Earthly Tales & Other Adventures: A Visitor from Ether

By Marie Boyd

"A Visitor from Ether", Marie Boyd’s first story under the Earthly Tales and Other Adventures banner, brings a collection of compelling pre-Civil War short stories that allow glimpses into the life and psyche of a woman who loved freedom beyond all else; who gained and used special talents and abilities that sanctioned her survival of the unsurvivable; and who learned, as a result of setting herself free, the true powers of freedom, nature, and love.
The story begins mysteriously. As Natalie is engaged in the mundane task of cleaning her bathroom sinks on a cold January day, a mysterious voice (clearly of African ascent) speaks to her in such insistent and assertive tones that she can do nothing else other than rush to her computer and take dictation. The tales that emerge carry us back to the Old South and provide forceful glimpses into the life and adventures of a woman, born slave, who loved claimed her own freedon: the perils of her quest; the lessons she learned, and the wisdom she gained that is timeless, and still relevant today.

Through compelling vignettes, the nameless heroine gives face and form to African and Native peoples who have been ignored generally by the conventional four-hundred-year history of slavery in this country—those innately and fiercely independent men and women who refused to accept their bonds of servitude; but who, instead, acted bravely to free not only themselves, but others along the way. These are stories that provide insight into the operating principles of a person focused unrelentingly upon the pursuit of freedom.

What is the mind-set of a Liberator, who is female, and set upon embarking on dangerous undertakings in unknown and unwelcoming worlds; and what can we learn from her stories? As our current national and global discussions often center around ideas of "freedom" and "liberty", these parables suggest that right actions are, in fact, timeless; and always rooted in love—even in face of the most imminent danger.

In one particular vignette, entitled Taking Liberties, the heroine introduces a perspective on these concepts of freedom and liberty, which provide clues to the mysteries of true self-liberation:

"I took lots of liberties. Like taking time to study the trees, plants, flowers, brush, water, animals, and people I saw and met along every journey. I had the freedom to take this liberty of mind and make it my business! ... If you’re free, you get to choose—every thought, every prayer, every word, every deed, every step of all of the steps you take—and, Love is a choice and that is another liberty I took, so I never wished harm to anyone."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marie Boyd
• Release date: Apr 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301956791

Marie Boyd

About the Author—Marie Boyd A fourth-generation Philadelphian of African ascent and life-long avid writer, Marie Boyd and her husband live in Woodstock, New York. Living as they do on an edge of the small Catskill Mountain community, nestled amid pines, slate, hawks, deer, and black bears, Boyd draws great inspiration from the environment. A Visitor from Ether is her first published work. Boyd’s passion for writing seems to open her mind to the minds of others—who whisper their stories and secrets to her. “I don’t know about other writers,” Boyd says, “but when mystifying, yet astute voices speak from within, I listen and try to learn from their wisdom.” In A Visitor from Ether, Boyd’s character takes dictation dutifully, and those recorded notes portray unique tales of bold action, inspiration, and quiet wisdom. In time, readers will discover that Boyd’s subject matter varies significantly, drawing upon the rich history of her home city, the independence and intellectuality of her family, and her own creativity. Marie is writing what will become the second book under the Earthly Tales and Other Adventures banner, which she says will take readers to another place and time.

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Earthly Tales & Other Adventures

A Visitor from Ether

By

Marie Boyd

PUBLISHED BY:

Marie Boyd at Smashwords

Earthly Tales & Other Adventures: A Visitor from Ether

Copyright 2010 by Marie Boyd

Cover Design Art by Miss Mae

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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 to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Foreword

That First Time Out …

Everything is Subject to Being Something Else

Taking Liberties

Rock Talk

Madness

Trading Masters

Stone, Signs and Symbols

Sense Command

White Slaves

That Last Time Out—Then

About the Author - Marie Boyd

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

May this honor those loving informative

Spirits who encircle, embrace, and educate;

although I do not, you know who you are.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

Foreword

January in upstate New York dropped six inches of snow upon December’s generous accumulations, crisply refreshing the air and re-decorating Blue Mountain landscapes with a white icing that glistened in winter sunshine. Until Natalie began cleaning bathroom sinks on a particular Thursday, the day had not seemed exacting or special in any way; but, with hands in a stream of warm running water and thinking about not much of anything, something with a distinctively declarative Voice arrived and said:

"That first time out was a beginning in more ways than one …"

Having experienced various visiting voices over the years, Natalie knew to quickly move to her computer and a blank page. Even so, as she lapsed into that lovely state of allowing, her fingers dancing on the keys and her eye lids at half-mast, the opening sentence was slightly different in its delivering energy; of course, this came to her attention only after having received all that was to be given and returning, wholly and exclusively, to herself.

The Voice continued intermittent dictations (entries) over roughly three months and as it came—suddenly and forcefully—so did the Voice depart. It did not name itself upon arrival nor suggest its identity in any of the entries; yet, Natalie had a suspicion. There is no earthly way of knowing who or what the Voice was and those outside of Natalie’s world—beyond the loving circle of family and dear friends—would have deemed her crazy had they heard her speculation. And, perhaps, one must be a little crazy to turn one’s self over to a state