Song of the Veil, Book #2
With her newfound spirit world abilities, Lacy creates a connection so powerful her friend Gobby gets pulled in and trapped in a fourth dimension universe. She goes in after him and gets swindled into a devil’s cornucopia of high stakes games to decide his fate. Now it’s her move and time is running out. If she does not win before the vortex snaps closed, her friend is lost inside forever...
Excerpt:
Scores of protesting farmers poured into Chestnut Town Square on Tuesday in what had been expected to be a peaceful protest during holiday celebrations and a military parade overseen by the mayor.
Some farmers broke with the main march and used tractors to dismantle police barricades. Many farmers carried long pitchforks, tridents, sharp daggers and battle axes.
Police commanders deployed officers carrying assault rifles. They stood in the middle of main roads, tear gas swirling around them with their rifles aimed at the crowds. In some areas, the police beat protesters with their batons to push them back.
A man wearing what appeared to be a pumpkin mask led the charge of protestors.
“Down with full scale destruction and dismemberment of sensate produce, down with pumpkin mutilation, down down down...” he chanted waving a large banner over his head:
PLM
PumPkin Lives Matter
Lacy turned down the sound on this wild turn of events. She’d need to talk to someone about this fiasco. And she knew just who also.
“Look Gobby, I’m sorry, okay? How did I know those vengeful spirits would do that to you?”
“Nice words, Lacy. But let me tell you, doesn’t sound like a sincere SORRY to me.”
“I am sooooo sorry, better?”
Gobby looked at me with an expression between shock and hurt.
“You have no idea the torment I went through while you continued meeting their challenges.”
“Not bad, right? I mean, I did finally—”
“This is going in circles.”
When we started this adventure, this travel between worlds adventure, it was a different time. A time when kids in fifth grade knew only about the things that fifth grade kids know about: school, friends, school, friends.
Nothing else mattered. Anything else came in last in the race for our attention.
Then, this spirit world thing kicked in. Getting inducted into a perpetual troupe of afterworld warriors or something. Miss Emeline and Principal Walters were never entirely clear.
Maybe that was the point.
So there we were cast into the lion’s den with nothing but a “good luck” essentially. Suddenly, hello fifth grade never sounded more foreign and scary.
Then why is anybody, especially Gobby and I, surprised that some unknown untold undeclared prohibited line was crossed?
In the twenty/twenty clear vision of retrospect, I can now notice and declare this loudly from this high mountain peak of opened eyesight.
But clear vision and clear understanding of the prohibitive rules is not how this Pandora’s dilemma began…
The door opened and what appeared to be a man wearing a large pumpkin mask and dark cloak swept into the room. Hello Perilous Lovely. He caught my startled eyes and glanced at the Television.
“So, I see you’ve been keeping up with me.”
My jaw literally dropped.
“Look at this face. Does it look happy?”
“No, can’t say that it does.”
Gobby meanwhile watched this whole affair unfolding before him and could not believe his eyes.
“Uhm, excuse me Lacy. What exactly is this guy up to here?” “You can ask him yourself.
“Okay. What are you up to Perilous?”
“I’m all up in arms about stopping the practice of carving up pumpkins for Halloween. It’s cruel and unusual punishment—”
Gobby shook his head is if to align his marbles which appeared to be shaken loose.
“For sentient pumpkins like you, maybe. But the majority of pumpkins on this planet are nothing more than regular old squash!”
“Regular old squash? Now wait just one minute, little man…”
