My Next Book

So while I work on getting my first novel published I wanted to avoid procrastinating and put in a conscious effort to work on another one. For now I am just trying to stay consistent with one page a day. I thought I would share the first three pages of “The Visitor” with you all.

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Abel had seen his reflection enough to know that the man standing on his doorstep was almost an exact copy of him. Abel was planning to give his visitor an earful for incessantly banging on his door, but he found himself speechless. Despite the thick beard and the soiled clothes, Abel was still drawn solely to the identical facial features.

“It seems like you recognize me. Sorry for not being dressed to impress at the moment.” The visitor smiled, seemingly amused by Abel’s blank expression.

“Who are you?”

“I have a lot to explain, can I come in?”

Abel wasn’t normally keen on inviting unannounced strangers into his home, but this time he didn’t hesitate to step aside. His visitor entered the foyer, scanning his surroundings as if he was searching for something: making Abel realize he may have made a foolish decision.

“Who-,” Abel began as he closed the door behind him.

“It’s complicated, and if I tell you you’d probably think I’m insane.” The visitor redirected his attention to Abel, and Abel felt his skin crawl as he made eye contact.

“I don’t think it’s much of a stretch if you say we’re related.”

“Not quite. Anyone else home?” Abel shook his head, and his heart began to race as he realized he might have made a mistake letting this stranger into his home.

The visitor raised his hand, revealing a cylindrical object about a foot in length.

Instead of making a dash for the front door, Abel’s fear immobilized him, keeping him rooted in place.

“What is that?”

“You sound more curious than worried. Good.”

Without further hesitation the visitor pointed the cylinder toward Abel’s living room, and then pressed one of several buttons located on the left side. A stream of light issued from the opposite end of the cylinder, spiraling out from holes located on the right side.

Abel jumped as he witnessed the spectacle in front of him, not knowing what to expect. He could feel his hair standing on end as the spirals of light created a single solid wall of white light that enveloped the space in front of him, the light stretched from the floor to make a perimeter around the walls. The visitor was obviously used to this sight and looked back at Abel to gage his response.

“Now that I’ve shown you this, I think it’s a better time to tell you that I’m not related to you. I’m not from this planet. I am from a different earth in a different dimension. I am here because I need your help. Follow me.”

The visitor might not be insane, but there was still the possibility that he was dangerous. Abel knew it would still be wise just to head for the front door and leave. But where would that leave him, scared to return to his home. And how would he explain this visitor to the police?

Abel’s curiosity was now overpowering his fear. He wanted to know what was on the other end of the portal. Abel dashed to the closet and took a few seconds deciding what shoes to bring, as if inter-dimension travel was a regular occurrence. Abel figured that since he didn’t know where he was going, he wanted the most practical shoes and selected a pair of sneakers.

Abel hesitated as he reached the portal, feeling a sort of gravitational pull emanating from the portal’s center. The pull wasn’t strong enough to drag Abel in, but it was enough to make him realize what a sudden turn of events he’d been subjected to. The intensity of the light began to blind him as he stood in front and it led him to take another leap of faith.