Time Travel and Dimensional Journeys

By Douglas Daech

This book includes five short stories of travel into the unknown. Based on current thinking and science theory on the edge of science fact, step into the realm science future. Adventure into the science, danger and mystery of dimensional travel with realistic characters and believable situations that lead to mysterious and perhaps startling conclusions.

In The Catcher a local animal control worker is confronted with a dangerous animal killing in the neighborhood. His investigation brings our main character face to face with a beast from the past and the time traveling animal handler that lost him in his time frame.

The Romeo Project tells the story of a university science lab experiment that goes wrong. As the dust settles, government agencies want the research to continue and paves the way for further experimentation into dimensional travel. Real characters, conflicts and emotions revolve around cutting edge science fiction.

The One That Got Away is a lighter, humorous look at a couple country friends that experience a failed inter-dimensional abduction.

Stealing Time lets the reader challenge their personal ethics as our main characters are confronted with situations that challenge theirs. Financially struggling, after creating a machine that opens a tunnel to the past, opportunities arise that could solve all there problems. What would you do?

In Bloodline a time traveler is taken into his own past and given a chance to relive his life. What changes and paths would one travel differently if given the opportunity?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Douglas Daech
• Release date: Jan 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465940209

Douglas Daech

Born near Detroit Michigan and then transplanted to Tampa, Florida, Douglas now finds himself in rural Kentucky, He has been writing for most of his life. He has been married to his soul mate Julie, since 1998. He has two children, Pam and Dallas.John-Boy Walton was a major influence who led him to write. That character's smooth voice, full of 20/20 wisdom and confidence, drew him into the Walton family's story every week. Similar to John-Boy’s family, his was large too. As the second youngest of eight children, Douglas fancied himself to be the writer of the family. Just as in the Walton family, all of the children grew up and went their own way, becoming chefs, truckers, medical workers, and more. And still, Douglas writes, thanking John-Boy every time he starts a new project.Past experience includes articles in the Tripolitan, (Journal of the Tripoli Rocket Association, June 1991) and TRASH (Tampa Regional Aero-Space Hobbyist). In 1993 and 1994 many articles were published in the Unauthorized Launch, the Tampa Tripoli High Power Rocket Club newsletter. In May, 2004,a science fiction Short story was published in the online magazine NTH Degree. Also, an award for creative nonfiction was awarded in the 2007 Frank and Cellia Conley Writing Contest at Western Kentucky University. In 2012 his first novel titled “Time Travel and Dimensional Journeys” was published as an e-book. Haunted Romance, Seedy Hills, an Odd Little Town, and Sunset of Dreams followed with a mix of mystery and paranormal themes. In total Douglas now has eight titles available at various online vendors, with more on the way.

Book preview

SHORT STORIES OF

TIME TRAVEL

AND

DIMENSIONAL JOURNEYS

DOUGLAS W. DAECH

Published By Douglas W. Daech at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Douglas Daech

***

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return toSmashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

***

INDEX

***

The Catcher

The Romeo Project

The One That Got Away

Stealing Time

Bloodline

***

The Catcher

I had been a dog catcher for longer then I liked to admit. Still, there was something good to be said about keeping a job for a long time. For over twenty-five years I had supported my family. We had a small home on Chestnut Street where we raised our son, Carl. He was in his teens when I started getting second thoughts about my job, but I was in my late forties, and figured it was too late for a change. I kept my restlessness to myself and ignored my desire for change. The job had been good to me and we were doing pretty well.

I had a small office where I wrote reports at the Michigan Humane Society on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit. It was a campus of brick buildings with kennels, yards and offices, but I was on the street most of my time. My office on wheels was a white Ford pick-up with three animal pens in the back bed. It was nothing fancy but it got the job done. Part of me though I should be working in the office full time, but I really wasn’t the desk job type of person. Twenty five years was a long time to be chasing animals and I was getting a little bored with it, too old as well. On many mornings I felt the aches and pains from the activities of the previous day. It never used to get the best of me like that. I used to always be on top of my game.

The morning of June 12th started like any other day. I punched in and got my report on strays and nuisance dogs. I'd have to keep an eye out for them. There were always a few calls for neglected animals to check out too. They usually have to be taken care of first, but on that morning I had a call that took precedence over all the others. Something had happened that required me to meet the police on scene. My guess was that there had been a dog bite, or there was a dangerous animal terrorizing a mail carrier. Usually it was a matter of catching the animal and controlling it long enough to get it into one of the pens on the truck. I carried a variety of tools to help with that. A control rod with a lasso, nets and a muzzle were the main elements in my arsenal, but I did have a tranquilizer gun too. With a little luck, the lasso stick usually did the trick.

It was a little early for excitement, I had hardly sipped my morning coffee, but it was something different for a change. I jumped into the truck and headed to the scene. It was in an area that frequently had stray problems. I immediately saw the commotion in the carport of the St. Cyril Church. The old church had a double wide drive-thru carport for unloading at the entrance of the convent. Back in the days when this neighborhood was respectable, the building housed a number of nuns that worked in the Catholic school that was run by the church. Today, crime-scene ribbon roped off the carport and two police cruisers blocked the driveway. An ambulance blocked the street near the scene along with several other city vehicles. I added mine to the collection.

The amber morning sun shone on the yellowing brick building and made it look more ancient. Flaked teal paint from the seventies trimmed the building and contrasted it from the shining police cruisers with their flashing lights and chrome. The scene drew a small crowd of local residents from a line of houses that stood across the street. It was a poor, working-class neighborhood with one out of every ten homes vacant. Not long ago an auto plant, malls, and car dealerships supported the community but over the years things have changed. The plants have closed and most of the big employers have moved.

An officer managing the scene took my name and checked my ID. He gave me slip-on booties and rubber gloves so I didn’t contaminate any evidence. Whatever happened must have been serious enough to demand the standard crime scene procedure. In the far corner of the carport a group of officers gathered. Lying on the ground, just inside a bed of spring flowers, a body was being inspected by the coroner. When he looked up and saw me, he motioned for me to approach. One of the men in the group introduced himself.

Hi, I’m Lieutenant Andrews.

Sam Baker I said.

The coroner had me give you a call because he thinks we have an animal attack here. He guided me through the scene and to the body. It looks like the attack started about six or seven feet from the body, He said. There was an area on the wall with bloodstains, and the roadbed of the drive-thru carport held a small puddle of blood that smeared in the direction of the body.

As I approached the coroner, he looked up from his kneeling position in front of the body. Assistant city coroner Dave Adams, he said interrupting his work. He was documenting the position and condition of the body. I could see it was on its back and had what appeared to be a fatal neck wound. The full front of the shirt was in bloody tatters and the flesh of the shoulder and upper arm on the left was terribly torn.

Hi, I’m Sam Baker, from Animal Control. I had seen many animal attacks, but this was a bit more gruesome then I had ever seen. It looked more like a shotgun wound. What makes you think this was an animal attack?

He motioned for me to join him in the flowerbed and patiently started explaining. When you examine the edges of the wounds you can see they are serrated and show teeth marks. With a probe he pointed out the tell-tail serrated details indicating an animal attack. Also, the bone shows some scratches in the periosteum. That’s the skin around the bone. He added.

I agreed and commented it was more vicious then I had ever seen.

It’s not a normal attack. He confessed. The animal did more than just attack, it appears to have fed. With the probe, he pointed out tendons attached to the scapula and humorous that had the muscle torn and missing. It looks like several ounces, maybe even a pound of meat has been removed.

Realizing the horror of the situation for the first time, I looked at the face of the victim. It was a middle-aged man who was well groomed and apparently healthy. He was not overly slight or out of shape. The animal that took this man down must have been stronger and more agile then a stray pet. The coroner was way ahead of me.

I measured the spacing of the teeth, jaw dimensions and bite depth. I have no idea what actually attacked this guy but it was savage. I’ll send the data to your office. He looked at me with seriousness in his eyes. Most predators attack the weak and sick, but this guy was healthy. He lifted the arm of the victim. There were only a few scratches on the top of the hand. The attack was fast too, there are hardly any defensive wounds.

I pointed to the blood trail on the asphalt. It must have been strong too. That is a drag mark. The body was already down, and the animal dragged it six feet to the flower bed before feeding.

The coroner added, The victim weighs about 180 pounds. It was no poodle that did this.

We exchanged cards and concluded that we would keep in touch if anything further came to light. I had no official position in the investigation but because it was an