...On his way out Mat switched off the hangar lights. Black! The world turned black! There was no light anywhere. Not even the stars could be seen; they too seemed to have been switched off with the same switch... He suddenly felt the weirdest sensation; he was not alone. Somewhere behind and to his left was someone or something else...Solaris. A planet like any other, rife with wars, science and love. But at the peak of its civilization, a great meteor fell, bringing long-dead souls to Solaris, souls that had been sustained by the life-force of one lone man, Ineal.At the moment of impact, these souls scattered across Solaris, giving inhuman abilities to mortals while scarring their bodies and corrupting their lives.Samuel was one such man, a man of faith who thought to use his powers to worship his God: he watched his followers, and his planet, die. Seas turned to lava and the skies darkened. And as Samuel’s heart grew weary and angry, he used his powers to manipulate the world to serve him alone.Samuel became god of a planet whose only life was the symbiotic life so like his own.Centuries later, he discovered others, threats that had not been on this planet before. A winged woman; a cyborg; a future-seer and a child. A great vengeance burned a comradery between them.They were souls that could overthrow him. Souls that he would need to destroy.An excerpt:Darkness consumed Ineal as the voices tore at his thoughts. The sole survivor of the planet Eon, he wanted to shut off his brain, to destroy his consciousness and be nothing. But the voices would not let him.The planets’ souls, he thought, encased in this meteor hurtling through space. The souls of dead planets destroyed us. I am the last. They take me for their own.He did not know when the essences of dead planets first came to Eon. Men and women bonded with them, inviting the haunting gaseous essences to their bodies and allowing the essences to become necessary symbiotes of the flesh. The symbiosis with the dead planetary souls gave his people powers and abilities beyond their dreams. But the price, the price of the flesh was great, and an ultimate death of sacrifice and pain was given in return. Ineal was the last, and the only being of Eon who had not accepted them into his flesh.But you took me, he thought as they spoke with their unintelligible voices, whispering in a constant echo through his mind. When my planet died you came to me. You took my body to keep yourselves alive. They kept him alive too, feeding him their energy as they fed off his living essence.Millennia of time passed as the meteor orbited the solar system.Ineal could take no more. Rock pressed against him, suffocating his thoughts.He closed his mind, pulling blackness from the void beyond and urging it to destroy him and the planetary souls, so that whatever planet they would go to next might be spared.His mind’s darkness came. He forgot speech. He forgot sight. He forgot love. But the essences would not release his life force and the greatness it became in their harnessing embrace. They would not allow him to forget primal sense.Then, in that rawness of life, where he was barely being at all, he sensed a planet. They had intended this new planet as their destination from the start.The essences’ telekinetic connection pulled away from him, severing the symbiosis and sending searing heat through his form.There was a moment of silence for Ineal, of freedom. Then came the violent crack of stone, as meteor met planet. A great boom consumed him. Ineal’s consciousness was lost… almost. But his essence lingered somehow in the planet’s form. The planetary essences fled their transport, consuming life and searching for prey. Views: 786
Welcome to the Stone Age! Flint Dog is the story of a ten-year-old boy, Youngest. He has just two dreams — the first is to be a Hunter like his big brother and his father, and his second is to have a dog of his own. He has many adventures on the way to do with caves, a mammoth and a menhir.Flint Dog has been carefully researched. It brings to life a period in history that's often neglected.Welcome to the Stone Age! Flint Dog is the story of a ten-year-old boy, Youngest. He has just two dreams — the first is to be a Hunter like his big brother and his father, and his second is to have a new dog of his own, after his beloved White Tail dies. Both dreams are fulfilled in the form of misshapen lump of flint — the flint dog of the story’s title. On the way Youngest has several adventures concerning baskets, caves, a mammoth and a menhir.Flint Dog, set in France, has been very carefully researched. It brings to life a period in our history that is often neglected. Suitable for 7-13 year olds - young readers who are ready to be stretched. Views: 786
Follow an individual journey through turbulence of chaos, unfolding mystery, and the renewal of self and spirit. Putting first person perception as the timeless prism, this poetry embarks on the tumultuous undercurrents of life, relationships, and the boundaries of mind.Journey back to childhood, where the buds of friendship and romance blossom; take a peek into the lives of the primary schoolchildren who would become...The Circle.'A very sweet short story of blossoming friendships and childhood traumas.''...a wonderful, engaging story that made me feel good inside...
Highly recommended for readers who love richly written characters and clever dialogue.'* * * * *Beginnings is a stand-alone prequel (novella) to Hiding Behind The Couch.The story continues in Ruminations (Novel) and Hiding Behind The Couch (Season One).* * * * *WARNING: this story deals with themes of child sexual abuse, sudden infant death, and parents' marriage breakdown due to infidelity. All issues are written about sensitively and in a way that is intended to be accessible for children aged ten and above. Views: 786
A broken down truck blocking a bridge over the river in rural Holland leads to an unexpected encounter between a Dutch woman and an English holiday maker. Could this middle-aged, bearded man really be the young soldier she had fallen in love with when he dropped from the skies to capture the very same bridge 30 years ago?A broken down truck blocking a bridge over the river in rural Holland leads to an unexpected encounter between a Dutch woman and an English holiday maker. Could this middle-aged, bearded man really be the young soldier she had fallen in love with when he dropped from the skies to capture the very same bridge 30 years ago? A heartbreaking love story set amongst some of the most brutal and devastating scenes of the Second World War written by a man who witnessed it all and lived to tell the tale. Views: 786
In the 3rd book of the #4 New York Times best-selling Neverwinter Saga, Drizzt draws his swords once more to aid his friends. His lover, Dahlia Sin’felle, can speak of nothing but the moment she will face the Netherese lord Herzgo Alegni once again. Drizzt has already followed a trail of vengeance beside Dahlia. Can he justify one more battle to settle a grudge he does not understand? Artemis Entreri too seeks vengeance. He offers to aid Dahlia in her mission to destroy Alegni. But Charon’s Claw, Alegni’s sentient sword, dominates Entreri’s movements—if not his mind. And then there’s the way Entreri looks at Dahlia. Can Drizzt trust his old foe? Views: 786
Jas and Billy are University students and life long friends. When Peta, a friend of Billy's girlfriend,Nikki begins seeing Jas, everything seems perfect. But Nikki soon suspects Billy and the other two are in some kind of strange cult and when she reacquaints herself with an old friend who has recently joined the police, the truth they uncover proves to be even more unbelievable...Who, or what is the mysterious force known as Deity?Wreaking havoc with the financial and data networks that support our world. Hunted by powerful corporations and governments of our information age.A source of seemingly unstoppable power….But in this age of knowledge, in the cut-throat world of the open market, how can an unknown suddenly wield once unimaginable technology? And what purpose will it serve?As global markets crash and the truth becomes impossible to cover, The race to solve these mysteries becomes increasingly desperate and the answers more and more unbelievable… Views: 785
There was a time when the woods near Duva ate girls. . . or so the story goes. But it’s just possible that the danger may be a little bit closer to home. This story is a companion folk tale to Leigh Bardugo’s debut novel, Shadow and Bone. Views: 785
When loves finds wicked witch Trixie, it finds her lacking. If she doesn’t overcome her obsession with shoes, she might lose the only man who ever loved her.Can a wicked witch who always puts her feet first change her ways before it’s too late?A short fantasy of 4100 words.Red Moon Slices of Life are fragments torn from the daily lives of side characters of the novel Red Moon’s Reflection. They are not full stories; their only goal is to show the characters more in detail and serve as a teaser (if you haven’t read Red Moon’s Reflection) or an extra (if you have read it).01. Damon's Slice of LifeDamon Blackdart could, as the leader of Lost clan, get anything he wanted, except one person: Trinity, his Beloved, who died centuries ago. But now in the 21st century he can feel his Beloved soul on earth once more and he is willing to do anything to get it.02. Uriel’s Slice of LifeUriel, the oldest of three brothers, wishes for only two things: his brothers’ safety and to be free of the chains that bind him to Angelica -- who is angelic in name only. 03. Muriel’s Slice of LifeMuriel has always enjoyed the company of animals, but that’s probably because a part of him is an animal, too.04. Haniel’s Slice of LifeHaniel had never much cared for rules, even though he had to abide by them as a full-fledged Lueeshareteer, Bloodeater, and member of the Damned clan -- but only because his brother would get on his case if he didn't. Actually, his brother would get on his case anyway. Views: 785
Some would think being alone is not healthy or the way to live life. For some, over the age of fifty might just think otherwise. Here is a story about one person's search for peace and quiet within himself and what surrounds him.By the way, this story is free, but tell me what you think?Trapped underground at the hands of his own creation, Kade Strohm can see no way out. Will the computer entity he designed, a super artificial intelligence get the upper hand, or will he escape to freedom. There is one other option, but freedom isn't it... he could do the unthinkable of course... the choice is his... Views: 785
In the language of Shakespeare, meaning can seem obscure, its style elaborate and theatrical. This work presents the language of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Hamlet, in more natural and readily comprehensible English. This may prove of some value for studying, understanding and gaining superior appreciation of, and insight into, the play.In the language of Shakespeare, meaning can seem obscure, its style elaborate and theatrical. With much of it not easily intelligible, it can often require some effort to interpret. This work presents the language of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Hamlet, in more natural and more readily comprehensible English. This may prove of some value for studying, understanding and gaining superior appreciation of, and insight into, the play, allowing one to more easily comprehend the language in which it is written. Views: 785
The Checked Moon is a novel as black as the fingernails of a dead man and as scented as a flower. The protagonist is Alida, a woman suffering from a disease dating back to the cultures of middle-ages Europe. Alida is a werewolf and is married to a man suffering from the same disease, the lawyer Luca Menozzatti...The Checked Moon is a novel as black as the fingernails of a dead man and as scented as a flower. The protagonist is Alida, a woman suffering from a disease dating back to the cultures of middle-ages Europe. Alida is a werewolf and is married to a man suffering from the same disease, the lawyer Luca Menozzatti. They lead a peaceful life until Luca, in full metamorphosis, is killed by Manuel Bracconieri. What happens to a werewolf after death? He reverts back to human, so the police can only arrest Bracconieri for murder, not knowing that the wolf has wounded and infected him. Will Alida be able to prevent the murderer of her husband to transform inside the prison at next full moon? Is there a cure for the disease enslaving her? Is it love? Love is called Riccardo. A normal man, far from the horrors to which Alida is accustomed. But what is normality in a city, Rome, where murderers walk along the street and monsters lock themselves in their houses to protect others from themselves? Views: 785
The Time Has Come As the long-awaited invasion of human forces looms, Jason, Koren, and Elyssa struggle to alert the soldiers to an unforeseen menace on the planet of Starlight---a deadly illness has been released, one that already has Koren in its grip. Starlighter Cassabrie harbors a secret she believes can counter the devastation being unleashed by dragon king Taushin's latest maneuverings, but she can disclose little of her risky plan. As Cassabrie fights to save her people, the dragon Magnar works to move the Starlight prophecy in his favor. His actions could release an ancient race of dragon-like beings, making the plight of humans even more perilous. Wishing only to free the slaves and to bring peace, a few young warriors are poised to face three armies as they battle for control of two worlds. Can love, faith, and courage be enough? Will Cassabrie be the human's last hope? Views: 785
Val's future husband has arranged their own marriage without her permission. Will she escape the clutches of this man or will she be sentenced to a life she doesn't want to live?THERON – Dark haired, duty bound and deceptively deadly. He’s the leader of the Argonauts, an elite group of guardians that defends the immortal realm from threats of the Underworld.From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her.She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even as a 200-year-old descendent of Hercules, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.As war with the Underworld nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice. Views: 785
Frank and Jessie Littlewood (and some of their friends) had a way of capturing the spirit of their generation in a charming prose that can’t help but raise a smile.This is but a small selection of pieces put together from works that were actually found written down, not only demonstrating the true entertainers they were, but also showing how much they loved one another and their many friendsMy Grandparents, Frank and Jessie Littlewood, were always an inspiration to meAs you will see, Frank and Jessie (and some of their friends) had a way of capturing the spirit of their generation in a charming prose that can’t help but raise a smile.This is but a small selection of pieces put together from works that were actually found written down, not only demonstrating the true entertainers they were, but also showing how much they loved one another and their many friends. A collection of 10 heartfelt and witty poems celebrating the lives to entertain.This was originally compiled to celebrate the work they never put into the public domain after their death to raise money for charity that was close to their hearts but now has been opened up for everyone to enjoy. Views: 784
"The end of the world began roughly about the time that Billy Carver’s butt rang about halfway through the War of 1812."The end of the world, as told by a teenager."So as near as I could tell the end of the world began roughly about the time that Billy Carver’s butt rang for Santa Claus about halfway through the War of 1812."Sixteen year old Briar Gamble is having a bad day.It started with the cell phones singing for Santa Claus. Then came the tanks and the storm troopers.The Black Masks, in their black fish bowl sunglasses.And then along came Captain Albino.The shooting started shortly after that.Like I said - Briar Gamble is having a REALLY bad day.And it's about to get worse. Views: 784
