Got Luck
Page 33
“I know. What it’s like. When you. Want something. And you don’t. Get it,” she said. Those were my exact words. Coming back at me.
“This isn’t about me,” I said roughly.
“Why. Art thou here. Then?”
Now I looked at her. Laoch was with her too. She slipped her arm through mine as if we were a couple.
I didn’t move a muscle except to turn my head to look back at Erin. She was gesturing while she talked to her human husband, miraculously returned after five and half years. When it suited me, I said, “Friends support each other.”
“She is. Not. Thy friend. She is. Thy wife.”
“A husband should be a friend as well. But I’m not her husband in this realm. She has a husband here. However, I am her friend no matter where we are. That will never change.”
I felt a shrug. “We shall see. If such. Friendship. Can endure. While she has. Another man. With her.”
“I told you this isn’t about me. It’s about family and supporting another person’s needs. I know you understand what that means. I may not fully appreciate my relationship with you, but we are a family too, in a way. You and me and Laoch. You care for him as if he were your own child. And he is his own person even though he’s a part of me.”
I looked past Béil to Laoch. He wasn’t wearing his Renaissance shirt but had a modern, kid-appropriate t-shirt instead. Teenage mutant ninja turtle. Michelangelo. He was just . . . normal . . . and he could have belonged to anyone here at the airport. He looked back at me as if he were seeing me for the first time.
I looked back at Erin. “I have to believe that you’d do anything for Laoch, even if it was difficult for you.”
I felt a small hand slip into mine. Laoch surprised me by coming around to my side to make contact. I gave him a smile and then I gave his hand a squeeze.
“Today, Erin needs to be here,” I said. “She needs to reconnect with Blake and I need to let her.”
Erin was coming back my way, bringing Blake with her. They walked with six inches of empty air between them. A distance of space and years.
They stopped in front of me. Blake was Stained like crazy, but I reached out and shook his hand anyway and said, “Hey, I’m Goethe. Just call me Got.”
Author’s Note
The translation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem “Der Erlkönig” is my own, which means any errors are mine. The poem was originally written in German, but none of the English translations kept the meter of the original, at nine feet per line. My version is less accurate in the text, but it retains the rhythmic structure of the original. Such things make my inner poet happy.
Goethe based the poem on Germanic legends and Danish ballads. The more literal translation of the title is “The Alder King” and that, of course, inspired the character of Got’s father. Many scholars translate the title as “The Elf King,” but mentioning elves would hinder the world-building and put limits on the creation of the mythical and legendary peoples that reside in the Behindbeyond.
The poem’s origin story in Got Luck is fictitious as well but serves to ground and enhance Got’s history. I hope the real Goethe doesn’t mind my manufacturing events in his life that never happened. Finally, it’s worth noting that the poem has been set to music by several composers and Franz Schubert’s piece is my favorite.
All the songs referenced in the novel can be found on a playlist and the links are available on the website at www.michaelcdarling.com/NoveList. You can listen to the songs in order as you read the appropriate chapters. There are a few surprises as well, to coincide with events in the story.
Before You Go
Thanks for reading Got Luck!
I would love to hear what you thought. Reviews make a big difference in an author’s career. They let me know what you like so I can write more great books. And they help new readers to discover my work! If you liked this book, please . . .
Leave a Review Here
And make sure to discover more astounding science-fiction, fantasy, and YA books from Future House Publishing, get great discounts, and participate in our launch giveaways. All this and more awaits you when you . . .
Join our Beta Reader’s Club
Read On!
Adam, Helena, Ami, Ryan, Mandi, Emma, and the rest of
the Future House Publishing Team
Never Miss a Future House Book Release
Sign up for the Future House Publishing email list.
Connect with Future House Publishing
www.futurehousepublishing.com
Facebook.com/FutureHousePublishing
Twitter.com/FutureHousePub
YouTube.com/FutureHousePublishing
Instagram.com/FutureHousePublishing
About the Author
Michael Darling has worked as a butcher, a librarian, and a magician. Not all at the same time. He nests in the exquisitely beautiful Rocky Mountains with his equally breathtaking wife and six guinea pigs, one of whom thinks she’s a dog and three of whom claim to be children. Michael’s award-winning short fiction is frequently featured in anthologies. Got Luck is his first novel.
Michael graduated from Weber State University with a degree in English Literature and loves to blend the classic with the contemporary in his writing. His early work included short fiction, several plays that were professionally produced, and radio programs that aired in eighty markets around the world. Besides writing, Michael also loves to travel, dabble in languages, and cook tasty gluten-free dinners.
Please visit Michael at www.michaelcdarling.com where you can find more Luck-related content. You’ll also find suspiciously easy instructions for stalking Michael on Facebook and Twitter.