The Delta Pearl 56 — Rocket

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, November 21, 2020 

Trip to the Moon, film 1902, Wikimedia Commons
Trip to the Moon, film 1902, Wikimedia Commons

Welcome back to the steampunk riverboat, my chuckaboos!  This is a short episode, but it helps explain what is going on in the story.  If you’re paying attention, you’ll find a clue.

Random Reader Things 

Diana Wallace Peach has left several great “things” during course of this voyage.  This time I used martini.  By the way, I’m running low on random reader things, if you care to leave one in a comment.  Thanks again to Dan Antion for letting me use his photos.

Last Time

Last time we left just as Blue John somehow launched himself toward the tear in the sky.   The Delta Pearl answers to no one, and she acted as if she might leave at any minute.

All aboard!

The Delta Pearl

Chapter 56 — Rocket

Enrique Meseguer at Pixabay, altered image
Enrique Meseguer at Pixabay, altered image

Darkness sat on my chest — as if its weight was too heavy for my lungs to work.  I thought I’d gone blind.  With a loud involuntary wheeze, I realized the sensation was the result of not breathing.

I wasn’t blind, but all the stars were gone.  In the spot where the moon had been, traces of blue and green waves lingered.  The last notes of the harmonic tones that accompanied them echoed.

A small but bright light seared my vision.  As I blinked away the spots it caused, I heard the inventor’s voice.

“Victor?  You should go back below.  It’s not safe on deck,” I said to the light that continued to come closer.

It was hard to know up from down in such darkness.  I felt a little like the time when I sneaked a martini.  However, I wasn’t arfarfan’arf.  I didn’t realize that I was sprawled on the floor until Victor knelt down beside me.  First, I was blinded by utter darkness, and then by his bright light.  I held up my hand to shield my eyes.

“Oh.  I apologize,” Victor muttered, seeing my grimace.

He raised his hands to his head.  As he moved the light to point it upward, I saw that it was attached to a helmet he wore.

“Are you unharmed, Émeraude?  I felt the most terrible sensations.  It felt like I was on a giant, powerful magnet.  As it would be if someone tried to force such a device to touch another magnet, but one of the opposite pole.  I could feel the approaching power, and then the way the two repelled one another,” Victor told me.

“Did you see Blue John Boulton — I mean the Mate?  He… he went…” I sputtered, still shocked.

Victor made  a frustrated noise.  He looked upward and shook his head sadly.

“I saw the rocket, and what looked like it might be a man attached to it,” my inventor replied.  “Blue John sometimes helped with the project Randall Needleman and I started with the supplies we got in Cairo, Illinois.”

Flash cropped image Dan Antion
Flash, croped from one of Dan Antion’s photos

“You mean the electro telescope?” I interrupted, feeling certain I had gotten the name of the gadget wrong.

“Telectroscope,” Victor corrected the term softly.  “The rocket was a second part of that creation.  The blasted rocket wasn’t designed with any safety features!  I never meant a human to fly with it.  I thought perhaps one of the clockworks, but I didn’t feel comfortable with even that!”

Of course, Victor had done most of the work.  The image of him, essentially pretending that Randall and Blue were helping, came to my mind.  It would have been amusing under other circumstances.

“I meant to eventually send it into that brown cloud,” Victor continued.  “After you were abducted in that net, I knew it had to connect to something.  That there were more than vapors in the cloud.  I was sure it, and whomever controls it, would come back.  When it does, I hoped I could use the rocket to get the telectroscope up there and use it to have a look around.”

“Blue John was ranting like a lunatic.  I didn’t understand half of what he said.  The only part I heard clearly was ‘It’s coming.’  And as nonsensical as it sounds, I could have sworn he said ‘the other pearl.’  For a moment I thought he meant the Delta Pearl, but that’s insane,” Victor commented.  “Then he bolted away with the telectroscope and the rocket.”

I had lost sight of the Mate when the colored sound waves blasted heavenward, pushing against the tear in the sky.  Blue John disappeared into the harmonic waves of blue and green.

“Blue didn’t just take the telectroscope,” I told Victor, understanding the strange thing I saw before the world went dark.  “He rocketed himself into the sky along with it.”

Riverboat docked night lights Dan Antion
Photo by Dan Antion

***

End Chapter 56

***

Blue John seems to have taken the only device that might have been used to get him back. Where did he go anyway?  It looked like he went into a tear in the sky.  What happens when the rocket runs out of fuel?  Is there anything beyond the split in the heavens? Can the Mate be saved?  Until next time.

Be well, be happy, my chuckaboos.  

***

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This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2016 and 2020 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved. 

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

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70 thoughts on “The Delta Pearl 56 — Rocket”

  1. Pingback: The Delta Pearl — Several Reminders – Teagan's Books

  13. Yikes. That was a twist. There’s apparently some time travel or other dimensions going on here. I hope Blue John gets back to the Pearl. But you never know if your stories, Teagan. An exciting episode. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next! Keep up the creativity. 😀 Hugs.

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  17. I am anxiously waiting to find out what happens to Blue John and if he is able to return any information to Victor through the telectroscope. I thought “mirror universe” for split second, but that’s a little too Star Trek. I think we know whatever is happening that good must overcome evil.

    I asked Gibbs if he had a word to share for a future chapter and all he could come up with is “birds, poop, kibble and love me!” I told him he’s of little help, but then again, I am drawing a blank.

    Happy weekend, Teagan. Sending hugs and purrs from the fur baby and I.

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    1. Gibbs is wise, Mary J. LOL. Although any of those might actually work… especially “love me!”(Yes, I’m adding that one to my matrix.) I’ve used much stranger things. o_O
      My chuckaboo, you’ve gotten two clues out of me. The first being the “love me” thing, and the other is — you are right. It will not be a mirror universe. A couple of people have suggested that along the way. It could work. It’s just not what I have in mind. Besides, that would be too easy. LOL. Hugs winging back from Crystal and me. 🐱

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  19. Oh my! This chapter left me feeling a little unsteady. I do hope Blue John will make it home safely. Perhaps the power of the Delta Pearl can bring him back? I’m hoping so. By the way, I’m liking Victor more and more. He is extremely intelligent and has a soft side. Great character!

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    1. Oops, I’m sorry about the wooziness, Jan. Although I’m relieved I got Emeraude’s feeling across. Thanks so much for saying that about Victor. That means a lot to me.
      Blue John’s thread is an integral part of the new ending. I know what it is… it’s just not simple to write. o_O Thanks for reading and commenting, my chuckaboo!

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  20. Here we go again…..another cliff hanger. You pack a lot of wallop in a shortened episode! Clues, yes. But there are more questions. So many characters not heard from in a long time. Will be glad to see them again. Is Blue John trying to save someone or even the Delta Pearl? Are there two Delta Pearls fighting over the Alpha spot?

    I’m thinking gramophone as a random thing. But I’m not sure if that was already used.

    Have a really nice weekend Teagan.
    Ginger

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  21. Teagan, your poor brain must be exhausted from such an inventive chapter. I don’t know who to feel sorrier for, Blue John, your brain or us for having a week to wait to find out. I love your arfarfan’arf. It sounds onomatopoeic, Restorative hugs being prescribed your way.

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    1. Onomatopoeic — I have a new word of the day! LOL. Yes, you’re right — it is onomatopoeic. Although I can’t take credit for arfarfan’arf. It’s genuine Victorian slang.
      You’re right about another thing too, Pat. My brain hurts. I passed it off as a headache, but I think it’s a brain ache. 😀 And the hard part (for me) is yet to come. I know what needs to happen. It’s just getting us there… Thanks for brightening my morning with your comment, my chuckaboo!

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    1. LOL, and believe it or not, I’m planning to answer all of them, GP. Provided my head doesn’t explode from actually getting us to the ending I see. I’ve been dropping (admittedly very tiny) hints about Blue John all along… but I hope it will still be a surprise to everyone. Thanks for visiting and making me smile, my chuckaboo!

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  23. You’ve given us a number of clues, Teagan, but I’ll have to wait for you to make sense of them. I loved the part with the headlamp/lantern. Such a little detail but I can picture that. There seems to be be much more to the dark cloud than we can imagine. I guess we have to wait until next week. I hope the Delta Pearl is patient.

    In the meantime, I hope you have a nice weekend.

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    1. Thank you kindly, Dan. With everyone cheering me up, the day is getting brighter. (As long as I don’t look outside at everything I *should* be doing. I’m still chuckling about those two squirrels in your photo gallery today. 😀 🥜🐿️ 🥜 🐿️
      Thanks for brightening my morning with your comment, my chuckaboo!

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  26. What a great episode! I wonder which clue you’re talking about, Teagan. I’m very intrigued and can’t wait for the next episode. I wonder if “Zoetrope” would work as an object for you. I’ve always liked them but can’t think what you’d do with it. Take care and good luck with all your projects! ♥

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    1. Olga, “zoetrope” is the perfect thing! I didn’t remember the term, but ever since Resa left “camera obscura” (months ago), I’ve had images in my head like a zoetrope — but I knew they weren’t right for camera obscura. I just didn’t have time to do the research and straighten out the tangle in my mind.
      That’s going to be a very difficult episode to write, but it’s been in my head for weeks now. Thank you, my chuckaboo!

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    1. Many thanks for reblogging, adored Ape. I shouldn’t have let myself watch the news just now. I feel like I’ve fallen out of the treehouse and landed on my head. Now I’ve just broken my own rule about mentioning that kind of thing. Okay. ‘Nuf said. Hugs winging your way, my chuckaboo.

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