With the April 2006 update, I have not only added Chapters Four and Five, but have done some slight revision to the text already here. The biggest change of note is a new epigraph for Chapter Two. What was there no longer suited. I fixed a few silly errors, too. As this is the sampling of a manuscript not yet picked up, it is more than just likely there will be periodic revisions and re-writes to what is posted here. Until there is an authentic ISBN number attached to the tome, its dynamic nature is, as I see it, a foregone conclusion.

Thusly, May 1, 2008 I cut the Prologue, which I had been fighting with for a very long time. It has seemed to me that what I had was not very useful. There may end up another prologue to start this. At the moment of this writing I am not convinced the novel needs one. I have also elected to keep an epigraph off of Chapter One, as well. I am thinking the story starting as it does is just fine.

The novel these chapters come from tells the story of a child but is written for adults -- especially for adults who were talented children, regardless of whether their talent was dashed or fueled as they grew into adults. The main text is in "limited third person" from the eyes of our young main character while in his early adolescence. The diction and grammar are his. We are in his head and along side his spirit. The third person removes us a little from him, which is valuable, especially at particular moments. The prologue is not in the child's voice, but rather in his later adult voice. That man, David Dawn, is the future, adult, professional alias for our young protagonist, L.D.

It's important to warn that there is politically incorrect language used in these chapters, some quite ugly, harsh and bigoted. Others are politically incorrect but more in vein of being antiquated rather than mean spirited whatsoever. For the story to have its full value, all the offending words need be a part. Otherwise, this fiction is a lie. No fiction of any good value is false.