Emepedocles’ Children is a children’s adventure story that I think/hope can also be enjoyed by older readers. I have been writing it on and off for several years and at the time of writing this introduction (early March 2024) I have ~60,000 words and around 70% of the story written. To help push myself over the finishing line I thought I would start to put the story here on the off-chance that someone might read it and enjoy it. I will add further chapters over the coming weeks with the goal of completing the whole book before the end of May 2024 . There, I’ve said it now…
Many years ago, after a period of argument and war known as The Division the population of a large, far away island fractured into four separate peoples, each occupying a different island quarter. Over time, the four Peoples grew ever more isolated and less trusting, blaming the others for their own misfortunes and difficulties. As each of the Peoples focused only on their own needs, taking what they needed from the island in their own way, the natural systems of the island slowly began to sicken. With the island growing close to an un-recognised breaking point an old hermit, long forgotten by the rest of the island population, makes a final, desperate plea starting a sequence of events that brings together four children for an odyssey that leads them to the high mountain that stands at the island’s core. But before these children can reach their destination they must first overcome many dangers – born of fire, water, earth and air – and in the process they discover much about themselves and each other and form ties that will bind them together forever.
Fire
Chapter 1 – Fire Chase
Chapter 2 – The Sentinels
Chapter 3 – Conlaodh’s Journey
Water
Chapter 4 – The Meeting
Chapter 5 – Yara’s World
Chapter 6 – Marshland Training
Chapter 7 – Curiosity
Chapter 8 – Waters Rising
Chapter 9 – The Crossing
Chapter 10 – The Race Commences
Chapter 11 – Rescue
Chapter 12 – Escape
Chapter 13 – Departure
Interlude
Earth
Chapter 14 – The Boat
Chapter 15 – Storm and Sickness
Chapter 16 – Food and Herbs
Chapter 17 – Rock Giants
Chapter 18 – The Hole
Chapter 19 – Recovery
Chapter 20 – Catch-Up
Chapter 21 – Awakening
Chapter 22 – Tales
Chapter 23 – Heartbreak
Chapter 24 – The Heartstone
Chapter 25 – Memoriam
Chapter 26 – Aid
Chapter 27 – Shadow
Chapter 28 – Above and Below
Chapter 29 – Rendezvous
Chapter 30 – On The Rails
Chapter 31 – Emergence
Chapter 32 – Together Again
Air
Chapter 33 – The Long Trek
Chapter 34 – Blocked
Chapter 35 – Across The Gorge
Chapter 36 – Disintegration
Chapter 37 – Flight To The Interior
Chapter 38 – Arrival
The Old Man and The Mountain
Chapter 39 – Up The Twisting Path
Chapter 40 – Seeking Balance
Chapter 42 – Survivors
Epilogue
Note: The above contents page lists all of the chapters that I have written to date as they are currently arranged (1-31) along with some placeholders chapter titles that will bring the story to its conclusion. It’s quite possible that as I work through the existing chapters to publish them here and/or write the remaining chapters I will end up combining some of the shorter ones, adding one or two more and changing some of the chapter titles. We’ll see…
(c) Tim O’Hare, March 2024
and a writer 
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