Saturday, March 9, 2013

SIPHO AND THE GOLDEN NAILS - CHAPTER 1

Good Morning Everybody,

I have the kindle link for you of the 1st Sipho Book, just in case you want to read it. Don't forget that you can download this to read for free through Amazon KDP.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Anglurian-Story-SIpho-ebook/dp/B008DM1MOK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_dp_2Eu5pb081N32P_tt



Remember if you did not read the introduction I posted last week you might not be able to follow the story. I recommend you do so first.



Chapter 1
ANGLUR, THE RETURN
The ship landed with precision and expertise as expected. Lindiwe and the children were apprehensive about their visit to this unknown planet. Zanmorn, after receiving instructions from Zanu that it was safe to proceed, took the girls’ hands and walked down the ramp.
Stunned by the sight, they looked up at once with the greatest interest and curiosity on their faces at the control tower and the spaceport’s unusual layout.
Still gazing around at this vast spaceport, Lindiwe, holding onto the girls, watched the precision with which the people worked their expertise and skills as they rallied around the craft. Unable to say much, still in awe at the amazing sight, they watched the staff scurry around Zanu, displaying their joy at their Supreme Leader’s return.
Once on Anglurian soil, Zanmorn bent down and kissed the ground. The children watched him.
"Zanmorn what has happened, your face?" a shocked Sipho asked, pointing to him.
Without saying anything, the twins Emma and Irma looked at Zanmorn and held on tightly to Lindiwe. Looking at his face, Lindiwe was surprised. The entire group, including Zanu stopped and stared at Zanmorn.
"What is it that you see?" Zanmorn asked puzzled and confused by all the fuss.
"You look so much older than when you were on the ship," said Lindiwe.
"That is because I am home and it is only natural that I show my correct age," he replied.
"Even so, Zanu and the others have not changed!" she said rather surprised that only his appearance had altered drastically.
Zanu, noticing their confusion, explained that as his family was chosen by God Most High to govern Anglur they had special privileges and one was that they did not age during their voyages to earth. He continued and told them that his family aged at a much slower pace than the other Anglurians. Zanmorn on the other hand, would appear as a normal Anglurian, and if he should leave the planet again, his age would be reversed to that of a younger man. Still confused and not understanding their logic, they nodded in agreement.
Zanu escorted them to the waiting autogliders and they proceeded to his home. All along the way, the three children were enthralled with the wondrous sights of this great city, asking many questions and Zanmorn, as polite as always, answered their questions. The autoglider stopped and after Zanu pressed his remote control, large steel gates opened and they proceeded up a long driveway paved with marble and hints of silver and gold patterns. Tall Elm trees, systematically aligned, bordered both sides of the driveway. They drove around a circular garden and stopped. As they got out of the autoglider, the children showed great delight at the sight of the circular garden displaying a tall crystal fountain, with neatly arranged flowers bordered by a lush green lawn. A striking feature in the garden was the beautiful water-rose.
Lindiwe and the girls turned around and stood in awe as they viewed this wonderful home. Looking at the huge, modular wood, glass and iron structure, displaying strength and durability with a hint of simplicity, they could not believe such a modern home existed. Zanu and Randia watched as they indulged themselves in the beauty of their home. The grounds were vast, with a distinctive garden displaying a broad range of flowers and trees that illustrated a wide diversity of plants, some of which they did not recognize. The house was set in the midst of a wood where the trees had reddish gold leaves much like an autumn colored forest and surrounded by a scenic river.
"Randia, I have not seen such great beauty and magnificence in a home before. It is exquisite, and the structure and design are most unusual. I am really looking forward to staying for a while." Lindiwe said, putting her arms around Emma.
"I am happy and of course for as long as you and the children are our guests, we consider this to be your home too," Randia replied with a smile upon her face.
Zanu stepped forward and walked up the broad stairway, standing on the terrace. He watched as they viewed the valley and the large modern gardens, and the peaceful river with a high picket fence enclosing a huge courtyard. Lindiwe again commented on the very pleasant setting. Randia smiled.
Zanu moved toward a large steel door and turned the handle. The group followed and once inside, looked at the grand entrance hall with two spiraling staircases. The bright airy house was a very pleasant setting with marble floors and a huge skylight letting in the golden rays of the sun. Randia motioned Lindiwe and the children to follow her. Up the stairway and down an exotic passageway, lavishly provided with windows, they walked. Randia showed Lindiwe and the children to their quarters. They immediately went inside to admire their rooms. Warm and well lit, with an entrance hall, decorated in soft pastel shades, and several doors to their private rooms, the children could not wait to explore.
Emma and Irma opened one of the doors. Lindiwe's bedroom was next to the girls’ with an adjoining door, which they decided to keep unlocked at all times. The room was pleasantly decorated in soft pastel colors with huge windows. Irma jumped on the bed near the windows and claimed it as her bed.
"This is my bed and my side of the room," joyfully she said.
Emma looked at her and loving her sister did not argue, and agreed that she could have that bed. Lindiwe went to her room, looked around and admired the lovely soft shade of green, the tall windows letting in the wonderful light and fresh air.
Lindiwe was sitting on the bed next to Irma, when the bedroom door opened and Sipho came in. He walked up to them and hugged Lindiwe. Looking at Irma, he said.
"I like your room. When you have time, you must come over to my room, it is just across the passage way." Irma got up and tugged his arm wanting to go right away.
"Not now, later, I want to chat to Lindiwe," he said.
"Lindiwe, now that we are here, do you know what is going to happen?" he asked.
"No, not really, I suppose that time will disclose everything and we will have to wait for Zanu to tell us," she replied.
"You are probably right, we will have to wait. I do know that he will not harm us and that he will protect us," he said.
"Yes, he likes us and I am sure that whatever happens we will always be fine," Lindiwe answered standing up.
"This house is so big, it is bigger than the Manor in Cotswold, and I think it will be fun exploring this place. Did you see the Headquarters and the Temple on the way here?" Sipho excitedly asked?
"I did and cannot wait to explore all these places, but for now we must be patient and wait," Lindiwe answered.
Randia knocked on the door and entered. Walking toward them, she said.
"I am so sorry for leaving you alone, please come downstairs and we can chat."
"Randia, it is no problem; we were just admiring your lovely home and the surrounding area." Lindiwe who was standing near the window said.
"Thank you. I agree it is lovely, we are very fortunate to have this home and I know that you will enjoy your stay with us," she said.
They followed Randia down the passage, viewing the outstanding paintings on the wall and down the large spiral stairway, and went into one of the lounge areas, admiring the structure and art décor. They entered a large dining room, furnished solidly, and displaying neatness and comfort. The heavy mahogany oval table in the center of the room, with three sideboards and chairs were highly polished and gleaming.
She asked them to be seated. In the center of the table were plates sparkling with soft ripe fruit, tea and cake. Randia served the children and Lindiwe. The children were thrilled and enjoyed the meal. Lindiwe thanked her and told her the fruit had a delicious flavor, such as she had never tasted before. Randia told her their fruit appeared to be much healthier than on earth. Chatting to Lindiwe, she assured her that Zanu would be back soon and then they would be going over to the observatory to see how Anglur really worked. Excited with this prospect Sipho asked if he would be able come along. She said they would all be going with Zanu.
Not long afterwards, Zanu, together with Zanmorn, entered the lounge and greeted the group. He kissed his wife lovingly on her cheek and asked if they were ready for a tour of the observatory. They stood up and nodded in agreement. Following Zanmorn they went outside and felt the warm sun. Looking up at the blue skies with only a few small clouds, Lindiwe said it was a perfect day, not too hot and not too cold. Zanu told her that their summers were actually perfect.
They greeted the drivers who displayed gallantry toward them, and escorted them into the two autogliders for the trip to the observatory. Sipho, Emma and Irma enjoyed the trip, all the time admiring the wonderful structure of the city. The tall buildings and stone walled architecture were unusual compared to London or Africa. Every building had a unique statue of the star shaped pearl surrounded by different shapes of angels. Sipho enquired why this was on all the buildings, and Zanu told him, the stars and the angels were a reminder to all the people of Anglur of God Most High's goodness.
Arriving in the heart of the city, the children eagerly jumped out the autoglider and looked around at the controversial Observation Center - a tall modern bronze-toned glass and steel structured building, layered in the shape of a star, with marble protruding out from the building at odd angles. At the top of the Observation Center, a huge Star Pearl shone brightly in the warm afternoon sun. Zanu smiled as he watched the children gape with amazement.
Emma in particular liked the water gardens surrounding the building, with the water lilies and lotus blooms arranged in star patterns.
He started walking toward the entrance and looked back to ensure the group was following him.
Upon entering, the guards at the door bowed and greeted their leader, Zanu nodded in acknowledgement and walked toward the elevators. The group still dazzled by the outside of this immaculate building, were even more surprised by the interior. The gold inlays and high ceiling, marble floors and flowing waterfall in the center of the lobby captivated them. As the elevator doors opened, Zanu motioned to the group to enter, without answering they followed his instructions, and watched as he pressed buttons. Within seconds, the door opened and they all exited. Zanu was the last one to leave and noticing their bewilderment, told them they were on the highest level of the building and that the elevator, proceeded to the top floor in less than five seconds. Sipho gaped and said he did not understand all the technology but was truly grateful to experience such wonderful clarity on their trip. The girls chirped in and told him how excited they were. Zanu took Sipho's hand and walked toward a tall door. He watched as Zanu pressed a button adjacent to the door. Sipho looked up at this great door; it was huge and decorated with gold and silver designs. He tried to understand the inscription and frowned. Zanu touched him on his shoulder and told him not to frown, one day he would explain the inscription to him and then the door opened.
This was not like the control center down in the settlement under the never-ending hills. This was breathtaking and unbelievable. Sipho, Lindiwe and the twins, squeaked with delight at the modern technology and set-up of different types of equipment neatly arranged around this huge room. In the center was a large oval table with about twelve seats and several staff members were monitoring and observing events.
Zanu walked to the table and told the children to take a seat. Once they were seated, he waited, watching their delight and cleared his throat.
"This is the main observatory center, and of course the biggest one in the building. Several other smaller observatory centers exist throughout the building I wanted you to see this one first and also to view some of the earth's most important cities."He spoke with the frank sincerity that always made such an impression on everybody.
"Can we see some now?" enquired Sipho.
"Yes, why not, I can see your excitement, follow me," he said.
The children got up and walked behind him. He went over to a group of engineers, greeted them and instructed them to zoom into the Khula village. Obedient as always, the engineers complied. Lindiwe and the children watched the huge monitor where the picture of their village appeared on the screen. Sipho stood still, his eyes glued to the image. He watched the children playing, the women doing their beadwork and the few animals running around. The picture was so clear, he felt as though he was right there in the village and not thousands of miles away. He could no longer contain his curiosity and turned around to Zanu.
"I cannot believe that you are able to view this in real time. Can you hear the people talking?" he asked.
"No Sipho, we do not listen to their conversations - we cannot invade all their privacy. What we can detect is any evil or any evil intentions by the people of the earth," he answered.
Zanu turned around to the head engineer and told him to zoom in on a particular event shown upon the screen. The group watched as the picture of a toddler playing with another child, who tried to grab his toy car, zoomed in larger than life. They watched as the two children started to fight over a small toy and Sipho felt the emotion of the little child.
Bewildered, he tugged Zanu’s arm and asked him why he felt a strange feeling of empathy as the baby started to cry. Zanu looked down at Sipho and told him, he would feel the emotions of pain, sorrow or hurt, as he was a part-spirit being. They continued to watch and felt relieved when the mother of the baby came over and picked him up and hugged him. The baby smiled and Sipho smiled with him. Emma, excited and wanting to see more, asked Zanu if they could zoom in on their home in Cotswold. He told her he would, but for now they should return home, as there was still plenty to do.
The group reluctantly adhered to his instructions and left the Observation Center. They proceeded down in the elevator and out of the building and into the waiting autogliders. Still discussing the brilliance of the observatory center, they arrived at Zanu's home and went inside. Olomos and Ogmu were waiting for their return and immediately told the children to come and swim. They walked out of the house and turned left down the well-decorated pathways, toward a giant oak tree next to a large sparkling pool. Sipho squealed with delight, as the size of the pool was larger than anything he had seen before. Here they enjoyed themselves like water nymphs, splashing in the shallow end of the pool. The children were swinging from the branches of the oak tree, then scrambling over the huge boulders, and plunging into the pool, laughing excitedly.
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Well I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will share more with you. We are busy with the cover design and hopefully be able to publish this book soon. I will keep you up to date.

Thank you for taking the time to read, I do appreciate this.


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