The Golden Boy In Atlantis

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About the Author

John Ross was born in Scotland in 1954. He worked all overthe world as a fashion designer and created his first collectionat the age of fifteen. He had a successful career as a stylist andart director for International magazines, leading retailers, popstars and celebrity clientele.He lived in San Francisco, Amsterdam and Bangkok.He has now returned to his original base in Scotland.





With Thanks

This book is for all the people who brought some magic into mylife.

C.J. Samantha, Craig, Desiree, Gerrie, Marian, Vicky, Anita, Neung,

Toen, Scottie, Margaret. Sheena, Gerrie-Anne, Lezli, Rose,Beverley, Will, David and Gonzalo.







Copyright © John Ross

The right of John Ross to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of theCopyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in anyform or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the

publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claimsfor damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the BritishLibrary.

ISBN 978 184963 934 7

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2014)Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.25 Canada SquareCanary WharfLondonE14 5LB

Printed and bound in Great Britain



Conten t s

Character List 11

Book One The Golden Boy In Atlantis

Introduction 16 1 The Early Years on Blackbird Island 19 2 Neung ’ s Secret 27 3 The Journey 38

4 The Spotted Egg 49

5 The Pirates 56 6 The Secret City 65 7 The Soothsayer 80 8 The Royal Games 96 9 The Sky Travellers 105

10 The Big Day 119

11 The Mummy 135 12 Unlucky For Some 140 13 The Sorceress 153 14 The Big Brunch 163 15 The Expedition 172 16 The Baby 187 17 The Cold Kingdom of the North 192 18 The Return 203 19 The Magic Child 207 20 The Magic Mist 216 21 Time to Wake Up 218 22 The Royal Wedding 225 23 The Curse 228 24 The Apocalypse 234 25 The Sea Chase 248



Part Two The Golden Boy Returns

1 The Awakening 273 2 Seventeenth Century France 280 3 The Masquerade Ball 294 4 The Shanghai Express 302 5 The Chinese Circus 314 6 The Prehistoric Days 325 7 The Sahara 345

8 The Sea Journey 364 9 The Outback 369 10 The Frozen Kingdom of Alasmadan 371 11 New York – The Big Apple 373 Conclusion 378



DO YOU BELIEVE IN

MAGIC?





C h a r a c t e r L i s t

Set on the backdrops of the idyllic but primitive BlackbirdIsland, the Northern Kingdom of Alasmadan and the secretcrystal peaked city of Atlantis The Golden Boy ʼs pages are

brought to life as the following central characters take centrestage.

C.JA ten year old schoolboy with a hunger for knowledge who ishimself a computer wizard.

MarlonA medieval knight who possesses magic powers, who takesC.J. on a rollercoaster journey back in time.

NeungA peasant fisher boy with a shock of golden curls, bright blueeyes and latent magical powers is the main character in thistale of wit and wizardry. Orphaned when the volcano on hishomeland erupts he becomes the National Hero of Atlantis.

Champion

Neung ’s pet Batosil, a hybrid of the dinosaur and a flying prehistoric creature, provides lots of laughs. The stubborn beast’s fear of heights and water amuses us as the storyunfolds.

Andula the SorceressA tall exotic Nubian princess with dark magical powers whosegreat beauty is a mask for evil. When casting spells her headtransforms to that of a demon.



Prince XenonA striking child created by Andula using a lock of Neung ’shair. The lad has ebony skin and a shock of golden hair. A

born wizard with magical powers.

ChangAn evil Mongolian Centaur. An imposing figure. Half man,half beast the winged powerful demon is wickedly handsomewith the torso of an athlete. He has a mane of long hair whichhe wears in a topknot, his body is tattooed with ancientsymbols.

Captain CairnsA drunken headless pirate skeleton that was eaten alive by bat-like blackbirds whose soul is condemned for eternity. HeLooks ferocious but has a heart of gold.

The First Mate Silus PickworthA skeleton scoundrel with one leg and a hook hand. He has aneye patch and perched on his shoulder is his trusted skeletalstuttering parrot sea-mate Flipper.

Lord Alexander Pimpernel MarchmontAn eccentric aristocratic dandy skeleton pirate who wearsflamboyant clothes and a powdered wig. A gentleman roguewith upper class accent who is vain and conceited.

Rufus Murdock Simson and Walter Gromble SimsonTwo skeleton ghoul pirate twins with a passion for dressing up,dancing and singing opera.

Scribe and GalantineCo-founders of Atlantis and the New Earth colonies. Theretired rulers of the lost city live in seclusion in the crystal

palace.



Telephone TommyA hologram genie made entirely from telephones both ancientand new. With Apps you can download for wishes. A robotlike Aladdin that is trapped in a tablet.





Book OneThe Go lden Boy In A t l an t i s



I n t r o d u c t i o n

Scotland December 24 th 2014

It was Christmas Eve and outside a storm was brewing.Torrential rain lashed at the windows and the roar of thundercracked in the heavens. C.J buried himself under the coversand tried to concentrate on the presents he hoped would beunder the tree. His parents had been extremely angry at him;he had been rather naughty at school and had been given ahundred page essay on Atlantis to complete during theChristmas holidays.

Unable to sleep he crept downstairs to check out the giftsituation. From the look of things Santa Claus had indeed beenthere.

The Xmas tree lights cast an eerie glow to the room. C.Jrummaged through the nicely wrapped boxes in dismay till hespotted the slim gold package tucked away behind the tree.Without hesitation he ripped off the foil and his heart raced …there it was, his very own tablet.

It hadn ’t been charged properly and he was dying to try it.Frustrated he shook the android tablet and to his astonishmentit lit up and a thousand stars swirled round it.

C.J dropped the tablet to the ground and with a roar evenlouder than the thunder peals outside an eight foot hologramemerged from the tablet.

C.J rubbed his eyes in shock thinking that he wasdreaming. ‘Holy Smoke! ’ he exclaimed as he peered up at thetowering entity that hovered above him.

‘Hi Mate, I am Telephone Tommy the smart phone Genie ’ the larger than life figure crooned.

C.J stood gaping at the robot-like creature which was madeentirely of telephones both ancient and new.



The creature moved clumsily around the room looking fora charger point. ‘Been asleep for a thousand years mate, needrebootedʼ he groaned as he pl ugged himself into a socket.

‘Just like Aladdin I can grant you three wishes, three APPSyou can download that will change your life. ’

Playing along C.J rubbed the touch screen and wished forchocolate. With a clumsy robotic wave of his arm TelephoneTommy turned the Xmas tree into a magnificent solidchocolate sculpture.

C.J gaped in awe at the mouthwatering milk, dark andwhite chocolate branches with candy-covered baubles.

C.J didn ’t want to waste any more wishes; he confided tohis new friend that he was concerned that he had a hundred page essay to create on Atlantis for his battle-axe teacher MrsMilligan.

‘No problem, download an app and make a wish ’ theGenie suggested as all the smart screens on his chest startedflashing and phones started ringing, a sign that he had beensuccessfully recharged.

C.Jʼs fingers danced across the touch screens looking foran app.

Medieval Knight Guide service through time … this looksinteresting, C.J mused as he clicked on the app. ‘OH NO! Notgrouchy old Marlon ’ Telephone Tommy whined as thehologram of the ancient knight on a horse materialized, hisrusty armour rattling as he galloped around the room.

The bearded knight introduced himself as Marlon whilsthis rickety horse ate several of the chocolate branches from thetree.

C.J closed his eyes and wished that they could all go on atrip that would inspire him to write an essay about Atlantiswith a new fresh slant.

‘Fiddlesticks and USB sticks, your wish is my command, ’ Telephone Tommy exclaimed sprinkling fairy dust, as like a

genie from a bottle he went back inside the tablet.Marlon was in charge now; he gave C.J a cloak that would

render him invisible and invited him to join him on his steed.Both suddenly shrank; they were reduced to the size of an egg.



With a sweeping motion of the invisible cloak C.J with hisgenie and the ancient knight all leapt into the tablet tocommence their journey through time and space.

Suddenly C.J. found himself floating through a sea ofstars. ‘Awesome ’ he exclaimed as they drifted past the moonand Mars. A trillion stars danced in the heavens as they driftedthrough time across the universe. Suddenly they disappearedthrough a black hole spinning so fast, C.J screamed as theyspiralled through space.

Moments later they emerged in a new dimension. Marlonground to a halt and landed on a fluffy white cloud above the

earth.Telephone Tommy emerged and all the screens on his body started flashing and popping. ‘Here we are Master, backon earth thousands of years in the past and just floating aboveAtlantis. ’ The genie materialized a notepad and quill andtossed them at C.J. ‘From this vantage point you can observeand write your essay on Atlantis. When you finish we canreturn using your last wish. ’ With that Telephone Tommy ’slights turned green; he hated heights and was airsick; inseconds he retreated back into the tablet.

C.J grabbed his pen and pad and Marlon galloped thoughthe clouds heading for the long-lost city.

The Adventure is now just about to begin …



1

T h e E a r l y Ye a r s o n B l a c k b i r dI s l a n d

Blackbird Island was a paradise, set in a tranquil SouthernOcean surrounded by sparkling crystal clear waters; the Islandwas lush and tropical. Its favourable climate had created acres

of gardens and foliage that climbed from the coast up thehillside in a rainbow of vivid colours. The island enjoyed asunny disposition and the gentle rainfall had blessed theinhabitants with a fertile and prosperous environment. Thecoastline was framed by white sandy beaches which were linedwith a sweeping vista of sub-tropical shady forests thatstretched up the mountain side. The centrepiece of the islandwas the towering flat table-top mountain that seemed to

disappear into the fluffy white clouds that dotted the azure sky.For as long as they could remember, the inhabitants of theisland had always lived in harmony. There had never been waror unrest in their history which dated back hundreds of years.

Legend said that for centuries Blackbird Island wascompletely uninhabited till a ship of refugees from a distantland had discovered the paradise and settled. They had namedthe island after the thousands of black birds that lived high inthe craggy mountains ’ peaks that dominated the Island. Thefirst settlers had been lost at sea when their primitive craft haddrifted in a blanket of mist towards the shore. Captivated bythe coast line they had decided to make the island their home.The first one hundred inhabitants had set foot on the glisteningwhite sands generations ago. Now there were almost athousand families who cherished the island as their home.

Life was lazy on the sleepy Blackbird Island. Everyonelived in peace and took pride in building their homes, whichspeckled the landscape as high as the Emerald Forest.



The Emerald Forest was a stretch of thick foliage thatdisappeared up the mountain side. No one ever dared to crossthe border of the forest. This sacred sanctuary was the terrainof the huge black birds which were the original inhabitants ofthe Island.

Legends warned of the peril of the Emerald Forest. Agroup of the first settlers had foolishly dared to venture into theforbidden wooded terrain and were eaten alive.

Since these unwelcome visitors had broken the treaty, the birds frequently terrorized the inhabitants of Blackbird Island.The villagers were superstitious and paid homage to several

Gods whose images were carved in the caves that had servedas homes to the first generation of travellers.The people strongly believed that it was these Gods who

had protected them from the great black birds for over acentury. Several times a year the birds would venture into thesafe haven of the islanders creating panic and terror. In thewinter months they migrated leaving the population in peacefor six glorious months.

On the shady west side of the island Neung and his familyhad a home that was shaded by a maze of towering palms;from its elevated position up the hillside they could enjoy a

breathtaking view of the ocean and adjacent mountain villages.Surrounded by mango and cocon ut trees Neungʼs familyenjoyed a healthy diet. They had fresh fruit, fish, wild boaraplenty and the stream at the edge of their home provided a

constant supply of crystal clear mountain spring water. Neunghad three sisters and lived with his mother and father intranquillity and harmony. He was only eight years old but took

pride in catching fish every day for his family and the twoelderly friends of his grandmother.

He had been called Neung which meant “First One ” because he was the only one on the Island born with a shock ofgolden blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was often teased

and nicknamed “ Neung the Golden Boy ”. His friends teasedhim wickedly about his golden locks, so much so he hadreverted to wearing a turban to disguise his crowning glory.The first time he realized that he was different from everyone



else was when they were catching tadpoles in the stream neartheir house. Neung and three of his friends were crouching bythe stream attempting to catch frogs when he glimpsed hisreflection in the water. So shocked by the image he had seen inthe water, he had thrown his tadpoles back in the pond andraced to his home. As he had bounded towards his house thechants of his playmates echoed in his ear “Golden Boy ”,“Golden Boy! ” they had taunted before bursting into fits ofhysterical laughter.

Neung almost knocked his sister down as he raced to thekitchen and seized a sharp knife that his mother used to gut

fish. Dropping the chicken she was plucking she just managedto stop him cutting off his golden locks. Like any other childhe didn ’t want to be different, he wanted to fit in. To everyoneelse he was a freak; his blonde hair and blue eyes were a greatsource of amusement. He could not remember a single daywhen he was free from cutting comments and bullying. Eachday at sunrise Neung would leap from his bed with the slash ofred light that drifted into his room through a slit in the bambooroof. Taking care not to wake any of his family he would wraphis cloth around him and steal out of the house to go fishing.He always took a bag of food with him to feed the squirrelsthat greeted him on the way down the mountainside. Theanimals waited faithfully at the footpath every morning atsunrise.

Life on the island was simple. Each day he woke at dawn

and would take his spear down to the ocean to catch some fishfor his mother. The clear sea that surrounded the island wasfull of all sorts of fish, it was their main source of food. Theylived on a healthy balanced diet of fresh fruit, vegetables andfish. Goats were rare on the island and creamy goats’ milk wasconsidered a delicacy and cherished treat. Preferring seafood towild boar and chicken, meat was eaten only as a last resort.The bright sunny climate made it possible for them to grow

ripe juicy oranges, lemons, coconuts and grapes.Many years ago a distant traveller had been rescued by

Neungʼs grandfather. As a token of gratitude the stranger had planted mangoes on the land adjacent to Neungʼs home. Long



after the stranger had left the Island the inhabitants werefascinated by the new ripe sweet fruit that he had planted. Onlyon this island were mangoes grown and they were regarded asa delicacy. Neungʼs father gathered these mangoes when theywere ripe and took them on his canoe to a distant land. Sablewould travel for thirty moons to the secret city of Atlantis andsell the juicy succulent fruit returning thirty moons later withchickens and goats and fine fabrics for his mother to makeclothes. Only a handful of men dared brave the ocean in their

primitive vessels to travel to the legendary Atlantis, the secretroute to Atlantis being handed down from generation to

generation. Most men who attempted the trip never returned. Neung was proud of his father. Sable braved the seas andtravelled frequently to the secret land.

The people in Atlantis enjoyed the mangoes which fetcheda high price at the market. The greatest proportion of the fruitwent to the Royal household. The first time his father had gonethey had feared that he would never return. Neung had criedfor weeks, he was sure that his father would be swallowed up

by the sea. They were ecstatic however when some 60 moonslater they seen his craft drift into the port. Neung had beencatching fish, when he stared out to sea. Dropping his spear indisbelief, he had screamed with joy when he spotted hisfather ’s raft on the horizon.

The excitement was overwhelming; his father had beenaway for two months and his bamboo raft was laden with

goods. Neighbours had raced to the coastline to help him tounload his cargo. Bales of cotton and silk in a rainbow ofcolours, caskets of raisins and nuts, baskets of fish and a purseof strange gold coins that sparkled in the sunlight. Neungexamined the coins, they were pretty but he had no conceptionof their value. These coins were useless on Blackbird Island

but his father had told him that in the secret city you could buyanything with them.

When Sable returned he and his wife Zandra would host a party for their neighbours, family and friends. The villagers satwide-eyed as they listened to the wonderful tales of Atlantisand Neung would be proud of his father. Deep into the night



they would sit round a campfire drinking lemon wine whilstSable told fascinating stories of the dangers he hadencountered on the way to the secret city. The only route toreach the destination was past Death Island and the Peninsulaof the Beasts. Death Island was inhabited by thousands of deadsouls. Legend stated that all the drowned people for the lastthousand years were trapped on the craggy island, their spiritsdoomed forever. The Peninsula of the Beasts was so horrifichis father actually trembled as he spoke. There were beaststhere as large as mountains, flying beasts with heads likecrocodiles and reptiles that were so large they could swallow a

boat of one hundred people in one gulp. The islanders hadnever seen a boat big enough to carry one hundred people.Sable had told them that in Atlantis they had galleons as big asmountains that were manned by more than a hundred oarsmen.They would sit round the fire till daybreak listening to the talesof a magical city that had been built by the Gods themselves.

Neung had been so carried away with his father ’s tales thathe was too excited to sleep! He had dreamt one day ofaccompanying him to Atlantis; if his father would not permithim to go he would hide in a trunk under the mangoes. As achild at an early age Neung had learned to climb and cut thecoconuts and mangoes from the tall trees that lined the hillside;he could climb faster than the monkeys that often stole fruitfrom the wicker basket his mother had made him. The firsttime he had climbed a tree he had shocked his parents. They

had never seen any child climb so high or so swiftly. After thedaily ritual of catching fish he would skip to the wild orchardand collect fruit with his only friend Moss who lived on thelower perimeter of the village. Shorter than Neung, Moss had ashock of wiry uncontrollable hair that always seemed unkempt.He frequently was teased by others for being too portly andhaving a squint in his left eye. Moss lived with his mother andthree sisters. His father had gone to Atlantis three years ago

and had never returned, leaving him at the tender age of sevento provide for his family. They had grown up together and like

brothers were inseparable. Neung seemed fearless and wouldrace up even the tallest palm without batting an eyelid. Brave



as he was he did however fear the animals that combed theforest at night. Often he would wake from his sleep and cowerdeep under his blanket when he heard the cry of the wild tigersthat roamed the mountains. The tigers were as long as a grownman and were particularly fond of the giant long-toothedmonkeys that lived on the fringe of the Emerald Forest.

Unlike the friendly playful chimps that climbed the treeswith Neung the larger wild monkeys were aggressive anddestructive. Sometimes they would stray into the vineyards andsteal fruit and berries. On other days they would break intotheir homes and cause chaos. Most of all Neung feared the

large black carnivorous birds that plagued the island. These predators with their razor sharp beaks were everyone ’s worstenemy. Feared by everyone on the island, the Celions wouldsporadically attack villagers and animals as they went abouttheir daily routine. One breezy afternoon in early spring Neungand his best friend Moss were gathering lemons for his mother.Every harvest she would make lemon wine using only theripest baby lemons. The heady wine lasted the family allthrough the summer into the winter months.

Perched on twin lemon trees Neung and his friend werefilling their bamboo baskets with tiny sweet lemons. Therewere two lemon trees on his mother ’s land and on the adjacentapple tree sat a stray long-toothed monkey. Moss hurtled alemon at the creature striking it on the head. The creatureshrieked and bared its long sharp teeth in protest. The long-

tooths were lazy, they would sit and watch the lads pluck thefruit then steal it from their baskets on the way home. A fewmoments later the grey hairy animal threw a large apple at

Neung in protest. The piece of fruit struck the boy on theforehead almost dazing him and Moss roared with laughter atthe animal ’s prudence. Before Neung could retaliate, theirlaughter was interrupted by an unfamiliar sound that camefrom above.

It was as if darkness had fallen! The sun disappeared and ashadow darkened the gardens. The boys sat motionless in the

branches of the trees. Hearts thumping they realized that the birds had returned months earlier than anticipated from their



migration. Neung and Moss had almost filled the baskets withripe juicy lemons when suddenly the sun was masked bythousands of birds. Neung heard the roar of the flutteringwings. Looking upwards he was shocked to see the sky hadfilled with birds; they had travelled for many months and wereravenous. Neung hid behind the foliage of the lemon tree andremained as still as he could be.

The skies seemed filled with birds, they crooned andshrieked as they swept down on the tree where the long-toothed monkey had been perched. Fighting amongstthemselves the birds plucked away at the monkey for what

seemed an eternity. Moss trembled so much that he let his basket of lemons fall. Fortunately the birds did not notice the boys hiding in the lemon trees; the black winged beasts had astrong sense of smell but hated the aroma of lemons. The tangycitrus fragrance had saved the boys ’ lives. Having devouredthe poor monkey the flock of birds flew west towards theirmountain lair.

Long after they drifted out of sight the boys sat frozen inshock, clinging to the leafy branches for grim death trying todigest the horror of what had happened.

They waited silently till they were sure that the last of the birds had gone before climbing down from the trees.Trembling Neung and Moss raced towards their family homesgripping their half-filled baskets of lemons. As he racedtowards the wooden house, his mother and father came rushing

to greet him. They too had heard the sound of the birds andhad feared the worst. With tears of joy in her eyes Zandrahugged her only son so tight that he thought she was going tocrush him.

It was a common thing to be killed by the birds onBlackbird Island; the inhabitants dreaded the creatures ’ returnevery season. His father had told him that ’s why no one hadwanted to stay on this island. Centuries before, all the original

inhabitants had left when the birds with the bat-like wings andlong sharp beaks had taken over the territory, claiming theisland as their own. Ancient drawings on the cave wallsdepicted scenes of horror; primitive sketches of the

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The Golden Boy In Atlantis