The Legend of the Mystical Inkwell

AJ DeLaura

Description

In The Legend of the Mystical Inkwell, AJ DeLaura explores a new avenue for his writings. His heroine, Paulina De Milliante, a young teenage girl, inherits a magical inkwell and a weather-worn leather journal from her great-grandmother. The inkwell has been in her Sicilian family for five centuries and has been passed down to a fourth-generation female. “You may write about your future. Be wary, for what is written cannot be undone.” With her new powers come major responsibilities.
Paulina and her kitten, Willi Whiskers, enter the strange land of Goloriacum and cannot return home until the biddings of the country’s First Minister are completed. Her story is one of coming of age, of discovering her personal power. New friends and fantastical resources help her overcome obstacles as she seeks to discover her true self.

Sujets

• Mysticism
• Inkwell
• Mystical
• Legend
• Fiction
• Fantasy

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 28 novembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781669854906
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

The Legend of the Mystical Inkwell
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AJ DELAURA
 
Copyright © 2022 by AJ DELAURA.
 
Library of Congress Control Number:
2022920969
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6698-5492-0

Softcover
978-1-6698-5491-3

eBook
978-1-6698-5490-6
 
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.
 
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.
 
 
 
 
 
Rev. date: 11/28/2022
 
 
 
Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
842760
Contents
Foreword
Chapter One     An Ending/A Beginning
Chapter Two     The Journal
Chapter Three     It Begins
Chapter Four     Professor Gurnico Horsesnorts
Chapter Five     The Ministers
Chapter Six     Where is Paulina?
Chapter Seven     Fourteenth Generation
Chapter Eight     The Villagers of Goloriacum
Chapter Nine     The Prime Minister
Chapter Ten     For Protectors Only
Chapter Eleven     We The People
Chapter Twelve     Uncontrolled Emotions
Chapter Thirteen     Recovering the Journal
Chapter Fourteen     Faux Journal
Chapter Fifteen     Distressing News
Chapter Sixteen     Eureka
Chapter Seventeen     The Bloodline
Chapter Eighteen:     Part II Return of the Ministers
Chapter Nineteen     Frida goes to the capital
Chapter Twenty     Changes
Chapter Twenty-One     Three Generations Past
Chapter Twenty-Two     Good News, Bad News
Chapter Twenty-Three     Loria
Chapter Twenty-Four     Time to return home
Chapter Twenty-Five     The Portal Home
Chapter Twenty-Six     Moonfish
Chapter Twenty-Seven     Kol Kari Island
Chapter Twenty-Eight     Battle Planning
Chapter Twenty-Nine     Protectors Past
Chapter Thirty     Northern Shore
Chapter Thirty-One     The Council’s Decision
Chapter Thirty-Two     Unintentional Consequences
Chapter Thirty-Three     Manifesting the Past
Chapter Thirty-Four     The Kon Kari Stone
Chapter Thirty-Five     Six Fingers
Chapter Thirty-Six     The Plan
Foreword
The Mystical Inkwell is a detour from the Tom Waller Tailfeather series, but one I thoroughly enjoyed writing. The hero is a unique young lady who faces extraordinary challenges as she comes of age.
I hope you enjoy the story and the characters I have created. You can contact me at [e-mail] or [e-mail] . I would love to hear from you.
A special thanks to my readers for their acceptance and encouragement of my work. Telling stories has always been a passion of mine, from entertaining my young twin sons to making educational points real for my adult students in management classes. My mind creates worlds filled with miscellaneous characters caught in challenging predicaments not of their making. They face obstacles and expand their skills and abilities. Generating both the circumstances and their obstacles puts me in the unique position of giving life to their worlds, their abilities, failures, and their successes.
I do my best to make each character unique and interesting. You may be fond of some and may abhor others. Hopefully, you remember them and possibly learn from them.
A special thanks to Nancy Shull, my dental hygienist, for giving me the idea of an antique magical inkwell. From that conversation to six months later, The Legend of the Mystical Inkwell was born.
Chapter One
An Ending/A Beginning
It was dawn. Everyone was usually fast asleep, including Willi Whiskers, Paulina’s feline companion. You could find him coiled up in the crux of his best friend’s armpit with his head lying on her shoulder. Willi was an intelligent kitten who loved to play fetch with Paulina’s hair ties. It was he who created the game, insistent upon her participation. Most mornings he woke early and sat on the bed, peering at his best friend’s slumbering face. This morning was unusual. Paulina was up and dressed early today. She had been weeping, and Willie did not like his friend to be sad.
He ran down the long spiral staircase to the main living room, wandering among guests gathered there. Paulina’s crying stopped, but he could tell the grief lingered.
Willi thought. She may nee d me.
The young gray kitten sauntered across the drawing room through unrecognizable human bodies. The aroma of prepared foods stimulated his olfactory senses, piquing his interest, notably, the smoked fish. Then, there it was, the unmistakable scent of his best friend. He trotted up to Paulina, brushing against her legs, making his presence known.
Paulina kneeled and stroked Willi’s back from head to tail. Today, she needed him more than he realized. She scooped him up into her arms and held him tight. From across the room, her mother’s outward demeanor signaled displeasure, implying he must go to his place. He couldn’t have the running of the house. Paulina’s great-grandmother had passed, and grieving family and friends filled the house, showing their respect for this noble woman.
Paulina’s great-grandmother, in her one hundred and four years, accomplished much. She was a successful businessperson, author, poet, and a recognized artist. Her business acumen and dynamism brought her to the attention of the Nation’s Whitehouse. At one hundred years of age, they awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her lifetime of contributions to the country. Paulina was younger then but remembered how proud she was of her Nina.
In her last days, she called for her family to travel to see her. This included her three sons, Paulina’s grandmother, and her mother. In every fourth generation of the De Milliante family, there was a female child. Paulina was a fourth-generation female of Nina’s lineage.
Paulina promised her mother to speak today at the memorial. Mere words could not convey the true feelings of affection for her Nina. She would speak of a special moment they shared.
“I share a special bond with Nina. She treasured us all, speaking often of the joy we brought to her life. I can only tell you of my experience with her and the profound influence she had upon me.”
“She always had time for me. On the frequent visits, Nina prepared a kettle of tea for us. I watched as she boiled a teapot of fresh spring water, selecting two hefty pinches of exotic tea leaves. At the right moment, she placed them into the pot, letting them steep until she judged they were ready.”
Steeping the tea leaves releases tannic acid, neutralizing the caffeine. The more you let them steep, the less caffeine. You understand? Her cousins chuckled to themselves in agreement.
“As we waited, she had me fetch two of her special teacups from the ancient Chinese Longevity Cabinet . Nina would pour the tea through a ceramic strainer, leaving just enough space at the top for clotted cream and a hint of local honey from an experienced apiarist.”
“On one of my visits, I asked her. Why are they called apia rist ?”
The term, based on the Latin word apis, meaning bee, was first used in year 1654 for the beekeeper, who focuses on just one species of bee.
“Nina’s vast knowledge amazed me. After preparing our tea, we would retire to the sunroom to sip our drinks, eat homemade cakes, and talk about varied themes. I always learned something new. I will miss our tea-time. One week ago, we met for tea for the last time. She knew her life was ending. She wanted to meet with us. It meant so much to her.”
“Over her long life, Nina gathered wisdom. I asked her what the secret of her success in life was. Without hesitation, she said. Everyone is born with their own special talent, regardless of their station in life. The secret is to accept yourself. And find your own voice. A voice you discover, not one chosen for you! This is difficult. There will always be resistance from others, nonbelievers, and many societal obstacles. It further requires demanding trial, and error, and perseverance. And a willingness to learn new things. Nina was a caring and accepting person. She loved everyone. I miss her already.”
Paulina sat down, wiping away her tears as several others shared their remembrances. When the last person finished speaking, her mother invited everyone to partake of the refreshments. Paulina went to the table, took a sampling of smoked fish and several crackers, and retired to her bedroom.
Willi Whiskers, his tail bobbing back and forth, was waiting at the door as she entered her bedroom. He sniffed the air, taking in the sweet aroma of the smoked fish Paulina carried on the plate.
“Hello Willi, I brought a treat, just for you. Your favorite.”
His purring filled the bedroom with his longing for Paulina and the smoked fish. He rubbed up against her legs, looking up at the plate. Willi jumped up onto the dresser, waiting for his treat to be set down for his delight. Paulina watched him eat w