It was small, perhaps the size of a fist, and was filled with ordinary brown beach sand. Underneath the note, I found the bag of sand. Inside the package, I found a box containing a simple note. The package looked old - its string ties were frayed, and its brown paper packaging was worn and faded. I stood at the door, looking down at the package in my hands, frowning as the postman drove away. That was the day when I unexpectedly received in the mail the only inheritance they left me. On my thirteenth birthday, I received a second confirmation that my parents were indeed cruel people. Why else would they name their child after the most infamous prison in the U.S. I didn't know about Oculators or the like, though I did know about prisons.Īnd that was why I figured that my parents must have had a twisted sense of humor. That's wonderful for you, but I grew up in the Hushlands - in the United States itself. Now, some of you Free Kingdomers might be impressed by my name. Nor is it Alejandro, Alton, Aldris, or Alonzo. Alan would also be acceptable, as would have been Alfred - though I really don't have an inclination toward butlery. I'm certain that you can think of other names Al might be short for. I wouldn't have minded this either, since Alexander is a great name.

If they weren't, then it certainly wasn't the name's fault.Īl also could be short for Alexander. In fact, you have probably known an Albert or two in your lifetime, and chances are that they were decent fellows. In most cases, this would be short for Albert, which is a fine name. Why do I say this? Well, you see, my parents named me Al. In fact, up until my thirteenth birthday, I really only knew one thing about my parents: that they had a twisted sense of humor. It was an odd thought, since I hadn't grown up with them. In my case, the moment of impending death made me think about my parents. If, on the other hand, you have faced such a situation, then you are probably dead and aren't likely to be reading this. If you've never faced such a situation, then you'll simply have to take my word. It does funny things to the brain to be in such danger - in fact, it often makes a person pause and reflect upon his life. So, there I was, tied to an altar made from outdated encyclopedias, about to get sacrificed to the dark powers by a cult of evil Librarians.Īs you might imagine, that sort of situation can be quite disturbing. See all of librarian Nancy Pearl's Sci-Fi and fantasy picks.

Alcatraz and the evil librarians