The Wizards of Calaveras County

By: Richard D. Parker

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

While traveling to Reno through the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, The Four Wizards, a talented but unheralded cover band, encounters a thick and unusual fog. Unable to see or stop their RV, the group careens off the interstate and down a mountainside. Their vehicle plows straight into an unfortunate and strange battle, running over and killing numerous people that they mistakenly take to be cast members on a movie set. Annora St. Clair and the rest of her band soon discover that this is no movie set and that their intrusion will have real-life and death consequences.
Captured, bound, and gagged by gruff, hard soldiers, the band is pulled into an adventure none of them could have foreseen.
“Feed and water the humans,” a deep voice ordered.
The soldiers made no reply but moved to obey immediately.
“What did he say?” Annora asked as she tried desperately to swivel her head. She was facing away from camp. The first stars were beginning to appear in the darkening sky in her direction.
“What?” Danny asked. “He said ‘Feed and water the humans.’
“Are you sure?”
“That’s what the…man said,” James confirmed, then shook his head. “I don’t think they’re human.” He added. Danny’s frown deepened. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”
“I don’t think we’re in California anymore,” Paula whispered. “Or Nevada…or whatever.”
The others gazed around in amazement. Paula was right; stars filled the night sky, thousands and thousands of bright points of light. They watched silently as the western sky went from dark purple to black, and more and more stars became visible. And just in case any of them doubted what they were seeing, a small moon, maybe a tenth of the size of their moon, topped the horizon in the east and streaked at perhaps five times the speed across the night sky.
“Where are we?” Annora finally asked softly, but no one had any answers.