A Stretch of Time Read online

  ***

  “It did, right?” Rawiri leaned forward, eyes bright. “Cause you never nap for very long.”

  “You have seen the truth of it, boy.” I leaned back in the wicker chair and closed my eyes.

  Some time later I was woken by a touch on my arm and the smell of coffee. Rawiri pushed the mug into my hands and sat down on the step. “So are you able to pass on this gift as well?”

  My, the child was onto it. “I’ve never tried. But just in case I would need to, I learned our people’s language.”

  “Won’t it work in English?”

  “I thought it best to cover all the possibilities. I had plenty of time, after all.”

  Rawiri nodded, then scrambled to his feet. “I have plenty of time too, Kuia. When I am old enough to run out of it sometimes, I will ask you for this gift.” He ran off down the garden and vanished between the trees.

  I blinked. He was wiser than his years. But when the time came, I would pray the words over my grandson and he would bear the gift of time for the next generation.

  ***

  Author Information

  Grace Bridges owns Splashdown Books, an indie press that publishes speculative fiction. She is also a science fiction author and has two published books: Faith Awakened (2007) and Legendary Space Pilgrims (2010). Grace is a New Zealander of Irish descent and a multilingual do-it-yourself force to be reckoned with.

  A graduate of the University of Auckland and a translator by trade, she spent eight years globetrotting chiefly in Europe while working for the police and also completing her first novels. She has lived in Germany and Ireland, but now resides in her original homeland with a cat and approximately six boarders within sight of several volcanos. Often found staring into trees in search of a tui, she is a mystic wordnerd, urbanite hermit, and a writer of futuristic dreams that mess with your mind.

  Catch up with her at: https://grace.splashdownbooks.com.

  “A Stretch of Time” appears in Aquasynthesis, the first anthology of Splashdown authors. 13 authors—25 stories.

  Aquasynthesis—Print ISBN: 978-1927154007

  Kindle Edition: https://amzn.to/Aljc5q

  aqua (n) - water, used in compound names, or substances in water. 

  synthesis (n) - The combining of elements into a unified entity. 

  aquasynthesis (n) - a combining of worlds within a pool of water; an anthology of short stories from Splashdown authors.

  Gizile follows her mysterious teacher, Tok, as they look into the ice of an ocean pool to contemplate a series of strange and mystical visions: astonishing tales of technology and transcendence, aliens and elves, space and time, dragons and demons, prophecies and scriptures, humor and horror, the gifted and the enslaved, virtual and supernatural reality, insanity and inspiration.

  Dive into the creations of the Splashdown wordsmiths. Visit the edges of story worlds you love already, and taste their delights if you are new to Splashdown's universe.

  Have you ever wondered if your life is designed? Coincidences, déjà vu, fate, God, what does it all mean? Have you ever wished you could go back and do things differently? If you could design your own virtual world to live in, what would it look like?

  A computer technician gets more than she bargains for when she plunges herself and her companions into virtual-reality cryogenic stasis to escape a raging virus.

  Faith Awakened—Print ISBN: 978-0986451706

  Kindle Edition: https://amzn.to/x7uRMq

  If Pilgrim's Progress happened in space, this is what it might look like…

  On a planet that has never seen the sun, a harvester hears a Voice from beyond. It's time to leave the oatfield. Mario and Caitlin escape the mind control of Planet Monday, following the Voice to unknown worlds where wonders and challenges await.

  Have you got what it takes…to be a legend?

  Legendary Space Pilgrims—Print ISBN: 978-0986451720

  Kindle Edition: https://amzn.to/xqGysy

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