Glad you could join us for the next perilous episode of Elliot’s Adventures. If you’re new here, you can catch up by returning to the beginning, and reading really fast…

Elliot’s touch was as soft as breath, as gentle as love, but it did not resurrect the divine creature laid out before him. He wept.

Juliet leaned her head against James’ neck, her own tears flowing.

“Hey, Jules,” James wrapped his wing around her, “maybe that CPA stuff you do can, like, help her. You know, like you helped the little guy.”

“You mean CPR?” she asked, looking up at him with bemused affection.

“Sure, whatever.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late.”

“What? What did you do to help me?” Elliot’s earlier confusion hadn’t allowed him to wonder exactly how Juliet had brought him back to life.

“Dude!” Lorenzo exclaimed. “She rebooted you!”

“How?” Elliot turned to Juliet. “If there’s anything you can do—“

“She’s been down there so long,” Juliet whispered, “I don’t think I can help.”

“But I was under for longer than that!” Elliot was frantic.

Lorenzo’s face showed the strain of conscious thought. “You know, he’s right. We don’t know what he was doin’ before the diamond dude pasted him on the side of the boat.”

“Please,” Elliot begged, “you’ve got to try.”

Juliet blinked the tears from her eyes and stretched the diminutive body out as she had Elliot’s. She pressed her wing tips on the little chest. Again and again.

And once more.

A short jet of water squirted out onto the ground, and the formerly lifeless form convulsed in a coughing fit. Her eyes opened.

“What happened?” she asked. “Where am I? Who are all of you?”

“I’m Elliot. We’re here to rescue you.”

“Oh. Well, that’s awfully kind of you.” She tried to roll over. “Maybe you could help me up.”

He pushed against her shell till her foot supported her, but her shell flopped on its side and her head drooped to the ground.

“I don’t seem to be able to stand,” she observed without panic.

“Let me carry you,” Elliot offered, “Juliet can put you on my back, and you can stay till you’re ready to move on your own.” He was thinking, “Or forever,” but he didn’t want to scare her off.

And so they parted ways with the three feathered friends.

Standing on the shore waving as the gondola disappeared downstream, Elliot ventured, “I don’t even know your name.”

“Cassandra,” she answered in voice as sweet as birdsong. “May I ask where we’re going?”

Elliot wanted to say, “Off to find adventure!” but he feared she would reject the idea as impetuous and improper, so instead, he bowed and asked, “Where would you like me to take you, Milady Cassandra?”

His passenger thought for a moment, giggled, and said, “Off to find adventure!”

To be continued…

Previously, on Elliot’s Adventures ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Next time . . .

Today’s twofer from April 19, 2016:

Perspective

Don’t Panic

“In the Total Perspective Vortex, you are given just one, momentary glimpse of the size of the entire unimaginable infinity of creation along with a tiny little marker saying, ‘You are here’.” Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

#AtoZChallenge A-to-Z Fictioneers: Interested in original fiction? Here’s a list of writers who are writing stories for the 2017 A to Z Challenge. The author’s link will take you to their “A” post. If you know of any other story writers I can share, please drop the link in the comments!

• Aditi’s Indian myths from a female POV at Aditi’s Pen
• Arpan’s horror stories at Tales of Unusual Strangeness
• Atherton’s Victorian murder mystery, “Stranded!”, at Atherton’s Magic Vapour
• Debs’s song-inspired fiction at Bunny and the Bloke
• Diane’s 100-word tales at LadiesWhoLunchReviews,etc
• Dipanwita’s 100-word stories at Cocktails Mocktails and Life
• Iain’s alphabet puzzle-inspired murder mystery serial at Iain Kelly Writing
• Jo’s upbeat emotion stories at Jo Hawk the Writer
• Joe’s excerpts from his upcoming post-Civil War historical fiction, “Steel Horse Saviors”, at Fiction Playground
• John’s flash fiction crime stories with a twist at John Davis Frain
• Keith’s everyday life in fictional Amble Bay at Keith’s Ramblings
• Lenni’s speculative fiction, “What Are They” at J Lenni Dorner
• Marquessa’s short stories spun from her larger work, “Living to Die” at Simply Marquessa
• Natalie’s “Secret Diary of a Serial Killer” at Natalie Westgate
• Raven’s 100-word flash fiction at everywhere and nowhere
• Shailaja’s 100-word oxymoronic stories at The Moving Quill
• Shilpa’s 55-word crime stories at A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose!
• Shweta’s Tiny Tales at My Random Ramblings
• Sorchia’s Gothic fantasy, “A Cold Spring” at Sorchia’s Universe
• S.T. Ranscht’s fantasy/adventure serial, “Elliot’s Adventures”at Space, Time, and Raspberries

• Vanessa’s build-a-30-word-story at Vanessence