Revelation

By Katrina A. Trujillo

Fantasy becomes reality as these tales take you on a journey through the supernatural, the surreal, and the unknown. Ghosts, murders, dragons, and alien shadows are all featured in these three novellas, transcending time and space along with characters that can see ghosts, characters who are alien-human hybrids, and even dragon-human children who will help settle a matter within a kingdom without bringing about a major civil war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781645752936

Katrina A. Trujillo

Katrina A. Trujillo was born in a small farm town in Illinois and moved to Texas when she was six years old. Katrina has always had a very vivid imagination of characters and how they would progress when she played with her siblings. She graduated from Angelo State University in 2015 with a BA in English and a minor in art. Katrina enjoys telling stories and illustrating them to allow others to see a version of the images that she sees in her own mind.

Book preview

Blows

About the Author

Katrina A. Trujillo was born in a small farm town in Illinois and moved to Texas when she was six years old. Katrina has always had a very vivid imagination of characters and how they would progress when she played with her siblings. She graduated from Angelo State University in 2015 with a BA in English and a minor in art. Katrina enjoys telling stories and illustrating them to allow others to see a version of the images that she sees in her own mind.

Dedication

Dedicated to my friends and family for always showing me support and helping the gears to function for my wild imagination. You have been my muses and will always be what keeps me writing.

Copyright Information ©

Katrina A. Trujillo (2021)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person, who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication, may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Trujillo, Katrina A.

Revelation

ISBN 9781645752912 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781645752929 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781645752936 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020920418

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published (2021)

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Synopsis

The Conundrum

An unusual family moves into a haunted house, soon strange things begin to happen to them. Strange people appearing in the home demanding things that the family has no idea. The police are nervous about coming to the house, so it is up to the family to discover what mysteries and secrets the house holds within its walls and put a stop to the mystery of the conundrum.

Emptiness and Mass Murder

An alien race has conquered the human planet and has enslaved the humans into concentration camps. The aliens keep the humans terrified of what the next day will hold for them. A human with psychic powers falls in love with an alien and soon, they have a child which ends with disaster as the ruler of the alien race comes to kill the mixed breed for fear of the aliens becoming sympathetic with the human race. The child survives and becomes a beacon of hope for the two races as the world they live in becomes life threatening for both races.

Tatum: City in the Sky

Steampunk nation of magic and power, where an evil tyrant wishes to take over the nation and cause a global war. The only ones standing in his way are hybrid dragons and the prince that escaped being killed by the tyrant. Soon, the power of the dragons will help the prince regain the throne he had lost and bring peace once more to the city, Tatum.

The Conundrum

Prologue

What Is a House, Is a Castle in Disguise

The Grimm family was desperate to land a house large enough to fit the whole family inside without anyone having to share room or space with one another. Being a large family within a middle class status, they were looking for something no one had asked for or didn’t want a fixer upper in a sense. The realtor was nervous as the family had already said no on several of the houses that he had showed them that week. The family was large, consisting mainly adult children with spouses and their own kids. Five adult children and two children under the age of six and a teenager along with the two original parents. It was going to be a problem finding a house that would fit all of them comfortably and still remain within their budget range that they had asked to stay in. The father, Leoline Grimm, was a hard man to deal with, face in a perpetual scowl and jaw set in a locked position he always seemed to be angry with someone add in the broad shoulders and his height just above average for the era and one could feel a sense of walking amongst giants. His dark complexion gave him the mystery of every Hispanic dreamed of having, but could rarely pull off.

His wife was also above average height at five eleven, with dark auburn hair and vibrant pale green eyes like mint. She was of a paler complexion and seemed to be in a better mood, if not altogether happy. She wore pants instead of a dress and a large button down shirt around her neck; it would seem she had forgotten to take of her teacher’s name tag which read Lystra Grimm in bold black font across a gold background. She smiled more easily than her husband and was more watchful of how her children and grandchildren interacted with the houses that they saw. The realtor was more at ease with her as she was almost his height, rather than her husband who seemed like he was getting ready to commit a murder.

The realtor wiped his brow for what seemed like the seventh time that day, nodding to the last location on his clipboard that he would show them for the day. It was more of a mansion than a house but was larger than even what this family had wanted, but it was below the budget range that they had listed for the realtor to keep them in. He motioned the family back onto the bus, looking the bus driver in the eye, and whispering the address to him. The bus driver paled and looked behind him at the family that seemed content and happy. Then looked back to the realtor who nodded his head yes to the other man. The man made the sign of the cross and started the engine up on the charter bus.

Cool air blew from the vents instantly calming the smaller children down right away as they were cooled off from the heat that had been roasting them outside. The teenager huffed and settled more comfortably in the chair, cell phone in hand and scrolling through pictures of what she had taken to send to her friends from the old town. Their parents shared looks with one another and finally turned to look out the window or to speak to the family members closest to them.

The eldest of the adult children was named Cleo and was in her early forties, she had long, wavy, sandy brown hair and blue, green eyes. She stood as tall as five foot, eight inches and wore pants and a blouse. She had a severe frown on her face as the bus tended to irritate her more so than having been driven their by their father. She had just started a new job closer to the family and had just recently given birth to her first child, a boy named Monty.

Her husband, Amias, was six foot even with sandy, blonde hair and blue eyes, a slight tan that made him darker than Cleo and an even temper that allowed him to be patient with Cleo’s own hot headed moods.

The second eldest was three years younger and was more like their mother than father. His name was Darius and he was five foot, ten inches and liked to lord it over his older sister that she was smaller than him. It usually ended with both yelling at each other until the insults and threats streamed into non-sense and laughter. He had dark brown hair and the same blue green eyes of his sister. His hair was short and would curl when grown out long. Which, thankfully, he only went through that phase once in his mid-thirty years of his life. He wore a bright blue shirt and blue jeans with a belt and gym shoes, he is usual fair when he wasn’t at work climbing into high nesting spots all day.

His wife was an inch taller and had a humor that matched her husband. With dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes, she always looked to be in a good mood. She also wore a brightly colored t-shirt and jeans with gym shoes. After all, it was her day off. She was a lighter skin tone than her husband, freckled with a nose piercing, and eyebrow piercing, her name was Mercy.

Their teenage daughter, Susannah, was as a result going through her horrible teen stage, didn’t fully understand the need to move just yet. She was popular and a cheerleader at the old town, at five foot six inches, she was already above average in height for a girl. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes with an oval face and pouty full lips. Her hair came down above her shoulders and was curling just slightly to give it a girly wave. She hated house-seeing and would prefer to be at home watching the T.V. She was a caramel tan and wore hip huggers and a tank top that had the words ‘kiss me’ across the chest.

The third eldest of the Grimm family was named Pharaoh, or his nieces and nephews call him Uncle Bubbles. He stood over six foot six with black hair that had white spots decorating it from an incident when he was three and tried to electrocute himself. He had dark brown eyes and a slightly crooked nose, where it had been broken more times than he could count. Unlike his other siblings, he was happily devoted to his gaming system and wouldn’t ever cheat on it with an actual living person. So, in that regards, his children and spouse were all electronics. Since he was so skinny and pale, he wore a heavy hoodie and black pants that made him seem bulkier than he actually was.

The fourth adult child of the family was a two years younger than the thirty year old Pharaoh and had short purple hair spiked up around her head and light mint green eyes like their mothers. She was five foot, nine inches tall and went by the name Morticia. She wore a tank top laced in the back and a slight salmon color with shorts and sandals. Her fingernails and toenails were painted a bright purple and she had a nose piercing. She, like her younger sister, was also an artist and writer, but dealt mainly in arts that suited her own whimsical fancies that were opposite of her own sister’s works. Being more vivid in color and happier in nature to that of Korina’s own art style.

Her husband, Jacob, of six years was about nine inches taller than her with dreadlocks of black hair that swayed around his head and a straight nose. He was African and Hispanic descent and he had dark brown eyes and dark skin and was curious about what was going on in everyone’s conversations. He wore a dark red shirt that held the star wars logo on it and baggy dress pants with torn up gym shoes. He was slender but not Pharaoh slender.

Their son was five years old, short, sandy brown hair and light brown eyes, similar to his Uncle Bubble’s eyes. He was a child that smiled readily and liked to cause mischief wherever he went. He wore coordinating colors that he had picked out for the day; bright green t-shirt and blue shorts with bright blue gym shoes. He was slowly falling asleep on the ride to the next destination. He usually went by the name Ptolomy.

The youngest of the adult children was named Korina. She was six foot one, with short dark brown hair that had natural streaks of red in it. Hazel eyes that were more hidden behind glasses than anything else. She wore a tank top with a sports bra underneath, black shorts that featured skulls across them, and carried a purse that could easily be mistaken for a book bag as it was so full of other people’s junk and snacks. She joked it was the Tardis. She wore gym shoes rather than sandals and had on Jurassic park socks that she had snatched from one of her brother-in-laws when they had failed to collect them from her room during laundry day. She wore a medical bracelet on her left wrist and had smudges of paint covering her body from the hair down.

Her husband, David, was several inches taller than her. With dark dirty blonde hair in a shaggy cut and dark blue eyes. He wore dusted chaps and cowboy boots with dirty mud covered jeans and a dirty and torn, plaid shirt over a sweat stained undershirt. His sunglasses rested over his head as he leaned against his wife, one of his arms wrapped around her shoulders as she smudged away on her sketch pad with a charcoal covered finger. His own fingers played a rhythmic tapping note along one of her bared shoulders, brushing lightly along her tattoo that she shared with one of her sisters. He worked on a ranch getting cattle and other animals around to graze or get ready for market or even for rodeos and since he worked outside, he had a dark tan with tough leathery skin and hard calluses on his hands and arms. He took a half day to go with the family house seeing.

The drive to the next house was long, well over an hour long. Yet, that was normal in a large county of farming and ranching like the south had. They came up on a long winding road that led up a steep hill that sat a large mansion which stood in the shadowed foreground of a cliff side. The mansion seemed to scream ominously out at them to turn around. A gust of wind blew from that direction, cold and frigid in the late spring heat. The driver shivered as it rattled the windshield like fists banging to be let in. The driveway gave way to a circle that was surrounding a fountain that had long ago gone dry. Dead leaves from trees of falls and winters gone past with no attention had left the old mansion in disarray and in need of tender care.

The bus stopped at the steps leading up to the mansion’s house, the double drooping doors looking like a mouth in mid-scream. The windows and panes bowing out like bulging eyes that glistened with unshed tears. The mansion stood dark in the gloom of coming evening and the realtor turned to look at the family. This is our last stop for the day, Jeremy James Smithin stated, eyes pale and perspiration dotting his forehead as he spoke to the group.

Leoline stood from where he sat with his wife at the front of the bus, his hard gaze taking in the feel of the place. How much is it going to cost us? was his question as he and the realtor stood staring at each other. Then Smithin cleared his throat and looked away from the more intimidating man.

This is below the budget you asked me to stay in. Its previous owner died here and was found on the steps by the police after he had called them a few minutes prior, Smithin stated, grimacing in what appeared to be pain at the idea. Leoline nodded his head in understanding and turned to look at his wife to see what she thought of the idea.

We are already here, so we might as well check out this place. I am sure that Korina will have so much fun with the idea that someone actually died here and have many inspirations on what to do about them, and I am sure Morticia can come up with some ideas as well, Lystra stated, gazing back at her youngest daughter still lost in a world of her own. Leoline nodded his head and looked back at the mansion.

Alright, let’s see what this castle has for us, he told the realtor who beamed nervously from his position at the front of the steps leading out of the bus. The driver made the sign of the cross once more. As the family filed once more off the bus, the realtor waited for them, eyes shifting to each window that was bordered up or even uncovered. He hoped that this time he could get this piece of property off of his hands. It has been on market for the past two years and already the place was in desperate need of some tender loving care. He didn’t think that the area could last another two years or more being unlived in like it was. He turned to look up through the glaring windshield at the driver who was wiping sweat from his brows and turned back to the family as they prepared to tour the mansion.

As you can see, this place has enough room for everyone and then some. Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, three living rooms, two dining rooms, one large kitchen, three stories of rooms, and two libraries and even a greenhouse and music studio, which I am sure your daughter Korina would love to convert into an art studio, Smithin stated, clammy at the thought that the family would refuse to buy the mansion, And you really are getting it for a steal. The previous owner’s family didn’t want it after what had happened to the family member.

Leoline looked around the large spacy area that they were standing in. Turned and looked at his wife who was also looking around at the area. They had only seen half of the house, fireplaces in what appeared to be every major bedroom, along with a heating system and the lights worked as did the water. The price was really below the budget that they had agreed upon and it was more than large enough for the whole family, including any guests that could arrive. Leoline nodded his head and stuck out his hand, You, Mr. Smithin, have a deal. We will take the house. Everyone behind him let out happy laughter and fist pumped the air.

Smithin smiled and shook the hand that was held out to him, the perspiration that beaded his forehead was cold and clammy to the touch, and it dripped down his spine leaving a cold and guilty feeling behind in its wake. He hoped this deal didn’t come to bite him in the ass later on. That is great, I will get started on the paperwork and you will be able to move in soon, he assured the family as they headed back out to the bus that was sitting idling in the circle driveway.

Chapter One

So Begins the Tale

Two weeks had passed and the family had settled into the house, making progress on the much needed love that the mansion so dearly needed. Hard work and elbow grease slowly shaped the mansion into its once splendor beauty that it had before the untimely death of the previous owner. The family, while curious, did not look into how or why the previous owner had been killed as the realtor stated it had been identified as a heart attack while he was on the phone with dispatchers. The mansion was just too far away for the emergency vehicles to reach on time, but the previous owner had liked his privacy as do the Grimm family now.

Leoline and the majority of the rest of the family were at different areas of work during the long tedious week days. Korina, Pharaoh, and Morticia stayed home. Korina and Morticia in the study working on paintings and other artistic things when they were not behind the desks that they had moved in to type away at the computers that sat covered in paint and other items. Pharaoh stayed in his rooms playing video games or watching T.V., rarely did he venture out of the suite that was his new domain, other than to eat with the rest of the family. Usually they had to track him down, which was easy as he never left his room.

When school got out, Lystra usually took the grandchildren back home with her, so the parents didn’t have to worry about coming to pick them up. Although, they all had enough cars to do so. Leoline usually picked up the mail on the way up the drive from a long work day and the others took turns trying to cook dinner for the small army that lived in the mansion. The mansion still needed a lot of work but it was more livable than it had been two weeks prior to them moving in. The running water now fixed after a week of digging trenches to find the leak as was the windows that had been broken by teens on adventures to the haunted house. A new hot water tank had been brought and moved in and the faulty wires that had been found had been fixed and repaired in a few short hours of finding them.

Korina paced up and down beside her painting as she looked over the details that were added to the coloring of the black and white. Specks of gold and copper glittered in the wings and along the bones of the reaper as it sat astride a throne of skulls and horns. Scythe balanced along two mélange bones that created the fingers of the reaper as a woman with only a small loincloth sat bejeweled between its splayed legs. Leaning against one side, a hand lying on the muscles that the skeleton exposed. Morticia was sitting crossed legged on the floor not very far from her sister, her own painting progressing slowly. Damn, I can’t tell what color is what in this painting? Korina stated, just as the door opened and her husband strolled in. He paused looking down at the painting and cocked his head.

What color? David asked.

The color of the metallic, Korina pointed out. She didn’t look up from where she was examining her art piece.

Have you thought about adding more than those? David stated with a playful smile. Korina turned and looked at him, eyebrow arching up. He shrugged and turned around to head back out from the studio. Waving a hand at Morticia, who was still in her own world of art and wonder to notice him come or go.

Cleo was in the kitchen working on dinner and Pharaoh was also there sitting at a stool near the counter, talking non-stop about the game he had been playing for a company that was beta testing it. He sat with Monty on his lap as Monty was still too young to go to school, he stayed home with the three adults who took turns babysitting and teaching him things. Cleo wasn’t really paying attention to what Pharaoh was saying as the whole family had gotten the ability to tune him out when he started going off on his games and other things that just ended up being repeated over and over again. She turned a pot in her hand as