William had always enjoyed life, even if his bosses didn't appreciate his sense of humor and social justice... "Cut the crap." Stu Yeller was short, smart, and sickly. Yelling at me seemed to exaggerate the sickly areas."No, you listen to me. I take the time to do it right. I went to the elephants, scoped them out, and met the big guy, Bricker, and his mate, Halli. Sweet couple. I told them about the new place, showed them pictures, played with the two baby elephants until everyone was comfortable and were roaming about by themselves without drugging or confining them onto my barge. "But here's the thing, Stu. They wanted to go sightseeing. After all they'd only seen their jungle," I said, shaking my head at him. "So I took them sightseeing. And this is where I suppose I could have made a better choice. One of the little guys, Victor, thought it would be fun to drop down right in the middle of traffic in Barrington, just to see what it would look like."Stu held a nebulizer to his face and inhaled. "You think this is funny, don't you? You think that no one noticed how many transports were crushed? Didn't you know that elephants love to sit on things and squash them? It's right in your orientation manual!""I'd heard rumors, but I didn't know. And, really, does anyone even read those manuals?" I raised my eyebrows at him. "But, c'mon Stu, no one was killed. Most people, the ones who didn't run off in utter, ridiculous panic, really liked it. Some even laughed. I swear to you, it was a big hit!""You're fired!"Yeah, I knew that was going to happen. My transport sitting outside the facility had a ground sensor problem and had a propensity to bump up and down the road, kicking out parts at will. It was totally embarrassing so I walked to my pub, the one that I always went to, in the pouring rain. It didn't matter, my shoes were old anyway."William!" Height yelled as I walked in. "Damned if you didn't top the last fiasco. You know, the time you set fire to the poor man's brain when you were supposed to be recording his thoughts?"I smiled and took my usual chair at the end of the bar. He handed me my Height's Bar slippers and I kicked off my soggy shoes and put them on. My ale sloshed in my hand and the look on my friends' faces told me they thought my stunt was brilliant. Well, maybe not brilliant, more like the funniest thing they'd seen all day."The man burned his own brain, Height. I was recording his experience bombing that outpost and the image of that explosion, where he killed hundreds of people, including kids, ducks, and kittens. He fried his own brain thinking about fire and explosions," I said, running my finger around the rim of the glass as I grinned up at him. "At least that's my story. No one's going to miss him. He didn't belong in a reprogramming center."Height, who was called so because of his unusual tallness, clicked his tongue, nodding. "I know. I know, but we can't just fry people, Will. Still, he was a monster and in some ways that was justice done. But, today? Elephants? That was a classic. Classic!"I shrugged. "If classic had a monetary value attached to it I'd be rich. Far as I know, it doesn't." "Now what are you going to do?""Oh you know, Height, I've been offered so many great opportunities. I'm thinking I'm going to have to think about them, hard. Might take weeks.""Got money piled high to get you through?""Nah. Not much. I could last, oh, about another hour or so."William's life is about to change. He never saw it coming, never wanted it, but sometimes, when you're threatened to live in a cottage by a field of lavender, by yourself, forever you have to accept the odd assignment or two. Killing space monsters seemed to be one of the oddest he could imagine. Follow along as William strives to avoid Bax before she freezes and explodes him, and stay with the beautiful, kind, sweet wonderful Briana. He's not sure why she would love him but it seems she does. Life is changing for William, but you know the old saying, "man plans, the universe laughs!"Buy The Chi today, first in the Sir William & Mac Life Without Slippers Series. Find out if he destroys the space photon monster will he survive the home coming with Bad Bax. Because space hath no fury like an ice queen scorned. Don't miss it.