A Ginkgo Tree

By David J. Wighton

In the Cosmos environment, Winnie saves young girls on Planet WZ3B from SCUM, Justice prosecutes the president of Dimple Sprocket for trade crimes, and a teenager named Spiffy tries to rescue her mother from certain death. On Earth, Will and Emily take on the generalissimo of an army of child soldiers, Maddy gets help choosing between baseball and basketball, and Winnie marries Galahad.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David J. Wighton
• Release date: Jun 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005644789

David J. Wighton

David Wighton is a retired educator who enjoys writing youth novels when he's not on a basketball court coaching middle-school girls. The books in his Wilizy series peek at how people lived after the word's governments collapsed in the chaos that followed the catastrophic rise in ocean levels and the disappearance of the world's last deposits of oil. Luckily today, in the 2080s, the citizens of Alberta are safe because their It's Only Fair society uses brain-bands to zap people whenever they break a rule. That way, all children grow up knowing the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately, they're also taught that women's ankles need to be covered so that men can't see them and turn into perverts. Plus, no-one in Alberta can have babies any more because the government manufactures them in a way that ensures that no child has an unfair advantage over any other child. All of this makes sense to Alberta's dictator, but not to Will and Izzy – two teenagers who are decidedly different from everyone else.Wighton's novels have strong teenage characters driving the plot and facing challenges that, in many respects, are no different from what teenagers face today. His novels are intended to entertain and readers will find adventure, romance, suspense, humour, a strong focus on family, plus a touch of whimsy. Wighton also writes to provoke a little thought about life in today's societies and what the future might bring. Teachers may find the series useful in the classroom and the novels are priced with that intent in mind.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Readers may recall that in the previous book, we left Galahad on a knee at the top of a mountain holding out a vase of flowers. He had just proposed marriage to Winnie. The book ended before she could answer.

As you would expect, Winnie says Yes. There may now be some hugging and kissing. We'll give them some privacy.

...

OK, privacy break is over. You may wonder about the proposal gift of a bunch of flowers. Not much of a gift, if you don't mind me saying. Of course, there was a vase too, but that's not something that you would brag about to your friends. My hubby gave me a glass vase as a token of his love. Whoop-de-doo.

[This is a sarcastic way to express joy or pleasure, when truly you're feeling the exact opposite. It comes from the 1930s, but the origin is uncertain.]

Well, that vase happened to have a silver chain and a pendant at the bottom of the vase. That pendant consisted of a ring of ten diamonds with a pearl in the middle. That pendant also had a magical spell that would cause the ring to vibrate if any magic were nearby. Not so whoop-de-doo now, right?

I won't say much about the flight from the mountain back to the castle. I can tell you that angelic sex is conducted in three dimensions. That's the benefit of having wings. If both participants flap their wings at the same time, the couple rises into the air. If both participants close their wings at the same time, they plummet downward. If only one participant extends his/her wings, that will result in a spin. There are other gymnastic combinations, like flapping wings in an unsynchronized manner.

Since only inner circle angels can have sex, Galahad and Winnie had to be careful that they were not seen by other angels; otherwise a degree of jealousy might result. Not to worry. The mountain was a long way from heavenly civilization. Angelic bodies have a lot of stamina. We'll give the happy couple some privacy again.

# # # # # # # #

Also at the end of the previous book, Emily had gone to William and asked him for a weapon that she could use to bring justice to the army boys who were raping girls who had been forced to marry them. He had listened and then told her that she needed a plan where justice could be applied. What she was planning right now was not justice. He advised her to do some thinking about that.

Back to the present now. I've been thinking about the boy soldiers and their honeymoons in Mexico, Emily said to William.

What will happen to the boy soldiers?

I don't know yet. First, I have to work out a way that I can catch them. I need to know when they're starting on a honeymoon in time for me to get there and stop them. Winnie likes to use drones. But I need something that covers more territory. Have you invented a long range drone?

Yes. They're called satellites. I've installed a network of them high in the atmosphere and together they cover all of Earth's surface. That's why the Wilizy can communicate over long distances.

I never knew that. Can I use one of them?

No. They're positioned too high for what you want to do.

Can you put one lower?

Yes.

Will you put one lower for me?

Yes.

...

So, that's it? I have a satellite now?

[The younger generation of the Wilizy thought that all William had to do was think it and his invention would appear magically. That sort of inventing was reserved for Stu, and in time, for Petey.]

No, I have to program the satellite. Think of it as a dumb machine that can follow instructions but can't act on its own. You have to tell me the territory you want it to see, what specifically you're looking for, how you want to be notified, and what the message should be.

The territory I want to see is the state of Tamaulipas in north-eastern Mexico. I want it to be able to see boys and girls walking along a mountain valley. Can it send me a mind-message when it sees them? I'd want to know how many boys were walking with the girls.

Your instructions are incomplete. Think your plan through again, bit by bit. Remember, the satellite is dumb, dumb, dumb.

Does it know where Tamaulipas is?

No.

How do I tell it where the state is?

Your sling can give you the GPS coordinates of the area where you are flying at any given time. The letters GPS stand for Global Positioning System? Do you know about this?

Yes, Mom would use it to find me if I were late getting home from school. So, I should fly over the Tamaulipas and write down the GPS coordinates?

Imagine a square or a rectangle that encloses the state. Write down the GPS of the four corners. I'll program the satellite to restrict its coverage to that area. Next?

Can it tell the difference between boys and girls?

Pretend you're very high in the sky and are looking down at the valley. Would you be able to determine the gender of somebody walking?

No. I'd just see their heads.

So, what do you want it to look for?

Can it count?

Yes.

I want it to report to me whenever it sees six or more figures walking.

You'll receive thousand of reports every minute of the day. Are you sure you want to do that?

Why would I get so many?

Your dumb machine is doing what you told it to do. It's looking at the entire state of Tamaulipas and it is finding thousands of people walking every daylight minute. By the way, this satellite can't see in the dark.

I need to restrict its search area.

Right.

Can it look at more than one search area at a time?

Yes. Identify four or five GPS coordinates that mark the outer edges of each territory you want it to scan and give those to me.

So, I'll restrict the searches to mostly deserted mountain valleys because the boys will be avoiding populated territories.

Good. When do you want to be notified? Immediately or delayed?

I'll be in school, so not immediately. Can I be notified when I'm alone?

Yes. I'll give you an address and access code so that you can log in to the feed whenever you want. You'll be able to see what the satellite saw when it recorded more than six people walking. You'll be able to zoom in.

I don't want to miss any hits. I don't want to look at hits that I've already seen.

Good thinking. I'll tell the satellite to save only the images since your last log in.

Can I see the image as a mind-message?

Yes.

Is that it now?

Yes. You have learned how to program a dumb machine. Give me the data for the search parameters and I'll input them.

Thanks, William.

# # # # # # # #

Winnie and Galahad were now back at the castle and were in their human bodies. Winnie had just given Galahad the first magical pendant that Guinny had arranged for her. It wasn't logical for her to have a vibrating magic warning but Galahad not to have one given that they went on operations together. For some reason, this exchange prompted a celebration, but in their mortal bodies this time. This is becoming embarrassing. We'll give them their privacy.

# # # # # # # #

Enough privacy, already. Winnie and Galahad are cuddling together. It's safe to look.

I have a question, Winnie started. You're under an imaginary truth ray.

OK.

Why'd you propose to me?

Serious answer?

Fraid so.

You're getting into very dangerous operations now. I wanted to have as much time as possible with you as husband and wife in case.

You were pushed into it because of the magic threat?

No. I was planning to propose soon. I had picked out the proposal site months ago. Did you know what was coming?

Not at all. When I saw you on one knee, that got my heart racing. I would never have guessed about your gift. You had to tell me to take the flowers out of the vase.

"Why'd you say Yes?"

Same reason as you. I want to have as much time with you as I can. I love the engagement ring you gave me. Who made it?

I don't know. Guinny said this was what you wanted.

It was a dream a long ago dream. I had forgotten all about it. Why'd you talk with Guinny? Did you need her permission to propose?

No. I didn't approach her. She approached me and asked me what I was waiting for. I had no answer. She said that the most romantic gift I could give you would be a piece of jewelry that you could wear next to your skin that could save your life. Then, she described what you had dreamt about as a young teenager.

"My aboriginal name translates to Little Gem. That's the pearl in the middle of the setting."

And the ten diamonds around the setting represent your family along with Granny and Doc.

Yes.

Did Guinny arrange for the magic spell detector too?

Yes.

A warlock is living on Earth.

My thought as well.

Back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 2

A day later.

You have to leave this building.

Wha?

Winnie, you have to leave this building.

Why?

It's going to collapse.

It's made of rocks

Exactly. That's why you have to leave.

What a weird dream.

This is not a dream.

I'm dreaming that I'm arguing with a dream. I have to stop snacking before bedtime.

# # # # # # # #

Winnie, I see that you're awake now. You have to leave this building.

I'm dreaming that I'm awake?

You're fully awake. You're brushing your teeth.

You're in my bathroom? Do you have no concept of privacy? Get out of here!

I'll wait for you outside. Try pinching yourself.

...

What's this building called?

It's a castle. Who are you? How are you communicating with me?

That's not important. Your castle is going to collapse. You need to leave.

It can't collapse. It's made of rocks and we have no earthquakes in Heaven.

Nevertheless, it will collapse.

How'd you get into my castle? Nobody can find this dimension, let alone enter it.

And yet, here I am. Please leave. I don't want to hurt you. That wouldn't be justice.

How'd you get into this dimension?

Your blood sugar levels are low. Why don't you eat or drink something?

I'm hallucinating?

No. You're perfectly sane. However, you are a little stressed.

You think? Where are you? Outside Heaven? Inside Heaven? Inside the castle?

I'm inside your body. That's why I know about your blood sugar levels.

How'd you get inside my body?

It's a complicated process. You wouldn't understand.

Are you here to kill me? Drive me crazy?

No. I'm trying to save you from harm when the castle collapses.

How do you know that the castle is going to collapse?

Because I plan to collapse it as soon as you're clear of the danger.

You're planning to destroy my castle?

Yes. You deserve this.

Why do I deserve this?

Just leave. This will go faster if you cooperate. I'll leave you alone afterwards.

This castle means a lot to me. Also, it is very important to Queen Guinevere. She won't let you collapse it.

She can't stop me. Why don't you just cooperate and leave?

I'm not moving. What are you?

I'm a castle killer. You deserve this. It's justice for what you did.

I didn't do anything to you. I would have remembered.

You didn't do it to me. You did it to my planet.

I haven't hurt any planet.

I saw the damage you caused. I was there. That's when I jumped into your body. You brought me here. You have to be punished. Why are you so stubborn?

I believe in justice. If you're doing this to me for justice, shouldn't I have a chance to hear the charges in a trial? Can't I defend myself?

Here comes a little earthquake.

...

So, you know how to shake the walls a bit. You're bluffing. You won't destroy the castle when I'm inside it. You said so. I'm not leaving.

Why are you defending the castle?

Because I love this castle. It's not just a pile of rocks to me.

I'll give you a trial where you can defend yourself. I'll be the judge, prosecutor, and jury.

That sounds really fair.

You're the one that wanted a trial.

# # # # # # # #

Before we return to my planet for your trial, I'd like to see your home planet. What do you call it?

Earth.

How do you get there from here?

I use a portal. Like this one.

...

That was interesting. Where are we now?

I'm in my angel body hovering in the sky over a place called Montana. Why?

Just curious.

Where do you want to go?

Does Earth have oceans?

Yes. Quite a few actually. Would you like to go to one?

Yes. Let's use your earthly body.

You know about my earthly body?

Obviously, I do.

We'll go in my light ship. It will be faster that way and I'll stay high enough in the air so that we can't be seen.

...

That was fast. Your ship can only fit one person inside?

Yes.

So you wouldn't be able to have sex with Galahad in this ship.

Where are you going with this?

I couldn't help but notice that you had sex with him a lot when you were returning to Heaven from Planet WZ3B. You called it getting frisky.

[Narrator: WZ3B is the planet where Sewage Breath kept a cave of briefcases full of money. Winnie had blocked access to the cave with some landslides.]

So what? We had been apart from each other for a long time. We had missed each other.

I couldn't help but notice that you weren't shy about initiating the friskiness.

So what? Why were you spying on me?

You weren't shy about taking charge during the friskiness as well.

Galahad and I share. Sometimes he's more active, sometimes I am. My sex life is none of your business!

It was difficult to ignore.