Talin and the Magic Moon Bean Metal Boy

By Brian S. Parrish

Unfairly denied his birthright of lightning mastery by his father the Storm Giant, Talin is vulnerable to the subtle direction of an Oracle, who suggests that he make a new friend. Talin takes her quite literally and endeavors to forge one from scratch, with the assistance of his father’s dodgy alchemical chemistry. Now, with Metal Boy at his side, Talin will daringly rescue lost faeries, narrowly evade the jaws of double-extra-giant-goldfish, and befriend a sword-wielding set of Fire Sale Sentinels. Ultimately, Talin’s hastily assembled band of outcasts must rally to save the magic of dragons from the clutches of an evil-minded wizard who’s hell bent on their absolute destruction—and finishing his magic wand collection. Who knew?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brian S. Parrish
• Release date: Jul 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9780985995904

Brian S. Parrish

Author Brian Parrish is an awed believer in the power of story and a regular patron of the dreaming. However, he's best known as a virtual stunt pilot, human cannonball coach, Indianapolis slot car racer and tender tiger tamer—in a parallel universe, that is, where his Elkhart Blue 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS has been impounded for extraordinary parking fee accumulation. In this one, he scribbles the odd story and subscribes to the International Psychic Cat Network. He lives in the rolling red hills of Virginia with an ambling caravan of family, friends and familiars.

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Talin and the Magic Moon Bean Metal Boy

Brian S. Parrish

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Copyright 2013 by Brian Scott Parrish

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Whirled Glass City

Chapter 2: In Which Talin Makes a Friend

Chapter 3: In Which Some Assembly is Required

Chapter 4: In Which Metal Boy Appears

Chapter 5: Into the Fibridden Forest

Chapter 6: In Which Talin Seeks the Magic Elixir

Chapter 7: The Most Curious Woodfolk Keep

Chapter 8: Missing!

Chapter 9: In Which the Oracle Tells All

Chapter 10: In Which Unexpected Company Arrives

Chapter 11: At the Inn of the Dancing Badger

Chapter 12: The Wizard's Scroll

Chapter 13: Dragon Stone Castle

Chapter 14: In Which a Plot is Revealed

Chapter 15: The Most Heavily Laden Leaden Invisible Blimp

Chapter 16: Still More Unexpected Company

Chapter 17: The Trouble with Dragons

Chapter 18: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Chapter 19: Dragon's Eyes & Wizard's Lies

Chapter 20: In Which There is a Great Undoing

Chapter 21: On a Certain Day in April

Chapter 22: In Which There Are a Few Small Changes

Chapter 23: In Which a Wondrous Surprise is Unveiled

Chapter 24: Everything That Happens Thereafter

Free Sample Chapter - All the Earth's Children: Tales for the Stormy Times

About the Author

Chapter 1: The Whirled Glass City

Once upon a cloudy day, deep in the land of the Great Blue Mountains, there lived a seemingly ordinary young boy named Talin.

From a short distance away, a careful observer might have calmly noted his shock of fine yellow hair and recorded a total of exactly two sapphire-blue eyes, along with a description of all the usual nicks, scrapes, and scratches distributed about on his person that are required of such an age.

This seemingly ordinary boy lived with his father and mother near the Whirled Glass City, which itself sat poised on the edge of the Great Blue Mountains. It was called the Whirled Glass City because of all the expert glassmakers that plied their crafts within its bounds, who took advantage of the natural hot air deposits to be found among its populace.

Talin was fortunate enough to boast a Storm Giant for his father, who was a figure of some repute in the city’s Collection Guild. Being a Storm Giant, it was well known that his father could hurl lightning bolts at a full twenty paces, and call down thunder with his fearful roar.

His father’s principal occupation was collecting tolls from all travelers desiring to enter the city’s imposing iron gates. His presence also served to maintain order and civility among the bustling crowds in the markets that squatted near the gates, and this guaranteed his position with the city indefinitely.

Most of the townsfolk complied with his direction most meekly, and without further duress to either party. The others – well, nothing was ever proven conclusively.

The truth was, there was never much evidence left to sift through, and since his service was otherwise exemplary, the matter was always dropped quietly by the Town Council.

At home, his father’s chief pastime was reading great tomes of ancient lore by candlelight, while consuming infinitely small quantities of finely-brewed honey mead (a thimbleful was enough to make him quite tipsy). Occasionally, he would toss a bolt or two down the mountain, accompanied by a half-hearted roar, which he found to keep the thieves and salesmen generally at bay.

On this particular cloudy day, however, Talin discovered that he was frightfully bored. He pondered whether there ever could have been a more boring day in the entire history of the world, or the whole Universe, for that matter.

What was worse, there was no sunlight to shine through the tall arched-stone windows of the castle due to the fluffy low hanging clouds, and therefore, no hope for even a game of Monster Shadows.

For the record, Monster Shadows was a contest of frightfully complicated contortions. In fact, it remained a game in which Talin was always guaranteed to win, as he was the only certified player as well as its original inventor.

After casting fruitlessly about his father’s castle for the better part of a morning in an increasingly desperate search for something to do, Talin sought out his father where he was reading in the study.

*

After a short but strenuous climb, he collapsed hopelessly in his father’s lap.

I surrender, Talin declared, all out of breath.

Indeed? said his father, looking up from a pulpy medieval novel. And what champion has finally bested my son?

Boredom, said Talin. And do you know what else? I can’t even play a game of Monster Shadows.

I see, said his father, when he so clearly didn’t, and he patted his son’s head reassuringly in an attempt to resume his reading.

While it was true that Talin still demanded to be read stories at bedtime, he was in no mood for such fiddling trivialities.

Why don’t you teach me how to shoot fireballs this very instant? Talin suggested.

I surely don’t know how, his father admitted, his hair practically standing on end from a particularly suspenseful passage. But perhaps you could learn from a willing mage?

Mages are so boring, Talin retorted, interrupting a particularly interesting sword fight on page three hundred and seventeen.

Talin waited several more seconds, but his father gave no coherent reply, only a constant stream of mumbles and half-hearted interjections. Really, he hated trying to have a conversation with his father while he was reading.

They force you to memorize lists and lists of boring things, said Talin. You know, actually, maybe I should just throw a few lightning bolts, instead. Lightning bolts aren’t boring. Could you show me that instead?

His father the Storm Giant paused and twisted his chin whiskers, which inadvertently dislodged an entire nesting family of egrets. They flapped away disdainfully.

Perhaps when you’re older, I think, sighed his father, temporarily relinquishing his book. I’m not quite so sure you’re ready yet.

We never do anything fun, Talin pointed out, if a bit harshly. And also, he added, lifting his chin slightly, I’m most frightfully bored.

You’ve said as much, agreed his father. "And what is it, exactly, that you would have me do?’

I don’t know, said Talin, genuinely at a loss. Something a bit more interesting, I suppose.

If you let me know when you have something specific in mind, said his father, Perhaps I can see what I can muster.

Well, maybe I am just a little hungry, Talin confided.

His father raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

You know, I would actually fancy some mustard, he added brightly, particularly if it’s on brown bread, and if it’s spread with the yellowish-brownish-thickish kind.

"That’s mustard you’re describing, explained his father, feeling suddenly exasperated, While I actually said, ‘I’ll see what I can muster’."

If you actually keep repeating the same thing, said Talin, I’ll only become frightfully bored again. And a mustard sandwich is just the thing. Also, could you add a peck of peppered pickles?

I’m always in a pickle with you, chuckled his father, greatly amused with his own cleverness.

I wish it were quiet in here right now, wished Talin, though it came out a bit louder than he planned.

But after it was quiet for a while, a mustard sandwich suddenly appeared within reach. It was spread thickly with the requested yellowish-brownish-thickish kind, accompanied by a peck of peppered pickles piled on a pleasant pewter platter.

Talin decided that for the moment, things had turned out quite respectably after all.

Chapter 2: In Which Talin Makes a Friend

The enchantress known as Oracle was most feared by those who knew her leastwise. She was rumored to be a vengeful sorceress, with an arsenal of terrible spells and curses at her disposal. But the truth was, she just couldn’t stand all the hubbub of living in the city. And so she lived quietly by herself, shunning all visitors, hidden away in a small secluded valley.

Her son was, of course, exempt from this rule.

Talin spent precisely half of each week with his mother in the valley, and the exact other half with his father in the mountains. Apart from this unchanging weekly requirement, he was free to roam and do generally as he pleased.

At his father’s castle, Talin’s favorite pastime was to chase the giant rodents about the battlements until they were entirely exhausted, and afterwards demand their unconditional surrender. Then he would ride them throughout the countryside, until he tired of the game and ordered them to return him home in time for supper.

When he stayed at his mother’s cottage in the valley, he preferred to run in circles about her as she collected leaves, stems, and flowers. Then he would demand to know the true name and nature of every specimen she collected, but only in backwards alphabetical order.

*

When Talin was old enough, he rode out of one of his giant rodents towards the town school. It