Category: Stories

What the heck just happened

It was the last week in September when I wrote a post called “An adventure begins,” and on the spur of the moment, an adventure began.

I had no intention to write a second chapter. It was just a little bit of flash fiction about a morning when Dejah, my beloved 11-year-old golden retriever, started talking to me. Like most flash fiction, it was just a burst of creativity meant to get the reader wondering what might happen next, the shortest of short stories.

I sat in my writing chair thinking about what to write for the next day’s blog post, and my mind kept drifting back to the unpleasant presidential campaign. I had no desire to add fuel to those flames; for years I have been saying that freedom does not depend on choosing the right ruler — it’s about taking responsibility for your own freedom and happiness, exercising your individual rights with the understanding that you must not infringing on anyone else’s individual rights.

I would rather focus on the simple truth that I’ve adopted as this blog’s subhead: Love your neighbor, and everyone is your neighbor.

But oh, the temptation to weigh in on the ongoing puppet theater. As I wrote this summer, “What would I write about with everyone screaming in my ears about politics and government?”

What if — What if — What if I forced myself to write something else?

On a whim I decided to write a second chapter. And the next day, I wrote a third. And suddenly the story was unfolding, with dragons and eagles and elfin beings with a name humans can’t pronounce. I gave myself one rule: Each chapter would begin by resolving the previous day’s cliffhanger, something weird would happen, and there would be another cliffhanger.

Originally I thought I would write all the way up to Election Day, and that would be that. Along the way I realized this was a Halloween fantasy, and so I resolved to finish it on Halloween and then go back to the blog’s usual everyday format.

I also realized that after years of frustration over my inability to sit down and write fiction every day, I had on impulse started writing fiction every day.

So I resolved to start a second blog to continue this momentum of writing fiction every day.

Before I began the work of setting up a second blog, I thought of Wattpad. It’s a place where writers write every day for all the world to see. I experimented with it, years ago, and my account was still active. 

I also realized I was writing a book, or at least a novella. 

So I gave the book a title and crafted a cover.

And during the last week in October, I started posting the story on Wattpad and doing the work required to turn the story into a book, Dejah & Summer In The Time of Magic. Here’s a place to pre-order it.

Today, over on Wattpad, I’m starting a new story. And in this space, we begin our landing approach to the usual order of business.

First, please allow me to re-introduce myself.

Chapter 32: Halloween sunset

When last we met: The Evil One turned back to survey the havoc he had wrought, but instead he saw the little blue house still standing, untouched on the other side of the huge inter-dimensional portal that the little mystics had generated for the storm to pass through. And just as the monster cried, “WHAT HAVE THEY DONE?!” the 17 little [unpronounceables] performed the special gestures and incantations that closed the portal again with a rather unpleasant zipping sound.

Grenn and Blurg clinked their glasses of mead together and drank heartily. The fawns scampered around the field chasing each other’s tails, and the eagles practiced aerial maneuvers that would challenge Blue Angels.

Seth the Dragon rested his head on the deck railing and smiled at the two golden retrievers who looked up at him. 

“I got to tell you, as hard as it was trying to realistically fake being tossed away by a little wind, I have to admire how you two just stood there calmly being the bait for our trap,” Seth told them.

“I was not calm,” Summer admitted.

“I must admit, we were offended when it was suggested my forces pretend to be scattered by the wind,” said the eagle chief. “But the ruse served its purpose.”

“We had to keep the Evil One distracted so he wouldn’t notice the little ones conjuring at the fence,” Seth said.

“I’m just glad our [unpronounceable] friends came through with the spell that created a fake house on the other side of that inter-dimensional portal they conjured,” Dejah said. “It looked just like the real thing.”

“A perfect target,” Seth agreed.

We spent Halloween night reliving the unusual events of this year’s Time of Magic and laughing at the TV meteorologists who were flummoxed by the sudden disappearance of the world’s worst hurricane seconds after it made landfall from 60,000 feet onto a little plot of land in Northeast Wisconsin. They were calling it a climate change miracle — one or two called it magic and didn’t realize how right they were.

Around midnight the party started breaking up and the feathered and fur-clad friends we had met in recent weeks started to head to their own homes. 

“It has been a pleasure to serve with you,” said the great buck. “Perhaps ‘pleasure’ is the wrong word. It’s been an honor.”

“The honor is ours,” I said.

“Thank you for your help,” Dejah said.

“And be careful next month,” Summer said. “Deer season is coming.”

“Don’t remind me,” the buck said with a grim chuckle, and then he and his family had disappeared into the night.

“You comported yourself with dignity and pride,” the chief eagle said as he said his own farewells. Before we could respond, he was gone, too.

Seth said goodbye to his four fellow dragons and then turned to us.

“My kind doesn’t really show itself outside the Time of Magic,” the big dragon said. “Nothing personal, we just don’t like to freak people out, despite our reputation.”

“Well, you never freak out [unpronounceables],” Grenn said, “so don’t be a stranger around our house.”

“You got it,” Seth said. “And Dejah and Summer, consider yourself honorary dragons. You did good when the chips were down.”

Without another word, and with a flourish of his mighty wings, the dragon lifted into the sky and disappeared.

“He didn’t give me time to say thank you,” I said.

“We’ll pass the word along,” said Blurg, taking Grenn’s hand, which confirmed my suspicion that she and the stalwart little leader were an item.

“I’m sorry we infringed on your land when we built the house,” I told them. “I hope we can be friends anyway.”

“Ah, there’s a lot of land to go around, and we don’t need that much space,” Grenn said. “You didn’t realize how rude you were being.”

“There’s that,” Dejah said.

“Don’t be a stranger,” I said.

“Well, it’s kind of a tradition that we only make ourselves seen during the Time of Magic,” Grenn said. “But we’ll make a point of dropping by next October if not sooner.”

“What about the Evil One? Is he stuck in that other dimension now?” Summer asked.

“Listen, little girl, when my crew zips up an inter-dimensional portal, it stays zipped until we say otherwise,” Blurg said. “Don’t you worry.”

“I guess this is goodbye for now,” I said. “October is just about over.”

“Yep, see you when next we see you,” Grenn said. “And thanks for everything. I’ll leave you three to say your last words to each other.”

“Last words?” Summer asked.

“Well, after the magic fades, your Daddy won’t be able to understand what you’re saying again until next year around this time.”

Dejah and Summer and I looked at each other.

“Oh,” Dejah said.

Chapter 31: Into the storm

When last we met: Summer, Dejah and I stood on the deck facing the oncoming hurricane and the giant green face. Between us and the storm were a dozen determined white-tailed deer, 29 warrior eagles, five dragons and several dozen [unpronounceable] elfin beings, including the 17 wizards and wizardesses who stood along the fence. I have to admit, as the wind whipped fallen leaves in circles around the yard and rain started falling sideways in the wind, I began to suspect it wasn’t going to be enough.

As leaves were ripped off the trees and swirled around us, Dejah lay down on the deck at the top of the stairs. Summer faltered against the wind but remained standing.

“They said we should stand up as long as we can,” Summer told her older sister.

“And I did, Sum, but now I must lie down,” Dejah said. “When you’re 11 years old yourself, you’ll understand.”

“Just stay out here on the deck, girls,” I said. “I’m proud of you both. And I’m with you all the way.

The wind howled. And so did the Evil One.

“YOU CURSED DOGS,” the giant face shrieked from the middle of the hurricane. “YOU HUMILIATED MY MINIONS. YOU OBSTRUCTED MY WONDERFUL SORDID PLANS AT EVERY TURN. NO MORE! NO MORE!”

It was mid-morning. It was dark as midnight except for the nanoseconds when lightning flash and the ground shook.

The great buck and his companions galloped out to meet the storm in the big field beyond the willow trees.

Two or three great lightning flashes were followed by two or three great booms of thunder.

As if on cue, the deer broke ranks and bolted into the comparative shelter of the woods.

The Evil One chuckled and pressed on, his eyes fixed on the two dogs on the deck 100 yards away.

Next came the great array of eagles swooping from the trees even as they bent from the wind. In crisp formation 29 warrior eagles dove into the eye of the storm. Just before they reached the giant green face, they dispersed in all directions — almost as if the chaotic retreat had been choreographed.

The Evil One cackled and pushed closer, his eyes focused on the dogs that refused to leave the deck.

Five dragons lifted from the ground, their nostrils steaming, their great tails flicking in anger, their wings catching the wind so they could soar high and dive-bomb the evil force in the center of the tempest — and just before their mighty claws wrapped around the Evil One, they toppled away as if flung by the wind, and even I couldn’t tell if they had dropped back on purpose.

Only the five dozen [unpronounceable] elfin warriors stood between us and the storm, with the 17 wizards and wizardesses along the backyard fence frantically waving their hands and arms and chanting the chants that no human could repeat.

Now laughing monstrously and uncontrollably, the Evil One swept the tiny warriors aside and focused his deadly eyes on the human and his canine companions on the deck.

Just before the storm crossed over the backyard fence and slammed into the house, the Evil One could have sworn the dogs and I disappeared. He had no time to register that inkling, because he and his storm slammed into the little blue house and shattered it into 10,000 splinters, flattening the apple trees in the front yard and leveling the forest for miles around.

“AND SO WE SEE THAT ALL I TOUCH WITH MY BEAUTIFUL WICKEDNESS,” the Evil One shouted with a triumphant guffaw.

He turned back to survey the havoc he had wrought, but instead he saw the little blue house still standing, untouched on the other side of the huge inter-dimensional portal that the little mystics had generated for the storm to pass through.

And just as the monster cried, “WHAT HAVE THEY DONE?!” the 17 little [unpronounceables] performed the special gestures and incantations that closed the portal again with a rather unpleasant zipping sound.