Daemon Skye came home after the Tunnel Wars to enjoy a rich life in Skye Tower. Ericca Ludwig's father Branch Archer never returned. But with the help of Albert and Leonardo, two long-deceased thinkers who live in her baby blanket, Ericca soon discovers the hidden world of Saplings and Ringgolds, and magical time tunnels. Can Branch's fate be reversed with a loop in time? Ericca and her friends pursue clues to this question in a delightful madcap adventure set against the background of post-9/11 Manhattan. Visit the world of the Polis series at www.polisgames.com
CHAPTER ONE
THE AISLE OF TEARS
Sophia Ludwig loved babies. She loved the sense of infinite possibility. She also loved baby showers, and attended many.
This should have been an extraordinarily happy day for her. She was to attend a baby shower. Since it was spring, there would be daffodils and tulips. All the presents would be wrapped in subtle pastels. Since this was New York, and since the party was being held in fashionable Soho, it was very likely that all the presents would be truly stylish and adorable.
But for one problem -- the party was for her. Sophia was to become a mommy.
Most of us know that babies are fragile, and do best in comforting and protective circumstances. Young penguins, for example, hardly stand a chance without devoted parents and the warmth of other penguins. Indeed, in the human world, community and security are just as important.
Sophia's problems centered around just this need for protection and support. For while she resided in a country with secure borders and progressive policies, and in a city with a good selection of flattering maternity clothes and clever diaper bags, she faced a sobering reality. Sophia was to become a single mother, a single mother with very little money. She made her living as a poet and librarian employed by the New York City public library system, which, you should know in Manhattan, can be a hard and meager living indeed. . .
CHAPTER TWO
A BABY SHOWER
Sophia headed outside, ready at last. Sunshine dappled the trees lining this neighborhood of brownstones. Her neighbor was returning from a grocery trip. He smiled and waved.
What a sweet man, she thought, I feel sad that he suffers from a terrible illness most probably related to his time in service during the Tunnel Wars. She had never really spoken to her neighbor, but she knew a few things about him. She actually knew something about everyone and everything.
She walked down the street and then stopped at a newsstand. Behind the typical glossy magazines with various important world leaders and semi-clothed starlets was a drab, black and white periodical bearing the heading Tunnel Times. Sophia peered at the headline, which read:
Skye Tower: Bridge to Heaven Manhattan real estate mogul and war hero Daemon Skye announced today the grand opening of Skye Tower, the tallest and most opulent building in New York if not the world. The top floor of this new building is home to the Skye Bridge Spa, which offers services to restore beauty and youth, and the Bull's Eye Restaurant, which serves the best steaks in town.
Below the headline was a picture of a tall, imposing man standing beside a woman with chiseled cheekbones. They posed with elegant detachment before a mural depicting bulls and horses. The caption for the picture read: Millionaire Daemon Skye and his wife, the Ukrainian-born model and actress Svetlana Heraklova will host a grand opening party at Skye Tower, to be attended by entertainment celebrities and other New York glitterati. Mr. Skye, one of the most successful Ringgold émigrés, is celebrated in New York society for his astonishing rise from short-order cook to high-flying entrepreneur. Mr. Skye returned recently from a tour of duty in the Tunnel Wars, where he garnered many medals for bravery despite tragic setbacks, including the loss of his friend and squadron mate, the noted architect Branch Archer. The last line drew the faintest glistening in Sophia's eyes, for her husband had never returned to live the rich life Daemon now enjoyed. But her mood, in a mechanism toward equilibrium, returned to the events of the day. . .
CHAPTER THREE
THE COBRA CAR
Ericca Ludwig was born in a hospital. She was like most newborn babies in every way. She did not debate her wellness assessment or howl too much when set on a scale to be weighed. Neither did she protest when the delivery nurse wrapped her snugly in a hospital issued receiving blanket.
In fact, she was exactly like every normal and healthy newborn baby in the hospital that day. She nursed enthusiastically, burped moderately, and made the sort of baby gestures grown-ups coo over -- assuming there are celebratory grown-ups around, which was actually not true in Ericca's case.
There was exactly one adoring grown-up here, and that was her mother, Sophia. For while other babies had grandparents, friends, family, and most important, jubilant fathers, Ericca had her completely devoted mother, which had to be enough.
There was no retinue of well wishers or helium balloons proclaiming congratulations. But there was her mother, who looked at her as if she were the most wondrous miracle ever. . .
