C James

Melodic Winchester chimes sounded as Jim’s doorbell rang again, and Dirk opened the door, blinking against the glaring sun. “One large pepperoni,” the delivery boy said, holding the box in one hand and reaching out with the other. “That’ll be seventeen twenty-three, please.” “Hang on a second, I need to get my wallet,” Dirk replied, and then shut the door. He stepped back and began counting to fifty, following Jim’s instructions. When he reopened the door, Dirk handed his credi

By late afternoon, Trevor and Joel had finished their exploration of Pompeii and exited via the Marina Gate, turning in their headsets on the way out. As they walked away, Joel jumped on his skateboard. “I’m hungry, how about you?” he said, skating in the general direction of the Marina di Stabia. “You’re always hungry,” Trevor replied, cutting Joel off, and then racing ahead. “But yeah, me too. I’m starved.” They followed the streets, taking a different route back, and after a few

Feeling a shiver in spite of the hot, humid day, Lisa sat in her truck for a few moments, trying to make sense of the thoughts raging in her head. She glanced back at Bridget’s house, looking past it, seeing the empty dock, which reminded her of Atlantis, and that led to thoughts of Trevor and Joel. “I sure wish you guys were here,” Lisa whispered, as she fired up her truck. The stereo, which Joel had given her for her birthday and later installed, came on with the ignition, and Lisa’s mind

With the first light of dawn coloring the eastern horizon, Joel fired up Atlantis’s engines, checked the nav plot again, and advanced the throttles, turning to a course of east by northeast, heading into the Strait of Bonifacio at eight knots. Trevor, sitting nearby, could only smile; he hadn’t needed to give Joel any pointers at all; Joel had done it all on his own. An hour later, Joel could see Corsica on his left and Sardinia on his right as the strait narrowed. “France and Italy,” Joel

By mid-morning, Atlantis was clear of the eastern entrance of the Straits of Gibraltar and heading east by northeast. “So, how many days to... what was it called? Marina da something?” Joel asked, still at the helm of Atlantis, listening to the soft hiss of the passing waves as Atlantis cruised through the gentle swells. “Marina di Stabia,” Trevor replied with a chuckle. “I’m guessing four days if the wind holds, but it’s forecast to weaken in a few days so we’ll see.” Trevor grinned a

“You really are weird,” Joel said, while trying to catch Trevor’s heel with a shopping cart. “Yeah right... What have I done now?” Trevor asked, pushing his own cart harder to keep his feet clear of Joel’s cart. “Nothing in particular, it’s just something that needs saying often,” Joel replied, snickering and flipping Trevor off for good measure. “Remind me to get that anchor for your neck,” Trevor shot back, and then he darted ahead, running with the cart. Trevor and Joel pu

Shredding down the steep, zigzagging Signal Station Road from the top of the Rock to Gibraltar Town, Trevor and Joel enjoyed their downhill skate, reveling in the feel of the wind on their faces and bare chests, doing carves and backturns, surrounded by the spectacular and sometimes precipitous views. Trevor glanced over at Joel, watching him do a grind off a curb, looking graceful and tan, his hair blowing in the wind. Joel raced by Trevor with a whoop as they swapped the lead for the seventh t

Due to light and erratic winds, it took Atlantis two more days to sail two hundred miles, and Trevor found himself approaching the Strait of Gibraltar at dusk. As the sun set over the Atlantic, Trevor entered the approaches to the Strait of Gibraltar, nervously eying the dozen returns already on his radar display. Maritime traffic flow worldwide obeys similar rules, such as keeping to the right in any designated lane. For the Strait of Gibraltar, which runs roughly west to east, this m

First, for a moment, there was thrill, the rush of adrenaline as he envisioned his great adventure. Then came the pang of sadness over leaving the life he’d known behind. In so many ways, there could be no turning back. The events of the prior days, and his decision to circumnavigate, would change everything – forever. The fear was there; the cloying lure of familiarity, so safe, so certain. But, it was not real, he understood that, on a deep and visceral level; there could be no turning ba

Trevor awoke to the sound of his alarm and smiled, looking forward to the day in spite of his fears. ‘I’m seventeen, one year to go,’ he thought, feeling more than a little daunted by the prospect of a year on the run. He soon cast the thought aside, not wanting to let anything get him down. Trevor pulled on a clean pair of boardies and bounded onto the deck, looking towards the empty beach, seeing no sign of anyone, not even a fisherman, or any cars in the parking lot. He checked his watch

After walking a hundred yards down the beach, Lisa picked out a shady spot on the sand, under a palm. She sat down, and as Trevor and Joel joined her, she handed them each a bag. “Two burgers and a fry, on me. Okay Trev, I’ll say this; I think you’re nuts to take off. You should have waited to see if your dad would calm down and change his mind. I get that you couldn’t let him sell Atlantis, but you could have waited to see if he was really going to do it or just saying it out of anger first.”

Lol! I knew I forgot something... Thanks Wildone!

Chapter 60, Carnarvon, is up... BTW, I belatedly answered in the other thread a few minutes ago, but I should here as well; there was a question about the timeslines of the various threads. Basically, they are all running in the same timeframe, so they are happening in sync. There are some minor exceptions (less than 24 hours) to allow for time zones, but that's it.

Check out Shark Bay It looks like an awesome place, all kinds of stuff (including diving). Tons of wildlife, including emus that wander right through Denham (a small seaside town, the only one in the bay). Trevor might be safe from Graeme for now... Graeme is in Victoria, on the southeast coast. Bridget told Gonzalez a very different story. She told Sancheze the truth, just not the entire truth. So, Sanchez knows she killed her husband, and that she fears the asset list. What she didn't tell him about was what else she thinks was on Ares. It would indeed take months to repair Atlantis, assuming her hull is still basically sound. If not... she could still be repaired, but it would cost far more than she's insured for, or worth. Trevor wouldn't want to lose her, though. Okay, just so we don't end on a down note, here's a happy thought: maybe Trevor will ask someone he knows who has tons of money for help? Okay, before I forget again, there was a question about the timeline in the various plot threads; it's roughly (within 24 hours, to allow for timezones) synced.

But... I never have anything to do with cliffs, or cliffhanging!

I am not one for poetry, and I almost never "get" it, but I found this one to be intensely moving. A truly beautiful and profound piece. Thank you, Mike.

That was quite a surprise at the end!

Cia, that was great! The insanity came through perfectly, and the twist at the end was inspired.

I loved the first line, very evocative, and set the stage well!

Definitely some unexpected twists there! Every time I thought I knew where it was going, it changed. Well done!

2007 Anthology

“Mahalo, Drake,” the girl sitting beside me said with a willing smile, as I handed her my study notes. Stretching, I reflected that she probably didn’t really want the notes themselves, more likely planning instead to use them as an excuse to invite me to study with her. She’d tried that ploy before, so, stifling a yawn, I bid her farewell with a smiling “Aloha,” as I reached for my backpack. With the last class of the week concluded, it was time to have some fun. This being Kauai,

Lol, poor Trevor, getting offered hot dogs. And BTW, canned hot dogs, for those who haven't had them, are a bit more like vienna sausages; not that great, and pretty awful cold. ROFL! Nah, Trevor has been found by the real deal. And aren't all my chapters peaceful, non-cliffhanger endings? My reasoning on the clothes was that they wouldn't likely have any aboard; they were just out on a few hour's patrol. At least, that's my excuse... I'm not going to admit that I think offering a hot guy who is in just a tattered pair of shorts clothes would be downright criminal... nope, not gonna admit it. Thank Benji! You hit the nail on the head; Trevor has been through hell, and it would be highly unlikely that he'd come out of it unscathed between the ears. We've often seen him having recurring nightmares of pirates. On the other hand, he's exhausted, so he'll probably want to sleep when he gets to shore. I wonder how long it will take for him to actually believe that he's safe? Great point in the sleep deprivation! I've had hallucinations like that after a couple of days awake. They start subtle, then get more pronounced. Did you get any auditory hallucinations? (A stereo playing your favorite song that turned out to be off?) Trevor's dream of arriving... how do we know that isn't the real Australia? Thanks!!! Trevor did have quite a challenging trip. I'll look into the password system issue... sorry! Get well soon!!! I was waylayed by a bad cold last week and I'm only starting to feel decent again... Another thing Bridget did, a while back... she told Lisa and Joel that Trevor came out to her. She felt safe doing so, due to thinking him dead. News guys? Nah, I'm sure Trevor wants to keep his location quiet, and thinks he;s just going to arrive in port unnoticed. What could possibly go wrong? Thanks Steve! I'll make my own confession; I teared up a bit too, when I was writing that part. I try to get inside my character;s heads, so I had a very good "look" at the overwhelming relief Trevor was feeling. I can say for sure, he's having trouble believing it's real. (and don't worry, this is not a dream he's having... The rescue was real) He did have the first landing as a dream though... singing kangaroos and all. BTW, the next chapter is called "Carnarvon"

Cliffhangers? But there aren't any cliffhangers in Circumnavigation! Just little minor nautical inconveniences.

Now how could I be evil?