Category: Book Chapter

Nexus Nine – Chapter 2: The Esplanade

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Nexus Nine.  If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, or skip ahead to the next chapter.

“At another time, in another condition, the esplanade might have been stunningly beautiful. At this moment, in this condition, it was only stunning for the story it told. A story of destruction.”

The deck they’d come to was wide and open, as large around as several city blocks and two stories high, with arching windows around the perimeter and even more windows worked into the floors, all looking out at the stars or the planet Avia below.

An expansive stretch of lacy white clouds shrouded the turquoise and jade crescent of the world currently in daylight.  The wholesome brightness of the planet in its gemstone shades of green, blue, and pearly white only made the esplanade itself look shabbier.  Outside the windows was natural wonder, large enough to spend lifetimes exploring; inside was a cramped, dingy space.  Scorch marks seared across the window frames and marred some of the windows.  Rubble was strewn about, including broken pieces of the esplanade itself — stairwells and walkways that should have provided a second level, wrought of some dark metal, had twisted and crashed to the floor. Continue reading “Nexus Nine – Chapter 2: The Esplanade”

Nexus Nine – Chapter 1: Meeting An Old Friend

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Nexus Nine.  If you’d prefer to read in e-book or paperback form, learn more here.  Or if you want, skip ahead to the next chapter.

“I should have known you’d show up here.  You always were fascinated by the nexus passageways.”

Mazel Rheun watched her old friend, Shep Bataille, from across the command deck of Nexus Nine Base.  The calico cat was steeling herself to approach the German Shepherd.  Mazel needed to introduce herself, and then she would see the reality in Shep’s eyes — the confusion, the lack of recognition.  Shep wouldn’t know her.  In fact, Mazel probably shouldn’t think of him as her old friend Shep anymore.  Now, he was her commanding officer, Captain Bataille. Continue reading “Nexus Nine – Chapter 1: Meeting An Old Friend”

You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 22

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1 or return to the previous chapter.

“Mei held her paws wide, like she was trying to encompass all the greenery of an entire planet with them.”

The last two days on Crossroads Station passed in a tired blur of playgrounds, take-out food cart meals, and playing with cousins.  Basically, repetition and revisiting of all the kids’ favorite parts of the trip, because the parents had worn themselves out and didn’t have energy for any more big events.

While everyone in Anno’s little family had loved the trip, it had also been exhausting — even for the children who usually had boundless energy — and by the final morning, they were all ready to be on their way home. Continue reading “You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 22”

You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 21

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead to the next chapter.

“Anno wondered if Jeko had been in love with Am-lei since all the way back then…”

As they danced together, Anno and Drathur finally had the moment of semi-privacy they needed to discuss the morning’s altercation and its fallout.  The conversation went more easily than Anno expected, as Drathur had already arrived at the same conclusion.  She didn’t even have to say it; he said it for her:  “Of course we should invite Kya to come back to New Heffe with us.  I don’t know if she’ll want to come — the population is ninety percent Heffen, but she makes all of us happy.  She fits right into our family, and we’d be lucky to have her.” Continue reading “You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 21”

You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 20

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead to the next chapter.

“This was just a flash in the string of moments that blurred and ran together and made up a whole life. A single bead that shone and sparkled more brightly than the beads beside it.”

After all the pictures were taken, including every person milling around under the draping branches of the karillow trees in some combination or other, Am-lei’s grandmother held her arms up high and announced, “Everyone follow me!  It’s time for the ceremony.”  A broad grin spread across her wrinkled, human face, and she walked backward, carefully leading the group to a karillow tree with small twinkling, colored lights braided into its draping branches.  It looked like a million fairies lived among those green leaves. Continue reading “You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 20”

You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 19

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead to the next chapter.

“She didn’t want to miss this wedding — it was a once in a lifetime experience, and she wanted to be there.”

Anno had traveled across star systems, spending weeks away from her chosen homeworld, to make it to Am-lei and Jeko’s wedding.  The whole trip, fundamentally, was about going to a wedding.  And now that the morning of the wedding had come, her family was running late.  There was nothing to be done about it.  The kits were always a whirlwind of chaos and disasters whenever she and Drathur needed them to be ready for something at a specific time.  There was nothing like a deadline to cause one of the kits to lose track of their favorite toy or put their clothes on backwards or get gum stuck in their fur, even though Anno couldn’t remember ever giving her kits gum. Continue reading “You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 19”

You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 18

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead to the next chapter.

“You are our child. You will always be our child,” the matron said.

After a week and a half on Crossroads Station, with only half a week left before it would be time to leave, the day of the wedding finally came.  Amazingly, none of the three kits backed out on their planned clothing trades, so getting them properly dressed and ready for the day was only the normal amount of aggravating and stressful.  Loi, who had so desperately wanted to wear the fancy gray tie, kept whipping it around the room like a banner, claiming it was a sparking eel, causing Mei and Darsy to chase after her giggling and failing to put their shoes on. Continue reading “You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 18”

You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 17

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead to the next chapter.

Loi did cry out — but it was an inarticulate cry of joy, followed by whooping and finally words: “I’m flying, I’m flying!”

The intra-solar-system ferry flew between Crossroads Station and New Jupiter every couple of hours.  A whole network of cloud ports sailed around New Jupiter in quasi-permanent locations relative to the constantly shifting and roiling weather.  Some of the storms had been ongoing for centuries, since long before humans had established Crossroads Station in this solar system.  The cloud port that the ferry docked with — allowing passengers to get off before it returned to the station — sailed along a rift between a dark orange ripple and a pale yellow gash in the patterning of New Jupiter’s swirling clouds. Continue reading “You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 17”

You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 16

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead to the next chapter.

“…the three kits seemed to have entirely settled the matter, right before Anno’s eyes without any interference from parents at all.”

Loi seemed entirely unfazed by her earlier fear and how it had caused her to miss out on the bulk of an outing her two siblings spent the rest of the day talking about.  And somehow, with the sheer force of her personality and determination, she seemed to almost convince Mei and Darso that they’d missed out by not spending a couple extra hours at the playground they’d already spent hours playing at the day before.  Kids are weird.  Their priorities make no sense.  But Anno had faith Mei and Darso would remember their spacewalk for years to come, even if today, they weren’t sure if Loi was right and they’d have been better off skipping it. Continue reading “You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 16”

You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 15

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station. If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead to the next chapter.

“Playgrounds are for children. Didn’t you hear me? I’m not a child; I’m an asteroid.”

“Loi, do you want to go back?” Anno asked, hating the words as she said them.  They were the right words to say.  It was the right thing to do, giving her daughter a way out of a situation she didn’t want to be in.  But Anno knew Loi would take the out, and then her own trip would be over.

“Yes, please.”  Loi’s voice never sounded that small and hopeful.  Loi wasn’t about hoping for things she wanted; she was all about demanding them, because she knew her worth and her rights and what the universe owed her… even if she was sometimes wrong, because small children have a way of thinking the universe owes them the fulfilment of every single desire that whimsically crosses their tumultuous young minds.

Continue reading “You’re Cordially Invited to Crossroads Station — Chapter 15”