Action/ Adventure Box #2
D. E. Harrison
- Red
- Bird’s
- people
- lack
- a
- written
- record
- and
- barely
- have
- a
- small
- record
- on
- a
- twisted
- piece
- of
- string.
Red
- Bird
- is
- an
- outcast.
- She
- is
- claimed
- by
- no
- clan
- in
- the
- ceremony.
- She
- will
- be
- sent
- to
- the
- never
- land,
- never
- to
- return.
- She
- grows
- enough
- to
- be
- accepted
- by
- the
- twiners.
- She
- is
- sent
- to
- collect
- food
- from
- the
- great
- waters
- where
- only
- the
- burial
- log
- is
- permitted
- to
- be
- and
- those
- who
- build
- them.
- But
- there
- is
- some
- history
- of
- every
- burial
- log.
- The
- size,
- cycles
- required
- to
- build,
- trees
- prepared
- but
- never
- used.
- From
- this
- comes
- the
- cycle
- of
- the
- queen.
- But
- Red
- Bird
- sees
- a
- log
- so
- large
- on
- the
- great
- waters
- that
- it
- must
- be
- the
- Gods.
- But
- why
- did
- the
- Gods
- return
- to
- Red
- Bird
- for
- a
- second
- time?
There
- are
- social
- events
- about
- to
- overtake
- this
- society.
- There
- may
- be
- more
- bloodshed
- in
- these
- changes
- than
- in
- any
- war.
- Several
- generations
- later
- even
- oral
- history
- unclear.
What
- could
- the
- Gods
- possibility
- bring
- that
- Red
- Bird
- and
- the
- newly
- installed
- Queen
- need?
- Will
- this
- society
- even
- accept
- help
- from
- the
- Gods?
- Finally
- the
- Warrior
- clan
- is
- unaware
- of
- the
- menace
- that
- is
- preparing
- to
- pluck
- their
- queen.
- Does
- this
- society
- have
- the
- desire
- to
- preserve
- themselves?The
- Karlskrona
- Find
- is
- six
- days
- in
- the
- lives
- of
- the
- strongest
- and
- oldest
- Mafia
- family
- in
- their
- upstate
- New
- York
- mansion
- in
- the
- mid-1950.
- The
- family
- is
- run
- by
- the
- Patriarch,
- the
- last
- of
- the
- 4th
- generation.
- He
- is
- wheeled
- into
- the
- monthly
- meeting
- of
- the
- family.
- His
- word
- is
- law
- on
- every
- matter.
- The
- young
- great,
- great,
- great
- grandsons
- have
- no
- chair
- at
- the
- meeting
- table
- but
- must
- sit
- next
- to
- the
- wall
- and
- speak
- only
- to
- answer
- a
- question.
The
- family
- is
- feeling
- pressure
- from
- the
- Puerto
- Ricans
- and
- Blacks
- in
- the
- docketing
- area
- of
- the
- City.
- The
- Chinese
- wish
- for
- more
- but
- are
- wise
- and
- waits.
It
- all
- starts
- in
- Sweden
- when
- a
- new
- ‘dig’
- using
- new
- equipment
- uncovers
- a
- strange
- black
- stone
- box
- found
- several
- feet
- under
- a
- false
- subsoil
- of
- a
- picked
- clean
- site.
Its
- history
- is
- lost
- but
- goes
- back
- to
- a
- time
- when
- the
- Vikings
- were
- raiders
- and
- feared
- beyond
- belief.
- Four
- young
- Viking
- princesses
- are
- allowed
- to
- take
- goods
- and
- travel
- to
- trade
- with
- only
- an
- old
- man.
- It
- is
- beyond
- trading
- time
- in
- Eastern
- Germany,
- but
- people
- fear
- not
- to
- trade.
Next
- they
- trade
- across
- the
- waters
- in
- what
- is
- now
- Denmark.
- The
- ruler
- there
- wishes
- to
- part
- take
- of
- a
- Viking
- princes
- and
- the
- booty
- that
- the
- Vikings
- have.
- He
- offers
- to
- build
- and
- help
- with
- supplies
- for
- their
- raiding.
- It
- all
- goes
- bad,
- and
- the
- Viking
- Chieftain
- is
- looking
- for
- blood
- to
- pay
- for
- those
- slain
- on
- his
- home
- soil.
- At
- the
- end
- of
- the
- raid
- a
- princess
- shrills
- a
- cry
- that
- even
- has
- the
- Viking
- warrior’s
- blood
- runs
- cold.
Hundreds
- of
- years
- later,
- a
- Viking
- ship
- in
- a
- storm
- hits
- the
- rocks
- on
- Sicily;
- it
- sinks,
- and
- smugglers
- kill
- all
- for
- the
- supplies.
- One
- man
- is
- saved
- and
- hide
- until
- he
- can
- get
- back
- home
- safely.
- The
- shrill
- cry
- is
- heard
- again
- on
- Sicily
- but
- there
- is
- no
- one
- but
- Vikings
- to
- hear
- it.
- The
- towns
- people
- say
- their
- neighbors
- are
- far
- distant
- relatives
- and
- should
- have
- the
- property.
- Since
- the
- taxes
- are
- the
- same,
- the
- neighbors
- can
- have
- it.
- This
- family
- moves
- to
- New
- York
- City
- in
- the
- late
- 1800’s
- to
- continue
- their
- smuggling.
- They
- bring
- only
- with
- them
- one
- original
- cabinet
- and
- a
- small
- black
- box
- in
- it.
The
- Icelanders
- (Vikings)
- come
- to
- New
- York
- many
- years
- before
- the
- family
- from
- Sicily.
- They
- fish,
- work
- on
- the
- docks,
- and
- have
- their
- own
- city
- in
- New
- York
- City.
- The
- grandsons
- from
- the
- Mafia
- family
- go
- to
- collect
- protection
- money
- from
- the
- Icelanders
- but
- are
- thrown
- out
- by
- force
- but
- say
- they
- will
- return.
The
- Patriarch
- has
- a
- seizure
- when
- informed
- of
- their
- action
- at
- a
- council
- meeting.
- He
- is
- wheeled
- out
- by
- his
- nurse.
- Recovering
- the
- next
- day,
- he
- is
- stronger
- than
- ever,
- mixing
- Sicilian
- and
- English,
- “You
- have
- killed
- us
- all.
- There
- is
- nothing
- to
- prevent
- it.
- There
- will
- be
- no
- one
- left
- with
- our
- blood
- here
- or
- in
- the
- old
- country.”
He
- spies
- the
- family’s
- old
- black
- box
- from
- his
- wheelchair,
- “Get
- a
- car,
- I
- must
- go
- now.”
What
- can
- the
- old
- Patriarch
- do
- to
- save
- the
- family.
- Did
- he
- hear
- a
- shrill
- cry
- from
- a
- princess
- in
- his dream?
pro-mbooks3 : libris
