Mellie's Books

…you had telekinetic abilities during a snowball fight?

Well, I wondered the same thing while writing Too Many Talents. Here we have Connell, heir to Belfort, hosting a winter party. Of course there will be a snowball fight at some point. You can’t have a bunch of ten to twelve year old boys playing in the snow without it. The only strange thing is that they didn’t come up with it on their own…

How about an excerpt as we get ready for the winter holidays?

The forts weren’t too close together, so even when hit in the face, Connell wasn’t injured. He hastily retreated behind the fort and wiped the snow and water out of his eyes. Grabbing up another snowball from the ammunition pile he pulled back and threw his snowball in a high arc toward the other fort.

And as it arced toward the fort, Master Olivier strolled through the grounds right into the trajectory of the snowball.

“Master! Stop!” Connell shouted at the top of his voice.

Master Olivier stopped short, looked up, and waved his hand. And as he did, the snowball dodged sideways in midair and missed him by three feet. With a nod, the man continued on his way for a few feet. And then with a wide grin on his face, he approached the fort.

“I see everyone here is a student of mine, in one class or the other, and there are several of you on either team who can do telekinesis. Why don’t we see how a Talented game works?”

“Master Olivier, what do you mean?” Connell asked.

“Can I have all those with telekinetic Talent from both sides come to me,” he instructed.

Soon he was surrounded by a circle of young boys.

“Right. Now let’s divide you into equal teams.”

This took just a couple moments and they all retreated to their forts.

“Now, you who are telekineticists must direct the snowballs with your Talent. The rest can fashion ammunition for you. Who says practicing your Talent can’t be fun?”

And how about an odd game of tag? Jareth wants to help Viviane control her Talent, and sometimes a little bit of a break can make the difference. Especially if the break includes a game incorporating Talent in some way.

The first couple of days at the cabin were pretty lazy. Viviane decided she had needed a break. Jareth promised to work with her a little bit while they were up here, but only a little. He was afraid she was pushing too hard and creating her own obstacles.

One morning over breakfast, he looked up with a particularly mischievous look on his face.

“What, Jareth?” she asked. “I know that look and it means you’re up to something.”

“How about a game of tag?” he asked.

“What? Up here?”

“Why not? Only let’s change the rules to accommodate your new Talents.”

“Okay, what are the rules?”

“You know you have telepathic abilities, and you also have porting Talents. On top of that, you have kinetic Talents. So, this time, you’re going to be the hunter and you’ll have to catch me. But I can port to keep away from you, or use kinesis to move you away.”

“How is that fair?” she demanded.

“You have the same abilities and using them is fair in this game. If you use your telepathy, you will know where I’ll jump. I won’t shield my thoughts from you. Figure out where I’ll jump and get there before I can either jump again or move you. Or you can bring me to you with kinesis. Duncan says you have plenty of power.”

“Did he also tell you I tend to fling things pretty violently? What if you get hurt?”

“I’ll take my chances. Ready?”

“You’re on. Let’s get changed.”  

To an onlooker their game would have seemed bizarre. At first, Viviane stood in one place, irritated and frustrated. But as the morning went on, she began blinking out at one place to reappear at another, just as Jareth had been doing. Occasionally Jareth would appear right behind her and startle her before jumping away again.

“Viviane, the object is to use your telepathy to get here when I do. You’re doing much better at your porting though.”

“I can’t seem to switch back and forth between Talents. I can either figure out where you’re going, or follow you there after I see you.”

“So move me back to you,” he countered, and ported again to a place about twenty-five meters away.

The first time she brought him back to her, his body hit hers quite hard, and they both tumbled backwards several feet before fetching up against a tree trunk.

“I told you I flung things about!” she shouted before he could get in a word.

“Yes, you did, but you did well, nonetheless. You realize you’ve won this round, don’t you?”

“I have?” she asked, then, “I have! Wow!” as she did a little dance in the snow.

Whatever snowy games you get into, have fun. Whether it’s tag, snow forts and snowball fights, or a simple walk in the snowy woods, get out into nature and enjoy.

The holiday season is here with all its stress. So take a break. Take a walk. Throw a snowball. You deserve it. And don’t forget to check out Too Many Talents.

That’s it for now. Have a happy holiday.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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