David Lee Summers's Blog, page 118

Fan Guest of Honor at TusCon 39!

Only one week to go until TusCon 39, a great little science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention in Tucson, Arizona. It will be held from November 9-11, 2012 at the Hotel CityCenter in Tucson, Arizona. The Guest of Honor of S.M. Stirling. The Toastmaster is Ed Bryant and I will be the Fan Guest of Honor. You can learn more about the convention at: http://www.tusconscificon.com/index.html

As it turns out, I have attended most of the TusCons for the last eighteen years. That first TusCon was during my original tenure operating telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory. My wife Kumie was in Graduate School at the University of Arizona and we bought a dealer’s table to market cassette tapes of my novel The Pirates of Sufiro as read by fellow members of the Kitt Peak staff. Since that time, I’ve published seven novels, approximately 60 short stories, and started Hadrosaur Tales Magazine, which became Tales of the Talisman. It’s kind of wild just to look back on that road and think about it. Still, I am first and foremost a fan of good science fiction, fantasy and horror and I’m honored to be this year’s fan guest of honor.

TusCon Schedule

Without further ado, here’s my schedule for TusCon 39. It looks like a great one! The complete schedule is available at: http://www.tusconscificon.com/public_html/content/schedule.html

Friday, November 9

7-9pm – Copper Room – Mingle With the Guests. You can be sure I’ll be there for Ed Bryant’s opening remarks, the chance to mingle, and what would TusCon be without stuffed potato skins?

Saturday, November 10

10-11am – Copper Room – A Steampunk Primer: We’ve All heard the phrase “steampunk” but what is it? Anna Paradox and Bruce C. Davis will join me on this panel.
1-2pm – St. Augustine Room – Paranormal Steampunk: Why do Paranormal and steampunk work so well together? Bennie Grezlik and Cynthia Ward witll be on this panel with me.
2-3pm – Copper Room – Hour with David Lee Summers FGOH.
3-4pm – Copper Room – Mass Autograph Session
Look around for signs announcing the annual David Lee Summers/Marty Massoglia Birthday Bash (or just ask us!) This is the rare year that our birthdays actually don’t happen at TusCon, but the party has become a tradition, so it will go forward!

Sunday, November 11

10-11am – Silver Room – Married Couples, why are they so rare as heroes? On the panel with me are Yvonne Navarro, Thomas Watson and Cynthia Ward.
Noon-they kick us out or they start serving chili, whichever comes first – Garden Room – Reading from Dragon’s Fall Rise of the Scarlet Order. In fact, I’ll probably read from a few different things including my new novel.

As usual, if I’m not on a panel or other event, you’ll likely find me at the Hadrosaur Productions dealer’s table. Hope to see you at TusCon!

Halloween and Dia de los Muertos

This coming week, we celebrate two of my favorite holidays, Halloween and Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Below is a calaveras skeleton I bought at the Day of the Dead celebration in Mesilla, New Mexico three years ago.

As a horror writer, it’s perhaps no surprise that I really enjoy the thrills and chills of Halloween. When I was a kid, though, it was a bit of a forbidden thrill. My dad was raised to believe that Halloween was a pagan tradition and I never sensed he was entirely comfortable with it. My mom never had a problem with the holiday and I regularly dressed up and went out trick-or-treating. The first Halloween I can remember, I dressed up as a spooky black cat. Perhaps that explains why some of my vampires transform into cats and why a big mountain cat rounds out my poem “Alone with the Astronomer Ghosts,” which you can listen to here: http://www.sfpoetry.com/halloween.html

The funny part about my dad’s discomfort with Halloween is that I also think of him as the person who really got me thinking about horror. We used to watch old horror movies together. He would regularly throw in Mystery Science Theater 3000-style comments about the movie (years before there was a Mystery Science Theater 3000!) making them fun, but no less haunting.

No doubt the forbidden thrills of Halloween played a big part in the creation of the Scarlet Order vampire series along with much of the other horror I’ve written. I find tapping the emotions of horror is a great way for me to explore the human condition and peer into those dark places that we might not be able to explore through more mainstream fiction. Clicking the cover below, you can learn about the latest Scarlet Order novel and explore some of those forbidden thrills for yourself.

[image error]

Of course, all these memories get to the root of Dia de los Muertos, which follows on the heels of Halloween. It’s a holiday for remembering those loved ones who have gone before. It’s especially powerful for me personally in that my father died in October 1980 and my mom in November 2009. It’s hard not to think about them this time of year. This year, my daughters and I plan to celebrate their memories by making a loaf of Pan de Muertos, the Bread of the Dead. A few years ago, I wrote a Day of the Dead poem for my dad that was first published in Macabre Magazine. Enjoy!

Pan de Muerto

by David Lee Summers

All Soul’s Day—The Day of the Dead—

Picnics and parties at the cemetery.

Gravestones decorated with flowers,

Pinwheels, photos, favorite toys,

Candies and pan de muerto—

The Bread of the Dead.

My daughter and I make the bread.

She beats the eggs—even in death,

There is the memory of new life.

I add the orange essence – memory

Of the orange trees Grandpa—

My dad—loved so much.

Together, my daughter and I add the

flour—grown from the soil where

Grandpa now rests. Together we

Kneed the dough—making a

Connection across time.

Grandfather to father to daughter.

We set the bread out with a photo,

Some Halloween candy, and many

Happy memories. Sleep that night is

Restless. There is a chill in the air.

Morning comes and a chunk is gone

From the Bread of the Dead.

Vampires, Ghosts, and a Contest

Today, I’m excited to announce the release of my newest novel, Dragon’s Fall: Rise of the Scarlet Order published by Lachesis Publishing.

[image error]

Dragon’s Fall: Rise of the Scarlet Order tells the story of how three different vampires came together to form an elite team of vampire mercenaries. Visit http://www.davidleesummers.com/books.html#dragons_fall to learn more about the book and find places to order.

What’s more, we’re holding a contest to celebrate the novel’s release. To get the details and read an exclusive excerpt from the novel, visit: http://authorjessicafrost.blogspot.ca/2012/10/david-lee-summers-dragons-fall-rise-of.html. Note, you must be at least 18 years old to visit the site and enter the contest.

I have to work on release day, but you can still celebrate with me on Twitter. Because I work nights, you’ll find me on after around 6pm Mountain Time. I’ll be available all night. Just drop a tweet to @davidleesummers or #ScarletOrder and help me celebrate the release of the new novel.

Ghosts at the Hotel Gadsden

Last weekend, I attended a book signing at the historic Hotel Gadsden in Douglas, Arizona. The hotel has long been rumored to be haunted. People have reported seeing floating apparitions, having personal items moved in the night, and more. In fact, during the weekend, my friend Gini Koch reported having a frightening encounter where she felt a spirit had pinned her to the bed.

Even I had an interesting encounter. My wife was on the hotel’s mezzanine and snapped the following two photos back to back. Notice the large, hovering orb in front of me in the first photo.

Now, admittedly, orbs are controversial even among firm believers in the paranormal. They often turn out to be dust grains or other bits of fluff illuminated by the camera flash. Moreover, I’m a skeptic and I don’t claim this is proof of a paranormal event. Even so, what’s odd about this is that no orbs showed up in any other photos we took at the hotel. Also, I’m struck by the sheer size of the orb in the first photo. If it’s just an optical phenomenon, it’s an interesting one.

More Vampire Fun

Make sure to stop by Emily Guido’s blog starting this Friday to learn more about Dragon’s Fall and several other great vampire titles. Her blog is at: http://emilyguido.com.

The Wild Bunch

This past spring, at ConDor — a science fiction convention in San Diego — my friend Denise Dumars recommended the film The Wild Bunch. She suggested that it’s a great steampunk film from the days before the term steampunk was coined.

Sam Peckinpah’s film tells the story of a band of outlaws who are seeing the west change around them. The railroad is hunting them down and they disappear into Mexico, which is in the middle of the revolution. They’re hired by one of the generals to steal a load of weapons from a train in the United States.

It’s definitely historical fiction — blending some elements of both westerns and war films — but is it steampunk?

On the pro-steampunk side, the movie very much addresses the impact of technology such as machine guns and automobiles on the characters. It also looks at the bigger social changes that come about when those who control the technology, such as railroad men, become a force to be reckoned with in society. There’s even a guy who wears goggles as a hatband, like a certain author I know has done!

All of that noted, one characteristic of steampunk is that the technology is usually presented as anachronistic in some way. For example, airships in widespread use over Victorian London or plasma guns in the old west. Nothing in The Wild Bunch is really anachronistic or speculative.

One element of the movie I found personally interesting was the exploration of the Mexican Revolution. As it turns out, I spent part of this week writing a steampunk vision of the revolution. No question my version is steampunk since I’m definitely introducing technology that was not used historically — and Pancho Villa even makes a journey to an alternate Earth in my story! I hope to tell you more about this project soon!

Whether you think The Wild Bunch is steampunk or not, it’s a great film featuring the likes of William Holden and Ernest Borgnine. If you’re a fan of steampunk, westerns, or war films, you’ll probably enjoy this movie.

Speaking of Pancho Villa, I’m signing books all day today at the Hotel Gadsden in Douglas, Arizona. If you’re in the neighborhood, be sure to drop by. It’s said that Pancho Villa rode his horse up the hotel’s staircase!

Even if you’re not close enough to drop by the Hotel Gadsden, please do drop by my vampire blog tomorrow. I have some exciting news about Dragon’s Fall: Rise of the Scarlet Order that you won’t want to miss. My vampire blog is at: http://dlsummers.wordpress.com

Authors and Artists Weekend, Douglas, Arizona

On October 13, from 10am until 4pm I’ll be one of more than fifteen authors signing books in the lobby of the historic Hotel Gadsden in Douglas, Arizona.

Also attending will be such talented authors as Jeff Mariotte, Gini Koch, Yvonne Navarro and Weston Ochse. I’ll have all my books along and I plan to dress up in high Steampunk fashion, which benefits the history of the Gadsden. If you follow the link, you’ll note that the Gadsden not only has a grand history dating back to the days of the old west, it is said to be haunted.

I’m working on a Steampunk novella that features Pancho Villa in an alternate history. It turns out that one of the ghosts who is supposedly a permanent resident of the hotel is none other than Pancho Villa himself. It makes me wonder if I’ll actually get a rare opportunity to meet a character from one of my own stories! If I do, I will be sure to let you know!

One of the things I find exciting about visiting the Hotel Gadsden is that it was designed by architect Henry Trost. He designed many grand buildings in Tucson, Arizona, El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico. It appears that he outdid himself with the lobby of the Hotel Gadsden.

So, if you’re in range of Douglas, Arizona on October 13, I hope you’ll drop in to the Hotel Gadsden and say “hello.” I look forward to meeting you and talking about books, astronomy and maybe we’ll even swap a ghost story or two.

Juggling

I’ve been juggling quite a few writing and editing projects lately. I don’t tend to spend a lot of time discussing projects that are in process for a few reasons. First of all, I tend to believe in the maxim that if you’re talking about writing, you’re not writing. Second, there is just a little tiny part of my brain that’s superstitious. I don’t like to jinx projects before they’ve sold. Finally, some projects are just at too early a stage to say anything meaningful about them.

One project that’s coming close to completion is my vampire novel Dragon’s Fall: Rise of the Scarlet Order. It’s my sixth novel written and sold, my seventh to be published. It’s being formatted and printed now and I’m just waiting for my publisher to tell me it’s available for sale.

[image error]

Also, in vampire news, I just sold the short story “A Garden Resurrected” to Padwolf Publishing for their Apocalypse 13 anthology. You can keep up with all my vampire-related news at my other blog: http://dlsummers.wordpress.com

While waiting for the new book to be published, I’ve been wrapping up an editing project for Sky Warrior Publishing. I don’t edit a lot of books right now. My job at Kitt Peak National Observatory is such that it doesn’t allow much time to both edit and write, but this was a project too exciting to pass up. Sky Warrior is reissuing Soldiers by John Dalmas as an ebook. In the novel, humans have spread throughout the galaxy and finally found peace. Just at that moment, a swarm of warlike aliens from another galaxy invades. Structurally and thematically, the novel reminded me of my own The Pirates of Sufiro. I really enjoyed getting to know this novel by John Dalmas.

Working on this project has taken enough of my attention, I haven’t focused as much as I’d like on my Steampunk novel Wolf Posse. Despite that, when I was at Bubonicon this past summer, I was invited to submit a Steampunk novella for an ebook series called Empires of Steam & Rust. This has been the perfect scale project to work on while editing. I don’t want to say too much about the story I hope to submit for the reasons I said above. No matter what happens with my contribution, you should definitely check out the series at your favorite ebook retailer. The first volume is by Robert E. Vardeman and the second by Stephen D. Sullivan. Both were a lot of fun and I hope my contribution proves a worthy installment.

In the meantime, I’ve also been scribbling down notes on Wolf Posse plus a couple of short stories I have committed to writing.

With that, I better get back to work. Just a couple more days before I need to shift gears and return to the observatory where I’ll focus on driving telescopes, updating documentation and help explore the real universe.

One Lovely Blog Award

I am honored to have been tagged with “One Lovely Blog Award by Kristina Perkins. She is an actress, a poet, and a force of nature. Be sure to visit her at katrinaperkins.wordpress.com

The rules for this award are:

Give credit to the awesome person who nominated you and post the award at your site.
Describe 7 things about yourself.
Recommend 15 other bloggers


Seven random things about David Lee Summers

I was voted “Best Writer in the Mesilla Valley” in the Las Cruces Bulletin’s Reader’s Choice Awards in 2001 and 2002.
My “day” job at the observatory typically requires that I work from sunset (or a bit before) until sunrise.
Despite that (or maybe because of it), I crave sunshine on my days away from the observatory and prefer to write during daylight hours.
I love a good cup of coffee. It’s what allows me to swap schedules like I do!
When I was a kid, my dad and I would watch horror movies and make snarky comments, a la Mystery Science Theater 3000. That’s probably why I tend to mix a sense of humor into my horror.
Also when I was a kid, we used to drive across the country, which cultivated a life-long love of United States history, which I use in my steampunk fiction.
One of my aunts was from Germany. From her, I discovered German language and culture, which in turn led me to a love of the original Grimms’ Fairy Tales, which have been an on-going source of inspiration for my fantasy stories.


Fifteen Blogs I like

Here are fifteen blogs I like. Some of these have appeared in other award posts I’ve done, but that’s just because they bear repeating!

http://unproductivezombies.blogspot.com/
http://jjgiovanna.bravejournal.com/
http://authoremilyguido.com
http://pagadan.livejournal.com/
http://authorryanschneider.blogspot.com/
http://www.fromthewritersdesk.net/
http://www.theaccidentalghosthunter.com/
http://www.thedickrichards.com/blog
http://bryanthomasschmidt.net/
http://lasrsffguests.blogspot.com/
http://rebeccablain.com/
http://darkcargo.com/
http://dabofdarkness.com/
http://www.mondoernesto.com/
http://dlsummers.wordpress.com

Guest Post: Chris Wong Sick Hong

Chris Wong Sick Hong is the author of the story “The Festival of Flame” that appears in the anthology Gears and Levers 1 from Sky Warrior Publishing.

I think he raises an interesting issue—one that steampunk is both susceptible to and capable of looking at critically. Chris is also the author of the novel Dick Richards: Private Eye and has a story in the anthology Zombiefied: An Anthology of All Things Zombie.

I’ve read that some steampunk stories treat the idea of “the white man’s burden” a bit naively. If you haven’t come across the term before, the white man’s burden is the Victorian idea that Western Europeans and those of Western European descent–in this case, the proud masters of steam and steel–because they have superior technology, scientific understanding and personal virtue, should go out of their way to help less fortunate people and cultures. On the face of it, it’s an altruistic enough motivation, but that’s not how it was used in history.

Time and time again, it was used as an excuse for conquering peoples — “we have to subjugate them in order to teach them proper civilization”–stealing and looting natural resources — “these people can’t possibly spend this money wisely, so it’s our duty to take it for ourselves” — and generally being dicks — “we have this burden because we’re superior, so it’s okay to treat them as less than human than us, because they are.”

This is important because, with its roots in Victorian culture, steampunk is just as susceptible to the racism, violence and hate as the era it hails from. In the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution, the values of hard work, perseverance and scientific progress guided British (and U.S.) life, and the mastery of steam and steel transformed people’s lives, not always for the better. In their zeal to improve life, they were more than willing to destroy anything that didn’t fit into their vision of a “better” future.

When the European nations, including the U.S., started trading with China, they ran into a problem. The government of China frowned on trade, made the foreign merchants jump through hoops, and considered everything not Chinese to be barbaric and not worth having in the first place. On the other hand, Westerners loved the fine china, teas and spices from the Orient. The countries of the West were losing so much money they were afraid of going bankrupt.

Their solution? To make a long story short, they got China hooked on drugs (opium, the plant both morphine and heroin come from) in the interest of profit and progress. When the Chinese government tried to put a stop to it, they declared war. Due to their superior technology, the Europeans won. 40 years later, sick of the foreign conquerors extorting their people through unfair treaties, the Boxers rebelled.

Understanding different cultures is difficult enough without a history of war between them. And during war, it’s all but impossible. The Festival of Flame takes a look at an alternate history where the Europeans still conquered China, but did so with all the technological wonders steampunk is known for. On the eve of the rebellion, a Boxer assassin, bolstered by cultural mysteries stretching back millenia, tries to save his homeland, to make things right. But with all the misunderstandings, violence and hate, is a better future possible?

Fabulous Blog Ribbon

Emily Guido, who has been a wonderful supporter of this blog, has honored me with a new blog award. This one is the Fabulous Blog Ribbon.

Emily is the author of the Light-Bearer Series and I was delighted to hear that she’s just signed a deal with PDMI Publishing. Her blog is in the process of moving over to its new home at http://authoremilyguido.com. If you’re into paranormal romance, be sure to bookmark her page so you can learn about this exciting series.

Having received the Fabulous Blog Award, I need to tell you about five fabulous moments, five things I love, five things I hate, and five blogs you should check out.

Five Fabulous Moments

Holding each of my daughters for the first time. Admittedly, this is really two moments, but they were both equally fabulous. Nothing else even comes close.
Receiving contributor copies of the August 2001 issue of Realms of Fantasy Magazine. Not only did it include my first professional sale, it was illustrated by the brilliant Mark Harrison and my name was on the cover between Harlan Ellison and Alan Dean Foster.
Spending a day with Ray Bradbury when I was 16. The highlight of the day was when I told him about a story I had written and he looked at me and said, “Send your story to a magazine now!” I have been sending my stories to publishers ever since.
Performing in Brigadoon during my senior year at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. I got to sing, dance, speak in a Scottish accent, and wear a kilt on stage. It was absolutely exhilarating, especially when I drew laughs and cheers for my performance.
Returning to that same stage exactly twenty years later as a professional science fiction writer alongside people I admire, including Nichelle Nichols from Star Trek, Walter Jon Williams, S.M. Stirling, and Jane Lindskold. How many times do you get to return to your alma mater and see your name in lights? That was truly exciting!


Five Things I Love

My two daughters. They are brilliant and beautiful. Truly they are my greatest inspiration.
My wife, Kumie. She also is brilliant and beautiful, and strong, too. She keeps me in line and its her faith in me that keeps me going even in the darkest of times.
Chile peppers. I absolutely adore flavorful and spicy food.
Chocolate. I’m especially fond of dark chocolate and I even like it when you mix it with chile. One of my favorite foods is chicken molé, which is chicken in a rich sauce of chocolate and chile. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!
I love writing—especially that transcendent moment when I no longer feel like I’m sitting behind a computer typing on keys, but feel like I’m experiencing a set of events and relaying them as they’re happening.


Five Things I hate

Being sick. Not only do I feel miserable when I’m sick, but I often lose precious writing time. The last time I was sick, I had so little energy, I couldn’t even read. That was horrible!
Irrationality. That’s a catch-all for everything from prejudice to people who simply won’t consider the opposing side in a debate. We have far too much of this today and it drives me crazy.
Being trapped. At one time or another, I’ve been stuck in a broken elevator, stranded alongside the road in a car that has broken down, or otherwise felt like my freedom was severely limited for some reason. To me, being trapped is a terrible sensation.
Writing rejection letters. This is a necessity as an editor of short fiction but as a writer, I know how it feels to receive a rejection. I’ve received enough now that the sting is pretty minimal, but it’s still there. The problem is, not hearing a response is even worse. Still, I find the process of writing rejection letters one of the most draining and difficult things I do.
Olives. As I’ve grown older, my tastes have matured and I’ve learned to like a lot of things I hated as a kid—not the least of which are Brussels Sprouts. But for some reason, I have just never warmed up to olives. (I do like olive oil, though. Go figure!)


Five Blogs You Should Check Out

http://wyrmflight.wordpress.com – a blog for dragon lovers.
http://dabofdarkness.com/ – reviews of books and audiobooks, plus book discussion.
http://ginikoch.blogspot.com/ – my favorite red-headed cowgirl and a darned good writer.
http://mrockwell.livejournal.com/ – talented poet and novelist, Marsheila Rockwell.
http://skywarriorbooks.blogspot.com/ – one of my favorite publishers and many good tips for writers.

Perry and the Apocalypse

On the weekend of August 24-26, I was honored to be one of the participating authors at Bubonicon 44 in Albuquerque. Bubonicon was named by authors Robert E. Vardeman and Roy Tackett as a nod to the occasional outbreaks of Bubonic Plague that happen to this day in Albuquerque’s East Mountain Area. In fact, I gather the year the convention received its name, Egypt had placed restrictions on travel to New Mexico.

The convention’s mascot is Perry Rodent. He is a rat with one shoe who has adventures through time and space. The character is a nod to the German space opera hero Perry Rhodan. Each year, the convention features a Perry Rodent story in the program book. Over the years, these stories have been written by such folks as Daniel Abraham, Melinda Snodgrass, Pati Nagle, Michael A. Stackpole, Jack Williamson, Carrie Vaughn, Mario Acevedo, and Ian Tregillis. This year, I was asked to chronicle Perry’s adventures through time and space. The only guideline I was given was that Perry must lose his shoe at some point during the adventure. I gather Perry first lost his shoe when an artist drew Perry with one shoe and one bare foot.

So, without further ado, here is Perry and the Apocalypse with its illustration courtesy Monica Meehan.

Perry and the Apocalypse

Story by David Lee Summers

Illustration by Monica Meehan

Thwack. Rustle. Crack.

“This isn’t exactly the way I expected to spend my weekend,” said Terri as she brought her machete down on the jungle growth. “It’s the twenty-fifth century. Isn’t there a better way to get through all this foliage?”

“Sure, if you wanted to clear cut the forest or burn it to the ground.” Perry Rodent swung his own machete. “Earth’s a preserve now. The rangers would frown on that.”

Terri scowled. “But do we really have to go all the way to Uaxactún? Couldn’t you look this information up on the ’net or visit a museum or something?”

Perry sighed. “Dr. Ratigan has been measuring fluctuations in the local dark energy levels. As best he can tell, these fluctuations happen on a 394-year cycle, remarkably close to the Mayan B’ak’tun cycle. We’d like to compare his measurements to Mayan observations and predictions. What better way to do that than to come to a Mayan astronomy site?”

“Still, couldn’t we have just brought the shuttle directly here?” Terri swung the machete menacingly close to Perry’s nose.

Peering through the break in the foliage, Perry caught sight of the ancient Mayan ruins. The stalwart rodent pushed through the remaining jungle growth into a clearing and pulled up a map of the site on his wrist comp. Terri came up beside him and, despite her earlier reservations about being dragged through the jungle, stared in awe at the imposing stone pyramids surrounding them and understood why Perry chose a more distant landing site. Perry led the way to one of the temples and grabbed a flashlight from his utility belt.

Terri followed him inside, her nose twitching. “Oh joy, we go from the bug-infested jungle to the mold-infested ruins. Do you see anything?”

Perry nodded and pointed to a series of glyphs on the wall. He scanned the symbols with his wrist comp and called up a translation. “This is a representation of the Mayan Long Count Calendar. Notice how the symbols repeat. They clearly understood cyclical time.”

Terri rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but we knew that. We’re here to study Mayan observations and predictions.”

Perry turned around, his whiskers twitching. “Exactly! Don’t you see, Terri? If they understood cyclical time, they must have understood the mathematics of circles. To understand circles, they needed to understand pi. If they understood pie, then maybe they understood cobblers. If they understood cobblers, then maybe…just maybe, I can learn why my shoes keep falling off.”

“Oh, please.” Terri stepped forward and shone her flashlight at the glyphs. “So what’s that glyph mean?”

Perry consulted his wrist comp. “That was the end the twelfth B’ak’tun—the year 1618. The Mayans predicted a big avalanche. Sure enough, there was a dark energy surge that knocked loose a snow drift and buried an entire Swiss village.”

“So where’s the thirteenth?”

Perry counted out a few glyphs and pointed. “Right there. 2012. Dark energy fluctuations caused earthquakes and floods to sweep the Earth. Rats became the dominant species.” Perry flashed a sharp-toothed grin.

“Wow. Those Mayans were good at making predictions.” Terri nodded in appreciation. “So this goes on for something like what…seven more B’ak’tun cycles.”

“Yeah, twenty B’ak’tuns make a Pictun,” he said distractedly, as he began scanning the older glyphs. “Then the calendar rolls over and starts again. Cyclical time and all that.”

Terri counted out several glyphs. “So this one’s the end of the fourteenth B’aktun, right? What does it mean?”

Perry looked over and blinked. “Oh, that one.” He scanned the glyph with his wrist comp. “That corresponds to the next dark energy fluctuation Ratigan predicted. It seems the Mayans believed a solar flare would devastate the surface of the Earth or some such.”

“When exactly does the fourteenth B’ak’tun cycle come to an end?”

Perry pushed a button on the wrist comp. “About two hours, give or take.”

Perry and Terri looked at each other. “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

Together, they ran from the Mayan temple, doing their best to follow the path they had cut earlier. Perry signaled the Stardust—his vessel in orbit. “Dr. Ratigan, notify the authorities. We need to evacuate the Earth immediately! Ooof!” Perry’s foot landed in a mud bog and he tumbled onto his nose.

Terri helped him back to his feet.

He looked at his boot stuck in the mud. “Oh no, not again.”

Abandoning the shoe, they pushed their way through the jungle until they came to the shuttle. Flicking switches and turning dials, they blasted off and returned to the Stardust. As soon as Perry arrived on the bridge, he ordered the helmsman to warp to a safe distance and activate the holographic viewer. They saw ships loaded with rats leaving the Earth. Dr. Ratigan started a clock counting down at his station. When it reached zero, the lights dimmed and the hummings and chirpings of the computer quieted ominously as a wave of dark energy rolled past the Stardust like a tidal wave passing beneath a ship at sea. A few minutes later, a bright flare erupted on the surface of the sun.

Perry had to wipe away a tear as the solar flare engulfed the Earth. Even though it had become a park and few inhabited it anymore, it was the one place in the universe all rats called home.

“So tell me,” said Terri, with a hand on her hip, “why exactly couldn’t we burn down the forest to get to the temple?”

Hope you enjoyed the story. At the convention, I learned that the glyphs in Monica’s illustration actually have meaning. Her source for the glyphs was: http://www.ancientscripts.com/maya.html. Here’s what it all means: