(One – Eleven)
Written by Tanya Ferris
Copyright © 2022
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced,
in part or in full, digital or otherwise,
without prior written permission from the author.
A Cosmic Explorer
A never ending exploration in the vast worlds of fantasy, as far as the most remote areas of the Cosmic Network; a magical journey into the abysses of the unconscious mind, a jumble of primordial symbols, subconscious desires, metaphysical quest.
Fateful choices, traversing the spiral vortex of time and space, lead the heroine and the reader beyond the insupportable earthly reality to unimaginable dreamlands or, even, nightmarelands. However, even the worse nightmare is more preferable than the world of everyday life...
Every adventure is a personal magic ritual. I cannot foresee the result of such rituals, but there must always be a result, for there are points of contact –synchronicities- between the material world and the astral planes.
More is yet to come...
originally handwritten
from 31st July to 10th August, 1992
My name is Emma Lloyd. I am thirteen years old and I attend the second class of Gymnasium.
During the first break this morning, I was playing badminton with a girl who had just arrived from Australia. A little crowd of pupils was around us and I was feeling kinda proud of knowing how to play this unusual game. Then I noticed that handsome George Dim was not anywhere near.
I lifted my head and scanned the schoolyard with my eyes; there he was in the distance, laughing and chatting with another girl from our class. His indifference towards me made me feel rather bitter inside; being so abstracted, I hardly managed to hit the shuttlecock. A sense of emptiness overwhelmed me, a sun ray flooded my eye sight and...
* * * * *
Next moment the entire setting had changed. I was now admiring a fascinating, galactic landscape spreading before me. The craggy rocks sparkled in bluish colours; sparse, golden craters studded the azure plains; crystal cities were barely discernible amongst the craters in the distance; an eerie red sea extended beyond the plains to the horizon, making the environment even more outlandish. The night sky was magnificent, all covered by a unique galaxy rise.I relished the breathtaking view from a big window, during a meeting with some friends. Strangely enough, the name of the planet was beyond my ken at that moment in time... and
I was no longer Emma. My body was different, more mature, strong and well-trained; my personality was also different, my memories were not those of Emma's – for her existence was receding fast in my conscience. I had a different name now, and it was Sandra Anderson.
First there were knocks on the door, then a terrible blow.
Next moment the heavy, wooden door was thrust to pieces and a wild gang of villain motorists appeared at the threshold, all armed to the teeth. They were laughing and groaning with paranoid wickedness in their eyes. We all stood still, frozen of astonishment and fear. Just what we needed right now, I thought right after.
They trooped into the living room without hesitation, smashing down whatever they found in their way. They approached threateningly, asking us to give them all our money – but we all knew that was just a pretense; very soon we would all be dead. Unless...
There was a violent grasp around my waist; one of them had grabbed me and his ironic smile meant nothing good. His arms were strong and muscular, and I felt as if the air were driven out of my lungs.
“This sweetie here will die last”, he chuckled, putting a hand around my neck. “If she is good enough, of course”, he added, and the rest of them burst into mad laughter, while my friends were still frozen of terror. “Let me tell you chickens, either you give us the money or not, you are going to die, for we are...”
The vicious man holding me, apparently their chief, paused before completing his sentence. I had not managed to suppress my laughter successfully...
“What's the matter with her?” he wondered and I felt his grasp loosening a little.
“Don't shout like this; you just make me laugh”, I answered calm, breaking every pretense.
Next moment the intruders were extremely outraged, so I had to act instantly and instinctively; I hit the chief with my elbow and one of his men with a flying kick. I jumped high into the air, avoiding the blazing guns of the rest, right before landing on their faces. They were just too slow for me. Within moments they were all knocked out, save one: their chief, who was just making his way out through the thrashed door.
My friends had seized the guns of his companions, so they no longer needed my help. I rushed out immediately and ran to the underground garage, where I had parked my motorbike; it was certainly inferior to the villain’s, smaller and probably slower, but I had to reach and arrest him no matter what...
* * * * *
I rode miles and miles on my motorbike among the serene, turquoise dunes, trying to keep up with him, until I realized-not without a certain anxiety- that I had lost him. I slowed down, stopped, got off the vehicle and looked carefully all around. There was no sign of the rider, nothing but desert dunes and shallow craters, and the crystal cities seemed to be further than ever before. Obviously, I had ridden too far; I was now completely alone in the middle of an alien wilderness, and I had a very bad feeling about this.
Everything seemed to be happening weirdly fast today; all of a sudden, someone pounced on me from behind, without making the slightest sound. Where was he hiding? I only wondered and then we were both down on the sand fighting.
At that moment I realized I had no idea who that man was, what he wanted from me or how he had managed to find me on this isolated planet...
My opponent proved to be quite flexible, avoiding my blows with considerable ease. As he stood before me, parrying another direct attack of mine, I saw he was very young, with a well-trained body and a tight fitting uniform.
He didn't look much like the wild villain who had invaded my friends' house some minutes ago. Just then it occurred to me he was a warrior of Venor, my archenemy.
Parenthesis
Venor, son of Assar the Great, is the heir to the throne of the Interstellar Yrkanian Empire. Having conquered lots of civilizations in lots of galaxies, the Yrkanian Fleet attacked my home planet as well. I happened to be one of the few survivors taken prisoners of war, destined to become servants of the Empire. However, I soon managed to escape thanks to my innate psychic powers, till then unsuspected by the enemies. I have been fighting the Yrkanian tyranny ever since, all over the known universe...
End of Parenthesis
Therefore, that warrior had been assigned to follow me on this planet and arrest or kill me. At the moment he was standing a few meters away, threatening me with a magnetic boomerang in hand. In a split second he launched it against me and I barely managed to destroy it with my laser gun. He looked at me with in proud despair, as I was aiming at his fine body – and he looked so oddly attractive...
Next moment, he jumped high in the air and performed an impressive somersault, with the intention of attacking me again. I hardly had the time to reduce the power of my laser gun before firing. He collapsed on the ground, right before me, unconscious. I approached with slow steps, touched his right shoulder hesitantly and felt the electrifying quivers; there was nothing else I could do at the time but...
I carried him into the nearest crater, laid him down on the golden sand and observed his slender body like mesmerized.
Unwittingly my hand was on his broad chest, then on his neck. I felt the muscles under the thin, metalized fabric for a few moments, and I could no longer resist; I laid over him and kissed his lips. He came to himself with a start, only to stay motionless for some seconds of astonishment. His efforts to push me aside proved to be rather weak; in fact, he was more than eager to make my erotic fantasies come true as a prisoner of war, and I enjoyed his body to the fullest until he was exhausted.
In the meanwhile, I sought to interrogate him so as to find out what he had actually wanted from me in the first place, but my endeavors brought no result. I only found out his name was Jason and I was surprised to realize he looked a lot like a comic hero of my youth; beyond that, the young man appeared to be oddly innocent, without any hidden purposes whatsoever. So much the better for him...
I had just let him go, not without certain bitterness, when I suddenly overheard a familiar voice coming from his bracelet transmitter. Strangely enough, Mark didn’t seem to mind I could hear: “Everything is ready; the planet has been mined and there will be no more opposition; you've done an excellent job, keeping her busy long enough; but time is running out, so get out of there now!”
I shuddered as I recognized Venor's voice. It was crystal clear to me now that this was all a set-up right from the start. How could I be so foolish? I wondered, angry with myself. At that point Mark turned and faced me with sinister eyes. He gave me a weird, crooked smile and... that was it: he began to transmute, finally obtaining a form I knew terribly well.
Both of us were elsewhere suddenly – inside a dark chamber
that had just been materialized around us, out of nowhere.
Behind three brightly-lit red candles, I could discern the demon's platinum hair and green eyes, a non-human expression on his wild face. He was dressed in black garments that seemed to be made of thick darkness. I stepped back in horror, as I recognized the arch-demon widely known as Asmodeus, ruler of the Dark Side and ancestral protector of the Yrkanian Empire.
He opened his mouth to utter one of his dreadful magic spells and I shut my eyes in despair, knowing there was no escape from such evil in the material world.
I am not at all sure about how I managed to escape. Falling in trance, I sought to transfer my consciousness through space and time instantly – something I have achieved only a few times so far.
I made it; I abandoned the doomed planet with the echo of a demonic chuckle in my ears, but I knew it was not over yet.
I needed urgent help -the help of whom I had just cheated on- and I only hoped I had not made any mistakes in transferring my conscience to a very specific, most desired place...
* * * * *
The landscape surrounding me was magnificent: there were steep rocks around a crystal pagoda on my right, in front of a turquoise waterfall; its shallow river winded through the dark brown stone masses, the water sparkling at the sun rays like diamonds. The serene, emerald sea on my left reflected a huge sun rising over purple volcanoes in the horizon, under a fiery sky. Flocks of white birds were flying away.Thick branches of almond trees in blossom crowned the unique panorama. I sighed in relief, as I was sure I was at the right place, for there was no land in the whole universe as magical and real as the legendary Eldyla.
He was there too, my one and only Peter of the Stars, king and ruler of this semi-material planet, unbelievably attractive as always. He looked so innocent and unpredictable, dynamic and restless, casually sitting on a cliff, gazing at the wondrous sunrise as if in reverie. I accosted him slowly, making sure not to make the slightest noise, intending to surprise him. The chances of my achieving that were close to none, yet we always enjoyed that little game, and he always pretended to be taken aback by my sudden appearance.
I hugged him from behind and he turned round supposedly astonished; he responded promptly to my warm kisses and we loved each other wildly right on that flat rock facing the sunrise. Since Eldyla is a place beyond any other space and time, I didn't mind at all about the precious time spent in heavenly love...
When that bliss came to an end, I told him everything about the doomed planet, Asmodeus' threat against me and Venor's involvement, explaining I could not face such dangers all by myself. He looked at me askance and replied nothing, but I knew well what his silence meant.
* * * * *
Then I was back in that dark room again, but it was completely empty now, cold and murky; thank Goddess, Asmodeus was not there – yet, I knew I was not alone.“No time this time, Sandra!”
I turned around instantly and faced my fatal enemy, the throne prince Venor of Yrkania. He was standing there haughty, his laser firearm aiming at me. A silver beam flashed and I hardly avoided it by ducking just in time. I rolled on the floor and attacked him immediately, grabbing his legs and making him lose balance; the gun fell into the
electro-digital fireplace and exploded in a soft, white light.
We fought really hard down on the floor, among the shattered furniture. It was not long before I was under him, his strong hands holding mine wide open over my head. I tried to break free but this proved to be impossible, as I felt strained and overwhelmed. My resistance got weaker and weaker until I could no longer move; then there was a terrible blow on my head and nothing else.
As soon as I came to myself again, I noticed two lines of red, flickering lights on the ceiling, which allowed me to see that my cell was made of metal walls; it was hot and steamy, most probably a furnace. The temperature was rising moment by moment and, just as I was about to panic in the prospect of my imminent, horrible death, suddenly the power was cut off. I couldn't help laughing aloud, full of unspeakable relief, as the heavy portal sprang open and I saw: Peter of the Stars was standing there; he had already undermined all electronic systems, escaped all soldier blocks, found the place of my execution, opened the metal portal and pulled me out. Just his kind of action...
“I just can't thank you enough”, I said and hugged him; yet he seemed somewhat indifferent to my affection.
I stayed speechless, listening to the ominous silence for a few seconds. Then, through the window pane apposite us, I witnessed something like lightning in the horizon and I knew it was already too late. The chain of nuclear reactions had already started; soon, this beautiful planet would be nothing but a memory. Just like innumerable times before, a whole planet would be used as a sacrifice and an altar at the same time, an offer to the sinister entities which have been protecting the Yrkanian Empire for thousands of years.
We ran as fast as we could to find an exit, but no sooner had we finally found it, than it proved to be a dead end. The very
next moment we heard a sinister laugh echo behind us; we both turned round simultaneously and faced the arch-demon Asmodeus in his pitch black garment hovering in the air, his long white hair shimmering like silky waves of light. Within a split second the apparition was gone, but I wasn't relieved at all.
An instant later I noticed an impressive fresco that covered a large part of the outside wall: It showed Prince Philip, one of Venor's ancestors. He had short brown hair, a nice smile on his young face; he was wearing an attractive outfit in shades of orange and brown, as well as a red mantle. He was holding a shiny sword in his right hand, a green shield in the left one. He looked quite majestic as he was running away from a lofty tower on top of a steep path; grass and laurels grew under his purple boots. Then my strange reverie was broken and I noticed Peter had just pulled out his laser sword -but it was too late…
Venor had already reached us and had shot down Peter, who was now lying down with his right thigh bleeding. “That was it... you won, Venor”, I heard Peter utter breathless, as the enemy was about to give him the final blow.
Defying the enemy and his heavy firearm, I rolled on the ground fast, grasped a big stone and hurled it against Venor without thinking at all; as if in slow motion, I watched the stone performing a parabolic truck towards the enemy's head, while he was gaping of bewilderment.
* * * * *
Then everything began to blur and change; the whole world seemed to be melting before my eyes and, after a moment of vertigo I, Emma Lloyd, managed to strike back the shuttlecock.The game of badminton went on for some more minutes. A
group of schoolmates were still watching, while George Dim was still wandering around the schoolyard smiling and talking to everybody but me, while I was trying to put my mind together again.
All the above narrated space adventure had taken place within a second of ordinary earth time.
To experience worlds inside the world is the definition of madness; but I can control this madness...
originally handwritten
from 17th to 24th August, 1992
I can still recall very clearly my first contact with George Dim in the astral planes. Let me tell you how it happened.
The day was dawning and I, Emma, had hardly woken up when I saw him standing next to my bed. I looked at him for a few moments of pleasant bewilderment; I just couldn’t believe my eyes, and he was so irresistible. “I want to give you a kiss”, he told me in a low voice. “A real kiss”.
He smiled softly, got in bed beside me and that was it – a soft kiss that felt like electricity. I caressed his neck, then his shoulders, his arms, his chest, his waist; every touch felt smooth as velvet, yet so strong...
Without even my thinking about it, I kissed him all over his body, feeling the vibration of pure élan in every spot of his fair skin. His brown hair shimmered in the first light of day, his hazel eyes were sparkling straight into my heart. I tasted his love like intoxicated, while his face was radiating with an odd, innocent lust.
Within the vertigo of our unworldly love, the walls of my bedroom began to melt away; the furniture started to change gradually, until my room gave its place to a long, empty corridor. Emma was already sinking to oblivion; Sandra Anderson was about to emerge...
* * * * *
It was a new mission for me, a challenge in a faraway partof the known universe, on an insignificant planet called Earth; I had been informed about a “haunted corridor” in an underground military base. People vanished there, and I had been hired to solve the mystery.
Well, the case was clear to me right from the start; I only wondered why all those people had failed to see it. There was a black metal chair stuck on the floor of that corridor and nobody could tell me how long ago or why it had been left there. The item looked kinda strange, as there was a round hole at the centre of the seat; its back was made of a single, vertical, iron bar.
There were cameras all along that corridor and I had to spend hours in a special surveillance room, watching people (most of them workers in the base) going up and down that corridor. Occasionally someone sat on that chair; after a while, a kind of helmet sprouted from the vertical bar and came down on the person's head, making them torpid for some seconds. Then, all at once, the person was actually pulped and absorbed inside the hole on the seat.
My first thought was to destroy the chair, but then I changed my mind, because I knew that was not just an object; I had no doubt it was an alien life form. Yet, I had no idea what it was exactly and I preferred to avoid any possible consequences of its immediate destruction. I just explained my point of view to those in change and made sure nobody would cross that corridor ever again.
The black “chair” is still standing solitary in the abandoned, dark corridor. When will anyone come and keep me some company? I feel so lonely... but maybe one day I will meet someone who's like me, it ponders gloomily every now and then.
They didn't seem to be very satisfied with my job, so I left Earth disappointed, having decided not to accept any job of
that kind again. All I wanted now was an extreme adventure, a kind of experience that could give me real satisfaction…
* * * * *
There was only one thing in the whole universe that could whip up my interest at that time. It was a kind of ancestral legend, there was only one way I might be able to reach it and it could prove to be fatal. Anyway, I had to find Peter of the Stars first, for I needed his help for that.I found him fighting the notorious space vagabond Kochon on the villain's spacecraft, which had just landed on the mossy cliffs of Eldyla, Goddess knows for what sinister purpose. Peter had stepped on a bulky, external canon, and he was trying to fight back when the enemy managed to disarm him with a fast blow. Peter's laser gun slipped off his hand and fell into the sea below.
“You are unarmed now, Peter, and I still have my weapon!”
Kochon groaned.
“I can see that!” Peter snapped coolly.
Next moment the vagabond aimed his laser weapon at his opponent's chest; Peter reacted just in time and overwhelmed the enemy with a sharp flying kick, finally disarming him.
“What... what was that?” Kochon uttered in surprise.
Peter's answer was another high kick on the vagabond's chin, which made him fall back, quite a few meters away.
But, enough of that game...
I made my appearance right at that moment, on the highest cliff nearby, and cast the vagabond my sternest look.
“Kochon, I suggest you get in your spacecraft and leave Eldyla at once!” I told him in a firm voice.
Without saying anything, the Lord Kochon stood up, made a
wry face and walked away. It's just as well that it had all ended so easily…
Later on I explained my plan to Peter in detail. At first he was skeptical, but finally he saw it as a worthy challenge and agreed to help me.
* * * * *
I had thought of that plan over and over again, and seemed to be fine. However, now that I was standing at the edge of the precipice, while those menacing Yrkanian soldiers were approaching, I felt scared as never before and not at all sure about my plan. But it was too late for regrets...As I saw them coming up the steep rocks towards me, I clasped my laser gun even more firmly. Within moments they had surrounded me and there was nothing for me to do, as I had reached a dead end.
“Drop it, Sandra, or you're dead!” one of them cried.
I obeyed reluctantly, while my heart was beating like a drum. But... What dies when you die? I asked myself, only to dismiss the thought at once.
Prince Venor could not believe his eyes when he saw me in his starship, taken as a prisoner by eight of his warriors.
“She was watching our starship from the rocks, at the highest top of the precipice” one of them explained.
“Put her in a cell”, ordered Venor in a flat voice. “I shall take special care of her later”.
Nevertheless, that ''later'' proved to last a lot more than expected. Days and days passed weary in that cell, and I tried really hard to contain my anxiety. There was no doubt the prince was watching every movement of mine through hidden cameras. I was feeling quite vulnerable at that time, as I was literally at Venor's mercy, and I knew he was
contriving one of his “special” punishments for me. I just hoped he wouldn't decide to impose it on me before the starship had reached its next stop. Hopefully, Peter would be there and make his appearance at the correct moment.
My cell was kinda strange: It was painted in shades of orange; there was a thin, multicolored mattress on my bed and a sizable painting on the adjacent wall. It showed an open window that revealed a purple, moon-lit sky over sloping rooftops. I can't say why it had been placed there, but the picture reminded me of simple pleasures long forgotten and its dark beauty fascinated me more than it should.
At least I had plenty of time to exercise there – I mean exercise on meditation techniques. More often than not, I knelt on the mattress, shut my eyes and emptied my mind, enjoying the ecstatic experience of inner void under the fake moonlight of the painting.
“What the devil is she doing now?” one of my two jailers wondered at a moment, as he looked at me through the transparent door.
“She is meditating... Bullshit!” replied the other one with a contemptuous smile.
“I don't get it! What is the prince waiting for, to undo her once and for all?”
“I've heard he has special plans for her, as soon as we reach Ed Tyrr; if it is what I suspect, I already feel sorry for her!”
“She ain't ugly, you know”, said the first one, a cunning expression on his face.
Although I was still meditating, I could feel their eyes all over me; they wouldn't try anything of course, for they wouldn't dare bring about Venor's disapproval.
Next moment I opened my eyes and stared at them, fully concentrated. Both jailers stood still, like mesmerized, watching a white, thin chord coming out from my solar plexus. It crossed the cell quickly and got through the shut door, forming a soft, hazy kind of cloud right between them.
They didn't even manage to stumble back as they kept on observing the eerie cloud changing forms, until it took the shape of a huge serpent. Its dreadful mouth with the long, sharp teeth was wide open, its green eyes were sparkling at their faces.
Next instant their stupor was gone and they both fled in terror, leaving me alone for a few minutes. The apparition gradually melted away and I absorbed the hazy chord back into my solar plexus. That caused me some agitation inside, only for a few moments; then I felt calm, really calm. Venor had probably watched the incident through his hidden cameras, I didn't mind though; I had just had some fun, which would soon bring me a good night sleep...
* * * * *
When we landed on planet Ed Tyrr, I was put in manacles; Venor himself, as well as two of his men, took me to a dark precipice nearby. As we were walking on the rugged ground over the Ed Tyrr Abyss, I was no longer wondering what his intentions for me were. Suddenly my self-confidence was gone and I regretted my extremely ambitious plan. I had never expected him to think of anything like that, but apparently I was wrong.“The Dwellers of the Abyss will be very happy to have a beautiful woman like you, Sandra, in their hands”, said Venor, his heavy laser weapon in hand. “They will love you to death!” he hissed and I chilled at the thought of what the men of the Abyss did to captured women. Right then I became very anxious, wondering where the heck Peter
A strange, bright light hovered in the distance for a second or two, attracting our attention. Then, all of a sudden, as we were passing by a high, prismatic rock, someone pounced on my captors from behind. It was Peter, who had been hiding behind that rock. With two high kicks of his the two soldiers were immediately put out of action. However, the prince reacted instinctively with a swift blow of his elbow on Peter's left temple, leaving him unconscious on the ground.
“What is he doing here, Sandra?” roared Venor and raised his laser gun ominously. “You two had planned this right from the start, hadn’t you?” he added grimly.
“Thanks for the ride, Venor” I replied, as calm as possible, hoping to distract him.
“Thanks…?”
“I had to reach Ed Tyrr somehow and I needed a good spaceship for that”, I admitted.
“Why... You bitch! Tell me why!” cried Venor and pulled out a second laser gun with his left hand, both barrels aiming at me now. For the moment, Peter was safe.
“It was my plan to be captured by your men and travel in your starship, even as a prisoner! Did you really think you had the best of me, you creep?” I burst in false triumph that concealed my despair.
Venor pulled both triggers immediately; I ducked to the ground just in time. I rolled fast, seeking to take cover behind the nearby rocks; yet, there was no laser beam from the gun. I just noticed a sort of golden dust around his weapons.
“What the hell!” swore Venor in bewilderment.
All he saw then, was an extremely quick moving light that stroke him on the chin with incredible strength. Venor cried of pain and lost balance for a second; that was all the time I needed to pounce on him and take him down. One of his guns tumbled down the rocky precipice; the other one was in my hands.
Next moment Venor was lying on the ground unarmed, while I was aiming at him with his own weapon, Peter already standing near me.
“What was that?” the enemy wondered, watching the golden dust hovering away from him, gradually forming a bright light again.
“Artificial intelligence nanoparticles”, explained Peter smiling. “I don't like resorting to such means of action, but in certain cases I prefer to”.
“Come on Sandra”, Venor's voice sounded passive. “Take your revenge now”.
For a moment I was tempted to do so; right then, a loud buzzing noise filled the air.
“The Dwellers of the Abyss!” exclaimed Venor. “They are coming!”
“They will take good care of you, as soon as they realize there is no woman for them and you've tricked them”, I said complacently.
“But... but...” the prince stammered, as the bright light formed a golden, sparkling cloud again. This time it was bigger than before, quickly surrounding Peter and me. We were both lifted into the air and flew away fast, away from that dangerous place.
* * * * *
I felt relieved only when we finally arrived at out finaldestination, far away from the Abyss. It was a small, picturesque lake surrounded by green reeds, situated by the foot of a mountain that rose wonderfully purple under the setting sun; a few swans were floating on the calm water. An old windmill was discerned in the distance.
We landed on the rugged land by the stony lake shore. After a brief, hopeless search around, the cloud of nanoparticles hovered before us for a few seconds and it began taking a specific form again. This time it was a kind of hologram, showing a beautiful, young girl. She looked quite charming, as if she had just escaped from some fairy tale; she was wearing a fine blue dress with a white apron and a blue ribbon on her long, blond hair. She raised her right hand slowly and pointed at a specific spot among the rocks of the mountain. It took us a few seconds to realize it was the entrance of a cavern, which was somehow impossible to make out amongst the shadows of the steep slope.
After the hologram had melted away into the air, we climbed on the rocky mountain slope so as to reach and enter the cavern. Soon we had to follow a narrow path that went lower and lower underground, until we reached a spacious cavity.
The natural environment was really fascinating, full of odd-shaped rocks and water streams gargling softly. The cave walls were studded by odd, polygonal gems that produced a weak, hazy light. The landscape was gorgeous, but we had not arrived there only to admire it.
Right in the middle of the cavity stood an ancient altar made of concrete, black stone. A big, shiny sphere was resting on it; it was the magic sphere of Moragg, untouched and unused for thousands of years. It looked like a giant pearl, placed in an open shell of proportional size. The sphere was said to be an accumulator of supernatural powers, and it
once belonged to a renowned, ancient witch named Moragg.
Although it was mostly considered to be a myth, I wondered how it had stayed intact during all those centuries, away from the hands of the greedy. I approached impatiently and laid my hands on it, while Peter was standing behind.
First there was a violent shock; then I felt as if I were sinking in endless void. I am not at all sure when the darkness gave its place to a bright light, but it soon became so insupportable that I let my hands go and knelt down breathless.
All knowledge of the universe had been mine – only for a second. Right after, all that wisdom returned to oblivion, even faster than it had entered my mind. This is how I learned that such wisdom is not destined for any human being, because no human being is pure enough for it.
Yet, not everything was lost; there was something left for me, an unexpected gift: an extraordinary sense of power was filling every part of my body and soul – the power to manipulate ether and matter with my free will. It was a unique, unprecedented spiritual experience. While it lasted, no more than a few seconds, I was certain I could perform miracles: move objects with my mind; teleport myself wherever I wished; materialize or dematerialize things.
I was tempted to try something right away – but all at once I was without. I can't find a better way to express this but I was without. All the power was gone. Shall I ever experience it again? I wondered, falling into the deepest sorrow. At that moment, Peter approached and put his arms around my shoulders – in a tender effort to ease my pain.
At least, the landscape was still magnificent. Peter and I sat on a rock for some moments and relished the natural beauty of the cave. A smooth, emerald-colored pool was under our feet; lofty, weird-shaped rocks jutted out of the ground
forming impressive simulacras, as if another world was about to come to life any minute…
* * * * *
It all happened in a split second: In the absolute stillness of the cavern, a faint noise was enough to attract our attention and spoil all the magic. “Sandra!” I heard Peter shout, but before I had the time to turn round and see what was wrong, an Yrkanian warrior had just appeared out of the blue, already pressing the trigger of his weapon. Peter moved fast and sought to protect me with his body. Next moment he fell on the shallow water below, struck down by the soldier's laser beam. At the same time the enemy was neutralized by the rushing cloud of nanoparticles -but it was too late.“Peter!” I rushed down the rocks and bent over him, in sheer desperation. I tried to feel the pulse on his neck but it was in vain. I lifted his body in my arms and saw a huge wound on his chest. Tears came down my cheeks and I wished and wished this were nothing but a bad dream…
A bad dream...
At that moment, the bright cloud of nanoparticles approached fast and formed a massive, sparkling light that covered his wound. I smiled relieved, for I was now certain that was not the end of him and our love.
“Another place, Peter, another time, we shall meet again...”
a voice inside me recited – but my heart lost a leap as I figured out it not my inner voice.
Then I woke up, and I was Emma again, all alone in the dusk of dawn…
originally handwritten
from 25th to 31st August, 1992
My playing football with schoolmates soon proved to be a bad idea. I, Emma, had never played that game at school before and I got too timorous whenever someone tried to tackle me. Nevertheless, I did change the course of the ball once, taking it from a tall boy who was running towards our goalpost. After that unhoped-for success of mine, my team expected an impressive performance from me – but that was it: I barely managed to kick the ball again. “Is Lloyd with us?” asked a player of my team at a moment, and everybody laughed. What the heck am I doing here? I wondered after a while, acknowledging my inability to play equally well with the others. I walked out of the football pitch with slow steps.
Nobody noticed.
There was a pleasant surprise for me when I arrived home that afternoon. Jay, a cousin of mine, had just arrived from England for vacations. He is 37, a genetic scientist and a university professor since he was 25. He also happens to be a very handsome, sportive, modern-looking guy. I had not met him for ten years but I have always had feelings of liking and admiration for him. However, I doubt whether these feelings have ever been mutual...
In the evening we went to a nearby cafeteria together. It soon got clear he was rather disappointed at me – especially once he realized I don't have much success in men, as I am not like those gorgeous females he usually dates. He got less
and less interested in me, until all we had was just a typical, boring conversation. I could sense he was actually contemptuous towards me and I felt as if I were going to burst.
“What do you know about dreams, Jay?” I asked abruptly.
“Dreams?” he said casually. “Oh, they are a product of our subconscious, Emma. The mind balances itself during sleep and dreams...”
“What else, Jay?” I asked impatiently.
“What else, Emma?”
“Dreams are doors, Jay. Doors to other worlds!” I went on full of enthusiasm, hoping to impress him. “Even the future can be affected by dreams! If you can control your dreams, you can affect the future! You may also travel through dimensions, live experiences on the Other Side!”
“Where did you read that stuff, Emma?” he frowned at once. “Some silly magazine? For heaven's sake, try to find a boyfriend instead!” he chuckled.
That was it! I could no longer stand that attitude! It was time Mr Know-it-all got a lesson!
“Tonight, Jay, we shall share a dream; and you will see what I am talking about” I announced firm.
He said nothing; he only looked away, probably thinking I was crazy.
* * * * *
This time I, Sandra Anderson, had been hired as a paid killer. Exterminating creeps for payment is certainly a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. Nevertheless, shooting a person -even a creep- in cold blood, without giving them the chance of defending themselves, offers only a feeble satisfaction, barely comparable with the excitement of a fairfight. I don't like taking jobs like that, but the money was very good and the villain I wiped out had to be taken out of the way, because he had destroyed thousands of human lives metaphorically and literally.
Another thing which made me feel quite uneasy during that mission, was the fact I had to work close to Venor's capital –
which could prove to be too dangerous. For this reason, I intended to leave the planet and the solar system right after getting my payment.
I was about to embark on my hired spacecraft when a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Where do you think you are going, Sandra?”
“Away from here”, I replied without turning my head.
“Turn round and face me”, said Venor in a commanding voice.
“Are you alone?” I wanted to know.
“Yes!”
I obeyed only to find out he was standing a few metres away, all alone and unarmed. He was dressed in a tight, dark green uniform with metal epaulets and black boots.
Apparently, my fatal enemy was getting bolder and bolder, which made me wonder...
Next moment he raised his right hand and attacked me with a powerful blast of energy, which I hardly avoided by stepping aside just in time. Obviously, Venor had improved his mental powers considerably since the last time we had met, and he felt so sure of himself that he didn't hesitate to use them directly against me.
I retaliated immediately by jumping high in the air and counterattacking with a violent surge of energy from both my palms. I expected that to daunt him, but no; he defended
himself successfully crossing his wrists over his head, extinguishing my energy beams completely.
Next moment he launched numerous rays of astral energy against me; I barely dodged them, springing and rolling in the air, then down on the ground. However, I couldn't find the chance to fight back, and I was already out of breath when I had to block a terrible energy blast, crossing my arms in front of my chest; this shocked me really bad and weakened me a lot.
My head was spinning when I realized I was now face to face with a monstrous dragon, while Venor was smiling behind it. It was an ethereal apparition of course, created on the spot by the enemy's mental powers. It was not a real beast, but it could be very dangerous just as well. I strove not to panic, keeping in mind it was only a thought-form, a sort of ethereal hologram made by Venor's imagination; and what is created by imagination, can also be destroyed by imagination...
The huge monster moved towards me and I stumbled back, focusing all my attention on it. I envisioned it bursting into a thousand pieces, perishing in bright flames and being reduced to ashes. However the creature resisted, giving me the impression it was getting more and more material moment by moment. Then it occurred to me that it was not a thought-form but an artificial ghost – which meant great difficulty.
Next instant, the dragon soared high in the air and swooped down at once, hurling against me a thick beam of scorching flames, while I could feel the power abandoning me. I brought my arms in front of my face instinctively, in a desperate effort to protect myself, yet it was impossible for me to avoid that terrible psychic attack. Although ethereal, those flames burnt like hell; I screamed of terror and this is
* * * * *
Where am I? Who am I?Frankly, I am not at all sure.
I live in a small cottage in the middle of an endless, wild forest. The natural environment is wonderful, but my life here is nothing but agony. It's been some days now that my mind is blank because of a careless bump on my head, when I fell down the stairs of the veranda. At least this is what Venor, my husband, tells me. My name is Sandra, he says, and I am his wife.
I cannot remember how we lived before my accident, but I think our relationship is -I dare say- extreme. He is more of a master than a husband. He demands that I work hard all day, doing all kinds of household chores, and he is very hard to please. He even hits me when something is not as perfect as it should be.
We are isolated here. I don't see any other people around, nobody ever visits us, and there are no neighbours.
Sometimes I even wonder if there is any human life beyond that forest, but for some mysterious reason I never try to wander far from the house.
The first physical contact I had with my husband -after the accident- was more or less traumatic. I felt too embarrassed, almost scared, as if he were some stranger; I had covered my body with the sheet, holding it tight under my chin, but he grabbed it and threw it out of the bed; then he was over me, tore my underwear to pieces, penetrated me at once and stayed inside me all night long.
He is a violent lover; he often gets very aggressive making me burst to tears of desperation -and lust. Other times, when I least expect it, he gets tender; it's a kind of game he likes
to play in bed and I know he enjoys it to the fullest. Maybe he loves me, in some strange way...
During one of my brief walks in the forest the other day, I met a girl who was gathering wild berries in a small basket.
I was astounded to see her, because it was the first time I had ever met anyone there. At first, I hesitated to approach; she smiled to me in a friendly way, and introduced herself as Rose. Her hair was long and blond, decorated with a black ribbon; she was wearing a long, light blue dress with a tight black bust over it; a nice red shawl was around her shoulders. She lifted her head and gazed at me with her bright, blue eyes; she looked soft and kind, an air of old-time fairy-tales around her, as if she were not of this cruel world.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked me in a soft voice, which made her rudeness sound even more enigmatic.
For a moment I stood numb; then, a torrent of hitherto lost memories rushed into my mind, making me feel dizzy. I could remember again – Sandra Anderson... assassination...
a fight of power with Venor of Yrkania... the ghost dragon...
the house in the forest... Oh, my Goddess!
“Life is bloody boring in the forest”, she went on, in the same, oddly soft voice. “I suggest you get out of here now!”
I turned round automatically and fled without looking back.
Very soon I was back in the big city, where I made sure to hide myself in a place Venor could never find out. Or so I thought...
* * * * *
That evening I returned to my hiding place – an abandoned warehouse in the western part of the city's underground network. I felt quite optimistic because I had just changedidentity and arranged to leave the planet on a spacecraft of public transport early next morning.
However, my good mood was gone as soon as I opened the front door and saw something that had certainly not been there before: There was a gigantic poster on the opposite wall, showing an actress who was once -and still is-worldwide famous for her seductive beauty. A sex symbol, they said. She had short, blond hair and a wide smile on her sensual face; her flimsy, white dress seemed to be flapping in air waves.
Before I had the time to wonder what that picture was doing in my place, I saw long, ugly shadows of men emerging behind big wooden boxes. They appeared one by one, all aiming their weapons at me, groaning and chuckling as they came nearer and nearer with cautious steps and mad faces. I pulled out my laser gun and stepped back in despair, as I realized why they weren't complete strangers to me: The gang consisted of eight notorious convicts -the most dangerous on the planet- supposed to be in prison now. Yet, somehow they were out and I could imagine how and why: they had been hired by Venor and promised freedom, after their accomplishing a certain mission: to find and kill me.
“You see guys? This is the infamous Sandra Anderson! It was not so hard to find her!” announced one of them in a vulgar voice. I assumed he were their chief.
“We have orders; the bitch must die and her corpse brought to Venor”, another one said, verifying my suspicions.
“Of course, but we shall have some fun first”, said a third one, and they all laughed in complacence.
“Drop your gun, Sandra! This is going to save you a few hours of life!” cried the ''chief''.
I obeyed at once in a pretense of compliance. I don't always
feel the power – it comes and goes in waves. Yet, right now I was feeling so wonderfully powerful...
“So, you want fun?” I exclaimed next moment, leaving everybody flabbergasted. “I'm going to give you some fun you will never forget!”
Then I hushed and none of them dared utter a word; a kind of cold drought swept through the old warehouse and the lights got dimmer. The metal front door slammed shut, one or two weapons were about to fire against me but they didn't. None of the villains was able to resist when I put them out of action with a single magic spell of mine. They even seemed to be relieved when I called the police and fled right away, leaving them locked inside.
* * * * *
I returned to the wild forest with a sole quest: to settle with Venor. I found him not far from our “home”, at the rocky glade we considered our “back yard”, as if he were waiting for me.“I have been waiting for you, Sandra”, he admitted flatly.
He looked really attractive in his blue, tight-fitting uniform with the black belt and the high boots. His long, blond hair waved shiny in the gusts of wind. In his right hand there was an odd-shaped weapon with a very wide barrel.
Next moment he fired at me, again and again; I barely dodged the thick, white beams, stepping aside just in time.
He kept on firing and I kept on avoiding his beams with successive sets of acrobatic jumps until, after an impressive somersault among the nearby rocks, I stood right behind him, feeling incredibly angry.
He sought to turn round and attack me again, but I didn't give him the time to do so; I swept the weapon off his hands with a fast kick. A second side kick made him lose balance
and fall back. Right after, I pounced on him and punched him in the face so hard that he lost his senses.
When he recovered, a few moments later, he sat up in pain and leaned against a bulky rock. He looked at me in wonder and despair, as I was now aiming his own weapon against him. He seemed to be overwhelmed, yet he also gave me the impression of being strangely calm.
“You want my blood, Sandra, but not like this…” he uttered in a low voice.
Suddenly the weapon seemed to weigh a thousand pounds in my hands; I was still aiming at him but a part of me hesitated to fire. His body looked so tempting, and I had certainly not forgotten all those hot nights we had spent together...
I did fire eventually. It was a perfect chance to get rid of my mortal enemy once and for all, yet he proved to be much faster than I had expected. He rolled aside quickly, avoiding all my laser blasts with astonishingly accurate movements, seeking cover behind some lofty rocks nearby (well, maybe I wasn't shooting my best shots), until he accidentally hit his head on a sharp boulder. That was the end of the fight.
I approached carefully and observed his motionless body on the ground. I could have got rid of him right at that moment, but I just lowered my armed hand. Then I sat on a rock, sunk in my thoughts, trying to clear out my feelings and what I would finally do. Right then Rose made her appearance again, through the trees in the distance.
“That was a hell of a fight!” she said as she came near, her blue eyes shining with excitement.
“I have won but I feel so perplexed; I suppose I could have killed him but... this wouldn't solve anything”, I tried to excuse myself. “If he were dead, his younger brother would
take his place and I would probably need a couple of years to adapt to his mentality and ways of action”.
“And I guess he isn't be so good-looking”, added Rose.
A spectral, oddly glimmering coach with two black horses appeared out of nowhere. It approached fast, it stopped when it reached Rose and a carved door opened before her.
She got in with graceful movements, the door closed, and the horses started to gallop again, until the strange vehicle was wrapped in dust and disappeared from sight.
There was nothing else for me to do there. So, I left the planet as soon as possible, with a false identity card, in a spacecraft of public transport, just as I had planned.
* * * * *
Next morning Jay woke up with an unusual feeling of excitement. I need to talk to Emma, he thought smiling.“I had a very vivid dream last night; it was a whole adventure on another planet, where I was a different person with a different name…” he explained to me later.
“So did I”, I interrupted calm. “I dreamt of another planet, where I was somebody else and my name was...”
“Sandra Anderson!” we said in unison.
“And I was a prince, known as...” went on Jay.
“Venor of Yrkania”, we said in unison.
Then there was silence. My cousin didn't say anything more about his dream adventure and neither did I. Better so...
Before leaving for England, Jay paid me one more visit and brought me a present. It was a lovely, porcelain image of Marilyn Monroe in a fine, white dress flapping in air waves.
I smiled and thanked him with a warm kiss on the cheek.
originally handwritten
from 3rd to 20th September, 1992
“When will you find a boyfriend at last, Emma?” aunt Louise asked, in a most ironic voice.
“Never!” I answered and got out of the room at once. Who does she think she is, after all? I thought furious.
Anyway, the opinion of a fat whale like aunt Louise doesn't really bother me. What do they actually know about me, all those backbiters of relatives and neighbours? I pondered while lying on my bed. They wouldn't even imagine that…
* * * * *
This time I, Sandra Anderson, had to work as an artist dancer at a specific night club on the asteroid Elfarr. At least, that was my cover occupation. However, at times I wasn't at all sure what I was doing there exactly...I was performing a dancing act together with other artists, when I suddenly felt a violent grasp around my waist, pulling me violently behind the stage. Nevertheless, under the endless torrent of light effects, deafening music and loud voices of drunk patrons, I don't think anyone noticed.
After the initial embarrassment, I twisted my body fast, got free of the man's embrace and came face to face with the hot-blooded stranger who, to my astonishment, proved to be no stranger at all: It was the prince Venor of Yrkania.
I can't tell exactly why, but my immediate reaction was to stick my body to his in a rather provocative way, and give
him a long, passionate kiss, that certainly took him off guard.
“What... what are you doing here, Sandra?” he wanted to know, as soon as he could.
“What are you doing here, Venor?” I asked back, wondering how he had discovered my whereabouts this time.
“Wherever you are, there is trouble”, he said stern. “But...
how can you stand working in a place like this?”
“What's wrong about the place, Venor?” I asked, pretending not to understand.
“It's a whorehouse! And even worse!”
“Yes, it is! And you know what? I enjoy this job a lot! Now, will you excuse me? Patrons are waiting!”
I walked away at once and soon I was in the main hall, immersed in thick wisps of smoke, loud voices and vulgar laughter. I actually felt relieved when I reached the patrons’
table.
Yet, my mood changed as soon as I had a better look at their faces. All four were scarred and ugly, with dark eyes that concealed terrible secrets. They weren't shouting or laughing, nor drinking. Their behaviour was enigmatic, so was the attitude of the waitress: She served them eagerly but I had to keep on waiting, as she seemed to ignore me completely. She was very young, with a strangely innocent face, dressed in a long, gray, embroidered garment –
certainly not the kind of outfit a waitress would be expected to wear in a place like this. She wore her long, black hair in plaits; a yellow feather was fixed on the blue ribbon on her head. An aborigine? I wondered, while she kept on delaying my order with blank excuses like “Just a moment”, “I’ll be right back” and so on.
Then I noticed some other waitresses serving tables nearby; they were all giving me malevolent, ironic looks, as if they were in collusion. Something is very, very wrong, I thought apprehensive.
“Why aren't you serving me?” I asked the “aborigine”.
“Just wait a second,” she answered mockingly and I got so angry, that I could no longer control myself.
“That's it, I'm leaving!” I exclaimed and stood up, with the intention of aborting the mission right away.
Nevertheless, I changed my mind almost at once and decided to go and see the general manager instead. Some of the waitresses sought to prevent me from going up the wooden stairs, but it was not hard for me to by-pass them.
Soon I was in front of the general manager's white door. For a moment or two I hesitated; then I walked past. What's the point of protesting about the waitresses, anyway? He won't pay any heed to me, or, even worse, he will get mad – with unpredictable consequences, I thought.
I went up another flight of stairs and turned the first door knob (had they forgotten to lock?) without thinking about it at all. I entered a spacious, white room with many partitions
– a bed in every one of them. In there, before my eyes, some of the security guards were fucking some of the waitresses.
Maybe I could blackmail them with this, it occurred to me.
Next moment they all stood up and begun chasing me out of the room. I ran fast along the corridor and got out, to the balcony, through a small window. Three of the security guards came too close, but I got rid of them with a set of side-kicks. Right after, I stepped aside and hid behind the wall on my right. The rest of the enemies thought I had jumped down, so they quit on me.
I took two steps across the dirty balcony and sprang on the
tiled roof of an adjacent building; then I jumped down to a narrow, stone alley and ran along it until I reached the wooden door of an old edifice.
Hearing some of my persecutors approaching, I decided to go up the few stairs and knock on the door. A tall, thin, middle-aged man appeared at the threshold.
“I am tired of travelling and I would like to rest for a while,”
I excused myself awkwardly.
He allowed me to get in, without asking any questions. It was an old-time saloon with wooden furniture. The place was full of smoke and shady patrons, nevertheless I felt comfortable in there, as if I were in my element. When I sat at the bar, I was offered some stale cookies powdered with caster sugar on a white saucer. The napkins were dirty, probably used. There was a black-dressed, sluggish guy with stitches on his face sitting nearby, who kept staring at me with his glassy eyes. Suddenly I felt very worried, and I had the impression that my original mission was just beginning to take a quite unexpected turn...
* * * * *
It must have been something in the cookies; first there was dizziness, then blank. When I came to myself, I was lying on rocks; four coarse faces were gathered around me. I recognized the “patrons” I had run out on in the night club.“Nobody walks away from us”, one of them announced spitefully.
“Even less a whore!” added another one.
“I am not a whore”, I protested in a low voice.
I tried to stand up but it was in vain; I felt too weak for that.
Effect of drugs, I supposed. I repeated my effort nonetheless, but the sound of approaching footsteps made
me freeze of fear. I looked up hesitantly, and saw the prince of Yrkania aiming his laser gun at me. The other men were standing behind him taciturn. So, they are Venor's spies, I realized and my dizziness got worse.
“Don't shoot, Venor”, I said in a low voice.
“I don't intend to harm you, Sandra”, he reassured me. “I only want to know what you've found out so far”.
“What do you mean?” I exclaimed. “There is nothing really interesting on Elfarr… and you've been watching me during all that time?!”
“Sure!”
He came nearer and grasped my arm firm. I tried to stand up once again but I only cried of pain, while my chest was trembling. Feeling so sad and vulnerable, I could not help bursting into tears, as I ended up in Venor's arms.
“What…? Sandra!” he exclaimed in wonder but didn't refuse me the hug.
My legs could no longer hold me, so he had to take me in his strong arms, as I was falling in deep sleep again. Effect of drugs...
* * * * *
High mountains with steep, purple sides; a winding river shimmering below; sparse vegetation among the jagged rocks; a huge, golden moon framed by bluish clouds; the wonderful night landscape enchanted me as I woke up and sat up on a smooth cliff. Venor was standing at the edge of the precipice, the gigantic moon shining brightly behind him. He turned and faced me at once, as if he had just sensed my awakening. Before I could think of anything, he was already beside me.“I want to know what you have discovered in that night
club”, he asked again, in a commanding voice.
“Nothing of importance”, I replied sincerely. “I just saw some security guards having sex with waitresses -that's all!”
“Tell me!” he insisted, about to lose his patience.
“This is all I know! Why don't you believe me?” I protested.
At that point he tried to slap me but I parried the blow with a fast grip of his wrist. There followed a short fight, during which I was astounded at my inability to defend myself properly, since I was still feeling unusually weak. I had the impression every part of my body weighed a tone or something. Just then it occurred to me that everything was very wrong on that planet, and that was not just effect of drugs. Before I knew it, I was hanging at the edge of the precipice. Steep rocks and winding fiords emerged far below – an enchanting view that meant certain death. Venor was standing a few inches away, staring at me in ironic satisfaction, while my fingers were already slipping off the mossy cliff.
“Pull me up, Venor!” I cried but he just stayed still, watching me with a dark face.
My agony grew moment by moment, as my time seemed to be running out. So, maybe this just the end of the line... I thought as my grip on the rock began to loosen.
He barely reached out clasp my hands, just a second before I let go. He lifted me up with considerable ease and I felt actually grateful to him, as soon as my feet touched solid ground again.
“I don't know what is going on here on Elfarr” I confessed right after, “but something is very wrong; everything here has become rather unpredictable, as if it were not the same world anymore”.
He just stared at me taciturn, probably expecting me to say more.
“That's all I've found out so far”, I went on. “I need to investigate more, but... do you happen to know anything about it?” I asked suspiciously.
His eyes narrowed and the sinister expression on his face meant nothing good. I could sense he was not satisfied at all with what I had just confided to him.
I was certainly in no position to defend myself in any fight now. All I wanted was to run away, just run away, but I froze in my position instead. I thought about asking Venor what he wanted to hear from me exactly, but I didn't utter a word, as the whole environment around us seemed to be changing rapidly, in a most unnatural manner.
* * * * *
It wasn't long before the place looked like some inhospitable desert of Maelstrom, studded with azure rocks and distant violet mountains; an impressive blue moon was dominant in the night sky.I could no longer see him, but Venor's triumphant voice echoed all around: “This game is over, Sandra! You may as well use all your knowledge, abilities and powers, but you can never win here, because you are not on Elfarr anymore!
You are in one of my cosmoids!”
My heart sank as soon as I heard those words, for I knew very well what a cosmoid is: a kind of cyberspace creation, a super-advanced hologram that can sneak in the real world, interweave itself with any natural setting, manipulate minds and cause all kinds of illusions, hallucinations, and unimaginable problems to living beings. And, yes, Venor was right: it was impossible for me to prevail there, for I wasn't the creator, not even a simple user of the cosmoid; in
there I was just a pawn, prone to fall into any kind of trouble and suffer any possible misfortune – which had already happened to me many times so far. Despair took over me, but if I gave in to it, that would mean my end. Somehow, I had to react...
Next moment I had to run and take cover behind a holographic, yet pretty solid bluish rock, in order to avoid the laser beams of some Yrkanian warriors who had just appeared out of nowhere. I barely managed to ward off two of them, who had got too near: I twisted my body fast and hit the first one with my right elbow on the chin; I got rid of the second one with a low side kick. Then I sought cover between two high rocks that jutted aggressively off the ground. However, more Yrkanian soldiers were already approaching. It was impossible for me to tell which of those were real and which “digital”, but all laser beams were mortal and so could be their martial art blows. Next instant a luminous ray struck my body; a scorching inner flame interrupted my sense of being.
When I recovered, I saw Venor knelt by me, and I wondered how long he had been there. I guess he too often asks himself, why he is usually so irresolute about my fate – all those times he has had the chance to get rid of me...
At that moment, a strong thud interrupted the ominous silence. A big cloud of azure dust was raised among the corroded rocks. I couldn't believe my eyes, when I realized it was Peter of the Stars, who had just appeared out of the blue -literally! I couldn't imagine how he had managed to arrive there just in time, but I was so glad he had done so!
His sudden appearance distracted Venor only for a moment; then he turned and aimed his gun at my precious ally and lover, and so did all the Yrkanian soldiers.
While I was trying to regain full consciousness, Peter was
striving to dodge the joint attack of the enemies: I saw him springing from rock to rock, performing impressive somersaults on air, disarming four of them with impressive flying kicks and unpredictable punches on their astonished faces.
In the real world he may have already neutralized all of them, but not in a cosmoid. Venor was swift in manipulating his holographic creation: He fired at the looming rocks nearby and Peter soon found himself suffocating under fragments of cliffs that seemed to be collapsing all over him.
I stood up at once and pounced at the prince, but I didn't even have the time to figure out how he threw me down like an empty sack. After a strong punch on the face, I lost my senses -again.
When I recovered, my head was spinning and I could see the cosmoid was changing once more. I gasped in desperation as I realized I was tied in chains between two huge rocks that seemed to be moving slowly towards each other, while Venor was watching full of sick complacence.
I cried in terror, as there seemed to be no escape from this.
Is this how it all ends? No, I can't let it happen... I thought, as I could feel a strange heat taking me gradually. But...
where is Peter? Peter?
At that moment the heat changed into a strong sense of electric surge that filled me up. I smiled as I recognized the power coming back to me just when I needed it most…
First, the two rocks stopped moving and they were reduced to dust within a split second; then, my chains were broken and I was free. Venor pulled out his weapon and fired immediately, but he cried in astonishment when he realized it was out of order.
I looked around impatiently, searching for Peter. He was still
under heavy stones that were now beginning to press his chest. Just like I had done a few seconds before, I reduced them to dust too, using the power of my mind. I ran to him at once and helped him stand up. He breathed out in relief, and we kissed passionately for a few moments I wished they would last forever.
In the meanwhile, Venor was running away, but it wasn't at all difficult for us to keep up with him and give him a good lesson...
* * * * *
“How come you appeared just when I needed you most?And how did you find me?” I asked Peter later.
“I was informed by a good agent of mine!” he replied and pointed at a young woman who was just approaching.
This time she was wearing a red, tight-fitting dress and a red ribbon on her black hair. It was the “aborigine” waitress who had refused to serve me at the night club. I had met her on Eldyla once, but strangely enough I couldn't recognize her at the night club. Of course, that was one of the least peculiar things that had happened to me while on Elfarr...
Then I noticed the strange artifact she was holding in her hands. It looked like a spherical, crystal vase with ruby flowers, but in reality it was a dimensional conduit in camouflage, which would help us travel from Elfarr to Eldyla instantly.
“I must admit I was amazed at the way you set yourself and me free from Venor's cosmoid”, Peter told me then. “I didn't consider it possible for us to escape from that kind of mental trap!”
“Don't let them deceive you”, I replied calm. “You are much stronger than you think!”
originally handwritten
from 25th September to 15th October, 1992
I, Emma, was feeling quite cheerful as I was leaving school this afternoon; I could hear a buzz of cheerful voices filling the spring air all around. The tall trees were in blossom, their rich foliage rustling in the gusts of wind. A luxurious, open, red car was speeding along the road; the young, beautiful couple inside looked so happy; I could hear them speaking and laughing aloud, enjoying the ride, the fine weather and their love affair.
For a moment I froze, as it occurred to me that I am never meant to experience such happiness. I just can't imagine myself inside such an impressive car with such a handsome boyfriend. No, such pleasures are not for me; but other kinds of bliss are, I realized then and felt much better. You see...
I am
an abandoned, icy planet
dimly lit by a dark sun,
doomed in eternal eclipse
above endless frozen oceans;
Still time
rules in old-forgotten tombs,
unholy secrets lurking deep;
not a sound to be heard, not a soul to fly around.
I don't know how this weird verse came into my mind all at once, but I needed to go home and have a nap urgently...
* * * * *
Being on the red lately I, Sandra Anderson, had to earn some money fast and there was only one way I could do this quickly and effectively.When night came, I put on good clothes and jewels, that is I dressed myself as a lady, and visited one of the most popular casinos in the city of Rubbia, the capital of the homonymous planet which orbits the star Alphagen.
The planet used to be completely abandoned by humans, after the massive assault of the android tribe of Olrons.
However, during the last five Rubbican years, things had changed radically: Humans were allowed to live peacefully on the planet again, after the Olrons had entered into a very special treaty with an “enlightened” human governor.
Anyway, I had never been at that part of the known universe before but, just in case, I got in the casino with a false identity card. When I sat at the roulette table, I felt a little uneasy as I was the only woman among smartly-dressed men who were playing high stakes; they all looked down on me as if I were a mere nuisance.
In the beginning I lost some money, then I earned some, and so on; I didn't want to arouse suspicions right from the start.
After a couple of hours I got bored and decided it was time for some real action – now that the power was getting stronger and stronger inside me.
I decided to play all my money on eleven black. So, I concentrated on the number eleven black and fixed my
attention on the rotating roulette, taking advantage of its hypnotizing effect. Number eleven black won. Next I played zero, then ten, twenty, fourteen -always black. Pretty soon a considerable pile of marks was gathered in front of me, before the amazed eyes of the other players. It was time I took the winnings and fled...
The cashier's room was oddly decorated with old fashioned, wooden furniture and antique household articles. I sensed something was wrong right from the start, as soon as the cashier gave me a slimy smile and said:
“Quite a few marks, my fair lady; seldom does a woman appear alone in here and even more seldom does she earn such a considerable sum of money!”
“But this is not any woman; this is Sandra Anderson”, declared a tall man who had just entered, accompanied by another one. I was astounded to notice they were both wearing the dark gray uniform of the Yrkanian police.
“I'm sure Miss Anderson will stay quiet and co-operate”, said the cashier. Obviously, he didn't want any trouble.
“After all, you are a real lady now, Miss Anderson, aren't you?” mocked the second policeman.
Just what I needed right now, I thought and sighed in disappointment. I certainly didn't expect to be recognized so fast here, in Rubbia...
Right after, I faced them exclaimed: “Let me be a real lady then, using her lady's weapons!”
I grasped a big frying pan which was hanging on the wall on my left and attacked the policemen wildly, with a furious scream. That took the enemies by surprise, so I managed to hit the first policeman on the head, while the other one was trying to take cover. Then I got away, running like crazy in the hazy night. Not only was I still broke, but an alarm had
just been set for me all over the planet.
* * * * *
Away from the buzzing cities, Rubbia offered breathtaking landscapes; endless, green hills studded with ancient, gold-roofed temples; high, steep cliffs emerging from topaz waters; traditional fishing boats, decorated with motley parasols, floating among the reefs under a blue, bright sky –illusory, natural magic that only concealed the turmoil and violence dominating underneath.
I would have left the planet as soon as possible, but I suddenly received a message from Peter of the Stars, saying we should meet at a secret place outside the city, because the whole of planet Rubbia was in extreme danger; what kind of danger, he didn’t specify. What was most important, though, was the fact that Rubbia is very close to Eldyla.
Peter wanted me to help him eliminate that danger and I certainly couldn't say no...
Therefore, we finally arranged a meeting in the courtyard of the Supreme Temple, which is usually full of visitors who come to admire the beauty of the place and/or pray to the deities worshiped there.
Nevertheless, I was never meant to meet Peter in that holy place. When I arrived there that evening, Peter was outside the courtyard and he was in trouble. As I found out soon, there was a duel going on – I mean Peter against a tall, black-haired warrior with green eyes. Another warrior, with blond hair and a beautiful face, was watching the fight patiently.
“What have you done this time, Peter?” I asked in a stern voice.
“He stole a laser sword!” replied the blond warrior.
“And he is not willing to give it back to me!” added the
“Not without a fight!” uttered Peter, smiling cunningly.
“The rogue wants a duel and he is going to have it! He needs a good lesson!” said the blond warrior.
I did agree to that, so I decided to let the duel go on.
Peter lifted the laser sword and stood on guard, ready to defend himself, with an expression of thrill on his face.
There were thick tree trunks behind him, glowing oddly in the bright lights of the temple. The king of Eldyla looked more fascinating than ever in that enchanting natural setting.
“Come on, Alex, give him the lesson he deserves!” cried the blond warrior then.
The fight began right after, with the dark-haired warrior attacking first. Peter dodged the blow and retaliated at once.
Soon the warrior seemed to be perplexed at the young man's skills, who kept on resisting with fast and accurate movements. For some long minutes both swords flashed dangerously with every strike. Peter looked worried because Alex proved to be more than a worthy opponent. Soon Peter had to resort to a more aggressive and more risky technique.
“The young trump is not bad, not bad at all”, the blond warrior admitted, after he had approached me -too close, maybe. “But he is going to lose!” he concluded in a teasing tone.
“We'll see about that!” I retorted.
“My name is Hadrian”, he told me then, giving me a sweet look.
Suddenly there was a shining behind the tree trunks and the blond one shouted: “Watch out! Olrons!”
Next moment the place was flooded with laser beams. Both duelists ducked, rolled on the ground and had a narrow
escape, taking cover behind the courtyard walls. The other warrior and I had no time to do so; we both pulled out our laser guns, ready to fight for our lives, while an indefinite number of bulky droids -more metal than human- were cropping up all around us.
Acting instinctively, I raised my laser weapon and stood back to back with the blond guy. We started firing successive, very accurate laser beams that exterminated all droids one by one. When it was all over, I could hardly believe we had actually done it.
“They are all destroyed! That was incredible!” exclaimed Alex, having just left his cover.
“That was a hell of a fight, dear Miss...” said Hadrian, smiling to me.
“Sandra Anderson”, I introduced myself.
“Oooh!” he responded in wonder. “You are quite famous here, Miss Anderson!”
“I suppose so”, I replied amused. “What was that?” I asked right after.
“That was what I was going to tell you about”, said Peter then, giving the laser sword back to Alex. “These two guys are from the renowned Starship Regina. We could use their help, that's why I sought to attract their attention!”
“We could use your help!” retorted Hadrian somewhat irritated, but Peter paid no heed.
* * * * *
The Starship Regina proved to be one of the biggest space vessels I had ever seen – maybe the biggest. It was enormous in size, fully and excellently equipped as a military space battleship, the only one which had survived the destruction of the human colonies, and the most seriousopponent of the Olrons ever since.
As about the Olrons, they were a tribe of android warriors, who were programmed to extinguish the human race all over the known universe. They had their own space battleship too, and they roamed the galaxies seeking for more human races to annihilate. They had already destroyed hundreds of worlds, Rubbia being their first victim, five decades ago. In my opinion, though, the strangest thing about them is that their leader has often been a human being.
Moreover, certain things had changed recently: The Olrons had become even more powerful and organized, ever since they had allied with a mysterious, “enlightened” governor.
“Venor, the throne prince of Yrkania, is now their leader and our archenemy”, explained Damien, Commander of the Starship Regina.
So, that's why there are humans on Rubbia again: Most of them are Yrkanians who collaborate with the Olrons one way or another, I figured out.
“Maybe we can destroy the Olrons' military starship; it's probably the only way to hold them at bay for a very long time”, I proposed.
“How do you think you can destroy such a starship? It has been too difficult even for us, you know, all these years!”
opposed Damien, a tone of annoyance in his voice.
“How do you intend to achieve this?” Captain Alexander wanted to know.
“I have a plan! But you have to trust me!”
* * * * *
“I just don't get it”, complained Peter while I was piloting a stolen Olron space vessel to their military starship.“Couldn't we do anything else but go straight into the lions'
den?”
“I suppose we could” I replied calm, “but I want Venor out of there before it becomes an exploding inferno!”
“But... that would be a unique chance to get rid of him once and for all!”
“Well, that would be too easy and too cowardly. I can't do this to my beloved archenemy”, I joked awkwardly.
“Oh, Sandra”, Peter sighed frowning. “Why did you dye your hair green?” he changed the subject abruptly, giving me an askance look.
“Because I felt like dying it green”, I replied sharp. “Have you understood the plan well, Peter?”
“It's not much of a plan, actually. Hadrian and I will set the explosive device; Alexander and you will arrest Venor!”
“Good! And we'll have to improvise about details!”
“Sure”, he sighed again.
Since we were in an Olrons' spacecraft, we didn't have much difficulty in entering their starship. Taking extreme care not to be seen by the droids, moving silently and carefully, we managed to proceed without being detected. So far it had been easier than expected, but everything had to be done as fast as possible.
Hadrian and Peter got to main computer; Peter of the Stars hacked it in no time and he was about to program the starship's self-destruction. Alexander and I ran to the governor's -Venor's- chamber of throne. Peter had almost finished his job on the computer, when a deep, echoing voice interrupted his thoughts:
“Did you really think you would get away with this, Peter?”
“Venor!” exclaimed Peter startled.
The enemy had just sprung up behind a bulky piece of machinery and he was armed with two laser weapons.
“Step away from the computer now!” he ordered with fiery eyes.
Peter obeyed and raised his hands in surrender.
“I have you, at last!” cried Venor in triumph.
The prince fired right after, but Peter was no longer there; before the enemy's eyes, he jumped up and sprang among the machines with incredibly flexible movements that stunned his opponent for a couple of seconds. That was all the time Peter needed to counterattack with an impressive somersault on air, landing on Venor's chest and knocking him down, both guns swept away from his hands.
Right after, Peter sought to regain his balance and locate the guns at the same time. Yet, Venor wouldn't give up so easily; with a swift movement, he grabbed one of his weapons again and fired immediately. Peter barely had the time to step aside, the laser ray slightly burning his left shoulder.
The electric shock was enough to make him lose his senses.
Venor stood up at once and aimed at the unconscious man for one last time.
“This is your end, Peter of the Stars!” he whispered impatient.
Just then Lieutenant Hadrian appeared with his laser sword in hand, and stroke Venor in the back with his luminous blade. After the enemy had collapsed to the floor, Hadrian approached Peter, and sought to feel his heart. To his great relief, it was still pounding.
In the meanwhile, Alexander and I had failed to find Venor in the throne chamber. We had only met and destroyed
numerous droids along the metal corridors. Yet, more of them would come for us very soon, so we had to finish our job fast. Entering a vast room full of machinery, we saw Peter and Hadrian standing over Venor's lying body. As we approached, we found out the prince was not unconscious but in semi-torpor, his face a mask of pain, tears in his eyes.
“What's the matter with him?” I asked.
“He was going to kill Peter, although he had surrendered; so, I attacked him with my laser sword”, explained Hadrian.
“His back is broken!” added Peter.
“So, he has been lying here with a broken back all this time?” I shuddered.
“Don't leave me like this... I would never do such a thing to you”, said Venor then, in a trembling voice. “Kill me instead!”
I just couldn't bear seeing him in that condition any longer, and it was just then that I began to feel the power again –
very strong this time.
“This will be over soon, Venor”, I reassured him. “There will be no more pain”.
“No more pain?” he repeated in wonder, his eyes shining with a feeble hope.
“No more”.
I raised my right hand slowly and pointed my palm at him.
A thick astral ray emanated from there, covering Venor's body with a white, ethereal glow. He let a soft cry for a moment; then, he was completely silent.
“Thank you”, he said in a low voice.
The cure was complete and the glow was gone.
“Now, let's finish the work we are here to do!” said Peter,
and approached the main computer impatiently.
Right at that moment, droids' steps echoed all around, coming nearer and nearer.
“No time for this! We must get out of here now!” exclaimed Alexander, pulling out his laser weapon.
I am not even sure I saw this, but I had the impression Peter did something on the computer at once – maybe he pressed some of the keys, very-very fast...
“Let's go now! Quick!” he announced then, in an enigmatic voice.
We had to fight very hard in there, one group of droids after the other; the Olrons were just too many, lurking for us in every corner, and more often than not I thought it would be impossible for us to get out of there alive.
The last fight, after we had finally discovered an exit to the hangar at the end of a long corridor, proved to be one of the hardest in my life. We were being pursued by a dozen of droids, all firing at us continuously. Peter and I used our martial art skills almost instinctively, performing incredible dodges and high jumps, springing from wall to wall, turning and firing at the metal enemies while still on air, or after landing on the floor only for a split second. Venor was unarmed, of course, and just sought to keep himself alive.
Alexander and Hadrian were fighting like heroes.
I suppose, what saved us -apart from sheer luck- was our perfectly concerted movements; each one of us was covering the others every moment, all of us firing at all directions, destroying most of the swarming Olrons, until we were finally inside the hangar, aiming to steal another spacecraft and get away at once.
* * * * *
Venor was to be held as a prisoner in the Starship Regina; however, it wasn't long before he somehow managed to escape hidden in a small laundry-spacecraft heading for Rubbia. By the time we found this out, it was already too late.Besides, there was other urgent work to be done: Since our mission had failed, we had to figure out another way of destroying the Olrons' space battleship. Everybody on the bridge of Regina looked rather disappointed, apart from Peter, who -strangely enough- seemed to beam with optimism.
“Now!” he exclaimed and everyone looked at him in wonder.
“Now, what?” Commander Damien wondered.
“Bring the Olrons' starship on the main screen! Now, or we'll miss the fun!”
Hadrian sighed and Alexander lowered his head in frustration. However, Commander Damien gave the order and the Olrons' military base was shown on the screen. Not a sound was heard in the room, nobody stirred…
Suddenly, there was a white flash all over the Olrons'
military base and its outer surface cracked in thousands of burning fissures. Within a second or two, the whole starship was swallowed in a kind of silent explosion, until there was nothing left of it in the starlit space.
Peter smiled in triumph; the look in his eyes bore out my suspicions: Right at the last moment, he had managed to program the Olrons’ main computer so as to initiate the starship's self-destruction – and that with time delay! Isn't he incredible?
I can't tell why, but suddenly I felt terrible exhaustion and I knew I were about to pass out. My eyes blurred, I no longer
knew where I was; a sudden vertigo overtook me and I sank into unconsciousness...
* * * * *
When I, Emma, woke up again that afternoon, all that unbelievable astral adventure was still streaming in my mind. I sat up on my bed and relished a rare feeling of bliss all over me.A few seconds later, I absent-mindedly looked at the opposite wall and, like mesmerized, I was engrossed in that lovely painting made by my godmother when I was born, thirteen years ago. It shows an ethereal fairy wearing a long, azure gown and a dark blue belt around her slim waist. She has fine crimson shoes on and she is gracefully running away from a pirate ship barely discernible in the distance.
She has a sweet smile on her face, and her red hair is wavy in the air, as she is passing by some naked trees wreathed in a hazy atmosphere. I guess this is happiness...
originally handwritten
from 17th October to 24th November, 1992
It seemed to be just another boring school day until Mark, our new mathematics teacher, came in class. He was young and gorgeous, no older than thirty; he had blond hair and green sparkling eyes, and an air of dandy all around him. He had been teaching in our school for two weeks now, all girls were already dreaming about him but...
Soon he proved to be rather wayward, strict and often offensive towards the students. Once again this morning he spent most of the lesson mocking those classmates who couldn't do well in mathematics, especially girls.
“Females do better in language and literature”, he said. “But when brains are needed, that is in sciences, males perform a lot better!”
“This is due to prejudices of centuries, sir”, said Nena, the best girl student in our class.
“It has to do with intelligence!” he retorted.
“A hundred years ago, if a girl was good in math, she was considered to be abnormal”, said Geena – a shy, mediocre student nobody liked.
He only looked at her scornfully, without giving up his lover-boy attitude even for an instant.
At that point I, Emma, decided to give him a lesson. I raised my head and looked at him intently; he noticed at once, and for a moment he froze. I focused my attention deep into his
emerald eyes -and he was mine...
* * * * *
I was running along the spacious veranda of a small yet magnificent mansion, with my gun in hand. I was being chased by someone who looked a lot like Mark but I knew he was much more dangerous.I, Sandra Anderson, had trespassed his private property with a view to arresting him, for that was the latest mission I had undertaken. My hair was dyed blond and I was wearing casual clothes, which had allowed me not to attract any unwanted attention for a few days on that asteroid, until I could locate my target. However, he had found out about me too soon and now he was after me, firing continuously with his laser weapon. He name was Trevor, and he was a notorious criminal all over the galaxy.
Soon I had to leave the luxurious veranda and take cover behind one of the thick, black, decorative columns surrounding the swimming pool.
“I will find you, Sandra Anderson, no matter where you hide!” I heard him shouting threateningly, as he was getting closer and closer.
Then I realized he was right; there was no other place for me to hide nearby, so I just stayed there waiting for him to approach.
The mansion was built underground, in the middle of a godforsaken tundra. In fact, the whole asteroid was a tundra: Immense expanses with poor vegetation, studded by odd-shaped hills, sparsely inhabited by primitive nomads who minded only their own business.
The tundra was Trevor's den. He had found refuge there because it was very far away from any other inhabited planet and no Intergalactic Police would ever be interested
in looking for anything or anyone on that nameless asteroid.
In fact, I had to make intensive use of my mental powers in order to locate his hideout and its secret entrance. Therefore, I was feeling pretty strained and tired now. Under such circumstances, Trevor could prove to be an awfully hard opponent...
However, I still had a very special advantage over him: I looked much like his one and only love, now dead for years.
Just like sunlight, her love made him feel alive, strong, invulnerable. Then, she died of a rare disease, leaving him all alone in the darkness of space. I guess she has become a hazy dream by now, yet I can sense he still tries to revive his dream in the eternal penumbra of the asteroid. Not all wounds are cured by time...
I sought to run to another column before he had come too close, but it proved to be in vain. He had already reached me, aiming a laser gun at me, his eyes narrowed with decisiveness. Without saying a word, I just put my gun down on the floor and pushed it away; then I surrendered.
“What are you going to do?” I asked solemn, as he was taking me inside the mansion.
“I don't know yet”, he replied. “I usually kill intruders; I can't risk my hideout being revealed”.
“How many have found out your hideout so far?” I wondered.
“Not many... but you, Sandra Anderson, are here to arrest me, right?” he went on in a rough voice.
“So, you know who I am...”
“Of course I do…” he replied in an enigmatic tone. “Is there anything you haven't done in your life yet, Sandra?” he asked me then.
“No”, I answered sincerely. Strange question; maybe my advantage is working already, I reckoned.
* * * * *
To my great surprise, we were to fight a duel. Trevor made it clear he didn't wish to kill me in cold blood; as he said,“Only a fair fight is the right way for worthy opponents to settle their differences”.
When we finally entered the dimly lit basement, I was startled at the sound of the slamming steel door behind me.
Suddenly, Trevor wasn't behind me anymore; I looked around at once but he was nowhere to see, as if he had vanished into nothingness. I was certain he wouldn't play unfair, so he wasn't going to shoot me before I had found a weapon to defend myself. Therefore, I was in full alert, but not in agony.
No sooner had I found a primitive firearm left in a dark corner than I had to run along narrow corridors formed by enigmatic pieces of machinery, in order to dodge a beam of mortal laser rays. He is not so fair after all, I realized – not without a certain disappointment. I crept to the far end of a long, metal catwalk and hid myself in the shadows, anxiously waiting for his next move.
For a few seconds, a sinister silence reigned all over the place. Then there was a hiss and a very heavy weight fell on my shoulders; it was Trevor. I cried of pain and the firearm slipped off my hands; nevertheless, I managed to fight off my opponent for a few long minutes. A sharp blow on his face made him lose his grip on me for a second; that was all the time I needed to stand on my feet again and run away from him.
Soon he was after me along those narrow corridors; he was armed with a laser weapon, his footsteps echoing all over
the bleak basement, carrying his growing anger like a heatwave. All of a sudden, I ended up in a dead end. No way out. I looked up, hoping to find a way to climb up, but those pieces of machinery were too lofty and their surfaces too flat. My heart was pounding like a drum, as Trevor's chuckle echoed abnormally loud in my ears.
Nevertheless, when he reached the end of that corridor, he was astounded to find out I was nowhere to see. He froze for a second; then, the clicking sound of a weapon pierced the sullen silence. He raised his head and gave me an astonished look as he saw me throwing a heavy iron bar at him. Thick laser beams, coming out of his gun, tore the half-darkness of the basement for a couple of seconds; right after, a cry of pain and a thud followed.
Although I didn't believe I had actually made it, I had exerted myself and managed to climb up those masses of metal. Maybe the power is returning to me little by little, I pondered.
A few minutes later, he stood up stunned and faced my firearm threatening him. In his wide open blue eyes I could discern acknowledgment of defeat.
“You won't do it, Sandra!” he said, trying to conceal his desperation.
“Try me!” I challenged him.
He shut his eyes for a moment; then, he heard me say: “It's time we got out of here! And don't try anything stupid!”
* * * * *
As I was crossing the main hall of the mansion, always pointing my firearm at Trevor's back, all of a sudden I felt quite uneasy and my self-confidence was gone. My opponent seemed to have accepted his fate too easily, and I could sense something was wrong; surely I had expectedhim to fight harder. This isn't over at all; Trevor must certainly have more surprises in store for me, it occurred to me then.
Next instant a laser ray singed my hand, making me cry of pain and loosen the grasp on my weapon. Trevor turned round and punched me hard on the face, while four armed androids, all covered in metal, entered the room from four different doors. It was one of them who had fired, very well-aimed indeed. I must admit, it was too naive of me to suppose Trevor would be all alone in there…
Next moment I was lying on the floor helpless, surrounded by enemies, my weapon in Trevor's hands, plus four laser guns pointing at me. Can this get any worse? I wondered in despair, feeling abnormally numb, completely unable to move. It all seemed like a frozen cinema scene to me: The front door, as well as my success in this mission, was only a few metres away – but now everything was lost, as if I had just entered another, sinister dimension.
Right then I noticed a gigantic fresco on the wall opposite the front door: it showed three old-time ladies standing in a circle, chatting or planning something. They were wearing long, fine dresses with revealing V-necks and hats of the same colors -gray, red and blue. Though beautiful, it was an entirely foreign element, alien to that place. Was it there before? I wondered in bewilderment.
Moments lapsed in anguish; I was ordered to stand up, while time seemed to pass extremely slowly, and I knew this was a sign for radical changes; I strained my senses waiting… Trevor, I, and the droids seemed to be completely motionless, frozen in time, as something alien seemed to be reaching in from another dimension. I held my breath, my heart lost a leap – and then the whole setting was torn apart, as if it were a paper poster. Trevor stood still just watching it
happen – a world being revealed inside a world...
* * * * *
As soon as my vision cleared, I was astounded at the magical landscape unfolding before my eyes: A purple velvet sky over a green forest, mysteriously illuminated by a weird, bright rainbow; a fascinating waterfall coming down a black mountain in the background; the topaz waters of a lake, rhythmically agitated in the winds of the nightfall. No doubt, the place was Eldyla...Naturally, Peter was there, watching and waiting.
“What have you done this time, Peter?” I wanted to know.
“I used the Ethereal Flame to create a dimensional vortex”, he replied calm, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
“How did you find me?” I asked then.
“I have your genetic imprint...”
“Do you realize how dangerous this can be?” I snapped at him right after. “Let alone you disrupted my mission...”
“...and saved your nice ass”, he interrupted me, trying to keep his composure.
Next moment, there was an instant shining in the rich foliage of the bushes behind Peter; then an imperceptible rustle of leaves. At first I paid no heed; then, I realized:
“He is here!” I uttered in a low voice.
“Who's here?” Peter wondered.
“His name is Trevor and he is wanted by the Intergalactic Police; my latest assignment was to find and arrest him...”
“And what is he doing here?”
“When you created the dimensional vortex, he was standing near me; so, I wasn't the only one who passed through”, I
“Great”, Peter sighed.
We looked carefully all around, but Trevor was nowhere to see. That didn't make me feel any better.
“Listen, Peter”, I said. “We must find him, the sooner the better. This man is very dangerous. You can hardly imagine what he is capable of...”
“I know, he's rather notorious; and I bet you are looking forward to having him in your hands!” he raised the tone of his voice, in obvious jealousy.
“I have to turn this man over to the Intergalactic Police; he is a criminal!” I replied with a serious mien, emphasizing the last word.
Peter frowned at me.
“Peter”, I said softy, “this man can harm Eldyla. Can't you see?”
“Really? How could he? There is nothing precious for him to steal here!”
“Nothing? He has already seen you can create a dimensional vortex; he will seek to know how you did it, and believe me, he will find out!”
“The Ethereal Flame!”
“Yes, Peter! The Ethereal Flame, the sacred gem which balances all energies in Eldyla and creates dimensional vortexes, might be lost forever!”
“We have to find him! At once!” concluded Peter anxiously.
* * * * *
It wasn't long before we found Trevor: he was hiding in a cavern at the top of a steep hill near the Ancestral Sanctuary. Or, better say, he found us: As we hadn't expected him to move so fast andcome so close to the secret hiding place of the Ethereal Flame so soon, he took us by surprise.
I barely had the time to scream to Peter: “Watch out!”
“What...” uttered Peter stunned, as I pounced on him and dragged him down on the ground, successive laser beams grazing past our heads. We both rolled on the grass as fast as possible and hid behind thick tree trunks, while Trevor emerged behind a big rock with his laser weapon in hand.
He stood there for a few moments, scanning the whole place with his frigid eyes, an air of arrogance in his posture.
He attacked with his laser weapon once again, and it was by sheer chance that I escaped death at that time: It so happened that I stumbled on a stone and missed a step just at the correct moment. Peter dodged successive laser rays by performing a set of incredible aerial somersaults among the surrounding rocks.
It was Trevor's turn to be taken by surprise, as he couldn't believe how quick, supple and accurate Peter was on Eldyla; he looked as if he were flying around for a few seconds, jumping from rock to rock and from tree to tree incredibly fast, finally landing on Trevor's shoulders; that made the enemy collapse on the ground and bump his head on a boulder.
He recovered a few minutes later and faced Peter, who was standing over him. The ruler of Eldyla looked triumphant with his legs a little apart, his arms akimbo, beaming self-confidence and warrior's pride.
“You really thought you could get it done, Trevor?” he chuckled.
“You are on Eldyla, you know! Nobody beats me here!”
“This is my duel, Peter!” I reminded him. “And I have a mission to accomplish!”
“Oh, sure!” he protested weakly.
At that moment Trevor flounced aside, grasped the laser weapon I had considered lost among the numerous boulders, and opened fire in a frenzy. Both Peter and I sprang up, performed a
perfectly coordinated set of aerial somersaults and took cover behind the lofty rocks outside the entrance of the cavern. Trevor approached cautiously, with the laser weapon in his hands, determined to exterminate both of us on the spot. He looked kinda disappointed as he could see neither of us. He started firing at all the sizeable rocks, reducing them to burning dust one by one. Peter had to leave his hiding place and swarm down the cliffs, all the way to the lagoon beneath, while I was suddenly feeling so wonderfully powerful...
After a moment of mutual bewilderment, Trevor was particularly surprised to see me jumping high, over the rock that had protected me till then; I stepped on another rock that still remained intact, and sprang on the air again, intending to assault the enemy at once. A laser ray singed my right thigh but I felt almost nothing; before Trevor's astonished eyes, both my feet landed on chest shoulders in no time, making him lose balance and fall down. He was still holding his laser firearm – but he was too stunned to use it right away. I finished my attack with another impressive aerial somersault and landed on my feet with considerable ease. I smiled in complacence for my copy body had unbelievable potentialities, especially in semi-material dimensions, like Eldyla.
Trevor, still numb, was just beginning to realize something very odd was happening. He only stammered “Sandra...” when he saw me emerge behind the rock I was still hiding, while my copy body gradually melted away in the air. Then I watched the muscles of his arms contract under his tight-fitting uniform, and I knew I was in for another one of his laser attacks. I guess it's time I showed him what I really am, I reckoned and...
I raised my arms and produced a thick beam of luminous energy, which destroyed Trevor's gun in his hands, leaving him flabbergasted for a couple of seconds. After the initial surprise, he tried to assault me with bare hands and he almost got me; it was just an instinctive step-aside that prevented my capture –
and at that moment I decided the story was getting too far. I rolled on the grass fast and, as soon as I stood on my feet again, I
raised my arms to perform another energy discharge.
“It's time we ended this duel, Trevor!” I shouted at him.
Another beam of astral energy attack struck Trevor's body; he collapsed on a stone slab, nearly unconscious.
“I've beaten you, Trevor”, I told him as I leaned over him, looking straight into his stunned eyes.
“I... I guess I can't fight you any more, Sandra... I can't fight something like this”, he admitted in a low voice.
* * * * *
After I had left Eldyla together with my captive, I was given the opportunity to meet another Trevor; this one was not a ruthless criminal but a frightened creature.“What do you intend to do to me, Sandra?” he wanted to know, as soon as we were back in the mansion and I handcuffed him to his bed.
“I'm supposed to turn you over to the Intergalactic Police”, I replied.
“Do you have any idea what they will do to me?” he exclaimed in despair.
“I suppose you will be tried in court...”
“They will put me in a disintegration chamber! I have already been sentenced to death in 23 galaxies, you know!”
he went on, in the same tone. “Do you really want this, Sandra?” he asked me finally, with a bitter smile.
“. . .”
“Please... I'm afraid to die like this! It isn't even instant, you know...”
“Let me think, Trevor” I replied, really concerned.
Indeed, I would hate to see that gorgeous body slowly disintegrate into atomic particles. On second thoughts, that
man hasn't done anything really evil, I reckoned. Besides, I didn't like that mission right from the start; in fact, I had accepted the job only out of curiosity...
“I guess we can make a deal, Trevor”, I said then.
“Name it!” he answered, his eyes sparkling with hope.
“I may as well abort the mission and notify my employers that I've failed in discovering your den in this galaxy; and you may go on robbing as many rich assholes as you like –
frankly, I don't give a dime! But I want you to promise me that you will never cause any damage to innocent, ordinary people. If you ever break this promise, I will come and find you again. Am I clear enough?”
He nodded with a broad smile.
“There is something more”, I added in a softer tone.
“What?”
“You have to prove to me that you deserve to live!”
Though initially surprised, he bore no objection to that. So, I enjoyed the enemy's impeccable body to the fullest; in fact he was more than willing to satisfy every sexual demand of mine, and he proved to be a perfect love machine.
When it was all over, he lay in bed so adorably helpless, and he sank in deep sleep almost immediately. Unable to resist the temptation, I bent over him, caressed and kissed his strong thighs; then his tight abdomen, the well-built muscles of his chest, the muscular arms, the broad shoulders, the long, strong neck, finishing with a passionate kiss on his sensuous lips. By the time he wakes up, I won't be here, I thought in melancholy.
* * * * *
Just then I heard a bell ringing and I, Emma, was in the classroom again, still looking straight into Mark's eyes. Helooked back at me, in a kind of sweet bewilderment. The astral experience we had just shared had not lasted more than a couple of seconds in real time, but it was obvious to me he could hardly breathe because of the unprecedented excitement he had just felt.
At that moment, a strange rhyme echoed inside my head, recited by an inner voice that wasn’t mine:
Reality destroys dreams,
dreams invade reality;
do not try to escape,
just give in to the Other Side...
Story Seven: Fright Night with the Enemy
originally handwritten
from 29th November to 7th January, 1993
I, Emma, felt quite stupid this morning: I accidentally took the wrong bus to school and had to stay in there a lot more than usual, before I reached my destination. However, my mistake soon proved to be good luck for it gave me the opportunity to meet George Dim. He came near, all smiles, and started talking to me with genuine interest: At first he was surprised to see me in this bus and asked me where I live. Then, we remembered some funny incidents at school and had some laughs. Later on, he said that he intended to become a computer programmer in the future. I told him I wished to become a writer; he smiled as he heard that. Then we spoke about music and rock stars, until we had to get off.
I don't think I have felt happier in my whole life.
There was no way I could concentrate on any lesson that day; especially during Religion, I could hardly stifle my yawns, so I resorted to one of those fantasies I usually indulge in when I can no longer stand boredom. This time I was daydreaming of giving a recital of organ perfectionism for a big, delirious audience. I do play the organ in real life too, but I'm not that good and I know I will never be. In my fantasy there were thousands of people who were watching, listening and swaying to the rhythm. And, guess what, George Dim was there too, right in the first row, more attractive than ever, smiling to me continuously and enjoying my music to the fullest.
Yet, when the last notes and the cheers of the crowd faded away, I felt a kind of void inside me, an imperceptible yet radical change in the surrounding environment which I could not control, and this is when Emma receded to oblivion...
* * * * *
I, Sandra Anderson, had become famous almost overnight as an organ perfectionist in the ancestral city of Halmyra, capital of the planet Ed Tyrr. That night I was giving one more concert for an audience of thirty thousand people. I was really enjoying the unique experience, all those people adoring me like a goddess, however those concerts were just a cover-up. I was in Halmyra to prevent something very evil from happening, but at that time I didn't know yet what it could be exactly...So, once again I kept on playing my music, smiling to all those who were engrossed in my performance, swaying to every note I played. At a moment, I left the organ to another member of my group, took his guitar, and played three of my most popular pieces as a guitarist; the audience was exhilarated. Certainly, there was no way I could make out Venor somewhere in the crowd, watching me with a stern face...
All of a sudden, something went wrong; the show was disrupted, there was no more music, nor lights. All the people just stood there motionless and silent, and we all watched the scene breathless: the place was instantly surrounded by odd, alien monsters descending from the night sky – weird, crimson creatures that slightly resembled water vortexes or gigantic spiderlike insects. After the initial shock, terror spread to the crowd of spectators, who sought to get out of the stadium in frenzy.
My group of musicians and I ran away through a stage door
and out in the fields, while thick drops of a weird liquid were now falling from the sky. What's that? It looks like aliens spreading their spawn... I supposed and my conscience froze, as I watched something else, even more dreadful, being formed in the starless sky right above the old cemetery in the distance: It was an eerie, white substance rising over the tombs and the cypress-trees, gradually forming something like a dinosaur's skeleton that glowed weirdly in the darkness of the night. It won't be long till it comes to life, I reckoned. Right then, I heard someone shouting “Come on, let's go!” and I was surprised at his cool temper. At that point I reached out for my laser gun, but a strong bump on my head made me sink into a very sinister vertigo...
* * * * *
I woke up stunned, and found out I was lying down on a hard bed somewhere, my arms and legs in chains. At first it was dusk, but soon the vertigo cleared up and I had to face my new reality: There was a big, ugly man standing by me, groaning with sadistic glee in his eyes; some others were behind him. A wide, round window on the opposite wall let an eerie, bluish light come into the room which was all made of metal. At a moment I noticed faint agitation in the blue outside the window, as a sparkling, frightening abyssal fish passed by.I had no more doubts about where I was: Captive in an underwater base of the Dwellers of the Abyss -the most infamous gang of villains on the planet- down the depths of the Ed Tyrr Abyss. I shivered of terror, for the whole universe knows what they do to the women they capture. I shut my eyes in desperation for a few seconds. I wouldn't even dare imagine what was going to happen to me next.
Suddenly a door opened and the room was illuminated by
the haughty presence of somebody important who had just entered. As he approached, the others retreated at once, bowing their heads slightly, as a sign of respect. I wasn't really surprised when I saw it was Venor; in fact, it occurred to me all this had been plotted by him right from the start. I sighed in frustration as he leaned on his left arm in a casual manner, his palm on my right breast in feigned indifference, as if he were touching something lifeless, a door knob for example.
The prince of Yrkania gave an order and all the men withdrew at once. Then he fixed his eyes on me; he looked grim and furious at the same time. I felt helpless as never before, and I only wished I were already dead. At that point I lost my senses -again.
When I recovered, I faced a very hasty Venor who was already pulling me out of that room.