The Venomous Void Chapter 4

Communications

by Iris Carden

The head of communications for the Ivory Tower was a Watchitt named Nancy.  She was a grey-haired lady who looked like she should be someone’s grandmother.  (Not Wendy’s grandmother of course, she had Queen Bertha in that role.)

“These look like really old-fashioned telephones,” Wendy said, looking at a long bench filled with devices that were like a long stick with a round microphone at the top, and a horn-shaped hearing piece hanging off the side.

“A long time ago, a previous Watchitt Queen decided to make our devices look like telephones, or the telephones of the day.  They just haven’t changed since then.  They’re not really phones, of course, just a projection of Watchitt power being used to run a communications system.”

Each of the devices had a Watchitt operator sitting in front of it, waiting for calls.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just use actual phones?” Wendy asked.

“In the human realm, it is.  That’s why Watchitts use their phones there.  Telephones, however, are limited to the human realm.  To make contact between realms is a different matter entirely.”

Wendy watched as an operator took a call, then said she was forwarding it on, blinked, and seemed to just listen.

“It works through blinking?” Wendy asked.

“Yes,” Nancy answered.  “It’s blink and think.  A Watchitt in the human realm blinks and thinks of being connected here.  Thought crossing from one realm to another is hard enough on its own. The device and the operator then boost the power again, so the thought can be forwarded to whoever they want to speak to. Most Watchitts aren’t strong enough to direct a thought straight to someone in another realm. We act as signal boosters.  I understand though, that you were able to unaided transfer a Fallen, who was resisting, from the human realm here.  You probably would be powerful enough to get a message directly from the human realm here, but someone here wouldn’t be able to answer you without our help.”

“Mum hasn’t taught me about blink and think.” Wendy remembered a time when she would have found it very useful.

“At your age, I hadn’t learned half of what you know.  I think your mother was trying to educate you at a normal rate.  Most Watchitt children don’t come to the Ivory Tower to learn how to run the place.”

Wendy sighed.  “I guess not,” she said.  “I wish I could go back to just being a normal Watchitt kid.  I liked things better before.”

“Before you risked your life to save your friends?  Before the Great Good chose you as the next Queen? Your highness, everyone knows what you’ve done.  We all know you’re not just a normal Watchitt. We also know you chose to go back to the human realm and do the work of regular Watchitts instead of coming to live in the Ivory Tower.  I’m sorry things can’t be the way you wish they were, but I have to tell you, everyone I know respects you and absolutely loves you.  We all think you’re going to be a great Queen one day.”

“I wish I could just be a kid first,” Wendy said sadly.

Another call came in.  The operator called out, “Your highness, this is for you. It’s your mother.”

The operator blinked.  Suddenly Wendy heard her mother’s voice in her head.  “Wendy, I need you and Frederick to come home right now.  It’s an emergency.”

Chapters of the Venomous Void to date:

• Chapter 1: Going to Grandma’s
• Chapter 2: Taking a Break
• Chapter 3: Octavius’ Story
• Chapter 4: Communications
• Chapter 5: The Problem at Home
• Chapter 6: Thread
• Chapter 7: Into the Void
• Chapter 8: A Strange Encounter
• Chapter 9: The Garden
• Chapter 10: Saving Octavius
• Chapter 11: Fruit for Bobby
• Chapter 12: Happy Birthday Wendy

Now the story is complete, I will edit it and get it ready to publish it as a book. Look out for it soon at your favourite online bookshop.

The Venomous Void is my current work in progress. It will be the sequel to Wendy Watchitt.

Wendy Watchitt

Wendy Watchitt is just an average 10 year old girl.

She’s brave and clever and caring. She carries her pet toad on her head, and makes strange things happen when she blinks. Well, perhaps she isn’t quite so average.

A new adventure starts for Wendy when her family moves house.

A new town, a new home, new school, and new best friend are just the beginning of what she’s going to find.

Wendy will have to save her friends, travel between realms, learn some very big family secrets, and still find time to get her homework done.

Wendy Watchitt is available in paperback (ebook is planned as soon as I get around to it) from lulu.com/spotlight/IrisCarden, or your favourite online bookshop.

While you’re here…

The podcast of this blog is available on 
    Spotify
    Apple Podcasts

Find Iris Carden's books:  
    at Lulu (publisher)     
    at Amazon  
   or  at your favourite online bookshop.

Digital Tip Jar: PayPal.Me

Follow Me: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

Everything on this site is the product of human, not artificial, intelligence.