by JN Chaney
Curie motioned at the man. “Enough of that.”
A young girl a few rows back raised her hand. “Professor, how long after that did you become the new director of the Science Division?”
“Five years,” answered Curie. “Although I never had any such prospects. The board needed someone who spent time in Kant, so they asked me to fill the position. I nearly declined, but my husband pushed me into it.”
A boy two rows from the front raised his hand. “Did you ever see Ludo and Hux again?”
“Oh, yes. Ludo and Ysa became well-respected members of the Everlastian council. I saw them at least once a year. As for Hux, he nearly became king of Tharosa, if you can believe it.”
Everyone laughed.
“As I expected, the old pirate couldn’t give up his sea legs, so Barniby took the crown instead. Hux is currently helping us chart our own oceans. Last I heard, he was somewhere in the Atlantic with Doctor Mitchell’s team, cataloging new species along the coast of Africa. Very exciting.”
“What about Terry?” asked someone in the front row. A young boy with black hair.
Curie smiled when she heard the name. “Oh, he stayed rather busy after that. I’m sure many of you heard about the events in the Cataclysm Vaults. It was quite the ordeal.”
The door in the rear of the auditorium opened and a man walked in. He waved at her, pointing to his stomach and frowning.
Curie clicked a small handheld device and switched the display off. “The rest will have to wait for another time, I’m afraid. It seems my time with you has come to an end. I hope this lesson has proven valuable to your studies. Please, remember, the world needs minds like yours to keep us looking forward. It’s been forty-three years since we first discovered Kant, and in that time we have done more than anyone ever dreamed, but the journey is not over yet, nor should it ever be. Many of your own ideas will lay the foundation of what comes next, so please don’t keep them bottled up. That’s not what we’re about. I challenge you to bring those thoughts to the forefront. Don’t be afraid to counter traditional thought and renew our collective sense of curiosity. Believe that a brighter future is coming, and then make it happen. That is my request.”
As she left the podium, the auditorium exploded into thunderous applause, which continued until she closed the door behind her, joining the man, her husband, in the outer hall. “What a show,” he said, raising his brow and grinning. “You really riled them up back there.”
“Just trying to motivate the kids,” she said, holding his hand.
“Not bad for an old lady,” he said. It was a joke they often made, since neither had aged much in forty years. They were in their sixties, but each had the appearance of someone in their late thirties.
“Thank you,” she said, winking. “Did you decide on dinner yet?”
“I was thinking Virgil’s, if you’re up for it. I’ve got a hankering for soy burgers. Maybe a chocolate shake.” He grinned.
“Oh, John. You’re such a child,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Maybe so, but you like it.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t try to lie.”
She giggled, squeezing his hand. “I do,” she said as they made their way down the steps of the Central Institute of Technology. “God help me, I really do.”
AFTERWARD
You really never know where you’re going to end up in life. I wrote the first sentence of the Amber Project when I was sitting behind a desk at Verizon Wireless, waiting to close the store for the night. I typed the words down thinking this would be a short story, probably something about a kid having a really lousy birthday (Maybe he’d wind up in a car accident. Maybe he’d experience some trauma). I had no idea, because it was just a thing I was writing to kill time before I could go home and play some PlayStation before bed.
I never dreamed it was going to take me this far. I think I probably would have laughed in your face if you tried to tell me otherwise.
But, that was seven years ago. I was in my mid-twenties, totally lost in life. I’d gone to college and graduated, and then I just sort of floated around for a bit. I told myself, you’ll figure this out. Don’t worry. All you need is some direction.
But nothing ever came, and while I’d like to tell you I had my lightbulb moment sitting in that store, that’s not really how it goes. Not for most of us, anyway. Something happens, like a seed of an idea, an inkling of a notion, and then it just builds, maybe a little every day. One thing leads to another and eventually you’re in another place, living another life, all thanks to a series of moments.
After writing fifty pages of that book, I set it aside for about a year. I went and joined the Air Force, which took me across the country and into a new career. It was a fantastic experience (mostly) and it allowed me to get my Master’s Degree in Creative Writing while occasionally plugging away at the same old manuscript. I wrote and rewrote it, making rare, slow progress, often putting it away in a digital drawer and later returning. I didn’t finish it until my military term was up, but once I did, it felt like a massive weight had been lifted.
That was two years ago and I’ve been writing ever since, determined to see this project through to the end. I never dreamed I’d be capable of an entire series, but somehow it happened, and I’m glad it did. I’ve written five books (to date), met a ton of interesting authors all over the country, and corresponded with readers from across the globe. It’s allowed me to do the thing I love each and every day, and it’s brought me into contact with an entire world I never believed was possible.
Those things only happened because people like you bought my books. You changed my life for the better, and you’re the only reason any of this exists—the only reason I was able to keep going after I published that first book. Without an audience, I suspect I wouldn’t have made it very far at all.
I didn’t grow up reading books, not because they weren’t available to me, but because my school didn’t put much importance on the subject. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned how a story could move me, sometimes even force me to think, to make me reevaluate my views.
It all started with Narnia when I was thirteen. I met Ender a few years later, and then I found Atticus Finch and Gatsby after that. I learned to value stories for what they were: portals to other worlds. Gateways to alternate realities made up of people I wanted to know, people I wanted to hate. Friends and enemies, acting out their lives on fallen trees, set in binding.
Somewhere along the way, I started writing my own. I never thought they would grow into a career, but life is funny like that.
We never see the path before us until we’ve taken it. Even then, we rarely stop to appreciate it.
I hope you’ll come along with me as I continue to explore the wilderness and take new risks, because I don’t intend to stop. I’ll keep pushing myself, so long as you keep reading, and maybe together we can share a tale or two.
As always, my dear friends, thanks for reading,
J. N. Chaney
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WANT MORE?
Check out all of Chaney’s books at the links below.
The Variant Saga
The Amber Project
Transient Echoes
Hope Everlasting
The Vernal Memory
Standalone stories:
Their Solitary Way
The Other Side of Nowhere
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. N. Chaney has a Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing and fancies himself quite the Super Ma
rio Bros. fan. When he isn’t writing or gaming, you can find him online at www.jnchaney.com.
He migrates often but was last seen in Avon Park, Florida. Any sightings should be reported, as they are rare.
The Vernal Memory is his fifth novel.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
PART 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
PART 2
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Author Notes
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