Trafford Publishing: Celeste Rivere and the Cup of Destiny

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Celeste Rivere and the Cup of Destiny

by W.J.P. Holgar

212 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-1579; ISBN 1-4120-1201-5; US$21.00, C$24.25, EUR17.00, £12.00

Celeste, a courageous heroine for all ages, breaks free on a quest of self-discovery. Mythical themes interweave in a mesmerzing cascade as Celeste strives for her goal.

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About the Book

Celeste is an archetypal heroine for modern times: a courageous young girl searching for knowledge in a stymied environment. Interspersed with humorous character portraits and parodies of today's institutions, Celeste Rivere and the Cup of Destiny follows an individual's struggles against overwhelming odds in her search for life's meaning: metaphorically a journey from the sleepy village where she was raised to the lofty mountains she yearns to climb.
Fairy tales, myths and legends are blended with themes drawn from philosophers of the twentieth century; a potent amalgam that brings these ideas into a tangible form that is easily accessible to readers of all ages. Mystical or a tantalizing fantasy -- you be the judge.
What is next for our valiant and intrepid heroine? Watch for the second book in the series.

About the Author

WJP Holgar is an architect, composer, painter and writer of books and poetry. He lives happily with his wife and three children on a semi-rural property in South East Queensland where the family keeps horses, chickens, two dogs, a cat, fish, and regularly hosts visitors from around the world.

Sample Excerpt

Chapter Eight: A gift inspires
The winter seemed toilsome and arduous; long nights and wispy, cold days. Celeste was glad to see the daylight hours gradually lengthening. Finally, it was the last day of term and Miss Knoitall had organised a break-up party for the class. Every pupil was expected to bring a present of one kind or another. Many children made presents of their own to give away. It was a tradition at the school that the teachers also took part and it was a great honour and a privilege to pick a gift that had been donated by a teacher. The gifts were collected and placed in a large red stocking. All of the children were impatient to take their turn at retrieving a present. Being a lucky dip, all manner of ploys were engaged in to ensure a satisfactory result for the person whose turn it was to immerse his or her hand in the stocking. As a general rule, the heavier, larger presents were taken first. Neddy Smythe was renowned for creating distractions and kafuffles that allowed him to secrete additional presents when his turn came. Another school scoundrel, "Shifty" Kerr, was once caught having manipulated two small gifts up his shirtsleeve while having pretended to retrieve only one present. It was discovered later that he had stolen a book about 'magic tricks' from the library. Observant pupils reported that he had been practicing for his turn at the lucky dip for several weeks, and had become amazingly adept at many sleight-of-hand tricks that he'd gleaned from his purloined 'Magic Tricks Manual'.
When it came Celeste's turn, she retrieved a package that took Miss Knoitall's interest. She recognised it as having been donated by the school librarian, Mr Wright, and she knew he had made a special effort to find something noteworthy. When she opened the parcel, Celeste's heart missed a beat. The book was an old tome that Wright had dug up from the discarded collection of the village antiques dealer. He was intending to throw the book away, having been unable to sell it for over 20 years. It had been in his possession all this time, gathering dust, and he had decided it was time to 'spring clean' his premises. Wright was fortunate to have come across it, lying in a box full of detritus on the footpath. It was entitled, "The true history of the County" by Ossie Stubbs, first published sixty three years earlier.
Celeste wondered if it had anything in it concerning the Wise Man in the Mountain. "Aren't you the lucky one to get that present, Celeste", Miss Knoitall said. "Mr Stubbs was a very interesting man... until he decided to become a solitary old hermit."
"Oh really? Does he talk about the Man in the Mountain?", Celeste inquired.
"You'll have to read his book", Miss Knoitall replied. "He is reputed to have been the last known person from this county to have gone high and far into the mountains and come back. It was when he returned and preached that circumstances forced him to turn to the ascetic life and retire to his hermit hideaway. I know he used to live somewhere downstream but he hasn't been seen for a few years. I fear he would be very, very old by now, maybe a centenarian... if he is still alive."
Little did Miss Knoitall suspect that her words had fuelled Celeste's ambitions like a hot wind fans a blast furnace. Inside her head, the possibilities of having her lifelong questions answered both filled her with eager anticipation and raced as if driven by a mad and uncontrollable desire that could not wait to be satisfied. She felt momentarily dizzy and stunned. Tiny beads of perspiration appeared on her upper lip and her cheeks felt flushed; a frisson ran through her body like a tiny electric shiver.
Celeste's attention returned to the book that seemed so weighty in her delicate hands. It begged to be opened. The final goodbyes for the holidays could not come soon enough as Celeste impatiently fiddled with the frail, yellow-edged pages of the leather-bound text. She sought out Mr Wright to thank him for the present. When she found him he was cleaning out his office. "Sir, I wanted to thank you for this book", she mumbled, noticing that he had barely looked up.
"Don't thank me", he retorted. "It was your misfortune to have received it. I should have known better than to offer anything by Ossie Stubbs to any child, let alone you. It is common knowledge around the school that you have been asking a great deal of questions about the mountains. I should ask you for the book back. You can have your choice of any other book in my collection."
"But why, Sir? This is just what I wanted. It could help me find the answers..."
"Miss Rivere!" Wright interrupted brusquely, "this book disturbed many people here when it came out. You have no idea what you are letting yourself in for." Celeste was dumbfounded by the librarian's demeanour as much as by what he was saying to her. His hair was already dishevelled but his eyes took on the appearance of a man outside of himself. The light of the kerosene lamp in his room flickered nervously, outlining his features in sharp relief. His old, mouse-brown cardigan drooped over his rounded shoulders like a weathered skin. Looking down, Celeste noticed that the back of the cuff of his left trouser leg was wedged inside his threadbare sock, evidence of the haste and carelessness with which he dressed himself. His shoes, their toes curled upwards, were clearly older than Celeste and gave his gait a clown-like appearance. The tip of his crumpled shirt-tail poked cheekily from under his cardigan as he scurried hither and thither like a mole-rat among his assorted mouldy-looking possessions.
"You see, Miss Rivere, I found Stubbs' book on the footpath outside the antique dealer's, and I was intrigued and impatient to read it as I remember my father had spoken about Ossie Stubbs when I was still a boy. Father thought him interesting and harmless, but a bit queer. Stubbs was already not all that young then. I remember he purported to have met the Man in the Mountain from whom he learned a great deal. Much of it is in his book, recorded for posterity. The experience had apparently changed his life. Everyone in Nod was talking about it at the time. Since reading the book and remembering my father's stories, I have been possessed by an imperative urge, nay, a desperate need, to find out for myself... I'm not cleaning out my office for nothing. Finally I know I must gather the courage!" he concluded emphatically, an unrelenting nervous tension evident in his voice and manner.
Celeste hesitated a moment before becoming aware of what was actually happening before her very eyes.
"Wait! I'm coming with you", she blurted without thinking. She had been seized by the instant realisation of the imperative of not losing her opportunity to leave the county. The county deputies and King Gustav were hardly likely to consent to a young girl like her taking leave of Merrie, let alone the Duchy. She couldn't embark on such a mission alone. This was her big chance, she thought.
Wright was stunned. His initial look of disbelief turned into fear.
"I can't possibly take you with me! No! No! It's out of the question, absolutely ridiculous. What would people think? An old man like me, taking off on some loony adventure with a teenage girl. I could be locked up. It's just not on, young lady, just not on!" Wright was wringing his hands as drops of perspiration freckled his forehead. Poking a thick forefinger between his neck and his shirt collar, he rotated his head and Celeste saw his eyes roll, revealing their jaundiced-looking whites. As he winced, she caught sight of his tar-stained, crooked teeth. He retrieved a crumpled, old handkerchief from his pocket and, looking for a clean corner of the ragged fabric, blew his nose loudly. Replacing it deftly and swiftly in his trouser pocket, he said sternly and succinctly, "Go now! Scoot!... Go away and don't bother me again... EVER!"
Celeste stood motionless in the doorway as Wright pushed her aside and scurried like a badger on a mission down the corridor and out into the schoolyard. It became obvious to Celeste that he was not coming back. Certainly he seemed to have no intention of coming back to his job at the school library after the holidays. She clasped Stubbs' book in both her hands and set off running for home.

Catalogue Information