by
Size: 6.00 x 9.00 in
Pages: 187
Pages: 185
Sometimes, life is completely unfair.
Spoiled teenager Jenny Halpen's parents were against her going on a cruise, but her doting uncle didn't see it that way. He thought it a fine graduation gift for his favorite (and only) niece.
Unfortunately, before Jenny has a chance to enjoy the voyage, the Cassandra collides with a meteor shower, and her escape pod is separated from the others.
Landing on an uninhabited world might not be so bad if Jenny's pod-mates were human, but they're not. They're poodles...all three of them...and not just your garden-variety poodles, either. They're the telepathic Royal Family of Canaris, and they're of the opinion that Jenny's now their servant, existing only to protect and serve them.
Robinson Crusoe had it easy!
Publisher: Wordwooze Publishing
Narrators:
Genres:
Languages Available: English
Languages Available: English
Where am I? She couldn’t remember, looking around the cabin in confusion. Blinking, she sighed. The night noises had stopped. Everything was so peaceful and...quiet...
Quiet?
Her eyes came open again and she sat up so quickly she threw the little dog in her lap to the floor. He landed with a thump and an indignant yelp.
Other than the stirring of the other animals, there was no sound in the room. The homing signal was silent. Sometime during the night, it stopped.
“Omigosh. The signal. What happened?”
Running to the machine on its metal pedestal, she studied it frantically. Surely there was some knob, button, or switch to restart the signal. Her gazes swept over the smooth metal surface.
Nothing.
Not a word of print or engraved instruction marred its gray veneer.
“Come on.” She tapped the front and sides with her knuckles. “Beep, buzz… Do something. You can’t be broken.”
The box stayed silent.
“No, no, no. Now they’ll never find me.” Jenny gave the now quiet box an angry slap. All that did was hurt her palm. “Ow!”
She winced and rubbed her hand against her thigh. “Why did you break down? Why?” She leaned her
forehead against the cold surface. “Answer me, you blasted machine!”
Something touched her arm. Something warm and soft. She looked around.
The little white dog was nuzzling at her hand with his nose, looking up at her with anxious brown eyes.
“Quit that.” She pushed him away. “Can’t you see this is serious? Of course you can’t. You’re just a dumb dog. Why couldn’t I have been marooned with a ’droid or something? At least, it’d be able to talk to me. Why did it have to be a bunch of dogs?”
Stranded.
The word swirled around in her brain. No clothes. No company. And nothing to eat but Gramps’ freed-dried stuff. Now there’d be no bragging to Mary-Beth, no Handsome Stranger, and…she’d never see Mums and Daddy again, or Gramps not even to let him know he was now the second Halpen in space by proxy….
…and someday, in the far, far, distant future, a ship might stop here to explore, and find her bones—or a few bits and pieces, perhaps a finger or a toe—and wonder who she had been…and perhaps some industrious journalist would go through his newspaper’s digital archives and find a story about a teenager lost when a spaceliner was hit by an asteroid…
A tear trickled down her cheek. She envisioned a tombstone projecting from a forest of weeds. Here lies Jenny Halpen, Castaway.
A second tear followed the first, then another, and another.
The dam burst.
Face against her arms, she leaned against the seat of the nearest passenger chair, shoulders shaking. For a few moments, only the sound of Jenny’s sobs broke the silence in the pod.
<Don’t cry, girl.>
The tears continued, wracking and heart-breaking.
<Girl? Miss?>
Jenny stopped in mid-cry. Did I really hear someone?
<Don’t cry.>
Stifling the last sob into a hiccough, she forced herself to be quiet. I did hear someone.
<We’ll talk to you…if that’s what you want.>
“Wh-where are you?” She looked around, expecting—hoping—to see someone emerge from one of the other seats.
Had another castaway been hiding, watching, listening to her cry? That’d be embarrassing, but she’d forgive him. Jenny’s heart beat a little faster. Maybe if she was lucky, it’d be Handsome Stranger.
“Where?” She looked around, raising her voice. “I can’t see you. Come out.”
<We’re already out.>
“Where? Where are you?” Wiping her cheeks, she clambered to her feet.
Outside. That’s it. Another escape pod landed. People.
Jenny dashed to the hatch.
The little white dog threw himself into her path. She dodged. He jumped in front of her again and she nearly tripped over him in her haste to get to the hatch.
“Move, you stupid animal. Can’t you hear? There’s someone outside.” Picking him up, she tossed him out of the way. He landed against the signal box with a thud and a yelp. Then Jenny was at the hatch, fumbling with the wheel-lock.
Hand on the wheel, she stopped, turning to look back into the pod.
The three little dogs sat in the center of the aisle. The white one rubbed his head with the back of one paw.
Staring at the three of them, Jenny took a hesitant step forward. “If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you just told me your head hurt,” she said to the white dog.
“Oh no…that does it.” Jenny’s laugh was nervous and disbelieving, holding more than a twinge of hysteria. “My mind’s winged out. It’s the shock of being marooned… Talking dogs? Ohhh…”
<What’s she talking about?> someone else asked.
The little white dog wiggled its shoulders in a gesture resembling a shrug.
“I’m losing my mind...no, I’ve lost it...it’s gone…zoom... flown right away. Bye, bye, Brain!”
<See? She says she’s lost it.>
<We’ll help you find it. What does it look like?>
“Hold it…hold it!” Jenny shouted.
Three pairs of eyes turned toward her.
Silence.
“Is this really true? Can you dogs, uh…people…uh…can you talk?” She stopped, waving her hands in the air. “What am I doing, asking these animals if they can talk?”
Jenny Halpen is a sixteen year old living in Redbud, Arizona. She has two days to pick which subjects she wants to take for the new school year, but all she can think about is how she hates school and is bored. When her Uncle Steve arrives relaying that he will not be there next year for Jenny's graduation and that he wants to give her gift now she is beyond elated.
Her best friend was sent on a space cruise, and that is what she wants. However, it is very expensive and she would have to get it past her mother and father. After some debate, it is agreed she can take the cruise. Not only does her uncle spoil her, but he usually wins her father over.
The one good thing about the cruise is all the fresh food, especially the real meat. We finally managed to put holes in the ozone layer and refrigeration is no longer available, so being on this cruise has been a real treat. Of course, what she never expected was for the cruise to be filled with married couples, so once again she finds herself bored. The only thing exciting is the presence of a real live princess, Princess Amber and her three dogs. If nothing else, this cruise is going to be a real learning experience for her.
The ship has hit an asteroid and all the people on board are ordered to their escape pods, when Jenny gets to hers she finds herself with the princess and the three little dogs. When the princess leaves to retrieve something from her room the pod takes off. There she is with three dogs and no pilot. What happened to the pilot and the other people that should be on board with her? Arriving on the planet Oleanthus, one that is suitable for humans, she tries to get organized. Her biggest fear is having no one to talk to, but that will not be for long because the three little dogs are actually the real Princess Amber, her daughter Princess Chrissy, and Chrissy's husband,Conan.
These are dogs from Canaris. and are recognized as an intelligent form of animal. They can communicate with mind talk, so now Jenny is not so alone, a good thing since the tracking beacon has shut down. They find food and shelter, and she then begins to see how little she took life seriously. She practically slept through most of her classes; now she needs to depend on them. She needs to find a way to get food, care for the three dogs, and figure out how to heal them if injured. Making matters worse is the fact that Princess Amber is expecting more puppies.
Jenny does a lot of growing up on Oleanthus out of need. She grows to love her three companions. Conan is just the most adorable character, he is very proud of the fact that he is a barkbarian. In spite of how little he is, he tries to act tough. Amber and Chrissy are also great and many times during the story, I found myself laughing out loud. These three dogs, especially Conan, were just the most amusing characters ever. It didn't take long before I forgot they were actually dogs and not human.
I highly recommend this book it was never boring and it was a story with a great lesson to be learned. I loved it and as an adult I did not find it lacking. How bad can a book be when it is filled with adorable, smart, mind talking dogs, oh and there are others on the planet, but I don't want to give away who they were. Read this book you won't be sorry.5 Stars
Review of 1st Edition
