For Children
As the desert raiders searched the spaceship, Drake weighed his options. He could hide himself in some closet or compartment. It was a large ship after all. The desert dwellers couldn’t search every inch. He could slip out into the desert until the raiders left. But then what? They would certainly drag Captain Buff away.…
Drake poked his head into the captain’s quarters of the disabled spaceship. After tending to the injured captain, he choked down some food and then ventured outside for another look around. In the distance he noticed a small mountain, about an hour’s walk from the wreckage, or so he thought. Drake reasoned that he might…
Alarms buzzed in Drake’s ears. At first, he thought he was dreaming, but when he opened his eyes, he realized this was no dream. Many of the monitors on the bridge were flashing urgent messages. Drake had fallen asleep in the captain’s seat. For the last four days that’s where he spent most of his…
It took all of Drake’s strength to keep from running back to the engine room and searching for Captain Buff. But he knew he had caused enough trouble. Now he needed to do what he was told, so he stayed on the bridge. As the seconds slowly ticked by the anxious space traveler paced back…
Drake awoke to the harsh sound of the screeching engines piercing his eardrums. His eyelids opened to the entire engine room glowing red from the warning lights. The explosion left him with a pounding headache while Noxious smoke burned his lungs. Still dazed and feeling nauseous, he forced himself up to his hands and knees.…
It was one of the largest star-ships in the whole star cluster, longer than five football fields laid end to end. Two giant proton engines propelled it through the vast expanse of space. However, anyone familiar with spacecraft knew that the ship was nothing special. It was just an old freighter, a ship that hauled…
As the black night gave way to the first gray light of dawn, the exhausted prince was still in his saddle. His horse still trailed behind Ares. Somewhere in the darkness the prince and the royal guardsman exited the forest. In the dim morning light, they found themselves on a country path with wheat fields…
Riding to the battlefield Prince Sebastian could hardly hide his excitement. For the first time his armor and sword were no longer for practice. Even though he would not be in the thick of the battle, an ambush could come from any direction. If attacked, he would have to put his fighting skills to the…
Prince Sebastian rushed past the prison guards and up the stone stairway. Leaving the dank prison behind he took a deep breath of the fresh evening air. If his mind had not been troubled by the prisoner’s message, he would have enjoyed the evening sun’s warm glow on the stones of the castle walls. “I…
The swordsman lunged at Sebastian with the tip of his weapon aimed at the prince’s chest. Barely escaping the blade, Sebastian leaped to his side and blocked the attack with his sword. Nico, the prince’s opponent, kept up the pressure with a slashing move. Again, Sebastian blocked the sword but not before it grazed his…
The horses raced toward each other at full speed. Both were draped with colorful blankets. On each rode a knight dressed in full armor, one color blue and the other red. As the distance closed, the men leveled their lances and took aim. When the impact came, the knight in blue took the brunt of…
When the armorer slipped the chainmail over his head, the first thing Prince Sebastian noticed was the weight of the suit pressing down on his shoulders. He’d been told many times that a suit made of hundreds of metal rings would be heavy, but the heft of the armor still surprised him. Next the prince…
Molly knew she had to make a decision, the most important one of her life. It was time for her to leave the familiar road she had been traveling her whole life. From now on the narrow road was the one she needed to follow now. Jason had told her about the narrow road several…
The robot gripped the rubber ball with its claw, spun around on its wheels, and sped up the ramp. On the upper level of the racecourse, it bounced over a series of speed bumps, which made it difficult for the robot to hold on to the ball. Even though it bounced up and down violently,…
This is a continuation of the story Lost as Sea. Eli and Patrick tugged the heavy boat onto the beach. Eli surveyed what might be his new home for a while. “We need to find fresh water. Follow me,” Eli led the others into the forest. He stopped occasionally to look around. It wasn’t long…
This is a continuation of the post A Rescue Mission. Eli could do nothing. The waves of the fierce sea lifted him up and dropped him down again. Surrounded by darkness, he could see nothing. “Patrick!” He shouted to his friend who had been at his side moments ago, but there was no answer. With…
A Rescue Mission This is a continuation of the post When the Storm Comes Two Weeks Before the Sinking A net filled with wooden barrels swung like a pendulum from the dock to the waiting ship. A man carrying a seabag strolled along the dock. Unaware of the danger he wandered into the path of…
“Reef the topsails!” The captain barked. Young Eli watched as the ship’s crew raced up the ratlines. High overhead the men spread out over the wooden yards to bring in some of the canvas sails. After nearly two weeks at sea, Eli was beginning to understand the ways of the sailing ship even though he…
This is a continuation of the story An Angel of Light When Tori’s eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the temple, she noted two flickering oil lamps. There were no windows, only the door they just entered, and another arched doorway on the opposite side of the room. The arched doorway was draped with…
High above the jungle trail a python coiled itself around a tree limb. Its tongue tasted the air as two children passed below. “I told you it would be a perfect morning for a hike to Hidden Falls,” Tori called to her companion. “You were right,” As Aran followed along, he made a game of…