Memories of Sandra Anderson - A Cosmic Explorer - Book Two by Tanya Ferris - HTML preview

preserved, as its turrets, embrasures and walls bore obvious signs of decay. I paused and stared at it for a couple of minutes like mesmerized, relishing the strange aura of nostalgia it shed around.

“Mistress Zandra! I'm so pleased to see you! We thought you had been captured by the Simisens!” announced a man who suddenly popped up beside me.

He was dressed as a medieval warrior, and a sheathed sword was hanging at his waist. As he explained right away, they had summoned Mistress Zandra, a renowned military expert, to organize the defense of the castle against the dreadful Simisens, whose assaults were getting wilder and wilder day by day.

However, she was delayed for a couple of days, and rumour had it she had been captured by the enemies. I was not the person he believed I was, of course, but at that time I considered it opportune to play that role. Otherwise, it wouldn't take long for the Yrkanians to find and imprison me again. Besides, I suddenly had an intense premonition that something very extraordinary was waiting for me in that castle. As about the real Zandra, in all probability she had been captured by the Simisens indeed; maybe she was already dead...

* * * * *

I can't really explain this, but soon I was Zandra; as if my previous life had all been obliterated into nothingness, I was now a dweller of that medieval edifice, together with Pedro, my adorable, red-haired lover and master of the castle. Life there was simple but far from boring. There was no serious technology or advanced sciences, but we relished intense feelings and a spontaneous sense of awareness in every little thing we did.

There were also secret treasures hidden in various crypts around the castle, wonders I had not seen so far; yet, we had to defend them and the castle quite often against the Simisens – a wild tribe of thieves and murderers who lived on plundering cities, islands and fortresses all over the planet. They were notorious for their ruthlessness and renowned for the excellent handicraft of their swords.

We had to confront one more assault of the Simisens that morning; this time they were too many and their king was leading them himself. At about noon they managed to climb up the walls, reaching our embrasures. We were all fighting as hard as we could; Pedro was always close to me, brandishing his sword with extraordinary efficiency. He had disposed of dozens of invaders, encouraging the rest of our fighters. More and more Simisens were falling dead from our swords, but more and more were coming.

At a moment Pedro was isolated and surrounded by too many enemies, but it was impossible for me to get near and help him. When he lost his sword, he tried to fight hand-to-hand. I was impressed to watch him ward off lots of foes, using his expert martial arts skills, but I suddenly sensed a terrible inner alarm inside me. As if in slow motion, I looked askance at Pedro as he kept fighting desperately. The number of enemies he was against seemed to be higher and higher moment by moment; it was obvious he wouldn't be able to resist for long.

Disaster came in just one second: Someone caught him from behind and another one pierced his chest with a sword.

My heart bled as I watched my beautiful Pedro collapse to the stone slabs lifeless, while I had to keep on fighting.

Taken on by a frenetic fury, I went on fencing like a maniac, exterminating numerous raiders with my sword, spilling their blood all over the place. I didn't feel like crying at all;

I just wanted to kill as many of them as possible.

I was eventually cornered by three of them, who were determined to kill me on the spot. I cut off the right arm of the first one and the legs of the second one; as about the third one, I slit his intestines out with just one sword stroke.

I felt somewhat better when I finally located and rushed against their strapping, blond-haired king. The castle was being conquered little by little; I already knew very soon everything would be lost, but I wished to take revenge for Pedro and all the others.

“This is your end, you monster!” I shouted at the Simisen king, full of wrath, while attacking him with my sword.

He parried all my strokes with careful, accurate, effective moves. I resisted his vehemence for a while, yet I was too tired and he was very experienced in battle. After a few moments I was constrained to retreat, so as to avoid being captured or killed.

As more and more enemies were gathering around, I gave up the fight and ran through an open door into the castle. I sought refuge in the countless halls and corridors, yet the Simisen king and some of his men were always a few steps behind, chasing me with obsessive persistence. The old edifice was complicated like a labyrinth, but I knew well all its secret hideouts. I kept on running, always to higher floors, hoping my pursuers would eventually lose me.

I was almost out of breath when I entered a dimly lit chamber full of dusty arches and columns decorated with incised magic symbols. A strange kind of ironwork was hanging from the ceiling. In the middle of the room there stood a robust stone construction, maybe an altar; next to it there was a muddy staircase which led to an upper tower.

I ran up the stone stairs, quick as an arrow; soon I found out I had to jump quite high in order to reach the next floor.

Why did they leave this staircase unfinished? I wondered, wild warriors' voices echoing behind me.

It is said that desperation gives strength, and I suppose it could be true: I jumped up and grasped firmly the ironwork that covered most of the ceiling; then I climbed up as fast as I could. I could barely pass through a narrow opening to the next floor. I only hoped my pursuers wouldn't be able to follow me up there.

For a few agonizing moments I thought I was trapped in a sort of entresol – a frowzy, claustrophobic place that seemed to lead nowhere. My heart lost a leap when one of the square slabs of the low ceiling withdrew right above me and a hand appeared, offering me a way up. I grasped it without thinking twice.

* * * * *

Closing the trap-door behind me, I was amazed to see it looked exactly like all the other slabs of the shiny floor I was now standing on. The chamber I had just entered was lavishly decorated and so beautiful that it resembled a princess's play room – only that there was no princess.

I was particularly impressed by the gold-trimmed window frame crowning a part of the blue sky outside. Right in front of it there was a wooden bench covered with colourful cushions. The whole place looked strangely neat, so out of place and time, as if the invasion of the Simisens were miles and miles away.

The man who had just saved my life was the guard of the top tower, and he kept looking at me in surprise.

“Mistress Zandra! How did you make it up here?” he asked,

without really expecting an answer.

I could already hear the enemies shouting and swearing from below, vainly seeking to get through the narrow passage. Thank Goddess they were too corpulent for that, yet I was aware the danger was not over yet.

They all hushed suddenly, apart from the king whom I heard announce in a sonorous voice: “So... master Pedro died in battle and we have his body... too bad he is dead, I would rather he were alive for our purposes... but I suppose he could be useful to us even like this...”

Useful? I wondered in anguish. Useful for what?

“Quick! Get in here!” said the guard then, showing me a secret passage he had just revealed by opening a hidden door on my left.

Without delay, I entered the narrow, murky gallery and rushed down a spiral stairway, all the way down to lower and lower levels, until I reached an exit at last.

I paused for a couple of seconds and took a deep breath; I was out of the castle now, away from the massacre. I scurried down the green mountain side, with a sole thought in my mind: return one day and take revenge.

After a while I had to hide behind tall bushes so as not to be seen by two workers who were labouring on a stone path that was under construction. I noticed some of the slabs were decorated with the Simisen blazon which looked like a gold lyre. The conversation I accidentally overheard left my dumbfounded:

“... Master Pedro was killed by the Simisens during the invasion... the tissues of his body have already been used in dark magic rituals meant to impose the dominion of the Simisen king on the whole region...”

“But how can this be possible?” doubted the other one.

“... His bones have been scattered among the bushes alongside the path...”

I just couldn't bear listening to any more of that horror; I only wished to believe it was nothing but absurdities of illiterate peasants; however, a feeble voice inside me told me it wasn't.

“... His nervous system has been covered by the slabs of this path...”

I froze there stupefied for one or two moments; right after, I had to move aside so as to avoid being hit by the iron arm of the construction machine. Then I fled as fast as possible, taking cautious steps among the bushes, trying not to make any suspicious noise.

When I finally reached the splendid, busy place everybody called “the City”, I drew up a plan of action right away.

First I changed my appearance: I dyed my hair blond, got rid of my warrior's outfit, wore casual clothes and found refuge in a small, isolated inn.

Soon I found out the dominion of the Simisens was ostentatious everywhere. They seemed to control everything and everyone, their blazon of the gold lyre being in every road, every square, every important building. Therefore, I figured out it would be impossible to beat them by regular means...

* * * * *

It took me more than a week to gather some information about a renowned wizard who lived in the mountains.

Nobody seemed to know his name or his exact residence; he was more of a legend than a real person, yet I was determined to seek him, maybe because I had no other

alternative.

I was not at all sure I had arrived at the correct spot, as I stepped on the northern summit of the Bald Mountain, which proved to be far from bald actually. Cutting my way through thick shrub, I was relieved to see the entrance of a cave. It was half-dark, bleak and muddy inside; there was a narrow brook winding all over the place, one of its branches getting into a passageway that gaped on the right. I lit a torch and followed that tunnel; it was not long before I reached a lofty, uneven stairway carved on bulky rocks. I went up the stairs cautiously, trying to ignore the ominous silence that reigned all over.

Soon I was in another cavity; there were so many tunnels on the surrounding walls that caused me a lot of confusion. I explored it very carefully, until I noticed something strange on the ground in front of one of the passages: It was a kind of white crystal, or a piece of glass that looked like crystal. I didn't know whether it was precious or not, but I knew it shouldn't be there. Suddenly, I had the impression I had seen something like it before, but I couldn't remember what, where or when.

Anyway, I trusted my intuition and decided to enter that tunnel. Exploring such a musty, dark, upward gallery proved to be quite tiring and repulsive – I even thought of turning back once or twice. No way, nobody could live in here, I pondered. Right then, I fumbled on a flat surface -a wall. It withdrew quite easily as I pushed it instinctively. I walked cautiously into a round chamber with numerous latticed windows all around. There was a lighted hearth in the middle; thick, gray smoke rose up and got out through an opening on the vaulted roof. I saw lots of ancient, leather-bound books and various magic tools of dubious use placed on wooden shelves below the windows.

“I've been waiting for you!”

The voice, which rang loud and suggestive behind me, took me by surprise. Turning around, I faced an old, yet stately man with a white beard; he was dressed in a long, purple garment and a pointed cap of the same colour.

“Since you were able to find the cave as well as my den, you are meant to be my new apprentice”, he declared calm.

I just stared at him; I was at a loss for words.

“This means you will renounce your family, your friends, your city, your vocation, everything you have known up to this day, so that you can master the knowledge I shall convey to you”.

Not even for a moment did I think of bearing an objection.

“Nevertheless, remember: as soon as it starts there is no way back, and nothing will be the same again”, he went on.

I stayed silent, nodding in agreement.

* * * * *

Time passed full of arcane knowledge, magic and witchcraft. I did learn a lot from the wizard, not dubious religious theories or suspicious heretic teachings, but extraordinary magic formulas and secrets of power; however, I never learned his name.

I wandered in the worlds of light and those of darkness via astral projection; I made my mind stronger and broader with lucid dreaming; I visited millions of alternative universes; I learned how to affect matter with magic spells; I was taught the ambivalent wisdom of Necronomicon and Solomonics; I meditated on the origin of the material world and I experienced the truth of the original cosmic vortex; I developed mental abilities like divination, prediction,

psychokinesis, astral travel and, most of all, manipulation of spiritual energy.

It was during one of my astral travels that I found Pedro's soul at last and set myself to setting it free again. He was seated on a scull-shaped reef in the middle of an endless ocean. There was deep melancholy in his face; he was constantly strumming a gold lyre, producing a sad but evocative music that echoed all around. I flew through the astral ether and I got nearer; I paused for a moment and listened to his music for an indefinable span of time, as if I were enchanted.

I could as well stay there and surrender to those magical tunes forever, but I knew everything would be lost then.

Exerting myself to the utmost, I got even closer to him. He kept on playing that lyre, and he didn't seem to have perceived my presence. Death must be an awfully overwhelming experience, I reckoned.

Right then I heard sweet women's voices singing to the rhythm of the lyre, a suggestive song of sirens to the setting sun. Next moment I saw them, numerous mermaids emerging from the sea waves, all of them very fascinating creatures, their eyes sparkling like emeralds, their long hair beautifully decorated with shells and pearls. Pretty soon I realized those sirens had wings – fine, membranous, colourful wings that could lift them into the air. It was a scene of incredible charm, yet I had a very bad feeling about it...

One after the other, the winged mermaids hovered and surrounded me, always singing, but their high-pitched song, almost deafening now, showed no good intentions.

Performing pincer movements, they got closer and closer to me; suddenly, I felt a strong bite on my right leg. I screamed of pain and, as I turned, I saw a beautiful siren's open mouth

full of ugly, sharp teeth. I kicked her hard and flew higher but that didn't prevent her or the others from following me.

I tried to fight them off with martial art moves, but soon I realized that wouldn't help much, since they were too fast and didn't seem to feel any pain.

Pedro kept playing his music, entirely indifferent to what was happening not very high above him. The flying sirens were all around me now, preparing a concerted attack. I had to gather all my courage and energy, so as to launch a terrible astral blast that swept them all away.

Pedro was still absorbed in his music, even when I finally reached him. I had to grasp the instrument from his hands and dispose of it at once; it was immediately carried away by the sea waves and currents, while I was uttering the magic spell of purgation by water.

“Zandra...” uttered Pedro feebly, as if he were just waking up from torpor.

I had to take him in my arms and lift him on the air, for he was too numb to move, let alone fly. I carried him all the way to the sea shore, by the edge of a jungle. I landed on a rock and laid him down gently, for a brief but passionate kiss – our last kiss. I knew I weren't allowed to follow him any further, into the secrets hidden in the jungle of his soul.

Since the magic spell of the lyre was broken in the astral planes, the decline and fall of the Simisens would only be a matter of time in the material world. Of course, their blazon was still all over the City but it had already become inert and powerless.

* * * * *

The time for my final test came a few weeks later. When the wizard and I met on the tower that evening, I was astounded

to see all the windows had turned into mirrors. Fire was burning in the hearth and a bluish smoke rose to the vaulted ceiling. The wizard uttered a brief magic spell and all mirrors turned to open doors – doors to other worlds.

“This test will show whether you have mastered my lessons or not. It will also reveal who you really are, the inner self you have forgotten; that is if you choose the correct door and the respective mission”.

I observed each one of the doors carefully. Most of them led to beautiful places, like green prairies and majestic cities.

One of them showed a bleak dungeon, another one led to the vastness of space; there was also one which led to a barren expansion, where a gigantic skeleton of an ancient beast was still rotting. I chose that door.

“If you go there, you will need that”, said the wizard and handed me a finely elaborated necklace made of crystals similar to one I had found just before discovering his den.

“What do you mean? Why will I need this?” I asked.

“That's for you to find out”.

I approached the open door and passed through with slow, cautious steps; before I knew it, I was walking inside the immense skeleton which seemed to extend to the horizon. I shivered at the thought it once belonged to a living creature that had been used for who knows what kind of unholy purposes. Moreover, I had the intense impression I had seen there before.

So far all was quiet and nothing stirred; yet, I went on very carefully, as I had a strong sense of lurking danger. Then I saw it: there was some motion in the distance, and I didn't like it at all...

I froze as I watched one, then another huge, gray tentacle

unfold higher than the gigantic skeleton. There was a terrible tremor and the earth shook; the rising monster was moving slowly towards me, stretching some more of its membranous tentacles over the ancient relic to the flaming sky. At that moment I touched my necklace unawares, and found out it was glowing. All at once I had the impression there was a certain relation between its crystals and the advancing monster; that rang a bell inside me but I couldn't figure out what it was exactly.

I gasped for breath as the monster emerged before me dreadful, forming a sort of membranous cobweb clinging to the bones of the skeleton. I felt as if all life force was being driven out of my body – and I could now suspect what that thing was: a vampiric entity feeding on all kinds of energy.

The wizard had taught me about such creatures, as well as powerful magic spells that deactivate them, but at that point I was so scared I could remember none. Nevertheless, I had to react before it was too late; I had to recall the correct spell for this kind of vampiric entity fast if I wanted to hold it in check.

Next instant I heard a soft, cracking noise behind me; I turned my head back instinctively, only for a moment, and saw...

“Venor?” I cried in astonishment.

Who is Venor? And how do I know his name? I wondered right after.

At that point it occurred to me I had known the right spell before – but the wizard's version was complete, thus more effective. The words spilled out of my lips spontaneously and rose into the air like a weird chant, while the crystal necklace was glowing around my neck. I repeated it three times and waited.

I saw the Lethe -I was sure that was the monster's name, as it had just come into my mind- retreat and shrink back to its osseous nest. It was to stay there dormant for a very long time, and whole worlds would celebrate its absence. Only Venor, its master, wouldn't be happy about this.

I now knew who Venor was, and I knew who I was.

* * * * *

When I went through the door again and returned to the wizard's tower, I was no longer the same person I was when I left it. Mistress Zandra was receding to oblivion; I was Sandra Anderson again and I had just deactivated the Lethe.

I believed the wizard would be satisfied but I was mistaken; he didn't seem to be very impressed with my success in that alternative world, so he had prepared another test for me.

He beckoned me to follow him downstairs, into underground chambers I had never seen before. Some of them were empty; others contained strange furniture and tools of dubious use. We finally reached an octagonal room, at the lowest basement, which proved to be full of treasures coming from all corners of the universe: Huge, crystal-like cases full of coins, jewels, artifacts and other objects made of gold, precious stones, or other rare and valuable materials. Their splendor was stunning; I just couldn't take my eyes off them.

“You like them?” the wizard asked me.

I couldn't even utter a world.

“They are all yours!” he said then, and I knew he meant it.

I kept on looking at the treasures in sheer stupefaction. The temptation was extreme, and yes, I would like to have them all mine...

After a brief but tense silence, I started closing the open lids

of the transparent cases with my psychokinetic power, thus turning the offer down. The wizard avoided facing me directly, but I could see he was smiling. This is how my apprenticeship in the magic arts ended, with absolute success...

* * * * *

Never before had I realized how alluring the splendor of a city could be to a young and beautiful woman, even if she were a witch, like me; I could never have enough of all those luxurious edifices, impressive furniture, sparkling jewels,

fashionable

clothes,

endless

entertainment,

excursions to stunning places, handsome men, unforgettable sex with heroic warriors...

It's hard to tell how long I lingered in the City, enjoying my life there to the fullest, feeling carefree as never before. I was too reluctant to go back to the adventurous life I had as Sandra Anderson, so I decided to extend my stay in that blessed world for as long as possible.

It's not that I hadn't suspected I had been watched for some time now, yet a part of me refused to acknowledge that.

When I was finally attacked and abducted by three Yrkanian soldiers, it was not only surprise but also passivity that rendered me a victim that cold night.

“Sandra Anderson... I just can't believe you have been hiding on this primitive planet for so many months! Neither can I believe you thought I wouldn't find you!”

“Venor! I'm happy to see you are alive!” I exclaimed, and I wasn't insincere.

The three soldiers had led me to an isolated house in the outskirts of the city and handcuffed me at a chair. Suddenly, all that carefree life of luxury and fun was fading in my

mind like a beautiful dream that had just finished. Once again, I was Venor's prisoner and his grim face showed he had it in for me.

“How did you do it, Sandra? You haven't left the planet, yet you have deactivated the Lethe! Really now, how did you do that?”

“I am Sandra Anderson”, I said in an evocative tone.

“Nothing confines me for long!”

Next moment I stood up, having just used my new psychic powers to get rid of the handcuffs. That took my captors by surprise, so I had no difficulty in warding them all off with successive martial art blows. Then I smashed the door open with a strong kick and rushed out of the room, barely dodging several laser beams that had my name on.

After a long and anguished chase, I finally sought refuge in the underground part of the city; it was endless, labyrinthine, and abandoned for centuries. I paused for an instant and breathed out in relief, as the Yrkanian warriors seemed to have lost my track.

For a couple of blissful minutes everything was silent; I felt pretty safe in there, as those underground arcades were normally avoided by everybody. I went down spiral stairways, into arched corridors and vast chambers, some of which were still equipped with strange metal tools and machines illuminated by sporadic skylights.

All of a sudden I heard a perturbing noise behind me – two, three rushing steps. I hardly had the time to turn around and see what it was; I was struck by a laser beam that got me right on the heart. The pain was excruciating and I collapsed breathless. Next instant prince Venor was standing over me with a laser weapon in hand. Curiously enough, he was alone.

“You didn't think you would escape so easily, did you?” he said stern. “Besides, you haven't answered my questions!”

I still had my senses but I gasped for breath, feeling as if my heart were going to stop. Yet, I was able to mutter a simple spell of recovery in a low voice. Within seconds I felt much better but I stayed down, as I didn't want Venor to find out immediately.

“What did you say?” he only wondered.

“Listen, Venor; I have done nothing here, just leave me alone!”

“Leave you alone?” he cried angrily. “Because of you the Lethe is now useless! You will pay for this!”

“I didn't do anything, I don't know what you are talking about” I lied, patiently waiting for my powers to be restored again.

“Enough, Sandra”, he said stern. “If you talk, I might spare your life!”

“All right, Venor; as you wish”, I replied in a feeble voice.

There was an instant of absolute silence; then I moved fast and swept him off his feet with a low kick that took him by surprise. There followed a brief fight on the floor; soon I was over the enemy, immobilizing him with my elbow against his throat, having taken his weapon as well. It was Venor's turn to be breathless and helpless.

“You need a good lesson”, I told him gently.

* * * * *

Threatening him with his own laser gun, I led Venor right where I wanted. Soon he was tied to a pillar with his hands chained behind his back. He did look gorgeous in his tight, green uniform with the V-neck, the wide black belt with and

the high black boots. The silver full moon was shedding its soft light through a latticed window above us.

“What... what do you intend to do?” he stuttered frightened, as he saw a dagger shining in my right hand.

“Just wait and see!” I replied and aimed the dagger at his throat.

“Sandra, no! You can't... you won't do that!” he uttered breathless, which I found quite amusing.

Next moment I attacked with a flash movement of the dagger; the prince shut his eyes and screamed of terror.

Right after he sighed of relief, as he realized he was still alive. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found out his uniform had just been torn from the V-neck all the way down to his groin. His muscular body was now half-naked at my disposal.

Then I noticed the big scar on his right breast, and I remembered the unfortunate incident by the forest. His injury was very serious, but (thank Goddess) it had been cured completely. I leaned on him and kissed that scar very gently. He smiled complacently, full of impatient lust; next instant he froze, as he noticed the leather whip I was holding in my right hand.

“This is not necessary”, he faltered out and...

I lashed him once, twice; two long, deep scratches were formed on his chest, but he tried to defy the pain by biting his lips. I thought about repeating the torture, but I changed my mind at once. It won't do any good if he is wounded worse, I reckoned. I threw away the whip and stuck my body to his, kissing his lips impatiently. Then I pounced on him like crazy, my nails already hurting his chest.

“You are the kind of enemy I like to beat!” I told him in a

hoarse voice and sought his lips again.

Then I heard him whisper the words “Take me!” in a most sensual manner, and I lost all control.

Our naked bodies writhed on the marble pillar for hours; I pressed his strong thighs against mine and had him inside me over and over again. I stuck my nails into his chest, leaving there tracks of hot blood; my teeth bit his shoulders and neck uncountable times; he just sighed and cried of lust every time I touched him. I adored feeling his heartbeat, the wonderful heat of his body, the sense of the blood running fast in his veins; every single moment seemed to last eternity. One more time, the enemy had proved to be the ideal trophy for an unbelievable adventure of mine on a foreign world...

* * * * *

What was I saying? Ah, yes... I, Emma, was standing there all alone again, abstractedly listening to the last notes of the love song George Dim was playing on his guitar. As soon as he finished, all schoolmates applauded and took turns in congratulating him for his excellent performance. I was happy for him too; he had played very well indeed, although that piece wasn't particularly difficult. However, it was impossible for me to ignore my still being so ignored...

I stood up and walked out of the class; nobody noticed, not even the music mistress. When I got out of the schoolyard, with the intention of going on a brief walk around the block, I happened to notice a funeral announcement posted up on a telegraph pole. It referred to a Mrs. Johnson, who had died at the age of 92; she had had three children, five grandchildren, plus two great-grand children. “She has lived a pretty good life”, I murmured to myself, as new realizations were rushing into my mind:

At the time of demise, a happy life is indicated by the increasing number of immediate descendants – three children and five grandchildren, for example. Two children and one grandchild show more difficulties and obstacles than successes in life. No descendants indicate serious spiritual and material problems, as well as extreme misfortune that should not be passed to the next generations...

When my time comes, I don't think I will have left any descendants at all. But, you know something? I don't give a damn...

Story Seventeen: A Ship Called Destiny

originally handwritten

from 6th August to 3rd September, 1994

It's early in the morning and I, Emma, have just woken up with an intense feeling of annoyance. Once again I've dreamed of wild dogs getting in my way, preventing me from going on: I was walking along an empty avenue, but as I reached a certain point there were black dogs all around me, forcing me to stand still or turn back. This happens every time I dream of walking along a street: dogs appear before me and don't let me move on.

In all probability, hostile dogs in my dreams represent dark entities which obstruct any progress in my life; or, maybe, they are astral ''guards'' who prevent me from reaching dangerous areas beyond the astral planes.

Those uneasy thoughts echoed in my mind for a while; then I got up and looked in the oval mirror of my chiffonier. My vision blurred for a moment, giving way to another level of awareness...

* * * * *

I, Sandra Anderson, was standing by the black metal baluster of my balcony in the Hostel of the Fated, as the huge golden sun was setting slowly on the scarlet horizon beyond the ocean that spread before my eyes. I felt somewhat weird knowing this ocean once was part of the Offirian deserts; not so long ago, they were turned into a sea by means of elemental magic and terraforming experiments.

It had proved impossible for me to find out by whom and why.

A strange song could be heard all around from hidden headphones, repeating a strange refrain:

The black tower in Alkmyre

faces the highest mountain top.

As dark clouds hide the sky,

naked branches crack like bones.

The melodious music with the ambiguous lyrics gradually brought me in a brown study: I have known many aspects of evil so far, I have fought it all my life, I have had quite a few victories; yet, no matter what I do, it always seems to prevail in the long run, one way or another. You can't really exterminate evil; it changes form and returns again and again. As about “good”, it often proves to be nothing but a pretense, a cover for evil. Is everything evil in core, indeed?

I wondered, just a few minutes before setting out on my new mission.

It was just a few days before that I had met Peter of the Stars on Eldyla, for he had “sensational news”, as his exact words were. Intending to take him by surprise, I accosted him silently from behind, while he was resting on a flat cliff above the Nameless Lagoon; with skillful hands I opened up his shirt and tenderly caressed his naked chest. He responded eagerly, turning his head and kissing me softly.

The rest was ecstasy...

According to the information gathered by my precious ally and lover, there was an interstellar slave trade taking place beyond the boundaries of the Yrkanian Empire:

“Thousands of people visit planet Offir every year, in search of their destiny, as it is often reported. Supposedly, they go

there to work; however, they never come back and nobody hears from them anymore. Actually, no one knows what hides behind all this but I have the impression that something uncanny is happening on Offir, the fifth planet of the white star Melian. I don't think the Yrkanians have anything to do with this, but we had better look into it”.

As always, I had no alternative but promise to help him find out the truth.

As soon as the song ended, the departure signal sounded loud. We all left our temporary accommodation in the Hostel of the Fated and silently embarked on the oval-shaped aircraft that would take us to our new home. I was feeling rather anxious for I knew nothing about our exact destination. I only hoped I could stay there long enough to find out what was happening, without getting into very serious trouble.

That was the reason why I had ended up on that small planet, which seemed to be completely cut off from any civilization. So far I had seen no sign of the Yrkanians here; most of the planet was desert, there were no cities, no important first materials for the Empire to plunder, nothing.

Officially the planet was completely uninhabited, yet it actually throbbed with human life; people arrived to Offir from different solar systems. They all came from lower social classes, they had no future in their home planets, and they travelled to Offir because they expected to find a permanent occupation and a less stressful life.

* * * * *

One hour later the aircraft landed and we all disembarked taciturn. As soon as I came into view of it, I was astounded to recognize an ancient ship – a vessel used for sea travel thousands of years ago. However, this one was never bound

to cross the oceans; instead it rested there, among the dunes of the endless Offirian desert. I marvelled at its incredible size, prow and stern melting into the morning haze. Its numerous decks shone like silver and all its lights were on, glowing bright through the innumerable square portholes.

On its black hull, the name of the ship -Destiny- was written with sizable red letters. Everybody stared in wonder but nobody uttered a word. Not a sound was heard as we proceeded in line towards an open gateway.

Recruitment on the ship proved to be a lot easier and faster than I had expected: we only had to submit a simple identification paper. Of course, I presented forged papers and I was dressed in cheap, casual clothes. Nevertheless, I could already see that I needn't have taken any cover measures; it was obvious that personal identity did not matter at all in there...

Right after, we were all provided with the same beige overalls, which would be the only type of clothing for us from then on. Strangely enough, all workers were allowed to keep some of their own accessories, as a symbol of the self they were going to forsake – and I had counted on this before deciding to undertake that mission. Therefore, I went aboard the ship called Destiny wearing my alvesten bracelets, a precious gift from my beloved Peter of the Stars, which protect me from all kinds of external mind control. Where can he be now? I wondered for a second of bitter worry.

By blood froze as I realized what followed next: All future workers had to go through a mind conditioning procedure, defined as “an instantaneous educational program”. The other recruits seemed to adore the idea but I had a strong feeling of disgust from the first moment my eyes fell on the implant ejection. I really wished I could avoid it, since such

implants affect not only the physical body but the astral one as well. However, I decided I had better go through it because I didn't want to attract any attention by causing trouble so soon. Besides, this would give me the chance to learn the whole story right from the beginning. Anyway, I have quite a few Yrkanian implants in my body and, under the present circumstances, one more won't make any difference, I reckoned but didn't manage to actually appease myself.

As soon as the doctor in charge saw my alvesten bracelets, he got curious and started examining them closely with his eyes and fingers. He looked impressed at their complex star pattern but he said nothing. He tried to remove them, he soon found out it was impossible for him to do so, and I got scared he might suspect their true utility. Yet, it was obvious he had never seen anything like that before, so he could not at all suspect these bracelets neutralize all kinds of mind manipulation and implant effect. Eventually, he let me proceed without any questions, and I could barely conceal my relief.

* * * * *

Novices were led to a department at the lowest part of the ship. It was a dull environment, where a dark green colour prevailed. We started working immediately; there were hundreds of persons around me, each one at their own post, performing exactly the same tedious, repetitive tasks with remarkable eagerness, quickness and perfection.

A certain relief picture caught my attention at once: It covered part of the ceiling and showed two snakes of indefinable length, one pitch black and the other fiery yellow, intertwined in a complex pattern. I recognized the primeval symbol of the two opposite cosmic powers that fight each other eternally for the domination of the

universe: fire versus void.

At first I had some difficulty in operating my robotic arm, which was programmed to manufacture some kind of nanochips. I began to worry when I realized that the other newcomers didn't seem to have any problem with their work, as if they had already known well how to make the arm

function

correctly

and

at

maximum

speed.

Undoubtedly, that was due to the mind conditioning program, which also served as instant education. My implant, however, didn't work so effectively because of the alvesten bracelets.

The initial impression of ideal organization was soon superseded by annoyance, since I could see no real reason for labouring like this; after all, jobs of the kind could also be done automatically. Of course, work has always been a basic method of psychic vampirism, I thought and shivered.

Anyway, for the time being I had no other alternative but go on working conscientiously, hour after hour. I could occasionally overhear a few words spoken by those of higher rank, who had the additional duty of supervising the novices, making sure everything went like clockwork.

It's hard to tell when I started feeling confused and worn out; I could no longer think clearly, yet I kept on working mechanically, like an automaton. Do this kind of work from dawn till dusk for a couple of weeks and your brain gets soft, I mumbled to myself.

I felt even worse when I noticed all the other labourers maintained more or less the same pace of work, while I was getting slower and less accurate.

“This is your first day here, right?” a woman's voice rang metallic next to me. She was one of the supervisors.

“Yes,” I answered tiredly.

“You are making mistakes, you know, and you are rather slow!” she remarked.

“I' m sorry...”

As I turned and faced her, I was surprised at her young age; she had a light silver complexion, long snow-white hair and big purple eyes – typical features of the much afflicted Azenkurian race. Apart from the beige overalls, she was also wearing a fine gold necklace with a round carmine gem in the centre. I could tell from the look in her glassy eyes that she had been in the ship for a very long time.

“It's alright, you will catch up soon!” she reassured me calmly.

Apparently, my poor performance had not aroused any suspicions, since not all subjects of mind control are equally receptive; however, day by day the implant effect gains ground.

“Who are you? How long have you been here?” I dared ask, full of curiosity.

“My name is Helena and I have been serving the Destiny for five Offirian years. Due to my exceptional services, the biocomputer has determined for me another 996 years of life of board”, she recited bluntly.

“This equals about 25,000 Yrkanian years!” I said in disbelief.

“It is achieved by brain reconstruction in successive young bodies. This is how the High Priestess rewards those who serve her loyally...”

“The High Priestess? Who is the High Priestess?” I exclaimed in surprise.

“This is of no importance” Helena snapped, obviously annoyed. “It doesn't matter who you serve, what matters is that you serve well!”

I looked at her dumbfounded, barely believing I was hearing those words.

“Just keep in mind: The more efficiently we serve the High Priestess, the more years of life we get as a reward!” she concluded in complacent frigidity and walked away.

I got back to work with a sense of nausea, determined to get out of that weird galley as soon as possible. Anyway, there was no reason for me to stay there any longer, since I had already found out most of what I wanted: Hard labour drained life force from the workers with every move they made and the psychic vampire who received it was a so-called High Priestess. As about the “reward”, without doubt it was a mind uploading procedure which resulted to virtually immortal biological marionettes. The workers were actually building the nanochips that might eventually replace their own brain cells.

As time passed, work was getting more and more complicated and required knowledge I just didn't have.

Suddenly, there was nothing I could do; the robotic arm no longer moved. In all probability, it had been blocked by some mistake of mine – which was unacceptable for any worker. Helena approached me again, and didn't look happy about what she saw.

“What are you doing here?” she asked grim.

I stared at her numb, as she fixed the robotic arm with a quick motion of her hands and it started functioning again. I smiled timidly and got back to work. She glanced at me scornfully and moved away.

I turned round instinctively and watched Helena touch the carmine gem of her gold necklace for a few moments; somehow, I knew that meant trouble. I focused all my attention on her, and concentrated harder; now I could hear in my head the telepathic communication she was having:

“Excuse the disturbance, High Priestess, but I must confess my fears,” were her first words.

“Make it brief,” ordered the High Priestess stern.

“I think there is an intruder in my sector!” announced Helena hesitantly.

“I know!”

“What should I do?”

“You? Nothing! I will deal with this problem, personally.

Clear enough?”

“Perfectly clear, Lady Chimaera!”

Lady Chimaera? It couldn't be any worse, I reckoned.

* * * * *

Late at night, when we were finally allowed to withdraw in to our quarters, I let myself breathe freely for some moments. Then I thought about Peter; I had no idea where he was, I only hoped he was all right. We had taken special care not to even approach each other ever since we had arrived at the Hostel of the Fated.

I had hardly put something more comfortable on, when he eventually located me. I was relieved to see him sneak into my room, but I felt preoccupied as well. There were no surveillance cameras or anything like that on the ship, nevertheless I had the impression we were being constantly watched.

“Listen to me, Peter”, I told him at once. “We have no time

for any further research! If we stay here any longer, we risk ending up slaves forever...”

“I know; Lady Chimaera is behind all this!” he announced grimly.

He knows already? I wondered but said nothing. Peter of the Stars never ceases to astonish me...

“She may be watching us even now; yet, we can make it if we are very quick!” he added thoughtful.

We fled through long, dirty corridors and vast rooms full of obsolete, idle machinery at the lower levels of the ship. I felt more and more apprehensive with every step we took.

“Where are we going, Peter?” I asked in a low voice.

“Trust me”, he answered with a soft smile. “We can get out of here, and this is the only way out!”

I sighed and followed him to the edge of a long, arched corridor, dimly lit by green lighting. I got even more worried when I realized it was full of strange fumes that emanated from black pores in the walls.

“Listen well, Sandra: If we cross this corridor, we shall reach an exit; yet, we have to achieve this within half a minute...”

“Why so?” I wondered.

“The place is full of a deadly gas, which penetrates the skin in thirty seconds!”

“Peter! What the devil? We'll never make it! It's too long!” I protested furious.

“We can make it if we run fast enough! Believe me, it's the only way out!”

Since going back was no alternative, we both took a deep

breath and began running as fast as we could to the other end of the corridor. We reached it right at the last moment, while we were choking breathless, our skin already burning.

After a few more frantic steps, a bright light coming through a square portal stung our eyes. Daylight! Thank Goddess, I was beginning to forget what it looked like, I thought and sighed in relief.

“Peter”, I asked then. “How did you manage to get all this information so fast?”

“Don't you know me?” he asked back, as we reached the portal and saw...

It was a hangar of air crafts built at the left side of the gigantic ship. For the time being everything seemed to be quiet, but an inner voice inside me was already screaming...

“Get ready!” Peter's voice rang behind me, as we got closer to the hangar.

A laser beam hissed just an inch from my face, forcing me to step back. I had no weapon with me, but Peter had somehow managed to sneak in a laser sword, which he turned on right at that moment.

“You didn't expect it to be that easy, did you?” he mocked, while I was hiding behind the corner.

“Get ready to counterattack, Peter. I will distract them, all right?”

“All right”, he agreed after a short hesitation.

The four men who were guarding the exit got quite a surprise when they saw a female worker walking towards them with casual steps, mincing all the way.

They looked flabbergasted as I approached smiling. Then, before they knew it, Peter pounced on them like a wild cat;

within a couple of seconds he had neutralized three of them with his laser sword. As about the fourth one, I knocked him out with a strong high kick.

“Good work, Peter!” I felt like praising worthiness.

“Quick! We don't have much time!” he cried and set himself to lift the transparent canopy of the nearest air vessel.

That's when the alarm went off deafening.

“Not so fast, Sandra Anderson, not so fast!” a metallic woman's voice reverberated all around.

There was a kind of green smoke blocking our way only for a moment; we just stood still and stared at the infamous Lady Chimaera materializing before us.

“Enough have you taken advantage of my servants'

incompetence!” she announced with a scornful mien. “You are going to deal with me now!”

“Be careful, Sandra!” cried Peter, his laser blade shimmering in the light of day.

“Your kitten is wild, Sandra”, said the witch ironically, giving a glassy look at Peter. “Yet, nobody challenges Lady Chimaera and gets out alive!” she threatened and prepared herself for an astral attack.

Peter stepped forth and resisted Lady Chimaera's astral blast with his laser blade and a decisiveness that astounded even her. Then he got ready to fight again, although the power of the sword had obviously diminished, as it didn't glow so bright any more. The witch laughed.

We sought to dodge her successive astral energy blasts with fast moves and somersaults all over the place, yet I knew that couldn't go on for long. For an instant I stood behind and watched Peter confront her assaults with incredibly

quick motions of his laser sword, its power having been restored in the meantime. I was taken aback when I realized what he was doing: each one of his parries was retracting the witch's blasts, one against the other, so that they all summed up together and were sent back to their source –

that is Lady Chimaera being struck by her own astral blasts!

It was unhoped-for to hear her scream in pain, as she retreated trembling of shock and wrath. Next instant she vanished into thin air, leaving only a light green vapor behind.

“Incredible but true! We have won!” exclaimed Peter stupefied.

“You were incredible, Peter! You have won”, I said breathless.

“Let's... let's get out of here!” he stammered and finally opened that canopy.

It was a matter of seconds to start the engine and escape flying, leaving the Destiny behind at last. For the moment we were safe, but I had no illusions: the war between us and Lady Chimaera was just beginning.

* * * * *

We found refuge in an old pagoda that rose among the steep rocks over the ocean – a peaceful place situated on the hidden part of Ojylia, the furthest of the four moons of Offir. We stayed there for some time, experiencing uncanny mixed feelings of insouciance and vigilance, while seeking a way to stop slavery on the ship called Destiny.

“Maybe we shouldn't have fled; I could have found a way to approach and hack the main computers”, said Peter.

“I don't think it would be likely. Lady Chimaera is not an ordinary opponent; she would have found out before you

made a move”, I replied pensive.

“I guess you are right...”

“Besides”, I went on. “How long do you think we can stay here without being detected?”

“I guess we need help”, suggested Peter with a heavy heart.

In this case, ask for help would be wishful thinking; who would ever think of opposing such a powerful witch like Lady Chimaera? I already feared the whole mission would end in complete failure. Then I thought about contacting my allies on planet Gonast.

Peter tried to communicate Queen Nikita with technological means, I tried telepathy; neither worked.

“It's a bad sign”, said Peter frustrated.

No time, no allies, no plan of action... Running away is not something I normally do – in fact I hate it. Yet, we left the edifice at once, intending to run to my spacecraft and fly away from Ojylia and the whole solar system of Melian. We only hoped the witch wouldn't be aware of our escape at that time.

We had hardly left the pagoda behind when we heard the drone of air vessels taking off behind steep rocks. We stood still and watched a number of flying saucers rising high above the nearby peaks.

“Oh, no!” Peter's voice echoed around.

Multiple laser beams forced us to recede with successive somersets on air and ground, until we finally balanced ourselves a few metres away and apart from each other.

“Take cover, Sandra!” cried Peter, already brandishing his laser sword.

We had to run frantically and hide behind lofty rocks,

bushes and tree trunks, desperately trying to escape from death. We also tried to strike the attacking air vessels with our weapons, but they always managed to dodge our laser rays with skillful movements. They swarmed against us again and again, forcing us to run for our lives amongst dreadful explosions.

“These pilots are aces!” Peter shouted.

Their concerted manoeuvres were incredibly accurate, even when performed near the ground.

“How shall we reach the spacecraft, Peter?” I cried in despair.

“They are going to get us, it's a matter of minutes”, he replied breathless. “We have to.... aaaah!”

A laser beam had just made him fall back against a big, flat rock. I ran to him without thinking at all.

“Are you all right Peter?” I only asked.

He opened his eyes and looked at me; I could see he was kinda dizzy, but at least no further damage had been done.

“Peter...” I said softly and caressed the smooth skin of his throat.

Next moment I turned round and faced numerous armed enemies aiming at us, while some of the alien air crafts were in formation above our heads. Nothing to do but surrender...

* * * * *

We were arrested and led to a secret underground base on Alkmyre, the second moon of Offir. I expected to meet Lady Chimaera in there, but she was nowhere to see and I was somewhat relieved.

One of the soldiers strode to a telecommunication device; I

assumed he was about to contact the High Priestess – and just then I noticed the glow in Peter's eyes. I only hoped he wouldn't...

Of course he would! With a sharp movement of his arms, he got free of his captors and dashed to the telecommunication device. As he was pushing the soldier back, only for a fleeting moment I discerned Peter's fingers fumbling the keyboard like crazy. Then, quick as a spectre, he grabbed a laser sword from another approaching warrior and turned to face the enemies.

“Get him!” a rough voice reverberated all over the room.

“Peter!” I shouted in frustration, when I saw all those weapons aiming at him.

I didn't even dare guess what was to come next.

“Freeze right there!”

The loud order, probably given by their chief, echoed all over the place. Peter obeyed, while a dozen firearm barrels were pointed at him. I felt a cold chill going through my spine.

After a long second of hesitation, Peter finally turned off the stolen laser gun and left it down on the floor. When he stood up again, he raised his hands up to surrender. Why on earth did he do all that for? I wondered.

The soldier who had lost his weapon approached Peter, while two others were holding his arms back.

“You, crazy trump! You are lucky she wants you alive!” he roared after he had gathered his laser gun.

He turned it on again, lowered the power a little and immediately struck Peter's right shoulder. My scream “No!”

pierced the air, as I smelt burnt flesh; the young man fell on

his knees with a cry of pain.

Next

moment

another

soldier

rushed

to

the

telecommunication device and checked it quickly; he withdrew at once, as he didn't see anything suspicious.

What have you done there, Peter? Why did you put yourself in such danger? I kept wondering.

“Is anyone going to pay attention to me?”

A commanding woman's voice interrupted my thoughts and everything else in there, like thunder on a gloomy night. We all turned round automatically and saw her – the omnipotent Lady Chimaera dressed in a long, black velvet gown with a wide brocade belt around her slim waist. A majestic, purple mantle was falling over her shoulders. She was observing us behind a mirrorlike, spectral partition that had just appeared out of nowhere and rose up to the ceiling. The room on the other side looked like a witch's den, full of odd magic tools and thick books on wooden shelves. Right behind the sorceress there was an altar made of black marble; over it I could discern the characteristic symbol of two snakes I had seen on the ship called Destiny. However, this one was three-dimensional and enclosed in a crystalline sphere which hovered in the air under the vaulted roof. It was an amazing sight.

“High Priestess!” exclaimed the chief warrior and bowed.

All the others followed suit.

“Lady Chimaera! What kind of trick is this?” I asked in astonishment.

“With this I am like God; everywhere and nowhere at the same time!” she explained, smiling complacently.

“What do you want?”

“You didn't think you could get away with this, did you?”

she interrupted my question. “As I've told you before, nobody challenges Lady Chimaera and gets out alive!”

“What do you intend to do?” I asked, trying to show some self-confidence and buy some time.

“Oh, I can tell you, why not”, she replied in the same, triumphant tone. “After all, it has to do with your own execution!”

There was sullen silence for a couple of moments.

“You and your cute kitten will return to the Destiny”, she went on. “You will return on the air vessel you've stolen!”

“We shall escape again!” said Peter decisively.

“I don't think so, dear”, retorted the witch sarcastically.

“You see, you won't return as slaves; both of you will be tied up inside the aircraft, which will be full of explosives and remotely controlled from here! They will expect the air vessel to land, but instead it will crash into the landing arcade! This will cause a wondrous holocaust – an exorbitant way to die!” she concluded, her black eyes glowing of malice.

“The whole ship will be destroyed”, I uttered then, hardly believing what I had just heard.

“You got it!”

“…while thousands of workers are still inside? These people have been serving you loyally for ages!” I protested.

“Your concern is touching” she mocked, “but I have decided I no longer need the Destiny... and it's your fault!”

“My fault?” I wondered.

“Yes! Your entrance and escape proved that the efficiency of my servants is poor. The energy I get from that worksite is of inferior quality! It's not worth the while!”

“You are betraying those souls, Lady Chimaera, and you will eventually pay for this!”

Her loud laughter was the answer to my prediction.

“So have I spoken and so will it be”, announced the witch finally.

Right after, she covered her whole body with her long, purple cloak and turned to leave, while the mirror-like partition gradually began to melt away from one corner to the other, until it was all gone.

* * * * *

It was already happening, but it was too hard to believe: Peter and I trapped inside a spacecraft-coffin which had already been launched, heading to the desert of Offir. Tied to the front seats with metal straps, we couldn't move; we could only talk our last reflections on the exquisite lives we had lived, the unique adventures, and our eternal love. But it is all over now, I thought and sighed in despair. Bleak contemplations I could not escape from; low moral I could no way raise; defeatism I could not fight; Peter looked unusually sad and passive. Both of us were unable to react anyhow – probably due to Lady Chimaera's dark magic.

“Our flesh and bones, our blood and hair will all become fire and we shall melt together in a common flame; it's a poetic way to die!”

“Stop it, Peter!”

“Are you afraid?” he asked me in a low voice.

“As a matter of fact, I am... In a few minutes we are entering the atmosphere of Offir... I'm sorry, Peter” I said, trying to conceal a sob.

“I am sorry, Sandra”, he replied serious. “It was me who got

you into this trouble...”

“No, Peter; it was my choice to undertake this mission”, I interrupted him. “In any case, we always do everything together; and it's always been worth the while!”

“We must think of something!” he uttered then, his eyes glowing of sudden decisiveness.

“I wish... I wish I could do something”, I stuttered, “but I don't think I can get any power now”.

“It's Lady Chimaera who's blocking you! Her dark magic is too powerful...”

At that moment the spacecraft took a turn on the right, and we could see the Offirian desert spreading below.

“We have just entered the atmosphere...”

A soft, cracking noise interrupted me; we were both startled as a tall shadow was cast on us from behind.

“We have company!” whispered Peter breathless.

The intruder approached and I saw...

“Helena!” I exclaimed in astonishment. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?” she replied indignant. “The Destiny is going to be destroyed because of you! Everyone knows! The High Priestess didn't mind announcing her decision with all loudspeakers on the ship on!”

“They all know... but how... how is this possible?” I stammered.

Then I paused, as I realized what Peter had done on that telecom device while we were prisoners on the base: he had arranged that everybody on the Destiny could hear what was going on in there, as well as the whole conversation

between the witch and us – and none of the soldiers had got wind of that! Therefore, everybody on the ship had the opportunity to abandon it before it was too late.

“Most workers have already abandoned the ship like frightened mice”, Helena confirmed my thoughts. “Yet, I have no reason to live away from it. So, I have chosen this way to become one with it once and for all!”

“How did you get in here?” I was curious to know.

“I happened to be in the base for procedural matters; as soon as I heard about your imminent execution, I decided to be part of it and the end of the Destiny. So, I sneaked into this spacecraft and waited; nobody suspected anything!”

“Listen, Helena; there are better things in life than being a servant!” I told her then, a slight hope shining in my heart.

“Says who?” she retorted spitefully. “You serve nothing and nobody, Sandra Anderson, you don't belong anywhere! Your existence is meaningless!”

Just the kind of attitude I hate...

“I don't want to die!” uttered Peter suddenly, focusing his emerald eyes on the woman with the silver complexion. “I would give anything, I mean anything” -at this point he sighed in a rather sensual manner- “to get out of here alive!”

Helena leaned over him and observed him closely.

“Who's he?” she asked, and the expression on her face got a lot softer.

“So long for Peter of the Stars!” he announced sad, his eyes still fixed on her.

“Peter of the Stars, ruler of Eldyla... I've heard a lot about you”, she uttered and tended her right hand on Peter's

shoulder, letting it slip tenderly to his chest. I was shocked.

“All right... I shall set you both free of your bondage! If you deserve to live, you will find a way out!” she declared with a flat voice.

Next moment she drew a laser gun and used it to destroy the metal straps that held our arms and legs stuck to the seats.

We stood up at once, free at last! I could hardly believe it!

“Time is running out! You must escape now!” cried Helena impatiently.

“You bet!” said Peter then and ran to the control panel. “If I am fast enough, I will be able to override the remote control and switch to manual! Just give me a few seconds!”

“We don't have a few seconds!” I shouted desperate.

At least he was able to open the canopy at once, so that we could jump out of the air vessel. Only that we were flying too high...

Just then I noticed a lofty sand hill that rose ahead. In a second we would be flying over it.

“We could jump on that!” I cried, pointing at the dune.

No time for second thoughts...

Peter grabbed Helena by the waist, taking her by surprise.

After bending easily her feeble resistance, we all climbed out of the open canopy and jumped out really fast, just an instant before the air vessel had swerved downwards, heading towards the Destiny.

There followed a terrible tumble all the way down the petrified dune, until we all ended up in a narrow cleft at its foot. At the same time, a horrifying series of explosions tore the desert landscape apart, after the air vessel had crashed on the landing arcade of Destiny.

Having taken cover at the bottom of the cleft, we were sufficiently protected from the fury of the explosion.

Helena hid her beautiful face in her hands and moaned for some minutes. Peter put her arms around her and sought to console her ''Don't cry, it's over now''; she accepted his embrace eagerly, while I was watching with mixed feelings.

“Everything will soon be forgotten”, I only said.

Helena stopped crying and gently pushed Peter away, trying hard to hold her tears back.

“Farewell my only friends”, she told us with a slight smile.

Then she crossed her arms in front of her chest, swung around and started to move away with slow steps. She didn't turn her head back, not even once. We just stood there numb, watching her walking away, until we could no longer discern her figure in the golden desert. Nobody has seen her ever since.

After that soul-racking experience, Peter and I decided to leave Offir as soon as possible and stay away from the whole solar system of Melian for a very long time.

As about the slaves on the ship called Destiny, frankly I don't know what happened to them.

According to recent information, some got away of their own volition.

Some others didn't.

Story Eighteen: Dawn of Erebus

originally handwritten

from 10th September to 30th October, 1994

Here I am, walking along the hazy, gray promenade overlooking the rough sea below. Rain is about to start any minute, while the wind is getting stronger, slowing down my pace. All of a sudden, the wind changes direction and I have a wonderful idea: I open my umbrella and it starts swinging in the gusts of wind. I hold it tight and let myself be carried away by the air draughts along the coast; it feels funny...

At the edge of the promenade I meet a friend of mine, who has been watching me flying with my umbrella and expresses his excitement. Later, at his home, he explains his worries to me: “Aliens have taken over the planet; I'm not sure how they do it, but they affect our brains, making us passive and inactive, until they finally substitute a person for one of them” … “I've been spying on them for some time now; more and more people turn into aliens every day, and I think they suspect me” … “Very soon I won't be able to escape them; I don't know what to do...”

After a while, I realize that most people actually know about the alien invasion and the replacements, and they have no problem with that! I follow lots of suspects, eavesdrop on numerous conversations in public places or secret rooms, I even happen to witness a procedure of transformation, which is actually a kind of brain operation: The subject is seated on a simple armchair, usually without

bearing the slightest resistance. Once the operation is completed, the “reborn” person has a new self which is deprived of human feelings, and speaks with a strange, creaking voice.

Soon I get discovered and surrounded by a dozen mutants, who seem to have very bad intentions for me. As the last drops of rain fade away, they get closer and closer to me; however, they take extreme care to avoid stepping on the pits of rainwater formed on the cobbled street. So, the aliens are afraid of the water, I realize – and this is the beginning of their end.

Many years later a holy sanctuary is built right at that spot; it is a magnificent marble temple dedicated to the benevolent forces who are considered to be protectors of this planet.

… What a magnificent dream I, Emma, have just had! That was quite an experience, not everyday life bullshit! Besides, it gave me the impression it revealed some truths: maybe something uncanny is going on with humanity nowadays...

But the night isn't over yet and another wondrous adventure is about to begin...

* * * * *

I understand that complaints about boredom are expected from ''ordinary'' people, who are inexorably tied up with a dull, repetitive routine day in, day out. When they get bored, they go for a walk, or meet friends, or get drunk in a night club.

The fact is that even I, Sandra Anderson, occasionally get bored too; and when I feel like that, I usually get a job. This time, after spending some leisure time on the peaceful planet of Ingazar, I was intrigued to find out about a new space enterprise to the edge of the known universe and even

beyond, in search of other inhabited planets and new life forms. Just like that, I decided to take part. Therefore, I was recruited on the research starship Sternheim, which was to travel into a black hole.

We had reached a point of no return, when I heard Captain Sané's commanding voice reverberate all over the bridge:

“The last galaxy of our sector is on the main screen! Kriegs to the radars! Mason and Laramy to the central intelligence unit! Anderson to the magnetobremstahlung! Everybody, be prepared for a space warp!”

“We are reaching the event horizon!” Kriegs announced stern.

I could feel the excitement of everybody, as we were about to experience a space warp that would take us beyond the known universe.

“Entering event horizon!” said Kriegs some minutes later.

“We are exceeding the speed of light!” Mason declared right after.

“The magnetobremstahlung is in operation; final velocity 3c”, I announced.

I leaned back on my seat, shut my eyes and waited as if in reverie; the time has just come... only seconds left... space warp has begun... space and time get compressed... the world seems to be falling apart... the universe is dying only to be born again... get psyched... I am still here and I remember... there is nothing here, nothing but the writhing void of space... the whole universe is an illusion...

“We have passed through!”

Captain Sané's loud voice sounded like a psalm in my ears.

The incredible had just happened! I was really happy to see her again – her wooly, white hair long to the thighs; the

impressively ornamented casque -a crown, actually, as she was of royal ancestry- on her head; her long, silver-coloured garment with the metal epaulets; and she looked more majestic than ever.

After the necessary calculations were completed, we were exhilarated to find out the new world we had just discovered could sustain life. Pretty soon we were all out, on an unknown planet. Some of us explored the land, where they found no living beings except primitive plants. Some others explored the ocean, where they found no marine life apart from some kinds of plankton, algae, and black seaweed. I was one of those who flew in the air with a hovercraft, admiring the splendid landscape from above: glittering plains of light blue ice crowned by high, icy mountains glowing like gigantic amethysts under a silver, cloudy sky. Few plants and short trees were the only inhabitants of this shiny paradise, and I couldn't help wondering why.

The time of our departure came just too soon. I thought we would spend some more time exploring that fascinating world, but no; we were ordered to return to the Sternheim much sooner than I had expected, and that was not only rather disappointing but a negative omen as well...

* * * * *

I am always right when I have bad premonitions, and I always hate it. At first I perceived some strange agitation within the lower ranks of our crew, then in the higher ones too. It was not long before the agitation became dread, and finally I knew: There was a kind of miasma ‒ foreign organisms from that planet we had landed on had somehow infected some of us. As I feared, those alien beings proved to be a type of body snatchers: they didn't have a specific form; as I soon found out, their original form was a

shapeless mass of rosy, sponge-like flesh. However, they could enter another organism, overtake its body and imitate its appearance perfectly. Not all humans were equally vulnerable to that kind of infection. Yet, those who resisted didn't last long: sooner or later they ended up seriously deranged or dead. The oddest thing was that none of the crew members talked about that, nobody complained, nobody dropped even a hint.

When I figured out I no longer knew who was who or what, I demanded to see the captain personally in her cabin.

“Captain Sané”, I began speaking as calm as possible. “I demand explanations: What kind of plague is this? What's happening? Don't tell me you don't know what I mean!”

“Anderson! How do you dare talk to me like that!” was her immediate reaction.

“We have already lost too many crew members and I get the impression nothing is done to solve the problem!”

“That's not true! I have been doing everything in my power to get the situation under control!” she protested awkwardly.

“I also suspect you know very well what's going on, and it is no coincidence that the infection follows a specific direction, from the lower ranks of the crew to the higher ones! So, is this some kind of genetic experiment or what?”

“Don't be silly! This has nothing to do with...”

“Why did we have to return so hastily from that planet?” I interrupted her impatiently. “We all had hoped we would explore that foreign world better; so, why all this hurry?”

“The duty to scientific progress is more important than personal curiosity!”

“What kind of duty is this, Captain? Bring a horrible disease to humanity? This is outrageous!” I cried indignant.

“That's a wrong point of view, Anderson”, retorted Sané in a low, evocative voice. “This isn't a disease; it is a new range of potentialities for the human race! All we have to do is manipulate those foreign cells correctly...”

“We must destroy them!”

“I don't have such orders, Anderson; I can't act against my orders!”

“So”, I went on mordant, “Where do your orders come from?”

“You shouldn't make such questions! You should toe the line!”

“You know something? Your blood is too blue to be healthy!” I burst.

“I advise you to...”

The captain's grim voice was interrupted by an odd, creeping noise right outside her cabin.

“What's that?” she wondered, hearing the repetitive knocks on her door.

My laser weapon was already in my hand. Next moment I saw a loathsome, flesh-like liquid oozing slowly under the door into the room.

“For heaven's sake!” cried the captain terrified, pulling her gun out as well.

After an instant hesitation, I aimed and fired; there was a horrible, hissing sound and a smell of burnt flesh; the oozing liquid withdrew fast, but I knew that trouble was far from over.

Without saying a word, we both agreed it would be safer to leave the cabin. As soon as we stepped out in the corridor, we stood against another repulsive, dark brown, shapeless monster which still had Kriegs' face.

“Too late”, said Captain Sané.

Then I lost her; sometimes she moved abnormally fast. Yet, I had no time to give it further contemplation, as the monster was still facing me.

“This is how you treat an old friend, Sandra?” it spoke with a sepulchral, creaking voice that made me chill.

I fired against it twice and fled like crazy, while its cry of pain echoed dreadful all over the place.

* * * * *

I ran and ran along endless corridors and through metal chambers, always to higher decks, without looking back. I finally reached the ''Terrace'', on the highest deck, which served as a recreation center. As I kept on running across the Crystal Cafe with the lovely, purple tables and chairs, lots of people turned and watched in surprise. I went past the bar, then the restaurant, and I finally reached the Balcony to the Stars, which was exactly that: a balcony with a splendid view to the stars and a crystal-like, vaulted roof with arabesque finishes. However, that was no time to stay and admire the beauty of space...

Just as I feared, very soon the ''Terrace'' was full of them –

disgusting creatures that changed form continuously, sliding on the light green floor with their tentacles or legs or outgrowths; nevertheless, none of the patrons seemed to pay any attention. Pretty soon it would be impossible for me to defend myself with my laser weapon. The only salvation would be to get away from there; but how?

The monsters had already entered the Balcony to the Stars, but they didn't dare get any closer – as I had hoped. Dark entities cannot break a magic circle, for this is what I had just done: I had carved a magic circle, as well as the relevant protective seals, down on the floor with my laser gun, according to the teachings I had once had from a master wizard on a so-called Bald Mountain. That was black magic, of course, the kind I prefer to avoid, but at that time I had no alternative. So, I stood in the middle of the circle and uttered the appropriate magic spell of teleportation, while the monsters were approaching hesitantly.

This is how I made it back home at last, to the isolated tower of Lebrann I had rented while on planet Ingazar...

* * * * *

Deep inside I knew it was only wishful thinking, but I really hoped the starship with the alien entities would eventually be lost in the vastness of the multiverse and never make it back to Ingazar. Anyway, I was not at all surprised when it eventually entered the galaxy.

Everybody on the planet was glad to know the space expedition of the Sternheim had been successful, but I was scared as never before. For the time being, all I could do was contact my most invaluable ally, friend and lover, inform him about what was going on, and ask for his urgent help.

“Are you sure about it, Sandra? This sounds incredible!”

said Peter of the Stars after I had finished explaining.

“I know what I've experienced, Peter! We must eliminate them all, before it's too late!”

“How can we do that?” he wondered, full of concern.

“I'm not at all sure; but we must find a way to destroy the starship and all those beings inside before they come out on Ingazar”.

“How, Sandra? They are landing this evening! There is almost no time left! How shall we destroy them all before they come in contact with the human population?”

I've never known Peter of the Stars to sound so insecure before...

“The starship took off from the gorge of Helganzão; in all probability it will land there too”, I said hesitantly.

It was twilight when Peter and I decided to meditate together. We sat one opposite to the other and held hands; as I was falling deep into trance, I got out of my body and urged Peter to follow suit.

This is how we both left the idyllic Lebrann tower without been seen. Our astral bodies flew together over the homonymous hill and the torrent at its foot, and headed to the gorge of the Helganzão mountains.

When we finally reached the highest top, we paused for a moment and admired the magical, rocky landscape that spread around us: Steep mountainsides, untrodden for thousands of years, rose majestic and imposing under the moonlight. An impressive, round edifice with arched windows and a vaulted roof, all made of a glittering, purple-coloured metal, stood on a flattened rock opposite us.

I had no doubt that was the meeting point of Captain Sané and her mysterious employer. To my disappointment, however, there was no sign of the Sternheim; yet, all of a sudden, three oval spacecrafts emerged over the mountain tops. The time had come...

Peter and I flew closer to the purple edifice, and we could

soon watch Sané take one step towards her secret assigner and declare: “Our mission is successfully accomplished, Your Highness!”

It's Venor! The prince Venor of Yrkania! Peter's voice reverberated deafening in my mind. I was so shocked that I answered nothing, as I couldn't think of anything at all.

“Fine”, Venor responded stern. “So, you have discovered an interesting life form, which can offer the Yrkanian Empire unimaginable potentialities, as you have stated!”

“Exactly, Your Highness! It is a most powerful kind of organism that can take over any living being and imitate its appearance, actually rendering it superior!”

“Superior? I don't know what you mean by that”, replied Venor pensive. “I need samples!”

“Samples?” the tone of Sané's voice sounded strange, maybe ironic. “Of course, we do have some samples for you to see and wonder!”

I didn't like her wide smile at all. Right after, the mutation had already begun.

“By Asmodeus!” Venor's cry echoed fearful all around.

Next moment he drew his laser weapon, as the ex Captain Sané, now a mutated monster abominable as hell, sought to pounce on the prince with its dreadful claws that shone like silver blades. He moved aside just in time, simultaneously firing at the shape shifter. The creature was wounded, thus even more dangerous; it groaned loudly and the whole building shook. Venor watched terrified how the other crew members of the Sternheim were changing too, eventually infecting his own guards. One of them, still in semi-human form, tried to attack the prince, but he warded him off with a fast front kick.

“You shouldn't have done that, Your Highness!” shouted the fallen enemy in a sarcastic tone.

Then he sprang on his feet at once, rapidly changing into a titanic, gruesome monster with multiple layers of jagged teeth in its cavernous mouth. Venor stood there frozen, unable to face the unholy sight.

Without even thinking about it, I sought to fight the monsters with successive astral blasts which seemed to work for a while. They all stepped back and crouched together for a few moments, as they felt a kind of electric shock convulse their bodies. Peter tried to attack similarly, but he wasn't experienced in that kind of battle, so he lacked sufficient energy.

“I don't think I can go on like this, Sandra”, he only said, meaning his astral projection would soon be over.

In the meanwhile, Venor took advantage of the enemies'

sudden retreat and fired again with his laser weapon. He exterminated four of them who writhed and screamed in pain, before they were reduced to fried, oozing flesh.

Next instant the prince gave an oral order on his bracelet telecom; seconds later an air vessel approached the metal edifice with impressive precision. A portal slid open and Venor jumped through an arched window inside the flying saucer – just in time, as the monsters were about to assault him again.

“Peter”, I said then in a low voice, “we must leave now!”

Our astral bodies abandoned the site immediately and flew away from that mountain top, which was bombarded at once by the fleeing Yrkanian air vessel. All mutants in the edifice were surely dead, but the nightmare was just beginning...

“How we actually helped Venor escape, I still haven't

understood!” complained Peter after awakening.

“Don't be such a child, Peter”, I admonished him. “Pretty soon we are going to have much more serious problems!”

Indeed, it wasn't long before we had to abandon Lebrann; the old tower was suddenly attacked by an army of dreadful monsters, and we had to fight hard for our lives and souls.

Fortunately, we were able to reach the cellar in the basement and escape through a secret passage.

“I only wonder how they discovered our hiding place so quickly!” said Peter, as we were running up the stairs through the narrow gallery.

I replied nothing, for I wondered the same too.

When we finally reached the end of the passageway and got out in the fresh air of the forest, we were greatly relieved to find out my spacecraft was still intact. Yet, we had to use our laser guns in order to get rid of some monsters that surrounded it. Right after, we got in and flew away to safety

– we hoped...

* * * * *

Hours and days passed, while the situation on the planet was getting worse and worse: gruesome aliens of various forms and sizes plagued the cities, killing lots of people, producing more and more of their kind; terror and despair reigned everywhere. Peter felt helpless, and so did I.

Nevertheless, we followed the trail of the miasma, always changing disguise, taking special care not to attract attention. We followed, investigated, watched, hit and ran when necessary. What was most discouraging was the fact that it wasn't usually possible to foresee the raid of monsters and help those in need. At a time we watched a huge, tentacled monster fall down upon a road vehicle; its driver

tried to get out but it was too late: he was literally smashed under the monster's incredible bulk. Another time we arrived too late to save some people who worked in a warehouse; shape shifters had already invaded the place and killed everyone inside, apart from a few who had been infected.

It was a few days later, when Peter stepped into the glass house where we had found refuge, beaming of self-confidence.

“Where have you been, Peter? I don't like it when you are out there alone for long!” I remarked.

“I have been spying on Venor's men!” he replied.

“So, Venor is still here...” I wondered and worried.

“Yes, he is; and he intends to use the body snatchers to his own interest!”

“Peter”, I interrupted him. “Are you sure they haven't taken notice of you?”

“Of course they haven't!”

“So... what have you found out?”

“It was Venor who ordered the monsters to attack Lebrann!”

“To tell you the truth, I had suspected that...”

“He seeks a way to control the shape shifters and use them as a military weapon! A special meeting with exobiologists and military experts will take place tomorrow night, in the Pyramid of Erebus!”

“Pyramid of Erebus?” I smiled diffident. “Are you sure?

There are no pyramids in this continent!”

“Yet, there is one; it's a night club in the northern outskirts of the city, and it looks exactly like a black pyramid!”

* * * * *

Peter was right: The night club looked quite impressive, as it had the shape of a perfect pyramid. It was built of black, glittering slabs and stood inside a transparent dome that represented a starry night sky. The structure was absolutely stunning, but I could sense it emitted rather negative vibes which made the patrons noisy, exuberant, nervous.

However, they kept coming, more and more of them, until the place was full; undoubtedly lots of underhand dealings took place in there every night.

Peter was especially fascinating that evening; his hair was dyed black and he was dressed in casual, tight-fitting clothes, which showed off his slender figure. He was also wearing dark glasses that enhanced his outlandish charm even more. As soon as we entered the club, all women turned and looked at him in admiration. I hugged and kissed him quite passionately, just to denote he was mine, only mine. He was surprised at my reaction, which made him even more attractive.

We sat at a reserved table beside the exit, so that we could easily watch people coming in and out.

“They are going to be here sooner or later”, said Peter in a low voice. “We must be careful”.

“Yet, it is strange; why here?” I wondered.

Certainly, that wasn't the appropriate place for a meeting of scientific or military importance.

“I guess we shall find out soon” he sighed. “I only hope...”

“What Peter?”

“There are lots of people here and we certainly don't know who is what; I only hope we get out of here in one piece!”

There was sullen silence between us for a few minutes.

Then...

“Look! They are here!” announced Peter, slightly touching my hand.

Indeed, the prince of Yrkania, accompanied by four of his men, had just passed the threshold. All five were wearing casual clothes and looked like handsome, yet ordinary men.

All of a sudden, Venor turned left and gave me an indifferent look; I couldn't tell whether he had recognized us or not: I was dressed in a quite feminine outfit and my hair was dyed blond; I also wore big dark glasses, which was a trend in that place and time. Moreover, there was some distance between us and the prince, as well as a lot of smoke from various stuff.

Venor and his men walked to the bar and talked like ordinary patrons for a while. I saw the barman nod slightly; then, the prince and his escort turned round and paced to the exit.

“Unbelievable... this could mean that...” stammered Peter astounded, as soon as the party of five was out of the club.

Those men were certainly not scientists or military experts...

Obviously, the conversations Peter had overheard weren't the whole truth; most probably, they had got wind of him.

“Peter”, I said in a feeble voice. We must go now!”

No sooner had we stood up, than a series of dreadful, crashing noises filled the suffocating atmosphere. A titanic, greenish beast with jagged teeth and pointed horns all over its body was just rushing in, simply smashing the thick stone wall on our left.

“What the hell!” cried Peter.

That was only the first monster that attacked; next moment more of them dashed into the club, shattering big parts of the walls as if they were of paper; chaos, havoc, panic reigned all over the place in no time. Nevertheless, some of the patrons looked rather calm -before changing into similar beings- while others, those who were ordinary humans, screamed of terror and sought to escape desperately. Yet, it was clear there was no way out, as the shape shifters now seemed to be everywhere, blocking every possible exit.

“Peter! We must fight!” I shouted.

Next instant Peter and I sprang forth with our laser weapons in hand. I fired at the greenish monster immediately; it dropped dead before it had had the time to pounce on a party of three patrons, who hid under the table screaming in terror. Right after, Peter and I stood back to back and kept firing at the advancing monsters very fast and very accurately, exterminating quite a few of them; there was no margin for hesitations of mistakes. However, it was obvious that two laser guns were not enough defenses against all those alien abominations. At times we had to change positions or perform acrobatic jumps and manoeuvres so as to avoid being assaulted or infected by fangs, claws or tentacles. Still, we kept on shooting all around like crazy.

So, this is what the ''meeting'' was all about; just an experiment for Venor to see those creatures in action, I pondered.

Suddenly, a long tentacle was coiled around my right arm, forcing me to drop my laser gun. Mere instinct, as well as desperation, urged me to grab a bottle of water with my left hand and use it as a weapon. This is how I eventually found out that water destroyed alien cells and turned mutants into humans again!

I sprung behind the bar and grabbed a water hose from a

fire extinguisher; with that I sprinkled everybody who was near enough, restoring the human form to the infected, or exterminating the original aliens. As soon as Peter and the others saw what water did to the monsters, the countdown for the body snatchers had already begun. At the same time, I could sense their feelings towards me; everybody, even the aliens, admired me...

All at once, the hose got stuck in a corner of the bar and there was no more water! “Damned!” I swore, and then I came face to face with a shape shifter who had sprung over the bar and sought to attack me. Thank Goddess, Peter was near and threw a jug of water at him. The monster fell back immediately, writhing of pain; Peter finished it off with his laser gun and I could breath freely again.

The remaining beasts soon took to their heels and abandoned the ruined club, leaving me, Peter and the rest of the survivors breathless but relieved beyond words. Not only were we still alive, but we had also discovered the right weapon to fight against the body snatchers.

As about Venor, after the fiasco of the alien war beasts, he was never seen on planet Ingazar again. He certainly hadn't taken that failure of his well at all, and I was sure he would resort to a certain kind of consolation...

* * * * *

“Allow her in!” Venor's voice reverberated through the telecom device.

The metal door of his chamber opened and a gorgeous, young woman entered. He was astounded at her beauty as well as her mincing moves. She was wearing a see-through, flimsy, red dress with a provocative corsage. Her hair was red, wavy, and long to her waist; big, dark glasses concealed her eyes.

“I'm here to satisfy the renowned prince Venor of Yrkania!”

she announced in a low, sensual voice, bowing her head slightly.

“Good, very good”, he said smiling.

Then he approached the girl and brought his arms around her naked shoulders.

“You are really dazzling miss...”

At that moment I took the dark glasses off and introduced myself: “My name is Sandra Anderson, you creep!”

“That's... that's impossible! How did you get here?” he stammered, taking a step back.

“It wouldn't be the first time!” I replied angrily.

“What are you doing here?” he wondered.

“I'm here to give you a good lesson for being such a serpent!”

“That's only wishful thinking, Sandra; not at all clever of you!” he said, his eyes glowing with spite.

“How could you put the whole of humanity in such danger?” I went on indignant. “Your quest for absolute power is sick!”

“You are in no position to judge me!”

“...claim all tyrants of the universe!”

Next instant he sought to fire at me with his laser gun but I was prepared for that: a fast flying kick of mine disarmed him just in time. We fought wildly for a few endless minutes; his martial art skills were surely improved and I could foresee I would soon be tired. At a moment he attacked with his strong fists but I parried the blow with an outward movement of my right forearm. Then I hit him with

a back kick, which made him lose balance for a moment; however, as he fell back I was prompt enough to retrieve his weapon. He shot me at once; I sprang aside but not fast enough: the laser ray wounded my left shoulder and I screamed of pain and exhaustion. I couldn't go on like that...

Summoning up all my energy, I ignored the pain and jumped up with a loud martial cry. I hardly avoided another laser beam by performing a fast somersault on air, finally landing on Venor's chest. He was taken by surprise, stepped back and collapsed on the floor. I stroke a hard blow on his sternum with the side of my hand; he grimaced of pain and lay there breathless. I could have finished him off at that moment, but instead I sat down near him, completely exhausted.

“Listen, Sandra, there is no point in fighting anymore; I don't feel like it any longer. So, truce?” said Venor then, sitting up slowly.

My reply was a soft smile.

“Just tell me”, he went on. “Indeed, why did you come here in the first place?”

Story Nineteen: Never Forgotten You

originally handwritten

from 5th November to 17th December, 1994

Years have passed.

I, Emma Lloyd, don't go to school any more.

I have been working as a secretary in an import company for two years now. I don't like this job, it's dull and nerve-racking, but I need the money. Whenever I have a few minutes of spare time, my mind flies back to the years of high school and my love for George Dim. I remember every single moment we shared, the words we said, the little things we did together – all these diamonds in my memory...

Today the boss happens to be absent and I have the time to reminisce a school trip to England and a visit to the British Museum, when I was in the sixth grade. For some moments I was absorbed in the famous silkwork Takiyasa the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre, made by the ancient Japanese artist Kuniyoshi. It is an ukiyo-e woodblock, where the conflict between princess Takiyasa and the warrior Michukuni is depicted. As if in reverie, I stood there and watched the Japanese princess reciting a magic spell written on a handscroll, summoning a gigantic, skeleton-like spirit, in a desperate attempt to fight the enemy who was killing her brother with his sword. The apparition rears out from the darkness, crashing its way through the ruined palace.

Too bad the princess didn't finally manage to save her brother, as Michukuni and his companion defy the dreadful

spectre. So long for Takiyasa's original plan to vindicate her dead father and brother by means of magic...

Nevertheless, seldom does a story end at its ending; it goes on and on, through time, space and dimensions, creating sequences of occurrences both in the astral and the material world.

As I shut my eyes for a couple of seconds while sitting at my desk in the office, I strongly feel such a sequence of events is about to begin...

* * * * *

“I hope you know what you are doing, Mark!” said Jace, an Yrkanian elite warrior.

“Of course I do!” replied the other one confident.

I, Sandra Anderson, was astounded to see Mark, one of Venor's elite warriors, whom I had met once on the destroyed Planet Doom, as it is called ever since.

“This prehistoric artifact is one of a kind!” he went on with sparkling eyes. “It's made of a precious kind of gemstone which no longer exists in this sector of the universe! The Solar Flower is worth trillions of units and we now have it!

Sandra Anderson would die to get it! Pretty soon she will be here, right into our trap! Just trust me!”

“I'm not so sure, Mark; how could she ever find out about this anyway? Try to be reasonable!”

“You don't know Sandra Anderson”, answered Mark cunningly. “She may have already discovered us!”

Clever boy, I thought as I was watching them behind the round window of the arched entrance to the safety room, in the Yrkanian base ''G4S'' on the fringes of the Empire. How I got there, is a very long and tortuous story; ever since I

arrived at the base, alarms had been neutralized, codes had been hacked, locked doors had been forced. But I had to be even more careful and faster from now on; I couldn't risk my being detected too soon.

“That woman disgraced me on Planet Doom”, Mark kept talking, actually to himself. “I'll never forget... in that crater...”

“You lost a fight, Mark”, said Jace. “You just lost a fight!”

“I never lose, anyhow! She won because she tricked me!”

Is this what he's told them? I wondered.

“But the time has come for me to take my revenge!”

exclaimed Mark with a brief smile. “She will definitely come here and we shall fight again, this time my way!”

I took a furtive look at the Solar Flower; it looked like a crystal lotus flower with innumerable petals of different colours. It was exquisitely beautiful, shining bright inside a transparent showcase placed on a gray, marble table between the two men. Yes, I definitely wanted it...

At that moment I perceived a soft sound behind me; I turned round at once and came face to face with...

“Aurelia!” I stuttered as soon as I saw her, the only female member of Mark's team, aiming at me with her laser weapon.

“Do not move, Sandra Anderson!” she ordered.

I certainly didn't intend to just stay there and get caught. I sprang abruptly towards her and she fired at once, fortunately without success, for I moved sideways right on time. Then I had to perform a quick somersault in air so as to avoid her next laser rays. As soon as I landed on my feet, the dynamic voice of Jace reverberated all over the place:

“Freeze, Sandra!” he shouted, aiming at me with two laser weapons.

“You see how right I was?” uttered Mark, his eyes daggers of fury.

“So, it was you who combined this whole trick right from the start”, I told him with a skeptical mien.

“I have unsettled accounts with you, Sandra”, he replied grimly. “Yes, all this was my idea right from the start! You are going to pay for what you did to me while on Planet Doom!”

For a moment my mind travelled to those marvellous few hours I had kept him as my prisoner of war, long ago. I smiled bitterly; too bad he had considered our brief love affair as personal disgrace.

“Come on, Mark”, I smiled broadly. “We both know how much you enjoyed it...”

“He enjoyed what, Sandra?” wondered Aurelia.

I barely ducked in time to dodge Mark's laser beam aimed at me; he tried again, and so did the others. Within moments two more elite warriors had arrived, and I had to confront all five of them. I performed lots of acrobatic moves, somersaults and jumps, quick and supple as if I had no bones in my body, in a frenetic attempt to avoid being struck by their laser beams or magnetic boomerangs.

My escape through the forced, open door at the edge of the corridor was swift and accurate like jazz ballet. I had managed to get away safe and sound, however I already considered my mission a failure for I had just lost the privilege of surprise.

The next meeting of the Yrkanian elite warriors took place right after my escape and it proved to be more interesting

than usual:

“What did she mean by telling you ''We both know how much you enjoyed it''?” Aurelia asked Mark.

“Nothing! She is sick in the mind!” he replied, obviously nervous.

The he contacted prince Venor through his telecom device.

After he had explained everything, Venor's response left them all dumbfounded.

“Message received; we shall be waiting for you”, said Mark pensive.

* * * * *

Mark and his team have done a great scouring job, I reckoned bitterly, as they had managed to find my refuge quite quickly in that endless, rocky wilderness with the innumerable smoking knolls. I could already hear Mark's loud voice as they were approaching:

“She must be hidden in here! Follow me!”

They got into the cave at once and began to explore the semi-dark tunnels very carefully; in the meanwhile, I was planning my way out.

“What's that noise?” asked Aurelia.

“What noise?” wondered Jace.

They all stood still for a moment and listened.

“I can hear it too; it's a distant sound, like wind blowing through the tunnels” said Mark; then he paused for a second. “It's her! She must not escape!” he exclaimed and pulled his laser gun out. So did the others.

It was their special training and martial art skills that saved them from being run over by my transformable vehicle

which now had the form of a motorcycle speeding through the wide tunnel. All five of them split and ran, performing incredible manoeuvres on the ground or on the rocky walls.

Right after, they sought to stop me with their laser weapons but it was too late for that.

I was out of the cave at last; my vehicle had already been transformed into a hovercraft, which was about to take off.

At that moment I discerned a familiar figure in the distance; I recognized prince Venor, armed with a peculiar, heavy weapon, and he was undoubtedly waiting for me. I barely had the time to glance at him, as I was taking off; he had lifted that weapon and aimed at my aircraft. All of a sudden I felt so vulnerable...

The first feeble vibrations soon got stronger and then even stronger. I realized my aircraft had just been struck by an electromagnetic oscillator; this means all engines and machinery would stop working within a few moments. I could have been ejected out of the cockpit by pushing a single button, but something heavy was detached from its place and fell on my head. After that, all was blur; I sank into a dark vortex, still knowing the air vessel was heading downwards and I could do nothing to control it. The fire started just at the moment of impact.

“She's still in there!” cried Aurelia.

“Maybe still alive!” added Mark.

“Shouldn't we remove the body?” asked Jace.

“I am going there to see for myself!” announced Venor and ran to the burning aircraft.

“No, Your Highness! It might explode any minute!” shouted Terry, a corpulent guy who was an expert technician and the fourth member of the team.

Yet, Venor wouldn't listen; he reached the crashed aircraft within a few minutes. He hesitated for a couple of moments before the rising flames, then he jumped into the cockpit through the shattered canopy.

“What the heck is he doing?” cried Kirk; he was very thin and very young, yet qualified enough to be the fifth member of the team.

“Look! He is carrying her out!” cried Aurelia, pointing at Venor, as he was getting out of the burning air vessel, holding Sandra Anderson in his arms.

“We've got her... and she is still alive!” announced the prince as soon as he approached his elite warriors.

When I regained consciousness, I found out I was imprisoned in a small cell and tied to an iron bed.

Nevertheless, that didn't daunt me; taking two or three deep breaths, I relished the benevolent sense of power surging in every cell of my body. Getting rid of my manacles and away from that dungeon was a piece of cake.

* * * * *

Kirk was the first elite warrior I met after my escape. He was guarding the corridor outside my cell and looked kinda flabbergasted as he saw me walking towards him.

“Do not... do not move!” he stuttered, aiming his laser weapon at me.

Instead I ran towards him and he tried to fire, but the gun seemed to be out of order. When I reached him, I stuck him against the wall and kissed him so passionately that stole all air from his lungs. He hardly bore any resistance, then his knees bent and he collapsed to the floor breathless.

I moved around the Yrkanian base G4S quickly, stealthily and carefully as an elf, taking special care not to be noticed

by any of the other elite warriors, every step bringing me closer and closer to the Solar Flower.

I had just forced the lock of the safety room, when I suddenly heard a very familiar voice ringing behind me:

“You didn't think you could linger in an Yrkanian base entirely unobserved, did you?”

Turning around at once, I faced Venor aiming at me with his laser weapon.

“Don't move!” ordered Mark, who was just arriving together with the others. Only one of them was missing.

“Where is Kirk?” Aurelia wondered.

At that moment Kirk rushed in, and he looked kinda agitated.

“I think I know what you mean, Mark, by saying she has disgraced you!” he remarked, pulling out his laser gun.

Mark blushed and gave him an angry look.

“Drop your weapon now!” Jace cried to me.

“I don't have a weapon”, I replied sincerely, my slight smile bewildering all of them. “But I have this!” I cried right after and launched an astral blast against them, simultaneously jumping aside so as to dodge several laser beams and magnetic boomerangs. I knew, however, I couldn't go on like this for long against five elite warriors and the prince of Yrkania.

Springing up on the air to avoid being struck by their weapons, I felt the urge to set free all the power still seething in my veins; I raised my right hand up and produced an impressive astral fluid effect which immediately covered the ceiling and the whole room with a bright white light. All enemies stepped back and froze in

awe – just for a couple of seconds.

All of a sudden I was overwhelmed by a kind of brown bulk that fell on me, pushing me violently down on the floor. It was Terry who had attacked me from behind, taking me by surprise. His action interrupted my astral attack, causing however an overload of power inside me. Namely, I was out of control...

“Be careful, all of you!” I heard Venor cry.

Next moment Terry was hurled against the opposite wall and knocked out, in spite of his instinctive attempt to protect his head with his muscular arms. All the others were just staring at the scene flabbergasted. Laser guns were aimed at me, yet stayed inert. Control screens, power units, telecom devices, surveillance cameras, computers, all devices were suddenly dead. I could perceive the slightest motion of the enemies as they were getting ready to assault me again, despite the odds; their persistence only made me smile.

“How little you know me” I chuckled, as I launched another astral blast, which neutralized all of them – or so I thought.

When the air got clearer, I noticed that Mark was nowhere to see.

* * * * *

I ran back to the safety room but Mark wasn't there; as about the Solar Flower, it was no longer in its transparent showcase.

“Damned!” I swore and fled at once.

I crossed endless corridors and lots of chambers, fast as an arrow, almost dematerialized. The power was still very strong inside me, but that wouldn't last long. After a while I paused; I was out of breath, my heart pounding. Where can

he be? I wondered. For a moment it occurred to me he might have left the base, but I dismissed to thought at once; he would never abandon his companions.

I had just reached a remote, hemispherical room on the highest level of the base, when a sharp, hissing sound made me turn around. I ducked barely in time to avoid being struck by a magnetic boomerang. However, I couldn't intercept Mark's personal attack as well: a powerful front kick of his made me collapse on the shiny, green floor, with my head spinning.

“This is where it all ends, Sandra!” he announced in a rough voice. “It's just you and me here!”

“I will get it!” I replied decisively, looking furtively at the precious item.

The Solar Flower was placed on a round table in the middle of the room, under a thick, golden light that was shed from a round opening on the ceiling.

“I've waited ages for this moment”, Mark went on with fiery eyes. “It's high time you paid for all that dishonour you caused me on Planet Doom!”

“Dishonour?” I mocked. “I thought you had a really wonderful time then!”

My mordant comment angered him even more, and he attacked again outraged; hardly dodging a strong punch on my face, I sprung up and pounced on him at once. A quick blow of his elbow on my right temple made me my head spin, and I groaned of pain. The enemy kept on slipping away like a flow of mercury, successfully parrying all my blows. He assaulted me once again as I got closer to the Solar Flower, and I barely stopped him with a sharp blow on his face; he fell back and rolled on the floor with

extreme suppleness, while I was reaching out for the precious item.

Next moment Mark was knelt down on his right knee, ready to hurl the boomerang again. Already holding the Solar Flower in my left hand, I launched a terrible astral blast with my right one. The whole room was drenched in a white light; the boomerang was demagnetized and fell down inert; Mark collapsed on the floor stunned. In no time I stood over him.

“What are you waiting for? Kill me!” he lisped, completely worn out.

I rode on him and kissed him softly on his lips; he didn't resist at all. As my fingers caressed his neck gently, slowly going down to his chest, a slight motion of his muscles showed he intended to react – but I neither had the time nor was I in the mood for more fighting. My hands slipped back to his throat again, and pressed the right nerve on his nape.

“So long, Mark!” I whispered to him, just a moment before he lost his senses.

* * * * *

Such an invaluable article, the Solar Flower, should only be kept in the right place – that is the safest place in the universe, a semi-material asteroid known as Eldyla.

Peter and I reached the ancient city of Rocira that lies in the carmine desert beyond the Nameless Lagoon. I had never visited that site before, but it fascinated me with its innumerable stone arches that were still in good condition though carved by long forgotten artists thousands of years ago. Its only inhabitants now were the icy winds blowing through the dark crypts.

Without uttering a word, we passed the main pillars to the

Temple of the Old Gods. There was nothing in that black marble edifice but whirling dust, hissing air draughts and an overwhelming, melancholic sense of lost glories. We moved on with slow, cautious steps, till we were in front of a sizeable, platinum slab embedded on the wall; it bore a weird relief of a blue, naked angel playing an ancient guitar.

For a couple of moments I stared at it bedazzled; then I noticed the slab was actually a door – a door to a crypt that had been empty for millennia.

“Here we are”, announced Peter calmly.

After everything was said and done properly, I deserved some real vacations. As my beloved Peter and I were getting into the serene, topaz waters of the Nameless Lagoon, he suddenly told me with a tone of suspicion in his voice:

“You know, Sandra, I still haven't understood why Mark has been so cross with you since your encounter on Planet Doom!”

* * * * *

At that moment my astral adventure was interrupted by George's clarion voice: “Oh, here you are Emma! Tell me, which exhibit did you like most?”

George Dim had just come near me, his face glowing of vividness.

It took me a few moments to realize that I, Emma, was still in the British Museum, looking abstractedly at the silkwork of Kuniyoshi.

“I think... this one”, I stammered full of happiness, and showed him the image showing the conflict between Takiyasa and Michukuni.

“It's quite impressive”, admitted George after having a good look at the exhibit. “Oh, by the way, what mark did you get

in the history test we had last week?”

“I got an 18” I replied, still not believing he was interested.

“Really? Me too!” he said smiling.

Reminiscence is over and I am back at the office, feeling exceptionally energized and calm.

It is all over now, but I have never forgotten you, George.

I never will...

Synchronicities

(Points of Contact between Dimensions)

First phase synchronicities are the ones I experienced in the years 1993-1994, while writing the second illustrated manuscript of the series “Memories of Sandra Anderson”.

Second phase synchronicities are those I experienced in the year 2021, while typing and editing the digital version of the series on my computer, with the intention to uploading it on digital libraries.

Third phase synchronicities are the ones I experienced while editing the series for a second time, from October to December 2022. This time all illustrations were omitted and the books were uploaded on publishing platforms.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Story 12, p. 6 (second phase): On 6th May, 2021, in the morning, I write about Sandra's friend, whose name is Kyel.

At night I watch an adventure series; in a scene, the name

“Kyle” appears on the screen of a cellphone.

Story 12, p. 8-11 (first phase): On 11th July, 1993, in the afternoon, I write about a music concert and a song that excites the audience. In the evening, my mother and I suddenly decide to visit my godmother. Her daughter happens to be there too, and she plays a very fine piece on the piano, which really excites us.

Story 12, p. 14 (first phase): On 18th July, 1993, early in the morning, I write about Venor hanging from a baluster while fighting against Peter. The latter helps his opponent climb up, but Venor hits him hard and then kicks him twice. Late

at night I watch a fantasy film on TV. At a moment, the bad guy is about to fall from a baluster; the hero tries to save him from falling off, however the villain hits him and throws him down.

Story 13, p. 23 (first phase): On 12th September, 1993, after I had finished writing the first paragraphs of the story about Astrid, I browsed in a magazine. The first picture I saw belonged to a young woman with long blond hair, named Astrid.

Story 13, pp. 22-23 (first phase): On 12th September, 1993, I write about Emma's experience in cyberspace worlds. Two days later, a colleague at work told me about her extraordinary experience in cyberspace worlds when she was in England. “I cried for two days!” she confessed.

Story 13, p. 27 (first phase): On 18th September, 1993, in the afternoon, I write about Sandra giving a music concert as a lead singer. A few hours later, I watch an episode of a sci-fi cartoon on TV, where a woman singer gives a music concert.

Story 13, pp. 32-33 (first phase): On 29th September, 1993, in the afternoon, I write about Sandra and Venor making love, while Astrid is watching full of jealousy. In the evening I watch an adventure film on TV; the plot proves to be quite similar to mine, since it is about a man who asks a woman's help so as to get rid of another, dangerous woman.

Moreover, there is a scene where this man and the woman are making love, while the dangerous woman is watching full of jealousy.

Story 13 (third phase): On 7th November, 2022, I finish editing the story of Astrid, a negative astral entity who haunts Venor. Two days later, I receive a spam e-mail from a

woman named Astrid; she claims to be a doctor in Spain, and offers cheap medical services.

Story 14, p. 41 (second phase): On 24th May, 2021, in the morning, I type on the computer that Emma watches a handsome guy on the bus; he gets off three bus stops later.

In the evening there is an adventure film on TV, where a woman watches a man who gets on the metro; he is ordered through mobile phone to get off three bus stops later.

Story 14, p. 43 (first phase): On 8th January, 1994, in the afternoon, I write about a yacht in a lake surrounded by lightning. Just a short time later, I watch a cartoon film on TV, where there is a characteristic scene with a ship surrounded by lightning.

Story 14, p. 47, (third phase): On 8th November, 2022, in the morning, I write that Sandra reaches the legendary Bone Pyramid. The previous night (moon eclipse) there was an invasion in an Athenian cemetery; numerous ossuaries were broken and opened, and eight of them were emptied of their content. The incident will be broadcast on TV two days later.

Story 15, pp. 58, 61 (first phase): On 3rd April, 1994, in the morning, I write that Sandra reaches an ancient elephant cemetery and fights a monster, while Peter and a desert tribe are imprisoned by Venor. In the evening I happen to watch an adventure film on TV; there is a wild tribe in a desert, a beast that threatens them, an elephant cemetery nearby, and an enemy who captures the hero.

Story 15, pp. 58, 64-65, (third phase): On 10th November, 2022, in the morning, I write about Sandra going to an

elephant cemetery full of skeletons and bones. Later on, she watches a witch performing a ritual of dark magic. About an hour later, I watch the News on TV just for two or three minutes. I hear there was an invasion in an Athenian cemetery; numerous ossuaries were broken and opened, and eight of them were emptied of their content. The police reckon it was work of Satanists, who probably used the bones in some dark magic ritual.

Story 15, pp. 59-60 (first phase): On 9th April, 1994, early in the afternoon, I write about a seashore by the desert, an underwater exploration, schools of fish swimming all around. A few hours later, a friend of mine decides to buy an aquarium, and we go together to the pet shop right away. Later I read a comic, where there are some scenes of a seashore by a desert, as well as underwater exploration among schools of fish.

Story 16, p. 75 (first phase): On 2nd June, 1994, in the morning, I write that Venor gets injured on the chest by an arrow. Some hours later, I watch an adventure film on TV; the hero, who looks like Venor, gets injured on the chest by knives. Moreover, my uncle Andrew gets a heart attack in the afternoon.

Story 16, p. 77 (first phase): On 4th June, 1994, early in the afternoon, I write about an invasion in a castle, where people fight with swords. Late at night, I happen to watch a film on TV where there is an invasion in a castle and people fight with swords.

Story 16, p. 77 (second phase): On 9th June, 2021, early in the morning, I write about Pedro and his dramatic death. In the afternoon, I suddenly hear my mother say to me: “You know what I see... Pedro now...”. She pauses for a moment,

then she tells me something about the leaves of the trees outside. In all probability, she wasn't aware of uttering that name...

Story 16, p. 79 (first phase): On 7th June, 1994, in the afternoon, I write and draw a scene of Sandra standing by a nice window. Right in front of it there is a bench covered with colourful cushions. A few hours later, I watch a film on TV. In a certain scene the protagonist enters a room through a nice window; right in front of it there is a bench covered with colourful cushions.

Story 16, p. 90 (first phase): On 15th July, 1994, in the afternoon, I write that Sandra gets struck on the heart. A little later my sister has a strong pain on the heart and she goes to hospital; luckily, it is nothing serious.

Story 16, p. 91 (first phase): On 29th July, 1994, in the morning, I write and draw a scene where Venor is tied to a pillar. In the evening I watch an adventure film on TV; in a certain scene, a man -who looks like Venor- is tied to a pillar.

Story 17, p. 94 (first phase): On 8th August, 1994, in the afternoon, I write about Sandra's sad thoughts as she faces the sunset over the sea. Next evening I happen to be at the beach with someone I don't like, and I watch the sunset full of sad thoughts.

Story 17, p. 95 (first phase): On 9th August, 1994, in the afternoon, I write that Sandra accosts Peter silently from behind; she opens up his shirt and tenderly caresses his naked chest; he turns his head and kisses her softly. Next morning, as I walk along Panepistimiou Avenue, I suddenly notice a young couple coming towards me. The woman accosts her boyfriend from behind and she caresses his

chest under the half-open shirt tenderly; he turns his head and kisses her softly.

Story 17, p. 110 (third phase): On 18th November, 2022, I write about a black-dressed witch who is standing in front of an altar made of black marble; right over it there is a three-dimensional image of two intertwined snakes, which symbolize two opposite cosmic powers, fire and void. The next day I browse among pictures on an image sharing site for a few minutes. At a moment I see a digital painting that shows a witch dressed in black; she has two twirling horns at the sides of her head which look a lot like snakes, and the title of the painting is “Void”.

Story 17, pp. 113, 115 (first phase): On 2nd September, 1994, in the afternoon, I write about the explosion of the ship called Destiny; most workers abandoned the ship before it was destroyed. Next morning, at work, I hear that a bomb exploded in the house of our boss the previous night; luckily, nobody was there.

Story 17 (third phase): From 18th to 21st November, 2022, I edit the whole story, which is about a ship/worksite, where a High Priestess uses the workers like slaves. During these days a lot is heard on the TV News about an orphanage called “The Arc”; its founder is a priest who is accused of using the children like slaves. Moreover, he often used to travel by ship (cruisers) together with a team of boys, whom he used as slaves.

Story 18, p. 124 (third phase): On 23rd November, 2022, I edit the part where Sandra and Peter are in the tower of Lebrann, discussing the case of the alien body snatchers. In the original manuscript I have drawn a relevant picture which shows the couple in a white chamber with arched

doors and a wooden floor. Peter is wearing a green uniform, Sandra a purple one. Late at night I browse among some pictures on an image sharing site; within a few minutes I locate a drawing which looks a lot like my scene: There is a young couple talking in a white chamber with arched doors and a wooden floor; he is red-haired and he is wearing a green uniform, just like Peter; she has black hair and purple clothes, just like Sandra.

Story 18, p. 128 (first phase): On 18th October, 1994, in the evening, I write about a monster falling down upon a vehicle and killing a man. Next morning, as a bus is arriving at the bus terminus near my workplace, it suddenly gets out of control and falls upon some people who are waiting at the bus stop; two or three of them are killed.

Story 19, p. 136 (first phase): On 5th November, 1994, in the afternoon, I write about Emma reminiscing her school love, while at work as a secretary in an office. Two days later, a guy I really like visits me in the office where I work as a secretary.

Story 19, p. 141 (first phase): On 2nd December, 1994, in the afternoon, I write that Sandra's aircraft crashes because of an electromagnetic wave. A few hours later I happen to watch an adventure film on TV, where a plane crashes because of an electromagnetic wave.

Story 19, p. 145 (first phase): On 16th December, 1994, in the morning, I write about a warrior being defeated by Sandra in a fight. “What are you waiting for? Kill me!” he asks from her. In the afternoon I watch a serial on TV, where a similar scene takes place: Two men fight and the loser says to the winner: “Come on, kill me now!”