Albia

By Mike Lees

Albia, a 16-year-old schoolgirl in the north of England, nurtures dreams of becoming a Princess of a magical kingdom. She'd sit at her favourite spot in the country and admire the view, smell the undergrowth and feel puffs of wind caressing her cheeks. The birds chirp at her presence while leaves fall into her lap. Though, as often, she'd traipse back to her home, bewildered and disoriented. Unable to calm her inner anxiety.

 

At odds with her schoolmates and a self-inflicted drought on social media, Albia is alone, lost even. An underlying sense of anticipation gnawing at her.

Until one day she receives a massage. She'd say later, a calling. An answer to her yearning? Can she assume her destiny? Will she find the happiness, love and purpose she yearns for? Or will the dark forces destroy her chance of finding contentment?

 

"Albia" is a thought-provoking read for lost souls in search of meaning in our erratic and confusing society.

 

"As a short story, Albia was a quick, entertaining read. I longed for more as soon as I finished reading it. This is a tale that could easily support a full-length novel or even a series. I give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up." Gina R Mitchell, Amazon reviewer.

 

"As a short story, Albia was a quick, entertaining read. I longed for more as soon as I finished reading it. This is a tale that could easily support a full-length novel or even a series. I give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up." Nairita Naskar, Goodreads reviewer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mike Lees Books
• Release date: Apr 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201554941

Mike Lees

From London, England, Mike lives in Switzerland. He enjoys the marvellous scenery and the multi-cultural community that country has to offer. That involves speaking at least two languages and dealing with the mosaic that Switzerland has become over the centuries. He is a Professional NLP counsellor and favours personal development in his life to guide him through the journey. Painting and writing have become an important vector for him to express his inner-self and share his experiences. As you know reviews are an important part of how an author gets known which in turn allows him to continue to write. Please consider leaving a review. Many thanks. Feel free to contact me: [e-mail]

Book preview

I am not afraid... I was born to do this.

Jean d’Arc

Chapter 1

Albia

An April wind blew clean skies across the green lush meadow as Albia looked on with broken eyes. An oak tree and a felled log, her throne, and a vista of grand yet empty countryside, her realm. She wondered who she was? Sometimes, sitting alone here at her favourite spot just outside of York, a break from the turmoil and duplicity of modern life, she felt... otherworldly. Yes, that was the word, otherworldly. Where did she come from? Who was she? She laid down her half-eaten tuna sandwich and rested her red laden head into her palms, blotting out the view and seeking her inner self. No distractions, no interruptions, just her and nature, Mother Nature. Good, yet missing something. What made her different? She didn’t mix with her school friends, feeling off in a blind society, led by blind guides, heading into oblivion, a wasteland of distress and futility. Yet, there was something, something for her, a destiny? 

She shook her head. Red, long curls flowing with the movement, enhanced in the wind, glistening gold and copper, lighting up a contrast with the browns and greens of the countryside. She looked down the valley, a solitary farmhouse in the distance, smoke bellowing out of its chimney. A peaceful vista to calm her nerves.

She was a loner. No doubt about it. Ask her school friends. Well, school acquaintances would be more accurate. She was on a different plane, no mutual interests, no chemical bonding, and no boys!

She frowned.

Her last year at school, then what, college? Further education? To become attractive to a future Master? True, her parents would support her. They were well off and kind, but what to study when nothing drew your attention? The bland and bleak world coalesced in her mind. She’d spent hours in this spot, a refuge from the hustling and pretending of society. An allergy, bleeding sores into her heart, fighting her lust for more than the world could offer. Where did she get this sensation? Not her parents, a model of modern success, wealthy and prominent. It meant nothing to her. 

Meaning. She desired meaning, needed it, to sail upon waters of her heart, to float upon clouds of love and walk upon lands of hope.

She looked up to the sky, saw the sun nearing the earth and thought it was between five and a quarter past, knew it even. No need for her watch or cell phone. She left them at home. No need anyhow. Chains to enslave. Here, before her Kingdom, she enjoyed freedom and was at one with her surroundings.

She huffed and got up to walk back home, an hour’s trip. Good, still time to be with me and the emerald. She thought. She rose and stretched, arms