Hi
Good morning. It’s -6C in balmy, sun-drenched Cambridge in the east of England, and I’m staying home with a Man Cold.
The final part of the four-part ‘Professor and Doctor’ story follows immediately beneath the list of my books at the bottom of this newsletter. It’s published exclusively here.
Book Three is called ‘Now Is The Time Of Monsters.’ By the end of Book Two, ‘The Half-Life Girl’, readers will have met all the dynatoi. They are formidable. The Maiden Orders will need every weapon at their disposal to defeat them.
I like this mini-story. Should I include it in Book Three? ‘The Shiny Blue Metal Box’ will distract the dynatoi, not defeat them. Should I include it in Book Three?
Did you enjoy it? Should I include it?
charles@charlesnpalmer.com
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Good Reviews and Ratings on Amazon are critical. If you have read ‘Beyond The Shining Portals’ (Book One), then I invite you to request Book Two, ‘The Half-Life Girl’ as part of the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) team.
If you are interested in joining ‘The Half-Life Girl’ ARC team but have not read the first book in the trilogy, you will first need to request to join the ‘Beyond The Shining Portals’ ARC team.
I am only collecting names at this point. If you are interested in joining either ARC team, email me at
Put the name of the book in the heading. I will put a process in place to reduce the number of ‘freebie hunters’.
In due course, I will be setting up the ‘This Is The Time Of Monsters’ ARC team. You will have to have read, rated and reviewed the other two books before you can join that team.
Head over to Beyond The Shining Portals
Book One of the ‘Portals’ trilogy
and read the description and reviews, to get an idea of what other reviewers thought of Book One.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE SHINY BLUE METAL BOX
Dr. Septima Butterfield leaned back in her chair, savouring the last bite of her lemon raspberry croissant. The café universe, with its timeless ambience and accommodating tables, had an uncanny way of making even the weightiest plans seem inconsequential.
The door creaked open, and Professor Sebastian Dogtooth entered, his expression triumphant. He carried a shiny blue metal box with a handle that gleamed like captured starlight in his hand.
“You were swift, my sagacious Professor,” Septima said, raising an eyebrow as he approached.
Dogtooth set the box down on the table with care, his hands lingering on its smooth surface. “It is done,” he declared, his voice reverent. Opening the box, he revealed the device within—a marvel of engineering, its sleek design belying its disruptive potential.
“I should set the timer here, in the safety of the café, before stepping into our home world,” Dogtooth mused.
“For how long?” Septima asked.
“Five days,” he replied, his lips curving into a sly smile. “Within that time, its properties will weave into the Imperium’s systems… with what I suspect will be unusual consequences.”
Septima chuckled, removing her glasses and polishing them with meticulous precision. “Do elaborate, my extraordinary Professor. What particular mischief have you concocted?”
Dogtooth leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with a conspiratorial light. “My plan, my delectable Doctor, has danced perilously with the flow of time itself.”
“Explain,” she said, her tone half-curious, half-amused.
“I intended to involve the infamous Pirate Queen, Ching Shih, in our scheme. Yet, try as I might, I couldn’t find a way to gain her cooperation. I attempted several approaches, each a failure. Frustrated, I returned here to consult myself.” He grinned. “Imagine my surprise when I found myself already in possession of the box.”
Septima tilted her head, her brows knitting in confusion. “But how could that be?”
“Ah,” Dogtooth said, his grin widening. “I realized then what I needed to do: search for the blue metal box. Knowing its appearance and location in advance allowed me to succeed where I’d failed before.”
“And so,” Septima said, laughter bubbling from her lips, “you created a paradox. One that you exploited shamelessly.”
“Indeed,” he admitted, spreading his hands in mock surrender. “Let us hope the Maiden forgives my temporal indiscretions.”
As if on cue, the café door opened. Another Professor Dogtooth poked his head through, his gaze locking on the blue metal box. A quick smile crossed his face before he disappeared again.
“Well done, my extraordinary Professor,” Septima said dryly.
Dogtooth bowed theatrically. “Thank you, my delectable Doctor. Now, enjoy another pastry while I return to my office to complete our preparations.”
Septima was midway through a second croissant when Dogtooth returned, his demeanour radiating satisfaction.
“All is done,” he announced, sitting opposite her.
“What happens next?” she asked, her eyes searching his face for answers.
“There will be disruption,” he said simply. “Perhaps a little, perhaps a lot.”
“Disruption?” Septima prompted. “Explain, my astounding Professor.”
Dogtooth’s voice grew more animated as he explained. “The device works subtly. Imagine any piece of propaganda—be it fearmongering about aliens, immigrants, or the Maiden Orders. The device interjects. It whispers, ‘But isn’t there another way to see this?’ or ‘Perhaps there’s more to the story…’ It interrupts the habitual patterns of prejudice and forces a moment of reflection.”
Septima’s eyes lit up with approval. “So instead of counter-propaganda, which might harden biases, it encourages people to question their own beliefs. Ingenious.”
Dogtooth nodded. “Exactly. It will nudge people toward different paths of thinking—paths they may not have considered. The dynatoi will notice soon enough, of course, and they’ll move to destroy the device. That is why this experiment must succeed quickly, with measurable results.”
Septima leaned forward, her expression serious. “But how long do we have before they locate and neutralize it?”
“Not long,” Dogtooth admitted. “Days, perhaps weeks at most. That’s why we’ll need more devices. Many more.”
“There’s only one organization capable of producing them at the necessary scale and precision,” Septima said thoughtfully.
Dogtooth nodded, finishing her thought. “The Engineer on Kappa 811 Prime. But we’ll need evidence—irrefutable proof of the device’s efficacy. Without it, the Engineer won’t commit the resources.”
“And that,” Septima said, her voice soft but resolute, “means staying in our home world to collect the data, no matter the danger.”
Dogtooth reached across the table, taking her hand in his. “Exactly. Despite the risks, we must see this through. The future of our universe—and countless others—depends on it.”
The café faded behind them as they stepped through the portal into their home world. The air here was heavier, charged with the oppressive weight of the Imperium’s rule. Yet, for the first time in years, a flicker of hope burned in both their hearts.
Far away, on Kappa 811 Prime, the Engineer awaited news that might change the course of history. For now, however, the Professor and the Doctor moved forward, their path uncertain but their purpose clear.
And the blue metal box—small, unassuming—sat at the heart of it all, quietly rewriting the story of an empire.