by Robert Cole
Over the next couple of days Chris, Susie and Joe prepared for their trip back to Earth. In all, even though it seemed much longer, they had only been gone for a month. Kaloc assured them they would be returned within a few hours of departure, so their appearances had to closely match those of when they disappeared.
Unfortunately, this proved surprisingly difficult. Susie’s hair was now a hopelessly tangled mop. She had to spend many hours trying to comb out the tangles, and, in the end, had to submit to a rather crude haircut to remove the worst knots. Chris and Joe also had to have haircuts so that their appearance would roughly match the day they were transported. Pepas, who turned out to be the son of a hairdresser, cut their hair. Afterwards, when they saw their haircuts, it became clear why he had decided to be a soldier.
The most difficult problem was the change in Joe. Chris and Susie were thin to start with, so the loss of a little more weight hardly affected their appearance, but Joe had lost so much weight he was barely recognisable. Chris would have loved to be a fly on the wall when he tried to explain his sudden weight loss to his mother from a simple morning walk.
Finally, on the third day after their battle with Zelnoff, they assembled at the portal. Chris’s face had healed remarkably well, thanks largely to a herbal portion that Altac had concocted, and after several solid night’s sleep, all three Mytar felt much improved. Kaloc gave Chris a knife that he owned and a small box. Inside the box was a smaller version of the Vizion stone. Whenever Chris and Susie placed their hands on the stone and the knife, Kaloc would be able to communicate with them. He had decided to deposit them close to the place where the original portal had sucked them through to Cathora, since Chris had assured him that no one ever ventured down this stream because the terrain was so rugged.
Only one key would be taken back to Earth. With Kaloc’s key, they actually had three keys, but taking all three was considered too risky, especially if Zelnoff’s spies were around. Kaloc could easily transport a second key if something happened.
After Chris had checked he had everything, they said their good-byes, promising to return when they had found the remaining Mytar. Kaloc flicked some switches on the portal and immediately the vortex began to rotate. This time, with the link being established across two dimensions, a breeze began, quickly building until it became difficult to stand against the blast of the on-rushing wind. The Mytar waved one last time, then bent low against the wind and ran through the vortex.
Chris, Susie and Joe emerged and clung to the nearest rock or tree. Within seconds the wind stopped and the vortex disappeared. They were left staring at each other in the quiet of a forest. Chris immediately felt the difference - his powers were gone. Still dressed in the clothes Batarr had given them, they looked like three runaways from a freak show.
But the sun was high in the sky and the correct shade of yellow. Judging from its position it was probably around noon, Chris estimated. If Kaloc had got the date right, they had lived for a month in another dimension in the space of only a few Earth hours.
“Mum’s never going to recognise me,” Joe complained, looking down at his now remarkably muscular and sleek body.
The others agreed, adding to Joe’s worries. They walked on in silence until they reached the wooden bridge. From here they had to split up to go to their homes.
“Well I’m going straight out for pizza when I get home,” Joe said, with a grin.
“I’m having a long shower then going to bed for the rest of the day.” Susie said, closing her eyes wishfully.
Chris smiled at his friends. So much had changed. Joe, minus his fat cheeks, even looked different, and Susie now had a quiet determined presence about her. For himself, he was looking forward to fighting with his sister over breakfast, playing computer games, watching TV - anything that was normal. But he had the box with the Vizion stone in his hand and the key was in his pocket. What had happened was real, and it was far from over.
Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, can you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favourite retailer.
Thanks,
Rob Cole
Other Books by Rob Cole
Children and young teenagers
The Flight of the Mytar (second book in the Mytar series)
Chris, Susie and Joe are transported back to Earth to find the remaining Mytar. To their horror, they find that two of the three Mytar were the bullies that had tormented them at school. With the agents of Zelnoff closing in, they are forced to transport them back to Cathora against their will. Once there, these new Mytar refuse to help and reignite old hatreds and conflicts. As the Mytar are chased through the underworld, it becomes a race to unite the Mytar and develop their powers before they are captured and killed by Zelnoff’s forces.
Adults Books
Nuclear Midnight
On a holiday in England, Alex Carhill is caught in the nightmare of a nuclear holocaust. In a matter of hours, a mid-summer’s day is turned into a nuclear winter. This is the story of his survival in a world that no longer has rules; where climatic extremes, murder, starvation and disease are commonplace.
As the land slowly heals, the survivors scratch together an existence in a contaminated wasteland ravaged by plagues of insects and disease. In this world, through hardship and pain, a new society is forged based on new rules and values moulded from the demands and necessities of life.
After years of struggle, the survivors find themselves facing their greatest adversary. One they despised and thought had long disappeared in the first months of the holocaust. Now they must marshal all their resources and strength for one last battle against an enemy bent on their destruction.
The Ego Cluster
In a future world strafed with economic inequality, religious wars and climate extremes scientists discover a gene cluster that appears to govern the human ego. By suppressing these genes much of the ego-driven nature of the human decision process could be converted to a more empathetic, logical and considered approach, devoid of racial, religious or economic bigotry.
Visionary scientists Ethan Hendersen and Amelia Holt form both a romantic partnership and a working one in which their characters will be tested to the limit when they are employed by a mysterious cartel headed by antagonist Stefano Croce to develop a treatment to eliminate the human ego. Professional colleagues’ Dr Doug Ashton and Professor Caleb Fuller are also swept up in the action as the real potential of the ego cluster gene therapy is revealed. This is a story of an epic battle between scientific progress and its potential to change the human mind and the entrenched mind-set of the wealthy elite.