Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Road to Self-Enlightenment (Series: Tales of Animus)
    The Road to Self-Enlightenment (Series: Tales of Animus)
    The Road to Self-Enlightenment (Series: Tales of Animus)
    Ebook126 pages1 hour

    The Road to Self-Enlightenment (Series: Tales of Animus)

    By Ken Temple

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Hailing from a wealthy family, Raven was plagued by uncertainty. On the one paw—she had everything she could possibly want: the best recreation, education and a guaranteed cushy future and yet... something was amiss.
    She found out that she possessed the power to feel the moods of others and even locate folks through their feelings. he reason why, since puppyhood, she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong, was because something WAS very wrong. Her uncle had corrupted her father’s once-noble clockwork toy factory and elevated himself, by trampling on the rights of others.
    Having run out of options, but determined to make a change, she sets of on a defiant quest to Angelholm, to bring justice to her home town of Frisbee. She does just that, but not at all in the way that she had expected.

    ***

    Torn away from her family by a cruel quirk of fate, Miribelle was forced to become independent at an early age. Rather than fight for survival in the suffocating clutches of her new environment—living on humiliating hand-outs and trash—Miri led the town and found sanctuary in a nearby forest. Here she was rescued by a wood nymph, who became her guardian and teacher.
    Upon the completion of her studies, Miribelle returns to the town of Little Diner to practice her healing arts. She finds the town languishing in the clutches of a rapacious tyrant, who is bent on stopping herbs and spices from reaching the people. She does everything in her power to stem the low of malnourished refugees, but things continue to escalate and eventually, spiral beyond her control, as the tyrant sentences folks to hard labour in the hazardous Tofu Mines. Miri realises that she will need more than a few potions and salves to deal with this ‘carbuncle’ and embarks on a perilous journey to petition Angelholm for help.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKen Temple
    Release dateNov 27, 2014
    ISBN9781310572326
    The Road to Self-Enlightenment (Series: Tales of Animus)
    Author

    Ken Temple

    Born behind the 'Iron Curtain' USSR and having lived in Africa, Eastern and Western Europe, Ken has observed and learned from a rich bouquet of unique cultures. Ken has close to twenty years' experience working as a business and travel wordsmith (writer and editor) under his belt. Alas! Fact-recounting, however droll, is an unworthy substitute for the high adventure of creative writing. Ever since the creation of Animus in 2009-2010, Ken has enjoyed writing about the heroic exploits of chivalrous personages such as Tigerius and Meowhausen, as well as weaving stories about comical and melodramatic characters. Ken's other interests include martial arts, chess, poetry, composition of song lyrics, calligraphy, Japanese language and Japanese culture of the Samurai era.

    Read more from Ken Temple

    Related to The Road to Self-Enlightenment (Series

    Related ebooks

    Fantasy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      A Symposium On The Mysterious

      Sep 1, 2023

      A Symposium On The Mysterious
      24 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Nov 9, 2022

      Book Club
      5 min read

    • Article

      Spotlight on Early Readers

      Nov 6, 2024

      Adventuremice: Mice on the Moon. By Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre. Illus. by Sarah McIntyre. Dec. 2024. 128p. Kane Miller, paper, $7.99 (9781684648566). Gr. 1–3. Outside of Mousebase, a peaceful evening spent contemplating the moon (and whether it

      20 min read

    • Article

      Go Ahead, Get a Pet Rat

      Feb 23, 2024

      Go Ahead, Get a Pet Rat
      5 min read

    • Article

      Dog Days

      Jan 23, 2022

      Dog Days
      8 min read

    • Article

      50 Best Kids’ Books

      Nov 27, 2022

      50 Best Kids’ Books
      8 min read

    • Article

      A Path Through the Woods

      May 30, 2023

      A Path Through the Woods
      3 min read

    • Article

      Sharp-toothed Charm

      Dec 8, 2021

      Sharp-toothed Charm
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Kind of Deep Companionship: The Millions Interviews Jo Ann Beard

      Jun 3, 2021

      When you’re slogging through your day, imagining what else is to come, and you remember that the minute all else is done you can sink down into your book like warm water, and be absorbed while you’re absorbing, is priceless, as they say in capitalism

      6 min read

    • Article

      Self-Published Books Showcase

      Jan 10, 2024

      Self-Published Books Showcase
      7 min read

    • Article

      Audio

      Dec 11, 2024

      By Carys Davies. Read by Russ Bain. 2024. 3hr. Simon & Schuster Audio, DD (9781797168517). A minister charged with removing the last remaining inhabitant of a Scottish island during the Highland Clearances is injured on arrival. John is rescued by an

      17 min read

    • Article

      Chitchat

      May 28, 2021

      Chitchat
      7 min read

    • Article

      Staying Alive

      Mar 29, 2024

      Staying Alive
      12 min read

    • Article

      Hair-raising Holidays

      Jul 31, 2022

      Hair-raising Holidays
      2 min read

    • Article

      Metaphor of Wolf

      May 30, 2023

      Metaphor of Wolf
      3 min read

    • Article

      How the Lark Got Her Crest

      May 30, 2023

      How the Lark Got Her Crest
      15 min read

    • Article

      The Wisdom of Women Shines in Najla Jraissaty Khoury’s ‘Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales’

      Oct 22, 2018

      Long, long ago These things happened or maybe no. Let’s start with the image on the cover. Three women sit in a courtyard. One holds a long-handled pan over a coal brazier; the other two, one of whom has her back to us, hold small cups. They wear ide

      7 min read

    • Article

      Off The Shelf

      Aug 4, 2021

      What if we could speak to the dead? It would be a rare person processing the loss of a loved one who hadn’t wished they could pick up the phone and have one last conversation. The Emporium of the Imagination is inspired by the true story of the wind

      5 min read

    • Article

      Heol Fanog What Lies Beneath?

      Mar 23, 2023

      Heol Fanog What Lies Beneath?
      16 min read

    • Article

      Focus on SEL

      Apr 10, 2024

      By Francesca Pirrone. Illus. by the author. Apr. 2024. 32p. Clavis, $14.95 (9781605379937). PreS–Gr. 2. Turtle, Cat, Rabbit, Bird, and Mouse are enjoying various activities while Piggy finishes his painting for an art competition. That is, until a ro

      5 min read

    • Article

      Seriously Spooky Séances

      Oct 1, 2024

      Seriously Spooky Séances
      6 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Jul 1, 2020

      The purpose of being alive is to carry a sequence of code.And so, being adopted, I’m part of a plot, a sleeper cellin enemy territory, quietly working against the systemfrom within. It’s fall, I’m on an ancestry website signing up for a DNA kit,becau

      4 min read

    • Article

      D Day

      Oct 6, 2022

      D Day
      18 min read

    • Article

      More Than Fluff

      Oct 7, 2024

      Cozy mystery covers make it clear what type of story readers can expect. The punny titles, the lovely scenes you wish you could step into and, in most cases, an adorable pet of some sort, head often cocked in question. While it might be easy to write

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Bridle

      Oct 10, 2021

      Saliva pooled on her tongue beneath the rusty depressor. She endured a constant urge to swallow, afraid of choking on her own fluids. The taste of metal and blood are so akin, it is easy to mistake one for the other. This early in the day, blood was

      11 min read

    • Article

      Season Of Goodwill? (You Might Need It)

      Nov 8, 2023

      CHRISTMAS is on the way and those of us with parrots have a lot extra to decide in the way of activities, extra food, presents, guests and so on. My first two parrots, the African greys Artha and Casper, taught me far more than I taught them. Althoug

      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Road to Self-Enlightenment (Series

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Road to Self-Enlightenment (Series - Ken Temple

      Tales of Animus

      Book 1

      The Road to Self-Enlightenment

      By Ken Temple and Anja Coppieters

      Copyright 2014, Ken Temple, Anja Coppieters

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors.

      We created the following pet stories to honour the fans of Animus. Thank you all for your questions, feedback, support and interest. We love hearing from you!

      In this book, a special dedication goes out to our SPRING 2014 ANIMUS PET CASTING CONTEST winners, as they inspired awesome alter egos:

      Fabio (winner for the month of May)

      Raven (winner for the month of June)

      Angel (winner for the month of July)

      Miri (winner of the Writer's Choice Award)

      And their wonderful owners: Carolynne May (Australia), Mercedes Osolin (OK, USA), Lisa Coleman (MI, USA) and Amy Lee (Canada) for telling us all about the habits and personalities of their beloved pets.

      It has been a genuine pleasure meeting and working with you all.

      —Ken and Anja

      Starring in this book:

      Map of Animus

      Contents

      Chapter 1: An Unscrupulous Urge

      Chapter 2: Miri’s Awiccaning

      Chapter 3: A Rancid Revelation

      Chapter 4: Trouble In Little Diner

      Chapter 5: Raven Good

      Chapter 6: A Problem Shared Is A Problem Halved

      Chapter 7: Beware: Bear

      Chapter 8: Into The Night On A Rainbow Of Light

      Chapter 1: An Unscrupulous Urge

      In Bow-Wowria there was a game, quick-paced and brisk,

      Where two teams chased and tossed a spinning disc.

      Much like Bite Ball, it was played in a field,

      But to a far greater audience, this new sport appealed.

      It began in a small village, which rapidly grew,

      As hordes of fans and merchants it steadily drew.

      When, eventually, the sport garnered national fame,

      The entire town was named after the exciting game.

      People said that Frisbee had little else—

      Just parties, games and a stock of souvenirs that sells.

      There was plenty of fun and joy to be had,

      If you were good looking and had a rich mom and dad.

      Money is by and large not everything,

      And in Bow-Wowria, magic is king.

      Although this was the so-called ‘modern’ age,

      Almost every pup hoped one day to become a great mage.

      Since the dogs came to Animus*, shamans ruled here.

      They always shunned science and logic did fear.

      Wolfgang, the first Moon Shepherd, had declared,

      That dogs and cats had nothing shared.

      * Animus is the planet where our heroes live and carry out most of their heroic deeds, although adventures have been known to spill over to Earth on occasion, as well. You are welcome to find out more about the lore of Animus on www.AnimusNEWS.com!

      Chemistry always made him queasy,

      And physics left him feeling ‘breezy’.

      In experiments and proofs the dogs would not dabble—

      All that ‘peer-review’ nonsense and analytical ‘brabble’!

      "Technology is an abomination wrought by ‘felistines’—

      An idle vocation of the weak kitty minds.

      No, canine brethren. We shall not partake,

      Of this vile ‘science’ and a mockery of our heritage make!

      If it can’t be magically explained,

      It is at best a toy for pups." He had ordained.

      This order was met with barks of eager consent,

      As the laity along with the Moon Master went.

      Being curious about the way that things worked,

      So results can be reproduced, was a great feline perk.

      The canines saw the world in a more straightforward light:

      If an idea opposed feline logic, it most likely was right.

      A bill was passed for feline containment.

      It made technology illegal, except for entertainment.

      That is not to say there were no ‘creature comforts’ within the dog nation,

      Rather that magic, not logic, served as their foundation.

      So the rich raced around on flying cushions and rugs.

      Shamans used holistic healing, rather than medical drugs.

      And everything worked out just dandy and fine,

      Unless someone would for proof of magical formulae whine.

      There IS no proof—that’s why it’s MAGIC.

      The misguided ‘scientist’ would meet an end hardly tragic.

      No one would sympathise with the heretic fool—

      Folks did not like garbage floating around in their gene pool!

      However, the ones to benefit from these very strict laws,

      Were the artisans skilled in making gizmos and gadgets, of course!

      Labelled as ‘crafts folk’ or ‘toymakers’ they did not much care,

      They made very good coin and a few grew rich beyond compare.

      Hairr* Wafchard von Howl was one such toymaker,

      He earned himself a tidy fortune, became a mover and shaker.

      He bought several stores to sell the toys he designed,

      And raked in more money, than his next ten competitors combined.

      *an honorific, similar to the German ‘Herr’

      Still, Hairr Wafchard had come from a small, nomadic tribe,

      Where each morn began with a bouquet of smells hard to describe.

      He appreciated the new life that he had built up,

      And never forgot the hardships he had suffered as a pup.

      He did what he could to help the poor,

      Anonymously, leaving pouches with coins by many-a-door.

      He met a beautiful girl on one of his trips,

      The ‘moon of his passion’, who everything else in his life soon eclipsed.

      She had no idea about who her admirer was,

      Where he lived or what was his noble cause.

      While they dated, he kept all the details about his life concealed.

      He proposed, she said yes and then all was revealed!

      ***

      Hairr Wafchard’s young wife had a brother, who looked quite unwell.

      He was dry-nosed, ill-mannered and named Doggerel.

      If Hairr Wafchard was at the pinnacle of toy making success,

      Doggerel’s skill was at the rear end, or perhaps even less.

      A toymaker should, first and foremost, love making toys.

      Greed just breeds impatience, which creative forces destroys.

      Doggerel’s chew toys were more flatulent than squeaky,

      And the plush bears were far less adorable than freaky.

      No one wished to purchase what he made,

      And so he became depressed, as his envy weighed.

      His sister was married to the king of toymakers,

      Whose skill was unmatched and whose estate sprawled many acres.

      Even when invited for the

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1