Manitou Springs Read online

  Manitou Springs

  Denver Cereal, Volume Fifteen

  Claudia Hall Christian

  Cook Street Publishing

  Denver, CO

  by

  Claudia Hall Christian

  StoriesbyClaudia.com

  The Denver Cereal

  The Denver Cereal

  Celia’s Puppies

  Cascade

  Cimarron

  Black Forest

  Fairplay

  Gold Hill

  Silt

  Larkspur

  Firestone

  Grand Junction (Denver Cereal V1-10)

  Fort Lupton

  Fort Morgan

  Fort Collins

  Fort Garland (Denver Cereal V11-13)

  Olney Springs

  Manitou Springs

  Alex the Fey Thrillers

  The Fey

  Learning to Stand

  Who I am

  Lean on Me

  In the Grey

  Finding North

  About Face

  The Queen of Cool

  The Queen of Cool

  Seth and Ava Mysteries

  Tax Assassin

  Carving Knife

  Friendly Fire

  Cigarette Killer (2017)

  Suffer a Witch

  Suffer a Witch

  Copyright © Claudia Hall Christian

  serial fiction originally published May 2016 — October 2016

  at DenverCereal.com

  ISNI: 0000 0003 6726 170X

  Licensed under the Creative Commons License:

  Attribution – NonCommercial – Share Alike 3.0

  ISBN-13 : 978-1-938057-48-9 (print)

  978-1-938057-49-6 (digital)

  Library of Congress: 2017952158

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  First edition © August 2017

  Cook Street Publishing

  ISNI: 0000 0004 1443 6403

  PO Box 18217

  Denver, CO 80218

  Author’s Note: On August 22, 2016, I underwent spine surgery to fix a problem created in 1994 when I caught a child as she came off a trampoline. The surgery was supposed to be a six hour routine surgery. Six hours became ten hours and the surgery was anything but routine.

  As you may know, in 2016, the United States was in the middle of a Presidential election the likes of which no one had ever seen before. The split between those who wanted to go back to the “good old days” and those who wanted to move forward had never been deeper.

  Denver Cereal is a support mechanism for people on all sides of the divide. Everyone seems to feel injured, misunderstood, and cast aside. Everyone has retreated to their corners. Often times, Denver Cereal was their only light.

  I had six weeks (six chapters of Denver Cereal) completed at the time of the surgery. I’d planned to spend the next six months (while I healed) exploring whatever the “Fires of Hell” (Leadville Cemetery) might turn out to be. I thought it would be fun way to get all the Denver Cereal characters involved in something weird and spooky.

  In the run up to this election, I received almost a hundred emails from readers asking, even begging sometimes, for me to keep Denver Cereal light, fun, and filled with love. Many of them said that Denver Cereal was the only thing that was keeping them going from day to day. So the Fires of Hell have had to wait.

  In the meantime, I had a severe reaction to the anesthesia, medication, and the surgical procedure. I was unable to get out of bed most days.

  This book takes so odd twists and turns and loop de loops. My surgery and the US Election are some of the reasons why. In going through it for this book, I was surprised at some of it, and some of it made me laugh at its sheer weirdness. I hope you enjoy it.

  Thanks for reading.

  For the Athena

  (Goddess of War/Wisdom)

  which lives within us all.

  What’s happened so far

  Denver Cereal is an addicting, fun, sweet and crunchy serial fiction filled with the tension, drama, and love of urban life.

  The best way to catch up is to read Grand Junction, Denver Cereal Volume 1-10 and Fort Garland, Denver Cereal V11-13. They are very affordable and available wherever eBooks are sold. You can also read Denver Cereal online at StoriesbyClaudia.com.

  We used to write a section here that gave a synopsis of all of the previous books. Frankly, the synopsis’ wasn’t very good. More than anything, they deprived you of the chance to hang out in Denver Cereal for a while. We were only be spoiling your fun

  You deserve a chance to read all the crazy twists and turns, mischief, and wild adventures of Denver Cereal. These aren’t books to be accomplished or checked off a list. They are stories to be savored and enjoys.

  Get to it.

  We’ll be here when you get back.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Chapter Four Hundred and Fourteen

  Chapter Four Hundred and Fifteen

  Chapter Four Hundred and Sixteen

  Chapter Four Hundred and Seventeen

  Chapter Four Hundred and Eighteen

  Chapter Four Hundred and Nineteen

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-one

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-two

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-three

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-four

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-five

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-six

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-seven

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-eight

  Chapter Four Hundred and Twenty-nine

  Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty

  Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-one

  Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-two

  Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-three

  Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-four

  Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty=five

  Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-six

  Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-seven

  Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty-eight

  Glossary of Characters

  Chapter Four Hundred and Fourteen

  It’s kind of crazy

  Friday morning — 9:26 a.m.

  Ooljee opened her eyes. Every single day of her four-and-a-half years, someone had been there when she had opened her eyes. She blinked. Where was her mother? Where was her funny Irish father?

  She realized she was wrapped in animal skins. This meant that she was with her grandparents. Where was her grandmother? Her grandfather? They were always so attentive.

  Ooljee listened for a minute. No one was drumming or singing.

  What was going on?

  Ooljee sat up from where she had been sleeping. A man was lying on a cot nearby. Ooljee got up to look at the man. It was her friend Katy’s father. Ooljee touched his face with her tiny hand and whispered, “You are loved.”

  He stirred, and Ooljee smiled. She went to where the drummers were sitting.

  “It’s time to drum,” Ooljee said.

  “But . . .” their lead drummer gestured to where her grandfather was arguing with someone.

  “They cannot work it out unless you drum,” Ooljee said. She gestured to Jacob. “Are we going to leave Katy’s father between worlds?”

  The drummers looked at Jacob and back to Ooljee. She pointed to their drums. The lead drummer tapped on his drum. When the grandfather didn’t yell at him, he began drumming in earnest. As he did, other men came from around the backyard. They picked up their abandoned drums and joine
d the lead drummer. Ooljee smiled at the men.

  The lead singer returned to the deck. He checked Jacob before sitting down. Ooljee nodded to the man. He grinned at the little girl before clearing his throat. He waited for the right beat before beginning to sing. She joined him in song. They sang together for a while before a woman came onto the deck. She scowled at the grandfather and grandmother before sitting down next to the singer. The woman took a long drink of what looked like tea and began to sing. When they were harmonizing, Ooljee got up.

  Humming to herself, she went to where her grandmother and grandfather were arguing with a pregnant woman and a man. Ooljee went up to the strange woman and held her arms up. Without hesitation, the woman picked her up.

  “You are Ooljee,” Abi said.

  Ooljee nodded, and Abi smiled.

  “You are grandmother to all,” Ooljee said.

  “Sort of,” Abi said. “That’s what we are arguing over. I am not your grandmother, as I was here long before even the bees and alligators. This is my brother and friend. We call him ‘Gilfand.’ You may call me ‘Abi.’”

  “In honor of Queen Fand,” Ooljee said.

  Abi scowled the question of how Ooljee knew this.

  “I met her when my friend Katy was getting brothers,” Ooljee said. “Katy is the best friend of my cousin, Paddie. I have to tell you that I didn’t like this Queen Fand very much. Paddie had to threaten her with his shiny sword to get her to leave Katy alone.”

  “She is a fairy,” Gilfand said as if he were making a point. “Fairies are . . .”

  “Interested in what catches their attention,” Ooljee said with a nod. “But not all of them. I like Edie. I’ve met her sister . . . um . . .”

  “Aife?” Abi asked.

  “The one who is blue,” Ooljee said.

  “Aife,” Abi said. “She is acting as the blue fairy right now.”

  “She’s different,” Ooljee said in a voice she thought might make them laugh. She grinned when they laughed.

  “Jacob believes that he is related to the Queen,” Gilfand said.

  His eyes squinted, and his brow dropped as if they were asking a question.

  “This is not a problem, sir,” Ooljee’s grandmother said to Gilfand.

  “I still don’t . . .” Ooljee’s grandfather started.

  “Grandfather, this is the First Woman and First Man our myths speak of,” Ooljee said in Navajo.

  “How can you be sure?” Ooljee’s grandfather replied in Navajo. “They may be demons, here to capture you or our charge! We must be ever diligent.”

  Finally understanding the problem, Gilfand turned his whole attention to the grandfather. As Ooljee watched, the First Man read her grandfather’s entire history. Gilfand gave her grandfather a kind smile. He put his hand on her grandfather’s shoulder.

  “I have no ability to show you that we are not demons,” Gilfand said. “I will tell you that the man lying there is of my lineage, not Fand’s. We have allowed them to believe that he is of Fand’s because . . . how do you explain all of this?”

  The grandfather turned and looked into Gilfand’s eyes.

  “Abi has had only one other child,” Gilfand said. “We didn’t think she could have children until she fell in love with Fand’s eldest son. It may be magic.”

  Gilfand shrugged.

  “As for me . . .” He smiled. The grandfather gave Gilfand a knowing grin. Gilfand used his chin to nod to Jacob.

  “He can move objects,” Gilfand said.

  “So can Katy!” Ooljee said.

  “Can she?” Gilfand asked. He smiled. “I’m glad. That skill is very rare in humans. It comes from me. The skill marks him as one of mine.”

  Gilfand held out his hand, and the singer’s mug of tea traveled across the deck to him.

  “Jacob had to clear a curse that involved Fand before his wife could have their boys,” Gilfand said. “That whole thing was my fault.”

  Gilfand nodded. Unbidden, a tear came to his eye. Gilfand sniffed.

  “You can see that Jacob Marlowe is a favorite of mine,” Gilfand said. “And my sister’s.”

  Abi nodded.

  “We were called here, by . . .” Gilfand looked at Abi, and she shrugged. “We can’t be sure, but it’s likely that Jacob called us to him. Please, let us help.”

  “How will you help?” the grandmother asked.

  “We will join your sing,” Gilfand said.

  “How will you know the words?” the grandfather sniffed. “We sing in ancient Navajo.”

  Abi gave the grandfather a kind smile. Ignoring the question, Gilfand continued.

  “Abi has a beautiful voice, and I can drum. We will strengthen the power of your Earth Medicine. Together, we will draw Jacob Marlowe back into his life.”

  “He has an energetic hole around his heart,” the grandmother said. “Even with your help, our efforts won’t heal him for long.”

  “We fear he is lost to us.” The grandfather said each word seeming to cause him great pain.

  “Do not despair,” Abi said. “He has with him exactly what he needs to heal. He wants to heal.”

  “But we must do our part,” Gilfand said. Without asking, he moved toward the drummers. “He needs us to guide him back to this world.”

  Ooljee squirmed, so Abi set her down. Ooljee went to the sand painting.

  “Grandfather?” Ooljee asked.

  Her grandfather looked at the child for what felt like a long time, before he nodded.

  “Welcome, First Woman,” he said. “We are blessed by your presence.”

  Without saying another word, he walked over to where Ooljee was standing. They began to work on the sand painting. Gilfand nodded to Abi before picking up a drum and joining the drummers.

  “I am blessed to be here,” Abi said to the grandmother. “Please, let me check on my friends.”

  Abi gestured to Sam, Blane, and Valerie.

  “I can help,” Abi said.

  The grandmother nodded. Abi touched Sam’s hair and Blane’s shoulder. She scowled. Letting go of Sam and Blane, she went to Valerie. Abi looked up to the sky. As if she were speaking to the universe, Abi’s lips moved silently in some strange language. A crow landed on the top of the Castle, and a red-tailed hawk flew high overhead. Abi kissed Valerie’s cheek and then kissed Blane’s cheek. She went around to the front, where she kissed both of Sam’s cheeks.

  “Is this man special?” the grandmother asked. Not thinking clearly, she spoke in Navajo.

  “He is the most human,” Abi replied in Navajo, without missing a beat. Abi gave Sam a soft smile. “He loves the most completely.”

  Abi smiled at the grandmother before turning to Jacob. Abi touched his foot and his leg. She touched Jacob’s abdomen and his chest. She touched his shoulders and held his hands. She set one of Jacob’s hands on Jacob’s belly and rested the other hand on the first. Abi leaned over the cot to look into Jacob’s face. Smiling, Abi kissed his forehead.

  “He is exactly where he is supposed to be,” Abi said. “Now . . .”

  She turned and smiled at the grandmother.

  “Where can I help?” Abi asked.

  “First Woman,” the grandmother started and then faltered. Abi gave the grandmother a warm smile, and the grandmother found her voice again. “If you can, we could use help singing. Will you know it?”

  “I will,” Abi said with a smile.

  Abi gave the grandmother a slight bow and went to the singers. She introduced herself simply as, “Abi.” They gave her a seat. Abi listened to the song for a while before joining in. The grandmother watched Abi for a moment before smiling. Shaking her head at the entire situation, the grandmother went to get Ooljee and help the child start her day.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Completely spent, Jacob lay with his head on Blane’s shoulder. His eyes slowly adjusted to see the world without the Sea of Amber as his lens. He took a deep breath and then another. Hedone disappeared from where she’d been watching.

/>   “Where are we?” Jacob croaked.

  “Sea of Amber,” Sam said. He got up from where he’d been crouching. “You were in there again, son.”

  “I was?” Jacob asked.

  He looked at Sam and then at Valerie, who was still holding his legs. He reached his hand to touch Blane’s.

  “Blane,” he said in a soft voice. “I was trying to help you with your self-loathing, and I was flung . . .”

  Blane kissed Jacob’s cheek and unhooked his legs from around Jacob’s waist.

  “Are you naked?” Jacob asked with a laugh. “How did you get so golden, brother?”

  Laughing, Blane kissed Jacob’s cheek again and let go.

  “Why am I wrapped like a burrito?” Jacob asked.

  Smiling, Valerie squeezed Jacob’s legs. Sam held out a hand, and Valerie got up. Valerie and Sam hugged before holding out their hands to Blane. He hopped up.

  “Clothing,” Sam said with a gesture toward Blane’s stack of clothes.

  “Good idea,” Blane said with a smile.

  They walked away from Jacob. Blane went to his clothing. Sam went to look at the Sea of Amber, and Valerie watched up for the crow and hawk.

  “Hey!” Jacob said. “You can’t just leave me all bound up here!”

  Valerie started laughing. Sam grinned, but Blane continued to put on his clothing. Valerie turned to look at Jacob.

  “Okay, okay,” Jacob said with a laugh. “You’re right. Thank you for saving me from that horrible Sea of Amber. I clearly owe you my life and most certainly my sanity.”

  They kept looking at him.

  “Please forgive me for . . .” Jacob looked up and screamed.

  The battered mountain lion was standing over him. The mountain lion sniffed at Jacob’s face. Terrified, Jacob tried to get away from the creature, but he was trapped by the swaddling. After a moment, Jacob stopped screaming. He and the lion locked eyes.