Monica Red's Blog

There may be a million reasons for this, fewer concerns, fewer responsibilities, no need to work or drive during rush hours! But none of these were the case just a week ago when I took a road trip with my daughter. The reality is way more simple.

Vacations always sounds great, especially when you are planning them during your workday, and trying to set a time when you can escape from the routine. The problem comes when it is time to leave for this vacation. Then the relaxing time momentarily becomes a to-do-list before you can leave your house; did you pack everything you need? Do you have your car keys? Where is the dog? Did you lock the house?...better check again, etc., and all this is even before you start going.

In this particular case, I had a five hours and five minutes trip ahead, with who knows how many stops in between. Nevertheless, the little voice behind me kept sounding more and more excited about the trip. To her eyes, all was ready. She had her favorite stuffy at her side; the iPad was charged, and she got the promise of a drink at our first stop. What was the problem?

So we started our drive.

It was in the middle of the day, so I can’t complain about traffic... or can I? I mean. Have you driven around? I’m convinced 90% of the human’s misery comes from driving and the perspective doing so! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the open road, but when does this happen? Then again, the little voice behind me started talking about the plans she had. I have to clarify; we have never been to this place before, and have no itinerary.

“Mom, if we get there early we can swim before we eat, but if we get late, we can eat and then swim. But if the pool is closed, we can walk around the place, or check the room, or we can do both! It’s going to be great! I can’t wait.”

I’m lucky, she never asks “how long is left!”

The last day, she called her dad from the car and told him everything:

“It was amazing, dad! We ate at this super cool place, and the fish fry was delicious! I could take the ferry again just to try it. And then, I got to sit in the front seat while we were on the island because mommy said there weren’t too many cars. We couldn’t get the lavender bucket but we found a store full of treasures! And our room is an entire house! It has a kitchen and a dining table with a porch! We could live here, dad!

The pool was amazing! Even mom got in it and said it wasn’t cold. I thought it was like a hot tub! It was great! Then it rained a little, but not too much, just one of my socks got wet while we played mini golf... I lost an orange ball, and I was sad, but I got another one, but I got a hole in one!

And they have this Christmas house! With millions of Christmas stuff. I think we paid a fortune, like $20 or something! The best was a stray cat in a restaurant! My mom found it on our walk, looking for cherries. We also ate fish and soup and it was outside, but we didn’t get wet though and the cat was part of the scavenger hunt! I even petted her! It was amazing, dad!”

This is what I saw. The first “restaurant” on the island was the outside of an old house with some old benches around it. They served the fish and fries in paper bags. It was good, though, I’ll give her that. The lavender farm was already harvested, so we missed all the blossoms, and the “store with treasures” was attached to a gas station.

The room was big and in great shape. The pool was warm and outside, so the sun helped a lot until it got cloudy. It poured rain for a while, so we had to drive instead of taking many hikes, and my last source of entertainment was mini golf.

All was truth about the Christmas store, especially the cost shh!!! and we ate on the covered patio of an Irish pub, and they indeed had a stray cat (check the picture).

If you had asked me before the phone call, I would have said we had an ok time, but it wasn’t the best. The weather didn’t help and we couldn’t do much. But in her eyes, it was a complete adventure, and she loved every minute of it. The first day of school, she even wrote three whole paragraphs about it!

Children’s expectations aren’t based on what the future holds, but on what they can get from what it is in front of them. Sure, the trip could have been better. However, she didn’t look at the missing opportunities like me. She only saw what it was offered to her day. Maybe our days will improve if we change our perspective, just a little.

We often hear how books take us to other worlds, times and places. But can we measure the distance that we read? Maybe.

Although it would be cool to see how far away is Middle Earth, or how long a trip to The Wall would be, being fictional settings makes it impossible. However, we could use a unique method to check out our distance traveled through books.

Each word we read uses an area on a paper or screen, as a space it can be measured. If we count all the words we have read, we could get a measurement of their length.

To do this, I came up with an unreliable formula.

There are many variables involved here that make it impossible to be precise. The size of the page, font style and size, number of characters by word, spaces, etc. You name it! Nevertheless, for the fun of it, if you follow this formula, you will get an idea of the distance you “travel” by reading.

Many studies have been done to calculate the average number of words per page. Editors, writers, academics, etc., all present a different idea. For the purpose of this calculation, we will use the study based on Kindle writers, where over 900 authors sent their information. As a result, we'll consider 230 words per page for non-fiction and 280 for novels.

The English language has an average of 4.7 characters per word. I based this on research done about speed reading and typing. For our formula we will use 5 characters length, this will compensate for the spaces and the shorter or longer words.

After using my trustworthy ruler, I found out that depending on the use of capital letters, five character words measured between 11mm to 13mm, so let’s use the middle point, 12mm.

Most books you read are either in print, which won’t tell you the word count, or electronic versions which, in most cases, won’t give you this information either. Because of this, we will use the page count of books.

Do not fear, if you are using e-books, in the information section where you purchased it, you can find the number of pages. If for any reason it isn’t there, most books can be found in kindle from amazon. Just look for the book title, scroll down to the information section, usually after books suggestions and before reviews, and you will find it there.

Let’s see how far a page will take us.

For non-fiction:

230 words by 1.2cm will take you 2.76meters or 9.055feet

Fiction/Novels:

280 words by 1.2 cm will take you 3.36m or 11.02feet

and… here is our magic formula:

Pages x length= Travel distance

Number of pages (fiction or nonfiction) multiply by the distance (fiction or non-fiction) equals how far that book took you.

For example:

Saber, Roots of Hope has 254pages, so Hune is

254pages x 3.36m=853.44m or 2800 feet

Think about it, if you read 10 books, around the same 250 pages you would have to “travel”, 8,400 meters or 5.22 miles!

I know, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you keep adding your books, you will get an amazing number and you can see how close to Hogwarts or the seven kingdoms you really are! And you can make a great challenge.

My challenge this year is to read 20 miles! Hopefully more!

Now it is your turn to figure this out. How far have you gone reading? And how far will you want to travel-reading the rest of the year?

Daily life struck us with things that concern us; problems in the office, children not doing well at school, your best friend’s wedding, just to mention some. But, should these issues take away your sleep? And if not, what should trouble us?

A couple of days ago, I worked on a podcast with my daughter, and we talked about anxiety and worries in our life. Of course, our world has uncertainty, to the point of keeping us on our toes and affect every aspect of our lives. However, a wise man once said 99% or your daily concerns are things that would never happen, and the 1% left is the one you never pay enough attention to.

Take, for example, our last year. My family started the New Year's Eve leaving New York City from a wonderful Christmas vacation. We arrived at our home and moved on with our normal lives. A month later we overheard something about a disease far away in China, not so important, right?

None of us, and I’m sure most of the world, would bet this sickness would affect us the way it did. Now, more than a year after, most countries are fighting the consequences of the sum of bizarre months, to say the least.

Does this mean we should pay more attention to the news?

Absolutely, NOT!

The news has changed our perception of “normal”. As we grow up, the number of murders keeps increasing, but we take that as the norm; more people, more crime. The horrible attacks in the Middle East or India didn’t shock or even affect us; those happen all the time. Unless one of these “reports” occurred close to your home or dear ones, then it’s not a problem. As a result, our empathy has declined, and we become more cynical/sarcastic individuals with little kindness in our hearts.

Now, this is a real concerned.

If the world lost their capacity to be shocked, impressed, or surprised, we will lose our capability to aspire to a better future, to fight for the right, to improve our lives, and to see others as part of the team. The thin line here is how we achieve this. Talking loudly and signing checks to charities won’t do the trick. Actual work needs to happen.

In our hands lays the responsibility and obligation of developing a better group of humans. I’m not saying a more “prepared” generation, academics isn’t that hard to accomplish and at the end they just represent a step towards productivity that benefit one person. Great for an individual but enough for our world?

We need to be part of raising kind and empathic children, and all of us can join the process. Whether you are a parent (who should work a lot more here), a teacher or a person around kids, share your time with them, talk and listen to their ideas, questions and opinions, tell them your stories and experiences, and above all, enjoy being with them. They will grow and become the ones in charge of our future! Who do you guess will take care of your health when you are old?!?

Another actual concern is our beliefs. Now, it doesn’t matter if you are a firm believer in science or god, but whatever you consider has the answers, make sure you understand and pursue its principals and visions. The void left by the lack of ideals to follow, or a vision to inspire you, will shake the foundations sustaining you while traveling through life.

And since we are here, try to find something you like doing! More often than not, I hear people complaining about boredom during their retirement. It was their dream for decades, but once they achieve their goal, all is empty. If you work on nurturing what you enjoy doing in your spare time (besides resting!), you’ll develop skills and abilities that will support the hours of the days when the labor is gone!

Which leads us to the last actual concern in life. It should be obvious but it isn’t, and that’s a problem. During our years in this world, our mission should be to find contentment; what you have and who you are. Now, being happy is subjective, don’t take that road. Finding happiness, or peace of mind, is a way to see the journey and not the end line. You are right! I’m not the first one stating this, so don’t question it!

Problems will arrive, horrible things happened in the world, and we can’t do much about them. By finding within our experience the light to clear the pace of life, our daily burden should improve. So, worry about the important, forget the nonsense.

Easy enough?.... mmm

So, now you understand why we rather concern about politics!

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“How did you get that?” Jess said pointing at his hand.

Tom turned his palm over and saw the familiar mark in its middle. He looked to his side, a smile crossing his face, not only for the memory but because of Jess’s expression.

“I was leaving the site one night. Of course, it was dark and empty, but for the light of the restaurant at the other side of the street. This lady came out, and as she walked to her car, a guy jumped out and pulled a huge pocketknife.”

Jess’s eyebrow lifted, and she crossed her arms.

“I had to help her. So I ran towards her, pushed the guy down, and in the middle of the fight I blocked him.” Tom put his hand in front of his face. “The blade was right before my eyes when I stopped it.”

“And let me guess,” Jess sat up, “you knocked the knife out of his hand, punched the bad guy and rescued the lady who kissed you as a payment for your chivalry?”

“What’s wrong with chivalry?”

“Nothing, I guess.”

It was Tom’s turn to sit up and crossed his arms. “Jessica, are you telling me you have never met a gentleman?”

She laughed and hit his arm gently. “I’ll answer when you tell me the truth story.”

Tom chuckled, laying down on the grass, the sunlight warmed him just like a blanket.

“I left a cooking knife upside down on the rack by the kitchen window.” He stared at Jess, anticipating her response, “I tried to scare a fly out and I bumped the blade.”

He hadn’t forgotten her laugh, or the way it warmed his heart, better than the sun.

“You must have been furious at the fly.”

He inspected his palm again, remembering the painful reason he hit it so hard, so he missed the look on Jess’s face when she answered his question.

“I met you. You are a gentleman, Tom.”

A quick view of an upcoming fantasy novel Tell me About Yourself

Mrs. Hammer fixed the small readers on top of her nose and looked up at Tom. Her smile and the extra blinks made him arranged his position, not for the first time, on her coach.

“What you mean?” He said.

“Tell me about yourself.” The grin in her mouth deepened her hundreds of wrinkles. “How can I help you, if I can’t get to know you?”

Tom cleared his throat and looked at the window. The sunlight shone on top of the flowers of her yard. His mind already pictured a new greenhouse to fix the old shed she had. He could bet she either spent a lot of money or time, or both, in that landscaping.

“Tom?”

He faced her and cleared his throat again. “Yep, right? Myself… mm… I’m a contractor. I build things.”

“What things?”

“Well, houses… mainly, but also,” he sighted as memories of his grandfather rushed through his mind. “I like to make things better. My grandpa taught me it isn’t right to waste stuff. Especially if you can fix it… or reuse it. You know?”

Mrs. Hammer sat forward and placed her hands on top of her knee. “No, I don’t, but I will love to learn more about it.

Tom re-arranged the pillow at his side and stared at the floral pattern. It wasn’t a hard question, but it made the hole in his heart obvious, and he always preferred to ignore it.

“Well, we took on- my grandpa, and I worked on fixing old furniture, or broken appliances, or… stuff.” He looked back at the yard, “nothing was ever too old or broken for my grandpa to try. He taught me how to build stuff… I just use it now to make bigger things, so I can pay for the rent.”

Mrs. Hammer tilted her head as she nodded. “Do you like to build new stuff?”

“What? Of course. It’s a goof thing to make-” He exhaled and stared at her. “I missed my grandpa, but I understand life goes on. I’m not stuck, I just…”

A silence filled the room, but this time the sensation didn’t bother Tom. His mind understood what he needed to fix, and why he wouldn’t say it out loud.

“Tell you about myself,” he stood up, “I prefer to work with my hands, observe my world, and appreciate what I have. It bothers me when people like you, question my life. I’m fine. Just starting my path here.” He reached the door. “Maybe I’ll be back and tell you more. But for now, I hope this is enough. Have a good day, doc.”

Mrs. Hammer watched him closed the door behind him as she sat down. A wicked smile illuminated her face as she let her key to open Chaos-Realm. Tom will belong to that side of the realms. He just didn’t know it yet.

We all have heard that you shouldn’t judge a book for its cover, literally or not. Beyond that advice, we are at lost. Libraries and bookstores are magical places, full with amazing stories, learning material, references, etc. But there are so many, without even mentioning ebooks.

Most book lovers, like me, face the same problem: how to decide which book to pick.

I want to share my four steps to pick a book fairly, and it doesn’t rely on other reviews or the cover.

1. DO NOT READ THE TITLE.

Once inside a bookstore or a library, I go straight to the aisles and look at the spine of the books. I avoided the tables, or the books which covers are facing out. The spines show part of the story and the author’s style, but it is more subtle than the covers. I let its colors, fonts, style, etc. get my attention. Once I decide to pick one, I read the title, and give a fast check to the cover. The extra information or misinformation within this step makes you jump the cover judgement, the author’s name or the catchy title. It gives you the chance to read from different authors that otherwise you would have missed.

2. READ THE BACK-COVER OR THE FLIP SIDE OF HARDCOVERS

The importance of the back cover should be self explanatory. If you don’t know what the book is about, why would you choose it? I dislike the books that only show reviews on their back covers. Beauty lies in the eyes of the observer. We are all different, so why would I decide to invest my time and money based on the opinion of someone that works in a newspaper, has a degree in writing, has read thousands of books or is a celebrity? Reviews should be for items, or services that either work or not. Books are pieces of art; each person should create their own impression of them, and opinion of them.

All right, if the story is something you want to hear, or the topic from the non-fiction book is talking about is something that interests you, go to the end of the book and....

3. READ THE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yes! Take the time to read “About the author” section. This is how you connected with the story within the book. Sounds strange, but it is important. Each time we read a book, we learn about someone else’s creativity and knowledge. This is the creator of the characters we get to love, the worlds we would love to visit, and the wisdom that we yearn to get. The little they tell us about themselves talks about their books too.

At the end, if you aren’t interested in the topic's story of the book, this won’t chance your mind. However, if you like it, you will feel you are reading something from an acquaintance, even a friend, and that will make a difference. It is the reason I sometimes email authors asking clarifying questions, or let them know how much their book helped me to learn whatever it was I learned.

If you don’t take any of the other steps, at least take this one. As an author, I appreciate how much it takes to write this part, and how important it is to our audience.

4. LOOK AT THE BOOK...ALL OF IT

Finally, look at the book. All of it. Check the fonts inside, the format of the pages; if it has picture or a map, go through them. Maps are special fun. There is something about getting to know a world in a piece of paper that can give you clues about the story.

By doing this, you can see how long or short the paragraphs are, and if there are appealing for you. (I learned this tip from Stephen King in his book, On Writing). You can see if there is too much dialogue, if there are many long sentences or it seems cut-out.

5. MAKE YOUR CHOICE

Now it is the time to decide. Will you take the book, or move to the next one? If you are not sure, check it out again. Most of the time, the overwhelming amount of books along with the thrill to see more is a tremendous weight in the way we choose what to read. Also, the time we have to spend at the library or a bookstore, and our budget.

FOR EBOOKS

In reality, I follow the steps two to five with the electronic options. You can read about the author in most virtual bookstores, and you can check the “Check Inside part” too. The crucial difference is how to pick up books. With millions of electronic books, I search for topics that I want to read about, or words that I think are interesting to find in book titles. I make the screen small so I can’t see the covers in details and then pick what catches my eye.

Just by changing the way I choose my books, I have found many authors that I wouldn’t have read before, and now I love. I won’t lie, I have found many that didn’t work for me, but ncluded in those are as many new as bestseller authors. Let’s face it, we are all different, it is our mind that should make the choice.

Go ahead and write in the comments which books-authors you have discover lately!

The last twelve months or more have been tough for many people. I want to encourage those people who are stepping up, even with a gesture as small as a package of Girl Scout Cookies, with another small gift. By donating a package of cookies, you will help the Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys Girl scouts enjoy countless activities while donating cookies to food shelters and community kitchens (for more information on this contact GS Rivers and Valleys council).​Click here or on the link below to Order Now​Once you buy a package to "Cookie Share", send me an email with your order number, and I will send you a copy of my first novel Saber Roots of Hope, with a special map edition and a note from me. ​It's a win-win!

Just for fun and like I mentioned in previous post. All books should have a trailer!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/bc131f_c4ddef846a3543f9ae3d56081bbe2d5c/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

NOTE: This is a pre-sequel of Roots of Hope. If you read it before the first book of Saber's trilogy, you will know an important detail in advance. However, I thought it would be fun to read the book knowing this.

For those who already read Shadows of Tomorrow... well, you know what happens after.

Enjoy!

The reisers had conquered Laconia years before, forcing the survivors to settle in hiding by the Southern Forest. John’s former army remained with them until the day when their enemy found them.

The last battle Laconia’s army fought was brutal. It’s soldiers delayed the reiser’s advance for as long as possible, so Tundra’s guards could take the people to safety. It was then that they learned how powerful their enemy became.

The reisers slaughtered the soldiers from Laconia. The few survivors had little to no hope to survive and were transported to an infirmary at the edge of the Northern Forest. John was among the wounded.

Already weakened and injured, in his last strike John blocked a reiser from attacking an escaping group. The reiser stabbed him on the side and kicked him down. John had no way to stand up, but kept his eyes open to see his enemy forcing a sword inside him. The burning in his torso and the need for air made him pass out.

* * *

John ignored how long he laid on the ground. His eyes kept opening at the slightest sound. In response, his body shuddered, sending a burning sensation that made his skin feel as if someone was ripping from his muscles, which left him unconscious again.

The doctors talked to each other, explaining how even if they didn’t consider his wounds, the reiser’s poison had been in his system too long, and would make his recovery impossible. John was still glad to see humans around him instead of the bloody ground and dead bodies.

He remembered clearly how his body shook, and instead of a heatwave, an icy chill rested on him. His legs and arms became heavier and the time between his breathes grew. Dying seemed like a good idea, and the emphatic smile on his nurse’s face agreed with him. However, a gentle touch wiped the sweat from his forehead and its warmth got his attention.

“You can’t go before telling me your name.” The shape of a blurry woman whispered to him.

“Please, don’t die.”

He tried to say his name, but he lost consciousness before he could.

* * *

The touch of her hand woke him up. His pain was less severe and the air going inside his lungs didn’t burn, so he guessed days must have passed.

She was sitting by his bed, while holding his hand. The smoothness of her skin and her delicate features reminded John of the painting of an angel he saw once inside the palace of Laconia. Her long hair rested on her shoulders, and her smile was peaceful and caring.

“You look better today,” she said. “What is your name?”

This time, even when his voice cracked and his throat hurt him, he replied. “John… John Monder” He wanted to talk to her, to find out her name, but his body complained and forced his eyes to closed. Half aware of the world outside, he heard her. “John… You need to get better. You have to survive.”

It took a while for John to settle that battle. The days mimicked each other as he came in and out of consciousness. Sometimes he caught glimpses of her sitting by him, making those moments somehow enjoyable until one day, it all cleared up.

It didn’t surprise him to find the chair by his bed empty. He was alive. That should be the end of his luck.

“Well, well!” A doctor said when he gave him a cup of water. “You made it after all. I’m glad for you. Do you remember what happened? Who you are?”

The nurse offered him water, and once it washed the inside of his throat, he managed to answer. “I’m Lieutenant John Monder and—” All the details from the battle rushed through his mind, and he had to stop talking, afraid to lose his composure.

“I understand it’s hard, John, but your superiors need to know what happened.” The doctor said, and the reprimanding looked from his nurse almost made John smile.

“I was fighting with my army but the reisers—They were—we couldn’t...” His mind drew the faces of his friends, dead on the ground, and somehow the air became harder to breathe. “We did all we could, but nothing stopped them. Not even hurt them.”

The doctor didn’t look surprised, but he raised his tone while responded to no one in particular.

“The few of you who made it mentioned something similar. This is so bad for our future. The prophecy must have been right. We won’t win this war.” The doctor looked at John and shook his head. “Never mind. You need to rest, not to think about this. I don’t want you to have a panic attack.”

John would have laughed about the comment, but his heartbeat speeded up and he lost his breath while the bloody field filled his mind.

“Do you know where you are?” The nurse touched his hand, getting his attention back.

“No, and don’t know for how long I’ve been here.”

The nurse nodded, but it was the voice he heard by his bed who answered.

“Almost a month,” she crossed the room and stood by his bed. “Twenty-eight days.”

He smiled at her, amazed that she was real and noticing the shine of her hazel eyes in the light.

“Who are you?” He said, not hiding his eager tone.

She chuckled while the nurse answered for her. “This is Amanda Belk. She has been helping me to take care of you.”

“How is your leg?” The doctor asked her, and only then John noticed the crutches in her arms.

“It’s there!” She said with a wider smile, but the doctor frowned. “Let me check it.”

John wasn’t happy to see her go, but had no trouble falling asleep.

* * *

If anyone had told John it took him years to walk again, he wouldn’t have doubted it. The first day he left his recovery room, the coast of Tundra’s ocean wasn’t part of the horizon anymore. Instead, sand dunes painted his view for miles.

John walked until his feet left the wet soil from the forest and his boots left marks on the sand.

“I hate it,” Amanda said by him. “Every morning gets worse.”

He didn’t notice her sitting by the edge of the forest, but was glad to see her.

“I knew the ocean was drying,” he said. “People from Tundra said it was bad, but never—”

“It’s like the water vanished just after the battle.”

“That fast?” John said, looking between the waterless landscape and Amanda.

Amanda nodded and exhaled. “How are you feeling? I thought you needed to rest?”

“That’s right. Doctor’s instructions. I better sit down here, right now…by you.” John bent down, but his knees gave out and ended up hitting the ground.

“Are you all right?” Amanda kneeled by him and helped him to sit up.

“Yeap,” he said, trying to not groan, “but for safety I’m staying here for the rest of the week.”

Amanda laughed and sat back beside him, this time facing the trees. He wanted to hear more about the ocean, but preferred to talk about her.

“So, I know I’m extremely handsome, and even when I’m conscious I haven’t been looking my best in the last weeks,” he moved his hand up in response to her laugh, “and I’m not complaining at all. I just want to understand what made someone like you, help a wounded soldier in his darkest hours.”

“Someone like me?” She said.

“Yes,” he found himself unable to look away from her eyes, “kind, gentle… beautiful.”

Amanda flushed and looked down, grinning. “Well, I was being selfish.”

John frowned and moved forward. “What do you mean?”

A shadow crossed her eyes and pulled the joy from her. “I had an accident trying to evacuate a refugee by Laconia before the—” She looked at John while her tone turned serious. “Your army’s last battle was—”

“Horrifying.” A heavy silence fell between them. It was his fault, but he wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened to him, or to his friends. “Sorry, I can’t think about—sorry, could you please—could you tell me what happened to you?”

Amanda exhaled and nodded.

“The noise coming from the battle scared the people. It was already difficult to guide them out, when someone yelled that the reisers arrived. Everyone panicked, running and screaming without sense. I saw a boy losing his step and falling down. No one seemed to notice him, so I tried to help him.” She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. “I’m not sure how it happened. One moment I was trying to put this boy on a horse, and the next one I was on the ground trying to move both of us out of the way.”

John shook his head and stared at her. “I didn’t realize you are a soldier.”

Amanda’s smile came back. “For what other reason would I be here?”

“Of course,” he said, shaking his head. “How did you get here?”

“Not sure,” she exhaled, “but when I talked to the doctors, they told me I walked on a broken leg with too much weight and for too long.”

“So the boy?”

“With his mother… I believe so.” She kept her eyes on John. “The day you arrived, I was told it was my leg or my life. An infection was getting worse, and they didn't want it to spread. They wanted to cut it.”

John felt a hole in his stomach as he shook his head.

“I didn’t like that idea either,” she said, “and I couldn’t accept it. Not without fighting.” She held her hands together and turned towards the sands. “Before they could do anything to me, your army arrived. The hospital was running out of space. Even when your wounds were severe, they had to put you in the recovery tent. I heard them saying that because of the poison and the time you must have been on the field, they had no hopes for you.”

John lifted an eyebrow and rubbed the back of his neck. “Doctor’s confidence! Got to love them, right?”

“In their defense,” she said between chuckles, “they were trying their best considering the circumstances.”

John was aware that infirmaries and doctors were scared in the east of Hune. He clenched his fists when he realized after the battle that wasn’t a problem anymore. They lost that part of Hune, along with all the people he cared for. He exhaled and focused on Amanda again.

“That doesn’t explain why you were being selfish. It’s kind of the opposite, since you saved a boy and sort of shared your tent with me.”

“Right…” Amanda pressed her lips together for a second. “Please don’t laugh… or make fun of me.” John sat up and lifted his hand, smiling. “I thought that,” she said, “if someone in your condition could survive, then I should be able to save my leg. That’s why I talked to you and when our nurse was too busy, I took care of you.”

John had noticed the crutches on the ground, but her skirt didn’t let him see. “Did it work?” He managed to ask, and her smile let him breathe again.

“The doctor said I should wait before taking long walks. And I may have a limp but he is confident that with the proper care, I will be fine.”

* * *

As much as he tried to avoid thinking about the war, or how the land was getting destroyed, his mind got stuck over those problems turning his nights restless. But the time he spent with Amanda was well worth it.

One day, he found her crying with a letter in her hand. His heart froze at the idea of her leaving, but it wasn’t that. The army replaced her position, and they were wishing her the best recovery.

After he read it, he looked at her and his desire to stop her tears was greater than his rational sense, so he said the only stupid thing that will make her smile.

“Is this your way of telling me you are my superior?”

“What?”

“Well, they label this letter to Captain Amanda Belk. I’m only a lieutenant.” He took the last step between them and wrapped her in his arms. “But we both know Laconia’s army is harder than yours.”

Amanda gently hit him, but kept hugging him and rested her head on his shoulder.

That day John’s concern changed forever. Hune was still important, but his mind started to picture a life without fighting. His army didn’t exist anymore, and the thought of lifting a sword turned his stomach. He didn’t mention it to Amanda, and instead, he braided a leather bracelet. Laconia’s tradition to propose a marriage.

* * *

Not long after, the hospital hosted a small ceremony. It surprised no one when John asked their doctor to marry them, and everyone enjoyed the excuse to celebrate something in those times. At the end of that day, John’s life became complete. Nothing else mattered, and happiness was finally a reality for him. One that didn’t last for long.

A few days after their wedding, John got a letter showing his new position in the second guard of Tundra’s army. It never crossed his mind that the army would reach out to him, and he had no idea how to talk to Amanda. The breaking news came from her new letter, though. She got a royal offer to join the armament. Something John took as an insult.

“John, this is my last chance. There is no way I can be part of a guard. I can barely walk, and I don’t want to put anyone in danger.”

“Then don’t fight!” He threw the letter down. “That’s an option.”

“I am a soldier, John! Like you, I promised to serve and protect Hune and its people. This is another way to do it.”

“What about the promise you made to me?” John pretended to laugh. “That one doesn’t count? Or you forget it already.”

“You are the one leaving me!”

John shook his head and took a step back.

“I know about Tundra’s army, John!”

Tears shone in her eyes when he held her hand. “I won’t take it if you don’t want me to.”

“You won’t be able to live with that.” Amanda pulled away and wiped her face. “We are too similar.”

John wanted to deny it, but she was right. He could have lived as a civilian, but that was before they called him back. Now, he couldn’t live as a deserter.

“See,” Amanda said, “I can’t live with that either. I understand you have to go… Why can’t you support me?”

Although John wanted to make her feel better, he couldn’t support her or the King. His hate for their ruler grew during his recovery.

It wasn’t enough to have never sent help to Laconia’s army, or had tried to move his people to a safer place in Hune. The stupid king didn’t send help to the infirmary either. He never visited or sent a royal announcement to his people, who lost everything escaping those refugees. He never even assessed the fact that he lost an entire army or sent his regards to the few survivors.

To John, being part of the armament wasn’t an obligation. As a solider, Amanda could refuse the position and use her injured leg as the perfect excuse to stay out of that bastard’s way. If she refused to do it, no one would judge her, and most likely every soldier would applaud her.

“Why don’t you stay here and help the doctors?” He said, “we know they need people. I know how good you are at it. Would that be so bad?”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “I’m not a doctor or a nurse, John.”

“You aren’t a maid either,” John said. “You said it, you are a soldier. You know what we think about that freaking armament.”

Amanda looked down and whispered. “It is all I have.”

John moved forward, but before he could reach her, she stepped back and pulled her skirt a few inches up.

“Look at me!” She said, but he didn’t need to see it.

The scar on her leg was dreadful. It ran all along the side of her calf, up to her knee. Her skin never healed completely, and her leg was at least two times thinner than the other one. He knew it still hurt her, more than she wanted to admit.

“Who do you think will take the risk to add me in their guard?” Amanda said.

“So you just want to work for the King?”

The corner of Amanda’s mouth curled. “Well, wouldn’t you be following the King’s order with the guard too?”

John’s blood boiled. “Being with the king doesn’t make you a princess, Amanda. Although I don’t doubt he will send you to his bed.”

Amanda never answered and just walked away.

* * *

The next morning, John found out that Amanda left. Instead of waiting the few days the king offered her to get ready, she rode out with the messenger. Behind her, she left the leather bracelet John made for her, and with that a wound opened in John’s heart.

… ‡ …

Hune, is a place founded in magic, and its Soto forest is one of the most magical places within. In our planet, the soto forest is a vital place, and plays a key role for our sustainability and environment. Do you know where it is?

In Hune, the Soto forest is where the zhortas live in the Abbey of St. Patrick. This old abbey, wasn’t built by the zhortas, and it was already in ruins when they were forced to move there. The origins of this place are now legends, passed by generations that may or may not be real.

In our world, the Soto forest is real, and you can visit in anytime within our forests.

Soto forest is a rough translation from Spanish, sotobosque. In forestry and ecology, (in American English), the term understory or understorey is used to refer to the plants that grow between the forest canopy and the forest floor. It is also known as underbrush or undergrowth.

The lack of light in this section of the forest, forced the plants to depend on less light for their process of photosynthesis and growth. Some young trees within this part of the forest “wait” until an opening in the canopy allow the sunlight to penetrate and then, they grow into usually very straight trees.

The forest canopy also reduces the sun’s radiation, preventing the fast warming of the ground and slows the condensation. As a consequence, the humidity in the understory is high. This helps the growth of ferns, mosses, and fungi. It also encourages the nutrients recycling, something that is preferred by many animals and plants.

In Hune, the trees from the Soto forest as so high that you can't even see the beginning of the trunk. The races of Hune had to walk through the roots, branches of bushes, and come across many mushrooms (fungi).

If you want to visualize it, take a closer look at the bottom of any forest, right where the moss grows; pieces of roots come out of the ground, and sticks and dry leaves pile together. Now that you are there, lay down and imagine you are so small, just like a tiny ant, looking up…welcome to Hune’s Soto forest.