In this issue:

Writing Avenues

Alfalfa and Darla
by Elyse Salpeter and Norman Z. Niles

If you want to strike gold by writing a story brimming with unexpected plot twists and three-dimensional characters, I'd suggest that you recruit a co-author. Most co-authored pieces usually have multiple well-rounded characters and more twists than a pair of lovesick snakes. Each author will have favorite characters and each will go to great pains to ensure his or her favorite has extra depth. The plot twists are the real gold of any writing partnership. These come from both authors having different ideas about how their characters might react to a situation and the circumstances that their actions might produce.

For those of you who've co-written, you probably noticed the tell-tale signs of a writing team long before the second reel started rolling in the movie THE MATRIX. Its outstanding plot unfolds like peeling the skin off a red onion to reveal a wide range of textures and colors. As we were swept along through the convoluted plot and character development, I couldn't help but admire the elaborate plot twists and levels of meaning that the Wachowski brothers conjured from their writing. Sure, the special effects were good, but they couldn't hold a candle to the quality of writing. Like a Dijin on steroids, the movie seemed to explode in all directions, yet maintained a cohesive plot for those who watched closely. (Heaven help the poor schmuck who took the hike to buy popcorn for the kids.)

The first rule of co-writing is to respect the talents and abilities of your partner. If one of you is lighter on his feet at certain aspects of writing, then step back and let that member lead. While I may be good at word choice and metaphors, Elyse excels at characters and plot ideas.

Check your egos even before you arrive at the dance. It shouldn't be that difficult to sort out who wears the trench coat and who owns that red, feathered boa. The object is to create the better story than either of you working alone could accomplish. The result should resemble a mixed drink of ideas blended to perfection.

Like the madman I created for one of my co-authored projects, I often dive headfirst into shallow writing situations before considering how this will affect the other characters or writers. This isn't very bright. One needs a solid outline of where the story is headed from chapter one to "THE END." This doesn't mean you can't add twists along the way if they fit in that situation and don't distract from your original plan. Most of these will only add more texture and excitement to the story.

Each partner must attempt to carry his portion of the load and make every effort to meet deadlines. Still, delays will occur when working with another person's schedule and life. Even the professional hits a rough stretch of road now and then, so don't plan on pulling into Disneyland without allowing for a few pit stops, traffic lights, and even that detour to visit the money you left in Vegas last year.

One problem that Hollywood's Wachowski brothers didn't have to address until Larry Wachowski came out with his books was maintaining a single point of view. Most movies are done in the third person, the camera lens. Novelists and short story authors must maintain a consistent point of view or divide the writing in such a way there is no obvious split between one writer's work and the next. Cross editing is probably the easiest way to keep the view point sharp, and consistent. This consumes valuable time, but it's usually worth it for your reader.

Once you've found your sourdough writing sidekick, pack up your grub stake along with your gold rocker, pan, pick and shovel. Strap everything onto your mule, 'cause we're headed for gold country.

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has written three novels in the action adventure/thriller genre and a host of short stories. Her short story, THE LITTLE ONES, appeared the Spring, 2001 edition of The Vampire's Crypt. In addition, her short stories have also appeared in a host of anthologies, such as CARVED IN STONE, which appeared in the anthology, Spirits of Blue and Gray: Ghosts of the Civil War, A WORLD OF OUR OWN, which appeared in the anthology, The Archives of Arrissia, and TWO MORE MONTHS, which appeared in the anthology, Thirteen Nights of Blood: Legends of the Vampire.

Critique Groups
by Wanda Brinkman

Critique groups can improve most writers, but they have been known to hurt nearly as many as they've helped. Don't join one unless you can withstand being attacked from all sides. Your first critique session will likely leave you feeling like General Custer at the Little Big Horn. You asked for input so you'd better be ready to take an arrow or two.

One way to deal with pointed criticism is to make notes of all the suggestions and deal with them after you've had time to think each over. Avoid responding off the cuff or you'll likely regret it later. First of all, most members of critique groups (but not all) are genuinely trying to help. The key thing to remember is that this is your story. That story has come to life in your head, and only you can get it down on paper so others will see it through your eyes. Still, take time to understand why these people are making these suggestions. Often this will not become obvious for days and possibly weeks.

Ask yourself about the person who is making the suggestion. Is he someone whose writing you admire and want to copy? If so, pay close attention. If not, take the comment in the spirit it was given. Yep, you heard me. If it was mean spirited, dump that sucker in some dark corner where it will never bother you again. This is your story.

Let me tell you something about editing that took me years to realize. The better your writing skills become, the more detailed criticism your work will generally draw. No, I'm not kidding. If a story is filled with grammatical errors, would you notice a word choice problem in that sea of red? Actually, in that bloody massacre there would be little room for detailed notes like this, or the amount of explaining this sort of topic would take. The cleaner you polish your manuscript, the more likely a critique group will dig into your story's structure. At this point you'll probably get POV suggestions, word choice questions, or other details you might have never considered. So when this starts happening, take heart. You're improving.

Another thing you should avoid is taking the same work back to a group again and again. Believe me, it will never be perfect in their eyes. Heck, it will never be perfect to you, even after it has been accepted and published. There is always something I'd go back and change, so how could I expect a clean bill of health from my critique group? Besides, such repeated criticism may eventually kill your story if not seriously wound your enthusiasm for writing anything. Don't let anyone do this if you feel writing is truly a part of your soul.

Critique groups aren't for those who are easily wounded or aren't confident in their own writing abilities. They can be exceptional tools for those who know how to use them and seek out a group of writers with similar or advanced talents.

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Wanda Brinkman is a doctor of marine biology and spends much of her time immersed in her work, however, she enjoys tickling the senses of readers almost as much as observing light-emitting fish. She has written a series of science fiction short stories she hopes will be published under the title "Shardes of Space." Washington, DC area.

The Round Robin
Or Writing Differently
by R. S. Nailor

Sometimes, just to get the creative flow moving, you must go out on a limb; share your soul with another. What do I mean? Try the proverbial "round robin" writing technique.

What does this entail? A round robin consists of two or more people working together toward a final goal; in this case, a story. It is with this style of writing that you open up your raw writing skills to another. You don't spend eons of time editing and re-editing. You write a rough segment, clean it up and send it off. It's an unfinished, raw product; not a complete story, just a snippet of you to share.

I've been lucky over the years to be able to participate in many very rewarding robins.

My introduction was through a writing mentor, Denise Vitola, who teamed me up with another Washington, DC resident (Mary) and a writer (Jim) from Pennsylvania. Those two had already been bantering a story back and forth with tidbits inserted by Denise. What made this unique was the writing genres of the group; fantasy and action. When I was tossed into the group, my style was slanted a bit toward science fiction. Each of us wrote a small segment to carry the story forward, usually ending at a pivotal moment. Time Funnel, the story we were working on, was totally interesting and I looked forward to when it would get back to me so I could add my twist to it. Think this one over: bi-planes, revolvers, machine guns, a computer, Hercules, Pegasus, Aristotle, Judge Roy Bean, Texas, and other definite conundrums of the mind. Yet, this all flowed easily together and seamlessly. It was fun.

The second chance was again through Denise but this time I was creating the plots with two other men; one in New Mexico (Ron) and the other (Mitch) in Texas. The three of us were pretty well matched for style and genre: sci-fi / fantasy. I believe we continued our writing of this round robin for almost a year with some very interesting improvements to our skills. I still remember the April 1^st segment by Mitch. Our "world" was basically an object that was on a collision course with our planet. It had some very unique creatures in addition to the scientists from Earth. Mitch's segment came in and it was flowery and so over indulged in romance that the remaining three, Denise, Ron and I were stunned. Did anyone catch the date that this was submitted? Yes, Mitch had caught us with an April Fool's entry which was enjoyed by all. Yes, we finished the novella. Has it been published? No. Could it be published? Very possibly.

The above two groups were years ago and I've only lost contact with one of the members over the years. All of the members that I've continued to have as friends are now published novelists.

I'm currently working with a robin group which has been writing something for almost four years now. It's a larger group but the talent within it is fantastic; all published writers.

What is so great about a round robin? To start, each member adds their own style and ideas to the mainstream of the story. There are no divas in a group like this since no one person can control the story's line. You wait your turn and then add your segment and see what happens next. It is through this exercise that you learn different aspects of the writing skill. You see how a simple thought can move left and right of where you thought of going. The most important aspect is when you read each other's segments and glean the knowledge of writing from it.

Do I recommend a robin group? Definitely. Find some friends and get writing. No friends that write? Check out different writing pages online; I'm sure you'll find somebody to entice with the idea of writing an ongoing story. This method of writing will enhance your skills and you'll find a new nook in your mind for a different way to think.

In the end, you'll be writing the same way, only differently and with more power.

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R. S. Nailor is Poetry Editor and Production Manager for the Emporium Gazette. His manuscript, THREE STEPS: THE JOURNEYS OF AYROLD, is currently in the final stages of editing. He has short stories included in three ebook anthologies from 23House and numerous articles and poems elsewhere on the internet. You can visit him at Lore's Webs.

Passport To A First Paragraph
by Ronald Wayne Jones

I recently joined another critique group, something I've avoided since having become a member of my first over a decade ago. That experience morphed into a nightmare of errors, many of them made by me. Never again, I'd promised myself. Most of that group had been want-to-be writers, but did include two published authors and one editor. Two of the most talented seldom showed except as ghostly memories. This would be different, I told myself.

Happily, it was. I'm now working with a group of bright, published authors and editors who've battled their way through one trench to the next in their writing careers. Having edited manuscripts daily for the Gazette, the task of doing a rough check of our first assignment, a science fiction short story, fell to me.

I didn't have to read past the first paragraph to realize that our fiction group needed a refresher lesson in the proper construction of a lead paragraph. My associates all had a hook in their lead although some needed more weight training than others. Many, including mine, were missing other building blocks. Like a skyscraper, a lead paragraph starts with a solid foundation. Since I realized that even I'd overlooked some of the basics, I decided to pass this information along to our readers.

There are a number of things a fiction writer should establish in a first paragraph. In this July's issue of the Gazette, I discussed hooks. That is only one ingredient needed to bake your lead to a soft, golden-brown masterpiece of perfection. As critical as your hook might be, there are several others topics that must be addressed to successfully snatch your reader off her sofa and drag her into your world.

For some writers, these items are intuitive. If, however, you're mind works more logically and you can't cook without a printed recipe, it helps to be able to review these items in the form of a checklist.

The first item is naturally your HOOK. All I need to repeat here is that it needs to grab the reader by the collar and not let go. Since we've already discussed this item in depth, let us move along to the next foundation stone.

Like the newspaper reporter you must also answer several questions to make sure you've nailed down all your scenery securely to your stage.

The first on stage is your actor, your WHO. This usually involves introducing your Point Of View character. Even if your protagonist is suffering from amnesia, the reader needs an inkling for who he is as a person. (I'd suggest not opening your story with a character you'll kill after a few pages. If you do, your reader may drop your book and never finish it. Once we get to know a character, this is like burying a friend.) Still, you can't have drama without establishing an emotional connection with at least one character. If your POV happens to be the antagonist, there is even more reason to open the story or book with him. Remember that you have to make him as believable as the hero. This is why some authors chose to open from the POV of a serial killer. In this way the reader has no choice but to identify with this twisted character at some level.

Next is WHAT. Ah, you're already jumping ahead of me to the next. Yes, we've all heard these six questions rattled off, but stick with me. WHAT can be a number of items. A crashed space ship, an alien, a rampaging robot, whatever the problem is that the protagonist faces in our opening scene. This WHAT can even be that critical something that is missing from your opening scene, like a parachute.

WHEN can be anything from an era in history, down to a microsecond in time. You don't have to give a time or even a date. It can be sunrise, sunset, even some era in our future. Again this isn't rocket science, unless you happen to be writing science fiction like we were.

WHERE seems self-explanatory, but it's more complicated than it might seem. Where is the main element of setting. It often needs to be somewhere exotic if you intend to use this detail as your hook. In fact, in the hands of a talented author, all seven of these common reporter's questions and even mood can double as hooks, but back to our WHERE. Alien vegetation or beings can show you WHERE. A planet lit only by the plasma striking the atmosphere to create a swirling display of Northern lights can provide your WHERE. All this can provide your own unique scene.

Next comes WHY. I assume you'll start your scene with conflict as most writers do. Ask yourself why your character finds himself in the fix he's in? Naturally this could get complicated, but we should have some clue why the goons just tossed your POV character out the rear door of a C-130 with no parachute. Is it understood they meant to murder him? If so, you've answered the WHY without writing a single additional word.

HOW doesn't begin with a W, but it's just as vital to the reader. This detail might take more than one paragraph to explain. In the above example, they tossed our protagonist bodily out of the plane. That tells us all we need to know, at the moment, about HOW he got into this predicament. He didn't jump by choice. That answers enough of HOW until we can learn more.

The final thing we must establish is your POV character's MOOD. How is he feeling as the two muscle-bound thugs toss him into the cold mist of the clouds racing past below?

In an article, the above eight points may take the entire column to fully describe, but good fiction is all about convincing the reader that he is feeling, hearing, seeing, and smelling everything your character experiences. To do this you need to ground them in a quality setting as quickly as possible, and what better place to do it than your lead paragraph? Plant them solidly in your plot, but don't bury them so deeply in detail they can't breathe.

To my knowledge these eight details are all you need, but I hear someone on our back row whispering that this is an enormous amount of information to pump into a single paragraph. It is if you don't know where to stop. It isn't nearly that difficult to drop a few clues once you know how little is needed. Often a single word can answer more than one of these questions. Let's use my own lead paragraph as an example:

Darnell Waltz settled into the molded metal chair to wait for the wife he'd never met. Waltz's wet brown hair dangled over his eyes like the lush hanging gardens of Moltrus Four as his leather ironworkers' coat dribbled water onto the green marble floor. It had taken him longer than he'd planned to find an empty hover-cab in the evening downpour. When one of the floating, orange pumpkins finally arrived, he'd momentarily considered eloping with his shapely cabby rather than facing the "pig in a poke" he'd married.

This obviously isn't a perfect lead, but let's dissect it and discover what is missing.

Hopefully, my HOOK is obvious. He has married a woman he's never met.

WHO should be equally clear having introduced my point of view character by mentioning his name. His name isn't all we know. Darnell is also a young iron worker with brown hair who has traveled space enough to know about the hanging gardens of Moltrus Four.

The WHAT in this case is actually another who, the wife he has come here to meet. Again this information was supplied in my first sentence.

WHEN doesn't have to be a date. In this case the mention of hover cabs, my "floating orange pumpkins," suggests that this story is set in the distant future.

My WHERE is the place that this paragraph leaves the reader confused. Did you realize this was an alien setting? Although I mentioned Moltrus Four, I failed to explain fully that this is on an alien planet. Even your editor forgets to run through his list occasionally, but I did salt these details into the following paragraphs. Nevertheless, I failed my reader with this item. Even the mention of the clouds of floater moss that blanket this world would have established this as an alien setting. My point is that all eight items don't have to be listed in your first sentence or even the lead paragraph, but the sooner you plant these facts, the sooner your writing will spring to life.

As I've already pointed out, explaining WHY can take major word count. In this case, due to the low birth rate of males on this planet the local women have written it into their immigration codes that any male settling on their planet must marry prior to reaching the age of twenty. Although I didn't state this fact in my lead, I think it is obvious that this marriage wasn't his idea.

HOW did he get in this fix? All we need to know this early was that the marriage wasn't his idea. By leaving out the detail about the immigration laws, the reader doesn't know that he couldn't afford the price of a flight to the planet he was originally destined.

MOOD, along with setting and hook are the hinge pins of quality writing. My protagonist is nervous as a frog in a French kitchen about meeting his new wife. You may have noticed that I've expended more words on my character's mood than any of my other keys. We know he is uncomfortable, wet, and regretting he ever signed that rental agreement with the marriage broker. Mood is critical when setting a scene, but the POV character doesn't have to say it in so many words. Often it is conveyed by how he sees his surroundings or interacts with another character. Without emotion, a story withers away.

Do you get the idea? Stop and ask yourself these eight questions before addressing your SASE and stuffing it into your mailer with your story. Remember the sooner you answer them, the sooner your reader will feel comfortable boarding your flight to adventure.

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FROM ANOTHER ANGLE
by Susan Long Turner

SO YOU WANT A COLLABORATOR?

Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper
Until drops form on your forehead. – Gene Fowler, early 20^th Century Humorist

Ellery Queen is the pen name of the most famous writing team I could uncover. Anthony Boucher said, "Ellery Queen IS the American detective story." Cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee created the unique fictional detective, Ellery Queen, as an entry in a writing contest. Dozens of books, and possibly hundreds of radio scripts followed that original contest entry.

I read Fowler’s quote several times. Could a collaborator stop the staring at a blank sheet of paper?

Mary Wynn Craig is working with Nancy Robinson Masters on a forthcoming book, DEVOTED TO WRITING: For Believers Who Want to Write . . . and Writers Who want to Believe. Craig offers several comments on writing with another person. "Writers have strong egos; otherwise, we wouldn’t be willing to subject ourselves to persistent rejection. (Or maybe we’re just mentally ill.)" According to Mary, each collaborator must have a strong sense of self-worth to allow the other writer to say, "What you wrote won’t work and we’re taking it out." From Mary Wynn Craig’s viewpoint, "Each person must be able to view the combined work objectively and know whose writing is better at any given time.

"Keeping business and personal relationships separate takes work and skill. The more you run over a possum, the flatter it gets. If a partnership isn’t working, get out of it. Don’t keep running over it hoping it’ll puff up, back into a healthy possum."

To find out if this particular working relationship is a healthy possum, let’s take a peek at Nancy Robinson Masters' reaction. "She’s going to write a devo about runover possums? Fine with me. I have to tell you that this woman who did special music at church yesterday sang AMAZING GRACE and forgot the words slap dab in the middle. Did it keep her from singing? Of course not."

Between laughs, Masters asked if I’d ever heard, "I can’t remember the words" sung to the tune of AMAZING GRACE? "No one but a true writer could pull that off without a bobble. Which is why I’m sure her latest devo will be about how you can’t quit writing when you hit a bobble in the middle," Masters concluded

I pronounce this working relationship to be a healthy possum. Nonetheless, Nancy Robinson Masters' constant cry is, "Contract! Contract!" You bet the two of them have a contract. In a WRITER’S DIGEST article, Durant Imboden stated that ideally you should have the agreement drafted by an attorney. "If you choose to write it on your own, be sure that you’ve covered every possible eventuality so that neither of you will be stuck with a half-finished or unmarketable manuscript if the collaboration doesn’t work out."

With the contract securely wrapped up, I doubt that either party of any successful writing partnership has much of a chance to stare too long at a blank page; however, since much of the work still has to be done alone, like Gene Fowler said, "a few drops may form on your forehead." There must be a certain comfort, though, to be able pick up the phone or send an E-Mail that shouts, "Help!"

* * * * *

Susan Long Turner is co-author with Russ Turner of "Wings Born Out of Dust" which is available now from 23 House Publishing and is also available in trade paperbacks and hardback at other major online bookstores. Visit her Website

The Poet's Drink
by Stephanie Nolasco

Having the usual case of writer's block? Want an easier way to relax and gain inspiration? How about trying a homemade elixir known as "The Poet's Drink?" No alcohol is included, but you'll surely get a kick in your creative juices flowing throughout your body. No, this isn't some magical potion that will make you write like William Shakespeare, but it will do until I find the exact ingredients for that tonic. However, it's a delicious hot drink that will get your creative juices flowing and relax you enough to start writing. Not only did I invent it, but it has been a source of relaxation while writing important pieces on tight deadlines. You don't have to spend major bucks in Dean and Deluca, but it will keep your writing friends coming over often.

The Poet's Drink Recipe

Coffee - ( *I use Starbucks® Columbian mild coffee, but you can use any kind of coffee.)
White Sugar
Vanilla Extract (Can be bought in bodegas and supermarkets. I used Vanilla from the Dominican Republic.)
Cream or milk
Whip Cream
Ground Cinnamon

First, brew coffee of choice, until it's nice and hot. Once the coffee is done, add amount of sugar as desired. Then, pour a small amount of milk or a tablespoon of cream. Mix thoroughly. Put four drops of vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix. Put a lenient amount of whip cream on top and sprinkle with cinnamon. Drink and be filled with ideas!

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Stephanie Nolasco is a young writer residing in New York City. To learn more about Stephanie and her writings, please visit her site at http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/snolasco

The Omnibus of Palmistry
by Syd Dunne

Dennis watched her step off the train and glanced about; there wasn't anyone on the platform. It was eerily silent; even the birds and insects were strangely mute.

"Here you go, ma'am." The conductor's voice boomed in contrast to the quiet, rolling steam from the engine. He proffered a colorful carpetbag with tortoiseshell handles at the woman.

"Thanks," she replied; followed by a soft, "Umpht!"

With the heavy baggage in tow, she glided soundlessly across the cobblestones toward my ticket master's window. The sun shone brightly and a light wind caressed the loose strands of golden wheat-colored hair.

"Excuse me,” she said. “Is there any transportation available?"

"No, ma'am," Dennis replied. He smiled politely from behind the grilled opening. "You'll need to call a cab. The phone's to your right."

"Thank you," she said softly. She stared at his hands.  "May I?" she asked.  Without waiting, she reached through the small opening and gently took his right hand into hers.

"Lovely lines," she murmured. She languidly traced a crease along his palm with her gloved index finger. "You have a very unique lifeline. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Uh, no, lady." He mildly attempted to extricate his hand from hers. "I really must get back to work."

"Let me show you something; may I?"

He sighed. "If you must."

She grabbed his left hand and flipped it palm up.

"See this line?" Her finger delicately pointed to a somewhat matching line on his palm.

"Yes."

"Notice how long it is?  See how it curves around the palm?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Now look at this hand." She again flipped his right palm upward.  "See how the line is different?  It is split?"

"Uh-huh," he replied absently. He just wasn't accustomed to a woman approaching him, especially one as shapely and dainty as Miranda.

"Your life has a duality to it, sir." She gently rubbed his palm with her soft gloved hand. "Do you know why?"

He shook his head silently back and forth and then shrugged his shoulders for added emphasis.

"How long have you lived alone in your cottage, Dennis?"

"Who the hell are you lady?" he yelled.  Yanking his hand from hers, he pulled back from the window.  "What kind of game are you playing?"

He stared at her, looking for anything that might strike a memory of familiarity with him.  She was lovely, a diffused light emanating from her face, with long tresses caressing her cheeks.  He gazed into her eyes, the most magnificent shade of blue that he'd ever seen.  Suddenly he was reminded of a rosebud freshly kissed by dew. He was a sponge absorbing every detail of her.

"How'd you know my name?" he whispered.

"My name is Miranda," she replied.  "I am Palmist to..." Her words faltered and she hesitated.  "I am a palmist," she finally said.

Dennis nodded absently, completely enraptured in her beauty.  He eased closer.

"You live alone, sir," Miranda said.  She once again took his hand into hers.  "You've lived alone many years."

He nodded and tried feebly to remember exactly how many years he'd lived alone.

"You have a quaint cottage in the woods, not far from this station."

He nodded and visualized the serene setting that he called home. It had been a home for too many years for him to remember.

"You will have many children."

She could feel his muscles tense and she strained to keep his hand.

"Please, Miranda," Dennis pleaded.  "You've played your game with me so now just go away."  Dennis extricated his hand from hers.  "I've got to close. Thank you, but the phone is there to the right."

Dennis silently slid the small, wooden doors together and latched them.  A tear traced a path down his cheek when he heard the soft knocking on the just closed door. He'd been happy until this moment.

"Leave me alone," he whispered.  Why must people always interfere? he thought.

"I'm leaving you a book," Miranda said. "Read it. I'll contact you again.  It is very important to both you and me."

"I don't want your book," he said. The thud against the window's doors told him that she'd left it nonetheless. "I said I don't want your damn book," he yelled.

Dennis waited, but heard nothing as he listened and watched through the clouded, dirty windows of the office. He could see all of the train platform except the area directly in front of him. He'd know when she left his closed ticket window since she'd have to pass the windows on either side of it.

"Go away, Miranda." He was getting tired of the standoff but he had more time than she. The next train wouldn't be stopping at the station for almost three hours.

For two hours Dennis sat in his chair with arms crossed, defiantly waiting for her to make a noise, not making a sound on his side of the doors.

"Damn you, woman," Dennis said. He reached up and snapped open the doors.  A big book lay on the other side of the grill.  "I said I don't want it."

The platform was empty.

Dennis grunted out of his chair and sauntered to the door which he cautiously opened onto the platform, waiting.  She had to be there; perhaps he'd missed her crossing in front of a window.

The station area was vacant, except for the huge, ragged tome. Dennis hefted the book and was amazed at its weight, or rather, lack of weight. He held the book out in front of him sizing the dimensions: twice the thickness of a good metropolitan phone book yet weighing less than half that of a small paperback. He felt if he threw it into the air it would take flight on wings that didn't exist.

Clutching the book close to him, Dennis scurried back inside to his office and booth area. He gently placed the book on the desk and flipped open the cover revealing an ornate page with the words: THE OMNIBUS OF PALMISTRY by Rosebud.

"Palmistry," Dennis whispered.   He carefully moved the next page over.  It was light and airy contrary to the heavy look of parchment.  He listened to the page crinkle on its path from one side to the other.

He examined each hand image, one per page, slowly tracing the lines across the pages while reading detailed, yet obscure, meanings for each line.

The train whistle interrupted his reading and he put the book to one side and watched the passengers getting off. He would glace over at the book, making sure it was still there. The people meandered about the station, milling in groups. Why? Normally within five minutes of the train's departure, usually the passengers would be gone and he would again be left alone.

He started to notice the people; they weren't the usual passengers.  They wore garments that appeared to be normal, yet there was an airiness, a not-of-this-realm about their whole being.

"Excuse me," a man said.

Dennis stepped back, startled since he'd not seen the man approach.

"Can you tell me if Miranda was here?"

Dennis quickly glanced over at the book to assure himself that he still had possession of it.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man said. 

Dennis turned back and could see that the man was staring at the book also. 

"Thank you," the stranger said. 

The man left and Dennis staggered to his chair, sat and watched out the window to watch.  He could swear that the man had bowed his head to him.

Why had he apologized? Dennis thought.

The man lifted his arms and beckoned everyone to him. They flocked around him like children to an ice cream vendor. They huddled and listened intently to the man talk. Occasionally one would sneak a glance at the building, directly at the window.

Dennis nervously slid his hand across his forehead and wiped the sweat away.

"I'll call the police," he whispered.  "They shouldn't be doing that."

Doing what? he thought. Get a grip on yourself. You've been spooked and things aren't as bad you imagine.

"Miranda!" someone shouted. "You've come."

Dennis quickly glanced out the other window to see her gliding across the cobblestones of the train station.  She was headed toward his teller window.

This isn't good, he thought.

"Are you finished with the book?" Miranda asked.

"Finished?" he yelled.  "I've only opened the damned thing and looked at a couple of pages." 

Suddenly images of hands, thousands of them, flooded his mind and he reeled from the onslaught. Lines, creases, even tiny inflections that he would have never noticed in a hand, bombarded him as palm after palm flashed through his memory.

"You realize now that you're the one," Miranda said.  She watched Dennis as his eyes dilated and his face softened.

"I'm the what?"

"You are the new palmist," she replied.  "The duality?"

"I don't understand," Dennis drawled.  "A duality of life lines indicates that a change may occur in a person's life.  I've not changed, I'm still the ticket master of this train station.  I still live in my cottage."

"The cottage is the key," Miranda said. "You've lived there all your life, secluded and alone. Why?"

Dennis stared at her.   He knew he should be scared or upset; perhaps call the police. This wasn't his normal day.

"That huge volume is yours, Dennis," she said.  "Perhaps if I call you by your real name you'd better understand, Dennick."

Dennick, the name struck a ring of familiarity. Dennick. He liked it.

"What did you mean, the cottage is the key?  Why is my name Dennick?"

"Your name is Dennick, not Dennis. Do you actually think that your local palmist, Madame Yolanda, is using her real name? As to the cottage, you've lived alone in that small cottage how many years? A quaint cottage with woodland violets blooming in the window boxes; ferns spreading magnificently by the door and the ever present fresh scent of the forest. Have I not described your home?"

Dennis' eyes glazed in the memory of his home, nestled in amongst the pines, oaks and maples. He could hear the birds singing and the rustling of a mole or chipmunk scurrying in the dried undergrowth.

"How is it the key?" Dennis demanded. 

"Only a person who can exist with nature and understand the mechanisms as defined by the cottage can comprehend the full extent of the Omnibus. I've searched the other six cottages hoping to find the next palmist."

"Other six?" Dennis repeated.

"There are seven cottages at crucial vortex crossings that allow the next potential palmist-to-be to exist until needed.  The other six residents did not have the duality line and therefore could not currently fulfill the obligation.  If you'd not had the duality lines, then the next set of rules would have been implemented."

"I see," Dennis mumbled.  "So I'm your guy, huh?" He glanced down at his hands and flipped them palm upward, then frowned. The lines and creases blazed as if etched in fire; he couldn't remember ever seeing his hands being this detailed.

"These are your children, your students, your followers," Miranda said.  She bowed slightly and motioned toward the group huddling on the platform.

"My what?" He looked at the gathered bodies she pointed to.

"The book chooses," she said.  "The book knows. It is the omnibus.  My time is over and a new palmist to Queen Nefirah has been chosen.  Open your door and come out."

He again stared at his hands, both the right and the left.  Yes, the lifeline on his right hand was definitely different, split, but bold.  The overlap was almost insignificant.

"Your life is changing now, Dennick.  Read your palm.  Do you see it?  You will accept that which the book has decided."

Yes, Dennis thought. "I will accept this." It was a resignation like he'd never had before. He felt comfortable, at one with all. He walked over to the huge book, picked it up and then headed out the door onto the platform.

Warm air swirled to greet him and birds in the distance sang a lilting song. Dennis was comforted and suddenly confident of himself. He was a new man, no longer the retiring man that wished to be left alone.  He embraced this new power he felt coursing through him.

A surge of knowledge, fed by the omnibus he held, Dennis, now known as Dennick, moved forward to his group. Queen Nefirah awaited him, as did his followers. Miranda trailed behind him. 

"All hail, Dennick," Miranda said.

"Dennick," the group said in unison and kneeled in obedience to the quiet ticket master, the new Palmist to Queen Nefirah.

* * * * *

Syd Dunne is a retired news reporter from the Washington, DC area. You may visit her website at http://www.rolian.com/syd