Tending the Stones for the Lock, XXVII

By aaforringer on October 8, 2017 • ( 0 )

27th part of the new weekly story. (1st Part) The inspiration for this came from an off hand comment I made on Facebook, and since people seemed interested I decided to follow through. Happy Reading.

(1st Part) (2nd Part) (3rd Part) (4th Part) (5th Part) (6th Part) (7th Part) (8th Part) (9th Part)(Part 10) (Part 11)(Part 12)(Part 13)(Part 14)(Part 15)(Part 16)(Part 17)(Part 18) (Part 19) (Part 20) (Part 21) (Part 22) (Part 23) (Part 24) (Part 25) (Part 26) (Part 27) (Part 28)

The door slammed behind Austin and Holly suppressed a giggle until she was sure the young Doctor was far enough not to hear her.

“Well that went better than expected.” Sally said as she started to make adjustments to the planes flight path.

“General Wu was fantastic, it could not have been better if you had scripted it.” Holly said tapping out a happy rhythm on the control panel.

“Although I really hate it when he uses those cutesy little nicknames for me.” Sally said with a slightly angry tone.

“Oh I don’t know my Raven Haired Song Bird, I think it was was put it over the top for the good doctor.” Holly said laughingly.

“Well with this new course we can shave about three hours off our flight time.” Sally added after looking at the new course and comparing it to the previously plotted course on the map.”

“Do you want to notify Mrs. Emily?” Holly said beginning to unstrap from her seat.

“That would be good are you going back to talk to Brodie while you are back there?” Sally said to her friend.

Holly shrugged. “I don’t know he is a nice guy and all, good looking but he is a bit of a.” And she trailed off.

“A bit of a newbie to all this, a little naïve as to the ways of the world.”

“Well yeah, from what I gather this is his first real trip outside of the U.S. and he did not even know magic was real until just recently.”

Sally sighed. “Not everyone was raised in it like you and me. I mean my dad taught me about it and all when I was flying around with him doing things for the last High Pilgrim.”

“Yeah I know and I learned about it from you when was like five so sometimes I forget that not everyone is like us.”

There was silence in the cockpit for a few moments as they both thought about their own childhoods. Holly remembered stealing from Sally’s bag and Sally catching her, then the fight between the two of them. Sally had been on top of her and that is when her father had rescued her from a very solid punch. The giant of man picked her up and asked her what she had stolen and when she showed him the orange he hugged her tight and then taken her in and raised her as his own daughter from then on.

“Brodie has nice brown eyes.”

Holly nodded. “Yes and isn’t his hair just divine.” She said laughing as she left the cockpit.

Meredith sat down on the private jet, she had not been handcuffed while they left the penthouse. Thru the private elevator and down to the limousine she looked for a chance to escape but there was always one of the big men within arms reach of her she did not know where to run to if she could get away. When they arrived at the airport the limousine had pulled directly into the private hangar and a few moments they were on the plane and moving onto the tarmac. Nutter had not said a word to her the entire time and she was glad that he paid her so little attention as she could tell he was still in a bit of rage about her mother’s e-mail. Meredith turned over the communications manner times in her head, how did her mother know she was in trouble, and why had she said to meet a Soyosan it made no sense. Was her mother just as delusional as this man, believing magic and spells were real. She had also heard the name of her mother’s health care assistant mentioned several times, she had not heard it all but something about Brodie meeting a dragon.

Meredith shook her head, the world was a crazy place but maybe when she saw her mother again soon it would begin make more sense.

Brodie leaned against the bulkhead and stared out the very small window. Not that there was anything to see the black night outside the plane showed nothing except his own reflection on the glass. He sighed but was a little happy, they were heading for Korea a place he had always wanted to see. His father had served there for a short time before Brodie was born and he had spoken of the country and it’s people fondly. He kicked himself inwardly, the Opposition had Meredith and this was more or less a rescue mission and not a sightseeing trip. Meredith, Mrs. Emily’s youngest daughter and the one that Brodie had the most interaction with, she only lived a couple miles from the house and was over quiet frequently. He liked her, she was kind and cheerful but she did talk down to Mrs. Emily a bit more than she needed to. Brodie reminded himself that everyone was making up life as they went along so a lot should be forgiven. Brodie slide down the wall of the cabin and opened his book, he had finished the Canterbury Tales and was beginning to re-read it. Boy the late fees are really piling up on this one he thought.

“Whatca reading?”

The voice spooked him and he dropped the book losing his page.

“Sorry did not mean to startle you.” Holly said as she came into the small galley area.

“Oh The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer.”

“As opposed to the Canterbury Tales by Stephen King.”

“Stephen King wrote a book called the Canterbury Tales.” Brodie said trying to find his page again.

“That was a joke Brodie, boy for a man who has talked to a dragon you don’t have much of a sense of humor.”

Brodie looked up at the blonde haired girl. “Is meeting a dragon supposed to give you a sense of humor.” He asked with all earnestness.

Holly shook her head and slide down the wall so she was sitting as well but facing him. “They say that people that talk to dragons come out profoundly changed and I thought that since you did not have much of sense of humor before meeting the big green one then you might have one afterwards.”

“I have a sense of humor.” Brodie said defensively.

Holly looked at him twisting her head as if to see him in a different way. “Maybe you do, maybe you do, I know I have not been very fair to you this is all pretty new to you, magic and all.” She said motioning around the plane.

Brodie sighed. “Yeah it is I feel I have been in shock for the last few days, every time I think I have a handle on things something new happens and I realize how much I do not know.”

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” Holly quoted.

“Who said that?” Brodie said surprised.

“Thomas Jefferson.”

“Oh I thought it might have been Buddha?”

Holly nodded. “People often get the two confused.”

Brodie looked at her confused and Holly simply shook her head then began to speak. “Someone sent the Buddha a gift box tied with a ribbon. Buddha opened it to find it empty. “Aha!”, he said, “Just what I wanted. Nothing!”

Brodie stared at her.

“No sense of humor.” Holly said shaking her head. Then the plane shook and shuddered. The pair looked around and then stood up. Brodie happened to look out the window as he rose. “Ah there is a plane out there with flashing lights.” Holly pushed him aside and saw the plane that was close to the plane’s wing tip.

“It’s a Chinese Mig.” Then she ran back to the cockpit.

Not crazy about the title, any suggestions will be duly considered.

The problem I have discovered with this type of writing is if I commit to something in the story there is no taking it back I just have to go with is and write my way out of it.

If you would like to read my last weekly story, A Disinclined Purveyor of Sequential Art here it is. (Written in 2013, the same year my wife left me, so I was a different person back then, and I hope I have learned a lot about writing since then.)

If you want to see one of my complete books try Disconnect in the Outfitters Universe.

My Response: The prophecy stated that in 60 years if the Stones were not properly aligned then the world would fall under the sway of the demon king for 1000 years. 1956 21 year old Emily the chosen one starts the quest. She arranges half the Stones around the planet, but then falls in love and life happens. Now it is 59 years later, Emily’s husband of 58 years passed away and one of the monks has found Emily and reminds her that she is the chosen one and needs to complete her task. Anyone interested?