From the Outside in and Back Again: A Falingsdale Tale

By J.M.A. Quinn

The story of Ith is a tragedy of a young boy, left to face life alone. He is forced to come to terms with his own manifestations, to reclaim who he once used to be. With the help of his two friends, Ith learns we all have the ability to create what it is that destroys us, but has to learn on his own that we are also the creators.

As the three friends soon find out, those manifestations are as different as each one of them. Now they must struggle to harness their new abilities and learn to balance their power before they are consumed by it.

Its not about a problem in general, but a general problem. My hope is for people to walk way with a feeling that although we are culminations of our experiences we have the ability to overcome all obstacles we may put before ourselves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 11, 2009
• ISBN: 9781469111209

J.M.A. Quinn

Born JOSEPH MICHAEL ARLO QUINN in 1975, J.M.A Quinn grew up in Pennsylvania and New York. Having always had an interest in the Arts, he started expressing his ambition at an early age. From then it grew into other areas such as music and writing in many other different modes such as poetry. Author of several published poems and avid blogger on social networking sites, this is his second installment of three tales, the first being; “From the outside in and Back Again – a Falingsdale Tale.” Joseph is currently working on the last installment of the Falingsdale trilogy. Also in the works is a new story set apart from the Falingsdale line that ventures into cyber realism.

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Copyright © 2009 by J.M.A. Quinn.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

A DAY UNLIKE ANY OTHER

A FRIEND IN NEED

CHILLED TO THE BONE AT FETCHING STONE

UNLOCKING A KING

CLEMENT AND TURNPIN

THE CATACOMBS OF CREATION

A DRIFT IN TIME

AND SPIRIT

OVERWHELMING HAND OF POWER

THE MOMENT THAT

SHAPES YOU

AN EVENT FAR DARKER

OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH YOU

SO SORRY TO SEE YOU GO

A DAY UNLIKE ANY OTHER

ONCE UPON A time, not to long ago, lived way too many people to name who also share this very story I am about to tell you. Some lived here, and some lived there, and some lived way over there by the river. Some stood tall, some stood short, and some stood barely at all. However, the people here in Falingsdale, along with most of the events, are all but ordinary.

One of the people I remember was a female Indian child that went by the name of Weeponee Crooo. That little girl I knew was stranger than the world itself. She had a friend that went by the name Odys Pear. Odys was a very quiet boy with a very distant look in his eyes. It was almost as if he was staring back through time and space, searching among the ages. The last child I met was Ith Minnfillion. If I was ever cautious of a child, it was this kid. Nevertheless, before I go any further into our story I shall introduce myself under the name D. N. Armstrong.

The twentieth day of spring, and the weather is looking good this morning, as some of you may be just waking up, roll down your windows on the way to work, and I, Tom Timmerman, will be back with your morning news. Thank you! The words poured out of the television as Weeponee strolled through the living quarters and headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

As Weeponee entered the kitchen, she remembered that she had a horrible dream last night and began to recall some of its events when a little boy’s voice said, Shake off the night Weeponee, and share a bowl of cereal with me.

Weeponee smiled and said, What are you having, Odys? Odys gave no response and just sat at the table staring off into space, and Weeponee asked again, What’ll you be having, Mr. Pear? Still there was no response from Odys, so Weeponee set the table with milk, orange juice, and cereal and waited for Odys to snap out of it and join her.

While waiting for Odys, Weeponee wondered more about her dream, and why it was so scary.

Do you still want to go and see the Fetching Stone today if it doesn’t rain? asked Odys.

Sure, said Weeponee as she reached for the box of Funny Flakes cereal.

I sure hope it doesn’t rain today, said Odys as he poured out a bowl of his own.

The news guy, Timmerman Tom, said it will be rainy out today, but I think it will be okay still, rambled on Weeponee, in the middle of a mouthful of Funny Flakes.

Don’t you say that, Weeponee, I want sunshine and clouds, cried out Odys.

Weeponee rolled her eyes at Odys’ selfishness and said, I’ll go outside, rain or shine. After Weeponee stated rain or shine, there was silence, except for the morning news with Tom Timmerman and the deafening crunch of some morning cereal.

A few streets down an old man reached down to pick up the morning newspaper and hollered, Ith! The old man postured and hollered one more time. Ith, wake up! You are supposed to go out and play with your two friends this morning. Ith! Are you awake? yelled the old man.

Upstairs, a little boy sat up in bed after hearing his Grandfather yell, and out with a big yawn, he began to stretch. I’m awake now, Grandpa.

The blonde-haired little boy got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom as his grandfather yelled again, I’ll put on some breakfast while you get around, okay?

Yes, please! replied Ith, just as his stomach began to growl. Ith then went into the bathroom and shut the bathroom door. Downstairs, the phone began to ring.

Hello? asked the old man after picking up the receiver and getting it half-way to his ear. Hello? he asked again, waiting for a response.

Hello, Grandpa Minnfillion. It’s Weeponee, is Ith awake yet?

Yes my dear, hold on, he replied. The old man set the receiver down and walked over to the edge of the steps and yelled, Ith! Weeponee would like to speak to you.

Tell her I’ll call her back, Grandpa, replied Ith from behind the bathroom door. The old man hobbled his way back down the hallway to the phone and told Weeponee that Ith will return her call when he is dressed, and then said good-bye.

Outside of the Minnfillion residence, the wind picked up, and the trees began to sway. Off in the distance, a dog was barking, and someone was calling out, Roll up my windows too, would you please, and thanks!

Ith reached over and shut the bathroom window. If it is going to rain, I wonder if we will still take our trip to the Fetching Stone, or if Weeponee was calling to say it was off, he thought to himself.

Ith, your food is prepared if you are ready to eat it! Come on, boy, while it’s hot! barked old man Minnfillion from downstairs in the kitchen. The old man stumbled over to the table and set down a plate with two golden eggs, two strips of bacon, and a large lump of hash browns. Ith, your food is finished. Would you like something to drink with your breakfast, and if so, what? yelled the old man.

Orange juice please! Thanks! hollered Ith until he was blue in the face.

During old man Minnfillion’s cooking, the kitchen had gotten a little smoky, and he decided to crack open a window to let some of it out. Upon opening the window that overlooked the backyard, the old man noticed a tall shadowy figure standing out by the chain-link fence that enclosed in the backyard.

Hello! hollered the old man, staring out at the enormous figure.

The old man’s yelling did nothing to the shadow, and it gave no response either. After hollering to the shadow like a madman, his curiosity outgrew his common sense, and the old man shut the window and started toward the back door. While turning toward the back door, the old man knocked over a plate-drying wrack and shattered two plates on the kitchen tile floor. The shattering plates on the tile did not break the old man’s height of curiosity. He opened the back door and instantly froze in fear because the shadowy figure had met him in the doorway.

While getting out of the shower and drying off, Ith started to rub the steam off the mirror and heard a strange booming noise come from downstairs. Grandpa! yelled Ith. Are you all right? he yelled again. There was no answer. Hmm. That’s not like Grandpa to not answer me, pondered Ith, trying to see out the foggy bathroom window. He started to get a little scared when there was no reply from, or sight of, Grandpa.

As the old man stared, he heard in a rumbling voice, Elem-non passed through the shadowy figure like a slow, distant thunder. The old man, encumbered by fear, fell to his knees and bowed his head. The shadowy figure had flashed into bright light and exploded, knocking the old man back out of the doorway and into the kitchen.

A voice from upstairs yelled, Grandpa! Are you all right? The silence was proof enough that something had gone wrong.

Back up the street, a few blocks to the Crooo residence, Weeponee and Odys had just finished their cereal when Weeponee asked, What do you suppose could be slowing Ith down this morning, Odys?

At first, Odys just sat there with a clueless look on his face and then replied, Maybe he had a bad dream or something.

Upon Odys saying bad dream, Weeponee remembers a flash of the dream she had the night before; in it, she sees Ith dressed in black and weeping. Behind him stands a tall bright figure with heavenly white wings, erect with its head bowed, and his hands on Ith’s shoulders. Maybe you are right, and I should give him another call, said Weeponee, shrugging off the dream’s negative residue.

We should wait for him. He’ll call, said Odys, sounding sure of Ith. After Odys’s remark, he and Weeponee just sat there in their chairs, staring at the phone.

Outside in the streets of Falingsdale, the wind’s speed grew in strength, and the sky started to turn a dark shade of gray. The trees began to sway in the wind, and across Dilly’s Field, a once-distant storm was now closing in. Dilly’s Field separated the suburban town of Falingsdale from its local schools. People started closing their windows and calling in their children as the thunder rumbled off in the distance. As the storm grew and smothered the sunshine out of the sky, Ith walked out of the bathroom with that strange noise from downstairs still fresh in his mind. Halfway down the stairs, he heard a storm warning come across the distant television.

"Howdy, folks, this is Tom Timmerman with a severe thunderstorm warning. There will be wind gusts up to fifty miles an hour and torrential rain. Along with these lovely things also come rolling thunder of mammoth proportions and some blinding white lightning. The storm should hang