“Star Seeker”

Hi all!

Just wanted to invite you to check out a book series written by some friends of mine. It is called “Star Seeker: Novels of the Third Colonial War.” The story line follows a group of teenage midshipmen on their adventures in the Scout Corps., a future space military. The story is exciting, unique, and yet still family friendly. The characters are based on people the authors knew, so when one boy pulls out a cello to help him relax, it’s true! The books are currently available on Amazon, with an RPG in production, soon to be released by Scrying Eye Games. Please check it out. I’m sure feedback would be appreciated. And while you’re at it, please like the FaceBook page! Thanks!

Star Seeker on Amazon

Here is the “blurb” from Amazon:

Are you ready for high adventure beyond the borders of explored space? Then come join Midshipman Wesley Edwards and the crew of the intrepid Confederate Scout Corps’ Star Seeker on their maiden voyage into unexplored space. Wesley and his friend’s Xaochen “Jason” Ling, Todd Boldwyn and Theo Strang are newly minted graduates of the Scout Academy: Young men in their early teens that have so much to learn not just about duty, responsibility and the dangers of space, but of life itself. Under the capable guidance of Lieutenant Commander James S. Lane, their mission is to explore new and exotic worlds and open them for settlement. At least, that’s how things started out….

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The Prince and the Princess

This is a story that I wrote when I was 7 and in 2nd grade at Skycrest Christian School. (There has been spelling and grammatical correction.) I thought you all might enjoy reading what came out of my imagination at that age (some of you may remember it), though the story isn’t complete without my illustrations. 🙂 I had a little help from my dad, predominantly for stylistic things (like not using the same adjectives all the time) but most of it is purely me. It’s every little girl’s dream to meet a handsome prince who becomes her best friend, thinks she’s beautiful, and saves her from the troubles of her life…and this is how one seven-year-old told her story. 🙂

The Prince and The Princess

Chapter 1

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful, blonde, 23-year old princess named Eowyn. She loved the outdoors, big butterflies, animals, trees, tiny bugs, grass, moss, and pretty flowers. She asked her mom, Queen Elizabeth, if she could go outside. While she was riding her horse Duchess she met a handsome prince. They became best friends. She introduced Prince Derek to her parents Queen Elizabeth and King Edward and her sisters, Caitlin and Rhiannon. Derek loved Eowyn, but she did not know it. They had fun together, riding their horses Duke and Duchess through the grassy fields close to her royal castle.

Chapter 2

In a near-by dark and scary cave lived a huge, magical, flying fire-breathing dragon named Ruhtra. He wanted to capture the Princess Eowyn and make her his wife, because he was a powerful wizard in a magical disguise. “I have an idea,” Ruhtra hissed to himself. “I will get disguized up as the prince and catch Eowyn. Once I have done it, I will disguise myself as the princess. Then I will capture the prince and put a sleep spell on Derek so that he will never wake again. I, Ruhtra the magificent, will have beautiful princess Eowyn all to myself.” Ruhtra grabbed the pouch of magic dust thata he wore on a rope around his scaly neck. The dragon sprinkled the golden dust all over his scaly body. The room was filled with a glistening glow as bright as the sun. his claws became feet and hands; his scaly head became a human’s head, and his tail disappeared completely. He staggered toward the huge mirror that hung on the dark cave wall. He laughed at what he saw. He looked just like the prince!

Chapter 3

“Oh, hello Derek! What are you doing here?” asked Princess Eowyn. She was picking roses and was not expecting to see Derek.

“I’ve got something to show you,” the prince said. Who was really Ruhtra in his magical disguise. “Close your eyes. Hold my hand and I’ll take you to this really terrific place.” Ruhtra took her to his cave. “We are there now. You can open your eyes,” he told Princess Eowyn.

“Aaaaaaah!” screamed Eowyn. She was terrified when she opened her eyes, because Ruhtra had turned into a hideous dragon.

Ruhtra quickly tied her up and laughed loudly, “I am not your handsome prince but Ruhtra the Magnificent! Oh you are such a pretty fool. Now you are mine forever,” bragged Ruhtra. “Your beloved Prince Derek will die before daybreak tomorrow. I will bea ble to capture him the same way I captured you.” He grabbed the burlap pouch again and sprinkled the dust all over his scaly body. His claws became hands and feet, his scaly head became a human’s head and his tail disappeared completely. He staggered to the mirror that hung on the dark cave wall. Ruhtra laughed at what he saw, but this time he looked just like the princess.

“You ugly beast! I hate you! Prince Derek will never believe ou are me. The pouch around your neck will give you away. And when he finds out, Derek will kill you!”

“I’d take off the pouch,” said Ruhtra, “but if I do, I can’t transform and I am stuck in whatever form I’m in. I’ll have to kill him quicker and I won’t have as much fun. Good-bye,” waved Ruhtra as he left the cave.

“Please dear God, keep me and Derek safe,” prayed Eowyn. “Don’t let Ruhtra hurt Derek. May Prince Derek kill the evil Ruhtra.” She cried all alone in the cave.

Chapter 4

Prince Derek rode his horse through the grassy fields. He stopped to water Duke at a swiftly flowing stream. He had been looking for the princess most of the morning and had failed to find her. He was beginning to get concerned. Derek heard a sweet, soft voice singing. “I think I hear my beautiful Eowyn,” thought the prince as he flew on his horse toward the singing voice. When he got there he saw Eowyn, dancing gracefully in the meadow, singing sweetly. “Eowyn! There you are. I’ve been looking for you most of the morning!” Derek exclaimed.

“Derek, I didn’t know you were looking for me. I’ve got a special surprise for you,” said the disguized Ruhtra.

“What is in that pouch around your neck?” asked the Prince. “Is that a gift from somebody? What is in that pouch?”

“It’s none of your beeswax,” said the wizard rudely. The fake princess was surprised that he had found it so quickly. She grabbed the burlap pouch and sprinkled the golden powder all over her body. Her hands became claws, her head became a dragon’s head, and she grew a spiked dragon’s tail. “I am Ruhtra, the Magnificent. I have captured your beautiful princess and I will make her be my wife. This magic dust turns me into things like this evil dragon you see before your eyes,” he said.

“I will kill you, you horrible creature, if it’s the last thing I do!” Derek shouted angrily. Derek jumped off of his horse and ripped the pouch off the dragons scaly neck. He moved so fast Ruhtra could not excape, and before Ruhtra could breathe fire, the prince sprinkled the magic golden powder all over the dragon’s body. His claws became tiny little bug legs, his dragon head shrunk and grew antennas, and his tail disappeared completely. Ruhtra didn’t laugh this time, because Prince Derek had turned him into a small brown cockroach. Derek squished him with his boot.

Chapter 5

“Now I must go save Eowyn,” said Derek as he wiped his boot. “Where must I look first?” He thought and thought until he had an iea, “I know where to look! In that nearby dark and scary cave.” Derek jumped onto his horse and bounded across the grassy fields toward the cave. He was worried and hurried his horse on.

When he got there Prince Derek lept from his horse and ran into the dark cave. “Eowyn, where are you?” shouted the prince. The sound echoed all over the cave.
“I’m over here Derek! Are you safe? What has happened to the horrible dragon?” she cried. The prince ran to her side. He began to weep, for she was alive. “The dragon is dead. He will never hurt anyone ever again!” cried Derek as he untied her. It was then that Derek told Eowyn that he loved her. “Will you marry me, Princess Eowyn?” asked Prince Derek on his knee. “Oh, yes!” she exclaimed. “I have loved you since the day I met you.”

Chapter 6

The prince and the princess were married the next week. They lived many happy years together, and had two beautiful twins named Hiliary and Ricky, who grew up to be a princess and a prince. But every time Eowyn saw a cockroach, she always called on Derek to stomp on it.

The End

May, 1996.

My name is Eowyn Finch, and I am in 2nd grade at Skycrest Christian School. It’s my first time writing a story. My dream is to be a princess and meet a handsome prince, and get saved from a dragon by the prince and get carried away. Then get married to him and get carried away by him.

Copyright 2009, Finchmark Publishing Co.

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Broken.

On a crowded street in the downtown area of some large and busy city stood a little girl, dressed in a bright yellow dress. She stands, unmoving, amidst the ever moving crowd of tall men in dark suits, on their way to somewhere important. No one notices her, for she is just a little girl, insignificant, with yellow ribbons in her golden hair. In her hand she carries a large wooden box, holding it close to herself. This is a very special box, for in it she keeps her heart. She has journeyed downtown today on a mission: to find someone who will take care of her heart. The time had come when she could no longer care for it alone. She needed help, and hoped to find that help soon. Gathering her courage she walked in front of a tall man in a blue suit, who looked less important than the rest. She offered up her box with a shy smile. To her surprise, the man didn’t even see her, and kept on walking. Disappointed, the young girl tried again, this time with a man in a brown suit who looked less busy than the rest. She ran up to him, struggling to keep pace with his fast stride. She stopped in front of him. With a big grin on her face she proudly showed him her box. The man pushed her roughly aside, nearly causing her to drop her precious burden. The child began to worry, and tried offering her box to first one man, and then to another, and another. Frantically running around the mass of somber men on that busy downtown street. She began to despair; no one wanted her heart.

A short time later she saw a man in a grey suit walking toward her in the crowd, his suit is stained. He seemed friendly and less rude than the rest, so she decided to try again. She timidly walked up to the man, and shyly offered him her box. To her great surprise, the man smiled and took the box from her outstretched arms. Oh what joy! Someone who wanted her heart had finally come. The two clasped hands and walked happily down the street together. At first the young lady didn’t ask any questions of her friend, but finally she decided to speak to him about how to care for her heart. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were empty, her voice was not heard. He didn’t seem to mind, he just whispered sweet nothings in her ear and held her close. She tried again, this time more forcefully, to talk about what needed to be done to care for her heart. The man in the stained grey suit didn’t hear a word, for he didn’t truly know how to protect and nurture her heart. He realized that she would not settle for less than the best care, which he was not willing to put forth the effort to give. After walking only a few blocks together down the busy street, the man roughly grabbed the special box, held it high in the air and threw it to the ground where it, and its contents, were dashed to pieces. He quickly vanished into the crowd.

The little girl was devastated. She sank to the ground, her blue eyes filling with tears as she surveyed the damage. The wooden box lay shattered in a bloody mess on the ground. She sobbed as her trembling hands tried to pick up the pieces…there were so many. The men were still hurrying by, barely making an effort to avoid stepping on her broken heart. She cried uncontrollably as slowly she found one small piece at a time. She put the largest of these in the front pocket of her now bloodstained yellow dress, to keep it safe. She sat there through the night, weeping, too broken to move; afraid to leave her heart alone in it’s unprotected state.

As morning came and the sun rose, there was no hope for the sad, lonely girl. She had not stopped crying since the night before, and no one had come to help her. She had long since given up on picking up the pieces, which still lay spread on the ground before her. A single tear rolled silently down her cheek. As she sat staring into the emptyness she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. It was a man, dressed in a white suit. He had kind eyes and a reassuring smile. “My child, why are you crying?” He asked. She kept her eyes lowered, ashamed, unable to meet his gaze. The kind man gently placed his hand under her chin and raised her head up, looking into her fearful eyes and again asking, “Dear child, why do you cry?” The little girl swallowed, and attempted to speak, but no words would come, only a rush of silent tears. The man patiently asked a third time, “My precious one, what is the cause of your sadness?”

Finally the little girl found her voice, “I cry because my heart is broken, and there is no one to fix it.” The tears flowed freely. She expected the man to ignore her, but he just wrapped his strong arms around her and held her tightly as she wept. When her sobs finally quieted, she pulled back and looked at him, shocked to find that the kind man was also crying. Wiping a tear from the tip of her nose, He spoke, “I’m sorry, my child, that this hurt had to happen, but I can fix your broken heart, if you will give it to me.” The girl was uncertain, but he was so gentle, and seemed to genuinely care for her, and for her heart. “I will help you to pick up the pieces,” he said. The sad girl tearfully nodded and the two slowly began to gather up the pieces together. He took a white silk cloth from his suit and gently placed the little bits of her heart on it, careful to remove the splinters that had come from the wooden box.

They worked side by side, quietly picking up the pieces and putting them back together. The man was silent, and peaceful, and took great care in his work. The girl enjoyed being in his presence; it was very comforting to be near him. The task took them most of the day, and when it was nearly finished the man spoke, “Dear one, there is still a piece missing.” The little girl looked at him, and shook her head. She knew that there was still one part left in the pocket of her dress, but she didn’t think he’d want that one, and she didn’t want to give it to him. The gentle man gave her a knowing look, “My beloved, I have to have all the pieces of your heart to mend it.” She reluctantly reached into her pocket and took out the last lonely piece and handed it to him. He gently placed the final piece on the cloth with the rest of her heart, leaned down, and breathed on it. The pieces began to melt together, slowly becoming one, as if they’d never seen hardship. The little girl was distressed, but she trusted this man, and when his work was done, her heart was like new. “It is finished,” he said. She reached down to pick up her heart, but he stayed her hand. “Wait,” he said. He walked a few feet away and returned carrying an alabaster box. “Place your precious heart in here, dear one, it has my Name on it. Your heart will be safe if you give it to me.” She bent down and picked up the white silk cloth and gently placed it in His alabaster box, her eyes smiling with gratitude.

The young girl was very happy that her heart was now whole, though she was uncertain of what to do next. She looked at her companion inquiringly; he already knew what was on her mind. “Come, walk with me down the street,” he said. “I will guide your steps so that you will not stumble and damage your priceless treasure.” She nodded and they started walking through the crowd together. As they continued on their way, several men turned their hungry eyes in the girl’s direction, glaring at the strong man who walked with her and carried her young heart under one protective arm. Frightened, the little girl took her companion’s hand, clinging to him tightly. She worriedly looked up into his clear eyes, and he laughed, “Do not be afraid, they cannot harm you, as long as you walk with me. The box has my Name on it, they cannot take your heart without my permission.” She was relieved, but still a question remained. He knew. “I will help you,” he said, “to find someone to give your heart to, but you must trust me to show him to you.” She nodded and they walked on silently as before, no longer heeding the furtive glances from the crowd. After a few minutes the man asked, “Would you like to carry your heart for a while?” The little girl replied with a shy smile, “No thank you, I know now that I cannot take care of it by myself. It’s safest when it’s in your hands.” He smiled a kind and gentle smile, which she returned. The little girl knew that her heart would be protected, and that she would never again be alone. And so they walked, hand in hand, in companionable silence down the still crowded street.

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