Chapter 1

Malcolm Charles Chandler sat in the backyard of his suburban home watching his next door neighbors raking leaves. It was early November and the fall colors had faded weeks ago. With the loss of color came the shedding of leaves. The few remaining leaves would last until December, falling to the ground below one at a time.

He chuckled at the sight of the teenage girl trying to work in the yard wearing her thick-soled shoes. They were the huge bulky soles that didn’t allow her to walk without looking like some sort of stork. She was short and the shoes were a desperate attempt to look tall and thin. The attempt didn’t work.

Aloud, he said, “The ridiculous fashions these young women follow in an attempt to look sexy.”

He glanced down at this watch and saw that it was a little after eleven. Despite his desire to run into the house and dash through the portal, he stayed where he was. Alice Caretaker wouldn’t expect him until noon and he wanted her ready for his arrival. A shiver of excitement ran through him at the thought of Alice.

Looking over at the girl next door, he thought about how much she could learn from Alice. The girl wasn’t the only woman he knew who could learn a lot from Alice. The women of Cassandra had spoiled him for Earth women. The girl next door could probably be taught how to act like a real woman, but at her age he thought it highly unlikely.

Sighing, he knew that a thirty-two year old man shouldn’t be thinking things like that about sixteen year old girls. It was just so tough living a whole month without female companionship. Not having a girlfriend here had some unexpected consequences. More than a few people thought he was gay. Even though he knew the truth of the matter, it bothered him that others had an incorrect impression of him.

He looked back at the house next door and noticed Jack heading his way. From the way his neighbor was approaching, it was clear the man wanted something. Of course, the fact that his neighbor was approaching was sufficient to mean the man wanted something. He stood to greet his neighbor.

“Hello, Jack. I see you’re cleaning up leaves.”

“Oh, yeah. That time of year, you know,” answered the neighbor looking around Malcolm’s spotless yard. He didn’t know how the man did it, but his yard was always spotless. His wife made it a point to mention the immaculate backyard as part of her campaign to get him to take greater care of their yard.

“Seems you’re a little late this year,” commented Malcolm looking around at the yards around them. Jack was always the last one on the block to take care of his yard.

“Uh, yeah. You know how it is.”

“Yeah,” answered Malcolm despite the fact that he didn’t know. He didn’t understand why anyone would intentionally live an undisciplined life.

“I was wondering...”

‘Here it comes, ‘ thought Malcolm with a mental grin. Jack was nice, but he always asking for favors. He looked up at Jack and asked, “What can I do for you?”

“You teach Karate, don’t you?” asked Jack believing that he knew the answer.

“I teach Aikido.”

“Same thing,” replied Jack with the common assurance with which novices discounted the differences among the various forms of martial arts.

Malcolm smiled at the ignorant remark and said, “Not quite the same thing.”

“Yeah, but you teach people how to defend themselves. Right?”

“Among other things,” Malcolm answered.

Discipline, concentration, self-control, and physical fitness were important lessons, but few students could deny that his primary emphasis was on spiritual growth. Although self-defense was the least of what he taught in his dojo, it was the self-defense aspects of the martial arts that attracted students.

“Well, my kid is dating and I want to make sure that she can rip the testicles off any guy who tries anything with her,” Jack said trying to convey an aggressive attitude while making the comment.

The fact of the matter was that he was worried about his daughter. As a result of watching a special on the nightly news, he had learned that date rape was very common among teenagers. When he had asked his daughter about it, she had admitted that she knew of some girls who had been forced into doing things they didn’t want to do.

Malcolm stared up at the sky for a moment and considered telling him that they didn’t teach that until the third year, but resisted the temptation. Instead, he replied, “Hmmm, I don’t recall teaching any lessons on ripping testicles off men. Nope, that’s not one of the things I teach people in my dojo.”

“Shit, man, you know what I mean. There are assholes out there that who will hurt my little girl the first chance they get. I want her able to defend herself,” Jack argued.

“I only accept students who want to learn. If they are minors, then their parents must understand that the rate a student progresses depends upon the student and not the instructor. I’ve had too many parents counting the months that a student takes to progress from one level to the next,” said Malcolm.

“Oh, she’ll learn all right. I’ll see to that,” Jack said with authority.

“Then I won’t accept her as a student,” said Malcolm as he checked his watch. He didn’t accept students whose parents tried to establish their rate of progress. He didn’t like parents watching. Nothing was worse than a parent demanding that their kid drill when it was more appropriate for the student to observe the drill.

“Come on, man. I’m desperate here.” Jack was rather surprised by the refusal and resorted to begging.

Malcolm glanced at his watch. It was time for him to leave for Crossroads, he said, “I’ve got to go in the house for a half an hour. When I come out, have her come over and ask to be admitted to the dojo for a visit. If I am convinced that she will learn, then I will accept her as a guest to my dojo. It will be up to her when she starts training.”

“Huh?”

Malcolm smiled at his neighbor’s confusion and said, “That is the way we learn Aikido. The discipline comes from within rather than imposed from outside.”

“Okay,” Jack stammered, not understanding what Malcolm was saying. He decided that it was a strange way for the man to run a business. What he didn’t understand, was that Malcolm viewed his dojo as a way for him to continue training instead of being a business.

“Now, if you will excuse me, I have something important to do,” Malcolm said. He turned and headed towards his house without waiting for a response. It was approaching the time for him to leave for Crossroads and there was no way he would keep Alice Caretaker waiting.

On his way to the door, he spotted a stray leaf and picked up it. He took a short detour to deposit the leaf in a trashcan. The yard was once again leaf-free when he entered the house. Jack stared at the door after it had closed behind Malcolm. For a moment, he wondered if Malcolm had picked up the leaves one at a time, when each had fallen.

Malcolm lived in a three-bedroom house. The master bedroom was used for its intended purpose and its contents reflected that. It contained a king-sized bed and a plain dresser. One wall had two doors; one to a closet and the other to a bathroom. Its Spartan décor would be jarring to any woman who entered the room, but such an occasion had not yet occurred.

Another bedroom was used as a meditation room and was decorated with the intent of providing a tranquil atmosphere. A small table upon which incense could be burned was to one side of the room. A small mat on which he could kneel was placed before the table. Two stands, capable of holding fifty candles each, lined the walls.

The third room, and the most important room of the house as far as Malcolm was concerned, was empty except for his most prized possession - a full size mirror. The mirror was mounted inside an ornate handmade frame of apple wood. Once each week, he entered the room for the purpose of cleaning it. He entered the room once a month for the purpose of using it for its intended purpose.

Upon entering the house, Malcolm removed his shoes and then went to his special room. He stood in front of the mirror and studied his reflection. The image presented to him was of a thirty- two year old man in good health. Standing at 5’10” in height, he weighed a compact 168 pounds of muscle. His black hair was cut short in a military style and looked appropriate for his square face. Looking at himself, he said, “I have no idea what she sees in me.”

He stripped, removing his clothes with care, folded each item, and placed it on a neat pile. Once he was naked, he paused to examine himself in the mirror one last time. He stepped forward and grasped the right edge of the mirror. Pulling on it, the mirror swung away from the frame. He smiled at the thought of what waited for him on the other side of the portal.

There was a small delay in the portal room of Crossroads before the door to the main living area swung open. Malcolm stepped through the door as his eyes sought out Alice. It took him less than a second to locate a very nude Alice waiting five paces from the door. His breath caught in his chest at the sight of her. She was a pixie, barely 5 feet tall and 90 pounds with short black hair. She wasn’t a waif in the fashion model sense - her body retained all of the appropriate curves and softness of a woman. It was just that she was a small woman.

Seeing Malcolm, she released her breath in a scream of joy and burst into a smile. She jumped up and down for a second with the result that her pert breasts bounced in a very attractive manner.

Giggling at the sight of her naked man, Alice raced across the room and launched herself at him. He caught her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

She cooed, “It’s so good to feel you once again, my Hero.”

“I’ve missed you so much,” Malcolm said even as his lips sought hers. They kissed with the passion of lovers kept apart for a month.

Malcolm held her tightly to his chest enjoying the feel of her crushed against him. Holding her in his arms, he made his way towards the bedroom. The door opened automatically for the couple. Reaching the bed, he climbed onto it on his knees.

Time passed, but the lovers didn’t track it or care. Nearing the limits of his strength and stamina, Malcolm finished with a moan. His body shuddered. His toes curled. Exhausted, he released her and fell to the bed beside her.

He awoke several hours later to find Alice seated beside him where she had been watching him sleep. Smiling at him, she held out a small glass of restorative and said, “I’ve never understood how anyone can give me so much pleasure. Every time you come here, I find that I am amazed.”

“You inspire me,” he said as he accepted the glass of restorative. He downed it in one sip and immediately felt refreshed. He threw the glass into the air and watched as it disappeared.

She giggled, “You just love to do that.”

“Yeah. One of these days I’m going to figure how it does it.”

It was so good to have him there beside her. Alice lay down on the bed and placed her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her and held her tightly to himself. Her small body fit comfortably against his. These were the times that he loved the most. She shifted, burrowing against his body with a contented sigh.

She said, “I’ve missed you so much.”

“A month is too long.”

“It’s made worse for you, because you don’t have a woman there on Earth. Why don’t you take one?”

This was a reoccurring topic of discussion and always occurred shortly after his arrival to Crossroads. The time before leaving on an adventure was the only time when they would be alone and able to relax. Alice wanted Malcolm to take a woman on Earth to ease the time they spent separated. He knew she was convinced that he would return to her better rested and stronger. He didn’t think a woman on Earth could match her. He sighed upon thinking about his past experiences with Earth women.

“I’d feel guilty being with her and not you.”

“You are a virile man. You need a woman,” she said. She ran her hand over his chest enjoying the feel of his chest hairs. She inhaled his masculine scent amazed that a man could smell so good. It relaxed her and made her feel comforted.