Cristina Chiappinelli, was born in 1986 in Cosenza, Italy. She studied graphic arts at the School of Fine Arts in Florence. Moreover, she has done postgraduate studies- concerning tales and illustration - in the Faculty of Fine Arts of Macerata. During her studies there, she had the opportunity to work for the publisher Topipittori of Milan. Also, she attended classes of worldwide famous illustrators (Roberto Innocenti, Fabian Negrin, Pablo Auladell and Javier Zabala). Literature is an important source of new works, having been inspired by projects like “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”, “A Thousand and One Arabian Nights”, “Around the World in 80 Days” and “The Master and Margarita”. Last but not least, she has exhibited her creations (mainly linocut) in numerous group and personal exhibitions.

CRISTINA CHIAPPINELLI

Monsieur Verne’s Extraordinary

Voyage

Translation from Italian by

KYRIAKI GRIVA

Cristina Chiappinelli, Monsieur Verne’s extraordinary voyage ISBN: 978-618-5040-17-8 August 2013 Illustrations: Cristina Chiappinelli chiappinelli.c@alice.it Page layout: Irini Saridaki www.funtuki.com Translation from Italian: Kyriaki Griva domenica@sch.gr Editing: Andrew McCombie andymccombie@hotmail.com Saita publications 42 Athanasiou Diakou str, 652 01, Kavala, Greece Τ.: 0030 2510 831856 M.: 0030 6977 070729 e-mail: info@saitapublications.gr website: www.saitapublications.gr Note: The font that we used is offered by Aka-acid (www.aka-acid.com).

Creative Commons license Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivs

3.0 Unported

With the agreement of the author and publisher, you are free to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work under the following conditions: attribution, non commercial use, no derivative works. Detailed information about this license cc, you can read at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

It was a lovely spring afternoon and the young writer Jules Verne was strolling

in the public gardens of Paris.

Distracted as he was, he tripped on a rock, lost his balance and…

… fell flat on the ground. While he was wondering if there was somebody to help him get out of this embarrassing situation...

... suddenly the earth started moving and under his feet an abyss opened up.

Poor Verne was sinking into the depths of the earth, deeper and deeper, into a fall

that seemed endless!

Fortunately the incredible fall ended, and the young man found himself in a fantastic place with stalactites, tunnels and caves whose walls gleamed with quartz and

diamonds...

He had reached the centre of the Earth!

Having walked for several hours in a narrow and dark tunnel, Verne arrived at a cave bathed with light and heard

a sound like waves crashing on the shore… but there couldn’t be a sea in the centre

of the Earth!

What a surprise he felt, when he realised that not only had he found a coast, but a beach that was covered by a forest of giant mushrooms, 40 meters high as well!

When he recovered from the shock and surprise, Verne began to feel hot and could not resist that wonderful, strange sea.

In a minute Verne reached an underwater world, inhabited by myriads of fish of all species and other creatures, that moved

through algae and sea anemones.

Suddenly, he saw from afar some strange human figures in diving suits that seemed to move towards him. He stepped back

in horror…

... but the men waved to him to come closer and he had to obey. He was taken to a thing that looked like a giant metal whale whose

beacon was illuminating the seabed. It was Nautilus, Captain Nemo’s submarine!

Verne was getting more and more astonished by his extraordinary voyage, but he was literally stunned by Nautilus and even more by Captain Nemo, who lived as a hermit in the depths

of the ocean. Nemo was an engineer with a vast knowledge who showed Verne all the wonders of the deep.

Suddenly Nautilus emerged on the surface of the sea…

... but the submarine, in an incredible way, continued to rise, as if it was some kind of metallic balloon, higher and higher, beyond

the clouds...

... beyond the atmosphere, reaching the space that glowed with the stars!

Verne couldn’t believe what was happening! He was in space! No way! …and that whitish thing with the irregular outline shining far away, could not have been anything else but…

... the Moon! Verne thought he would faint with excitement when he saw from

the porthole the surface of the moon, with its craters so close to him that he wanted to reach out his hands and touch them!

After having orbited the Moon, Nautilus started its travel back to Earth and when Verne re-entered the atmosphere he left

the submarine and boarded a hot-air balloon.

The young writer fell into the clouds and enjoyed watching the games of the sun’s rays.

After visiting many places and villages, Verne realised that an arrow had pierced the balloon. Really worried about the situation he leaned

over the basket and saw…

... a group of Sioux warriors, who had attacked a train while the travellers were trying desperately to save themselves… Right at the climax of the battle…

...the balloon deflated and started falling towards the battlefield! The poor young man dropped all the available ballast but the balloon wouldn’t be lifted any higher and just before crashing into the ground...

... suddenly everything went black…

… Verne woke up screaming! So, it had only been a dream! A strange dream! Suddenly the young man realised that

everything he had dreamt of could inspire him to write surreal adventure novels

but with a dose of truth!

So, still wearing his pyjamas, he started writing in the faint light of the lantern.

That’s how the book series “Extraordinary Voyages”, that made Jules Verne one of the most famous writers in history, was born!

The idea of Saita publications popped up in July 2012, having as primary goal the creation of a web space where new author’s work can interact with the reading audience directly and free, without any obstacles. Saita publications’ aim is to redefine the relationship between Publisher-Author-Reader, cultivating a true dialogue, an interaction and an effective communication among the ebook and the reader. Saita publications stay far away from profit, exploitation and commercialization of literary property.

The strong wind of passion for reading, the sweet breeze of creativity,

the zephyr of innovation, the sirocco of imagination,

the levanter of persistence, the deep power of vision,

guide the saita of our publications.

We invite you to let books fly free!

Most of us have read, seen or heard about Jule Verne’s

“Extraordinary Voyages”, Captain Nemo, Nautilus and their adventures. Have you ever wondered how these stories and their heroes were born? Just by coincidence, because of an

accident or something else?

In this book you may find an answer or… you may not!

ISBN: 978-618-5040-17-8