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The following is a copy of the first chapter of the FREE online story Tales of MU, posted here by invitation of the author. Please note that while this teaser is safe for all ages, the rest of the story is intended for adults. If you enjoy this chapter, the address to read the rest for free is http://www.talesofmu.com ... and please spread the word by sharing the link or copying this entire message to your own journal, blog, forum, or personal webpage! Permission is given to post the first chapter only, without any cuts or edits, and with this entire message attached. Note: e-mailing to friends and printing out copies are also acceptable forms of distribution.

TALES OF MU 1: Welcome to MU
"In Which We Meet Mackenzie"
by Alexandra Erin

Despite the presence of cardboard signs trimmed with crepe paper and balloons, I completely missed the front door of Harlowe Hall and instead ended up in a big spartan lobby/hallway that linked three different residential buildings. I thought that’s where the sign had been pointing... later, I’d find out that Harlowe’s entrance was actually below the ground level, off a sort of sunken patio that was screened from view by the shrubbery I’d walked past. Nobody ever wandered into it by accident. The lobby was full of people, bustling among the front and rear entrances and the three large hallways branching off from it in every combination of to-and-from. Most of them were carrying at least a suitcase. Some of them were trundling luggage trolleys, often with a mini fridge and/or TV.

I stared around blankly, hoping for a sign of where I was supposed to be. Luckily, somebody spotted me and took pity on me.

"Hey, frosh!" a sharp, but not hostile, voice said. I spun around and saw a preppy-looking guy without any baggage. "What you looking for?"

"Harlowe," I said.

I caught a look that was a mixture of surprise, disgust, and fear, but he hid it pretty fast. He pointed to a set of double-doors leading to one of the hallways.

"Thanks," I said, keeping my voice as neutral as I could. He had helped me, after all.

I lugged my suitcase, backpack, and duffel bag down the hall. The staircase was easy to find, and it took me down to a big glass-fronted common room that was positively packed with people. Surprisingly little sunlight reached in through the windows. Most of the people there were sitting around in the second-hand sofas and chairs, or just milling around. It looked like most of them had already checked in. There were three lines of people leading up to the long reception desk, but the longest one only had four students in it and they were all moving quickly.

Fragments of conversation reached me over the general murmur and buzz as I got in line.

"I’m actually taking nineteen hours of classes this semester. That seems like a lot. Does that seem like a lot to you?"

"You know, this was my safety school."

"Can you believe they don’t even let us have candles in our dorm? How are we supposed to..."

"Did you see the weapon policy? They’re pretty strict."

"Name?" the woman asked me when I got up to the counter. She had a nametag which read "Gwendolyn Rodrigues - Resident Advisor."

"Mackenzie Blaise," I said.

"Is Mackenzie your first name or your last?" she asked me, turning away from me to a table against the back wall, covered with large envelopes.

"First," I said, adding unnecessarily, "Blaise is my last name." What can I say? It was my first day at college, and I’d already made what felt like one giant blunder, even if nobody knew about it. I was the tiniest bit nervous.

She found the packet labeled "Blaise, Mackenzie" and handed it to me.

"This is a copy of your class schedule, a calendar of events, coupons for the student union, and emergency listings," she said. "Now, you’ll need to read and sign this statement about compliance with the university’s weapons policy." Even though she was obviously a student and only a few years older than me, she already had the voice and facial expression of an officious bureaucrat. I could tell that being an R.A. was only one step in what would doubtless be a very fulfilling career for her in the field of interfering with others’ lives.

"Of course," I said, barely glancing at the slip of paper before signing it.

"And, of course, I have to see the weapon you’ll be using."

I reached into my coat and pulled out the knife, the twisted bronze hilt protruding from a lambskin sheath, and laid it down on the counter.

"That’s your main weapon?" she asked me, eyebrows raised.

"It’s the only one I’ve got," I said, with a silly grin.

"Only it’s not very big, is it?"

"I’ve never been much impressed with size," I told her.

"It’s barely enchanted," she observed. I wondered if she could tell that at a glance, or if there was something under the counter telling her that.

"The policy I read just said a magical weapon, it didn’t specify how magical it had to be," I pointed out. I’d been expecting this reaction, but it didn’t make it any less irksome.

"It’s just... life on campus can get dangerous..."

"I’ve never needed anything bigger," I said testily.

For a few moments, she looked at me like she wanted to say something... like she was going to invoke some little-known rule to throw me out until I came back with one of those absurdly huge broadswords or big spiky maces, but finally she just said, "All right. But there’s a nice little weapon store in town, if you change your mind."

"I’ll remember that," I said.

She held out a small manila envelope slightly larger than a business card.

"Here’s your room key and a pass card to get in and out of the building after dark," she said. "Though it’s best not to wander around campus too much at night. Stick to the lighted paths, and travel with a friend as much as possible. It’s all in your campus security pamphlet."

"Yes, thank you, I’ve read it," I said, reaching for the packet. She still looked doubtful, but she finally handed it to me.

"You’ll be needing this back, too," she said, handing me my knife, hilt-first.

"I’m actually hoping I won’t."

"Oh, yes, of course," she said. "Welcome to Magisterius University, Ms. Blaise."

READ THE REST OF THE STORY AT http://www.talesofmu.com !

Since I mentioned it here is an untested by me recipe for it:

Cherry Delight:

20 graham crackers
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/4 lb. butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk
1/2 pt. heavy cream
1 can cherry pie filling

CRUST: Crumble crackers, add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar; stir in melted butter; put into 9x13 inch pan. Bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees.FILLING: Cream cream cheese, sugar, milk. Whip cream and add to cheese mixture.
TOPPING: Top with cherries.

Thing done in honor of my grandparents

Written for my grandfather after he passed away:

Fallen Hero

Today a great man died
He was my personal hero
I wish I could someday follow
Follow in his footsteps
I hope to be remembered
For as much as he was
I hope to instill as much
Respevt and love as him
In those who knew me
He is immortal for
He lives on in my heart
Who was this great man
He wasn't a world leader
Nor was he a famous athelete
He was a simple man
But far from ordinary
He was my gradnfather
And he is my personal hero

What I did to honor my grandmother after she passed away:

I baked pumpkin bread for my immediate family for Christmas.  It was something she did almost every year.  It's something my siblings and I always looked forward to each year.  Her pumpkin bread was second only to Cherry Delight (pretty much the standard McAdow dessert (I am a black sheep of the family for not being addicted to it)) for being most likely to disappear quickly in our family's stomach.

Pumpkin Bread

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixing bowl, beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar, oil and vanilla to eggs and beat until thick. Stir in pumpkin puree. Sift together dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture; mix well. Pour into two greased and lightly floured 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread pans. Bake 1 hour or until done (wooden toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center of loaf). 

(Basically the recipe I use to make it.  Though I found, after running out of vanilla once, that it was better without it.)

Random Useless Information

The slippers in Wizard of Oz were originally silver in the book but changed to ruby to take advantage of coloring technique in the movie.

World Record Distance for a Human Cannonball: 175'

Ginger and peppermint are good cures for upset stomachs.

First Game Intended for Computer Use: Spacewar! in 1962

The "S" in Harry S Truman is not an initial but his middle name.

Mountain Dew gets it's name from anther term for moonshine

Slinkys were created after watching how spring moved after being dropped on the ground.

The lubricating spray WD-40 is so named because it was the product of the 40th attempt at creating a water displacing substance.

Teddy Bears are named after Theodore Roosevelt.

Orcas, aka killer whales, are not whales but the largest members of the dolphin family

The word "zombie was never said in any of Romero's Living Dead movies until Land of the Dead

Though complained about as a recent thing, running, tool using zombies were in the Original Night of the Living Dead.  The first zombie that chases Barbara not only runs after her but picks up a rock to smash the window when she locks herself in the car.

A second-hand coat used as part of Proffessor Marvel's costume was later found to by coincidence to once have belonged to L. Frank Baum, the author of Wizard of Oz.

Hawaii has 3 interstate highways.

The Star Trek and M*A*S*H themes have lyrics.