A.L. Jambor (9 page)

When Mace got sick, I sat by his side. Despite everything, we shared a daughter and a past. He looked at me and I could see pain. He didn’t talk much. I wondered if he regretted the things he’d done. The last thing he said was that he loved Ceil. I was happy to know that he did.

I am at Geezer’s desk. I can see him tending his flowers. I can see Ceil filling her basket with vegetables. I love my family.

August 3

I saw something strange appear in the sky. I recognized it as a Pryllian transport. It passed over and disappeared.

I was working in the garden. I couldn’t stop thinking about that transport. I told Geezer about it at supper, and he promised to fly over the area tomorrow and look for it.

August 4

I was tending the garden when I heard something and turned around. There, behind the picket fence, stood four young people. They were dressed in modern clothes.

One was a tall boy with dark hair. There was a female with dark skin. The other boy had ginger hair while the other girl had long brown hair and stood behind the others.

I met them at the fence and introduced myself. They seemed confused. Ceil ran over to greet them, too. I asked them where they had come from and they told me Sunge.

“I’m from Pryll!” I cried.

“We came in a transport,” the tall boy said. ”Is this Tresteria?”

“Yes, it is,” I said. “Come in.”

I led them to the kitchen. I brewed one of Geezer’s teas and then we sat at the kitchen table and drank. The dark girl was quiet, and she asked me for a clean towel. The ginger-haired boy wore glasses and asked if this was a wizard’s tower. The tall boy kept reading the labels on Geezer’s teas, and the girl, the one who stood behind the others, kept writing in a notebook.

The young people were full of questions, which I answered as best I could. I wondered where Geezer was and hoped he would be home soon. I wanted them to meet my wizard. I wanted them to meet the man who had changed my life forever.

I hope you enjoyed
Margaret's Choice
. Thank you for your purchase. Please consider writing a review. Your opinion of my work is a powerful thing. It helps me grow as an artist and guides your fellow readers. Your review means the world to me.

An Excerpt from Geezer’s Ridiculous Book

My name is Geezer. I am a wizard. As I begin this book, I am nine hundred and ten years old. I live on the youngest of the four planets I am writing about.

Twelve years ago I met with the leaders of the other planets also named Earth. We decided to give our planets new names. The leader of the oldest planet, now called Pryll, believed it would improve navigation between the planets.

I have endeavored to write this book so that those who come after me will know our history. The following are the names of the planets formerly known as Earth One, Earth Two, Earth Three, and Earth Four.

Earth One is now Pryll (Pr-ill). It is thirteen hundred years older than Tresteria.

Earth Two is now Sunge (Soong). It is eleven hundred years older than Tresteria.

Earth Three has remained Earth (Ir-th) and it is almost a thousand years older than Tresteria.

Earth Four is now Tresteria (Tress-tare-eya). It is the year 800 Anno Domini in Tresteria.

I live in Esher, a small town in Tresterian England. I built my tower in a large field by a river. Across the river is a portal. I planted a garden and created a haven of warmth with sunshine over my land. My garden blooms all year long.

During my stay with the leaders of the other planets, I agreed to allow the people of Pryll to come to my planet for the purpose of colonization. I told them the only requirement I had was peace. They could not bring war to Tresteria. Tresteria had seen enough war.

I saw their transport flying above me and it seemed to be on fire. I heard a loud noise and knew something was terribly wrong. I rose into the air and looked for the smoke. I spotted it several kilometers away. Smoke and flames rose from it. As I grew closer, I could hear voices shouting. They were inside the vessel. I used my powers to open it and men ran out. The first man was named William Bartlett.

Some died. Some were hurt. Ten souls had been in the vessel. Six souls survived.

William Bartlett

John Powers

Patricia Bennett

Heather Black

Kyle Jones

Linda Pierce

I took them to my tower. We walked through the woods, through the river, and past the portal. I made them tea. We reminisced about the meeting. I asked William how Mr. Franklin was. He said he had died.

I asked about Mr. Edison. William said he had invented a machine that talked. I asked if I could see it. He said it would be on Earth someday and perhaps, if they could get another transport to land safely, they could take me there to see it. Earth is closer than Sunge.

They were unable to repair their vehicle. They salvaged what they could and found an open meadow within the woods to set up camp. I helped them by giving them food and showing them how to catch rabbits. I also created a fishing pole for them. They are free to take the fruit from the trees in my garden until they can grow their own.

The town of Esher is very small. There is no lord in the town and the people are kind and help each other. I try to help them and they like me. William Bartlett didn’t like Esher. He longed for a city and decided to build one. He called it London.

William Bartlett soon had many followers. He showed his men how to build walls. He taught the men how to fight the Danish barbarians called Vikings. He won many battles. The lords crowned him king.

William Bartlett married and his wife produced an heir. His name is Lawrence.

I will add to this book when I find something I feel will be of importance to future readers.

I end on this thirteenth day of June in the year of our Lord eight hundred and eight.

October 10, 2096

I’d been to his office before. It was the biggest one in my resident pod. I knew he wanted to talk about the new planet. We’d found it two years ago. Apparently, it was also called Earth. What a cluster…well, you know. Four planets all named Earth. Using Earth One, Earth Two, etc., was getting too complicated. We had to come up with a way of differentiating the planets. Women were demanding it. They wanted to know which planet their kid had come from. The current method was too confusing. I knew he wanted to talk about it, but I wasn’t sure how I could help.

I stepped on the sensor mat and the door opened. I saw him sitting at his desk. He looked tired. He had surprised everyone by beating Marian Sawyer in the election. It was strange because he was already twenty-four. He only had about six years left. He was brilliant, though. Like most people his age, he had come from Earth Three.

“Hey, Jack, sit down,” he said.

“This job is turning you gray,” I said.

“Very funny.”

Most men living on Earth One turned gray in their early twenties.

“So, what’s up?” I asked.

He came around his desk and leaned against it.

“We called a conference. Representatives from each planet have agreed to come. We’re gonna talk about changing the names of the planets again.”

“Is Marian representing us?”

“No, she’s been against the change. I’m going and I’m bringing you.”

This made no sense. I didn’t have a role in government. I was a space jockey.

“Why me?”

“Because I trust you. And you know we have to do this.”

“I don’t care one way or the other,” I said.

“Bullshit. I’ve heard you talk. You said we need clearer maps.”

“Yeah.” I shrugged.

“And having the name change would do that.”

“But those guys on Earth Three, they won’t change their minds,” I said. The subject of a name change had come up before we found Earth Four, and the Earth Three guys had vetoed it. “They said no last time. They’re a bunch of stubborn bastards.”

“I know,” he said. “It was a real bitch getting one of them to come. They called us demons. Can you believe that?”

He was smiling.

“You should see them when we land,” I said. “I try to stay out of sight, but sometimes you can’t help it. I have to stun them until we get what we came for and split.”

“Once this is done, we can vote for relocation and you won’t have to make those trips anymore. That’s part of what I want you to sell. The Earth Three guys would go for that.”

“The Earth Two guys may be harder to convince. They’re older. They want transports. They don’t care how many times we visit them.”

“I can be persuasive if I have to be,” he said.

“They already know about Earth Four.”

“How did they find out? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“I just found out myself. I was there three months ago, and the two guys I buy from told me. It was announced in the newspaper.”

“Shit,” he said. “Patty didn’t tell me that when she got back. She must have known.”

“You sent Patty to talk to them? What did you expect? She’s had a bug up her ass since Marian lost the election. She probably knew and hoped you’d be blindsided.”

“You were gone when it came up. I had to act quickly because I knew the trip to Earth Four would take two years.”

I was drumming my fingers on his desk. As usual, the committee had taken too long to decide what to do. The members were waiting for the results of the election. Then they waited another year. Maybe they were hoping he would die before they took action.

“Listen, they can’t beat us there,” I said. “They don’t even have airplanes yet.”

“That’s true,” he said. “They would have known after the conference anyway. We found a guy from Earth Four willing to join us. He’s…”

“He’s what?”

“He’s a wizard.”

“Bullshit.”

“No, he’s a real wizard,” he said. “Tower and all.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Nope. His name is Geezer.”

That’s when I lost it. I laughed so hard that spit came out of my mouth and rolled down my chin.

“Look, he’s agreed to come to this meeting, so let’s not insult him.”

“Fine,” I said. “But back to Earth Two. Are they willing to change their name if Earth Three won’t?”

“Their rep says yes. He says they don’t care as long as we share technology with them. I agreed, but I didn’t say exactly what we’d give them. It’s funny you mentioned airplanes. I think they’d be happy to fly.”

I grinned.

“They’d settle for something they’d have on their own in a few years?”

He nodded. “But no transports. I know that’s what they want, but they haven’t discovered the fuel yet, and I don’t think it’s wise to give them too much information. Their planet is dying fast enough without our helping it along.”

“And then they can’t go to Earth Four.”

“That, too,” he said.

“You’re so thoughtful.”

“Aren’t I, though?”

“So, when is this conference?” I asked.

“You are to pick up the wizard by this time next year. We’ll schedule the conference when you get back in what, two years?”

“That’s about right. And how will we choose the names?”

“We’re going to use a random name generator.”

“And everyone agreed to that?” I said.

“Well, Earth Three is reluctant.”

“Then let them keep their damned name. Don’t even bring them over.”

“I was thinking of that. I just don’t want Earth Two pissed off.”

“Fine,” I said. “Do I have to pick up the guy from Earth Three? Seriously, two years in a speedster with a guy from Earth Three…”

“Yup. You can get him on your way back from Earth Four. Then it will only be a year. Just tell him to shut up.”

“Okay. I’ll get the ship ready.”

“And Jack,” he said. “Thanks.”

I nodded as I got up. I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. But few people said no to Bill Bartlett.

Signed, Jack Powers

October 12, 2098

Two years later, I brought the wizard, the guy from Earth Two, and the guy from Earth Three to the conference room of my resident pod. he wizard was a tall blond guy with a beard. He didn’t say much during the trip. He’d asked if our dragons were tame, and I said we didn’t have any dragons. Then he asked about unicorns and I told him to take a nap.

The guy from Earth Three had long hair on the sides, a bald head on top, glasses, and short silk pants that buttoned at the knee. He made me nervous. He kept talking about the rights of his people and asking me for wine. I did what Bill told me to. For about the hundredth time, I told him to shut up and listen.

The guy from Earth Two was kind of quiet. He kept looking at the conference room like he was studying the technology. I didn’t trust him. He looked like he knew too much already. Bill shook their hands and sat down. Then we all took our seats.

“Welcome, gentlemen. No ladies here today?”

The guys from Earth Two and Three laughed. The wizard smiled.

“Yes, well, then, let’s get on with the business at hand. My name is William Bartlett, and I’m the current president of this planet. As you can see, we live in this pod. There are one hundred and twenty-five pods on Earth One, on different continents, but I believe two of them are merging soon.