FIVE GOLDEN DREAMS

THE PRINCESS: PART ONE OF THE ALEXANDER TRILOGY AUTHOR: STAN I.S. LAW Everyone wants to be accepted for who they are. Some need more recognition than others. Alec has an amazing imagination that allows him to drift in and out of the real world just by thinking about a place, time period of specific event. Daydreaming is often our way of escaping the realities of the world at any given time. Although he loves school and geography, Alec finds himself back in time dressed in colorful clothes during a time period that most kids would not even think or know about. Imagine being up close and next to an Inca King? Imagine coming back to your own world with gold nuggets. Alec went home and looked up the Inca’s in his encyclopedia to learn more about them and something miraculous happened. His dreams were filled with vivid images of the mountains, he felt the cool air and he even traveled on a narrow mountain path. Alec appeared to be a normal boy of 13 years of age. In reality, he experienced visions for over three years. Hiding this fact from family and friends Alec was able to escape into the many different places and time periods that only those who lived during them would ever experience. Would you like to meet the Egyptian Pharaohs? Would you like seeing the forbidding mountains in Afghanistan? But there is so much more as things changed for him and his visions disappeared as quickly as they came when believe it or not technology entered his life and his father bought him a computer complete with Internet and more. Reliving the past many might consider a poor substitute for the present but learning about other time periods, how exciting to this young man. Then, something happens to change his life when he is allowed to remain home alone while his parents are on vacation. If you saw a face or what many might think is an apparition in a mirror would you think you were going crazy? What would happen if that apparition of vision you think you see communicated with you? What if this voice that you hear but cannot clearly see as sharp image tells you she is a Princess? What if you go as far as telling you she is really your other half? What would you think and how would you react? Why would this beautiful Princess named Sandra say that she cares about what he thinks of her and not really her beauty? She came because he stopped traveling to other places within his daydreams. Maybe with the Internet and access to too many information it was too easy to just find the information and the real challenge was reading it in an encyclopedia and learning it for yourself. Research done not on the net but in an actual book. How could she be there all the time without Alec knowing or feeling her presence? What happens when she disappears? Alec is upset with himself when he reflects on what happened. Going back to the mirror where he first sees the Princess he hopes she will return. All through History class the next day he hopes for some glimpse of time travel and a chance to apologize for not responding properly the Princess. Imagine daydreaming all day in school and waiting to be whisked away to a far off place. History, English and Math hold a certain amount of interest but Alec sees the school’s architecture through different eyes and a different light. As he looks at the building and its structure he begins to sense the history behind it and can relate it all as he does every dream and event that he has or encounters. 
 Something about the experience in school sends him to his computer to learn more buildings that are more than 200 years old. While glued to his computer something happens and when this 13-year-old young man awakens he is no longer at home but chained to a wall in a dungeon in a castle where he will learn many new life lesson. First, how will he get out of the chains? Next, how will he ever escape and why is he there? As Alec begins to focus on his situation he realizes that the chains were made for an adult and he can easily slip out of them. As he becomes more aware of his surroundings he encounters a huge man named Igor who, although quite massive seems to fear Alec and others smaller in size. After freeing this tortured man from his bondage he goes in search of Princess Sandra and saves her too. Just how they all manage to escape is due to the creative and ingenious mind of our author who helps all three characters see more than just the light. As Sandra explains to Alec about Igor’s fear of smaller sized people, she explains how no matter what size or shape you are nothing positive will come out of it unless intelligence, kindness and understanding are there too. Poor Igor was placed in the dungeon to overcome this fear and Alec risked his life to help both Igor and Sandra. As the story continues you learn that Sandra is almost like his conscience or mentor trying to teach him how to deal with others, understanding your differences and hopefully learning something from all of his experiences. Alec begins to see that size, shape and appearances do not make the person as Sandra tries to guide him in a more positive path. Then Alec has a harsh realization and begins to realize that really happened and how his attitude needed to change. Alec’s parents let him alone for quite some time to go on vacation. After finally contacting him they decided to leave him for a few more days allowing him access to some extra money and hoping he could fend for himself. But, Alec is only 13 his parents although concerned about him leave him to learn many hard lessons in life. His kindness shines through when he does not tell his mother he really wants her to come home and yet, you would think they would know that. The road to adulthood and independence does not come without many lessons that you have to learn and many mistakes you will make along the way. As Sandra takes Alec on many journeys to what she refers to as his Home Planet and explains that they were both there for more than one thousand years you begin to wonder just what worlds Alec has imagined his lived in, visited and what other lessons he will learn along the way. Just why was Sandra there and what was she really trying to teach Alec as he goes to the next step, sees more of other worlds and tries to understand why a thirteen year old needs to know any of this and what creating a world in your mind really means. Life is a series of journeys and as Alec experiences each one he will learn more about himself, his inner desires and his road to becoming more than he realizes he can be. As he uses his imagination and inner thoughts to lead him through the many places he visits within his realm of creativity and imagination what unfolds would surprise him as he takes this trip with the aide of one princess named Sandra who is always there with him even though he does not always see her. Can someone teach you to be who you really are? What other lands and dreams will Alec have before he comes to the final realization? Challenges come in many different ways. You are according to our princess what you want to be. You can be anything you want and you can create a situation just by thinking about it. There are no limitations to what you can achieve if you desire it. Next, he learns how to build a relationship with another person understanding that he is quite intelligent and handling the many realms he visits in order to learn the numerous life lessons. With Sandra’s guidance Alec learns many life lessons and understands the infinite challenges, hurdles and goals that everyone needs to pursue to find their inner self and who they are. Being the best you can be and using your creative imagination is what she tries to impart to him. Understanding our differences, accepting others for whom they are not dwelling or judging someone by his/her appearance alone is paramount. Alec learns to understand himself as he visits many different places and winds up on the edge of a very vast universe. Each journey is unique and his memories are quite vivid and clear as he relates them in detail to the reader. Life has a purpose and you need to develop your own way of living it, understanding it and hopefully becoming responsible and owning up to your actions whether good or bad. Blaming others is not what anyone should do and being critical and mean is not a positive way of understanding these lessons. The next several journeys take him to make far off places and others close by. One even takes him back to colonial times. But, something changes everything when he meets a young girl named Suzy or Susanna and he begins to explore his feelings for a young girl, his friendship and his loyalty to Sandra and what she really means to him. Going sailing with his parents becomes a real life experience for them as they learn that Alec is a remarkable young man and can handle man adult situations. As the story draws to a close Alec and Sandra move ahead in time to where they are both appear to be much older as they discuss the final stages of part one of his journey. Alec felt that within all of his journeys there was something missing. As Alec experiences the Next or Final Step learn what happens when he attends his first ball, the feelings that change within him and the final lessons learned. His memories came flooding to the forefront and what happens at the end you will not believe. What happens between Sandra and Alec creates a unity that only the reader will understand when you experience it first hand when reading it. What Alec decides to do with his life you need to find out for yourself? What are the final lessons learned? I promised I would not reveal too much as we all need to live life to learn how to become our own Being. With black and white charcoal drawings that help guide you on the journey along the way author Stan I.S. Law’s The Princess has life lessons that we as adults and young adults can truly learn. If you love to dream and have an imagination the possibilities are endless. This book is great for adults and young adults to teach life lessons in tolerance, understanding and kindness. I really enjoyed reading Alec’s story and hearing Sandra’s voice as his mentor and conscience guiding him from one stage of his life to another. I can’t wait to see where Alec goes next. Fran Lewis: reviewer THIS BOOK GETS FIVE SPECIAL DREAMS AND MEMORIES FOR ALEC!