d’entre vous qui sont prêts, ceux d’entre vous qui souhaitent faire le voyage avec nous doit se préparer à notre appel!”
“The way has been set!” He stated firmly. “Our great passage will soon be made! Those who wish to remain in Paris may do so! But those of you who are willing, those of you who wish to make the journey with us must prepare for our call!”
Werewolves growled in great tumult; howling themselves into frenzy!
“Le ‘Sang Pierre ’ ne doit pas tomber entre les mains de nos ennemis! Il est de notre devoir! Non! Il notre destin et l’obligation solumn pour protéger la pierre, ordonné par Dieu!” Le Grand Maître des conférences que le marteau a été frappé encore et encore.
“The ‘Sang Pierre ’ must not fall into the hands of our enemies! It is our duty! No! It our destiny and solumn obligation to protect the stone, ordained by God!” The Grand Master lectured as the gavel was struck again and again.
“Préparez-vous!”
“Prepare yourselves!”
“Pour notre appel va bientôt venir!”
“For our call will come soon!”
“Il viendra à n'importe quelle heure!”
“It will come at any hour!”
“La façon dont a été réglée!”
“ The way has been set !”
Nine
Burning Embers
Our driveway became my fishin’ hole in my imagination when I was still little. As a kid I’d fish for hours in it as I sat in the shade of the two giant bushes that grew on its right hand side. The gravel rocks replaced the cool runnin’ waters of a gentle flowin’ stream. But my fishin’ pole didn’t notice the difference. It just didn’t pay it no never mind! I’d catch a few fishes every now and again too! But I’d have to throw em’ back, even though they were only in my imagination!
“ Imaginary fishes don’t make for a whole lot of good eatin’. ” My mama would say.
I’d rather have had a bologna sandwich anyways, with some potato chips and a cold soft drink to drink! Mama would always pack me a good picnic lunch to bring along with me too on my trips to the other side of the driveway.
Hot were the days of summer then, when havin’ air conditionin’ meant that we had our windows opened wide with fans sittin’ in em’! And I never could understand why our ancestors stopped here as they drove their wagon teams west! I mean, why build their homes in such a hot and humid place as this? It had to be cooler further on! Did they come in the cooler months and then just die out before movin’ on, leavin’ their children to fend for themselves?
That could explain it, either that or cause of space aliens or somethin’.
When I was little, I’d pretend that…
…I sat there in my fishin’ chair sippin’ soda though a straw. The wind was cool to my back as I cast out my line while my Candy dog lay by the river, both of us unaware of the dangerous peril that lurked beneath these waters!
Unbenounced to us, the Colby Creek Monster had awakened from its slumber! For over one hundred years it had rested, entombed inside its hidden limestone bed. Death followed it as it swam beneath the current. And shadows became screams as it searched for its masters who’d summoned it from its watery grave...
Colby was the first person to ever tell me of the monster. He was my cousin. And of course he’d waited until we were all alone in the dark, campin’ out under the full moon to tell me!
He had great timin’ that cousin of mine! So that’s why I named the monster after him.
My dog Candy would protect me from the imaginary monsters though! Cause she would go fishin’ with me sometimes too! She enjoyed lyin’ there on the cool grass by that imaginary river and jumpin’ in waters to eat the real bait on my fake fishin’ line!
Candy was a big part of our family. Mama even put her in charge of us when we got too rowdy! She would
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain