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Serial: Lost Rainbows Chapter 3 – Tracking the Thief

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Lost Rainbows

Lost Rainbows

Chapter Three – Tracking the Thief (Lost Rainbows – Serial)

By Connie Cockrell

Shamus O’Malley is on a quest to recover the Leprechaun Kingdom’s magic rainbows and gold before the rainbows are lost forever. To do so he must travel to the new world where he finds the evil wizard, David Bannon, intent on using the magic from the rainbows and the gold to conquer the Leprechaun Kingdom. He also finds an ally, Becca Bannon, the wizard’s niece. Can Becca and Shamus recover the rainbows and gold and defeat her wizard uncle?

This entry is part 3 of 16 in the series Lost Rainbows

Want to start this serial from the beginning? Click here for links to all available chapters.

Tracking the Thief

A quarter mile from the sidhe boundary, Shamus reached the entrance to one of the secret leprechaun roads. He drew his sword. It would glow green when it detected magic along the road and for a short distance outside of it in the real world. The road was more of a tunnel than anything else. The walls glowed pale green, like sunlight through a woodland canopy. With the sword drawn, Shamus could see eddies of residual magic as he followed the road. Once he reached the treasury he looked around for clues. Even in the darkness he could see the torn ground and broken bushes.

His sword glowed bright green. A lot of magic had been used here. The treasury doors, usually secured by strong spells, were shattered into splinters. The bodies of the guards sprawled near them. They’d been blasted by strong magic as well. Shamus straightened them out. He knew these men and their families and he ground his teeth in anger. Who would do this? The humans didn’t know about the treasury. Like the sidhe, it was protected by ancient magic. It had to be leprechauns or perhaps a dragon. They were very fond of gold.

He re-examined the area. No, there were no burned areas. Not a dragon. Leprechaun then. He left the bodies with a salute. Guards from the King would be along soon to take them back to the sidhe. He re-entered the magic road, determined to find the culprits.

The road led toward the sea. Travel was fast within the road. He bypassed much of the countryside and, in what would have taken him four days of travel in the real world, was at an exit in four hours. The magic led him out of the door.

Dawn was breaking when he emerged. He was at the bottom of a hill and as he faced it he could see the sun would soon appear over its left shoulder. The top of the hill was covered by the ruin of a castle. It wasn’t uncommon for a road door to come out near a castle or castle ruins. Hundreds of years ago the leprechauns were friendlier with humans. Now there were too many humans and they no longer believed in leprechauns, so his people stayed out of sight.

He followed the magic trail along a newly hewn path through the brambles up the hill. He moved quietly. There was no need to alert the thieves to his presence. Shamus followed the trail through the ruins. Blocks from the internal walls had been restacked to clear a path. Noise reached him and he stopped to listen, back against the moss-covered granite. The noise was a high-pitched whine, not natural. Shamus moved forward slowly, sword held out in front of him, until he reached a corner. The noise was louder.

Machinery? What machinery would be here? He turned the corner, ready to defend himself. In a cleared space in front of him were several pots of gold. It was a man, human from the look of him, dressed in a long gray gown with a dark blue cloak, and a leather belt cinched it all at the man’s waist. He was moving the pots by magic into the glass of a mirror with a wand. As each pot went through, the mirror flashed red light across the space.

Shamus shook himself out of his shock. The wizard, as he supposed the man was, lifted the last pot. You!” he shouted.

The wizard looked up at the call but never stopped moving the gold.

“Stop!”

The wizard moved the pot through the mirror. He looked at Shamus once more, then slid the wand through his leather belt and stepped through the mirror.

Shamus ran forward as the whine increased. Without understanding why, Shamus knew he had to get through the mirror fast. He flung himself forward as the whine reached an ear-splitting crescendo. He tucked himself into a ball and rolled as he hit grass, leaping to his feet, sword at the ready.

It was dark. Shamus spun around, breath coming fast, expecting to be attacked. There was nothing. He lowered his sword. There was no sign of the mirror either. He slid the sword into his scabbard and took a deep breath. The night was broken by lights many feet overhead, placed at regular intervals along a wide paved road. He was outside a high stone wall with a metal-grilled gate ahead and to his right. He hurried to it and peeked around the corner through the gate. A large castle lay beyond, at the end of another paved road, about a quarter mile away. Dogs were barking inside.

He wondered why he’d come out of the mirror here, instead of where the wizard was. He suspected the mirror shut off in some way so he didn’t make it all the way through. Shamus shuddered. He didn’t want to think about where he might have come out of the mirror, or if he would have come out at all. He could sense the iron in the gate. Iron and magic never mixed. Touching it would burn him. A gentle kick confirmed the gate was locked. Now what?

The night air was cool. Shamus adjusted his floppy hat and weskit, then settled his pack more comfortably on his back. A quick look around showed him large mansions across the street. They had huge expanses of lawn. From the size, he knew they had to be human habitations. He needed to get inside the gated castle and find the wizard. Could he hide across the street and watch the gate?

Lights approached along the roadway. He ducked into the bushes beside the gate. It took only a moment for the thing to pass. It had been many years since he’d left the safety of the sidhe but he remembered the humans called those automobiles. It was much quieter than the ones he had seen so long ago. He pulled his sword–it wasn’t glowing. He was reassured there was no magic nearby.

He crossed the road to see if he could find a good hiding place. Half an hour later he was back at the gate. The houses across the street and on either side had no good hiding spots. His only choice now was to walk along the wall and find a way to climb over.

~~~~~

Lost Rainbows

To be continued…

Come back for more! Look for the next exciting installment each Wednesday.

 

You can read more of this story serially on this website for free or you can buy it and read it now at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

See more at: www.ConniesRandomThoughts.wordpress.com or https://www.facebook.com/ConniesRandomThoughts

 

Thank you for reading. You can support the story by commenting or leaving a review. Buy my other books for more reading pleasure. If you’ve enjoyed this chapter, please spread the word, tell a friend or share the link to the story by using the share buttons to your right. The author is part of the Forward Motion Flash Fiction Friday Challenge and the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour.

© 2015 Connie Cockrell

Monday Blog Post: Big News February 18th

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Connie Cockrell, speaking, Soroptimist meeting.

Connie Cockrell speaking at the December Soroptimist meeting.

I’m speaking on Wednesday at the Arizona Professional Writers monthly meeting. It’s held at the Payson Public Library Community room at noon. I’ll be talking about my adventures as an Indie author and will bring some books for signing. I hope to see you there.

Lost Rainbows is up on both Smashwords and CreateSpace so you should be able to find the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple and other sites, see the final paragraph, below. But I’m also experimenting with making the book a serial. I’ve set up the 18th as the first installment of the book. It’ll be posted on my blog and on Wattpad (www.Wattpad.com). Wattpad is a Reader/Author connection website, not social media but a place for readers to find great new authors. Since Lost Rainbows is a novelette for younger readers and Wattpad has the same demographic, I thought this site would be the best place to serialize the book. A new chapter will be released each Wednesday for 16 weeks. Enjoy.

The Payson Book Festival planning is moving right along. We’ve begun the Sponsorship drive and you can find a form on www.PaysonBookFestival.org to contribute if you’d like. We have a Kick-off pricing on author tables, too. Half price now through mid-March. Hurry, sign up for a table, you can share a table, too, to make your costs even less. Fill out the Author Registration and get that in to us so we can reserve you a table. They’re going fast at this great price.

I released February’s newsletter yesterday and it was chock full of great information. I put a coupon in there, too, for newsletter recipients only. Don’t miss out on these great values, sign up for the newsletter on my blog, www.conniesrandomthoughts.wordpress.com. You’ll get the scoop on what I’m writing much earlier than I post it here.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Lost Rainbows released January 25th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

Weekend at the Craft Fair: Author Signings

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The Drawing Prize Basket by Connie Cockrell

The Drawing Prize Basket by Connie Cockrell

I organized a book signing for this weekend’s craft fair. http://pinestrawberrybusinesscommunityaz.com/fallapple.html I started a couple weeks ago, contacting the fair people and it happened a fellow author volunteers for the event. We teamed up and were hoping to get an outdoors 10X10 ft. space for a discount. It turns out they had space inside and the other authors (3 of them) that we were going to shoehorn into the space, sharing the cost, would get tables inside too, all for the fact the one author volunteers. Yay! So five 8 ft tables indoors. Here’s the low down on all of them.

Me:

Me at my table by Connie Cockrell

Me at my table by Connie Cockrell

I sold the entire Gulliver Station series at the craft fair. I sold 4 complete sets and 2 of the first novel of the series. I also had 11 people sign up for my newsletter. I’m calling that a win. You can find links to locations were you can find all of my books on the Books tab on this blog site. I also have an Author Page on Amazon where you can find a list of my books.

Nancy Lee Burns:

Nancy Lee Burns at her Table by Connie Cockrell

Nancy Lee Burns at her Table by Connie Cockrell

This is the wonderful volunteer. Many thanks Nancy. She had two books at the signing, her first book: Retirement: Sacred or Scared and her newest book, Enjoy the Apple: You Picked It. Click on the titles to go to the Amazon links. She calls these Spiritual Adventure books.

Ken Crump:

Ken Crump and his book by Connie Cockrell

Ken Crump and his book by Connie Cockrell

Ken brought his children’s book, The Last Moment, to sell and sign. Click on the book title to get to the Amazon page. He had a wonderful illustrator for the book, Amy Abney, also local to my area. Her art work is amazing. His blog is www.brickhousepiggy.com and can be reached at [email protected].

Carole Emma Mathewson:

Carole Emma Mathewson and her Book by Connie Cockrell

Carole Emma Mathewson and her Book by Connie Cockrell

Carole has two books out, The Hostess of Providence, a one woman play, and her newest book, The Waste of War, a Civil War era Historical Fiction that is about her great-grandparents, a Union surgeon and his wife, who served as his nurse through some of the most horrendous parts of the Civil War.

Finally but not least, AnneMarie Eveland:

AnneMarie Eveland doing a Face Reading by Connie Cockrell

AnneMarie Eveland doing a Face Reading by Connie Cockrell

She brought her Self Help/Psychology book, At First Glance: What Faces Reveal. She spent much of Saturday doing readings for people. It was quite well accepted. Her site is www.HurrahForHumans.com and can be reached at [email protected].

We all had a great time chatting with craft fair goers, trading writing tips and enjoying a wonderful camaraderie. The basket drawing was won by Tara Fuller of Chandler who has donated the basket back to us. We’ll have to decide what to do with it now. I threw all the rest of the tickets away in Pine so have no way to draw a new winner.

I for one, learned a few things.

– Many people saw my SciFi books and assumed they were for kids. I had to gently tell them they had adult themes.

– People visiting a craft fair tend to walk as far from the tables as they can get and do their best not to make eye contact.

– Having a drawing, which we did, brings people in close enough to chat. Our drawing was a basket with one book donated by each author and a big mug with 5 different ways to make hot chocolate. If the word free didn’t bring them in to make out a ticket to drop in the jar, the word chocolate seemed to do the trick.

– Once you have them in to chat, we had great conversations and some people even took our business cards. A few even bought a book.

– Catchy book titles will bring passing visitors in for a look. Nancy’s book, Retirement: Sacred or Scared generated quite a few conversations.

– Don’t throw the drawing tickets away until we actually get the prize to someone.

Overall, we had a great time and hope we can get together again sometime.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Like any author, my books sell based on reviews. Would you be interested in getting a free copy to review for me? Go to the button on the right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up. Or sign up here. Use Control, Click to access the link. Let me know if you’d like to be a reviewer on Goodreads or the e-tailer site of your choice.

First Encounter: a Brown Rain Story released September 18th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

Fun, Fun, Fun, All Month

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Cathedral Rock, Sedona, AZ by Connie Cockrell

Cathedral Rock, Sedona, AZ by Connie Cockrell

Are you enjoying cooler weather? Have you broken out the stew pot? I made macaroni and cheese this weekend. It still averages 80 to 85 degrees here during the day but it just seemed right to bake a mac and cheese dinner.

Writing has been hit or miss since the first of October. I did see a contest with only 9 days left to enter. The prompt was a photo and the challenge was to write a story in 500 words or less about what was going on in the picture. Well, I thought for a moment and the words just started flowing onto the keyboard. It felt good. I submitted it that night. I’ll find out in a week or two if I won. If I didn’t win, I’ll share the story here on a Friday.

So the book I’ve been helping another author publish? I put it into CreateSpace and the author is reviewing the proof copy. When it goes live, I’ll share a link to her Amazon page.

Saturday, four of us from the Payson Book Festival committee went to Sedona to see how they run their book fair. It was a small venue but still there were 59 authors there. There was a lot of variety, from cookbooks to SciFi, New Age to Mysteries. We picked up a few tips and ideas about how we’d like to run our book festival then we went to lunch and before we left Sedona, visited Cathedral Rock. That’s the picture up on top. We couldn’t have asked for a prettier day.

This weekend, October 11th and 12th, I’ll be doing a book signing at the Pine Craft Fair with four other authors. I’m putting together a basket with a donated book from each of us for a drawing. I hope you can stop by and see me.

Looking for something to read? You can get all of the links to purchase my latest book at the end of this post. I sent out a newsletter with the announcement and an offer that’s just for newsletter subscribers. Do you want in on the action? Look below for a link to the Newsletter sign up button.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Like any author, my books sell based on reviews. Would you be interested in getting a free copy to review for me? Go to the button on the right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up. Or sign up here. Use Control, Click to access the link. Let me know if you’d like to be a reviewer on Goodreads or the e-tailer site of your choice.

First Encounter: a Brown Rain Story released September 18th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

What a Fast Month!

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Garden Peppers by Randy Cockrell

Garden Peppers by Randy Cockrell

Don’t you find that when you’re busy, things like months, just fly by? Me too. Is it cliché to say that? Cliché or not, it’s true. Between the Fair at the start of the month, my broken molar and crown, and the usual life stuff like meetings, new projects, gardening and well, I’m not sure what else, it’s just flown by for me.

I’ve been trying my best to write on my 2 Year Novel project on a more regular basis. I’m over half way on that story now and liking where it’s going. I’m way behind on the lessons. I should be well into editing at this point but still writing the first draft. Shrugs. I’ll get it done and do all of the lessons. That’s all I care about. That, and getting a good story out of it.

I’ve also picked up a publishing gig for a fellow author. It’s more difficult than pubbing my own work but still, I’m glad to help her out. It’s an Historical Fiction, about a Civil War Union Surgeon and his wife who did nursing for him. Based on real people, I’ve been fascinated with the story. I also did an edit for another author friend, a lawyer procedural? Not sure what the genre is but it’s a hell of a story. So excited for her to publish it. I’ll brag it up when she releases. You all have to read this book.

Picture today is from my garden, the Fresno chilies. They look beautiful. I’m going to roast them on the grill, peel the skins away and freeze them. Won’t they be wonderful in chili’s and such all winter long?

I have scheduled a signing at the Pine Craft Fair October 11th and 12th with three other authors. I also have a speaking engagement with the Payson Soroptimist Club in November, the 12th at noon. Time to start putting my name out there and ramping up the sales.

Speaking of getting the word out, First Encounter, the first book in my new Brown Rain series released on September 18th. You can get all of the links to purchase at the end of this post. I sent out a newsletter with the announcement and an offer that’s just for newsletter subscribers. Do you want in on the action? Look below for a link to the Newsletter sign up button.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Like any author, my books sell based on reviews. Would you be interested in getting a free copy to review for me? Go to the button on the right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up. Or sign up here. Use Control, Click to access the link. Let me know if you’d like to be a reviewer on Goodreads or the e-tailer site of your choice.

First Encounter: a Brown Rain Story released September 18th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

August is a long Month

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Cover for First Encounter by Connie Cockrell

Cover for First Encounter by Connie Cockrell

We’ve had a lovely rain a few days ago, an inch and a half’s worth. Everything plant perked right up. Two of the apples fell from the tree Saturday morning. They aren’t very large but they tasted good. Husband saw them on the ground from the office window and told me they “self-harvested.”
The Northern Gila County fair is in two weeks. The fair book is out, posters have been hung around the area and we’ve kicked off a contest. Take a selfie with one of the posters and after Liking our Facebook page, post the picture. Drawings will be made for prizes. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Northern-Gila-County-Fair/136645043024179. I try to post something new on there at least once per day. I continue to update the website, www.NorthernGilaCountyFair.com, to add information concerning all of the activities, attractions and entertainment.
My novella, The Beginning, has had a title change to First Encounter. I am also trying out a new editing service, SilverJayMedia.com. I sent them a sample and they returned it quickly and with a lot of corrections. Ack! I thought I had edited it better than that. Anyway, I’m going to have them edit the whole thing. They have a very cool estimating tool on their site so you can see how much their different editing services will cost. I really like that feature. With it you can see how much each service costs individually or added all up. You can pick the service or set of services that best meets your needs and wallet. Give it a try you writers out there.
Hot! I tried out Amazon’s new Pre-Order feature. It was very easy for me to use and I put First Encounter up on it for pre-order. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MW8AYOK Release date is scheduled for September 18th.

My author friend Selena Laurence is getting ready to release several books over the next two or three months. In celebration of that, she’s promoting two of her previous books, A Lush Betrayal and Camouflaged. She’s an author of Edgy Contemporary Romance, and knows how to make those stories hot and sassy. Both books have been discounted for this promotion. Hurry to take advantage of it.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.
Like any author, my books sell based on reviews. Would you be interested in getting a free copy to review for me? Go to the button on the right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up. Or sign up here. Use Control, Click to access the link. Let me know if you’d like to be a reviewer on Goodreads or the e-tailer site of your choice.
I have an in depth interview on my Smashwords Author page. You can read it here. Don’t see information about me you’d like to know? Leave me your question in my comments and I’ll try to answer it.
Revolution: A Gulliver Station Story released August 1st! I’m pretty excited about it. Apple (iTunes) and Barnes and Noble now have it up on their sites. You can buy at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

Time is Flying

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Immature Gala Apple

Immature Gala Apple by Connie Cockrell

No rain since the last Monday blog post. It’s been a very disappointing monsoon season to be sure. The lakes and reservoirs are at fifty percent capacity or less, making everyone in Arizona very nervous. I’ve had to water my garden every other day, fruit trees included. I picked my 6 peaches a few days ago. Yummy! I have 5 Gala apples on the tree. The late April frost and snow killed most of the buds on both trees so I only have those few. No pears at all, which makes me sad. Maybe I’ll have more fruit next year. Anyway, I spoke with a farmer at the Farmer’s Market. He told me Gala’s mature mid to late fall. So in the picture above, those apples may actually double in size in the next four to six weeks.
The Northern Gila County fair is in less than a month. The fair book has been proof read and sent to the printer to publish and I continue to update the website, www.NorthernGilaCountyFair.com, to add information concerning all of the activities, attractions and entertainment. What’s your favorite event or activity at your county fair?
I am editing the first book in my Brown Rain series. The working title is The Beginning, which to be frank, is sort of lame. Would you like to help me name this novelette? Click on the link below to sign up for my newsletter by the 16th of August and I’ll send you a PDF copy of the rough draft of the story for you to read. Then you can go to my blog and leave a comment on this post with your Title suggestion.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today.
Like any author, my books sell based on reviews. Would you be interested in getting a free copy to review for me? Go to the button on the right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up. Or sign up here. Use Control, Click to access the link. Let me know you’d like to be a reviewer on Goodreads or the e-tailer site of your choice.

I have an in depth interview on my Smashwords Author page. You can read it here. Don’t see information about me you’d like to know? Leave me your question in my comments and I’ll try to answer it.
Revolution: A Gulliver Station Story released August 1st! I’m pretty excited about it. Apple (iTunes) and Barnes and Noble now have it up on their sites. You can buy at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

Fun Times In August

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Revolution: last book in the Gulliver Station Cover Reveal by Connie Cockrell

Revolution: last book in the Gulliver Station Cover Reveal by Connie Cockrell

My friend Selena Laurence is releasing her new book, Buried, today. A picture of her book cover is below. You can find it at:
B&N –> http://bit.ly/1qXpeyt
iTunes –> http://bit.ly/1ra0NeJ
Goodreads –> http://bit.ly/1kQkPpw
#JuanAndBeth — with Selena Laurence.

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We had a wonderful rainy thunderstorm on Saturday. The air cooled down, the rain fell, the plants became very happy. Yay for rain!
Well I completed Revolution’s formatting and put it up on Amazon, Kindle, Kobo, CreateSpace and Smashwords. I’m very excited. I have a good deal for you if you’re a subscriber to my newsletter. Want to get on it? Sign up in the next five days and I’ll get you in on it too!
The Northern Gila County fair is in a month. We’ve been working with the printer to publish the Fair books and I’ve been updating the website, www.NorthernGilaCountyFair.com, to correct out of date information. The site is still a work in progress but at least the information is correct. LOL! Do you attend your local county fair? What do you like the best about it?
Thanks for stopping by my blog today.
Like any author, my books sell based on reviews. Would you be interested in getting a free copy to review for me? Go to the button on the right side of the blog or go to my Newsletter tab to sign up. Or sign up here. Use Control, Click to access the link. Let me know you’d like to be a reviewer on Goodreads or the e-tailer site of your choice.
I have an in depth interview on my Smashwords Author page. You can read it here. Don’t see information about me you’d like to know? Leave me your question in my comments and I’ll try to answer it.
Revolution: A Gulliver Station Story released August 1st! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords today!

Flash Fiction Friday: Pets Come to Gulliver Station

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Phoebe and the Hydrant by Randy Cockrell

Phoebe and the Hydrant by Randy Cockrell

“It’s been over sixty years,” Level 7 Representative Howard Wainwright, protested to the Gulliver Station Manager, Egan Cavenaugh. They were in the conference room reserved for the Council meetings. The room was plain, it had been given a new coat of the same boring beige, upon the appointment of Egan to the Station Manager’s position by his father, Art Cavenaugh, and the conference room table had been replaced but otherwise, the same art work hung on the walls.

Howard, Representative to the Station government for the richest residents of Gulliver Station had been getting an earful from one of the wealthiest and most excentric of the Level 7 elite, Gloria Rothschilde. She wanted a pet, a Chihuahua, to be exact, and station law forbade pets.

“You know why the law is in place, Howard,” Egan sighed. “No one on the station has pets. They consume water and air and place an undue burden on the waste recycling systems.”

The Level 3 Representative, Megan O’Malley, spoke up. “Until we can find homes and work for the Displaced on the station, we shouldn’t be importing useless creatures that negatively impact the station.” The homeless situation was primarily a Level 3 issue and Megan, newly elected by her Level, had the Dispossessed on her mind. Something had to be done to find these people apartments and jobs.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Megan,” Level 5 Representative Ian Patrick interrupted. “The Disposessed situation has no bearing on whether or not the station should allow pets.”

“Other stations allow pets,” Howard interjected. He held up a data device. “I have all of the facts from three other stations on how they handle pets. And besides, pets are known to assist people emotionally. Why shouldn’t our residents benefit from the therapeutic value that pets bring?”

“Let’s take a vote,” Egan said as he rapped his gavel on the end of the conference room table. “All in favor?”

The Representatives from Levels 7, 6 and 5 raised their hands. “All opposed?” Only the Representatives from Levels 3 and 4 raised their hands. “Motion carried. We’ll allow pets.” The winning representatives cheered.

“Not so fast,” he reached out to Howard and picked up the data device. “Not until I review these files and see how the other stations do it.”

Six months later, the first cargo ship to carry pets docked at Gulliver Station. The freighter’s cargo no more that hit the registry when bids for the three small dogs, four cats and six guinea pigs began rolling in.

Gloria Rothschilde sat at her desk in her living room. She had the ship’s sale board on her monitor and watched while the bidding went up by thousands of credits for the fawn colored two kilo Chihuahua on board the ship. She typed her fifth bid into the system, one million credits. She was determined to be the first person on Gulliver to own a pet. This dog, a female, would be an excellent breeder for the male Chihuahua she had coming to her in another month. With luck, the female would be able to carry a litter to term and a new business would be born on the station.

She watched the bidding on the other pets. The cats were each also commanding a high price. Even the guinea pigs were getting hefty bids. She noticed her ersatz friend, Minnie Ojibwe, was bidding on two of the rodents. Gloria thought seriously about bidding for those as well, just to put the woman out. After a moment, she discarded the idea. She didn’t want the rodents; she’d just have to resell them at a loss.

After three hours, the bidding slowed to a stop. The female Chihuahua was finally hers at two million four hundred and seventy-six million credits. She noticed that Minnie did not get the guinea pigs. She was out bid by Nathan Po. She smiled. Nathan would have those little fur balls breeding in no time and selling the offspring to everyone on the station.

By then end of the day, all of the animals were purchased by the elite of the station. Complaints flooded into the Station Manager’s office. Many of the middle class residents were angry that the animals weren’t sold at reasonable prices to the first bidders. Egan massaged his temples. There was nothing he could do. The sale of the animals went the same way that the sale of any other good coming onto the station did, to the highest bidder.

That evening the station news media covered the hand-over of the Chihuahua to Gloria. “I’m so pleased,” she beamed into the camera. “It’s a great day for Gulliver Station,” she cuddled the tiny dog whose ears lay plastered to its head as it clearly shivered in the cold air of the dock outside of the cargo ship. “Now I have a companion for my lonely days.”

Egan watched the broadcast from his office. “Pfft,” he blew at the monitor on the wall. “The old bat will have that dog breeding before the end of the year and selling off the pups at top dollar,” he muttered at the screen.

And so it came to be as Egan predicted. Pets entered Gulliver station but they never trickled down to the poor of the station, not even the guinea pigs which would have at least provided food for the Dispossessed. Animals remained a perk of the wealthy.

 

 

The End

903 Words

Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here: http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour: July – Mid-Year Goals Check-In

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I Must Reach My Goal by Farcry77 via www.deviantart.com

I Must Reach My Goal by Farcry77 via www.deviantart.com

Six months worth of goals. Ack! It has been a whirlwind year for me in my writing world, to be sure.  I completed all of the goals for January, February and March which to be honest, was a struggle. I just felt behind the whole time. April was tough, though I did get the cover for Hard Choices done and revealed in April. Hard Choices finalized in May right on schedule and was published. It’s always pretty exciting to send another book out into the world. I did also get some planning done in April for the May Story a Day challenge which took a little of the production pressure off of my shoulders. So in May, I managed my goal of 10 new short stories written. I love that! I signed up for the Holly Lisle world building class only to let it languish and I signed up for her How To Write A Series expansion which began in June. I’ve been keeping up with it so far.

Unfortunately April’s Camp NaNo (where I got a novella finished, a short story written and a novel started) and May’s Story a Day did nothing to instill a daily writing habit. Sometimes editing, cover design, and just plain life get in the way of sitting down to write. I know, if I make it a priority it will happen. Count me as counseled.

I submitted a story to Writers of the Future in May, called After Math, a story set in my Gulliver Station universe. I also submitted a story, Room with a Knife, to the Crew Contest in May. The Garden State Contest received, Eavesdroppers in early May; a poem, Rest, went to the Contrary Magazine in April; and after another revision, Someone Else is Living Here, went to the Southwest Authors contest mid-June.  A new story will be needed for Writers of the Future before the end of September, but that’s a whole ‘nother part of the year! In June I began the editing process for Revolution. At the time of this blog, it’s just about to be put up on Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and Kobo. I also write non-fiction and I submitted articles for the January, March and June quarterly issues of Vision: an ezine for Writers.

Not on the goal list was a clean-up of my website: www.conniesrandomthoughts.wordpress.com. The Books tab especially was an embarrassment. I had a web-savvy friend of mine help me straighten it out. She also changed the banner at the top of the page. It looks so much better now.

July is Camp NaNo and I’m in the thick of writing a new novella, or perhaps it will stretch into a novel, who knows. And that’s one writer’s half-year. So what about you? Did you set goals at the start of the year? How have you done?

The Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour is sponsored by the website Forward Motion (http://www.fmwriters.com). The tour is you, the reader, travelling the world from author’s blog to author’s blog. There are all sorts of writers at all stages in their writing career, so there’s always something new and different to enjoy. If you want to get to know the nearly twenty other writers check out the rest of the tour at http://merrygoroundtour.blogspot.com!  Up next: Jean Schara!