Progress

Working on book two of the Crystals of Tlalli: It's all relative (working title).  Added a couple of new characters.

Looking for some cool name ideas for a Ships Captain and a Ships Doctor. Feel free to suggest some.

Apocalypse housing

I'm hopeing that no world ending event happens this December. I'm sure most share that hope. What if ... That's a powerful thing, what if. My favorite two words together.

This post is a hopeful post about what if the apocalypse doesn't happen on dec 21 this year.  There have been a few developers who bought into that whole domesday mindset and built community shelters, some of which are wonderful in design. The missile silos that have been redesigned to house many families intrigued me.  The world is running out of land with so many people on it. Perhapse these developers will be the city and town builders of the future. If new towns were build into the ground or even above ground in a cilendrical form it would free up farming land around it.

Instead of spreading out over the face of the land, preserve the land and confine city's to skyscrapers or combinations of underground habitats and above ground domes.  Farferched maybe, but I'm a dreamer.

I have learned some things while writing my second book. Research is a journey. Methods of extracting coal, how to refine metals, how to make a charcoal press, uses of coal (toothpaste, really) and Geothermal heating to name but a few of the tidbits of info I have encountered along the way.

I have also discovered sometimes its better to just let the characters do what they want instead of trying to make them fit into the narrow step sheet you have created. Sometimes you find gems you never knew were there waiting for you to mine.

first 2 chapters of my first book: Awakened Affinities

1 – Ulrica

Rica lay in bed; sweat beaded her brow and dampened her hair. The room was dark; the only illumination came from a small clock on a bedside table. Rica turned over clutching her pillow a small sound escaped her lips.

“Ulrica.” A man’s voice said clearly. The sound of the voice was rich and deep; it lingered in Rica’s consciousness as though it had been said within her mind and not from the room at all. Rica gasped and sat up, her eyes wide. She turned on her lamp and looked around the room clutching the covers in shaking hands at her chest.

“Who’s there?” She said in a shaky voice. Taking a deep breath then letting it out she pushed the covers away and stood up. Rica was slim with long hair of a dark red color; her skin was creamy white in the soft glow of the lamp.

“Dad?” she called then opened the door and looked into the hall. “Mom?” The house was still and dark.

“It must have been a dream.” She murmured. Padding down to the bathroom on bare feet, the wooden floors cold and smooth. She flicked the light on and splashed cold water on her face then stood staring into the mirror trying to remember the dream she had been having before she had heard the voice. The dream had felt so real but now was almost faded away completely. Rica remembered seeing a man’s face, young and handsome with lavender eyes and wings surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colors. Now it was hard to remember what his face had looked like. The voice had shattered the dream and her sleep. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. A chill traveled down her back. She shivered the feeling of someone watching her made her glance behind her. No one there, she pulled the shower door open, no one in the shower either. Rica shivered again hugging her arms and rubbing them, they felt prickly with gooseflesh. She walked back to her room and got into bed shutting the lamp off and closed her eyes. Soon sleep found her again.

“Ulrica!” Rica’s eyes sprang open and she covered her head with the blankets listening, her breath shallow and fast. A minute went by and no sound could be heard but the ticking of the clock. She put her head out of the covers and listened. Rica waited for what seemed like hours but by the clock was only a few minutes her eyelids heavy. Slowly she drifted back to sleep.

“ULRICA!” The voice had a desperate quality to it now; Rica sat up in bed the morning sun was already starting to shine into her bedroom window. Her face was pale, her green eyes underlined with dark purple smudges from her lack of sleep. She looked around her room; everything was right where she had left it.

After a shower and a breakfast of toast she forgot about the nighttime fright and hurried out to catch the bus to school. With a sinking feeling Rica watched the taillights disappear down the hill. She turned and trudged back up the long driveway to her house, her mom was just pouring a cup of coffee when she walked into the kitchen.

“Rica?” Her mother turned to look at who had walked in the room. She was slight of stature and on the thin side.

“I missed the dang bus.” Taking her backpack off, Rica tossed it on to the kitchen table.

“We can drop you at school on the way to work. You look terrible.”

“Thanks mom.” Rica said sarcastically then instantly felt bad for saying it.

Her mother brushed a strand of Rica’s hair back from her face and looked at her tired eyes.

“Trouble sleeping?” Her mothers voice sounded concerned.

“Shouldn’t you be at school?” Her father said as he entered the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee. Rica’s father was tall and had broad shoulders. He spooned two teaspoons of sugar into the cup and stirred it absently.

“Yeah. I missed the bus. I kept waking up last night. I thought I heard someone calling me but when I looked no one was there.” Rica could almost hear the voice there like an echo in her mind.

Her parents froze for a second and glanced at each other then looked quickly away. Rica frowned.

“The voice was a guy’s voice. You weren’t trying to play a trick on me, were you dad?” For some reason Rica felt shaken and tense now as though someone was watching still.

Her father laughed. “No it wasn’t me princess.” But his laugh sounded strained. He looked at her mom again and she nodded. Her father sat the cup down and spun on his heel and walked out of the room.

“I left something, be right back.” He called over his shoulder.

“Is everything ok mom?” a shiver went down her spine.

“Yes dear. I’m going to be late if we don’t leave soon.” Her mother didn’t look at her.

Her father came back with a red envelope in his hand. He laid it on the table and put his suit jacket on then put the envelope in his pocket where it stuck up like a flag. They hurried out to the garage and got into the car. Her mother sat in the passenger seat her blond hair cut into a bob, Rica sometimes wished she had her mothers thick blond hair instead of her own long dark mane. Rica looked at her parents as they drove to school and not for the first time she was thankful they had adopted her. Rica told them about her weird dream and the strange voice calling her. Her parents were silent until they pulled into the high school parking lot. Then her father took the envelope and turned to hand it to her. He had sandy blond hair and kind brown eyes, which looked worried as he looked at her.

“We need to give this to you now. I – I want you to know that we have been so blessed to have you with us all these years. You have brightened our lives so much.” His eyes filled with moisture and he thrust the envelope into her hand then turned around. The envelope was a business sized one made out of dark red cardboard with a leather tie holding it shut and sealed with a blue wax seal stamped with an intricate design. When Rica took it the material felt strange, not like cardboard at all more like leather. There was a hard mysterious bulge in the middle. There was no time to look at it, so she stuffed it into her backpack to investigate later.

“Remember we love you Rica.” Her mother said her voice broke on Rica’s name. Then Rica heard the first period bell and dashed out the door and into the school.

Out of breath from her sprint into the foyer Rica stopped to compose herself. There were still kids hurrying to class so she wasn’t late yet. The foyer of the high school was a three-story room with glass covering the front letting in the early winter sun; the light caught in the crystal stars that hung from the ceiling sending a spectrum of color about the foyer. The floor and walls were tiled in a fantastic depiction of the solar system and the galaxy. The ceiling had various nebula and galaxies of the universe. Two wide staircases framed the open space leading up to the classrooms and offices. She ran up the right hand steps two at a time to get to her locker and stow her backpack and coat. She barely made it to class and into her seat when the final bell rang.

The rest of the day went by in a jumble. The bell finally rang for the last period of the day and Ulrica hurried to her locker to get the history notes she had put in her notebook. Rica felt frazzled like her brain just wouldn’t work right. Everything had been going wrong today, first oversleeping, then missing her bus, now she couldn’t seem to do anything right. Rica yawned. Why couldn’t she get her mind on what she was doing? “Focus Rica!” Rica told herself.

“Talking to yourself again?” Rica jumped at the sound of Tod’s voice.

“Yeah, I guess.” Rica shrugged at him.

“You skipping class?” He had stopped behind her in the hall.

“No, I have a free period. What are you doing Tod?” Rica glanced up at him.

“Making copies for Mr. Phillips. I better jet. Catch ya later.” He grinned and continued down the hall. Rica waved at his retreating form. Tod was built like an athlete with a lean strong frame and he had started to build muscle this last year. His red curly hair was cut short and his green eyes were the perfect shade of lime Rica had ever seen. He wasn’t the scrawny short kid she and her friend Natalie had known for so long. He was tall and cute now; it’s funny how a year can change a persons mind. Natalie was always talking about Tod these days. Tod had asked Natalie out to the movies. Rica would never hear the end of it.

Rica brushed her long hair behind her ear as she pulled the notebook out of her locker. The corner of the notebook got stuck on another book and everything in her locker tumbled to the floor. Rica kicked the locker in frustration. She was sure someone had invented lockers to vex students. With quick angry movements she grabbed everything and started to shove it back into the small space. Then sat back on her heels and took a deep breath telling herself to breathe. Just breath. Rica could feel her face was flushed and tried to calm down. She reorganized everything and put it back neatly so she could find it later.

The notes she was looking for were not where she had thought they would be. Where had she put them? THINK! Then she remembered they were on her desk at home. Great just fantastic one more thing she had messed up today. Rica mentally kicked herself. Well she could get the last little reference note and then catch the bus. She looked at her watch. She had twenty minutes until her bus left, and she had plenty of time.

Time is a funny thing. Sometimes it feels like it fly’s, sometimes like it’s set in stone and doesn't move at all. Other times, well it plays tricks on you. Today was one of those tricky days. Rica didn't feel rushed. She was calm as she worked and felt like she was in control. She was sitting at a back table behind some bookshelves that reached to the ceiling. There were no windows near her, just the soft library lights and the hum of the air vents. Rica didn't hear the bell. When the lights went off she thought the power had gone out. She called out “Mrs. O’Neil?” no answer.

Rica dug the little flashlight out of her backpack. She always carried one. She flicked it on and looked at her watch. Six o’clock! That cannot be right! Rica started to feel a little panicky as she went to the library counter and no one was there. She walked out into the hall; it was dim only the night lights were on. She heard a noise to her left that made her jump. She forced herself to listen. It sounded like something being pushed along the floor, and keys. She cautiously walked in the direction the noise had come from.

Mr. Connell, the janitor, was pushing an empty mop bucket down the hall toward the Janitors Closet. He turned and jumped as he saw Rica standing there. “Oh, you scared the be jiggers out of me! What are you still doing here?” He said in a gruff voice. Rica quickly explained what had happened. Mr. Connell nodded his head and told Rica she could use the phone to call her parents. They walked to the office where he unlocked the door and turned the light on.

Rica dialed the number and waited, and waited “You have reached the Simpson residence please leave a message at the tone” her own voice mocked her. She hung up in frustration and tried to call her dads cell phone, out of service, Mom’s phone was out of service also. Rica looked up at the grizzled janitor. He always kept to himself; some of the kids liked to play pranks on him because he was a Vietnam vet and thought it was funny to make him react. She would never forget the time one of the senior boys put a flash bang firework in the garbage can right behind Mr. Connell. The janitor dropped to the floor and covered his head. The stupid kid had been suspended. But Rica always wondered if Mr. Connell had come back from the war sane. Rica remembered her mother saying it was posttraumatic stress or something like that.

“I can’t get a hold of my parents!” Rica said as she hung up the phone.

Mr. Connell grunted, “Must be the storm.”

The rain was falling steadily outside when she looked. Rica wrinkled her nose at the weather, then pulled on her lightweight purple coat and put the hood up. She would have to walk home.

“If you wait about thirty minutes I could give you a lift home, it’s no trouble.” With concern in his eyes, he added. “It’s a dark night to be out walking in this.”

“No its ok I’ll go over to Natalie house. I’ll be ok. Its not like I’ll melt or anything its only water.” Rica replied. As she walked out the doors into the rain she remembered, Natalie was at the movies tonight with Tod. She would have to walk home. Thunder rolled overhead as she hunched into the light wind and started the long walk home. Two miles wasn't that far, right? She mentally kicked herself for getting so wrapped up in the library. “I wish it would stop raining!” She thought to herself. As she walked the rain slowed and finally stopped. But she was soaked and miserable when that happened and didn't notice. All she wanted at that moment was to be warmer. The air steamed off the now wet cloths she wore and off the pavement. Fog started to move in.

Rica decided to take a short cut up the hill past the old Pickerton farm. She had gone that way millions of times so she knew the way well. She just wanted to get out of her wet clinging cloths and into a warm bath. This had been the worst week ever. The fog thickened. Rica took her little flashlight out and flicked it on. The light bounced back at her as it hit the fog. It was like walking in a clinging white cotton ball. Rica directed the light at the ground at least she would be able to see where she was walking. Even with the light it was hard to see the trees now and they were close. Maybe she should go back to the road. But as she turned around every thing looked different and Rica didn’t know which way to go. Ok everyone says to sit down and wait for rescue if you are lost in the woods. “But no one knows you went this way, and on top of that no one knows you missed the bus, idiot. What, I’m talking to myself now? Great I’m going crazy!” Her voice sounded hollow in the fog, and too loud. Rica jumped at the sound of it.

Rica stopped and thought back to when she had been here before. She knew she had to go up the hill and there was only one hill near to the farm that had trees and that hill merged into the forest where there was a cabin. Natalie and her had played at that cabin when they were in grade school. It was a place she knew well. Her father used to use the cabin when hunting season came around and sometimes would stay there over night with her and her mother. Maybe she could get there and get out of this fog and wet. Yes, that was the best plan; she had to get to the cabin. With new hope she continued on. She heard a thump off in the fog somewhere. She stopped. Had she heard something or was her imagination running away with her? She waited. After a minute and no other sounds came to her she shrugged and continued up the hill, pushing on the tree next to her and brushing the wet branches out of the way.

She had taken only a few steps when she heard “Thump Thump” sort of a muffled sound like a drum and sparks? She caught her breath and stopped, unconsciously crouching. THUMP fizzle spark. There it was again, and something else too, it sounded like people yelling. Rica tried to look through the dense cloyingly wet mist to see but it was too dark and the fog to thick. The sound of the people yelling gave her hope. Maybe they had a car and could get her out of here.

“Hello!” Rica yelled.

“Is anyone there?” When no one responded Rica shrugged, maybe the fog was muffling her voice.

She walked cautiously up the hill and slipped on the wet brown grass. She caught the tree next to her and stopped, the bark was rough under her cold wet hand. Rica shivered. Listening with all her might she tried to hear the people again. “Thump ssssss.” The sound had come from the left of her down from the hillcrest. Well at least she had made it to the top; the cabin wasn't too far away now, if this was the right spot. It was so strange to be out in the woods at night in the fog. Everything looked different and sounds were weird and scary. That’s it she was just scarring herself. She took a deep breath and stood up straight. This was not a horror story and she was not the girl who would be ripped apart by some weird crazy guy with a mask on. Stop it!! She told herself. Just breathe.

Rica started down the hill and fell when her foot caught on a dead fall. Ouch! Pushing herself up Rica cautiously started making her way down the rain-drenched hillside. Rica was wet and covered with dead leafs and grass now. She picked off the dead leaves from her knees only to have them stick to her hands. Rica shook them off and rubbed the mud off as best she could on her wet jeans. She was cold her hands ached with the chill. The smell of damp earth and wet leaves surrounded her with each squishing step. “BAM”, a blinding, blue light lit the fog with an iridescent glow as it hit the water molecules, making a rainbow ring in the fog. The sound seemed to go right through her making her bones ache and the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Rica stepped forward and the ground under her foot felt liquid. Her foot slipped out from under her. Rica grabbed at the tree branch along her side and stopped. She looked down at the cabin and stared. There was a clear sphere around the area as though a soap bubble had been blown and had settled on the ground. The sides of the bubble glinted with wet rainbow swirls when the light hit it. Rica was close enough to see that there were two men near the cabin. There was a fire burning off to the side in the mud, Rica stared at the fire, it was blue and was burning on the mud but there was nothing there to burn. THUMP! Rica looked back at the men. One was tall and younger looking, dressed in robes that came to his knees with silk pantaloons and tall dark boots. The other was older dressed in fancy renaissance like garb with a quilted dark vest and puffy sleeves. He had tall dark boots on over leather looking pants.

The men on the hill were focused on each other and didn’t see Rica there. Rica flicked off her little flashlight and put it in her backpack. As she watched the younger man threw what looked like blue fire at the older one and hit him on the shoulder, which caught his vest on fire. The fire was blue but seemed to burn just as well as any other fire. The older man cried out in pain and gestured putting the fire out. He staggered, then called out and thunder rumbled and then lightening shot out from his hand at the younger man making him duck and slip in the mud. Rica tried to back up away from the hill so they wouldn’t see her. The muddy ground gave way and Rica pitched forward and fell heavily sliding downward toward the light and the sound. The sound and the movement of Rica tumbling down the hill drew the older man’s attention.

 He looked back at her and yelled. “Ulrica!” The voice sounded familiar.

The man threw something on the ground in front of her. Rica fell forward unable to stop she tensed to hit the ground hard, only she didn't hit but seemed to keep going into darkness so dark it was darker than a moonless cloudy night. Silence! Even silence is not the lack of all sound there is always something but this was utter silence. No sound, nothing!

She kept falling.

 2 – Rescued

Rica moaned and tried to roll over. It was hot, so hot. She closed her eyes tighter the sun was so bright even through her eyelids. Rica felt stiff her muscles cramped. The memory of the light show on the rain-drenched hill by the cabin came back in vivid clarity. Either the fight she had witnessed was aweird dream or she was losing her mind. Rica could feel the roughdry ground beneath her cheek and hands. Waking up would be good. Rica tried to go back to sleep, rationalizing that if she fell back to sleep she would wake up in her own bed and not here, wherever here was. Rica could feel the skin of her cheek grow hotter as she lay there. Her discomfort grew. Something was definitely wrong with this whole scenario. The ground was sandy and smelled hot. Even the air was hot. Cautiously she opened her eyes, and closed them again hurriedly. This was not right! Where were the cabin, the trees, and the two people she had seen? Rica pushed herself up to sit and opened her eyes again. She was on a ledge about ten feet above the ground. The ledge was attached to a cliff with a straight vertical face that seemed to continue up a long way. Rica looked around. There were rocks and sand as far as she could see! There was something about the sky that just felt different but she couldn’t place what it was.

This looked like the desert. How had she gotten here? The two people! That was it. They must have kidnapped her and taken her to the desert. Rica laughed out loud at her fantasy. Why would they do that, because you saw their light show? Now that was just nuts. Impossible, no one can throw light. Rica reached up and felt her head for lumps or cuts. No, nothing. Anyway she had seen them throw something before she fell. Rica laughed again. Maybe it had been a flashlight she had seen. No matter what had happened last night today was what she had to worry about. Rica decided that getting her bearing and finding help to get back home was the most important thing.

Rica opened her backpack and looked inside for any snack or something useful. One stick of gum is all she found and her library books and history notes, her little flashlight and the red envelope her father had given her. The flashlight would come in handy until the batteries ran out, but there was nothing else in there that could help her out of this mess. Rica held the envelope in her hands, staring at it, her father and mother had been acting so strange when they had given it to her. Rica slowly broke the seal of wax and untied the tie. She opened the envelope and looked inside. There was a bracelet with a big blue cut jewel in the center of it with some kind of engraving all-around the edge of it. The bracelet was of woven silver metal about two inches wide it was beautiful. When Rica held the bracelet the jewel in the center glowed. Rica sat and looked at it slowly the glow subsided. She opened the clasp and put it on her left wrist. It felt heavy and warm. When she tried to take the bracelet off again the clasp was gone! Rica looked at the bracelet trying to find the clasp, but there was no clasp anymore, the metal was seamless. Rica sat on the hot ground wondering what to do now.

First things first, find a way down off this ledge. She looked around and decided going up was out of the question down might be better. The rocky ledge was about ten feet across and slopped gently down. The lowest part of the edge was maybe nine feet above the desert floor, an easy jump. Rica stood up putting her backpack on. She was a little stiff but no injuries that she could see. Her pants were still damp where she had lain with leaves and mud from her slide down the wet hillside so she knew she hadn’t imagined it all. She walked to the edge and sat down. Rica slid forward on her bottom and hopped down, so far so good.

There didn’t seem to be any roads or trails around the area that she could see so Rica picked a direction and started walking. The ground was rocky and hard to walk on. Soon Rica took her jacket off and stowed it in her backpack. She was thirsty and had no idea how to find water. The sun was a merciless orb and seemed to get hotter as she struggled along what she imagined was a path of some kind. She looked up at the sky and shook her head, she must be seeing things, it looked like there were two moons in the sky. Maybe she was seeing double.

After a long time walking and falling she told herself over and over that she would soon find a road and someone would stop and take her home. It was a game she played as the hours went by. She made up different scenarios on how she would be rescued. After a time she came to realize if she was going to be rescued it was herself that would do it. As she walked farther she came to a canyon and a path leading into it. Rica’s back hurt, the books in her backpack seemed to grow heavier as the day wore on. Time to lighten the load, sighing Rica took her books and notes out of the backpack and sat them on the sand. The flashlight was small so Rica put it into the pocket of her jacket and tied the jacket around her waist. The backpack might come in handy so she slung it back on. The piece of gum she chewed and it helped a little with her thirst, but soon she found the sugar made her even thirstier.

Rica followed the path for some time, the shadows were getting longer, day seemed to be drawing to a close and there was nowhere to get out of the wind that had come up. Rica could hardly see the landscape around her and thought it best to stop before she broke something falling off a cliff in the dark. Taking her little flashlight out she flicked it on. The light was dim and flickered until it went out all together. The batteries had died. Sighing in resignation and exhaustion she put her back to the rock wall and hoped there were no scorpions to sting her as she slept. Though as long as she had walked in this forsaken place she had not seen any sign of life, no insects, no birds, no slithering or crawling things of any kind. No plants not even dead ones. Too tired to think anymore about it she lay back against the rock. She didn't think she could fall asleep but as soon as she sat down and laid her head back she drifted to a deep sleep.

The morning came and woke Rica. “Uggh” She was so thirsty now and hungry. As she sat up every muscle in her body seemed to protest. She had muscle aches in places she didn’t realize there were muscles. Her stomach rumbled with sharp hunger pains shooting through her abdomen. Sighing heavily Rica gradually got to her feet, she tried to lick her lips they were so dry. But her tongue was parched; her mouth felt like it was filled with grit and sand. She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. The next day was like the first in this dry desolate place, her companions heat and rocks. When it was too dark to see, Rica collapsed. Morning came again. She lay there for a moment trying to sort out what had happened in the woods. Her throat was dry and it was hard to breath. Her nose hurt with the sunburn she knew she had to have. She put her jacket on her head and tied it under her chin.

She continued into the canyon. At least there was some shade here. She shivered. It was cooler in the desert in the morning but she kept the jacket on her head. Soon she was panting again and completely lost. This canyon was huge with many branching ways. It reminded her of the time her family had traveled to the Grand Canyon. With the remembrance came an ache in her heart. She had to find a way home, or wake up if this was a dream. Her skin felt so dry and hot. Her body felt so heavy and worn out, it was as if she didn’t have any water left in it. The path had slowly faded away. She came to a choice to go down the sloping grade or up onto what looked like another path above her. She chose up, though down would have been easier. She still hoped she would find her way out to civilization. The sound of her foot falls echoed as she walked. She was dizzy and it was hard to put one foot in front of the other. After a time she thought she heard voices or clanking. She continued on the path, which was clearly a path now. There were strange markings etched into large stones along the way. The path looked like it was tiled in smooth white quartz. The way was easier to walk now. She had to find water soon.

When the sun was straight overhead Rica glanced at her wristwatch it was 2:00 pm, time was wonky here, she put her wrist up to her ear and could hear the comforting tick, tick of the little time piece so it was still working. Tump, tump, dum dum dum, like a drum beat. Excitement coursed through her with one thought “PEOPLE”. Rica stopped and looked around trying to determine which direction the sound was coming from. Off to the right, she started to walk that direction. The farther she walked the thirstier she became. Her lips were cracking and hurt. It felt like her face, neck and shoulders were badly sunburned, they hurt and felt blistered. After what seemed like an eternity of putting one foot in front of the other Rica staggered, dizzy. She thought she saw people in the distance and a tent like structure but her vision was blurry and she felt disoriented. Rica stumbled and tried to catch herself but fell hard to the ground. A red haze seemed to cloud her mind and she passed out.

Someone was putting a cup to her lips and she felt water dribble into her mouth and down her chin. Rica swallowed and tried to grab the cup to drink more but the hands of someone stopped her. Rica opened her eyes and everything was blurry and her head pounded at the temples, the person setting next to the cot she lay on looked different somehow. The eyes were wrong. Rica tried to sit up and blacked out.

Rica woke in a cool dark place, smooth stone all around her. She struggled to set up but was instantly dizzy and felt sick to her stomach. She moaned and closed her eyes to stop the spinning. A gentle hand touched her brow and she opened her eyes again. There was a light, flickering, like a candle providing dim light. Rica looked at the person crouched near her. It was hard to see in the dim light but it looked as though the man (yes defiantly male) was malformed about the head somehow. The ears were wrong. He was speaking but Rica could not understand what he was saying. His voice was low and soothing. He put a cup to her lips and helped her take a sip. Then eased her back to the cot she was laying on. He pulled the blanket up around her shoulders again.

“Please, where am I? Did you find me out in the desert? Who are you?” Her voice sounded cracked and weak to her ears. It hurt to talk.

The man shook his head, not understanding what she asked. He sat down beside her on a stool and put the candle on an ornate shelf that was mounted to the rock wall with carved birds. After a while Rica fell asleep again.

When Rica woke up, there was a different person there by her. A young woman, she wore a dress with crystals and bells sewn to the skirt. The top of the dress had intricate beading in flower and tree leaf designs, with more crystals and bells alternating on ties around the neckline. The young woman lit a torch and put it in a wall sconce. There was now light enough to see a little better. The woman’s ears were different. Cat like with tufts of hair like a lynx and her eyes were like a cats too, with vertical pupils. Rica stared at her, and couldn't seem to stop. The woman cocked her head to one side and regarded Rica. She softly spoke but the words had no meaning to her. The language was soft and slightly slurred; Rica had never heard a language like it.

“I don’t understand you. I’m sorry.” Rica said

The woman frowned slightly. Then stood and walked to a door. She opened it and spoke to someone outside, then returned to set on the stool by the cot Rica was laying on. Rica slowly sat up. She was weak but not dizzy anymore. Soon someone knocked at the door and then opened it. A young male entered carrying a bag, which he handed to the woman. Then he nodded and left.

The woman searched through the bag and found a small pouch. She took out three round pendants. Then picked up a spool of leather cording off the table against the far wall. She put a pendant on a length of cord and tied it, then put if over her head. She repeated the procedure and gave the other pendant to Rica and smiled gesturing for Rica to put it on. Rica was puzzled but complied. The woman made another necklace with a pendant and put it on the table. Then the woman started to speak. It seemed she was talking just to talk. Every once in a while she would pause, as though waiting for Rica to say something.

Soon Rica was feeling sort of embarrassed. Because she could not seem to get these people to comprehend she could not understand them. She sighed.

“Look, I’m sure it’s a nice story and all but I don't understand you. And I need to find a bathroom.” The pendants both glowed. The woman smiled and nodded.

“Whoa, what was that?” Rica picked the pendant up off her chest and tried to look at it but the cord was too short.

“That was the translation rune activating.” the woman said.

Rica felt a chill down her back. She shook her head.

“I understood you.” Rica said. But the words seemed to twist and change into the language of the woman.

“That’s right, now we can understand one another. ”The woman nodded and smiled. “Are you feeling sick to your stomach still? Are you still feeling dizzy?” She asked all business now.

“I-I am feeling better.”

“I am Zafira a healer in training. You passed out on the path near our camp. I have healed you as best I can.” The strange cat woman regarded Rica thoughtfully. “I have sent for my cousin Nottia to help you get cleaned up and tell you what ever you need to know. I’m sure you have many questions.”

A knock sounded on the door and a slim young woman came into the room. “Ah, Nottia this is - I’m sorry I didn’t get your name.” Zafira said.

“I’m Rica. Ulrica Simpson”

Zafira handed Nottia the necklace off the table, Nottia put it around her neck.

“I’m glad you are feeling better.” Nottia said. Zafira left shutting the door behind her. Nottia showed Rica around the cave and took her to the bathroom, which consisted of a port-a-potty behind a screen in a large room. There was a washbasin on a table with a jug of water next to it. Rica washed her face and hands after relieving herself. The clothes she had on now were not her own. She looked at herself in the mirror on the wall. The clothes were colorful like the ones the cat people wore.

“Where are my clothes?” Rica smoothed the red and orange shirt with her hand and looked down at the loose brown pants she had on.

“We washed them and you.” Nottia laughed. “Here I’ll get them.” Nottia sounded pleasant. She rummaged around and came back with Rica’s clothes neatly washed and folded.

“Thank you.” Rica said taking the clothes back behind the screen where she quickly changed into them. As she bent over to tie her shoes a sudden dizziness moved over her. She sat down and waited for the room to stop spinning. When the dizziness passed she stood up and joined Nottia again.

“This is a cave?” Rica looked around her. “It’s beautiful in here like a palace or something.” Nottia just smiled. The cave was finished with polished stonewalls and floors that were carved with intricate designs framing scenes of people and animals. When Rica looked up at the ceiling she saw that it was carved into scenes of cat like people doing various things, like holding a bowl or kneeling in front of what looked like giant crystals. The scenes on the ceiling looked like they were of an older time then the ones on the walls, the people wore a different type of clothing. The ceiling was reinforced with huge metal beams and columns, which were also decorated with some pictures and what looked like writing. But the writing was like none Rica had ever seen. It was like a mix of Chinese and wavy lines interspersed with curly cues. All she saw awed Rica. This cave was not like a cave at all but more like a palace. There were many rooms with carved wooden doors. The designs on the doors were of plants and animals, though they were strange to Rica. There were pictures of animals that were fantastic; none were like the animals of Earth. One of the carving depicted a huge cat with a spiny collar around its neck, people were riding giant lizards walking next to the big cat. Rica’s stomach made a loud gurgling sound and Nottia glanced at her.

“Let’s go get something to eat. This cave is huge and it would take all day to show it all to you.” Nottia led Rica outside and they walked down the steps that were carved into the cliff side to a campsite. Nottia ladled broth into a cup and handed it to Rica, then served herself. Rica looked around and then back at Nottia. Nottia was pretty with small features. Her coloring was a soft tan with light brown stripes. Her ears were alert and twitched back under Rica’s scrutiny.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to stare. I have never seen anyone like you and Zafira.”

“It’s ok. You don’t have people like me where you are from?” Nottia touched her chest a look of curiosity on her face.

“No. Just people like me. Human I mean.” Rica felt a little strange setting here talking to a cat person on a strange world. She looked up at the sky and saw the two moons there. One was bigger then the other and looked like it had an atmosphere with water or some kind of liquid and continents. There was a faint blue glow around the big moon. She shivered. Nottia looked at what Rica had just been staring at.

“They are beautiful don’t you think?”

“The moons? Yes, It looks like one has water and land like you could go there and walk around.” It sounded funny when she said it out loud.

“People have gone there. There are city’s there. The more adventurous people have gone up there to mine the tiplump and corista ores. They used to ship the ore down to manufacturers to process but it’s been a long time since there has been a shipment.” Nottia was silent for a moment. Her eyes focused on the moons. Then she turned and looked at Rica. “Most of the portals have stopped working and the magi are trying to fix them. My father wanted to go there and set up a trade house in the main settlement there on that big continent. See the one with the little hook.” Nottia turned and pointed. Rica looked and saw it.

“So he decided not to go then?”

“The portals stopped working when the violet affinity failed. Only the powerful violet affinity magi can still activate the portals. They got everyone who wanted to leave Pellant off and then they closed the portal.”

“Pellant?” Tenseness grew in Rica’s shoulders her hands unconsciously clinched. What would all this mean for her?

“The larger moon is called Pellant the smaller one is Beauty.”

Rica shivered in the growing dusk. A light wind had started and it was getting chilly. Nottia stood and collected the cups. She washed them and put them back in the bag she had gotten them from.

“The wind is starting up lets go back inside.”

Rica yawned. “Yeah I’m getting a little tired.”

“Yes it will take a while for you to get your strength back. Zafira was worried about you. We are all glad you made it.”

Nottia led Rica back to the room they had set her up in. Rica was exhausted. A feeling of safety wrapped around her here in the cave though she could not have said why, she lay down and wondered if this was real or if she would wake up at home.

Daz3d update

Daz3d has finally emailed a serial number for the program I downloaded from their site.  I'll try it out this week-end.

Still working on the rough draft of book two.

Doing research on the next book of "The Crystals of Tlalli" series. Reading news articles on Stowaways and why people want to stowaway.

The Daz3d experience I have had so far is not good. I don't think the program works well with Mac 10.7 Lion os. Maybe it's just me. I tried to follow the instructions on installation and did what the pdf doc said. When I clicked the link to the serial number to register the software it went to a page that didn't exist. Went to my account with Daz3d and the page for my serial numbers and there were none listed. I'm about to give up.

Hi,

I've changed some things. My book is now only available on Amazon.com. Trying out the 90 day kindle select service.

Ok today I received the books on how to use DAZ Studio so I'm experimenting with this software. I want to be able to create my own book covers. I'm not a computer trained artist just a dabbler so I may have undertaken something that is way over my head. Be that as it may, I'm still going to give it a try.