Entangled with a Cyclops

Book 5

Parker J. Cole

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.

The book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. All rights are reserved with the exceptions of quotes used in reviews. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage system without express written permission from the author.

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Beyond the VEIL Series

©January 2020 Parker J Cole

Cover Design by Virginia McKevitt

Editing by Cyndi Rule

CONTENTS

COPYRIGHT

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JOIN PARKER’S BODACIOUS READERS

WORKS BY PARKER J COLE

Minerva Wong wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and then tried again.

“Line 5467,” she murmured out loud as her fingers tapped the keyboard. Her eyes fastened on the blue computer screen in front of her as if her life depended on it.

Well, maybe not her life but at least her very sanity.

“You didn’t see anything.” She bit the corner of her lip, squinting harder at the screen. “Not a thing,” she repeated under her breath as she successfully inputted the code for Line 5467 and started on the next line.

What was it that came out of the fissure?

“Ah!” She slammed her hand on the space beside the keyboard and dragged her fingers through her long dark hair. Her scalp tingled from the deep scratch of her nails.

She couldn’t erase it. Couldn’t get it out of her mind. After the explosion in the lab, something came out of the fissure.

Something tall.

Something huge.

Something inhuman.

“No, no, no.” She jumped up from the desk and paced in a circle. “There was nothing there. Just a trick of the eye.”

The silence in the office mocked her.

Minerva sighed and leaned her hip against the desk. The chaos from earlier in the day had finally eased up but still it lingered like the heavy drizzle of rain after a hurricane. 

The higher-ups continued the ongoing investigation into the incident. Under the command of Director Stettler, most of the personnel had vacated the premises immediately after the explosion. Minerva meant to obey. No one challenged Director Stettler unless they had a very short life-expectancy. She’d gone back to her cubicle to collect her things...and couldn’t leave. Shock and fear had seized her body with a vise-like grip, holding her captive in the vacant office.

What was that thing? How could it move so fast?

Minerva wished she had a rational, reasonable explanation. Fog had filled the cavity of the lab after the explosion—where had the fog come from?—so perhaps in all the pandemonium...

“Don’t lie to yourself, Minnie. You know you saw something, and it definitely wasn’t human.”

A voice came out of nowhere. “Lies feel so much better though, don’t they?”

Minerva bolted upright and scanned the dark room. “Who’s there?” The pulse at the base of her throat pounded like a piston.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Human. A human voice.

Instantly, she shook her head. Of course, it was a human voice. Who else...what else could it be? “Who is that?”

Something moved from the corner of the room. A dark shadow that came forward into the low light. She gulped, remembering the unnerving shadow she’d seen in the lab when all calamity unfolded.

For, of course, the shadow had a bulky, hulking quality to it. Still had the same silent tread, as if it glided along the floor. The more the shadow came into view, she saw it was a man. A man with shoulders twice the size of hers. Hefty. She could probably sit on one of them and still have wiggle room. When the low light landed on his beard, she let loose a pent-up sigh.

“Joshua, you scared the daylights out of me.”

“Sorry, Ms. Wong,” Joshua Dennison gave an apologetic lift of his shoulder. He stepped fully into the light and her eyes skidded over his broad frame. The dark blue janitorial uniform with its VEIL patch on the left breast pocket stretched against his chest. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Minerva rubbed at her temples, feeling the beginning throb of a headache. “Don’t worry about it.”

He came closer. “What are you doing here so late, Ms. Wong?”

She arched an eyebrow. “I could ask the same of you.”

Joshua tugged on his ginger-red beard. “I was hiding, Ms. Wong.”

She stopped massaging her temples. “You were? From what?”

His hand dropped down to his sides and framed his bulging, muscular thighs. “I don’t know. When everything went straight to he—, er, heck, I thought I saw something pass by.”

The breath left her lungs in a whoosh. “What did you think you saw?”

Joshua’s chocolate brown eyes looked down into her own, reflecting the same unease inside of herself. “Something big. Something that ain’t...ain’t...right.”

Minerva clamped her hand over his hair-roughened arms. “I did too!”

His eyes widened. “It moved so fast, I wasn’t sure. I thought I was just seeing things.”

“Joshua, I thought the same thing. I thought I was going crazy.”

“Then we both caught a crazy germ, Ms. Wong.”

Her lips curved into a tiny smile. “Maybe.” Without conscious thought, she rubbed his forearm back and forth. The warmth of his skin burned her palm and spread throughout her in a delicious way that made the tension leave her like the aftereffects of a hot bubble bath. “So you’ve been hiding all this time?”

“Something like that.” His eyes strayed to her hair and then lingered on it. “One of the other janitors got sick halfway through his shift so I accepted the offer to do a double shift. I should have refused.” He reached out and lifted the ends of her hair off her shoulder. 

For a moment, Minerva froze. Why was he touching her hair? Furthermore, why wasn’t she disturbed by it? They’d never had a casual conversation. Just the barest exchange of polite nothings.

Her bewilderment increased as she stood by and let him caress her hair. Why wasn’t she bothered by it? And why was she starting to like it?

“I grew up in a rough part of town with my foster brothers. We’ve seen gangs and violence and I’ve been plenty scared before. But that...whatever that was...” He rubbed the ends of her hair between his thumb and forefinger.

“That’s unlike anything I’ve ever...”

Minerva wondered when she would start to feel offended by this breach of protocol. “I know.”

“Your hair’s real nice, Ms. Wong.” Joshua’s voice deepened. Its timbre sent an unexpected thrill down her spine. “Thick and silky like a real expensive bed sheet.”

“Thank you, Joshua,” she grinned, ridiculously flattered by his rather awkward comment. A bed sheet indeed! Well, he was like a thick, comfy blanket. She had the wild desire to burrow into his body, and wrap those long, strong arms around her. Hold him close.

She froze. What in the world was going on?

Her gaze collided with his. Within the chocolate brown depths of his eyes, she saw reflected the same confusion she experienced. At the same time, they jerked away from each other as if scorched by hot flames.

Heat of a different sort flowed over the planes of her face. She was sure she was as bright as a tomato.

“My apologies for being improper, Ms. Wong. I’m so sorry.” Joshua backed away, his hands raised as if the police held him hostage. “I didn’t mean to—to—”

“It’s all right, Joshua.” She hugged herself, rubbing her upper arms vigorously. Now that she wasn’t taking in the heat that flowed from Joshua’s body, she felt cold. And bereft. Strangely bereft.

“I don’t want to lose my job, Ms. Wong. I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”  

“It’s okay, Joshua,” she hastened to assure him. “I am not offended. If anything, I was being rather forward.” She gestured vaguely. “Rubbing your arms like that. You’re the one who can file a report for harassment.”

“It felt nice. Haven’t been touched by a woman in a long while. Few years in fact.”

Minerva blinked.

Joshua’s powerful body turned into a statute. His cheek bones flushed. “I’m sorry, Ms. Wong. I don’t know what’s come over me.”

His discomfiture was so obvious she felt a little bit of pity for him. “It’s okay. I think we’re all a bit frazzled by the events of the day.”

“Yeah.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I mean, it’s been that kind of day.”

An awkward silence, one rife with incoherent undertones settled between them. Minerva’s eyes grazed over Joshua, noticing for the first time, with something that felt suspiciously like feminine appreciation, his smooth bald head and bearded cheeks. They framed a face made attractive by proud flaring nostrils and heavily lashed eyes.

Why hadn’t she noticed him before? Was it just because of this strange day?

Today was supposed to be the day. The day she’d worked toward for the past few months. When the VEIL facility made history. A simple experiment, which should have been the simple creation of entangled photons, had exploded, opening a fissure into another...

Place?

World?

Nothing?

“Well, I’ll let you get back to work, Ms. Wong.”

She started and then wanted to crawl under the desk. She’d been caught staring. How adolescent!

“Thank you, and again, please don’t worry about it.”

Joshua nodded and retreated into the shadows. She stared at his broad back until she couldn’t see it anymore and then fell back into her seat.

When did Joshua Dennison, the janitor, begin to be so good-looking?

***

What was he, a cave man? What business did he have grabbing her hair like that? Just because it looked as soft as a black bed sheet didn’t mean he should have reached out and touched it.

Joshua leaned his head against the coolness of the wall outside the door of the office. “What a day,” he moaned.

What had possessed him to...to...invade her privacy, her personal space? Sure, in the past, on those rare days when Ms. Wong worked late in the office, he noticed how pretty she was. She didn’t have the kind of beauty that would bowl a man’s back over like Neo in that movie the Matrix. But what she did have was a kind of understated prettiness. The kind that could look cold and distant on some women but on her, it made her look like a doll. A petite doll with that pale, white soap skin.

So yeah, she’d caught his eye but besides a nod, or a howdy do, they had never spoken to each other until today.

Joshua pulled himself away from the wall and started down the low-lit hall. His mind retraced what he thought he saw.

The big shadow had two legs. Legs bigger and bulkier than a Clydesdale horse, that stood several feet taller than him, and he was six foot, four in his socks. And something...something...

His skin tightened along his body. He was scared, plain and simple. He hadn’t been this scared since his foster father had hid in the closet and scared him so bad he wet his pants.

Thankfully, he hadn’t wet his pants this time. That would have been real uncomfortable in front of Ms. Wong.

But he did hide. Hid from whatever it was that passed him. Whatever it was that left that...strange filmy presence behind.

Hid for hours and hours until his knees cramped and his feet went numb but he hadn’t planned on going until he was sure...absolutely sure that whatever it was couldn’t get to him.

Then, Ms. Wong came into the office and did what she always did. Went to work.

He’d stared at her in the darkness for at least ten minutes before he’d made his presence known. At first, he’d had every intention of coming out and leaving. But he hadn’t. There was something to observing a person without them knowing.

Taking out her trash had provided hints into her personality. She loved roasted peanuts, always had three or four bags of them a day. On Wednesdays, she went to the sweet shop café because there was always a box of empty cinnamon rolls. She drank water like a fish because she’d placed the water bottles in the recycle bin. Most days, she brought her own lunch. There’d always been some sort of remnant from a home-cooked meal in the waste basket.

But watching her like this...while slightly borderline Norman Bates, had given him something he’d never had.

To see her in true form.

He’d always wondered about her but knew they ran in different circles. She was smart, obviously. He’d seen her fingers flying over the keyboard on some days, typing away at weird symbols and letters. He’d only finished high school. He knew he’d never be able to talk to a woman like Ms. Wong.

“You talked to her today, didn’t you?” He spoke aloud. “And she didn’t treat you like you was stupid, did she?”

Joshua pursed his lips as he went over the encounter. Ms. Wong had seemed to be all right with talking. The way she stared directly into his face and didn’t dismiss his presence like some of the other folks in the facility. He supposed he could chalk it up to the fact that smart people had little time for dopes like himself. But when he was talking to Ms. Wong just now, she gave her undivided attention.

Much like he’d seen her do when she was typing on her computer.

His arms carried the impression of her rubbing them. Her hand, small and tiny against his branch-like limbs. A cool touch that went straight down the middle of his back like a bucket of ice-cold water.

What was that all about? Why had she touched him?

And it may have been a long time since a woman gave him the time of day, but he saw a look in those black eyes of hers that clearly said she wasn’t about to run away from him screaming. He saw interest.

How could that be? Ms. Wong could be interested in any of those smart men who worked in this place. The VEIL facility did all kinds of secretive, scientific stuff. Stuff like Star Trek but not as cool. When he interviewed for the job a year ago, Director Stettler had made the final decision. Seemed weird that a man as important as the director would have any interest in who swept the floor and cleaned the toilet.

Joshua arrived at the small office where the custodial staff met to put up their gear and go over the schedule and duties. It was empty save for a couple of chairs knocked over by folks running for their lives when the explosion rocked the building. Although he’d rather just go on home, he thought about staying and straightening up the room.

Then the image of whatever it was that rushed by him halted his steps.

What was it?

“What am I doing here?” he said out loud. “Ain’t that how the guy gets ate up by the monster in all the movies? Lingering around the room like some dummy asking to get killed? The janitor always gets it first!”

Joshua grabbed his jacket off the hook, shrugged into it and hightailed it out of there. The chairs could wait till the cold light of day.

The hairs on his neck rose up. Something was watching him.

A harsh sound escaped his mouth. He wanted to whirl around to see what it was. Glancing at his feet, he saw a long shadow above his own as he walked. At first he supposed it was another shadow among others.

But this shadow lumbered at the same pace as he.

“Run like the wind, Bullseye!” he yelled out loud and ran. Quoting movies always made sense to him at times like these.

Now there were two distinct shadows on the ground. The bald one whirling about like a drunk. And the other that looked...

“Don’t look back! Don’t look back!” He ordered his body. “The janitor always dies in the movie like that when he looks back.” Forcing more speed into his legs, he saw the metal doors ahead like a beacon of light. The ones where he needed to access by swiping his ID.

Was there breathing now? He could almost swear he felt hot air across his neck.

How close was this thing? It was so close it could grab him and munch on his arm.

Why didn’t it?

“You gotta face it! If you gotta die, at least look at the jackass before it gets ya!”

At least I got a chance to talk to Ms. Wong and see that she don’t think I’m all that ugly and—

He tripped over his own feet just as he pivoted his body to meet his doom. His arms flailed about as he tried to catch his balance, but he bungled his operation for self-rescue and fell into the metal frame that bisected the metal doors. A burst of stars exploded before his eyes and he slid into unconsciousness.

***

Birog, the cyclops, stood over the prone two-eyed man. “I don’t believe he was supposed to hit the door like that,” she murmured out loud.

She should have tried to talk to the man directly instead of following him. But this world she’d entered was a strange one. Men emanated colors she’d never seen before. Colors that reflected emotions. Familiar with the red, roiling color of hatred prevalent in her world, this man had instead reflected a rather odd complex color.

When he talked with the two-eyed woman, his body exuded all sorts of hues. So many she had a difficult time separating one from the other. Yet, one drew her interest far more. A purplish one. It was a subtle color, not very bright, but from among the shadows, she lifted her fingers and started to manipulate it. Twisting the purplish color to see what would happen.

The man touched the woman’s hair. The woman rubbed his arm. The color grew in vibrancy.

What was this color? It couldn’t be that emotion. Could it?

Birog wrapped the ribbon of color around her finger and tugged. The man and the woman came closer. Breaths increased. Warmth under their skins intensified as well.

She dropped the color ribbon from her finger like one would a strand of yarn and the connection between the man and the woman stopped. They’d jumped away from each other. The purplish color receded and the gray increased. The man and the woman fumbled about, avoided each other’s gazes. Halting speech.

Confusion perhaps?

Then when she followed the man, he somehow became aware of her. How? She’d done her best to seal her presence from man until she could discover more about this place. Ribbons of orange blackish hues flared out from his body as he ran. Fear. Terror.

Of her.

Why? He didn’t have an inkling of who she was, so why was he terrified?

Then he ran into the door and now lay like a dead body.

What to do?

She squinted her eye. He wasn’t very tall, almost more like a young cyclopian child on the cusp of puberty. Birog bent her eight-foot frame down and pushed the man over onto his back. Just as she did, the sound of footsteps met her ears. She lifted her head and turned her black, orange rimmed eye to see the woman who had caused the purplish color coming her way. Birog sealed her presence fully this time, making sure the woman had no conscious awareness of her.

For right now, she would just watch and see what happened.

The unsettling encounter with Joshua had blown Minerva’s concentration. No way she’d the desire to write more lines of code. Besides, with the fiasco with the royal blow up in the lab, she doubted her programming skills would be needed at least until tomorrow.

Turning off her computer, and switching off the overhead light, she paused as she reached for her coat on the back of her chair. What had caused the explosion? She knew the scientist involved in the project. Holly Teak, one of the primary brains behind the project, was above and beyond thorough. She’d gone over the simulations a thousand times. Minerva knew. She’d helped program them.

“Then what went wrong?” The question hovered in the air like a dark rain cloud.

It unsettled her that the very day of their groundbreaking experiment, it all went kaput. She stared over the empty desks, her mind focused on that variable of the equation.

Wasn’t it just a bit coincidental that this accident happened?

“No, no.” She dismissed the idea from her head. “We obviously missed something. It was simply a matter of Murphy’s law. If something can go wrong, it will.”

She pulled on her coat and zipped it up. No matter how much she enjoyed Colorado, for all its mountain vistas, varied landscapes ranging from arid desert to lush greenery, and hidden natural gems, the state had a spoiled, child-like tendency to flash hot and cold at the strangest times. Wrapping a light scarf around her throat, she grabbed her purse and her empty food container and headed out the door, following the path Joshua had taken.

Her footsteps echoed down the hall. Shadows stretched along the floor in an eerie way that made her quicken her step. The sooner she was out of this building, the sooner, she’d be back at home, safe and sound.

Rounding a corner, she glanced down at her watch to check the time. A little past 9 pm. Maybe for dinner, she’d pull out the wok and stir fry some—

Minerva paused and then squinted in the semi-darkness.

What was that lying on the ground in front of the metal doors?

Her hand drifted to her throat. Was it that thing?

Of course not! Stop it Minnie! Nothing came through the fissure. Nothing, do you hear?

Shaking her head at such nonsense, she drew closer to it. As soon as she saw the booted feet, she gasped. “Joshua!”

Hurriedly, she fell on her knees at his side. Placing two fingers on his neck, she found a pulse.

“Oh, thank God!” she exclaimed just as a groan erupted from Joshua’s lips. His brow creased and then he opened his eyes.

“My head,” he growled. “Feels like I musta got hit by a baseball bat.”

She leaned over him. “Joshua, are you okay?”

He blinked rapidly. “Ms. Wong? What? What’s going on?”

She cupped the side of his face, feeling the nice rasp of his beard against her palm. Gosh, she loved men with beards. Baby butt smooth cheeks did nothing for her.

Shaking her head at the errant thought, she replied, “I don’t know. I found you on the floor. Are you hurt?”

Minerva bit her lip to keep from swearing. Of course, he was hurt. He wasn’t lying on the floor unconscious a moment ago because he was feeling well!

Oh Minnie, what’s wrong with you? You’re not usually this stupid.

He moved experimentally. “Except for my forehead, I feel all right.”

“Do you think you can get up?” She’d have to take him to the doctor. She couldn’t just let the man go.

“I’m sure I’m all right, Ms. Wong.”

He used his elbow to shift his big heavy body upward. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders to assist, feeling the muscles ripple along his back. She doubted she could be of much help. Nonetheless, she was happy he gave her a nod when he sat upright. “Thanks, Ms. Wong.”

“It’s no problem.” She sat back. “How do you feel?”

“I’ll be okay. I’ve been hit by worse.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

He scratched his beard. “I was about to leave when I saw—” He whipped his head in her direction. “Ms. Wong, I saw it again!”

Minerva had no wish to say it, but she had no choice. “Saw what?”

“Whatever it was.” From the pointed tone, she knew what it was. The thing she didn’t want to admit to seeing because seeing was believing. Believing meant altering your view of the world. The last thing Minerva wanted to do was believe in the incredible.

She hedged instead. “What—what did you see?”

“Its shadow. It was right behind me.” He gestured abstractly. “I looked down at the floor and there were two shadows. My own and—”

His voice cut off like someone had taken a pair of scissors and severed his vocal cords. He shook his head. “Maybe I’m crazy.”

Minerva toyed with the temptation to just let it be. Must she and Joshua acknowledge something they weren’t quite sure of?

Seeing is believing.

Fatalistically, she accepted her fate. Cowardice wasn’t an option. Joshua, big as he was, admitted that whatever it was they may have seen had scared him. The least she could do was give him the dignity of getting it off his chest.

“What did the shadow look like?”

He was silent for so long, she thought he wouldn’t tell her. Of course, he didn’t have to tell her anything. The investigation by the higher ups should be privy to this conversation.

But they weren’t there. Only she and Joshua in a dim hallway, cocooned from the rest of the world.

“Tall. Tall as a building,” he answered in awe. “Its...head looked like a small mountain, round at the top with weird spikes coming out the top.”

“Is that all?”

“Ain’t that enough?” An incredulous note rose his voice a full octave.

“What happened after that?”

“Not much, Ms. Wong. I started running, but I could see it running after me. I was getting scared. Then all of a sudden I figure if I’m gonna die, I might as well die seeing what it was that’s gonna take me out. My last stand like in that movie, Predator. The old one, not that trash with the piano player.”

Minerva had no idea what he was talking about. “I see. And then?”

Joshua rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, Ms. Wong, I tripped and slammed my head into the door.”

She blinked. “That’s all.”

“Ain’t that enough? I’m the one gonna have a big knot on my head come morning.”

Minerva felt some of the tension that had entered her body ease away. For some reason, she thought that whatever Joshua saw had attacked. What did that mean then? If there was some sort of...creature roaming the hallways of the VEIL facility, wouldn’t it have been a dangerous creature?

Gosh, why was she even entertaining this nonsense?

“Well, Ms. Wong, thank you for stopping by. I think I’m good enough to make my way home.”

Minerva stilled his movements with a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t expect me to just let you go on about your business, can you?”

Joshua’s forehead creased. “I can’t?”

“No!” She stood and then reached out with her hand. “I find you unconscious on the floor and you think I’m going to let you drive home? You must have hit your head harder than I thought.”

He enveloped her hand in his own huge one. Heat once more engulfed her as he let her assist him up as if he needed her help. For some reason, it pleased her that this big, strong man accepted her flimsy aid. He wasn’t afraid to ask or receive help. It said something about his character.

As he towered over her, he gave her a quizzical stare. “Ms. Wong, I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine.”

Minerva held up her hand. “No, Joshua. It’s not fine. What kind of human being would I be to let you go off without making sure you’re seen to? C’mon, I’ll take you to the emergency room.”

“Ms. Wong!”

“C’mon, Mr. Dennison. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

***

Joshua’s butt rested lightly on the little wicker chairs in Ms. Wong’s home. The last thing he wanted to do was break one of these flimsy things.

“Would you like something to drink? I’ve got juice, water, or some tea.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Whatever you’re havin’ is fine with me, Ms. Wong.”

“I’m having some green tea. It relaxes me at night, and I think you can use a little relaxation.”

“That sounds real nice, Ms. Wong.”

How could he tell her that being here, in her own private domain, wasn’t likely to relax him? If anything, he was as tied up as a long-haired cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Joshua wouldn’t have guessed that Ms. Wong’s tiny little body held a will as massive as the mountains. Somehow, she steamrolled him into her small sardine can of a car with his knees pressed up to his chin. She drove forty minutes out of her way from the VEIL facility to the emergency room in Aspen.

She’d waited while he’d been taken to X-ray and scanned to ensure he hadn’t fractured his skull. He told her his head was too hard to crack, but she insisted on it.

The woman knew how to get her way.

“I know it’s late, but I’m a bit hungry. I’d planned on making some stir fry rice. Would you care for some?”

What did she expect him to say? Why no, Ms. Wong. I’d rather eat air this late at night. “That’s right nice of you.”

She grinned. “Not nice, Joshua. Practical.”

He observed as she filled a dainty tea kettle with water from the expensive-looking refrigerator and placed it on the flat surface of the stove. The red circles heated under it in no time. While that was going on, she reached above her head and pulled out a large, funny-shaped pan that looked a rounded teepee.

“What kind of pan is that?”

“It’s called a wok. I use it all the time when I want to make something quick.”

Quick wasn’t the word to use. Lightning speed was better. With a flurry of movement, she’d taken a clear bottle of oil and flung a few drops of it into the pan. Whirling about, she reached into the refrigerator and took out a container of white rice. Dumping it into the skillet, he heard the hot oil sizzle upon the impact of the cold white rice.

“Wow, sure did get hot quick, didn’t it?”

She winked. “That’s the whole point,” she said. “The shape of the wok gives it the ability heat up really fast.”

Why was she doing this? It wasn’t necessary, but danged if he was going to stop her. Matter of fact, it felt good to have a home cooked meal. Marie Callender only went so far.

It was turning out to be one of the strangest days of his life.

The whistle of the kettle shrilled. Ms. Wong poured the water into two tiny cups no bigger than a mouse and handed him one of them.

Thanking her, Joshua took a sip and then grimaced. “Uh, Ms. Wong, begging your pardon, but do you got any sugar?”

She stared. “Green tea is best enjoyed without any additives.”

He gave her an uncertain smile. “As you say, Ms. Wong.” Sipping the light, but bitter brew, he figured there were worse things in life than unsweetened tea.

She turned her attention back to preparing the meal.

Joshua had never seen someone work so quickly. Before he knew it, she’d chopped up some green onions, crushed a couple of garlic cloves, added a pack of frozen peas, and some more vegetables he couldn’t name. All the while her hands flurried about, tossing the fried rice in the pan.

When she cracked a couple of eggs and whisked them together before adding them to the skillet, Joshua’s stomach protested his patience. The smells in the small kitchen bombarded him.

Ms. Wong whipped out two plates and ladled two heaping helpings of fried rice on each. On one plate, she placed a fork with it and on the other, she placed a pair of wooden chopsticks.

“Here you go.” She set the plate with the fork before him. “I hope you enjoy.”

“I know I’m going to. Bon appetit, as the French say.”

Ms. Wong laughed, a nice high sound. Her face relaxed into softness.

One bite of the rice and Joshua exclaimed, “This is better than what those folks have at the restaurant!”

That was a preview of Entangled with a Cyclops, Beyond the Veil Series, Book #5. To read the rest purchase the book.

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