December 30, 2000

The peaks of the tallest mountains were totally obscured, and the peaks of the smaller ones were all too visible. But more horrifying was the sight of the gleaming pirate ship, hurtling toward a cloud-enshrouded mountaintop.

"Pull up!" urged McCoy. "For God's sake, pull up!"

It was unclear to Kirk whether McCoy was talking to Auk-rex or to him. He increased speed, and the shuttlecraft bore down on its quarry as if it had talons and could pluck the ship from destruction at the last moment.

Kirk watched in horror as the pirate ship was obliterated in a fiery crash that pulverized the mountainside. The captain pulled up on his controls just in time to avoid the same fate.

"Merciful heavens," breathed McCoy, slumping back in his seat.

Star Trek - Sanctuary (1992)

December 16, 2000

Josh knelt down near the rear tire, while Carlos crouched near the front one. The boys looked at one another, each waiting for the other one to make the first move. In the distance the coyotes were laughing.

Then Josh heard another sound, the sound of thundering hooves coming from a long way off. He whirled around, expecting to see a stampede of cattle or horses approaching. But all he saw was the deserted highway.

Josh swore he still heard pounding hooves, closer now. The thundering noise was almost on top of him. Still in a crouch, he looked up. The sky was dark, except for gray clouds stacked upon the mountains like rolled-up sleeping bags. Deep inside the clouds there were flashes of lightning. Each burst of lightning was like a spark of life, and the clouds began to twist and turn into ghostly shapes.

Before Josh's eyes the clouds turned into the wavering forms of cattle, horses, and riders! He smelled an awful odor, like sulfur or something old and rotten. The sound of galloping hooves grew louder. Could it be? he wondered . . .

Ghost riders!

Nickelodeon ­ Are You Afraid of the Dark?
The Tale of the Ghost Riders (1996)

December 2, 2000

While she gaped around, Sabrina kicked something on the floor, and she looked down to see a horseshoe nail. She was about to step over it, when the boy behind her gasped.

"Aren't you going to pick that up?" he asked, pointing to the nail. "Can I have it?"

"No!" said Sabrina quickly. She bent down to scoop up the horseshoe nail, needing as much good luck as she could get.

Good luck didn't come right away, because she turned and saw Mr. Kraft sitting at the teacher's desk. The principal held a rabbit's foot in one hand and frantically stroked it with the other. He smiled nervously at the students as they filed in, and he looked especially nervous when he saw Sabrina.

"Miss Spellman, sit in the back!" he ordered. "I've already had one bad-luck incident today, and I don't need you jinxing me."

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch #33: Knock on Wood (2000)

November 18, 2000

With the rotting vines and boards cleared away, I could see the whole well. There was something shiny near the bottom, on the side.

Henry pulled a half-dollar from his pocket. "I'm ready to make my wish!"

"Wait a minute," I said. I dropped to my knees and rubbed away the moss. "There's a plaque here, bolted to the bricks."

"What does it say?" asked Sharon.

I adjusted my glasses. "Let me take a good look. I'll read it to you."

What I saw scared me. On the shiny brass plaque was a rhyme:

The Witching Well (1995)

November 3, 2000

Sabrina stood in the hallway of her high school, and she couldn't believe what she saw. Here came Salem, wearing sunglasses, a white scarf, sitting on a green pillow, being carried by the football team. Green and white were the school colors, and the players held the cat as if he were a precious jewel.

As they passed through the hall, other students bowed down and waved to Salem. Okay, thought Sabrina, so the football team has just won their third game in a row. Three games is more than they usually win all season. But Salem doesn't do anything -- it's the team that's winning the games.

"All hail our mascot!" yelled a big football player.

"Hail, Salem!" screamed a bunch of girls. They giggled and pointed their fingers at the cat as he passed by on his regal pillow. Salem looked down at Sabrina and stuck his nose in the air.

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: Salem's Tails #14: Mascot Mayhem (2000)

October 13, 2000

Xander tried to control himself, but he kissed like a man in a vacuum chamber, gasping for air. He wanted to consume her, to drink her, to breathe her! Nothing was ever so wonderful as her embrace, especially when she pressed her body against his and ran her fingernails through his hair. Just when he thought he could stand no more, the door banged open.

Both of them jumped with surprise, and they turned to see an ominous figure standing in the doorway, silhouetted in bright sunlight. Xander was reminded of old westerns, when the hero strides into a saloon to clean out the bad guys.

"Buffy!" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"

She ignored him and strode right up to Rose. "Okay, Thorny, turn him loose."

"He's mine now," Rose declared. She dropped her hands and balled them into fists.

Xander quickly grabbed her hands and tried to put them back on his neck. "No, no, don't turn me loose! Hold on to me. I might get away!"

But the mood was broken, as Buffy and Rose glared laser beams at each other. Gosh, Xander thought, things could be worse. They're both beautiful, and they're fighting over me!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer -- Coyote Moon (1998)

September 24, 2000

Muttering under his breath, Dad drew a penalty card and read aloud:

"Because of you, no one can have any fun.
All are banished to the Dark Woods,
Until you manage to roll a one."

The whirlpool in the center of the game began to swirl counterclockwise, and smoke filled the black pit. Their three tokens were sucked into the whirling maelstrom, and Sabrina, Salem, and Dad leaned forward to see what would happen next.

Sabrina had heard of the Dark Woods, a spooky locale in the Other Realm, but she had never been there. She was looking forward to seeing this infamous place -- safely -- on the Witchopoly board.

Suddenly there came a blinding flash, and huge tentacles reached out from the center of the board, grabbing all three of them. Sabrina screamed and Salem yowled as they were sucked into the swirling, magical pit.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch - Witchopoly (1999)

September 10, 2000

For the past twenty-five hundred years, I've had to watch helplessly as my name has come to signify a harmless old fellow who tells cute fables to children. I myself never felt the need to tack simpering morals onto my fables, and the majority of them were definitely not intended for children. The fables haven't really changed much in all these years, and for that I'm grateful; but the time has come to set the record straight about my life, my fables, and the context in which they were created. Don't bother to investigate how this autobiography came to be written. Suffice it to say I still have friends among the gods.

The Fabulist (1993)

August 27, 2000

A grizzled old Klingon sat alone at a table in the back of a dark tavern, staring into space. He had wild salt-and-pepper hair that tumbled past his shoulders, craggy forehead ridges split diagonally by an old scar, eyebrows that bristled like weeds, a broken nose, and a pointy white beard, streaked with black. But the most frightening thing about him was his blurry eyes, which stared straight ahead in abject terror.

With a twitch, the Klingon broke out of his fearsome reverie and realized where he was. He quickly grabbed a mug studded with targ knuckles and drained it lustily, letting half of the amber liquid course down his beard. Without warning, the Klingon pounded his fist on the table, shaking the whole establishment. "More ale!" he roared.

"Here you go!" said Pasoot, presenting the mug he had specially ordered for this customer. "Anything else, Sir?"

"No," muttered the Klingon in a guttural voice, again staring straight ahead. "You didn't see it coming, did you?"

"See what?"

The elder's eyes blazed. "The green fire . . . it eats everything! Then there's the lava and the geysers . . . and the wind . . . that awful wind --"

"Uh, didn't see it today, Sir," answered Pasoot cheerfully. "The weather looks nice outside. You sure you don't want some skull stew?"

The Klingon laughed insanely for a moment, then grew somber once more. "Go away," he grumbled.

Star Trek - The Next Generation:
The Genesis Wave, Book 1 (2000)

August 13, 2000

As they strode into the rehearsal room, Geordi checked his padd. "Cadet Fourth Class William T. Riker," he announced.

Commander Baxter nodded wearily. "At ease, Cadet. In this room I'm just the assistant band director. Have you ever auditioned for the Starfleet Academy Band before?"

"No," answered Will. "Am I supposed to audition before just the two of you?"

Commander Baxter's back stiffened. "Yes."

"What about Captain Webb?"

Baxter bristled. "I can assure you, Captain Webb trusts my judgment, or I wouldn't be second in command. I should also tell you that it's very rare for a first-year cadet to make the band."

"So I've heard," said Will Riker with a cocky smile. "But you haven't heard me play yet."

Star Trek - The Next Generation
Star Fleet Academy #11: Crossfire (1996)

July 30, 2000

Alonzo Solace was flying, which was not an easy thing to do for a man with a compound fracture in his right leg. But he couldn't think about that now, because canyon walls soared half a mile into the air on either side of him. The majestic ramparts were the color of sunset, and they stretched into jagged buttes that looked like the fingers of a giant. He could see the reddish sun peeping between monstrous archways that looked like rings for the giant's fingers. The rushing wind pounded in his ears and stung his face, but he could still hear the faint sound of rushing water far below him.

Earth Two ­ Book #3: Leather Wings (1995)