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iv. The Bridge   It had been hard to spot at first, but indeed, there was a bridge over the river - a magnificent wood-and-stone construction, arching elegantly over the wild river. Griffith was in awe at the artistry of the design, and the impression of wealth that the construct gave off. No country at war could build this kind of infrastructure; no, this place was certainly peaceful. For some time, Griffith did not even dare take his first step, as if it were only there to be looked at, and some other, lesser bridge existed for utility nearby.   The bridge was supported by five central beams, which protruded from the stone of the bridge

One. Midway in our life's journey, I went astray from the straight road and woke to find myself alone in a dark wood. How shall I say what wood that was! I never saw so drear, so rank, so arduous a wilderness! Its very memory gives a shape to fear. ...How I came to it I cannot rightly say, so drugged and loose with sleep had I become when I first wandered there from the True Way." Night at the Graham house, Wolf Trap, Virginia. Masses of crickets chirping accompanied the otherwise still air that one would expect for such a warm August dusk; the noise from the bugs almost covered the sound of crunching gravel under Graham's pickup's tires as h

Prologue. "Isn't it a bit early to be bringing me to your house?" The gentleman across the table had an inquisitive expression. "Surely it might give a strange impression to your parents?" "Certainly not," Aria laughed softly. "Our estate is a house of plenty, one we gladly share among our visitors. Come and see, my friend, and you will understand." So it was that Leonard Marshall Wallace, last heir of a crumbling lineage, came to the House-of-Plenty, the land of energetic abundance, which would be his last home in the world. One. The Garden of Earthly Delights. From a distance, Leonard M. Wallace set his first sight upon the House-of-Plenty