I've had this forming in my head for the last 6 months and with everything going on right now decided now would be a good time to put it to writing and post it. Just sharing some of my own feelings:
An Invitation and prayer to God
Hello God, sorry that this letter and invitation are so late in coming. I've had these thoughts in my head for a while now and decided it was about time to get this written.
First I'd like to thank you for all you did for me while I was growing up. I never would've gotten through my school years without you. Much of it was my own fault; I tried to solve my own problems and hide them from those that could've helped, but you knew all I was going through and saw right past my false smiles.
You comforted me when I cried, protected me from those that sought to do me harm, and carried me when I could go no further and tried to give up trying. I owe you all I have. Thank you.
After all you've done for me I feel bad to be asking you a favor now but it's not for me I ask. As you know I've recently become a father and in a few short years my own son will be attending school; a thought that scares me to death.
I know that as a people we've been asking you to stay away from our schools and because you love and respect us you've been trying to do as we've asked. But it seems the more we've pushed you out of our schools the more scary our schools have become.
You see we've been learning that evil gives our wishes no heed and when it chooses to enter our schools in any of its many forms, there is little we can do.
So I'd like to invite you to stay with my son when the time comes for him to venture out into the world. I ask that you watch over and protect him; in short I beg you to do for him as you did for me. I know that if you do, that I need not fear for him.
Also I ask and invite you stay with and watch over all of the other children whose parents allow you to. I know you won't go against their wishes or the wishes of their parents, but please do what you can for many I hold dear that still walk the rocky road of youth.
If anyone asks you to leave or stay away just tell them I invited you there as my special guest.
Now I've seen many times how your plan is better then mine, so I will trust your decisions and in what you do. I'll end with just this: forgive us for trying to push you away and please protect our little ones throughout all of their days.
Always your son,
Marc Van Pelt
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
New Book "Lich-El"
Now announcing the release of my book Lich-El It's about 130 pages long including the prologue which is my short story Forest Spirit that I published over a year ago. I'll be releasing the E-book version at a later time without the Prologue (It will remain for sale as a seperate E-book)
Here is a link to buy it
I do ask that anyone that reads it to please give it an honest review and be spicific about what you like and don't like. (It will help me with future books and also helps sell them.)
Here is a link to buy it
I do ask that anyone that reads it to please give it an honest review and be spicific about what you like and don't like. (It will help me with future books and also helps sell them.)
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Lich-El Chapter One
Here is a chapter one preview for my new book that I hope to have available to buy next week.
Chapter 1
“I thought I would find you here today, my lady.”
“Why have you come here, creature?”
“The same reason as you, to remember the dead, and to pay respect to friends long past turned to dust. Do not think this field and monument is your own private grieving ground. I also once stood on this field, shoulder to shoulder with gods, elves, and men. I also lost many friends that day so long ago.”
“What can a monster like you remember of friendship? I should destroy you now and let the world be rid of you.”
“My dear Lady Alixia; first of all, you’re no longer sure you could defeat me alone. Second, you remember what friendship is even if I don’t.”
“How dare-”
“But while I may be a bit… hazy… on friendship, I still remember honor. And that honor compels me to pay old debts.”
“I forgive you of all debts. Now leave and corrupt this sacred ground no longer with you presence!”
“Just as soon as I say this: Tornal has begun his experiments again.”
“And just what is he working on now?”
“He seeks to make more of us.”
“Odd. I was just thinking this world needed fewer of you.”
“He also seeks to give himself, and the others he makes, power not unlike your own, only with his own dark twist. He seeks to steal what you merely mimic. In fact he says that he has one last experiment to make and he would like an elvish subject.”
“Then he has far to travel to find one.”
“He has heard rumors there might be one to be had in human lands. It seems poachers have been spreading tales about strange happenings in Aguerius Forest.”
“Tornal shouldn’t listen to rumors.”
“That’s what I told him. He never would listen to me. If there are any elves there, I hope they watch themselves.”
“Hunting elves is very dangerous. Finding the wrong one would be the end of him.”
“Yes, but finding the right one, such as one young and inexperienced, would be easy prey for a lich lord of Tornal’s power.”
“Are you insinuating-”
“Nothing. I insinuate nothing. Just giving information I thought you might find interesting. Now I must bid you farewell. Give my regards to your husband and children, where ever they may be.”
“Farewell? A creature like you comes here to this field of sacrifice to mock and threaten me, and you bid me farewell? You think I would let an abomination such as yourself simply leave after such disrespect?”
“Here I am. Stop me!”
“Gladly.”
Cady wasn’t just dizzy. She was very dizzy. Yet she kept moving around and around, watching the trees. She was determined to make sure no pesky elves snuck up on her this time. Her brother, on the other hand, didn’t even try anymore.
“I’ve told you, Cady, you’re not going to see him arrive.”
Cady’s 12-year-old brother, Almas, just sat there, sitting with his back resting against the tree, playing his lap harp. She would never admit it to him, but he was starting to get good at it. But practicing music wasn’t going to help her catch Ulec when he arrived.
The rest of her family was just as useless. Creetan was 16 now and more interested in shooting arrows at a target; her father, Lord Gidon Aguerius, was wrestling with her 8-year-old brother, Giddy, and Mother was in her shop making who knows what. So it was up to her, a little girl of only 10 years, to keep the vigil and guard the family against young trespassing elves.
“I’m going to catch him this time. I will not let Ulec sneak up on us this time,” Cady informed her brother as she stumbled a little but caught herself before falling down.
“Good luck with that. In four years I’ve never spotted Ulec before he wanted to be seen,” Almas responded with a sigh and continued playing a quick jumpy sounding tune on his harp.
Ulec was a young elf that Almas had met while he was lost in the forest four years before. He had saved Almas from becoming lunch for a forest dragon and they had been best friends ever since. Now every once in a while Almas would announce that Ulec was coming over to visit. She wasn’t sure exactly how Almas always knew, but she was sure it had something to do with Ulec’s ability to talk to animals and plants. Cady was always amazed at how plants and animals seemed to do whatever he wanted.
Cady continued spinning, determined to catch the elf trying to sneak up on her like he always did. She was scanning the trees when she heard the tune Almas was playing abruptly change and a force, like a very strong wind, pushed her and she toppled to the ground.
“Hey! You pushed me!” she yelled at Almas.
Almas gave the most disgustingly false-innocent look she had ever seen and responded, “What? Me? I never touched you. I was just practicing. You know me better than that.”
Cady knew that Almas didn’t need to touch her. The last few years their mother and Uncle Marpel had been teaching Almas both music and how to use magic through it. As Almas got better at music he also got better at casting spells with it. It was called bard magic and she was about to retort that he used it to push her but a voice above her spoke first, “Yes, she knows you well. That’s how she knows it was you.”
He’d done it to her again. In just the moment that it took for her to fall, Ulec had just appeared out of nowhere. Looking above her she saw Ulec sitting on a branch in the tree with his back to the trunk and one leg hanging lazily, as if he’d been sitting there waiting all day! It wasn’t fair! She had been looking right at that spot when Almas pushed her.
“How do you do that?” she asked.
Ulec slid off the branch and landed noiselessly on his bare feet and asked with a sly grin, “Do what?”
“Appear out of no where like that!”
“I didn’t come from No Where. I came from over there. I’ve never been to No Where,” Ulec answered, pointing behind him.
“But we never see or hear you come,” Cady protested.
“I apologize for not moving through the forest making noise like a huge lumbering bear.”
“Cady isn’t that loud,” Almas cut in as he stood up and stepped over to his friend.
“Actually, I was referring to you.”
“Hey!”
Ulec laughed as Almas tried to push him but missed as he easily stepped aside. “You need to move faster than that! Or maybe you should stick to the harp,” Ulec said right before they all heard a soft snap above them. They all looked up to the tree for the source of the sound and Ulec started to step to the side when a large, furry animal landed on him, knocking him to the ground. Cady gave a surprised shout as she recognized a panther standing on Ulec with its large paws on his chest.
Rather than being frightened, Ulec looked annoyed and spoke calmly to the large cat, “Seacra get off! That hurt.”
He pushed the panther off him and in an instant it transformed into a young elvish girl who laughed and said triumphantly, “That time you weren’t fast enough.”
It was Ulec’s younger sister, Seacra. She was almost 20 years younger than her brother, but even though she was a little over 100 years old, she didn’t seem any older -- or act any older for that matter -- than Cady. Ulec got up glaring at her and brushed the dirt off of himself. It was in that moment they heard Giddy yell as he ran over, “Ulec, Seacra!” Behind him their father approached at a much more leisurely pace.
“Seacra, your back!” Giddy exclaimed.
Cady was also happy to see Seacra. She was away most of the time up north in elvish lands and when she was gone, Cady missed having another girl around to play with and couldn’t help asking, “How long are you here for?”
“A couple of weeks,” Seacra replied.
“Seacra! So good to see you,” Cady’s father said as he arrived. “Is Lady Alixia staying also?”
“No, Mother is up north, on the other side of the Dividing Mountains. It’s been 125 years since the War of Destruction. She wanted some time alone to visit the monument.”
The Dividing Mountains was a mountain range that ran northeast the whole length of the continent. It divided the elvish lands and the human lands and were so tall no one could cross them. At least that’s what Cady had heard.
“I see,” Gidon said in response to Seacra.
Cady noticed a quick look of relief cross her father’s face, and apparently Seacra noticed it, too. “Are you scared of my mother?” she giggled.
Ulec answered for Lord Gidon and grumbled, “Everyone is scared of Mother, at least anyone who knows her. Even the gods feared her.”
“Can she really turn herself into a dragon?” Giddy asked excitedly.
“Yes,” Gidon answered his son. “But before you ask, no, you can’t see.”
“You don’t want to see her as a dragon, Giddy,” Seacra added. “She only turns into a dragon when going into battle and that would be very dangerous.”
“That’s enough of such talk. So what is the plan today?” Gidon said, ending the topic. Cady’s father always seemed to dodge any conversations about Lady Alixia and any war stories about her. Almas had once told Cady that he and father had met Lady Alixia four years earlier right, after Almas had first met Ulec. He had told her she was a shape shifter like Seacra but could turn into more powerful creatures than Seacra could. He said she had attacked her father. Then Ulec and Ulec’s father had to stop her from hurting him but that’s all anyone would tell her.
It was Ulec who answered Gidon’s question. “I wanted to show Almas some plants I’m growing from seeds that my mother brought from the north.”
“I want to go!” Cady chimed in. Cady liked plants, and plants from elvish lands sounded interesting.
“Sounds like fun,” Gidon said. “I need to see to some business and get Creetan’s armor. See if he’s able to brag about his archery skills shooting with some thick leather weighing him down and impairing his movements. Just don’t stay out too late or your mother will have both our hides.”
“What about me?” Giddy asked excitedly.
“Sorry, short stuff,” Gidon answered. “Maybe in a year or so. You stay here with Creetan.”
With that, Gidon walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Seacra remarked to Ulec, “All the stuff you can do in the forest and you’re going to go look at some blue flowers. I thought you were boys.”
Cady giggled at the comment but didn’t dare say anything that might keep her from seeing the flowers. Ulec, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and turning to Almas asked, “Want to trade sisters?”
“Don’t tempt me; I’ve had enough of silly, giggling sisters,” Almas responded.
Silly? Could she help it if Seacra made a good joke at the boys’ expense? “Why are brothers so mean?” she asked Seacra.
“They think it’s their job.”
“See what you did, Ulec,” Almas said. “Now they’re mad at us and we’ll have to listen to them whine all day.”
“If that’s the way you feel, we will just go play by ourselves. We don’t need you. Come on, Cady. We can go see those plants on our own if you want. And better ones along with them,” Seacra said as she got up and started leaving.
“And good riddance,” Cady added as she left to follow Seacra. It would be a lot better without any annoying brothers around acting like jerks.
What Cady and Seacra failed to notice as they walked away was Almas smiling and whispering to Ulec, “Works every time.” Then both the boys were off.
In the four years that Almas had known Ulec he had learned to move through the forest pretty quickly. Yet he still often had a hard time keeping up with his friend. Ulec moved through the forest like they were one entity, as if the forest sped him on his travels.
“So how many are there?” Almas asked as he tried to keep up.
“Only three of them,” Ulec responded.
Every so often poachers would enter Aguerius Forest. Mostly these were inexperienced poachers testing to see if the rumors about poaching being impossible in the forest were true or not. Ulec always made sure they went home empty handed. In cases where the poachers were near enough, Ulec would let Almas watch the show from a safe place.
“This is the spot here. You should be able to watch everything from that branch,” Ulec said, pointing to a tree near the edge of a small clearing.
Almas climbed up to the spot Ulec indicated; the branches concealed him from view although he could see the entire field. Ulec meanwhile went out into the clearing and disappeared into some tall grass. After a short time, three men appeared at the far side of the field.
As they drew near Almas could hear them speak.
“This grass sticks like nothing else. It’s almost like it’s grabbing at us.”
“I told you to keep silent. You’ll scare our prey away.”
“What prey?” asked the third man. “We haven’t seen a single living creature in this forest. I’m beginning to think there is something to the rumors here.”
“I said keep quiet. Look at those trees up ahead. The branches are moving,” the man who appeared to be the leader said.
“That’s just the wind,” replied the first man.
“What wind? There is no wind.”
All around the clearing branches on trees swayed as if there was a heavy wind, except the lower branches where Almas was perched swayed a lot less. The three poachers only had a moment to watch when all around the clearing multiple wolf howls rose up from the trees.
Almas almost felt sorry for the poachers, watching the fear and confusion on their faces. Yet that was the price of trying to poach game in Aguerius Forest. Ulec had the power to speak to both plant and animal and ask them favors. Mostly he just did little tricks here and there, but at times like these Almas got to see just how much influence Ulec could have over the forest.
The three poachers loaded arrows into their bows at the sound of wolves moving through the tall grass. As one caught a glimpse of a wolf he aimed his bow to shoot, but a small rock flew from the grass hitting his hand that held his bow, knocking off his aim and making him drop his bow. Two more rocks flew from the grass and two more bows hit the ground.
Holding his hurt hand the leader said to the others as he glanced around, “I’ve seen enough, let’s get out of here.”
Pulling out their swords and keeping their backs together, they cautiously made their way back through the meadow. As they left they didn’t even notice the grass had stopped clinging to their legs and had even made a little path for them to leave by.
Cady was using some of the flowers she had picked to show Giddy how to decorate hats. He was a good student, and she wondered how long it would be before he decided such things were too girlie for him like her other two brothers.
Glancing at the forest Cady wondered what was keeping Almas and Ulec. She hadn’t seen them anywhere near the flowers, which didn’t say much for Ulec as he was only seen when he wanted to be.
She had asked Seacra if she knew where they had gone off to, and the elvish girl had told her to wait at home and she’d go find them. Cady didn’t think it would take this long.
“Hey, Uncle Jerad is here,” Giddy stated, pulling Cady from her thoughts.
Looking in the direction Giddy was pointing, she saw her father’s best friend walking purposely toward her father at a brisk pace. He had a concerned look on his face. He walked up to her father, who greeted him, but his face turned somber almost instantly as Jerad started to converse with him. Cady couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she saw him turn to Creetan and say something then started walking over toward her and Giddy.
“Cady, do you know exactly where the boys went?” her father asked as he approached.
“We didn’t see them near the flowers Seacra showed me. She said she was going to go look for them. Is something wrong?”
“Nothing to worry about, I think. A couple of my scouts failed to report in. Probably just running late. But to be on the safe side, Jerad is taking you and Giddy back to the house and Cree and I are going to go retrieve Almas.”
“What about Ulec and Seacra?” Giddy asked.
“I’ll make sure they are also fine, but I think Ulec and Seacra can take care of themselves. Right now you two get going. I’ll be home shortly,” her father said with a grin.
Cady watched a moment as her father and brother walked into the forest, then said to Giddy, “Guess we’ll have to finish the hat in the house.” Giddy helped her gather some of the flowers then walked over to where Jerad was waiting for them.
“You two having fun today?” Jerad asked as they came within speaking distance to him.
“We were making a flower hat,” Giddy told him excitedly.
“Do you know why the scouts didn’t report in?” Cady asked.
“That’s what we are looking into, and that’s a nice looking hat. Let’s get it to the house so you can show your mother.”
“That was priceless,” Almas exclaimed as he dropped down from the low branch to the ground.
Ulec sat down and rested with his back to the tree. “Yeah, the look on their faces were great.”
One of the wolves happily came over to Almas, who rubbed the side of his head. “Hi Crusty!”
Crusty was the pet wolf that Ulec had given him four years previous when they had first met. He had raised him from a cub and now the wolf was full grown and spent as much time in the forest with the other wolves as it did at the Aguerius Estate.
Almas glanced at Ulec and noticed he was half asleep and looked paler than normal. With some concern he asked, “Are you okay? You don’t look so well.”
“I’m fine, just a little tired,” Ulec responded.
Almas was about to respond when a voice above them spoke first. “You’ll be more than tired if Mother or Father find out you were using Vithal magic.”
Looking above them they found Seacra sitting on the branch that Almas had just dropped down from.
“Dang it, Seacra! It’s bad enough when Ulec scares me doing that. Don’t you start now,” Almas complained.
“I thought you were showing the flowers to Cady,” Ulec said in an annoyed tone.
“I showed her all the flowers and realized you weren’t anywhere near the place you said you would be. So afterward I took her back home and came looking for you to see what you were really up to. You mean you didn’t notice?”
Ulec turned red. He normally kept good tabs on everything happening in the forest. Almas had never seen anyone sneak up on him before.
“I was distracted,” he responded.
“I know. It’s rare I ever get the drop on you, let alone twice in one day.”
Ulec sighed, “There just seems to be a lot more poachers in the forest than normal lately. I just thought I’d give this group a good show and maybe discourage others from coming.”
Seacra slid off the branch and dropped lightly to the ground next to Almas. Meanwhile Ulec opened up his shoulder bag and let Metal out, which began rolling and oozing towards Seacra.
“Ulec! Keep that thing away from me. That thing is gross.”
Ulec smiled lightly and responded, “Mention any of this to Mother or Father and you just might find him sleeping next to you one morning. He likes you.”
“Okay, just get it away from me.”
“Good,” Ulec said as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tree. “Now just let me rest a moment here.”
As Ulec closed his eyes and relaxed, Metal oozed over to some rocks, settled over the top of them, and soon the smell of acid on rock filled the air. Almas shook his head and laughed, “Those rocks must have a little iron ore in them. Some day that thing is going to be metal plated.”
“That thing is just plain creepy,” Seacra muttered.
“That thing saved my life once,” Almas responded back. “It attacked a forest dragon to protect Ulec and me.”
Seacra shrugged and after a few moments of silence, Almas spoke again, “What did you mean earlier when you said something about Ulec using Vithal magic?”
Seacra answered with a question, “You know the difference between elvish magic and human magic, right?”
Almas thought back to conversations he had had with his parents and with Ulec. “Humans have to make their magic by some sort of action, like when I play my harp, and Ulec once told me elves use energy given off by living things, which is why you live in the forest. Lots of life means lots of magic for you.”
“That’s right; there were three races of elves during the War of Destruction: Elder elves, Shadow elves, and Desert elves. Elder and Shadow elves use Natela magic, Desert elves use Vithal magic, and humans use Trabar magic. Elder and Shadow elves have a large source of magic, but we all use the same source and can feel when someone is using it and how much they are using.”
“So you and Ulec can’t use magic without your parents knowing it?” Almas asked.
Seacra answered, “Normally no, but our mother is only half Elder elf. Her mother was an Elder elf and her father was a Desert elf.”
“And that makes her different?”
“It makes her, Ulec and myself a little different. Desert elves were a race of elves that lived in the great northern desert that were wiped out during the War of Destruction. Since there is very little Natela magic in the desert, they learned to tap their own life force as a source of magic. So when one of us uses Vithal magic we draw the magic from ourselves so no one else can sense it,” Seacra explained.
“That sounds like it would hurt.”
“More like exhaust you,” Seacra corrected, nodding toward Ulec who was now sleeping. “but you need to be careful not to use too much. If you do, then it can shorten your life. That is why our mother would be very angry if she caught Ulec doing it.”
Almas took a moment to digest everything Seacra said. He wasn’t sure what to say after that. After a while Almas spoke up, “Well, it’s starting to get late; I should be heading home. Tell Ulec I said goodbye when he wakes up.”
“Okay.”
Chapter 1
“I thought I would find you here today, my lady.”
“Why have you come here, creature?”
“The same reason as you, to remember the dead, and to pay respect to friends long past turned to dust. Do not think this field and monument is your own private grieving ground. I also once stood on this field, shoulder to shoulder with gods, elves, and men. I also lost many friends that day so long ago.”
“What can a monster like you remember of friendship? I should destroy you now and let the world be rid of you.”
“My dear Lady Alixia; first of all, you’re no longer sure you could defeat me alone. Second, you remember what friendship is even if I don’t.”
“How dare-”
“But while I may be a bit… hazy… on friendship, I still remember honor. And that honor compels me to pay old debts.”
“I forgive you of all debts. Now leave and corrupt this sacred ground no longer with you presence!”
“Just as soon as I say this: Tornal has begun his experiments again.”
“And just what is he working on now?”
“He seeks to make more of us.”
“Odd. I was just thinking this world needed fewer of you.”
“He also seeks to give himself, and the others he makes, power not unlike your own, only with his own dark twist. He seeks to steal what you merely mimic. In fact he says that he has one last experiment to make and he would like an elvish subject.”
“Then he has far to travel to find one.”
“He has heard rumors there might be one to be had in human lands. It seems poachers have been spreading tales about strange happenings in Aguerius Forest.”
“Tornal shouldn’t listen to rumors.”
“That’s what I told him. He never would listen to me. If there are any elves there, I hope they watch themselves.”
“Hunting elves is very dangerous. Finding the wrong one would be the end of him.”
“Yes, but finding the right one, such as one young and inexperienced, would be easy prey for a lich lord of Tornal’s power.”
“Are you insinuating-”
“Nothing. I insinuate nothing. Just giving information I thought you might find interesting. Now I must bid you farewell. Give my regards to your husband and children, where ever they may be.”
“Farewell? A creature like you comes here to this field of sacrifice to mock and threaten me, and you bid me farewell? You think I would let an abomination such as yourself simply leave after such disrespect?”
“Here I am. Stop me!”
“Gladly.”
Cady wasn’t just dizzy. She was very dizzy. Yet she kept moving around and around, watching the trees. She was determined to make sure no pesky elves snuck up on her this time. Her brother, on the other hand, didn’t even try anymore.
“I’ve told you, Cady, you’re not going to see him arrive.”
Cady’s 12-year-old brother, Almas, just sat there, sitting with his back resting against the tree, playing his lap harp. She would never admit it to him, but he was starting to get good at it. But practicing music wasn’t going to help her catch Ulec when he arrived.
The rest of her family was just as useless. Creetan was 16 now and more interested in shooting arrows at a target; her father, Lord Gidon Aguerius, was wrestling with her 8-year-old brother, Giddy, and Mother was in her shop making who knows what. So it was up to her, a little girl of only 10 years, to keep the vigil and guard the family against young trespassing elves.
“I’m going to catch him this time. I will not let Ulec sneak up on us this time,” Cady informed her brother as she stumbled a little but caught herself before falling down.
“Good luck with that. In four years I’ve never spotted Ulec before he wanted to be seen,” Almas responded with a sigh and continued playing a quick jumpy sounding tune on his harp.
Ulec was a young elf that Almas had met while he was lost in the forest four years before. He had saved Almas from becoming lunch for a forest dragon and they had been best friends ever since. Now every once in a while Almas would announce that Ulec was coming over to visit. She wasn’t sure exactly how Almas always knew, but she was sure it had something to do with Ulec’s ability to talk to animals and plants. Cady was always amazed at how plants and animals seemed to do whatever he wanted.
Cady continued spinning, determined to catch the elf trying to sneak up on her like he always did. She was scanning the trees when she heard the tune Almas was playing abruptly change and a force, like a very strong wind, pushed her and she toppled to the ground.
“Hey! You pushed me!” she yelled at Almas.
Almas gave the most disgustingly false-innocent look she had ever seen and responded, “What? Me? I never touched you. I was just practicing. You know me better than that.”
Cady knew that Almas didn’t need to touch her. The last few years their mother and Uncle Marpel had been teaching Almas both music and how to use magic through it. As Almas got better at music he also got better at casting spells with it. It was called bard magic and she was about to retort that he used it to push her but a voice above her spoke first, “Yes, she knows you well. That’s how she knows it was you.”
He’d done it to her again. In just the moment that it took for her to fall, Ulec had just appeared out of nowhere. Looking above her she saw Ulec sitting on a branch in the tree with his back to the trunk and one leg hanging lazily, as if he’d been sitting there waiting all day! It wasn’t fair! She had been looking right at that spot when Almas pushed her.
“How do you do that?” she asked.
Ulec slid off the branch and landed noiselessly on his bare feet and asked with a sly grin, “Do what?”
“Appear out of no where like that!”
“I didn’t come from No Where. I came from over there. I’ve never been to No Where,” Ulec answered, pointing behind him.
“But we never see or hear you come,” Cady protested.
“I apologize for not moving through the forest making noise like a huge lumbering bear.”
“Cady isn’t that loud,” Almas cut in as he stood up and stepped over to his friend.
“Actually, I was referring to you.”
“Hey!”
Ulec laughed as Almas tried to push him but missed as he easily stepped aside. “You need to move faster than that! Or maybe you should stick to the harp,” Ulec said right before they all heard a soft snap above them. They all looked up to the tree for the source of the sound and Ulec started to step to the side when a large, furry animal landed on him, knocking him to the ground. Cady gave a surprised shout as she recognized a panther standing on Ulec with its large paws on his chest.
Rather than being frightened, Ulec looked annoyed and spoke calmly to the large cat, “Seacra get off! That hurt.”
He pushed the panther off him and in an instant it transformed into a young elvish girl who laughed and said triumphantly, “That time you weren’t fast enough.”
It was Ulec’s younger sister, Seacra. She was almost 20 years younger than her brother, but even though she was a little over 100 years old, she didn’t seem any older -- or act any older for that matter -- than Cady. Ulec got up glaring at her and brushed the dirt off of himself. It was in that moment they heard Giddy yell as he ran over, “Ulec, Seacra!” Behind him their father approached at a much more leisurely pace.
“Seacra, your back!” Giddy exclaimed.
Cady was also happy to see Seacra. She was away most of the time up north in elvish lands and when she was gone, Cady missed having another girl around to play with and couldn’t help asking, “How long are you here for?”
“A couple of weeks,” Seacra replied.
“Seacra! So good to see you,” Cady’s father said as he arrived. “Is Lady Alixia staying also?”
“No, Mother is up north, on the other side of the Dividing Mountains. It’s been 125 years since the War of Destruction. She wanted some time alone to visit the monument.”
The Dividing Mountains was a mountain range that ran northeast the whole length of the continent. It divided the elvish lands and the human lands and were so tall no one could cross them. At least that’s what Cady had heard.
“I see,” Gidon said in response to Seacra.
Cady noticed a quick look of relief cross her father’s face, and apparently Seacra noticed it, too. “Are you scared of my mother?” she giggled.
Ulec answered for Lord Gidon and grumbled, “Everyone is scared of Mother, at least anyone who knows her. Even the gods feared her.”
“Can she really turn herself into a dragon?” Giddy asked excitedly.
“Yes,” Gidon answered his son. “But before you ask, no, you can’t see.”
“You don’t want to see her as a dragon, Giddy,” Seacra added. “She only turns into a dragon when going into battle and that would be very dangerous.”
“That’s enough of such talk. So what is the plan today?” Gidon said, ending the topic. Cady’s father always seemed to dodge any conversations about Lady Alixia and any war stories about her. Almas had once told Cady that he and father had met Lady Alixia four years earlier right, after Almas had first met Ulec. He had told her she was a shape shifter like Seacra but could turn into more powerful creatures than Seacra could. He said she had attacked her father. Then Ulec and Ulec’s father had to stop her from hurting him but that’s all anyone would tell her.
It was Ulec who answered Gidon’s question. “I wanted to show Almas some plants I’m growing from seeds that my mother brought from the north.”
“I want to go!” Cady chimed in. Cady liked plants, and plants from elvish lands sounded interesting.
“Sounds like fun,” Gidon said. “I need to see to some business and get Creetan’s armor. See if he’s able to brag about his archery skills shooting with some thick leather weighing him down and impairing his movements. Just don’t stay out too late or your mother will have both our hides.”
“What about me?” Giddy asked excitedly.
“Sorry, short stuff,” Gidon answered. “Maybe in a year or so. You stay here with Creetan.”
With that, Gidon walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Seacra remarked to Ulec, “All the stuff you can do in the forest and you’re going to go look at some blue flowers. I thought you were boys.”
Cady giggled at the comment but didn’t dare say anything that might keep her from seeing the flowers. Ulec, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and turning to Almas asked, “Want to trade sisters?”
“Don’t tempt me; I’ve had enough of silly, giggling sisters,” Almas responded.
Silly? Could she help it if Seacra made a good joke at the boys’ expense? “Why are brothers so mean?” she asked Seacra.
“They think it’s their job.”
“See what you did, Ulec,” Almas said. “Now they’re mad at us and we’ll have to listen to them whine all day.”
“If that’s the way you feel, we will just go play by ourselves. We don’t need you. Come on, Cady. We can go see those plants on our own if you want. And better ones along with them,” Seacra said as she got up and started leaving.
“And good riddance,” Cady added as she left to follow Seacra. It would be a lot better without any annoying brothers around acting like jerks.
What Cady and Seacra failed to notice as they walked away was Almas smiling and whispering to Ulec, “Works every time.” Then both the boys were off.
In the four years that Almas had known Ulec he had learned to move through the forest pretty quickly. Yet he still often had a hard time keeping up with his friend. Ulec moved through the forest like they were one entity, as if the forest sped him on his travels.
“So how many are there?” Almas asked as he tried to keep up.
“Only three of them,” Ulec responded.
Every so often poachers would enter Aguerius Forest. Mostly these were inexperienced poachers testing to see if the rumors about poaching being impossible in the forest were true or not. Ulec always made sure they went home empty handed. In cases where the poachers were near enough, Ulec would let Almas watch the show from a safe place.
“This is the spot here. You should be able to watch everything from that branch,” Ulec said, pointing to a tree near the edge of a small clearing.
Almas climbed up to the spot Ulec indicated; the branches concealed him from view although he could see the entire field. Ulec meanwhile went out into the clearing and disappeared into some tall grass. After a short time, three men appeared at the far side of the field.
As they drew near Almas could hear them speak.
“This grass sticks like nothing else. It’s almost like it’s grabbing at us.”
“I told you to keep silent. You’ll scare our prey away.”
“What prey?” asked the third man. “We haven’t seen a single living creature in this forest. I’m beginning to think there is something to the rumors here.”
“I said keep quiet. Look at those trees up ahead. The branches are moving,” the man who appeared to be the leader said.
“That’s just the wind,” replied the first man.
“What wind? There is no wind.”
All around the clearing branches on trees swayed as if there was a heavy wind, except the lower branches where Almas was perched swayed a lot less. The three poachers only had a moment to watch when all around the clearing multiple wolf howls rose up from the trees.
Almas almost felt sorry for the poachers, watching the fear and confusion on their faces. Yet that was the price of trying to poach game in Aguerius Forest. Ulec had the power to speak to both plant and animal and ask them favors. Mostly he just did little tricks here and there, but at times like these Almas got to see just how much influence Ulec could have over the forest.
The three poachers loaded arrows into their bows at the sound of wolves moving through the tall grass. As one caught a glimpse of a wolf he aimed his bow to shoot, but a small rock flew from the grass hitting his hand that held his bow, knocking off his aim and making him drop his bow. Two more rocks flew from the grass and two more bows hit the ground.
Holding his hurt hand the leader said to the others as he glanced around, “I’ve seen enough, let’s get out of here.”
Pulling out their swords and keeping their backs together, they cautiously made their way back through the meadow. As they left they didn’t even notice the grass had stopped clinging to their legs and had even made a little path for them to leave by.
Cady was using some of the flowers she had picked to show Giddy how to decorate hats. He was a good student, and she wondered how long it would be before he decided such things were too girlie for him like her other two brothers.
Glancing at the forest Cady wondered what was keeping Almas and Ulec. She hadn’t seen them anywhere near the flowers, which didn’t say much for Ulec as he was only seen when he wanted to be.
She had asked Seacra if she knew where they had gone off to, and the elvish girl had told her to wait at home and she’d go find them. Cady didn’t think it would take this long.
“Hey, Uncle Jerad is here,” Giddy stated, pulling Cady from her thoughts.
Looking in the direction Giddy was pointing, she saw her father’s best friend walking purposely toward her father at a brisk pace. He had a concerned look on his face. He walked up to her father, who greeted him, but his face turned somber almost instantly as Jerad started to converse with him. Cady couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she saw him turn to Creetan and say something then started walking over toward her and Giddy.
“Cady, do you know exactly where the boys went?” her father asked as he approached.
“We didn’t see them near the flowers Seacra showed me. She said she was going to go look for them. Is something wrong?”
“Nothing to worry about, I think. A couple of my scouts failed to report in. Probably just running late. But to be on the safe side, Jerad is taking you and Giddy back to the house and Cree and I are going to go retrieve Almas.”
“What about Ulec and Seacra?” Giddy asked.
“I’ll make sure they are also fine, but I think Ulec and Seacra can take care of themselves. Right now you two get going. I’ll be home shortly,” her father said with a grin.
Cady watched a moment as her father and brother walked into the forest, then said to Giddy, “Guess we’ll have to finish the hat in the house.” Giddy helped her gather some of the flowers then walked over to where Jerad was waiting for them.
“You two having fun today?” Jerad asked as they came within speaking distance to him.
“We were making a flower hat,” Giddy told him excitedly.
“Do you know why the scouts didn’t report in?” Cady asked.
“That’s what we are looking into, and that’s a nice looking hat. Let’s get it to the house so you can show your mother.”
“That was priceless,” Almas exclaimed as he dropped down from the low branch to the ground.
Ulec sat down and rested with his back to the tree. “Yeah, the look on their faces were great.”
One of the wolves happily came over to Almas, who rubbed the side of his head. “Hi Crusty!”
Crusty was the pet wolf that Ulec had given him four years previous when they had first met. He had raised him from a cub and now the wolf was full grown and spent as much time in the forest with the other wolves as it did at the Aguerius Estate.
Almas glanced at Ulec and noticed he was half asleep and looked paler than normal. With some concern he asked, “Are you okay? You don’t look so well.”
“I’m fine, just a little tired,” Ulec responded.
Almas was about to respond when a voice above them spoke first. “You’ll be more than tired if Mother or Father find out you were using Vithal magic.”
Looking above them they found Seacra sitting on the branch that Almas had just dropped down from.
“Dang it, Seacra! It’s bad enough when Ulec scares me doing that. Don’t you start now,” Almas complained.
“I thought you were showing the flowers to Cady,” Ulec said in an annoyed tone.
“I showed her all the flowers and realized you weren’t anywhere near the place you said you would be. So afterward I took her back home and came looking for you to see what you were really up to. You mean you didn’t notice?”
Ulec turned red. He normally kept good tabs on everything happening in the forest. Almas had never seen anyone sneak up on him before.
“I was distracted,” he responded.
“I know. It’s rare I ever get the drop on you, let alone twice in one day.”
Ulec sighed, “There just seems to be a lot more poachers in the forest than normal lately. I just thought I’d give this group a good show and maybe discourage others from coming.”
Seacra slid off the branch and dropped lightly to the ground next to Almas. Meanwhile Ulec opened up his shoulder bag and let Metal out, which began rolling and oozing towards Seacra.
“Ulec! Keep that thing away from me. That thing is gross.”
Ulec smiled lightly and responded, “Mention any of this to Mother or Father and you just might find him sleeping next to you one morning. He likes you.”
“Okay, just get it away from me.”
“Good,” Ulec said as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tree. “Now just let me rest a moment here.”
As Ulec closed his eyes and relaxed, Metal oozed over to some rocks, settled over the top of them, and soon the smell of acid on rock filled the air. Almas shook his head and laughed, “Those rocks must have a little iron ore in them. Some day that thing is going to be metal plated.”
“That thing is just plain creepy,” Seacra muttered.
“That thing saved my life once,” Almas responded back. “It attacked a forest dragon to protect Ulec and me.”
Seacra shrugged and after a few moments of silence, Almas spoke again, “What did you mean earlier when you said something about Ulec using Vithal magic?”
Seacra answered with a question, “You know the difference between elvish magic and human magic, right?”
Almas thought back to conversations he had had with his parents and with Ulec. “Humans have to make their magic by some sort of action, like when I play my harp, and Ulec once told me elves use energy given off by living things, which is why you live in the forest. Lots of life means lots of magic for you.”
“That’s right; there were three races of elves during the War of Destruction: Elder elves, Shadow elves, and Desert elves. Elder and Shadow elves use Natela magic, Desert elves use Vithal magic, and humans use Trabar magic. Elder and Shadow elves have a large source of magic, but we all use the same source and can feel when someone is using it and how much they are using.”
“So you and Ulec can’t use magic without your parents knowing it?” Almas asked.
Seacra answered, “Normally no, but our mother is only half Elder elf. Her mother was an Elder elf and her father was a Desert elf.”
“And that makes her different?”
“It makes her, Ulec and myself a little different. Desert elves were a race of elves that lived in the great northern desert that were wiped out during the War of Destruction. Since there is very little Natela magic in the desert, they learned to tap their own life force as a source of magic. So when one of us uses Vithal magic we draw the magic from ourselves so no one else can sense it,” Seacra explained.
“That sounds like it would hurt.”
“More like exhaust you,” Seacra corrected, nodding toward Ulec who was now sleeping. “but you need to be careful not to use too much. If you do, then it can shorten your life. That is why our mother would be very angry if she caught Ulec doing it.”
Almas took a moment to digest everything Seacra said. He wasn’t sure what to say after that. After a while Almas spoke up, “Well, it’s starting to get late; I should be heading home. Tell Ulec I said goodbye when he wakes up.”
“Okay.”
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Mormon Migration
BYU just put up a new website featuring accounts of immagration from Mormon immigrants. I found this account that I remember hearing from my mother who was told the story by my great grandmother about her family when they came to America. The boy mentioned I believe was my great grandma's uncle.
The account is an excerpt from Journal of Richard Ballantyne Emigrating Company that I found at http://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/
"January 27th I have to record an unfortunate circumstance which happened this morning about 1/4 to 8 o'clock. A little boy belonging to one of the brethren was leaning over the Larboard side of the ship and while in that [p .19] position he got entangled in a rope, which was connected to one of the sails and was thrown over board by it. His father was standing close by and gave the alarm when some of the sailors flew to the boats, others to the ropes with the intention of stopping the ship and towing a boat in order to save the little fellow from a watery grave but the boats were all lashed down and the ship was going at the rate of 8 or 10 miles per hour. Besides there was a heavy sea running at the time which would have made it almost impossible for the boat to have got near him before the [p .20] spirit had left its body and gone to a better place. The captain came on deck and before the sailors had got the boat untied gave orders for the ship to pursue her course. The name of the boy was George Grimmet [Grinnett] aged 7 years, the son of John and Sarah Grimmet from the [-] Branch of the Birmingham Conference.
Sunday January 28th. The Saints held divine service between the decks at the center hatchway. Elder Ballantyne was rather weak and unable to speak much but he felt that it was his duty to say something for the comfort of those [p .21] who had been caused to mourn by unexpectedly losing their little boy in a manner that but few of the Saints have ever experienced while crossing the mighty deep. He brought forward the cases of David, Job and many others of the ancients as well as modern servants of the Lord, to show how they tempered their feeling by the principles they believed when troubles came upon them which were similar in their nature, to this which has befallen Brother and Sister Grimmett [Grinnett]. He counselled the Saints against going on the forecastle and to be very careful and keep their children from the sides of the bulwarks [p .22] and other parts of the ship where there was any danger."
The account is an excerpt from Journal of Richard Ballantyne Emigrating Company that I found at http://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/
"January 27th I have to record an unfortunate circumstance which happened this morning about 1/4 to 8 o'clock. A little boy belonging to one of the brethren was leaning over the Larboard side of the ship and while in that [p .19] position he got entangled in a rope, which was connected to one of the sails and was thrown over board by it. His father was standing close by and gave the alarm when some of the sailors flew to the boats, others to the ropes with the intention of stopping the ship and towing a boat in order to save the little fellow from a watery grave but the boats were all lashed down and the ship was going at the rate of 8 or 10 miles per hour. Besides there was a heavy sea running at the time which would have made it almost impossible for the boat to have got near him before the [p .20] spirit had left its body and gone to a better place. The captain came on deck and before the sailors had got the boat untied gave orders for the ship to pursue her course. The name of the boy was George Grimmet [Grinnett] aged 7 years, the son of John and Sarah Grimmet from the [-] Branch of the Birmingham Conference.
Sunday January 28th. The Saints held divine service between the decks at the center hatchway. Elder Ballantyne was rather weak and unable to speak much but he felt that it was his duty to say something for the comfort of those [p .21] who had been caused to mourn by unexpectedly losing their little boy in a manner that but few of the Saints have ever experienced while crossing the mighty deep. He brought forward the cases of David, Job and many others of the ancients as well as modern servants of the Lord, to show how they tempered their feeling by the principles they believed when troubles came upon them which were similar in their nature, to this which has befallen Brother and Sister Grimmett [Grinnett]. He counselled the Saints against going on the forecastle and to be very careful and keep their children from the sides of the bulwarks [p .22] and other parts of the ship where there was any danger."
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Power of Moms
This counts as a little bit of current family history for my wife's family. Her Sister-in-Law wrote an article for the website she co-founded that is dedicated to helping mothers, and it has gotten some media attention. Here is a TV interview she has done.
Here is a link to the article which I think is great. Your Children want YOU!
Friday, April 6, 2012
1940 Census and other stuff
Well I found my first relatives in the 1940 Census today. I decided that looking for my Great Great Grandparents Ed and Luvena Cooley were my best bet since I have some transcriptions of letters with their address written in 1941 that helped me know were to look.
I found them living in or near Connelsville, Missouri. Since I still haven't found them in the 1930 Census I decided to look for them in Connelsville for that census. I didn't find them but I did find living there (in almost the same spot on the census) and A. Jackson Summers Which I recognized as me 3 time Great Grandfather (The father of Luvena). Andrew Jackson Summers I know died late in 1939. I'll have to see if I can find out if the Land Ed and Luvena lived on possible inherited from him. I can't confirm it from the census records but it seems to point to that since in both cases they are found living next to a William and Rosie Davis.
I did finnally find Ed Cooley in the 1930 Census living in the same county as a boarder without his wife although the census had him listed as being still married. I know from my Grandma's Report card that Luvena was living in Fraser, Iowa in 1931 with her Granddaughter Murriel as it was Luvena that signed her report card for the three first quarters.
Murriel must have moved there that year since I just found about an hour ago the 1930 census with her and her parents living in Chicago. I do not know what year her parent's divorced but I wonder if that might be why the following year she was apperently under the care of her grandmother.
Just thought I'd share what I've been working on the last few days.
I found them living in or near Connelsville, Missouri. Since I still haven't found them in the 1930 Census I decided to look for them in Connelsville for that census. I didn't find them but I did find living there (in almost the same spot on the census) and A. Jackson Summers Which I recognized as me 3 time Great Grandfather (The father of Luvena). Andrew Jackson Summers I know died late in 1939. I'll have to see if I can find out if the Land Ed and Luvena lived on possible inherited from him. I can't confirm it from the census records but it seems to point to that since in both cases they are found living next to a William and Rosie Davis.
I did finnally find Ed Cooley in the 1930 Census living in the same county as a boarder without his wife although the census had him listed as being still married. I know from my Grandma's Report card that Luvena was living in Fraser, Iowa in 1931 with her Granddaughter Murriel as it was Luvena that signed her report card for the three first quarters.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Cady Summer Memories #1
The first Cady Family camping
trip that I really Have many solid and fond memories was our 1988 trip to Tony
Grove, Utah. I was eight-years-old and was finally old enough to have some of
my own adventures, free from adults and an older brother who had power of veto
over anything I wanted to do.
We
also had a large camp ground to play around in with a steep hill on the corner
of it that provided hours of entertainment for all of us kids. To name us
quickly, all of us young cousins
constituted my brother and I :Tommy Van Pelt (10), Marc Van Pelt (8),
and my cousins; Andy Bay (10), Scott Bay (8), Megan Cady (6), Shawn Bay (4), with Tisha Bay and Tyler Cady
both almost being three.
We
spent most of our time on the steep path going up the hill that ended at a 5
foot cliff. We could walk along a ridge that followed the base of the cliff but
weren’t able to find any way to the top of it just yet.
Because of the
steepness of the path up, we decided to tie a rope to the tree roots coming out
of the cliff wall. This made ascending the steep hill easier and more fun-
especially for our younger cousins.
As
we began playing here the adults were quick to warn us not to loosen the dirt
from the roots because the tree that they came from was growing right on the
edge of the cliff and leaning a little over the edge. They didn’t want the tree
to fall on any of us. Since we hadn’t considered the fact that we might make
the tree fall we made sure not to dislodge dirt from the roots- at least, we
didn’t while the grown ups were watching. When they weren’t present we thought
making the tree fall would be awesome and went to task on it.
Lucky for us we
failed in this task. Last time I looked, the tree was still leaning in it’s
same precarious position in 1997 that it had been in nine years earlier. In
hindsight I think getting the tree to fall might have ended up being less awesome then we thought. I
suspect our parents might have been smarter then we gave them credit for.
After a couple
of days we gave up on the tree and started exploring more of the area around
the camp and it was then that my cousin Scott and I found a narrow path between
two large bushes that looked like it might lead to the area above the ridge...
and it did!
We were joined
by our cousin Megan and the three of us commenced to explore the upper ridge
line. We found the tree we had been trying to knock over from below and found
out kicking and pushing it from above didn’t work either.
If I remember
right it was also at this time that we had an exchange with some of the older
cousins still playing below that included bragging about finding the path up
first and a few hand grenades shaped like pine cones.
The three of us
decided to continue exploring further along the upper ridge for a while and
after going a good distance Megan said she was scared and wanted to go back.
Scott and I told her that she should go back then, but we weren’t scared and
were going to go on with or without her, and started walking on.
I made it about
six steps before a memory from the night before came back to me. Us older
cousins had noticed a couple of rangers walking down the road with rifles and we had spent some
part of the night debating whether they were looking for a bear, murderer, or
Bigfoot.
Now standing
there I realized the bear, murderer, or Bigfoot could be hiding behind any tree
just waiting to get me.
Scott walked on
another five or six steps before noticing I had stopped in my tracks and asked
what was wrong. I informed him I had a bad feeling and was going to go back with
Megan. Megan was still a few steps back where we left her looking like she was
trying to disintegrate us with her eyes for even thinking of leaving her alone.
Scott announced
he was going on alone then and commenced waling down the path. Megan and I started
back for camp. Most of the way back I spent deciding how I was going to haunt
her after the bear/murderer/Bigfoot, that I was sure was right behind us, ate
me because she couldn’t run any faster.
I was tempted to
scoot around her but decided that leaving a little be eaten while I ran to safety might be
considered unmanly, so it was just as well that there was no room to pass on
the trail.
We got back to
where we had first found the path to the upper ridge, which was in sight and
only a few yards from camp. I was happy to find nothing sinister behind us but
I did realize I had a dilemma. Since I was the oldest, that meant I was the one
the grown ups would hold responsible if something ate Scott.
When deciding
between angry parents and man eating bears/murderers/bigfeet, the answer was
clear- I told Megan to wait at camp while I went to look for Scott.
After retracing
my steps for a bit I came to a fork in the trail with a small path to the lower
ridge that I recognised as being right before the spot we had split up at.
I was about to
continue on when from no where the thought occurred to me that Scott had found
another such path to the lower ridge and was now making his way back to camp
along that path. If I continued on the path I was currently walking then I
would unknowingly pass him and spend heaven knows how long looking for him while
he’d be safe at camp. Again I don’t know how but I knew that if I went down to
the lower ridge and waited then he’d be along in a few seconds.
Years later
while reflecting on this I thought it strange that my eight-year-old self
didn’t even think anything amiss about this sudden revelation and accepted it as
fact with out second thought. Eventually I decided to just blame it on my
mother. (I love you Mom, but if I’ve said it once I’ve said it a hundred
times- Stay out of my Head!)
Anyway I went
down to the lower ridge and stood there waiting for Scott with my hands on my
hips doing my best angry parent impression. I thought about tapping my toe on
the ground like they did in cartoons but decided not to since I’d never seen
anyone do it in real life.
After about 20
seconds Scott came scooting around a bend in the ridge line a few feet in front
of me, hugging the cliff. Upon seeing me he smiled and announced he had found a
way down. I ignored the comment and just proceeded to chew him out for making me
worry and told him we should get back to camp. I didn’t mention it but I had a
nagging fear that Megan might write us off as dead and organize another funeral
for us like she had done for that stupid squirrel.
Which reminds me
of another story...
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Projects update
Finished the first draft for my story The Stone Cutter last night. So I'll be able to start spending a little more time working on my Cady's Summers project. I'm still looking for stories and photos regarding our summer camping trips and other activities so if you have any send them my way.
As always feel free to visit my Projects page for a list and current status on all my current writing and family history projects.
As always feel free to visit my Projects page for a list and current status on all my current writing and family history projects.
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