to know your grandchildren.
Love, Your Son John
PS. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Tommy's house.
I Just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than a Report card That's in my center desk drawer.
I love you.
Call me when it's safe to come home.
A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an
Envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed to 'Dad.'
With the worst premonition he opened the envelope
with trembling hands and read the letter.
Dear Dad:
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you.
I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice.
But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercing, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it' s not only the passion...Dad she's pregnant.
Stacy said that we will be very happy.
She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children.
Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone.
We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy.
In the meantime we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so
Stacy can get better. She deserves it.
Don't worry Dad. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself.
Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can
get to know your grandchildren.
Love, Your Son John
PS. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at Tommy's house.
I Just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than a Report card That's in my center desk drawer.
I love you.
Call me when it's safe to come home.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Untitled Story -- Chapter 3
Wow, 2 posts in one day! My goodness, I must be feeling ambitious today. Well, here's another chapter. Enjoy ~ TLN
Chapter 3
“Alyra”
I walked into Maxus’ room and sat on the floor. There were tufts of fur on the floor and I grabbed one, running it through my fingers. Maxus sat on his bed, in wolf form, and wagged his tail, his tongue hanging out. He whimpered, then lowered his head onto his paws and looked at me.
“You’re shedding. Maybe I should brush you. That would probably help. You’ll have to come onto the floor though; I don’t think it will look good having all this fur on your bed. Come here.” I patted my leg.
Maxus jumped off the bed and walked over to me. He lay down in front of me; placing his head on his paws and snorted. I got up and walked to his dresser, grabbed the brush, then sat back down on the floor. I ran my fingers along his fur while I brushed, sighing to myself. He perked up his ears, and rolled his eyes towards me.
“I’m tired of being here Maxus. I need to go to the surface and do something. I think I’ve outgrown this world.”
Maxus whimpered and raised his head, his eyes speaking volumes.
“You can come with me, Maxus. We can live together just the two of us. We can go someplace far away from Egypt and away from the Pharaoh and the Queen. Let’s just go.” I kissed his muzzle and hugged him. He sighed and moved closer to me. Just like a big dog.
@
I carried a small bag towards the exit of the Underworld, with the goal of entering the upper world. I knew the sun had just set up there, and I had the intention of leaving the safety of the Underworld in order to begin my own life, and have my own family.
Argus grabbed my arm. “Where do you think you’re going, young lady?”
“I want to go to the surface. I need to expand, Argus, and I can’t do that down here.”
“You weren’t going to say good-bye?”
“I just wanted to go without a lot of drama. I couldn’t even say good-bye to my own brother, he cried when I told him I wanted to leave. I just can’t deal with all the tears, so I thought it would be best to just go.”
Argus looked at me. He sighed, lowered his head and looked at his feet. He pulled a necklace out of his pocket and placed it around my neck. “This is for your protection. If at any time you need help, just rub it, alright?”
“Yes, thank you.” I kissed Argus on the cheek then headed up the stairs. I didn’t look back.
I entered the world in the moonlight. I smelled the cool air and looked around. Egypt had changed while I was in the underworld with Malcolm. There were pyramids and sphinxes and images of the Pharaoh. I went to the area that was familiar to me, the homes of the slaves.
As I walked through the streets, a strange odor approached my nostrils. I looked around and saw streaks of blood on the doors. I wasn’t sure what it meant, I didn’t remember the slaves doing this on other occasions and thought maybe it was a new religious ritual.
I approached one of the homes and knocked at the door. I heard rustling inside but no one came to the door. I knocked again, and then whispered through the cracks.
“It’s Nontle’s daughter. I have returned and was hoping for someplace to stay just for one day. Be not afraid, please.”
“Nontle’s daughter? Asherah, you’ve returned?” The door opened a crack, and I saw a pair of black eyes staring at me. “Asherah, come in, hurry. We must lock our doors tonight for the Angel of Death is coming.” A hand reached out and pulled me into the small shack.
I found myself staring at Hagar, but she was much older than I remembered her. She cared for my mother the first time the Queen had her whipped. I remembered her kind eyes and soft hands. I also remembered the way she smelled, like lavender. She smiled at me, and took my hands in hers.
“We all thought you and your brother were dead. You never came back from the river and those guards were dead. It’s been so quiet without the two of you around, your laughter always made us feel warm inside. Where have you been?”
“I have been away. I’m back. I’m different. Jelani is also different. He remained behind. He didn’t want to come back with me. I just need someplace to stay until tomorrow night. May I stay here, with you?”
“Of course, my dear. You may stay.” She hugged and kissed me, pulling me to her, and then she gasped. Everyone in the house gasped. There was a strange wind outside the door and an eerie light. We heard the whisper of voices, and then the light disappeared. I went to the window and peeked through a small crack, seeing no one.
“What was that?”
“The Angel of Death, Moses said the angel would come to take the life of all of the first born sons of Egypt. All of the Jews were to paint their doors with lamb’s blood and the Angel would pass over us. God is punishing Ramses.”
“Ramses is the Pharaoh? Then there is a new Queen?” I looked at Hagar.
“There is a new Queen. Ramses’ mother is still alive as well. Ramses is worse than his father; he is brutal to the slaves. He does not care if we live or die or starve. Moses has come to save us from slavery and take us to the Promised Land.”
“What else has Moses done? Wait, I thought Moses and Ramses were brothers.”
“Well, that’s a long story, but I’ll give you the condensed version. The Pharaoh started killing Jewish boys because of a prophecy he heard. Well, a baby floated into the Queen’s room and she adopted him, calling him Moses and raising him as Ramses’ younger brother. The boys grew up together and were very competitive. Well, one day Moses accidentally killed a guard who was punishing one of the slaves. Moses left out of guilt. Years later, he returned, stating that God had spoken to him and he was ordered to get God’s people out of slavery. When Ramses refused to comply with Moses’ requests, Moses told him God would punish him. There have been plagues.”
“Plagues?” I looked at her, wondering how long Maxus and I had been gone.
A little girl crawled over to me, and touched my hair. “Yes, plagues. Locusts, frogs, boils, dead livestock, fire raining from the sky and now the killing of the first born sons. Moses is going to free us. You should come too.” I looked into her innocent eyes.
“Hagar, I can’t come with you. I need to tell you something about me. I just don’t want to scare the child.”
“Adah, go to sleep, I think the worst is over.” Hagar ushered the little girl to her corner, where she laid down on a mat and wrapped her arms around her brother. “What do you need to tell me, girl?”
“We changed our names. I’m Alyra and my brother now goes by Maxus. We were taken away by a man named Malcolm. He took us to a world beneath this one. There were all kinds of creatures down there, creatures I didn’t know existed. Malcolm is a vampire. We lived with other vampires and werewolves, witches, and other creatures that I don’t even know the names of. Maxus is a werewolf. I’m a vampire.”
Hagar looked at me, her eyes meeting mine. She ran her hand along my cheek and curled my hair around her fingers.
“You feel cold, like death. You’ll need someplace dark to sleep. Before sunrise, we will bury you in the ground. It will be better there for you, dark and damp. As soon as we are sure the Angel has completely passed over all of our homes, I will get some of the men together and we will dig a deep hole for you. I’ll give you this wrap; you keep it until you rise. You’ll be safe, I promise.” Hagar kissed me on the forehead and held me tight.
It was amazing to me the way the slaves accepted me. I couldn’t believe how calm they were. It was either because they were used to the evil in the world or their faith was so strong, they knew their god would protect them from me. I had no reason to harm them. I remembered how good they were to my mother, brother and I and for that I held no ill will towards them. Hagar called upon four men and told them she needed a deep grave dug. They looked upon me, felt the coolness of my skin, and then went to work. The grave was dug and I was placed inside just as the sun began to rise. I felt the dirt fall onto my body, and pulled Hagar’s wrap over my face. The sun, even in its weakened state, was burning me. The men had me completely covered just as the full strength of the rising sun touched the ground.
Although I was asleep, I heard the voices of the slaves above me. I heard the voices of the soldiers as they ran through the streets, looking for Moses. The Pharaoh’s only son was dead. I heard the tremor in the voices of the slaves and I was eager to be with them. Moses sounded like a great man, I wanted to meet him, wanted to introduce him to Malcolm and Maxus and Argus. Great men should meet and share their ideas. I was beginning to like the God of the Jews; he wanted to punish those who did wrong against his people. I also wanted to hurt those who had hurt my mother and the other slaves when I was a child in the Pharaoh’s palace. I promised God I would do good on Earth if He protected me. I waited for the sun to set.
@
When I pushed my way through the soil, I had to shake the dirt from my hair. I climbed out of the grave, and pulled Hagar’s wrap around me. I walked into Hagar’s home and looked around. Adah sat in a corner, holding a doll in her hands.
“Hi, Adah, where’s Hagar?”
“She’s with the others. Moses is asking everyone to leave.”
“Show me, please.” I held my hand out to Hagar. She rose from her mat and took my hand, leading me down the road to where everyone was. I let go of Adah’s hand as we approached the group and pushed her gently towards Hagar. I listened as the crowd argued back and forth about following Moses. It was decided they would pack their belongings and go, leaving the Pharaoh and slavery for freedom. I caught Hagar’s eye, and smiled. I was not going to go with them. I turned and walked away.
@@@
Chapter 3
“Alyra”
I walked into Maxus’ room and sat on the floor. There were tufts of fur on the floor and I grabbed one, running it through my fingers. Maxus sat on his bed, in wolf form, and wagged his tail, his tongue hanging out. He whimpered, then lowered his head onto his paws and looked at me.
“You’re shedding. Maybe I should brush you. That would probably help. You’ll have to come onto the floor though; I don’t think it will look good having all this fur on your bed. Come here.” I patted my leg.
Maxus jumped off the bed and walked over to me. He lay down in front of me; placing his head on his paws and snorted. I got up and walked to his dresser, grabbed the brush, then sat back down on the floor. I ran my fingers along his fur while I brushed, sighing to myself. He perked up his ears, and rolled his eyes towards me.
“I’m tired of being here Maxus. I need to go to the surface and do something. I think I’ve outgrown this world.”
Maxus whimpered and raised his head, his eyes speaking volumes.
“You can come with me, Maxus. We can live together just the two of us. We can go someplace far away from Egypt and away from the Pharaoh and the Queen. Let’s just go.” I kissed his muzzle and hugged him. He sighed and moved closer to me. Just like a big dog.
@
I carried a small bag towards the exit of the Underworld, with the goal of entering the upper world. I knew the sun had just set up there, and I had the intention of leaving the safety of the Underworld in order to begin my own life, and have my own family.
Argus grabbed my arm. “Where do you think you’re going, young lady?”
“I want to go to the surface. I need to expand, Argus, and I can’t do that down here.”
“You weren’t going to say good-bye?”
“I just wanted to go without a lot of drama. I couldn’t even say good-bye to my own brother, he cried when I told him I wanted to leave. I just can’t deal with all the tears, so I thought it would be best to just go.”
Argus looked at me. He sighed, lowered his head and looked at his feet. He pulled a necklace out of his pocket and placed it around my neck. “This is for your protection. If at any time you need help, just rub it, alright?”
“Yes, thank you.” I kissed Argus on the cheek then headed up the stairs. I didn’t look back.
I entered the world in the moonlight. I smelled the cool air and looked around. Egypt had changed while I was in the underworld with Malcolm. There were pyramids and sphinxes and images of the Pharaoh. I went to the area that was familiar to me, the homes of the slaves.
As I walked through the streets, a strange odor approached my nostrils. I looked around and saw streaks of blood on the doors. I wasn’t sure what it meant, I didn’t remember the slaves doing this on other occasions and thought maybe it was a new religious ritual.
I approached one of the homes and knocked at the door. I heard rustling inside but no one came to the door. I knocked again, and then whispered through the cracks.
“It’s Nontle’s daughter. I have returned and was hoping for someplace to stay just for one day. Be not afraid, please.”
“Nontle’s daughter? Asherah, you’ve returned?” The door opened a crack, and I saw a pair of black eyes staring at me. “Asherah, come in, hurry. We must lock our doors tonight for the Angel of Death is coming.” A hand reached out and pulled me into the small shack.
I found myself staring at Hagar, but she was much older than I remembered her. She cared for my mother the first time the Queen had her whipped. I remembered her kind eyes and soft hands. I also remembered the way she smelled, like lavender. She smiled at me, and took my hands in hers.
“We all thought you and your brother were dead. You never came back from the river and those guards were dead. It’s been so quiet without the two of you around, your laughter always made us feel warm inside. Where have you been?”
“I have been away. I’m back. I’m different. Jelani is also different. He remained behind. He didn’t want to come back with me. I just need someplace to stay until tomorrow night. May I stay here, with you?”
“Of course, my dear. You may stay.” She hugged and kissed me, pulling me to her, and then she gasped. Everyone in the house gasped. There was a strange wind outside the door and an eerie light. We heard the whisper of voices, and then the light disappeared. I went to the window and peeked through a small crack, seeing no one.
“What was that?”
“The Angel of Death, Moses said the angel would come to take the life of all of the first born sons of Egypt. All of the Jews were to paint their doors with lamb’s blood and the Angel would pass over us. God is punishing Ramses.”
“Ramses is the Pharaoh? Then there is a new Queen?” I looked at Hagar.
“There is a new Queen. Ramses’ mother is still alive as well. Ramses is worse than his father; he is brutal to the slaves. He does not care if we live or die or starve. Moses has come to save us from slavery and take us to the Promised Land.”
“What else has Moses done? Wait, I thought Moses and Ramses were brothers.”
“Well, that’s a long story, but I’ll give you the condensed version. The Pharaoh started killing Jewish boys because of a prophecy he heard. Well, a baby floated into the Queen’s room and she adopted him, calling him Moses and raising him as Ramses’ younger brother. The boys grew up together and were very competitive. Well, one day Moses accidentally killed a guard who was punishing one of the slaves. Moses left out of guilt. Years later, he returned, stating that God had spoken to him and he was ordered to get God’s people out of slavery. When Ramses refused to comply with Moses’ requests, Moses told him God would punish him. There have been plagues.”
“Plagues?” I looked at her, wondering how long Maxus and I had been gone.
A little girl crawled over to me, and touched my hair. “Yes, plagues. Locusts, frogs, boils, dead livestock, fire raining from the sky and now the killing of the first born sons. Moses is going to free us. You should come too.” I looked into her innocent eyes.
“Hagar, I can’t come with you. I need to tell you something about me. I just don’t want to scare the child.”
“Adah, go to sleep, I think the worst is over.” Hagar ushered the little girl to her corner, where she laid down on a mat and wrapped her arms around her brother. “What do you need to tell me, girl?”
“We changed our names. I’m Alyra and my brother now goes by Maxus. We were taken away by a man named Malcolm. He took us to a world beneath this one. There were all kinds of creatures down there, creatures I didn’t know existed. Malcolm is a vampire. We lived with other vampires and werewolves, witches, and other creatures that I don’t even know the names of. Maxus is a werewolf. I’m a vampire.”
Hagar looked at me, her eyes meeting mine. She ran her hand along my cheek and curled my hair around her fingers.
“You feel cold, like death. You’ll need someplace dark to sleep. Before sunrise, we will bury you in the ground. It will be better there for you, dark and damp. As soon as we are sure the Angel has completely passed over all of our homes, I will get some of the men together and we will dig a deep hole for you. I’ll give you this wrap; you keep it until you rise. You’ll be safe, I promise.” Hagar kissed me on the forehead and held me tight.
It was amazing to me the way the slaves accepted me. I couldn’t believe how calm they were. It was either because they were used to the evil in the world or their faith was so strong, they knew their god would protect them from me. I had no reason to harm them. I remembered how good they were to my mother, brother and I and for that I held no ill will towards them. Hagar called upon four men and told them she needed a deep grave dug. They looked upon me, felt the coolness of my skin, and then went to work. The grave was dug and I was placed inside just as the sun began to rise. I felt the dirt fall onto my body, and pulled Hagar’s wrap over my face. The sun, even in its weakened state, was burning me. The men had me completely covered just as the full strength of the rising sun touched the ground.
Although I was asleep, I heard the voices of the slaves above me. I heard the voices of the soldiers as they ran through the streets, looking for Moses. The Pharaoh’s only son was dead. I heard the tremor in the voices of the slaves and I was eager to be with them. Moses sounded like a great man, I wanted to meet him, wanted to introduce him to Malcolm and Maxus and Argus. Great men should meet and share their ideas. I was beginning to like the God of the Jews; he wanted to punish those who did wrong against his people. I also wanted to hurt those who had hurt my mother and the other slaves when I was a child in the Pharaoh’s palace. I promised God I would do good on Earth if He protected me. I waited for the sun to set.
@
When I pushed my way through the soil, I had to shake the dirt from my hair. I climbed out of the grave, and pulled Hagar’s wrap around me. I walked into Hagar’s home and looked around. Adah sat in a corner, holding a doll in her hands.
“Hi, Adah, where’s Hagar?”
“She’s with the others. Moses is asking everyone to leave.”
“Show me, please.” I held my hand out to Hagar. She rose from her mat and took my hand, leading me down the road to where everyone was. I let go of Adah’s hand as we approached the group and pushed her gently towards Hagar. I listened as the crowd argued back and forth about following Moses. It was decided they would pack their belongings and go, leaving the Pharaoh and slavery for freedom. I caught Hagar’s eye, and smiled. I was not going to go with them. I turned and walked away.
@@@
It was lonely without the slaves. I roamed their empty homes, picking up items left behind in the rush of packing. I decided I needed to leave Egypt. It would be better for me someplace farther away, where the heat was not so intense and the sun was not so strong. I went north and ended up in England. I found a simple farmer who promised to bury me deep in the Earth. His family was then bound to protect my grave until I awoke. They have managed to keep my secret all these centuries.
Untitled Story -- Chapter 2
New month so now it's time for a new post. Second chapter of my novel in progress. Well, I hope you all enjoy it and have fun reading it. Happy reading all, lots of love ~ TLN
Chapter 2
“Alyra”
Malcolm spent many hours with me showing me how to hunt and move without detection. He told me about his vampire ancestry and their battle against another evil, one that was feared by all. He told me stories of a mother who was the first woman, but not accepted by those who had raised me above ground. A woman named Lilith, who betrayed God and abused Adam, then was banished forever from Eden to the hell that the fallen angel Lucifer called home. Lilith was evil, created from earth infected by Lucifer before God began to mold and shape it. After expelling Lilith, God made Eve from Adam’s rib. Malcolm told me all of this, warning me to stay away from Lilith. He warned that she was the only creature that all other creatures feared, she was evil and angry and would do everything she could to destroy all life, whether it was human or immortal.
It was on the eve of my 21st birthday that I first met Lilith. I had decided to follow the River as far as it went, hoping to find another city much like our own. I wanted to meet other creatures, creatures I could learn from. I found the doorway to Hell, literally, and encountered two creatures I wished I had never met. It terrified me to the deepest core of my body and this is the first time I have spoken of it. I never told Maxus, for fear he would be angry with me, or would attempt to battle the ones who haunted me for the rest of my life.
I reached the end of the River and found two large, heavy doors, made of carved stone and guarded by strange looking demons. There was no light here, nothing shone in the darkness, yet I saw the demons clearly and they saw me.
“What are you doing here, girl?”
“I’m following the River. I have every right to, my father rules the land this river flows through. I am exploring the boundaries of my kingdom.”
“Then your kingdom ends here. What lies beyond these doors is not part of your father’s domain. Return to your land and forget about this place.”
“I will not. You cannot order me around. I will remain here until you open those doors.”
“We will not open these doors, so you will be waiting for all eternity.”
“Fine.” I crossed my arms against my chest and sat on a boulder, staring at the demons. They stared at me, their red eyes burning in the darkness. My eyes burned right back at them. After several hours the doors began to open. The demons bowed deeply, not looking at the figure that emerged.
“Who are you dear child?” It was a woman with long, flowing black hair and pale skin.
“I want to know what lies beyond the boundaries of my father’s kingdom.”
“And who is your father? The great almighty God?”
“God?” I paused. It had been many years since I had heard this name, the name of the one the Jews prayed to. “He is my eternal father. My father, the one who made me, is Malcolm. I do not know if you are familiar with him. This river flows throughout his land.”
“Ah, the Malcolm that rules the Under City. I do know him; he and I are not friends and stay out of each other’s way. You, on the other hand, I would like to have as my friend. Come inside dear girl.” She held her hand out to me.
I rose from my position and took hold of her hand. Her fingers were beyond frozen in my hand. I received a strange jolt of energy from her, something that made my skin crawl and my bones freeze. Part of my brain screamed that I should back away and run to the welcoming arms of Maxus, another part dared me to continue following the woman. I listened to the daring part and followed.
She led me through the doors and down a long hallway. I heard strange noises as we walked along, voices hissing and screeching. I began to feel relief rising in me because there was no light to illuminate the hallway and I was afraid of what was lurking in the shadows. There were noises I was unfamiliar with, noises that sounded hungry and rapturous, sounds of panting and flesh rubbing against flesh. I wanted out but couldn’t bring myself to leave.
“Where are we?” I stopped, tugging her hand.
“In Hell my dear, the place where all of the evil of the world resides. We are below your precious city, below the place you and your kind live, below the land of the Pharaoh. You are my guest here. I am Lilith.” She began walking again, pulling me behind her. We soon entered a large room filled with light. My eyes burned briefly as they adjusted to the brightness. Even my home city was not this bright and I had not seen the sun in years. When I opened my eyes, Lilith was staring at me, a smile crossing her face.
“What a beautiful young woman you are. How old are you?”
“I’m 21. Or rather, I will be tomorrow. We are having a celebration; my father is holding it in our main banquet hall. I’m afraid you aren’t invited.”
She laughed at this. “Of course not. Malcolm hates me, and I him. I destroyed his life many years ago, long before he became the vampire he is. I killed his wife and son. I am known for such things. His child was not protected, so he became mine.”
“He became yours? What do you mean by that?” I shivered in her presence.
“Yes. You mean, you do not know of the symbol that all parents should place above their newborn sons’ cribs?”
I shook my head. “No, I do not know of such things.”
“Ah, I see. So, Malcolm has not told his whole story. Please have a seat.”
I pulled out a chair and sat down, bringing my knees up to my chest. Lilith took the seat cross from me. She folder her hands in her lap and smiled.
“When I left that imbecile Adam, in the Garden of Eden, God sent three angels to retrieve me. I refused to go with them. I did not want to be treated like a lesser being just because I had breasts and a vagina. These angels: Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof, had the order to bring me back to the Garden or murder 100 of my children everyday until I complied with God’s plans for me.
“Well, naturally, I refused. I was smarter than God’s precious creation, Adam, and I was not going to be ruled by a moron. In retaliation for the murder of 100 of my children, I told the angels that newborns would be mine if an amulet bearing their names was not hung over the cribs.
“The angels took that message back to God. I sat on the shores of the Red Sea, watching as Senoy, Sansenoy and Samengelof killed 100 of my children everyday. As promised, I visited the homes with newborns. If there was no amulet, I took the child.
“Now, Malcolm and his wife, Aurora, welcomed a healthy, beautiful baby boy. They neglected to hang the amulet over the crib, believing that I only struck mortal Earthlings. They were wrong. I crept in one night, picked up the baby and left.”
I looked around the great banquet hall. “Is Malcolm’s son here? I would like to bargain for him, if he is.” I leaned forward.
Lilith laughed long and deep. “Oh, silly girl. I killed the child. I never leave an unprotected baby alive. The angels killed mine, so I killed those of God’s chosen people.” She laughed again. “Now, dear girl, tell me your name.”
I squirmed in my seat, “I don’t want to.”
“You don’t want to tell me your name?”
I shook my head, “I want to leave now.” I backed away from her and bumped into something very large behind me. I turned and found a large creature staring down at me. It was male, which was obvious from the bulging manhood between its large muscular legs. Hair covered its chest and arms, curling in numerous directions. Horns rose from his head and large white teeth sneered at me. I backed away from him, he followed me. Lilith wrapped her arms around my waist, her lips very close to my ear.
“This is my lord and husband, Lucifer. After I was banished from Eden, I went to the shores of the Red Sea and mated with the demons there, bearing hundreds of children. Then, Lucifer emerged from the bowels of the earth and invited me to live here and rule as his equal. Our children have walked this earth ever since. Sit down, dear child, and entertain us.” She thrust me into a chair, and then sat in a chair next to me. Lucifer walked around me, his fingers running along my neck and caressing my hair.
“I want to go. I am sorry I trespassed and caused you to come out of your realm. I will never return. I will go home and never speak of this place.”
“Just talk with us. We won’t hurt you; at least not while your talking. If you bore us, on
the other hand, we will dispose of you.” Lucifer whispered in my ear, his breath hot on my neck.
“I want to go.” I began to sob. I felt Lilith place her hands on my cheeks and wipe the tears away. She kissed my lips, then my nose and cheeks.
“Oh dear child, we will let you go when we are ready. Now, tell us what your name is?”
“I’m Alyra, blood daughter of Malcolm.”
“Ah, Malcolm. His family has been fighting Lilith for centuries. I’m sure that battle will continue for centuries more. We have his blood daughter here in our home, maybe we can torture her a little before returning her dismembered parts to him.” Lucifer knelt in front of me, his hands slowly snaking their way up my legs. I squirmed in my chair, fear gripping me. “You see, after Lilith killed Malcolm’s son and wife, Malcolm and his brothers came after our children. They tore through our great hall, killing many of the children that played there, taking their heads to the surface to be desecrated, blessings said over them and then burned. It so outraged us that we have sworn to destroy all those Malcolm loves. Imagine our surprise to find one of Malcolm’s own children outside our doors, waiting for us to come out.” He laughed as his fingers neared my womanhood, his nails twisting in the hair.
“She’s shaking, my love. You should take her, make her be the vessel for your child then return her to Malcolm. He will have to kill her, as the child within her would end up destroying his entire home.” Lilith hissed at Lucifer.
He made a move as if he was going to thrust himself upon me, but I reacted. I thrust my feet into his chest and propelled myself across the room, away from him and his disgusting manhood. I flew through the air and found myself against the ceiling, my fangs descending.
“Come down here, bitch!” Lilith hissed.
“Come and get me, bitch!” I slithered across the ceiling, making my way towards the door. The doors slammed shut before I could reach them. I looked at Lilith and Lucifer. Lucifer laughed.
“You won’t be leaving this room alive my dear, so you may as well come down. Just come down here, open your legs and lie still.” Lucifer smiled broadly.
“If you want me, come get me. I’ll kill myself before I let you touch this body.”
“Come down here!” Lucifer yelled and suddenly the room shook. I was knocked off balance and fell to the floor. Two hands grabbed my ankles and flung me against the wall. I found myself staring into Lucifer’s yellow eyes.
“Here I am what else do you want?” I sneered at him.
“Open your legs!” He wrapped his hand around my throat and laughed.
“No, sorry I can’t do that.” I brought my knees up to my chest and placed my feet against his chest. I thrust my feet through his chest and floated through him. I landed behind him, staring at the floor in disbelief. I wasn’t sure how I did that, but I was sure I could do it again. I turned and faced Lucifer and Lilith, their eyes burning in disbelief.
“How did you do that?” Lilith slowly made her way towards me.
“Wouldn’t you like to know? Have a great day, it’s been real fun!” I began to run towards the doors and threw myself at them. I closed my eyes, just in case I didn’t make it through and ended up on the floor unconscious. I felt my fingers touch the door then go through it, and I landed on the floor on the other side of the door. I bolted. I ran down the hallway, not looking behind me. I heard the doors to the great hall slam open and Lucifer roared. Lilith was yelling commands to the creatures in the darkness. Suddenly, I felt claws and talons pulling on me and grabbing at me. I made my way down the hall to the entry doors and burst through those. Malcolm and Argus were on the other side, waiting for me.
“Alyra, what are you doing here?”
“Curiosity? Let’s just go.” I began to run, but Argus grabbed me.
“Wait, how did you get out?” Argus looked at me.
“I just flew through things. Let’s go.”
Lucifer stepped through the doors and stared at us. He growled, and then looked at Malcolm, calming. “Malcolm, how are you? We were just having a spot of tea with your beautiful daughter here. We were going to escort her out but she said she was feeling a little under the weather and rushed out. How are things in your neck of the woods?”
“Lucifer, King of Liars. Nice to see you haven’t changed. What did you do to my daughter?”
“Nothing, really. We were just talking.”
“Ah, so that is why she flew through those doors in fear for her life.”
“Well, no, that’s not the reason. She came running through the doors because we were having a race.” Lucifer approached Malcolm, a smile crossing his face.
“Really? You must think I’m extremely stupid, Lucifer. Well, return to your lair. These doors are to remain locked for the rest of eternity, as you know, and this time I’ll get The Witch to put a new sealing spell on the door. Go back inside.” Malcolm pointed to the opening of the cave.
Lucifer lowered his head and tucked his tail between his legs. He grabbed Lilith by the arm and pulled her into the cave. The doors closed behind them. Malcolm turned on me.
“Now, young lady, you have a lot of explaining to do. Let’s go.”
“Malcolm, there’s really not a lot to tell. I saw the door, I went in, I chatted with Lilith and Lucifer, I left, and you showed up. End of story.”
“Uh huh. Come on, young lady.”
We walked home.
Chapter 2
“Alyra”
Malcolm spent many hours with me showing me how to hunt and move without detection. He told me about his vampire ancestry and their battle against another evil, one that was feared by all. He told me stories of a mother who was the first woman, but not accepted by those who had raised me above ground. A woman named Lilith, who betrayed God and abused Adam, then was banished forever from Eden to the hell that the fallen angel Lucifer called home. Lilith was evil, created from earth infected by Lucifer before God began to mold and shape it. After expelling Lilith, God made Eve from Adam’s rib. Malcolm told me all of this, warning me to stay away from Lilith. He warned that she was the only creature that all other creatures feared, she was evil and angry and would do everything she could to destroy all life, whether it was human or immortal.
It was on the eve of my 21st birthday that I first met Lilith. I had decided to follow the River as far as it went, hoping to find another city much like our own. I wanted to meet other creatures, creatures I could learn from. I found the doorway to Hell, literally, and encountered two creatures I wished I had never met. It terrified me to the deepest core of my body and this is the first time I have spoken of it. I never told Maxus, for fear he would be angry with me, or would attempt to battle the ones who haunted me for the rest of my life.
I reached the end of the River and found two large, heavy doors, made of carved stone and guarded by strange looking demons. There was no light here, nothing shone in the darkness, yet I saw the demons clearly and they saw me.
“What are you doing here, girl?”
“I’m following the River. I have every right to, my father rules the land this river flows through. I am exploring the boundaries of my kingdom.”
“Then your kingdom ends here. What lies beyond these doors is not part of your father’s domain. Return to your land and forget about this place.”
“I will not. You cannot order me around. I will remain here until you open those doors.”
“We will not open these doors, so you will be waiting for all eternity.”
“Fine.” I crossed my arms against my chest and sat on a boulder, staring at the demons. They stared at me, their red eyes burning in the darkness. My eyes burned right back at them. After several hours the doors began to open. The demons bowed deeply, not looking at the figure that emerged.
“Who are you dear child?” It was a woman with long, flowing black hair and pale skin.
“I want to know what lies beyond the boundaries of my father’s kingdom.”
“And who is your father? The great almighty God?”
“God?” I paused. It had been many years since I had heard this name, the name of the one the Jews prayed to. “He is my eternal father. My father, the one who made me, is Malcolm. I do not know if you are familiar with him. This river flows throughout his land.”
“Ah, the Malcolm that rules the Under City. I do know him; he and I are not friends and stay out of each other’s way. You, on the other hand, I would like to have as my friend. Come inside dear girl.” She held her hand out to me.
I rose from my position and took hold of her hand. Her fingers were beyond frozen in my hand. I received a strange jolt of energy from her, something that made my skin crawl and my bones freeze. Part of my brain screamed that I should back away and run to the welcoming arms of Maxus, another part dared me to continue following the woman. I listened to the daring part and followed.
She led me through the doors and down a long hallway. I heard strange noises as we walked along, voices hissing and screeching. I began to feel relief rising in me because there was no light to illuminate the hallway and I was afraid of what was lurking in the shadows. There were noises I was unfamiliar with, noises that sounded hungry and rapturous, sounds of panting and flesh rubbing against flesh. I wanted out but couldn’t bring myself to leave.
“Where are we?” I stopped, tugging her hand.
“In Hell my dear, the place where all of the evil of the world resides. We are below your precious city, below the place you and your kind live, below the land of the Pharaoh. You are my guest here. I am Lilith.” She began walking again, pulling me behind her. We soon entered a large room filled with light. My eyes burned briefly as they adjusted to the brightness. Even my home city was not this bright and I had not seen the sun in years. When I opened my eyes, Lilith was staring at me, a smile crossing her face.
“What a beautiful young woman you are. How old are you?”
“I’m 21. Or rather, I will be tomorrow. We are having a celebration; my father is holding it in our main banquet hall. I’m afraid you aren’t invited.”
She laughed at this. “Of course not. Malcolm hates me, and I him. I destroyed his life many years ago, long before he became the vampire he is. I killed his wife and son. I am known for such things. His child was not protected, so he became mine.”
“He became yours? What do you mean by that?” I shivered in her presence.
“Yes. You mean, you do not know of the symbol that all parents should place above their newborn sons’ cribs?”
I shook my head. “No, I do not know of such things.”
“Ah, I see. So, Malcolm has not told his whole story. Please have a seat.”
I pulled out a chair and sat down, bringing my knees up to my chest. Lilith took the seat cross from me. She folder her hands in her lap and smiled.
“When I left that imbecile Adam, in the Garden of Eden, God sent three angels to retrieve me. I refused to go with them. I did not want to be treated like a lesser being just because I had breasts and a vagina. These angels: Senoy, Sansenoy and Semangelof, had the order to bring me back to the Garden or murder 100 of my children everyday until I complied with God’s plans for me.
“Well, naturally, I refused. I was smarter than God’s precious creation, Adam, and I was not going to be ruled by a moron. In retaliation for the murder of 100 of my children, I told the angels that newborns would be mine if an amulet bearing their names was not hung over the cribs.
“The angels took that message back to God. I sat on the shores of the Red Sea, watching as Senoy, Sansenoy and Samengelof killed 100 of my children everyday. As promised, I visited the homes with newborns. If there was no amulet, I took the child.
“Now, Malcolm and his wife, Aurora, welcomed a healthy, beautiful baby boy. They neglected to hang the amulet over the crib, believing that I only struck mortal Earthlings. They were wrong. I crept in one night, picked up the baby and left.”
I looked around the great banquet hall. “Is Malcolm’s son here? I would like to bargain for him, if he is.” I leaned forward.
Lilith laughed long and deep. “Oh, silly girl. I killed the child. I never leave an unprotected baby alive. The angels killed mine, so I killed those of God’s chosen people.” She laughed again. “Now, dear girl, tell me your name.”
I squirmed in my seat, “I don’t want to.”
“You don’t want to tell me your name?”
I shook my head, “I want to leave now.” I backed away from her and bumped into something very large behind me. I turned and found a large creature staring down at me. It was male, which was obvious from the bulging manhood between its large muscular legs. Hair covered its chest and arms, curling in numerous directions. Horns rose from his head and large white teeth sneered at me. I backed away from him, he followed me. Lilith wrapped her arms around my waist, her lips very close to my ear.
“This is my lord and husband, Lucifer. After I was banished from Eden, I went to the shores of the Red Sea and mated with the demons there, bearing hundreds of children. Then, Lucifer emerged from the bowels of the earth and invited me to live here and rule as his equal. Our children have walked this earth ever since. Sit down, dear child, and entertain us.” She thrust me into a chair, and then sat in a chair next to me. Lucifer walked around me, his fingers running along my neck and caressing my hair.
“I want to go. I am sorry I trespassed and caused you to come out of your realm. I will never return. I will go home and never speak of this place.”
“Just talk with us. We won’t hurt you; at least not while your talking. If you bore us, on
the other hand, we will dispose of you.” Lucifer whispered in my ear, his breath hot on my neck.
“I want to go.” I began to sob. I felt Lilith place her hands on my cheeks and wipe the tears away. She kissed my lips, then my nose and cheeks.
“Oh dear child, we will let you go when we are ready. Now, tell us what your name is?”
“I’m Alyra, blood daughter of Malcolm.”
“Ah, Malcolm. His family has been fighting Lilith for centuries. I’m sure that battle will continue for centuries more. We have his blood daughter here in our home, maybe we can torture her a little before returning her dismembered parts to him.” Lucifer knelt in front of me, his hands slowly snaking their way up my legs. I squirmed in my chair, fear gripping me. “You see, after Lilith killed Malcolm’s son and wife, Malcolm and his brothers came after our children. They tore through our great hall, killing many of the children that played there, taking their heads to the surface to be desecrated, blessings said over them and then burned. It so outraged us that we have sworn to destroy all those Malcolm loves. Imagine our surprise to find one of Malcolm’s own children outside our doors, waiting for us to come out.” He laughed as his fingers neared my womanhood, his nails twisting in the hair.
“She’s shaking, my love. You should take her, make her be the vessel for your child then return her to Malcolm. He will have to kill her, as the child within her would end up destroying his entire home.” Lilith hissed at Lucifer.
He made a move as if he was going to thrust himself upon me, but I reacted. I thrust my feet into his chest and propelled myself across the room, away from him and his disgusting manhood. I flew through the air and found myself against the ceiling, my fangs descending.
“Come down here, bitch!” Lilith hissed.
“Come and get me, bitch!” I slithered across the ceiling, making my way towards the door. The doors slammed shut before I could reach them. I looked at Lilith and Lucifer. Lucifer laughed.
“You won’t be leaving this room alive my dear, so you may as well come down. Just come down here, open your legs and lie still.” Lucifer smiled broadly.
“If you want me, come get me. I’ll kill myself before I let you touch this body.”
“Come down here!” Lucifer yelled and suddenly the room shook. I was knocked off balance and fell to the floor. Two hands grabbed my ankles and flung me against the wall. I found myself staring into Lucifer’s yellow eyes.
“Here I am what else do you want?” I sneered at him.
“Open your legs!” He wrapped his hand around my throat and laughed.
“No, sorry I can’t do that.” I brought my knees up to my chest and placed my feet against his chest. I thrust my feet through his chest and floated through him. I landed behind him, staring at the floor in disbelief. I wasn’t sure how I did that, but I was sure I could do it again. I turned and faced Lucifer and Lilith, their eyes burning in disbelief.
“How did you do that?” Lilith slowly made her way towards me.
“Wouldn’t you like to know? Have a great day, it’s been real fun!” I began to run towards the doors and threw myself at them. I closed my eyes, just in case I didn’t make it through and ended up on the floor unconscious. I felt my fingers touch the door then go through it, and I landed on the floor on the other side of the door. I bolted. I ran down the hallway, not looking behind me. I heard the doors to the great hall slam open and Lucifer roared. Lilith was yelling commands to the creatures in the darkness. Suddenly, I felt claws and talons pulling on me and grabbing at me. I made my way down the hall to the entry doors and burst through those. Malcolm and Argus were on the other side, waiting for me.
“Alyra, what are you doing here?”
“Curiosity? Let’s just go.” I began to run, but Argus grabbed me.
“Wait, how did you get out?” Argus looked at me.
“I just flew through things. Let’s go.”
Lucifer stepped through the doors and stared at us. He growled, and then looked at Malcolm, calming. “Malcolm, how are you? We were just having a spot of tea with your beautiful daughter here. We were going to escort her out but she said she was feeling a little under the weather and rushed out. How are things in your neck of the woods?”
“Lucifer, King of Liars. Nice to see you haven’t changed. What did you do to my daughter?”
“Nothing, really. We were just talking.”
“Ah, so that is why she flew through those doors in fear for her life.”
“Well, no, that’s not the reason. She came running through the doors because we were having a race.” Lucifer approached Malcolm, a smile crossing his face.
“Really? You must think I’m extremely stupid, Lucifer. Well, return to your lair. These doors are to remain locked for the rest of eternity, as you know, and this time I’ll get The Witch to put a new sealing spell on the door. Go back inside.” Malcolm pointed to the opening of the cave.
Lucifer lowered his head and tucked his tail between his legs. He grabbed Lilith by the arm and pulled her into the cave. The doors closed behind them. Malcolm turned on me.
“Now, young lady, you have a lot of explaining to do. Let’s go.”
“Malcolm, there’s really not a lot to tell. I saw the door, I went in, I chatted with Lilith and Lucifer, I left, and you showed up. End of story.”
“Uh huh. Come on, young lady.”
We walked home.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Untitled Story -- Chapter 1
This is a story I've been working on quite some time now. I also have it posted on Fanstory (http://www.fanstory.com/). I have about 10 chapters written at this point, but am far from being finished with it. I don't expect everyone who reads it to like it, as I know it is not a genre/topic that all people like. My hope is that one day, I will finish this story and get it published. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
“Alyra”
Arwa. It means “mountain goats” in Arabic. That’s what they called her. I called her Mother. My mother served the Queen of Egypt in the Great Palace. Everyday, my mother was sent to the Great Nile to gather extraordinary rocks to place in the Queen’s pools. A stranger knew this and calculated his arrival on a particular day, to the exact moment my mother would be in the cool water.
My mother stood on the bank of the Nile, her toes curling in the sand. Her simple necklace swung as she bent down, running her slender fingers along the silt and sand. She didn’t know she was being watched so she stepped further into the river and knelt down. She continued to work her fingers through the sand on the river floor, feeling for the smooth rocks the Queen desired.
“Hello Arwa.” A deep voice spoke softly behind her.
She turned, startled, splashing water onto her face.
“I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was nearby and saw you here, so I thought I’d come over.” The stranger stepped towards the bank and smiled at her.
How oddly dressed he is, she thought, noticing his long black robes and strange haircut. She backed further into the water, keeping her eyes on him.
“I won’t harm you, Arwa. I only came to say hello and introduce myself. I am Malcolm. I am not a native of this land but have taken up residency here. Do you mind if I join you?” Malcolm remained on the edge of the banks.
“I do not own the Nile, sir, you may enter if you like.” My mother backed further into the middle of the river. “Why are you here? How do you know my name?”
“I’ve been watching you for quite a long time, Arwa. The first time I saw you, you were playing with the other children of your village. I think you were about five or six then.”
“You know me? Have you been to my village? Is my mother still alive?”
Malcolm approached my mother and held his hand out to her. “Your mother was ill and died about eleven years ago. Your name, your real name was on her lips, Nontle.”
My mother told me later that she felt her fear of Malcolm slip away as she looked at him. She made her way through the water towards him. Her gown was soaked but she did not mind. She slipped her hand into Malcolm’s and looked at him.
Malcolm smiled and pulled my mother closer to him. My mother told me he smelled like something she was not familiar with but it was sweet and intoxicating. She was lost in the smell when she felt his mouth on her flesh. She only let my brother and I kiss her, yet she did not mind Malcolm’s kisses. His smell washed over her, filling her and making her drowsy.
By the time my mother returned home, the stars were twinkling high in the sky. Her eyes were very glassy and she walked in a daze. The Queen was venomous. She had her stripped and beaten 40 times for her insolence, but it was as if my mother did not feel the leather as it snapped across her back. My brother and I watched from behind the legs of another maid, tears streaming down our cheeks. When my mother finally returned to the servants’ quarters, the other servants covered her bloodied back with herbs and lotions, to heal the welts and ease the sting. She said nothing to us, just stared at me, running her fingers along my cheek. We were 10 and 8, I nearing my 9th birthday.
Two weeks later, my mother returned to the banks of the Nile, this time with my brother and I in tow, and we waited for the stranger. My mother handed us each a small rock, smooth and white, and told us to keep them with us always.
“Malcolm will be here soon, children. He is a great man who will take care of us. He wants to be a father to you and raise you as his own. He loves me.” My mother smiled to herself, her shaved head glistening in the setting sun.
I looked at my brother. I remember the look on his face as he looked at our mother. He was in awe of her. He could not imagine what it was about Malcolm that made our mother so happy. Neither could I. We were servants in the palace, ordered to do whatever the Queen asked of us. We never laughed or smiled, so it was foreign to us the kind of joy our mother had experienced at the hands of this stranger called Malcolm.
He appeared just as the sun was setting and sat beside us on the banks. I stood next to my brother and we stared at our mother and then at Malcolm. She smiled and raised her hand in greeting to him. He was dressed strangely, long dark robes covering his soft skin. Malcolm walked towards us and stood on the edge of the bank. My mother walked towards him, her arms opened wide. They embraced each other, and my mother laughed in spite of the raw welts on her back. She threw back her bald head and laughed long and deep. I moved closer to my brother, grabbing his hand.
“Children, come meet Malcolm.” My mother held her hands out to us. My brother obeyed and stepped forward, bowing to Malcolm. Malcolm bowed towards my brother and kissed him on the cheek, then pulled a fig from his pocket and placed it in my brother’s hands. I remained in my spot, a safe distance from Malcolm.
“There is something wrong with him, something different. He is not one of the slaves and he is not one of the Pharaoh’s people. I will remain here.” I stood my ground.
Malcolm smiled and ran his hand over my brother’s shaved head. “She’s right, Arwa. What a very smart girl. I promise to tell you more about me as we grow closer. I am not going to hurt you, or your brother, I promise.” He held his hand out to me. I reluctantly stepped towards him and looked into his eyes.
“Your eyes are red and black. Are they burning?” I pulled on his long robes, trying to see into his eyes more clearly.
He laughed, “They are not burning. It’s natural for my kind.”
“Your kind? The Pharaoh’s people?”
Malcolm knelt in front of me, the water soaking through his robes and he wrapped his arms around me. “No, not the Pharaoh’s people. I’m one of the Immortals, the Ancients. I’ll tell you more at a later time.”
My mother looked in the distance, towards the palace and the smile vanished from her face. “Children, we need to go. The Queen will be looking for me. Tell Malcolm good-bye.”
We both mumbled our good-byes to Malcolm and followed our mother away from the Nile, towards the palace. My mother’s demeanor changed and her eyes became sad and teary.
When we returned to the palace, the Queen was waiting for my mother, rage spitting from her eyes. She had my mother beaten again. This process continued for months, my mother staying at the Nile for hours, the Queen punishing her repeatedly.
Then, one night my mother never returned to the palace. The Queen paced the floor, watching the door, expecting my mother to walk in any second. She did not walk in. The next morning, the Queen sent soldiers out to find my mother. They came back with her body, limp and lifeless. Her body was handed over to the servants who went about their own customs to prepare her body for burial. She was burned on an altar in the desert, away from the eyes of the Pharaoh. The other slaves performed ceremonies and prayers, singing as they surrounded the altar.
My brother was 13 when he was sent to the pyramids, to labor and work among the other slaves. Every morning, at dawn, he crawled out of the bed we shared and made his way to the pyramids along with the other men and boys. I was always very sad when he left me, but I pretended to sleep so he would not see my tears.
After he left, I rose from the bed and dressed, then met Hagar in the hallway.
“You had better wipe those tears away, little one. The Queen is not going to be happy to see a wet face.”
Hagar hugged me to her and kissed my cheeks. After our mother died, Hagar and the other slave women took my brother and I into their hearts as their own. I stayed close to Hagar as we made our way around the Queen’s chambers.
As we entered the Queen’s chambers, Hagar slowed and nodded at one of the guards. He nodded back and handed me a smooth white rock. I placed the rock in a fold of my gown and continued into the room.
The Queen lounged on a silk covered bench, being fanned by three young girls. I picked up a clay water jug and followed the stone path to a pool. I filled the jug and placed it on my head, humming softly to myself. I turned and made my way back towards the Queen. Her copper eyes burned into me.
“You resemble your mother, but you do not have her fire. I expect you will be more loyal to me than she was. Place the jug on the floor and go about your other duties.”
I kneeled, placed the jug on the floor and made my way out of her chambers.
My brother and I met up at dusk and made our way to the Nile, followed by palace guards. We had the permission of the Pharaoh to go there as long as we were escorted. We were not allowed to speak the tongue of the other slaves, the tongue we had learned when our mother died. So, we said little. If we did speak it had to be in the language of the Pharaoh. The guards would speak to us, asking why we always came to the Nile. We told them it was for the peacefulness. In reality, we were hoping to see Malcolm, in the hopes he could explain what happened to our mother.
Then one evening Malcolm returned. My brother and I were standing in the shallow part of the Nile, near the bank, picking up rocks from beneath our feet. We were looking for colorful rocks, placing them on the shore as we came across them. The guards laughed at us, picking up the rocks, then throwing them back into the water. I was becoming angry.
“Why do they have to do that?” I looked at my brother. He shrugged and continued picking up rocks, rubbing them between his fingers.
Suddenly, there was a splash behind me and we both looked, finding the body of one of the soldiers floating towards us. I screamed and clung to my brother. We then turned to the shore and saw him, anger flashing across his face. This time, he wasn’t alone. There were two other men with him and they were as horribly angry as he was. The guards were visibly frightened then something terrible happened. My brother and I watched as these three strange men turned into demons, ripping out the throats of the guards and throwing their lifeless bodies into the Nile. We soon found ourselves standing in a pool of blood. Malcolm stepped into the water and took our hands, pulling us onto the bank and wrapping us in blankets. He spoke to the other men with him and they all smiled. The stranger then spoke to us.
“Do not be afraid children; I’ve come to take you away from here. Your mother made me promise that if anything ever happened to her, I would rescue you from slavery and show you a better life. I plan to do just that. You shall come live with me, in my home and I shall teach you everything I know. My brothers shall be your uncles and I shall be your father. There is nothing to fear, you must trust me. Come with me children.” He held his hands out to us, so we took them. Our only memories of him were pleasant ones, and he had hurt the soldiers for us, so we had no reason not to believe or trust him.
He lived underground. It was a strange sensation when we first entered his home. It was a city underneath the Pharaoh’s grand city. It had its own citizens and its own life. There were things we had never seen before, and people we never knew existed. The city was illuminated in a bizarre way, fires burning without going out and without flickering. It was the beginning of a new life.
@@@@
Time flew by, our new father renamed us. We became Alyra and Maxus. He was Malcolm, a man who had lived a long life, without children and was full of sorrow. He showered us with gifts and let us explore our new world freely. By the time Maxus was 19 and I was 17, we spoke several languages.
I walked through the city, staring at the lights along the walls. I still could not understand how they burned or what fueled them, but I had stopped asking. There was a long river that flowed through the center of our city; it was called the River of the Undead. It flowed deep and black, unlike anything I had seen above ground. It was awesome and frightening. I walked to the edge of it and sat along the bank, placing my feet in the flowing waters. I stared at my reflection, watching as small creatures floated around my feet. I did not hear Malcolm approach behind me.
“Your brother has gone to the surface. Do you want to join him?”
“No father. I just want to sit here. I just want to be alone.”
“I see. I will leave you then.” He began to walk away.
“Wait, Malcolm, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. You can stay. Please stay.”
He walked back over and sat down beside me. He wrapped his large arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead. “My dear Alyra, something bothers you.”
“I miss my mother. They weren’t supposed to burn her, were they?”
“No, they weren’t. I was hoping they would just place her in the ground then I would return to her and bring her here, but that did not happen.”
“What are you, father? What are these other people here? Why do you live underground?”
“If you knew, you might want to leave. I would not want you to leave me, my dear.”
“What are you, father? What would my mother be if they hadn’t burned her?”
“Vampire, a creature of the night, living on the blood of others. That’s what I am and that’s what your mother would have been.”
“That’s why we never saw you before the sunset. Does my brother know?”
“Yes. I explained it to him a few years ago. He accepted it. He has decided he doesn’t want to leave, he wants to be one of us.”
“Is everyone here a vampire?”
“No, my dear child. We have other creatures here that you may not have heard of. We have werewolves, witches, warlocks, and shape-shifters. Your brother wants to join the wolf pack. The head of the pack, Argus, has taken your brother above ground to discuss this decision. You do not have to become one of us, you will always be protected here and everyone loves you. Harm will never befall you here.” Malcolm hugged me to him.
**
“Hi sweetie. Malcolm told me about your conversation. You want to be a vampire?”
“Yes. I want to be a vampire. I want to get the Queen. I want to be the Queen.”
“You can’t be Queen. Just stay here with Malcolm and me. Just stay here and live with me forever.”
“You don’t want to return to the surface? You don’t want to return to sunlight and fresh air?”
“No, Alyra, I don’t. I love you but I don’t want you to do anything that will get you killed. The people on the surface would kill everyone down here if they knew what these people are. Just live here until a time when we can return to the surface and rule the world.”
“The time to rule is now. If Malcolm will not help me become what I want to be, I will ask Quinton. I have seen the way he looks at me and I know he would gladly do as I ask.”
“Alyra, revenge does not suit you. Don’t go down that road.” Maxus left my room, slamming the door behind him.
**
As Malcolm promised years before, he sat me down to tell me the truth about the Immortals.
“Before the Egyptians and Jews occupied the land above, we walked the Earth. We Immortals traveled to this planet on the dust of comets and entered the atmosphere. We spread throughout the planet, transforming ourselves to blend in with our surroundings. As the life on the planet changed, we changed. We have been worshipped by many peoples: the Greeks, the Romans and the Egyptians. As our forms changed, our ability to remain alive also changed. We were never meant to take on flesh and bone like the humans, our fragile systems could not maintain the human bodies we decided to inhabit, so we began to live off the blood of others. We all turned into creatures, the creatures you see here in the city. As beings that traveled through space on comet dust and space debris, we all had different forms, and so when we took over human forms, we maintained our various shapes. Now we are vampires, werewolves, witches, demons, and monsters that have no names.”
“But what about your names, the names we call you. I have never heard the name Malcolm before. Where did you get it?”
“It was a name we heard in our travels across this planet. There are more humans elsewhere on Earth, maybe one day you will meet them and experience the lands they live in. When you are ready, I want you to travel far and wide, my love!” Malcolm rose and kissed the top of my head. He walked off along the edge of the river, whistling to himself. I watched for a few minutes and then went back to staring at the creatures in the river.
***
I awoke to find Malcolm standing over my bed, naked with teeth bared. He threw the blanket off of me and climbed onto the bed. He opened his mouth, baring his lengthened fangs and tore into the flesh of my neck, his fingers clawing at my nightgown. He penetrated my body, thrusting against me. I cried out, but he covered my mouth. I could feel the blood leaving my body as my hips moved with his. Then he lifted his head and looked at me. He raised his wrist to his mouth and bit into it, and then placed it against my mouth. I felt his blood flow into my mouth and down my throat. I accepted the blood, letting it flow down my throat. I lost consciousness.
When I awoke, I was covered in blood, the sheets and remnants of my nightgown wrapped around me. I sat up in bed and looked around the room, watching shadows dance along the walls. These were shadows I had never seen before and was immediately fascinated by them. I rose from the bed and dressed, surrounded by the shadows as they swirled and danced through the room. I left my room and walked down to my brother’s room, knocking softly on his door. I heard him grunt so I entered the room and stared.
There were tufts of fur on the floor and something that appeared to be shredded skin on the bed. Maxus was lying face down on the floor, naked. I rushed to his side and rolled him onto his back, smoothing his hair and kissing his cheeks.
“Maxus, wake up. Wake up please. What has happened?” I kissed each of his eyes and his cheeks, feeling his sweat on my lips. “Maxus, please!”
“Don’t cry, sis. I’m okay.” I felt Maxus running his fingers through my hair. “Your hair is so long. Longer than I remember. Are you different?”
“I am, my love. I am. What has happened to you?” I wrapped my arms around Maxus and began to rock him.
“I am part of the pack now. Argus spent the night helping me learn how to change. There is a lot of shedding the first few times. I still don’t have the full hang of it, but a few more practices and I should have it under control. I am fine, do not worry.”
“So, we are both different. It seems last night was eventful for us both. Are you going to try to return to the surface once you gain control of your ability?”
“No, not unless I have to. I will go with you if that is something you want to do. You cannot kill the Queen.”
“I can kill her and I will.”
“The Pharaoh will hunt you down and kill you. He might find us. We cannot lead him and his soldiers here. You must not kill her.”
“Then I will haunt her. I will become a lasting nightmare for her. There are numerous ways to kill someone without doing physical harm to that person. It’s all about the mind and what can be done to it.”
“You are a lot more frightening than I ever imagined. We will make a wonderful royal family one day.”
“Yes we will.” I hugged Maxus and we sat on the floor, wrapped in each others arms.
Chapter 1
“Alyra”
Arwa. It means “mountain goats” in Arabic. That’s what they called her. I called her Mother. My mother served the Queen of Egypt in the Great Palace. Everyday, my mother was sent to the Great Nile to gather extraordinary rocks to place in the Queen’s pools. A stranger knew this and calculated his arrival on a particular day, to the exact moment my mother would be in the cool water.
My mother stood on the bank of the Nile, her toes curling in the sand. Her simple necklace swung as she bent down, running her slender fingers along the silt and sand. She didn’t know she was being watched so she stepped further into the river and knelt down. She continued to work her fingers through the sand on the river floor, feeling for the smooth rocks the Queen desired.
“Hello Arwa.” A deep voice spoke softly behind her.
She turned, startled, splashing water onto her face.
“I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was nearby and saw you here, so I thought I’d come over.” The stranger stepped towards the bank and smiled at her.
How oddly dressed he is, she thought, noticing his long black robes and strange haircut. She backed further into the water, keeping her eyes on him.
“I won’t harm you, Arwa. I only came to say hello and introduce myself. I am Malcolm. I am not a native of this land but have taken up residency here. Do you mind if I join you?” Malcolm remained on the edge of the banks.
“I do not own the Nile, sir, you may enter if you like.” My mother backed further into the middle of the river. “Why are you here? How do you know my name?”
“I’ve been watching you for quite a long time, Arwa. The first time I saw you, you were playing with the other children of your village. I think you were about five or six then.”
“You know me? Have you been to my village? Is my mother still alive?”
Malcolm approached my mother and held his hand out to her. “Your mother was ill and died about eleven years ago. Your name, your real name was on her lips, Nontle.”
My mother told me later that she felt her fear of Malcolm slip away as she looked at him. She made her way through the water towards him. Her gown was soaked but she did not mind. She slipped her hand into Malcolm’s and looked at him.
Malcolm smiled and pulled my mother closer to him. My mother told me he smelled like something she was not familiar with but it was sweet and intoxicating. She was lost in the smell when she felt his mouth on her flesh. She only let my brother and I kiss her, yet she did not mind Malcolm’s kisses. His smell washed over her, filling her and making her drowsy.
By the time my mother returned home, the stars were twinkling high in the sky. Her eyes were very glassy and she walked in a daze. The Queen was venomous. She had her stripped and beaten 40 times for her insolence, but it was as if my mother did not feel the leather as it snapped across her back. My brother and I watched from behind the legs of another maid, tears streaming down our cheeks. When my mother finally returned to the servants’ quarters, the other servants covered her bloodied back with herbs and lotions, to heal the welts and ease the sting. She said nothing to us, just stared at me, running her fingers along my cheek. We were 10 and 8, I nearing my 9th birthday.
Two weeks later, my mother returned to the banks of the Nile, this time with my brother and I in tow, and we waited for the stranger. My mother handed us each a small rock, smooth and white, and told us to keep them with us always.
“Malcolm will be here soon, children. He is a great man who will take care of us. He wants to be a father to you and raise you as his own. He loves me.” My mother smiled to herself, her shaved head glistening in the setting sun.
I looked at my brother. I remember the look on his face as he looked at our mother. He was in awe of her. He could not imagine what it was about Malcolm that made our mother so happy. Neither could I. We were servants in the palace, ordered to do whatever the Queen asked of us. We never laughed or smiled, so it was foreign to us the kind of joy our mother had experienced at the hands of this stranger called Malcolm.
He appeared just as the sun was setting and sat beside us on the banks. I stood next to my brother and we stared at our mother and then at Malcolm. She smiled and raised her hand in greeting to him. He was dressed strangely, long dark robes covering his soft skin. Malcolm walked towards us and stood on the edge of the bank. My mother walked towards him, her arms opened wide. They embraced each other, and my mother laughed in spite of the raw welts on her back. She threw back her bald head and laughed long and deep. I moved closer to my brother, grabbing his hand.
“Children, come meet Malcolm.” My mother held her hands out to us. My brother obeyed and stepped forward, bowing to Malcolm. Malcolm bowed towards my brother and kissed him on the cheek, then pulled a fig from his pocket and placed it in my brother’s hands. I remained in my spot, a safe distance from Malcolm.
“There is something wrong with him, something different. He is not one of the slaves and he is not one of the Pharaoh’s people. I will remain here.” I stood my ground.
Malcolm smiled and ran his hand over my brother’s shaved head. “She’s right, Arwa. What a very smart girl. I promise to tell you more about me as we grow closer. I am not going to hurt you, or your brother, I promise.” He held his hand out to me. I reluctantly stepped towards him and looked into his eyes.
“Your eyes are red and black. Are they burning?” I pulled on his long robes, trying to see into his eyes more clearly.
He laughed, “They are not burning. It’s natural for my kind.”
“Your kind? The Pharaoh’s people?”
Malcolm knelt in front of me, the water soaking through his robes and he wrapped his arms around me. “No, not the Pharaoh’s people. I’m one of the Immortals, the Ancients. I’ll tell you more at a later time.”
My mother looked in the distance, towards the palace and the smile vanished from her face. “Children, we need to go. The Queen will be looking for me. Tell Malcolm good-bye.”
We both mumbled our good-byes to Malcolm and followed our mother away from the Nile, towards the palace. My mother’s demeanor changed and her eyes became sad and teary.
When we returned to the palace, the Queen was waiting for my mother, rage spitting from her eyes. She had my mother beaten again. This process continued for months, my mother staying at the Nile for hours, the Queen punishing her repeatedly.
Then, one night my mother never returned to the palace. The Queen paced the floor, watching the door, expecting my mother to walk in any second. She did not walk in. The next morning, the Queen sent soldiers out to find my mother. They came back with her body, limp and lifeless. Her body was handed over to the servants who went about their own customs to prepare her body for burial. She was burned on an altar in the desert, away from the eyes of the Pharaoh. The other slaves performed ceremonies and prayers, singing as they surrounded the altar.
My brother was 13 when he was sent to the pyramids, to labor and work among the other slaves. Every morning, at dawn, he crawled out of the bed we shared and made his way to the pyramids along with the other men and boys. I was always very sad when he left me, but I pretended to sleep so he would not see my tears.
After he left, I rose from the bed and dressed, then met Hagar in the hallway.
“You had better wipe those tears away, little one. The Queen is not going to be happy to see a wet face.”
Hagar hugged me to her and kissed my cheeks. After our mother died, Hagar and the other slave women took my brother and I into their hearts as their own. I stayed close to Hagar as we made our way around the Queen’s chambers.
As we entered the Queen’s chambers, Hagar slowed and nodded at one of the guards. He nodded back and handed me a smooth white rock. I placed the rock in a fold of my gown and continued into the room.
The Queen lounged on a silk covered bench, being fanned by three young girls. I picked up a clay water jug and followed the stone path to a pool. I filled the jug and placed it on my head, humming softly to myself. I turned and made my way back towards the Queen. Her copper eyes burned into me.
“You resemble your mother, but you do not have her fire. I expect you will be more loyal to me than she was. Place the jug on the floor and go about your other duties.”
I kneeled, placed the jug on the floor and made my way out of her chambers.
My brother and I met up at dusk and made our way to the Nile, followed by palace guards. We had the permission of the Pharaoh to go there as long as we were escorted. We were not allowed to speak the tongue of the other slaves, the tongue we had learned when our mother died. So, we said little. If we did speak it had to be in the language of the Pharaoh. The guards would speak to us, asking why we always came to the Nile. We told them it was for the peacefulness. In reality, we were hoping to see Malcolm, in the hopes he could explain what happened to our mother.
Then one evening Malcolm returned. My brother and I were standing in the shallow part of the Nile, near the bank, picking up rocks from beneath our feet. We were looking for colorful rocks, placing them on the shore as we came across them. The guards laughed at us, picking up the rocks, then throwing them back into the water. I was becoming angry.
“Why do they have to do that?” I looked at my brother. He shrugged and continued picking up rocks, rubbing them between his fingers.
Suddenly, there was a splash behind me and we both looked, finding the body of one of the soldiers floating towards us. I screamed and clung to my brother. We then turned to the shore and saw him, anger flashing across his face. This time, he wasn’t alone. There were two other men with him and they were as horribly angry as he was. The guards were visibly frightened then something terrible happened. My brother and I watched as these three strange men turned into demons, ripping out the throats of the guards and throwing their lifeless bodies into the Nile. We soon found ourselves standing in a pool of blood. Malcolm stepped into the water and took our hands, pulling us onto the bank and wrapping us in blankets. He spoke to the other men with him and they all smiled. The stranger then spoke to us.
“Do not be afraid children; I’ve come to take you away from here. Your mother made me promise that if anything ever happened to her, I would rescue you from slavery and show you a better life. I plan to do just that. You shall come live with me, in my home and I shall teach you everything I know. My brothers shall be your uncles and I shall be your father. There is nothing to fear, you must trust me. Come with me children.” He held his hands out to us, so we took them. Our only memories of him were pleasant ones, and he had hurt the soldiers for us, so we had no reason not to believe or trust him.
He lived underground. It was a strange sensation when we first entered his home. It was a city underneath the Pharaoh’s grand city. It had its own citizens and its own life. There were things we had never seen before, and people we never knew existed. The city was illuminated in a bizarre way, fires burning without going out and without flickering. It was the beginning of a new life.
@@@@
Time flew by, our new father renamed us. We became Alyra and Maxus. He was Malcolm, a man who had lived a long life, without children and was full of sorrow. He showered us with gifts and let us explore our new world freely. By the time Maxus was 19 and I was 17, we spoke several languages.
I walked through the city, staring at the lights along the walls. I still could not understand how they burned or what fueled them, but I had stopped asking. There was a long river that flowed through the center of our city; it was called the River of the Undead. It flowed deep and black, unlike anything I had seen above ground. It was awesome and frightening. I walked to the edge of it and sat along the bank, placing my feet in the flowing waters. I stared at my reflection, watching as small creatures floated around my feet. I did not hear Malcolm approach behind me.
“Your brother has gone to the surface. Do you want to join him?”
“No father. I just want to sit here. I just want to be alone.”
“I see. I will leave you then.” He began to walk away.
“Wait, Malcolm, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. You can stay. Please stay.”
He walked back over and sat down beside me. He wrapped his large arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead. “My dear Alyra, something bothers you.”
“I miss my mother. They weren’t supposed to burn her, were they?”
“No, they weren’t. I was hoping they would just place her in the ground then I would return to her and bring her here, but that did not happen.”
“What are you, father? What are these other people here? Why do you live underground?”
“If you knew, you might want to leave. I would not want you to leave me, my dear.”
“What are you, father? What would my mother be if they hadn’t burned her?”
“Vampire, a creature of the night, living on the blood of others. That’s what I am and that’s what your mother would have been.”
“That’s why we never saw you before the sunset. Does my brother know?”
“Yes. I explained it to him a few years ago. He accepted it. He has decided he doesn’t want to leave, he wants to be one of us.”
“Is everyone here a vampire?”
“No, my dear child. We have other creatures here that you may not have heard of. We have werewolves, witches, warlocks, and shape-shifters. Your brother wants to join the wolf pack. The head of the pack, Argus, has taken your brother above ground to discuss this decision. You do not have to become one of us, you will always be protected here and everyone loves you. Harm will never befall you here.” Malcolm hugged me to him.
**
“Hi sweetie. Malcolm told me about your conversation. You want to be a vampire?”
“Yes. I want to be a vampire. I want to get the Queen. I want to be the Queen.”
“You can’t be Queen. Just stay here with Malcolm and me. Just stay here and live with me forever.”
“You don’t want to return to the surface? You don’t want to return to sunlight and fresh air?”
“No, Alyra, I don’t. I love you but I don’t want you to do anything that will get you killed. The people on the surface would kill everyone down here if they knew what these people are. Just live here until a time when we can return to the surface and rule the world.”
“The time to rule is now. If Malcolm will not help me become what I want to be, I will ask Quinton. I have seen the way he looks at me and I know he would gladly do as I ask.”
“Alyra, revenge does not suit you. Don’t go down that road.” Maxus left my room, slamming the door behind him.
**
As Malcolm promised years before, he sat me down to tell me the truth about the Immortals.
“Before the Egyptians and Jews occupied the land above, we walked the Earth. We Immortals traveled to this planet on the dust of comets and entered the atmosphere. We spread throughout the planet, transforming ourselves to blend in with our surroundings. As the life on the planet changed, we changed. We have been worshipped by many peoples: the Greeks, the Romans and the Egyptians. As our forms changed, our ability to remain alive also changed. We were never meant to take on flesh and bone like the humans, our fragile systems could not maintain the human bodies we decided to inhabit, so we began to live off the blood of others. We all turned into creatures, the creatures you see here in the city. As beings that traveled through space on comet dust and space debris, we all had different forms, and so when we took over human forms, we maintained our various shapes. Now we are vampires, werewolves, witches, demons, and monsters that have no names.”
“But what about your names, the names we call you. I have never heard the name Malcolm before. Where did you get it?”
“It was a name we heard in our travels across this planet. There are more humans elsewhere on Earth, maybe one day you will meet them and experience the lands they live in. When you are ready, I want you to travel far and wide, my love!” Malcolm rose and kissed the top of my head. He walked off along the edge of the river, whistling to himself. I watched for a few minutes and then went back to staring at the creatures in the river.
***
I awoke to find Malcolm standing over my bed, naked with teeth bared. He threw the blanket off of me and climbed onto the bed. He opened his mouth, baring his lengthened fangs and tore into the flesh of my neck, his fingers clawing at my nightgown. He penetrated my body, thrusting against me. I cried out, but he covered my mouth. I could feel the blood leaving my body as my hips moved with his. Then he lifted his head and looked at me. He raised his wrist to his mouth and bit into it, and then placed it against my mouth. I felt his blood flow into my mouth and down my throat. I accepted the blood, letting it flow down my throat. I lost consciousness.
When I awoke, I was covered in blood, the sheets and remnants of my nightgown wrapped around me. I sat up in bed and looked around the room, watching shadows dance along the walls. These were shadows I had never seen before and was immediately fascinated by them. I rose from the bed and dressed, surrounded by the shadows as they swirled and danced through the room. I left my room and walked down to my brother’s room, knocking softly on his door. I heard him grunt so I entered the room and stared.
There were tufts of fur on the floor and something that appeared to be shredded skin on the bed. Maxus was lying face down on the floor, naked. I rushed to his side and rolled him onto his back, smoothing his hair and kissing his cheeks.
“Maxus, wake up. Wake up please. What has happened?” I kissed each of his eyes and his cheeks, feeling his sweat on my lips. “Maxus, please!”
“Don’t cry, sis. I’m okay.” I felt Maxus running his fingers through my hair. “Your hair is so long. Longer than I remember. Are you different?”
“I am, my love. I am. What has happened to you?” I wrapped my arms around Maxus and began to rock him.
“I am part of the pack now. Argus spent the night helping me learn how to change. There is a lot of shedding the first few times. I still don’t have the full hang of it, but a few more practices and I should have it under control. I am fine, do not worry.”
“So, we are both different. It seems last night was eventful for us both. Are you going to try to return to the surface once you gain control of your ability?”
“No, not unless I have to. I will go with you if that is something you want to do. You cannot kill the Queen.”
“I can kill her and I will.”
“The Pharaoh will hunt you down and kill you. He might find us. We cannot lead him and his soldiers here. You must not kill her.”
“Then I will haunt her. I will become a lasting nightmare for her. There are numerous ways to kill someone without doing physical harm to that person. It’s all about the mind and what can be done to it.”
“You are a lot more frightening than I ever imagined. We will make a wonderful royal family one day.”
“Yes we will.” I hugged Maxus and we sat on the floor, wrapped in each others arms.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Sorry it's been so long . . .
It's been awhile since I last wrote so I'm going to have update some things. I celebrated my 30th birthday in May and my friends threw me a nice BBQ. It was a lot of fun and I got to relax with my favorite people. I completed the last class for my master's degree at the end of April and will be going to the commencement ceremony in 2 weeks. I'm looking forward to the actual graduation because I will officially have a Master's Degree! Exciting. Hopefully, this degree will open some more doors for me. I've been interviewing but so far nothing new. So, I'm stuck at a dead-end job right now but I have hope and determination and faith that I will not be in this position forever. The right job is out there, I just have to apply for it.
I just found out about a great website, Make the Connection, where you can get a free bracelet kit in support of cervical cancer. There's tons of information about cervical cancer on the site so I definitely think it's worth sharing with friends and family. The site is www.maketheconnection.org. Please go there and read the information about HPV and cervical cancer and order a free bracelet kit too.
I just found out about a great website, Make the Connection, where you can get a free bracelet kit in support of cervical cancer. There's tons of information about cervical cancer on the site so I definitely think it's worth sharing with friends and family. The site is www.maketheconnection.org. Please go there and read the information about HPV and cervical cancer and order a free bracelet kit too.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Happy Turkey Day, Folks
Well, Thanksgiving is on its way which means the highly commercialized Christmahanakwanzakah is also on its way. The radio station we currently have on here at work started playing Christmas music last Monday, Nov. 14. I think that is way too early, Thanksgiving hasn't even happened yet. I think there should be a law that nothing holiday related should be put up until after Thanksgiving! I have worked in retail for 4 years and am so burnt out by the time Dec. 1 gets here that I'm not in the holiday spirit.
There are 2 new questions for you to ponder:
1. What do you think about retail setting up holiday items in October?
2. Last book you have read within the past 90 days?
There are 2 new questions for you to ponder:
1. What do you think about retail setting up holiday items in October?
2. Last book you have read within the past 90 days?
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Pleased to meet you
Hello Friend,
I am glad you stopped by to look at my site. It is just beginning, so please be patient with me. I look forward to sharing interests and ideas, maybe even recipes. *Smile*.
To start things off, here's a question for you. Last book you read, what was it, who is the author, what did you think of it, would you recommend it to others?
I am glad you stopped by to look at my site. It is just beginning, so please be patient with me. I look forward to sharing interests and ideas, maybe even recipes. *Smile*.
To start things off, here's a question for you. Last book you read, what was it, who is the author, what did you think of it, would you recommend it to others?
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