Tangled Planet by Michael LaRiccia

PART 1

ONE TIME PRESS 1

For Ann Marie and Michael

PART 1 Written and drawn by Michael LaRiccia This book shall not be reproduced without the publishers consent. Selections from the book may be used for review purposes. All contents ÂŠ 2014 Michael V. LaRiccia. First print edition. The main characters in this book are based on the family members of the author, other characters are fictional and any likeness or similarities to actual people, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

More at www.michaellariccia.com

IN THE

BEGINNING...

I began Tangled Planet in 2011 with the intention to write a story about a modern family (my family) set in a science fiction mystery. I wanted this story to chronicle a period in our lives where we were completely in awe of our toddler, Michael, a child who seemed to have the charm, charisma, and cunning of someone far older. Most parents will say it’s hard to remember what it was like before children. A new part of you becomes activated once they enter your lives. It’s a piece of your heart that has always been there but is now active and influences every decision in your life. I’ve found since the birth of my son that I have grown as a person in ways I never would have without him. He continues to show me how the world is connected, and how we frequently ignore or neglect that connection.

Martin Luther King Jr. said “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.” Tangled Planet portrays a modern family involved in a struggle to reunite. In the process of doing so Michael falls into a literally tangled world where all beings are somehow connected and all is not as it seems. For me the experience of creating this story has been a profound artistic journey. I set out to create a story with conflict, but no violence; danger with no evil. It is my hope that the story in Tangled Planet will linger in the minds of readers, and inspire a sense of wonder and action towards engaging the world.

Tangled Planet is at its core about that connection. Space is a seductive environment to write a story because of its mystery, its infinite possibilities and promises of wonder. But for all of its uncertainty, and the absolute truth that we will never see it all, we are in fact made of the same particles floating billions of lightyears away. If we can embrace this macro-truth, then maybe it will encourage us to confront our own micro-connections on Earth.

Image: A pillar of gas in the Carina Nebula is bathed in the light of hot, massive stars. Radiation and fast winds from the stars sculpt the pillar and cause new star formation within it. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

PART 1

ARRIVAL

A = 39.4820851 AU E = 0.2488325 I = 17.1400169 DEG Ω = 110.3027527 DEG Ω = 113.7620984 DEG T = JD 2447799.584

. U1 = U0 + D3 UNTIL |U1−U0| < 1E−15 U = U1

U1 = M .. . U0 = U1 . F0 = U0 − E SIN U0 − M . F1 = 1 − E COS U0 . F2 = E SIN U0 . F3 = E COS U0 . D1 = −F0 / F1 . D2 = −F0 / [ F1 + D1 F2 / 2 ] . D3 = −F0 / [ F1 + D1 F2 / 2 + (D2)^2 F3 / 6 ]

X’’’ = A (COS U − E) Y’’’ = A SIN U SQRT (1 − E^2) Z’’’ = 0

CANONICAL (TRIPLE PRIME) HELIOCENTRIC POSITION VECTOR.

X’’ = X’’’ COS Ω − Y’’’ SIN Ω Y’’ = X’’’ SIN Ω + Y’’’ COS Ω Z’’ = Z’’’ = 0

SPACE JET CREW SIZE: UP TO 2 TO ISS, 4 TO MOON LENGTH: 11.30 M MAXIMUM DIAMETER: 18.03 M L/D HYPERSONIC: 0.34 @ 157O

A.T.V

PRESSURIZED VOLUME: 19.59 M3

PRINCIPAL DIAMETER: 5.03 M

HABITABLE VOLUME: 4.22 M3

STRUCTURAL CONFIGURATION: 3 RINGS / 6 LONGERONS PROPULSION CONFIGURATION: 2 X 2 SERIAL FEED

REACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

PROPULSION SYSTEM

PROPELLANT: GOX/METHANE

PROPELLANT: NTO/MMH

DELTA V: 50 M/S

DELTA V: 1,855 M/S

THRUSTERS: 12 X 445 N

MAIN ENGINE THRUST: 33.36 KN

DRY MASS: 7,891 KG

RCS THRUSTERS: 24 X 445 N

PROPELLANT MASS: 174.7 KG

SOLAR ARRAY AREA: 36.0 M3

OXYGEN/NITROGEN/WATER MASS: 128.3 KG

SOLAR ARRAY POWER: 9.15 KW RADIATOR AREA: 31.0 M3

LANDING MASS: 7,337 KG

THERMAL DISSIPATION: 6.3 KW

LAUNCH MASS: 8,485 KG LUNAR RETURN PAYLOAD: 100 KG

WE HAVE BEEN TRAVELING FOR A WEEK NOW AND WE ARE BOTH ANXIOUS...

AND NERVOUS. I’M THE ONE WHO WILL LAND ON THE PLANET. MY PARENTS BELIEVE I AM SMARTER THAN MOST KIDS MY AGE, I HOPE THEY ARE RIGHT.

MY FATHER AND A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING A NEW ENERGY SOURCE IN THIS PLANET’S CORE FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

D = 234.482AU T = 8.092345 V= 234KPH A= 82 ETA=08:00 TP= 72 DC H= NG FR= NG

WE RECEIVED OUR LAST COMMUNICATION WITH HIM

A MONTH AGO.

I SEE A CLEARING AHEAD. LOOKS LIKE IT MAY BE MY ONLY OPTION FOR LANDING.

BE CAREFUL, IF YOU DAMAGE YOUR SHIP I WON’T BE ABLE TO GET YOU FOR A WHILE UNTIL I FIGURE OUT A SAFE ENTRY POINT FOR THE DIRIGIBLE.

COPY THAT. LANDING GEAR DOWN..

TOUCHDOWN!

PHEW, NICE TO

YES BABY. HOW ARE YOU?

BREATHE REAL AIR.

MOM ARE YOU THERE?

MOM...IT’S

REALLY BAD!

NO SWEETIE BUT I WILL KEEP TRYING ON MY END. I’VE TRIED SEVERAL FREQUENCIES, WILL TRY SOME MORE THEN JOIN YOU.

DID YOU HEAR ANYTHING YET?

I DON’T THINK YOU’LL BE LANDING ANYWHERE NEAR ME. THE WHOLE PLACE HAS JUST COLLAPSED IN ITSELF. MY GPS SAYS THESE ARE THE COORDINATES BUT I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING RESEMBLING THE BUILDING DAD WORKED IN.

THIS USED TO BE A PLACE WHERE HUNDREDS OF SPACE CRAFTS WOULD LAND. NOW IT’S COVERED WITH ROCKS.

I REMEMBER YOUR FATHER USED TO TALK ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL TREES THERE.

MICHAEL DO YOU SEE ANY EVIDENCE OF LIFE?

ANYTHING AT ALL?

FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN SO FAR IT’S LIKE A DESERT OUT HERE. I AM GOING TO DO A QUICK SURVEY RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME AND FIGURE OUT A PATH.

BE SAFE MICHAEL, BE SAFE.

Image Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech The Tortured Clouds of Eta Carinae

IF I DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER I WOULD THINK I LANDED ON THE

WRONG PLANET.

THESE ROCKS ARE HUGE; LIKE A GIANT OCTOPUS.

I AM NOT PICKING UP ON ANY VIBRATIONS IN THE GROUND. IF AN EARTHQUAKE CAUSED THIS I WOULD BE PICKING UP

LOOKS LIKE I WILL BE GOING THE LONG WAY.

SOMETHING.

SWEETIE, IT’S TIME TO START MOVING. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU COULD DRIVE AROUND THOSE CRAGS ON THE NORTH SIDE. THAT IS MY BEST BET. I AM GOING TO GET MY A.T.V.* AND START MOVING.

OKAY

BE CAREFUL.

OKAY, LOOKS LIKE THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE A.T.V. FROM THE LANDING.

IF EVERYTHING GOES SMOOTHLY I CAN GET TO THE SITE IN ABOUT 26 MINUTES.

* ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE

I’LL GET DAD AND BRING HIM BACK UP IN MY SHIP. IF THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE I’LL LEAVE RATIONS AND COME BACK FOR THEM ONE AT A TIME.

Front turbo turbine

TIME TO TURN EVERYTHING ON.

Global positioning terrain graph

Hyper power steering

Central air

Video comm up link

’s

Wind power boosters

ALLTERRAIN VEHICLE

Safety gear deployment console

DON’T GO TOO FAST. REMEMBER IF YOU GET STRANDED OUT THERE I WON’T BE ABLE TO GET YOU FOR A WHILE.

C’MON MOM...I’M FOUR YEARS OLD.

I CAN DO THIS. 17

IT’S CREEPY HOW QUIET IT IS HERE.

WELL, THAT ENDS THE VEHICLE-RIDING PART OF THIS TRIP. GOING TO HAVE TO DO THE REST ON FOOT. IT’S GOING TO TAKE LONGER THAN WE THOUGHT.

DID YOU SEE THE IMAGES I UPLOADED? IT LOOKS LIKE SOME SORT OF EARTHQUAKE BUT WITH WEIRD ROCK ARMS. I’M GOING TO RUN SOME TESTS.

MICHAEL, YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN. WHAT I SAW IN YOUR PICTURES DOESN’T MATCH ANY OF THE PHOTOS YOUR FATHER SENT US MONTHS AGO.

THEY COULD BE LIVING BEINGS, LIKE CORAL OR SOME SORT OF PLANETARY VIRUS.

GOOD CALL MOM, I

DIDN’T EVEN THINK OF THAT. MY SCANNERS AREN’T PICKING UP LIFE FORMS. THE CHEMICAL MAKEUP OF THESE STRUCTURES IS A MIXTURE OF CALCIUM AND SOME SORT OF MALLEABLE CARTILAGE. LOOKS SAFE THOUGH. IT ALSO GOES DEEP INTO THE GROUND,

REAL DEEP.

I’M GOING TO SCAN THE AREA

MICHAEL, PLEASE LISTEN! THAT’S WHERE I NEED TO BE. I AM JUST GOING TO PROCEED ON FOOT MOM.

I’LL BE FINE.

I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS MISTER! YOU KEEP THE WRIST COMM ON AT ALL TIMES, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO MONITOR YOU THROUGH THE RUBBLE.

I NEED TO GET DOWN THERE.

I AM GOING TO JUMP DOWN.

YOUR FATHER WOULD HAVE A HEART ATTACK IF HE KNEW YOU WERE DOING THIS.

THAT’S NOT

FAIR!23

YOU ARE GOING TO BE GROUNDED WHEN YOU RETURN.

THIS JUST KEEPS GOING. I NEED TO FIND SOME

SOLID GROUND.

It’s going well, though I miss you guys terribly. I’ve been practicing my flute so maybe when I get better I can play you something.

Found this guy in my bed. HE’s harmless, like everything on this planet it seems.

JANUARY

APRIL

Something bit me last night. Can’t tell what, but it’s a nasty bite.

NOVEMBER

I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THAT LAST TRANSMISSION. THIS MUST HAVE BEEN WHAT CAUSED IT.

Hold on a sec sweetie, feels like and earth quake or.... Let me sign off.

DECEMBER

This is Nerfqwar, one of the most famous engineers in the system. He’s going to work on our lab setup.

JULY

AUGUST

I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY EVIDENCE OF THE RESEARCH FACILITY AS WELL AS A LACK OF LIFE FORMS. I REMEMBER DAD TELLING ME IT WAS REALLY SAFE HERE...

WOW! ITS NEVER-ENDING! BETTER KEEP USING MY GPS TO STAY ON COURSE

I’M STARTING TO SEE SOME EVIDENCE OF THE RESEARCH FACILITY. I MUST BE CLOSE.

I THINK I’VE HIT STABLE GROUND HERE. BUT UP AHEAD SEEMS LIKE IT CONTINUES TO DROP

JUST

MISSED IT!

WHAT WAS THAT?!? I HEARD IT THROUGH YOUR MICROPHONE,

DO YOU SEE ANYTHING? NOT HANGING AROUND

TO FIND OUT!

MOM I’M STUCK! I CANT MOVE! ITS SOME SORT OF GLUE.

JUST GET OUT OF THERE, WHATEVER LEFT IT MIGHT STILL BE...

...THERE!

MOM! WHAT? I’M NOT ALONE.

MOM, IT’S COMING TOWARDS ME! CAN YOU SEE IT?

IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE A THREAT BUT JUST STAY STILL AND DON’T M.

MAYBE YOU CAN SLIDE THE BOOT OFF AND THEN...

UM..LOOKS LIKE THIS LITTLE GUY...UGH... KNOWS HOW TO GET IT OFF.

WELL THAT SETTLES WHERE THIS GLUE CAME FROM. HOW AM I GOING TO GET IT OFF ME THOUGH?

MOM, LOOKS LIKE I NEED TO KEEP HEADING SOUTH.

WELL, I COULD CERTAINLY USE SOME MORE COMPANY DOWN HERE. WANT TO COME WITH ME? HOW ABOUT I GIVE YOU A NAME LIKE...BILL

MY DAD IS SOMEWHERE IN THERE WITH A BUNCH OF HIS FRIENDS. LET’S MOVE.

OKAY BILL, I NEED TO MOVE FAST SO KEEP UP.

HMPH, OKAY I GUESS, IT’S ACTUALLY FUN CLIMBING ON THESE. ANY LUCK WITH THE TRANSMISSIONS?

HOW ARE YOU DOING SWEETIE?

OKAY, BUT I FEEL LIKE MY SUIT IS GETTING TIGHTER. WEIRD HUH?

NOT YET. HOW ARE YOU FEELING?

MICHAEL, YOU’RE LOOKING A LITTLE OFF TOO. DRINK SOME WATER AND TAKE A BREAK.

HERE BILL, YOU MUST BE THIRSTY TOO.

GLAD I’M NOT ALONE DOWN HERE

IT’S SO QUIET.

JUST LIKE YOU BILL. YOU KNOW MOM, NOW THAT I THINK OF IT I DO FEEL A LITTLE STRANGE. BUT NOT IN A BAD WAY, LIKE I FEEL STRONGER. MAYBE THE AIR IS DIFFERENT IN HERE.

CURIOUS HUH?

MY MOM SINGS IT TO ME EVERY NIGHT.

DO YOU LIKE THIS SONG?

IT’S GETTING DARK, I SHOULD GET SET UP FOR NIGHT TIME.

MY MOM HAS A PRETTY VOICE.

ITS MY WRIST COMM. IT DOES EVERYTHING, TAKES PICTURES, LETS ME SEE MY MOM. LISTEN TO THIS.

IT ALWAYS CALMS ME TO SLEEP.

SORRY BILL, I NEED TO PRESERVE THE BATTERY POWER.

YOU REALLY LIKE THIS SONG!

WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CAMP OUT FOR THE NIGHT.

MOM, IT’S GETTING DARKER AND I DON’T THINK I WANT TO CLIMB AROUND IN THIS DURING THE NIGHT. Solar power lighter

fire block

BE CAREFUL SWEETIE, KEEP YOUR WRIST COMM ON STANDBY. LOVE YOU!

I’M GLAD I MET YOU BILL.

DO YOU HEAR THAT BILL?

WHAT IS THIS STUFF FALLING IN THE AIR? IT LOOKS LIKE SNOW BUT IT’S NOT. IT JUST DISSOLVES WHEN IT HITS THE GROUND.

THIS WAY, LET’S GO

MUSIC?

COUGH

BILL RUN, SAVE YOURSELF!

MOM ITS CLIMBING UP AFTER ME!!

MICHAEL YOU NEED TO

CLIMB FASTER!

I CAN’T GO ANY HIGHER!

WHAT SHOULD I DO?!

USE YOUR LIGHTER OR YOUR FLARE.

HURRY! 36

BUT MOM IT’S...

RIGHT ON TOP OF ME.

HELLO LITTLE ONE...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

PLEASE

DON’T DROP ME!

ARE YOU GOING TO DROP ME?

NOT AT ALL! I’M SORRY, I MUST HAVE SCARED YOU.

I’VE BEEN ALONE SO LONG. I’VE FORGOTTEN HOW TO TALK TO PEOPLE. I’VE BEEN STARING AT THESE ROCKS

TOO LONG.

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

THAT’S THE PLAN. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

MY DAD AND A GROUP OF SCIENTISTS ARE TRAPPED HERE. I NEED TO RESCUE THEM.

YOU ARE GOING TO JOURNEY INTO THIS MESS?

I WAS EXILED.

SOUNDS LIKE IT HURT.

I COME FROM A PLACE WHERE THERE IS WAR, PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS FIGHTING. IT GETS REALLY SCARY.

IT MEANS I WAS SENT AWAY.

I DIDN’T WANT TO FIGHT ANYMORE. I WAS TIRED OF IT, AND REFUSED TO DO IT ANYMORE. I WAS ONE OF THEIR STRONGEST SOLDIERS, BUT I WAS NEVER HAPPY. I HURT A LOT OF PEOPLE.

WHY?

ARE YOU GOING TO HURT ME?

PLEASE DON’T BE SCARED.

BUT HOW DO I KNOW YOU WON’T HURT ME?

YEAH, KEEP YOU DISTANCE SWEETIE. WE DON’T KNOW HIM.

I WILL EARN YOU TRUST. I WILL HELP YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY.

WAIT HERE.

MOM, HE SEEMS LIKE HE’S TELLING THE TRUTH WHAT DO YOU THINK.

I WANT YOU TO BE SAFE AND CAREFUL. I TRUST YOUR JUDGEMENT BUT YOU JUST MET HIM. AT THE SAME TIME, IT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL BETTER KNOWING YOU HAD SOMEONE AS BIG AS HIM PROTECTING YOU. WHAT DO YOU THINK BILL? SIR, WE WILL LET YOU INTO OUR GROUP... ...BUT ONLY IF YOU SWEAR TO PROTECT US FROM HARM.

I WILL, YOUNG FRIEND, BUT I MUST TELL YOU, I HAVE SWORN TO MYSELF THAT I WOULD NEVER HURT ANOTHER AGAIN. I WILL PROTECT YOU AS THE SHIELD WOULD PROTECT A SOLDIER. BUT UNDERSTAND THAT I WILL ONLY BE A SHIELD, NOT A SWORD. THIS IS MY MOST SACRED VOW AND I WILL NEVER BREAK IT.

I UNDERSTAND. MY NAME IS MICHAEL AND THIS IS BILL, WHAT IS YOUR NAME.

TONKI

HI TONKI. SO DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IS FALLING OUT OF THE SKY? 40

I DO NOT KNOW. IT STARTED THIS EVENING. I’VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE NOW. DOWN THERE. IT IS A LONG CLIMB DOWN.

WELL I THOUGHT I WOULD ASK. HAVE YOU SEEN THE CENTER OF THIS EARTHQUAKE?

THIS NEVER ENDS!

I AM NOT SURE THERE IS A BOTTOM.

HOW DEEP COULD THIS POSSIBLY GO.

WELL WE ARE GOING TO FIND OUT.

MICHAEL, THE RECEPTION IS STARTING TO GET WEAKER.

I’VE BEEN ALONE SO LONG, I’VE FORGOTTEN HOW FRIENDSHIP FELT.

EVERYTHING MUST HAVE COLLAPSED INWARD.

HEY THAT LOOKS LIKE ITS FROM A BUILDING.

THIS IS

SOMEONE’S SHOE! COULD IT BE DAD’S, MOM?

I don’t know. Keep moving sweetie.

YOU LOOK

DIFFERENT. LIKE YOU ARE SMALLER, BUT BIGGER.

I FEEL WEIRD.

LET ME SEE!

WHOAH! YOU’RE RIGHT.

IT EXPLAINS WHY I FELT STRONGER, AND MY SUIT WAS TIGHTER.

MICHAEL....YOU LOOK OLDER. I DIDN’T NOTICE BEFORE, BUT

YOU LOOK OLDER.

I GUESS THIS IS WHY I FEEL SO DIFFERENT.

PROCEED TO PHASE 5. INDUCE THE PRISONERS

DID YOU HEAR THAT?

WHAT ABOUT

THAT NOISE?

WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR

DISTRACTIONS.

I KNOW, SEND

THE DOGS. THEY WILL DEAL WITH WHATEVER IT WAS.

JUST SEND THE DOGS.

BUT IT SOUNDED

HUMAN. 43

SOMETHING IN THIS HOLE IS CHANGING YOU. YOU NEED TO STOP! WHO KNOWS WHAT MAY HAPPEN IF YOU KEEP GOING.

I WON’T LEAVE HIM. I DON’T CARE WHAT HAPPENS.

I CAN’T. DAD IS DOWN THERE.

WE ARE HIS ONLY CHANCE.

YOU WONT. TONKI AND BILL WILL LOOK OUT FOR ME.

WE WILL MOTHER OF MICHAEL,

NO HARM SHALL COME TO HIM...

I SWEAR IT.

WE ARE ALREADY SEARCHING FOR ONE PERSON IN THIS FAMILY, I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO SEARCH FOR ANOTHER!

...WHILE I LIVE AND BREATH.

...SOME SORT OF SMALL VEHICLE.

STARTING TO SEE MORE DEBRIS.

MICHAEL, I FEAR FROM THIS MOMENT ON...

...OUR JOURNEY IS ABOUT TO BECOME

MORE DANGEROUS.

to be continued... 45

PART 2

THE DESCENT

the descent

Above: Concept drawings for Michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s space suit. THE COURSE Originally I had planned to use a design that evoked toddler clothes. Overalls were a big help in our household when Michael was smaller so the initial drawings incorporated a more informal and casual feel. I ended up changing this because I felt it look too dated, like it was a steampunk costume or something.

PLOTTING

What eventually inspired the current design was a red winged black bird I saw while hiking with Michael. Its feathers were all black accept for little accents of brilliant red and small amounts of gray.

The first design I came up with for the cover was done after listening to flutist Paul Hornâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s album the Great Pyramid. It is an ambient flute album that evoked a sense of wonder and majesty. I was trying to capture that with this composition but in the end I felt it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t engage the diversity of audiences I wanted to attract. This sketch was created before I began plotting any of the interior pages. The tentative title was quickly abandoned for something a little more poetic.

PLOTTING THE COURSE

First draft of the chase sequence. I got a little carried away with the line work in this and after showing it to Ann Marie I decided to take her advice and tone the line work down.

Rough cartoons for the flashback sequence. I decided using cartoon representations of myself and Ann Marie would be too humorous when I wanted the mood to be more serious and contemplative. I chose more rendered versions to communicate the â&#x20AC;&#x153;realnessâ&#x20AC;? of the problem facing Ann Marie and Michael. 50

The entire story is drawn out in a little moleskin journal. Many times the sketches are so rough I am the only one who can decipher them. I prefer working in this manner because I begin plotting the story in a more gestural way, rather than getting caught up in the details.

Some early drawings of Tonki. Believe it or not the first drawings I did of him were much scarier. I wanted his presence to be powerful, something the reader would have to overcome through the story.

Covers always take a while to nail down. I really wanted to emphasize the â&#x20AC;&#x153;tangledâ&#x20AC;? aspect of the story but found myself stuck just illustrating the rock tentacles of the planet. As the designs progressed I began bringing Michael more front and center to spotlight him and put greater emphasis on his adventure. 51

Michael, a four-year-old boy beyond his years, lands on a strange planet in search of his missing father. Upon climbing out of his spaceship he realizes the mystery of his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disappearance is far stranger than previously known. A completely transformed planetary environment hides the secret of his missing father and the team of scientists who were his colleagues. With the help of his mother, Ann Marie, from the starship miles above, Michael journeys deep into the physically tangled planet encountering fascinating beings, magical phenomena, and a danger that will change his life forever

michaellariccia.com