Category: Fantasy Publisher: Eternal Press
Type: Fiction
Pages: 101
Copyright: Nov 7, 2007
ISBN-13: 9790980426335
13 tales of Twisted Fates in fantasy, sci-fi and mystery
My story, "Divine Sympathies" leads off this unique anthology.
Read an interview with Prospero or see the video trailer at: http://www.kimmcdougall.com/NF_Prospero.html
Read about Franz Anton Mesmer, the inspiration behind "Divine Sympathies" at http://www.kimmcdougall.com/Mu_Mesmer.html
The Stories:
Divine Sympathies, By Kim McDougall. Prospero stakes his fate on a crippled boy and the
Divine Sympathies, flowing in the veins of a tree. His apprentice, Edouard, has his own
destiny and, after all, one tree looks much like another.
Fate: A Hypothetical Construct, By Graeme S. Houston. An antique copy of Dante's Inferno
holds the truth of humanity's fate. Fate brings it into the hands of a scientist. With his
foreknowledge, maybe he can stop it—the ultimate and terrible fate that awaits us.
Sometime Place, By Jane Toombs. Vada is lost somewhere at some time. The Nut Cracker
Man stalks her, and the sand keeps seeping in.
Noble Sincere, By Jeff Jewett. "Music is the taking of a soul when the body don't want to
give it up, you see…It only means when that soul get up to go, the body wont have the
know-how nor the strength to stop it."
A Nurse, Forever, By Lisa Logan. Staff and patients at St. Gertrude's hospital are plagued by
a series of unexplained occurrences. Can head nurse Amelia Setzer get to the bottom of
ghostly doings before mysterious Room Twenty completely unravels busy Unit Three
West?
R.I.G.S, By Brian L. Porter. After centuries probing space, all but forgotten by its human
creators, the Remote Intelligence Gathering System finally makes contact with alien life.
But something incredible has happened on board the probe. R.I.G.S has evolved.
The Chain Forged in Life, By Jens Rushing. "Right after the entire globe went up in a blaze
of nuclear light — oceans boiling, mountains crumbling — Chris Novacek, the shuttle pilot
on the Multinational Orbital Observation Platform, MOOP, got a case of the giggles."
The Voice Within, By Brian L. Porter. A serial killer is stalking the streets of Paris. The police
seem incapable of apprehending the man the popular press have dubbed 'The Butcher
Beast'. Perhaps the greatest tragedy in this tale is not how The Butcher Beast takes the
lives of his unfortuante victims, but why!
In the River, By Jane Toombs. When a jet crashes into New York's East River, the coffin of
Truth's definitely peculiar ancestor goes down with it. But surely his bones, in or out of
the coffin, are safely at the bottom of the river--aren't they?
The Real Miranda, By Rae Lindley. David Wright wanted a quiet place to work on his new
novel, until he witnesses the murder of a beautiful woman, only to see her walking around
the hotel the next day. Was it a hallucination or something twisted beyond his
imagination?
Dangerous Creatures, By Terry Collett. "Penny smiled. The recollection of old
Chamberlain's fall was fresh in her memory. The last thing he expected from two beautiful
young ladies, as he often referred to them."
The Festival, By Brian L. Porter. Driving on the Moors in Northern England, Simon and Clare
get caught up in the Festival. The young couple soon discovers that all is not as it seems
in the village of Bardley Magna.
Drumalla Calling, By Steve Westcott. Drumalla, the hall of the brave, were the only criteria
for entry is that you die a heroes' death. But when the bravest thing Alwysyll has ever
done is get out of bed in the morning, an invitation to mix with past heroes would seem
like an aspiration too far.
Excerpt
Master, they are primed,” I whispered to Prospero. Primed was the state of climactic anticipation needed for a body to accept the flux of Divine Sympathies.
Prospero meditated in his small parlor. He nodded, but did not take his eyes off the crystal orb in his lap. It was his gateway to the universe. He filled his veins with its power, readying himself to transfer that healing balm to his clients.
I brought the first patient, Lady Trafalgar, into the surgery. She was a large woman, exiled from London, while her husband paid tribute to his clients in Vienna.
I relished these small moments of wonder in Prospero’s service. Simple acts, such as leading Lady Trafalgar into the surgery. After hours in the reception room, the relief was plain on her face. She had long since stopped trying to hide the sweat on her brow. Greying hairs escaped from her combs in damp curls.
“Bless you,” she breathed. I took many such blessings in proxy for the great man.
The surgery, lit by mage’s fire, was unbearably bright after the dim parlor. It was a bare white room. A purgatory, with a feather bed clothed in crisp white sheets as the only furniture.
Lady Trafalgar shaded her eyes and nearly swooned. I held her arm firmly.
“Wait here, my Lady. The great Prospero will be with you in a moment.”
“But there is no chair,” she said, glancing at the bed.
“No, there isn’t.”
I did not need to watch what happened next. I had seen it a hundred times.
Lady Trafalgar waited alone for several long minutes, until her anticipation verged on a breakdown, and then Prospero appeared in a cloud of mist, a simple conjuring that never failed to impress. Prospero’s indigo gown rose around him on the wings of a mage wind. His hair, as white as the walls, was purposely unkempt, wild and billowing like a madman’s or an angel’s. Lady Trafalgar gave into her trembling and fell to her knees. Prospero’s silky gown enveloped her as his arms bound her into the circle of the Divine Sympathies. He shouted the ancient words of power, calling the universe’s humors to him. His fingers pressed her temples hard enough to bruise and she swooned, her eyes rolling back in her head. All the while Prospero shouted until the froth of his words lathered the patient’s face. He set her on the bed as gently as a mother with her newborn, and passed his energized hands over her body, once, twice and then again, until the shame of his touch was almost too much for the good lady to bear.
And then he was gone.
Lady Trafalgar waited until her heart slowed. She wiped the spittle of the great Prospero from her face and returned home, cured of her digestive difficulties and looking forward to her next invitation to tea so that she might revel in the glow of her sordid experience.
Read more excerpts at: http://www.kimmcdougall.com/NF_TOF.html
Professional Reviews
Twist of Fate gets 4 Cups from Coffeetime Romances!
Divine Sympathies
Edouard Breugen is an apprentice to Prospero the physician and invoker of the Divine Sympathies. He begins to suspect a star patient’s cure and thus the physician’s abilities. Will he betray his mentor? Prospero is on the brink of becoming the master physician he sees himself as until his apprentice voices another opinion that would denounce his abilities. Will his superior wisdom prevail or will his own apprentice prove him a charlatan?
Ms. Kim Mcdougall has written a tale of deception and the dawning of modern psychology. I liked this story.
Fate: A Hypothetical Construct
On August 15, 2047 -Professor Lainimen buys a second hand book and finds a newspaper from the future stuck between the pages, a message foretelling of a disaster that occurs twenty years in the future. A man witnesses a disaster chronicled in an old newspaper clipping confirming a theory and then scrawls a message in the border of the article, a message to his former self.
Mr. Graeme S. Houston has written a haunting tale of future possibilities. Could we someday write a note to our former selves? Great concept.
Sometime Place
Vada is stuck in a room, she knows not where. What she does know frightens her as the sands blow under the door, slowly filling the room. Will her tormentor ever come back? The Nutcracker Man has locked Vada in a room for her transgressions after he found her cheating with another man. Will he release her or will the sands cover his crimes.
Jane Toombs has written a story of mental decline and impending death. The perpetrator is waging a jealous mind game . It makes you think.
Noble Sincere
Music is the taking of a soul when the body don’t want to give it up, as said by Noble Sincere. Danny Mills is the eleven year old clarinet player who learns that and more at his knee. Noble Sincere is the old time clarinet player who imparts his knowledge of music to the next generation in hopes of preserving it. Will his demise be the end of that knowledge.
Mr. Jeff Jewett has written a poignant story full of old time wisdom and future talent. I liked it.
A Nurse, Forever
Head Nurse Amelia Setzer is tired of the incessant buzzing coming from Room number twenty, the empty room. The former head nurse, Connie Lee Mayer had died in that room five years before. Connie Lee Mayer was a dedicated nurse caring for her patients with utmost concern. When she tirelessly watches over Enid Crondike and she succumbs despite her efforts. Is the chest X-Ray her last ditch effort to find a cure?
Ms. Lisa Logan has written an entertaining tale of dedication to duty, even in death. I enjoyed it.
R.I.G.S
Robotic Intelligence Gathering System or Rigs for short, having been instilled with all of the human characteristics found himself sentient and lonely. Afraid to respond to a distant planet’s greeting he hesitates to put earth in possible jeopardy but finally decides to at least say hello. Would he find companionship on the newly found planet of Lura? The Lurans had been sending out greetings of welcome for thousands of years when Rigs replies. They are necessarily cautious but optimistic when they learn of Rigs home planet and finally agree to allow him clearance to land.
Mr. Brian L. Porter has written a chronicle of what happens to us humans if left alone too long, even if Rigs is an android. I devoured this story.
The Chain Forged in Life
The occupants of MOOP watch fascinated as earth explodes in a fire ball. Chris attacks and kills George, one of the remaining people alive, floating millions of miles out in space. After Chris is locked away, life continues with a decidedly vacant agenda. What will become of the survivors? Dr. Brad Davies and Kalyna are the two remaining survivors in their right mind. Brad quickly sizes up the situation and confronts Kalyna with the truth of their duty to procreate to continue the human race.
Ms. Jens Rushing has written a cautionary tale of what could happen if man does not preserve what is left of earth. It is scary to contemplate our annihilation.
The Voice Within
Anton Bouchard lost his wife to a disease she contracted while helping in faraway continents. Overcome with grief, he now listens to a voice only he can hear. Then a co-worker alerts him to another mutilation. The voice is hauntingly familiar, with each new case it grows stronger. Each sacrifice more brutal than the last. With the Butcher Beast loose with no leads, the police department was at odds. Who could be the killer?
Mr. Brian L. Porter has written a tale that will have readers exclaim AHA, at the end. Loved the twist.
The River
Truth Yerington and her nephew Mark Latimer visit a memorial for the victims of a plane that had crashed in the East River and discuss the possible reincarnation of Abe Yerington whose coffin now resides in said river. Mark dismisses the family curse which his Aunt Truth tried to forewarn him of. She is afraid his coffin will not hold him since he has reappeared three times already. Will he reappear this time?
Ms. Jane Toombs has written a story of someone who refuses to stay dead. I’m sure some would love to keep coming back but to what? This story is disturbing.
The Real Miranda
David Wright, being a nosey man, unwittingly witnesses a murder through a secret window into the room next door to his. Then he sees the same woman downstairs in the lobby of the hotel. What is going on? Gary Fitzpatrick is pretending, with the help of an actress to review the hotels amenities until his divorce is final. He and is wife are fighting over the hotel business and are keeping up appearances or are they?
Ms. Rae Lindley weaves a web of greed and deception,. You can not always believe what you see. I was dumbfounded by the conclusion. Great Yarn.
Dangerous Creatures
Penny and Cenzi Marlborough are the twin daughters of David Marlborough business tycoon. When ever he speaks of partnerships his prospective partners always meet an untimely end. Is he cursed? Cenzi is haunted by the faces of her daddy’s prospective partners while Penny dismisses the incidents as the cost of doing business. But is murder costly enough?
Ms. Terry Collett has written a sinister tale of greedy, manipulating sisters who stop at nothing to get their way and the consequences. Is murder possible? Who knows?
The Festival
Simon Eckersley is hopelessly lost until he finds a signpost that points the way to Bardley Magna. Claire, his girlfriend notices the lone inhabitant’s, old fashioned dress and hairstyle but dismisses it.
Mr. Brian L. Porter has written a sad story of community spirit continuing, even after death. I loved it.
Drumalla Calling
Alwysyll is one of King Bran’s trusted chieftains and a warrior of Connact. Being the leader of the tribe of Wewonowt, a rag tag group of old men, he faces the challenge of war with a decidedly hesitant heart. Forbai informs Alysyll of the king’s choice for vanguard in the upcoming battle against the Leeks with an idea to get rid of the bothersome intellectual and his gang of misfits. He had his eye on annexing Alysyll’s land adjacent to his.
Mr. Steve Westcott has written a tale of bravery despite all odds. I enjoyed the plot twist.
All of these stories make you think and wonder at the vagaries of life, be it in times long past or times not yet here. There is no telling the different possibilities. I enjoyed them all.
The Kalugu is the third book in the fifteen book series, The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of others worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play the many parts t
The Rise of Lord Belmundus is the first book in the fifteen book series, The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of others worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play
