THE ANDERCHRONICLES
By Me, Ellee
[WARNING: The following story has been rated FNF*]
*Fiction NOT Fact
*Fiction NOT Fact
[NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR AND A WARNING: The Surgeon General has recently issued a warning to all readers of The Anderchronicles. I hereby quote:
"Reading the Anderchronicles with the idea in mind that a certain, male character is someone you recognize in actual life can cause a rare and often fatal form of the Dithers. Now if you happen to be a Dingo, that's not a problem—there's lots of Dingoes with the Dithers, and none have died from it, but if you're not a Dingo, please be advised and proceed with caution." ]
“The Stars of Panthera”
The warm, scented air of the spring evening had made its way through my open window, and was swirling around me as I lay snuggled in my bed awaiting Andy’s nightly call, which was always cloaked in Molly’s well being, and yet always hinted of a purpose deeper than a welfare inquiry. I knew it, and he knew it, yet we both played the game anyway. It was safer that way. I had long suspected that commitment for Andy might be a scary thing—like being drawn close to the edge of a cliff so you can see over the side, yet feeling the willies inside when you realize how far down it is, and what can happen. And then pulling back just a little to be safe.
When my phone started singing, my heart did too, like it did every night when I heard that familiar melody. The softness of Andy’s voice filled my waiting ear as he whispered ,
“Ellee . . . are you there?
“ . . . I’m here, Andy.”
I heard his sigh, the one which always came when he finally heard my voice. Then there was the usual long pause that followed, during which neither of us said anything. Maybe we didn’t need to. Maybe just knowing that although we were half a world away, now for the next few minutes that distance had narrowed—we were linked via satellite. Then finally he would ask about Molly, and I would respond, but that only took a few seconds, and once out of the way, then, and only then, did we speak of other things—things like,
“Do you remember how many stars there are in the Panthera Constellation, Ellee?”
He was referring, of course, to that constellation for which we had made our terrestrial grid of coordinates, to align with each of Panthera’s stars that last day of December, when we planted his potted Christmas tree out in Quogue, precisely at dusk, producing that magnificent and awesome display of celestial power.
“Yes, Andy . . . I do remember.”
“Twenty-five, Ellee, twenty-five, and from where I am at this moment . . .” his voice became hushed . . .“ I can see all of them . . . clearly. Each one is a brilliant diamond twinkling against the dark velvet of the nighttime sky. Ellee . . . their beauty is like . . . y-y , that is . . . I mean to say . . . unmatched.”
Then he revealed something which took my breath away, and left me speechless.
“The five largest of those star diamonds at the top of the constellation are the five diamonds which lay closest to your heart, Ellee. They are the brightest and clearest and most stunning. Indian legend has it they represent purity, intelligence, loyalty, beauty and . . . love.”
I didn’t understand for a moment, and then it struck me. He was referring to the five-diamond pendant necklace he had given me for Valentine. It was true, when that necklace was locked in place around my neck, those five diamonds lay exactly over my heart. The realization that Andy had commissioned the design of this necklace from the stars of Panthera, just for me—because of me, took my breath away, causing an emotion deep inside at that moment, an emotion I didn’t understand. I couldn’t even respond. After several moments of silence, Andy asked,
“Ellee . . . are you still there?”
. . .
. . .
“Ellee?”
“ . . . I’m here, Andy.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No . . . no, nothing is wrong.” I said softly.
Nothing was wrong, but something was going on inside, and I didn’t know what exactly. It felt like a mix of emotions. Then all at once I blurted out,
“Andy . . .?”
“What? . . .”
“You’re beautiful!”
“Ellee? . . . . . . . . What?”
“I mean . . . they are beautiful—the stars . . . ur . . . I mean the diamonds.”
What had I done? I had just told Andy he was beautiful—which he was, BUT, I had just told HIM that. I must have been . . . nuts. Yes, that was it! I had lost my mind!—And it was HIS FAULT.
“Oh, Ellee . . . you are too.”
“Andy?”
“Yes, it’s true—you are.”
“I . . . I . . . —”
“Shhhhhhhhh. Ellee . . . just listen. Put your necklace on . . . now,” he whispered, “okay?”
“Okay.” I answered softly.
I slipped out of bed and quickly found the necklace, clasping it in place. As the five stars of the Panthera found their place over my heart, once again I felt the same feeling I had noticed a few minutes before. I still didn’t understand what it was, but it had left me quite flustered. Somehow Andy sensed that.
“Be still now . . . while I tell you about the other stars of the Panthera.”
So I was, and Andy’s soft voice flowed into my ear, taking me away to Panthera, mesmerizing me with his tales about the remaining twenty stars in that constellation.
“Next to those five largest stars,” he added, “are the two which astrophysicists call ‘gliders.’ They oscillate several degrees, depending on the season of the year, and the axis of the moon in its waning period. They remind me of those little single diamonds swinging from your earlobes as you walk, Ellee. Legend says these two stars represent kindness and generosity. You see, they actually twinkle more than they need to, giving off additional light to make the cosmic neighborhood brighter—kinda like you.”
“You’re saying, I twinkle, Andy?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t . . . twinkle.”
“You most certainly do! You twinkle!”
“Andy . . . I don’t twinkle!”
“Yes, you do!”
“No, I don’t!”
“Ellee, you DO—you twinkle!”
“Andy, there’s simply no way I can twinkle. You see, molecular luminescence, which happens when a teency weency molecule absorbs a tiny little packet of light energy, called a photon, super energizing its electrons, like they had just downed a gallon of Red Bull . . . well, that just doesn’t occur in humans.”
“Oh . . .” he said, “well maybe I was wrong.”
However after a minute he added, “But I still think you twinkle. In fact, you’re probably twinkling right now. Ellee, are you twinkling?” He was giggling.
“The diamonds over my heart are twinkling, Andy.” And they were. They were picking up the moonlight streaming through the window.
“I can just see it now, Ellee—your brilliant blue eyes catching all the sparkling radiance of the Panthera diamonds!” After a moment he added, “That’s truly a heady thought!”
Then he continued, “According to ancient Indian legend, the other remaining stars in the constellation represent what was considered essential attributes in the nature of nobility: integrity, confidence, hope, selflessness, courage, forgiveness, humility, imagination, creativity, charm, humor, empathy, consistency, goodness, serenity, compassion, curiosity and tenderness. These . . . Ellee, are the diamonds encircling your wrist.”
He paused for a few seconds, underscoring what he had just revealed, and then went on.
“This same legend claims that anyone possessing all twenty-five of these attributes associated with the Panthera Constellation, reigns in the universe as a princess—like Gentle Lily. She had all twenty-five, which is why Running Deer loved her so completely, and never, ever stopped loving her. He loves her to this day, Ellee.”
Once again he fell silent, and so did I. Maybe it was the late hour. Or maybe not. But it seemed neither of us had any response after that, so Andy finally said,
“Perhaps we should get some sleep now.”
“Perhaps we should . . . Andy . . . I’m already in bed.”
More silence and then, “Ellee . . . I am too—in my sleeping bag—under the stars of Panthera.” Still more silence, until finally I said,
“Then I’ll say goodnight, and may the Keeper of Dreams make yours sweet.”
“I don’t need a Keeper of Dreams to make mine sweet—.”
I sighed, almost at the same time he did.
“Ellee, wait—don’t hang up.”
“What?”
“Just leave the phone on your pillow. That way we won’t have to say goodbye. Okay?”
. . .
. . .
“Ellee?”
“Okay” I said softly, sleep already starting to work its spell.
I set the cell phone gently on the pillow next to me and closed my eyes. I drifted quickly into liquid dreams, floating buoyantly on gentle ripples of sleep.
“Ellee! Are you still there?” a voice broke in, almost urgently.
“Andy—what?
“I . . . I was just checking to see if you were still there.”
“I’m here, Andy.” I managed to say, my voice heavy with sleep.
“Oh, sorry—didn’t mean to wake you. Nighty-nite.”
“Nighty-nite.”
I was then caught up in a wave of sleep once more, and drifted further and further away. I could hardly see the shore any longer. Finally Slumber claimed me for the night.
“Ellee . . . Ellee . . . . . . ELLEE . . . . . . ELLEEEEEEEE”
The insistent voice was pulling me back. Certainly it wasn’t morning yet. It was still dark.
“What?”
“Snoring . . . Ellee . . . you’re snoring. ELLEE.”
“Snoring? . . . what? I don’t snore!”
When I finally shook myself awake, I realized it was Andy calling me, and he was saying . . . What was he saying? That I was snoring!?
“Andy, I don’t snore!”
“Ellee, you were snoring.”
“No I wasn’t. Maybe it was you snoring.”
It wasn’t me—it was you.”
Just then I heard a noise coming from the foot of my bed. It was Molly, and she WAS snoring!
“Andy, listen to this.” I put the phone down by Molly. “That’s Molly. She’s the one snoring. You heard Molly, not me.”
“Oh,” he said, “well, I thought it was you, I mean . . . not that I cared. Ellee, I really wouldn’t care if you snored. That would be okay.”
“Well,” I responded, “actually, I wouldn’t care either . . . that is, if you snored. That would be okay with me, too.”
We said goodnight again, and as I lay there in the dark, I heard Andy turn in his sleeping bag—under those stars. A few minutes later I closed my eyes, and was just beginning to feel the swirl of liquid dreams once more, when I heard deep breathing coming from the cell phone—Andy was asleep. But after a few moments I heard his soft voice murmuring,
“Ellee . . . my princess—my twinkling princess.”
“The Stars of Panthera”
The warm, scented air of the spring evening had made its way through my open window, and was swirling around me as I lay snuggled in my bed awaiting Andy’s nightly call, which was always cloaked in Molly’s well being, and yet always hinted of a purpose deeper than a welfare inquiry. I knew it, and he knew it, yet we both played the game anyway. It was safer that way. I had long suspected that commitment for Andy might be a scary thing—like being drawn close to the edge of a cliff so you can see over the side, yet feeling the willies inside when you realize how far down it is, and what can happen. And then pulling back just a little to be safe.
When my phone started singing, my heart did too, like it did every night when I heard that familiar melody. The softness of Andy’s voice filled my waiting ear as he whispered ,
“Ellee . . . are you there?
“ . . . I’m here, Andy.”
I heard his sigh, the one which always came when he finally heard my voice. Then there was the usual long pause that followed, during which neither of us said anything. Maybe we didn’t need to. Maybe just knowing that although we were half a world away, now for the next few minutes that distance had narrowed—we were linked via satellite. Then finally he would ask about Molly, and I would respond, but that only took a few seconds, and once out of the way, then, and only then, did we speak of other things—things like,
“Do you remember how many stars there are in the Panthera Constellation, Ellee?”
He was referring, of course, to that constellation for which we had made our terrestrial grid of coordinates, to align with each of Panthera’s stars that last day of December, when we planted his potted Christmas tree out in Quogue, precisely at dusk, producing that magnificent and awesome display of celestial power.
“Yes, Andy . . . I do remember.”
“Twenty-five, Ellee, twenty-five, and from where I am at this moment . . .” his voice became hushed . . .“ I can see all of them . . . clearly. Each one is a brilliant diamond twinkling against the dark velvet of the nighttime sky. Ellee . . . their beauty is like . . . y-y , that is . . . I mean to say . . . unmatched.”
Then he revealed something which took my breath away, and left me speechless.
“The five largest of those star diamonds at the top of the constellation are the five diamonds which lay closest to your heart, Ellee. They are the brightest and clearest and most stunning. Indian legend has it they represent purity, intelligence, loyalty, beauty and . . . love.”
I didn’t understand for a moment, and then it struck me. He was referring to the five-diamond pendant necklace he had given me for Valentine. It was true, when that necklace was locked in place around my neck, those five diamonds lay exactly over my heart. The realization that Andy had commissioned the design of this necklace from the stars of Panthera, just for me—because of me, took my breath away, causing an emotion deep inside at that moment, an emotion I didn’t understand. I couldn’t even respond. After several moments of silence, Andy asked,
“Ellee . . . are you still there?”
. . .
. . .
“Ellee?”
“ . . . I’m here, Andy.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No . . . no, nothing is wrong.” I said softly.
Nothing was wrong, but something was going on inside, and I didn’t know what exactly. It felt like a mix of emotions. Then all at once I blurted out,
“Andy . . .?”
“What? . . .”
“You’re beautiful!”
“Ellee? . . . . . . . . What?”
“I mean . . . they are beautiful—the stars . . . ur . . . I mean the diamonds.”
What had I done? I had just told Andy he was beautiful—which he was, BUT, I had just told HIM that. I must have been . . . nuts. Yes, that was it! I had lost my mind!—And it was HIS FAULT.
“Oh, Ellee . . . you are too.”
“Andy?”
“Yes, it’s true—you are.”
“I . . . I . . . —”
“Shhhhhhhhh. Ellee . . . just listen. Put your necklace on . . . now,” he whispered, “okay?”
“Okay.” I answered softly.
I slipped out of bed and quickly found the necklace, clasping it in place. As the five stars of the Panthera found their place over my heart, once again I felt the same feeling I had noticed a few minutes before. I still didn’t understand what it was, but it had left me quite flustered. Somehow Andy sensed that.
“Be still now . . . while I tell you about the other stars of the Panthera.”
So I was, and Andy’s soft voice flowed into my ear, taking me away to Panthera, mesmerizing me with his tales about the remaining twenty stars in that constellation.
“Next to those five largest stars,” he added, “are the two which astrophysicists call ‘gliders.’ They oscillate several degrees, depending on the season of the year, and the axis of the moon in its waning period. They remind me of those little single diamonds swinging from your earlobes as you walk, Ellee. Legend says these two stars represent kindness and generosity. You see, they actually twinkle more than they need to, giving off additional light to make the cosmic neighborhood brighter—kinda like you.”
“You’re saying, I twinkle, Andy?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t . . . twinkle.”
“You most certainly do! You twinkle!”
“Andy . . . I don’t twinkle!”
“Yes, you do!”
“No, I don’t!”
“Ellee, you DO—you twinkle!”
“Andy, there’s simply no way I can twinkle. You see, molecular luminescence, which happens when a teency weency molecule absorbs a tiny little packet of light energy, called a photon, super energizing its electrons, like they had just downed a gallon of Red Bull . . . well, that just doesn’t occur in humans.”
“Oh . . .” he said, “well maybe I was wrong.”
However after a minute he added, “But I still think you twinkle. In fact, you’re probably twinkling right now. Ellee, are you twinkling?” He was giggling.
“The diamonds over my heart are twinkling, Andy.” And they were. They were picking up the moonlight streaming through the window.
“I can just see it now, Ellee—your brilliant blue eyes catching all the sparkling radiance of the Panthera diamonds!” After a moment he added, “That’s truly a heady thought!”
Then he continued, “According to ancient Indian legend, the other remaining stars in the constellation represent what was considered essential attributes in the nature of nobility: integrity, confidence, hope, selflessness, courage, forgiveness, humility, imagination, creativity, charm, humor, empathy, consistency, goodness, serenity, compassion, curiosity and tenderness. These . . . Ellee, are the diamonds encircling your wrist.”
He paused for a few seconds, underscoring what he had just revealed, and then went on.
“This same legend claims that anyone possessing all twenty-five of these attributes associated with the Panthera Constellation, reigns in the universe as a princess—like Gentle Lily. She had all twenty-five, which is why Running Deer loved her so completely, and never, ever stopped loving her. He loves her to this day, Ellee.”
Once again he fell silent, and so did I. Maybe it was the late hour. Or maybe not. But it seemed neither of us had any response after that, so Andy finally said,
“Perhaps we should get some sleep now.”
“Perhaps we should . . . Andy . . . I’m already in bed.”
More silence and then, “Ellee . . . I am too—in my sleeping bag—under the stars of Panthera.” Still more silence, until finally I said,
“Then I’ll say goodnight, and may the Keeper of Dreams make yours sweet.”
“I don’t need a Keeper of Dreams to make mine sweet—.”
I sighed, almost at the same time he did.
“Ellee, wait—don’t hang up.”
“What?”
“Just leave the phone on your pillow. That way we won’t have to say goodbye. Okay?”
. . .
. . .
“Ellee?”
“Okay” I said softly, sleep already starting to work its spell.
I set the cell phone gently on the pillow next to me and closed my eyes. I drifted quickly into liquid dreams, floating buoyantly on gentle ripples of sleep.
“Ellee! Are you still there?” a voice broke in, almost urgently.
“Andy—what?
“I . . . I was just checking to see if you were still there.”
“I’m here, Andy.” I managed to say, my voice heavy with sleep.
“Oh, sorry—didn’t mean to wake you. Nighty-nite.”
“Nighty-nite.”
I was then caught up in a wave of sleep once more, and drifted further and further away. I could hardly see the shore any longer. Finally Slumber claimed me for the night.
“Ellee . . . Ellee . . . . . . ELLEE . . . . . . ELLEEEEEEEE”
The insistent voice was pulling me back. Certainly it wasn’t morning yet. It was still dark.
“What?”
“Snoring . . . Ellee . . . you’re snoring. ELLEE.”
“Snoring? . . . what? I don’t snore!”
When I finally shook myself awake, I realized it was Andy calling me, and he was saying . . . What was he saying? That I was snoring!?
“Andy, I don’t snore!”
“Ellee, you were snoring.”
“No I wasn’t. Maybe it was you snoring.”
It wasn’t me—it was you.”
Just then I heard a noise coming from the foot of my bed. It was Molly, and she WAS snoring!
“Andy, listen to this.” I put the phone down by Molly. “That’s Molly. She’s the one snoring. You heard Molly, not me.”
“Oh,” he said, “well, I thought it was you, I mean . . . not that I cared. Ellee, I really wouldn’t care if you snored. That would be okay.”
“Well,” I responded, “actually, I wouldn’t care either . . . that is, if you snored. That would be okay with me, too.”
We said goodnight again, and as I lay there in the dark, I heard Andy turn in his sleeping bag—under those stars. A few minutes later I closed my eyes, and was just beginning to feel the swirl of liquid dreams once more, when I heard deep breathing coming from the cell phone—Andy was asleep. But after a few moments I heard his soft voice murmuring,
“Ellee . . . my princess—my twinkling princess.”
Bye for now,
Love,
Andy's Twinkling Princess
Love,
Andy's Twinkling Princess
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