Book Release Party! Woot!

Today, we would like to congratulate Author C. Desert Rose on the release of ...

Blurb:

Even the moon has secrets …

Traversing the globe—from Louisiana, USA to New Zealand—on an enterprise to discover the hidden secrets of the moon, Nethanyel finds that everything may not be as it seems. Accompanied by a consequential companion named Jax, Nethanyel is taken to a place … even a time … that he would have never expected.
Set in the year 1940, is Nethanyel’s Lady Lune exploration, fate or both?

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dEa1PTpEaA[/embed]

Excerpt:

“Bartender …?” Nethanyel called, his voice drenched in the quintessential inflection of the Bayou—a collective accentuation of English, French and Creole. Tapping his glass twice on the counter he indicated that he wanted a refill. Nethanyel was a quiet person; always collected and controlled. Wise men were strong, calm and reticent, or so his father had taught him. Nevertheless, Nethanyel preferred to be that way, for in a multitude of words sin does not lack.

The bartender turned to Nethanyel, slipping him another drink. It was at a moment like this—when he could sit quietly to enjoy his drink—that Nethanyel thanked the heavens that he was a mere child during the Prohibition. Now, a man could enjoy a hard drink after a long day’s work.

Nethanyel could hear someone stumbling in, drunk and disorderly. This was nothing new. Things like this happened in bars all the time. What happened next was new however. The man who had barged in obnoxiously called, “Bartender, pour me a cold one, would ya?” Nethanyel considered that the man had a funny accent, but could not place it and furthermore said nothing. He didn’t so much as turn around to acknowledge the drunken bastard.

The bartender poured the stranger his drink, as the man came waltzing over to sit right next to Nethanyel. “You’re not from around here.” the bartender commented matter-of-factly.

“No, my good man. Indeed I'm not,”

“Where from?”

“Far from here, my good sir. Oceans away ...” he said as he extended his arm, waving it in one large circle towards the horizon.

“That didn't answer my question,” the bartender was an older man. I’m too damn old to play “name that accent” with this fool, thought the bartender. So he kept his conversations straight and to the point.

“Ah, well,” the odd stranger commented with a subtlety that made the words slip off his tongue, “I am from New Zealand, mate.”

“Why you callin' me 'mate'? You don't even know me.” the bartender said in an unvarnished tone then turned his back to the drunkard.

Feeling the awkwardness of the moment the man’s eye shot to the floor and then looked around the room, lifting his glass to whom ever made eye contact with him. Tilting his body’s weight into Nethanyel, he murmured, “Lively crowd we got here.” sarcasm absolute.

“Mhm.” Nethanyel hummed. Why must idiots like this insist on bugging me? Nethanyel pondered, then attempted to turn away from the man. No luck.

“Well …” the man huffed “it must be the weather then,” thinking his comeback was funny. It wasn’t. Extending his hand towards Nethanyel and offering a handshake, the inebriated man attempted to introduce himself. Nethanyel was in no mood for chit-chat, formalities, or anything of the sort. Nethanyel grabbed his drink, offering his back as a response to the drunk nitwit’s attempt.

Not catching on to the hint, the inebriated fellow maneuvered his already extended hand to Nethanyel’s shoulder and patted it, then continued with his conversation, “Jax here. Nice to meet you.” Then intentionally talked through his teeth, “Not that I actually met you, or anybody else for that matter. Wow! And I thought that Louisiana was a friendly place. You know? Considering the Mardi Gras and all.”

By now Nethaniel was very uncomfortable, so he stood up, taking his drink along with him and sat a few feet away. Attempting to find a new chatting partner Jax, the intoxicated New Zealander, turned to the bartender once more and asked cynically, “So are parties this lively all the time?”

“Just about.” the bartender replied with a nod. Noticing that Jax wasn't going to give up on trying to form conversation he asked, “What brings you to Louisiana? It's not Mardi Gras season.”

“Yes, yes. That I'm well aware of, mate. I've actually come to America to do some research. Louisiana, is merely where the boat docked. So, here I am. Tah-dah!”

“Oh.” was all the bartender replied, not once asking Jax to elaborate. Truth be told, he wasn’t even interested.

Jax continued, “You see, I'm doing some research on the moon. There is an old legend where I'm from that talks about the moon. However, I'm told that there are more resources here than there are back home. I intend on finding those resources and taking full advantage of them. The moon really is quite interesting, actually.”

Nethanyel's ears tuned into Jax's conversation. The moon? Yeah, that's what he said, Nethanyel thought. Picking up his glass he walked back over to Jax.

Want more?

Then come and get your copy of "Nethanyel's Lady Lune" by Author C. Desert Rose!

Drowning in excitement.

Yes, yes ... I realize that I am giddy.

These things happen. Particularly, (as an author) when you released a new work. I can't help it. But this time I am giddy two fold.

Why?

Well, because it was a double release. It wasn't just my work, but Da'Kharta Rising's as well.

Yeah, I'm certain lots of you saw the official "Double Book Release" post from yesterday. However, the enthusiasm continues. I'm sure it'll last for a bit. So bare with me and try not to throw a shoe at me. :D Lol

I wanted to give you all an excerpt of "Earth 8-8-2: The Genesis Project" today.

Here it goes ...

Excerpt

of

Earth 8-8-2: The Genesis Project

Copyright Y. Correa & All Authors Publishing House, 2015

Chapter 5

An anomalous claret of life churned. Like looking through an enlarged microscope, comatose plasma ignited with rage lurked within. Subdued by love, quelled by understanding, yet dormant wrath, it was. Of that, there was no denying.

Under the surface which was growing with expediency, there was something more. Something beyond words. Something truly incredible. “The next level of human evolution” was an understatement. This was, in all of its glory, a transcendent step into a new Godlike race. Yet, good battled against bad, right against wrong, and which would prevail was something incredibly hard to tell.

While superficially, Genesis was the ideal child and quintessential disciple, lying within her was a commodity whose value was beyond measure.

  Two Months Later

 

Something had happened in Genesis’ heart since the death of her beloved Mrs. Roswell Tucker. Something she did not understand, and didn’t quite know how to handle. She was distraught, and felt empty inside. Not even the fact that she was so ‘special’ made her as happy as it once did. All she was at this very moment was a motherless orphan that needed someone to talk to. Mrs. Roswell, as she called her, was the only person that she could talk to—the only person that knew and understood that beneath it all Genesis was a human being, a person. Mrs. Tucker was the only person that truly treated her as such.

Due to her loss, Genesis felt lost and alone. She needed her beloved Mrs. Roswell. She really, truly needed her.

“Genesis, I know that I’m not her, but I’m here if you want to talk.” offered Captain Thomas, gulping hard at the reference to Mrs. Tucker. Genesis nodded, her demeanor downcast. “I mean, I know that I can’t give you the things that she did. After all, I’m not a woman. As the matter of fact, I’m far from it. I know I have this whole ‘G.I.’ thing going on, but I am human. I have feelings. I just hope that they can help you.”

“Thanks Jiles.” replied Genesis cordially, albeit sadly.

“K.” responded Captain Thomas, then reached over to put his arm around her.

He mused, It’s amazing how human she is despite the fact that she’s anything but.

“Jiles, I don’t know what to do anymore. I have sincerely tried everything to make her happy, but she just isn’t the same. What do I do? How do I make things better?” Dr. Scott hurt for his daughter, for no matter how one spun it, metahuman or not, that was exactly what she was; his daughter.

Yes, she’d been a test-tube baby, if you will. True, she was also known as—as General Townsen so eloquently put it—Experiment Eight-eight-two-dash-five-point-o, but she was so, so much more. She was his child. Furthermore, as any father would want, more than anything, he wanted her happiness.

“I’m so sorry Dr. Scott,” replied the Captain. “Mrs. Tucker’s loss has hurt her quite a bit. The good thing is that she’s taken to talking to me much more than she used to. Of course, I don’t understand half of what she is saying. But, I guess, in the long run, that’s a good thing. Hey, maybe you should hire another female caretaker …?”

The idea struck the Doctor like a bolt of genius—inspired! Why hadn’t he thought of that? Of course! That was exactly what she needed! Another woman in her life, someone that she could talk to and that could relate to her. Dr. Scott felt like an unadulterated imbecile for not having thought of that before.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owwt2sWN30A[/embed]

It's not too late to get your copy at Amazon.com

You can still also get "Boundless Limits: Transcendent Choice Book One" at Amazon. So, what are you waiting for?

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FvB6gqi3DQ[/embed]

WHY?

Because the EXCITEMENT HASN'T ENDED! :D

Toodles,

Y ;)

Concordant Vibrancy Book Release

Welcome one and all! Thanks for joining us today in the celebration of the Release of Concordant Vibrancy: Unity, An All Authors Anthology.

 

Blurb:

All Authors Publishing House, a subsidiary of All Authors Publications & Promotions, is pleased to present its first short story anthology, Concordant Vibrancy .

Concordant Vibrancy represents the interweaving of unity and uniqueness through the eyes of eleven incredible writers. Through the array of genres, all of these talents share a phenomenal love of writing which aims to leave imprints in the reader's imagination.

Short stories in this collection:
"Butterfly Mask" by Nicola McDonagh
"Messarii's Blood Hunt" by D. John Watson
"Seven Days" by Harmony Kent
"Touch Me" by Andrea Houtsch
"... and we" by Adonis Mann
"Til Death Do Us Part" by A. Lopez Jr.
"Coalesce" by Da'Kharta Rising
"Her A to Z" by C. Desert Rose
"Lester's Release" by Synful Desire
"The Authentic Snap" by Queen of Spades
"Alma's Unsung Angel" by Y. Correa.

What makes Concordant Vibrancy Different than most Short Story anthologies?

It was best described by Y. Correa, the Founder of All Authors Publications and Promotions ...

Excerpt of Concordant Vibrancy:

Once upon a time I sat under a large and old tree—the tree was surrounded by many others like it, all of them contented with one another.
I marveled at the wave of wind that passed by, which like an invisible tide drew past the trees making the leaves on them swish like the perfect choreographed symphony—first one, then swiftly and smoothly the rest followed in suit. It was an inspiring thing to behold.
I thought …
There is no better demonstration of unity than that of Mother Earth. She teaches us that all things are connected—the heavens to the earth, the earth to the ocean, the ocean to the heavens—round and round it goes, dancing without squabble in absolute unison. It truly is a beautiful thing to see.
In addition I pondered …
As the matter of fact, the bigger picture is that the entire universe is connected. Whilst our planet is the size of a marble in comparison to the enormity of our universe, that by no means makes us any less valuable. She, Mother Earth, depends on the universe and vice versa. Could you imagine the impact on our solar system if just one planet became misaligned with the rest, just the smallest bit askew? We would all feel the repercussions of that micro-movement. The surface of earth would spin out of control, ravaging humanity with a cataclysm of natural devastation.
And so, I thought further, and said to myself, “Does humanity not realize the impact they have between one another? Do they not see that one action of strife can cause a wave of destruction?”
While it is true that I do not know you, I know this; you and I are linked simply because we are inhabitants of this planet.
Why do I say these things? Because unity was the foundation of the establishment of All Authors Publications and Promotions.
A year and a half ago a thought occurred to me, it was “Why are authors competing with one another? Why can’t they just work together?” Now I’m certain that I was not the first person to think that way, and certainly not the first to act on it, but I did see that while some authors were trying to work together they were doing it in a way that rivaled one another. It was around that time that the idea of the All Authors Blog Blitz crossed my mind.
I’d done some research on Blog Blitzes, their use and aim, and I thought, we can all do that together. We can create a tidal wave of recognition if we just work together.
What I did not expect was all that would follow after the All Authors Blog Blitz. In less than a year’s time, All Authors Publications and Promotions was born. A place created by an author, for authors, trying to establish unity in this market.
In time the All Authors Magazine was born, then All Authors Graphic Design, then the All Authors Certificate of Excellence, and many more projects.
Some people ask me why I chose the name All Authors. Well, that’s pretty self-explanatory, it’s because we advocate all authors, and try to reach all readers.

So, like leaves on a tree, we are all connected.

Mother Earth, the best example of unity mankind has.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvxGIeAFWqc]

Today, marks the historic event of the RELEASE of Concordant Vibrancy: Unity, An All Authors Anthology. In commemoration of this wonderful day we've decided to give 3 lucky people a chance to win a Paperback Copy.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Concordant Vibrancy

by Adonis Mann

Giveaway ends January 31, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Also Available NOW at Amazon.com

A.L.O.M. Episode 2: Stranded

Hello one and all!

So I'm super happy to announce that A.L.O.M. Episode 2 is completed and ready for launch. I'm just waiting on my illustrator to finish up the cover. I'm super excited about it. :)

For those of you who do not know what A.L.O.M. is or is about...

A.L.O.M. was a short story mini series that occurred to me some time ago while I was indulging in a marathon of one of my favorite TV shows called Ancient Aliens which is typically shown on H2 (History Channel 2).

Being that I'm a Sci-Fi nut, and I like to mix things up from time to time, I thought to myself, "How cool would it be if our Ancient Aliens were actually just us?"  Thus the premise for A.L.O.M. was born.

Blurb of A.L.O.M. Episode 1:

The year is 2130. Long gone are the days of high definition television and rock and roll. Mankind has entered the greatest age of technology. Vlad Kappel is a man of few words and even fewer desires, one of them being a dream to pilot the world's first time machine which he has helped to invent and build. A fan of the eons old television show Ancient Aliens, Vlad has always been intrigued by the ideas of time and space travel. When he is suddenly and unexpectedly given the opportunity to live out his secret dream the results are astounding... and none too coincidental.

This short story series is available for FREE to the public at Smashwords.com.

Those who read the first part were left awaiting the second. So, without further ado, I'd like to share with you an Excerpt from A.L.O.M. Episode 2: Stranded, which will be coming soon to Smashwords for FREE.

Vlad Kappel quickly found out that not everything was as it seemed.

This world that he'd been whisked away to was something entirely different than what he'd been taught. Vastly different than what scholars had tutored his generation in.

 

Yes, these were ancients. Indeed, they lived primitive lives—but cro-magnans, they were not. Nor were they neanderthals. They did not bounce around the wilderness like beasts, they did not beat each other atop the head with clubs, they did not hunt with pointy sticks and did not live in trees.

This was intelligent man. Sophisticated and rational. The only thing they lacked, that Vlad had at one time in his life, was access to was modern technology. A technology that was no longer at his disposal. Certainty filled him that had he had said technology, he could teach them how to use it, and not only would they understand, but they would learn.

Industrial science, machinery, robotics, electronics... how he missed it. The wonders that it would do in a civilization such as this, he mused.

 

Vlad lacked a thorough understanding of their language. He knew a little. Very little. Still, until he could find a way back home, he would have to make it a point to become more proficient in ancient Incan. Becoming fluent in every aspect of it was imperative to his future as well as theirs. Honestly, how else would he be able to teach and guide, more importantly dialogue efficiently, unless he could communicate with them?

Everyday Vlad—as the people's new god—would approach them to learn things. Words, culture, their rendition of daily living. It was all so new to him. New and intriguing.

Still, it bothered him that the people revered him as a living god. They would prostrate themselves in front of him until he coaxed them to stand and speak to him. This was not what he wanted. All he wanted was to go home, and in the interim help them build a more civilized habitat. The one thing that he'd noticed about these Incans was that they did not live in the spectacular pyramids that he had studied about in his time.

Had they not built them yet, he pondered?

As for the A.L.O.M., Vlad knew that for the time being it was pretty much out of commission as it pertained to space-time travel. However, other more practical uses could be a possibility. Transportation maybe.

 

For some reason the thought of such things cause Vlad to recall the day he'd arrived to this time and place....

 

Like a violent ball of fire the A.L.O.M. descended from the sky, encapsulated in smoke. The speed with which it came billowing down to the earth was ferocious. Vlad, frivolous. He went light-headed and nearly vomited due to the brutal propulsion and turbulence. Then like a comet crashing into the earth, the A.L.O.M. collided onto soil and rock. Inertia followed rumble, which preceded thrusting and rocking. Never had Vlad experienced such a potent ride. His body could barely take the commotion.

 

Minutes later, after the fog in his head cleared—as well as the fog and smoke that surrounded his vehicle—Vlad tumbled out of the machine, space suit stained with dirt, grit and brimstone.

First his knees gave out on him, causing him to flop to the ground, his hands the only thing keeping him from liquefying into Mother Earth's gravitational pull, then he slowly lifted his head and floundered to removed his helmet, gasping for fresh air. Clean air.

A.L.O.M. Episode 2: Stranded

Copyright Y. Correa 2014

I hope you enjoyed, and be on the look out for the impending release!

More about "Genesis Ellipse..."

So, here is the thing...

Sometimes we just get exhausted of reading about the atypical "good and bad" guys in books. There seems to be an overabundance of stories which paint a clear picture of the hero and the villain. Not that that's a bad thing, but sometimes it can get old.

Sometimes, we just want a change from the same old, same old. I mean, it's not to say that being clear about the good and the evil is a bad thing. But, what if the lines were blurred? What if trying to decipher who was really against you could not be distinguished with the pointing of a finger? What if the villain was not a person, place or thing, but an intangible force that you could not control? WHAT IF you were fighting against destiny... no! Against time?

That was the thought process that brought me to the idea of Genesis Ellipse.... It was the idea that not only did man not have control over their own lives, but they had no control over time and what time could do.

Then came the idea that lead to the first two lines of the story:

"When do you know when you've met your soulmate? 'When' being the operative word."

The idea fascinated me. I wondered, what could happen if two completely different people, from two very different times, were indeed soulmates. How could they ever meet each other? More than that, how could they ever be together?

It would be absolutely impossible! Unless...

By this point the gears with ticking. SO MANY possibilities! SO MANY plausible, potential, albeit partially unbelievable scenarios!

BUT WAIT!

What if it's been this way since the beginning of time and time itself was out to get them? Wait! Whaaaat?

And so began the inner dialogue with myself.

'Beginning of time', you say? As in Adam and Eve? :/

Why yes! Exactly that. :)

So what would you, pray tell, do with such a story? :o

Reincarnation of course! :D

Reincarnation you say? By Jove, I think you are on to something here. ;)

Indeed! On to something, indeed...! :D

By this point I could barely contain myself with the inspiration to write something marvelous. Something that would blur the lines, yet demonstrate strength.

Something....

Something.... GREAT!

While I knew that it would be a task and a half to achieve, I was up for the challenge. Then, with that thought, came the Prologue to my current Work In Progress.

Excerpt of

Genesis Ellipse...

by Y. Correa

Copyright Y. Correa

Prologue

 

Tranquility. Peace incarnate. Serenity and docility—all married together in the form the flawless absolution of the timber filled pasture in which they basked. Paragon was the transcendental plenitude of the vastness of valleys and plains which surrounded them. Beauty beyond compare were the fields of green that covered the expanse which enveloped the symphony of perfection that was this place.

The heavens alone shown with an aurora of exquisite lights and the sun beamed through them like an icon which represented The Creator Himself.

Perfect, were their surroundings. Untarnished, their lives. This, was precisely what the Great Artist had intended.

 

Ish and Isha. In the years to come the legend that was their story would give birth to the many names that defined them...

Adam and Eve, husband and wife, male and female, earth and strength, life and softness—every name, a separate facet of who they were and what they represented. The one made to complement the other; meant to complete each other. Such, had the The Holy Architect made them and such was their nature. Made from the flesh of one another, they knew not how to live the one without the other.

As bare and exposed, naked and vulnerable, as all the animals that grazed the forest yet they were none the wiser. This, was their nature, the way they'd been created. Why should they question it? Flawlessness they were, and immaculate was their abode. All of this given to them by the Highest of High. A gift to them merely because He'd created them.

 

Legend tells us that upon their fall from grace, they'd been condemned to live a life without perfection and the All Merciful's presence. Doomed to carry on in this void, extensive, dry earth, while fighting to survive.

Yet they'd done it. They'd survived. They'd bore children and descendant, and eventually their seed inhabited the earth. Then at an old age, they died in peace.

 

But, what really happened?

Genesis Ellipse... is turning out to be that one story that I cannot get away from. Even while I'm writing on other things, I always come back to this.

And, I've decided. I will finish it! Soon.

Toodles my loves,

Y.

Excerpt of W.I.P. called "Genesis Ellipse..."

Howdy one and all,

I was in the sharing mood, so I've decided to share with you all an excerpt of one of my current W.I.P.s which I've titled "Genesis Ellipse...".

Yes, the ellipsis (not to be confused with ellipse) is part of the title. I suppose that it might be important to explain the meaning behind the title, before I dive into the excerpt.

If you're anything like me, you'll realize that the title of a book is massively important for various reasons.

• They serve as a hook. By hook I mean that if it is catchy enough, people might want to read your story.


• They give a very short explanation of the contents of the book.

So, due to these reasons, I had to be very careful in choosing the title for this Work In Progress. Mostly because it is such a complex story that it had to have a title that encapsulated its premise properly. In my mind I went through a list of possible titles but none of them seemed to do the story justice. Moreover, they didn't seem to explain it. For me, that was key.

So the first part of the title ("Genesis") I chose because of the fact that the story is tied into the biblical figures of Adam and Eve and the story of the creation.

The second part of the title ("Ellipse") I chose because of its meaning. Ellipse is a mathematical term that in several words means the oval/circle within a cone/funnel. Basically it's a line that meets where it started and is found inside of a cone. To me, it was synonymous with "returning from whence it came".

Then the last part of the title ("...") I chose because it means an incomplete thought or sentence. This was important to me because in my mind it meant that since the thought was incomplete, anything was possible. As in "no one knows the future".

So now that I've explained that, I should probably explain the premise.

You're more than likely wondering "Wow, interesting title. But, what's it really about?"

Genesis Ellipse... is the story of Yevah Bartholomew and Dimitri Bachman. In case you are wondering, yes, their names have meanings too.

Well, if you combine the first and the last names of these characters you will have the complete meaning. Going solely by their first or last name, the meaning will be incomplete.

Yevah Bartholomew means:

The Bringer of Life to the Land

Dimitri Bachman means:

Son of Land and giver of Life

Yes, the names are similar in meaning, but differ in that Yevah's name means that she gives life to the land, and Dimitri's name means that he is product of the land and therefore gives it life.

Cool, I know. Lol

So, as I was saying...

Yevah and Dimitri are the reincarnation of the biblical figures of Adam and Eve, who have been reincarnated time and time again--over and over. The main twist is that they have been "condemned" to be choronauts (time travelers), the biggest twist is that they are from different times and places.

Okay, that's all I'm gonna say. You'll have to read the book when it's released to get the full story.

All right, I won't make you wait any longer. Here is the excerpt:

Excerpt

Genesis Ellipse...

by

Y. Correa

Copyright Y. Correa 2014

I remember as a child having heard stories of how once upon a time, the heavens poured frozen flakes of water upon this place. I couldn't help but imagine how beautiful it must have been.

 

Until one day...

 

As a child I traveled once to a land that was unfamiliar to me—as I always did. Traveling was out of my control—it just happened. I never knew when I would travel, or to where.

I was so cold and so scared.

It was a chill filled day. Trees' leaves were in the halfway point between yellow and orange. Not being from this place, or this time, everything seemed so new.

The place where I landed was strange. Uneasiness came easily, my unfamiliarity with this place cause my nerves to run a muck.

With time came the lesson of how to flee and hide—I'd learned how to survive. Such was the complexity of my life. The essence of my existence; survival and concealment.

Time traveling never allowed the use of clothing, so I was completely naked. How cold it was! My legs, arms and lips trembled as my naked body absorbed the perforating cold. I'd never felt anything like it. Even still, the beauty therein had no compare.

I was awe stricken with the loveliness of those tiny white flakes of frozen water as they glittered my skin and dusted the multicolored leaves atop the pavement. Luckily, I always found a way to cover myself. Stealing some clothes from someone's clothesline, I dressed. The sleeveless shirt and drab skirt were way too big. Nevertheless, I made do.

The shacks of this place were enormous and grazed the heavens. They were stacked up in lines, in the center of which lay a wide surface where smaller shacks on wheels raced. Highly populated and confusing. My body shivered from the cold, crisp temperature. People ran busily around and no one so much as noticed me. Who would notice a lonely, cold child in a place inundated with unfortunate humanity—a place pestered with displaced human beings? No one.

 

Crucially, in time, I became a bit more aware of the ancient English language. Accustomed to their odd ways of speech—their peculiar wordings. I learned that these enormous shacks were called buildings and things of the sort, but some things I still do not know, nor understand.

 

That day, I wandered for what seemed like hours, still quivering from the incredibly amount of cold that I felt. I was not used to it. My bones were starting to stiffen and feel sore due to the cool air. Though the frozen rain barely dusted the ground, my feet were growing numb as they throbbed with the pain that the frigidness caused, a cold that they could not withstand.

I was alone, and hungry, scared and uprooted. Eventually, I made my way to a small segment of recreational land with large toys. Things where children swung, and more things where other children slid; a wide array of enormous toys. And the children who played there seemed content and amused.

 

All, except for one...

 

This land—like all others—was foreign to me, so confusion abounded, yet at the sight of that boy everything changed. I found myself feeling more for him than for myself.

He sat quietly on a bench, head tilted, pensive. Apart from everyone else. Shaggy brown curls, blown by every gust of wind. Large blue eyes, fixed on nothing in particular, looking as though he were staring into a grand abyss. Light skin, appearing pale. Transfixed, he seemed. Nothing like anyone else in this place.

Walking to him, I sat by his side and introduced myself.

“I'm Yevah,”

“Hi,” was all he said in return.

“What is your name?”

“Dimitri,”

“Why are you so sad?” I asked, with genuine interest.

“I don't know.”

“Would you like some company?”

“I guess...” He answered with the tiniest shrug of the shoulders.

Not saying another word, I sat there with him. Noting the way I massaged the exposed skin of my arm, Dimitri took off his coat and passed it to me, then removing his shoes, he took off his socks and gave them to me as well, then put his shoes back on.

I smiled at him. His look remained unchanged. But still, without a word, I just stood there with him for the longest time. Night was about to fall and the frozen water had stopped falling hours ago, the area was now vacant of anyone but him and I. Suddenly, I felt myself pulsing away.

“Dimitri, I have to go now,” I took the coat off and returned it, my hands shaking in the process.

“Okay,”

“Will you be alright?”

“Yeah.” He replied, demeanor unchanged.

“Good bye, Dimitri.”

“Bye.”

Standing to my feet and walking as fast as I could, I ran behind some bushes and soon fizzled off, back to my time.

 

That memory is still with me. Standing the test of all times. Poor little Dimitri, out of place, sad and alone... just like I was.