Gaia's Prodigal Children Trilogy: Squaring the Circle of Love

By Barbara Allison Bisbee

King Oberon visits the planet Gaia and forms a friendship with a child, Lilyana. He casts spells but loses his Queen Tatinia to King Leonauric of the leprechauns. The planet, Gaia, floods land and parches soil. The child, Lilyana, grows up to marry a brilliant man who works with her to innovate life style changes on Gaia insuring their survival. Humor, friendship and deception follow Lilyana as Oberon watches over her. Lilyana's husband is a talented gamer and inventor who offers a new life to everyone with his Hollow Man and Wishing Well Games. Queen Titania learns self-esteem apart from being royalty. King Oberon learns magic does not replace a heart. Lilyana learns to accept love in a world where everyone is broken.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Mar 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665554374

Barbara Allison Bisbee

The author is a mother and grandmother of four who has lived in various Wisconsin rural and town communities in addition to twenty-four years in Chicago and its suburbs. She graduated with distinction in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and obtained a MFA in Documentary Filmmaking, Columbia College, Chicago. She has worked various jobs ranging from secretarial and sales jobs to producing training videos and working with the profoundly disabled. Today she is an author, an artist and a teacher of meditation and wisdom.

Book preview

GAIA’S

PRODIGAL CHILDREN

TRILOGY

Squaring The Circle Of Love

Barbara Allison Bisbee

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© 2022 Barbara Allison Bisbee. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/30/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5438-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-5437-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022904516

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

SECTION 1 FAERIE HOPE

Chapter 1 Treasures And Faeries

Chapter 2 Blood And Heart

Chapter 3 Entitlement

Chapter 4 Money And Addiction

Chapter 5 Turning The Table

Chapter 6 Hotsey Totsey Choices

Chapter 7 The Fairies Arrive

Chapter 8 Sisters At Heart

Chapter 9 Dance Of The Springtime Faeries

Chapter 10 Denoument

Chapter 11 Becoming

Chapter 12 Fifth World Transformation

Chapter 13 White Witch Purity

Chapter 14 The Circle Of Love

Chapter 15 Family Secrets

Chapter 16 Displacement

Chapter 17 The Indigo Generation

Chapter 18 Emotional Displacement

Chapter 19 The Deluge

Chapter 20 The Faeries Bless

Chapter 21 Most Beautiful Holiday

Chapter 22 Divination And Memorial

Chapter 23 Dragons

Chapter 24 Redemption

Chapter 25 Cusp Of Invasion

Chapter 26 Faeries Have Spoken

Chapter 27 Faerie Hope

Chapter 28 Alex’s Gaia Energy Festival

Chapter 29 Duplicity

Major Characters

SECTION 2 GAIA WEE PS

Chapter 30 Oberon X

Chapter 31 Lady Pandora

Chapter 32 Abduction

Chapter 33 Deception

Chapter 34 Escape

Chapter 35 Love

Chapter 36 Treasure

Chapter 37 Self-Delusions

Chapter 38 Wives

Chapter 39 Turtle T Life

Chapter 40 River Intrigue

Chapter 41 Five Kingdoms

Chapter 42 Courage

Chapter 43 The Great River Invasion

Chapter 44 Queen Titania Awakes

Chapter 45 Bad Boy Love

Chapter 46 Recuperation

Chapter 47 The Healing Heart

Chapter 48 Thunder And Quarks

Chapter 49 The Compassionate Heart

Chapter 50 The Fates Choose

Chapter 51 Reunion

Chapter 52 Rage

Chapter 53 Compromise

Chapter 54 The Great Confrontation

Chapter 55 Grasping For Acceptance

Chapter 56 Twinkle Toes

Major Characters

SECTION 3 GAIA’S SPIRIT EMBRACE S

Chapter 57 Gaia’s Energy Festival

Chapter 58 A New World

Chapter 59 Father Love

Chapter 60 Open Source Innovation

Chapter 61 Joy

Chapter 62 Trolls And Ogres

Chapter 63 End Game

Chapter 64 Death, Faerie Love And Trolls

Chapter 65 Anna Love Zillow

Chapter 66 Refugees

Chapter 67 Sucker Punched

Chapter 68 Gold Coins From The Past

Chapter 69 Revelations

Chapter 70 Awe Of The Heart

Chapter 71 Back To The Dark Ages

Chapter 72 Bad Decisions

Chapter 73 Honesty

Chapter 74 Pouty Man Boy Stage

Chapter 75 Entitlement Mischief

Chapter 76 Vulnerability

Chapter 77 Raiders

Chapter 78 Rescue

Chapter 79 Victory

Chapter 80 The Vastness Of Being

Chapter 81 The Lady Gets Her Wish

Chapter 82 Felix Saves The Day

Chapter 83 Leprechaun Karma

Chapter 84 Guardians

Chapter 85 Embraces Prodigal Children

Major Characters

Acknowledgement

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FAERIE HOPE

PART ONE

Dedicated to our Indigo Generation and Verl Poad, my grandfather, who worked at many law enforcement jobs. His emotional support helped me develop into a lover of people and their stories.

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Chapter 1

TREASURES AND FAERIES

In an alternate universe, the planet, Gaia, rotates around a fiery star. Out of the trillions of life possibilities, early evolving humans inhabit Gaia. In the Fourth World that now exists, humans live attempting to learn how to express invisible love and sharing among one another. These humans also are learning how to co-exist with their planet’s environmental forces. There are commonalities between other planets and Gaia where brilliant entities have co-existed in multiple worlds. Previously, in the time of Gaia’s Third World giants existed beside mythological beings, faeries and leprechauns. Faeries at that time were large beings roaming all the continents able to appear and disappear at will. Nonetheless, the physics of Gaia altered with the coming of the Fourth World. All the beings of the Third World continued to exist but became invisible to the eye except for those who possessed a link to their spiritual source. In the Fourth World, continuing to represent hope and change, the faeries became tiny beings with wings, who at will, can become human sized. They recharge upon Gaia energy crystals. Also, they are noisy with their chatter and scatter heralding change of seasons and the coming Fifth World breaking.

King Oberon has taken an interest in the humans that now dominate Gaia. Since her childhood, Oberon often speaks with his favorite human, Lilyana Benet Beastheart. King Oberon desires to see humans succeed. He admires the enduring spiritual love Lilyana and some humans’ share.

Perched on a hill, the Beastheart Estate represents the skill of its creators promising mysterious hidden staircases and unusual visitors like King Oberon of the Faeries.

Some say faeries endow its elements with riches beyond imagination. Why? The house’s first owners were named Lillian and Harold Faerie. Lillian and Harold blessed their home with the richness of love as they drew last breaths. What a wondrous place it had been fulfilling heart dreams. The inter-dimensional beings, called faeries, are certain this home and its gardens belong to them.

With blessings the next owners create a family enjoying mirth and kindness until darkness descends upon the father, who you might think leprechaun.

[King Leonauric of the leprechauns has chosen to visit this site because Queen Titania of the Faeries loves its gardens.]

The estate is filled with wild Daisies and colorful Snap Dragons as the Holly Hocks bloom. While searching for Oberon, who seems aloof to her charms, a depressed Queen Titania’s senses overwhelm with relaxing lavender and tasty mint. It is exactly what King Leonauric desires in his need to affix upon the lovely queen’s face his illusion gem lenses. Once the wearer succumbs to the lenses charm, akin to addiction, the illusion lenses cannot be removed. Queen Titania immediately looks upon King Leonauric as her lover and partner. She begins to dote upon him unaware of his malice toward humans and avarice driven appetites.

(Oberon, King of the Faeries, is furious to lose his beloved to the addiction of magic. King Oberon possesses resources. He confronts Leonauric, King of the Leprechauns. They make a bet. The winner will secure the love of Queen Titania. Her illusion gem lenses removed, she would be free to choose her partner.

King Oberon bets King Leonauric, he, King Oberon, can secure the future of humankind from current leprechaun greed and humiliation.)

Chapter 2

BLOOD AND HEART

[King Leonauric of the Leprechauns, able to appear and disappear at will, seeks the faerie hilltop home for his captive love, Queen Titania, formerly wife of King Oberon of the Faeries. The former Faerie Estate, now the Beastheart Estate seesaws between faerie magic and leprechaun avarice.]

King Leonauric admires Warren Beastheart, a teenager with the physique and confidence of an ideal muscled man.

King Oberon, often whispers in the ear of his mirror image, Alex Beastheart, who is half brother to Warren. (Oberon urges, Believe in yourself and stay clean fine man, for a lady and you, I have a plan.)

Alex is a kind, nerdy dreamer of practical innovations for the coming new world, but has no self-confidence.

King Oberon of the faeries intends as Alex’s love, the human, Lilyana. She and her fraternal twin, Verl Benet, know baptism by fire. At age eight, they survived when their parent’s car crashed, igniting an inferno.

Every day after Lilyana’s survival, she sees and talks to faeries. Lilyana never realizes faeries are invisible to all except those who remain connected to their own invisible source of love light being. Night and day she listens to the laments of Oberon as he pines away for his Queen Titania. In time, Oberon becomes enchanted with Lilyana’s power to love. She promises to marry him if he cannot woo back his Titania from Leonauric, King of the Leprechauns.

At age 23, Lilyana has grown up to fall deeply in love, upon her first kiss, with Alex Beastheart. Alex, being the spitting image of King Oberon, Lilyana’s childhood love, enables her to believe she is marrying Oberon.

At age 30, Lilyana is finally realizing Alex is not King Oberon and her life is not a faerie tale.

Alex Beastheart, a ruddy ash blond man of thirty-two years, lives with Lilyana and daughter, Katerina, in the family estate he shares with his half brother, Warren.

Alex’s father was a physics teacher and gambler. He raised both boys while their mother traveled the world as a corporate spy. Her money paid the monthly bills to support the family.

Alex and Warren enjoy an unusually close emotional relationship due to be being left alone day after day as they matured. While their mother traveled the globe gathering information, when not teaching physics their father drank, womanized and gambled leaving the boys alone at home.

Warren, doted upon by King Leonauric, has a father originating from India. When Warren was born, his father was his mother’s future husband. Warren is a handsome man with arresting eyes. His eyes look like pools of medium dark blue crystal ice. Women find Warren attractive.

Warren has been groomed to make decisions based upon financial gain. During adolescence, he found a sympathetic ear for his own wanting heart by a materialized King Leonauric. King Leonauric coveted the gold coins hidden within the estate by Alex’s gambling father. This is why he hung around the estate. He was plotting to add them to his own treasure. King Leonauric lost knowledge of where the treasure was hidden while away chasing another’s gold. Warren’s leprechaun hearted father realized Leonauric’s presence. When King Leonauric was gone, Warren’s father hid the gold coins in a new place. Warren and Leonauric’s friendship continues as Leonauric encourages Warren to knock holes in the estate walls in search of the lost gold coins.

[King Leonauric often whispers in Warren’s ear, You deserve the hidden treasures; seek within walls hidden pleasures. Seek and you shall possess high status all address.]

Alex, like his father, is also a physics teacher as well as coder, gamer and inventor. Today Alex is wiring photosynthesis panels for the roof of the Beastman Estate.

At age thirty, Warren is beginning to get a small paunch. Warren approaches Alex and asks, What are you rewiring?

An athletic looking Alex grins and explains, paneling.

Warren smiles self-satisfied, You earn your keep.

Alex is not amused. Our father left us this property 50-50.

Warren brags, I pay the taxes.

Alex reminds Warren, I do the upkeep.

So Alex, what is your daughter to the estate?

Love, dear brother, love.

Warren taunts, But does love contribute to value?

Meanwhile, Alex’s brother-in-law and his wife, Lilyana’s fraternal twin brother, Verl, is in pursuit of his heart love, the gracious Silvie.

Verl, the Guardian of Lost Estates, is a handsome 30 year old who has spent his twenties in the military until adventure sated, he learned his ideal woman had not married. He returned to civilian life an athletic, tall man of uncommon countenance due to his green grey eyes framed by double rowed dark eyelashes. Verl is a man haunted by deep feelings of lost young love and conflicted guilt. He knew he destroyed Silvie’s trust by his own self-destructive tendencies toward authority.

Today, he is meeting Silvie, his school sweetheart in the romantic setting of a garden park. Fair Silvie is of Native Peoples descent and a woman of strong feelings who initially was attracted to Verl in ninth grade, but his undisciplined quest for excitement soured the relationship.

Many men have courted Silvie but her own adventurous spirit found them boring until wealthy Warren, wormed his way into her deepest affections with gifts, half truths, and exciting vacations.

Verl wants Silvie to know he too cares.

Silvie and Verl walk in the park. Verl asks Silvie to marry him. Silvie responds, I can’t make a decision now.

We have known each other since high school. I’ve settled into a secure job. Why not?

Silvie protests, You don’t understand.

"You mean because I am available. You like the hunt.

You want someone rich and elusive, with secrets, who offers the sexual tension of dumping you."

Silvie is offended, What do you know?

That cagey fella, who owns half the town.

So, why did you ask me to marry you?

I’ve loved you since ninth grade. You are a dreamer and beautiful. Silvie, you are headed off an emotional cliff.

Silvie boasts, He offers an exciting life.

He is unattainable, Sylvie.

Silvie retorts, Maybe for some.

So my heart is chopped meat?

Good-bye, Verl.

Sylvie runs away. Verl tells himself: So buddy, when she comes back, are you still in love? Or is it time to find someone less moody? Stable? Oh Hell, you’re as screwed up as she is.

A recreational park away from the flowering gardens where Verl and Silvie have met is the Beastheart Estate where Alex and Warren debate the value of love.

Oh, Warren, I see you buy love with Sylvie, all the time.

Alex, I’m not sure Sylvie and I ‘love’ each other.

Keep it to yourself. I tell my daughter you and Sylvie, love each other. That is why we share the estate, as families.

Silvie enters the house announcing she wants to talk to Warren. Warren takes Silvie’s hand and leads her past Alex. They go through two doors to enter into Warren’s part of the house. Next to them is a wall with a huge hole knocked in it.

Silvia begins by saying, Warren, I want to get married. We have been here together for two years. I am pregnant.

Warren protests, Its not mine!

Silvie looks into his eyes, I want to get married.

Warren pulls away from Silvie. He hears Alex’s wife, Lilyana and daughter, Katerina or Kat, from another room. He does not want them to know Silvie is pregnant. He takes Silvie’s hand and leads her out, Lets go somewhere and discuss this. They do not acknowledge Kat and Lilyana.

Lilyana is mystified as they leave without saying a word. Her five year old, Kat, rolls her eyes and says, So much for Uncle and Sylvie. Why do we live with them?

Lilyana whispers, They will hear you. Lilyana finds it difficult to repress her daughter from speaking her mind. Katerina possesses Lilyana’s same ironic sense of humor and candor as well as being intellectually gifted.

Kat says, Why, he never hears what I say.

Lilyana assures, You know your Dad and Warren’s father left the estate to both of them.

Uncle Warren is filthy rich, your words, Mom. Why doesn’t he live somewhere else?

Lilyana hedges, It’s complicated. For Lilyana life is complicated. She, too, was an intellectually gifted child who graduated high school in two years. She graduated college in three years. Law school took her less than the full three years. She clerked before graduating. Her inordinately gifted legal mind had her earning six figures within two years.

Lilyana, is a thirty year old woman, of uncommon beauty. She radiates a sunny disposition with a warm smile and soft brown green eyes that bathes others in acceptance. She does not possess her brother, Verl’s, handsomely framed eyes; yet, Lilyana’s oval face with high cheekbones will endure the ravages of age. Her eyes possess no laugh lines, nor her mouth a set harshness.

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Chapter 3

ENTITLEMENT

Lilyana has married Alex because she is emotionally naïve. Lilyana thinks because Alex resembles her beloved King Oberon, he possesses Oberon’s personal qualities. And Lilyana thinks Alex is nearly sterile like his father. She never has to worry about getting pregnant. In fact, Alex thought he was sterile fearing no woman would want him. Their only child, Katerina is often the glue that keeps their marriage together. Alex’s low self esteem has led to a series of drinking and gambling problems between Lilyana and himself. Alex’s saving grace is his intrinsically kind nature and brilliant innovative mind. Alex is a true genius and decent human being.

Lilyana hopes to nurture Kat to express her emotions more than Lilyana had done while growing up. Lilyana knows the loss of her parents and the trauma of being pulled from a burning vehicle has left her emotionally scarred. Simply, she avoids emotions and emotional decisions. Lilyana endeavors to face all problems in life on an intellectual basis.

Whereas Lilyana intellectualizes for guidance, Warren rationalizes for gain of money.

With the urging of King Leonauric, Warren dated a woman whose father owned three hundred properties.

[Love and claim, she brings fame. Woman whose father owns property, upon this will be money surety.]

Indeed it is King Leonauric who councils Warren while providing solace to Warren over the loss of this same wife. Her death has left Warren wealthy. He looks to guide Warren into another wealthy marriage. Now, King Leonauric helps guide Warren to like-minded people.

Today King Leonauric has found another investment opportunity.

[Lean on me, your friend, upon whom you can depend for riches and respect with cunning intellect.]

Warren gets shares in a corporate energy company. The stranger gets land contracts. They both sell below public value. It’s a nod and a wink between business associates.

Meanwhile Alex is on the estate roof installing solar panels within hidden recesses of roof with mirrors positioned to camouflage the panels. Alex wants to help people change and innovate to face their future despite their community passing an ordinance making the use of solar panels illegal.

Lilyana is outside the house using a phone to capture the image of the roof with camouflaged panels.

Alex uses the phone pictures to illustrate to his students how to install panels, especially the new transparent solar panels, easily mistaken for a normal rooftop. He is away teaching during the early eve. Many of his students work during the day. Alex is a gifted teacher who is popular with his students for his compassion as well as his insightful solving of problems. Alex loves to share gaming experiences. He has even incorporated gaming into his final exams. Always willing to learn about new ways to better utilize naturally occurring energy, he shares and exchanges ideas with his students. He presents innovation to his classes. Outside of class Alex is often part of impromptu discussions with his up and coming fellow inventors. Tonight, Alex will not get home until after nine.

It is early the same evening, Warren has returned to his side of the house. Repeatedly, he calls to Lilyana in a drunken slur. The breakup with Silvie was vicious and sudden. Silvia’s raging words slammed into Warren’s money driven ego like a sledgehammer gone berserk. Since it occurred, Warren has been soothing his guilty, emotionally battered feelings with alcohol. Overwhelmed with the spirits, Warren reverts back to thoughts of his previous, unresolved first high school love, Lilyana.

Besotted with wealth, Warren fancies his privileged status will entice Lilyana since her husband, Alex, is a man struggling to overcome his addictions, gambling and alcohol. After all, these two brothers would not be living together if Alex’s addictions had not put his little family in debt.

Hearing her uncle repeatedly call out her mother’s name, curious Kat ventures through two doors, entering Warren’s domain. Lilyana is using her phone to capture a picture of a new hole Warren has smashed into the wall; Lilyana hears her five year old, Kat, shriek. Running in the direction of Kat’s voice, Lilyana raises her phone and snaps a picture of Warren including the back of the head of Kat. Among other things, Warren’s astonished, inebriated face can be distinctly seen.

The next day, Lilyana visits her brother, Verl, at his office. Verl’s face is grim as he looks at the phone photo. Verl appraises the situation: I can press charges now.

Lilyana hems and haws, finally answering Verl’s puzzled look with a request: Can we wait a couple days? She shows Verl a legal paper. We are out and Alex never had a heads up.

Verl asks her, Where did you get the legal brief?

Lilyana explains, Silvie was crying on my shoulder and spilled the beans, even stole the brief from Warren. She is in a rage. She exposed the plot to defraud Alex of his inheritance.

Verl looks thoughtfully at Lilyana: Silvie and Warren are no longer together?

Verl, Lilyana announces, Warren is a snake. She is too sweet a personality to spend a lifetime suffering from his ego.

A troubled Lilyana mumbles to herself, And how can I stay married to his brother, a man whose addictions lead to debt?

Verl says, Let me copy this off your phone. To everyone’s advantage we can avoid court. And we can get Warren to live outside the estate. Lilyana smiles and hands over her phone. She has a plan.

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Chapter 4

MONEY AND ADDICTION

Meanwhile, Warren is at his lawyer, Sal’s office. He looks very self-satisfied. Sal verifies: Alex signed this loan for a gambling debt. It reads: Alex puts up his share of the house.

Warren smiles and states, Absolutely.

Sal questions, Alex has provided no receipts for work accomplished?

Warren rubs his hands together stating, None.

Sal further questions, Your father died intestate?

Warren becomes irritated; his greedy heart wonders, Why are we again going over these questions?

Sal protests, I am going up against Lilyana.

Warren assures, Don’t you think after ten years a will would have been filed? Warren knows he has Lilyana trapped. Soon, the estate will be his to find the hidden treasure tucked away somewhere between the walls.

[Mentally, Warren sees invisible King Leonauric dance a jubilant jig. Gold and glory tell the story of man’s pride bursting inside.]

Early the next morning brings Alex’s family together.

Lilyana shows Alex the picture of the new hole in the wall Warren has created. I thought you told Warren not to knock holes in the wall on our side of the house?

Kat looks, too, and is astonished, I could crawl in that!

Alex is alarmed, Kat, you can look at it; do not crawl into it.

Kat is excited. I am going to go see it.

Lilyana confronts Alex after she sees Kat leave the room: So where is the money? How long can I be married to an addict?

Alex defensively mumbles, I lost it.

Kat hears her mother’s voice rise in anger and returns to them. Lilyana begins throwing pillows at Alex. Kat rushes in to hang on her mother and begs, Mom, let’s talk to the faeries.

Lilyana shouts, Faeries do not gamble away life savings.

Alex interjects, Kat, faeries are inter-dimensional.

Lilyana scolds, She is a five year old.

Alex gets on his knees. Do not leave me. At my teaching job, I have been offered a professorship at the college teaching physics like my Dad did.

(Present but invisible, King Oberon takes pity upon Alex, his son with a faerie heart, raised by a leprechaun-hearted human. King Oberon casts a spell of discernment upon Alex. My faerie parental neglect has had worrisome addict’s effect. Open eyes and ears to that which brings you tears. Rework your habits and thoughts to fit in with love’s rightful oughts.)

Lilyana states, It isn’t your money I need. I’m a lawyer working part-time so I can be at home to raise our daughter to be a fulfilled human being. To be married to a do-right woman you need to be a do-right man. Step up or I move out.

Kat peers from behind her mother up at her father. Lilyana pulls Kat away as Kat looks at her father, tears welling down her cheeks. Alex looks like a man who is watching a wall of rocks descend upon him.

Lilyana leaves Kat in a room filled with plants. Kat pulls out a honey jar and small glass. She pours honey into the glass as she speaks. Faeries, help my father learn not to gamble—-please help him. I know you exist in a different world but my world needs help. I am your friend.

(King Oberon hears her plea. He casts a spell, Get help, my son, from another one.)

Uncle Warren is snickering behind a door where Kat is talking to faeries. His leprechaun heart sings. He turns to leave.

Soon Alex is sitting on a windowsill drinking a beer. Warren enters carrying a vodka bottle. He observes: Too broke for the good stuff. Alex begins crying. Warren admonishes: Quit blubbering. Warren offers a swig of the vodka. This will cure you. Alex takes the bottle but does not drink from it.

Alex moans, She is leaving me.

Warren assures, No, never, maybe?

Alex confesses, I lost her nest egg for Kat at the casino.

Warren taunts, You should have majored in statistics, not physics.

Alex puts his hands around the sides of his head, I did it before Kat was born, too.

Warren announces, She was in a motherly way, had to forgive you. Warren puts down the vodka bottle after taking it from Alex."

Alex despairs, Lilyana does not make threats.

Warren assures, I suppose I shouldn’t tempt you, but what are brothers for? Here is a free night—-deluxe suite, at the Casino. I won it. Take Lilyana. Woo her back.

Alex stares ahead in gloom. Do you think I can change?

Warren laughs, At thirty-two, not likely. Here, I’ll put the Casino Gift Card on the floor. You keep the bottle.

Alex thinks out loud, Maybe I could join Gamblers Anonymous?

Warren reminds, Gambling is in our blood. Dad got barred from most casinos—-won too often. Alex if you cannot pay me back what you owe me, you will lose your part of the estate.

Alex sighs, Dad is where I got the notion I could win?

Warren fondly smiles and says, Casinos are exciting. Beautiful people. Flashing lights and bells ringing . . . Warren looks down. He sees something small moving around, Hey! Warren reaches towards the Casino Gift Card as his elbow tips over the vodka bottle. He trips over his own feet as he gets up. His face and clothing smear the vodka flowing from the bottle across the floor in front of Alex.

Alex laughs, Perfect pratfall, brother!

Warren is upset, Not funny. (Faeries twitter in delight.)

Alex jumps up, It’s a sign. I can do it. He leaves the area.

Warren yells, There are mice. Get mouse traps in here!

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Chapter 5

TURNING THE TABLE

The next day finds Warren, Lilyana and Alex at Warren’s lawyer’s office. Sal puts legal papers before them. Alex looks shell-shocked. Lilyana coolly excuses herself to call Verl. Upon her return to sit down, she hesitates, removing papers from her briefcase before speaking: This is far from over. Alex looks fearfully at Warren. Warren looks smugly back at him.

Warren leans forward toward Alex and says, This is business.

Verl knocks at the door before stepping in. I was just down the hall.

Sal admonishes: This is a private legal affair.

Lilyana motions for Verl to sit in her chair. She tears up Sal’s legal papers put before her husband, Alex. Lilyana produces her own legal papers, putting them before Sal. This is what now transpires. Warren signs the property over to Alex, my husband.

Sal laughs. Lilyana puts her phone before Sal. Then has to pull it away as Warren’s hands reach for it. We could go to court. I have asked the opinion of the law; she looks toward Verl, who does not smile. Verl holds the same picture on his phone before Warren, who attempts to smash the phone out of Verl’s hand. Lilyana says, Lets look at the printout. She puts it before Sal.

Sal inquires, Is walking into a relative’s room while he is undressing a crime?

Verl intones, What interests the law is the bald headed puppet with the lollipop taped to it—-on Warren’s body.

Lilyana moves the printout between Sal and Warren. She coos, Dear brother-in-law, you should sign the transfer of title today. This is the Title Transfer.

Warren looks at Sal. Do something to protect me. I was drunk.

As your friend I can overlook the appearance to foolish drinking; but as a lawyer I tell you a judge and jury who sees this will decide against you. Sign. It is only one property out of hundreds. And you should move out immediately.

Warren protests, But it is my father’s legacy, the estate.

Sal intones, I suggest you obtain another lawyer or sign.

Warren signs the papers as he mutters: Parasites! Freeloaders! Opportunists! This is only the beginning. When I get back from the Caribbean, you will wish you never crossed me. Lilyana, I will be expecting a check to cover Alex’s debt.

Alex looks at Warren with disbelief. Guardian Verl sternly looks on. Verl announces, Today I will watch you move out.

[The invisible King Leonauric is furious, jumping up and down. He shakes his fists at Lilyana. Pawn of faerie king, your head I’ll ding! I will see you out with a legal shout!]

Outside Sal’s office, Warren waits for Lilyana. She does not realize he is there until she hears his voice. You are a man-woman who could only trap a lady-man like my brother. He is weak and you are the predator.

Lilyana retorts, Hurts when people you esteem see you for who you are.

Warren retorts, I am not what you set me up to appear.

Lilyana accuses, You are worse. I know you visit the local motel an hour at a time. But Silvie has not known—she thinks you have been marriage material.

Warren warns her, Stay out of my business or I’ll . . .

Warren shouts, You know you were meant to walk through my door, not your daughter. We have history—-you, a man-woman, were not enough for me.

Lilyana taunts, You’re six pack days have turned to mush—-all you have is the allure of money.

Warren taunts back, Strangely, money seems to be what Alex lets slip through his fingers, your money.

Lilyana declares, I know you are part of the problem and I am ending that now.

Warren chides, You can’t get rid of me.

Lilyana says, Your problem is you destroy all you touch.

Warren snidely chimes in, I am catnip.

Lilyana shouts, Hearts, relationships, lives. You only think about trophies – land, Lilyana sees Kat and Alex exit Sal’s office. tunneling for pleasure and your money projects.

Warren goes to his SUV. Don’t get too comfortable.

Lilyana assures, I’m always comfortable. I’ve got love.

Warren drives away as Lilyana opens the cab of her family truck. Kat jumps in and leans toward her mother, You’ve got me. Lilyana kisses Kat and smiles. Lilyana goes to the other side of the truck when Alex approaches her to nuzzle her neck. I think he misses you.

Lilyana questions, You think I made a bad choice?

Alex proudly declares, I’ve got the six pack.

Lilyana smiles and muses out loud, When you are young, sometimes it’s the bad relationships that make you appreciate the good relationship that comes to you. They kiss.

She says, I want you to avoid your brother for one year.

Alex protests, But all we have is each other.

Lilyana asks, Really? Who are Kat & I?

Alex asks, But who will I drink and gamble with?

Lilyana answers, Spend more time on your theories, like the hologram world and your diary of inventions.

Alex is mystified I thought you think my hologram world is akin to belief in magic.

Lilyana lays down the law, Alex, the time has come. Make a choice.

(King Oberon looks upon them with a knowing smile as he casts an additional spell: Time to throw addicts’ drink and cards out the door for the family man who treasures heart more.)

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Chapter 6

HOTSEY TOTSEY CHOICES

Days later Warren is on a Caribbean Island watching the scantily clad beach goers. In a cabana near him an attractive woman exits with a friend who carries satchels of clothing.

Warren calls to the woman, Do you speak English?

The woman answers, Yes, do you need a translator?

Warren inquires, Do you know property laws?

The woman explains, Property laws vary from territory to territory. I use a lawyer.

Warren questions, You are not a lawyer?

She laughs, "No, why do you ask?

Warren says appraisingly, You carry a type of purpose about you, like a lawyer acquaintance I know.

The woman questions, A lady lawyer?

Warren says, Yes.

The woman inquires, Is she good at lawyering?

Warren says between clenched teeth, Yes.

The woman smiles and says, Maybe I should meet her.

Warren warns, Careful for what you wish for.

I am Yatiana Strong, my friends call me Yattie."

Yatiana is a beautiful name. No one calls me anything except Warren, Warren Beastheart.

Yatiana smiles, a little charmed.

Warren offers, Let me buy you dinner. I’ve completed my real estate matter, a beach bungalow off a nearby island, Little Titi. When I sell it, I can get back double my investment.

Why not buy a condo?

I’m sharing ownership with a business partner.

Bungalows are too much work.

I like the seclusion and privacy.

Yes to dinner. I am off to a scuba lesson. Where and what time?

Warren offers, I’ll come get you.

Yatiana accepts, I’ll meet you at Sol de Lago, sevenish? She departs.

Warren smiles; he resumes watching bathers.

Warren arrives at Sol de Lago early. He is wearing a white suit with a red tie and holds a white vase with red flowers.

Yatiana enters the waiting area also wearing white, a white, backless dress with red coral necklace. It shows off her sensuous, tan complexion.

Warren smiles, Thank you for coming. He hands the vase to a waiter,