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            Jon-Tom's life was filled with

tedium. He hadn't a good adventure for months. Being stuck in the tree with the

wizard was enough to drive anyone batty. It was no wonder the wizard's true

apprentice drank so much.He was beginning to have ideas of

looking up one or the other of his loves, but squashed the thoughts as soon as

they appeared. It was now impossible to see either, for if he ended up staying

with one, the other would be denied something she also had a right to. He had

tried finding solace with some of the local females, but never followed through

with those impulses. He was afraid word of his exploits would reach the wrong

ears, and so far, he had maintained a reputation of being rather prudish. Better to let everyone think he was still

xenophobic. It was funny how life worked. When

he came here he most certainly was just that. It was love that had shown him

the error of his ways. Now he was almost eager to try new things. Perhaps more

correctly; new females. There were plenty available and if his friend Mudge had

shown him anything with his numerous sexual affairs, it was that there were

many willing ladies out there in this world. Despite the fact that most were

familiar in shape and structure, all were often much bigger than their Earthly

counterparts. Roseroar was a full-sized

tigress, but Mel-Aura was much larger than eagles of Earth, weighing in, he

guessed, at around 90-100 pounds. Mihandra seemed about the right size for an

orangutan from home, though her proportions might have been different. Many of the creatures his otter

friend talked into bed were on the smaller side. When Roseroar had transformed

into the otter form, he thought that there was going to be some serious damage

to her anatomy. He was surprised when they fit, albeit quite snugly. The bobcat

form had been different for there he could have done some real damage. The point of his review was that

there were fewer species that he felt he could approach in this world due to

his stature. He still had a thing about avoiding quadrupeds, through he knew

that most of them could handle what he had to offer. There was still a barnyard

stigma, for him anyway. It still caught him off guard on those occasions when

one of them spoke. Here it was normal; routine even. So for the most part he

sat and dreamed of previous exploits and thought little to what the future may

hold.. He was in the midst of a

particularly lustful remembrance when a knock came at his bedroom door. Damn,

he thought, why does it happen at the best parts? He called to the person on

the other side, "Come on in, its open." In shuffled the old wizard,. He

peered over the tops of his glasses. "I hope I'm not disturbing you my boy, but

I have a request." Jon-Tom jumped up, perhaps a

little too eagerly. "What is it?" His eagerness was duly noted. "You seem to be restless as of

late. I have an errand which I would gladly undertake myself, except for my age

and infirmity." He expected at least a snicker form the spell-singer, but no

disrespect was forthcoming. He continued. "I have a package that needs to go to

my compatriot Roxmor. He lives along the south eastern coast, at the city of

Arocet." The spell-singer wondered what he

had that couldn't be delivered by other means. 

He refrained from saying what he was thinking, knowing full well the

answer he would get. "I'm honored that you have chosen me for such

a mundane task. Since I need some fresh air and alone time, I will take you up

on your offer." "Don't be too hasty my boy. This

task isn't as mundane as you think it is. The object you are delivering is

this." He unwrapped a large chunk rock.

Well, rock wasn't the best term. It looked more like an uncut gemstone. It was

green, but not like an emerald. It was almost a sickly green. He stared at it,

thinking to himself what it might be. He finally gave up and asked. "What the hell is it?" The wizard wagged his head from

side to side. "I have no clue my boy. It has been in my possession for over one

hundred years. Roxmor has a chunk just like it. He has always felt that there

was power in it for one wise enough to tap into it. He has asked for this

portion to aid in his studies. I am loaning it to him as a professional

courtesy."The spell-singer ran his finger

across the object of his upcoming trek. It seemed ordinary to the touch, but he

swore that his finger stuck on its surface. As it was only for a split second,

he didn't comment. No need giving the wizard the idea he was crazy. The stone

was wrapped in a cloth and tucked away in a small box. His instructions were

simple. Keep it safe and deliver intact. It was then that he did something

stupid. He opened his mouth and said, "No problem. What could go wrong?"He took time to make sure his

effects were in order. He packed a number of sundry items, including some minor

medical supplies, including bandages and soothing ointment. The latter had some

non-medical uses, as Jon-Tom had found out when he had gotten bored one day. Once he was done with these

preparations he normally would have been ready to roll. Usually he could come

and go with impunity. But he now had his little potted flower. The banana tree

had withered long ago, but new ones kept springing up from the floor. He was

able to weed them out, leaving only one near the window where it would receive

sufficient light. The wizard promised to look after

them, largely because he was curious about the flower. When the young

spell-singer had brought it home Clothahump had not believed his eyes, or his

nose. The Mel-Aura plant had vanished years ago. How the boy had gotten his

hands on one was beyond understanding. He well may have the only living

specimen in existence! Of course, the spell-singer knew otherwise.Jon-Tom set off at a leisurely

pace. The wizard had directed in the best method for reaching the city, but

once away from the tree, he had consulted the map in his head. It showed that

the way was clearer if he went due west, and then cut back down toward the

coast. The area seemed to be a little more mountainous, but he had already

dealt with that once. Between ranges was a desert area; sandy, but pocked here

and there by the occasional oasis. It might be hotter than going the other way,

but it was definitely going to be less humid. His leather pants were killer in

a tropical clime. After several days of traveling,

he reached the mountains. He was able to pick a way through, finding several

convenient passes. As he dropped down to the level of the desert, the rocky

terrain gave way to sand and cacti. He found one of the springs that dot the

expanse, filling up his water bag and stuffing it back into the magically

expanded space inside his cape. He had plenty of food hidden the same way,

along with his duar and the wizard's stone. His walk was indeed hot, but at the

conversely, incredibly cold at night. Luckily for him, there was plenty of room

in the cape. It made a great sleeping bag. As he snuggled down one evening,

he thought that should he have the opportunity, he would have to thank Mihandra

personally for her wonderful gift.. One morning he was clambering

over a rocky outcrop that rose from the desert floor. Despite having a map in

his head, he still preferred to see where he was going with his own eyes. He

was surveying the sand when he spotted it. The problem was, he had no idea what

"it" was. It was colored unlike the landscape. More importantly, it moved. As

if responding to his espying of it, whatever-it-was reacted by slipping behind

a pile of boulders. It was nearly 300 yards away, so no details were

discernible to mere human eyes. But it made the spell-singer nervous. He had

rather figured this area was unoccupied. Belatedly he realized the stupidity in

thinking that. Every desert on Earth had some sort of life in it. Why should it

be any different here?He kept his eyes on the rock pile

as he worked his way off of his and back onto the sand. It was a mistake. A

loose stone rolled under his foot. Losing his footing he tumbled forward,

crashing down and striking his head. He lay there motionless, blood trickling

slowly onto the hot grains. When he awoke, he could feel that

the side of his face was crusted with blood and sand. One eye was matted shut

as well. The pounding in his head told tales as to how hard he had landed.

Lifting himself up off of the ground, he was immediately struck by several odd

things. The first was that despite having blood on his face, there was none on

the ground. Secondly, he was in a cave. Well, maybe cave wasn't quite right. It

had a door, so it seemed to be more of a room...or a cell. He stumbled upright

and tried the handle. It opened with a touch. So that answered that. But where

was he? However he had gotten here, his staff had been kindly set to one side.

He grabbed it just in case.He advanced down a narrow

corridor apparently carved right out of the rock. He heard voices coming from a

room ahead. His ears must have been plugged with sand, for he could make out

nothing they said. It all sounded garbled. Turning to look in on whoever it was

that had brought him her, he got the shock of his life. He had no notion of who

it might have been, and his peek into the room failed to help. They were

nothing like he had seen on this world or on his own. They were a bit shorter

than he was, bipedal and blue. Well bluish-green, depending on what part of the

body you were looking at. With his one eye matted shut, he could hardly get a

good look. But his good eye took in quite quickly the fact that they had

stopped talking and were looking straight at him. None made a move to get up.

One made a gesture and spoke to him. The problem was, it sounded like

gibberish. Jon-Tom had been amazed when he

had been brought to this world only to find that all living things here spoke

the same language. The fact that he did so as well could only have been

explained as a cause and effect of the wizard's magic. Now he had accepted this

quirk as normal. Therefore, someone who spoke a

different language was a novel idea. Whatever the blue creature was trying to

tell him, they were suffering a breakdown in communication. The blue

whatever-it-was got up and moved slowly in his direction, still talking. It

stopped in front of him and looked critically at his wound. It went to a nook

in the room and removed a container and a section of cloth. It came back and

extended its hand. Jon-Tom was a little confused as to what he was supposed to

do. Hoping it was meant as a friendly gesture, he grasped it with his own. The

blue creature actually smiled. It led him down the corridor to another room. This one was a little more

civilized looking. It held primitive chairs and a bench. The creature directed

him to lay on the latter. Soaking the cloth, it gently cleaned his face and

wound. Once his eye was able to open, he got a clearer look at his nurse. Instead

of hair it had small, flat scales. They ran from its forehead down to the base

of its neck, slipping over small fleshy patches where ears would be.  There were a few on its hands, a pale green

like those on its scalp. He kept his eyes from wandering but there might very

well have been some somewhere else a little lower. It continued to speak to

him, but stopped when he tried to join the conversation. "I'm sorry but I don't

have a clue what you're trying to tell me. But thank you for your help." It

stopped and listened to his words. When he had finished it cocked its head to

one side and patted him on the cheek. He took that to mean "you poor thing!"It left him there, motioning for

him to stay. He wasn't sure where he would have gone, so that wasn't a problem.

But the time ticked away and still no one returned. He didn't want to give the

impression that their hospitality was unappreciated, but he did have places to

be. He found that there was no way he could explain that, considering their

present inability to speak to one another. Frustrated, he opened the secret

compartment in his cape and withdrew his duar. Perhaps music might do what

words couldn't. But what to play? They didn't appear to be

your typical music lovers. Then again, on this world, no one was. He played a

few songs in his head, and then hit on it. Led Zeppelin! He rolled off the

notes and sang out the lyrics. Communication Breakdown was what they had. All

he had to do was hope that the song corrected it.His music had an immediate

effect. Half a dozen blue entities stood outside the door, holding their hands

to their heads. Critics! He was always dealing with them. As he finished the

song, a look of relief spread across six faces. The one who had ministered to

his wounds opened her mouth. "What in the seven planets was

that noise?" They may not have liked his

rendition, but it had the desired effect. Now that he understood it, he felt

the voice had female overtones. It was his turn to smile. "That, thank you very much, was

music. And just what was needed right now." "Needed?! That was the most..."

She stopped in mid-sentence. "Did you just talk to me?" He let out a snort. "We have been

talking to each other. What we have not been doing is communicating. I did what

I could to fix the problem. You may not have liked the sound of it but it

worked!"Instead of getting a look of

appreciation, he was given a look of pure terror. She backed away towards the

door, which the others had vacated. He had no idea what the problem was, though

the fact that he had an instrument where there had been none before might be a

little upsetting. He held up his hands.   "Hey! What's the matter? Haven't

you seen magic before?" She stopped but continued to

watch him warily. "Yes I have. And not once has it been good for us. If I had

known you were dangerous I would have left you to die!" Jon-Tom hardly considered himself

dangerous. He wasn't too sure of it, but he formed a plan. "Here. Take this.

It's how I perform my magic. You should feel safe if I'm not holding it." Having

said that, he slipped the duar from his shoulder and handed it over. She eyed him curiously. "You want

to give up your power just like that? What's the catch?" "No catch. I doubt that I will be

able to convince you of my intentions otherwise. You have no reason to trust me

and I have every reason to trust you."She gingerly extended an arm and

grabbed the instrument. He let it go and sat back down. "There. Now I can do

you no harm. Understand that I wished none to begin with. To be honest, I had

no idea you were even here. This area is supposed to be uninhabited." She glanced from the duar to him.

"Then why are you here? Like you said, no one is supposed to live here. What is

your purpose in coming?" "Not coming. Going. I'm heading

for the coast. I thought that this route might be better than traversing the

jungles. Trust me, if I had known you where here, I would have never bothered

you." She eyed him distrustfully. "I am

not sure that I believe you." A little tired of the

questioning, he retorted "I'm not sure that I care. Look, I'm sure you have your

reasons for distrusting me, but like I said, I didn't know you were here. All I

really want to do is continue on my journey.""That cannot be allowed. Now that

you know we are here, you may tell others about us. We cannot let that happen."

He was already regretting that he

had given up his duar. He let out a sigh. "We seem to have gotten off on the

wrong foot. Allow be to introduce myself. I'm called Jon-Tom." She spared a look at his feet,

wondering what he meant about his feet. "Jon-Tom? What kind of name is that?" "It's my name, that's what. It's not my full

name, but it's the one I have been given since coming to this world." Her eyes narrowed. "Are you

saying that you are not of this world?" "Yes, that is indeed what I said.

Some wizard yanked me over from mine. He needed help fighting a war." She looked accusingly at him. "If

that is so, why do you have magic? Is your world magic too?" He had to chuckle at the thought.

"No, not in the least. No one knows why I can do it here. By all rights it

should be impossible. As it turns out, I have great power."This seemed to make her nervous

again. "It was a wizard who brought us here as well. That was long ago. We have

hidden from him ever since. We do not like this world." He knew all too well the pain. "I

am sorry for you for I miss my home too. It's been too long since I was there."

He started crying. This confused the creature even more. "Why do your visual orbs leak? Is

there something wrong with them?" He sobered up enough to answer.

"No, It's called crying. It's a physical response to emotional distress." She

came and sat beside him. "Strange. I thought we were the only ones to water our

orbs because of sadness. You are indeed a strange creature Jon-Tom" That brought him up short. "I

might suggest the same of you, whoever you are." She hopped up and with a sweeping

gesture, excused herself. "So many apologies. I am Trift." Seeing that the others had cautiously

returned, she introduced them as well. "And this is Hreed, Jospah, Oraw,

Koosth, and Illom. We are of the race of Oooja." He got the names, but felt he

would never place them with the right faces. For the moment, they all looked

the same.Each of them did a little bob at

the calling of their name. Jon-Tom did a little bob back. It seemed to be what

was called for. "So Trift, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been

here?" Her answer was immediate. "By our reckoning, about 26 cycles." "Wow! And I though I had it bad.

I've only been here a few years." "Years?" "Yes, years. You know, the time it takes the

planet to circle the star?" "Ah. You are using that system. It is highly

inaccurate outside of a specific planet. If you must use something so archaic,

then allow me to make the adjustment. We have been stranded here for 104 of

this planet's years." Jon-Tom's jaw dropped. That was

incredible. Over a century and unable to go home. But none of them looked

particularly ancient. He mentioned this. "We age at our own rate, as do you. You appear

mature; how old are you?" He answered a bit vaguely, since

it was measured now within two zones, the one from Earth and this one. "I am at

least twenty five years, or about 6 of your cycles."This brought forth a flurry of

questions "Only 6 cycles?! Why you should still be a mere child! How did you

grow so fast?" He was mildly amused. "You just

said things age at their own rate. I was of, uh, breeding age when I was 4

cycles old." Two of them expressed outrage.

"Mature at 4 cycles? That's outrageous! It takes 20 cycles before that can

happen!" "Maybe for you, but not for me.

Why, how old are you?" The one speaking drew up to its

full height. "I will be 18 cycles soon!" Another piped in "Me too!" He shook his head. "That's 72 of

my years. By that age I will be beyond having children." The room became

cacophonous with the arguments that ensued. But at least there was a dialog

going on.In the time it took for all this

conversation to take place, a minor miracle had happened. The two, aliens to

each other and this world, were now on fairly equal terms. By removing the

barrier of incompatible languages, he had opened up a chance for them to learn

about each other. The group conversed for several hours. Trift even set down

his duar, though he never once made a move to retrieve it. Rather, he spent the

time observing his hosts. Clothing seemed to be optional for them. Except for

utilitarian belts that held some kind of tools, they appeared to be nude. He

couldn't help but notice their midsections. While sexual organs varied from

animal to animal, these beings all looked nearly the same. None had any organ

denoting a male or female. Therefore, he assumed they were all female. Four of

them had brightly colored scales in the place where pubic hair would be on a

human. In their case the scales there were bright green, whereas on the other

two they were pale green. But outside of this difference in hues, they were

nearly identical. That included the fact that there

were no visible openings to this area. This observation even went so far as to

include the apparent lack of an anus. Jon-Tom hardly wished to be rude, but

quick glances at them as they moved about the room showed them all to be the

same. He had to wonder at this. He was no expert on digestion, but he was completely

aware that not everything you ate was utilized by the body. Unless these Oooja

had a remarkably different biology, which was conceivably possible, they had to

relieve themselves in some manner.But that investigation would have

to wait. There were other matters that demanded explanation. There was much

concern over why exactly he was here. He explained again that he was on an

errand. Trifth was still wary. "It must be something of

importance for you to venture out here. Where are you going exactly." "I am making a delivery between

one wizard and another." She shot him a suspicious glance.

"What are you delivering? Yourself?" It looked like it was going to be

magic time again. "No. I am delivering a rock." She snorted in derision. "This

world is full of rocks. Where is yours?" He unclasped his cloak and handed

it to her. "It's in here" She took it from him and patted

it down. "It must be a very small rock if you have it hidden in here!" He took it

back and spoke to it. From the opening he extracted the box. She yelped and

jumped back. "How did you do that?" Since this was harmless magic, he

thought her reaction to be rather extreme. "It's dimensionally expanded on the

inside. Where do you think my instrument came from? There's room for quite a

bit inside here." Reaching in again he pulled out

some of his food supplies. She inched forward and tried to peer inside, but it

was total darkness inside. "How did you do that?" He chuckled under his breath. "Actually, I

didn't. A friend did it for me. My magic isn't quite the type to create a spell

like this. But she did a good job. You'd be surprised how much stuff I can cram

into it!"                "I guess I

might at that. We have nothing comparable from our world. There is no way of

making something bigger on the inside where we come from."                "There isn't where

I come either. It's quite a little trick of magic."                "I will

assume you know what you are talking about. For us, we would like nothing

better than to get home where things like strange aliens and magic don't exist.

We have just about had our fill of it."                "You can get

used to it you know. But I get your reluctance if someone has been persecuting

you. Do you even know why?"                "No."                "Then maybe

you should explore this world."                "That would

be too dangerous."                "Not if you

had a guide."                "Like you?

But you're not from here, so how much help could you be?"                "A lot. I have

a good grasp of the terrain and I know where I'm going, so there wouldn't be

any danger of getting lost."                "But you fell

and hurt yourself."                "Sure, bring

that up. I was looking at the movement I saw and didn't watch my footing. Normally

I'm pretty good about such things."                "But we look

like nothing else on this planet!"                "And how

would you know? I could always claim you're some sort of reptilian species that's

from some distant land."                "I don't know

if I want to chance it."                Two of the

younger ones spoke up. "What about us?"