By
Starlight
by
Nancy Lindley-Gauthier
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The
night my best friend Gracie disappeared, I had a nightmare.
A
monster loomed from the shadows around the campfire. I ran. The thing
stretched after me…
I
woke gasping, afraid it might somehow be true. Gracie could always
make me feel better – but she didn’t respond to my email. Not
that night; not ever.
That's
what lead to my summer camp counselor job here near Gracie’s home.
Hiking and canoeing fill every moment but I don't forget why I'm
here. I’m going to find Gracie.
The
camp-owner, a famous Native seer, isn’t any help. Her herbal
healing and Spirit Bear talisman won’t help find Gracie.
There's
the local ranger and my campers, but will they believe me? I’m
alone with this. Somehow, I will find her...
Excerpt:
"Shhhh."
Frankie, riding point, set her paddle in front of her. She deftly
removed her camera from its bag. I followed her gaze, past the high
yellow-tipped grasses in a pocket of boggy greenery. Dark,
vine-covered stumps jutted from the black surface of the water. Long
branches of goldenrod lay flattened, at the foot of narrow, dark
limbs. No, not tree limbs, those were legs!
Frankie
hastily snapped a photograph of the moose. The animal’s face was
half-submerged, but as we glided by, it slowly raised its head and
stared at us.
Immense,
it stood with long green growth hanging out of its mouth and trailing
back into the water. Everyone saw it now. Quiet fell over the lot of
us. Frankie leaned this way and that, trying, I guess, to get an
exceptional shot.
Slowly,
the moose dropped its head back to its soggy grazing.
Chelsea
let out a long, drawn out "Coooooool."
I
wondered if the kayakers had belted by without even noticing the
massive animal by the riverside.
The
quiet creek allowed us to glide with paddles barely touching the
water. I think after spotting the moose we were all of the same mind.
All we
needed now was to see a bear. I stared hopefully into the thick woods
on our other side, thinking they might prefer the shade of the
evergreens. The girls had to be thinking the same thing, because
quiet hung over us; a quiet full of expectations.
Nice
that the kayakers had shot ahead. They were always chattering and
would have ruined the chance for us to see wildlife.
A splash
alerted me again to the swampier side. It held more promise for a
bear. Tempting, large dandelions grew right down to the water's edge,
and beyond that, stalks of what might be wild rhubarb. Nearer, maple
saplings bowed over the river, trailing their leaves and making
little circular ripples.
Dragonflies
hovered in formation in the shadow of the little maples. They darted
up and sideways, always keeping a strange, arrow-shaped formation, as
we drew abreast.
A stick
twirled slowly in the gentle current, caught in a scrawny maple
branch. The yellowy stick had a strangely curved arch as if, somehow,
man-made. The dragonflies shot upward as I reached it. I stretched
very carefully to grab it. The strange stick snapped closed over my
hand…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
A
New Englander throughout her life, Nancy Lindley-Gauthier currently
resides in New Hampshire. Her chief interest is her horses (she both
rides and drives them) and she especially loves trail riding.
Occasionally, she is dragged away from the equines to serve as
pillion rider on husband Kent's motorcycle.
Also
among her favorite activities is whale-watching… and she’s
pleased to record sightings of Minke and Greys off the East Coast and
Humpbacks along the Inside Passage on the West.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI really like that cover.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting
ReplyDelete