Amanda broke out crying. She faced this once with Regi already, how could she do it a second time? “Don’t go!”
“I love you, Amanda.”
“I forgive you, Demus! I really do!”
She had released him. He smiled back, with the most loving expression Amanda had ever seen on him. His innermost demons were gone now. In his eyes, she saw only contentment.
He grunted. “I will do one more thing.” Using his last burst of magic, Demus conjured up a gold, six-pointed crown on his head.
Amanda understood. It was time. “Rest in peace, Demus.”
He stiffened, closing his eyes, bringing down his arms to rest against his sides. And just like that, he was gone.
The wizard game vanished, a victim of the magic taken away with the departing wizard.
The crown fell to the floor, making a clanging noise.
“You may call us Mortals,” Amanda whispered, “But we are more immortal than you.”
Tearfully, she bent over to pick up the crown, and examined it closely. It was heavy enough, but not as much as she’d expected. It was a simple crown, with engraved stars all around the perimeter. The points on the crown were rough, but not sharp to the touch. There were even scratches in some spots, showing that the crown had been worn several times before.
The last king was gone.
About Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong is not only famous for being one of the most popular early video games of all time, but for the first appearance of Mario, who wasn’t even known as Mario back then. His title was “Jumpman.”
The designers of Donkey Kong, constrained by the limited graphics of the day, decided upon a bright red hat and a thick handlebar moustache for Mario because it was easier to design! Thus Mario’s unique “plumber” look was born.
Donkey Kong was first released in 1981 and since then has earned a reputation as a classic video game. The author admits that he wasted hundred of quarters on Donkey Kong as a university student! Sadly, he was never good enough to surpass the fourth level of the game, but has many fond memories of the hours spent standing in front of the arcade cabinet in a games room at college.
About President Arthur Kellogg Walker
In this story, the target of the wizards’ contempt and scorn is the hapless and incompetent Arthur Kellogg Walker, fictional President of the United States. Seemingly, he can do no right – he took office during the severe prolonged recession known as The Great Blight, and his predisposition toward corruption didn’t help matters any.
So is President Walker Republican or Democrat? Honestly, I never thought of him as either one – after all, in fiction, a President is usually portrayed as President of all the people.
However, without specifically thinking of party affiliation, I drew the bumbling part (and not the corrupt part) of his character upon the much-maligned former President Jimmy Carter, who took office (1977-1981) during the great economic upheaval known as stagflation. I honestly don’t know if Carter was incompetent or just a victim of his circumstances, but his term in office is a compelling study in leadership in crisis, as well as being an era in which we – at the time – felt we were in an eerie parallel universe. It’s also possible he was just too honest for the job.
The oddities that stood out in my mind during Carter’s term in office include;
his famed micro-management, including booking the White House tennis courts.
the bewildering story that his office was unable to successfully suppress, “the killer rabbit” incident (look it up on the Internet!)
a famous speech, called the “national malaise” speech, in which he pessimistically declared that America had a crisis of confidence.
the fact that he changed the side upon which he parted his hair, halfway through his Presidency.
also, halfway through his Presidency, Carter fired his entire Cabinet.
Needless to say, Carter had his share of accomplishments – namely, the deregulation of the airline industry, the peaceful handover of the Panama Canal, the Camp David peace accords, and comprehensive energy and environment programs. This above list of blunders is just tongue-in-cheek and totally superficial!
Will we see the likes of President Jimmy Carter or the fictional President Arthur Kellogg Walker again in our times? Only the future will tell.
Other Books by Scott Spotson
Buy on Amazon
“In this book magic is both a gift and a curse which leads to disaster as well as tremendous achievements. There is a lot of action and there are quite a few surprises along the way.”
Chaos reigns around the world. Strange creatures, accorded the title “Phantom Ninjas” by the media, are leaping off tall buildings and somersaulting back up without any scratch - and then disappear. There follows more spontaneous acts of magic, confounding the world. Who - or what - is responsible? In the middle of the mystery arrives Detective Hetfield, a private investigator just recently retired from the FBI, who is accustomed to fame as a star witness in the murder trial of a beloved actress. Hetfield, seeking ever more celebrity to boost his profile, uses the media to put forward the theory that a person of extraordinary magical powers is behind all the incidents, and labels him Dr. Magic. Hetfield gets much more than what he bargained for when that powerful being does exist - in the form of a young man long disillusioned with his past - and cruelly takes him up on his offer.
Buy Life II on Amazon
Upon discovering a 1958 book titled “Account of Time Travel on Earth Using Wave Theory,” 42-year-old Max Thorning’s life is thrown into chaos. Seeking answers to the book’s cryptic clues, he discovers Dr. Time, a seemingly benign alien who has control of the Time Weaver, a remarkable device that can command any scene from the Earth’s past. Dr. Time offers him a choice to go back into Time, to any point in his lifespan that he can vividly recall. The catch: he can only bring his memories, and can only live the future one day at a time. Follow Max’s dilemma as he goes back to his 16-year-old self and tries to forge his destiny into a new one called Life II.
You Know You’re Thin When
Buy You Know You’re Thin When
A humour book with drawings and blurbs about the salient advantages of being thin! Explores the “lighter side” of being thin - pun intended! Excels as a gift for your loved ones - the ones you’re always trying to fatten up with home cooked food! Also an inspirational gift for those who go to gyms and get fit!
Buy Delusional on Amazon
Don’t believe everything you see! When rising marketing executive Patricia Fowler falls for Paul Blast, a married co-worker, she tries to put her life into perspective—a task that becomes increasingly difficult when she starts having eerie hallucinations. Patricia’s dreams of a happily ever after turn into one nightmare after another as she battles threats that go beyond her imagination.
Is her new love behind the torment? After all, his former girlfriend ended up in an asylum.
Or could Paul’s wife be more than a bored, spoiled, rich girl?
Meanwhile, the FBI is trying to track down a thief who magically appears and disappears, taking priceless gems and artwork with her.
“Delusional” is a fast-paced thriller that blurs the lines of reality and fantasy, leading to an explosive climax where what you see isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get!
Table of Contents
Illustrations
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
About Donkey Kong
About President Arthur Kellogg Walker
About the Author