Azores:: Forgotten Atlantis Outpost

By Debra Roddy-Olah

After learning that her mother is missing Rose, a thirteen-year-old military dependant, runs away. Fear of the imposing storm she moves further into the cave and learns things are not always, as it seems. Here reality and myths can cross paths and offers everyone a new life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483642383

Debra Roddy-Olah

I was born in Detroit, Michigan and graduate from Clarenceville High School. After graduating, I served in the United States Air Force and was station in the Azores, a group of islands located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. After leaving the military, I received my BA from Eastern Kentucky University and my MA from Morehead State University. I spent the next ten years work in Television in Los Angles California before retiring to Florida. I now enjoy spending time with my grandchildren and writing books.

Book preview

Azores:

Forgotten Atlantis outpost

Debra Roddy-Olah

Copyright © 2013 by Debra Roddy-Olah.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 07/09/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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Contents

I

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

II

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Editor’s Note:

Dedicated to my two daughters (Tamara and Trinity) and my five grandchildren (Ethan, Logan, Madison, Mackenzie, and Miley) who supported me in fulfilling my dream of writing this book. In addition, to Michael Grace who untiring assistance proved invaluable in the typing of this manuscript. Lastly, to my grandson Ethan who proof read my manuscript to ensure it compatibility with middle grade levels.

I

CHAPTER ONE

On any given morning, Rose Dennison would seem to be a normal teenager—She would get up, eat breakfast, get dress and leave for work. Her mother worked for the United States Air Force and they lived on Terceira.

The Azores is a group of nine islands in the Atlantic Ocean with Terceira measuring around 156 square miles or 12 mile wide by 14.5 miles long. With the small size and ideal location in the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores enjoys timid weather all year, not too hot and not too cold.

This perfect weather along with no major storms makes the base a perfect place for an emergency landing base for airplanes crossing the ocean, which, thankfully hardly ever happens. This gives most people evenings and weekends off to spend with their families.

Rose never meet her father, it was his choice since he had left before she was born. Victoria refused to say why he had left and would change the subject whenever Rose questioned her about him. Then when Rose was eleven-years-old she was visiting her grandmother and overheard her telling Victoria, You wanted to serve in the Air Force and you wanted to trust that British Officer then you can take care of that child without help from us or the tribe.

After that, Victoria had sent Rose to stay with her Godparents for the year Victoria was in Korea. Then Rose due to a car accident she was admitted to the hospital which left her paralyzed from the waist down. Victoria returned to the United States after serving only seven months. Rose had to endure three operations to regain the use of her legs back and then she had to learn to walk all over again, only with a severe limp. The doctor did not medically clear Rose for two years after which Victoria received order within a week to the Azores. That is where Rose and Victoria’s lives will change forever.

Rose knew that her mother wanted to get the new computer system working quickly so she would work long hours now. To help pass the time Rose decided to spend her evenings at her classmate’s house.

His name was Robert Thomas and his father who belonged to the Security Police Squadron. Out of all the different Air Force squadrons assigned to it was the only one that worked the same long hours that Rose’s mother, Victoria did. Rose guessed that that was the reason that Robert and his mother seemed to understand her feeling of loneliness.

So now with Victoria spending every spare hour at work Rose would go over to Robert’s house to work on homework and learn how to cook from his mother. Robert’s mother family owned their own restaurant back in the United States. He had said it was located in a small city in Iowa. Victoria never learned to cook anything fancy because her mother had to work to help feed her family as well.

This is where Rose and Victoria’s story begins.

FOUR MONTHS

The lights flickered in the room, as thunder rumbled in the distance. There was no longer any doubt that a severe storm was brewing outside. Victoria could not help but worry about the storm’s intensity since her daughter Rose was visiting Robert, a sick classmate. Victoria knew how her daughter hated storms and would always look for her. Suddenly a flash of lightning lit up the night sky. Which followed by a clap of thunder a count of five seconds between them meant that the storm was heading in their direction.

A second bolt of lightning, as bright as the sunshine, lit up the sky followed by a loud clap of thunder two seconds later. It was so loud that it rattled all of the windows in the house. Before Victoria could react to the storm a thunderous boom that made her jump.

Carefully placing the last of the documents into a small yellow envelope, she begins to look around the room for a secure hiding place. The casually decorated room had only one bookcase, a dresser, and a bed. A small door leading to the closet breaks up the otherwise bare wall.

Let’s see, what would Rose take with her if she left for England—My books, she is always looking at them.

Slowly she scans the bookcase from top to bottom. Each shelf is crammed full of books of all sizes. Suddenly Victoria froze. How could I be so stupid? She would take my books on sprit guides and on survival skills.

Victoria needed to know that all her notes on Atlantis were safe.

As if the book she was searching for was calling her, Victoria spots the book titled Sprit Journeys Rose enjoys reading it and always points out several things she wants me to read. Carefully eyeing the book, she lunges for it.

After banging her head on the headboard of the bed, Victoria sits both half-stunned and half-amused at her actions. Carefully Victoria places the documents into the book then closes it and begins to replace it in the headboard bookcase.

Suddenly there is a knock at the door. Worried that someone is being watching Victoria frantically searches the room. Only who could have gotten into the house without making a sound? Victoria was relieved when a small soft voice calls softly from behind the door.

Mom, it’s me… Can I come in? The doorknob began to wiggle.

Seeing that the door would not open Victoria softly curses, Why did I ever lock that stupid door? Victoria approached the door. She picks up a book from a nearby bookcase as she tries to appear unshaken and still mumbling to herself.

It’s not like I have anything to hide from Rose. As calm as possible Victoria walks over and unlocks the door so Rose could enter.

As Rose entered her mother’s bedroom, she carefully scanned the room for any clue to the strange behavior. But no matter how hard she tried there was no way to shake that feeling of doom that had fallen over them for the last month and it scared her, a doom that made her shiver with cold chills that ran down her back.

Seeing the fear in her mother’s eyes proved that, she was on the right topic.

The intensity of the lightning was increasing, as the once low rumbling was now a booming kettledrum played right outside the window. Victoria allows the ringing in her ears to stop before she continues to explain. Then, just as she was about to continue, a loud clap of thunder rattles the window.

The rain, which up to now, was a smoothing tapping on the window began to hit with such intensity that is sound like small rocks thrown against the window.

How are you ever going to finish your research on Atlantis? . . . or… does this trip have something to do with Atlantis? Rose questioned her mother.

In an attempt to hide, the fear she felt Victoria decides to return to her packing by picking up a stack of folded uniforms off the bed and places them into a duffel bag nearby.

Rose walks over to the bed and sits down as she tries to get more information from her mother.

My father is here on the island.

"Unfortunately that’s true but with all the earthquakes the island has experienced…

Anyways, my research is almost finished. In fact, this may be the very clue that will tie everything together, the very key to unlock the mystery once and for all and then I’ll be able to prove my theory.

Rose’s eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of her mother getting the credit she deserves.

Did you know that Atlantis was destroyed in just one day? But only most of the island sank or so some people are now saying.

Well, Atlantis was a super-continent, meaning it supposedly was the same size as the United States with some of Canada. Victoria replied.

So what you’re saying is that Atlantis could have been large enough to reach all the way out to here? Rose asks with an expression of curiosity.

Rose now feels a strange presence looming just out of sight, only she does not feel that there is any danger. All the feelings of doom that she had felt less than an hour ago were gone.

Atlantis reaching way out here… Victoria paused, thinking of how to phrase the answer. Well, the Azores, the island chain we’re on right now, is closer to Europe. The distance to the mainland is only, well, it is like twice the distance between Canada and Florida. However, for an island to be that big it would have to be a huge… Oh, I get it now. That is why it is been called ‘The Lost Continent of Atlantis’ and not ‘The Island of Atlantis.’

Rose quickly stands and crosses over to the small bookcase in the corner and takes out a book on maps.

Most of the continent sank, but not the whole thing and not as fast as Homer claims. Victoria added. Everything points to these small islands as being the central mountain region of Atlantis.

If part of Atlantis is still above water then start there and work back towards the coast. So why not have a team start digging off the coast itself where the eastern part of the continent reached. Shouldn’t it be right off the coast of Europe?

Atlantis was a super continent and it should be easy to find if it was just off shore. Victoria informs her daughter that there is a problem. "Only there was no indication that there ever was a city, let alone a continent, off shore.

"If one of those mountains was really a volcano and it exploded you would be able to see it explode. However, you would not see much after the explosion because of all the dust in the air, it would block any view for days after that. Therefore, if you were a long ways off then it could appear to vanish under the sea in just a few hours when it really took several days to vanish completely.

Victoria continues explaining to Rose what it was she was trying to prove. If it was in the Mediterranean Sea, it couldn’t be large enough to be a continent. And if it’s in the Atlantic Ocean then where is it?

Victoria pauses for a moment and gives a shrug in discouragement. Only they haven’t found any evidence to indicate Atlantis is anywhere out here in the Atlantic Ocean. So it has to be in the Mediterranean and not really a continent after all.

Only history has a way of giving credit to well known people that never did a thing. Like Paul Revere, only he never finished the ride. Because he was caught by the British or something happened to his horse, but he received credit for finishing the midnight ride and waking everyone up in time.

As for the size of Atlantis, well, even if it was just half the size described it would be hard to believe that any sailors from any country could sail anywhere and not be able to sight land.

Rose grabs her mother’s arm. That’s what you’re trying to prove. That it took days for Atlantis to sink. And that would make it farther out in the Atlantic Ocean then everyone thinks.

After seeing her mother nod her head acknowledging the statement, she continues, Then there should be something left of their cities, buried under dirt and several hundred feet of water. If we could dive that deep something should be found.

And it just so happens a few years ago a team of divers came across a road, partly covered but clearly a road, leading from Terceira to Santa Maria.

Victoria turns to a map of the Atlantic Ocean, points to indicate where the road is located, and continues until she has shown, that the same road connects all the islands of Azores.

Mom, finding a road underwater should prove that you’re right about where Atlantis really is located.

Shaking her head, no, Victoria cuts her daughter off. It only proves that theses small islands were once part of a larger island at one time. However, it does not prove that this island is Atlantis. Or what’s left of it.

She picks up a small art object and hands it to Rose who slowly traces the design pattern as her mother explains.

The visible pattern on the side of that broken clay jar is just like the one Homer reported as being the Royal Crest of Atlantis, which is always blue and gold. I found it in one of the caves we normally camp. You remember the cave that looked out of place?

After she nods Victoria continues, Which means somehow a survivor of Atlantis made it here and lived inside that cave for a long period of time, which would support the Islander’s claim that they are the decedents of Atlantis.

So what stories are the Islander’s claiming? Are they the stories that explain how they can claim to be the decedents of Atlantis?

"One of the stories tells how the continent was built on caverns that just collapsed when the earthquakes started.

The one on global tectonics is an excellent book to start with. It explains a lot about earthquakes and their causes, and how volcanoes are interconnected.

Rose opens the book and finds a map of the earth. Then after a few minutes of reading, she calls out. Mom, this map shows the Mid-Atlantic ridge is part of a system that circles the whole planet. She traces the ridge system around the map. Once finished she starts turning the book in different directions.

"That’s where the different continental plates are spreading and colliding. In the Atlantic Ocean new ocean floor is being born along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the spreading sites. In the Pacific Ocean, that is where one piece of land goes under the other and then melted. The entire area of the Pacific Ocean called the ‘The Ring Of Fire.’ This map also shows how deep the Atlantic Ocean is and there is no way a huge continent like the one Atlantis could hide.

"During the Ice Age, most of the water covered the land as ice, thereby lowering water levels around the Earth.

How far did the ice cover the oceans?

A page with a strange looking map of the Atlantic Ocean catches her attention. After seeing the strips around the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and reading the small caption under the map she cannot help but wonder. What if the plates changed directions?

You did mention last week that the theory is that someday the United States would run into Japan. Moreover, that the plates would have to reverse or our country would disappear without a trace just like Atlantis. In addition, this map already shows that the magnetic field of the earth keeps reversing itself. So could not the plate movement reverse as well? Or maybe, it’s just that the continents split apart and shift northward, like the Hawaiian Island and California are now.

But mom what if the plates were moving in the other direction like towards Europe, that way the land would go under one of the plates and remove traces of a continent. Then reversed directions back towards Asia as it is now. And if the continents split apart and moved westward but stopped to shift eastward slightly then a small section could have slipped under one of the plates before the plates returned to their westward migration, thereby erasing any evidence of Atlantis.

There’s a small seduction zone just below the Azores that runs into the Mediterranean Sea area then circling north. It could do just that. Victoria mumbled as Rose sat back to give her mother time to think.

Mom, I’ll leave you alone to think while I go finish packing.

CHAPTER TWO

THREE WEEKS LATER

Rose overhears Robert’s father talking about having to meet with the Red Cross about her later in the day. Something everyone in a military family knows the only time Red Cross gets involved is when there has been a death.

The first place that came to mind was a need to go home for her camping gear.

Quietly she creeps out the backyard and heads towards her own house. Once the door to her house was unlocked and she was safely inside Rose sets to work collecting her badly needed gear and some food.

Then, just before leaving, she went into her mother’s room and removed several books including one on first aid, survival skills and her favorite book on Sprit Guides. Rose knew that when her mother returned the first place she would look would be their favorite camping site, so that is where she would camp.

The wind howled across the open field as Rose stepped out of the cave that she has called home for three days now. Rose missed the warm cozy kitchen of the Thomas’s house. Robert Thomas’s family had opened their home to her when her mother, Victoria, left on her research assignment.

Two weeks, mom, that’s all—you promised me. Rose screamed out over the cliffs, Not two months! Now the Red Cross is pressuring that weak Chaplain into turning me over to my father. Nevertheless, I will not go. Do you hear me, mom, I won’t go!

The wind blew the cold mist into Rose’s face, which only made her more determined.

Do you hear me, mom… I will never go live with my father or his mother in England. Grinding her teeth Rose looked around at her fragile predicament. I’ll never give-up…

A heavy mist of rain was starting to fall in the distance as if a curtain pulled across the ocean to prevent anyone from seeing what was going on out there.

Zipping her jacket up tight, she walks down to the beach. A sudden cold and chilly wind cuts right through her jacket causing Rose to quicken her pace.

She had lived on the island long enough to know that a chilled wind meant a major storm was coming in and the last time, four days ago, the wind almost reached hurricane level.

As she climbed down to the tide pool, it became clear that this storm could be just as bad as the one last week. The large exposed tide area was already half-submerged.

Rose remembers her mother warned her to stay near the cliffs to avoid any sudden breaking waves as she starts across the reef to search the three swimming holes for her lunch.

The first small hole held only a few starfish and she knew that there was not time to get them out. In the second hole, she found six large clams and some seaweed. Quickly and carefully, Rose emptied the hole. Then, checking the third hole, she finds two more clams and several small fish. After placing the two clams into the bag, Rose uses her stick to spear two of the fish.

As she places the second fish in her bag, a large wave breaks on the outer reef nearby scaring her. Quickly she spears two of the remaining three fish and jumps to her feet.

That’s enough food for now. It’s time to get off this reef and head home. Rose cries out as her heart pounds hard against her rib. Mom, where are you? You were so right about being alone. It’s hard and really scary.

After slipping on the jagged lava rocks and almost losing her balance, she slows down just a little.

Okay Rose, watch what you’re doing, because if you hurry too fast you can only get yourself hurt. Then you’re a goner with that large tide coming closer by the second.

Watching her steps, Rose moves effortlessly towards higher ground. It is only after she reaches the top of the path does she let out the breath that she was not aware she was holding. Looking back over her shoulder, she could see the monstrous waves breaking farther in on the reef. Each wave kept creeping farther and farther in on the reef until it reached the path at the base of the cliff.

That was too close for me. Looking down at her small shopping bag, a look of disappointed appears on her face. Oh well! I’m sure this will last me for the day.

Turning her attention to the short walk Rose makes her way back to the cave.

She is only half way back to the safety of the cave when she hears a loud crash, which causes her to spin around, and witnesses the remains of a huge wave returning to the ocean.

Rose shakes her head in disbelief since she had never heard of a wave reaching the high grounds of the cliffs before. Then the sight of seeing a second wave crashing down on the cliff top sends her running for the protection of her cave.

Once she reaches the cave, Rose looks for a place to climb up onto, in case a tidal wave should hit. After discovering, that there was not any ledge for her to climb up onto Rose decides now was as good a time to explore deeper into the cave.

After quickly packing up her bedroll and a few clothes, she heads deeper into the cave.

It was a long time before Rose found a small high ledge. Carefully and after several failed attempts, she reaches its welcomed safety.

Placing