THE ZAMBINOS OF BLUE HILL: THE PROVING

Will Azeperak
iUniverse, November 2003
Genre: Science Fiction

The Zambinos live in Blue Hill, Maine in 2063. Three brothers build a spacecraft and upon entering Earth orbit they are quickly taken away by a mysterious ship. There they will perform their Proving.

Excerpt From THE ZAMBINOS OF BLUE HILL: THE PROVING

Chapter 1
The Duchess and the Whale
September 12, 1891: On board the schooner Grand Banks Duchess, 30 miles off the coast of New England:

"Mr. Wendell, are you sure that you and these men wouldn't rather stay on board the Duchess?" Chancy Morgan asked with a slight Irish brogue.

"All the same, Mr. Morgan, We'd feel safer in the dories. That monster has its sights set on the Duchess," the ship's quartermaster Sam Wendell, replied as he held onto the rope handles of the ladder, one foot on deck the other on a ladder rung. Three small dories rolled over the waves behind him. The men in the dories anxiously rowed out to sea. Sam then turned to Elizabeth Sully, a passenger. The young woman stood on the heaving deck. Her long yellow dress flapped in the wind . She held tight a thick shawl around her shoulders and neck. The wind whipped about strands of her auburn hair that was otherwise tied up in a bun, "How about you madam? I'll ask you one more time—if you and your two children would come with us?"

Chancy turned to her, "Mrs. Sully, I heartily recommend that you stay on board."

"Thank you, Mr. Morgan and Mr. Wendell, for your concern, but I have made up my mind to stay on board the schooner."

"Very well madam, I'll ask you no more." Sam then turned to the remaining crew, "How about you Manito, Juan, Old Ned—coming with us?"

"I ain't giv'n up this vessel without a fight." declared Ned, the old, the white whiskered, first mate.

"No Sam, we stay with our ship." replied Manito, a tall slim, Portuguese fisherman, as he patted Juan on the shoulder. Juan, also Portuguese gave a cautious nod to Sam—Juan spoke no English.

The ship's captain, Howard Reech, leaned over the gunwale as Sam Wendell and most of the crew of the Grand Banks Duchess rowed off in the small dories, " God's speed Sam—and watch them growing swells!" the captain shouted.

"I pray that that monster returns to the deep, Captain Reech!" Mr. Wendell called back. "And, I pray for your safety!" he added as the dories disappeared over the Atlantic swells.

"We're not the ones in little dories," the captain mumbled to himself as he turned towards the few remaining crew and two passengers. "Well Mrs. Sully, Mr. Morgan—we will proceed on to New York, as planned."

"Captain, do you think that the whale, or whatever it is, will attack?" Mrs. Sully asked.

"It could swallow us up, like Jonah himself." Old Ned said with wide and excited eyes.

"Oh, pipe down Ned, you'll frighten the poor woman." The captain huffed as he attempted to light his pipe.

"You pipe down, it could happen! That's one big whale—I can tell by the boil that rises when it moves." The old sailor fired back.

Mrs. Sully turned to the captain, "Captain Reech, I am no more frightened than anyone else on board this ship. But, that creature has been following us for three days."

"Madam, I honestly, don't know what that whale will do. But I do know that with this wind, the Duchess can out run it and we'll make harbor in a day and a half. Then I'll send out word about the dories."

"I hope that you are right Captain, for our sakes and the sakes of my two children."

Chancy attempted to produce a reassuring smile, "Mrs. Sully, I have studied all things scientific, including marine science, and I can assure you that there is no whale with a throat large enough to swallow a man, much less an entire ship."

"Thank you, Mr. Morgan; I hope that you too are right."

The men dug their oars in deep and pulled their dories over the heaving swells. Sam Wendell kept his eyes fixed in the direction of the Grand Banks Duchess. Only the ship's sails could be seen against the darkening skies. With each swell the yellowed canvas poked above the cold gray waves and caught the pink light of the setting sun.

Then, one of the men, eyes wide and fixed, stood in his dory and silently pointed towards the Duchess's position. The men watched in horror as a bright blue glow appeared over the waves and then subsided. A great deep thrum made the water dance all around the dories and reverberated up through the floorboards. The men lifted their feet in alarm.

The vibration subsided. The sails of The Grand Banks Duchess did not appear with the next up-swell. The men sat in stunned silence.

"May God have mercy on their souls," a shaken Sam Wendell prayed.

Will Azeperak Bio

Will Azeperak believes that we have a very bright future. He is a Medical Product Design Engineer. He grew up in Rochester, NY and graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology. For more than twenty years he has designed and developed a wide range of products from toys to military computers and self-serve airport kiosks to implantable medical devices to operating room equipment. He is confident that his readers have probably used some of his products and maybe even have some inside of them. Passionate about design and the future, he has channeled that passion into his science fiction stories. His vision of the future includes devices and gadgets that capture the imagination of SiFi readers. Will is married and has three teen children. He lives in Florida, the tropical land of Moon rockets and alligators.

View our OnceWritten.com Will Azeperak Profile now.

Copyright Information

The Zambinos of Blue Hill: The Proving, Will Azeperak
iUniverse, November 2003

The preceding excerpt was taken from the book The Zambinos of Blue Hill: The Proving with complete approval by the author Will Azeperak and/or the publisher iUniverse. This information may not be re-used or redistributed in any manner.

Purchase Information

Click the link to purchase The Zambinos of Blue Hill: The Proving now.

Here Are Some Other Sci Fi/Fantasy Titles You Might Enjoy

View the complete list of Sci Fi/Fantasy Titles OnceWritten.com

Help Spread the Word

Want to foward the information on this page to a friend? Click the The Zambinos of Blue Hill: The Proving, Will Azeperak page link now for an easy way to e-mail your friends a link back to this page.

(Please note this link opens in a new window, so please make sure your pop-up blocker is deactivated.)