eBooks „party“
1449 eBooks were found for the search term „party“.
Ulrich Wahl
Kathedrale
Luxus Bordell Kathedrale Sex & Genuss & Drogen
- Fiction
- German
- 57125 Words
- Ages 18 and up
Zum Inhalt:
Der Ich Erzähler Martin Astor ist Erbe und ein Hedonist, lebt ein luxuriöses Leben. Er ist nicht in der Lage eine normale Beziehung einzugehen, vergnügt sich in der Kathedrale, ein exklusives Bordell. Genuss und Konsum wird dort auf die Spitze getrieben.
Eines Morgens findet er eine weibliche Leiche in seiner Wohnung, er kann sich an die Vorgänge nicht mehr erinnern. Um nicht verrückt zu werden, führt er Tagebuch und schreibt über sein Leben.
Martin hat Kunst studiert, ist aber nach eigener Erkenntnis unbegabt. Seine Mutter lebte in einer Hippie Kommune, verübte Selbstmord. Sein Vater ist bei einem Segelunfall gestorben. Doch es tauchen Fremde auf, die behaupten, der Vater sei am Leben. Kann es sein, dass dieser sich einfrieren oder klonen ließ?
Es kommen Gerüchte auf, dass Louis Astor mit der Mafia zusammenarbeitete, um Teile seines Vermögens zu retten. Die Dämonen der Vergangenheit lassen ihn nicht los. Martin ist auf der Suche nach dem Sinn des Lebens, lernt Rita Green in der Kathedrale kennen, die ihn ein Abend lang als Hostess begleitete. Er verliebt sich in sie. Seine Anmache kommt bei ihr nicht an. Sie verschwindet von der Bildfläche. Als er in ihre Wohnung eindringt, wird er von zwei Männern überwältigt, die ihn auf Rita ansetzen, die eine Terroristin sein soll.
Nach und nach wird er in eine kafkaeske Welt hineingezogen. Auf der Universität lernt er Bekannte von Rita kennen. Sie wird zum Phantom.
Seine Drogensucht macht ihm zu schaffen, er landet in einer Klinik, wieder tauchen die beiden Männer auf, von denen er nicht weiß, ob sie vom Geheimdienst sind. Sie befreien ihn, da sie glauben, Rita würde mit ihm Kontakt aufnehmen.
Da Georg, ein Freund von Martin, bei einem Bombenanschlag einen Arm verliert, wird er von Rachegedanken Aug um Aug, Zahn um Zahn getrieben. Er wird immer aggressiver. Steigert sich in Gewaltfantasien und Ressentiments gegen Muslime hinein. Bei einer Party vergreift er sich brutal an einer Frau, Bevor es zu sinnlosen Gewalttaten kommt, wird Georg umgebracht.
Die Menschen in der Stadt werden von einem gefährlichen Husten geplagt, der zu Erstickungen führen kann, auch das Gerücht wegen einer Seuche geht um, der Smog wird immer schlimmer und es ist ein Vulkan ausgebrochen. Die moslemische Partei Salām ist stark geworden. Diese ganzen Ereignisse verdrängt Martin.
Eine Kommilitonin bringt Rita in seine Wohnung, der er Aufenthalt gewährt, die ihn positiv beeinflusst. Es stellt sich heraus, sie ist eine Aktivistin, die gegen Kinderprostitution kämpft, die es auch in der Kathedrale zu geben scheint. Martin fällt dies auch auf, er hilft Frauen, wird von Rita gedrängt Jules, den Chef des Vergnügungstempels umzubringen, da die Justiz die Vorgänge verschleiert. Er sucht Rat bei Stem, einem jüdischen Arzt. Es kommt zu einer absurden Tat, aber ausgerechnet Kommissar Kotzbach, der gegen ihn ermittelt, hilft Martin die Sache zu verschleiern.
[more]
Keywords: Koks Gewalt Alkohol Sterne Küche Hedonismus
€6.49
Jeff Schanz
MystikQuest
**6 Chapter Sample Only**
- Fantasy
- English
- 12360 Words
- Ages 12 and up
- 293
- 1
“Why is Switzerland in my kitchen?”
A tabletop, role-playing game called MystikQuest is a fun diversion from the disappointing lives of Wes Walker and his socially awkward, junior high friends, Marc and AJ. It doesn’t matter to Wes that his friends think his game is a lame rip-off of “Lord of the Rings.” Playing fantasy fiction is harmless fun until one fateful day when Wes discovers a dying creature in his treehouse, clutching an old arrowhead relic Wes dug up from his back yard. The creature looks remarkably like a goblin. Fiction soon becomes reality.
What Wes thought was an old arrowhead turns out to be an ancient magic artifact that defends itself by spinning elaborate, seemingly realistic illusions. One moment, they’re all in AJ’s basement, entertaining other reluctant teens banished from the adult party upstairs, the next moment, a sunny, Swiss mountainscape appears where AJ’s kitchen should be. It’s only an illusion, but it looks, sounds, smells, and feels real.
The level of inexplicability rises when Wes’s mysterious, long-lost Uncle Dru suddenly shows up claiming to be a real-life wizard assigned to protect the stone from a rogue member of his order. On cue, a black-clad wizard with red eyes bursts in, initiating a wand duel that trap the six bewildered teens in the crossfire. Stray wand blasts trigger the stone’s defense mechanism and the kids are magically transported into the fictional world of Wes’s MystikQuest game.
Chosen for them by the stone, the kids are thrust into ironic game avatars: Meek and scrawny Marc is a charismatic, muscular warrior; quiet, autistic Schroeder is a transcendent druid; brainy, logical Wes is a mystical wizard; tall, stylish high-schooler Tyler is a diminutive hobbit; introverted emo Katie is a scantily-clad, voluptuous elf warrioress; and foul-mouthed, obnoxious AJ is the equally foul-mouthed and obnoxious half-ogre. Adjusting to their new superhuman bodies and abilities, they must navigate the game to somehow conclude its story for the stone to release them. But how can a bunch of nerdy, awkward teens who rarely exercise or go outside, much less know how to fight maniacal orcs and fire-spewing dragons, be expected to defeat an entire evil kingdom as daunting as (and ripped off from) Tolkein’s Mordor? And how can they stop the red-eyed wizard from sabotaging the game and hunting them like prey?
With help from two of the game characters, a kindly, garrulous old wizard and an Aragorn-like heir in exile, the kids will battle giant spiders, drunken brutes, moronic orcs, plagiarized plots, and their own insecurities to somehow beat the game before they’re stuck in the stone’s illusion forever.
**This is a sample only** For the full novel, please visit any of these sites. Paperback also available.
Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CGRCJMM
Barnes & Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mystikquest-jeff-schanz/1137305186?ean=2940162638629
Kobohttps://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/mystikquest
Google Playhttps://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=NLfvDwAAQBAJ [more]
Keywords: fantasy, portal, orcs, wizard, magic, wand, dragon, witch, sorcerer, YA, young adult, goblin, sorcery, dungeons, game, role-playing, avatars, teen, nerd, lord of the rings [more]
For Free
Dr. Hedaya Mahmood Alasooly
Creating and Managing Virtual Machines and Networks Through Microsoft Azure Services for Remote Access Connection
- Computers
- English
- 12806 Words
- No Age Recommendation
- 83
Microsoft Azure, commonly referred to as Azureis a cloud computing service created by Microsoft for building, testing, deploying, and managing applications and services through Microsoft-managed data centers. It provides software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and supports many different programming languages, tools, and frameworks, including both Microsoft-specific and third-party software and systems.
The major benefit of a remote desktop connection is being able to connect to your data from anywhere in the world. Your data is in one place that is easy to see and you no longer have to have software installed on your own computer.
Azure is one of the best virtual computers and networks providers for remote desktop (RDP) connections.
When you create Azure account, you pay as you go. You purchase Azure services with pay-as-you-go pricing. You pay only for what you use each month, with no upfront commitment, and cancel anytime. You must add your credit/debit card for billing to use pay as you go subscription.
But I was looking for totally free subscription where I don’t need to add my credit card for billing. I found there are two possible options for that:
1) A sandbox gives you access to Azure resources. Your Azure subscription will not be charged. The sandbox may only be used to complete training on Microsoft Learn. Creating the Azure Virtual machines using sandbox which is learning subscription, you can connect to the VM via RDP port but you cannot access to Internet through the Internet Explorer.
2) Alternatively Microsoft Azure provides a free $100 credit for students accounts registered through university emails (free student subscription for around one year). There is internet access in the VM machine under this type of subscription.
Azure documentations is too deep and it is hard to be understand creating and managing virtual computers and networks in Auzre for remote access connection by any beginner. So, I tried to outline in this report the most important topics as reference guide to assist the user to create and manage virtual computers and networks in Azure for remote access connection in simplified and clear way. This report will include the following parts:
Getting free Azure subscription through Sandbox Microsoft Learn subscription (No credit card needed)
Free 12 months, then pay-as-you-go Azure account subscription (Credit card needed)
Student subscription (No debit/credit cards needed)
How to get university email
Virtual networks and virtual machines in Azure
Quick start for PowerShell in Azure Cloud Shell
Quick start with Azure PowerShell
Installing Azure CLI on Windows and creating virtual machine
Creating a Windows virtual machine in Azure
Quick start to create a Linux virtual machine in the Azure portal
Tutorial to create a NAT Gateway using the Azure portal and test the NAT service
What is Azure Network Watcher?
Network Watcher Agent
Troubleshoot connections with Azure Network Watcher using the Azure portal
Troubleshoot Azure VM connectivity problems
Quick start to configure Load Balancer
Quick start to configure VPN Gateway using Azure portal
Tutorial to connect to a virtual machine using Azure Bastion
Exercise to create Window Virtual Machine
Exercise to create Ubuntu Virtual Machine
[more]
Keywords: Hidaia Alassouli, Azure, Microsoft Azure, Remote Access Connection, Virtual Network, Virtual Server, Virtual Machine, RDP, NAT Gateway, Load Balancer, Windows Server, Linux Server, Network Watcher, VPN Gateway, Ubuntu, Cloud Computing, Azure, Microsoft, Microsoft Azure, Remote Access Connection, Virtual Network, Virtual Server, Virtual Server, Virtual Machine, RDP, NAT Gateway, Load Balancer, Windows Server, Linux Server, Network Watcher, VPN Gateway, Ubuntu, Cloud Computing [more]
$7.99
Angelika Hesse
Meine Familie, der tägliche Wahnsinn und ich
Gesamtedition
- Family & Relationships
- German
- 28411 Words
- No Age Recommendation
- 375
Humorvoll und mit einem gehörigen Schuss Selbstironie und Bissigkeit, erzählt die 39-jährige Heidi in fünf humorvollen Episoden aus ihrem Alltag. Episode 1 – Die Gedanken sind frei: Um ehrlich zu sein, habe ich schon mit halb Hollywood und der gesamten männlichen deutschen Promi A-Liga geschlafen. Mal rekele ich mich als Sklavin unter einem schweißnassen Achilles (Brad Pitt hatte einfach einen fantastischen Körper in Troja), dann lasse ich mir von Doktor Ross im OP-Saal das Krankenhaushemdchen hochschieben und selbst mit Captain Jack Sparrow habe ich es schon am Strand einer einsamen Insel getrieben. Fast schämt Heidi sich für ihre Träume, doch dann muss sie an ein altes Volkslied auf einer Kinderlieder-CD von Nena denken: „Die Gedanken sind frei, wer kann sie erraten?“ Und wenn Nena das schon singt, muss man sich wegen ein paar schlüpfriger Fantasien doch keinen Kopf machen, oder?! Episode 2 – Ein Apfel am Tag und der Onkel Doktor bleibt wo er mag „Lenchen, schau mal. Wenn du dein Äpfelchen nicht isst, wirst du krank und dann musst du zum Onkel Doktor. Ein Apfel am Tag, und der Onkel Doktor bleibt wo er mag.“ „Habe ich noch einen Bruder von dem ich nichts weiß?“ Mein Bruder Jörg ist Informatiker und auch sonst haben wir keine Ärzte in der Familie. Manchmal braucht Heidi ein paar kinderlose Stunden, und wenn Oma mal nicht kann, gibt es noch das Kinderentfernungsgerät. Episode 3 – Sowas gibt's nur sonntags Bei der letzten Frühlingsbastelaktion im Kindergarten löste Justus Mutter eine hitzige Debatte aus, weil sie behauptete, Nougatcreme wäre gesünder als „die ganze antibiotika-verseuchte Wurst“. Es gab großen Protest von der „Sowas-gibt’s-bei-uns-nur-sonntags“-Fraktion. Damit die Kinderparty nicht wie letztes Jahr total aus dem Ruder läuft, hat Heidi diesmal einen hieb- und stichfesten Ablaufplan ausgearbeitet. Aber nichts läuft wie es soll. Episode 4 – Time of my life Genau das ist der Gänsehaut-Moment, der bei mir immer noch zieht. Und ich wollte das Mädchen in dem rosa Kleid sein, was von diesem gutgebauten Typ in Schwarz über die Tanzfläche gewirbelt wird. So etwas Romantisches ist mir in neununddreißig Lebensjahren nicht einmal passiert. Ein Abend, zwei Frauen, eine 80er-Party und unzählige Caipirinhas. Episode 5 – Weihnachtsstress und Wurzelbehandlung Liebevoll packte ich ihn wieder in schönes glitzerndes Weihnachtspapier und schrieb „Petra“ auf den Geschenkanhänger. Früher gab es bei uns im Büro ein traditionelles Ramschwichteln. Heute habe ich angeheiratete Familie, denen ich so etwas unterjubeln kann. Einen Tag vor Heiligabend plagt Heidi eine entzündete Zahnwurzel. Das Mitgefühl ihres Mannes hält sich in Grenzen. Schließlich müssen noch die restlichen Weihnachtsgeschenke besorgt werden. Der Roman "Aus Liebe verzettelt". Der Wahnsinn um Heidi geht weiter. Stunk im Hause Heiermann [more]
Keywords: Familie, Frauen, Liebe, Kinder, Alltag, Humor
€3.99
Robert E. Howard
Beyond the Black River
- Fantasy
- English
- 21831 Words
- Ages 6 and up
- 315
- 2
"Beyond the Black River" is one of the original short stories about Conan the Cimmerian, written by American author Robert E. Howard. A young settler named Balthus encounters Conan in the forests slaying a forest devil. Accompanying the young man back to the Fort, Conan finds the body of a merchant ensorcelled by a Pictish wizard named Zogar Sag and slain by a swamp demon.
The Fort Tuscelan Commander, Valannus, is a desperate man and asks Conan to slay Zogar Sag before he raises the Picts against the whole borderlands. Taking a hand picked team of scouts and Balthus, Conan sets off stealthily in canoes. Balthus is captured and most of Conan's men slaughtered in an ambush.
Balthus and one of the Scouts are tied to stakes and the scout is sacrificed by Zogar Sag to one of his jungle creatures. Before Balthus can meet a similar fate, Conan sets the Pictish village on fire and the two flee into the woods. Conan tells Balthus of the cult of Jhebbal Sag, now forgotten by most. Once all living things worshipped him when men and beasts spoke the same language. Over time men and most beasts forgot his worship. Zogar Sag has not, however, and can control those few animals and creatures who also remember. And they are on Conan's trail now.
Conan is able to neutralize them using a symbol he once noticed, and the pair hurry to return to the Fort to warn them of the impending Pictish assault, but they are too late.
They then go to warn the settlers that the Picts have crossed the river and are raiding. They are joined by Slasher, a feral dog formerly owned by a settler who had been slain by the Picts. Balthus is sent on to warn settlers of the coming Pict raid, and Conan parts from him to warn a group of settler who had gone to gather salt. Balthus warns the settlers, and—accompanied by Slasher—makes a stand against the coming Pict raiders. Their sacrifice delays the Picts and give the settlers time to reach safety. Conan manages to warn the salt-gathering party in time, but finds he has been marked for death by the gods of darkness for misusing the symbol of Jhebbal Sag. In the end Conan triumphs, but the fort is lost.
The story ends in a tavern. A survivor tells Conan about the courageous act of Balthus and Slasher, and how their final stand had delayed the Picts just barely long enough for the settlers to reach safety. Upon hearing of the fight, Conan vowed to take the heads of ten Picts to pay for Balthus' sacrifice, along with seven heads for the dog, who was "a better warrior than many a man." [more]
Keywords: beyond the black river, robert e howard, science fantasy, science fiction, fantasy, conan the barbarian, adventure
$2.99
H. P. Lovecraft
At the Mountains of Madness
- Horror
- English
- 41283 Words
- Ages 8 and up
- 224
- 2
At the Mountains of Madness is a novella by horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The story has inadvertently popularized the concept of ancient astronauts, as well as Antarctica's place in the "ancient astronaut mythology". The story is told in first-person perspective by the geologist William Dyer, a professor at Miskatonic University. He writes to disclose hitherto unknown and closely kept secrets in the hope that he can deter a planned and much publicized scientific expedition to Antarctica. On a previous expedition there, scholars from Miskatonic University led by Dyer discovered fantastic and horrific ruins and a dangerous secret beyond a range of mountains higher than the Himalayas. A smaller advance group, led by Professor Lake, discovered and crossed the mountains and found the remains of fourteen ancient life forms, completely unknown to science and unidentifiable as either plants or animals. Six of the specimens are badly damaged and the others uncannily pristine. Their highly evolved features are problematic: their stratum location puts them at a point on the geologic time scale much too early for such features to have naturally evolved.
When the main expedition loses contact with Lake's party, Dyer and the rest of his colleagues travel to their last known location to investigate. Lake's camp is devastated, and both the men and the dogs slaughtered, while a man named Gedney and another dog are unaccounted for. Near the camp they find six star-shaped snow mounds, and one specimen buried under each. They discover that the better preserved life forms have vanished, and that some form of dissection experiment has been done on an unnamed man and a dog. Dyer elects to close off the area from which they took their samples.
Dyer and a graduate student named Danforth fly an airplane over the mountains, which they soon realize are the outer walls of a huge, abandoned stone city of cubes and cones, utterly alien compared with any human architecture. Because of their resemblance to creatures of myth mentioned in the Necronomicon, the builders of this lost civilization are dubbed the "Elder Things". By exploring these fantastic structures, the men are able to learn the history of the Elder Things through interpreting their magnificent hieroglyphic murals: The Elder Things first came to Earth shortly after the Moon was pulled loose from the planet and were the creators of life. They built their cities with the help of "Shoggoths", biological entities created to perform any task, assume any form, and reflect any thought. As more buildings are explored, a fantastic vista opens of the history of races beyond the scope of man's understanding, including the Elder Things' conflicts with the Star-spawn of Cthulhu and the Mi-go, who arrived on Earth some time after the Elder Things themselves. [more]
Keywords: at the mountains of madness, h p lovecraft, gothic horror, mystery, thriller and suspense, ancient astronauts theory
$2.99
Sissi Kaipurgay
Käufliche Liebe - Leseprobe
Best of Band 1 - 15
- Romance
- German
- 9723 Words
- Ages 16 and up
- 144
- 8
Die Leseprobe beinhaltet die gesamte Story 'Ein Leguan bekommt Flügel' Das Büchlein wird im September nur auf Amazon via KindleUnlimited veröffentlicht.
1. Machos Fall aus KL 1
Dieser Hunter - was für ein Kerl! Pino findet ihn toll und gräbt ihn an, doch vergeblich. Für Hunter ist er nur der Dreck unter den Fingernägeln.
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2. Der Neuling aus KL 3
Manchmal bietet Sönke seinen Körper auf dem Strich an, womit er nicht nur Sex, sondern auch noch Geld bekommt. Als er einen Neuen auf dem Straßenstrich entdeckt, ändert sich jedoch vieles. Nicht nur seine Einstellung zum Leben, sondern auch seine ganze Gefühlswelt wird gründlich auf den Kopf gestellt. Das Zauberwort heißt Bruno.
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3. Ein Callboy für alle Fälle - aus KL 4
Patrick Sommer wird zu einem Kunden bestellt, der eine Besonderheit hat: Ihm fehlt der rechte Arm, den er durch einen Unfall erst vor kurzem verloren hat. Doch Robert Drechsler besitzt noch andere Qualitäten, als nur viel Geld.
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4. Ein Leguan bekommt Flügel aus KL 5
Heinz hat sich mit seinem Alleinsein abgefunden. Mit fünfzig findet ein schwuler Mann nicht mehr die Liebe seines Lebens. Dennoch braucht auch er ab und zu etwas Ablenkung vom Alltag.
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5. Kunststück aus KL 6
Robin ist es leid, seinen Körper zu verkaufen. Ein Ausstieg erscheint ihm erst nicht leicht, doch dann taucht ein neuer Kollege auf und plötzlich ist es ganz einfach. Zugleich kommt er mit einem Stammgast ins Gespräch, der ein Modell für seine Kunstprojekte sucht.
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6. Unerwartet aus KL 7
Markus ist erschüttert. Ausgerechnet Sören, der Callboy, der ihm genau das geben konnte, was er brauchte, will aufhören. Er fasst sich ein Herz, lässt seine Visitenkarte da, traut sich aber nicht, Sören inständig darum zu bitten, doch bald anzurufen.
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7. Ibiza umsonst? aus KL 9
Titus trauert um die verlorene Curaçao -Reise. Er ist derart deprimiert, dass er nicht einmal Lust auf Sex hat. Als ein Kunde ihn bucht, muss er sich regelrecht zwingen den Termin wahrzunehmen.
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8. Deja vu - Der Internist aus KL Spezial, Band 10
Vor vielen Jahren hat Mirko einige Male einen Callboy namens Massimo getroffen. Er staunt nicht schlecht, als eines Tages ein Patient in seiner Praxis auftaucht, der genau wie Massimo aussieht, nur dass ihm ein Arm fehlt.
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9. Geheilte Seele aus KL 12
Nach Antanas‘ Weggang zieht sich Stasys von allen zurück. Er verlässt das Bett nur zum Essen, Putzen und Waschen. Natürlich weiß er, dass sich Boris das nicht ewig mitansehen wird, aber er kann seinen Körper einfach nicht mehr verkaufen. Eigentlich bleibt da nur noch der Freitod, da er auf der Straße nicht überleben würde. Wenn doch nur ein strahlender Ritter käme, um ihn zu retten, doch diese Spezies scheint nahezu ausgestorben.
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10. Gemeiner Doktor aus KL 13
Jegor kann einfach nicht vergessen, wie gut sich Ludowigs Küsse auf der Party angefühlt haben. Der anschließende Blowjob war freiwillig geschehen und dass der feine Doktor hinterher einfach verschwand, eine bittere Enttäuschung. Aber was hat er auch erwartet?
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11. Ein Call-Bär für Ben aus KL 14
Ben wurde von Niklas an Marlon vermittelt. Die beiden kennen sich nur flüchtig, aber Niklas meinte, dieser Callboy wäre genau richtig. Wobei Marlon eher ein Call-Bär ist, wie Ben bei ihrem ersten Treffen feststellt.
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12. Trocken-Sex aus KL 15
Miroslav hat seine Arbeit verloren. Ohne Ausbildung bleibt ihm nichts anderes übrig, als irgendwelche schlechtbezahlten Jobs anzunehmen. Zusätzlich geht er auf den Strich, obwohl ihm das zutiefst widerstrebt.
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[more]
Keywords: gay, schwul, homosexuell, gay romance deutsch, schwul deutsch
For Free
Sachin Sarohi
The Fear
- Horror
- English
- 2 Words
- Ages 16 and up
- 461
- 9
Night was cold and wind was blowing with sound that can frighten ears. I and my wife were travelling in Himalayas. There was no sign of any life there. Roads were so narrow that car was driven at 20 km. We were talking to each other and planning about next day suddenly both of the car head light went off. I immediately stopped the car and was thinking of what happened. I told my wife to relax as she was frightened to see what happened. I got out of the car and asked her to stay inside. That was the first time realize the hilly region which we enjoyed the whole day is so dull and full of fear. It was completely dark and I was not able to see my wife sitting in the car also. She was again and again asking me to come back inside; she was frightened of wild animals that roam around there in search of food. I came back inside and tried to turn on the parking light but nothing was working at all. There might be a problem with the light circuit I told my wife who was mum and could not speak anything. It was 1 am and the whole night was left, I was also worried that our car is standing in the middle of the road and somebody can hit us. I again went outside to see the road end, in the silence realize that a river was flowing down below and the sound was so low that realize that we are very high from it. I came back inside the car and asked my wife to take some sleep as we cannot move till morning. We locked the door and sat inside. We were hearing different sound coming from the deep jungle which was not good at all. The night was not passing by and the temperature was going down and down. I asked my wife to go behind and have some sleep but she was not ready to leave me at all. 2 am I asked my wife to stay there as I need to go for a Lou. I unlocked the door and went outside again. As soon as I went beside the car I was frightened to see a lady sitting just beside the back door and watching me. My whole body was white and I could not move my legs, as I have heard many ghostly stories about people who die in road accidents in mountains. My wife asked me what happened and told to come inside. I held my breath and came back inside. I was shivering with fear and my wife was seeing me asking what happened. I saw the back window and that lady hand were placed on the glass of the window. I could not react and told my wife nothing happened. I could see the hand from the front mirror but was not looking behind because I could not. I Believe in god but never prayed, I knew something is about to happen and we both could not do anything about it. I was praying in my mind that whatever it was should leave us that time realized how much important our life is and about my wife who was more afraid of all these things and if I tell her about the lady she will not be able to wait till morning and will ask me to drive. I stopped looking into the mirror and was sitting there without speaking anything. My wife kept on asking me what happened. She was curious to know as she never saw me like that. We sat there for sometime and I again decided to look into the mirror. I took a deep breath and saw this time nothing was there and I felt relaxed but it was for just for few minutes. This time my wife asked me that she wants to go out to get fresh. The moment she said to me and I immediately refused because I knew something is there and how important she was for me. She kept on insisting that she will take just 2 minutes. After sometime I agreed but told her to wait inside as I wanted to check the place. I not at all wanted to get out of the car but I had to, I opened the door and went outside. This moment was more horrifying and worst experience of my life. I looked around but nobody was there. I called my wife out. She was out with me in cold now. After sometime we came back inside and I was happy that we are safe now. This time we felt that car was getting cozy inside. Temperature was not so cold we felt that we were sitting in front of heater. I knew I did not turn the heater on but still it was warm inside. Soon realize why it was. The worst night mare was about to happen. I saw in the mirror that lady was sitting at the back seat staring directly into my eyes. I COULD NOT REACT AT ALL. My wife saw my face with fear and kept asking why I was reacting that way. She knew I was not afraid of anything but she was to be proven wrong in a moment. She said what happened. Nothing came out of my mouth. Suddenly my wife turned to back seat and grabbed her shawl. I hold her hand and looked into her face. She said what happened, she could not see the lady but I could clearly see in the mirror that somebody was sitting there. I don't want to sit in that car anymore but I knew the moment I tell my wife about it she will be out of the car and will run which was not safe at all in the jungle. We kept sitting there for sometime and I closed my eyes and was praying. It was 4 am now and car was again started to get cool. We waited for some more time and it was looking normal now. Lady was gone and sun was about to rise. I turn the engine on and for our surprise lights were working absolutely fine as if nothing happened. We started again and after sometime sun was shining above us. My mind was a bit relaxed but what ever happened I was not able to forget. After driving few kms we saw a small hotel. We decided to stay there and we took one room. Hotel had an old construction but that was the only one there. After we had breakfast we went to our room and slept. We both were so tired that we did not knew that we slept for full day and now again it was NIGHT. Inside our room there was a big glass window from which we can see the full view of the jungle. My wife was sleeping as she was really tired suddenly there was a knock on the door, I opened the door and saw an old man standing with a candle in his hand. He asked me to take it as everyday light goes off anytime. I took the candle and again started to think about the last night. I woke up my wife to ask if she want to have dinner, she refused as she was too tired and did not want to get up. It was a full moon night and trees can be seen easily in the dense forest. I was feeling hungry so I decided to go downstairs and will have something. I saw my wife sleeping so I closed the door and went down to reception. I ordered something to eat and sat on a chair which was placed to see the full jungle view. I was looking at the jungle and full moon light crossing the trees was an amazing view. As soon as my food came in the light went off. I stood up immediately as I was worried about my wife. I started to run back to my room but could not find it. Soon I realized that we both were the only people staying there. With the mobile torch I found my room and I opened the door. THE THING WHICH I SAW WAS THE LAST THING I WANTED TO SEE IN MY LIFE: The same lady was standing beside my wife and looking at her and smiling. I was stunned and ran towards my wife. I shouted and grabbed her in my arms. She was shocked and was confused about what happened. I immediately asked her to pack the bags and leave the hotel. She insisted on staying in the hotel only as she knew outside weather will not allow us to leave. I wanted to tell her the entire things that was happening with me but I knew right now she will be able to sleep well but after that she will not be able to rest properly. I was inside the blanket now and was looking here and there but there was no sign of the lady. Till 11.30 I was awake but after sometime I feel sleepy and closed my eyes. 2 am somebody was knocking the window; I opened my eyes and saw the same lady was standing outside the window and staring me. I checked my wife and to my biggest surprise she was not in the bed. I turn on my mobile torch and check the entire room; suddenly I heard a low sound coming from the corner of the wall. I checked there my wife was sitting on the ground and looking at the same women. She was so afraid that she could not even shout. I immediately ran towards her and held her in my arms. She pointed her finger towards the window and said she saw a man standing outside. I told her it was not a man it was a women. She refused to believe it and was sure that it was a man. Nothing was there now and we both sat and I told her everything about what happened last night. She was very surprised to hear that I was seeing a women and she was seeing a man. We both decided not to stay at that place anymore. We packed our bags and came towards the main lobby from where stairs were going down towards the main reception and gate. We walked slowly and to our surprise somebody footsteps were coming from behind but we could not see that person. We came towards the gate and looked for the manager, he was not there so we opened the gate and came out. Our car was parked few meters away we both walked towards the car and I opened the door and we sat inside the car now.
I turned on the engine and to our surprise headlights were again not working. We looked at each other in fear, there was a complete silence. Suddenly a mist of fog covered the whole area and it was dense that we could not see a meter away. I knew whatever it was will not let us go anywhere but we did not know what they wanted from us.
After sometime I asked my wife if we can go inside the hotel again as it was getting colder and colder outside but she refused as she was shivering not because of cold but because of FEAR.
We kept sitting inside the car and waiting for sunrise. We decided that we will go back and will end our tour here. 2 hours passed nothing happened; we sat inside mum and thinking what we will see in next moment. Car window was covered with fog, I turned on the engine and started the blower, and it was of no use. Suddenly we heard that somebody is coming towards the car, the footstep was so loud and clear that we knew that it coming very fast towards us. We hold our hand together and look around, suddenly in the front mirror something was written – “I will be with you always”.
I started the car wiper but it was not going off as if someone has painted on the car window. My wife started to scream madly and shouted :” who are you, what you wanted from us?”
Nothing was there other than a big silence. It was sunrise after sometime and road was clear and visible. Next surprise was waiting for us, there was no hotel. We were standing in the middle of the road and it was covered of trees. There was no sign of hotel or anybody. I came out of the car and looked here and there but nothing was there. At least now we were relaxed that its sunrise now and we are safe. I immediately started the car engine and turned back. We drove so fast as if we are getting late to get our life back. 4 hours of driving I got a T-point, there was no sign where to go. We decided to take the left turn as road in that direction was in good condition. After sometime we saw a small café and a lady was sitting there. My wife was so happy so see someone to whom we can talk and ask about the area. We had some tea and ate some food. I asked the lady if there is any hotel in that area or if she has heard anything about a man and women. She knew nothing about it, we started again as it was evening and we want to get out this mountain drive. I kept on driving though I was feeling very tried but I knew if I stopped now then we will not be able to leave that place.
After sometime it was again DARK. Fear could be seen in my wife eyes, she was so shocked that she stopped talking to me and was looking here and there.
I stopped the car again to get fresh; my wife did not like it at all. I came out the car and first looked at the place. It was dark outside and same nothing was visible clearly. I got fresh and was coming back towards my car; suddenly I heard that someone is calling me from behind. I looked back and saw the same lady was standing in front of me with a man. She did not come near me but was staring at me and said “I will be with you always”. I started running towards my car and turned on the engine and drove as I was driving in formula one. My wife started crying as she knew something again has happened. This time headlights were working fine and we kept on driving. I knew whatever it was now will never come back, we saw the lights coming from town and we reached the town finally.
We were so happy and relaxed to be there, my wife jumped on me and we hugged each other. We knew that we have won the race against death and we are alive.
We came back to our house and months have passed now, there was no sign of that lady and man.
Today my wife has gone out for a party and I am alone in the house. Light went off and when it came back on, I saw something is written on the mirror: “I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS”.
The Fear: Being alone is my greatest fear. [more]
Keywords: Its just a new beginning
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DAVID MITCHELL
A CHRISTMAS STORY
- Fiction
- English
- 3213 Words
- No Age Recommendation
- 1562
- 7
A CHRISTMAS STORY
By
DAVID MITCHELL
-------------------------
The year was 1932. The Crydale Orphanage was a grim and forbidding looking building and being late evening the lights were being extinguished one by one by the staff.
Outside in the dark and gloomy street a young girl staggered through the snow carrying her new born baby boy. She had left home because her father was a strict disciplinarian and would not hear of the girl’s illegitimate baby being brought into his house – it must be remembered, this was 1932 when attitudes were quite different.
Her name was Elly, and she was destitute. She was desperately unhappy but her only thoughts were for her tiny baby wrapped warmly against the very cold weather - for this was December and just a few days before Christmas. As she walked along she passed the gaily lit shops displaying colourful Christmas items. Here and there she noticed the Christmas trees with their coloured lights and fleetingly her memory took her back to happier times when she was younger and her father then seemed more tolerant, even kind. In her state of total and forlorn unhappiness the tears rolled down her cheeks and she kissed her small baby thinking all the while how determined she was that his future will be much better than her past.
As she drew nearer the orphanage she could see through the large window. No doubt this expansive room was where the orphans gathered each morning. It was empty and dark now. She was thinking deeply about what she proposed to do. Her plan was to leave the baby on the doorstep, ring the bell, and retire to a safe distance where she could not be seen; just so that she could be sure the door was answered and the baby found by the orphanage staff.
In her plan, she reasoned that later on, when she was a little older and had perhaps secured a job, and was receiving an income, she could return and re-claim her son. She watched carefully as the front door of the orphanage opened and a young lady bent down and picked up the small baby lying on the doorstep. And so, when Elly was satisfied that her baby was now in good care she withdrew and went on her way, sobbing all the while. This was not at all what she wanted to happen; but in the light of her father’s cruel and totally unreasonable attitude she felt no other course was open to her.
However, she brightened up a little when thinking that, if good fortune should come her way, it may not be too long before she would be able to return to the orphanage and reclaim her small son to care for him as a loving mother herself.
So that was the manner in which little Chris arrived at the orphanage. They decided to call him ‘Christopher because it was so close to Christmas. The stern lady in charge of the orphanage, Mrs Briggs, ran the establishment in quite a strict manner but, like a lot of people who seem to be quite fierce in their demeanour, deep down in her heart she was a kindly soul and loved all the children that came under her care – every single one.
Quite a number of children were lost to her as a result of adoptions through the years and she was very sad at the loss of each one and was at once sad at the departure of every child - but on the other hand she was glad to see them settled in a happy home. But somehow that never happened to Chris. For some reason that nobody could quite understand he was never selected for adoption. Later the orphanage began a new policy of advertising “HAVE AN ORPHAN FOR CHRISTMAS” and this seemed to be a big success. Some children had even been adopted permanently after being a “Christmas Child”.
But this was now Christmas 1937. The snow had begun to fall and all of the children had gone to their ‘foster parents’ for the holiday - but not Chris. He was due to go to a Mr & Mrs Holden but with just over a week to go they advised the orphanage that Mr Holden had been called abroad, and that Mrs Holden would be accompanying him. As they had no idea how long they would be away they said they would have to reluctantly cancel the arrangement for Chris.
It was too late then to find another temporary foster parent and so it looked very much as though Chris and Mrs Briggs would be the only inhabitants of the orphanage over the holiday. Mrs Briggs was quite resigned to her task, but she didn't mind at all. She got on very well with Chris and although the resources available to her were meagre she told herself that she must try to make it as nice a Christmas as possible, if only for the sake of little Chris.
However, on the day before Christmas Eve Mrs Briggs received a call from the Holdens to say that Mr Holden’s mission abroad was accomplished sooner than he had anticipated, that they were now home, and that they would love to have Chris for Christmas after all as originally planned. When little Chris heard this his little face broke into a wide beaming smile. Poor old Mrs Briggs hesitated for just a moment when given the news. She had been looking forward to spending Christmas with just her and Chris. On the the other hand she wanted Chris to have a wonderful Christmas and so she too allowed herself a smile or two, and accepted that she must spend Christmas alone.
And so it was that Mr & Mrs Holden collected Chris from the orphanage that very same day and took him to their very handsome home where a beautiful Christmas tree stood in the lounge, fully decorated with lights and ornaments, and with presents spread underneath; a lovely log fire was roaring up the chimney and the atmosphere was very nice, cosy, and very homely.
Chris was then introduced to other members of the Holden family. First of all, there was Aunt Emily - a dear old soul who wore her spectacles perched on the end of her nose and seemed to be knitting all the time; she also often appeared to be chatting to herself as some old folk do. Then there was Grandfather Holden who held his hand out for Chris to shake. Chris did so dutifully for all the children at the orphanage were taught good manners. It was a very jolly atmosphere indeed and everyone seemed to be in a good mood – just as Christmas should be.
But after a little while Mrs Holden noticed that Chris was looking rather sad and that one or two tears were rolling down his cheeks. “Why Chris my dear” she said “what ever are you crying for ? Aren’t you happy to be with us ?” At which the great big tears welled up in his eyes and poor little Chris began to sob. Urged by Mrs Holden to say why he was sad Chris then said “Well Mrs Holden, I am surely very happy to be here with you but I cannot help thinking of poor Mrs Briggs back at the orphanage. She will be all on her own for Christmas now that I have come to you and I am feeling I aught to be there with her to keep her company and make sure she has a nice Christmas too”. At this, all the Holden family could not help but remark what a very nice little boy Chris was to be thinking of others at this time.
And so the conversation on the subject seemed to wane and die away. But not in Chris's mind. He went to sleep in his room but during the night he tossed and turned for he was still thinking of poor old Mrs Briggs and how very lonely she must be all by herself.
The next morning everybody arose from bed. The snow lay crisp and several inches deep. It was a true Christmas scene All were looking forward to the day’s festivities. However, Mr Holden seemed to be absent. Chris did ask once “Where is Mr Holden ?” but was told by Mrs Holden “Oh, he has gone on an little errand for me - don’t worry, he’ll be back quite soon – in time for Christmas Dinner to be sure”.
But now it was approaching time for the great Christmas Dinner and still Mr Holden had not returned. Mrs Holden had purchased a nice fat turkey and the smells were wafting through from her kitchen and were truly delicious. They were making everyone feel very hungry indeed. But where was Mr Holden ? Well, there was no need to worry for just at that moment the front door opened and in a flurry of snow flakes blown in by the wind there stood Mr Holden - and with him was none other than Mrs Briggs herself ! She had been absolutely thrilled and delighted when Mr Holden telephoned her to extend an invitation to join the Christmas party for she had resigned herself to spending Christmas by herself, as Chris had feared, and wondering what to do !
She had considered her Christmas Dinner but rejected the idea of cooking the turkey she had managed to buy for the occasion. Cooking a turkey for one person would not be sensible she thought. And so she decided she would save the turkey and Christmas Pudding until after the holidays when the children returned. "I'll just manage with a sandwich" she thought to herself. But when Mr Holden phoned to invite her to join the Holden family she accepted very gracefully; however she could not hide her absolute delight and happiness. The Christmas she was not looking forward to at all had now changed for her totally and completely. She was determined to enjoy the occasion together with Chris and the Holdens and appreciated their kindness very much.
So little Chris, once he had recovered from the surprise and the great pleasure of seeing that Mrs Briggs had joined them rushed to her and gave her a big hug. They then joined the others and all enjoyed a truly splendid and jolly Christmas dinner - Mrs Holden, a very good cook, did them all proud and there was plenty for everybody. There were Christmas crackers to pull and small gifts inside - there was much laughter as each cracker was pulled. Chris loved everything - especially the Christmas Pudding.
After the great dinner it was time to open the presents which still lying at the foot of the Christmas tree. Of course there were gifts for Chris and even a couple for dear Mrs Briggs - Mrs Holden had quietly taken the labels off two of her presents and placed new labels which said "TO DEAR MRS BRIGGS - WE WELCOME YOU TO OUR FAMILY". At this even the stern Mrs Briggs melted and a tear or two could be seen on her cheeks.
The Holdens were so taken with Chris, and he with them, that after the holiday was over they offered to accept him on a permanent basis and not too long afterwards, after all the necessary legalities had been completed, Chris went to live at the Holden’s home. But he never forgot Mrs Briggs and went to see her periodically at which she was very pleased indeed.
But what about the poor mother of Chris - Elly ? Well, after leaving her baby at the orphanage she did manage to obtain a live-in position as a scullery maid with a well-to-do family. She was quite happy there but the position was very poorly paid. There was no absolutely no chance of obtaining her own place to live and try to reclaim her little baby who, of course, had now grown up somewhat. The years passed by but there wasn’t a day when she didn’t think about her little boy and wondered how he was faring. Sometimes she retraced her steps on that awful day when she left her small son on the doorstep of the orphanage. She wanted to ring the bell and enquire about her baby; but each time she lost her nerve and walked on. And then one day, quite out of the blue, she was informed that her wealthy aunt had passed away and had left her a legacy of £15,000 in her Will.
She was totally astounded and not a little surprised because this aunt had not been especially kind to her when it became known she was pregnant and, like her father, treated her with disdain. Maybe in time she relented, changed her mind, and decided to help her niece after all even if her father wouldn‘t. But most of all Elly was very happy for her first thoughts were that she could now find somewhere to live, reclaim her son, and live happily as a small family. Back then with the average wage around £3-£4 per week one can imagine the value of £15,000 ! Elly felt exceedingly rich.
So she made contact with the Orphanage. At first she was rebuffed because the orphanage itself was controlled by a number of regulations - one of these being that they may not reveal the details of any adoption. Mrs Briggs felt exceedingly sorry for Elly and tried to pacify her. But Elly, who rather foolishly had thought that all she need do is to re-claim her son and all would be alright.
Elly sought advice and was told the prospects of seeing her son again were bleak. And so Elly returned to the orphanage and threw herself upon the mercy and understanding of Mrs Briggs. Elly pleaded and pleaded with her until something within Mrs Briggs snapped and she just knew at that moment that she would have to help this pathetic young lady. So she went to her desk and wrote a name and address. She then turned to Elly and said "NOW ELLY, YOU KNOW THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DIVULGE WHERE YOUR SON IS NOW. I JUST CANNOT DO IT. IT CANNOT BE DONE. BUT SOMETIMES I AM CARELESS AND LEAVE LITTLE PIECES OF PAPER AROUND - her eyes then went to her desk "I REALLY MUST CURE MYSELF OF THIS HABIT" Elly looked up, saw Mrs Brigg's eyes wander to her desk, and gratefully collected the piece of paper on which, of course, was the Holden family's address. She kissed Mrs Briggs before departing and Mrs Briggs advised her to tread very carefully and with understanding.
And so Elly contacted the Holdens, and made an appointment to see them - and little Chris. Mr & Mrs Holden were of course shocked to learn of this development for they had cared for Chris just as if he was their own son. He was now attending a very good private school and the Holdens were giving him every chance to progress in life. But they were nice and understanding people and therefore agreed to meet Elly.
The reunion between mother and son was a remarkable and heart warming spectacle to behold. Chris was a little reticent and shy at first, but something attracted him towards his mother. He went to her and she placed both arms around him and smothered him with kisses as only a loving Mum can. Pitifully she pleaded with the Holdens to let her have her son back. Chris, of course was quite bewildered about all of this because although he loved his long lost real mother and took to her very naturally, he also loved the Holdens. His poor little mind was in a turmoil and he was very confused.
Problems of this kind are extremely difficult to solve at any time but when they occur between nice and understanding people it is often possible to reach a conclusion which is satisfactory to all concerned
And so it was that Elly and the Holdens agreed to share the affections of Chris. Elly succeeded to find a small cosy flat quite near to the Holden's place and some of the time Chris went there and some of the time he spent with the Holdens.
It was a very happy arrangement and it worked very well with surprisingly few problems. Chris was a studious little boy, did well at school. When he grew up he attended university and chose medicine as his profession. When he qualified as a doctor Elly, the Holdens, and even dear old Mrs Briggs - now rather old and somewhat infirm - were all there to witness his awards.
This is just a Christmas story - but we should all try to remember that such problems and situations do occur. That is part of life. But between nice people, who are understanding and are prepared to see the other's point of view there is always a solution to be found - provided the willingness is there to recognise it.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY ! [more]
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