New Easy to Navigate Link Buttons!

At the top, you will notice my new tab links for easy navigation of previous episodes!  I'd love your feedback about this new feature... do you like it?  After all, you are the reader and the one who will be navigating the site!

In other news:  It is official.  I have made the decision to stop taking all college courses for the time being.  I have been much too over-loaded with the stress and having the new baby, and fulfilling all other things that are mine to take care of.  So, I have a great weight lifted off of my shoulders, and I hope to be able to put the effort into my blogs and my novel that they deserve!  Yaay!  I hope you all are still there!  I am regrouping my creativity to being new posts!

Have a great fall evening!

Evelyn Campbell Curtis

21: Trapped

Before I start, I just to mention a small change that I made in episode 20 toward the end.  Justin was to have kicked in the door to the warehouse, however, upon planning the next episode, I realized that I needed the door intact (you'll see why soon enough)!  So, just a few sentences have been changed on the 2nd to last paragraph.




Justin stood awkwardly next to the door as Sora and Witold had their reunion.  Sora was acutely aware of Justin's presence didn't know whether to question Witold, hug him... or kiss him.  As she approached him, her stomach fluttered with excitement.  Oddly enough, she had missed him over the last few weeks. That was a feeling she didn't expect to ever feel for him.

Heat spread over Sora's face, and after a brief hesitation, Sora closed the distance between them, and hugged Witold.  His embrace was strong; stronger than she thought it would be.  Being away from him since their new connection, Sora had forgotten that Witold had... changed... how he had, matured.  She pulled back and met his gaze.  The light from the door was dancing off his eyes.

"How did you find me?"  Sora whispered.  "Why are you here?"

Before Witold could answer, Justin tripped, knocking a metal wrack full of books to the floor.  "Sorry," he said, clearly embarrassed.  He wasn't sure what to do with himself and where he stood with Sora, and now she was in the arms of another man... er, Kiswan.  Justin stepped forward awkwardly, offering his hand to Witold.  "I'm Justin," he said. 

Witold merely glanced down at it, then back up at his face puzzled.  Instead, Sora reached out and shook Justin's hand to show him how to do it.

"How dare you touch her!"  Witold said.

"Witold!" Sora pleaded.  "Please!  He is my friend!"

"What is he trying to do?"  Witold seethed.  "Doesn't he know that you are promised to me?"

The door slammed shut interrupting Witold's rant, and through the little window toward the top of the door, Sora could see Cartwright peeking in.  She ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. 

"What is going on?"  Witold seethed. 

"I don't know," Sora said as she walked back to him.  Justin began examining the steal door.  It was heavy, and well made.

Witold pulled Sora to the side and asked, "Who is this human?  Why are you with him?"

Sora knitted her eyebrows together.  "He is my friend, and and he is helping me!  Did you expect me to do this all by myself?"

"Well, that is why Leo sent me here, to help you."  Witold pulled away and walked toward a window at the opposite end of the building.  Sora followed.  The window was reinforced with bars. 

"I didn't know that you would be coming to help me Witold."  Sora reached for his arm, and turned Witold to face her.  "I was told that I would be on my own."

"Jess tricked me though.  How do you know that he isn't going to do the same?"  Witold asked.  "Jess knew so much about this... Justin."  The resentment was clear in his voice.  "She seemed to think that he was, courting you."  His jaw clenched together.

Embarrassed, Sora's face turned red again.  She reached for Witold's face and said, "He is not courting me, nor I him.  He has been my only ally here!  From day one, Jess was trying to find a way to take me away."


Witold pulled away, clearly hurt that I had bonded with another male.  "But how do you know for sure that he isn't in on the plan?"


"Because..." Witold was balling up his fists with his eyes narrowed in irritation.... "Witold!  Because, he is one of us!"

Witold snapped out of his emotion.  "What?  How can this be?"

"Can't you see the resemblance?" Sora asked.  "He told me all about his ancestors and how there is a legend that is passed down from generation to generation about another race called the Kiswan.  He is part of that line."

"What does this mean?"  Asked Witold.  "This would make him the closest to the true royal blood line."

Sora looked over at Justin and said quietly, "I do not know.  We need to take this before the counsel."

Witold seemed bothered by the situation.  Sora sensed that he was thinking about whether or not Justin was entitled to the throne.... would he be more eligible to partner Sora?  Butterflies fluttered in Sora's stomach at the thought.  She really had grown to like Justin.  She just wasn't sure in what way she likes him.

"Well, the counsel will have to wait."  Sora said, want to distract Witold from his thoughts.  "We have to finish this quest, or else there won't be a kingdom to rule."

It Has Been Far Too Long!

First off, I am sorry for just dropping off for a while.  I have really needed a break.  My current class is American History.  I love it, and I have been learning a lot of things that I seemed to have let slip from my mind during high school and middle school classes.  However, since each of my courses are only 7 weeks, that means we get to cram a whole lot of information into that short amount of time.  So I have been busy reading, and interacting in my class.

Not only that, I have been feeling creatively stretched.. well, stretched in every direction.  I am really feeling the push to get my novel finished, but along with my important household and child taking care of duties, I have been stretched to my current max.  So, I am stepping away from Sora for the time being. 

Now, no worries, I really love Sora, and her story is not finished.  I have so much more to say for her, but now is not the time.  On my other blog, I mentioned my anxiety.   It has been coming up here and there, and I have pinned its origins to too much stress.  Oh how I wish I could do it all.  I'd love to be able to clean the house, write my novel, do my homework, take care of the new baby, take care of the older girls (who tend to tease and pick on each other), and run all of the errands that go with being a mom in one day.  So, needless to say, the more I stack items on top of my list, the more I shut down... my creativity goes out the window, and my drive to get the more important things done vanishes.

So please forgive me, but at this time, Sora is taking a break.  She'll be back...so don't unfollow!

If you would like, you are more than welcome to follow me on my other blog.  It is mostly my online journal, with my musings, and the events that happen in my family.  My posts on that blog will be slow until my history class is complete, but I'll be around.

I will see you soon I hope!

Evelyn Curtis

20: Confusing Feelings

Witold sat in a small windowless room, on a flimsy metal chair with his hands patiently in his lap.  The walls were made of light stone blocks, which gave the room a cold feeling.  There was a metal door with a small window toward the top.  Witold was told that this was where he would be staying while in the human realm, all though there was no bed.

He stood up and walked to the door.  He reached for the door knob to ask Jess how long until Sora would be back, when he realized that there was not a handle.  The only thing there was a circular plate.  The door must have opened from the outside only.  Witold pressed his face up against the glass window to try and see Jess.  She was no where to be seen.

Witold had played off the stories about humans as a story to scare little Kiswan into doing what they were told.  If you didn't do what was expected, then the humans would come and get you.  Even Jess seemed to tiny and harmless, that he immediately put all thought of dangerous humans out of his mind... until now.  He began to pace the room looking for a way out.  He was not going to get this far and lay down.  If tiny little Jess could make him feel so comfortable, then turn around and lock him up, what might she have done to Sora?

That thought stopped him in his tracks.  He hadn't thought about that.  Was Sora alright?  He pulled the stone out of his pack and cradled it in his hand like it was a delicate flower that was beginning to wilt.  The glow that came from it was brighter than it had ever been.  Sora had to be close!  But what if something bad had happened to her, and the stone was left behind?

Picture Source

He marched over to the door and began to pound on it.  The sound echoed through the entire building, but no one seemed to be around.  Where had Jess gone?  What was she going to do with him?  She was so tiny that he could have lifted her with one hand and tossed her aside.

The turmoil inside was alarming to Witold.  He had never had such hostile feelings toward anything.  His heart was pounding in his chest.  He had to break free!  He began pacing again as he felt his adrenaline building up.  Unsure of what he was doing, Witold walked up to wall next to the door and kicked it with all of his might.

***********************************************************************************

As they waited, Sora and Justin sat on the tailgate of his truck.  The wind had begun to pick up, and in the distance they could see a brown haze.  The trees put off a fragrance that permeated the air, showing off its lush healthy foliage.  Had it not been for an odd twist in events for the day, Justin would have been completely content.  He had never met a girl like Sora before.  She was so down to earth, and exotic.  Her drive alone was an intriguing feature about her.  She never seemed to stray from what she was supposed to be doing.  He admired that about her.  Ever since Sora had seen her friend Witold, she hadn't said much at all.  She seemed to be thousands of miles away, yet she sat right next to him.

Even her sweet aroma trumped that of the lush trees in whose shade they waited.  Justin leaned back in order to pull an apple from the ice chest.  His heart pounded with excitement as he sat back up.  In the split second it took to retrieve the apple, he acted upon impulse.  Justin quickly put his arm around Sora.

She removed her attention from the gravel road and looked Justin directly in the eyes.  They seemed to glow, with the flecks of gold adorning the beautiful brown eyes.  Before she could say anything, Justin leaned in, his cheeks flushing... the sun must have gotten hotter... He paused slightly...


Jess's voice could be heard shortly before it cut out completely, followed by the purr of her little car.  Sora hopped off of the tailgate and dashed through the trees only to see the tail lights of Jess's little blue car.


"Justin!"  Sora called back toward the truck, "She left!  Let's go get Witold!"


Justin slowly slid off of the tailgate and whispered to himself, "Right... Witold."  He wondered why he felt like Witold was more than just a friend to Sora.


Sora was apparently impatient, because she ran back toward the truck, nearly bumping into Justin.  "Let's go in!"


"Wait!  Hang on!"  Justin couldn't help but smile at Sora's percistence.  "We need to go in slowly and quietly to make sure no one else is in there.  The last thing we need is for the mayor to call the police on us for trespassing."


"Trespassing?  What's....." Sora was interrupted by Justin.


"Trespassing is when one person goes in another person's house our yard without asking first."  Justin crouched down next to a bush in order to observe the building.


Justin looked up at Sora, "Well, come on!  You don't want to be seen!"


Sora obediently crouched down as well.  "How long do we have to wait?"


"Well, we need to make sure that Jess is not coming back."  Justin took a bite of his apple and chewed then swallowed.  "We need to give it at least ten minutes."  Another bite..... "Then we'll go in."


Sora sighed and leaned against a tree.


**********************************************************************************


Sitting across from Justin, Sora had time to reflect on what had just happened.  She knew that she liked Justin, but something about the feelings felt so wrong.  She absentmindedly picked the bark off of a stick.  She wanted nothing more than to choose a partner that she loved, not just the partner that she was told to partner with.  Something strange had happened just before Sore had left the Kiswone Nation.  It was unsettling, and she had tried as hard as she could to push it out of her mind.... until she actually saw Witold riding in Jess's car.


Needless to say, Sora was very grateful for the distraction that prevented Justin from kissing her.  She had to focus on her task at hand.  If she didn't succeed, it wouldn't be very long before no one would be able to fall in love.


Sora timidly said, "Justin, I..." she stopped, "I can't," was all she could get out.

"Why?"  Justin's voice sounded truly hurt.

"I don't know...I just have to focus on my quest."  Sora tossed the stick aside and stood up.

Justin remained squatting down, giving himself time to think.  "Well, I suppose, now that your friend is here, you won't be needing my help."

Sora was very confused at the change in Justin's tone.  Humans were very sensitive beings... even if Justin had Kiswan blood running through his veins.

Justin interrupted his thoughts, "Look, forget it...we can go now."

He climbed the fence and turned around expectantly waiting for Sora to follow.  Once she was over, Justin looked back and forth, and began to stealthily walk toward the building.  Before he could take two steps, they heard a loud crash come from within.  Both Sora and Justin forgot about being sneaky and sprinted, closing the distance between them and the building much faster.  Justin tried the doorknob, and oddly enough, it was unlocked!  He turned the knob, and pulled the door open, trying to see inside through the dim lighting.

Sora stepped through the doorway first, pausing to let her eyes adjust to the sudden darkness.  There was not one light on, and there were not any windows in the large room.  Sora glanced down each wall, and found a short hallway scattered with broken cinder blocks.  Emerging from the hallway was Witold, a fierce look in his eyes.

19: Planning a Break Out

King Otto sat in his throne room patiently listening to the complaints and concerns of the villagers.  He had just finished listening to a Kiswan from the neighboring village of Dulder express his concerns about his crops.  The Kiswan's name was Nule.  He farmed tuber roots that the Kiswan called poppers.  The poppers were a staple in the Kiswone Nation.  Most meals that were fixed, were fixed with the poppers in mind.

Nule's dress was simple.  He wore a long pant and no shirt.  His coppery skin was smooth and well muscled from plowing and harvesting over the years.  His only sign of aging was in his face, where wrinkles garnished his face, and his eyes twinkled with years of wisdom.  He was worried about the earth soil, because it was dry and without nutrient.  Nule had tried to call on the earth core to replenish the earth soil, but nothing came.

Otto knew that if the nutrients were not replenished, then the poppers would not be able to grow.  He had promised to go and see for himself after mid day sup.

The problems throughout the kingdom were all the same.  It appeared that the Kiswan were losing their power, and Otto did not know how to fix the problem.

**********************************************************************************

Justin and Sora stepped outside into the warm sun.  It was ten o'clock in the morning, and already, the temperature was nearing seventy degrees.  Sora closed here eyes and pointed her face at the sun.  The raise penetrated her skin, giving her goose bumps all over her arms and legs.  She smiled and headed down to Justin's truck.

Justin hurried ahead and opened the door for her.  She hesitated, but climbed into the truck.  "Thank you.  What do we need to do before we leave?"

Justin shut the truck door and walked around to his side, while getting in, he said, "We have to get gas in the truck... so it can run for a long time, and we have to get some food at the store," he paused, "so we don't have to stop very often."

Sora turned and looked out the back window.  There was a red box in the back right under the window.  Justin had dumped all of the ice from his freezer into it, forming a layer around the six cans of Coca-Cola inside.

"So if we put drinks and food into that little box, they will stay cold?.. even in this sun?"  Sora doubted the theory.  She smirked and sniggered at the thought.  "But the sun gets so hot here!"

"You'll see."  Said Justin.  "We will get even more ice at the store.  It should stay frozen in their for at least the day, and then some."

He put the truck into drive and headed toward the Farmer's Country Market.
***********************************************************************************

Witold sat in the passenger seat of the tiny car while the human, Jess, talked non-stop.  She talked about her 'boyfriend,' and her 'job.'  She had an awful lot to say... about everything.

The one thing that kept Witold in his seat was the stone that he held in the palm of his hand.  Its glow began to brighten with each mile they drove, until finally they drove into a 'city,' and the stone was warm to the touch and growing even more brightly.

There were homes everywhere, with cars and humans walking along the 'road.'  Some huge buildings, nearly the size of the feasting hall were everywhere.  Witold wondered what important humans lived in those buildings.

Witold pointed at a store and asked, "Is that where one of your kings live?"

Jess laughed out loud, "No, that is a store.... where we buy things?"

Witold still looked puzzled.

She sighed, "When we need something, like food, we go into that store with money and exchange for the food."

"Oh!  Can we go in there?"  Witold was excited about going into a store and buying anything you need!

"No."  Jess glanced away, "We are going to go to Sora, remember?  We are almost there, we just have to go to the place she is staying."

Jess' instructions were to take Witold to a warehouse north of Roswell.  She wasn't to stop anywhere.  Cartwright was sure that if Sora knew that another one of her people were captured that she would come looking for him, and they could capture her too.  Jess' heart pounded with excitement as she passed a busy gas station.

***********************************************************************************
Sora had been amazed at how ingenious the humans were with preserving food.  Some food was put in cans and sealed.  It would keep like that for years!  After they paid for the food, they made their way on to the next adventure... the gas station.

Justin wanted to show Sora how to fill his truck with gas.  He put a plastic card into a slot on the machine, and pushed a few buttons.  The machine beeped, and Justin opened the hole on the side of his truck, pulled off the nozzle, and inserted it into the hole.  He pulled the lever back and she could hear the liquid rushing into the gas tank.

"Its like feeding it!"  Sora had exclaimed.

"Kinda!"  Justin laughed.

Sora walked back around to the passenger side of the truck.  She leaned against the truck to watch the cars drive by while she waited.  Looking down the road, she saw a little blue car coming their way.  It had to have been Jess' car.  She watched as the car approached, and was shocked to see a human looking an awfully lot like Witold.  Sora's heart thumped, and her stomach fluttered uncontrollably.

"Justin!" She ran back around the truck to where Justin was putting the nozzle back on the machine.  "I just saw Jess drive by!"

"Okay," She's probably just going to work.

"No!  She had Witold in the passenger seat!"

"Who is Witold?"  Justin asked coolly.

"He is my... err, he is a Kiswan!" She looked down in thought.  "But how did he get here?" she said more to herself than to Justin.

"Someone came with you?"

"No!  I came alone," Sora said.  "I don't know why he would be here.... but we have to go and get him!  Who knows what Jess and Cartwright are planning to do with him!"

Justin grabbed his receipt and got back in the truck.  "Let's go then!  Let's see if I can catch up to her."

Sora hopped back into the truck, and Justin was pulling away before she even had the door shut!

He pulled onto the street and sped after Jess's car.  "If they have turned off onto another road, then we might not be able to find them."  Justin was leaning forward and weaving in and out of traffic, and after a few minutes said, "Hang on... is that her car?"

Ahead was the little blue car.  "Yeah!  It is!"  Sora sat up as if she could will the truck to catch up faster by leaning forward.

"Wait a second," Justin said.  "I wonder..."

Sora turned suddenly toward Justin, "Wonder what!"

"I have heard rumors, that Cartwright has some property north of town.  He keeps it chained off, with plenty of security.  I bet that is where she is taking him.  He most likely won't get away if they get him in there."

"Well what are we going to do?"  Sora asked.

After a few minute pause, Justin broke the silence.  "I think I have an idea."  He slowed way down, in order to back away from Jess' car.  Once her car went over a small hill, he turned off of the road, onto a road made of dirt.

Justin sped the truck down the road heading east.  A line of trees followed along the road on the left, and a farmer's crop spanned out to the right.  The line of trees began to get thicker the further Justin drove down the road.

"Where are we going?" Sora was anxious, and it was obvious.

Justin slowed down, and pulled into a group of trees on the left hand side of the road.  "Cartwright has a reputation of being somewhat erratic and crazy."

"Yeah, you mentioned that already."

"Well, he owns some property out here in the country.  Some friends of mine and I would sneak out here to spy on him."  Justin pointed through the trees.  "He has a warehouse in there.  He built it to house aliens when he would catch them."

"What?"  Sora jumped out of the truck and peered through the trees.

Sure enough, on the other side of the six foot chain link fence, was a giant building.  It stood about one fifty feet away from the fence, and sure enough, Jess' little blue car was pulling up at that moment.  Sora wanted a closer look, and she began to approach the fence.

"Sora, come back."  He grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "We don't want her to know that we are here, or else we won't be able to rescue him."

"I want to see him!"  Sora tried to pull her arm free, but Justin pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her in order to contain her.

"Shhh!  Or they will hear you!" He knelt down with her and nodded toward a small opening between the trees.  "You can see through here."  Justin let go of her, and watched as she peered through the trees.

She watched as Witold got out of the car and stretched his long legs.  Justin noticed Sora's reaction as the Kiswan looked around and hesitated to follow Jess into the warehouse.  Sora's full attention was on him.  She seemed to have forgotten that Justin was there.  Her eyes followed him until he had disappeared into the warehouse.

She seemed to snap back to reality, because she stood up and began pacing back and forth.  "What are we going to do?"  She paused to look at Justin who was still kneeling on the ground.  "How are we going to get him out of there?"

Justin stood up and moved to the truck.  Leaning up against it, he said, "Well, my friends and I used to come out here to see if old Cartwright had anyone locked up in there.  Some of the younger kids thought that he performed experiments on regular humans that he accused of being an alien."

At that, Sora stopped pacing, and her cheeks paled.  "Experiments?  What kind of experiments?"

Justin opened the cooler that was full of the fruits and vegetables that they had bought for their trip east and pulled out two cans of coke.  "I don't believe he ever did any experiments.  I think he just tied them up and interrogated them."  He handed a can to Sora who cracked it open and took a long gulp.

Coughing because of the carbonation, Sora said, "So, do you have a plan?"

"Why yes, I do!"  Justin took a sip of his soda.  "We just have to wait for Jess to leave."

"You think she will leave him in there all alone?"

"I most certainly do.  She isn't one for sticking around."  Justin said.  "We just need to be patient."

Time passed slowly as they ate some snacks and waiting quietly in the shade of the trees.  Sora was to pensive to talk much.  She was thinking about all of the questions that she would ask Witold.  She even wondered how their reunion would be.  She felt somewhat guilty for befriending Justin, yet, at the same time, she felt guilty for thinking of Witold.  What a confusing day.

Facebook!

Okay, today I set up my facebook page!  Feel free to follow me on facebook as well!  I will post updates, and post pictures.

Have a great day everyone!

Evelyn

Sora's Journey Facebook

18: Interception

This is a story being told in chapters, or episodes.  If you are knew to the blog, then feel free to start at the beginning of the story!  Episode 1, An Introduction.
Feel free to follow this blog, and share it with your friends!



"Jess, I have a job for you."  Whispered Jess' Uncle into the phone.

"What?  I can't hear you,"  Jess felt for the volume button on her phone and clicked it twice, "why are you whispering over the phone?"

"Don't worry about it... just listen Jess!"  Cartwright's tone was urgent and slightly crazed.  "I have a job for you!"

"But I'm already watching Sora.  If I go anywhere, I'll most likely lose her."  Jess hated to take orders from her uncle, because he always made her do the work. 

"Listen Jess, it's important."  He paused.  "Every time there have been alien sightings, they have been seen in multiples."

"Uh huh?"  Jess knew where this was headed.  She began pacing back and forth in front of her living room window.

"I really doubt that Sora came here all by her lonesome."  Cartwright cleared his throat and dropped his voice.  "If we are going to prove that we have made contact with extraterrestrial beings, then we need more than one of them for proof."

"You want me to go and see if there are any others lingering in Carlsbad, right?"

"Yes!  I love how you seem to be able to read my mind!  Good girl!  Now, where did you say that you found Sora?"  Cartwright asked in his southern drawl. 

Jess slumped down on the couch by the front window.  She sighed and said, "I found her at the Carlsbad Caverns.  She seemed to be on a tour there.... but to tell you the truth, she seemed like she had been sleeping in the caverns.  She had a bed roll and a backpack....."

"Good!"  Cartwright seemed to forget that he was trying to speak quietly.  "Now get down to Carlsbad and look for someone that looks like Sora.  I don't care if it takes you weeks, or even months!  There has to be another one!"

"Fine!"  Jess said, "but I'm sending you all of my receipts so you can reimburse me...gas included!"  And she hung up the phone.

Jess looked across the common area of her apartment complex one more time toward Justin's front door.  She sighed, then pulled herself off of the couch to get ready to head south to Carlsbad.

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Witold walked along a black path wondering where he was, and how he was going to find Sora.  So far, his experience had not been very positive.  The humans were an odd sort of species.  He shook his head as he remembered what had happened in the cave.

Witold came out of the black tunnel and found himself in a large cave.  There was a walkway with railings going around the big room of the cave.  He was leaning next to one of the stalagmites when a human came rushing toward him looking extremely upset.


The human started yelling at Witold about how he would stunt the growth of the stalagmite by touching it with his bare skin.  Witold was so fascinated with the appearance of the human that he tuned the lecture out.  


This human had on a pair of tan colored pants... only the pants were short, leaving the bottom half of his legs bare.  He had a matching shirt, and a hat made of the same material.  On the bottom half of the human's legs was so much hair!  Witold nearly laughed at how odd it looked.  The human's skin was dull in comparison to what he was used to with the Kiswan, and as other humans gathered to watch the show, Witold noticed how many different colors of skin there was... and how short most of the humans were!  


Witold must have had a smirk on his face, because the (apparently male) human said, "You think this is funny do you?  Do you realize, that particular stalagmite will not get any bigger because you touched it?"


Witold brought his attention back to the situation.  He stood up, and looked at the stalagmite with a slight frown.  "Oh, no.  I'm sorry, I didn't realize..."


"Oh, you didn't realize eh?  Every tour group is instructed not to touch any of the formations!"  The human was beginning to gain confidence in himself.  "Do you think you are above the rules?  You can do whatever it is you want?"


Witold clambered over the railing.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't know... no one told me not to touch anything.  I just came through that opening."  Witold pointed to a smaller cave behind him.


"What?"  The human looked behind Witold.  "There isn't an opening back there.  Let me see your receipt."


"Receipt?"  Witold must have seemed crazy to the humans.  "What is a receipt?"


The human grabbed Witold by the arm and said, "Come with me.  We'll get this sorted out!" and he escorted Witold up the path and into a tiny room that moved upward, toward the top of the cave.  It was almost like that little room was flying.

The black path that Witold continued to follow wound down and around a mountain.  The land was an odd beauty.  It was dry, with interesting plants... some with poky spines on them (he found that out the hard way).

He pulled out his stone and noticed that it had a somewhat brighter glow!  His heart thumped in excitement!  That meant he was headed in the right direction!

As he was nearing the bottom of the mountain, a small blue contraption, that Witold had learned was called a 'car,' zoomed past him, heading up the mountain.  It skidded to a halt and whipped around, stopping next to him.

A tiny human got out of the 'car' and studied him for a few minutes.  She had white hair, and was very pale.  She was about the size of a very young Kiswan, maybe comparable to an eight year old.

The obvious female human approached and asked, "Are you Sora's friend?"


Witold couldn't believe it!  How easy!  "Yes!  Sora is to be my partner when we return to the Kiswone Nation!  You know her?"


"Your partner eh?"  The human seemed to be enjoying some private amusement.  "Well, she doesn't seem to know that.. especially how she has buddied up to Justin."


"Justin?"  Witold scrunched his eyebrows, "who is...?"


The human interrupted, "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, "I'm Jess.  I'm Sora's friend.  She has been staying at my place.  She wanted me to come and get you.  She is busy meeting with.... the... uh...leader of our nation.  What's your name?"

"I am Witold."  Something didn't completely seem right with this human, Jess, but he was not in a position to be picky about his help.  "But how did Sora know that I was coming?  She should not even know that I know where she is."

Jess seemed uncomfortable, like a baby Kiswan being handed to someone it doesn't know.  "Oh, she knows..."

Jess motioned toward the car.  "Well, shall we?  We have an hour and a half drive ahead of us, I'd really like to get back to Roswell."

Roswell? Witold had no idea where or what this Roswell was.  He hesitated momentarily as he eyed the car, then Jess, then the road.  "You will take me to Sora?"

"Yes, yes!  Get in."  Jess opened her door and got in.  She waved for him to go around, looking slightly annoyed.

Witold walked around the car, opened the door, and got in.  He had to cram his long legs in to shut the door, and off they sped.