Where There’s Life by Deniz Barki Bevan

This story was inspired by Calliope (Sandman #17) by Neil Gaiman, and the idea of inheriting a library card for the library at Alexandria.

How could you inherit such a card? How might you visit the library?

Answering those questions got wrapped up in a story of health, which is where the title comes from: “where there’s life, there’s hope”. Whenever I hear that phrase, I always think “…and need of vittles” as Sam says in The Lord of the Rings, quoting his father.

The photograph on the cover is of a street in Ephesus, taken by me a few years ago, during my last visit there. My trips to Ephesus, the heat, the ruins, the wealth of history and possibilities, were very much in my mind as I wrote this story.

The other part of the story takes place in Montreal, so both halves of own background, Canada and Turkey, are represented.

For more photos, visit my blog post on Istanbul and Ephesus at http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-i-did-on-my-summer-vacation.html

and for more information on current and future stories, visit the blog at The Girdle of Melian at http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.com.