Today's special guest is Author Terri Talley Venters. She's sharing her short story Magnesium with us today and a short blurb of her upcoming release Copper Cauldron!
MAGNESIUM
By: Terri Talley Venters
“We must be getting close, I see the magnesium veins in the rock
walls,” Victoria said. She led her boyfriend/colleague down a labyrinth cave
system outside of Paris, France.
“Let’s be careful, we don’t want to ignite this mine,” Tommy said. His
sandy-blonde hair glowed in the beam of light from Victoria’s headlight. His
untamed curls framed his handsome, green-eyed face.
“We’re fine, we’re using battery powered lights, not gasoline
lanterns,” Victoria said. She pointed to the light on her headband covering her
long dark hair.
They came to a mining tunnel and stared incredulously at the low
height.
“Why would they make such short tunnels? We’re going to have to crawl
through on our hands and knees,” Tommy said.
“I thought you liked me on my knees,” Victoria smiled, teasing her
man.
“You owe me a back rub later for making me hunch over like Quasimodo
to get down here,” Tommy said. He smiled suggestively at Victoria, winking at
the recollection of prior rub downs and where they often led.
Tommy stared into Victoria’s ice-blue eyes and couldn’t think of
anywhere else he’d rather be, than cave exploring with his beautiful girlfriend
and fellow archaeologist.
They crawled through the shaft for a hundred yards. Just as Victoria felt
claustrophobic, the tunnel opened up to a large cavern. Victoria stood upright
again and brushed the debris off of her toned limbs.
The cavern appeared as is if someone currently mined it. The
scaffolding and ladders went from the floor to the fifty-foot ceiling.
Tommy shined his flashlight along the cavern walls, its beams bounced
off of its treasure like tiny prisms.
“Are those?” Victoria asked.
“Diamonds,” Tommy said, finishing her sentence. He retrieved a small
chisel from his excavation kit and tapped at the rock surrounding the precious
gem. A diamond as big as his fist dropped into his eager hands.
“Incredible, look at all of them. The diamonds I can see in the room
alone must be worth a billion Euros,” Victoria said.
“I never knew such an abundant supply existed, and in France,” Tommy
said.
“I wonder who owns all of this? They must be withholding to avoid
flooding the market and deflating the price of diamonds,” Victoria said.
“You know, I think I know who owns this, assuming the land owners above
also own the mineral rights. Look at what is located directly above us,” Tommy
said. He handed Victoria his hand-held,
techie-nerd GPS device.
“We’re right below Euro Disney,” Victoria said.
“I feel bad for stealing from a mouse. But this will fund our digs for
the rest of our lives,” Tommy said as he pocketed the diamond.
“Shhh, I hear something,” Victoria said. She ducked behind a mining
cart and hid from the intruder. She grabbed Tommy’s strong bicep and yanked him
down beside her.
“Oh, crap! Who are these men? They look like, no, it can’t be,” Tommy
said. His chiseled-jaw dropped to the floor, along side Victoria’s.
They stared incredulously as a group of miners entered the gem mine.
Their short stature and bearded faces made them look comical, yet familiar.
They sang a catchy tune as they started their work shift.
“They’re dwarves,” Tommy said, without taking his eyes off of the
unique, yet unmistakable workers before him.
“This explains the short height of the mining tunnels and scaffolding.
They look just like…” Victoria said, cut off by Tommy’s words.
“I know, only there’s more than seven working here today,” Tommy said.
Victoria and Tommy watched the dutiful dwarves arrive to start their
shift. They grabbed their pickaxes and prepared for their day digging diamonds
and precious gems out of the rocks beneath Euro Disney outside of Paris,
France.
They continued singing the familiar song in unison “Hi Ho….”
Copper Cauldron
Penelope Manchester, a good witch with one green
and one blue eye, awaits her destiny: a warrior of God with the face of an
angel, the heart of a saint, and eyes which match her own. St. Michael the
Archangel flies into her life and sweeps her off her feet. Meanwhile, an evil
sorcerer captures witches, steals their powers and most of their nine lives,
and shrinks them to the size of a doll--a Nürnberg, doll. But when he turns two of the Manchester witches into dolls, the
Manchester clan fights back with St. Michael and divine intervention. Armed
with the legendary copper cauldron, a fire breathing dragon, and an arsenal of
spells, good battles evil.
Terri Talley Venters,
Author of Carbon
Copy, Tin Roof, Body Of Gold, and Copper Cauldron
Terri received
her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Taxation from the
University of Florida. She is a licensed CPA and a Second Degree Black Belt in
Taekwondo. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with her husband, Garrison, and
their two sons.
Carbon Copy, currently available from Wild
Child Publishing, is the 1st
thrilling novel in the Elements of Mystery Series. The title of each
novel will contain an element from the Periodic Table of Elements. Tin Roof, the sequel to Carbon Copy, coming soon from Wild Child
Publishing. And Terri’s romantic/suspense
novel, Body of Gold, is coming soon from Freya’s Bower. Terri just
finished writing, Silver Lining, the
final book in the Carbon Copy
trilogy. For more about Terri’s upcoming releases, please visit her website http://www.elementsofmystery.com/ Terri is the daughter of Leslie S. Talley, author of Make Old Bones which is also available
from Wild Child Publishing.
