《Afterlife Quest: Theodore Saga》Chapter 1 - Big Hole
Advertisement
We were finally through the South Entrance Station. After hours on a plane and more hours in a stereotypical, economy rental car, I was ready to stretch my legs and walk around for a while. "Paige, are you so excited to see the big hole in the ground?" I said innocently to the woman who sat unamused beside me.
"If you call it that again I'll put you in a hole in the ground," she said with the sweetest smile she could muster. Paige was beautiful even when she was tired from travel and her smile was the first thing that drew me to her. She had a smile that could turn a bad day around in an instant.
"We've only been married for like a day and you're already threatening me. This does not bode well." In reality, she was patient and kind and I knew that I had won the marriage lottery when she said yes. I pulled into a parking spot, turned off the car, and began to unbuckle. I looked over at her and I could see the excitement tinged with playful annoyance at my tired musings. I don't blame her. My jokes tend to go from good to dad when I'm tired.
"Haven't you ever heard of 'happy wife, happy life', Theodore? Wasn't that in the vows or something?" She said as she unbuckled and got her things together to leave the car, "I'm pretty sure I heard you promise something along those lines."
"I always heard it as 'slightly irritated wife, hilarious life' so you may have misheard in the heat of the moment. Also, you already said I do. No take-backsies." We left the car and started walking towards the various buildings. I took her hand in mine and squeezed just tight enough to let her know I didn't want to let go anytime soon. Plus, it would be harder for her to run away from my bad jokes that way.
Advertisement
Paige and I met at the library where she works about a year and a half ago. I was doing research for a paper and didn't want to buy another book since I was a poor college student. She had already graduated last Spring and being a librarian was her dream job. I walked up to her station and nervously said, "I need a book please." Then I just stared at her awkwardly as I died inside. I'd say I'm a fairly average-looking guy like God just hit the "randomize" button a couple of times during character creation and kept the first one that would make it through high school unnoticed, but not a target. This meant that I had to rely on my charm and wit to make an impression with the opposite sex and just now they left me scared and alone.
She smiled at me and broke the awkward silence. "Well, you've come to the right place. We've got more volumes than a rock concert," she saw the confused smile on my face, "More stories than the New York City skyline."
At this point, I was figuring out how to ask her to marry me, but my brain and mouth were no longer functional. I stood there smiling like an idiot unsure of how to work the muscles that make sound come out of me.
"Maybe a book on communication?" she said and went back to smiling at me now with brows raised as if hoping for a witty response or maybe just any response. Time seemed to slow with each passing second. I didn't want the interaction to end, just my ineptitude. My brain screamed at me to say something charming.
I snapped back to reality. "Sorry, I have difficulty speaking to pretty girls... women... uh, people," panic consumed me. Did I think that was a good line? What is wrong with me?
Advertisement
"Don't worry about it. I find it difficult to talk to pretty boy man people as well. I seem to be doing okay though at the current moment. Is there a specific book you are looking for?" She said with a wink and I was finally able to verbalize the book's title and author. After searching in the database she wrote down the info I needed and pointed me in the right direction to locate it.
I thanked her and walked away dejected and feeling like I had just lost the big game and let down my ancestors in one fell swoop. I looked at the paper she had written the book information on and saw a smiley face with a phone number written by it. Either she felt bad for my absolute lack of game or, much less likely, thought I was cute in my bumbling idiocy. I don't remember caring why she gave me her number only that I would make sure she never regretted it.
I called after the appropriate amount of time and we went on a few dates. We both knew fairly early on that we were a good match. We were engaged within a year and were married within two years of meeting. I fell hard and couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with her. I loved our witty exchanges and how we playfully dug at each other ever since first contact. I'd spend the rest of my life loving this woman.
We walked to the edge of the Southern Rim and looked out over the expansive canyon. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. "It really makes you feel large and significant," I slowly swept my gaze from one side of the canyon to the other. I couldn't even fathom the vastness of it.
Paige stood there in silence taking in the sights with a look of awe and contentment. I could tell she was pleased that we ended up choosing Northern Arizona as our honeymoon destination. We both wanted to pick a location that wasn't a cliche honeymoon spot and it was down to either the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park since we both enjoyed the great outdoors.
I was especially excited to visit Lowell Observatory later that day close to where we were staying in Flagstaff. I may have made it a point to mention the place where Pluto was discovered and talk about how messed up it was to do what they did to Pluto after over 75 years of full planethood on the drive up. We were both excited to look up at the stars together in a place with less light pollution than back home.
We stood there quietly staring at the canyon. She finally spoke after a few more moments of my awed silence. "Seeing the vastness of the empty space here has reminded me of something very important," she paused deep in thought or maybe for dramatic effect.
Seeing it as an opportunity to wax poetic and impress my new bride I matched her introspective tone. "The vastness of the emptiness can mirror life if we don't fill it with everything that is meaningful to humanity. Love, kindness, and empathy towards our fellow man," I said looking over at her with what I could only assume was a very punchable face.
"No," she looked over not at all impressed by my attempt, "I'm hungry."
Advertisement
- In Serial59 Chapters
The Youngest Divinity
The continent of Vaine is a place of technological and magical might. It is the pinnacle of human brilliance, and is more powerful than it has ever been—truly approaching a never-before-seen golden age of magic. But what if that was all a lie? Dominic, shipwrecked and confused, wakes up one day on the shore of a continent which shouldn't be there. No maps in Vaine show it; no sailors have ever reached it; as far as anybody knows, the continent of Hesia does not and has never existed. In the last thousand years, no one has left, and no one has made it in. And on this hidden continent, he finds demons—a race of people who are far more adept at magic than humans. As Dominic uncovers the lost history of the two lands, he must come face to face with kings, mages, gods, and the dark past of the most powerful organization in Vaine, which has long done everything it possibly could to keep those skeletons buried. And they're not the only ones who can keep a secret. YOU MIGHT LIKE THIS IF: ↠ You like long-running fantasy stories with an intrigue/mystery focus. The world is vast and full of secrets—and our main character is not one to tell. Be careful what you believe, because Dominic himself might be the one lying to you. ↠ You enjoy decisive protagonists that don't have qualms about what tactics solving some problems may require. ↠ You like dragons. I like dragons. By the gods, there will be dragons. AUTHOR'S NOTES: ↠ This is not a webtoon. I only draw illustrated chapters for the prologues to each book and for the side stories at the end of each book. All drawings including covers are done by me. ↠ Release schedule is 2 chapters per week, every Wednesday and Saturday at 3:15PM CST. ↠ Up to 8 advanced chapters (4 weeks of releases) are available on Patreon. Thank you for your support. :)
8 229 - In Serial17 Chapters
Legend of the Crystal Borne: Wielders of Lightning
Blurb: In the aftermath of a devastating conflict between an empire and a coastal nation to the south, a king is killed before his subjects, a people are broken, and the only heir left to rally them is lost at sea. Years pass, the countryside burns as people known as Crystal Borne are hunted down like dogs and sent away. Meanwhile, a prince grows amongst whores, thieves, and renegades, and pirate gangs wage war for dominance in salted islands to the East. Will a prince discover his role in a story not of his choosing? Or will a Kingdom be doomed to crumble into the pages of history? The CalendarMonth of Beginnings: 24 daysWhen all things start anewMonth of Song: 24 daysWhen birds fly, and sing their songsMonth of Heart: 24 daysWhen Man finds love before the Summer’s heatMonth of Rain: 24 daysWhen Galryn brings water to the landMonth of Sun: 24 daysWhen Solan’s hand does burn away the sinMonth of Harvest: 24 daysWhen Hileen blesses the crops of the fieldMonth of Storms: 24 daysWhen the god of no name fights for dominion of the seaMonth of Giving: 24 daysWhen man finds generosity before the Winter’s biteMonth of Cold: 23 daysWhen ice and darkness rule the land
8 146 - In Serial34 Chapters
The Radiant War
The human world is aflame with war. Nations clash with their neighbours, while the Kelvon Empire, bulwark of the human world, stands on the brink of civil war. The plans of the enemies of mankind to destroy human civilisation, to restore their own mastery of the world, are well on the way to success. The people of Helberion have vowed to defeat those plans, though. Peace must be restored between the various peoples of mankind so that they can combine their efforts against their true enemy. Even while her country strives to avoid conquest and defeat at the hands of their traditional enemies the Carrowmen, therefore, Princess Ardria journeys to Carrow to meet with the enemy King in an almost hopeless attempt to persuade him of the truth. All her hopes rest on the assumption that he in an unwitting dupe of the true enemy, but lurking at the back of her mind is the fear that he may be all too aware of the truth, that he may have sold out humanity for the promise of personal power. If this is true, then all that awaits her at the end of her journey through fear and danger is imprisonment and the life of a hostage to be used against her father, King Leothan. The Brigadier would help her if he could, but he and Malone, his former batman, are far away, each having their own missions to try and ensure the survival of human civilisation. Having completed his latest task, the Brigadier must race to join her, to assist and protect her, but will he reach her before she arrives at the palace of the enemy King? And will the Princess still have a country to be Princess of by the time she arrives there? Because even if Helberion manages to defeat the all conquering armies of Carrow there is another, even deadlier threat waiting in the wings against which there may be no defence... This is volume three of the Ontogeny series. If you haven't read volume one, Ontogeny, and volume Two, The Electric Messiah, you should read them first.
8 136 - In Serial23 Chapters
Short Story poems
Poems that have meaning. A collection of poems. Poems that have short stories behind it. Poems that you can either relate. Some are in tagalog while most is in english. P.s. sana po magustuhan niyo. Sorry kung medyo walang tugmaan. ^_^
8 405 - In Serial30 Chapters
Slowtown [t.r]
no grave can hold her body down - she crawls back to him - haunting the boy who buried her. TOM RIDDLE didn't like his sins lurking after he committed them.
8 117 - In Serial26 Chapters
My Alpha (My Alpha Series Book 1 boyxboy)(under revision)
••His eyes sparkled like the ocean against his pale skin while his pink lips stood out, asking to be kissed. ••
8 213