I am thrilled to announce my Honorable Mention placement in the Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine ‘08 Spring Short Contest Pop on over to the following website to view my short and learn more about the amazing writers at  Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine.

http://www.momwriterslitmag.com/HonorableMention.htm

 Thank you to Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine for the inspiration and the oppertunity!

Their bodies ached and their skin tingled. The last several hours were spent being poked and prodded. The cold metal of teks had brushed across their skin, penetrated their organs, and had been pasted to their bodies. Now in their small cell not even the smell of sweet root porridge tempted them.

“Etah, do you know what mates are?” Rahan’s whispering voice asked struggling through her fear.

“No I don’t my friend,” she said trying to rub away the cramping feeling in her belly. Her mind tried to remember the rumors and fanciful tales spread among the slaves about the colonies from her youth, but she could not discern truth from her memories.

This place did not seem like noisy herd of people and the cries of babes. There were now tight quarters of men and women forced together for the spoiled creatures of Terranova. Nothing of what she had heard about the colonies resembled this place. It was cold, secluded, and void of hope.

“Come, Rahan. Let us eat. If tomorrow hold more of the events of today we will need strength.”

“Please my friend, let us sleep and escape this place.” Etah could see Rahan’s tears, and their dream world would be a refreshing escape. But they would be woken to this reality again, so they needed to eat.

“After.” Etah passed her dear friend her porridge with her own fears spurring her determination to escape the earth of Adem.

The warmth of the porridge swam about their stomach and lulled their minds to into the vibrant forms and colors of Layvas. A welcoming change from the darkness of their cell.
Neither of them spoke for a long while. They walked about the fields allowing the lush ground beneath them tickle their feet. The four legged, Jovra, watched them closely with his eyes longing to rid them of their fears. Layvas had never been a sad place, but the fear within was holding an odd shadow around them.

“Let us go swim and splash about. We need not bring the fears and concerns of our cell to this place,” Etah said trying to lift their spirits.

It took a few moments for Rahan to respond, but slowly as smile returned to her face. Laughter and playfulness filled their souls in the cool pools of Layvas.

“Etah,” Rahan began walking amongst the solid forms surrounding the waters. “What do you think this place is? Is it a memory of where our people come from?”

“I don’t know. If that where so why are we the only ones here? You saw how many other women there were before we were chosen by those Gobs. I had never seen so many of our kind.”

“I had never seen so many even in Terranova. But I am loosing hope, Etah. I want this place to be more than our dreams.”

Etah sighed at the hopelessness in Rahan’s voice. The unknown was before them when they wake, and every inch of her body trembled as she tried to comprehend the experiments that would come and the meaning of mate.

In seconds liquid began to jet out sending each woman to their feet. Confusion filled the room until the affects of the liquid began to take affect. The liquid smelled of chemicals and singed the skin. Everyone began to scream and run about trying to find refuge from the scorching liquid. Many slipped and rolled in the pain that was coming at them from all sides.
The chaos continued for what seemed like hours. Once the liquid stopped the women were screeching at the door to be released. Finally a cold draft rushed in as one door opened. The women rushed out, but soon found themselves wanting to be locked in the chemical showers forever.

On the other side of the door they were greeted with a collar locked around their necks, and blue robes marking them as slaves once again.
“I think Pneu was right, Etah. The pit may not have been such a bad place,” Rahan whispered pulling her new clothes up to her shoulders.

The white walls that surrounded them was a welcomed relief from the red dirt of the pits, but as the women walked in single file behind another set of Gobs fear returned. Etah knew they were still too far beneath the surface to be in Terranova, but what purpose would they serve now. There were no slaves over the age of thirteen in Terranova, and no one over the age of eighteen in the pits, so where would they spend the rest of their days now?

The Gob came to a stop in a large cavern and Etah was amazed at what she saw. Hundreds of women, shaved and chained, filled the massive cavern. Etah had never seen so many of her own people. She had always thought their pit had been the only one.

Six Gobs in dress of their stations stood at one end of the cavern watching the women from an archway. Each mumbling amongst one another; the largest and oldest of the Gobs held a staff in his stubby arms. He struck his staff against stone at his feet. The piercing noise brought Etah and the other women’s hands to their ears until the echo dissipated.

“Line up,” the old Gob commanded causing the women to scurry into a poorly formed line. “Cife search them all.”
“Why do you get first choice Laebo?” One of the other Gobs asked offended that the prime choices would be taken from him.

“Because I am Master Matchmaker, and my experiments take precedent over your breeding. Go ahead Cife.” The Gob’s short apprentice slithered away from the herd and began to inspect the line. He turned each woman’s wrist where he could see it with his beady eyes.
“What do you think he’s looking for?” Rahan whispered.
“This perhaps.” Etah turned her wrist to show the triangular marking she had never been with out.
“What does it mean?”
“Quiet!” The large Laebo shouted causing is lackey to waddle in front of Rahan and Etah. His slimy hand reached out and took hold of Etah’s wrist. His beady eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of the tattoo.
“Laebo, she is here.”

“Bring her and the one next to her.” Laebo’s large frame slowly turned to return into the tunnels. The Gob in front of them latched chains on both Rahan and Etah’s collars, and began leading them to follow Laebo slow trudge.

Etah and Rahan seemed to take but one step every minute as they worked their way down the tunnels. For Etah it was hard to believe the colonies were real. She had thought the colonies a myth. Something the Gobs told them as a threat, not an actually place she would find herself.
“Ah, home sweet home,” Laebo belted out entering a room laced with blue light, and more teks than Etah had ever seen. “Chain them there Cife, and let me look at her.” Cife exchanged Rahan and Etah’s leashes for chains on the wall.

Laebo’s large slimy frame waddled over and he motioned for Etah to stand. She rose, her tall slender frame contrasting greatly from the Gob that stood in front of her. Laebo laughed as he looked at Etah’s wrist.
“It is interesting my child that I placed this tattoo on your wrist when you were born not far from here.”
“What are your plans for her Master?” Laebo’s lackey questioned.

“The experiment of a lifetime my apprentice. I spent my life developing her through years of selective breeding.”
“What makes her so special?”
“Have you not read my papers as I asked of you Cife?”
“There are so many my Master.”
“You will find that this slave is immune to disease. I hope to extract information from her breeding to find a way we Gobs can escape this earth caked prison.”

“But the earth of Adem gives us all we need.”
“Dear Cife, I once saw the bounty of the earth above us, and if we could escape the threat of disease then we could reap that treasure. Come let us gather the sample for testing.”
“Why do you need this other Gouti?” Cife pointed at Rahan’s fearful frame.
“Come now Cife. In all experiments there must be a control specimen. I am tired. Take the samples and place them in isolation until we can find them appropriate mates.”

Check out this website to see my latest short story win

http://www.armchairinterviews.com/winners/second_anniversary_contest_winners.php#more

Fear and anxiety shook Etah’s heart as she and Rahan watched the next set of newly shaven girls come down the tiers of the pit. This would be their final moments in the pits, but questions still lingered as to what was on the other side of the hidden door.

The bellowing horn had never resonated or scared Etah until now. Rahan grabbed her hand as they turned to their right and followed the other girls through the secret door. She watched the pit disappear as the door came to a close behind them.
“Get in a line,” A Goab shouted. It had been five years, but Etah almost enjoyed seeing the slick white scales of a Goab in the red dirt. Both Etah and Rahan struggled not to laugh at the sterile garment coverning the Goab’s snake like frame. She had almost forgotten the Goab’s fear of disease.

“To your knees,” the Goab shouted and the women knelt in the dirt confused and fearful of what was to happen next. Once on the ground, a group of Gouti guards, with the same anger as Pneu in their eyes, stepped forward and put a razor to the hair each of them had grown in the last five years. Etah struggled to hold back her tears. Memories from before filled her mind as the matted, dirt caked hair fell to the ground. What had been her beauty was gone again, and who knew if she would have the chance to regain what she had grown.

“To your feet,” the Goab once everyone’s’ hair was gone. Etah blinked back her tears and hatred as she watched the Goab slither toward a white door.
“We are returning to Terranova” Rehan whispered in Etah’s ear. Her excitement didn’t give Etah any hope. There was something strange about this door. The Goab entered a code at the door and with a loud release of air the white door opened to the inside.

“Remove your close as you go in,” the Goab instructed. Every one of them froze at the command.
“Why? Where are we going?” Etah asked surprised at her own tenacity to ask a question of a Goab. The black eyes of the Goab scrutinized her from head to toe before looking to one of the Gouti. Etah didn’t have the time to look behind her before a rod was snapped across her back. The pain and the cold feeling of blood made Etah go to her knees.

Not another person said a word as they took off the clothes they had been given five years ago and stepped through the door. Rahan helped Etah to her feet, and in the throbbing pain of her lashing struggled to pull the dirt caked clothing from her body.
Etah and Rahan stepped cautiously into the white stone room and with the door closed behind them everyone trying to hide behind bashful glances.

“What will happen now?” Rahan said with her usual tone of fear.
“I don’t think we are returning to Terranova.” Etah said looking up to the noise that was sputtering around nozzles in the ceiling. And if she knew the Goab’s fear of disease what was going to come out of those spouts would not make the wound on her back feel any better.

The Experiments of ADEM- part 3
(catch up with the story through the blog archive-Thursday Shorts)

The luminous colors of their dreamscape danced about them in a mist that filled both Etah and Rahan with joy and freedom. It was a place they had found many years ago, they had come to name it the fields of Layvas. The colorful forms that surrounded them had no names, for their purpose and shapes where unknown to them. But every night they would escape to the hope that came in Layvas.
“Etah are you alright? I saw Pneu push you,” Rahan’s fearful voice sounded as the two friends searched for each other in the light mist.
“Over here by Jovra,” Etah shouted and in moments the small frame of Rahan join her near the place they found the only other occupant of Layvas. It was a four legged creature that seemed to watch and listen to their every word. But the creature’s furry coat and soft blue eyes, never gave them any fear.
“Hello Jovra,” Rahan greeted the creature that sat on its hunches and just watched.
“Are you well? What did Pneu say?” Rahan took Etah’s hand and they began their nightly walk.
“Pneu suspected me of speaking too much today, so I am without food.”
“I wish she would leave you be. Too bad there is no food here and Layvas.”
“I don’t think I have the energy to search again.”
“True. Did you say anything to her about the women that disappear at the end of the line?”
“Yes, but all she said was standing on the line in the pit is better than what on the other side of that mysterious door.”
“That makes me scared if a woman like her could be fearful of anything.”
“Let’s not worry on that. She was probably trying to frighten me. Shall we go to the spring?”
“Yes that sounds refreshing.” Rahan’s smile returned as they walked toward the spring. It was the only type of water they had found in Layvas. They could never figure out how to drink from the crystal waters of the spring, but to play and enjoy it allowed them to feel clean in there dreams if not so in the pit.
“Do you miss Teranova?” Etah asked as she kicked her feet lightly in the water.
“I think I miss the business, rushing about the tunnels and the satisfaction of following an order. How about you?”
“I miss listening to the Goab’s talk. They spoke so little and worried over much that is was nice to hear their thoughts.”
“Did you Goab share such words with you? I only remember the commands from the kitchen. I had forgotten that you were a personal servant.” Etah thought about the Goab she had served for ten years. He had been older, wiser, and kinder than most of those she saw slithering about the halls of Teranova.
“I would have considered my Goab almost a friend.” The woman soon heard the pulsing bell that shook the colors of Layvas.
“Why must we wake?” Rahan complained as the dreamscape disappeared, and Etah opened her eyes to the filthy red dirt of the pit.

“The Experiments of Adem” part 2

The cycle continued in its ever familiar slow and wearisome way. Fatigue was settling into Etah’s back and fingers, but then came the relief she needed. The horns blew their welcomed tones, and the rock and stone stopped coming down the line.
The entire row of women turned to look at the comfort that would come from rest and a belly of sweet root. But staring at the stone carved niches in front of them was a teasing pleasure that would have to wait. Etah could almost taste the sweet root porridge waiting for her in the small cuphs, but the Gouti’s had their favorites. The women that held the wips for the intention of keeping order on the line found those who held their lust for power, and nurtured those women. Leaving the rest to be subject to their whims.
Each Gouti was in charge of thirty six women, and had to lead each to their cuph at the end of the cycle. Unfortunately Pnue didn’t like Etah. Pnue stood taller and wider than Etah’s frame, and each time they came eye to eye Etah couldn’t help but wonder where the dust and mud caked lines on her face came from. A shiver ran down her spine as Ora was led to her cuph. Just the look in Pnue’s eyes let her know that she wouldn’t sleep easily.
“Etah, you silly girl.” The Gouti’s nails dug deep into Etah’s skin.
“What, what have I done now?” She asked trying not to wince too much in the pain.
“You were a chatty little one this cycle, and you know my rules on chattiness.”
“But I’m almost to the end of the line.”
“And you think that give you the right to chat and whisper?” Pneu’s nails dug deeper.
“No, of course not, but I-“
“But what? You have questions? You want to know your fate? Trust me this place is better than what awaits you beyond the hidden door.” The fear and pain Etah saw in the Gouti’s eyes shocked her.
“You will go without food for your questioning mind.”
“Pneu, no, please.”
“Get in that cuph,” Pneu said pushing Etah to the floor. On her hands and knees Etah’s mind raged. She wanted nothing more than to rise to her feet and knock Pneu to the ground. But that would leave her without food for more than just one cycle.
Etah’s lips water as the angered Gouti closed the gate of her cuph, but she was relieved that this cuph was wider than her last. At least two phods on each side giving her the comfort to turn from lying on her stomach to her back.
But now the seclusion and silence surrounded her forcing her mind to escape to her dreams. There she and Rahan were free, and could speak and talk of what could be above the tunnels of Terranova.

©2007