The complete novel is available in both Kindle and paperback formats at Amazon.
From Here to 1137 AD is a story about a 19-year-old Tom Bales. Both of his parents have died, and he’s left with the family farm. He is contacted by an alien from a faraway galaxy who gives him a simple task. However, it becomes complicated. It takes him to unimagined places, adventures, and emotional awakenings.
Alone
Tom opened the door to his farmhouse home. The phone was ringing. It sat on a small stand next to the door. He switched on the overhead dining room light.
He picked up the phone. “Hello.”
“Is this Thomas Bales?”
“Yes.”
“This is Nurse Langley at Memorial Hospital. I have some bad news. Your mother has just passed away.”
Tom stood motionless. He relaxed the phone from his ear. He knew the words but could not make sense of them. It was like hearing a foreign language and mentally translating it before it could be comprehended.
“Mr. Bales, are you okay?”
“I just left her, and she was fine.”
“We can’t be sure of why she died, but she had a weak heart.”
Tom tried to take a deep breath, but could not. A tear rolled from his eye and dripped from his cheek. He sniffed.
“Is someone there with you?”
“No,” Tom said, “Mom and I live alone. My dad died a few years ago.”
“Do you have a close relative nearby?”
“All my aunts and uncles are gone, and my cousins have moved away. I have a brother. He’s away at college.”
“Where is that?” Langley inquired.
“Harvard, it’s near Boston.”
“Would you like me to call him for you?”
“No, I can do that.”
“Are you sure?” Langley asked.
“Yes, I can take care of it,” Tom said somberly.
“Is there anyone I can call for you?” Langley asked.
“No, not really,” Tom said. “It’s just that I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe I could at least take the first step for you,” Langley said. “If your mother had a preference for a funeral home, I could call them.”
“I think it was Castle and Dunn,” Tom said. “That’s where my dad was.”
“I’ll call them,” Langley said. “And they’ll contact you. I know them. They’re nice folks. They can help you with all the arrangements.”
“Thank you, Nurse—I’m sorry, I forgot your name.”
“Langley.”
“Thank you, Nurse Langley.”
Tom set the phone down. He pulled out a chair from the dining room table. He sat and buried his face in his palms. He wept.
He wiped away the tears and blew his nose. He reached behind him, grabbing the phone. He placed it on the table and dialed his brother, Edger.
The phone picked up. Laughter and music echoed in the background.
“I’m sorry,” Edger said, “we’ll hold it down.”
“Edger,” Tom said, “this is Tom.”
“Tom,” Edger said jubilantly, “I was going to call you in the morning and surprise you and Mom. I passed the bar. Your big brother is a lawyer now. We’re just having a little celebration. Wish you were here.”
“Edger, do you have someplace where we can talk privately?”
“What is it? You sound downright glum. Out with it.”
“Mom has passed.”
“What do you mean?” Edger said and let out a slight chuckle of disbelief.
“I just got home from the hospital. I got a call from them just as I walked in the door.”
Tom heard a jubilant female voice from Edger’s background. “Hey, Tom, it can’t be that important. Get back to the party.”
Tom heard Edger’s muffled voice, “Hey, I’ll be right there. My brother is congratulating me.”
The muffling left the phone. “Hey, Tom, I have guests, and I don’t want to spoil things. You get some sleep, little brother, and I’ll call in the morning.”
“Edger,” Tom softly pleaded, “help me, I don’t know what to do.”
“Look, Tommy gun,” Edger said, “we’ll work it all out in the morning. Get yourself some sleep.”
Edger hung up.
Tom placed the phone down.
He leaned back in the chair. His head turned toward an old desk, built by his grandfather. It was where his dad did all the paperwork and paid the bills for the farm. When he died, Tom’s mother took it over. The entire desk and papers were like a bank’s vault; he had no idea what lay inside. The mere thought of opening the first bill made him queasy.
‘Mom handles all of that,’ he thought. ‘She was going to teach me, but there was never the time. Mom always said that a day of worry is a week’s worth of exhaustion. She never seemed to worry. But I know she did. She carried a lot, and most of it was that she felt inadequate after Dad died. She did it. She managed the farm and got Edger through law school. Geez, I wish Edgar could have called a couple of hours ago. I wish she could have died knowing that Edgar is now a lawyer. She would be so proud of him.’
Tom looked past the dining room table and at the buffet beyond. On top was the last family picture with Dad, Mom, Edger, and Tom. It rested prominently, framed in ornamental gold.
‘It was a good day. Mom wore yellow. Yellow was her color. Dad bought a new suit. He said he liked wearing that suit so much that he just might become a banker. And, look at Edger, handsome, winning smile; he already had success written all over him. And there’s me—at best, plain and ordinary. He was a head taller than me then. Now I’m almost a head taller than him. He was swift and coordinated, and I was always the oaf.’
“It’s just me and him now,” Tom murmured. From deep inside came a restrained laugh. “Nah, it’s just me.”
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