Alien Legends: A Selection from the Repository of Imagination

By Gill Shutt

“Welcome to the Repository of Imagination, young sir. Do you have a tale you wish to hear?”

From astonishing worlds of fantasy, aliens, and magic, the Repository of Imagination has been collecting tales since the dawn of Creation. Now, for the first time, selected story spheres from the Repository have been translated into human languages. Open your mind to the splendor of other worlds, to fantastic creatures so alike you humans in some ways, yet in other ways so different. Learn the cautionary tales of those whose lives played out eons before your own.

Alien Legends: A Selection from the Repository of Imagination collects 32 separate stories suitable for young humans aged 11-15 years, and for older readers whose sense of wonder is still functional.

What you will find inside
If you enjoy reading anything in this list, then Alien Legends is for you, as all of these are featured in its stories: giant eagles, aliens, gods, space whales, falling in love, more aliens, short stories, the birth of worlds, poems, betrayal, questing knights, novellas, spaceships, dark underground caverns, novellas, science fiction, rites and rituals, and deadly fungus that will eat you as you sleep.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Greyhart Press
• Release date: Mar 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301455256

Gill Shutt

Gill Shutt was born in the same year as CND, the year that Ronnie Kray was first diagnosed as insane and the year that the designer of Lego died. She has spent a lot of her life being described in relation to someone else... a married woman with three children who answers to Mum more often than not. She was born in London and, even though she left when she was 11 she still thinks of herself as a Londoner. Since then she has lived in Dorset, Devon and Avon, she now lives in South Wales with a mountain outside her window. She can't remember a time when she didn't write but it wasn't until she became a stay-at-home mum that she started to write seriously. It was a good excuse to avoid doing the housework which is one of her pet hates along with the colour pink and spiders. She managed to get a few poems published in a poetry magazine which fuelled her enthusiasm. She writes by hand in purple ink which is one step away from writing in green crayon on the back of a cereal packet. Her ambition, apart from publishing books, is to grow old ungracefully surrounded by cats, dogs or rats. At the moment she has some of each and can't make her mind up which way to go. She hopes that one day someone will turn round and say 'I liked your book'.

Book preview

TRAM MEETS THE DA’ TC FOR THE FIRST

RPI 536.K9N / RRD 5

This is a story that happened in the long, long ago. We need to go backward, way back. Tram was no more than a cubling grown, all fur and claws when this happening fell down on him.

Being hardly a fluffball yet, his days were spent above earth with his samelings, playing and rolling, biting and stalking, then below earth with his growners, warm and safe, feeding and sleeping.

One starup he and his samelings were up above and playing when Tram, he decided to go look farther. Cresting the rise he saw the plainlands spread out before, and high above the plainlands, bigger than any growner, soared the Da’tc.

The Da’tc watch for unwary cublings and lone growners, for the Garen peoples be its favorite food. But the Garen be a wily race and too long the Da’tc have to live on little nara and scrawny hef and everyone know that a diet of nara and hef make the Da’tc cross and narky.

Now something happen to Tram when he see the Da’tc. He know in his heart that this thing be joined to him in someways and he call out to it. He lift his head and he howl up to the sky. Come down here, big thing, come landwise to Tram.

That Da’tc he never before see such a thing and he drift over to that cubling that is calling him. You not want life? he ask.

I want, say Tram. You and me are joined someways. I call you to see if you know.

While that Tram he talk his samelings and his growners call to him, come aways. They scared for his life but Tram not afeared.

I know how you and me are joined, laughed the Da’tc. I eat, then we the same.

But Tram he watch the Da’tc close up and when that Da’tc dive he jump and Da’tc get claws full of necat bush.

You no eat, call Tram, and he bare his teeth at that Da’tc, and he scratch his claws. Me and you fight.

The Da’tc circle over and watch for he not never see such a Garen as this and he puzzled. Why you no afeared? he ask.

What’s to fear? Tram say. You big is all.

I show you what to fear. That Da’tc he get plenty angry now and he swoop down but Tram he watch and he jump.

Why you want to eat me? Tram ask. You like ball fluff for your meal?

You make me angry. I eat, say that Da’tc.

You have other like you, samelings? ask Tram.

I only Da’tc, that Da’tc say. No need for more, one enough.

Who you talk to? Tram ask as he jump away again.

No talk. Eat. That Da’tc swooping and diving but not getting.

I talk, call Tram. You wait to eat, I bigger after. For now I talk.

And that big old Da’tc he stop his swooping and diving and he circle while he think. Why you talk? he ask.

Me and you joined someways, say Tram, and he turn his back on that Da’tc and he walk back to his samelings. And you know, that there Da’tc, he let him go.

And that the story of how Tram meet the Da’tc for the first.

THE NAMING OF GRIEF

RPI 633.M87T / RRD 9

As had happened before, the sun was dying and we were in need of a new home, a new world with a living sun. The one who was known as The Fisher was called upon to fulfill its task, as it had done before.

We gathered together on our dying planet, drawing ourselves away from the world, and floating together at the pole. The Fisher flowed to the surface of our gathering and began the invocations, which only it knew.

As it chanted, The Fisher thinned out, stretching ever larger. Holes appeared in its being as strands pulled away from each other and it became an ever-enlarging net.

Eventually the chanting changed and The Fisher was ready. It cast itself out into the void of space, reaching out to the far distant stars. That time it came back down, and the next and the next. Eight times The Fisher cast out into the void but caught nothing. The ninth time of casting was the one which proved fruitful as The Fisher snared a world. The world was good and the fibers of The Fisher hummed with satisfaction, and we were pleased.

The gathering flowed along the fibers of The Fisher, rippling along the net from the dying world to our new home. Finally The Fisher released its hold on the old world and flowed together, the chanting finished.

Great was our joy at our arrival and we spread out across the planet. We could feel that The Fisher had chosen well. The Speaker led us in the celebration, the ritual movements and the chanting of the old songs with which we blessed the new world and claimed it for our new home.

Gradually, during the course of the celebration, we thinned ourselves until, still touching our nearest neighbors, we covered the surface of the planet. Pole to pole we wrapped ourselves around our home, holding it tightly like a new skin. For six days we stayed this way, our bodies joined as one, vibrating with the song of belonging, embracing that which was now ours, as we had done countless times before on other worlds.

When the rituals were completed we separated again and began, in our own ways, to rejoice in our new found life. The Speaker traveled the world, blessing each mountain, each sea and every one of its wonders. I too traveled, seeing everything, experiencing everything so that I could recount the story of our coming. Each and every one of us exulted and thanked The Fisher for finding us such a wondrous home. We celebrated the beginning of a new life, we celebrated life itself. How little we knew.

It was, I think, the twelfth day that The Healer called us together. At first we thought it had found something harmful to us and we were saddened at the thought of leaving but its news was worse, much worse.

Their bodies were so unlike ours that we had not thought them to be alive. Never before had we encountered life. We had thought ourselves alone in the universe and our arrogance had caused the deaths of untold species.

Now our joy was replaced by sorrow because we could not bring these beings back to life, but there was a need to atone for our sins. It was The Fisher who showed us the way, for it felt the greatest sorrow and bore the greatest guilt.

We had gathered together to assess our situation and The Fisher flowed to the surface of our gathering. At first we thought it meant to find another world, to take us away from the site of our dishonor but that was not its intent.

The Fisher began the invocations and its being thinned and stretched. The net was made and the chanting changed. The Fisher reached out strands and touched each of us, causing us to feel its sadness. Then it was gone. It cast itself out into the void, releasing its hold on the gathering as it did so.

It gave its life and took ours with it. Without The Fisher we cannot traverse the universe, it took the invocations with it and we are planet bound. When this sun dies, we die too.

We have named this planet Grief. It has come to symbolize the grief we feel for what we have done and the grief for what we have become. We have named ourselves The Sorrowful for, while we have no way to atone for what we have done, we wish all to know that our sorrow is heartfelt, for those we have killed and for ourselves.

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This legend was collected in the Xi system from a species who call themselves the Sorrowful and who have named their planet Grief. The story was told to me by one who called herself The Teller; her function was to tell stories and relate the species histories.

The Sorrowful are huge creatures which resemble runny, green jello and can certainly spread themselves out to cover vast areas. Disconcertingly they communicate by putting thin tendrils of themselves directly into your brain. Needless to say, very few family members left the ship, and those who did needed more than just a lie down afterwards!

TRAM MEETS THE DA’ TC FOR THE LAST

RPI 536.K9N / RRD 3

This is a story that happen in the long ago, we need to go backward a shortish way.

Tram was now a growner, rough fur and sharp of nose, and he have himself a joiner who carry his cublings warm inside her.

For long time now Tram talk with the Da’tc and while Tram he growed and older, that Da’tc he stay the samewise. Seemed like he same size, same old all the way.

While Tram and the Da’tc be close, that Da’tc he still try to catch the Garen peoples. Tram he ask the Da’tc time and forever for him to leave the Garen alone but the Da’tc he laugh. Garen taste best, he say. And though Tram argue upways and downways that Da’tc he not listen.

And now it come that Tram he about to have cublings of his own and he worry that Da’tc going to eat them. One starup he climb to the top of that rise where he talk to that Da’tc and he howl out, Come down Da’tc. Me and you talk.

Down come that Da’tc, drifting round from where he hunt. Tram, he say, what you want?

I want a promise from you Da’tc, say Tram. I become father soon. I want promise you no eat cublings.

You father? that Da’tc say, and he laugh and laugh, like Tram he tell the biggest joke.

Tram he get angered now and he snap at that Da’tc, but that Da’tc rise up and away and he still laughing.

Now Tram he real angered but he not stupid, nowise. He go back below the earth with his joiner and he think and he think.

Next starup Tram climb that rise and he howl out and down come that Da’tc. Da’tc, if I give you one of my cublings you promise to leave the others? Tram ask, and he seem all happy with it.

That Da’tc he think and then he agree. When you bring me cubling? he ask.

Well… Tram say, and he seem to be thinking fit to bust. We wait till it up and furry, till it bigger than new, then it be more than a mouthful.

And so it was agreed and so it was understood. Two more starups and Tram’s joiner she have three teeny, tiny newlings and they small and they got no hair, no teeth, nowise. But it not long before they cublings grown.

And while he wait, Tram visit the Da’tc and he tell how big the newlings be and he tell how he give him the biggest. And all the while Tram comb his fur and he save it up.

Now is come the time for the cublings to explore above earth and see the stars. And Tram he take the fur he save and he take up some shepu plant and he bite it. He wrap his fur up around the sticky, gummy shepu and he make it a big ball and he shape it and mould it till it look like cubling. Then up on the rise he go and down he lays that furball and he howl, Da’tc, he howl, it be time.

And the Da’tc come and he see Tram and he see what he think is cubling. Why it not move? he ask.

Tram look all sad sorrowful. I kill him before I bring him. I no want him to be afeared, Tram say and he hang his head and he stand back away.

Down come that Da’tc and he have to come down close to reach his prize. And just as he reach out for that supposed cubling, Tram he jump. He jump high and he jump fast and he land on that old Da’tc’s back.

You me joined someways, Tram whisper in the Da’tc’s ear and then he bite down on that Da’tc’s neck. Up fly that Da’tc, hard down bite Tram, then Tram’s jaws they meet through, SNAP, and that Da’tc he dead. Down and down he spiral, round and around till he land down, bang, on the rise. Tram he shaken and be bruised but he alive and his cublings alive.

And that how Tram meet the Da’tc for the last.