Melody and the Pier to Forever

~~*~~an epic fantasy by Shawn Michel de Montaigne~~*~~

10.08.2008

An Answer to Amber Firenz

Hypocrisy in anything whatever may deceive the cleverest and most penetrating man, but the least wide-awake of children recognizes it, and is revolted by it, however ingeniously it may be disguised.

--Leo Tolstoy

The children, Amber, are wide awake.

~~*~~

Posted by Shawn Michel de Montaigne at 12:09 PM
Labels: Amber Firenz, cowardice, Donny, gaia.com, hogmellon, hypocrisy, Maria, Ramblin' H2O, Saidaku

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On a Quiet, Cool January Day in 1983

Walking the Pier

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For my part, then, I love life and cultivate it, such as it has pleased God to bestow it upon us. I do not go about wishing that it might be free from the necessity of eating and drinking, and I should think I erred no less exsusably to wish that the necessity might be doubled. Nor do I wish that we should sustain ourselves by merely putting into our mouths a little of that drug by which Epimenides took away his appetite and kept himself alive; nor that we should beget children insensibly with our fingers or heels, but rather, speaking with due reverence, that we might beget them voluptuously with our fingers and heels; nor that the body should be without desire and without titillation. Those are ungrateful and unfair complaints. I accept heartily and gratefully what Nature has done for me, and I am pleased with myself and proud of myself for it. We do wrong to that great and omnipotent Giver by refusing his gift, nullifying and disfiguring it. Being all good, he has made all things good.

--Michel Eyquem de Montaigne

Read the First Two Parts Here!

All content is published through Google Docs and is Copyrighted © to Shawn Michel de Montaigne, 2003--2008, all rights reserved.

Part One: The Proof

  • Prologue i
  • Chapter One
  • Chapter Two
  • Chapter Three
  • Chapter Four
  • Chapter Five

Part Two: The Young Master

  • Chapter Six
  • Chapter Seven
  • Chapter Eight
  • Chapter Nine
  • Chapter Ten
  • Chapter Eleven
  • Chapter Twelve

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    About the Author

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    Shawn Michel de Montaigne
    is a professional tutor and writer. He makes his home in San Diego, California, where he takes long, thoughtful walks on the beach and contemplates eternity as he stands at the end of the Pier, looking out over the ocean. Shawn is a staunch environmentalist and individualist whose essays and rants have long inspired (or outraged) many online readers. He can be reached at ThePiertoForever -at- gmail.com.
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    Because hogmellon Apparently Didn't Forward the Note ...

    • An Answer to Amber Firenz

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    Read the Prologue on BookRix for FREE!


    Antarctic Cottonwood

    “Did you ever think how ‘radical’ it would be if this Pier didn’t stop here, but just kept going on and on, connecting lands, kingdoms … whole worlds?”


    Melody was surprised by the question. She didn’t know how to respond—and it seemed, oddly enough, that Mr. Conor wasn’t just playing at pretending here, but something deeper, something real…. She peered out over the water and tried visualizing … an infinite pier stretching over the silent, vibrant depths, a pier connecting lands as distant as China thousands of miles away … a pier that continued, on and on, over alien, uncharted waters, ancient lands, lost empires, forgotten peoples…. But then her analytical mind, always naggingly present, it seemed, barged in, and she replied, “An infinite pier? The wooden supports would have to be seven miles long to reach the bottom of the ocean in the deepest places … whoa….”


    And then she thought some more and added, “But it wouldn’t be an infinite pier—eventually it’d just circle back around behind us….”


    He turned his head now and watched her. “Radical,” he said, smiling.


    ~~*~~


    From the strings of an indestructible violin comes a compelling melody, one that will inspire a deep and moving friendship; and one that will set two powerful enemies on an explosive collision course that will ultimately determine the fate of two worlds.


    And in the middle of that collision course is a young thirteen-year-old girl who’s just trying to pass her algebra class ...


    The Pier goes on ... forever.