He inspects me from top to bottom. “Be ready on Monday,” he says. “You will pack a bag. Bring enough clothes for three months. We will pick you up at your house. Prepare for extreme cold but also for milder weather. Do not speak with a single soul about this or the consequences will be severe. And I mean nobody, not even family or best friends. Use this as an excuse: You booked a trip. You are going to a retreat center in Hawaii for three months and phones are not allowed. Practice the story; it has to sound credible." I don’t fully understand what is going on. “You… are picking me up? Why? As a punishment?” I’m very confused. “We are inviting you. You will stay with us for three months.” I fall silent. I am invited? To stay with the Didelians? Three months?“ Any questions?” He asks while he squints his eyes. “Eh… I have a job. It starts in February.” “We will make sure you get back in time.” “And my dog?” “Bring her. I’m sure your dog and my Monstry will get along fine.” T he white cat meows while it stares at me. We are all standing completely still. A few newspaper headlines flash through my head: Chapter 3 Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Flambeau River State Forest, Wisconsin October 24th 2014 An Unexpected Conversation Reports like this are common. Governments worldwide are helping the Didelians to protect their privacy, and jail sentences are therefore not unusual. The Didelian mystery will not be unraveled, ever, but people keep trying. The severity of my situation slowly dawns on me and dark pessimism holds me in its grasp. My fear increases every second. I did something very irrational and very dangerous. Perhaps the next newspaper headline will be about me… The eyes of the main performer of the show are on me and he doesn’t blink. It feels as if he’s gazing straight through me. I get the feeling that he knows my fears and insecurities, and this makes me feel naked and uncomfortable. The white cat drapes itself around the man’s feet and he picks it up. Neither of them lets go of my eyes for even a second. He massages the cat and the animal purrs softly with satisfaction. I give the cat a dirty glare as if to say: Traitor! You lured me into this! In response, the animal hisses. Other than this staring contest, nothing happens. Hesitantly I look at the man. He shows no sign of interaction. There are no smiles, no frowns, no words and not even hand gestures. What is going on? We silently face each other for what feels like forever. I turn from an awkward smile to an insecure grin and end with a question mark. My mind is overshadowed with continuous internal turmoil. Perhaps I should run, I might be able to still get away with this… Slowly, I turn, but before I can move away, the man speaks again. “You shouldn’t be here,” he says. His voice is deep and his tone is neither inviting nor hostile. “I know…” I say timidly. “I have no idea why I followed your cat.” ​ Reporter for ‘Times Magazine’ fired after approaching Didelian ​ Texas citizen 3 months jail for walking into Didelian camp Emigrant deported from the USA after trespassing Didelian premises ​ The man now sounds mildly entertained and I imagine seeing a faint hint of amusement in his cat’s eyes. Are they playing a game with me? “Monday morning, at six o’clock, stand in front of your house. Be ready, Didelians don’t wait.” With these words the main performer turns around and disappears between the shadows of the cabins. For a moment I stand in utter confusion. Is this really happening? Am I intoxicated? Brainwashed? Hallucinating? Then I realize I’m standing in the Didelian camp, a place where I do not want to be seen by anyone else. Quickly I turn around and sprint as fast as I can toward the line of people. When I arrive, I jump right in the middle and pretend nothing has happened. I see a few intrigued faces around me. I never stepped out of this line. I did not speak to the leading performer of the show. He definitely did not invite me. While repeating this mantra in my head, I make my way toward the car.

LOGO GODYSSEY HOME SUBSTACK More... Get Started

Chapter 29 Urdur Chapter 30 Didelis Chapter 31 Didelis Refugee Village 21 Chapter 32 Didelis Refugee Village 5 Chapter 33 Spider Webs Chapter 34 Nails of the Dead Chapter 35 Cross Country Chapter 36 Arrived Chapter 37 Water Chapter 38 Topanga Canyon Chapter 39 In the Audience Chapter 40 A Visitor Chapter 41 Night Class Chapter 42 Honest Feelings Chapter 43 Blood Moon Chapter 44 The Shed in the Hills Chapter 45 Not a Word Chapter 46 Loli Love Chapter 47 Pelicans Chapter 48 Another Surprise Chapter 49 Skating Chapter 50 Last Month Chapter 51 The Blue Pendant Chapter 52 Mind Focus Session Chapter 53 Gold Chapter 54 The Tower Chapter 55 Kai’s Confession Chapter 56 Goodbyes Chapter 1 Matthias Brolin Chapter 2 Monstry’s Surly Demeanor Chapter 3 Naran Chapter 4 An Unexpected Conversation Chapter 5 Grandfather Chapter 6 The Ride Chapter 7 Mine Chapter 8 Psyrah’s Luck Chapter 9 Deeri Speaks Chapter 10 The Show Part One Chapter 11 A Silver Bowl and a Torch Chapter 12 The Show Part Two Chapter 13 The First Class Chapter 14 Deeri of Didelis Chapter 15 The Show Part Three Chapter 16 Ground Level Chapter 17 The Show Part Four Chapter 18 The Oblong Chapter 19 The Show Part Five Chapter 20 Idum and Deeri Chapter 21 Afternoon Hike Chapter 22 The Decision Chapter 23 Kai and Deeri Chapter 24 The Wolf Chapter 25 The North Pole Chapter 26 The Gaoul Tree Chapter 27 The Trinity Chapter 28 Time Changes Start at the Beginning Table of Contents Sepher 1 BOOK SERIES

Choose your pricing plan Dutch Pronunciation € 59 59€ Perfect Your Dutch Pronunciation Select • Dutch Alphabet • Unique Vowel Combinations • Vowels Words Ending in D and T • Words Ending in TIE • G / NG / NK • LIJK / IG • Vowel Gym • Unique Sentences

I chuckle since I know exactly what happened. While on the phone, Psyrah likes to sit on a small bench in her highly organized apartment while curling her frizzy black hair around her finger. I guess the bench had equal difficulty dealing with Psyrah’s enthusiasm. Psyrah the calm and Psyrah the frantic. It is as if she has two personalities. From the few words I was able to actually understand, I deduct the context. She is talking about the Didelian show. Still, I don’t understand her excitement. We don’t have tickets. Neither Psyrah or I have ever seen the show in real life, and tickets are very hard to get. To acquire them you have to participate in a state lottery. The Didelians were in Minnesota a very long time ago, and we hadn’t won any tickets then, nor did we get tickets this time for Wisconsin. For us, the Didelian show will remain a childhood fantasy. “Psyrah, I know they are in Wisconsin, but we are not going.” “What do you mean, we have tickets? How?!” “Oh no! Really? Your poor uncle, what are the chances? Having a funeral in Kentucky on the same day… That’s ultimate bad timing. But what about your cousin Marge? Doesn’t she want them?” “Ah yeah, of course, that whole side of the family will be in Kentucky. And Jeff?” “No, of course, I want the tickets! What do you think? But everyone in your family would want them. I don’t want to take something that’s not rightfully mine. Imagine, we might get attacked by one of your crazy cousins!” “OK. Yeah. I understand. So, it’s for real. We have… Didelian Show tickets…” When I realize what’s happening, my brain goes on a slight strike. I suddenly understand the magnitude of the situation. Now Psyrah’s frenzy makes more sense. ​ ​ Chapter 6 Chapter 8 Chapter 7 Minneapolis, Minnesota October 23rd 2014 Psyrah's Luck When Psyrah calls, she has a feverishly excited tone in her voice and is tripping over her tongue. I can’t make any sense of what she’s saying. Psyrah, who is such a quiet and composed young woman, has lost it. “Cool down!” I laugh. “What on earth is going on with you?” “Didelians! Didelians in Wisconsin!!” She says more but I have to move the phone away from my ear. Her words are more comprehensible that way. Suddenly, I hear the sound of breaking wood, a loud thump, and then all is silent. ​ Later, Discovery Channel had verified his stories. Wild animals indeed come from outside of the Arena into the ring and performed with the Didelians. After finding no rational explanation for this phenomenon, Discovery officially denominated the Didelians ‘the Wild-Life Whisperers’. The animal phenomena started rumors in the seventies that Didelians were diabolic hypnotists. The church forbade Catholics to see the show. The pope had even devoted a part of his Easter Speech to it from the St. Peter Square, in Rome, in 1986. Since then, there have been a good amount of fanatic anti-Didelian activist groups throughout the world. I remember Fox News, in the nineties, making statements. They hypnotize us! We have to protect our children against brainwashing! The Didelian shows started major discussions about the true intentions of the culture and their magical powers. Some people seemed to favor the idea of banning the Didelians from the United States, but luckily this never happened. In the beginning of 2003, the United Nations released a statement in which they reminded governments worldwide of the status of the Didelians. They are protected as refugees and have been granted the freedom to perform without restrictions in all the democratic nations of Europe and the U.S.A. Still today, the American and European governments are expected to assist the Didelians when needed. When I asked morfar why the governments don’t question this UN ruling, he said no government wants involvement in such an obscure and heated international matter. I asked him why and he avoided a straight answer. I am not sure he knew either. Psyrah’s news hits me like a bomb. We are we going to see… the Didelians. I have known about the Didelian shows since I was a little girl. The only people I know that have ever gone to the show are morfar and mom. They went years before I was born. Ever since, morfar has talked about ‘The Magical Show of Didelis’ to anyone who would listen. When I was young, morfar told me stories about the phenomenal acrobatics, the indescribable colors, the enchanting music, and the unbelievable towering Arena. He had tried to describe the show to both my brother and me. For us it was our favorite bedtime story. “The lights, they come from out of nowhere!” He had said. “And the music! The music comes from the underworld creatures in the center of the earth, and it travels all the way through the Arena. Eventually it even comes from the chairs!” The animals were my favorite part of the Didelian show in morfar’s stories. “Every time, every single time they perform,” morfar would say, “wild animals come from the woods and join the performance.”

Terms and Conditions Subscribe to newsletter By signing up to the Lianne Bergstrom newsletter you consent to receive news, exclusive articles about upcoming books and events. You may also receive special offers as well as invitations to participate in competitions. I will never give or sell your information to a third party. To sign up just fill in your name and email address. When signing up for the Lianne Bergstrom newsletter I will collect and process your personal data for the purpose of complying with your request. My Privacy Policy outlines your rights to privacy and my commitment to safeguarding your personal data. ​ Unsubscribe from newsletter You have the right to unsubscribe at any time. You do this by clicking on the link ‘unsubscribe from our newsletters’, located in the footer of our newsletters. This will take you to your individual profile page. Then you click the box marked ‘Unsubscribe’ and then click the second ‘unsubscribe’ in the pop-up dialogue box to confirm you want to unsubscribe.

GODYSSEY HOME SUBSTACK More WELCOME TO MY LIBRARY Ancients

Rakkisa’s lips curl into a fragile smile and she nods with the lightest movement. Her glare turns into a serene look and she relaxes all her muscles. “I love you,” she whispers and then sighs deeply. After her last breath leaves her lungs and passes her lips, Rakkisa’s entire body remains still. “No… no, no, NOO!!! A crying Matthias covers Rakkisa’s face with kisses and he rests his nose on the dead woman’s forehead. “Don’t leave us, Rakkisa… We can’t be without you. We love you so much. We need you!!” The woman’s eyes are open, but they no longer register any signals of this world. She has passed. Matthias cries uncontrollably and he lifts Rakkisa into a sitting position. He cradles her body, caresses her hair, kisses her face, and murmurs her name incessantly. Her body is heavy and her arms, the very same arms that used to embrace him, now dangle lifelessly next to her body. While holding Rakkisa, Matthias has no perception of time. Seconds, minutes, or hours pass. He’s numb and everything around him is a colorless blur. It feels like someone pulled his heart out of his chest. A gaping hole that will never be able to be filled, remains. All night long, Rakkisa has been vomiting blood and it’s a wonder she’s made it until the morning. Once the Red-Cough, as they started to call it, is caught, one dies within five to six hours. Yesterday at sundown, Rakkisa started coughing, and now, nine hours later, she’s still holding on to the thin lines of her life. Her love for Gailin keeps her fighting. Amongst the sadness and confusion, Matthias feels fury. He curses this horrible disease that has already killed millions of Didelians in only a matter of weeks. Matthias suspects it was created in a European or American laboratory. He deeply despises every Westerner he knows, including himself. The reality feels horribly unfair to Matthias since there’s absolutely nothing he can do. He wants to go with her. He wants to die today and enter the afterlife together. Whatever it will look like, it will be better than the hell he’s going through now. But Matthias knows that even if he wanted to die from the Red Cough, he probably can’t. Only the Didelians die. He was injected with the vaccine for tuberculosis, and he suspects that this makes him immune to the disease. Deep inside, Matthias knows his death wish is selfish. He is Gailin’s only hope. She is still in good health, and he has to get her out of the camp as fast as he can. Little Gailin… so helpless, so precious. He can’t give up, for her sake. Never did Matthias think he could love as intensely as he learned to over the past three years. Rakkisa. Their child Gailin. He would do anything for them. Now Rakkisa is being taken away. And why? Because of the selfishness and ignorance of his people! Matthias lifts his head and screams in helpless agony. “Aaahhh!!!” Through his tears, he sees how Rakkisa turns her head and looks at him. Her bloodshot eyes are surprisingly clear, calm, and loving. He knows she doesn’t fear death. None of the Didelians do. Matthias does. And most of all… he fears life without Rakkisa. Rakkisa struggles to keep her breath going. It is heartbreaking to witness. She postpones the moment of death while knowing the end is inevitable. She fights with time over love. And now the frequency of Rakkisa’s respiration noticeably decreases. Instantly, the agony Matthias has felt transforms into panic. “Don’t leave me, my dearest!!” But Rakkisa’s breath slows down even more. She opens her mouth and tries to speak but her words are nothing more than a whisper. Matthias lowers his head toward her face and his tears mingle with the perspiration on her forehead.“Please Matthias… protect Gailin,” Rakkisa whispers. Her voice is so thin that it might be easily mistaken for the rustling of the wind through the trees. “Make sure… Ugh… nothing happens to her or you… Ugh…” The coughing makes Rakkisa pause, and she presses a tissue, stained with blood, against her lips.“You… can ensure Gailin a good life. Take her with you to your land. Do not show her to… anybody while you travel. Please Matthias, protect her…” A tear rolls from the corner of Rakkisa’s eye.Matthias nods, though he’s not sure how he will fulfill this promise. But he doesn’t show his hesitation to the dying mother. He will find a way.“I promise...” he whispers. Trailer Chapter 2 Chapter 1 Didelis December 4th 1948 Matthias Brolin Outside, he strips off his clothes and takes a cold shower next to the house. With a big stiff bristle brush and disinfecting plant oil, he scrubs his skin, from head to toes, until it almost bleeds. The pain from the scrubbing distracts him from feeling his heart. Then he drips a few drops of the oil under his tongue. His army uniform lies folded next to the shower. He hasn’t worn it since the day he met Rakkisa. Putting on this uniform makes him feel nauseous. The uniform means bloodshed and pain. Thanks to the military he has lost Rakkisa and all the others. But he has no choice now. He needs to return to where he came from. There is no future on the island anymore. They made sure of it. They won. Matthias would rather go north with Deeri and the others, but Deeri has denied him his desire to leave with them. Matthias doesn’t stand a chance in the North Pole. They will not warm the air in the Didelian boats out of fear of thermal detectors. He doesn’t have the gifts of the Didelians. And Gailin is still much too young to tap into her gift of regulating her body temperature. Thus, Deeri gave him different instructions: “Move Gailin as far away from here as you can. Get her on a military boat. Go home, and never speak of her real heritage.” M atthias looks at Rakkisa and hardly recognizes her. Her only recently curly and shiny red hair now hangs in lifeless strings around her ashen face. Her half-closed eyes are surrounded by dark circles and the blue of her irises has transformed into a flat grey. The vibrant woman he knows as Rakkisa has disappeared entirely, and Matthias knows it won’t be much longer before her chest stops moving. While he holds her hands, he lowers his face toward her body. Warm tears roll down his cheeks and land on Rakkisa’s silk dress. He squeezes her hands and begs her to stay. He can’t imagine their young baby Gailin without her mother. Gailin hasn’t even had the chance to see how incredible her mother is. The three years Rakkisa and Matthias spent together are so minute compared to the lifetime he will have to live without his divine love. The sound of a gong ringing in the distance releases Matthias from his trance of sorrow. When he returns to his senses, he feels dried tears on his face that pull on the skin. The lack of light through the windows tells him it’s late in the evening. Outside he hears movement and realizes he needs to get Gailin immediately. She is with the uninfected on the other side of the village. The people who remain healthy will depart soon. With his body and soul in pain, Matthias closes Rakkisa’s eyes. His suffering intensifies when he realizes that the house they inhabited for the last six months, will be her eternal tomb. When Matthias arrives at the dwellings where the healthy people hide, he enters a small living structure. A few women are preparing the departure and he sees Gailin sleeping in the arms of Rakkisa’s sister. When she notices him coming, she passes his daughter into his arms. While he takes his little girl, he nods to her in silence, and the woman’s eyes fill with tears. Her sister has passed. The baby awakens and whimpers. She feels she has just lost her mother. Rakkisa’s sister wraps a clean silk shawl around Matthias and tightens the baby to his chest. Then she folds herself around the father and child and they sway back and forth until they are ready to let go. The teared-up woman packs a few nut milk bottles in a backpack and adds some valuable stones that will help Matthias buy his way back. She hands the bag over and they say goodbye without words. With a stabbing pain in his heart, Matthias walks out of the house and into the forest. He does not look back.

TINY SPACE SHUTTLE

COMING SOON Subscribe to my newsletter Email* Yes, subscribe me to your newsletter. Submit