Anthology 2 Birth of Silver City

By James Malcolm

This is James second ongoing self published series publication.
Phoenix Quest; The Medallions, The Ring and The feather, is the
first book of adult fantasy fiction trilogy released in 2011. Currently,
James is finishing up a third series entitled the Undine Trilogy. Life
is an adventure, enjoy the ride.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479767199

James Malcolm

James lives with his wife Shellie on Harstine Island in Washington State. He is an avid fantasy fiction and lyrical poetry author working on his twenty fifth book.

Book preview

ANThology 2

Birth of Silver City

James Malcolm

Copyright © 2013 by James Malcolm.

Illustrations and cover by Morgan Knowles

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.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

112438

Contents

Milk Mustache

Dream Big

Treasures Wheels

The Chase

The Rescue

Liquid Gold

Council of Nine

River of Rock

Chicken Chase

Web of Fear

The Discovery

Luna’s Surprise

The Competition

Character Map

Published Works

Phoenix Quest—The Medallions,

The Ring and the Feather

ANThology 1—Ants Odyssey

ANThology 2—Birth of Silver City

Awaiting Publication

Phoenix Quest—Journey To The Underworld

Phoenix Quest—Spell Bound

ANThology 3—Quest For A Queen

ANThology 4—The Banished Princess

ANThology 5—Royal Flush

ANThology 6—The Lost Monarch

ANThology 7—Queen’s of Chaos

ANThology 8—Sovereign Sand

Undine Trilogy—Divergent Dimension

Undine Trilogy—Queen’s Conundrum

And ANTroducing

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Milk Mustache

The ants were bouncing along on Luna’s back, with the wind blowing in their faces. The big red barn was dead ahead and their wild experience with the creek was far behind them. Memories of the ant farm seemed distant and uneventful, now. Living their dream was much more fulfilling than dreaming a life and this was living.

Every day brought something new, a fresh smell, new taste, clean air and great friends, excluding the robber flies, of course. It was exhilarating to say the least. They weren’t afraid anymore, maybe a little cautious; the creek had taught them that, but now, the wonders of the outside world were theirs to explore and it would begin with the barn.

The second ride on Luna’s back was a godsend and much different than their first. This time the ants knew where they were and where they were going. No darkness or cobwebs would hinder their progress this time. Luna was still running through tall grass, but the barn was plainly visible to all. The peak of the roof, eaves and bright red barn boards beckoned. In a matter of moments they would reach another goal and realize another dream. It was the beginning of a new day in paradise.

Luna cleared the last of the short grass clumps and raced across the dirt to the rear of the barn. There were no doors or windows on this side of the building, but there was one large knot hole. This would be their portal to a new home.

The ants quickly dismounted, excited at reaching their goal, except for Adam. His ride wouldn’t be over until Luna returned their new friend to the back porch of the farm house, where his colony was located.

Thank you Luna. Thank you Adam, Austin said. It’s a great feeling to know we have such good friends.

I wish we could stay longer, but we must be on our way. It took us so long to find you, my dad must be worried by now, Adam admitted.

Now don’t you two be strangers, Cookie added.

We’ll see you again tomorrow, Luna acknowledged.

Then we’ll be sure to keep our eyes open, Walt replied.

Remember, Mr. Swanson comes to the barn early in the morning to milk the cows and again in the evening, just before dark. Whatever you do, don’t let him see you.

We’ll remember.

As Luna scampered toward the farm house, the educated ants waved goodbye, while Adam, looking over his shoulder, returned a wave of his own. In a matter of seconds, the duo rounded the corner of the barn and disappeared out of sight.

Well, here we are, standing in front of our new home, Walt said, as all the ants stood facing the knot hole.

Finally, I didn’t think we’d ever get here, Agnes added in her usual cynical tone.

Who wants to go first? Austin asked the group.

I will, Dusty volunteered without hesitation.

Why should it be you? Cookie asked.

Why not me, I answered first?

Dusty was quick to climb the wall of the barn until he reached the knot hole. It was about the size of a golf ball and sixteen inches off the ground. He peered down at his friends, framed like a picture by the oval shape of the entrance. With a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye, Dusty took his first glimpse into the vastness of the barn.

"It’s HUGE inside! he reported. There are lots of windows, a loft and large double doors."

Do you see any animals? Walt asked.

No animals, at least none that I can see from here. Do you want me to take a quick look around, before we all go inside?

No, that won’t be necessary.

Dusty disappeared through the oval opening and one after another, the excited ants followed his lead, until each stood on the barn’s planked wooden floor. The area was vast in size, with an extremely high ceiling, leaving the ants to feel quite small in comparison.

Golden rays of sunshine burst through the paned glass windows lined along the right wall of the building as golden particles of dust floated softly in the air, before coming to rest on the barn floor. It was an unbelievably awesome scene of mystical quality.

The space was filled with bags, barrels, boxes, bins and drawers. Walls of rope, wire, hose and tools were all hung neatly. Stairs, at the center of the opposite wall, led to the upstairs loft. Six stalls for animals of some kind and a trough running across the cement floor were near the double doors. The barn was theirs to leisurely explore and they could hardly wait to get started.

This is fantastic, don’t you think? Austin shared his thoughts.

Personally, I find it overwhelming, Agnes quipped.

Agnes, you need to quit thinking small, Dusty added.

Well, my dreams aren’t quite as big as yours are and I prefer to keep things in perspective.

So where do we find the food? I’m starving, Christian asked.

Oh, I knew that was coming, Louise stated.

I must admit, I could use a bite to eat too, Ricky said.

See, Louise, I’m not the only one who’s hungry.

That’s a rarity.

It had been a long, exhausting and very challenging journey to reach the barn. They were all tired, hungry and thirsty. It wasn’t just Christian, even though he was the first one to raise the subject. Finding food and water would be their first priority and sleep would be their second.

For safeties sake the ants stayed together, making their way across the barn to a concrete floor. The space was immense, filled with shadows and many dark corners. They could feel the warmth, as they walked through the suns rays, nearing the wooden trough. There on the cement, to their surprise, were scattered oats and small puddles of water. Dinner was served with little effort at all and no one was pleased more than Christian.

They sat in the heat of the sun and satisfied their hunger, watching the changing patterns of the suns rays on the interior. They chatted about the potential of their new environment for hours, until the sun went down. They were extremely tired and found a safe place to sleep behind a wooden box near the staircase.

The ants were awakened early the next morning by the creaking sounds of the large double doors. They peered out from behind the safety of the wooden box as Alexander’s dad walked through the doors, followed by a black and white spotted cow. She seemed to know exactly where to go, as the stalls had various names printed on the wood.

Mr. Swanson positioned himself comfortably on a three-legged stool and began milking the cow by hand. The white liquid squirted from the udders to a pail, making a tinny, echoing sound as the milk sprayed the sides and bottom of the aluminum bucket.

The ants watched intently for at least a half an hour, until the milking was done. The cow was led back outside and moments later, Mr. Swanson returned to retrieve the pail, leaving the barn and closing the doors behind him.

That was cool, Christian spouted, already hungry and ready to eat. "I wonder