All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I
now have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not
actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in
fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.
Now without further ado, back to the story. And I hope that you'll all enjoy it, of course.
******************************************************************************
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe
Chapter Two
Some time later, then, Matt met Heather on the Promenade, as earlier planned. Heather
graced him with a smile when he appeared easily enough to her there, from out of a slowly-thickening
crowd of people. It was now approaching 5:30 pm, in fact. And when he appeared in her field of
vision, she was reading on a bench there. She was sitting on a bench in front of a bookstore, in actual
reality. The book she was now reading was a novel by a just-starting-out foreign author, and it had
recently been translated into English from that author's main language. The language that the foreign
author had written this novel in was called "Slaabinese". And the author was from a nation that was
normally invisible to most people in the world, in fact. As if the author's nation was actually cloaked, as
a matter of fact, or as if it was normally hidden by some other yet-unknown condition or conditions. Or
as if it might not even be there, in actual reality. This author's nation was called "Slaabovia". And
whether or not it actually existed on this Earth, if not other Earths as well, his story was still in existence
here, no matter what, obviously enough, due to the fact that Heather was now holding a copy of it in
her hands here.
When Matt arrived at the bench she was now sitting on, Heather soon signed to him, "Hello,
Matt. I trust your time with John went well today."
"Well enough, Heather. It's good to see you again, as well." Matt signed this as well.
"I'm reading the most interesting science-fiction novel here, by someone I haven't heard of yet
well enough." He sat down a few seconds later on her current bench on the Promenade, as she then
showed him the cover of her book here.
"I see. I don't recognize his name, either. Nor do I know of a language called 'Slaabinese',
Heather."
"It seems to be the main language of his nation. A nation called Slaabovia, in fact."
"Never heard of it, as well."
"Well, evidently, his nation is normally quite invisible to people in our world, Matt."
"I see. And does he say exactly where his nation is in the world?"
"From what I can tell, his nation is somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Though
where exactly, I really have no idea."
"What other languages are often enough spoken in his nation?"
"Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish, I think,
Matt. Though Latin is apparently spoken as well, at some times, if not also any other languages besides
the ones that I've just mentioned here." She reached into a mostly tan purse sitting next to her on her
left side as she sat on the bench. She then took out a small spiral-bound notebook with a mostly navy
blue front cover, as well as a pen to write with on it. She then put the pen on her right ear and kept the
pad of paper in her left hand.
"Would you like an ice cream cone, Heather?"
"That's fine, Matt, if you'd like to get me one here. But you don't have to." She signed this
with her hands, as needed, of course, even with the pad being in her left hand here and now.
"Do you have a preference right now?"
"Two scoops, with one being Cookies and Cream, and the other being Mint Chocolate, then, if
you really want to get me a cone," wrote out Heather now, rather neatly, on the pad of paper she'd just
withdrawn from the purse next to her on the bench.
"Fine," signed and mouthed Matt, and then he got up from where he'd been sitting next to her
on their current bench. As he did so, she graced him with another smile, in fact.
He went to the nearest ice cream stand elsewhere on the Promenade, and he purchased a pair
of ice cream cones. One for himself, and one for her, of course. His was a double-scoop cone as well,
and it had scoops of vanilla and raspberry ice cream on it, in fact.
On the way back, he nearly collided with several other people who were running as quickly as
they could through the crowd on the Promenade, as if they were racing from one part of Glen Oak to
another, at that time of day. Several of them were dressed rather similar in mostly cardinal red and
navy blue track-style uniforms or sweats, in fact. And they all had the word "Slaabovia" on those
uniforms or sweats, in actual reality. They were led by a middle-aged cross-country track coach on
their run through various areas of Glen Oak, as well.
When he nearly collided with them, he heard a few of them say in Slaabinese to him here,
"Halogia galibari, emibove," which might quite possibly translate into English as "Please excuse us here,
young man." That was if what they'd said could accurately enough then be translated into English here,
of course.
He, quite naturally, didn't understand what they'd just said to him. But maybe someday, if he
got to know enough of them well enough in his life, he might eventually know what they'd just said to
him here, of course.
Little did he know that all these runners would be starting school as well in a few days or so at
Glen Oak High School. But eventually, he'd learn that well enough, as a matter of fact. And that they
were actually all children of some Slaabovian diplomatic personnel at the new Slaabovian Consulate in
Glen Oak, as well. The Slaabovians had decided to have their Californian-based Consulate in Glen
Oak instead of any of the larger cities in California because they wanted to have it in a less-populated
area, so as to remind them more of their own nation of Slaabovia, which was more of a rural nation
than the United States evidently was. Slaabovia currently had a population of about 240,000,000 or so
people in it, in an area about 1.1 million square miles, give or take about 100,000 or so square miles
either way, at most. The Slaabovians had ten main languages that their people generally spoke,
whenever possible, and other less-commonly-spoken languages or dialects, as already stated by
Heather. Slaabinese was the main language of Slaabovia's people, with English and Hebrew the next
two most-commonly-spoken languages, followed rather closely by Chinese in fourth, and Spanish in
fifth. The other official languages, in no particular order here, were Dutch, French, Portuguese,
German, and Danish. Latin was also spoken at least sometimes by a certain percentage of the
population, but not as often by it as any or all of Slaabovia's ten main languages were, in fact.
Slaabovia was a less-urbanized nation, at least for the most part, than the United States of
America was. Its people were also more of a maritime-oriented kind of people than people in the
United States now were, as well. This was largely due to the fact that their nation was in the middle of
the Atlantic Ocean, in actual reality. Whether it was hidden or not from most people's view, it still was
located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Specifically, it was located somewhere in the North Atlantic
Ocean are of Earth here. Its main islands and mainland stretched out about 1,000 Terran statute miles
from north to south, and from east to west. Other islands were located near enough to their nation's
main islands to be completely under Slaabovian control as well. There were currently nine states and
two territories that were part of Slaabovia, in fact.
The capital of Slaabovia was a place called Slaabojevo, and it had a total population of
somewhere between nine and eleven million people, normally. Sometimes more, and sometimes less,
as situations both allowed or required, of course. Slaabojevo was the largest city in its state, which was
called "The Federal District of Slaabojevo", in fact. Other states in the country were Follisland,
Bublitzania, Rainbowland, Ottosylvania, Olsontonia, Turtletania, Martinelandia, and Damonallo.
Slaabovia's territories were the Territory of Turtleoklania and the Territory of Wellnitzalgo. The
Territories hadn't yet achieved the required population levels to allow them to become States of the
Slaabovian Republic, but they both hoped to reach them sometime in the next five or ten years, at the
very latest, if at all possible.
Slaabovia had once called itself the Kingdom of Cirriddiqua. It had eventually been discovered
by chance sometime in the 15th Century AD. And it was eventually heavily colonized by various
nations elsewhere in the world, after its presence was sufficiently known by people in those countries.
For most, if not all, of the next three or four centuries, then, the Cirriddiquan/Slaabovian people sought
to regain full independence from their occupiers that they'd had before their land's earlier discovery.
Their greatest military and political leader, Clovidequano Dovatha, had led their people for much of his
life in the 16th and 17th Centuries AD. But not even he could fully free their nation from foreign
occupancy and control. He freed a substantial part of it from those foreign powers that were now
present in his nation while he still was able to oppose them in his life, but not all of it, of course.
Eventually, the main languages of all those various foreign powers were quite often spoken in
the land of Cirriddiqua, for the obvious reasons, once they'd gotten entrenched firmly enough in the
general population's consciousness, at least. And even after Cirriddiqua eventually became Slaabovia,
those various languages remained quite commonly spoken by its people. Even after Slaabinese
eventually regained its former status as the most spoken language in the nation, they still did so.
But Matt and others in his life well enough didn't yet know all those things. Supposing that they
ever would do that here, of course. Which might or might not actually be a very good possibility, in
fact. Depending on how much of a chance any or all of them had to do so here, for all the obvious
reasons. Matt, though, began to wonder, quite naturally enough, what the applicable runners had just
said to him here. And because of that, he'd want to find out just what they'd said to him here, quite
obviously enough.
But that wasn't the main thing on his mind right now, in any case at all, in fact. What was the
main thing on his mind now was to get Heather's cone back to his girlfriend as soon as possible, for the
obvious reasons.
He got the cone back to her before it began to melt too much, if at all. Which, quite naturally
enough, pleased her considerably. He soon signed, "What do you know of this nation of Slaabovia,
Heather?"
"Not much at all, in fact, Matt. I'm just about as clueless about it as you are, if not even more
than that, in actual reality."
Matt and Heather then spent most, if not all, of at least the next two or three hours with each
other on the Promenade, or in various nearby business establishments. But eventually, by 9:30 pm, at
the very latest, Heather then told him, "I have plans for tomorrow with a few of my friends, Matt. I
think we should call it a night now, if you don't mind too much."
He rather reluctantly agreed with her here, and then he brought her back to her home elsewhere
in Glen Oak. Her mother met them at the door, once Matt had rung their doorbell to let her know that
he and Heather were back from their date on and near the Promenade. Her mother gave them a few
more moments of privacy, after she saw that Heather had arrived back by her current curfew time of
9:45 pm local time, in fact. And then Heather and Matt shared a few more very brief kisses between
each other as they sat on a swinging bench just outside her family's Glen Oak residence. For they were
boyfriend and girlfriend to each other currently. They didn't kiss more than a few more times, and not
very passionately, for they really didn't want to do anything at all that they might later regret with each
other here and now, of course. When her mother opened the front door again, then, Heather gave him
one more rather brief kiss, before she went inside again, and left him on their porch's swinging bench.
Matt then left a few seconds later, for all the obvious reasons.
He then went home, and he eventually encountered his father Eric near the front door. Eric
asked, "Did you have a good time with Heather tonight, Matt?"
"Well enough. Do you know of a country called 'Slaabovia', by any chance, Dad?"
"I don't think so. Why?"
"Because I nearly collided with some people wearing track-style uniforms and sweats with that
word on them, in fact, Dad, while I was with Heather. She was also reading a novel by some author
from there, as well. I really don't think I've ever heard of the nation before, either, in actual reality."
"I see. But I actually have heard that several currently unidentified nations have recently
decided to put their Californian-based Consulates in this area, if they haven't already done so by now,
just the same. I don't know what nations specifically yet, if I ever will, in fact, son. But I can try to find
out, if you really want me to do so, Matt."
"Only if you want to, Dad. No big deal, I guess. I'll find out soon enough, I suppose. Perhaps
Ruthie might even be able to ask around and see if she can find out anything important enough about it.
You know how she is, quite often, I know. She loves gathering information about various people and
things that she can possibly find out about, I'm quite sure. And if anyone can actually learn a lot about
this nation of Slaabovia among any of us at all, I really think that she's the one of us who might be able
to learn about it the easiest, Dad."
Eric and Matt conversed for a little while longer with each other, both near the front door and in
the kitchen area, before Eric eventually said, "Son, I'm going to bed now. I have to get up early in the
morning, and I want to be gone from here by 7 am, if at all possible. I have to go to Los Angeles with
Reverend Hamilton to pick up his parents when they arrive at Los Angeles International Airport. For
they'll be coming for a visit, and his brother can't pick them up easily enough from there, when they get
to Los Angeles from Atlanta. His brother lives about halfway between here and Los Angeles, but he is
currently on a business trip to Italy for his company. So he can't pick them up here. That means that
Reverend Hamilton and I will have to pick them up, of course, here. I hope to return to Glen Oak by
6:30 pm, if at all possible, with Reverend Hamilton and his parents, Matt."
"Understood. And if we need to reach you while you're out with Reverend Hamilton?"
"Your mother has the necessary numbers. Now I'd better get to bed, I suppose. Your
mother's waiting for me upstairs, anyway. So I'd better get to bed now. When Simon and the others
get in from their excursion to the pool hall with John and his siblings, tell them that I'd like them all in
bed by 11, if at all possible, Matt."
"Gotcha. Will do. Sleep well, then, Dad. And have a safe trip to LAX tomorrow, if at all
possible, of course."
"Of course I will, Matt. Supposing that God wills that to happen for us both here, quite
naturally enough." Then Eric retired for the rest of the night, in very short order. Matt stayed up just a
little bit longer, after Mary, Lucy, Simon, and Ruthie arrived back home again. John had driven them
and several of his siblings to the pool hall sometime earlier that evening, after they'd all had an early
supper at the Camdens' residence here in Glen Oak. It was just before 10:40 pm, when the first of
them came back inside the Camdens' Glen Oak residence. John then briefly conversed with Matt after
Mary, Lucy, and Simon had all gone to their rooms upstairs, before he and his own siblings then left for
their own house again as well, in fact. Matt retired to his own room and bed, then, by 11:30 pm, local
time, at the very latest. And then he was soon enough lost in any number of dreams as he then slept in
his own bed, in actual reality, for all the obvious reasons, of course.
******************************************************************************
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when you
might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening of this
story, after the above Chapter Two, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be somewhere
around 1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that you might be
more familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or I may not. It'll
depend a lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course. But not entirely, for
all the obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if not any other stories of
mine as well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines, realities, and/or universes, as
well as have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters in it, at least a little bit, if not a
lot. And it may or may not actually tie in with any number of other stories of mine that might feature its
main characters, at least on the protagonists' side of things, in fact. Until later, then, this is now "The
Universal Storyteller" signing off. Take care, and all that, of course, if at all possible. Also, if at all
possible, please do read, review, and enjoy this story here, readers! Over and out!
now have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not
actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in
fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.
Now without further ado, back to the story. And I hope that you'll all enjoy it, of course.
******************************************************************************
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe
Chapter Two
Some time later, then, Matt met Heather on the Promenade, as earlier planned. Heather
graced him with a smile when he appeared easily enough to her there, from out of a slowly-thickening
crowd of people. It was now approaching 5:30 pm, in fact. And when he appeared in her field of
vision, she was reading on a bench there. She was sitting on a bench in front of a bookstore, in actual
reality. The book she was now reading was a novel by a just-starting-out foreign author, and it had
recently been translated into English from that author's main language. The language that the foreign
author had written this novel in was called "Slaabinese". And the author was from a nation that was
normally invisible to most people in the world, in fact. As if the author's nation was actually cloaked, as
a matter of fact, or as if it was normally hidden by some other yet-unknown condition or conditions. Or
as if it might not even be there, in actual reality. This author's nation was called "Slaabovia". And
whether or not it actually existed on this Earth, if not other Earths as well, his story was still in existence
here, no matter what, obviously enough, due to the fact that Heather was now holding a copy of it in
her hands here.
When Matt arrived at the bench she was now sitting on, Heather soon signed to him, "Hello,
Matt. I trust your time with John went well today."
"Well enough, Heather. It's good to see you again, as well." Matt signed this as well.
"I'm reading the most interesting science-fiction novel here, by someone I haven't heard of yet
well enough." He sat down a few seconds later on her current bench on the Promenade, as she then
showed him the cover of her book here.
"I see. I don't recognize his name, either. Nor do I know of a language called 'Slaabinese',
Heather."
"It seems to be the main language of his nation. A nation called Slaabovia, in fact."
"Never heard of it, as well."
"Well, evidently, his nation is normally quite invisible to people in our world, Matt."
"I see. And does he say exactly where his nation is in the world?"
"From what I can tell, his nation is somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Though
where exactly, I really have no idea."
"What other languages are often enough spoken in his nation?"
"Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish, I think,
Matt. Though Latin is apparently spoken as well, at some times, if not also any other languages besides
the ones that I've just mentioned here." She reached into a mostly tan purse sitting next to her on her
left side as she sat on the bench. She then took out a small spiral-bound notebook with a mostly navy
blue front cover, as well as a pen to write with on it. She then put the pen on her right ear and kept the
pad of paper in her left hand.
"Would you like an ice cream cone, Heather?"
"That's fine, Matt, if you'd like to get me one here. But you don't have to." She signed this
with her hands, as needed, of course, even with the pad being in her left hand here and now.
"Do you have a preference right now?"
"Two scoops, with one being Cookies and Cream, and the other being Mint Chocolate, then, if
you really want to get me a cone," wrote out Heather now, rather neatly, on the pad of paper she'd just
withdrawn from the purse next to her on the bench.
"Fine," signed and mouthed Matt, and then he got up from where he'd been sitting next to her
on their current bench. As he did so, she graced him with another smile, in fact.
He went to the nearest ice cream stand elsewhere on the Promenade, and he purchased a pair
of ice cream cones. One for himself, and one for her, of course. His was a double-scoop cone as well,
and it had scoops of vanilla and raspberry ice cream on it, in fact.
On the way back, he nearly collided with several other people who were running as quickly as
they could through the crowd on the Promenade, as if they were racing from one part of Glen Oak to
another, at that time of day. Several of them were dressed rather similar in mostly cardinal red and
navy blue track-style uniforms or sweats, in fact. And they all had the word "Slaabovia" on those
uniforms or sweats, in actual reality. They were led by a middle-aged cross-country track coach on
their run through various areas of Glen Oak, as well.
When he nearly collided with them, he heard a few of them say in Slaabinese to him here,
"Halogia galibari, emibove," which might quite possibly translate into English as "Please excuse us here,
young man." That was if what they'd said could accurately enough then be translated into English here,
of course.
He, quite naturally, didn't understand what they'd just said to him. But maybe someday, if he
got to know enough of them well enough in his life, he might eventually know what they'd just said to
him here, of course.
Little did he know that all these runners would be starting school as well in a few days or so at
Glen Oak High School. But eventually, he'd learn that well enough, as a matter of fact. And that they
were actually all children of some Slaabovian diplomatic personnel at the new Slaabovian Consulate in
Glen Oak, as well. The Slaabovians had decided to have their Californian-based Consulate in Glen
Oak instead of any of the larger cities in California because they wanted to have it in a less-populated
area, so as to remind them more of their own nation of Slaabovia, which was more of a rural nation
than the United States evidently was. Slaabovia currently had a population of about 240,000,000 or so
people in it, in an area about 1.1 million square miles, give or take about 100,000 or so square miles
either way, at most. The Slaabovians had ten main languages that their people generally spoke,
whenever possible, and other less-commonly-spoken languages or dialects, as already stated by
Heather. Slaabinese was the main language of Slaabovia's people, with English and Hebrew the next
two most-commonly-spoken languages, followed rather closely by Chinese in fourth, and Spanish in
fifth. The other official languages, in no particular order here, were Dutch, French, Portuguese,
German, and Danish. Latin was also spoken at least sometimes by a certain percentage of the
population, but not as often by it as any or all of Slaabovia's ten main languages were, in fact.
Slaabovia was a less-urbanized nation, at least for the most part, than the United States of
America was. Its people were also more of a maritime-oriented kind of people than people in the
United States now were, as well. This was largely due to the fact that their nation was in the middle of
the Atlantic Ocean, in actual reality. Whether it was hidden or not from most people's view, it still was
located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Specifically, it was located somewhere in the North Atlantic
Ocean are of Earth here. Its main islands and mainland stretched out about 1,000 Terran statute miles
from north to south, and from east to west. Other islands were located near enough to their nation's
main islands to be completely under Slaabovian control as well. There were currently nine states and
two territories that were part of Slaabovia, in fact.
The capital of Slaabovia was a place called Slaabojevo, and it had a total population of
somewhere between nine and eleven million people, normally. Sometimes more, and sometimes less,
as situations both allowed or required, of course. Slaabojevo was the largest city in its state, which was
called "The Federal District of Slaabojevo", in fact. Other states in the country were Follisland,
Bublitzania, Rainbowland, Ottosylvania, Olsontonia, Turtletania, Martinelandia, and Damonallo.
Slaabovia's territories were the Territory of Turtleoklania and the Territory of Wellnitzalgo. The
Territories hadn't yet achieved the required population levels to allow them to become States of the
Slaabovian Republic, but they both hoped to reach them sometime in the next five or ten years, at the
very latest, if at all possible.
Slaabovia had once called itself the Kingdom of Cirriddiqua. It had eventually been discovered
by chance sometime in the 15th Century AD. And it was eventually heavily colonized by various
nations elsewhere in the world, after its presence was sufficiently known by people in those countries.
For most, if not all, of the next three or four centuries, then, the Cirriddiquan/Slaabovian people sought
to regain full independence from their occupiers that they'd had before their land's earlier discovery.
Their greatest military and political leader, Clovidequano Dovatha, had led their people for much of his
life in the 16th and 17th Centuries AD. But not even he could fully free their nation from foreign
occupancy and control. He freed a substantial part of it from those foreign powers that were now
present in his nation while he still was able to oppose them in his life, but not all of it, of course.
Eventually, the main languages of all those various foreign powers were quite often spoken in
the land of Cirriddiqua, for the obvious reasons, once they'd gotten entrenched firmly enough in the
general population's consciousness, at least. And even after Cirriddiqua eventually became Slaabovia,
those various languages remained quite commonly spoken by its people. Even after Slaabinese
eventually regained its former status as the most spoken language in the nation, they still did so.
But Matt and others in his life well enough didn't yet know all those things. Supposing that they
ever would do that here, of course. Which might or might not actually be a very good possibility, in
fact. Depending on how much of a chance any or all of them had to do so here, for all the obvious
reasons. Matt, though, began to wonder, quite naturally enough, what the applicable runners had just
said to him here. And because of that, he'd want to find out just what they'd said to him here, quite
obviously enough.
But that wasn't the main thing on his mind right now, in any case at all, in fact. What was the
main thing on his mind now was to get Heather's cone back to his girlfriend as soon as possible, for the
obvious reasons.
He got the cone back to her before it began to melt too much, if at all. Which, quite naturally
enough, pleased her considerably. He soon signed, "What do you know of this nation of Slaabovia,
Heather?"
"Not much at all, in fact, Matt. I'm just about as clueless about it as you are, if not even more
than that, in actual reality."
Matt and Heather then spent most, if not all, of at least the next two or three hours with each
other on the Promenade, or in various nearby business establishments. But eventually, by 9:30 pm, at
the very latest, Heather then told him, "I have plans for tomorrow with a few of my friends, Matt. I
think we should call it a night now, if you don't mind too much."
He rather reluctantly agreed with her here, and then he brought her back to her home elsewhere
in Glen Oak. Her mother met them at the door, once Matt had rung their doorbell to let her know that
he and Heather were back from their date on and near the Promenade. Her mother gave them a few
more moments of privacy, after she saw that Heather had arrived back by her current curfew time of
9:45 pm local time, in fact. And then Heather and Matt shared a few more very brief kisses between
each other as they sat on a swinging bench just outside her family's Glen Oak residence. For they were
boyfriend and girlfriend to each other currently. They didn't kiss more than a few more times, and not
very passionately, for they really didn't want to do anything at all that they might later regret with each
other here and now, of course. When her mother opened the front door again, then, Heather gave him
one more rather brief kiss, before she went inside again, and left him on their porch's swinging bench.
Matt then left a few seconds later, for all the obvious reasons.
He then went home, and he eventually encountered his father Eric near the front door. Eric
asked, "Did you have a good time with Heather tonight, Matt?"
"Well enough. Do you know of a country called 'Slaabovia', by any chance, Dad?"
"I don't think so. Why?"
"Because I nearly collided with some people wearing track-style uniforms and sweats with that
word on them, in fact, Dad, while I was with Heather. She was also reading a novel by some author
from there, as well. I really don't think I've ever heard of the nation before, either, in actual reality."
"I see. But I actually have heard that several currently unidentified nations have recently
decided to put their Californian-based Consulates in this area, if they haven't already done so by now,
just the same. I don't know what nations specifically yet, if I ever will, in fact, son. But I can try to find
out, if you really want me to do so, Matt."
"Only if you want to, Dad. No big deal, I guess. I'll find out soon enough, I suppose. Perhaps
Ruthie might even be able to ask around and see if she can find out anything important enough about it.
You know how she is, quite often, I know. She loves gathering information about various people and
things that she can possibly find out about, I'm quite sure. And if anyone can actually learn a lot about
this nation of Slaabovia among any of us at all, I really think that she's the one of us who might be able
to learn about it the easiest, Dad."
Eric and Matt conversed for a little while longer with each other, both near the front door and in
the kitchen area, before Eric eventually said, "Son, I'm going to bed now. I have to get up early in the
morning, and I want to be gone from here by 7 am, if at all possible. I have to go to Los Angeles with
Reverend Hamilton to pick up his parents when they arrive at Los Angeles International Airport. For
they'll be coming for a visit, and his brother can't pick them up easily enough from there, when they get
to Los Angeles from Atlanta. His brother lives about halfway between here and Los Angeles, but he is
currently on a business trip to Italy for his company. So he can't pick them up here. That means that
Reverend Hamilton and I will have to pick them up, of course, here. I hope to return to Glen Oak by
6:30 pm, if at all possible, with Reverend Hamilton and his parents, Matt."
"Understood. And if we need to reach you while you're out with Reverend Hamilton?"
"Your mother has the necessary numbers. Now I'd better get to bed, I suppose. Your
mother's waiting for me upstairs, anyway. So I'd better get to bed now. When Simon and the others
get in from their excursion to the pool hall with John and his siblings, tell them that I'd like them all in
bed by 11, if at all possible, Matt."
"Gotcha. Will do. Sleep well, then, Dad. And have a safe trip to LAX tomorrow, if at all
possible, of course."
"Of course I will, Matt. Supposing that God wills that to happen for us both here, quite
naturally enough." Then Eric retired for the rest of the night, in very short order. Matt stayed up just a
little bit longer, after Mary, Lucy, Simon, and Ruthie arrived back home again. John had driven them
and several of his siblings to the pool hall sometime earlier that evening, after they'd all had an early
supper at the Camdens' residence here in Glen Oak. It was just before 10:40 pm, when the first of
them came back inside the Camdens' Glen Oak residence. John then briefly conversed with Matt after
Mary, Lucy, and Simon had all gone to their rooms upstairs, before he and his own siblings then left for
their own house again as well, in fact. Matt retired to his own room and bed, then, by 11:30 pm, local
time, at the very latest. And then he was soon enough lost in any number of dreams as he then slept in
his own bed, in actual reality, for all the obvious reasons, of course.
******************************************************************************
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when you
might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening of this
story, after the above Chapter Two, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be somewhere
around 1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that you might be
more familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or I may not. It'll
depend a lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course. But not entirely, for
all the obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if not any other stories of
mine as well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines, realities, and/or universes, as
well as have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters in it, at least a little bit, if not a
lot. And it may or may not actually tie in with any number of other stories of mine that might feature its
main characters, at least on the protagonists' side of things, in fact. Until later, then, this is now "The
Universal Storyteller" signing off. Take care, and all that, of course, if at all possible. Also, if at all
possible, please do read, review, and enjoy this story here, readers! Over and out!