Gary Brandt opens Book Three of his tale from The Dimension Of Mind Dot Com with a beautifully intimate father-daughter scene that showcases the emotional depth beneath all the cosmic drama.
When Helana makes breakfast at 6 a.m.
for her and Mr.
Danvers, what starts as home economics practice transforms into a tearful bonding moment that cements their relationship forever.
Her vulnerable confession—'You have Eileen, your daughter.
Is there enou ...
Show More
Welcome to our curated selection of items!
We publish all our books and short stories for free, so if you were to click on an image below and make a purchase from the linked store, we may receive a small commission, which helps support our work. Thank you!
(You don't have to buy the item shown. You can buy anything from that store and we will get credit.)
The Danvers’ kitchen is a haven at 6 a.m., soft light filtering through gingham curtains, the air rich with sizzling bacon. Helana stands at the stove, brow furrowed in concentration, spatula in hand. Mr. Danvers, still in flannel pajamas, steps in, surprised. “Wow, you’re up early,” he says, pouring coffee. “Hey, Dad,” Helana says, smiling. “I’m practicing for home economics. I need all the help I can get.”
“Bacon and eggs?” he asks, eyeing the pan. “I thought you were vegetarian.” Helana sighs, flipping a strip of bacon. “It’s gross, right? Unborn chickens, dead pig parts. My mind screams no, but my body’s all yes. This domain’s urges are intense.” Mr. Danvers chuckles, sliding into a chair. “That’s the human struggle. I’ll join you in this decadence.”
Helana’s eyes soften. “I love you, Dad. I don’t know if I’ve said it, but it’s true. I love you so much.” “I love you too, Helana,” he says, his voice warm. “So much.” “For real?” she asks, hesitant. “You have Eileen, your daughter. Is there enough love for me?” He leans forward, earnest. “I love all four of you—Ella, Roxana, Eileen, you—with all my heart. That first day, when you were just a voice in my head, invisible, I *knew* you. I claimed you as my daughter because I felt it—no, I *knew*—you’ve always been mine. It was like a timeless place, past, present, future colliding. I love you, always have, always will.”
Tears well in Helana’s eyes. “That means everything. The longer I’m here, the more my old domain feels like a dream. I remember my parents there, but they’re fading, like acquaintances. I need you, Dad. So much.” “No more Mr. Danvers,” he says gently. “I’m Dad. I’ll always be your Dad, no matter what.” Helana rushes to him, hugging him tightly, tears streaming. The bacon pops in the pan, forgotten.
“What’s going on?” Ella asks, shuffling in, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “Just a daddy-daughter moment,” Mr. Danvers says, smiling. “Cool,” Ella says, grabbing a cereal bowl. “Pass the milk, and save me a hug. Helana can’t hog them all. You’re my Dad too.” “I’m heading to early study hall,” Ella says, spooning cereal. “Got a test first period.” “Alone?” Mr. Danvers asks, frowning. “Wait!” Helana says. “I’ll get ready and come.” “Nah, keep your daddy-daughter time,” Ella says, grinning. “Those secret agents hear everything. I’m safe.”
Ella pedals her bike through the crisp November morning, the town still waking under a pale sky. Two young women, blonde and strikingly similar, join her on sleek bikes, their smiles too perfect. Ella skids to a halt, glaring. “Stop that!” she shouts. “It’s rude!” “Stop what?” one asks, her voice smooth. “Probing my mind,” Ella snaps. “I feel it. You don’t have permission.”
“We’re sorry,” the other says, unruffled. “We hoped you’d remember us. We’re your sisters, from before you came here. You’re a Star Seed from the Pleiades. We’re Pleiadian, like you. We’re here to guide you in your duties.” Ella scoffs. “Bullshit. I take astronomy. The Pleiades is too young for planets or people. So cut the crap and tell me what you are.”
“We’re human females, like you,” the first says. “From the Pleiades, in higher dimensions where life thrives beyond 3D forming planets.” Ella’s eyes narrow. “You’ve got an answer for everything, huh? I see pretty girls, but I feel something else—different energy. You’re lizard people, like that old TV show, hiding under fake skin. You’re not from the Pleiades. Crawl back to your hole, or I’ll have those guys with guns over there blast you to wherever you came from. Goodbye, and thanks for wasting my time.” She pedals off, heart racing. The women turn their bikes, gliding away silently.
Back in the kitchen, the plates are cleared, the bacon a fond memory. Helana wipes the counter, humming softly. “Breakfast was perfect,” Mr. Danvers says. “You’re a great cook.” “Thanks,” Helana says, smiling. “It’s simple, though. I’ll try something fancy for dinner.” “Can I pick your brain?” he asks, leaning on the counter. “Sure, but no aliens lately,” she laughs.
“I’m curious about you and Ella,” he says. “You’re nearly identical, like the same person. Could you be Ella’s reincarnation?” Helana shakes her head. “No. We’re pure—unique expressions of our parents’ DNA matrix, no past-life data mixed in. Our similarity started naturally, but when I arrived, Ella kept me close. We slept side by side for weeks, creating a co-resonance, an epigenetic adjustment. Our matrices aligned closer. We’re not identical, but close.”
“No past-life memories, then?” he asks. “We could access them,” Helana says, “but not as ours. All life data is in the records. Some tap into another’s past life, feeling it as their own. They didn’t live it, but the memories make it seem so.” “So past-life memories are borrowed?” he asks. “Not always,” she says. “Many here are reincarnated, but my people believe it’s wrong. The reincarnating spirit needs a near-perfect match with the infant’s matrix and an invitation. That’s rare. Often, spirits force their way in, poorly matched, leading to unhealthy lives. Worse, it violates the newborn’s sanctity—a unique spirit deserves a fresh experience. The reincarnating spirit’s baggage corrupts that purity.”
“Two spirits in one body?” he asks. “No,” she says. “They blend, becoming one with the body. The newborn’s spirit is forever altered, carrying the other’s scars. Some see the body as an empty vessel, but it’s not.” “What about Jesus?” he asks. “Wasn’t he an incarnated spirit?” “A special case,” Helana says. “A high-dimensional entity, like this galaxy’s overseer, requires a specially prepared body to hold that energy, arranged with the mother’s consent. That’s rare, only when such beings visit as one of us.”
“Is our planet corrupted by invading spirits?” he asks. “Most humans are pure,” she says. “You, me, the girls—we’re pure. Some reincarnations are invited, but many aren’t. And there’s a worse problem.” “Worse?” he asks, alarmed. “You love drama—books, movies, campfire tales,” she says. “You obsess over fictional characters, falling in love with them, fantasizing. That attention creates thought forms—spirit-like entities born from collective thought energy. They exist for drama, infecting minds to spark real-world chaos: family feuds, wars, suffering. They feed on the excitement, not the pain, thriving on fear or love alike.”
“How do we stop them?” he asks. “Raise your consciousness above drama,” she says. “Grow past it, like outgrowing cartoons. A purified mind starves them, and they dissipate.” “Am I infected?” he asks, half-joking. “You were,” Helana says, serious. “I chased them away with my love. Your consciousness is pure now, too high for them to return.” He blinks, touched. “Thank you, Helana. I’m realizing how special you are, what a gift. I’m blessed to love you.” “Stop!” she says, tearing up, hugging him. “You’re making me cry.”
Ella strides across the schoolyard, her backpack heavy with books, when Commander Beaker approaches in his crisp Navy uniform. Kids nearby snicker, whispering. “Ugh, Beaker,” Ella says, rolling her eyes. “Your uniform’s embarrassing. Kids make fun of us.” “Sorry,” he says, unfazed. “I need to file a contact report. My team says you met alien beings this morning. True? You must report these encounters.”
“I don’t know what they were,” Ella says, crossing her arms. “They claimed we’re Pleiadian, Star Seeds with duties. Looked human, but felt creepy—like lizard people from that TV show, hiding under fake skin.” “If they were reptilian,” Beaker says, lowering his voice, “don’t be so aggressive, threatening to have them shot. Reptilians are powerful, as likely to kill and eat you as befriend you. Be careful.” “You mean be afraid,” Ella snaps. “No way. I’m too busy for that. We need weapons training. If they show up again, I’ll shoot them myself. How’s that for aggressive? Fear feeds them, makes them stronger.”
“Who said fear feeds them?” Beaker asks, surprised. “Dunno,” Ella says. “It just came to me. Helana’s teaching us to pull info from ‘the record.’ Maybe there.” “I commend your fearlessness,” Beaker says, “but I’m worried. Some entities are dangerous. Don’t shoot them—please.”
Ella flops onto Helana’s bed, the room aglow with fairy lights. Helana sits cross-legged, sketching in a notebook. “You weren’t in school,” Ella says. “Sick? Or did you play hooky?” “Hooky?” Helana giggles. “Funny word. What’s it mean?” “Skipping school without permission,” Ella says, mock-stern. “Then I guess I did,” Helana says, laughing. “Not funny, Helana,” Ella says. “You’re a straight-A student. Don’t jeopardize that. You okay?”
“Not sick,” Helana says. “I talked with Dad a long time this morning. Needed alone time to meditate, sort my thoughts. This domain’s still hard, and I’m worried about my future here.” “Fair,” Ella says. “Get a mental health note from the nurse tomorrow, so it’s not unexcused.” “Got it,” Helana says. “What’s Pleiadian?”
Ella sits up. “A star cluster. Some girls biked up today, said they’re Pleiadian, and I am too—a Star Seed with duties. Know anything about that?” “Never heard of it,” Helana says. “If it’s young now, it might not exist in my time. Young clusters scatter stars. You’re no Star Seed—that sounds like reincarnation. If so, I hope they got Earth’s spirit’s permission. Dad and I talked about that. You’re a pure, unique spirit, not reincarnated. Sounds like a trick.”
“Yeah, I thought so,” Ella says. “Pretty blondes, but they felt like lizard people. Super creepy.” “Don’t worry,” Helana says, grinning. “They don’t know who they’re messing with, trying to trick my Ella.” They laugh, the tension easing. “I’m beat,” Ella says. “Gonna write in my diary and crash. Night, Helana. Sweet dreams.”
“Can I read your diary someday?” Helana asks. “Nope,” Ella says, smirking. “Private forever.” “Fine,” Helana says, yawning. “I’ll get my own. Sounds fun.”
Ella sits at her desk, the house quiet, Helana’s soft snores drifting from the next room. She opens her diary, her day’s strangeness spilling onto the page.
Today was weird. Lizard people posing as pretty girls—what’s that about? Beaker wants me scared, but they should fear me. I’m done with their nonsense.
Helana’s bonding with Dad, which she needs, with her real parents in another dimension. I hope she doesn’t talk boys or sex—that’d mess things up for us.
Praying for a drama-free tomorrow. I’ve got two tests to study for.
Goodnight, Diary.
Episode 23 — *“Daddy-Daughter Moment”* — opens Book Three with one of the most heartfelt, emotionally rich chapters in *Ella’s Story* so far. In a series filled with cosmic conspiracy, interdimensional encounters, and high-stakes destiny, this chapter brings us back to **family**, unconditional love, and self-worth in the simplest — yet most valuable — of settings: the kitchen.
--- ## 📖 Story Arc SummaryThe chapter begins at dawn in the Danvers kitchen. Helana, ever curious about human life, decides to practice **home economics** by making breakfast — bacon and eggs — despite her inner instinct pulling her toward vegetarian choices. Mr. Danvers, groggy and in flannel, joins her, and the two share a touching, deeply human father-daughter conversation that cements their emotional bond. Helana’s vulnerability about love and belonging sparks one of the most sincere expressions of parental devotion in the entire series, culminating with Mr. Danvers assuring her that **he loves her as his own daughter, just as he loves Eileen, Ella, and Roxana**.
Once Ella joins them, the chapter shifts from tender family moments to bizarre encounters on the bike ride to school: two strikingly beautiful women claim that Ella is a **Star Seed from the Pleiades**, coming to guide humanity. Ella’s refusal to accept their claims — calling them “lizard people” and threatening them — injects humor and teenage defiance right into the middle of a potential cosmic twist. Commander Beaker interrupts with a warning, adding a heavier undertone about *dangerous entities*, and the chapter closes with Ella and Helana sharing a relaxed, end-of-day bedroom chat that both grounds and humanizes the surreal experiences of the morning.
--- ## 💬 Favorite Lines“I love you, Dad … I need you, Dad. So much.”
Helana’s honest, trembling confession was one of the most emotionally resonant moments in the entire series. Being an “other” doesn’t make her less deserving of love — it makes her **crave it** even more.
“I love all four of you — Ella, Roxana, Eileen, you — with all my heart.”
Mr. Danvers’ declaration is *pure and beautiful*, a reminder that love doesn’t come only from biology. This was truly touching.
“You’re a pure, unique spirit … not reincarnated.”
Helana’s grounding explanation — avoiding the cliché of past lives in favor of *unique expression* — made the spiritual conversation feel both deep and respectful.
“Today was weird … lizard people posing as pretty girls.”
Ella’s diary entry brought the perfect blend of teenage sarcasm and grounding realism to an otherwise surreal encounter.
--- ## 😲 **Unexpected Plot Twists**This chapter shines because it pairs the *ordinary* with the *extraordinary* in a way few stories do. Watching Helana and Mr. Danvers bond over breakfast grounded the larger themes of the series — destiny, interdimensional travel, cosmic identity — in something deeply *human*: love, acceptance, and family.
Helana’s emotional vulnerability — admitting she needs love and fears her old domain is fading — makes her more relatable than ever. Mr. Danvers’ response isn’t just comforting, it’s *transformative* for a character who came from another dimension and wondered if she belonged. For a 20-year-old reader like me, that moment felt *purely real*, even amidst all the supernatural chaos.
Then there’s Ella’s reaction to the cosmic claims: grounded, snarky, and quick-witted. Her instinct to laugh off the impostors while still defending her space showed emotional resilience and personality growth.
--- ## 🎯 Final Thoughts*“Daddy-Daughter Moment”* is a beautifully balanced chapter — one that honors the **heart of the story** while still keeping the bigger mysteries alive. It’s intimate, tender, and at times downright funny, but it never loses sight of the theme that **love — chosen, family-defined love — is perhaps the strongest force in any universe**.
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — A genuinely moving episode that made me laugh, smile, and even tear up. If this is the beginning of Book Three, I’m *so invested* in what’s next.
---
![ALÉMAIS Michelle Shirt - Multi - [M]](https://thedimensionofmind.com/images/alema303481c3c8_1763399431449_2-0._QL90_UX1128_.jpg)
![The Wolf Gang Concha Long Sleeve Mini Dress - Candy Shell - [M]](https://thedimensionofmind.com/images/wgang3007626d0f_1768254340611_2-0._QL90_UX1128_.jpg)
