Lockhart spoke as the door closed. “I feel like I died. I thought when I died I would get to be young again.” Lincoln struggled to not throw up. Boston looked around and grinned with all her might.

              “If we died, we went to Heaven.” Boston pointed to the castle, rubbed her shoe in the green grass and reveled in the fresh air and glorious colors everywhere she looked. Somehow the colors all seemed richer and brighter to her than they ever did back on drab old earth. There was a field of ripe brown grain on her right and a small sparkling blue river on her left which flowed into the deep green sea not twenty yards to her rear. It was all too wonderful, but the castle was the most wonderful of all. It looked like a veritable tapestry of colors with more spires, towers and keeps than she could count, and some of the towers shot right up into the clouds. “I feel like I’m in Oz, you know, from black and white to color.”

              “If it’s any consolation, feel like I died too,” Glen said. “But the feeling will pass, shortly. And no, Boston, this isn’t Oz and it isn’t God’s heaven. This is in the second heavens.”

              “I don’t understand,” Lockhart admitted.

              “Very simple.” Glen motioned for Mister Bean to proceed. The Little One strutted up the path and the others fell in behind. “The second heavens is my name for the place between Heaven and Earth. It is where Aesgard, Olympus, the Golden City of the gods and all the other places of the gods used to be, including the places where the spirits of the dead were kept until the coming of the Christ, like Hades, you know.”

              “This is the place between earth and heaven?” Lincoln was beginning to feel better. “It must be small. Thin like a line?”

              Glen shook his head. “Infinite, and eternal as far as I know. The isles of Avalon are called innumerable, but they actually add up to very little compared to the vastness of it all. Alice keeps the atmosphere and everything functioning well enough so we have a sanctuary for my Little Ones and others across the various islands of the archipelago.”

              “What do you mean keeps the atmosphere?” Lincoln took a deep breath and wondered.

              “I mean the natural state of the second heavens is chaos. It folds in and back on itself and even time is uncertain and in flux. In order to have anything here that approximates earth and the natural laws of physics, it has to be carved out of the chaos and sustained. Otherwise we would all be floating through an airless, ever changing and swirling mass of stuff the color of rainbow sherbet and with the consistency of something like cotton candy.”

              “Hurry up. Come on.” Boston interrupted. She was excited. “The Castle gate is opening.”

              The others saw the gate opening but were presently huffing and puffing to get up the hill. They paused to stare at the girl and Glen spoke. “I’m fifty-seven, Lincoln is sixty-four, Lockhart is ready to retire. We will get there.”

              Boston frowned and ran ahead.

              “I think it would be best if I let Lady Alice take it from here.” Glen finished his thought and vanished from that spot. Lady Alice met Boston as she ran inside the door to the castle courtyard.

              “Thank you Mister Kalderoshineamotadecobean. You did your job perfectly and brought them here safe and sound.” Alice’s first thought was for her Little One. The little Bean grinned more broadly than a human face could possibly grin and marched off across the castle courtyard with a real swagger. “Hello Boston dear. It is good to see you again.” Alice stepped up and gave Boston a kiss on the cheek and Boston had a thought. She spun around and saw Lockhart and Lincoln but no Glen.

              “Glen?” For all of her reading and study of the subject, she was still uncertain exactly how all of these different lives of the Kairos actually worked.

              “Yes, Glen is here.” Alice touched her heart and responded with a very human smile. “But not at the moment. For now he thought I would be best to explain.”

              “Trouble?” Lockhart picked up on something in Alice’s voice. Once upon a time, he was a policeman and he still showed the instincts now and then.

              “Eh?” Lincoln was originally with the CIA and had other virtues, though at the moment his thoughts were for his missing wife.

              “If you will follow.” Alice waved them forward and they crossed the courtyard and tried hard not to stare.

              The yard was filled with bustling Little Ones, all about on some errand or other. There were dwarfs, elves of light and dark all across the cobblestones and fairies and pixies of many different types and sizes fluttering through the air. Two hobgoblins struggled with a barrel of something and tried to load it onto a wagon. There was a big creature off in one corner, like an ogre or Troll. The men did not want to look too close. Boston, of course, was delighted with it all and even clapped several times at the sights that came to her eyes.

              At the back of the courtyard, they stepped through a gate and into a garden-like area. It was big, well groomed, but more nearly the size of a small forest than a garden. The trees were placed randomly like an old growth forest, but the paths were clean of debris.

              “One could get lost in this castle and wander for days without finding a door.” Lincoln remarked.

              “It has been known to happen.” Alice heard and threw the response over her shoulder.

              They traveled through several buildings, several courtyards, and several gardens – all different – and came at last to the spring from which the small river flowed. Boston guessed when she saw the naiad sunning herself. She would have been more taken by the sight, however, if the naiad had not been lounging in a plastic lawn chair.

              “Is nothing sacred?” Boston asked with a click of her tongue.

              “Very little these days,” Alice sighed and opened a door to a building which might have been called a small cathedral. There was only one room, all wood and stone, and it looked like a construction as old as time itself. The wood was full of carvings, the walls and floor full of mosaics and the ceiling full of paintings all picturing the one hundred and twenty-one lifetimes of the Kairos, so far. In the center of the room there was only one piece of furniture. It was a three pronged table and it held in its grasp a crystal which throbbed with a discernibly bright light. It was otherwise impossible to tell where the rest of the light in the room came from since there were no windows and no other doors but the one. It seemed as if the building had been built around the light so as to trap the light inside for all eternity. Boston held her breath in that sacred space.

            The woman marine arrived in the lunchroom first.  She saluted Colonel Weber and the Captain who stood up to greet her.  The Colonel went straight to the introductions.  “Lieutenant Harper.  Captain Decker.” 

            The Captain stuck out his hand.  “Welcome to the monkey house.”

            “Katie.”  She shook the hand and responded with her name.

            “Sit,” the Colonel said, and it sounded like an order so both complied while one of the three men across the table spoke.

            “Decker and Harper.  Sounds like a couple of cops from a cheap television show.” 

            Colonel Weber pointed at the speaker and continued with the introductions.  “Robert Lockhart is the Assistant Director of the so-called Men in Black organization.  Ben Lincoln is the one with the missing wife.  Of course, you know Doctor Roberts.”

            “Sir.”  The Lieutenant acknowledged each man and kept it business-like.  “Mind if I ask a few questions?”  The Colonel waved as if to say be my guest, but good luck getting any straight answers.

            “I read the briefing but I don’t exactly understand it.  I have heard of people who claimed to be reincarnated, but this sounds a bit more extensive than that.”

            “And I hardly expected it to be in a briefing paper.”  Captain Decker agreed.

            “Not reincarnated,” Lockhart rubbed his unshaven chin as he spoke.  “He sometimes refers to himself as an experiment in time and genetics going back to the beginning of history.  And if the paper was accurate, you will find it says he also remembers the future.”

            Lincoln touched Lockhart on the arm to quiet him and spoke to the marines.  “May I ask your security clearance?”

            The Colonel answered.  “Both Captain Decker and Lieutenant Harper are cleared all the way to the top.”

            Lincoln rubbed his chin.  “That might not be high enough.”

            “That’s right.”  Lockhart grinned.  “There are some things it would be best if even we did not know about.  Isn’t that right, Emile?”

            Doctor Roberts looked up.  He was trying to keep a low profile in front of the Colonel who kept threatening to arrest him, but he could not resist.  “Like Santa, spry little elf that he is,” he joked.

            “Yes,” Lieutenant Harper thought they were kidding and tried to get back on topic.  “What does it mean when it refers to elves and dwarves?  I assume that is code for something.”

            Doctor Roberts went back to hiding and Lincoln said nothing, but Lockhart grinned more broadly and shook his head slowly.  The Lieutenant reacted.

            “You must be joking.  I stopped playing Fairy Princess when I was five and found out there are no such things.”

            Before a more reasonable response could be made, they were interrupted by the entrance of the women who were laughing and having a wonderful time.  Colonel Weber and Captain Decker stood.  Lieutenant Harper also stood, though after what she just heard, she felt like it might be safer to stay seated.  The Colonel at least got to introduce the Director, Roberta Brooks.

            “Bobbi,” she said as she shook their hands and took her seat.

            Boston butted in front and took each hand in turn.  “Mary Riley, but everyone calls me Boston.”  She said it twice and went to sit next to Lockhart.

            Mirowen nodded shyly at the marines.  “Mirowen.”  She went to sit beside Doctor Roberts.

            “Mirowen?”  The Captain asked like he was searching for a last name.

            “Soon to be Roberts, I think.”  Lincoln sounded morose.  Mirowen’s presence underlined for him like nothing else that Alexis was missing.

            “For now just Mirowen.”  Lockhart was still grinning and raised his hand to point his thumb at the couple.  “She is an elf.”

            Mirowen blushed, but she brushed back her hair to reveal her pointed ears.  She turned quickly to Doctor Roberts and he gave her a peck on the lips to reassure her.

            At the sight of those ears, Lieutenant Harper sat, and when she sat, the Captain sat with her.  It was barely in time to deal with what happened next.

            “Hi, I’m the Princess, but people call me –“  The Princess paused and pretended to think about it before she concluded.  “Princess.”  She smiled her dazzling smile.  “Right now I have to go home.  My husband owes me a foot massage or something.”  She reached to take both the Captain’s and the Lieutenant’s hands.

            “And where is home?”  The Captain asked while he unsuccessfully tried to keep his eyes from wandering up and down her curves.

            “204 BC,” the Princess answered with a straight face.  “Now don’t let go,” she added and vanished from that time and place so Glen could return to his own time and face his own dilemma.  The Captain let go, but it was only for a second.

            “Now,” Glen smiled at the military people.  “Lovely to have you here.  Lovely to meet you both.  You can’t come.”

            “Now, wait a minute,” Colonel Weber wanted to protest but Glen cut him off.

            “Despite your soldiers, you have no authority and no real power here.”  Glen walked around the table to the far wall which was the only big, blank wall in the room.  “Begone,” he mumbled.  “Before somebody drops a house on you.”

            Once at the wall, Glen turned and looked around the room.  He had instructions.  “Bobbi, I guess you will have to play hostess to Mister Smith when he gets back here on the Kargill ship, at least until I get back.  Emile and Mirowen, make a decision already.”  He took a deep breath and then paused to consider what he was about to do before he spoke.   “Letting ordinary mortals other than me and my immediate family into Avalon is not a common occurrence.  But Lincoln, you can come and fetch your wife.  Lockhart, you need to come to be the boss and keep a tight rein on Lincoln.  Boston, you need to come to keep Lockhart from freaking out, and you need to behave yourself.”  Lincoln, Lockhart and an excited Boston got up to stand beside Glen.  “That’s it.  Colonel Weber, Mirowen and Roberts better be here and untouched when I get back.”  And with that said, he turned again to the wall and spoke softly

            Emile Roberts took Mirowen’s hand and she looked at him, smiled broadly and repeated a rhyme.  “How many miles to Avalon?  Three score miles and ten.  Can I get there by candlelight?  Yes and back again.”  There was a momentary darkening in a part of the wall seven feet tall and seven feet wide before it suddenly became as bright as a window facing into a sunny day.  An archaic archway formed around the space and it became an opening to another place, altogether.  There was grass there, and a castle in the background, high on a hill.  The aroma of life filled the stuffy conference room.

            In the foreground, there was a little creature who bowed most regally in Glen’s direction.  Several eyes shot toward Mirowen.  Mirowen kept up a glamour that made her look nearly human with only the pointed ears to give her away.  This creature in the archway was clearly not human. And Glen did not help when he named the thing.

            “Kalderoshineamotadecobean.  Lovely to see you.”

            “My Lord is always gracious.”

            “Speaks sort of human,” Decker whispered to Harper who did not hear him because for some reason she was crying.  “Bit of a shock though.  I can’t imagine an ogre.”

            Glen invited his fellow travelers to cross the threshold and watched them closely as they crossed over.  Then he turned once more to the room and spoke.  “Oh, and Mirowen, don’t worry.  I should be back long before the baby is born.”

            Mirowen turned as red as Boston’s red hair before Glen stepped through the wall and the entrance to Avalon snapped shut with a bright flash of light.

Time: Present. Location: outside Washington DC. Kairos: Glen, the Storyteller.

Recording:

              Lockhart stepped out of the plane on his own two feet, took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his smile. He couldn’t help it. He spent the last fifteen years in a wheelchair and was dreading retirement. Now he was healed and free.

              Boston followed and lugged the folded-up wheelchair. “I guess this goes back in storage.” She groaned as she lifted it over the lip to the ramp. Then the young woman and the old man walked side by side toward the building until they saw people running toward them. Boston thought to say one more thing before they got swallowed by the crowd.

              “I will miss pushing you around in this thing.”

              “Me too.” Lockhart responded in all seriousness before he had to stop walking and hug Bobbi. She was crying, and he had to get touched, praised and congratulated for getting his legs back by any number of others as well.

              Glen got as far as the door to the main building of the Men in Black before Lincoln grabbed his arm and spouted again. “But My wife has to be out there somewhere.”

              Once again Glen tried to reassure the man. “Don’t worry. Up until now there were a few other things pressing, like finding you for instance. But Alexis is now my top priority. Oh no.” He said that last because he saw Mirowen and Doctor Emile Roberts racing toward him. “Trouble does come in threes,” he mumbled.

              “Hey you!” The shout came from further down the hall as Mirowen and Doctor Roberts hustled up to the front door to hide behind Glen. A marine followed. Glen held up his hand like a traffic cop.

              “Go tell Colonel Weber to meet me in the conference room in thirty minutes.” The marine looked ready to object so Glen repeated himself. “Go.”

              That just made the marine mad. It looked like he was going to say “Who the Hell are you?” but when Glen vanished from that world and was replaced by an absolutely stunning young woman in an outfit that was both tight and short, it came out, “What the f***.”

              “Princess,” Mirowen lowered her eyes.

              “Crude.” The Princess responded to the marine before she gave both Lincoln and Doctor Roberts a sharp look. She grabbed Mirowen by the elbow. “We will be in the ladies room so too bad for you Lincoln.” It was the one place Lincoln could not follow and she could get some peace even if Glen could not.

              Once inside the women’s room, the Princess turned immediately to the mirror. It was reflex, an automatic reaction to see how she looked. The main part of her mind was focused on the elf. “So Mirowen, what have you and Emile decided?”

              Mirowen curtsied, and gracefully despite the fact that she was in greasy overalls. “Lady. Emile is reluctant to become elf kind, and we have researched it and it has not seemed to us that you have done that very often.”

              “Not often,” the Princess responded. “But one of my godly lives like Danna or Junior or Nameless or Amphitrite might arrange it.”

              Mirowen curtsied a second time and looked at the floor. She spoke softly. “I understand.”

              “But Mirowen, what about joining Alexis in the human world?” The Princess turned from the mirror to look at the elf. She was a lovely elf and the Princess had no doubt she would make an equally lovely human woman.

              “I am prepared for that.” Mirowen dropped her eyes again but she did not sound convinced. “Oh, but Colonel Weber is threatening to drag Emile back for trial for stealing property from area 51. But it was my unicorn. I was just getting her back!”

              Boston came to join them at that point and also went straight for the mirror while the Princess turned again to face Mirowen. “You know if you stay as you are, he will grow old more rapidly than you can imagine while you will hardly change at all. You will lose him and he will lose you in the end.”

              “One of us will likely go first in any case.” Mirowen would not look the Princess in the eyes.

              “I could do that,” Boston interrupted. “With Lockhart, I mean. He is such a snuggle bear, and a good kisser too, I bet. If only he wasn’t such a father figure.”

              “Grandfather figure.” The Princess corrected her, and Boston did not deny that truth.

              “Oh, but did you hear Lincoln’s concern for his missing wife?” Boston said. “I never met her, but I understand she was an elf once. He must really love her.” The Princess nodded for Boston but she spoke with an eye on Mirowen.

              “And she really loves him and would do anything for him.”

              “Two peas in a pod.” Bobbi the Director came in, a marine on her heels. The Director caught the tail end of the conversation. “And that is why we need to find Alexis if we can. Is it crowded in here or what?”

              “Women’s conference,” Boston suggested. The marine grimaced as she set down her briefcase and took a turn in the mirror.

              “Yes, well Mirowen, we will talk more later.” The Princess took back the conversation. “Meanwhile, I had a hard time at first getting a lead on Alexis. She became too human, I think.”

              “She still has the magic,” Bobbi noted.

              “Yes, but so do a number of humans, and the more so as the Other Earth waxes toward full conjunction.”

              “What about the Lady of Avalon?” Boston suggested.

              “Alice?” The Princess closed her eyes. “Yes, that is how I found her. Alexis was there in Avalon, and I suppose I knew that all along. She was just not the priority because she did not appear to be in any danger. Her father Mingus took her out of fear that she was getting too old and would soon die and leave him grieving.” The Princess sighed. “I guess we have to go fetch her.”

              Bobbi touched the Princess on the arm and the Princess started to move over, but Bobbi had a request first and only glanced briefly at the marine before she spoke. “Can I go to Avalon? All these years I have worked this operation and in these last few years I have kept it all running, and I have never been to Avalon. Not even once.”

              The Princess smiled and hugged her friend. “Soon. Not this time, but after you retire, and no, you cannot retire today. I need you to keep Colonel dipstick away from Mirowen and Emile while I am gone.” The Princess turned toward the marine. “So, do you work for Darth Weber?” The marine picked up her briefcase and smiled, but just a little.

              “I don’t do typing pool gossip,” she said and left.

              “Humph.” Bobbi harrumphed, but not in a sour way. She stepped up to the mirror and touched her gray hair, looked at Boston who was maybe twenty-five, the beautiful elf and the incredible Princess and harrumphed again. “What am I looking at? I am way past the age for mirrors.”

              All of the young women paused to give Bobbi love hugs before they exited the Women’s Room together. They had a conference to attend and they had to get Lincoln’s wife back.

Avalon, the series will begin “airing” in May on this blog.  Written in story form, the pilot episode will start on 5/2 and post as a Monday/Friday regular right through season 1.  Share this, call a friend, don’t miss out.

Avalon is the story of people trapped in the past and trying to get home.  They move from time zone to time zone, from one lifetime of the Kairos to the next, only hoping to have the courage to face whatever trouble they confront and only worried about what may be catching up to them.  From the beginning of history to the present, they have no one but each other to depend on – that is, for as long as they are able to trust and depend on each other. 

From the Pilot Episode:

            It was Doctor Procter who explained.

            “I spent the last three hundred years studying the lives of the Kairos.  Now that we have the opportunity to walk through those lifetimes, one by one, and in order I might add, I am not going to miss that opportunity.  Isn’t that right, Mingus?”

            Mingus shook his head and sighed, and in that moment everyone got a good look at the difference between Mingus, a full blood elf and the Doctor who was half-human.  The contrast was not startling but obvious.  No plain human could have eyes as big, features as sharp or fingers as thin and long.  “If you say,” Mingus muttered as he took the amulet and shook it once himself.

            “What says the Navy?”  Lockhart turned to look at the two who were armed and bringing up the rear.

            “I’m to follow orders,” Captain Decker frowned. 

            Lieutenant Harper smiled.  “I would not mind exploring a little while we have the chance.”

            “Besides,” Roland spoke up while Lockhart faced front again and encouraged everyone to resume walking.  “I have a feeling the Kairos would not mind if we rooted out some of the unsavory characters that wandered into the time zones without permission.” 

            “Oh, that would be very dangerous.”  Alexis said it before Lincoln could, and she grinned for her husband. 

            “All the same—“  Roland did not finish his sentence.  He fell back to walk beside Lockhart to underline his sentiments to the man. 

            “Hey.”  Boston came up.  She had been straggling near the back. 

            “Boston, dear.”  Lockhart backed away from the elf and slipped his arm around the young woman.  “So what do you think?  Do we run as fast as we can or explore a bit and maybe confront some unsavories along the way?” 

            “Explore and help the Kairos clean out the time zones.  I thought that was obvious.”

            “Well for the record,” Mingus said as he turned and walked backwards.  “Though it may kill me to say it, I agree with that Lincoln fellow.” 

            “I haven’t offered an opinion,” Lincoln said. 

            “No, but I can read the mind of a frightened rabbit well enough.”  

            “Father!”  Alexis jumped and there was some scolding in her voice.  “I vote we explore and help.”  She looked at Lockhart, and so did everyone else except the Doctor who was still playing with his amulet. 

            Lockhart nodded.  “Okay,” he said.  “But the number one priority is to get everyone home alive and in one piece, so when it is time to move on, we all move, no arguments.” 

            “You got that right,” Captain Decker mumbled. 

            Everyone seemed fine with that except Mingus who screwed up his face and asked, “And who decides when it is time to move on?” 

            “I do.”  Lockhart spoke without flinching.  The two stared at each other until Doctor Procter interrupted.

            “Anyway,” he said as if in the middle of a sentence.  “I would not worry about hunting unsavories.  I don’t imagine it will take long before they start hunting us.”

CAST 

Robert Lockhart, a former policeman is charged with leading this expedition through time and has no idea how he is going to get everyone home — alive.

Boston, a Massachusetts redneck, rodeo rider and technological genius who finished her PhD at age 23.  She is in love with all of the adventure,  and the spiritual creatures they encounter, all of which suggests she is a little strange.

Benjamin Lincoln, a former C. I. A. office geek keeps the database and a record of their journey.  He tends to worry and is not the bravest soul, but sometimes that is an asset. 

Alexis Lincoln, an elf who became human to marry Benjamin.  She retained her magic when she became human, but sometimes magic has its limits.  For example, it can’t make her father happy with her choices.

Mingus, father of Alexis, an elder elf who ran the history department in Avalon for over 300 years.  He knows the time zones and the lives of the Kairos but tends to keep his opinions to himself.  And he believes his children are being ruined by so much human interaction.

Roland, Alexis’ younger brother, a full blood elf and gifted hunter came to keep Mingus under control and out of his sister’s face.  He discovers there is something in humanity worth saving and protecting.  He knows many of the creatures in the spirit world, including the nasty ones inclined to rise up out of the dark.

Doctor Procter, half-elf, half-human.  He is Mingus’ associate in the history department and carries the amulet, a sophisticated electronic GPS and magical device that leads the way from one time gate to the next.

Lieutenant Katie Harper, a marine whose specialty is ancient and medieval cultures and technologies.  She is torn between her duty to the marines and her desire to be part of this larger universe she is discovering.

Captain Decker, navy seal and special operations officer who will do all he can to keep everyone alive, even if it means shooting his way back to the twenty-first century.  He is a skeptic who does not believe the half of what they experience – even if he does not know what else to believe.

            “Ethan.”  Jillian shouted, but the screens went up in time.  She ran to the console to stand beside him and Fyodor took a step back.  “It’s near the limit, but holding.”

            “Shall I return fire?”  Ethan asked.

            “The other Vordan ship is trying to join the party.  It looks like missiles,” Lockhart shouted.  There was a different view screen which clearly showed the other ship and he wheeled himself over for a better look.  Boston went with him and Fyodor came to join him, but Glen stayed where he was.  He was enjoying the undisturbed view of the stars, and watching a small asteroid cross his vision from left to right.

            “Ethan, I’m so sorry,” Jillian apologized.  “I thought keeping the screens down would show we mean no hostile intent.”  Ethan said nothing.  He simply returned fire.

            “There,” Fyodor said.  He pointed to a corner of the view screen.  “Another shimmering light.”

            “Where?  Oh, I see it.”  Boston was excited.

            “Diana!”  Jillian scolded her sister, though Diana never could have heard.  A simple blue-white beam came from Diana’s doorway and all of the missiles were easily picked off.  Then a different sort of orange beam covered the Vordan ship, slowly penetrated whatever screens that ship had and shut down all but essential systems.

            The Vordan battleship noticed from the other dimension, but by the time it trained a gun on Diana’s ship, she had vanished again.

            “Diana plugged her power source into the main battle console.  The Gaian weapon increased.  The Vordan weapon flickered a few times before it steadied again.  Then two things happened at once.

            Yet another ship, this one only about the size of the stealth bomber appeared between the two combatants and their most powerful weapons hit a wall of force they could not penetrate.  As long as that little ship was between them, they could not get at each other.  To his credit, Ethan was the first to quit firing.  The Vordan ship quit a few seconds later.  What was the point of continuing?

            At the same time, a Vordan appeared in the Gaian control room, but oddly, he had his back to them all and stood beside Glen to look out at the stars.

            “We could fight and settle this,” the Vordan suggested.

            Glen looked up at the tall, well made creature.  “No way.  You would kick my butt from here to Andromeda.”

            The Vordan laughed.  “You Earthers are fun.  I don’t know why my people can’t see that.”  They paused then while some more people appeared in the control room.  There were several ordinary enough looking Vordan and Lockhart turned his wheelchair to face them.  There were also two more perfect specimens and Jillian and Ethan went to confront them.  Then there were two of the elders who evidentially used some impossible sort of matter transmition device to bring all these people together.

            “Your people don’t belong here,” Ethan spoke first and stated the obvious.  He was not the most diplomatic sort.

            “What are you going to do about it?”  One of the Vordan shot back.

            “What are you going to do about it?”  Melanie followed the lead of her brother even as Jillian tried to calm Ethan.

            “We are not your cyborgs.”  Lockhart spoke to his Vordan having paid close attention to what went on earlier.

            “I can see that.”  The Vordan took a good look at the wheelchair.

            “Our Earth is not your enemy,”  Fyodor added.

            Boston shouted and garnered everyone’s attention.  “A Gott-Druk and an Elenar, together.”  By that she meant the elders who were Neanderthal and Cro-Mangon.  When everyone paused to stare at her, she responded quietly.  “I read the briefings.”

            “Children.”  The Vordan beside Glen spoke and the two turned back to look at the stars.  “I see you have a Zalanid negotiating the peace on earth.”

            “Peace on earth,” Glen sighed.  “Kargill planet.”

            The Vordan nodded.  “I dread the days when the Reichgo come and ruin my people.  But I look forward to when Vordan and Earthers form a true bond of peace.”

            “Peace is better than war,” Glen said.  “No one wins in war.”

            The Vordan paused and looked at Glen.  “Perhaps someday we may debate this.”

            Glen let the suggestion pass.  “I am sorry you have no elders to represent the Vordan side.”

            “Elder races are elder races, regardless.  And these are even elder than Reichgo and Kargill.”

            “True, but they had origin on Earth.  Earth is a Genesis planet.”

            The Vordan nodded and turned once again to the stars.  “My genesis was on the Pendratti home world.”  Glen understood.  The Pendratti were extinct, but the Vordan were among the species that began there.  This Vordan might have always lived as a Vordan, but he might have had a few lifetimes as a Pendratti at first.  Who could tell?

            “So what do you think will happen?”  Glen asked.  He glanced back at the negotiations but did not really eavesdrop.

            “I am confident.  My Pendrag are like your Gaian.  They are ultimately committed to making sure each universe works out its own destiny.”

            “Yes, it is good to have that help with history.  Dimensional interlopers would just be one more thing to worry about.”

            The Vordan nodded.  “I like that word, history.  But we speak of destiny.  You must understand the destiny of the past to understand your place, and you must understand your place to meet your destiny in the future.  It is what you call a rhyming couplet.  A wise word.”

            Glen nodded.  “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

            The Vordan nodded as Glen began to cough.  “Would you like me to heal you?”  Glen shook his head as he coughed up a bit of phlegm and fed it to a tissue he had in his shirt pocket.

            “I haven’t even been to a doctor yet.  Besides, who knows but it may be my time.”

            The Vordan nodded in human fashion before he shook his head.  “I hate that part,” he said.

            “Me, too,”  Glen agreed,  and the Vordan vanished from the room.  When Glen turned around, he saw that all of the Vordan were gone.  “All good?”

            Jillian nodded.  “They will take their people here home and admonish them not to try something this stupid again.  It turns out they are very unhappy with that world because they keep trying to sneak technology to their more backward cousins in other universes.  I assured them we were cleaning up the cyborg mess, and that was that.”

            “We will be taking your local Vordan home,” Ethan added.

            “Will you drag them?”  Fyodor asked.  “I cannot imagine they are built to take faster than light speed, though I suppose you will protect them with a screen of some kind.”

            Ethan shook his head.  “We will just stick them in docking bay two.  There will be plenty of room and to spare.  An hour and twenty minutes later, we will drop them off.  End of story.”

            “Wait.”  Glen shouted.  “You can’t end the story with that.  I’m still missing someone.”  The Vordan reappeared with a man, gray hair and glasses all discombobulated.

            “I believe this is yours,” the Vordan said.  “Live well and die well,” and he vanished again.

            “Go with God,” Glen said.

            “Lincoln!”  Lockhart, Fyodor and Boston all shouted.

            Lincoln straightened his glasses and pulled out the pen and notepad for which he was famous.  “Now where am I?”  He asked before he recognized the others.  “Is Alexis here?”

            Glen shook his head.  “Sorry.  Home Jillian if you don’t mind.  It seems we have to go in search of a wife.  So one story ends and another begins.”

Avalon, the series will begin “airing” in May on this blog.  Written in story form, the pilot episode will start on 5/2 and post as a Monday/Friday regular right through season 1.  Share this, call a friend, don’t miss out.

Avalon is a story about people thrown back to the beginning of history whose only way home is through time gates and across the time zones which are mysteriously tied to life after life of the Kairos, the Watcher over History.  Unfortunately, the Kairos cannot send them home quicker, nor prepare them for what they might face when they step into the future, nor really protect them from what may be following them.  Apparently, they are not the only ones traveling through the time gates….

CAST

Robert Lockhart, a former policeman is charged with leading this expedition through time and has no idea how he is going to get everyone home — alive.

Boston, a Massachusetts redneck, rodeo rider and technological genius who finished her PhD at age 23.  She is in love with all of the adventure,  and the spiritual creatures they encounter, all of which suggests she is a little strange.

Benjamin Lincoln, a former C. I. A. office geek keeps the database and a record of their journey.  He tends to worry and is not the bravest soul, but sometimes that is an asset. 

Alexis Lincoln, an elf who became human to marry Benjamin.  She retained her magic when she became human, but sometimes magic has its limits.  It can’t make her father be happy with her choices.

Mingus, father of Alexis, an elder elf who ran the history department in Avalon for over 300 years.  He knows the time zones and the lives of the Kairos but tends to keep his opinions to himself.  And he believes his children are being ruined by so much human interaction.

Roland, Alexis’ younger brother, a full blood elf and gifted hunter came to keep Mingus under control and out of his sister’s face.  He discovers there is something in humanity worth saving and protecting.  He knows many of the creatures in the spirit world, including the nasty ones inclined to rise up out of the dark.

Doctor Procter, half-elf, half-human.  He is Mingus’ associate in the history department and carries the amulet, a sophisticated electronic GPS and magical device that leads the way from one time gate to the next.

Lieutenant Katie Harper, a marine whose specialty is ancient and medieval cultures and technologies.  She is torn between her duty to the marines and her desire to be part of this larger universe she is discovering.

Captain Decker, navy seal and special operations officer who will do all he can to keep everyone alive, even if it means shooting his way back to the twenty-first century.  He is a skeptic who does not believe the half of what they experience – even if he does not know what else to believe.

From the Pilot Episode

“I could fetch Mingus easily enough through the Heart, but Alexis is human.  I have no such power over her and I would not dare leave her alone in history.”  Alice paused to collect her thoughts before she spoke again.  “As I said, each time zone centers around a life I once lived.  But I stand at the center of each time zone and the center moves with me.  If they came to the center I could do something, but as long as Mingus skirts around the edges and moves from zone to zone, I can do nothing.”…….

…….     “Your pardon.”  Lockhart spoke up again.  “But why are you afraid to leave her alone in history?”  His instincts were  acting up again.

Alice looked at the man but she could say nothing less than the truth.  “Because most of my lives are surrounded by danger.  And if you die in the past, you will remain dead forever.  And then there is this.”  Alice swallowed.  “Several years ago, though Ashtoreth was defeated as I said, she sent ghouls and bogeys, terrible giants and dragons and things too terrible to name into the zones.  There are still some unsavories there that have evaded my reach.  Presently, the time zones are not a safe place to be.”

          Boston looked miffed.  “That was not much of a story,” she said.  “I mean there’s not much suspense when almighty you steps in and just fixes everything.  I was expecting werewolves and not being able to sleep nights and you just took them home.”

            “Hey.  It is real life.  What did you expect?”

            “I don’t know.  Fight scenes.  Tension.  Falling in love.  The odds are against you, but pow-pow, somehow you come out victorious.” 

            “Hollywood.”  Glen shrugged and looked at Lockhart.  The man was thinking too hard. 

            “I mean, you’ve told two wolf stories now and neither one was a true werewolf,” Boston went on.  “I assume there is such a thing.” 

            Glen nodded.  “What do you think, Lockhart.”

            Lockhart looked up.  “I take it that other earth was not one of the ones you were talking about earlier.” 

            “Very good.”  Glen smiled.  “The other earth was not time created, it was universe created.  I suppose we might call it a physics universe.  The thing is, it is one real close to our own.  All the laws of physics remain true there but with one addition.” 

            “Magic.”  Boston blurted out the word, took a seat next to Lockhart and picked at her short red hair.   

            “For want of a better word.”  Glen nodded again.  “Most people there are perfectly normal, but a few can tap into – whatever it is.  They form the nobility and rule there.  They say the magic is transmitted by the blood.  You and I might say it is genetic.” 

            Boston interrupted.  “But you told stories about magic here, on our earth.” 

            “Yes.”  Glen stood and walked to a window though there was nothing to see at the moment except clouds.  “Our earth and the other earth phase in and out of conjunction like the moon has phases.  The whole cycle takes about six hundred years.  They went out of phase, got below the half-moon part about 1600, maybe.  They stagnated over there and are still living a kind of upper medieval life.” 

            “So they phased back in around 1900.”  Bill was the one who spoke up from the work table.  He was supposed to be working, not listening, but Farquanded was clearly listening, as well.   

            Glen nodded once more.  “The thing is, there is leakage between the worlds when they are in close phase.  Some people in our world discover they can do magic.  What is more, magic can open a door between the worlds when they are in conjunction and people can move from one earth to the other.” 

            “Operation Broken Empire,” Lockhart showed he understood. 

            “What’s that?”  Boston asked. 

            “Never mind.”  Lockhart and Glen spoke together before Glen continued. 

            “The thing is, I like the idea of being able to just send everyone home.  Unfortunately, our situation is a little more complicated than that.  And it got even more complicated if the letter I got is correct.” 

            “Yes, what did that letter say?”  Lockhart asked.  This time Glen spoke alone. 

            “Never mind.  You will see for yourself.”  With that, Glen concentrated on the clouds until they set down in an isolated field far from the traffic and parking lots that were New Jersey. 

            There was a lone woman in the field.  She looked to be about Boston’s age which was early to mid twenties.  Boston was surprised when Glen said Melanie was over forty.  She was not surprised when the plane set down and Glen hugged the woman.  Boston suspected that hugs were natural for Glen, but she also suspected that hugs were as close as he ever got. 

            “Jilian?”  Glen asked.  Melanie said nothing.  She turned and pointed to a slight shimmering in the air, but her eyes were on Lockhart in the wheelchair.  She spoke when Fyodor came up to join them, having finished his instructions to Bill and Farquanded about the care and maintenance of the ship. 

            “I don’t know.  Spinal injuries are very difficult and draining.  I’m not sure I can help, or anyway it would take a long time for me to develop the chits.” 

            Lockhart smiled for her.  “No worry.  I didn’t come here to be healed.  I just came to make sure my earth has a fair chance to survive.” 

            “What we all want.  This is my earth, too.”  Melanie nodded. 

            The shimmering in the distance changed shape and took on some substance, imitating that familiar blue box that was Glen’s favorite television show.   

            “Hey!”  Boston shouted in recognition of the box. 

            Glen stepped up, but paused in the doorway.  “Sadly, time travel doesn’t work that way,”  He went inside. 

            As expected, the inside was much bigger than the outside.  The control room was large enough to hold a hundred people or more, comfortably.  There were two present at the moment. 

            “My Lord, Kairos.”  The Woman lowered her eyes and offered a little curtsey. 

            “Jillian.”  Glen rolled his eyes in response and shook the man’s hand.  “Ethan, where’s Manomar and the Kids?”  Glen pause.  “You do have kids.” 

            Jillian grinned shyly and looked at Ethan.  “Two,” she said.  “They are with Diana, my sister.  She has taken them on an excursion into the worlds.”  

            Glen looked curious so Melanie explained.  “Diana has her cruiser permanently parked in the first docking bay of the battleship, so they are not really far away.”

            “Still, better to keep them out of this.”  Ethan added. 

            “Yes.”  Glen agreed.  “And better than Disney World, I bet.”  They all smiled while Glen introduced his friends. 

            “Lockhart is Assistant Director for the Men in Black.  Boston is the one who pushes him around.”  He paused.  “Take that as you will.  Fyodor is my pilot.” 

            “And I have never even imagined anything like this.”  Fyodor said as he looked around at the incomprehensible control room. 

            “Let me show you,” Ethan said as he took the Russian to the main console.  Glen walked to a view screen with Jillian beside him and Melanie right behind. 

            “So, tell me.”  That was all Glen had to say and Jillian opened up. 

            “The Vordan in the belt are from a universe we are familiar with.  They fought a war there with the people from earth, and were fought to a standstill.  The humans made cyborg regiments.  When the war was over, some of the cyborg groups escaped into the worlds using stolen Vordan technology rather than be taken apart.  It is a mess trying to clean it all up.” 

            “And these?” 

            “These are Vordan from that same universe and they obviously bear a grudge against the Earth.  They thought they could hide themselves and use their local “cousins” as they call them to do the actual damage to the earth.  They found out about you and tried to eliminate you, but you must have frustrated them terribly.” 

            “And now?” 

            “Well, if it was just these Vordan it would be a simple thing to take them back to their own world and put the fear of God in them, so to speak, but now I don’t know.”  Jillian paused to look out the view screen as Lockhart an Boston came up alongside.  “Now a ship has arrived like our own battleship.  Perhaps not as big, but maybe as powerful, and they appear to have developed worlds technology sufficiently to where, like us, they only show a door in this universe while they hide their true ship in another universe altogether.” 

            “An equal and competitor?” 

            Jillian hedged.  “They are Vordan, I think, and I do not know if they approve of what their cousins from the Cyborg universe are doing or not.  So far they haven’t responded to any of our calls.” 

            “Now I understand why the ones on earth are a lesser concern,” Lockhart said.  “Look at the size of that ship.  It could hold three Queen Marys.”  He looked up at Jillian.  “But I am sure we will get it all worked out.” 

            “What a sweet man.”  Jillian lost the worried look and smiled. 

            “So do we get a story while we travel to the Asteroid belt?”  Boston asked. 

            “No,” Glen shook his head.  “Already there.” 

            “Not quite, now we are.”  Jillian said. 

            “Screens up?”  Glen asked over his shoulder.  Jillian started to shake her head, but Ethan heard and touched a button even as a destructive power beam from the other hidden ship zeroed in on their position.

Avalon, the series will begin “airing” in May on this blog.  Written in story form, the pilot episode will start on 5/2 and post as a Monday/Friday regular right through season 1.  Share this, call a friend, don’t miss out.

Avalon

Where you go in life can depend on who you know.  Benjamin Lincoln and his friends went all the way back to 4500 BC and the beginning of history to save his wife.  She had been kidnapped by her father, an elder elf who hated the fact that she became human to marry a human, worried to see her age and feared he was going to lose her before her time.  He dragged her through a series of time gates to the very beginning of the human record in order to hide her from the ravages of time.  

Unfortunately, the price of saving her was watching the one who made the rescue possible – the Kairos, the Watcher over History – jump into the primeval chaos before history began.  Now, the Kairos can’t easily whisk them home as planned.  They have to get back to the twenty-first century the hard way, time gate by time gate.  They must move through history from one lifetime of the Kairos to the next and that is not so easy.  For one, the lives of the Kairos tend to be surrounded by trouble and danger.  For two, there is nowhere to hide – others have picked up their scent and it seems they are not the only ones using the time gates. 

CAST

Robert Lockhart, former policeman and current Associate Director of the so-called Men in Black.  He is charged with leading this expedition and has no idea how he is going to get everyone home — alive.

Mary Riley who everyone calls Boston, a technological genius, redneck and newcomer to the MIB group.  She keeps an eye on Lockhart who has low tolerance for elves, fairies and other spiritual creatures.  By contrast, she is in love with all of this stuff, and the adventure, which just means she is a little weird.

Benjamin Lincoln, former C. I. A. and fellow member of the Men in Black, records department.  He keeps the database and keeps the record of their journey.  He tends to worry and is not the bravest soul, but sometimes that is an asset. 

Alexis Lincoln, former elf and also employed by the MIB organization.  She retained her magic when she became human and is especially skilled at healing magic, though some of the trauma they face might not be so easily healed.

Roland, Alexis’ younger brother, a full blood elf and gifted hunter who came to keep their father under control and out of his sister’s face.  He never spent much time with humans but finds there is something in humanity worth saving and protecting.  On the other hand, he knows many of the creatures in the spirit world, including the nasty ones inclined to rise up out of the dark.

Mingus, father of Alexis and Roland, an elder elf who ran the history department in Avalon for over 300 years.  He knows the time zones but tends to keep his opinions to himself.  And he is not happy to think his children are being ruined by so much human interaction.

Doctor Procter, half-elf, half-human.  He is Mingus’ associate in the history department and carries the amulet that leads the way from one time gate to the next.

Lieutenant Katie Harper, a marine whose specialty is ancient and medieval cultures and technologies.  She was drafted at the last minute when the Kairos suspected they might not be returned to the future as easily as he brought them into the past.  She is torn between her duty to the marines of area 51 and her desire to be part of this larger universe she is discovering. 

Captain Decker, navy seal and special operations officer who will do all he can to keep everyone alive, even if it means shooting his way back to the twenty-first century.  To be sure, he is a skeptic who sometimes does not believe the half of what they experience.  Then again, sometimes he does not know what to believe.

            Once on the school lawn, the policeman did not find the minister he expected.  Instead, he found a young woman who was probably too old to be a senior in the high school.  She might have been one of the young teachers except she was wearing the strangest outfit.  It was all chain mail and leather and the sword and knife at her back looked a bit too real for a costume.

            “What are you doing?”  The policeman asked.  He considered asking who are you?  He also considered saying run for your life; but he settled on what are you doing?  She was kneeling, looking at the grass.

            “Hush.”  The woman spoke sharply before she looked up and softened her tone.  “Charley.  I’m tracking the beast.  Hunting and tracking is what Princesses do best,” the Princess said.  She stood.  “This way.”

            “Wait a minute.”  Charley stopped her before she took a step.  “This is dangerous work.  I can’t risk a civilian.”

            The Princess just smiled and held out her hand.  “You lead the way.”

            Charley looked at her.  He looked at the ground, let his eyes wander into the dark, looked at the ground again and back at her.  “Which way?”

            The Princess smiled a bit more and took the man’s free hand.  Of course, Charley was not about to let the gun out of his other hand. 

###

            “I don’t get it,” the Princess whispered.  “We found where it climbed the tree and scooted out on that long branch to drop to the ground some distance from the tree.”

            “A good way to avoid visual pursuit,” Charley countered.

            “Then we found when it hit the school driveway and turned up the driveway because asphalt doesn’t show claw prints.”

            “So the wolf is clever.”

            “But that is what I don’t get.  Werewolves are not clever.  They are insane killing machines, people driven mad by the transformation.”

            “How do you know?”  The Princess just stared at the man until he spoke again.  “Well, I’ve hunted all my life but I never could have tracked the beast in the dark.  How did you figure it jumped the hedge from the driveway?”

            “Only way to disguise it’s exit from the asphalt without showing which way it went.”  She pointed to the claw marks in the mud where the beast landed.  “There is something different going on here,” she said, and she pulled her sword with her left hand and her long knife with her right.

            “Southpaw?”

            “Hush.”

            They walked forward toward the woods, but when they were still a few feet off, the Princess halted them.  Something struck her and she spoke at some volume, and just one word.

            “Amuna.”  She thought to add a note of assurance.  “You can come out.  We won’t hurt you.”

            They heard the growl of warning before they saw the wolf.  It was not the same one that attacked the men from the porch, but only Glen knew that and the Princess said nothing about it because she was no longer there.  Junior had taken her place in the dark, but since he was dressed in the same armor as the Princess, an outfit that adjusted automatically to this new person, Charley did not notice at first.

            When the wolf poked its head out from the trees, Charley lifted his gun hand.  He  panicked when he realized the gun was no longer there.  The wolf snarled and drooled altogether too much for him.

            “Amuna,” Junior called, and Charley turned his head for a second in surprise at the male voice while Junior fell to one knee.  Suddenly there was some light in that part of the forest.  The male, half-changed back into a man was leaning up against a tree.  The wound in his shoulder appeared to be healing rapidly, but he was still weak.  The female had not moved a step since they first saw her head, and it looked like, for some reason, she could not move.  Charley could see her struggling, but to no avail.

            “Amuna.”  Junior called again.  “My name is Amun, just like yours.”  The little wolf came out from behind her mother.  As small as she was, she looked vicious, but sort of cute at the same time.  Mother wolf struggled, but could not break whatever had her stuck to the ground. 

            Father wolf was still too weak to interfere.  As the little wolf came toward the man’s arms, though, she transformed back into a little girl.  The male and female transformed as well and they all became clothed as they changed.  Junior thought that was best.

            “Hello,” the little girl said as Junior picked her up.  She spoke in a language so strange, apart from reading her mind, Junior himself had to pause for a second to grasp the word.  When he did, he responded in the same language with a nod to the police officer so Charley would hear it all in English.

            “Tell me.”  That was all Junior had to say as he handed the girl back to her mother.  The man came forward, all healed, and fell to his knees.

            “I was body servant to Count Ruthen-Bai and as such, my wife and child were able to travel with the camp followers whenever the army moved out.  When the Duke and his Princess escaped my master by going into another world, this world, the Count insisted I follow and kill him.  I refused.”  The man looked down as Junior nodded and the woman picked up the story.

            “The Count sent soldiers after the Duke, but he was angry.  He fetched us from the camp, cursed us with the wolf disease and forced us into this place.  We have wandered now these few months and four times when the moon has turned full for three nights we become as you have seen us.”

            The man interrupted.  “We tried not to hurt anyone.  Please believe me.  But the wolf is so strong and the hunger so great.”  He began to weep and the little girl reached out from her mother’s arms to include him in her hug.

            “So let the curse be ended,” Junior said, knowing full well they were telling the truth.  He turned to the policeman.  “I need to take them home, back to their own world.”

            “But, murder?”  Charley did not know what else to say.

            “No, I don’t think so.  I think it was a pack of wild dogs, and they have all been caught now and put down.”  As soon as Junior said that, everyone thought that, except Missus Patterson who was looking forward to getting out of the hospital.  He let her remember, but she never said anything as long as she lived.

            At that moment, Junior disappeared with the young family.  He found a big, black wild dog that had just died somewhere in the Andes, inserted the policeman’s bullet and laid it at Charley’s feet.  Ten seconds later, Glen came running up from behind the policeman.

            “Sorry,” Glen apologized.  I got lost in the dark.

            “Forget it.  It’s all over.”  Charlie pointed his gun at the dog.  He looked at Glen and scoffed.  “Werewolf!”  Glen shrugged, sheepishly, and within an hour he wondered what on this Earth possessed him to even suggest such a thing in the first place.

            Glen got up extra early on Sunday morning.  It was not his habit, he just could not sleep.  It was five, the sun would be up in an hour, and he imagined a walk in the chill morning air might do him some good.  Walking, and exercise in general was not his habit, either, but it would give him time to think and pray through the Sunday service.

            Rosemont was an odd street.  It was four blocks long and paralleled main street, but it was several blocks back in a corner of the town where no one would go unless they were headed for the Evangeline school.  As such, it was nearly always quiet of traffic and a good place to walk.  In fact,  there were a couple of joggers down the way already.

            Glen pulled up his collar against the cold and looked up at the sky.  He heard the sirens in the distance, but ignored them.  He preferred to concentrate on the brilliant stars in the perfectly clear sky and the moon, which was low in the sky but had to be full.  Glen supposed it was technically Sunday.  Linton said the moon would be full on Sunday.

            Glen paused.  He considered stepping off the road and on to the school lawn to get a better look at the stars away from the street lights.  His foot was ready when he heard the scream in the distance.  Some dog began to bark, violently.  It was not a friendly sound.

            Glen ran and the sirens got closer as well.  When he arrived at that spot, there was a man comforting Mable Johnson, one of the sweet old ladies from Lewiston who was out walking her dog.  The dog had quieted but was clearly agitated by something.  Glen wanted to look.

            “Don’t go down there.”  The man turned from Mable long enough to offer his opinion.  Glen nodded, but as the police car arrived, Glen went down there anyway.  There were body pieces strewn across the lawn.  Glen saw a man’s head and upper torso, the eyes dead and staring.  He only saw the girl’s head, severed at the neck.  Some of the body pieces looked chewed.  Glen had to look away.

            Two policemen came down the grassy embankment into the ditch where the devastation had taken place.  One had his gun drawn.  Fortunately, Linton came down the other side from the hill on which the school stood.

            “Joe.  Charley.”  Linton acknowledged the policemen as he came up beside Glen.  He otherwise seemed at a loss for words.

            “What happened here?”  One of the policemen swore.

            “Reverend?”  Linton identified Glen for the policemen.  Glen wanted to speak, but his mouth was too dry at the moment.

            “Go home, Mabel.  You, too Mister Thompson.”  The other policeman spoke to the two on the edge of the road.  There were more sirens coming.

            “Linton, can I speak with you?”  The first officer tried to pry Linton from Glen’s side, and Linton was willing to go, but Glen grabbed Linton’s arm to stop him.

            “Werewolf.”  Glen said loud enough to be heard by both men.  He had seen these signs before, though he could not say when.

            The policeman scoffed and continued to try and get Linton off to the side, but Linton paused.

            “You’re serious.”  He looked squarely at Glen.

            Glen nodded.  “I have seen this before,” he said, and he stole another look at the moon.  “Tomorrow night will be the last night for this cycle and I am sure whoever it is will move on.”

            The policeman was not buying it at all, and it was clear Linton did not really believe it either.  But there was something in Glen’s eyes, and Linton knew, though he had not known Glen for very long, that Glen was not a liar.

            “You must be mistaken,” Linton said.

            Glen just stared.  “Werewolf,” he repeated now that both policemen were able to hear and more were about to arrive.  “When you analyze the hair you find, you will find wolf hair.”  The policemen looked at each other but said nothing.  “I will think about what I can do.  Meanwhile, somehow I have to preach in a few hours.  Come to church, I think we could all use a little prayer.”  Glen turned away without another look at that horror.  He climbed out of the ditch, headed for home and tried hard to think about his sermon.

###

            Glen could not sleep at all on Sunday night.  He got up around four-thirty and made coffee, but it did not help settle his nerves.  He decided his only recourse was to return to the site of last night’s horror, though he was sure it was all cleaned up.  That poor young girl from the school, and her boyfriend.  At least he hoped and prayed it was cleaned up.

            Glen was not far down the street when an odd thing caught his eye.  There was a table out under the streetlight and something on the table, though he had no idea what.  He had to get closer to see the biggest steak he had ever seen, raw, but laid out like supper.  His eyes shot to the house and the front porch.  It was Leon’s house.

            “What are you doing?”  He shouted, started toward the porch and barely avoided calling them Bozos.  There were three men in the shadows and Glen had no doubt the shotguns were not far away.

            “Wolf hunting,” Harry said.  He sounded a bit embarrassed.  He was a college educated writer and editor, but despite his years in New York, he never completely got the small, southern town redneck out of his system.

            “Ted and Tommy gave up and went home a couple of hours ago,”  Bobby said.

            Glen shook his head and was about to say something when he heard a growl behind him, close enough to echo in his ear.  He shouted instead and ran for the porch even as the three Bozos shouted and came running down the lawn.  Bobby was the only one who remembered to pick up his gun.

            Glen saw the wolf look at the steak and then the men.  Apparently it knew something about guns because it made a dash for Bobby and knocked him down, effectively knocking the gun from his hand.

            ‘Hey!  Yo!”  Leon and Harry jumped and shouted to get the beast’s attention, and Harry kicked out with his booted foot.  That was a good thing because the wolf turned its head to snap at the boot and that probably saved Bobby from having his throat torn out.  Glen just stood, frozen, watching, when there was a loud crack! from down the street.  The wolf howled, leapt from its prey, grabbed the steak and without stopping, bounded on to the Evangeline school front lawn to be swallowed by the dark.

            “Charley.”  Harry identified the policeman that jogged up the street even as Glen broke free of his frozen state.

            “Harry, take care of Bobby,” Glen shouted.  Bobby was bleeding in a number of places.  “Leon, go inside and call the ambulance.”  Glen turned back to the street.

            “Where are you going?”  Harry asked.

            “Hey!  Don’t follow that thing!”  Charley yelled from up the way, but he was not close enough to stop Glen, and in a moment, Glen disappeared in the dark just like the wolf.