Tood and his family have been collecting weird junk for years in the land of Between. The Fourland Storms deposit junk all over. Most of it is helpful for his mundane life. His job can be downright miserable and degrading. The citizens of Between only know Tood as a trashy junker. There are a few good times. It is a fine day when he experiences savory aromas dancing throughout the air of his home or when he uncovers a treasure that makes his entire season. Unraveling a rare find can change a life forever. Through a routine, yet amazing discovery, Tood's unexpected adventure begins.
Tood and his family have been collecting weird junk for years in the land of Between. The Fourland Storms deposit junk all over. Most of it is helpful for his mundane life. His job can be downright miserable and degrading. The citizens of Between only know Tood as a trashy junker. There are a few good times. It is a fine day when he experiences savory aromas dancing throughout the air of his home or when he uncovers a treasure that makes his entire season. Unraveling a rare find can change a life forever. Through a routine, yet amazing discovery, Tood's unexpected adventure begins.
Along an ancient cobblestone road, windswept trees littered the path called the Driveway. A severe Fourland Storm had blown from the west and east throughout the previous night. It left devastation and junk everywhere. An exhausted group of locals, the Tween Legion, had been removing the large debris from the road from sunup to now almost sundown. The Legion's main officer, Captain Jack Chico, rested on a twisted stump. His jacket and shirt were stained with sweat and earth. He poured some greenish ale into a wooden cup. He took a long sloppy drink.
He wiped his unwrinkled forehead and his curly black hair with his left hand. He knew his men admired his rank and looks. He also recognized most of the Tween women sweetly lusted for him. He smirked. He surveyed the Driveway and all the intense labor the Legion had completed in one day. He sipped the ale this time, sloshed it around his mouth, and then spat it out. His dark complexion helped him keep cool in the hot sun. He rose to his feet and stretched his tall, athletic build. He twisted his strong neck back and forth. He wore a large hunting knife in a dark sheath on his left hip. He called to the nearest guard walking past.
"Popson, how much more do we have to do?" Chico removed the knife and picked at his left hand.
"Captain, we found bits of some junk and one maple tree. The junkman is checking out the stuff, and the Legion is working on the maple," responded the guard.
"Well, don't just sit there. Get the Junker so we can finish the job, Now!" Chico barked and put away the knife.
"Yes, sir!"
The guard said as he ran up the next hill. Popson found the junkman a half mile down the road. He stood over six feet tall with square shoulders and strong arms and legs. He wore reflective goggles over his wavy brown hair and a faded cowboy-style shawl over his Legion work attire. He removed some large tree limbs from the stone path with ease. He placed them in front of several mangled pieces of silver gray metal pipes, tattered white bed sheets, and immense volumes of weathered books.
"Hey, junker. You were hard to find. The Captain needs your help on the final tree. You coming? What did you find?" asked the winded guard.
The junkman called back, "Just some more garbage the storm blew in. I'll get it later." He tossed the branches like twigs. He gave a friendly smile and stuck out his hand to the guard. "Popson, right? I'm Tood. I just joined the Legion a few moons ago."
The guard ignored the handshake.
"Great, junker, I know who you are. I was at the Jump and Jive last year. Let's get back before Chico puts us both on latrine duty."
Tood smiled. "No problem. Let me grab my staff."
The guard half grinned and teased, "How's your pooch doing after your big fight?
"We made amends and-"
"I don't care. Let's go."
Tood and Popson hustled back down the road and witnessed the Legion struggling to move the massive leaf-covered obstacle.
Captain Chico called out, "Anytime this century ladies. We do have a party to get to."
"Sorry, Captain. I found some really amazing -" Tood started.
"Junk? No kidding. The junkman found junk," Chico jeered, and the troop cackled. "If it's no trouble, could you help us with this blasted tree?
"Yes, sir," Tood and Popson said and moved next to the winded Legion.
Chico ordered, "On the recount of three. One, Two."
Tood pushed before the rest of the Legion and cleared the entire tree from the Driveway. The soldiers had nothing to push and fell on their faces, all except for the captain.
"There you go, Cap." Tood ran back up the hill toward his prizes. "I'll see you all at Sembly. The Good bless you."
Chico stared at Tood and then at the maple and then back at Tood as he ran off.
"The good be with you. It's at five. Don't be late," Chico muttered. He scowled at the moaning Legion laying on the ground, "Get up, you lazy Schlapinskis! Grab those sacks and let's move! Move it! Wamp scum!"
Tood removed the branches from around the junk and gave an enormous yawn. He had helped the Legion remove debris from the Mills to the Felds. His muscles burned, and his stomach screamed, but he had forgotten about it once he found the junk.
Usually after a Storm, he would find wheels, chairs, pipes and weird contraptions from other realms. Today, he found something he had not seen in years - a compooter! Tood carefully lifted the stiff sheets into his sled, stacking the heavy books on one end and the pipes on the other side. He picked up his staff and touched it to the sled. A single spark shot out, and the sled levitated and followed Tood as he ran down the Driveway.
As Tood reached the Bridge Between, he slipped to the underside of the stone cut structure and pushed in a diamond-shaped brick. The rock wall opened to reveal a secret passage, which he and the floating sled entered undetected. Flickering lights appeared as the passage door closed to reveal an antechamber with ropes, chains, and pipes of various sizes on the wall. Opposite the hanging items was a wooden plank door with no handle. Tood placed the end of his staff on the door, and it opened to a lime-lit tunnel with a spiral slide.
The junkman leaped down the slide with the sled in pursuit. He spiraled and zoomed down the tunnel toward his house by the Ruins. As he got closer to the ancestral home, his descent slowed as the slide's angle incrementally increased. His approach activated more long cylinder lights showing his landing are covered in two layers of worn-out spring mattresses. Tood did a flip as he soared from the slide and landed safely on the farthest bed. The sled gently bumped against the back of his legs. He looked back and grinned at his prizes and moved to the door directly in front of him.
He knocked a complicated sequence, and the door opened. He heard and then saw a rattling and steaming red pot. He stepped inside a warm and wonderfully smelling tile-covered kitchen. Tood touched the sled and pushed it into the adjacent room as he moved over to a black stove and shut off the fire under the pot.
He lifted the lid and inhaled the rich aroma of vegetables and savory beef. His stomach groaned in agony. He reached for his favorite green speckled bowl and a large silver ladle. He scooped the stew into his bowl and placed it on the kitchen island opposite the stove. Tood slightly banged his head on the pan hanging over the island. He reached for some small bread loaves in a wicker basket. He picked up a spoon from the third drawer and slid a tall wooden stool under him and bowed his head in thanks. Within moments, his meal was devoured, and he went to the frigger to get a cold drink. RC Cola was his favorite, and he had an ample supply. The satisfying carbonation and caramel syrup combination slid down his throat and then erupted in a deep abdominal belch.
Tood whistled a low tone and called out, "Woof, please come to the living room."
Tood reached into a jar on the top shelf and pulled out a large crusted biscuit. He walked into the living room and spotted a gigantic Siberian husky sniffing the contents of the sled. Tood tossed the biscuit at the beast. Woof snatched it mid-air.
"What do you think? Anything good, or should I just dump it in the Junks?"
Woof swallowed the biscuit and made three yips and a bark.
Tood asked, "You want it for a new plaything? The books or the pipes?"
Woof howled low, which sounded like laughter.
"Neither. You want the wrappings. Sorry, pal, the sheets are mine. It's a new compooter. See?" Tood exclaimed with pride as he pulled out a thin black rectangular device with glass on one surface. "This handheld compooter like Star Trek, a communicator. I think I have a charging cord." He left the room with the device and came back with a long black cord.
Woof gave it a sniff, rolled his eyes, and gave another low howl.
"I can have it. The battery is dead. Oh, thanks, you are so gracious, king of the Firrest. I have to charge it. I know, I know. You l Ike Star Wars."
He plugged it into the nearest outlet and gently placed it under the couch. Tood exclaimed, "You can have the rest! Just let me unwrap it first."
The junkman slowly unwrapped the first layer of cloth, which exposed three leather straps holding together the bundle. Tood took out his hunting knife and removed the straps. The bundles seemed to relax and take a different shape. Tood looked at Woof. "What is this?"
The canine dug his pointed nose deep into the wrappings. He barked, jumped up, and vigorously wagged his tail.
"No, it can't be."
Tood scrambled to remove the wrappings. From the seventh layer, long curly jet-black hair flowed. Tood's hands trembled as he pulled back the last wrapping. He revealed the face of an elegant young lady with olive-toned skin. A gold chain necklace with an amethyst jewel was draped on her smooth neck. She seemed to be in a deep sleep. Tood lifted her from the sled and laid her on the soft living room couch. He gently scooped a throw pillow under her head and covered her in the couch quilt. Woof gave a friendly bark, bound from the room, and went out the back screen door.
"Great. Just great," Tood bemoaned while shaking his head. He joined his canine friend on the porch. "I just wanted a compooter."
The Doors Between by Keith Menendez
A wondrous land of Between awaits. The citizens are trustworthy and abide by rules that peacefully govern the city. Tood, the local junkman, is tasked with cleaning the city of debris having blown in from occasional storms. While most of the citizens of Between view Tood as a fine man, some treat him much like a peasant, mainly Captain Chico, the leader of the Legion. Chico himself has many secrets he withholds from the community, mainly his womanizing ways that spark a riot within the town. A mystery arises as two foreigners wrapped in linens blow into Between. One is an Elf of royal heritage, and the other is a human named Emmy. They both seek answers from the man with vastly more knowledge than he lets on, Tood. With the help of Mrs. Hemingway, a maternal figurehead, and Woof, the faithful talking dog, the group embarks on a journey of laughs and peril. Can they find the answers they seek?
I enjoyed the time I spent in Between. A unique experience was had, and the author should be commended for his creativity. Learning more about the mysterious man known as Tood was riveting, keeping my attention throughout. The novel was adventurous, weaving several different locations and periods throughout. Therein lies my only complaint, it confused me. For some reason, I couldn't shake the thought of being lost. Skipping back and forth from one character and timeline felt scattered at times. The plot was interesting, but there was some unnecessary dialogue. Particularly a scene painted in which the characters were singing the actual lyrics of the song, a prime candidate for some needed consolidation.
Upon finishing the novel, I am racking my brain on how to score this one. I have come to the conclusion that I did indeed like this novel. The landscape and its inhabitants had a magical quality, one I would enjoy visiting again with the same characters but under a different set of circumstances. I can recommend the book for its uniqueness and ambition, but prepare for the aforementioned flaws. I am giving this 3 out of 5 starsā