Tag Archive: young adult

Feb 13

In the Company of Angels: Episode 6.1 – Parting Company

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In the Company of Angels, Episode 6.1 – Parting Company

Polydora grabbed Jill by the hand and pulled her away from the doorway just as a large stone from the cliff face above it broke off and splintered onto the pavement. It landed where Jill had been standing. Luke took Jill’s other hand and the three of them followed Sam out onto the open plaza.

The earth heaved around them and they heard cracking sounds as planters and stone pillars splintered. Looking past the edges of the plaza, they saw dust and debris falling from the buildings below them and on either side. Then the motion of the earth, which was beginning to make Jill a bit dizzy, ceased. The rumbling continued for some time, punctuated with the sounds of additional objects falling and crashing below them. Then there was silence.

“Jill, are you alright?” asked  Luke.

“Yes, I’m fine, but I wouldn’t have been without Polly….”

“Is everyone else OK? Sam?”

“Sure, I’m fine, said Sam. “But what happened? Polly, do you get a lot of earthquakes on Orbaratus?”

Polydora shook her head. “This is the first I have ever experienced here.”

“I can’t help but wonder if it has something to do with the missing stone,” said  Luke. “It can’t be just a coincidence that it would be gone, Polly would sense someone or something else here, and then we’d have an earthquake, all at nearly the same time. There is more going on here than we know. Something isn’t right, and we may need help to figure out just what.”

“Help? What sort of help?” asked Jill.

“We need to get Azarias involved. Polly, do you know if he has ever come to Orbaratus?”

“Of course he has! He was among the first to visit my home,” said the Ferrumari. “In truth, he was the first human being I ever saw; nay, even the first living creature I ever encountered other than myself.”

“Then he is certain to know more about Orbaratus than we do; he may even know things you are unaware of, Polly. I’ll see if I can find him and at least talk with him. If need be, he may want to join us here.” Luke tugged at his beard for a moment.

“Mr. Luke, you said, just before the earthquake, that you thought we were in great danger. What made you say that?” asked Jill.

“If my understanding of the verses Polly translated is correct, then the three crystals that were placed around the stone doorway were put there for a reason: to prevent someone or something from escaping from whatever lies beyond the doorway. I don’t know why the crystals we use would be capable of such a thing, but perhaps these are not the same stones; perhaps they do something entirely different.

“Polly, you mentioned the Masters, and the fact that they have been gone for many thousands of years….”

“Yes,” said Polly, “the histories are not clear; they had become the stuff of legend by the time the wars broke out among my own people.”

“But do the histories say what happened to them or where they went? Was there a plague? Or a war?”

“Perhaps. The histories mention wars and madness, but it is not clear what was their cause. It seems that as the madness, whatever it might have been, spread, the Ferrumari began to fight against the Masters; not for independence, but to bring a halt to the bloodshed and the violence.”

“So, is it possible the Ferrumari may have had to imprison the Masters? Is that what you’re thinking, Mr. Luke?” asked Sam. “In that case, that doorway may lead into some sort of a dungeon, or maybe the Masters are cryogenically frozen, like Khan was in Star Trek!”

“Khan?” asked Jill, “You mean Genghis Khan was in Star Trek?!”

“No, no. A different Khan. And it was in the movie, not the TV show,” said Sam.

“Well, I never saw either. I told you I didn’t  watch much in the way of space stories….”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Still — whatcha think, Mr. Luke?”

“About the Masters being locked behind that door? It’s a possibility; that’s why I want to ask Azarias. He may have spent some time in the archives here and may know better why the stones were placed there and what they were trying to protect against, if anything.”

Jill had been listening to Luke, but suddenly, she didn’t know why precisely, her attention was drawn away. She had had a sudden sense of movement, and of being watched. She glanced up to see what might have attracted her attention, and just then a black form flew right past her toward the stone doorway. It fluttered there for a moment, and then wheeled around and came back, flying right past all of them. Jill noticed that Polly, too, was watching this creature, and both of them instinctively tried to follow it.

“What’s happening?” asked Sam. “Where are you both going?”

“They’re chasing a bird, Sam,” said Luke, also turning to watch the creature.

The bird, for that is clearly what it was, emitted a harsh croak as it fled. It was large and black, and it flapped wildly toward to the plaza’s edge; then, suddenly, it was gone! Jill and Polly, who had been running just behind it, looked over the edge of the chasm to the street below, and then back at each other.

“It disappeared!” Jill shouted back at Sam and Luke.

“What do you mean, ‘disappeared’? You mean it flew down into the street?” Sam asked as he came panting up to the plaza’s edge.

“No, I mean it’s gone! Like, gone from this world, gone!” said Jill. “I…I can’t sense it anymore. Can you, Polly?”

“No, it is no longer on Orbaratus. It is not hiding, nor so far away that I would be unable to sense it” said Polly.

Luke smiled. “You’re right of course, both of you, but you weren’t paying close attention. It didn’t just vanish; it flew through a frame. Turn your rings back around again and you’ll see for yourselves.”

Jill turned her ring around and clenched her fist. Suddenly, right before her eyes, she could see a window open up in the air, ringed in a bluish light. It was a patch of darkness just in front of her, but much smaller than the portal they had used to come to Orbaratus.

“Huh!” said Sam as he came up to the frame. “Doggone bird must have had a crystal attached to it, or maybe it’s got one in its talons?”

“That, Samuel, is a very interesting observation,” said Luke. “What would a bird be doing with a sappire?”

“Maybe it picked it up. Maybe it stole the one from the doorway!” said Jill.

“We don’t yet know if the crystals on either side of the doorway are actually the same as the sapphires we use to framerun,” said Luke, “but if they are, and if, in fact, the bird has taken that stone, then we’d have answered at least one of our questions. But we still have too many remaining ones!” Luke sat down on a bench near them and rubbed his eyes for a few moments.

“Mr. Luke, we could always follow the bird and see where that portal leads us,” said Sam. “That might tell us more about what’s going on here.”

Jill looked at Sam, and then at the portal. It was perhaps a foot and a half wide, and nearly two feet tall. “It would be a tight squeeze!” she said.

“Naw, I’ve gotten through smaller,” said Sam, “But, let’s see what we can see without even going through….” Sam stepped toward the portal and moved back and forth, then up and down, trying to see what he could observe in the darkness beyond. Luke stood up and joined him.

“OK, it’s dark, so it’s tough to make out much, but it seems like maybe it’s a cave or an attic or a crawlspace of some sort? I can kind of make out wooden beams. What can you see, Mr. Luke?”

Luke repeated Sam’s motions, peering intently into the dark rectangle hanging in space. “Yes, I think you’re right, Sam. It definitely looks like it might be an attic, but where, exactly? And why in the world would someone, somewhere, have a painting or a sketch of the Plaza of the Masters that we know nothing about?!”

                [ To read Episode 6.2, click here…. ]

 

 

Dec 26

In the Company of Angels: Episode 2.2 – Rusty’s Big Adventure (cont.)

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In the Company of Angels, Episode 2.2 – Rusty’s Big Adventure (cont.)

 

“What do you mean, ‘fell through the painting’?” asked Jill.

“Just what I said! Rusty found a piece of jewelry on the bookshelf and said he was going to keep it. I told him that was stealing, and he needed to put it back where he found it. Then I tried to take it from him so that it wouldn’t get lost, but he pushed me away. And that’s when it happened! He fell against the picture over there…” Kate pointed again at the picture, which was a large poster-sized fairy tale scene of a castle on an island surrounded by the sea. “And then he just…he just toppled backward, as if he was falling out of a window!!!”

The three stood silently, looking at the picture.

Sam bent toward Jill and whispered into her ear “Jill, you need to get Kate out of here for a minute or two. I’ll find Rusty.”

Jill looked hard at Sam. He nodded at her and pointed his thumb at the door.

“Kate, maybe something else happened…? Maybe Rusty is hiding or something. Let’s go see if he’s somewhere else in the house…you know, maybe he managed to slip out of sight somehow and is trying to play a trick on us. It would be just like him….”

“But, I know what I saw Jill! He couldn’t have left the room without my seeing him!”

“I believe you! But even so, we don’t want to get Aunt Cathy and Uncle Chris worried unless we’re sure, right?”

“I guess not,” conceded Kate.

The two girls left the room, and Jill gave Sam a questioning look as they left, but he just shook his head.

Jill and Kate looked in the closets for Rusty, and then in the living room and under the couch. Jill tried to take as much time as she could, hoping that Sam might know something about Rusty’s whereabouts that she did not. Finally, when the girls had exhausted all the possible hiding places downstairs (other than the dining room, since they didn’t want to alarm the adults just yet), Jill heard voices coming from the library, and the two returned there.

“Look, don’t you think maybe you just hit your head…?” they heard Sam saying as they walked in.

Rusty was shaking his head violently “Did not! Did not!”

“Well then, Rusty, why don’t you tell everyone what did happen?” Sam replied.

“But you were there! You came in and got me!” Rusty yelled. Sam said nothing.

“We were both right in there!!” Rusty yelled, pointing at the painting of the castle. “He just came in and pulled me back out again! We were on the beach! And there was water, and birds, and a castle, and everything!”

Sam shrugged. “OK, but if you really fell through the painting, maybe you can show us how it happened. Try it again.” He stepped out of Rusty’s way.

Rusty walked up to the painting, reached toward it, and then stopped, startled, when he felt the Plexiglass that protected it. “But…” he said, “but it wasn’t like that! I mean, just a minute ago!”

Jill had been watching Sam closely, and she saw him slip something into his pants pocket.

“Well, Rusty, whatever happened, you’re alright now,” Jill said.

“But Jill,” Kate said in a hushed voice, “I saw him fall through the painting, too!”

“Maybe you did,” said Sam, coming over to Kate, “but is it possible it was some kind of an illusion? I mean, there’s Plexiglas covering the painting, and maybe the light caught it just right and made you think you saw him fall through…?”

“Well, I don’t know…..” said Kate, looking up at Sam.

Sam lowered his voice. “Look, Kate, we need to try to calm Rusty down. He’s very worked up….”

They all three looked at Rusty, who was now punching at the painting with his fist.

Kate looked up dreamily into Sam’s eyes and smiled. “I see what you mean, Sam. I’ll see what I can do….”

“Rusty!” she said, “Stop punching that picture!! If you don’t calm down, I’m going to tell mom, and then you won’t get any cookies for dessert! And, we’ll have to go home early and then you’ll really be in big trouble!!!”

Rusty shot her a nasty glance, but it was clear that he was getting tired. He stopped pounding the painting and slunk away into the overstuffed chair. “…did so fall in! Nobody ever believes me….”

Jill and Kate looked at each other and giggled, and Sam relaxed a bit. Just then Jill’s mother called from the living room “Jill, honey, you want to come get cookies for everyone?”

“Come on,” she said to Kate, “let’s get dessert.”

The two girls left, and Sam went over to where Rusty was sitting alone. Rusty glared at him.

You know what happened! You jumped in after me!”

Sam bent down so that his voice wouldn’t carry. “Of course I did, Rusty. But, sometimes that’s how magic works; one minute you fall through a painting, and the next minute you can’t. But we shouldn’t talk too much about this with the girls; they wouldn’t understand. You see what I mean?”

Rusty brightened up. “You mean it’s true then? I didn’t hit my head?”

“Well, magic is true, Rusty, but sometimes we have to keep quiet about it. Otherwise…” Sam looked around them confidentially. “…otherwise, people might start to think we’re both just weird in the head.” He pointed his finger at his temple and twirled it. “You know what I mean?”

Rusty nodded. “Yeah!”

“So, falling through the painting; that’ll be our little secret, OK? And maybe someday, when you’re a little bit older, you and I can try it again together. What do you think?”

“But why can’t we try it again now?!”

“Well, you did try it, didn’t you? And it didn’t work?”

“No, it didn’t.”

“Well, that’s the way magic is sometimes. I know it might be hard, but if you’re patient, I’m sure there will come other times when we can try it again and it will work, OK?”

Rusty looked at him suspiciously. “You’re not just making this up, are you? Just to shut me up? It really did happen, and I’m not crazy, right?”

“You’re not crazy, Rusty. But, I expect if you told too many other folks, they might think you were. So, mum’s the word, OK?”

“OK!” said Rusty, beaming.

The girls returned, and Jill was astonished at the change in Rusty, who suddenly, from her perspective, was no longer sulking. Rather, he came over to the table in the center of the room and enthusiastically helped himself to three cookies at once.

“You feeling better now, Rusty?” she asked.

“Sure….,” he said, stuffing another cookie in his mouth and winking at Sam.

Sam leaned toward Jill. “I’ll explain later,” he said, “Or, better yet, I’ll have Mr. Luke explain. You should come visit him at his studio as soon as you can.”

Before Jill could answer, however, all four of them were startled by an abrupt –- and very frightening — howling sound coming from just outside the library window!

Jill jumped up. “What on earth is that?!”

Sam stood up as well. “Something I thought might happen. But, don’t worry; I can make it go away.”

The sound got louder. It was a strange and eerie sound, like dozens of wolves howling from within some deep, metallic barrel. The voices of so many creatures coming, seemingly, from just outside the house chilled everyone to the marrow.

Sam looked around the library as if searching for something. “Quick, Jill, do you have a large mirror somewhere nearby? In a bathroom, or maybe in the living room somewhere?”

“Yes, in the bathroom in the hallway. There’s a full-length mirror just behind the door. Why?”

“Take me there. Just let me step inside for a bit; I won’t lock the door. But afterwards I’ll be gone.”

“Gone?!”

“Yes, gone. I’ll explain tomorrow. But, the howling will stop once I’ve left. No time to explain now….”

Jill grabbed Sam by the hand and they hurried down the hall together. Rusty and Kate remained frozen in fear in the library. Jill heard her mom, aunt and uncle stirring in the dining room; they, too, could not but help hearing the unearthly din, and they were coming out to investigate.

“Tomorrow!” Sam said. He entered the bathroom and shut the door. Almost instantly the howling ceased.

“Jill? Are you all OK?” It was Evie. She had just stepped into the hallway. “Where are the rest of you?”

“Rusty and Kate are in the library.”

“And where is Sam?”

Jill gently opened the door to the hall bathroom and peered inside. No one was there; Sam had disappeared!

At this point Jill didn’t know exactly what to do or what to say. Should she tell her mother about Sam disappearing? Should she tell her about Rusty, and his belief that he had fallen through the picture in the library? And what about her own experience putting her hand into the painting of the Piper? She knew she couldn’t lie to her mother, but what else could she do?

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           [To read Episode 3.1, click here….]

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Dec 12

In the Company of Angels: Episode 1.2 – A Rumpus in the Library (cont.)

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In the Company of Angels, Episode 1.2 – A Rumpus in the Library (cont.)

 

A half hour later Sam, Luke, and Jill were sitting in the kitchen sipping on tea and eating chocolate chip cookies. Jill had gotten some ice and wrapped it in a washcloth and Luke was holding it against his forehead. The knot was still noticeable, but the swelling was going down.

“I’m afraid I was a bit too dazed to take a closer look,” said Luke, “but I saw that you had some very nice pictures in your library. From fairy tales, I think?”

“Yes, most of them,” said Jill, “my mom thinks I’m too old for them, but I like reading them a lot better than what we read for school.”

“Well, it shows good taste on your part. But, I’m sure you don’t just read books. You have plenty of friends — other than Sam here, I mean — to spend time with, don’t you?”

“Well, a few. But most of my girlfriends are just interested in dressing up and shopping.”

“And you don’t like doing those things?”

“Well, they’re alright, but I’d rather…I’d rather be walking in the Shire! Or time traveling with Meg Murry, or riding to the edge of the world on Fledge!” Jill was suddenly animated. “I mean, these are places where things really happen…where things really matter!” She paused and sighed. “Not like around here.”

Sam beamed at Luke. “See, I told you she was my friend!”

“Well, strange things can happen right here, too, you know,” Luke said, ignoring Sam.

“Not to me they don’t.”

“Well, look here, that’s not strictly true, is it? After all, we showed up in your house this morning. That isn’t something that happens every day, is it?” Luke smiled.

“No, but you’re not even supposed to be here. My mom is going to have a fit if she comes home and finds me home alone with a stranger, even if he did come with you, Sam. And, by the way, who exactly was it you were both chasing, anyway?”

“Well, I’m afraid that’s a long story,” said Luke, ”And, since I’m feeling better, and since you’re quite right that I shouldn’t be here at all, at least not without your mother’s permission, perhaps we’d best save that tale for another time? We’ve finished our tea, plus the cookies; many thanks for both! Come along, Sam, we should be going.” Luke stood up.

“But, Jill, don’t be surprised if were to meet again. This…hmmm…person that we were after, he has a habit of showing up in the strangest places, and has thus far led us on many a wild goose chase. If he comes again…uh…into your back yard, don’t be too surprised to find us right behind him.”

“But, what does he even look like? You never told me.”

“Well,” said Luke as Jill walked them back to the front door, “he’s a boy of about your age, or maybe a bit younger. He has curly black hair and a mischievous smile. He’s all about mischief, I think.”

“That reminds me a bit of Sam,” said Jill with a grin.

“Well, that’s somewhat true…” Luke looked at Sam and smiled.

“No, I’m just kidding. Sam’s alright,” said Jill, “even if he has been getting more and more into odd things. You know, like Star Wars and Star Trek and Doctor Who….”

Doctor Who? Aren’t you a bit young for Doctor Who?” asked Luke, looking at Sam.

Sam shrugged.

“But don’t you like such things?” Luke turned back toward Jill.

“I don’t know; I’ve never watched them. I don’t like space stories that much.”

“Well, they do have their own challenges, to be sure,” said Luke. “But, the person we’re after certainly isn’t Sam, and he’s not from outer space. One thing you’ll definitely notice about him, should you run across him, is that he is never without his pipe.”

“Wait, he’s a little boy, and he smokes a pipe?!”

“No, not that sort of a pipe. I mean like a flute, but not played sideways. You know, more like a recorder. Do you know the sort of thing I mean?”

Jill thought of the painting in her library. “Oh! I do! I have a picture of someone playing something just like that. would you like to see it?”

Luke hesitated for a moment. “Well, I suppose, but we don’t want to get you into trouble….”

“Come on!” said Sam, “We can at least have a quick look!”

Jill raced back down the hallway and Luke and Sam followed. Inside, she pointed triumphantly to the painting of the boy beneath the oak tree. Luke looked at it aghast, then smacked his head, forgetting for a moment about the knot.

“Ouch!”

“Are you alright?” asked Jill.

“Yes, I just forgot about my head. But, that’s the very fellow!”

“What, the one you’re after?”

“Sure is!” said Sam.

“But, this is just a painting; he’s not a real person!” said Jill.

Luke looked closely at the painting. “This isn’t a painting I’ve seen before. Wherever did you find it?”

“At an old antique shop with my mom. I’m sure it’s just a print, but it looks so bright and real….”

“Yes, it does.” Luke gazed at the picture.

“That also explains where he went after we came through,” Sam said under his breath. Luke nodded.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing; nothing, dear. But we should go speak to Azarias about all of this….” he said to Sam.

“Azarias? Who’s he?” asked Jill.

“Oh, a very good friend of mine; rather a mentor of sorts. A wise old fellow; you’d like him, wouldn’t she, Samuel? But, many thanks for showing us the picture. If you happen to see someone that looks….” Luke turned and looked hard at the picture once again, “…that looks exactly like this fellow, you’ll be sure to let us know, won’t you?”

“OK, but how do I do that?”

“Well, you can call Sam, for one thing. But also, you can reach me here.” Luke handed her a business card. On it was a painting of a man standing by the seashore and gazing at the ocean. It looked like this:

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“You can email me from my website. You use email, don’t you?”

“Of course! Doesn’t everyone? But, what’s a ‘Framerunner’?”

“Oh, just a special type of artist. Some day you should visit my studio and I’ll explain it a bit more; I think you’ll like my paintings!” They walked back to the front door. “But by now you’ve had quite enough of us! Thanks again for the tea and cookies!” Luke bowed to her.

“You’re welcome. You know, I’ll have to tell my mom about your coming by.”

“Certainly! If she is at all concerned or wishes to speak with me, do have her ring me up. I’d be happy to meet her! And now, we’re off….”  Luke stepped down to the sidewalk.

Sam looked down at the floor and shuffled his feet for a minute. “See ya,” he said, and followed Luke. They both walked briskly away.

Jill stood for a moment looking at the business card, and then she tucked it into the pocket of her frock. She closed the door and started back toward the kitchen, but then she noticed something on the floor by the stairs. She went over and picked it up; it was a piece of broken chain with a pendant. The pendant was of simple silver wire, and clasped within it was one of the prettiest jewels she’d ever seen; it was deep blue, and it reflected the light in the room in the most amazing way. Jill touched the stone; it felt almost slippery, and a tingle went through her fingertips, like electricity.

That’s when she heard it; a sound like a bird. No, it wasn’t; it was a flute! But coming from…from where? She turned around, still holding the gem in her hand. The music was coming from the library!

Jill stood completely still for just a moment. Her first thought was to run after Luke and Sam, but then it occurred to her that maybe she should grab the broom again and find out who else might have stolen into the house.

She hesitated for just a moment more, and then knew exactly what she’d do…..

     [ To read Episode 2.1, click here…. ]

 

Dec 05

In the Company of Angels: Episode 1.1 – A Rumpus in the Library

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In the Company of Angels, Episode 1.1 (Pilot) – A Rumpus in the Library

 

“Since the earliest of times, even from the dawn of man, when mystics first painted images on the walls of the caves at Lascaux and Altamira, there have been rumors: rumors that the worlds drawn in pigment and charcoal exist not only in the minds of the artists who created them, but in actual fact. And in every age, children are born who gaze with wonder at these worlds and ask ‘are they real?’ and ‘can I go there?’

“These journals are dedicated to those of us who never stopped asking those questions. They chronicle a story that began long before our own time, but that I take up in the present day. If you are reading my words or hearing my voice, then you are being entrusted with knowledge that very few have possessed over the long march of the centuries. My name is Azarias, and these are the tales of our Order: of those who have, in the past, been called the Fratrum Simulacrorum, but who are today known simply as The Framerunners.”  

                                — Brother Azarias, Fratrum Simulacrorum Archives Manual

 It all began on a chilly February morning in Chelsea Heights. Jill Jonsson was sitting at her kitchen table, watching the birds in the outdoor bird feeder, her blonde hair glowing golden in the morning sunlight. There were two cardinals, a male and a female, that flitted back and forth between the feeder and the bare fig tree in the front yard. They reminded Jill of the Christmas ornaments that she and her mother had put away just the week before.

Suddenly, Jill was startled by a loud thump and a crash. The noises came from the back of the house, and she immediately jumped up to see what Hazel, her mischievous tomcat, might have gotten into. But then she noticed Hazel sitting nonchalantly by his food dish, looking curiously toward the hallway.

Jill lived with her mother in the house at 1513 Vida Way. It was a small cottage, but nice; Jill had her very own tiny bedroom upstairs, and her mother had turned a spare room in the back of the downstairs into a library just for her.

Two full walls of the library sported bookcases, and these groaned under the weight of Jill’s favorites: the Narnia Chronicles, the Princess and the Goblin, The Hobbit, A Wrinkle in Time, The Wind in the Willows. These were just a few of the many in her collection, but she also loved mysteries and tales of other worlds than these, and longed for the time when she would be old enough to read books that, for now, her mother considered too difficult for her.

Jill also collected posters and prints of her favorite characters and scenes from her books, and these covered what little wall space was not already claimed by bookshelves: Fledge the Winged Horse flying through Narnia; Bilbo Baggins walking in the Shire; Mole and Rat poling down the river together. She even had a painting that she loved, but that didn’t seem to belong in any particular fairy tale: it was just a beautiful scene from a late summer’s day, with a gnarled oak tree and a little boy seated beneath it. He was playing a sort of a flute. Behind him stretched a river, and circling around him were wispy fairy-like figures that seemed to be dancing while he played.

But now Jill was startled and a little perplexed by the noises from library. Hazel had been known to knock over her bookcases; it had happened before, heaven knows! But now there sat Hazel, looking back and forth at her and at the hallway. So, something else must have happened, and there was nothing for it but to go see just what.

“Come on, Hazel, let’s see if anything is broken,” she said. Hazel ignored her, remaining firmly planted beside his food dish.

Jill stepped out of the kitchen, but then she halted. She heard more noises coming from the back of the house. Now she was a bit frightened. It occurred to her that a raccoon might have gotten inside, or perhaps even a burglar; and she was all alone in the house! She looked around and grabbed a broom from the pantry, then she slowly tiptoed down the hallway, trying her best not to make the slightest sound.

She crept toward the door to the library, but nothing seemed to be stirring. Jill was just starting to relax, when she heard a second crash, and a loud “Ouch!” coming from the library door.  She tiptoed closer and peeped inside.

Sprawled upon the floor was a man with his back to the wall and his long legs stretched out; beside him stood a boy with curly black hair wearing a rumpled sweatshirt. The library desk, which was a heavy old fashioned rolled-top that had been made by Jill’s great uncle, was knocked halfway across the room. It appeared almost as if someone or something had come hurtling through space and struck the side of it, skidding it and leaving scratch marks on the hardwood floor. And of course, this is very nearly what had happened. The man on the floor was rubbing his forehead and wincing. The boy was looking up at the wall behind the man; on it was a large poster-sized painting of a centaur in a wood in Narnia.

Just then the man looked up and saw her. “Oh! I’m sorry! We didn’t know anyone was home!”

The boy turned around, and said “Jill!” at the exact same time that Jill said “Sam!”

The man looked at both of them. “Oh, do you two know each other?”

“I should say so!” said Sam. “Jill is in my class. She’s my friend.”

“Ah, well then, that’s good, then there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve just bumped my head, you see….” The man indicated to Jill the lump on his forehead, which looked quite red and swollen.

“Yes, but you almost crushed me on the way in,” said Sam, crossly. He rubbed his shoulder and flexed his arm to make sure it was still functioning properly.

“But who are you?” asked Jill, “and whatever are you both doing in my library?!”

“Ah, yes, that…” the man slowly pulled himself up from the floor, steadying himself against the wall. He was tall, looked to be in his early twenties, and had longish hair and a thin, closely-cropped beard. He brushed himself off. He was wearing a long duster coat that made Jill think of Sherlock Holmes.

“My name is Luke; Luke Lester.” He reached out his hand toward Jill, who didn’t move from her position by the door; in fact, she still held the broom in front of her to show them both that she was armed.

“Oh, come on Jill, be a good sport. We’re not here to hurt you!” said Sam.

“Then what are you here for?”

“Yes, well, I expect this is a bit of a surprise for her, Sam,” said Luke, “and I don’t blame you for being wary, my dear. Let me apologize for the mess.” Luke looked at the desk and, with Sam’s help, pushed it back into place. “We were, well, chasing someone, and we…uh…thought we saw him come into your library through a…um…through a window.”

“But the window’s locked,” said Jill, “and we have an alarm system.”

Luke looked at the window, still rubbing his forehead. “Yes, that does seem to be true. I suppose perhaps the alarm may have malfunctioned? But, this fellow was definitely in your house, you see, and he had something that…well…that we were afraid would cause him harm if we didn’t get it back; something that he seems to have gotten hold of…uh…by accident.“ He paused for a moment. “You haven’t, well, seen any strangers in your house today, have you?”

“You mean, other than you?!”

“Ah…yes…other than me, since you already know Sam…”

 “Well, no, I haven’t. But I don’t think that matters. You both need to go. My mom will be home any minute and I think it would be better if you left.”

“Quite right! Quite right!” said Luke. “I’m sure we must have been mistaken, after all, Sam,” he said, turning to Sam and smiling. “Well, if you’ll just lead us to the front door, Jane, we’ll be off. I’m terribly sorry about all of this….” Luke suddenly put his hand against the wall and rubbed his eyes.

“Are you alright?” asked Jill.

“Yes, Mr. Luke, you don’t look too well…” said Sam.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be fine. Just a combination of taking an unexpected run and then bopping my head. I need a moment….” He shook his head again and muttered something under his breath. Sam put his hands on his hips and said something back to him, also under his breath, which sounded to Jill rather like “…well, you didn’t tell me there’d be wild boars in Narnia, of all places…”

“Well, you don’t look fine, either one of you! Would you like me to call someone for you?”

“No, no. But, that’s very kind of you.” Luke looked at her more closely. “Why, you have very nice manners for a little girl!”

“I am not a little girl!” said Jill. “I’ll be thirteen next week!”

“My mistake, I should have said ‘for a young lady’. I’m afraid I’m still a bit groggy. Will you accept my apology?” Luke again reached out his hand to Jill. This time she timidly accepted it.

Jill led them toward the front door, but when they reached it, Luke sat abruptly down on the lowest step of the stairway leading to the second floor. He gripped the handrail tightly.

“Would you like some water…or tea…or something?” Jill asked.

“Well, you know, I expect this will sound a bit strange, but…would you happen to have a bit of chocolate anywhere in the house?”

     [ To read Episode 1.2, click here…. ]