Episodi
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This episode is the end of the Book!
Into the Attic of the World has been a presentation of the Blue Deck Podcast. Thanks for listening and sharing! Please, subscribe so you will not miss announcements about future stories.
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After Dawn becomes queen of Atsuma, Charles, William and Ozzie are ushered to the armory. While Ozzie and Charles wait in a hallway, William goes into the armory for his outfitting.
Passing time on a hall bench, Charles stares at a bottle cap heâd kept from the Howl soda back on the train. Heâd kept it because the white-on-red, cursive HOWL script looked so much like the Coca-Cola logo. In fact, the cap was a near-perfect Attic-of-the-World twin for the cap heâd kept from the soda back on the launch towerâa soda from his world. But heâd somehow lost the original bottle cap.
StillâŠwhy had he kept this one?
He kept it because it was RED.
RedâŠwhy should that matter? His mind had an involuntary fixation on the color: red like a fire truck, red like Darth Vaderâs lightsaber, red like a stop sign. He was sick on thinking about it⊠Red like the blood on the Destroyer Blade.
He turned the cap over in his hand, and when he flipped the top-side up again, he half-expected to see the Coke logo reappear. It didnât, and why would it?
Then William came out into the hall dressed like a musketeer! Heâs got a sword and everything.
âTheyâre waiting for whoâs next,â he says, so Ozzie gets up and goes in the armory, and William sits down next to Charles.
âWhatâs this?â William asks, looking at the bottle cap sitting between them on the bench.
Charles explains he kept it because it reminded him of the cokes William carried to the top of the launch tower.
âNot me,â William says. âYou got me mixed up with someone else.â He says he hadnât had a Coke in weeks. All he had at the tower was his âstupid water bottle.â
That was impossible, but as William spoke, strangely, his version of the story overtook Charlesâs own memory of events. William came up the ladder, nothing in his hands. No coke bottles. And if he had a water, he mustâve left it in the shuttle.
Ozzie comes out into the hall dressedâyou guessed itâlike another musketeer. Heâs so pleased with his outfit because it matches the Oakland Aâs team-colors, yellow and green.
Charles is next, so he goes into the armory, weary of what he might find. There are two Blue Skulls inside, a man and a woman. They present to him four outfits: an army uniform, a suit of European armor, a samurai outfit, and finally another musketeer jersey. After a brief inner debate, he settles for being the third musketeer, a choice that seems so much like fate.
When he rejoins his friends, Dawn is there too, with Captain Kid and the Blue Skull with the golden gauntlet (whom Charles is referring to as the Blue Reaper). Dawn is now dressed like the queen, in a gold dress, and she wears the Destroyer Blade. Charles takes her hand, careful to be gentle with her bandaged left hand.
The cyclops lumbers down the hall saying the helicopter is almost ready, and Captain Kid declares itâs time to go. âYou didnât get all dressed up for nothing!â
Charles asks if their next stop is the door to the Red Realm, which it almost has to be, but he wants to hear the captain say it.
To Charles surprise, âno,â the captain says. âI think we have time for one more stop.â
Where will they go? Weâre about to find out.
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Episodi mancanti?
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When Dawn reaches for the Destroyer Blade, King Katsuro spins away as Captain Kid collides with Dawn, driving her to the ground. What happen? Charles doesnât know. Chaos erupts, the Blue Skulls ready with their weapons. A guard grabs Charles, the cyclops scoops up William, and someone kicks Ozzie in the stomach.
When Captain Kid climbs off Dawn on the floor, he stands and points to the kingâs sword. âLOOK!â he shouts. There, on the razor edge is a gruesome streak of red.
âImpossible!â King Katsuro declares. He claims there mustâve been someone elseâsomeone cut from timeâbecause of the blood. But what about it, Charles wonders. If Dawn was cut there definitely would be blood. But something about it bothers him. Thereâs just so much of it.
Dawn stands, presenting her hand to the gathering. All can see the cut across her palm.
Katsuro is livid. She couldnât have touched it! But when the Blue Skull with the golden gauntlet examines Dawnâs injury, he sides with her and gives his allegiance.
âI require my sword,â Dawn says, but when Katsuro backs away thrashing with the Destroyer Blade, the Blue Skull guardsman shoots the king dead.
As soon as Dawn is given her sword, she petitions to the audience for their help to stop the fairyâs kidnapper. The captain asks for a helicopter and weapons for his knights, including grenades! No problem, they say, but Charles feels the rug pulled out from under himâno way theyâre going home now.
Then again, with the help of the people of Atsumaâand with Dawn becoming their QUEEN!âmaybe thereâs a chance to save the fairy after all. Maybe he and his friends ARE the kind of kids cut-out for adventure.
The chapter ends with Charles talking to the cyclops. Their conversation leaves Charles with a very surprising impressionâŠthat given time, he and the one-eyed monster might even become friends.
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Previously in Chapter 28
Charles and his friends are led to the king, Chaptain Kid and the cyclops going ahead of them. When they arrive at the Presence Chamber, the room is guarded by more of the blue-skulled guards. One guard opens the door for them with a golden-gauntleted left hand.
Entering the room, they find men in matching pea coats, on their knees, bowing before the king, with fedoras held to their chest. Along the walls, women are comparably dressed but in skirts. Seeing these people, Charles has a growing conviction that they are not the sort of people to go before a kingâthey donât even have uniforms!
But they go in and march right up front. The cyclops introduces them, and right away, Captain Kid starts asking questions. He wants to know how the king knows of the kidnapping.
âThe cyclops sees much,â the king proclaims. Then he says the kidnapper is taking the fairy to the Red Realm, and sheâs almost there already!
Captain Kid goes ballistic. âWhy didnât you stop her?â he demands. Then he announces to the entire room that if Katsuro the Destroyer is unwilling to help the fairy princess, heâs unfit to be king.
A person in the crowd says, âBut he cut himself on the blade and lived.â Remember, the Destroyer Blade is magic, and cuts people out of reality. That didnât happen to Katsuro, so he was made king.
Captain Kid isnât having it. He turns to the king and cries, âThen cut it again!â
Katsuro stands, brandishing his blade. Even Cyclops of the Seven takes a cautious step back. But Katsuro wonât kill Captain Kid with the destroyer bladeâwhich would erase even the captains past! Instead, he snatches away the captainâs rifle, intending to shoot him with his own gun!
Just then, Charles feels Dawnâs hand leaving his. âIâll touch it,â she says, reaching for the blade. And even Captain Kid isnât swift enough to stop her.
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When the kids arrive at the palace, they are confronted by the Cyclops, a huge monsterâone-eyed, of course. He has a horn on his forehead, sharp pointed teeth, and he carries a war hammer. Strangely, he claims to have seen them coming all the way back in Doloptree.
When Ozzie asked how, the cyclops points to his eye as if thatâs an explanation. Speaking of his eye. Itâs red. Like, the ball of the eye is red, and itâs white in the center. Also, the white part of his eye splits apart and moves around. Itâs pretty weird.
Anyway, they all go into the palace, and Charles sees a bunch of paintings on the wall. The portraits are all old kings and queens, and in every one of them is the same sword, a curved katana in a turquoise scabbard. A placard below one of the paintings reads, âKing An-dob-o the Destroyer who reigned from 1646 to 1670.â
The DestroyerâŠjust like King Katsuro. So, why are both the kings called that?
Charles asks, but his question is met with impatience.
When he presses the point, William has a look at the paintings. All the royalty of Atsuma are tagged with the title âthe Destroyer.â
Then the cyclops says in his rumbling voice, âThey are all Destroyers, kings or queens, but the sword itself is the ruler of Atsuma.â
When Captain Kid sees his knights are unwilling to proceed without answers, he explains that the sword in the paintings is called the Destroyer Blade. It was made by a dark wizard who killed himself with it. Now, whomever the sword cuts is sliced from the very fabric of realityâtheir whole life gone in an instantâeven their past. Itâs like they were never even born.
William suggests thereâs something wrong with that story because if it were true, how would anyone know if someone was cut? The person the blade sliced would be forgotten by history and memory alikeâŠso, who would know they were gone? Who would know if the magic in the sword really worked because no one would remember it being used?
âMaybe itâs just a story,â Dawn declares.
But itâs not just a story because of two things. Not everyone forgets the lost. Not Captain Kid, not the black unicorn in the Red Realm, and not the cyclops. Also, the blade itself remembers them, and as a warning, whenever itâs used, the blood of its victim appears on the gleaming blade.
Thereâs one exception, however. If a person is cut with the blade and lives, they become the new ruler of Atsuma in the Attic of the World.
One more thing. In the brief time Charles has been around the cyclops, heâs gotten the feeling the monster can see through walls, look at things too far away over great distances, and even peer into other peopleâs thoughts.
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The fairyâs rescue party is ushered to the palace of King Katsuro by gun-toting warriors in blue skeleton masks. The Blue Skulls are a bizarre lot with gold and silver accents on their masks and weapons. To Charles, they look like assassins from a G.I. Joe cartoon.
As the kids arrive at the palace, Captain Kid gives Ozzie his broken compass, saying King Katsuro could fix the switch and arm Ozzie for battleâŠif he wasnât abandoning the quest to find the Patch Fairy. This is super important because, remember, Charles suggested they might have to steal the compass to get back to their world. Now they have it without steeling it! But Captain Kid had given it to Ozzie who was to most likely to jettison their plans in favor of adventure.
The captain tells the kids to follow his lead in the palace. If he says âYour Majestyâ and takes a knee, the others should do the same. Also, the boys need to leave their silliness at the door.
So, they approach the palace, looking out at a hundred girls in golden dresses practicing Tai-chi on a perfect green lawn. The palace is bright white with blue doors, and blocking their way is the cyclops, a massive war-hammer in his leathery grip.
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In chapter 25, Charles and his friends arrive in Atsuma, the Great City. The city is a sprawling metropolis, colorful skyscrapers everywhere. But like on the train, the city is inhabited primarily by children. Charles doesnât understand why the place hasnât gone to ruin. If left to the upkeep of kids, any city in his world would return to the earth in a mountain of overgrown vines or runaway fires would burn the whole place to ashes. Theyâre not kids, he suspects. They might look like children but something in this world makes it where people donât grow up.
There were two notable exceptions, however. A woman in her sixties is talking on a payphone and, strolling across the park outside the bus station, there is a policeman wearing a ninja sword on his back.
The police officer walks straight to Captain Kid and says the king is looking for him. Also, he wants to know why Marshal Rayban isnât there.
Dawn explains that the marshal didnât come, but the officer wants to hear it from the captain.
âThe chief just answered you,â Captain Kid says. âWhy do you look at me?â Then, before agreeing to follow the policeman to the palace, he wants to know how the officer knew they were coming.
The manâs answer is another puzzle. âThe cyclops saw you coming.â
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After waking up in the sleeping car, Charles visits with Dawn while William and Ozzie sleep. Theyâre no longer in the desert, but outside, the passing landscape has changed to hills of luscious green.
Dawn reveals to Charles that theyâre going to Atsuma, the great city, to see a king called Katsuro the Destroyer. The Destroyerâreally?!?! That sounds awful. Also, Dawn tells him that before he woke up, she walked around the bus-train and saw a girl looking for a merit badge under her pillow. So sad. The girl didnât know the fairy was missing.
After that, Charles risks asking Dawn about his vision in the smokerâs cabin. He nods to William whoâs sleeping across the aisle. âNotice anything odd about him?â
âNo,â Dawn says. âWhy?â
âHe looked different,â Charles admits, but after that, heâll say nothing more, in fear Dawn will tell the captain heâs going crazy.
When the other boys wake up, they grab a table in the dining car and eat until theyâre stuffed. That is when Charles tells them how he really feels about the mission. If they donât find Castatine in Atsuma, they should abandon the quest and go home. To his surprise, they agree, all but Ozzie whoâs decided heâll catch Castatine and knock her upside the head with his baseball bat. But after remembering his motherâno doubt worried to death back homeâeven Ozzie agreesâŠwith one condition. Charles must tell Captain Kid about the deadline. They canât just ditch him because, In Ozzieâs words, âheâs the coolest guy I ever met.â
When Captain Kid shows up, Charles fulfills Ozzieâs requirement.
Captain Kid takes the news pretty well. He even understands, but he proposes Charles is supposed to be right where heâs at, searching for the fairy and looking after his friends. The captain reminds them of the shuttle, how it changed just for them. âNotice there wasnât a seat for the marshal,â he points out. Then Dawn remembers the bracket on the wall, perfect for Joseph, the captainâs pet crab.
Already, the tides are turning against Charles, but their deal is made. If they donât find Castatine in Atsuma, theyâre going home. And even Captain Kid admits sheâs probably too far ahead.
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After the smokers burn to ashes, Charlesâs mind is full of questions and frustration. Also, heâs about had it with this quest. Captain Kid explains that the smokers were phantomsâliving illusions. They enchanted ashes and clothes to give themselves shape. When the kids fought back, the phantoms used too much energy and fell apart. They werenât actually dead.
While explaining this, the captain takes the dagger left behind by the magician. Then after giving the knife to Ozzie, he suggests Ozzie might not want to keep it because it could lead the phantoms to him.
Ozzie rejects the dagger, offering it to William. William doesnât want it. Dawn doesnât want it either, so Captain Kid takes it again, sticking it in his pocket.
No one offered it to Charles, and that is sooooo annoying. Heâs got a knife of his ownâthe Swiss Army Knifeâbut that wasnât good for battles. If the captain wanted him to be a knight, he should have a real weapon! He throse his Swiss Army knife to William, and without asking, snatches the dagger out of the captainâs pocket. Then he scolds their leader for not taking the swords when the mountain man offered them back at Salvation Mountain.
Captain Kid only watches Charles, not complaining about the outburst, and when Charles secures the dagger to his belt, the captain says it looks good on him. But in the skirmish with the phantoms, Charlesâs hand was cut. The injury needs treatment. After that, they should get a little rest.
Links to Joseph Mazerac's appearance on The Bookshop at the End of the Internet:
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When the silver witch slaps Charles for the second time, an idea springs into his headâheâd been on this train before! But that didnât make sense. It was impossible. Heâd never been to this world before, much less the weird road-going bus-train. Then as he looked back at his friends⊠Yes, he had been on this train, and not only that but in this very situation. He could remember it (sort of) and the last time he was here, heâd been with William, Dawn, and Ozzie⊠except⊠the William he saw now looked different, not much different, just a little thicker with bigger ears but so similar they mustâve been brothers.
It was a trick. It had to be. The magician with the curled mustache was playing mind tricks on him. Then a fight breaks out between the kids and the adults, but as the grownups fight, they fall apart, crumbling to ashes and leaving their empty clothes behind. In the process, one of the men puts a knife to Charlesâs throat and wouldâve killed him if Charles hadnât wedged a hand under the blade. Finally, Captain Kid shows up, rifle in hand, and shoots the witch. The woman lifts into the air, screaming out her warningâgive up the search for the Patch Fairy, or the Red King will run you through with his horn! The lights of the cabin flickered, then she erupts into smoking ash, her silver dress falling lifeless to the floor.
Links to my appearance on The Bookshop at the End of the Internet:
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Charles, William, Dawn, and Ozzie came to a section of the bus-train called the smokerâs cabin. There were three men inside, real nasty guys who looked like movie gangsters. Then there was the woman, too. She wore a silver dress. Well, when Ozzie protested to being kicked out of the bus car, the woman started interrogating them, wanting to know where they were from and if the knew the âother girlâ who came up from the world bellowâShe had to be talking about Castatine.
Dawn lied about where they were from, William, too, but the woman in silver wasnât having it. Then she threatened to cut off all Dawnâs hair and gouge out their eyes if they didnât start telling the truth. All the while, Charles was drifting in and out of a trance-like state. Something about being in the smokers cabin seemed WAY familiar, but how could that be? Was Charles going crazy? When the woman in silver, âthe silver witch,â saw Charles wasnât paying attention to her, she slapped his face!
But heâd noticed somethingâthese people, these âsmokersââsomething was odd about them. They didnât lookâŠreal. They were too gray somehow and too thin, like maybe they were just tricks of the light, like illusions.
Finally, Charles had enough. Staring at the silver witch he said, âI think youâre not what you appear to be. Youâre no more a woman than I am.â
Then the woman slapped him again. But frantically, his mind tried to figure out the riddleâwhy was this place so familiar?
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The Blue Deck Christmas Special
Hello guys, welcome back to the Blue Deck Podcast. This is our very first Christmas special. For those of you joining us for the first time, an especially warm welcome to you, and merry Christmas one and all.
This show is being published as a standalone episode and as part of our regular ongoing series: The Blue Deck Podcast where weâre going through my novel, Into the Attic of the World, one chapter at a time. WellâŠI guess itâs a good time to introduce myself. Iâm your host, Joseph Mazerac.
Today weâre going to have a quick discussion about the Real Saint Nicholas. Thatâs right, Santa Clause, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Sinterklaasâwhatever you call him, the legend started a surprisingly long time ago, with a real person called Saint Nicholas.
Before we get into thatâŠSpoiler Alert! In this show, weâll be talking about the history of our modern Christmas traditions, so, listener discretion advised. Parents, use your best judgment. Personally, I think itâs important to know the story of Saint Nicholas, and in my humble opinion, his story has a special kind of magic thatâs at least is powerful as what kids normally believe about Santa Clause. More on that later.
The bulk of this show is based on the article, Yes, America, There is a Santa Clause, written by Pamela J. Adams. If you want to know more about Pamela or her articles, check out her website, TheFactsPaper.com. A link will be in the show notes. She also has letters about St. Patrick, St. Valentine, and many more. The one on St. Valentine is particularly interesting. Letâs just sayâŠWhatâs he have to do with Valentineâs day, candy hearts, and affectionate greeting cards? Ummm⊠Not much, so definitely worth checking out if you want the inside scoop.
With that out of the way, letâs get to it. Letâs talk about Santa.
The Real Saint Nicholas
Nicholas was born to a wealthy couple less than 300 years after the resurrection of Christ. Thatâs about 1700 years ago. He lived in the ancient city of Patara, located in modern-day Turkey. However, young Nicholas was orphaned when an epidemic took his parents, and afterward, his uncle, the Bishop of Patara, raised him in the church.
Later, when he was a teenager, he traveled to the Holy Land. Experiencing where Jesus lived, died and rose again affected him greatly. Then, returning home by sea, a violent storm arose, jeopardizing the ship and all the passengers, but Nicholas prayed for protection, and the sea calmed. The ship and all on board were spared, and as a result, when Nicholas was sainted, he became the patron saint of sailors and voyagers.
That could be the end of his story. Certainly, itâs enough. But when we think of him today, we remember to call him âSaintâ but have forgotten that heâs the saint of sailors. Instead, we think of stockings and presents. How did that happen, and why?
Well, as Nicholas grew into adulthood, he felt called by God to the ministry. Just as his Uncle was a bishop in Patara, he rose to bishop in the city of Myra, also in modern-day Turkey.
In those days, the Roman Emperor Diocletian was persecuted followers of Christ. In 303 AD he ordered all Christians to be captured and tortured before throwing them in jail. Because of this, Nicholas soon found himself imprisoned for his beliefs. Despite several beatings, his faith never faltered. In addition, he even defended other prisoners unjustly charged, strengthening to his legacy of humanity and justice.
Relief finally came when Emperor Constantine assumed power in 306 AD. Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to accept and spread Christianity. After taking power, he ordered the release of all Christian prisoners, including Nicholas, who returned to Myra.
Nicholas, an only son, had inherited his parentsâ wealth after their death. An ardent follower of Christ, he used his money to buy gifts, food, and other items for the poor and needy.
The most famous story of Nicholasâ compassion involved a poor widower and his three daughters (Now, for those of you who donât know, a widower is a man whose wife has passed away). The widower could not afford a proper dowry for even one of his girls. At the time, unwed young females often became slaves. Nicholas secretly gave the man money for each daughter. Some say he tossed a bag of gold through a window while others believe he dropped it down the chimney. Regardless, the bag landed in a stocking that was hanging from the mantel.
The father of the girls eventually learned Nicholas gave the anonymous dowries, and when he thanked him, Nicholas simply replied, âDonât thank me, thank God alone.â
Nicholas died on December 6, 343 AD. He was sainted, and his feast day, December 6th, became known as Saint Nicholas Day. In the 5th century, nuns continued his tradition of anonymously helping the poor. In remembrance of him, during his night, they left food and clothes at the homes of the needy.
The predominance of saints sharply decreased after the Reformation. Nevertheless, Saint Nicholasâ legend continued to grow, taking on variations throughout the world. For example, he is known as âSinterklaasâ in Holland (Where my wifeâs parents are from). Germans, Swiss, and Dutch leave shoes and stockings outside the door hoping for candy and treats from Saint Nicholas. However, naughty boys and girls wake toâŠyou guessed itâŠto lumps of coal.
Eventually, immigrants brought the tradition of Saint Nicholas to America. Clement Clarke Mooreâs 1820 poem âAn Account of a Visit from Saint Nicholas,â forever changed the legend. The saint became a heavy, jolly man who flies through the air with eight reindeer and slides down chimneys. Cartoonist Thomas Nast finished Santa Clauseâs transformation in 1881 with a red suit with white fur trim.
Most legends stem from some degree of authenticity. Actual events are embellished and fantasized with variations in each story. Regardless, the most remarkable element remains the grain of truth that exists in the tale.
Saint Nicholas was an incredibly faithful, God-fearing man. He quite literally fought for the Gospel. Even under torture and imprisonment, he refused to deny his Lord and Savior. He obeyed Christâs commandment to love his neighbor and used his good fortune to benefit the needy. His legacy remains a map for each new generation that constantly points to Jesus.
So, as Pamela J. Adams puts is: Yes, America, there is a Santa Claus. He was an amazing follower of Christ. Therefore, donât get distracted by the modern understanding of the jolly old man who gives you presents on Christmas. Instead, focus on the bishop who risked his life and spent his family fortune professing and spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is the Santa Claus we should remember. This is the Santa Claus we should emulate.
Dear listener, I couldnât agree more.
That ends our history lesson. Stick around after the music if youâre interested in my personal experience sharing this story with my four kids. Once again, a very special thanks to Pamela J. Adams for allowing us to adapt her article for this show. Remember to check out her website, TheFactsPaper.com.
Okay, Iâll make it quick here, but I thought it worth the time to quickly discuss my own experience with the story of Saint Nicholas.
First, I grew up in a home where we neverâand I mean NEVERâadmitted that âSanta Clauseâ wasnât real. That was an idea that was to go UNSPOKEN. My mom especially loved Christmas and the traditions that go along with it. She was (and still is) the kind of person who wraps the presents fancy. She really goes all out, and thatâs great. I love it. It makes the occasion that much more fun than it is already. Also, I grew up in a home where we always recognized the true meaning of Christmas, that is to say, we celebrated the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
As the years go by, that is the part of Christmas thatâs becoming more and more meaningful to me. Jesus was born to the virgin Mary, he came to live with us, Emanuel. That is worth celebrating. I became a parent, then, as my kids got a little older, my wife and I had long discussions about what we should tell our kids about Christmas. Iâm sure many of you have had these same talks. We hoped to join in the festivity, yet, we wanted to tell our kids the truth, and we didnât want to take away from the focus on our Savior and King on his big day. For my wife, Johanna, Santa had never been that big of a deal. Remember I said her parents were from Holland. They grew up with Sinterklaas. To them, Santa was an American thing. But, even in my wifeâs eyes, my familyâs traditions seemed like a lot of funâaside from the part about waking up in the middle of the night to ringing sleigh bells then opening presents one at a time into the wee hours. We pretty much scratched that from the get-go.
Ultimately, we did the whole Santa-Clause thing, just like all our neighbors and friends, and when the inevitable questions aroseâIs Santa Clause real?âwe agreed wholeheartedly that he was, either that, or we said it was up to them to decide, but, all the while implying he was real.
However. A few times over the years I had looked into âSaint Nicholas.â What was he about? And last year I found Pamelaâs article. After reading it, that settled it for me. This guyâs story needed to be told. I mean, come on, that line he said to the widower when his gift-giving was discovered: âDonât thank me, thank God alone.â The humility that demonstrates, the acknowledgment that all our good gifts come from God. I love it.
So, last Christmas my wife and I sat our kids down. Our kids were 10 years old, 11, 11, and our oldest was 12 at the time. We read to them the article. All the while I was reading, Iâd look up to watch their faces. Whereâs this going, their questioning eyes demanded to know. They hung on every word, particularly my youngest daughter who mustâve had the least doubts about Santa. Howâs this Nicholas guy turn into Santa Clause?
Parents, put yourselves in their shoes. Santa is such a big deal. Christmas is like the greatest day ever.
When the reading ended, they let out with exclamations of, âI knew it,â and⊠âYou lied to us!â (I was worried about that one.) But my youngest, Malia, had the funniest reaction. With her face twisted in befuddlement, she asked, âWhat about Buddy?â Buddy was our Elf on the Self. I couldnât stop laughing. Yeah, sweaty, Santa is made up, but Buddy is totally real.
One last thing I want to talk about is the, âYou lied to us!â accusation. Itâs my strong conviction that parents should threat such claims respectfully. And, indeed, it was one of the reasons I wanted to go ahead and pull off the Band-Aid. Christmas is, legitimately, one of the best, if not the best day ever. As such, itâs very important that my children trust what I tell them about it. So, we were open and honest with them. We told them about how Christmas was celebrated in our homes as children, and we told them about the conflict we had early on about wanting to participate in the holiday traditions while also wanting to never diminish the true meaning of Christmas. In the end, it came to this: that, in a way, Santa is real in that the idea of him motivates people all across the globe to give anonymously, and that is a very powerful and rear event. Consider it, people spend lots of money each and every year to give away things and receive none of the credit. How incredible is that? My one critique is that if Santa Clause was real, living in the North Pole with the elves, working tirelessly in their winterland toy factory, I doubt heâd want the credit either. Instead, I think he would puff on his corncob pipe and say, âDonât thank me, thank God alone.â
Amen to that.
Do you like the music? I do. Thanks to Brian Wages and Kelanie Gloeckler for letting us use their music in this show. Their Christmas albums Glad Tidings and Great joy is available on iTunes, and each of them have solo albums. Brianâs song, Gelena (Sown in Tears), is used is our regular season shows. And, speaking of that, if youâre new here and youâre interested in youthful fantasy stories, check out the Blue Deck Podcast. As of this recording, weâre right at the end of season two. In each episode, we cover one chapter from my book, Into the Attic of the World. That book is also available on Amazon and wherever books are sold. If youâre looking for something to stuff those stockingsâsomething that cost less than a sack of goldâcheck it out. Itâs about kids going on an adventure into mystery and danger. Itâs set in the Nineties, so really, itâs good for the parents as much as it is for young people. A link to our Amazon page is in the description.
Thanks for tuning in. I hope itâs been illuminating. Stay warm out there, and amidst all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, take those precious moments to slow down and remember the bright hope that came into this world with the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. Iâm sure thatâs what Saint Nicholas wouldâve wanted.
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Click here to read Pamela J. Adams' article, Yes, America, there is a Santa Claus, and visit her home on the web, www.TheFactsPaper.com
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Previously in Chapter 20
Itâs no ordinary bus that shows up in Doloptree. In fact, itâs more like a train. It has road tires, but itâs half a mile long with flexible accordion-joints between each bus section. When Charles and his companions board the bus-train, they find it full of children and teenagersâŠwith one exception. Spying through a window into a bus car marked the Smokerâs Cabin, they find three men in mobster-style suits. Two of the men sit across a chess board from one another but the third sits alone, gazing out the window and shuffling a deck of playing cards onehanded. To Charles, this seems like the kind of shuffle only a magician could manage. Whatâs more, the man with the cards sports a showmanâs mustache with elaborate curled horns to either side of his mouth.
Then, into the Smokerâs Cabin walks a womanâa beautyâin a sparkling silver-white dress and red high heal shoes. She says something to the magician, and when he gets up, he moves directly to the door Charles and his friends are hiding behind.
When the magician pulls open the door, telling the kids to take a hike, inexplicably, Ozzie refuses.
âIt seems weâre at an impasse,â the magicians says.
âIt seems we are,â Ozzie agrees.
To this, the woman in the room breaks out into cackles.
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The gas has run out on the sand buggy, and the kids have spent their second night in the desert, but setting off the following morning they find the town theyâre looking for, Doloptree. As the captain said, Doloptree isnât much of a town. In fact, itâs hardly more than a truck stop, and a strange truck stop at that: a combo gas station, restaurant, and post officeâŠThatâs not especially odd, but, for some reason, all the diesel pumps are stretched out in a line a half a mile long. Also, working in the joint, they find only a kid and two teenagers. The kid, who is a waiter in the restaurant, has had a run in with Castatine, in which heâs agreed to rob a store register in exchange for her casting a spell on him to make him a radar manâŠwhatever that is. But, the trade was no good. After handing over the money, Castatine drugged him, making him fall asleep for the rest of the day. While he was passed out, she called someone on a payphoneâno one good, weâre sureâthen sabotaged the phone lines. Afterward, she split town on the train.
Speaking of trains, the next one will arrive in town in just a little while to take Captain Kidâs rescue party to their next stop, to Atsuma, the Great City. But whatever they find there, Charles has determined it will be his last stop before turning back for home. And he intends to take his friends with him.
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In this episode, the brother of the Kybee leader, Billy Boy, with his face erupting in wards, soars, and patchy facial hair, tells stories to Charles and his friends. The first story is about a horse-thief from Charlesâs world. âOne-Eyed Joeâ he is called, and the story concludes with someone looking for Joeâs brain in a jar. The second story is about a witch who turns an unfortunate boy into a murderous, rampaging elephant. But the third story is the one that matters.
Third, Billy Boy tells of Ayana, Queen of Hyadon, who enticed her bravest knight to go into the Red Realm. In the tale, as the queen and knight recline on her sofa, she explains the door to the secret world is concealed behind the mirror hanging at the entrance of her bathing den. At first, the knight, Sir Ronald, assumes she is teasing him, but when he examines the mirror, he discovers the hidden hinges. The mirror opens like a door, and, just as the queen promised, there stands a corridor of stone.
As the queen and knight stand at the tunnel, Ayana explains her plan, that Sir Ronald should enter the Red Realm and deliver to that landâs king a prized the queen has secured in a lockbox. Also, thirteen additional knights are to go with him.
In preparation to the quest, Ronald is given two noble weapons: one is the royal sword, and the other is a gun made by a wizard. If he succeeds in his mission, the queen promises anything he wants, including her own hand in marriage.
But that is a prize Sir Ronald will never collect because he and all his fellows are killed in the Red Realm.
At the end of the story, a pair of important details come to light. First, the treasure hidden in Ayanaâs lockbox is the heart of her father. Second, that the Lord of the Red Realm can use royal blood to cast powerful spells, even to open doors to other worlds.
Learning this, Charles wonders if Castatine used the Patch Fairyâs blood to escape his world. Captain Kid says, probably not, but Charles isnât convinced.
After the Kybeeâs stories, Captain Kid leads his rescue party once more into the desert, but this time they are riding in one of the Kybeesâ sand buggies. That evening, at one of their stops for gas, Charles finds an opportunity to speak to the captain privately. He wants to know why Captain Kid didnât like the kybees.
âI mean,â he says, âtheyâre rough around the edges and a little strange, for sure. I think maybe radiation or something like the plague was turning Billy Boyâs face into road-pizza. But that wouldnât make you dislike them. So, level with me.â
What the captain says next, Charles would never forget. âTheyâre werewolves.â
As soon as the words are out, Charles hears the distant howls. And then he remembers the Kybee flag, a cartoonish full moon against a field of deep-blue sky. The Kybees. The moon folk.
If Captain Kid hadnât made them leave the picknick, the Kybees wouldâve eaten them.
Here, feeling the pressure of near death, Charles again gets into an argument with his leader, this time, over the fact that Captain Kid isnât admitting how much danger heâs put everyone in. Also, after being asked to fix a broken flashlight, heâs sulking over his mundane tasks as the teamâs electro-technical officer.
So, thatâs where weâre at, the Kybees behind and Dolloptree ahead.
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After Captain Kid introduces himself to the Kybees, the Kybee leader, a girl named Patricia, threatens the captain with a pistol. Also, when Captain Kid refuses to surrender his weapon, Patricia orders one of her scouts to take it from himââAnd if he gives you any trouble,â she says, âcut his head off!â Yikes!
As the scout reaches over a shoulder for one of the machetes on his back, the captain fires his rifle, the bullet striking the ground between the Kybee boyâs feet. And heâs firing no ordinary bullets, oh no, they were made special by a U.S. Marshal. That doesnât mean much to Charles, but it does to the Kybee leader.
Ultimately, a disastrous conflict is avoided when Patricia learns that Charles and his friends have come from the World Below. Also, they saw Castatine on their long trek across the desert.
In the end, Patricia offers Captain Kid a sand buggy to speed them on their way, but first, they will have a picnic. When the chapter ends, Patriciaâs little brother, Billy Boy, is telling the group stories.
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Crossing the desert basin, Captain Kid leads Charles and his friends toward their encounter with the Kybees, also known as the âmoon folk.â When the two groups meet, Charles finds the Kybees riding dune buggies and motorcycles. What will happen next? Theyâre about to find out, but at least one of the desert people has a gun and another has machetes on his back.
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Arriving at Salvation Mountain, what Charles and his friends find is not a mountain at all but an enormous construction of tree branches, tires, dismembered car doors, and hay bails heaped together and covered with clay. Everything is painted, even the ground, with kaleidoscopes of colors and messages of repentance and Godâs enduring love. The artist responsible for the monument, âThe Man of the Mountain,â welcomes the newcomers, referring to the captain as one of âthe Sevenâ and to the other kids as âknights.â
As Charles, William, and Ozzie explore the mountain, Captain Kid and Dawn meet with the mountain-painter to discuss the comings and goings of travelers headed west to a place called Atsuma the Great City. Also, the distant sound of engines and a faraway cloud of trailing dust alerts them to the approach of people the mountain man calls âKybeesâ or âmoon folk.â Who are these people? Charles doesnât know, but as they depart Salvation Mountain, the captain warns them to be ready to fight.
Finally, before following Captain Kid back into the desolation of the desert, Charles once again digs in his heels. Where are they going, how long will they be away from their world, and when will they get back home? Charles wants to know. Dawn, the recently instated Chief Officer, goes to Charles, asking him to come along, but even she cannot deny the sensibility of his protests. When Dawn presents Charlesâs questions to Captain Kid, the captain offers one thin slice of hope: they will go to a town called Doloptree. There, they will phone the king of Atsuma and tell him of their quest and that the fugitive, Castatine, is headed for the Great City.
Perhaps after that, Charles and his friends can return to the World Below.
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In Chapter 14 Charles and his friends spend their first night in the desert of the strange new world. As Charles lays on the ground, watching Ozzie build a shelter with the door heâd recovered out of the sand, Dawnâthe crewâs new Chief Officerâbusies herself inventorying their supplies. In Charlesâs backpack, she finds, among other things, a toy Yoda action figure and lists it in the inventory. Charles finds in his pocket the cap off a Coke bottle. After seeing her record the Yoda figure, he wonders if the bottle cap should be added to their supply list, but rejects the idea.
Overall, our friend, Charles, is feeling depressed, so far from his home and now heâs been demoted, too.
In the morning they set off in search of the mysterious place called Salvation Mountain, and what they find isnât anything they expected. It is an enormous art project of desert wreckage, paint covering everything, even the ground. And on everything is painted messages of Godâs love.
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After docking with the Upward Facing Door, Captain Kid leads the crew outside, where they climb up to the nose of the shuttle using a grappling hook. There, they come face-to-face with the door to another world. When Charles goes through, he finds a vast desert and a sign leading to a place called Salvation Mountain. 3.5 miles, thataway.
The rest of the kids climb up into the desert, but Ozzie closes the door in the sand sealing them away in the foreign world.
William digs with his hands, trying to uncover the passageway, but digging is no good. âThere are rules,â the captain explains. William couldnât dig to his world unless he was a wizard. Also, the captain reminds them, âWeâre not looking for a way home. Weâre looking for Castatine and the Patch Fairy.â
That may be true, but it doesnât stop William and Charles from feeling trapped.
Charles gives voice to their doubts, and when itâs apparent he doesnât trust their new leader, Captain Kid demotes him, making Dawn the new chief officer.
The chapter concludes with Captain Kid venturing out into the desert and Dawn left in charge of inventorying their supplies.
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