

Caryn Elizabeth

* BOOK ONE *  
~ Survival ~

R H Politz

Based on the story "After 2012"

Copyright © 2010 - 2020  
Robert H Politz and Caryn E Christianson  
All rights reserved

No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express written permission of the copyright holders.

For information regarding permissions, write to Robert H Politz or Caryn E Christianson at 9849 Masked Duck Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89117-8412

### ~*~

This is a work of fiction based on the original story

"After 2012"

By

R. H. Politz

Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, entities, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

***

Author's Note

_This story is published to honor the requests of a very special group of people.  
_

We hope you enjoy this tale of struggle and chaos in a world of danger, paranormal beings and magical wishes.

~*~

CONTENTS  
~*~

*ONE* Dempsey's Incompetence

*TWO* The Contract

*THREE* Armageddon

*FOUR* The White Dove

* FIVE* The Valley Awakens

*SIX* A Puzzling Puzzle

*SEVEN* The Teacher's Name

*EIGHT* The Dark Tower

*NINE* The Book of Prophesies

*TEN* A Holiday Surprise

*ELEVEN* Christmas Eve

*TWELVE* Christmas Day

#

#  *ONE* Dempsey's Incompetence

Caryn had already counted her tips, turned in her total and was anxiously waiting to leave. She glanced at the TV and scowled. "Yuck, talking heads spewing fake political attacks. Why do you always watch that depressing news?"

George looked at her tip total, shook his head and turned off the sound. "Because Caryn, those people are dangerous. If they start a war, I'd like to know about it."

"War? Yeah, right, like that's going to happen."

"Hey, you never know. Anyway, thanks for staying late. I really appreciate it."

"No problem Boss. Just tell Stella to get here on time tomorrow. I have to pick up my kids..., five minutes ago."

She hurried to her car, sped out to the street, and stopped. "Oh crap!" she mumbled. "Total gridlock. I'm late and I need gas. I'll never make it to the highway in this mess. If I take the back streets maybe I can make it on time."

She eased along a parking lane and turned into cross traffic to a surface route with stop signs and traffic lights. Progress was slow but at least she was moving. The school bus was already pulling away when she arrived and parked.

"Ridiculous." she sputtered exiting her car. "I barely got here in time."

She hurried toward the bus stop and stopped mid-way when saw her daughters yelling at each other.

"Cut it out, Julie!" yelled Amy pushing her sister.

Julie stumbled backward spilling her books to the ground and clenched her fists in anger. "Will not. You said it. Now take it back Amy. Take it back!"

"I will not! It's all Mom's fault. If we hadn't moved I'd still have some friends. The kids here are totally mean and really stupid. I hate this place!"

"Yeah? Well, I don't like it either but it's not _that_ bad. And it's not Mom's fault. We _had_ to move. She got another job. Remember? Anyway, some of the kids aren't so stupid and we'll be here for a long time. You'll see. We can make new friends."

Amy scowled and kicked some dirt out over the curb. "Yeah, right, new friends..., as if. What do you know? You're only in fourth grade."

"Oh yeah? Well, you're only in fifth Amy. And you're just mad cause those boys made fun of you. And you didn't have to push me out of the seat. That big idiot was just trying to impress his friends so they'd think he's cool."

"If he tries that again I'll clean his clock. And it _is_ Mom's fault. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for her."

Amy stood frozen for a moment and then exhaled a long breath as her anger began to subside. "Oh never mind Sis. Come on, let's go wait for Mom at the corner."

Although Caryn felt hurt and guilty from Amy's angry words, she forced herself to pretend she hadn't heard anything as she scooped them up to take them home.

"How was school today, girls?" she asked looking at their scowls in the rearview mirror. Their only response was an angry grunt. "Did you have a good day?" she continued with a smile hoping to defuse the squabble.

Amy made a face and started to whine. "That stupid kid in ––" But Julie's quick elbow followed by a whispered, "Don't say anything." interrupted her grievance. Amy pushed back and whispered, "Okay. All right." and then answered. "Yeah, it was okay Mom."

"What about the softball team signups, did you get your names in for the tryouts?"

"No Mom, we can't sign up till next week and we have to have some kind of insurance thing signed."

"Insurance...? I thought we had that already."

"We don't know Mom. The coach said she'd give us a form to take home next week. Guess we'll find out then."

As she pulled into her aunt's driveway, Caryn thought, _Insurance so they can play softball? Great! I wonder what that's going to cost._

"Hi kids," greeted their aunt as they jumped out of the car with scowls on their faces. "My, my, don't we look grumpy today." The girls said nothing and Caryn shrugged with an, _Oh well_ look on her face. "Okay then kids. Grab your books. What do you want to do first today, homework or clean the rec' room?"

Julie hated cleaning the recreation room. It was always a mess. "Oh, um, we've got lots of homework. You know, like tests and things."

Amy, on the other hand, didn't really care. "Whatever you want us to do. Bye Mom. See you tonight."

"Yeah, see ya Mom." Then, Julie silently mouthed to her sister, _Homework... tell her we have lots of homework so we don't have to clean._

Caryn chuckled at her daughters shenanigans, gave them a quick kiss and drove off to her second job.

It would be another long night of waiting tables while trying to force her daughters' quarrel out of her mind. But do it she would. Christmas was coming and she needed the extra money for gifts. It was her favorite time of the year. A time to be with her daughters and watch their joy as they opened the few presents she hoped she could afford.

The week crawled by without further arguments and work was quiet with few customers and even fewer tips.

Sunday evening: Her daughters had gone to bed and everything was done. She had some free time, a rarity indeed. There was nothing interesting on television and she was too tired to do any more housework. Her eyes closed as she settled back against a cushion and sunk into the comfortable folds of a chair. _Rest at last_ she thought.

Then, reality struck. She stood up, rubbed her face with both hands and shook herself awake. _Okay, whew, Can't go to sleep yet..., too early. I'll wake up at four and be exhausted by noon. Guess I'll catch up on my diary._

She would occasionally scribble notes on scraps of paper and copy them into her diary later. It gave her a chance to have an imaginary conversation and talk things out with herself. A quick glance at the note in her checkbook made her sigh. "Nuts." she muttered shaking her head.

She opened her diary and began to write.

Just when I thought we were getting ahead I had to take a second job again. Tips have been crummy for the last two years and business is getting slower every month.

The credit card bills came in this week. I'm back to paying only the minimum. Interest is eating up every dollar I have and grocery shopping is a nightmare. Julie won't eat hot dogs and Amy won't eat hamburgers.

Meatloaf doesn't work for them both anymore either but at least they still like macaroni and cheese. I have to make something different for each of them almost every day and I can't afford some of the things they really like. They're sisters. How can their tastes be so different? Boy, I really hope something changes soon. I can't take much more of this new economy stuff.

The government had passed legislation to increase taxes on everything average people needed and started issuing new grants to study the flight habits of the extinct Dodo bird. Pork barrel spending had reached its zenith and the elite 'good-ole-boy' network knew the voters would rebel at the next election. So while they had control of the government's purse-strings, they filled their pockets and left ordinary people with less money, higher living costs and empty promises.

The economists called it "The great recession". To Caryn and other average working people, it meant much more than a phrase as government tax and spend programs squeezed every penny from their paycheck-to-paycheck pockets.

Even in the face of all this, Caryn would not let the smile evaporate from her face and continued her fight to improve their lives. Her tenacious determination eventually paid off with a better paying job as a lead butler in a five-star hotel which she approached with all the enthusiasm and vigor she could muster.

Her new employer provided very valuable training and she happily gave the Movie stars, corporate CEO's, kings and even presidents from several countries the five-diamond service they expected. Becoming the best butler on the team was Caryn's goal and she focused her efforts toward that end.

Two years later the hotel was sold to a large conglomerate that had a different view of how it should be run. Guest satisfaction was replaced by the short term bottom line and five-diamond service was no longer a priority.

Her supervisor was replaced by a new manager who concentrated solely on his own personal gain at the expense of those around him. His first order of business was to lay down his rules by scheduling a meeting for the lead butlers.

"Hi guys." said Caryn as she entered the conference room where the other butlers had already gathered. "Does anyone know what this meeting's about?"

"We don't know Caryn. Our new _dictator_ –– Oops." He put his hand over his mouth. "I mean... _Manager_... just ordered us to be here. Didn't say why. I hear he's a real ––" He froze in mid-sentence. "Oh-oh, here he comes."

A stout bald man walked in, closed the door and announced, "My name is Dempsey. I'm your new boss and I _will_ be making some changes around here."

He looked at everyone and then continued with: "I'm taking your access to the ordering system away. All orders have to go through me. And if any of our guests contact you for a party or convention, refer them to me. I'll take care of everything. None of you will create a menu or take an order for any party or function from now on. This week's schedule is on the board."

His announcement was short, abrupt and definite. Without waiting, he turned and left the room preventing anyone from asking questions.

They all looked at Dempsey's new schedule. "This is ridiculous" exclaimed Caryn! "He's changed everyone's shift and days off. Look at this. He's only got one butler in the tower on Friday and no one in the villas on Tuesday. And look at these days, no grave people on Wednesday or Thursday. We can't possibly cover the floor like this. Boy are we going to have some really irritated guests."

"Oh, who cares?" said one of the other butlers as he shrugged and left the room. "My shift is the same. Doesn't affect me."

"What do you mean?" Caryn shot back. "What happened to our team spirit? Are we just going to ––"

"Oh Caryn, give it a rest" interrupted another. "So he's an idiot. So what. Just punch in, punch out and go home. There's nothing we can do anyway."

"Well, I'm going to ––"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Caryn, here's some advice. Just do your job and maybe, just maybe, you won't get fired. I've seen his kind before, so just keep it together. And keep your mouth shut."

The butlers left leaving Caryn standing with clenched fists and a face red with anger. She was livid. She gritted her teeth and hurried back to her floor.

_How can he be so stupid_? _Okay, I'll be nice. I'll send him a schedule that works, one that covers the floor for the guests we have coming in. I'll be polite and congenial. Please and thank you. That might work._

Back in her office, she sent her suggested schedule. There was no reply. She called. "Did you get the schedule I sent? I put Stan and David on swing and ––"

"I got it!" interrupted Dempsey and hung up.

"He hung up on me" she gasped. "Holy buckets he's a nasty sort. What am I in for now?"

Customer complaints quickly shot up ten-fold. But, as manager, Dempsey was able to blame each case that made it to his supervisor, on someone else. A high-roller, Mr. Smyth, lodged a complaint with the President of the hotel who handed it off to the Vice-President of Food and Beverage. "Sally, would you ask Dempsey to come to my office. See if he can make it today."

An hour later, Dempsey walked in. "Hi John, you wanted to see me, what's up?"

"Oh hi Dempsey. The boss told me to handle this complaint from Mr. Smyth. He said that the food for his party was two hours late, there were things missing, the wine he asked for never arrived and things he didn't even order just showed up. Guess he was pretty upset. What happened?"

"John, it's the staff, they're terrible. They don't get the orders right, they call them in late, terrible. I have to get rid of some of them."

"Well, tough problem Dempsey. Most of them have been in that department since this place opened. Just make sure you document a good reason when you fire them."

"Sure John, I'll find something to use. Maybe I can get someone in a different department to file a complaint. That way, I can suspend them for a while and fire them later."

"Sounds okay. Just be careful. We don't want any more lawsuits."

"Okay, I'll take care of it. Golf Saturday John?"

"Yup, tee time is at ten. Oh, and don't forget that sweet little package you promised me."

Dempsey decided to use the _failure to follow company procedure_ charge. He would change a procedure, not tell anyone and, when someone he wanted to fire breached it, he would print it, post it and suspend that victim. When the employee came back to work after the suspension period, Dempsey would fire him or her on the spot.

One butler was fired for leaving early even though he had followed the early out procedure. But of course, Dempsey had secretly changed it for his department. Another was suspended for eating a muffin in the wrong place and a coordinator was fired for coming back five minutes late from her scheduled dinner break even though she had taken less than the allotted time.

His message that he would _find_ a reason to fire anyone who failed to submit to his whims came through loud and clear. Several people quit and more were fired but no replacements were hired. He just wanted to reduce payroll to maximize his bonus. The results of his actions clearly showed his greed and ineptitude often bordering on sheer stupidity. But..., management kept him on.  
_He was connected._

High rollers, celebrities and billionaires were their guests and Caryn wanted to make their stays enjoyable and memorable but it was always frustrating. When she arrived at work, she might _discover_ a cocktail party on her floor with only twelve bottles of water for a hundred guests.

It was always obvious that the itinerary and menu had been given to Dempsey ahead of time. If one of the butlers asked him why he didn't let any of them know, he would ignore the question and walk out of the room.

Caryn's team constantly had to scramble, and apologize –– apologize –– apologize. The hotel's glowing reputation was rapidly becoming tarnished.

Dempsey attempted to cut every cost he could find. He eliminated tried and true successful policies, created constant problems and his offensive behavior angered everyone with whom he had contact.

Did he care? Not at all. He knew he was very well connected and immune to complaints. Only the staff would have to pay the price of rushing to placate angry guests while enduring longer shifts and making less money.

His _only_ concern was himself and, regardless of the problems he created, his superiors backed him up –– _He was very, very connected._

When one particular guest saw all the mishaps Dempsey had caused for his corporate party and how well Caryn was able to quickly correct them, he decided she was the one for whom he searched. This subtle observation by an absolute stranger would soon change her life forever.

#  *TWO* The Contract

Caryn's observant guest flew back to his own country satisfied he had found the right people for his newest flagship resort. Only weeks remained before its opening and, for certain key positions, he wanted only the best and brightest and would offer whatever it took to get them.

The epitome of luxury in accommodations was his new direction. It would be showcased with the latest technology and the most effective operations the hospitality industry had ever seen. The entire complex would be energy efficient, environmentally friendly, sumptuously appointed, unique in design, extremely profitable and, above all, the most desirable place to stay.

Shark fin or bird's nest soup, obscenely expensive wines, large bowls of imperial caviar from Black Sea sturgeons; these and other rare delicacies would be served by a staff of formally trained butlers on sterling silver and gold-trimmed china as routine fare.

Guests at this level of wealth had a common standard. If the service impressed their friends and satisfied their whims, cost was not a consideration. It would take a very special individual to be able to satisfy such demands and time was of the essence. The list of names for key employees was short. Time was even shorter.

Mr. Stanwick –– Caryn's observant guest –– looked at his calendar and pressed the intercom button on his desk. "Barbara, have Collins come see me please."

"Yes sir, I'll call him right now."

Stanwick was gazing out the window when Collins arrived. "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Ah, yes. Afternoon Collins. I have an important task I'd like you to handle. I've had the boys do a background check on these employee candidates and I want you to personally interview them. Here is the list." –– It displayed each position Stanwick wanted filled with a numbered list of candidate names. –– "As you can see, they're in order of my preference. If you can't hire the first choice, go to the second one and so on and so forth. Any questions?"

"This one sir. There's only one name next to it. Who's your second choice?"

"Ah yes. That one is a very special person for a very important position. There _is_ no second choice. She's the one who managed to fix all the problems at our executive party in America. I want her."

"Oh yes sir. I remember. Incredible that she was able to do what she did. Terrible hotel service, except for her efforts of course. I can see why you want her."

"Very good. Now we only have about three weeks. Lots to do, so let's get this moving directly. Any conflicts? Can you get started today?"

"No conflicts sir." Collins looked at the calendar. "Hmm, the weekend, it may be difficult to get immediate flights. If I could take ––"

"Absolutely. Take a company jet and anything else you need to get this done. I have too much riding on this opening to cut corners at this late date. After all, we do have only one chance to make a first impression. Right?"

"Yes sir." Collins turned and hurried to his office.

"Lori, here's a list of information on each new-hire candidate. This is a top priority so ring them up and schedule appointments for next week please. And pay particular attention to this one." He pointed to the position of _Manager of Butler Services_ with a single name next to it. "Special case that one is. Book my room and keep my reservations open-ended. I've been ordered to come back only if I have a signed contract from her. That may take a day or two of convincing. Not quite sure yet. The rest seem pretty straight-forward."

"Yes Mr. Collins, I'll take care of it immediately. When will you be leaving?"

"As quickly as possible..., yesterday..., now if that's feasible. How long will it take to ready one of our jets?"

"I'll check right now sir." Lori called their hangar, then for a car. "They'll be ready for you in twenty minutes. Do you have all of your ––"

"Twenty minutes?" he gasped. "Well, I'll just make do with what I have. No time to waste. Have to get moving. Thank you. And let me know if there's anything else I need. Now you know why I keep that valise in my office ready to go at a moment's notice."

With valise and briefcase in hand, Collins hurried out the door and Lori began dialing. The number highlighted in yellow was first. _Glad I don't have to run all over the world like that_ she mused.

When Caryn heard her telephone ringing and ringing and ringing, she rinsed the soap from her eyes and jumped out of the shower sputtering, "Oh fudge face. I must have forgotten to turn the answering machine back on."

She wrapped herself in a towel and ran to pick it up. "Butler services. This is Caryn."

She had gotten so used to answering that way at work it became a habit, even at home.

"Hello Caryn, my name is Lori. Mr. Collins asked me to call. He would like to meet with you to discuss hiring you for our company."

"Mr. Collins, hiring me for what? I already have a job. What company are you talking about?" Caryn was slightly irritated at the interruption in her busy schedule but intrigued at the word, 'hiring'.

"All I can say Caryn, is that Mr. Stanwick was quite insistent that we find a convenient time for you and Mr. Collins to meet for an hour or so. You remember Mr. Stanwick don't you? He said you did a dinner party for the company's executives in your suites recently, and he was very impressed. Apparently, your supervisor, Mr. Dempsey, failed to let anyone know about the menu, or even that there was a party scheduled. And you, as Mr. Stanwick put it, pulled quite a few rabbits out of your hat. He told our Vice President, Mr. Collins, that anyone who could put on the dinner you did, with no advance notice, was someone he wanted working for us."

Caryn wasn't sure which party Lori was talking about. "Oh, I see, well..., thank you. That's quite a compliment. But what job are you talking about?"

"Mr. Collins will explain all the details himself. Let's see, I show that you're working a two to ten p.m. schedule this week. Would a Thursday lunch be okay, say..., about twelve-thirty?"

That statement immediately got Caryn's attention. "You know my schedule? How did you get my schedule?"

"Mr. Stanwick gave it to us. I can set you up for lunch at the Rain Tree right next to your work. Will that be convenient for you? Mr. Collins promises he won't make you late. Oh, and don't be concerned about wearing your work uniform. He understands you're on a tight schedule."

It sounded legitimate and any opportunity to escape Dempsey's incompetence was certainly worth investigating. "Oh. Thursday, um, well, I guess that's.... At the Rain Tree you say? All right. But how will I know Mr. Collins?"

"Just give the host your name and they'll take you right to his table. Thursday at twelve-thirty then. Thank you Caryn. It was a pleasure speaking with you."

She stood for a moment looking at the telephone wondering if the call was real or someone's prank. _Why would someone call and offer me a job? Humph, better check it out though._ She leaned over to jot the appointment down on a notepad. _Oh fudge-bananas, I'm dripping all over the place._ She wiped up the puddles, ran back to the bathroom and finished getting ready for work.

The next day, she looked up the company and found that it was a well-established chain with properties all over the world. She called one of the larger locations and spoke to a waiter, a front desk clerk and a maintenance person.

Every one of them said it was a "good place to work". Even a chef who worked at another location seemed genuinely happy with his job. As Thursday approached, her excitement rose.

"Leaving early today" asked her aunt?

"Yup, I have a lunch appointment before work. Do I look okay for a business meeting?" Her aunt nodded approval. "Don't' worry. I'll get those invoices done for you tomorrow. See you sometime tonight."

Traffic was the usual stop-and-go but, on this day, Caryn didn't mind. It gave her a chance to mentally prepare for this potentially important interview. She parked in her usual spot, checked her appearance, and walked next door to the restaurant. It was impressive, and she was about to have a gourmet lunch. Today, she would be served instead of the other way around. _I hope the offer is for a place close by_ she thought as she entered the front door. _Schedule, what kind of schedule do they want me to work, what department..., do they have butler service?_

"Hello, my name is Caryn. I'm meeting a ––"

"Oh yes Caryn. We've been expecting you. Please follow me. Right this way."

_So, this is where the executives meet when they're off property._ _I hope no one recognizes me and asks why I'm here._

"Pleasure to see you Caryn," said a well-dressed man holding out his hand. "Glad you could make it for lunch."

"Thank you Mr. Collins. It is Mr. Collins isn't it?" She shook his hand and sat down.

"Yes Caryn, I _am_ Mr. Collins and it's good to see you once again. I was at the party last month, the one where your hotel lost all our information. Lots of people there so I'm sure you don't remember me. But I do remember you, quite well in fact. Excellent recovery. Well done."

It was embarrassing to not remember him. Then the host draped a napkin on her lap and suggested some wines before reciting that day's specials.

"No wine for me. I think, um, the roasted chicken salad. No tomatoes, and please put the dressing on the side."

"No wine with lunch?"

"Not for me. Drinks are for _after_ work."

Collins smiled and gave his order sans the wine. "You served quite a dinner at our party last month Caryn. Mr. Stanwick saw how frazzled you were and did some investigating whilst playing golf with a few senior executives from your hotel. Frankly, he was astounded at their lackadaisical attitude toward employees."

She wanted to cheer at that statement.

"My assistant sent all the details and menus for that party weeks ahead of time, even called to confirm. But when we arrived, we found that your supervisor, a Mr. Dempsey I believe, had not ordered any of the supplies we requested nor had he even alerted anyone on your floor that we would be having such a function. Astoundingly bad show, especially for a five-star establishment."

"Oh yes, that party, I remember. I had to call in a few favors to get your food ready in time. I really do apologize for that. We aren't normally so unprepared. I hope we didn't ruin your event."

"Oh no, quite the contrary, it turned out to be one of the better parties we've ever had. When you managed to get almost everything Lori had ordered –– and on a moment's notice it seemed –– Mr. Stanwick told me that you should be working for us." Then his forehead furrowed and he tilted his head. "Does that sort of thing happen often?"

"Well, it's just something that's unavoidable once in a while. But we don't want the guests to see the problems we're having in the back of the house. I guess we didn't do as well as we should have."

"Quite the contrary Caryn. You did very well. And, I have to say, I admire your loyalty. To _not_ throw someone else right into the fire is admirable. I'm not sure I'd be able to shield your supervisor the way you just did. Stanwick was right, but then, he usually is."

"Right...? Right about what?"

"Let me just say that he's a fantastic judge of people. The day we played golf Mr. Stanwick said employees should never be treated like that. Later he said the attitudes of your hotel's executives have opened the door for us to steal you away. We don't usually recruit people from other companies but he said that someone of your caliber should not have to put up with, um, well, with that sort of treatment. It's almost as if this Dempsey bloke is _trying_ to _sabotage_ your floor. Incredible that your CEO has allowed it to go on this long."

He tore off a piece of bread and pointed it at Caryn before it reached his mouth. "Oh, and yes Caryn, we checked, and he will probably continue operating that way, and they will probably keep him on. How _have_ you put up with him for all this time?" He leaned back in his chair. "Ah well, but _that_ will soon be history I hope. Yum, good bread this."

Caryn was astounded that anyone outside her hotel would know, or even care, about the problems they'd been having. It felt good that someone, knowledgeable in the business, actually noticed.

"Okay, you know a great deal about me, much more than I expected. But how did we get to this meeting? Your assistant mentioned hiring, for what and where?"

Collins smiled and pulled out a folded document. "I love it when someone gets right to the point."

"Caryn, we want you to set up and run the butler department in our newest hotel. Our opening is just a few weeks away and this" –– He handed her the contract –– "will be a great opportunity for you. Take a look. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Caryn reached for it trying to not let Collins see her hand shaking in nervous excitement. "Well, it seems that the competition is offering me a job. Are you talking about the property that was just in the news? I've heard about it but it's so far away."

"Yes, from here it is, but this really _is_ a wonderful opportunity and you'll love the area. It's quite beautiful and a very good place to live. Besides, it's obvious your current company doesn't care about its employees very much. Bit of an understatement I think. But no mind, we're different. We know our people are the life blood of our business and we support and treat them with the respect they deserve. Can you say that about your present position? You really should accept you know. And I'm sure you'll like working for us. So.... What do you think?"

Caryn scanned the first page of the contract. "I'm flattered that you're offering me such a position but, the foreign location, I don't know. My daughters just got settled here and it was very difficult for them. Another move? I'm just not sure I can do this to them again."

Collins looked obviously disappointed but he was also determined. "Well, I understand. Such a move _is_ quite a decision. Give it some thought. Read the offer and compare it to your present job. I think you'll see that this would be an excellent position and we'd love to have you in our family. Just let me know on Monday. But for now, let's forget about business and enjoy lunch."

Their drinks arrived; tall iced-teas with a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon. "Umm, delicious. Now tell me about your daughters. How old are they?"

Caryn's face lit up as she pulled out her photos. "This is Julie and this is Amy. They both play softball and are finally starting to settle in here."

Collins had a daughter about the same age so they compared many enjoyable stories before discussing the fiercely competitive hospitality industry. Collins explained how they encouraged employee ideas and how an occasional one had changed a management policy or two. Caryn silently wished her supervisors would think in the same manner but knew they never would.

When they were finished, she put the contract into her bag and went to work thinking it would be difficult to understand the usual legalese found in such documents. But later, at home, she discovered that it was fairly straightforward.

She contemplated the offer over the next few days. But, when Monday came, she refused it. Collins reported her answer to Stanwick, who became rather upset.

"Get her. She's the one I want. I don't care what the cost is. Make her a better offer and just get her."

Another offer was presented and again refused, albeit reluctantly. As much as she wanted to escape Dempsey's tyranny, she found it difficult to threaten her daughters' quality of life just to alleviate her emotional and financial straits. She knew their futures were at stake but, in the end, the new offer was still not good enough to put them through such trauma again. Her answer was still "no".

Determined to carry out Stanwick's order, Collins presented a better offer and received another "no". This cycle continued until Caryn could not possibly refuse. It was time to talk to her daughters.

They had just finished tidying up from dinner and Amy was anxious to watch a popular show on television.

"Girls" said Caryn thoughtfully as she put the last dish away and slowly folded a towel. "I need your help." They both stopped and waited for the bad news. It was always bad news when their mother got that serious look on her face. She clasped her hands and sighed. "I've been offered a new job but it's in another place a long ways away. In fact, it's a _very_ long way from here. And, it ––"

"Move to another place, again?" whined Amy. "But, Mom, we just got a decent softball team going. We can't leave now. We just got here last year."

"I know. But they have sports over there, too. And this is a wonderful opportunity for all of us. Look girls, ––"

"No way" interrupted Julie defiantly. It took us all year to get those idiots from seventh grade to stop picking on us. And now you want us to start all over again? No way. I won't do it!" She folded her arms and frowned, pouting.

Amy slapped her sister's shoulder. "Oh cut it out Sis. Mom's serious." Then she whispered into Julie's ear, "We have to stick together. Remember?"

"I'm really sorry girls. But this way, we won't have to have the car fixed every other week and you might learn to like something besides macaroni and cheese." She tried to lighten the mood but the girls would have none of it.

"Mom..., what's wrong with mac and cheese? Come-on, please" cried Julie.

"Yeah mom, you can't do this. Move, again. Really? Oh, never mind. She's going to do it anyway Julie.

Let's go watch the show while we still can. They probably don't even have TV wherever we're going."

Her new employer's support team handled their arrangements and two weeks later, they arrived. The girls' grumbling significantly diminished when they saw their new home, a beautiful suburban flat located in a well-kept neighborhood just a few minutes' drive from the new resort.

Their chauffeur opened the door, carried in their bags and handed Caryn the keys. "I think you'll find most everything you'll need here" he said while showing Caryn the flat with its fully stocked cupboards and refrigerator. "And here is a list of names and phone numbers. If you have any questions, just ring this one and we'll help you settle in. Are you quite set then mum?"

"Oh wow! I mean yes. Thank you very much."

"Right then. Good evening mum" he said with a tip of his cap as he walked out the door.

Caryn watched the limousine pull away and wondered if she had made the right decision.

_Wow, this is wonderful. I hope I can live up to their expectations._ Suddenly, her hand went up to her mouth. _What if I can't? What if I'm not good enough? Whew. Okay, come on Caryn Elizabeth, you can do it. You're good at this. Just keep reminding yourself that you-can-do-it._

She took a long nervous breath and looked around. "Okay girls, where are you. Come on, let's get unpacked. We've been up for almost twenty-four hours and ––" Suddenly, they shot out of one room running past her into another. "Oh my-gosh. Where _do_ they get such energy?"

When they started to unpack, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it. You two continue putting your stuff away." She ran to the door. It was Collins.

"Ah. Good evening Caryn, you've arrived. Well done. I hope your trip was not too tiring. Sorry we had to do things in a bit of a rush but I think we got everything right."

"Oh, no... um, yes Mr. Collins, the trip was just fine. Flying first class was a treat and a car was waiting for us when we landed. Your team did a great job. I'm really impressed. Oh, I'm sorry. Please, come in."

"Thank you. I just wanted to see that you have everything you need and that ––" Just then, two vehicles pulled into the drive. He turned and looked out through the still open door. "Excellent. Lori got them here before ten."

The girls came running from the living room. "Hey Mom" yelled Julie. "There's a TV in there." They stopped short when they saw Collins. "Oh. Hi. Who's this Mom?"

"Girls, this is Mr. Collins. He's the Vice-president. Mr. Collins, my two daughters, Julie and Amy."

"Well, good evening Julie and Amy. It's a pleasure to meet you both. I know you've just arrived but, what do you think so far? Do you like your new home?"

"Hi Mr. Collins. I'm Amy, she's Julie. Are you my Mom's new boss?"

"Oops. Sorry. Yes, I suppose so. But we like to think of it as just being on the same team."

While they were chatting, a man walked up to the open door and knocked on his clipboard. "Um, pardon the interruption sir, mum. Mr. Collins is it? I have a vehicle delivery for––"

"Oh yes. Of course. Don't want to hold you up. Let's take a look." Collins took the clipboard, examined the delivery form and signed it. "Very good timing, although it is getting a bit dark out. Difficult to see from here. Let's have a closer look. Shall we?"

They walked out to a shiny new car, examined it and Collins removed the keys. He handed them to Caryn and said, "Here we are, just as promised."

"Oh wow. This is far more than I expected. It's beautiful. Thank you very much. I hope I don't get lost driving around in it."

"No worries about that. Hop in. I'll show you." Caryn started the car and Collins demonstrated the navigation display screen. "Press this menu button, put in your destination, and you instantly have a map and directions. It even talks to you. Tells you if you've missed a turn. And, well, I'm sure you'll like it. It's saved me countless hours."

Caryn was in awe. She thought it would be a basic vehicle, even worried if she could remember how to drive a standard shift and wondered if it even had a radio. Her contract only said 'car' but they certainly didn't scrimp on it or on the flat.

"Now," Collins continued, "I suggest you take the next few days getting used to your new home. Take a walk and meet your neighbors. Oh, and make sure you talk to Mrs. Hickman next door. She's just there. Her husband used to work for us but he passed away a few years ago and she's now all alone."

"Oh, that's terrible. I'll bet she's lonely. Do you know anything about her? What kind of person is she?"

Collins smiled. "Ah ha, you're showing your motherly protective instinct I see. I would expect no less. But don't be concerned. We've known her for many years. She's retired now. Used to teach school and was very good at it. I think you'll find her a very likable person and someone you can trust with the girls."

"With the girls..., you mean she babysits?"

Collins looked puzzled. "Baby? Are you preg––?"

"No, no, no. Not babysitting for a _baby_ , just someone to watch the girls when I'm not here."

"Oh, I see. I misunderstood. At any rate, Mrs. Hickman is very good with children. And, for those times when your daughters are home and you are not, she can be an excellent nanny. She's taken care of our daughter in the past and I expect she'll do the same for you."

Caryn had been worrying about who she could find to supervise the girls when she was at work and Mrs. Hickman seemed to be the answer. "Amazing!" was all she could say.

"Amazing...? What's amazing Caryn?"

"All this. Everything! Mr. Collins, I don't know what to say except, thank you."

They quickly adapted to their new life. The fall semester of school began and Caryn's work schedule allowed her to be home when the girls left each morning and when they returned ten hours later. An hour each way on the bus, six hours of regular classes and two hours of extra-curricular activities was a long school day. But this time, the girls were actually enjoying it.

Mrs. Hickman was always happy to spend time tutoring her favorite 'students' when Caryn had to work on the weekends. And, of course, the term 'babysitting' was never mentioned. After all, Amy and Julie were, as they frequently reminded everyone, "almost teen-agers".

On her first day Caryn placed a sign in the office that read:

Our guests are paying a premium price  
to have us serve their every reasonable need  
It is up to us to ensure they fondly remember their stay and speak of us as the epitome of resort destinations

Her department took on the personality of 'white glove' service and Caryn's primary directive of "Five Star, Five Diamond" treatment for each and every guest quickly created the most respected butler team in the world.

Monday morning: "... and now, today's weather..." said the announcer when she turned on the television and began her usual routine. One cereal for Julie and a different one for Amy. They still insisted on different foods but now she had enough money to accommodate them. _I'm so glad I accepted this job_ she thought while placing bowls and plates on the table. _Hmm, the girls are usually in here by now. I wonder what they're doing._

More minutes ticked by. _Are they still sleeping?_

"Come on, girls. Breakfast is ready and the school bus will be here soon. You don't want to miss it."

Suddenly a bright red " _Breaking News_ " scrolled across the screen and a different announcer interrupted. "This just in. Fighting has broken out in ––" Then he said the name of a country Caryn couldn't even pronounce. Something- _stan_. "Another attack? Those people are crazy."

The upcoming weekend was marked with a big red "G" on the calendar that hung in the kitchen next to the refrigerator. –– A school game –– Football. Amy and Julie were on the starting lineup so she had scheduled that day off. Caryn never played this type of Football and was unfamiliar with the rules but her daughters enjoyed the competition and it was part of their curriculum.

Saturday morning: The weather report predicted a clear day, perfect for the game, and Julie was anxious to get started. She shook her elder sister.

"Hey, get up Amy, come on, we have to be there early. Remember?" She was already in her uniform, ready to play, and couldn't believe that Amy was still asleep.

"Yeah..., okay. Okay, Sis. I'm coming. Just give me a minute will ya?"

Amy also enjoyed the game but was not so anxious to wake up. She pulled the covers over her head.

Julie was not having it. She grabbed the covers, yanked them right off the bed and blustered, "Hey, come on Amy. _Don't––make––us––late_ **!** "

"Geeze, you'd think it was late or something. It's only" –– She looked at the clock. –– "Oh crap! Okay, okay, I'm up." She bolted out of bed and ran to the bathroom while Julie muttered " _sleepyhead_ " on her way to the kitchen.

After a light breakfast, they hurried to the car and set out for the game.

Previous contests were always at one of the schools. This time however, it was in a real stadium used by professional leagues. They had made it to the finals.

Julie was in the back seat reading directions while folding and re-folding a map to figure out their route. "It says to take Avenell road Mom. I think it's in Highbury."

"Julie, do you have that map right-side-up?"

"I know how to read a map Amy. You can't even unfold it without tearing it."

"Yes I can. Give me that thing. I know how to ––"

"Calm down, both of you. We'll get there just fine."

Julie glared at her sister and Caryn let out a quiet "Humph" as she continued to follow directions on the GPS display. A few minutes later a voice from the radio speaker said "You are now at your destination".

"Wow. Look at this place!" exclaimed Julie as they pulled into the parking lot. "See Amy? Ha. I told you I could get us here." With a triumphant expression, Julie folded the map and put it into the seat pocket never realizing that Caryn had used the car's navigation system the whole way.

She dropped the girls off at the player's entrance and parked her car in one of the company's 'reserved' spots. Then Collins pulled in next to her and they walked in together.

"Good morning Mr. Collins. This stadium is huge!"

"Yes, it's quite adequate and a bit of a treat for the kids. This is where the league games are played. Our schools also get to use it for championship play-offs. Not the best one in the city but certainly impressive for a primary school team, don't you think?"

"I'll say. They're going to love playing here. Even if they don't win they'll have a lot of fun trying."

Caryn stared at the crisp lines and manicured field in the grand structure. "This is _really_ impressive. I think they'll remember this game for a long time to come."

"Yes, they probably will" chuckled Collins. "Hmm, I think we're over here. Ah yes, this section." They made their way to the next aisle and sat down. "Excellent..., mid-field seats. These will do nicely, don't you think?"

The stands soon filled to capacity and a loud roar echoed throughout the stadium when the game started. Parents, students and fans cheered, players took their positions and a coin was flipped. "This is the first time I've ever seen this game played" said Caryn. "This is way too much fun."

"Yes it is quite enjoyable although, I'm not sure about the _way too much_ bit. How can it be _too much fun_?"

"Oh-oh, did I say something stupid?"

"No, not at all. Quite the contrary in fact, I find your English rather interesting. But very effective mind you. I've not spent much time in your country so I'm still getting used to, how shall I say it, umm, American colloquialisms. You _do,_ however, get your meaning across quite well."

Caryn wasn't sure if she had just committed a faux pas. But, no matter. The game had started and she wanted to see her children play.

"These are great seats Mr. Collins. We can see the whole field. Look, there's your daughter, and there's Julie. And Amy is way over in that corner."

"My daughter very much enjoys it. Except, of course, when she gets upset because she missed a block or some such thing. Blames herself. Doesn't consider that her defensive players might have been out of position. Sometimes she gets so upset that –– look there –– See? She couldn't quite get to that shot. Good thing it failed to make the net. See her shaking her head? She's rather upset with herself right now."

Suddenly, a long high kick sent it to the far side of the field. Players scrambled toward it and crashed into each other putting several of them on the ground. One did not get up. A whistle sounded as the referee held up his hands.

"What happened" asked Caryn?

"Someone got hurt on that play" replied Collins. They stood up to get a better view. Two people in white jackets ran onto the field to examine the injured player.

Caryn gasped, "Are those doctors? Who got hurt?"

"Don't worry Caryn. The medical people are just a precaution. I'm sure this is simply standard procedure. Probably just a bump. Bit of bad luck so to speak."

They couldn't tell which player was on the ground and Caryn was concerned that it might be one of her daughters. She never considered that they could get seriously injured playing this sport and stood frozen, hands still covering her mouth, wondering who it was.

Within a few moments, the player –– not Amy or Julie –– got up and limped to her team's bench. She held her hands in the air signifying she was okay. The fans cheered and the game continued.

On the way home, their car echoed with laughter, giggles, and comments about how each play had gone. The girls analyzed each play strategizing how they could improve their team for future matches. The divisional championship had become their goal and they had barely won.

"You should've passed me the ball that last time."

"I couldn't Amy. That guard from Brighton was right behind you. She would've intercepted it. You have to pay more attention to their defense."

"Yeah, yeah, but I could've gotten it. She wasn't that fast. You just wanted to score that goal yourself."

"But I _did_ score it. And we won!"

"Yeah, okay. You did actually make it. Good move. But the next time––"

"You did it!" shrieked Julie.

"I did what?" asked Amy with a puzzled look.

"You just said I did something right. Cool. See Mom? My sister just said I did something right. Ha, ha, ha, there. I'm going to write this one down."

"Don't get used to it, kid. That doesn't mean I actually _like_ you" snapped Amy trying to hide her smile. She didn't want her little sister to know that she was actually proud of her. That would be the ultimate embarrassment.

"Hey Mom, I know it's not softball, but what do you think? Is this football stuff okay? Did we do okay?"

"It was way cool. But I think back home we used to call it soccer. I don't really know the rules, but you both played a great game today.

It was _really_ cool when you took the ball, um, what do you call it? S _tole_ the ball and rolled it all the way down the field with your feet. I don't know how you could do that, but it looked great. Congrats to you both."

"Thanks Mom. Cool huh?"

"Yup. Totally cool. By the way, how are your heads? I don't understand why some of the girls can grab the ball and throw it, but you two bounced it off your heads and then had to roll it with your feet. Strange game. You call it football, but nobody gets tackled."

"Don't worry, Mom, we'll teach you. And over here, it really is called football."

They all enjoyed their Saturday together and Sunday flew by as the girls completed schoolwork while Caryn made several trips to work to resolve problems.

Then came Monday morning.

"Julie, did you finish your math homework? I'm sorry I had to run back to the hotel, I was going to ––"

"Yeah Mom, Amy helped me. She knew how to do it. We got everything done."

"Hey Sis," shouted Amy running into the kitchen stuffing books into her backpack. "Boy, are you going to be the hero this week. Morning Mom, what's for lunch today?"

"Since both your report cards have been excellent, you choose. What would you like?"

"We get to choose? Cool. I'd really like peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. Hey Amy, you get something else and we can share. Okay?"

"Okay. But don't forget, we have a championship game a week from Saturday so we have to practice really hard. And if we win––"

"What do you mean if...? You mean _when_ we win."

"Yeah, yeah miss confidence. Okay, _when_ we win."

"I know that Brighton team is really good but we're better. And we have to win to qualify for the divisional championship playoffs. Then we'll get to play in league games all summer. We can do it Amy. You'll see. This summer is going to be the best one ever."

"Maybe you're right sis. Okay. Let's make this the best summer we've ever had. High fives...!

#  *THREE* Armageddon

For Caryn, her children, and millions of others, it was just another ordinary late spring morning. Lawns were mowed, shrubs trimmed and fences painted as people looked forward to a beautiful summer and long awaited vacations. Everyone counted their blessings in a city experiencing widespread economic boom. But, in another country far to the east, sinister things were happening.

***

Angry waves smashed against the bow of a light destroyer as it cut through a turbulent sea. Coordinates for a new waypoint were punched in, the rudders moved and a long white arc of sea foam trailed the ship's stern as they turned to make another pass across their patrol area.

The communications room had been quiet for some time, boringly quiet in fact, until suddenly the radio crackled with two beeps followed by four and then three; the alert for an incoming message.

Three sailors ran to the printer and watched as its irritating clacking sound typed codes and gibberish on yellow roll paper. They matched the authentication codes, translated the symbolic words and ran to the bridge.

"Captain, a coded message" panted the out of breath com-officer as he handed the paper to his commander, "just received. It says _Special ordinance is now authorized._ "

The captain read it, smiled, calmly picked up a microphone and announced, _"Attention all crew. Today is the day we have long awaited. Make yourselves ready to cleanse the earth of our enemies. It––has––begun!"_

Sailors scrambled to their combat stations. Within minutes, the fire control room announced, "Missiles away." A sailor entered a series of numbers on a control panel. "Missiles are hot" he announced as computer screens lit up with a tactical map that displayed two red markers labeled 'Alfa' and 'Bravo'. "ETA to target is twenty-two minutes from..., now..., now..., mark."

***

Once again, Caryn's morning weather report was interrupted by _Breaking News_ that showed maps of a region where fighting and terror had been a constant way of life for thousands of years.

She continued to slip freshly made sandwiches into protective bags while glancing at the television but the place described was so distant she quickly lost interest and waited impatiently for the day's weather forecast. Spring weather could be tricky and she wanted to ensure that her daughters were properly dressed for their long day.

She packed the girls lunches, folded lightweight raincoats and put everything into their gym bags. "There, that should do it" she mumbled patting the bags. "They're ready for almost anything."

***

The missiles had transitioned from water to land and automatically started their Terrain Contour Matching systems. This sophisticated subsystem, combined with the Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation system, gave them the ability to scream across the terrain at five hundred and fifty miles per hour extremely close to the ground; too low to be seen by any of the radar sites or early warning systems.

The twenty-nine-hundred-pound monsters would suddenly arrive at their destination and instantly trigger their one-thousand-pound unitary warheads.

Click..., click..., click..., their little servos adjusted each flight control surface to maintain an evasive low-altitude path to target as they continued on their lethal mission. Remaining flight time was eleven minutes.

***

It was the last week of school and the girls were excited about completing their classes for the year. Graduating to the next grade was something they looked forward to, but playing football and enjoying a summer vacation from homework was an even better treat.

Caryn however, was becoming concerned about the television announcer's statements and the possible effect this newest clash might have on their now settled and comfortable lives. She usually paid no attention to world events unless they affected someone she knew. This one worried her.

She remembered the recession in America and wondered if the same thing could happen there. The hotel's business was excellent but there was no way she could control world events. So, she put it out of her mind.

Goodbyes, a quick kiss, and the girls ran to the school bus. Caryn began tidying up until the announcer's next statement sent a chill down her spine and drew her full attention back to the television.

"We are now going to Brian Whitcomb on location."

The picture became a little fuzzy, then cleared to show distant explosions and a great deal of smoke.

"This is Brian Whitcomb bringing you an exclusive on-scene report. We are on a hill above the outskirts of the city and, over there" –– Whitcomb pointed toward the river and the camera panned to the right showing black smoke and explosions. –– "we can see a vicious attack that started a few minutes ago on the downtown center. I have been told that there is a military weapons factory of some sort right in that densely populated dock area on this side of the river. And those buildings, just south of that tall tower, are also being hit. There's no word on who is mounting this attack or why they're targeting civilian apartments and office buildings. _Whoa_...! That explosion you just saw on the left side of your screen was right in the center of a shopping cent ––"

A loud screaming sound followed by a _whumph_ drowned out his voice and shook the camera for several seconds. Whitcomb caught his breath, the picture steadied, and he continued.

"We..., we can feel the shock waves of the explosions..., even up here on this hill." He cleared his throat, obviously very shaken. "In the last few minutes there have been many bombs hitting that whole section. It is now in flames and looks to be nearly demolished. Evacuation reports have not yet come in and we cannot tell who is now in control, but it appears that ––"

Once again, he was interrupted. But this time, a blinding flash washed out the picture. Then, static covered the screen and the television's crackling sound changed to a high-pitched whine –– and then –– to silence.

Both missiles had arrived and climbed upward over the city to optimum destruction altitude –– one to the north and one to the south. Coordinated detonations created a synchronized, pincer explosion across the entire area. Local radar had picked them up only a few seconds before the thermonuclear triggers were activated at five-thousand feet above the ground, but by then, it was too late.

The monstrous amount of energy they released incinerated the entire valley and vaporized an entire community in seconds. Total destruction was accurate, widespread and complete.

Caryn stared at the blank television screen, frozen, waiting to find out what had just happened. A few seconds later, the local announcer came back on and said they had lost their remote feed and were trying to establish another one.

The regular news program resumed, but all they talked about was the raging war in that far-off place and continued to speculate what was actually happening there.

Was their on-scene announcer, Brian Whitcomb, injured, or even still alive?

It was becoming obvious that someone had broken the cardinal rule of war in the twenty-first century called 'MAD', "Mutually Assured Destruction"; the hypothesis of "no possible winner."

This credo that had prevented nuclear war for over sixty years had finally broken down. Who had used nuclear weapons, and why, was still unanswered. There would be retaliation and escalation.

Over the next few days, ambassadors, diplomats, and politicians drew their verbal lines in the sand with ever more threatening rhetoric. Sanctions and alliances were discussed but the combat continued to expand.

It spilled over the borders and spread to neighboring countries. However, the warlords were not content to fight only amongst each other. Their fanatical holy-war insanity dictated that an ally of an enemy was also a target. So they started attacking the nearest embassies, ships and bases of the world's strongest super-powers.

That was the wrong thing to do.

The initial military reaction was only a limited proportional response but it did not stop the instigators. Instead, they redoubled their efforts making the violence spread even further.

School had just ended for the year but the nation's military was called to active duty and the championship game that Amy and Julie worked so hard to be in was cancelled until further notice.

Caryn watched helplessly as their streets became filled with soldiers, guns, tanks, artillery and all manner of war-making machines.

Such firepower and protection made them feel a bit more secure until bombs and missiles began to hit their area. Bridges and factories were quickly turned into useless heaps of wreckage and feelings of safety quickly changed to worry, fear and total panic.

The first attacks were relatively small and localized but they signaled a rapidly growing threat. Security checkpoints were expanded and the government stationed soldiers throughout the land. Days later, another round of deadly missiles proved to be much more severe.

Communications, public transport, and electric power were all destroyed forcing work, school and life, as Caryn knew it, to come to a screeching halt. She tried unsuccessfully to contact her relatives and friends back in America but they were completely cut off.

Government buildings had been destroyed, police stations lay in rubble, offices, shopping centers and schools were either in flames or totally flattened.

The entire banking system ceased to function and the life savings of millions of hardworking people — Caryn's included — became completely valueless. A great society had fallen into utter chaos and despair.

The massive bombing stopped and only small skirmishes remained. Scattered pockets of residential areas had somehow escaped the initial destruction and most of the survivors locked their doors and windows trying to hide from the horrors of war. But even that was not to be. Their apartments, tenements, houses and stores quickly became hunting grounds for desperate scavengers searching for food and water. No one and no place was safe. The entire city had become a place of fear and terror.

Caryn's block was one of the neighborhoods reasonably unscathed. She was looking out the window hoping the nightmare would end and help would soon come. Then she saw a group of angry looking men in the street. Some carried weapons and they were walking toward her front door. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed her daughters.

"Amy, Julie, quick..., down to the cellar!"

"Why Mom, what's happening now?"

"Don't talk. Just go –– _go_ –– _go! Right now.... hurry!_ "

They ran down the stairs and closed the cellar door just as the looters smashed their way in.

"Uh-oh, we need a place to hide."

"Over there Mom, the cabinet."

"Good idea Julie, let's go."

They jumped into the armoire, pulled the doors shut, huddled together at the bottom and covered themselves with old clothes, rags and blankets. Seconds later, the sound of heavy boots clunked down the stairs. They held their breath.

"Nothin' useful down here" shouted a deep voice to someone upstairs. "Is just a pile a old junk. Thought they might be some food but don't see none." Thump... thump... thump, the sound of his boots became louder, closer. Then, the armoire door burst open.

They tried not to move or scream. The man looked inside, picked up the corner of a tattered blanket and sneezed. "Taint nothin' but rags. And dusty old rags they is" he yelled.

"How 'bout dis one ova here?" asked another who had followed him to the cellar.

Without looking further, he walked away. Several layers below, Caryn, Amy and Julie shivered with fear. They could hear crashing and banging as the men rummaged through the rest of the cellar complaining there was nothing they wanted.

Seconds ticked by and layers of dust on the old rags made Caryn want to sneeze. She pinched her nose –– choking–– gulping–– suppressing the irritation in her sinuses. Red-faced from the strain, she swallowed the intense urge and finally, the men stomped back up the stairs. After several minutes, they carefully, and so very, very slowly, peeked out from the cabinet and listened. There was no further noise from above.

"I think they've left. Girls, you stay here. I'm going upstairs to check things out. Stay hidden till I come back and _don't_ make any noise. Understood?"

She crept up the stairs into the front room and gasped at the scene. It looked as if a hurricane had passed through mixing the contents like a giant eggbeater. _Looks like they've gone_ , she thought peeking into the other rooms, a _nd they've destroyed this place._ When she crept out to the street, she saw her neighbor's smashed front door.

"Mrs. Hickman, they broke into her place too" she grumbled as she ran across the lawn to her door. "Mrs. Hickman –– Mrs. Hickman, are you all right? Are you here?"

The kitchen, living room and bathroom were empty but, in the bedroom, blood was seeping out from under a closet door. "Oh no!" she exclaimed quickly opening it and finding the woman crumpled in a corner.

She nudged her shoulder. But the schoolteacher, who had become her dear friend, had been horribly beaten to death. She knelt down and began to sob.

Finally, she stood, wiped the tears from her cheeks and sorrow changed to anger. "If I get my hands on those lecherous––" Then it struck her that she and her children could meet the same fate. She looked down at Mrs. Hickman's lifeless body and whispered, "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry."

"They'll be back or, someone else will come" she muttered while walking back across the lawn. She pushed her own broken door aside and headed down the stairs muttering "So, this is how it's going to be."

Clean water and gasoline had become gold worth two cases of canned beans or one case of beef stew. Guns had become platinum, but life, a person's life was worth nothing. Marauding street gangs were all that remained and the life Caryn had worked so hard to achieve had completely evaporated in a matter of days.

"Have they gone Mom... is it safe now?"

"Shush Amy" she whispered with a finger to her lips. "Come on girls, we're going to my hotel. It's not safe here anymore. Besides, they took all our food and I don't want _us_ to become like those looters who were just here."

"Your hotel? Oh cool. Does that mean we can take a bath and get something to eat?"

"I don't know Julie. A few days ago I was told it had been damaged pretty badly, but I think there still might be some food that nobody's found. Maybe some water too. Anyway, let's go upstairs and gather a few things. We'll sneak over there tonight."

"Okay but, why can't we go now? I'm hungry."

"I know you are Julie but we'll have to wait until after dark. I don't want anyone to see us sneaking in. That is, if we can even get in. We may have to hide there for a while."

At dusk, they gathered what they could and moved, street by street, block by block, to the hotel. It took hours of hiding behind trash cans or in piles of debris when others came by and then running to the next corner to hide and wait again until they finally arrived. The once beautiful resort lay mostly in rubble and Caryn just sighed when she saw it but there was no time for emotions. It was almost dawn.

"Let's go before the sun comes up girls. There's a basement door over there that might be okay."

They ran to the service entrance and Amy pulled on the door. "It won't open Mom" she said with another pull on its handle. "It's stuck."

"Just a minute honey. This entrance is always locked." She rummaged through her bag, found her keys and after a bit of fumbling, the latch clicked and the door opened.

"Inside. Come on, let's go girls, hurry." She closed the door behind them pinching off their only source of light. "Okay" she breathed as she twisted the lock. "Boy do I wish I had a flashlight right now. Don't let go of my hand Amy. I can't see a thing."

"Okay Mom. Just hang on to me Julie. Mom knows where we're going. She works here, remember?"

"Try to be quiet" Caryn whispered. "We don't know if anyone else is down here. Hold hands and follow me. Maybe we'll get lucky."

With the girls in tow, she slowly felt her way through the pitch black hallway until she found a door. She opened it and quietly stepped inside a room as dark as the hallway.

"Boy am I glad I have a master key for this place. Girls, are you both inside?" she whispered while reaching backwards to feel for their heads.

"Ouch. That was my eye you poked me in Mom."

"Oops. Sorry Julie."

Amy tried to stifle a laugh. "Serves you right for staying so close to me Julie."

"Shush, both of you. And don't you start laughing either Amy. Now, move over a little so I can lock the door."

Caryn twisted the lock, leaned against the wall and took a long breath. "Okay, stay right here. I think I can find some flashlights so just wait for me. And please keep quiet."

Her hands guided her across the aisles and down a row of shelves to a back wall. _I know there were emergency flashlights down here somewhere. Oh fudge face. Where are they?_ She bumped into something solid. _Ouch. Wait_ –– _what's this?_ She felt a metal cylinder on the wall with a hose on its side. _Fire extinguisher_ –– _okay_ –– _the lights were in one of these aisles. I hope they're still here._ She started feeling the contents of cases on an aisle's shelves. Then, " _Yes_!" she breathed in a loud whisper when she found a loose light on the shelf. She pushed the switch. It worked. She could see.

After a quick look around, she hurried back to her daughters. "Okay girls, now we can see what we're doing. Let's get something in front of this door. I locked it but let's block it closed for now. I don't want anyone else in here."

They put some very heavy crates against the door with a hand truck and started searching the storage room. Their first discovery was cases of flashlights and cases of batteries. Now they all had light. They looked up and down every aisle in the room and found only the hotel's non-food supplies.

Amy finally sat down in a corner. "Mom, can we find a place to sleep. I'm really tired."

"All right. I guess that'll be okay." Then she realized that her own lack of sleep was catching up to her as well. "Okay. Let's see what we can do for beds. Let's get some of those mover's pads. We'll put them on the floor, add a blanket on top and another over us. That'll work." In short order, they were asleep on makeshift beds, still alive for another day.

Sometime later, Caryn awoke but couldn't tell if it was day or night in the dark room. However, that had become irrelevant. Her dry throat told her they needed water. There were other storage rooms in the basement and she knew some of them were for food. If she could get to them, if they had not been destroyed or ransacked, if they still had what she needed, they might be able to live through another day. She gently woke her daughters.

"Help me pull the crates away from the door girls but be quiet. We still don't know if anyone else is down here."

Julie yawned. "Where are we going mom?"

"We have to find water and food. Bring your flashlights but let me light the way. Ready? Okay. Stay quiet."

The far ends of the hallways were impassable from collapsed debris effectively making that area a fortress of sorts with only one way in or out.

In the next room they found cases and jugs of bottled water, canned food and still sealed buckets of dry food.

"Great, now we can eat."

"Not yet Julie. We're going back to get the hand truck and block that outside door. Looks like it's the only way in or out and I think this is going to be our home for a while so let's make sure no one else gets in."

They used the hand truck to move a pallet of heavy paper products down the hall and positioned it flat against the door.

"There, I think that'll do it. If anyone does get the door unlocked, they'll think the building collapsed in here as well."

"Whew, okay Mom. N _ow_ can we go eat something?"

Caryn laughed. "Sure honey. You have a choice of beef stew, or beef stew. Let's go get one of those chafing dishes set up. It'll taste a lot better warm."

"Beef stew? Ugh.... Okay but, there are cans of corn and small potatoes in there too Mom."

"Maybe tomorrow Amy. The stew has everything in it and it'll be faster. Besides, I'm really hungry."

The makeshift bunker protected them for several weeks until their stock of food, water and supplies was exhausted. It was time to take the next step in a dangerous journey that none of them could have ever possibly anticipated.

"How long do we have to stay here Mom? It's been like forever."

"It does seem like that Amy and we don't have much water left. Okay, guess it's time to check how things are out there. Maybe police and firemen are back on duty and we can get some help. Let's go look."

They moved the crate away from the outside door, opened it a crack and peeked out. Sunlight sparkled from the shattered glass on the ground and its low angle created deep shadows on the crumbled buildings across the street. They crept out and walked past piles of debris to the street. It looked deserted until they moved past the wreckage of a burned out truck and saw people milling about across the intersection.

"Hey." one of them shouted to the others. "Look there!"

Caryn heard him, pushed her children behind her and waited to see how they would react.

For a moment the group just stared. Then one of the men shouted, "They look pretty good. Must have food and water. Let's go get it."

"Oooooo, this does _not_ look good." Caryn whirled around and grabbed her daughters' hands. "Let's go –– _Run_!"

They ran past piles of debris and hid behind a dumpster waiting for the group to pass by but the men split up looking everywhere for their prey. Caryn watched their erratic searching until the last one disappeared from sight.

"Okay girls," she whispered, "we're going to run to that mound of concrete over there and then to the door. Stay together. Ready? _Now_ , _go––go––go_!"

They ran from the dumpster to the concrete mound, past the truck and through the service door quickly closing and locking it behind them.

"Let's get this pallet back against the door. Hurry!"

Just as they got it positioned, they heard yelling.

"One might not be enough. Let's get another one."

The hand truck clanked against the concrete floor when they yanked it over to the second pallet. It clanked again when Caryn pushed it under the tall pallet of paper.

"Fudge face," she muttered pumping the handle as fast as she could. "Okay girls, push, push hard!"

They rolled it toward the entrance, slammed it against the first pallet and dropped it to the floor with a dull thud.

"I hope they didn't hear us but that much weight should keep them out, I hope, I hope, I hope."

Seconds later the men began pounding on the steel door.

"It's locked." they heard someone yell.

"Get a crowbar, we'll get it open." yelled another.

Then, more pounding and the scraping sound of an iron bar against the door. Clank, clank, scrape, scrape; it sounded like giant fingernails scraping across a huge blackboard.

"Mom...?"

Caryn spun around with her finger in front of her lips. "Shush Julie, be quiet. Turn off the flashlights."

The scraping and prying sounds continued for several minutes until they heard another voice.

"Yer wastin' yer time ya dimwit. They's nothin' behind that door but mo' piles o concrete, don'cha hear the sound? It's solid." He took the crowbar and hit the door –– clank, clank. "Ya hear that? They's nothing in there. The whole buildin's collapsed. It's all piled down here now."

Just then, a white dove flew very low, right over their heads, down to an alley, around a corner and out of sight.

"Hey, look, there goes a bird" shouted one excited man.

"So what" said another, "It's a bird, we can't catch it. It'll just fly away if we get close. Sides, we ain't got no gun to shoot it with neither."

"You idiot...! Birds have to eat just like us don't they? They look for food. Let's follow it."

"Maybe you got somethin' there and they's nothin' here I guess. Well..., okay. Those people sure didn't go in this place. Like you said, the whole buildin's collapsed. They must be someplace else. Waste a time. Let's follow the bird."

"Whew, that was close" whispered Julie. "What are we going to do now Mom?"

"I don't know honey. It looks worse now than it did before." She thought of her friends who died from the bombs or at the hands of some poor starving soul who was willing to kill just to eat and realized that there was nowhere left to turn.

"Girls, it's not getting any better out there. We have to get out of this city and go somewhere else."

"Where Mom?"

"I don't know Amy but there has to be someplace better than this. I don't think we can last much longer if we stay."

"How are we going to get there Mom? There are no busses or anything and someone stole our car."

"We'll have to walk Julie. It's way too dangerous here and it's not going to get any better for a very long time."

"Okay. We'll walk, together. We can do it."

"Yeah Mom. We can."

With tears in her eyes, Caryn put her arms around her daughters and hugged them.

They gathered their few remaining valuables and waited while Caryn kept watch through the slightly open door. She saw no activity, no people and heard no sounds. The entire area looked deserted but she continued watching until dusk. Then –– "Okay girls, it's time. Let's do it."

They crept out the door, went to the street and sneaked for hours, moving block by block, to get out of the city.

"Mom, can we find a place around here to sleep for a while?" I'm really tired."

"Me too. But not here Amy. It's almost dawn. There's a forest just past those railroad tracks. Maybe we can find some cover in there so we can rest for a while."

As they hurried toward the forest, the dim early morning light began to reveal its condition.

"That looks awful!" exclaimed Julie. "It's all knocked down and everything looks black."

"Yeah, but we can't stop here. We'd be obvious targets out in the open. Keep going."

They ran across the field, past the railroad tracks and into the forest. "Okay, Caryn panted, gather some brush and branches for camouflage. We'll rest here for a while."

Hiding by day and moving by night, they continued their journey into the unknown. Thugs ran rampant and every city they found was filled with a slow ugly death from pockets of radiation and remnants of biological and chemical weapons.

No place was safe and Caryn wondered which of her family would be the first to succumb to such horrible poisons. She pulled a map from her backpack, unfolded it and found their location on the worn piece of paper.

"Where are we going now Mom?"

She held the map so Julie could see and pointed to a thin blue line. "I think we should take this route through the hills and into those mountains."

"What is that, is it a river?" Caryn nodded. "But, it goes, um, it looks like –– Mom, it doesn't look like there's anything there but mountains."

"You're right Julie but maybe there's a place out in the country that wasn't destroyed by those horrible madmen."

They knew it would take days to reach the river but, at this point, there was no other choice.

# *FOUR* The White Dove

Early one morning when a fog began to evaporate revealing ever more detail in the scene below, Caryn crouched by a large tree at the crest of a hill and strained her eyes for any movement in the thinning mist. Their water had run out and she could see the river but fog still shrouded it and the ground on the other side.

"Morning Mom," yawned Amy. "What are you doing?"

"Morning Amy. I'm waiting."

"Oh. Waiting for what?"

Then Julie sat up and saw the river. "Hey, look guys, we're here. Let's go fill our canteens." She got up and started to walk out of the trees but Caryn forcibly pulled her back.

"Stop Julie. I don't know if anyone's down there. Just wait a while and watch for people. See if you can see anyone. You too Amy."

"Aw, Mom, we haven't seen anyone in a couple of weeks and now my canteen's empty too. I'm _really_ thirsty"

"A few more minutes won't hurt you. That fog is lifting pretty fast so just wait." They were quiet for a few moments until Caryn sighed, shook her head and muttered, "Nuts!"

"Nuts...? What's nuts Mom, what's wrong?"

Caryn knelt down and put her hand on the tree. "Look girls, you see this? This tree is normal on this side and burnt on the front. And now that the fog has thinned, I can see a grey ash looking stuff all over the ground down there. It's –– Well, I'm not sure _what_ it is, but it's stuff to stay away from..., radioactive or something. We'll have to go farther upstream to get safe water."

"But Mom, it's just down ––"

"No buts Julie. It's time to go."

They walked just inside a tree line along the crest of a ridge that wound its way into the foothills of a mountain range. Everything down to the left had been seared by intense heat but the forest on the right looked reasonably unscathed.

"Hey Amy, what's radio, um, radio-whatever mean?"

"She said radioactive. I don't know. Poison I guess."

"It's hard walking in these bushes. I'm going out there."

"Julie, I don't know. Mom said –– Oh ouch that hurt."

"What hurt Amy?"

"I just got poked in the leg by a branch."

Amy stopped and whispered to her sister, "Okay, let's sneak out there. If we're quiet, maybe Mom won't notice."

"Okay. We'll let her get ahead of us a first."

They stopped until Caryn disappeared in the brush ahead and then snuck outside the tree line. Walking in the open was much easier and they giggled and snickered until Caryn suddenly jumped out at them from behind a large tree and yelled, "BOO! The girls screamed and almost fell down.

"Oh-my-gosh Mom!" exclaimed Amy when she caught her breath. "Why'd you do that?"

"Yeah, geeze...!" added Julie as she got up off the ground, "That was mean."

Caryn had to stifle her laughter. "Okay, look girls, what if that had been a bad guy huh? I know it's harder to stay in these trees but you can't just walk out there where anyone, like someone who's not very friendly, can see you. Just stay behind me. Maybe we can stop right up there."

"Oh, alright." they grumbled. "Come on Amy, you heard her. We have to stay hidden from _all_ those people down there. Yeah, right. As if...."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Julie, quit whining. Let's just do it."

They continued to the top of the hill where Caryn had stopped. "Okay, this looks like a good place. We'll rest here."

"Boy, it's about time." exclaimed Julie. "But I'm still really thirsty."

For Caryn, it was heartbreaking to see the once picturesque countryside in such a distressed state. Magnificent trees that once hung heavy with fruit and lush green leaves were now meager blackened skeletons of their former state. Wispy grasses that once swayed to the drifting summer breeze were swallowed up by dirt and debris from countless fires and explosions. Even the mosses and flowers were charcoal black. And the animals, the birds, there were none to be seen or heard. The beautiful land had been completely consumed by man's insanity.

"Girls, make some cover by the base of that big tree and wait for me. I'm going exploring a little farther ahead."

"Why Mom, where are you going?"

"To check things out Amy."

"Is it okay if we sleep while you're gone?" asked Julie.

"Okay, but just make sure you're hidden. That stream curves around to the right past this hill and that whitish-grey ash stopped a ways back. Maybe I can find some clean water up there. You girls get some sleep while I'm gone."

She rested while the girls made a pine branch lean-to and after they were safely out of sight, she left. Ten minutes later she saw something glisten in the sunlight. _Water..., is that a stream?_ Her pace quickened to a run as she approached the lifesaving liquid. _A clean stream, it's clean._ _There's no ash on the ground, no one in sight and it looks safe._

She rinsed the dirt from her hands and tasted the water. It was cool, clean and tasted okay. She drank, filled two canteens and drank some more. _This looks like a great spot. I'd better get the girls._

When she got back to the lean-to, her children were fast asleep. She swapped the full canteens for two empty ones and went back to the stream returning a half-hour later.

"Amy, come on, wake up. Julie, you too. I found clean water from a stream coming out of a spring."

Amy sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Huh..., water, you found water? Yay! Hey Julie, wake up."

In a flash they were both gulping as fast as they could.

"Whoa, whoa" cautioned Caryn. "Slow down! Take it easy and drink slowly."

"Whew, that's good. Where did you find it Mom?"

"On the other side of that hill. Now relax. Drink a little at a time and later we'll go up there for the night."

An hour later they picked out a flat hidden spot near the stream to set up camp.

"Girls, I think we should stay here a few days to get our strength back. I can't drink any more but I'm still thirsty. I guess that means I'm really, _really_ dehydrated. Make a lean-to while I check the area and then we'll all get some sleep."

That part of the ridge had not been incinerated and she could see withered looking stalks in the furrows of a field a short distance away. Early the next morning, she took a backpack and went to investigate. When she returned, Julie crawled out of the lean-to. "Where have you been Mom? We woke up and you were gone."

Caryn just grinned, opened the backpack and dumped potatoes and carrots out on the ground. "Look what I found. Let's wash them and eat."

Later that afternoon, Amy asked if they could stay in that spot until "things got back to normal".

"Sorry Amy. No. When winter comes, this place will get very cold so we can't stay here for long."

"But Mom, we built a lean-to. We'll just make it bigger. And we can make a fire to keep us warm."

"Ha, Right. And what do we do about food? That field only has a little bit left. And, by winter, it'll be gone. No honey, we can only stay long enough to eat and drink all we can to get our strength back and then move on."

A week later, they filled their backpacks with all the potatoes and carrots they could find, filled every canteen, drank as much as they could, and then continued on their seemingly endless trek.

Wild berries, mushrooms, potatoes and carrots became staples of their diet and they always seemed to find enough to keep them going. But, eventually, the terrain changed.

Hills became steeper, climbing more difficult and their progress slowed to a snail's pace. Caryn's legs hurt, her back ached and climbing over that last ridge had exhausted her.

"Okay girls," she panted. "Let's stop here. Whew."

"Here...? That looks like a better spot up there Mom."

Sorry Amy, I just don't have the energy to climb that cliff. This'll have to do for tonight."

There was no place to set up a lean-to so the girls curled up in the crevice of a small outcropping. Caryn smiled as they slept and pulled out her diary from her tattered coat.

We managed to find enough apples and carrots for a few more days but I'm not sure what we'll do then. At least we're together and no one is attacking us. Amy told some funny stories last night and we all laughed. It was fun. We never had time to do that before all this happened. I don't know what else to do except keep going and hope we can find someplace where people are not tearing each other apart. Maybe we'll get lucky.

The next day, they managed to climb up to the flat area Amy had seen and discovered an old dirt logging road. Caryn's map didn't show it but it was much easier to walk on and she decided to follow it.

Three days later, she awoke shivering in damp, chilly air. Summer was turning to fall and food was becoming harder to find. She sat up and rubbed her eyes when Amy came running out of the woods with two handfuls of raspberries.

"Look, Mommy, I found these berries and brought them all back. I wish there were more but at least we have these. Come on, let's eat."

As they savored the sweet taste of each raspberry, a lone white dove covered with soot and ash landed right in front of Amy and just stared as if to say, "I'm hungry, too."

She had only three berries left but felt compelled to offer one to this disheveled bird. It devoured the berry and stared at Amy. "More please" it seemed to say.

Amy ate one berry and gave the last one to the starving bird. Then, a very strange thing happened.

The dove picked up the berry, flew a few feet away, dropped it, and again stared at Amy, waiting. She tip-toed toward the bird. But as she got close, it picked up the berry and flew a little farther. Their little game continued until they both disappeared into the forest and out of sight.

"Hey Mom, Amy followed that bird into the woods and now I can't see her anymore. Where did she go?"

Caryn looked and jumped to her feet. "Oh my-gosh! Come on Julie, we have to go find her."

They grabbed all their packs and quietly traced Amy's path through the trees. A few meters into the forest they could see both her and the bird still playing the same game. The dove was acting much like a dog leading its master somewhere and Amy was happy to follow.

"Where's she going Mom?"

"Quiet Julie. I don't know but this is the first living thing we've seen in weeks. Let's see where it takes us."

The dove led them through the woods and up the side of a very steep hill littered with fallen trees, bushes, and broken stumps. When they caught up to Amy at the top, they were greeted with a panoramic view of a beautiful valley that stretched as far as the eye could see.

That difficult climb was exhausting and Caryn just stood for a moment staring, wondering if it was real.

"Mommy, Mommy. Look!" the girls screamed.

"Yes, I see it. I really do see it. It's beautiful. Boy, I hope this isn't just a mirage."

"A what Mom?"

"Mirage Julie. It's something that's, well, never mind."

They could see high, snowcapped mountains through miles of clouds and mist, beautiful peaks and rolling foothills that ran along a serpentine line all the way to the horizon, and straight ahead, the hill where they stood sloped gently down into a huge valley. Caryn was captivated.

"Can this be real?" she uttered to no one in particular. There was no response from either of her girls. They were just as enthralled as their mother.

Then Amy pointed to something in the distance. "Hey Mom, see that thing way out there? It looks like a building or something. Maybe someone lives there."

Caryn and Julie shaded their eyes to get a better look. A long high ridge midway between it and them hid much of it from view and, from that distance, it was impossible to tell if there were people present. They were able to see the tops of several towers rising from various points along a high perimeter wall but, was it a city, was it inhabited, was it safe, or was it like every other dangerous place they had found?

Caryn just gazed at it, wondering what to do.

"Mom, it looks like a city or something. They might have food and water. Do you think it's safe?"

Caryn put her hand on Julie's shoulder. She was elated to see such a beautiful scene but still worried about thugs.

"I don't know Julie. Remember the crazies we escaped from? We don't know if anyone's there. And if there are people, we don't know if they're friendly or not."

Amy sat down on a rock and let out a long sigh. "What do you think we should do Mom?"

"I'm not sure honey but, at least from here, it doesn't look all blown up."

Suddenly, the dove flew back to Amy, dropped the last berry into her hand, flew a little farther down the hill, and waited. "Mom, I think that bird still wants us to follow her." She ate the berry, and started walking.

"Wait ––" began Caryn, but Amy was already on her way. She glanced at the ugly scene behind, then ahead at her daughter casually walking down the hill. "Okay Julie" she sighed. "Let's follow Amy's bird and check this place out."

They walked down the long hill over brown grass, past barren trees and across a long flat plain closer and closer to the unknown structure.

The dove flew ahead, then waited and flew again. When they rested, it would peck at the ground or sit quietly in the sun. When they stood up, it would repeat its fly-wait-and-fly routine. This went on for hours until the ridge they had seen from the hill loomed squarely in their path.

"I hope we don't have to climb that thing" blustered Amy as they got close. "It's huge."

"Yeah," snickered Julie, "but your bird friend seems to know where it's going. Maybe it's taking us to a bus stop so we can ride the rest of the way."

"Yeah, right, as if. Look at that thing. It's as high as the Empire State Building and I can't even see where it ends."

Caryn looked up at the smooth sheer cliff. "Well..., we've followed the bird this far. Let's see where it takes us."

"Oh come on, there's nowhere to go Mom. We can't get over that thing." Amy cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Hey bird, you know we can't fly don't you? You know..., fly...? We can't do it. How are we going to get over that thing huh?"

The bird jumped up, flew around Amy's head and straight toward the sheer face of the ridge a hundred meters away and vanished right into the rock. Amy's jaw dropped.

"Hey, did you see that? Mom, Julie, it disappeared. It's gone. Great. Now what are we ––"

Suddenly, the dove reappeared, flew back toward them, then back to the ridge disappearing again in the same spot.

They stared at the cliff and said in unison, "That's weird. That's really, really totally weird."

As they looked at each other, surprised at their unrehearsed statement, the dove returned, landed on the ground and once again, waited for them to follow.

Caryn started laughing. "Well, well, well. It looks like your sister can actually talk to animals Julie. Ha. Guess we'd better keep going, don't you think?"

They followed the bird around a wide column of rock that hid a narrow winding pass with high smooth walls. Caryn was nervous about where it would lead and what might lay in store. She was concerned that the only way out was all the way back or, with a bit of luck, forward.

"Okay girls. This is really spooky."

"Yeah Mom. But it's totally cool too."

The path was relatively flat with no obstructions allowing them to make good time. An hour had passed when Amy, who was several meters ahead, stopped in her tracks and yelled. "Hey you guys. Look. We made it through."

The pass opened onto a wide flat plain. Caryn stopped and put down her backpack. "Wait a minute, girls. I have to sit down and rest for a while."

She sat on the ground, leaned against her backpack and massaged her aching legs. The dove flew back and landed a couple of meters away and waited. She stared at it for a moment. "You're taking us someplace, aren't you?"

"Oh come on Mom, birds can't talk."

"Yup, you're right Amy. Well, except for parrots maybe." They rested for a while until Caryn regained her energy and stood up. "Okay, let's get this show on the road."

The dove also jumped up, flew about twenty meters ahead and landed, waiting.

Julie slapped her sister's shoulder. "See Amy? That bird understood exactly what Mom just said."

Amy picked up her backpack, stuck her tongue out at Julie and started walking toward the dove.

Side-by-side they followed the bird across a long flat field. There were no remnants of exploded bombs or fires but everything around them looked quite dead, or at least in some kind of hibernation. The whole area had the feeling of having been abandoned long ago.

Caryn wondered about the condition of the terrain. _It looks like the middle of winter but it's not cold. Maybe a drought caused this. If there's a stream or river..., if we can stay for a while..., we might be able to_ –– Suddenly, she screamed, "Oh-my-gosh!" stopped dead in her tracks and put out both hands in front of her daughters.

"What Mom..., what's wrong? What is it?"

"Wait a minute, girls. I'm not sure this is safe. It looks really strange."

"Why, Mom, what do you see?"

"It's what I don't see Julie. Why isn't there anyone here? What killed everything? This is eerie. I don't like it."

Amy looked around and shrugged. "Aw, Mom, look. That bird is okay and it must be leading us somewhere. Besides, it's better than those burnt trees in the forest. Come-on, let's go."

Caryn realized they had very few choices and sighed. "Well, okay Amy, maybe you're right. Guess I'm just being paranoid. Let's go."

A few more hours of walking took them to a long wooden bridge that crossed a deep dried up moat and then to an open gate in a high stone wall.

"Wow" exclaimed Julie. "This looks just like the pictures in one of our schoolbooks."

"Yeah, that was that King Arthur guy's book wasn't it? Or was it one of your kindergarten fairy tales?"

"It wasn't a fairy tale Amy. It was in history class."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Girls.... Stop it, shush."

As they crossed the bridge, Caryn could hear her daughters whispering behind her.

The arguing continued until they passed through the opening of the giant gate. Then, they stopped and stared.

"Holy buckets," breathed Caryn. "Look at all those buildings. It really is a whole city but––" She looked around. "––where is everyone?"

The scene was straight out of a medieval storybook of knights and kings but was completely devoid of people and was absolutely quiet. No sound, no wind, not a thing could be heard. It was very unnerving. The dove waited just ahead.

"Come on girls. The talking bird still wants us to follow her to, well, I don't know where but let's go and find out."

Still using the same fly-wait-fly routine, the dove lead them through the square, down the streets, along walkways and into a large garden. It was filled with perfectly manicured hedges that formed a complex labyrinth on both sides of a wide, flawlessly graded driveway that looped in a circle around a beautiful but inert fountain at its end.

Thereafter, the gravel surface spanned out in front of the open doors of a palatial mansion and branched to the left and the right into two large parking areas, presumably for guests.

It was easy to visualize partygoers arriving by the means of their day –– be they automobile or horse drawn carriage –– and having chauffeurs or servants open their doors before parking the lords' and ladies' rides. Easy to visualize, yes, but there were certainly no lords or ladies in sight.

Although everything looked neat and clean, there was no color. The leaves of the hedges were brown and there were no flowers or plants to be seen. Perhaps it was some leftover Hollywood movie set. That was the only explanation Caryn could come up with.

"Is there anyone here?" they called out. There was no answer, no sounds of any kind save the echo of their own voices resounding through the empty buildings and walkways.

"Mom, did everyone here die?"

"I don't know Julie. I just don't know."

They followed the driveway and crept through an entrance into a large foyer that had obviously not been cleaned for a very long time. _How long has this place been empty?_ Caryn wondered as she looked around. Suddenly, there was a flutter of wings as the dove flew away.

Well. Thank you, I think. Leading us here like that was a very strange thing for a _bird_ to do."

"See Mom, I told you it was leading us somewhere."

"Yes you did Amy. Well girls, there's something weird happening here that I really don't understand. But right now it looks like we've found a place to stay. And, after having come this far, I'm _not_ going to reject it. Let's have a look around in this place."

The next room contained medieval streamers and battle shields sporting various coats of arms hung between massive wooden beams topped by beautifully handcrafted arches that curved up and across intricately painted ceilings.

"Holy buckets. Look at this place." giggled Caryn. Tapestries, portraits, candelabras, sconces, candles waiting to be lit and elegant furniture waiting to be used completed the magnificent scene.

"Wow, Mom, this must have been the home of a king!" exclaimed Julie. "I wonder if anyone's still here."

Caryn yelled, "Hellooooo...!" But, just like outside, there was no answer. They continued to another room that had the biggest fireplace they'd ever seen.

"Way cool fireplace Mom. These people must have been really rich."

"So it would seem Julie. But I'm more interested in setting up a place to rest. I-am-exhausted. Okay girls, we have a place to stay tonight and a fireplace that looks serviceable so go find some firewood..., and don't go far."

When the girls left, Caryn collapsed in a large overstuffed chair, put her feet on the ottoman and rubbed her legs. "Oh boy it feels good to get off my feet." She started to brush away the dust but–– "That's weird. There's no dust on this chair. It's clean. And it looks brand new. How can that be?"

Suddenly, a cool breeze blew in from the open doors in the foyer. "Brrrr.... Okay, it's getting cold and dark. Where are those girls? I'd better go find them."

Just as she stood up, they came skipping through the entrance singing and laughing and pulling a burlap sack full of apples, potatoes, carrots, onions and other edibles.

"Holy cow. You found food, wonderful. But what about the wood, didn't you find any?"

They looked at each other, giggled, and replied together, "Come on, Mommy, come see what we found."

They went outside, down a walk and around a corner to a neatly stacked pile of ready-to-use seasoned firewood.

"Wow, great job girls. Come on, let's each take an armful into the house and then look for some kindling. It's getting cold."

Their next trip produced dried bark and small branches, just what they needed to start a fire with the striker hung by the fireplace.

While the girls tended the fire, Caryn went back to the stream Amy had found a little further up the hill to fill their canteens. The water was clean, clear and the tiny stream seemed to sparkle in the shadows of the setting sun with a life and energy that said, "Drink me and I will rejuvenate you."

Water, food and shelter, what treasures they were. Now they could have a _real_ family dinner together, inside, for the first time in months.

Baked potatoes and fresh juicy apples was not what they would have eaten before the war had ravaged their home and turned their lives upside down. But now, it was a welcome feast for their empty stomachs.

They were penniless vagabonds eating someone else's food in someone else's house and they owned nothing of any value. However, in spite of it all, they laughed and joked as they sat together feeling reasonably safe for the first time in so very long. It was good to finally relax for a while.

After eating to their hearts' content, they arranged their makeshift bedding near the warm, crackling fireplace. Large wide pillows from the furniture served as mattresses and soft wool comforters became their blankets.

When Caryn pulled the coverings up over her shoulders, she heard Amy whispering to Julie. "See, kid, there really is someone watching over us. And besides, Mommy wouldn't let anything happen to us if she could help it. We're going to be okay. You'll see."

And on this night, as Caryn listened to her daughters' quiet conversation, she realized that their long journey just might be over.

Somehow she knew Amy was right. They _would_ be okay

#  * FIVE* The Valley Awakens

Golden slivers of light streaming through the east windows of the castle lit the walls in dawn's beautiful colors. Caryn slowly opened her eyes and pulled the blanket over her head. _Boy, this is comfortable. Just a little more sleep._

Then she heard a noise. She opened her eyes. Then another noise, clanking. It was something metallic. She pulled the blanket down to her neck. Then more clanking.

"Holy buckets what is that?" She rubbed her eyes and looked around. "Girls, girls...? Their beds were empty.

She threw off her covers, jumped to her feet and ran toward the clanks and thuds stopping at a corner and cautiously peering around it to see what was happening.

When she saw Julie standing on Amy's shoulders trying to open a massive iron latch on a gigantic and very ominous-looking door, she stepped into the hallway.

"Just _what_ are you two are doing?"

"Oh. Hi, Mom. We decided to explore and found this cool door. It's locked but..." –– Julie pried on the latch and made a soft grunt –– "maybe we can get it open and find another big room or a treasure or something."

"I don't think that's a good idea girls."

The door had huge iron hinges secured by enormous bolts and rivets positioned all through its structure. Whatever was locked behind it must have required very strong security.

"Hold it. Stop!" Caryn ordered. "I don't know what's behind that thing but you're going to get down from there and put down your crowbar or––" She looked more closely. "What _is_ that thing you're using, a fireplace poker?"

Julie held it up. "Yup. We got it from the fireplace. You were still asleep and we didn't want to bother you." Caryn put her hands on her hips and scowled.

"Okay Mom, I'll put it back."

"Look girls, we don't know anything about this place yet so don't go exploring until we find out who owns it. If something is locked, leave it locked. Understand?"

"Okay Mom." they grumbled with a pout as if they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"All right then. Come you two. Let's go out to the stream and wash. Then, we'll talk about what's next."

Julie replaced the poker and they walked to the stream with Caryn in the lead and the girls a few steps behind, still grumbling about the door.

"We could've gotten it open" mumbled Julie.

"Yeah, I think so too but Mom's right. What if there's a monster behind it just waiting to get out?"

"There's no such thing as monsters remember? You told me that Amy."

"Well... maybe I was wrong. That door is really big. It must be locked for a reason. Maybe it's ––"

"Cut it out Amy. There's no monsters. They don't exist."

Amy laughed. "It could be a huge gorilla. And, he might be really mad cause he's been locked up for a million years. And maybe he's really hungry and, and likes to eat people."

"Amy, you're just making that up. Anyway, we're here. Let's just wash. I feel really yucky."

When they splashed the sparkling water on their faces the exhaustion they all felt from months of travel and lack of food drifted completely away. Their thirst was quenched and their energy was rejuvenated.

Caryn noticed that the entire landscape, untouched by the war, was flourishing with a lush peaceful beauty that she thought she would never again see.

_Strange,_ _I don't remember it looking so green when we arrived yesterday. It was quite brown in fact. At least I think it was._ She rubbed her eyes and looked again. It was very green and very much alive. _This is really weird._

A newfound energy flowed through her body so it seemed quite natural to explore more of this hidden sanctuary on such a beautiful morning

"Girls, let's see what's in those orchards. We'll certainly need more food and it looks safe. But keep your eyes open."

"Okay Mom. Can Amy and I play while you're looking?"

"Play? Ha. Okay. Sure, but stay close. This is a big place. Don't get lost."

Caryn busied herself examining the orchard's many fruit-laden trees while the girls played hide and seek in the dense shrubs. She was just about to pick a beautiful red apple when Julie shrieked.

"A bucket, a silver bucket. Look, two of them." She slowly backed out from under a large bush with two of the shiniest buckets they had ever seen.

"Great find Julie. Now we can carry more water back to the castle. Those will be better than just our canteens."

Amy heard the commotion and ran out from her hiding spot. "Way to go Julie. Let's fill 'm up and take 'm back."

When they filled them with water, they discovered just how much water weighs.

"Ummph, this is too heavy. Mom, can you take this? I'll fill our canteens and carry them instead of this heavy thing."

Amy struggled with her bucket as well but was not eager to ask for help. "I can do it Mom." she grunted while trying to get a better grip on the bucket's handle. Then, holding it with both hands and moving rather slowly, she started waddling back toward the castle.

Caryn chuckled at her tenacity, shook her head and picked up the other bucket. Julie finished filling their canteens and ran ahead disappearing over the crest of the hill. A few minutes later, they caught up to her just as she appeared from the doorway of a small stone building.

"Look what I found this time." she yelled while holding up a basket full of eggs and grinning like a triumphant Cheshire cat.

"What on earth, are those eggs, like regular eggs?"

They put down their buckets to examine Julie's find and heard clucking noises emanating from the building.

"Julie, are those chickens I hear?"

"Yup, lots of them Mom."

Amy peered through one of the small, dusty windows but Caryn walked right in through the doorway and saw at least two dozen hens sitting on nests or scratching the ground.

"That is amazing but I don't remember hearing anything when we came past here before. They do look a bit dry. We'd better give them some water."

"Girls, you two take your water to the castle and I'll fill the chickens' water trough. I'll be there in a few minutes."

When she poured water into the trough, every hen in the building raced to get a long awaited drink. _How long have they been without water and where did they come from?_ _This place gets weirder by the minute._

She put the empty bucket in the corner and headed for the castle all the while muttering. " _Who are the owners of this place? Will they return? Are they dangerous? Are we trespassing? Will they get angry at us for staying here and eating their food?"_

She paused at the entrance to look all around but there was no one in sight. _Are we really alone?_

She shrugged and thought about breakfast. _Maybe we can poach some of those eggs._ _Ha. Poached eggs? I never eat poached eggs. Oh well. No pan or milk or butter, no bowl to mix them in, guess it'll have to be poached or boiled. And to think I used to be such a picky eater. Boy, I'm so hungry I could eat almost anything._

Amy and Julie had started a fire in the great room's fireplace but were now, nowhere to be seen.

Nuts. Now where did they go? Probably exploring again. Hmm, let's see, maybe through here.

She found them in a hotel-sized kitchen with a pantry or storage room of some kind, at its far end. "Ah ha, so, there you are. I thought I told you not to ––"

"Hey Mom, look at all this stuff. Now we can, um, I mean, _you_ can cook something to eat. I guess maybe eggs or something, huh?"

The huge kitchen contained a fireplace with swinging pothooks, a swing out roasting rack over the fire and, set into the stone on either side, two cast iron ovens. Four meters past it was a huge multi-section stove for cooking smaller portions of food. And a long granite topped table in the center of the room would make it easy to prepare meals for one, or for a hundred. Caryn was elated.

"Wow, look at all this. Great job girls. Looks like your exploring has not only given us eggs, but a place to cook them as well. Brilliant!"

When Julie saw the look on her mother's face, her smile returned. "I found the eggs Mom."

Amy wasn't going to let her sister take _all_ the credit. "Yeah but, we both found ––"

"Come on Amy, don't interrupt me. Yeah Mom, we both found this kitchen."

"Yes, and I'm glad you did, both of you. Now, let's see if we can find a frying pan."

There were counters, sinks, cupboards and closets galore. Caryn began opening the upper doors while Julie and Amy searched the lower ones.

Then Julie yelled, "Mom, look at these dishes!" And Amy burst out with, "Hey, here are some cups and pots and pans and forks and spoons!"

"Cool beans. You guys found cooking stuff."

"Yeah, and they're ready to use too."

"This is amazing" Caryn mumbled when she looked closely. "They're clean. They look like they've just been washed. These can't have been sitting here for very long without someone..., hmm. I wonder if there _is_ someone else here. She took a breath, looked around and dismissed her anxious thought. Fear was not going to prevent her from feeding her family.

"Great Julie. You take those dishes and silverware and I'll bring this heavy frying pan. Now we can scramble some of those eggs you found."

"Hey guys, guys, Mom, Julie, come here. Look what I found." yelled Amy from an open pantry door while holding out her arm out like a saleswoman showing her wares.

There were hundreds of canned beans, nuts, vegetables, soups, jams and jellies in jars and sacks of flour and sugar all neatly stored on shelves or in drawers.

"Look at all this stuff you guys."

Why would anyone leave all this, what was their fate? Will the same thing happen to us?

_Oh stop it and focus Caryn Elizabeth!_ _We have food, a warm dry shelter, clean water and the tools to make us comfortable. Shut up and get on with it girl. You've got everything here so don't be a wuss... just––make––breakfast!_

She forced a long slow breath and suppressed her anxiety.

"Here Amy, mix up this powdered milk, I'll get this flour. And Julie, you take these jars. Now we can have a _real_ yummy breakfast."

In short order, they were devouring pancakes, maple syrup, scrambled eggs and apple juice. Then, Amy leaned back and rubbed her stomach.

"Wow! That was great Mom. I can't eat any more. See, I told you this place would be okay."

"Yeah," chimed Julie, "I'm full too. Boy that was a lot better than raw potatoes. Okay, what's next Mom? Can we explore now?"

Caryn stood and picked up her plate. "Well first, let's figure out how we're going to wash these dishes. There must be something here we can use."

They put their dirty dishes in the sink and looked in the cupboards for soap. Amy was the first to find a bottle of liquid but she wasn't sure what it was. The label read _Fairy Liquid_.

"Fairy liquid. Ha, what's fairy liquid?"

"Maybe it's the magic stuff that makes the fairies do the dishes for you" replied Julie sarcastically. "Open it up and, um, and twinkle your nose or something."

Amy glared at her. "Yeah, right, maybe I should say abracadabra too smarty. Do you know what this is Mom?"

Caryn put a drop of the slippery liquid on her finger and rubbed it with her thumb. It smelled like dish detergent and the container looked like one that would hold detergent. "This might be just what we need. Let's get some water and test it."

"Water...?" whimpered Julie. Are we going to have to go all the way back to the stream? Those buckets are heavy."

"Oh cut it out Julie." blustered Amy as she slapped her sister's shoulder. "You only carried the canteens last time."

"I wish these faucets worked" Julie whined while turning the dry plumbing's handles back and forth.

"Well they don't. So come on. Let's get the buckets and go. And quit complaining."

"Okay girls, stop it. Let's try something else first. Bring an empty bucket, a full canteen and follow me out to that dry fountain. I saw something that might help."

Once there, she told the girls, "I'm not sure if this will work but this might be a closer source of water. See those four hand pumps? Maybe we can get one of them to work if we prime it."

"Prime it? What's prime it mean? I thought that was something to eat."

"No, not prime rib Julie, here, I'll show you."

She poured water from the canteen into the top of one of the pumps and began to move its handle up and down.

"Remember the campground we stayed at? These pumps look pretty much the same and I always had to wet the seals before they would work."

At first the water from the pump's spout was barely a trickle but soon it started gushing. When all the dust had been washed out they were able to fill their bucket with only a few pumps on the handle. It was a very efficient pump.

"Wow, rock on Mom. I thought we'd have to carry it all the way back from the stream. Come on Julie, you grab that side, I'll carry this side and we'll take it to the kitchen."

"Well, that was easy." Caryn mumbled as she watched her daughters work as a team.

The few dishes and utensils they had used were soon sparkling clean and back in their cupboards, whereupon, Caryn suggested, "I think we should spend the day surveying this property. What do you think girls?"

Julie's face lit up. "Yeah, great idea. Cool Mom." She ran to the pantry, grabbed a few things, and ran out the door. However, Amy, on the other hand, wanted to stay inside and clean up the rooms a bit.

A look of disbelief flushed across Caryn's face. _Clean...,_ _Amy wants to clean? How unusual is that? Oh, I get it. She just wants to stake out her own little area._ "Okay Amy, have fun, um, cleaning. We'll be back in a little while." She chuckled and hurried out the door to catch Julie.

"C'mon, Mom, let's go around this way. Then we can see this side while we make our map." and off she ran.

Caryn quickened her walk to a jog. _Make our map?_ _I wonder where she learned that skill._

Julie was already sketching with a pencil on a pad of paper she found in the pantry when Caryn caught up to her.

"Mom, if you count how many paces it is from there to there, I'll draw it out from here. Okay?"

"You want me to walk from that corner to that window?"

"Yeah. Then I can mark how big everything is on my sketch pad."

Caryn smirked, walked over to the wall and counted each pace out loud. "How's that?"

"Great Mom, now go from there to there."

They continued walking, pacing and visually measuring the shapes and abutments all the way around the main residence. Julie's drawings were not very artistic but they were extremely meticulous and took the entire morning to complete.

"Hey Amy, where are you?" yelled Caryn when they got back to the great room.

"Here I am. I made lunch. Come on, it's in here."

"Amy made us lunch? I wonder what she made. Come on Mom, let's go see."

They walked into the kitchen just as Amy was putting a bowl on one of the small tables.

"Hey guys, I found all this stuff in the storage room and made us a salad."

Julie peered over the edge of the bowl. "What's in it? It looks kinda, sorta, like–– What is it, canned stuff? Mom, do we have to actually _eat_ this?"

"I think Amy has made a healthy veggie lunch Julie. Let's see what you put in it Amy."

Caryn tried to read the empty cans next to the sink but they were in a language she didn't understand. "Oh well, guess I'll have to figure it out with the pictures."

"That's what I did when I saw pictures of corn and beans and carrots. I'm not sure what this one is so I didn't open it. Oh, and I found this can of peas too but I thought I had enough and I didn't know how to make any dressing."

Julie stared at it. "Ugh, vegetables for lunch. Where's the good food?"

"Come on now Julie, your sister went to a lot of trouble to get lunch started. Let's see what we can do with it. Hmm, how about a little olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice with a pinch of salt? Umm..., that's not bad at all. Let's get some of that bread I baked last night."

Julie wasn't too happy about Amy's salad recipe but she did eat the corn and carrots.

"Gee, girls, this is interesting," Caryn mused. "Even though we now have all kinds of choices, we're all eating the same thing, together, at the same time."

She smiled as she gazed at her daughters peacefully eating, of all things, Amy's canned vegetable salad. The struggles they had endured on their journey had indeed bonded them even more closely.

Her momentary daydreaming was interrupted when Amy looked at Julie's notes and drawings. Pointing to the small arrow with an "N" at its top, she asked, "How do you know that way is north?"

"Because, the sun comes up in the east and sets in the west. Everyone knows that."

"Oh. I didn't." replied Amy, a bit irritated that her younger sister had gotten the better of her.

Julie had noted that the north, east and south walls and towers of the castle were undamaged, so they decided to explore the inside of those areas to see what they contained. They tidied up, Julie grabbed her pad and pencil and they all headed toward the east rooms.

Past the far end of the great room they found a beautifully decorated ornate marble and wood staircase. "Oh, cool. Let's go see what's up there."

"No, not yet Amy. I can only draw one floor at a time and I'm not done with this one."

Just past the staircase, they entered a room filled with books of every imaginable genre neatly stored on shelves and stacked in piles on several desks and tables.

"Wow, a library. Come on girls. Let's see what we can find in here. I wonder if there's a journal of some sort that will tell us about this place and the people who lived here."

As they perused the shelves and tables, one large book caught Caryn's attention. "Look at this one. It says, um, something, something castle. Plans and con–– I can't make it out. Maybe it's construction. That's it. Plans and Construction. Oh goodie, I _have_ to look at this one."

"That looks really old Mom. What's in it?"

She put it on a desk and carefully opened its leather bound cover. The first page displayed a beautifully detailed drawing of the castle.

"I think it's a picture of this place Julie. Sure, see? You just drew this part when we were out earlier."

"Yeah but, this picture's a lot better than mine."

"Better, what do you mean?"

"Its lines are nice and straight and mine are all kinda crooked. I didn't have a ruler when I drew it. Hey, maybe there's a ruler in the pantry. I'll go look."

"Okay. You go look and I'll see what else is in here."

It contained a complete record of the original construction and all the remodeling that had been done.

Fold-out pages showed where everything was, when and what had been changed, and who had done the work. Each level, from the underground foundations to the top of the towers, was pictured in extreme detail.

Some pictures were looking down from above while others were drawn from a horizontal perspective. She examined the page labeled _ground level_ and found the library.

_Odd,_ she thought as she looked around the room. _The doorway doesn't seem to be in the right place. This is confusing. I guess I'm not reading it correctly._

Pages later, she found handwritten notes describing the addition of several passageways. Drawings indicated they were for maintenance access to underground aquifer systems.

_Aquifers. Water...? Does that mean that we have water already in here somewhere?_ Section after section described additions, changes and repairs. But, more than any other detail, the dates of each entry caught her eye.

_These entries go back almost two thousand years. Is this possible?_ Much of the writing was faded and difficult to read in the library's light so she took the book out into the afternoon sun and sat down to study it in earnest.

She read that there had once been a river flowing down from the mountains, past the castle complex and through the valley below. Its plentiful water filled the now-dry moat through a series of irrigation canals. She wondered how a river of that size could just dry up and disappear.

The next page answered her question. It said that, during a very long siege two centuries ago, enemies had built a dam in the mountains that diverted the river to another course.

Wow, guess they've had their own wars here as well. Maybe that's why there's no one here now. Hey, wait a minute. That wouldn't explain the clean dishes and silverware. If they've been gone that long there would be years of dust on them. Someone else had to have been here fairly recently.

Her reading was interrupted when the girls came out with Cheshire-cat grins and a complete list of all the books they had dusted, sorted and put back on the shelves. Julie had them listed alphabetically and Amy had them listed categorically. But instead of arguing about which was better, they had gotten together and cross-referenced each list with the other.

"Well, that's quite an accomplishment, very clever." The girls giggled and ran back into the big fireplace room followed by a mom smiling with pride.

"Girls, the sun is setting and there's a bit of a snap in the air. Let's see if we can find a better place to sleep tonight before we decide what to make for dinner."

Amy and Julie had not spent the _entire_ afternoon in the library and had, in fact, discovered another wonderful surprise on the second floor. With Caryn in tow the girls walked up the stairs and stopped in front of two large rooms.

"See Mom..., bedrooms. You can sleep in this one and we can sleep in that one. And they're pretty big so don't worry. If you're afraid to be alone, you can sleep with us."

Caryn walked into the room and looked at the bed. It was huge and, curiously, had been made with clean sheets, blankets and pillows. She pulled back the covers. Everything was spotless.

"Holy chocolate covered bananas! Did you girls clean and wash everything in here?"

"No, Mom. The beds were like this when we found them. They're clean and soft, and smell _sooo_ good."

"Wow. Are all the rooms like this one?"

"No. Come with us. We'll show you."

Julie decided to be the butler and led her mother to the next room stopping just inside the doorway and holding her hand out toward two beds.

"And here, Ma'am, are the children's beds made up in their favorite colors. Blue" –– she pointed to one –– "and green." –– she pointed to the other. She puffed out her lips and tried to speak in a very aloof butler-like manner. "May I show you the view Ma'am? Come this way please and ––"

"Aw, cut it out Julie" Amy blustered. "That's not how Mom used to do it. Um, that isn't how you did it, is it Mom?"

Caryn burst out laughing. "Actually Amy, that's pretty close. Well..., except for the oooooo part with the lips." She turned facing Julie and puffed out her own lips. "And did my luggage arrive properly and undamaged?"

Julie put her hands behind her back and looked up. "Yes Ma'am, every piece. Would you like me to unpack you or will you be resting a bit after your long trip?"

Caryn tried to answer as would one of her former wealthy guests but she couldn't get past the snickering that grew into a giggle and then into hysterical laughter. They both fell to the floor, holding their sides while trying to give each other high fives. Amy just stood there, hands on her hips, looking ever so un-amused, and perhaps, just a bit left out.

Caryn got up on one knee, put her hands on Amy's shoulders and said, "Oh come on love bug. We haven't laughed like this in a long time." Amy folded her arms and shrugged but Caryn pulled her close and hugged her. "And you did just as much as Julie and I love you for it. And come here you." She pulled Julie over and hugged both her daughters. "I don't remember when I've laughed that hard. Thank you both."

"Whew. Alllllll-rightie then girls, enough of the soggy stuff. Now that we have that over with..." –– Caryn took a deep breath and wiped tears of laughter from her cheeks. –– "better get your things up here. Looks like you now have your own room."

"Already done Mom" grinned Amy. "See, I put my canteen over here and my backpack in this closet thing."

"Yeah Mom, mine is over here and this is my armor."

"Your _armor_ Julie? I think you mean _armoire_ don't you?"

"Oh, yeah Mom, arm... war, wah... whatever.... Um, how did you say that?"

"How about calling it _that_ _closet thing_?" Julie scowled. "Okay, okay. It's 'arm-wah', or something like that."

"'Arm-wah, huh? Okay. Anyway, look in here." –– Julie opened the doors. –– "It's kinda like the one we hid in except this one's nice and clean."

"Wow, very cool. How about yours Amy, is it the same?"

"Yup. Except I have _my_ stuff in here."

"Of course you do silly. And how did you two decide which bed to take?"

"By the colors Mom."

"Yeah, just like the laces in our sneakers" added Julie. "Green and Blue. Remember?"

"Oh of course, how could I have been so stupid? Please forgive me for not remembering."

Julie patted Caryn's shoulder. "It's okay Mom. We know you're old –– er, you're –– um, I mean –– um, not good at puzzles. Yeah, puzzles, that's what I meant to say."

"Puzzles huh. Old puzzles? How old? No, no. Never mind. Humph. I've never been sooooo humiliated!"

Pretending to be insulted, she closed her eyes, folded her arms and looked up at the ceiling. The girls looked at each other and mumbled, "O _h-oh"_.

Caryn opened one eye, saw their expressions, suddenly grabbed their sides and began tickling. "Ha...! Thought you were gonna get me, didn't ya."

After the laughter died down, she went downstairs to make dinner and wondered how it was possible, in this abandoned castle, to find all the things that had changed their existence from starving vagabonds to comfortable residents.

Is this a dream from which I'll awaken, or have I become totally and completely delusional?

Her mind reeled with questions and fear of when the legendary "other shoe" would drop. But, once again, she dismissed her apprehension, and decided to just enjoy the fact that she and her children had food, shelter and safety.

#  *SIX* A Puzzling Puzzle

Fall weather was setting in and leaves were turning into glorious reds and yellows. They were eating crisp, sweet apples and anxiously awaiting the early morning frosts and warm midday sun to ripen the still slightly hard pears. Grapes and walnuts abounded and the garden on the north hill was filled with potatoes and carrots ready to harvest.

This strange place was caring for its new residents as if it had been waiting for someone to arrive and give it a just a bit of attention. What they were able to give was coming back to them a hundred-fold.

Caryn was in the kitchen when the girls came back from the library and asked if she had moved any of the books around. "Mom, Julie and I had everything organized and now it's all different."

"Not _all_ different Amy, just the books we've been reading. The rest of them are still where they belong."

"Yeah...? Well, the books I was reading are all gone."

"But you finished them Amy. So what's the big deal? There's still more books that––"

"And the ones _you_ were reading are gone too" blustered Amy cutting off Julie's belittlement of her concerns.

"Mom, did you move them? Are you playing a trick on us? That's not cool you know cause it might scare Julie."

Julie glared at her sister. "You can't scare me by getting all mad over that little thing Amy. They're just books. Mom probably moved them anyway."

"Oh yeah? Well, if she didn't do it, who did? Who was in there huh? Who's sneaking around watching us when we're reading stuff?"

"Enough. Exactly _what_ is going on with you two?"

"The books are gone Mom –– disappeared –– vanished. And Julie doesn't think it's important."

"It's only _some_ of the books Mom and Amy is making a big deal out of it."

"Well, I don't know what books you're talking about but I haven't been in there for several days. If something's different, one of you must have done it"

"There Julie, see? And, Mom, the titles are all different now. It's really weird. If you didn't do it, then there's gotta be someone else here sneaking around and moving things."

"I really thought it was you Mom and Amy was just trying to bust on me. This is _not_ cool. Who's watching us? And, and, what will they do to us? I don't like it. Is this just a trick you're playing to scare us?"

"Oh come on Julie. See Mom? I told you she'd get scared. It is too cool. It's exciting. Maybe there's a _monster_ just waiting to eat us all up."

"Amy, stop it." ordered Caryn. "I'm not sure what you two are talking about but let's go check this book stuff out. And Julie, there's no such thing as monsters." She wiped her hands and headed to the library with the girls close behind.

"There's no such thing as monsters." said Julie as they walked about three steps behind their mother down the hallway. "Mom just said so."

"Is too" argued Amy. "And they're mean."

"–– Nuh-uh, is not. ––"

"–– Is too. ––"

Caryn abruptly stopped and turned around. "Be quiet you two. If there _is_ someone else here, we don't want them to hear all that noisy arguing."

The girls silently mouthed, _okay, sorry._

They quietly continued, stopped at the open door, and peered into the library.

They saw no one so Caryn called out, "Hellooo. Is anyone here? Helloooo. Humph, no answer. Let's look around."

They crept in looking around to see who, or what, might be lurking in the shadows or behind a desk or chair.

A careful check of all the nooks and crannies came up empty but they still wondered how alone they actually were.

Caryn folded her arms, put a finger over her lips, looked around, and pondered the situation. "Well, I don't see anyone here. And I definitely don't see any monsters Julie. Soooo..., exactly what books are missing?"

Amy ran to a shelf and pointed. "There was a book about different kinds of dogs right here. Now it's gone and there's a book about, um" –– she read the title on its spine –– "how to breed and raise canines. Oh. Are canines dogs Mom?"

"Yup, that's what it means. I suppose once you learn what _kinds_ of dogs there are, you might want to learn how to raise and care for them. Well girls, this little adventure was kind of fun but I don't think there's anyone else in here."

The library was huge and the children had such vivid imaginations that it seemed very natural they might forget where they had replaced their last book. So Caryn dismissed the elusive books mystery and moved on to other things.

The girls were still apprehensive but Amy decided to read her new book about raising dogs and Julie decided to examine a pile of dusty stone blocks scattered in disarray on the floor between two of the windows. She picked up two pieces and ran over to her sister.

"Hey, this is cool. Look, they're all different shapes and there are marks on them. It must be a puzzle. I'm going to figure out how to put it together."

"Oh cool. Do you want me to help?"

"No. I'll do it myself." She turned the pieces over to inspect them, stuck out her tongue and went back to the pile.

"Now, now kids, be nice." Caryn ordered. She thought, or at least hoped, it was merely their usual playful teasing and constant sibling competition.

Amy sat down and began reading while Julie started the challenge of assembling the pieces. The girls were safe and intently occupied. With one more look around the room, Caryn returned to the kitchen to prepare a meal.

Later, when she was peeling potatoes, she heard a very loud shriek. She froze for a second. Another shriek echoed down the hall. She ran back to the library yelling, "What happened? Are you girls okay? I'm coming."

When she burst through the door, the girls were calmly staring at Julie's work. The puzzle, which she had assembled on top of a short round table, formed a disc about one and a half meters in diameter and emitted an eerie wavering glow on its edge that backlit an engraved message.

Contained Herein Is the  
Sum of All Man's Knowledge  
\- Use it wisely -

Caryn crept closer and put her hand on Julie's shoulder. "Whoa...! Oh. Um, hi Mom. Whew, you scared me."

"Oh, sorry."

"Look at this thing Mom. I don't know if it's cool or really weird but I got it together just like I said I would."

"Yes you did." She looked around it and under it searching for the source of its light. "Did you put a candle inside this thing? Where's the light coming from?"

"I don't know. When I put the last piece in the center it sort of rumbled a little. Then, it started to glow like it was hot or something and all the cracks between the blocks just disappeared like they melted together. Then it just lit up. What does that _all man's knowledge_ thing mean?"

Caryn was astounded. "I have no idea what it means. But I think it's amazing that you managed to put all those intricate pieces together in just the right places. They were all shaped so differently and appeared to be very hard to fit together."

"Yeah, at first it was hard but I did it. And I did it all by myself too."

"Yes you did honey."

Caryn ran her fingers over the surface. It was perfectly smooth as if it were a single piece of polished stone.

"Hmm, look at these marks and lines. They're engraved or cut into the stone somehow. And here is an N, an E, an S and a W, just like the ones on a compass. And if you look at it from just the right angle, you can see pictures of mountains and rivers. Is this a map?"

"I don't know Mom but it's pretty cool. The sun comes up over there, so I figured that the E meant east and should point that way. Then I put the curved pieces all around the edge and the rest of them were easy. It was _way_ cool when it melted together. Kind of creepy, though."

"Yeah Mom. When Julie put in the last piece it started crackling and rumbling. We thought it was going to blow up or something so we hid behind that big desk until it stopped making noise. What do you think this thing is?"

"No but the center has a concave surface as if something is supposed to set into it. Were there any pieces leftover?"

"Just that ball over there on the floor, but it's too heavy. I couldn't lift it up, so I left it there."

"Caryn went to it and discovered it was too heavy for her to pick up as well. "Hmm, maybe we can get it up there if we work together. Girls, it's time for some teamwork."

She rolled it over to the table so they could all give it a go. They positioned their hands to get a solid grip and began to lift. It was quite a strain at first but as they lifted it higher, it became lighter –– and lighter –– and lighter. When it reached the edge of the disc, it suddenly became as light as a feather and they could feel it being pulled toward the disc's center. Then, with a whoosh, it flew from their hands and stopped right above the center of the puzzle.

"Holy buckets!" Caryn yelled as she jumped backward.

"Whoa. That was scary" Julie breathed.

"Rock on" chimed Amy with a laugh. "That was radical. Hey look. It's floating in the air. What's holding it up?"

The disc's concave center began to glow brighter and brighter until its light was shining straight up on the floating ball. They stared in awe as the ball gradually turned blue, started to slowly rotate and formed what looked like white clouds all over its surface. Its top and bottom turned almost pure white and then, it tilted slightly.

"Are we seeing what I think we're seeing? Oh-my-gosh girls, this thing is a very puzzling puzzle."

"Yeah Mom. It's way cool huh? It's magic."

"I don't know if it's actually magic Amy but look. It's still making weird changes."

The light formed into a sphere, floated off to the side and up to the level of the stone ball causing one side of it to be lit and the other to be in shadow. It looked like a special effect in a movie. Unbelievable. Impossible! Such a thing could not be happening, or so they thought.

Amy suddenly recognized the scene. "Mom, it looks just like a picture we saw in school of the Earth from space. And that bright thing must be the sun."

Caryn moved her hand under, around and above the globe looking for wires or some other means of support. Then she reached for the light. Her hand passed right through it. Whatever was holding the objects in place was quite invisible. She was trying to look more closely when suddenly –– "WELCOME...!" boomed a loud baritone voice that echoed off every wall and surface in the library.

She jumped, the girls shrieked and ran behind her clutching each other. The voice continued.

"I HAVE BEEN WAITING A VERY LONG TIME FOR MY NEXT CLASS OF STUDENTS TO ARRIVE."

"Jiminy Christmas...! Who are you? Students, what do you mean?" Caryn replied not knowing what else to say as they stood there looking around and shaking in their shoes.

"YES, STUDENTS. ARE YOU NOT ––

The voice was very loud so Caryn yelled out, "COULD YOU PLEASE SPEAK A LITTLE MORE QUIETLY?"

There was a momentary silence.

Then, the voice changed to an almost child-like sound and replied. "Oh. Sorry. My last class was hard of hearing and I taught them for several decades. It appears that I still have the habit of speaking in a very strong manner. Uh-hum. Now, if you would please be so kind, let me out so that I can begin today's class."

"Let you _out_ , out of what?" asked Caryn.

"Are you going to hurt us?" questioned Amy as she and her sister slowly backed toward the door.

"Oh child, don't be silly. I would not hurt a fly. Now that you have correctly assembled the puzzle and passed the entrance examination, you need to let me out so that I can properly instruct all of you. Simply remove the book titled _The Key_ from the bottom shelf, open it, remove the key inside and unlock the trunk in the corner. Oh. And please hurry. Now that you've awakened me I am finding it just a bit dusty in here." –– Ahh-Chooo –– "Umm, what year is it?"

They looked at each other with open mouthed smiles at the sound of a very small person in a very big hurry. "It's twenty-twenty," replied Amy.

"You don't know what year it is?" asked Caryn as she pulled out her pocket calendar where she had been methodically keeping track of the date since the war began. "It's a Thursday. How long have you been trapped in there?"

"For quite some time, it would appear. Two thousand and twenty you say? Hmm. Well time has certainly flown by and I've lost track of it. Will you please let me out now?"

Caryn was apprehensive but she couldn't just leave the poor man trapped, so she opened the trunk. It contained only a man's outfit that appeared to have come from some medieval movie, but there was no person waiting to be released.

"Where are you? There are only clothes in here." –– She held up a jacket. –– "And very old ones indeed" she added softly with a chuckle. "I thought you wanted to get out."

"Well, of course I do, but I am not going to appear in front of you ladies in just my nightclothes. That would be embarrassing, not to mention completely improper. Please remove the clothing, and in the little gold box underneath you will find another key. Slide it under the closet door." –– Then came another mighty sneeze. –– "And _please hurry_!"

"My goodness, bless you." said Caryn as she retrieved the other key and looked around for a closet door.

"Mom, I think this is it. It's the only small door in here."

"Ah, brilliant Amy." –– Caryn walked to it and knocked. –– "Is this the right door?"

"Yes, yes, yes, this is it. You have the correct one. May I have the key now please?"

Caryn thought for a moment. _Is this person a prisoner, a criminal? Maybe I'm just being fooled into releasing him. Hmm, and, there's no one else around._ "Ah-hmm. How do we know you won't attack us?"

"Oh..., right. I see. Fear..., yes, yes. A good point. Well, there's only one of me. How many are you?"

"Okay. Wait a minute."

Caryn looked at the girls and motioned toward the fireplace. They both ran to the pile of firewood and selected a club. She silently mouthed, _you stand over there and you over here._ The girls nodded and moved into position. Then she slid the key under the door.

Within seconds they heard loud clanking and rattling sounds as if some kind of locks or big heavy handcuffs were being removed. These were not sounds that made any of them happy or relaxed as they wondered what kind of beast they had just unleashed.

"Thank you very much" said the still unknown voice. "Now, if you would, please unfold the clothing and slide each piece under the door as well."

They managed to get the top of the trousers under the edge of the door when suddenly, a quick swoop sucked them right into the closet. The same thing happened with the jacket, shirt and socks, but the shoes would just not fit.

Then they stepped back a few feet waiting nervously to see who or what would emerge.

The door creaked and started to open, very slowly, just a bit. Through the crack they could now see a face peering out while putting on a pair of round eyeglasses. He looked more nervous than they felt. Then he opened the door the rest of the way, straightened up, and gingerly stepped out into the room.

Caryn's fears of having released some sort of monster subsided when she saw him. He was slightly rotund, sported a well-trimmed beard and was just a bit shorter than she.

"There now, please excuse my disheveled appearance" he begged while straightening his clothes. "I will be more presentable tomorrow after I have had a chance to clean up a bit. But," he continued, pointing a finger in the air, "not to waste your time, let us begin. Hmmm, ah yes, there it is."

He put on his shoes, walked to a bookcase, removed a _huge_ leather-bound book, wrestled it over to a large desk and dropped it with a thump.

"Whew" he breathed while adjusting his glasses.

Then, without using any sort of key, he passed his hand over two visibly locked straps that instantly popped open. (Was this more magic or just a slight of hand trick?)

He opened the cover and flipped through page after page while muttering indistinguishably and stopped mid-sentence.

"Now, where, where, where..., where is that? Somewhere. It has to be in this section, let me see. Hmm... where can that be? Oh here perhaps. Husher, Runkin, no. Wrong section."

He turned several more pages and Caryn began to snicker at his anxious mumbling.

"Hmmm. Oh yes, here it is. Yes, yes, yes, this is it. How could I have been so inefficient? Oh my goodness, terrible, terrible, terrible, how terrible of me. Ah yes. This is them. They have to be the ones."

Caryn and the girls looked at each other with curious smiles as he rapidly rambled on to himself. Finally, he looked up, squinted a bit, adjusted his glasses, and then back down to the book. "Yes, yes, yes. They definitely are the ones."

Holding a finger on the page, he looked straight at the girls and announced, "Ah. Here you all are, wonderful. Let's see what we are told." He looked down at the page, up at the girls and then back down at the page and began to read the book's message.

"Julie, you are nine years of age and like adventure. Amy, you are ten years of age and like to learn. Hmm, interesting."

He removed his glasses and looked straight at Amy. "Just remember, my dear, that no one can be perfect. And although I commend you for always trying to be so, please do not be disappointed at an occasional mistake. People do sometimes make them you know."

He looked back down, paused, and looked up again. "Oh yes. And I am sure you will not need those pieces of firewood to defend yourselves. As you can see, I am quite harmless."

"How does he know our names Mom?" they asked in unison. "Shush" ordered Caryn. "Let's listen."

He looked at them for a second, smiled, and continued. "And, let's see. Caryn. Hmmm..., Caryn Elizabeth?" –– His face suddenly went white –– "Oh my. Caryn, _you_ have been chosen and are now the reigning monarch."

His fearful gaze rapidly flipped back and forth from Caryn to the book. "Of course. That is why it is written here. You are _Queen_ Caryn. You _are_ the Queen. Oh my. Your Majesty" –– he bowed –– "I hope that I have not said or done anything out of turn this day."

"Your Majesty...?" questioned Caryn in a disbelieving tone. Such a statement surprised her but she decided to see what came next. "Oh, I see. Well then, please continue."

"Yes, yes, of course Ma'am." He took a breath, put his hands together and turned toward the children. "And you two, my dears, are Princess Amy and Princess Julie. Well then, I am at Her Majesty's and the Royal Highnesses' service. How then may I serve you?" Then he bowed waiting for an answer.

Caryn thought that it must be time to wake up, or for the rooster to crow or some other alarm to go off. For there was, at least in her reality, no such thing as a little rotund man pronouncing that they were, of all things, royalty. She and her daughters looked at each other for a moment, and then they began to giggle.

"You... a princess? Ha. No way Julie." blustered Amy.

"Well, if I'm not, then you're not one either Amy."

They tried to stifle their amusement by covering their mouths with their hands, but to no avail. Thinking of themselves as royalty just seemed so ridiculous they could not control themselves and laughter burst forth.

Caryn looked at the man, choked back her own laugh and managed to say, "I'm sorry. But I think you've mistaken us for someone else. We couldn't possibly be royalty."

A look of disdain flushed over his face. "Well, I certainly cannot change what is written but it shall be as you wish Ma'am. Now it appears I have much to do before our first class. Therefore, your lessons will begin promptly at sunrise tomorrow. I beg your leave my Queen, Princesses."

He replaced the book on its shelf, turned, and quickly went back into the closet closing the door behind leaving Caryn and her daughters standing dumbfounded in the middle of the library.

"I think we hurt his feelings" whispered Caryn as she tried to open the closet door. "Um, nope. It's locked shut. Oh well, guess we'll have to apologize some other time. But girls, you have to admit that, _that_ was _way_ too funny for words."

"See, I told you there was someone else here" gurgled Amy between laughs.

"Yeah" laughed Julie. You did. But it wasn't a monster, was it. And now I'm a princess. You too. Hey Mom, does that mean we have to call you Your –– hiccup –– Royal–– hiccup –– Your Majesty from now on?"–– hiccup.

"Julie's got the hiccups, Julie's got the hiccups."

"Oh, stop it Amy. Julie, hold your breath and calm down. That's it, calm..., calm..., calm..., there. Better?"

"Whew. Okay. I'm over it Mom –– hiccup –– almost. Um, is it time to eat yet? I'm hungry."

"Oh. Okay. Sure Julie. I'll bet Amy can whip up another canned vegetable salad."

"Amy's yucky vegetable salad? Mom..., noooo."

They chuckled and laughed all the way to the kitchen, whereupon Amy asked, "What did he mean when he said classes would start at sunrise tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out tomorrow. But it's nice to have someone else here, don't you think?"

"Easy for you to say Mom," grumbled Julie. "But it sounds like school, and you don't have to go."

"Oh, right. That's true I guess. Well, we'll see what happens tomorrow. Right now, let's make some food."

The girls continued snickering and mumbling "Princess Amy" and "Princess Julie" and set the table for dinner.

Caryn prepared the meal while muttering, "He said I'm The Queen. Ha, right. That'll be the day. I can see it now." –– Her hand went up as if directing music for her words. –– "The Royal Family invites you to a Royal gala event at the Royal palace for the Royal Queen and the Royal Family. Ha-ha-ha. Right. Me, a queen? That is totally ridiculous."

"Mom, who are you waving at?"

"She does that a lot when she's talking Julie."

"Who's she talking to Amy?"

"Herself."

"Oh yeah, right. I forgot she does that a lot."

Caryn didn't even try to explain her self-discussion. "Okay girls. Come and get it afore I throw it to the hogs."

"Hogs...? Mom, are you feeling okay?"

"Just fine Amy. And..., since you now have a teacher and classes to attend, think of all the new things you'll be learning. You know, like reading and writing and 'rith––ma––tic. Taught to the tune of a..., umm, what kind of stick was that?"

"Aw Mom," whined Julie. "The only school we really liked was that one that got all blown up and now we have to start another one. And there's no other kids, it's just us."

"Oh don't worry so much Julie. It'll be just fine."

"Really mom? Julie's right. We're the only ones here."

"Yes Amy, Julie is right. But we are now The Royal Family so we can do anything. –– Ta-taaaaaaaa!"

"Yeah, right. And now Julie's a Royal pain in ––"

"Oooo..., careful Amy...!"

"Oops. Sorry Mom. Sorry Julie, just kidding."

Caryn was happy they had someone to teach them but still wondered if this 'teacher' was really what he seemed to be. _Sunrise huh? What's going to happen at sunrise tomorrow?_

#  *SEVEN* The Teacher's Name

They had become accustomed to peaceful quiet mornings when dawn lit their bedroom walls awakening them with its soft golden glow. But on this day, the stillness was broken by an incessant tapping sound. Tap––tap––tap. It was like the ticking of a clock, constant, relentless and impossible to ignore. Tap––tap––tap. It echoed through the hallways and up the stairs from somewhere below. Tap––tap––tap. It became louder and louder as the minutes went by.

Caryn got out of bed and walked to her door. "Amy..., Julie..., are you two making that irritating noise?" They didn't respond. She went into their room and found them with pillows over their heads trying to continue sleeping.

_It's not them so who could it be?_ Then it dawned on her. _Oh, right. That teacher person from yesterday in the library. That's it. He said class at dawn. Guess he meant it. Okay then. We'd better go see what this class thing's all about._

"Wakee, wakee girls" she announced while pulling off their pillows. "Time to get up for school." Then, she sat on Amy's bed, chuckled, yawned, and waited.

Julie sat up mumbling, "Mom, did you set an alarm?"

"Nope. Didn't."

"Then what's making that loud noise?"

Amy groaned and pulled the covers over her head.

"Don't know." Caryn yawned again and pulled Amy's covers back down. "Can't sleep with that racket so let's go find out what it is. Come on. It's time to get up."

"Nuts. And I was having a really great dream too."

"Really, what about?"

"I was out in the woods and found two puppies that were really cute and smart and they followed me home."

"Cool, what kind of puppies?"

"I don't know. That noise woke me up. Now I'll probably never find out. I didn't even get to name them."

"I was dreaming too. There was a monster chasing me through the woods and I ––"

Amy slapped her on the shoulder. "Oh Julie, there's always a monster chasing you. They don't really exist. You just make them up. Besides, it was only a dream."

"Well, what if it was real?"

"It's not real. It's a dream. And you just make things up."

"It could be real Amy. You don't know if monsters really exist or ––"

"No way Julie. You always––"

"Stop arguing you two! That tapping noise is irritating enough. Just get dressed so we can go find out what it is."

The girls grumbled but soon they were all dashing down the stairs toward the tap, tap, tapping noise. It led them straight to the library where their self-appointed teacher was tapping a ruler on his desk and looking rather bored.

"Good morning," They all said as they entered the room. It sounded more like a question than a greeting.

"Your Majesty!" he said quickly jumping to his feet. "And Your Royal Highnesses." he added bowing over the desk. "And a very good morning to you all as well. It is an honor to see you at this very early hour."

Amy mumbled, "He's right about it being early."

Julie agreed with an 'I can't believe we're up this early' expression. "Early yeah. But his noise woke me up before that monster could get me. That's kinda cool."

"Our first lesson today will be time. It is, of course, Ma'am, only with your permission that I instruct your children on the consideration of being on time. As we enter the fall season, there are fewer daylight hours so one has to make a slight adjustment in order to use the sun's light as a clock. Today, we will study the annual changes using Julie's puzzle." He put down the ruler, clasped his hands and smiled.

Julie whispered, "Uh-oh, vacation is over and we're already in trouble for being late."

"Now wait just a minute sir or teacher, um, mister. Just what do you think you're doing waking us up at this hour? It's only, um, well, it's only––" She looked around and saw the sunlight streaming through the windows. –– "Oh. It's morning. Well, I guess it was time to get up anyway."

"Yes Ma'am. I told you to be here at sunrise on purpose to get you started on time. Dawn comes later in the day this time of year. And, children, you are not in trouble at all. I am, first and foremost, The Queen's servant and I am yours as well. Now then, let us begin your royal education."

"Sir, we should begin by having you tell me exactly what you mean by my children's royal education."

"Of course, Ma'am".

"And, how did you know about us? What is in that huge book that we couldn't even pull off the shelf? I need to know much more before you'll teach anything to my children."

"And you shall Ma'am. I serve at your pleasure and only as you wish. Please, look here." He extended an open hand toward the papers on his desk. "If you would be so kind, look at my initial preparations and syllabus. Should you find anything you dislike, I will remove it. I believe I have created a properly structured course of study that we can review in detail and change anything as you wish."

Caryn spent the next half hour discussing, questioning, and reviewing the teacher's plans while her children fidgeted and whispered to each other. They wanted to get this school matter over so they could continue exploring.

"Why were you locked in that closet? How long have you been here? Who was in your last class?" Her questions sounded more like an interrogation instead of a conversation.

He retrieved that very large book and showed her where their names were written.

A woman and her two daughters will escape horrific chaos and enter the valley as penniless vagabonds. Julie, the younger child, enjoys exploring. Amy, the elder child, is a perfectionist. And Caryn, their mother, has been chosen to become the new reigning Monarch. Welcome and serve them well.

The words continued but he closed the book, put it back on the shelf, and patted its spine. "This, Ma'am, is how I knew your names and that my duties include teaching both you and your children about your new destiny."

"How could anyone possibly know we would come here? _We_ didn't even know that."

Eventually he convinced her that, in due time, all her questions would be answered, that he was not a threat of any kind. And, as Queen, she could do anything she wished.

"Mom, hurry up so we can get started. Please."

"Yeah Mom" added Julie. "We want to go out and play. Let's get this school stuff over with. Okay?"

"Be patient girls. This is important."

They folded their arms and grudgingly waited.

His curriculum, Caryn was pleasantly surprised to see, contained the usual school subjects of reading, mathematics, geography, writing, and history, among others. She was not in the habit of trusting strangers but this man seemed different and she did trust him. She didn't know why, but she did. It was very bizarre. An overwhelming feeling of calm convinced her that this teacher belonged in their new life and was now an essential part of their destiny. She was strangely confident of it and gave him permission to proceed. He smiled and turned toward the girls.

"Amy, you like animals, especially dogs. But you must learn that there are many kinds of animals, each one trying to make its own way in the world and raise its own children. Julie, you are an adventurer and like to see new places and do new things. You will learn that there are so many places to see and things to do that you cannot possibly fit them all into one human lifetime. However, you will have a lot of fun trying. Now, please take a seat and let us begin."

They reluctantly sat at their desks and his exuberant humor soon put smiles on their faces and subdued Caryn's remaining concerns.

She did, however, stay nearby to monitor by doing a bit of reading just outside the door. With a comfortable chair in the hallway and the book about the history of the castle, she was happily occupied just a few meters away but out of their view.

An hour passed. The sound of the teacher's questions and her daughter's answers changed to laughter, to _oohs_ and then to "Wow, that sounds totally cool."

She peeked around the edge of the doorway and saw them all deeply engrossed in a discussion about their future study plans. When she stood up to leave, Amy saw her and shrieked, "Mommy, Mommy, look at the books Teacher gave us today. I got this book about dogs and it's way cool."

"And I got this book about where everything is in this whole valley," added Julie. "It has maps of secret places and pictures and everything."

The teacher had apparently kept his word and made their first day in class fun and exciting. He approached Caryn. "Your Majesty, may I speak freely?"

"Of course, but only if you call me Caryn. It's wonderful to be considered a queen but I'm not sure I could ever get used to being called, of all things, _Your Majesty_."

He seemed taken aback by Caryn's lack of formality but managed to stutter out a reply. "Oh. Um, thank you, Your–– um, Your –– uh, Caryn. I will comply with your wishes, no matter how unusual they may seem. Um, Caryn, I wish to let you know that your children show great promise and are a delight to teach. Their enthusiasm and curiosity makes my task much easier and I am happy to be able to provide them with a proper education. Thank you for this opportunity, Your Majes.. — Um, I mean, Caryn."

She looked him up and down trying to decide how to find out more about this stranger. He felt like a friend, he looked and acted like a friend, but she still had reservations. His appearance was impeccable and his demeanor extremely soothing. His clothes were clean and pressed, his shoes were shined, his beard precisely trimmed and he looked like one of the finest professors she had ever seen.

"My goodness, you must have worked all night cleaning your clothes and shoes."

Looking down at himself then back up he replied, "It is always necessary for me to present an appearance that both commands respect and inspires the children to enjoy the things we learn each day. I am hopeful that my appearance pleases Her Majesty— Um, Caryn–– I mean, you..., Ma'am."

Caryn chuckled at his stammering. "Perhaps I should get used to the _Your Majesty_ thing. You seem to have trouble in not saying it and I've never been called that before."

"Whatever you wish Ma'am, um, apologies, Caryn."

"No worries. We'll figure it out sooner or later. Anyway, how could I find any fault with your appearance? It's flawless. But please tell me, what is your name?"

He looked puzzled. "My name? Oh. My name. Yes. I am simply called Teacher."

"Teacher, just teacher? Well now, that's odd. Teacher you say. Are you saying you don't have a name?"

"I have been called Teacher for as long as I can remember Ma'am, just Teacher."

Caryn decided to try her hand at being a monarch. "Let me see if I understand this situation correctly. I am the Queen, my girls are Princesses and you are a servant, is that correct?"

"Yes Your Majes–– Um, Caryn. That is correct."

"Then, if I want to change something, I can do it. Is that also correct?"

"Yes, your word is law. You are The Queen."

She tapped her lips with a finger, thinking. "Hmm..." She looked at the teacher, then at her children and a smile slowly emerged.

Amy whispered, "Uh-oh, Mom's up to something again."

"Yup. I wonder what we'll have to do this time."

The room was silent for a moment as Caryn looked back and forth from the teacher to her girls. Then, she clasped her hands and looked squarely at the man.

"Ah, hmm.... For my first command as Queen of this valley, or, castle, or whatever I am Queen of, I wish to create an important task. Girls, we absolutely _must_ come up with a suitable and proper name for this man, professor, teacher person. All three of us will have to come up with some great names to consider. Are you in?"

"Oh yeah! That's totally cool. How about Sam, or Charlie, or Bruce or ––"

"Stop, stop, stop! We have to give this some thought and consideration to ensure the name is a good and appropriate one. You two have one week to consider your choices."

Julie looked puzzled. "A week, a whole week? It won't take _that_ long Mom."

"Yeah Mom. We can do it right now or by tomorrow."

"No. One week, you will take one week. Think it over and make sure it's a proper name for a teacher, a professional, a learned man. Is that understood?"

Teacher watched their exchange with an astonished look on his face and then slowly sat down. "I have never been given a name before and never thought I was deserving of one. I simply do not know what to make of this."

Caryn put her hands on his desk and smiled. "I believe that you do indeed deserve a name, a proper name of which you can be proud." –– She straightened up and spoke for everyone to hear. –– "This is a new place for us, a new life. And, although I am not yet sure, I believe you will be a very important part of it."

"Come now, children, it's time for breakfast. Teacher, would you like to join us? We'll be having scrambled eggs and rolls and apple juice."

"Oh my," he mumbled. "Her Majesty, um, I mean, Caryn, wishes to give me a name, _and_ invites me to breakfast? I have never been treated in this way. What should I do, I wonder?"

He stood and a sheepish look flushed across his face. "My Queen, I am at your service. But I, just a lowly servant, could never hope to join the Royal Family at any meal."

"Well, how servant-like is that? Then for my second command as Queen of this, um, place, I hereby pronounce you free from all servitude to live and act as an emancipated man. There is much to do and few of us to do it. Therefore, you are now free but will always conduct yourself in a way that both contributes to and assists this now growing family."

"Ha! There. I did a Queen thing. Got any questions?"

Teacher was quite dumbfounded but, after a bit of stuttering and stammering, he finally managed to put a sentence together.

"My Queen––um, Caryn, I respectfully ask to be excused from your most generous breakfast invitation so that I may do the necessary research and study for this new position you have bestowed upon me."

He looked pale, nervous and almost sweating. Without waiting for an answer, he zoomed across the room, into the closet and slammed shut the door.

"Hmmm," Caryn hummed, raising her eyebrows. "I didn't expect _that_ reaction. Alllll-rightie girls, let's go eat."

The next morning, school started in earnest with no grumbling from the girls. Teacher's methods were entertaining, effective, and the books he used...; oh the wonderful books. They––were––magical. The girls' imaginations were swept into a different world just as if they were living in the experience of that day's subject.

Caryn had become more comfortable with Teacher and, one day, she left class before they finished. It was a little chilly and she wanted to check the great room's fireplace. Just as she picked up a poker the girls came running through the door yelling and impatiently interrupting each other.

"Hey Mom, Mom, wait till you hear what ––"

"Yeah Mom, wait till you hear about ––"

"Let me tell her Amy. Mom, you should have seen it ––"

"Yeah Mom, we were in the forest but all the trees ––"

Julie stepped in front of her sister. "The trees had numbers instead of leaves and, we ––"

"Yeah, and Julie found the treasure before I did. But then, I figured out the next––"

"She did, Amy got it right. She found the second one. I couldn't even get to the first––"

"Ha, it was right there, right on the bush and she couldn't even see it but I did."

"Slow down girls. Take a breath. In a forest with numbers for leaves and trees and bushes..., what's all this about? You never left the library."

"Yes we did. Well, sort-of anyway. We were, um, uh..." Julie looked at her sister for help.

"No we didn't really go anywhere Mom but it was like we were really in a forest and it was a treasure hunt game."

"Yeah, that's what it was" continued Julie with a grin. "And we had to find a treasure. But to do it, we had to solve all kinds of number puzzles and I found the first one."

Caryn put the poker back on its rack. "I see..., I think. So, you played a math game. Did you learn anything?"

"Sure Mom. Now we can, um.... Let's show her Julie." Amy looked at the stack of logs next to the fireplace. "What do you think, about twenty-seven in that pile?"

Julie scrunched up her face and took a step to her left. "No..., it's twenty-eight."

"Hmm, twenty-seven, yup, I think it's twenty-seven."

"No Amy, see that one in the back row? It's two logs."

"No Julie, it's just broken on one end..., I think."

Amy walked over to the pile and examined the questionable log. "Rats. She's right Mom. It's split all the way through. It's twenty-eight."

Caryn stretched upward and looked at the pile. There was a stack in front, easy to count, and another stack behind it, partially hidden. She walked over and pulled some of the logs from the front, started counting the ones behind, and came up with twenty-eight.

"How did you two do that?"

The girls grinned. "Teacher taught us how Mom."

"Amazing. Guess I'll have to spend more time in your classes from now on."

At dinner one evening, she asked if they had decided on any names for Teacher.

"Yeah but we can't decide which one is best Mom."

"I came up with some good ones but Amy didn't like them. And I don't like the ones she came up with either."

"I see. Well, what names _are_ you considering?"

The girls started blurting out name after name. John, Smitty, Clancy, Charlie, and on and on they went.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Let's try another approach. Girls, who were your favorite teachers in school last year?"

"Ummmm, Mr. O'Connor Mom. He was the best. He always made things interesting and fun to learn."

"Well, I liked Mr. Grimes and Mr. Huff. Oh, and Mrs. Hickman. She was really nice."

Caryn froze with sadness for a second when Julie said _Mrs. Hickman_. That was a horrible day.

"Well, she continued, I think Grimes doesn't fit, since Teacher's appearance is always impeccable. And Huff doesn't either. He's always very congenial. And Mr. O'Connor just doesn't to fit his stature. So, perhaps something else. Something befitting a man who lives in a castle."

"What kind of names are castle names Mom?"

"Not castle names Julie. Just, well..., what do you think of this one? _Bartholomew Bixby, Lord of the Library_. And we can call him Bart for short."

The girls looked confused so Caryn explained. And, this time, it was she who spoke _very_ rapidly.

"Of course, Bart would only be in an informal setting. We would have to call him Lord Bixby in front of company and during parties or for introductions to all the people. You know, when we have the announcer say each person's name and title at the, um, well.... Oh, um, yeah. People, ha, people. We're it aren't we. Okay, let's keep it simple. Call him Bart and we'll save the Lord part for when it's formal."

_Formal parties? I wonder if that will ever happen_.

"Is that cool with you two?"

The girls stared with their mouths open throughout Caryn's rapid rambling about formal and informal things and then looked at each other silently mouthing _Bartholomew Bixby_ a few times.

Amy shrugged out a nearly silent _Why not?_

Julie nodded and mumbled, "Yeah, why not?"

Then, they practiced saying this long official sounding name a few times and grinned.

"Okay Mom. The Lord thing is very cool. We like it. Um..., we do like it don't we Julie?"

"Yup, the Lord thingy is way cool and the name's not bad either. It's kinda catchy too."

"It's not dumb or anything is it?"

"Nope. It's cool Mom. He can be a lord, right Amy?"

"Sure, he's a lord and we're princesses. Totally cool."

"Then, that's what it'll be and we'll tell him tomorrow."

"Okay Mom. But you have to do it cause you're the Queen and we're just..., um..., what are we Amy? Oh yeah, cause we're just princesses."

That night, Caryn repeated her announcement over and over in her mind as she drifted off to sleep. When morning came, they all hurried to the library and waited for Teacher to emerge from his closet.

"Oh my." he said when he opened the door. "Am I late?" He looked at the sunlight's position on the wall and continued, "No. It does not seem so. And, of course, I am _never_ late. Why are you all here so early? I have not even had time to prepare for today's lesson."

The children giggled, looked at each other and blurted out, "Today is the day you get your new name."

"Oh my!" he exclaimed standing at attention.

Caryn cleared her throat and began her pronouncement:

" **Teacher, you will thrice repeat that which I will say.  
And if you like the sound and ring, this shall be the day.  
You must be honest with us now and tell us what you feel.  
For if bestowed it's yours forever and cannot be repealed."  
**  
**"Bartholomew Bixby, Lord of the Library"**

He began repeating the name, first in a quiet whisper, then gradually louder and louder. "Bartholomew Bixby, Lord of the Library, Bartholomew Bixby, Lord of the Library. I have a name. Bartholomew Bixby, Lord of the Library. And a good one it is. Bartholomew Bixby, Lord of the Library.

Imagine me, with a proper name. Bartholomew Bixby, Lord of the Library. And a title. I am now a lord. A lord? Imagine that. Me, a lord..., of the library."

He began to pace in a circle with one hand behind his back and the other pointing straight up while speaking to the walls and listening to the ring of such a name.

"Yes. I like it. I very much like this new name. Queen Caryn, Princess Amy and Princess Julie, I thank you and will do my best to live up to this new position you have been gracious enough to bestow upon me. Oh my, in honor of this gift, I must prepare a very special class for the children of this wonderful Royal Family."

Caryn laughed, cleared her throat and asked in her most regal voice, "Then, Teacher, this name is acceptable?"

He snapped to attention and replied, "Oh yes, yes my Queen. It is very acceptable and quite desirable."

"Then I now pronounce for all to hear that, henceforth and forevermore, Teacher shall be known as Bartholomew Bixby, Lord of the Library and shall be treated with the respect due such a distinguished lord."

Royal demeanor was not Caryn's strong suit but her verbal decree just seemed to flow as if she had always known how to be a proper monarch. She even surprised herself. "Wow. This is way too much fun. Oops, ah-hmm. Right. Back to being queen-like."

"Further," she continued as she cleared her throat and raised a hand, "in the presence of company or strangers, you will be addressed as Lord Bixby. However, outside of these circumstances and when we are in an informal setting, you and we may use our given names. Lord Bixby, do you prefer Bartholomew or Bart?"

With a flushed face and a great huge grin, he replied, "Bart would be most acceptable my Queen—ah, Caryn."

Caryn smiled and applauded. "There, it's done. Lord Bixby, Bart, welcome to our family."

That was indeed a very good way to start off the week. Bartholomew Bixby, freed from centuries of servitude and given an official name, swelled with pride. At first, the formal and informal bit seemed confusing but Caryn knew he would teach them well and make them quite comfortable with the rules of etiquette that even she was anxious to learn.

#  *EIGHT* The Dark Tower

"Mom, remember that story we read about fairies?"

"Sure Julie. Why? Ummph..., boy this big pot is heavy."

"Why didn't you use one of the small ones?"

"We have small ones? Where are they?"

"Right here Mom." Amy opened a cupboard door and retrieved two of them. "See? Small pots and covers."

"Gee. I thought all the pots were right here. No wonder I couldn't find one the right size. Ha! You moved them."

"Oops! Julie and I organized the kitchen yesterday. We thought it would be easier to have these near the sink and stove. We forgot to tell you. Sorry."

"Near the sink and stove huh? Actually, that's a good idea. But I'd better look around in here to see where you put everything so I can find what we need next time. Now, what were you saying about fairies Julie?"

"Fairies...?" chuckled Amy as she set the last plate on the table. "Come on Julie, you mean that storybook thing? There's no such thing as fairies. Or didn't you know that?"

"Amy, let your sister ask her question." Caryn served a ladle of stew onto each of their plates. "Go ahead Julie."

"Never mind, I just wanted to know if they were real."

"You mean, do they actually exist?" Then Caryn realized how she sounded. "Oops, sorry. Okay, why do you ask?"

"Cause just before coming in tonight, Amy and I saw something flying around in the orchard. When I ran over there it flew away. I couldn't see what it was, but it was little."

"Yeah, it was probably just a dragonfly Julie. I told you that before we came in. Guess you didn't believe me."

"It was too big to be a dragonfly. And it lit up just like the picture of the fairy in that book we were reading."

"Julie, I really don't know _what_ to believe anymore. We've seen some very strange things here, but I don't think fairies are real. If you want, we can ask Bart tomorrow."

"Oh. Good idea. Okay Mom. I'll ask him."

Later that evening in the great room the girls were looking through Julie's book of maps while Caryn mentally beat herself up about the big heavy pot. _Sometimes you're a total dodo Caryn Elizabeth! Oh well. At least I got the bread right_.

"Mom, is it okay if Julie and I explore those rooms past the library tomorrow after class? They're right under our bedrooms and we won't be very far away."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"You can but it's only down the hall past the library."

"Okay. You guys go have fun exploring. Just be careful and stay together."

Occasionally, the girls would ask Bixby about the strange things they encountered such as the shiny bucket in the hen's coop that was always full of water even though no one had filled it from the stream. They would debate why someone had to pour water into the hen's trough each day but never had to refill the bucket. Did someone fill it each night or did it magically fill itself? He encouraged them to speculate and theorize but they never actually solved the mystery.

One day Caryn asked him about injuries because Amy had cut her hand but there was no pain or blood.

"In this land you cannot be hurt by your own hand either by accident or choice. Everything in this dominion is under your command and exists primarily for your health, safety, and welfare. And that _is_ as it should be."

"Well that is certainly comforting. What about someone else's hand? Does that mean we _can_ we be hurt by others? Maybe I'm just being paranoid from what we went through last year. But if other people found this place and decided to attack us, could we be hurt or killed by them?"

"Ah, that, my Queen, is another matter entirely. However, many of our classes have the goal of teaching each of you the art of defending yourselves against would-be aggressors.

This domain will protect you as long as you work to protect it. However, it is not all-powerful and does have limitations. Many of the things you are learning may seem frivolous at the time but that knowledge and those skills will be of great use when it becomes necessary."

_When it becomes necessary...? Great, now what do we have to go through_ , wondered Caryn. Bart answered her silent concerns as if she had spoken them aloud.

"You will see when the time comes Ma'am. But I will ensure that you are all properly prepared and equipped."

"How did you know what I was thinking? I didn't say––She looked at her daughters. "Did you hear me say anything girls?" They motioned a No. "So Bart, you read my, umm.... Oh never mind. Just tell me. Prepared and equipped for what? What exactly is going to happen to us?"

Whether he could read minds or not, Caryn was not going to let a comment like that just pass by unexplained.

"My Queen," he replied in a serious tone, "I do not know what the future holds. However, it is my duty to prepare you for any eventuality. I cannot predict what will happen. But, as events unfold, I will keep you apprised and do everything in my power to ensure your wellbeing."

Then, he placed a book on each of their desks and went back to his own.

The vagueness of his answer didn't satisfy Caryn's curiosity but she decided not to pursue it further and remained silent so class could continue.

Still in his serious tone, he continued. "I think you will find this new book both entertaining and informative. Some of the stories describe events similar to your own. And over the next few weeks, we will discuss and learn from them."

Amy flipped through a few pages. "Are these fairy tales?"

"Some are fictional tales. Others are historical fact."

"How will we know which is which?"

"That is for you to decide."

Just as the girls began to ask more questions, Bixby bowed and zoomed back into his closet. Class was over.

Later, when Caryn was preparing lunch, she told the girls that, in her opinion, the stories were lessons similar to the morals in Aesop's Fables.

Amy was skeptical. "I don't think there's a lesson in any of those stories Mom. They're all just kid's fairy tales."

"Oh yeah?" countered Julie. "What about the one where the prince got trapped and he could've gotten away if he hadn't panicked? Remember? He got all scared and never got out of the dungeon."

"Aw Julie, that's like..., there's no such thing as some guy getting locked up and not finding the key. It was in plain sight on the stone next to the door. Come on..., really..., who would believe that?"

"Well..., it could've happened. You don't know."

"Yeah..., right..., as if...!"

That afternoon, Caryn and Julie were in the great room and Amy was looking for sugar in the far corner of the pantry when she discovered an unexplored cupboard. When she opened the door, three steps folded out –– clunk, clunk, clunk, –– right down to the floor.

Huh? It's empty. Hmm, maybe it's one of those secret passageways Julie was talking about and there's a hidden lever or switch inside that makes it go someplace.

She walked up the steps, went inside and began feeling the surfaces for a lever or button. Suddenly, the steps folded back to their original position, the door slammed shut and the cupboard began to quickly move upward.

Oh yay! This is totally cool, a secret elevator. I wonder where it goes.

After it slowed to a stop, the door opened and the steps un-folded to the floor of a circular room that had several openings equally positioned around its walls and one large door across the room from the dumbwaiter.

When she walked down the steps into the room, –– clunk, clunk, clunk, –– they folded up, the door closed and her 'elevator' quickly returned back down to the pantry.

Wow. I wonder what I can see from up here. Boy, wait till they find out what I discovered this time. I must be a million miles up in the sky.

She ran to the nearest turret, looked out and gasped. _Oh-my-gosh. This is totally cool. I can see anyone coming from a hundred miles away! Wait till I tell Mom and Julie._

As she looked toward the forest and daydreamed about the home she had once known, her thoughts gradually drifted to the recent past. She thought about her mother who was always working and how she had missed being with her.

She thought about the moves they had made and of the war that destroyed their way of life, of the months they'd spent sleeping on the ground, and of the fear that was part of their every day and night. Then, she sighed, looked across the landscape, and became mesmerized with the lush valley and the magical way in which it had welcomed them all. It was much like a fairy tale but one that had come to life and enveloped them in its peaceful existence.

–– Then, she noticed the setting sun. ––

Oh-oh, it's getting late. I'd better get back before Mom worries and gets upset.

She ran to the dumbwaiter door and pulled. It wouldn't budge. She tried again with all her strength but the door that had opened so easily in the pantry was as solid as the wall.

"Nuts!" she muttered as she walked across the room to the large door. "Guess I'll have to walk all the way down."

When she tried to lift the latch, it wouldn't move.

She ran from turret to turret looking for another way down but there were no stairs or ladders and it was far too high to attempt climbing down.

She ran back to the door, pulled, pushed, kicked and pried but nothing seemed to have any effect. She was trapped, in a near panic, and ready to cry. She sat down in the center, closed her eyes and put her face in her hands. Then, she remembered the fairy tale.

_That prince guy..., he panicked in that dungeon and didn't find the key. Okay. Maybe Julie was right. Don't panic. Stay calm and think._ _I'll just have to wait. Mom will get worried and come looking for me. I know she will._

By this time, her mother and sister had indeed started to worry. The setting sun told them it was late and Amy should have been back long ago.

"Julie, you were in the library earlier. Was she with you?"

"No, Mom, she left when I got there and I don't know where she went."

"Okay, this is serious. We can't wait any longer. I'm writing a note in case she comes back here while we're out looking for her. You've been exploring a lot. Do you think we should look together, or separately?"

"Together Mom. We don't know what we'll find, and it could take two of us to rescue her."

With that surprisingly astute statement from Caryn's younger child, the search began.

"Okay. Let's start in the library. Maybe she's engrossed in a book and lost track of time."

"A book...? I'll bet if she is, it's probably about dogs."

"Dogs...?"

"Yeah, that's all she ever reads about."

"Well then, I hope she's in the library reading a book about dogs. Let's go."

They hurried to the library and scoured every nook and cranny while calling her name. There was no response from her or even Bixby. Amy was nowhere to be found.

"Oh fudge face. Come on Julie, let's work our way through the castle."

The kitchen, bedrooms, hallways, yards, henhouse and castle grounds were all vacant and Caryn was becoming very frustrated. She looked at Julie in bewilderment and sighed.

"I just don't know where else to look Julie. I'm stumped! Any ideas?"

"I think we should go up that staircase and see what's there."

"Staircase..., what staircase?"

"That dark one, you know, in the tower."

"Oh yeah, the tower. Great idea, Julie. It's really high. Maybe we can see her from up there, or we can yell to get her attention. Brilliant. Let's do it."

"Um, Mom, we've never explored way up there because it's really dark and we don't have any flashlights. I did find some square things in the kitchen pantry that kinda look like lights but I don't know how they work."

"Square things huh? Okay, let's go look at them."

They hurried back to the pantry where Julie retrieved a rectangular object and held it up. "Mom, is this thing a light?"

"Well how about that. Yup. It looks like an old lantern. Great. Let's see if we can find some oil or kerosene."

"We found a huge bunch of cans outdoors that say _Caution - Flammable_. Is that what we need?"

"Maybe. Show me where they are."

They each carried a lantern out to a stone storage building. Caryn read one of the cans and exclaimed, "Julie, you're a genius! Let's fill these lanterns and get back to those dark tower stairs."

"Okay but..., how do we turn them on?"

"I'll show you when we get to the tower,"

They rushed back to the stairs, ran up to the second floor bedrooms and stopped to light the lantern wicks with a small striker Caryn retrieved from the fireplace. Then, it was back into the hallway, up another flight of stairs to the entrance of the tower. Then –– they stopped dead in their tracks.

"Mom, I can't see anything up there."

"Wow. That is really high. I can't even tell how far it goes. Okay, hold your lantern in front so you can see ahead and be careful what you walk on. The steps are over there. And Julie...," "Yeah Mom?" "Stay very close to me."

The stairs spiraled up against the wall of the circular structure and disappeared into darkness but the dim eerie light from their lanterns was just enough to show them the way.

Part way up, curious Julie looked out over the edge. "Gee, it's a long way down Mom. I can barely see the light from the open door. See it way down there? And it's ––"

Caryn quickly pulled her back. "Stay away from the edge Julie! Keep your hand on the wall. I don't want you to fall. Be careful and follow me. Okay?"

"Oh. Okay Mom. Boy, if Amy came up here in the dark she must be really dumb. She wouldn't _really_ be _that_ stupid, would she Mom?"

"I don't know Julie. Come on, we have to keep going."

"Well, if we find her up here, and rescue her, she's going to owe us –– Big Time!"

Round and round they went until they reached the first landing with a door in the tower wall. It wouldn't open so they banged, pounded and yelled but there was no response. More stairs, more walking and another landing created more banging, pounding, and yelling with no response from Amy.

They quickened their pace and eventually reached a different kind of landing. This time the stairs took them up through an attic or garret-type opening through the wooden floor of an empty circular room –– and ended.

"Is this the top Julie?"

They spotted another closed door on the opposite side of the room. This one, however, was not positioned to provide exit _through_ the tower wall. Instead, it protruded into the room as if it contained something. Caryn's heart was in her throat.

"Another closed door?" she sighed. "We probably can't open that one either."

"Come on Mom. Let's try it. We can't be at the top yet. And we can't give up. We _have_ to find Amy."

"We're not giving up Julie and that door looks different. Let's see if we can open it. If we can't, we'll make more noise and hope she hears us."

Once again they had to pound and yell. But this time, they heard a sound. It was faint but, they had definitely heard something. They yelled again and listened intently.

"Mommy, Mommy, I'm up here."

They looked up and all around the room but couldn't determine where _up here_ was. The ceiling was wooden, solid and round with an ornate center supported by hard oak beams extending outward like the spokes of a giant wheel to the walls of stone. Other than their entrance up through the floor and the closed door, there were no visible openings of any kind.

"Where is up here?" they hollered in unison.

"I'm up on the top floor and the door is stuck."

"Holy buckets. How did you get up there?"

"I rode up in a little elevator but it's broken, and I can't open the door. Can you get me out?"

"Door...? This has to be it, Mom. This door has to lead up to where she is."

Julie was right. But how could they get past a thick heavy door that resisted every attempt at pulling it open?

"Don't worry Amy. We'll get you out."

_What to do, what to do, how do we rescue Amy?_ Then Caryn thought about Bixby's classes.

"Julie, our lessons..., remember? Bart said we would have learned how to defend and protect ourselves. What could we have learned to help us in this situation? Think Julie think. There has to be something that _––_ "

"Mommy, the book, that big fold out one you found. You know. The one about how this place was built and how it was changed. Everything's in there, remember? There might be something about how to open these doors."

"Brilliant! Okay, you stay here and keep talking to Amy. I'll go get the book."

She raced down the stairs thinking, _Gosh, I'm glad I was on the cross-country team years ago. Stay near the wall Caryn Elizabeth. And don't trip or fall._

"Okay, whew," she breathed after bursting into the library. "Where is it?" She searched a corner, then a shelf, then a stack of books on a table.

"Nuts! It has to be here somewhere. Lord Bixby" she yelled. "Are you here?" There was no answer.

Where else could it be? Wait. I was reading it. Where, where was I reading it? The kitchen?

She raced down the hall and found it on a small corner table. Hurriedly flipping through page after page, she tried to find some reference to the tower doors and how to open them.

The book mentioned a 'Master Key' but didn't say where it was kept. Then she saw something about a dumbwaiter that traveled to the very top of the central donjon.

_Donjon, what's a donjon? That won't help._ Then she contradicted herself aloud. "Wait a minute. What's this...? It says:

A Warning for those  
without presence of key  
who would use such a lift  
just to look out and see  
No exit will yield  
nor the caller released  
till receipt of good food  
has been sent in their place.

"Oh great. Another riddle to solve. Just what I need."

She tried to break it down into something relevant. _Presence of key..., is that a Master Key? Maybe it'll unlock the door up there. Where would I find a Master Key?_

The few pages before and after gave no clues as to where such a key might be found and the minutes were ticking by.

Okay, take a breath and think Caryn Elizabeth. A lift..., they call an elevator a lift over here. A dumbwaiter is a food or service lift. Now what's this about a caller?

Her mind raced as she translated old words into present meanings and cryptic phrases into actual use.

There were no telephones back then. Caller..., it has to mean visitor. Sure, that's it, just like someone who comes calling, comes to your door. So Amy is a caller and she has no key. Now, what about the food thing?

She read the passage again.

Receipt of good food. Okay, we've got some food.

Sent in their place. Sent? If the doors won't open without a key it can't be carried. The dumbwaiter would be the only way to send it. Where the heck is it?

The next page displayed a drawing with a footnote about the dumbwaiter enclosed in a cupboard.

It shows the pantry room in this drawing. I think it's the pantry. Cupboard? The cabinets must be called cupboards.

She ran to every cupboard, opened each door and finally found the right one. It was a large upright cabinet and its three small steps folded out just as they had done for Amy.

It was certainly large enough for Amy to get inside. A push on its sides made it jiggle. She pushed again. It moved slightly as if mounted on vertical rails.

Amy said she rode up in a little elevator. This has to be it but where are the controls..., and what about the food thing? I wonder if––?

She was willing to try anything at this point, so she quickly put some apples and pears on a platter, wrote a note to Amy and put the whole assembly, along with a lit lantern, into the dumbwaiter. She closed the door and stood on the bottom step waiting, but nothing happened.

_Oh fudge-face. I did something wrong... better take another look at the book_. When she removed her foot from the bottom step the door opened itself, the stairs folded back up, the door closed and she could hear a slight rumbling sound vibrating down the rails echoing through the cabinet door.

She waited, listened and wondered.

I hope it's going up to the right place. Julie's up there with Amy so I'd better stay here in case it does work. Boy-oh-boy do I hope it works.

The dumbwaiter stopped with a dull thump followed by the clunking of steps folding back out. With one ear pressed against the cupboard door, she put a hand over the other and concentrated on the faint sounds from above.

Amy thought she was trapped forever until the dumbwaiter door opened and the steps folded out.

Whew! It's working again. Now I can get back down.

She ran up the steps into her "elevator" and waited, but nothing happened. Then she read Caryn's note.

Amy, it says in the book something about receipt of good food sent in their place. I think that it means you should take out the food and get into the dumbwaiter. I don't know if it will work but try it anyway.

The apples, red, bright and shiny, were very tempting and Amy was already famished. She started to pick one up but stopped and looked around.

Who are these for? There's no one here except me.

She read Caryn's note again.

Receipt of good food. Not sure what that means but there's more food downstairs.

She put down the apple, picked up the platter and started to walk down the steps.

Wait a minute. The last time I took my foot off the bottom step, they all disappeared. Hmm, how can I do this?

With one foot firmly planted on the last step, she placed the platter on a small ledge near the dumbwaiter's opening. A few seconds passed. Nothing happened. She moved back into the dumbwaiter and waited. More seconds ticked by. Nothing. She was almost in tears when suddenly a disembodied voice filled the room.

"It has been nice having you visit, but it would be even nicer if you left the note for me to read and the lantern for me to read it with before you go?"

"Who said that?" shrieked Amy, as she jumped up almost bumping her head on the dumbwaiter opening. She could see no one and was not going to go searching for the owner of that ethereal voice. "Who are you? Where are you?"

"Why, I am Artemus the Lookout of course. Even though you are not much of a conversationalist, it has still been nice to have a visitor. Thank you for the food. And about the note and lantern, it would certainly make this Spartan post a bit more homelike. Do you mind terribly leaving them with me or do you need them for your trip back down?"

"Oh, um, okay. I guess I don't really need them."

Fearful of what might happen next, she carefully placed the lantern and the note next to the platter and moved back into the dumbwaiter.

"Can I go now..., please?"

"Of course. Thank you very much for your visit Princess Amy. And a very good night to you and your family."

The steps folded up, the door closed, and she was once again in her 'elevator' heading back down to safety.

Oh my-gosh that was scary. Whew. Cool though.

Julie heard the phenomenon that unfolded above and ran down the stairs to the kitchen. When she saw Caryn and Amy already hugging each other in front of the still-open dumbwaiter, she abruptly changed her pace to a slow confident swagger.

"All right, you guys. Boy. You'd think something serious happened. Amy, you owe us for rescuing you –– Big Time."

"Owe _you_...? Mom is the one who did it. She made the elevator work again. What did you do?"

"I figured it out." blustered Julie folding her arms and looking oh-so-superior. "I'm the one who ––"

"Figured it out, what did you figure ––"

"Okay, enough you two! Amy, Julie really did help. She found the lanterns and reminded me about the book. It took _both_ of us to get you out of there. Now, young lady, tell me why you went up there all alone in the first place!"

"It wasn't my fault Mom. I got trapped in that elevator thing when it closed, and, and ––"

"Oh, stop right there. I'm happy you're back and okay. But don't you _ever_ do any more exploring alone. Is that understood?"

"Yes Mom. Sorry I put you guys through all that. Thanks..., um, you too Julie. Thanks."

#  *NINE* The Book of Prophesies

At the first glimmer of dawn they burst through the library door where Bixby was arranging his desk. Caryn tried to greet him but all she was able to say was, "Good morn––" before the children's rapid-fire questions filled the room with a rant of interruption on top of interruption.

"Lord Bixby, Lord Bixby, last night ––"

"Bart. Bart! Wait till you hear ––"

"Oh, um, sorry. Good morning, Lord Bixby. Guess what Amy did last night."

"Yeah, I got trapped and ––"

"We had to rescue her."

"I couldn't get out of the room, and ––"

"Guess what happened."

Amy wanted to tell the tale herself. "Yeah, there was this elevator, or dumb-thing, or, dumb-something, and a voice ––"

"Amy went into a dumbwaiter and ––"

"I didn't just go in Julie, I just..., anyway, it trapped me inside and went up to the top of the tower."

"Yeah, and she was totally trapped."

When the girls ran out of breath, he chuckled. "It seems you experienced a bit of a challenge and have fared well. Amy, since you have now met Artemus, I believe it is time for a very special class."

The girls quietly sat down without saying a word.

"Well," chuckled Caryn, "I'm happy to see my children remembered their manners. Well done Lord Bixby."

"Thank you Ma'am. Now let us begin today's lesson about where you were and where you are now."

Julie whispered, "Where we are? We're right here."

Amy whispered back, "Shush. Shut up and listen."

"Oops. Um, sorry Bart."

He smiled and continued. "Your perception of reality is based on your past. Here, things are not quite the same."

"What's perception mean?"

"Shush Julie. I want to hear this."

"Perception is what you believe is real Princess Julie."

"Oh. Okay. Got it..., I think.

"Destiny guided you here for a purpose."

Caryn squinted. _Okay, now we're getting into destiny and purpose things. I wonder where this is going._

"Be patient my Queen. The answers will unfold soon."

"Reading my thoughts again huh Bart?"

He smiled and continued.

"I shall guide and teach you. However, the way in which you fulfill your destiny is up to you. It is my hope you will learn to rule this land well and acquire those treasures that will make you all truly happy and content."

Seems as if we have a lot to learn but the happy and content thing sounds wonderful. Oh, and yeah Bart, I know you're reading my thoughts again.

He chuckled and continued. "Many people choose predatory violence to take what they want. You, however, chose to find peace and a better way of life."

He gave them a few moments to digest his words while he found the next passage in that very strange huge book.

"Your Majesty, you are here because you are true of heart in your genuine compassion for your fellow human being.

Princess Amy and Princess Julie, you have each learned those traits and feelings from your mother. As you grow to embrace them, and if you remain true to your own selves, you will eventually become queens in your own right."

"Queens?" The girls looked at each other and giggled.

Caryn was speechless. How could he know about their lives before arriving here? Was everything they had experienced a dream or was she insane? As she sighed under the weight of those thoughts, Bixby turned to face her.

"My Queen, your apprehension and befuddlement is understandable albeit completely misplaced. Furthermore, you are quite sane and normal. Everything you have experienced is quite real. And this _is_ the world in which you now live."

"You heard my thoughts again. How _do_ you _do_ that?"

"Your thoughts are very, very powerful Ma'am."

He went back to his desk and closed the book.

"Your adventures last night and what you have learned in class today have given you all a great deal about which to ponder, discuss and debate. As you contemplate the strange things encountered here, remember that _here_ is where you are and _here_ is where you must live."

He placed the huge book back on its shelf, bowed and, once again, quickly vanished into his closet.

"Well girls, I don't know what all that meant but it looks like today's class is over."

As soon as they walked out of the library, the girls began their questions jabbering one over the other. Caryn took a cue from Bixby, stopped at the entrance of the great room, folded her arms and silently waited for their rambling to stop.

"Oh..., oops. Sorry Mom."

"Yeah, me too Mom. We're just hyper-curious."

"Girls" she sighed, "I really don't know the answers to _any_ of your questions. We'll have to wait until tomorrow's class to learn more. Maybe after lunch we can explore this place a little more..., _together_ this time!"

The rest of the day went by without incident and they soon found themselves in the great room still talking about the tower, Artemus, and what an exciting and unbelievable place this was. Discussion eventually turned to yawns, sleepy eyes and finally, off to bed.

The next morning, they ran to the library as the first sliver of light peeked over the horizon and waited impatiently for Bixby to emerge from his closet.

This time however, Bixby appeared from behind a bookcase carrying the large locked book and three keys, each on a thin golden chain. He placed the book quietly on his desk, moved close to them and placed a chain with its key around each of their necks. Still silent, he walked back to his desk, opened the book, looked straight at them and asked, "Do you wish to know who Artemus is?"

"Yes. Oh yes, tell us!" they all exclaimed. Once again the girls began to blurt out question after question, but then quickly caught themselves.

"Sorry," said Amy with a hand over her mouth.

"Oops. Yeah. Me too. Sorry."

Bixby smiled and changed the subject. "Tell me children, what do you think of your new home?"

The girls looked at each other as if to determine who should speak first. Then, their choice having been silently made, Amy answered.

"It's wonderful. The air is so fresh and clean, and there are new things to discover every day. But it is sort of lonely. I miss my friends and we never played our last football game."

"I see. And Princess Julie..., your thoughts?

"Well, we have food and a place to live and we all get along much better now. But Amy's right. It is a little lonely. And it's hard to play softball when there's no one to play with. Football is fun but I like softball better."

"Ah. Softball is it? I see that you are indeed becoming settled here. For were you not, you would not be concerned about your friends, loneliness or" –– he breathed out a very long hmmm, adjusted his glasses and opened the book.

"Softball, what––is–– _softball_? Wait, no, no, don't tell me, let me think. I read about such a game while familiarizing myself a bit more with your previous lifestyle. Now, let me see, hmm, how is it played?"

His brow furrowed, his lips pursed, then, his face lit up.

"Ah yes. I think I remember. It is a game in which teams of players throw and try to hit a small, round object, and then run around a big square. Um, or what I believe you call a diamond because of its orientation to the person with the stick. Stick, club or...hmm? Oh, now I remember. Please pardon me. It is actually called a bat. Very interesting."

"And you, my Queen, what are your thoughts?"

Caryn paused to think before speaking. "Well," she began slowly, "I'm happy to have what we now enjoy. We're together and safe, but I do worry about my children's future."

"What are your concerns Ma'am?"

"They'll eventually become adults who will want companionship, love, and families of their own. But who can they choose? There's no one else here and we certainly don't want to leave this wonderful place."

"I see. Concern about your children's future is quite normal." He opened the large book to a particular entry.

"Here it is written that more humans will come to this land. Artemus the Lookout will see them coming and alert you to their presence. It will be up to you to either welcome them or banish them away. By the time this occurs, you will have learned how to enforce the choice you will make."

"More people here? I hope they're not gang thugs."

"You will have to decide that Ma'am. But be careful and thoughtful lest you mistakenly allow an enemy in or banish a friend. Even here, both good and evil exist."

"Is that a prophecy? It sounds as if you're reading our future. Is that what's in that book..., our future? What else is in there and what's going to happen to us?"

"Ma'am, I can only read what is written." –– He tilted the book toward her. –– "As you can see, the remaining pages are blank. I cannot tell you more than I have done."

"Well, just who is writing things in there and..., and how do they know what to write?"

"Ma'am, it is you who determine what words are written. I merely read them and advise."

"Me? That's impossible. I've never seen that book before." –– She walked closer and looked at the writing –– "I can't even write like that..., like that beautiful handwriting. It really is beautiful. Is that called calligraphy?"

"Yes Ma'am. It is."

"It's very artistic." –– Then she caught herself. –– "Hey, wait a minute. You got me off track with that calligraphy stuff." –– She looked at it again. –– "It _is_ very good though. And, by the way, it's just the four of us here so let's use our given names, okay? We've practiced the formal bit enough. It's Julie, Amy, Caryn and Bart, okay?"

"As you wish Ma'am, um, I mean Caryn."

"Thank you. That's a lot easier than _Your Majesty_ and _Your Royal Highness_. Now, what's this about me writing in that book? There. I finally got that out."

Having spoken her mind, she sat down, folded her arms and waited for Bixby's answer.

"Oh, well, um, Caryn, you don't actually _write_ in the book but your thoughts and actions determine the words that appear. I can only find the proper page, read the entries and explain them. I do not know how the words are written or who actually puts pen to paper. Truly I don't."

"You're not the one writing in it Bart?"

"No Ma'am...., I mean Caryn. I am not."

"Well, it certainly wasn't me or the girls. So, who's left? Is that the truth, you really don't know _who_ writes in there?"

"Yes Caryn. It is true. I do not know."

"Then that is quite a mystery. The only other person I can think of is that Artemus guy up in the tower. Is he the one doing all the weird stuff?"

Bart's brow furrowed. "Weird stuff...?"

"Yeah, you know, like filling the bucket in the henhouse and writing in that book."

"I do not believe so. By his own choice, he is relegated to the tower lookout and cannot leave. It has been that way for a very long time."

Caryn threw up her hands. "Holy chocolate covered bananas! Words that appear in a book without an author. Unbelievable. Maybe it's magic. It's going to take a very long time to get used to all these strange things."

Amy leaned over to Caryn and whispered, "This is a magic place Mom. Cool magic stuff is totally fun."

"Yeah Amy. Magic. Right. I should write a book about it. Let's see. We somehow escape a global war and find a magical place to live in. Who'd ever believe that?"

Bixby held up the mystical book and looked squarely at Caryn. "But, you _are_ writing a book..., this book."

"That book? Oh, right. That book. Oops. My mistake. Now, where were we?"

For a moment she thought about _that book_. _Yeah, magic, sure._ Then she remembered Bixby could read her thoughts and quickly changed them to a white horse in a field of flowers. It worked. Bixby's expression changed to total confusion.

Ha. Got cha didn't I Bart. Sorry. Couldn't resist easing the seriousness of this magic book stuff for a moment. I'll try to keep my thoughts on subject now. Please continue.

"Caryn, your humorous creativity is a precious gift."

"Humor? She didn't say anything."

"I think it's just a magic joke thing Julie."

"Shall I continue?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure Bart. We'll be quiet."

"Now then, when that war destroyed everything you had worked so hard to create you did not panic. Instead you thought tactically and strategically about how to protect your children and escape the pitiful remains of a society gone mad. Your actions showed that you were the one who should be the next Monarch of this nation."

"You mean we are the owners of this place now?

"No Caryn. You do _not_ actually _own_ this land. Instead, you are the tenants who rule it."

"Tenants...? I thought you said I was the Queen."

"You _are_ the Queen. But land, especially this land, only allows creatures to inhabit it for a time. We are allowed to use it, live on it, farm it and change it. And if we care for it, it will provide a comfortable home for us."

"Tenants huh? I guess that makes sense. After we're gone, the land will still be here for someone else. Yeah..., I guess that does make us tenants."

Later that day, Caryn retrieved the maps she had carried since the beginning of their journey. She laid them out on a table and began tracing the route they had taken.

Let's see. We followed this river, went around this hill, up this hill, into these woods and then..., hmm. There's no valley or ridge anywhere on here. Maybe their maps will show the hill we climbed and the valley area.

She compared a map from the library to hers but it wasn't even close. Hills, roads, rivers and mountains were completely different. Nothing matched. She brought her maps to their next class to show Bixby but he told her the maps from her previous home were no longer valid.

"What do you mean no longer valid Bart? Are we on a different planet or something?"

"All I can tell you is that the maps for this land are correct. Yours are for the land from which you escaped."

"Okay Bart, I understand that it's two different places. But we could see this place from that last hill we climbed. The hill is not on your map and neither is the ridge we walked through. Did they just magically disappear? I'm sorry but that just makes no sense."

"That, my Queen, is the reality of this land."

"Humph. Guess I have a lot to learn to become a good monarch. Okay, whatever each day holds, one at a time."

#  *TEN* A Holiday Surprise

After adding more wood to the great room's fireplace one chilly evening, Caryn began visualizing how she could decorate for Christmas. She pointed from spot to spot silently counting where decorations might be placed.

"Julie, come look at what Mom's doing" whispered Amy when she peeked around the corner from the hallway.

"Oh, cool. She's starting her Christmas decorating thing. But we don't have any ornaments or decorations any more. What's she going to use?"

"Oh yeah. Right. Hmm.... Hey, I have an idea."

"What?"

"Let's help her."

"How? We don't have any money. Besides, there aren't any stores here either."

"We'll get some pine branches and maybe some of those little red berries too. It'll be fun. What do you think?"

"Oh cool. Okay let's do it. I'm bored staying in anyway."

They walked over to her and Amy asked, "Mom. Is it okay if we go out to explore a little? We'll stay together."

"Yeah Mom," added Julie, "and we'll be really, really, really, really, _really_ careful."

"Okay. Just don't go too far and don't stay out too long."

She had heard their whispered plan and smiled as she watched them run from the room. _Pine branches and red berries, huh? Okay, I can work with that. Now I can talk out loud without interruption._

"Hmm..., I wonder if my penchant for celebrating Christmas is more for them or me. Oh well, as long as everyone enjoys it, it'll be worth putting it up and taking it down. Let's see, if we put candles here and wreaths there––"

And so it went, Caryn spoke to everything in the room envisioning how each improvised piece would look.

"A little twine and some pine branches, a little holly for color, must keep candles away from anything flammable."

Meanwhile out in the woods, Amy found a mighty big pine branch that she decided to drag back for their use. When she pulled it along, she noticed another smaller one that seemed to move with it. She saw no physical connection between the two, but when she moved, it moved. When she stopped, it stopped. After observing this curious pattern for a while, she walked over to the smaller branch and slowly lifted it up revealing a pair of big brown eyes.

"Oh-my-gosh..., a dog! Hello there. So you're the one who's been following me and dragging this branch all that way. You're so little. How could you do that?"

The puppy yipped, and a second one emerged.

"Another one? Oh wow, you guys are twins. Are there any more of you or, is that it?"

The puppies looked at each other and yipped.

She sat on the ground and began petting and cuddling them as they both yipped, jumped on her lap and gave her big wet kisses. "Are you guys lost? Where are your parents or owners?" They looked at her and whined. She looked all around but there was no sign of people nearby.

"Well, I don't know how Mom will feel about this, but I just _have_ to take you both back home."

She stood up, grabbed the big branch, the puppies ran back under the small one and they all headed to the meeting spot she and her sister had picked out a short time before.

When she arrived at the clearing with branches and puppies in tow, Julie was examining some hard red berries and mumbling. "Not sure what they are, but they're pretty."

"So, you found your red berries huh. Great. I found something even better. Look at what I have."

"What did you find? Oh cool. Pine branches and..., and.... Are those puppies? Oh my-gosh..., Puppies! They're really cute. What are their names? Who owns them? Do they have collars or tags or anything?"

"Nope, no collars or tags. They were just hiding under a branch. We can't leave them here all alone so I think we should take them home. They're probably hungry. And I know they're lonely. Do you think it'll be okay with Mom?"

"I don't know. But you're right. We can't just leave them here. We'll say we didn't know they were following us so she doesn't get all mad. Okay?"

"Julie, we are _not_ going to lie. Come on. It'll be okay."

Julie shrugged and they started walking back to the castle but the puppies just sat there. Amy looked back and noticed they weren't following, so she stopped, turned around and knelt down. "Don't you want to come home with us?"

"Amy, maybe they live here or they belong to someone out here." Julie turned toward the forest, cupped her hands on each side of her mouth and yelled. "HELLOOOOOOOOOO! IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE?"

Her voice echoed back from the trees but no one answered. She tried again but there was still no answer.

"Oh come on Julie. Look around. We're the only ones out here. Nobody's going to answer you."

"Well, maybe they're lost. Yeah, that's it. They're lost and can't find their way home. Do you think that's it Amy?"

"I don't know but, I'll try something."

She sat on the ground and called the puppies. "Come here, come on" she cooed while patting her leg.

They ran over and jumped into her lap. She petted them and asked, "Do you live around here..., are you lost?"

"Yeah, right, like they can actually answer you. Not!"

"Oh just wait a minute Julie. Dogs can be pretty smart sometimes." She looked down at the puppies. "If you want to come home with us, I'll bet we can find some food for you. It'll be okay. I promise."

Both puppies jumped from her lap, ran back to the small branch and began dragging it toward the girls.

"There, see? I told you they were smart." She grabbed her large branch and started walking.

"I guess they needed an invitation or something" grumbled Julie as she followed her sister.

"Come on Julie. Maybe they were afraid of getting us in trouble when you said _we didn't know they were following us_."

"It wasn't my fault" grumbled Julie. "I didn't think they heard me." Amy shook her head and continued walking.

Unsure of how their surprise would be received, they took a long breath and walked through the door into the foyer.

"Mommy, look what we found." they called out with their pine branches, holly and a hidden surprise in tow. Caryn came in to the foyer and smiled when she saw the greenery.

"That's great girls. Just what we need. Oops, you dropped a branch on the floor behind you." Then they heard a small bark followed by another. "What was that?" asked Caryn looking past the girls to see what else they had.

"Oh..., well..., um..., Mom, there's something else Amy has to tell you" stammered Julie.

"Oh cut it out Julie, Mom's either going to let them stay or not let them stay."

"Them...? Stay...? Who are you talking about?"

Amy picked up the branch and revealed the two puppies. They sat quiet and motionless awaiting Caryn's approval –– or disapproval.

"This is _them_ Mom. They were out in the woods all alone. Just like in my dream, remember? I absolutely _had_ to bring them home. Can they stay, please?"

"Wow. So you brought two adorable dogs home with you. What about their owners or family? They must be missing them right now."

"They were all alone hiding under a branch. We yelled and looked all around but there was no one else out there. I don't think they have a family Mom."

"Yeah Mom, Amy's right. I hollered as loud as I could and no one answered. I think we should adopt them."

For a moment Caryn was speechless. Then she knelt down but the puppies just looked at Amy, waiting.

"Are they afraid of me?"

"No Mom. It's like they want an invitation or something. They did the same thing out in the woods."

"Aw Julie. It's not an invitation. They just want to know everything is okay. Watch this." –– "It's okay. She's our Mom and she likes dogs too. Go say hello to her."

They ran to Caryn and sat down. She petted and played with them for a few moments and then stood back up.

"Well, this is a wonderful surprise. All I can say is welcome to the family. What are their names?"

"We don't know, Mom. After all, we _just_ found them. And they have no collars or nametags."

"Yeah" Julie added. "And they wouldn't tell us either." She suddenly realized how that must have sounded. "I mean, uh, they couldn't tell us... or... oh, never mind." Then she folded her arms and frowned.

"Hey, how about if we all decide what their names should be? You know, like we did with Bart. I never got that far in my dream, remember? Julie woke me up."

"I did not! It was Mom."

"No, it was.... Oh never mind."

"Aha girls. Another naming project now seems to be imminent. All right, close the door and leave the branches here for now. It looks as if you both have things to do before dinner. See what you can find for their food and bedding needs. Then, wash up. I'll make us something to eat."

The girls and puppies ran through the doorway, giggling, yipping, skipping, and hopping toward the pantry while Caryn grinned and shook her head.

When she put dinner on the table, she noticed two small bowls on the floor each filled with water and waiting for a thirsty puppy. She smiled at the children's initiative, went to the cupboard for dishes and spotted Amy, Julie and the two dogs, all sitting on the floor of the pantry examining the labels on several cans.

"This is dog food, I think."

"No Amy, I don't think so. Look at the picture. That's a person with a basket of something."

"Okay smarty-pants, what is it?"

They continued chattering back and forth about each can trying to decipher the foreign language on the labels. Suddenly Amy burst out with, "Aha! This one has to be dog food. It has a picture of a dog on it, and this word says _cane_. I saw it before and it means _dog_ in Italian, I think. Let's open it up and see what's inside."

Caryn chuckled as she watched them discover the contents while both puppies kept jumping up to see what they had found.

"It looks like dog food, and"— Amy gave a sniff —"it smells like dog food. Let's see what the puppies think."

She put the open can on the floor and both animals began licking the contents with obvious approval.

"Okay. Let's get some bowls for you guys so we can all eat together."

Caryn went back to the table and finished setting it just as the girls appeared from the pantry with bowls of dog food and their famous Cheshire-cat grins.

"Look, Mommy!" exclaimed Julie. "Now we can all have dinner together."

They put the bowls on the floor but the puppies just sat with their tongues hanging out. Amy knelt down and said "It's okay guys. This is for you. Aren't you hungry?"

They looked at each other, yipped and ran to the bowls devouring their food as if they had not eaten for a very long time. Their initial hesitancy surprised Caryn.

"Wow, either they were afraid or they have very good manners. It looked like they were waiting for an invitation."

"Yeah Mom. I told Amy that up on the hill but she didn't believe me. She said that they were afraid that––"

Amy elbowed her sister. "Julie...!"

Caryn saw Amy's jab. "What was that for? Hmm, oh, never mind. I probably don't want to know. Anyway, they certainly seemed hungry. And girls...,"

"Yeah Mom."

"You did the right thing bringing them home."

"There Julie. See...?" Amy slapped her sister's arm. "I told you so. Come on, let's eat."

"Play nice girls. Have you thought of any names yet?"

"Julie wants to call them Bobo and Jojo Mom, but that's like _really_ lame. I found them and I think we should do what we did with Lord Bixby."

"Good idea Amy, think about it for a week and get to know them. Get to know their personalities and think of names that fit how they act. That might help you decide."

"Bobo and Jojo are not dumb names. They're dogs, not lords or teachers."

"Is too dumb. It sounds stupid to call them Bo ––" Amy stopped in mid-sentence when the puppies put their heads down on their paws and whined. "There. Now see what you did Julie?"

"All right girls, don't fight over names or argue about it either. You'll figure it out. Just be patient. Okay?"

"Okay Mom" they both grumbled.

The puppies whined again. Amy bent down and said, "We'll figure it out, won't we." They both sat up and yipped.

Later, in the great room, Caryn sat in a chair by the fireplace thinking of the horrific period they had escaped. It was over and their lives were now very peaceful. That period of war and destruction had become just a memory. The difficult journey that led them to this place was behind them. And Christmas was coming.

She sighed, smiled and leaned back in the chair wondering where all this would lead.

#  *ELEVEN* Christmas Eve

The new additions to the Royal Family quickly became inseparable from the children. Wherever the girls went, the puppies eagerly followed. There would be one fluffy white ball curled up at the foot of each bed at night and one near each of their desks during class. Afternoon outings now included four explorers instead of two and the distances and areas they covered became larger and larger.

One afternoon they were quite late returning from their excursion and Caryn had begun her usual fretting about their welfare. She met them at the door. "Girls, you're very late today. What happened, are you all right?"

"We're okay Mom. We thought we were lost in the woods, but the puppies knew the way back."

"Yeah Mom," added Julie. "It was really cool. When we started to go the wrong way, this one pulled at our pant legs and that one ran in the right direction. Then he stopped and waited for us."

Amy laughed. "Yeah, one of them always knew which way to go and the other one knew if it was safe or not. It was like they were talking to each other and then telling us the best way back. I think they are excellent explorers, just like those Lewis and Clark guys in our boring American History class back in America."

Caryn closed the door and led them toward the great room thinking, _I remember a white dove doing the same kind of coaxing when it lead us here_.

"Lewis and Clark huh? "Tell me more, girls. How do they do what they do? When the girls started to chatter about the puppies, Caryn stopped, crossed her arms and looked at them with a _Slowdown. One at a time_ expression.

"Oops! Sorry Mom. Well, this one can see and hear and smell things that are very far away."

"Yeah. And this one always knows which way is home and where we're going or how to get to—"

"Yeah. They work together and—"

"Yeah. One knows how to get there and the—"

"The other one knows what's ahead or behind us."

The puppies whined, sat down, looked at Caryn, then the girls and put their heads down on their paws as if to say, _Wow, do they always start every sentence with "Yeah"?_

"That is quite a story girls. Good thing you had them with you. And, it appears that you've just chosen their names."

The puppies sat up as if they were talking to each other. One could only imagine what they might be saying. _Okay, here we go. Great! We're finally going to get names. Wonder what they are. I hope it's not Jocko and Bobo._

The girls were dumbfounded. "We have? What names?"

Amy slapped her sister's arm. "Julie, did you tell her?"

"No, I didn't." Julie blustered back.

"Good, cause they were dumb names anyway..., worse than those other _jocko_ names."

"Were not. And I never said _jocko_."

"Did too. You said Joc..., something or other or Joe something. Oh, whatever. Anyway, it was really dumb."

Caryn held up a hand. "Whoa, what names are you two talking about?"

"Never mind Mom, she was just being, uh" –– Amy made a face at her sister –– "Anyway, what do you mean about already choosing their names? Julie only came up with one and it was really stupid."

Julie stuck her tongue out at Amy and mumbled, "It was not stupid or dumb. It was okay. And I thought of it."

The puppies whined, dropped to the floor, head back down on their paws, and looked up, waiting.

"Okay girls," chuckled Caryn. "That's quite enough of that. Come with me. I think I can settle this."

The puppies sat up and yipped with approval possibly thinking, _Yay. She's the Queen and she's going to settle it. Now we'll get our names. Gee, I hope they're not stupid._

As they walked to the great room, Caryn explained what seemed perfectly obvious to her.

"You said they're great explorers. One of them has a keen sense of smell, sight and hearing and the other knows where you are and where you want to go. They've already led you to new places and brought you safely back home. And, you've already said their names."

"Mom, you don't mean that _jocko_ thing, do you?"

"I never said that name Amy! You did. It wasn't _jocko_."

"Oh stop it girls. Think. What names did you just say when you were describing what they do and how they guided you back home?"

"What did we say Julie?" They looked at each other with puzzled expressions and finally erupted with, "Lewis and Clark!"

"Yeah, way cool. Lewis and Clark. Those are great names. See Julie, I told you Mom would figure it out. Those names are really cool. Lewis and Clark, I like them and they fit..., just right. Yay...!"

"Yeah, okay Amy. I like those names too. But how do we know which one is Lewis and which one is Clark?"

"Why don't you just ask them girls?"

Both puppies looked up with tails wagging and tongues hanging out as if waiting for a question (or perhaps some food). Julie was unsure about how to proceed with such a task. They were cute and smart, but they couldn't actually talk. Amy, on the other hand, had been studying dogs and decided to experiment a little.

"Stay" she said as she backed up several steps. "Okay, Lewis. Come here and sit. Clark, you stay there and wait."

The animals looked at each other for a moment. Then one of them bounded over to Amy and sat down next to her foot while the other puppy stayed where he was.

"Way cool. Clark, now you come and sit over here."

As if he understood each word, the remaining puppy ran over to Amy's other foot and sat. "Rock on!" she exclaimed. "It worked. They understood. See? They really are smart."

From that day on, they could tell the twins apart by just calling their names which gave Caryn several ideas about what to give her daughters and their new friends for Christmas. When the girls were exploring outside, she explored inside and discovered a workshop filled with some very unique tools and useful materials for her upcoming holiday gift list.  
And –– she had a plan.

The girls and puppies attended Bixby's classes every morning, after which, they would go out to explore another area nearby. It was the perfect time for Caryn to create items for the upcoming holiday in her newfound workshop.

She tinkered with yarn, crochet hooks and leather straps, made small medallions, necklace chains and even found a set of alphanumeric and patterned punch stamps which she used to shape and embellish some pieces of gold. It took a bit of practice, but eventually, she had what she wanted.

_There_ , she thought. A _present for each of them. I hope they like them. Not like the gifts I used to get them but it's the best I can do and it will still be our_ _Christmas_.

With the last bit of wrapping finished, she was ready.

The next morning Caryn saw dark clouds that always seemed to herald a storm forming. "Looks like snow girls. I'll put an extra log in the fireplace before we go to class."

"Are you coming today Mom?"

"I certainly am Julie. Christmas is tomorrow and I want to attend a class before our holiday celebration. Finish breakfast, clean up and we'll all go together."

As they walked through the great room, Caryn stopped to inhale the fresh scent of pine from the wreaths and displays she had put up the night before. "I do so love this time of year girls. It's wonderful!"

Without waiting for a comment, she put another log on the fire and continued on to the library. Her decorations looked very appropriate and filled the castle with an aura and expectations of a warm and festive holiday celebration.

"Good morning, Lord Bixby" they said together.

"And a very good morning to you, Cary—uh, Your Majesty. Umm, Ma'am, are these two new students considered to be um, what I mean is..., they are animals. So, is this a formal setting during which I should address you formally, or is formality not applicable for this setting and, um, formality is not, um, formal? I mean to say, um, what I mean is, this is informal. Or not a formal setting in which––"

Caryn's laughter interrupted his verbal fumbling. "Bart, you're beginning to sound like me. Lewis and Clark are the newest additions to our family so let us be informal, especially today. And, we have an invitation for you."

"Oh, yes, of course. Thank you Ma'am. I shall address you as Caryn."

"Bart, you should also know that these puppies are not just ordinary animals or pets. They possess special abilities and are excellent guides for the children's explorations."

"Yeah Lord Bixby. Um, I mean Bart. Amy and I thought we were lost but they showed us the way home. It was way cool when they kind-of talked to each other."

Bixby's expression changed to surprise. "They saved you from getting lost? Oh my. But, but this is too soon. It should not be happening yet. I shall have to see if––"

He retrieved another very large book, opened it and upon finding the relevant passage announced, "Here we are. Yes, this is it. But it should not yet be time for this. This should not happen for, um, for at least... hmmmmmm."

"Bart, what shouldn't be happening yet, what are you mumbling about?"

"This event is far too soon Caryn. However," He cleared his throat and continued reading aloud.

"The two princesses shall come upon a pair of protectors disguised as weak and needy animals. How the Royal Family treats these animals shall determine their final forms and personalities as well as their future roles in this realm. That which is given shall be returned a hundredfold."

He looked over his glasses at the dogs.

_An interesting statement,_ thought Caryn. _Disguised, final forms, future roles? Very interesting indeed._

The girls looked at each other while digesting the passage and wondered just what 'final form' and 'future roles' really meant. Lewis and Clark just yipped and sat there looking at them as if to say, w _e knew that. Yup, we did._

Bixby walked out from behind his desk and knelt down to address the puppies.

"Now that you are here, you must each learn the habits, strengths and weaknesses of the Princesses. It will take time, but I know you will both do well." Then, he looked at Lewis and asked, "Understood?" Lewis replied with a double yip as if he knew exactly what was being said. Asked the same question, Clark replied similarly. "All right then. Let us begin this, the final lesson before your Christmas holiday."

Caryn stayed through the entire class waiting to announce her holiday plans. They had always, in times past, managed to fit a family get-together and the giving of presents into the busy lives of her siblings, her aunt and her own work schedule. Sometimes it would be a day or two before, sometimes after. But this year, she and her daughters would all be together on Christmas day.

When class was finished, Bixby closed the book and said, "Please enjoy your Christmas holiday."

Before he could disappear into his closet Caryn stood up and said, "One more item please. Bart, we're having a Christmas celebration tomorrow and would like you to attend. Why can't you come out of your closet except during class?"

His expression became very serious. "Your Majesty, I have long ago taken an oath which I dare not break, and to that end, I exist only within or beneath this library."

"What do you mean you only exist in the library?"

"Although I am enormously honored and gratified that you should even think of inviting me into your family gathering, I cannot move past these library walls or I might cease to exist and I have much to do for you and this family before I can allow that to happen."

"Oh. An oath, you took an oath. Okay, I understand taking an oath but, within or beneath, what do you mean by beneath? Is that like, under the floor or something? And, the ' _cease to exist'_ part..., does that mean like dying? That sounds like a really weird thing."

Bixby's expression indicated he was definitely not joking. "Ma'am, it is a situation that was created long ago and still exists today. I wish it were not so, but it is as it is."

"I see Bart. Well..., no, actually. I really don't see at all. I don't understand what _any_ of that means but it does explain a lot and you seem to be very serious about it so I'll honor your wishes. Although, I have to tell you, that is really, really, really _very_ weird."

"Thank you Caryn. You are a generous Queen."

"You're welcome. Perhaps someday, you'll tell me more about this oath thing. But, right now, tell me something else. How will you spend Christmas?"

"I will do as I have done for centuries, by preparing the material for our next semester of classes, of course."

"Oh Bart..., you shouldn't be alone on Christmas."

Bixby looked unsure of how to act and said nothing so Caryn decided to be queen-like once again.

"Hmm, I see. Well then, as Monarch of this dominion, I hereby give notice that you will not be excluded from our celebration. For, it is exactly this that reminds us of our good fortune in knowing the wonderful people in our life and our world. Tomorrow is a day of giving, of comfort in knowing that there is love in this world and of celebrating all that is good. If we are to celebrate with any real meaning, we must include each and every being in this place. Therefore Bart, we shall include you in our Christmas. You will not be forgotten, nor left out, nor ignored."

The girls instantly picked up on Caryn's statement. They stood, bowed, the puppies yipped, and Bixby looked quite dumbfounded. "Your Majesty, what do you––?"

"Bart, do as you will tomorrow. But please take a moment to look into this library at some point. There may be a surprise for you to enjoy."

_That came out well._ _Humph. I even impressed myself_ she mused with a smile. _Although, what was that thing he said about "as I have done for centuries"? That's even weirder_.

Another unsolved mystery was added to her list. And, on this day, Bixby was not the first to exit the library. Instead, Caryn and her daughters turned and quickly retreated from the room, leaving him standing with a puzzled look on his face.

"Keep walking, girls," Caryn whispered mischievously. "I want to relish every second of Bart's curiosity. I'm sure he wonders what I meant. After all, my dears, this is my favorite time of the year, and I'm finding it quite enjoyable."

They hurried through the doorway grinning at each other, Caryn with a sly smile and a glance behind to memorize the look of astonishment on Bart's face and the children wondering what their mother had planned. The dogs just ran out and waited. Perhaps they already knew what would happen tomorrow.

As they walked down the hall, Caryn was thinking: _Oh, what fun this is to do some small thing that eases a person's loneliness and brings a bit of happiness into an otherwise solemn existence. This gift of friendship and warmth is the stuff from which Christmas was born. I love it._

She was elated to be the one doing the giving and her own joy from this simple act far exceeded that which Bixby might feel. It was Christmas Eve Day and she loved everything about it. Being able to be the one who caused another to smile gave her such pleasure. It felt good and right and proper.

Tomorrow, she knew, would be a very, very good day.

#  *TWELVE* Christmas Day

The warm rays of dawn had not even begun to creep over the horizon but Caryn could sleep no longer. She was awake and nervously awaiting the time when she could present her handmade treasures to her family and their new friends. Would they be pleasantly surprised and welcome her improvised creativity, or would they exhibit an "oh, it's just another necktie" reaction? Unable to contain herself any longer, she went down to the great room, started a fire and began finishing her decorations.

Humming a Christmas song seemed to be the thing to do as she went about preparing food, ribbons and bows and hiding little cards and presents she had created during the last few weeks. Her favorite day had arrived and she was enjoying every minute of this very special morning.

"Gee, I hope I got everything right. Let's see," she mumbled as she did a last minute review of her list. "It's still dark and the girls are asleep. Maybe I should go back to bed for a while."

She was still humming as she went to her bedroom and pulled up the covers. A little wriggling around made her comfortable. But instead of falling back to sleep, her humming continued. "Dum... de dum de dum dum, oh you'd better not cry, you'd better not pout..." So, she tried counting sheep. "One, two, three" –– and then, started naming them –– "Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen... Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But, do you recall... the most famous reindeer of allllllllllllll.... Ah-hmm, nuts. Sleep...? Nope. Not going to happen." Try as she might, she just couldn't control her excitement or wait another minute. So she ran into the girls' room and jumped on their beds.

"Wake up, wake up, both of you. Santa Claus is downstairs!" She pleaded first to one and then the other, "Don't you want to see him? Come onnnn, don't make me wait any longer, pleezzzzzz."

Amy rolled over and sat up. "What's wrong Mom? Is it morning?" She rubbed her face trying to see better in the dim light from the fireplace. "It's still dark. What's happening?" She looked at Caryn's pouty expression. "Oh. Um, is Christmas here already?"

"Yes, yes, yes..., yes it is. Come on Amy. Help me wake up your sister."

Amy yawned, rubbed her eyes, stumbled over to her sister's bed and shook her. "Okay, come on Julie, wake up you sleepyhead." She pushed on Julie's shoulder. "It's CHRISTMAS!"

"Okay, okay Amy. I'm awake." She sat up and yawned. "Hey, wait a minute. It's still dark." Then, she pulled the covers back over her head. "Wake me up when Mom comes in, would ya?"

"She's already here Julie. It's time to get up for Christmas."

Julie sat back up, rubbed her eyes and realized what was happening. "Oh, hi Mom, is Christmas really here already?"

Caryn was grinning. "Yup."

Julie jumped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. "How come you didn't tell me it was Christmas Amy?"

Amy looked at Caryn and shook her head. "I think my sister's deaf Mom. And you said I was the one who was always getting up late."

Julie hung up her towel and came out of the bathroom. "What are you guys laughing at?"

Caryn's grin had still not evaporated. "Oh, it was nothing Julie. Come on. Let's get started." She headed down the stairs followed by the girls with Lewis and Clark thumpity-thumping close behind.

As they walked through the great room, the girls noticed Caryn's decorative handiwork and complimented her. But when they saw there was no traditional tree with brightly wrapped presents crowning its base, they looked a little disappointed. A frown? No, there would be no frowns today.

"Mommy, where are the presents?" asked Julie.

"Yeah, Mom, every year you always have a lot of little things and some big things wrapped for us under a tree. Are you hiding them this year?"

"Oh yeah, that's it." Julie said hopefully. "You're playing one of your hiding games this year, aren't you?"

Caryn stopped and said, "Sorry girls, there's no tree. Things are a little different this year so, come on, let's have breakfast and I'll explain."

Once in the kitchen, she placed two shiny silver bowls on the floor. "Lewis, Clark, here are your special Christmas dishes. I hope you enjoy them." She had prepared their food in a holiday theme; red and green nuggets and red and white candy-cane shaped doggie treats with red bows on each bowl.

The girls bent down to examine the puppies' food. Amy picked up one of the treats and looked at it very closely. "Hey, this is cool Mom. How did you do it?"

"I just rummaged around in the pantry and got creative. We have scrambled eggs, toast, jelly, preserves and cinnamon buns. Oh, and there's also orange juice and apple juice. I hope you enjoy _your_ Christmas breakfast as well."

Caryn served a generous portion of each item, raised her glass of apple juice and toasted. "Merry Christmas everyone. Or perhaps in this land I should say Happy Christmas. I'm very hopeful that we'll all have a wonderful day. I know I'm already having one."

During their meal, they discussed all the things they had been through over the past several months and how different their lives had become. Important issues that existed a year ago now seemed trivial, almost forgotten. The closeness and feelings of belonging they all silently missed back then now filled their lives with happiness.

Life, they had learned, always seemed to be relative to whatever the present had thrust upon them. When they possessed much, they wanted more and became bored with what they did have. When they had nothing, even a raspberry seemed like a godsend and was genuinely appreciated. No longer did they have rollerblades and videogames, but they did have food, shelter, comfort and a loving peaceful family. Although there were still things missing in their lives, this was a very happy wonderful Christmas.

While cleaning the dishes, Julie looked up and sheepishly asked, "Mommy, there aren't any presents this year, are there?"

"That's okay, Mom" said Amy as she dried a glass with a towel. "We couldn't think of anything to get you, either."

Caryn's sly grin returned. "Well, girls, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Let's finish cleaning and then we'll continue our celebration of this wonderful day."

Curious smiles appeared on the girls' faces as they continued tidying up. Caryn's plan was working.

The girls quietly whispered to each other but Caryn stayed completely silent so as to not inadvertently give away any of her surprises. Then she began her little game.

"Amy, please put this pan in that cupboard over there."

"Okay Mom." When she opened the door, she saw a brightly wrapped box. –– Lacking Christmas wrapping paper, Caryn had used a bit of aluminum foil and red twine to form a bow. –– "There's no room to put this in there Mom. There's a box in the way. Wait a minute. It's shiny and it has a tag on it." Amy straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "Okay Mom, what is this?"

"Well, I'm not sure Amy. Is there a name on the tag?"

She peered a little further into the cupboard and found an identical package. "Hey, here's another one, and they both have tags. The names say, um, Lewis, and this one says Clark." She backed away from the cupboard holding both packages. "Christmas presents for the puppies. Yay! Should I just give them to them Mom?"

Her plan had worked and Caryn was really starting to have fun. "Now that pan will fit into the cupboard nicely. I think you girls should each take one of those presents into the great room and open them for the puppies. I'll be right in."

I love doing things that make them laugh and smile. Perhaps everything we went through was a blessing in disguise but it was definitely not fun at all.

Once finished in the kitchen, she went to the great room and found each girl holding up a leather dog collar trimmed with a gold buckle and gold medallion with the puppy's name.

As the girls examined the collars, the puppies sniffed, licked and yipped as if anxiously awaiting the final presentation of their gifts.

"Go ahead, girls. Put them on Lewis and Clark."

Both puppies yipped with approval.

Caryn made the collars so that, if they were caught on something solid or dangerous, the puppies would be strong enough to break them, an intentional weak point for safety. They were, however, sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of a young dog's activities without any damage. She was still not sure how she had learned to do all that. But it was done so why should she question the how's and why's?

"Merry, err, I mean, happy Christmas, Lewis, and happy Christmas, Clark. All right now. Girls, would you please put another log in the fireplace. I know it's burning quite nicely, but we may become a little busy and I don't want a chill to creep into this place."

Both girls went to get a log but Caryn redirected them.

"Um, no, not that one. Use the log on the left Julie. No, no, the other one, the one on top."

Julie picked up the log and saw, lying just under it, a long wrapped box with her name on it. "Ooh, what's this? It says _Merry Christmas, Julie_. Cool!"

"Hey, there's one right next to it with my name on it" exclaimed Amy. Can we open them now, Mom?"

"Of course. Let's see what you've found."

They tore open the boxes and pulled out hats and mittens. Caryn nervously awaited their reactions, hoping they would like her handiwork and that the pieces would fit. Her crocheting and knitting skills were not necessarily the best, but she did hope for some smiles (or at least some warm hands when they went out to play).

"I know it's not a video game or a softball and bat," she said apprehensively, "but I hope you like them."

She didn't have to wait long for an answer. In a few seconds they were both wearing the hats and trying on the mittens. Green for Julie and dark blue for Amy with a little white trim on both. They were the only colors of yarn she could find at the time.

"Cool, Now we won't have to keep our hands in our pockets so much when it's cold out."

"Yeah, thanks Mom. They fit just right. I didn't know you could do this stuff."

They were used to playing with new toys on Christmas, but this year, with no stores, nor even a tree, this truly would be a day of people instead of things.

Amy took off her mittens and tapped her sister's shoulder. "Come on, Julie. Let's put another log on the fire like Mom said." They each carried a log to the fireplace, whispering.

"We didn't do anything for Mom," said Julie with her hand over her mouth trying to keep their mother from hearing.

"I didn't know what to do." replied Amy in her quietest voice. "I feel a little guilty but––"

Julie interrupted, "It's too late now."

As they placed the logs into the fireplace, Amy put her hand up to her mouth and whispered into Julie's ear. "Hey, I know." –– She snuck a quick look at Caryn and then continued. –– "We'll just give her a hug and tell her we love her and maybe say thanks for everything. What do you think?"

"Okay, cool, but it's not very much."

"Don't worry," Amy countered, "It'll be okay. We'll do it later. Pretend that we didn't talk about it."

They walked back toward their mother wiping their hands together to brush off the dirt from the logs. Caryn pretended not to notice, but it was obvious to her that the girls had just agreed on some kind of plan.

"Did you make any cookies or treats?" asked Amy.

"I sure did. I've done a little baking and created a few more surprises for everyone here. Let's go back to the kitchen and I'll tell you both of a wonderful discovery I made. Do you each have the necklace and key Lord Bixby gave you?"

Amy touched her throat. "Yeah, Mom, they're pretty, but should we be wearing them all the time?"

Julie held hers up. "I've got mine on. See?"

"Well girls, I don't know much about them, but I found out one thing" –– She bent down and whispered –– "they open doors..., I think."

Julie looked at her key. "These are too small Mom. They won't fit those big locks."

"You don't have to put them into the locks, honey. They just sort of unlock them. I don't know how, but they do. When I was wearing mine, the doors that were stuck before just opened right up for me and I didn't even try to put the key into the lock. You know that narrow door next to the fireplace in the great room that was stuck? I tried it again and it opened. It was just a closet but I tried a few other doors and they did the same thing. I'll show you later."

The girls looked at each other and then at the tiny golden keys. "Sure Mom," Amy mumbled skeptically.

Earlier, while the children were in the great room opening the puppies' presents, Caryn had arranged cakes, cookies, apples, and pears on the kitchen table in a circular display. Her centerpiece was a small Christmas tree, made from extra pine branches and decorated with tinfoil strips, holly berries and bits of yarn.

"Wow!" Amy exclaimed. "That looks great Mom. How did you do that?"

Julie, on the other hand, was examining the baked treats, looking for something. "Mom...?"

"Sorry girls, no whoopee pies. And I didn't have any chocolate chips for your favorite cookies. But I did make gingerbread and sugar snaps. And, and look, an angel food cake, and, well, you get the idea. We can have our own little party later. But right now we have to deliver some Christmas cheer to the other inhabitants of our new home. Here Amy, take this platter of fruit, and Julie, you can carry this cake. We're off to the library."

The girls were puzzled. "Mom, there's no school today. Don't you remember? Bart said this was a vacation week."

As Caryn arranged a few final touches to the platters, she briefly described her plan. "Yup, that's true. And since it's still early, Bart will have not yet entered the library. This is his Christmas surprise. Here's the card. What do you think?"

With no stores to peruse, she resorted to trying her best penmanship and many attempts at poetry, writing and rewriting, trying to create something that would let Lord Bixby know they appreciated him.

Happy Christmas  
to our dear friend  
Lord Bixby

~ –––––––––––––––––––––––– ~

You've taught us many interesting things  
in a very enjoyable way  
and we wish that you had joined us  
on this very special day.

We know you cannot leave the walls  
that surround the books you've seized  
so we bring to you our gifts and wishes  
and hope that you are pleased.

One day you must relate to us  
what binds you here so well  
and together we shall work to change  
those bonds or locks or spells.

For when you see the world beyond  
its beauty and its grace  
you'll know why we are happy  
living here in this new place.

Our Christmas is a thing of love  
of peace and gentle giving.  
So humble as these gifts may be  
they are from friends now living  
in a place that is as much the same  
as that we hold so dear  
and so we hope that you, our friend,  
will always be as near.

~ –––––––––––––––––––––––– ~

For this and many more years to come  
we wish you good health,  
happiness, peace, prosperity  
and above all, love.

Happy Christmas

Caryn anxiously watched the girls' expressions as they read it. Amy said, "Cool Mom." Julie handed the card back to her. "Boy, I wish I knew how to write stuff like that."

"Yeah Mom, that's really good. How'd you do it?"

Caryn tied it with a little piece of red twine and explained. "I found this paper in the pantry, so I started writing and kept doing it over and over until it said what I wanted.

Is it okay, or do you think it's dorky? I'm not good at this poetry stuff, but I think it says what I want him to know."

She was more apprehensive than she would like to admit about what her children might think of a handwritten message on a makeshift card but the girls agreed that it was just right. Her heart went back down from her throat and they continued with her plan.

"We can put Bart's presents on his desk and peek in a little later. If he's in there, maybe we can visit and see if he likes our gifts."

It took only a few minutes to sneak into the library, arrange Bixby's presents on his desk, and sneak back out leaving the miniature Christmas tree flanked by each of the two platters.

"Gee, I hope he didn't hear all the giggling. Okay, girls, now, one more thing to do. So, back to the kitchen."

The children arranged two more platters of treats while Caryn retrieved a large sack. "Here Julie, help me put this into the dumbwaiter."

"Okay. Are you sending it up to the tower?"

Amy shivered at the thought of her _elevator_ experience. "And who are these platters of food for? Are we doing something for that creepy lookout guy up there?"

"Oh don't be like that Amy. Remember what Bart said? Things are not always as you believe them to be. Now, each of you carry a platter and follow me. Lewis, Clark, you two stay here. The tower stairs are really high and I don't want you to fall and get hurt. Okay girls. Let's go."

With the dumbwaiter successfully on its way, Caryn led them up the winding stairs stopping to light each newly placed lantern along the way. At each landing a light touch on the door's handle made it quietly swing open.

"This is weird" whispered Julie.

"Yeah, I got trapped up here last time. Mom must've found a secret or something."

"It must be a really weird secret. All she does is touch the doors and they open up by themselves. That's totally cool."

"Cool Julie...? Really? That's more like creepy. How does she do that?

Wait...! I know. She said her key opened a door and it worked on other doors too. You didn't believe her but I did. See Amy? She was right. So there. Ha!"

When they reached the top of the donjon, they placed their surprises on the abutments and Caryn opened the dumbwaiter door.

"Come on, girls. Help me carry this sack over to the window. I'm a little worn out after that long climb."

A cold breeze was making its way through the lookout openings causing them all to shiver a bit and the rising sun was as yet insufficient to warm them.

Caryn called out, "Artemus are you here? We have some presents for you."

"How nice of you to visit me today Your Majesty" replied the invisible sentry. "And what a nice banquet you brought. I did not expect any of you until the next summer sun but this is a welcome surprise indeed."

"We came to wish you a very happy Christmas and bring you a few gifts and a little company. I wasn't sure what you like to eat, so we just brought some of everything we have. There are fruits, breads, cookies, and other treats. We hope you'll like them."

"Yeah, and they'll keep for quite a while cause it's really cold up here! Brrrrr" chimed the children in unison.

"Ah. Well, thank you Your Majesty and Your Royal Highnesses. I always welcome such enjoyable company and, I see that you all now have a master key. That should make things much more convenient for you. But, what is Christmas that you all wish to be happy? I am unfamiliar with the word."

"We celebrate this day each year by putting out festive decorations, making some special meals and treats, giving gifts, and wishing everyone peace and happiness."

"Ah, I see. That sounds enjoyable. Tell me more."

"Our God's son was born on this day and preached love and forgiveness to his followers. We are called Christians. There are others who call God different names and celebrate in different ways, but I don't think he cares what name we use as long as we remember that we are all his children and should treat each other with respect and compassion."

"Hmmm..., I think I understand" Artemus responded curiously. "You are nice to others on this day each year. What about the other days? What do you do then?"

A lively conversation ensued, bouncing back and forth between the invisible lookout and each member of the Royal Family as they took turns explaining everything from Christmas to the war they had recently survived.

Amy was extremely curious about the _creepy lookout_. "You really scared me the last time I was up here Artemus. I thought I'd never get out. How come you didn't say anything when I was pulling on that door? And why can't we see you?"

"I do not know why you cannot see me," replied the disembodied voice. "But you did not address me. And, of course, I would never speak to a Royal unless spoken to first. Although..., I did reluctantly take a chance and thanked you for the food. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah." mumbled Amy, looking at the floor. "Well, that wasn't very nice. You shouldn't have made me wait so long to get out. I was scared."

"A thousand apologies, Your Highness, do you want me to greet you first the next time you come up in the dumbwaiter? I am always happy to do as you wish."

Embarrassment fell across Amy's face. "No, never mind. Besides, the door isn't stuck shut anymore."

Caryn put her arm around Amy. "Come on, Amy, we made it through it okay. It's not as if you got hurt. Besides, how cool is it to have an invisible friend?"

"Yeah Amy." snickered Julie. "Don't be such a wuss."

"Well," grumbled Amy, "he could've said something a lot sooner." Caryn smiled and touched her key. "Yeah Mom, I guess it's not a problem anymore."

They continued their tête-à-tête and discovered that Artemus never needed food or water but liked the company of those who brought it. Instead, he fed it to the birds and animals that passed by which made Caryn's last surprise a perfect choice. She opened the sack and withdrew a partially assembled birdhouse and some tools with which to mount it in one of the turret's openings. With a little work the birdhouse was in place complete with birdseed in a little tray providing that elusive white dove with a safe place to rest and get out of any bad weather.

"There, done. Artemus, there's a white dove we sometimes see, and this is her new home if she so chooses. Way up here it will provide her with safety and you might enjoy the company as well. I hope that this pleases you."

They could hear Artemus moving around but still couldn't see him. "This is wonderful Ma'am. I have never had such attention and I do not know what to say. But I will see to the food and water for Hestia."

"Hestia? Who's Hestia?" they all asked. "Is there someone else here as well?"

"Oh, Hestia is the Goddess of the Hearth. She is the one who brought you here from the outside world. Did you not know? You must be very special people or she would not have done so. I am sure she will very much like this little house you've provided. Oh, this is wonderful. At last I shall have someone with whom to visit. This makes me very happy for the first time in two thousand years."

_There's that two-thousand year thing again_ Caryn thought. "Two-thousand years huh? Okay look, I have to ask. Just how old are you Artemus?"

"I am sorry Ma'am but, I really do not know."

"Then how do you know you've been around for two-thousand years? That sounds quite impossible."

"All I can say is that I was at my post during a battle when something knocked me down. When I awoke, the battle was over and I was the only one up here, so I stayed."

"Why would you stay if the battle was over? Wouldn't you eventually go down to eat or something?"

"Oh no Ma'am, I cannot leave my post until properly relieved. And, I have not yet been properly relieved. But it's all right. I've become accustomed to this place."

"But, two-thousand.... How do you know it's been that long?"

"Ah, one day, long ago, Hestia showed me this spot on the wall. She said that each time the sun shone through that hole on this spot, it was the winter solstice. Each time that happens, I make a mark just there, below it, and it is almost time for another."

Caryn examined the marks. Each small group consisted of one horizontal line drawn through nine vertical ones. _Hmm, winter solstice happens once each year. Each group is ten years and there is a big line under every ten groups. Wow, that's a hundred years for each big line._ "Girls, look at this. It's amazing!"

Amy glanced at the marks. "Gee Mom, it has one-thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine lines. I thought the winter solstice was a few days ago so I guess our calendar is off a little."

Caryn was again surprised at Amy's math skills. "Okay, let's see, the next mark will make a hundred for this group. That's twenty..., that's two-thousand. You did it again Amy. You just looked at it and got it right... wow!" Amy grinned and Caryn shook her head. "Well Artemus, that's quite a milestone if you ask me but, such a long time. What did you do before you were here?"

"I do not know Ma'am. I remember nothing before the battle that knocked me down."

"Oh, you poor thing. That's terrible!"

Amy walked over to Caryn and looked at the wall. "Can I ask a question?"

"Sure honey, what?"

"No, not you Mom. Artemus. How did you know my name that day I was trapped up here?"

"Hestia told me of your arrival. She also told me that something wonderful is going to happen but failed to inform me of what it might be. Perhaps she meant this Christmas celebration. It certainly is wonderful to not be alone."

"Yes, it is" said Caryn as she hugged her daughters.

This Christmas, though different, was the best one they ever had. They spent several more hours in the donjon talking, learning about the past, and planning for the future.

They agreed to visit their new invisible friend more often to listen to his many stories and quell his loneliness. Some tales were humorous and some serious, but all were entertaining and provided knowledge about the past.

Later that day they peeked in on Bart but found the library vacant. However, they were happy to see that the presents were gone so he must have found them. As the day waned and the children were going to bed, they asked, "Mom, do these keys do anything besides unlock doors?"

"I don't know girls. I don't fully understand them myself. But I _do_ know that they're important and have some kind of power. Bart told me that much. We'll eventually find out more. But that, my children, is a story for another day. For now, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

As Caryn retreated to her bedroom, she could hear the girls talking.

"Hey Amy, what kind of power?"

"What?"

"What kind of power do the keys have?"

"I don't know. I'm tired. Go to sleep, will ya Julie."

"Okay. But if we knew, then we could ––"

"Go to sleep Julie."

"Yeah but, what if ––"

"Julie! Go––to––sleep! Now!"

Their room was silent for a few moments, then:

"Hey Amy." There was no answer. "Amy?" "Amy, are you already asleep?"

Amy got up, grabbed a pillow and hit her sister with it.

"If you don't shut up, I'll smoosh this pillow over your face. Now, SHUT UP!"

"Okay, okay, you could've just told me for crying out loud. I'll be quiet. I won't say anything else. I'll just go to sleep, not another ––"

Amy pushed the pillow down on Julie's face. "Good night!" she blustered and went back to bed.

Julie pouted but kept her silence. _I'll find out. I'll ask Bart..., tomorrow. He'll tell me. Not like Amy, she just wants to sleep, she always wants to sleep._ Finally, her energy waned, her eyes closed, and she drifted off into her own private dreamland.

Caryn chuckled, yawned and pulled up her covers.

It's hard to believe all this is real and not some kind of dream or hallucination. But we're all safe, comfortable and happy so..., guess I should just go with the flow.

He said something wonderful is going to happen. I wonder what kind of adventure that's going to be.

~*~

And now, as the Queen, Caryn Elizabeth will face many more challenges when she walks down the secret stairs and discovers...

Thank you for reading our whimsical tale.

Oh, and yes. There is more to come.

Post a comment or just let us know if you would like to read Book-2 the continuation of this story.

Be safe, be happy and always smile.

Robert and Caryn

