A Priceless Gift She Brings by James A Fisher

An Alternative History

A bold young heroine from an alternate history takes flight as her world’s first female aviator, and then crosses into ours, bringing love, laughter, and a gift that could change everything.

She's that lovable girl from that other timeline where America never existed. Meet her in 1980 when she encounters the man from Nowhere who builds a flying machine. Fly with her in the face of danger as she saves her country from invasion and becomes filthy rich and famous. Then accompany her to our timeline in 1985 as she brings love, laughter, and song . . . and a priceless gift from her history to ours. Just climb into her moccasins, and she'll surely put a smile on your face!

Two timelines. One choice: return home to keep her promise . . . or stay for love.

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Excerpt from A Priceless Gift She Brings © Copyright 2025 James A Fisher

I rode out the next morning before dawn on Shooting Star, with a shoulder bag, a quiver full of darts, and a blowgun across my lap. I took the trail around Lone Mountain and into the woods on the far side of it. Finally, in the early afternoon, I saw a golden falcon sitting on a branch and shot it down. I sat on an outcropping of rock, plucking the best feathers from it, and noticed a familiar figure standing before me, watching. It was Aponimon, the holy man.

“Why have you killed a rare golden falcon?” he asked.

“Because I lost the feathers I used to have, I told him.”

“I know, mortal child. When you fought against the Evil One in the sand and your feathers drifted out to sea. But you did exactly what the Great Mystery wanted you to do. You destroyed the evil heathen’s unsinkable vessel with Hathaway’s invention.”

I looked at him with a sideways glance. “It’s why you brought Hathaway here, to our history, isn’t it?”

“You’re beginning to understand,” he said. “And now only nine moons remain until he goes back through the golden circle to his former world.”

I looked at him squarely. “I know, Aponimon, but Hathaway says he’s not going back, completed mission or not. I want to go through your circle of gold to that other world in Hathaway’s place.”

Aponimon narrowed his eyes at me. “What would be the purpose of that?” he asked in a scoffing tone.

“I want to take his journal to his family and all his friends so they will know what happened to him,” I said, not shifting my gaze.

“They will probably not believe that book of fables!” Aponimon chortled in a mocking tone.

I glared at him. “Why do you call it that? Every word of it is true!”

“Only to those who can believe all things impossible. Most mortals do not.”

I stood my ground. “Nevertheless, Aponimon, I still want to go through the golden portal and try to convince his people he’s alive somewhere.”

“Just to take a book of fables to another world is not a good enough reason, my child. They won’t believe you any more than they will believe the impossible things he writes in his book!”

I felt like screaming and running away from him. “Alright then, Aponimon, what would be a good enough reason for me to go to Hathaway’s America?”

The holy man sighed and produced a little pouch. He opened it and showed me its contents. It was full of seeds. He explained these were the seeds from a special flower the Cherokee people north of here grow.

“When the seeds are boiled in clear spring water, the resulting liquid is bitter, but an excellent elixir for curing certain diseases.”

“What sort of diseases?”

“Those which cause people to become debilitated prematurely, to lose their memory, or become demented. The Great Mystery has informed me that other world from which Hathaway came has no cures for such diseases. You can take the seeds as a gift from this world to that one.”

I jumped for joy and had to refrain from hugging his neck. “Oh, Aponimon! I will be glad to take them!”

Then it occurred to me that Aponimon knew, all along, that Hathaway wasn't returning to his former world. That he was simply testing my resolve.

He went on to explain the details of how and where to plant the seeds in the fall and when to harvest more seeds in the spring. He told me to ask my cousin where the seeds are grown, for they should be grown in the same location in the other history.

“But you must understand one thing,” he said in a warning tone.

“What is that?”

“I will prepare the golden circle atop the mountain on the approaching summer solstice so you can go through to Hathaway’s America. If you want to return home, you will have only one opportunity on the following summer solstice. The Great Mystery has informed me there will be no more portals between Hathaway’s world and this one, after that.”

“No more portals?”

“At least not for you or Hathaway,” he said. “Because both your missions would be complete.”

With those words, Aponimon walked away into the woods and disappeared into nothingness.