Romantic Short Stories (Volume Two)

By Paula Freda

Paula Freda, also known as Marianne Dora Rose, presents new short stories in this Second Volume of her Romantic Short Stories. (Rated "G" for General Audiences) Five love stories that warm the heart and the spirit: A Blue Rose from Galaxy Andromeda, The Flower in the Dell,The Girl in the Green Booth, The Winter Rose, and Elspeth's Story (Elspeth's Diary, Circa 1892), from her novella "Love's Timeless Secret Revealed" written under her pen name Marianne Dora Rose.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paula Freda
• Release date: Jun 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463954928

Paula Freda

About the AuthorDorothy Paula Freda, is also known under her pen names Paula Freda and Marianne Dora Rose. Herbooks range from Fiction and Non-fiction Adventure, Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Poetry, Articles, Essays and How-to-Write Instructional complete with Lessons and optional assignments.Homemaker, mother of two grown sons, and former off-the-desk publisher of a family-oriented print small press, (1984 thru 1999), The Pink Chameleon, that she now publishes on line, Paula was raised by her grandmother and mother, and has been writing for as long as she can remember. Even before she could set pencil to paper, she would spin her stories in the recording booths in the Brooklyn Coney Island Arcades for a quarter per 3-minute record. She states, "I love the English language, love words and seeing them on display, typed and alive. A romantic at heart, I write simply and emotionally. One of my former editors kindly described my work, '...her pieces are always deep, gentle and refreshing....'" Paula further states, "My stories are sensitive, deeply emotional, sensual when appropriate, yet non-graphic, family fare, pageturners. My hope is that my writing will bring entertainment and uplift the human spirit, bring a smile to your face and your soul, and leave you filled with a generous amount of hope."

Book preview

Romantic Short Stories

(Volume Two)

Romantic Short Stories (Volume Two)

by Dorothy P. Freda writing as Paula Freda

and Marianne Dora Rose

© January 2018 by Dorothy P. Freda

(Pseudonyms - Paula Freda and

Marianne Dora Rose)

Smashwords Edition

Photo credits listed at end of book

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof. This is a work of fiction; names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Dedication

With thanks to my Dear Lord Jesus and his Blessed Mother Mary whose strength, guidance, and her Holy Rosary, are my anchor in this troubled world, I dedicate this book to my dear husband, Domenick, whose love and loyalty over the past 47 years kept my dreams and view of the romantic alive and vibrant.

CONTENTS

A Blue Rose from Galaxy Andromeda

The Flower in the Dell

The Girl in the Green Booth

The Winter Rose

Elspeth's Story

(Elspeth's Diary from my novella Love's Timeless Secret Revealed)

written under my pen name Marianne Dora Rose

Excerpts from my Novella

Love's Timeless Secret Revealed

written by Dorothy P Freda

under her pen name Marianne Dora Rose

Excerpts from my Novella

The Girl In Blue Velvet

Who Fell From The Stars

by Dorothy P Freda

under her pen name Paula Freda

A BLUE ROSE

FROM

GALAXY ANDROMEDA

CHAPTER ONE

Katherine opened the data emailed to her by the telescope operator in the dome observatory above her. Per her duties, she inserted it into the appropriate file, one to be perused, studied and debated over by cosmographers along with thousands of other files for decades to come. Three other typists worked in the control room. She didn't have much contact with them, as her background in science was limited to adapting her fingertips to her particular keyboard. Most of the symbols and equations made little sense to her. But through five studious years, her fingertips knew exactly how to duplicate them and transfer them into the appropriate files.

The backgrounds of the other three computer programmers included various degrees in the study of the cosmos' evolution. The only common denominator she shared with them, was her intrigue with the cosmos. In fact, the only reason she was allowed to work here, was that her father numbered among the wealthy board members, frequent contributors toward the observatory. Their funds and contacts in the scientific world had enabled its construction on the highest mountain ridge of her little known town, a mere spec on the map, like the galaxies and their stars and planets, and their comings and goings, that the young man operating the telescope in the dome above observed and recorded daily and nightly. She often wondered if he ever slept. But reason dictated he had to sleep sometime. He was always alert, amethyst eyes, clear and attentive, as was his mind, intelligent, a pro in his field and integrity. She included integrity because he was genial and kind, respectful and generous of nature. And he had the most beautiful smile, earnest and sensitive. Most of the female staff, especially the unattached, had tried to attract his attention. But after his polite rejections that always left them with the feeling that it was his loss, and not theirs, the women had stopped trying and left him to his work.

Katherine became aware of his dedication to his work and the futility of the women's attempts to attract him, in time not to join their ranks. Not that she wouldn't have welcomed his asking her on a date. She was as human as any of the other girls, with one difference, perhaps. Wealthy, with a hefty inheritance in her future. Early on she had acquired a load of beaus clamoring for her affections. Of course, the truth was, they were clamoring for her inheritance. By the time she graduated from her two-year college course in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, she had turned into a loner, on the cynical side.

Lionel, Lyle for short, kept mostly to himself. A loner, himself, Katherine judged, though he tried not to stand out, by occasionally joining in a birthday wish or contributing toward a gift for a fellow employee. Even making a short appearance at a Christmas party. This past Christmas he'd shocked everyone by asking a couple of the girls to dance, Katherine herself being one. A fairly good dancer, but not much of a talker. Janice, one of the girls in the control room, and the one he had asked to dance first, had complained to Katherine, He actually asked you twice. Slow dances. And I saw his mouth moving as if he were carrying on a conversation with you.

Katherine chuckled. Definitely nothing that qualified as a conversation, she assured. He's just the quiet type. She knew Janice was itching to know what he'd said, but she hated gossip. The man was entitled to his privacy.

All he had asked her was her opinion of the Andromeda Galaxy. She had replied honestly that her knowledge of the cosmos was limited to the documentaries she watched on television. And the articles she read in the science magazines that littered the observatory lounges and waiting rooms. Not that the cosmos didn't intrigue her, but much of the material went over her head. She loved the mystery of the cosmos, loved to extrapolate and imagine from the little that was actually known about interstellar space. She didn't realize the length and the enthusiasm of her reply. She felt embarrassed, realizing she had monopolized the conversation, and apologized.

On the contrary, Lyle said. I enjoyed listening to you. The music resumed; another slow dance. I'd like to hear more, he said. Shall we dance again?

Katherine struggled not to show surprise. She felt honored that this intelligent young man wasn't laughing at her ignorance. She'd once been asked by a superior to open his educational record file, and for a man in his late twenties, Lyle's Degrees in the Sciences were astonishing.

Tell me more what you think is out there, he said, in earnest.

She was tempted to change the subject, but why change what she enjoyed talking about the most. Well, without sounding ludicrous or illogical — logic doesn't apply to the cosmos — magic, fairies, intelligent life that we here on earth would never recognize, everything that is possible and impossible, is out there. She paused a moment as he swung her under his arm, then dipped her back slightly and forward back into his arms..

Go on, he said. To coin a human phrase, you're thinking outside the box.

Oh, he had her going. She found herself talking about what most scientists would consider impossible. Worlds so unlike her own, yet intelligent life that lived in peace, worshipped the Good Lord, the Creator, and were eons ahead of us in maturity and exploration. She chuckled as she opined, the reason we've never been contacted by a superior civilization is probably because they don't wish to be contaminated by the violence we still have not outgrown."

The dance ending, he dipped her again. For a moment as he bent over her, she thought he meant to kiss her. Shocked at her own forward movement to meet his lips, disappointment disenchanted her ego as he brought her back up.

Thank you, he said. You have a beautiful mind, Katherine. He walked her off the dance floor. Good night. And he left, no doubt returning to his small studio that served as his living quarters, a closed-off niche on one side of the observatory dome.

CHAPTER TWO

Tomorrow began her two weeks vacation. She had two choices. Spend them at her parents' home. Good food, theater tickets, the usual friends and relatives visiting and bringing handsome young men they believed would attract her. Truth be, most of those young men were interested more in the inheritance than in her as a human being. The second choice, take a vacation incognito,