That “e” in the upper right-hand corner is a Global E-Book Award, Bronze Medal.
Here I go again, trying to get people to give my books as Christmas presents. Maybe someday I’ll succeed in doing it.
One of the hardest things about being an author, unless you’re Joe Bestseller and people flatter you in hopes of getting something for it, is that you have no idea of who’s reading your work, or if anybody’s reading it, or what they think of it. It seems a long time since anyone visited this blog to comment on my books. Has anybody read them lately?
Just askin’.
Hi, Mr. Lee Duigon. There isn’t a single day that goes by that I don’t think about you and your books. I love Bell Mountain. Your stories are unique.
Oh, thanks, Katheleen! The next book ought to be coming out soon–“Oceans of Time.”
Oceans of Time, what a wonderful title! What happens in this book? I would love to know.
You’ll know it all, once it’s published.
All good. I’ll try to calm my curiosity.
Mr. Lee Duigon, I wrote a short story called Twenty Children. Would you like to read it?
Of course I would!
Would you like me to put my short story right here, sir?
If that’s what’s easiest for you (it’s easiest for me). If it’s long, divide it into a couple of daily portions–give readers something to look forward to.
I can’t pay you for it… but let’s just see how it is.
Here it is:
TWENTY CHILDREN
You never know when certain things may happen. The world is full of mysteries that, in some inexplicable way, always seem to be intertwined with each other. The story told here began a long time ago – no one knows how – and has not yet had an end.
In the days we call the present, one winter morning, a girl, whose name was Maisie Howley, found a pendant buried in the snow while she was riding her horse. It was beautiful and silver and looked special. So, Maisie kept it for herself.
When it was night, beams of light emerged from the pendant, causing it to shake, as if there was an earthquake. The girl woke up scared. When she tried to touch it, it opened. It was, in fact, a reliquary and its light flooded the room. There were mysterious words in it from another language. For weeks, it worried her, until it became her nightmare. So, she decided to get rid of it. She buried it back where she found it, however, it didn’t want to leave her. Through the indecipherable words, it cried and begged her to protect it. A voice composed of many was heard. Maisie shuddered.
By the ages separated
From the beginning connected
I looked for you a long time ago
I found you a little while ago
Twenty children, just
Twenty years past.
Endless is your time
But soon you will have to go
My guardian you are
Your hiding place I am
The night comes like a thief
And the flowers will wither.
The girl dug up the reliquary. “I don’t know what you want, but if you need me, I’ll take care of you.” So, she started wearing it, and it started showing her things.
Not many days later, it led Maisie to a certain wood. A book and a boy were there. The book was as special as the reliquary, and the boy had found it. But he was too scared, wanting to run away.
“Wait!”
“No!” he shouted. “Why are you chasing me?”
Maisie didn’t need to say anything. He understood it by himself. The magical artifacts glowed. The words appeared again.
The reliquary came loose from Maisie and attached itself to the book.
There were many questions to be asked and much to discuss. Maisie said her name, the boy said his – Seth Foerster. From there, they discovered that they found the objects on the same day, just in different places, and that they both had nightmares. The book and the reliquary needed a safe place. Seth had the idea of hiding them in a cemetery, not so far away.
One night, they had to run to the hiding place. They felt like something bad was going to happen. But in reality, they would know the great mystery of which they were a part.
Light came out of the reliquary and, inside it, they saw a beach. The letters and pictures in the book seemed alive…
Time separated twenty children who were connected from the beginning. For almost two centuries they were searched for, and every twenty years, two of them are found. The book seeks the boy, the reliquary seeks the girl. When the last ones are found, they will soon have to go. Because history cannot be undone, and it must come to an end. Twenty children, you are, and always will be. Behold the beach, behold the dawn.
They smelled salt water and hot sand under their feet. They opened their eyes. Eighteen children were there, boys and girls, playing and laughing. It was as if everyone already knew each other and hadn’t seen each other in a long time. When they saw Maisie and Seth, they were filled with joy.
Now there were twenty – they were finally together.
Some of them were over fifty or a hundred years old, but the truth is that Maisie and Seth never knew how long they spent there; if only 8000 years or if 8 seconds.
Wonderful things happened next that no one could ever express in words.
But everything fell apart like a dream. Maisie and Seth found themselves in the cemetery, with the book and the reliquary.
“I don’t know why I’m sad if everything was so good,” Maisie said.
“It’s because our home is there,” Seth said. “The story isn’t over yet.”
Here it is:
TWENTY CHILDREN
You never know when certain things may happen. The world is full of mysteries that, in some inexplicable way, always seem to be intertwined with each other. The story told here began a long time ago – no one knows how – and has not yet had an end.
In the days we call the present, one winter morning, a girl, whose name was Maisie Howley, found a pendant buried in the snow while she was riding her horse. It was beautiful and silver and looked special. So, Maisie kept it for herself.
When it was night, beams of light emerged from the pendant, causing it to shake, as if there was an earthquake. The girl woke up scared. When she tried to touch it, it opened. It was, in fact, a reliquary and its light flooded the room. There were mysterious words in it from another language. For weeks, it worried her, until it became her nightmare. So, she decided to get rid of it. She buried it back where she found it, however, it didn’t want to leave her. Through the indecipherable words, it cried and begged her to protect it. A voice composed of many was heard. Maisie shuddered.
By the ages separated
From the beginning connected
I looked for you a long time ago
I found you a little while ago
Twenty children, just
Twenty years past.
Endless is your time
But soon you will have to go
My guardian you are
Your hiding place I am
The night comes like a thief
And the flowers will wither.
The girl dug up the reliquary. “I don’t know what you want, but if you need me, I’ll take care of you.” So, she started wearing it, and it started showing her things.
Not many days later, it led Maisie to a certain wood. A book and a boy were there. The book was as special as the reliquary, and the boy had found it. But he was too scared, wanting to run away.
“Wait!”
“No!” he shouted. “Why are you chasing me?”
Maisie didn’t need to say anything. He understood it by himself. The magical artifacts glowed. The words appeared again.
The reliquary came loose from Maisie and attached itself to the book.
There were many questions to be asked and much to discuss. Maisie said her name, the boy said his – Seth Foerster. From there, they discovered that they found the objects on the same day, just in different places, and that they both had nightmares. The book and the reliquary needed a safe place. Seth had the idea of hiding them in a cemetery, not so far away.
One night, they had to run to the hiding place. They felt like something bad was going to happen. But in reality, they would know the great mystery of which they were a part.
Light came out of the reliquary and, inside it, they saw a beach. The letters and pictures in the book seemed alive…
Time separated twenty children who were connected from the beginning. For almost two centuries they were searched for, and every twenty years, two of them are found. The book seeks the boy, the reliquary seeks the girl. When the last ones are found, they will soon have to go. Because history cannot be undone, and it must come to an end. Twenty children, you are, and always will be. Behold the beach, behold the dawn.
They smelled salt water and hot sand under their feet. They opened their eyes. Eighteen children were there, boys and girls, playing and laughing. It was as if everyone already knew each other and hadn’t seen each other in a long time. When they saw Maisie and Seth, they were filled with joy.
Now there were twenty – they were finally together.
Some of them were over fifty or a hundred years old, but the truth is that Maisie and Seth never knew how long they spent there; if only 8000 years or if 8 seconds.
Wonderful things happened next that no one could ever express in words.
But everything fell apart like a dream. Maisie and Seth found themselves in the cemetery, with the book and the reliquary.
“I don’t know why I’m sad if everything was so good,” Maisie said.
“It’s because our home is there,” Seth said. “The story isn’t over yet.”
Mr. Lee Duigon, I don’t know why my short story appeared twice. This usually happens when I comment. It must be some kind of error.
This is the first time it’s happened at my end. But it’s no harm done.
Bell Mountain is a great read. The story flowed at just the right pace to make it interesting, yet relaxing to read.
Muchas gracias!
After reading your commentaries on News With Views for years, I decided to find out what Bell Mountain was all about this October. My husband and I bought all fourteen books and are tearing through them. They are page-turners. (We are in our mid-seventies, btw). We like how you interject Christian concepts throughout. What a good way for even non-believers to grasp some basics of Christianity. There is violence, however, so these books definitely are for young adults, not children. Very glad we purchased them :).
Thank you! I do try to limit the violence; but after all, there is a war on.
P.S.–Who are you? I always like to know.
I agree Julie. The Christian concepts are appreciated, yet the books are never preachy, which is also appreciated.
LOL name is Julie Must add that (with all the stuff going on in politics, religion, education & health care) I find myself muttering (just like some of your characters) “It would be so much easier just to poison them, but I don’t do that anymore”. 🙂
Ha-ha! I think it was Gallgoid who said that.
Welcome aboard, Julie.