Aye, You’re a Long Way from Home

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

Elliot 103
Photo credit: Edward E. Louis, Jr

Caught by those strange orange eyes, Elliot went limp, his uncertainty and growing aggravation evaporating in the warmth of that bizarre smile.

“I’m afraid I’m lost,” he admitted.

“We are all of us lost from time to time, and some are lost for all of time. Do you know in which land you dwell?”

“I came from Fen, but I’m not sure where I am now.”

Her laughter was a refreshing shower of love. “So you are lost only from time to time. Then maybe I can help. You’re here.”

This was not helpful. Elliot’s lack of sleep and sustenance were breaking down his self-control. Frustration crawled back like an itch he couldn’t quite reach. “I know that. I just don’t know where ‘here’ is.”

“If that is all you do not know, you are wise indeed.”

“I need to find the rebels.”

“So you are on a quest?”

“They’ve taken someone precious to me, and I intend to take her back.”

“A quest worthy of a hero’s efforts — if the hero is equally precious to his prize.”

“I know she loves me,” Elliot affirmed.

“And that alone is not enough?”

“Of course not! I mean, I know that’s extraordinary. I understand just how fortunate I am, but we want to be together; we want to share our lives.”

“You believe two together can be more than one and one?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then I will help you help yourself.”

“Do you know where the rebels are?”

“I know they are not here.”

Elliot had had just about enough. “Then what makes you think you can help me?”

“I know how you can find them.”

“Please,” he begged, trying not to shout, “tell me how.”

“You will need more strength than you now have at your command.”

His stomach growled and his eyes lost focus. “What? Arms? Warriors?”

“No. Food and rest. And vision.”

“I don’t have time for this!”

“You will not succeed without them.”

Elliot’s shoulders sagged and his chin dropped to his chest. “All right. All right. What sort of food do you recommend?”

“You wish to find your queen. Queen Reishi has always shown the way.” She pointed to a fan shaped mushroom Elliot hadn’t noticed before.

Shaking his head, he approached the fungus. “If this is a mistake, I only hope I live to regret it.”

To be continued. . .

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

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Author: Sue Ranscht

Having survived valve repair surgery and an experimental cardiac bypass at age 5, three years before it was an accepted medical procedure, Susan grew into the size of her overworked and enlarged heart. Maybe she thought she had enough to give it away -- twice. Both times, she had to retrieve the shattered pieces and puzzle them back together. She thanks her Dad for the only advice of his she ever followed to the letter: "Never get married. Learn to take care of yourself." So of course she is a writer. Susan has co-written a YA SciFi novel, and has three more novels in various stages of evolution. She's had several short stories published in other people's anthologies, some of which were contest-related. Let her tell you a story...

13 thoughts on “Aye, You’re a Long Way from Home”

  1. The aye-aye’s patter reminds me of an old Down East joke.  Two guys go for a hot air balloon ride at the county fair, the wind picks up, and soon they have no idea where it has taken them.  They let some air out and descend enough to shout a question to a farmer they see in a field below.

    “Where are we?”

    “In a balloon, ya damn fool!”

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    1. That’s funny! What a great observation, Samantha! I hadn’t thought of Calypso at all when I wrote this. Consciously, I wanted a vision quest, and I was keying off the aye-aye’s bizarre look and the rainbow forest photo with the golden strand of light. And a little bit of the Cheshire Cat. But Tia Dalma is one of my favorite characters in Pirates, so I’m sure she’s in my subconscious, and maybe she leaked into this character, too.

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      1. Lol – I heard her voice as I read and it seemed to fit, with all the hints of hidden mystic power and scrying..another great character addition, hoping she will be a friend…

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        1. It’s important to me that each of the characters we meet is whole, and clearly has a life of their own apart from Elliot’s. She is one of several Elliot has met whom I want to incorporate into his future, but we’ll have to see how that plays out. There are some whose own stories I’d like to pursue sometime, too. Did Walter, the mouth-breeder fish, ever find Darlene? Where did the surfer-dude ducks go? How about the birds Elliot owes two tasty treats? And Marcel — is he writing an advice for the lovelorn column? Lol.

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          1. The surfer dude ducks would be interesting…”Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure” comes to mind…lol!!

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  3. Pingback: Queen Reishi – Space, Time, and Raspberries
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