Category: Drama Publisher: KK PUBLISHERS
ISBN-10: 1523335696
Type: Fiction
Pages: 338
Copyright: Jan,2016
ISBN-13: 9781523335695
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
A story packed with drama, mystery, adventure, and humor.
It was 1934; the time of the Great Depression and Keith Watts was living a simple life and doing a simple job driving his train on the Southern Line. It was the uncomplicated existence he chose where he was in control and there was little possibility of being hurt again. Then he does a reckless thing by stopping his train to pick up a little, roving girl on the uphill run to Gooseneck Pass. He follows this with even more folly when he decides to accompany the girl on her quest to find a rich grandmother she has never met.
Armed with scanty resources, they set out on foot on a journey that has Watts doing things he never imagined and feeling things he tried so hard to escape.
Has the strange, shy girl with the weird way of expressing herself, touched his life and the lives of others they meet along the way? Or is a series of coincidences forcing the changes? And just how far can love transcend all barriers?
Excerpt
The air was fresh and crisp that morning after the rain. The first weak rays of sunlight were not strong enough to cast aside the thin petticoat of wispy clouds on the horizon but they would soon have their way.
They were about to receive the go-ahead to leave the town of Firland and start the homeward journey over Gooseneck Pass to the port at Pelican Point. The cargo of crafted wooden cabinets and timber had been loaded onto the seventeen cars and Gaby was prepped and eager to go.
Keith Watts walked briskly along the track as his eyes scanned the cars in a final inspection before their departure. It was a ritual he had performed many times in the twelve years he had been the engineer on the Southern Line. Up ahead stood the only love in his life, shining radiantly as she always did when the sun’s rays reflected off her dark skin—steaming excitedly while she waited—as grey smoke rose from her smokestack. He felt the deep, low throb that ran through her body as she harnessed her power, waiting for his command when he climbed up the metal ladder and entered the engineer’s cabin. Now they were one again—a man and his metal princess. She was special and they both knew it—one of the very few geared locomotives used specifically to haul logs on the Southern Line.
Fireman Jock Letterman appeared through the opening on the opposite side.
“Everything okay, Jock?” Watts asked.
“Looks alright. This is a pretty heavy load.”
“It’s end of season and they’re trying to get this lot onto the ships as quickly as possible.”
“It looks like it’s about to snow up on Gooseneck. Do you think we’ll make it through?”
“Just keep Gaby fired up and we should be fine.”
“I told the missus I would be back before the kids went to sleep. It’s Ivor’s birthday.”
“That’s your youngest?”
“Uh-huh!”
“You hear that Gaby? We can’t disappoint the youngster on his birthday.”
The sound of her whistle signaled her agreement as he set the reverser and eased the regulator back. Gaby struggled to control her excitement as she puffed and huffed her way out of the siding and onto the main track leading away from Firland to the Vulcan Mountains. The 160-mile track to the summit and Gooseneck Pass—6000 feet above their present location—was a route they knew well. They would snake their way through the tunnels and then take on the last uphill run.
There were more shrieks of delight from Gaby as they shunted past the scattered buildings and construction yards that housed the lumberjacks and carpenters that made up the bulk of the inhabitants of the little settlement.
Watts leaned out on the right side and waved back at a group of workers who bade them farewell as he gave Gaby the go ahead to increase speed when they reached the outskirts of the town.
“Still quite warm here,” Watts said as the breeze swept over his face.
Letterman wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his arm as he pushed the door of the firebox with the tip of his shovel. “It’s more than bloody warm from this angle.”
Professional Reviews
Reader's Favorite
"I liked the idea of this story as well, that good could triumph over evil.
There were a lot of morals incorporated and encouraged throughout, like hard work and not giving up and helping your neighbor even when you don't have a lot yourself.
I also appreciated the simplicity of this story. I loved the way the characters interacted with each other and felt that really kept the flow of the story going.
. . . . it was a much more enjoyable and easy read.
This book was interesting and educational but not over the top, which was appreciated."
Reviewed by Janelle Fila for Readers' Favorite
Rovella is a beautiful woman with a cold heart whom blames herself for an unfortunate old family secret that is literally ruining her life. This secret impedes a gorgeous woman from having happiness in her childhood, and throughout her life. Dark sec
Rovella is a beautiful woman with a cold heart whom blames herself for an unfortunate old family secret that is literally ruining her life. This secret impedes a gorgeous woman from having happiness in her childhood, and throughout her life. Dark sec
A page-turning novel about a relationship between best friends that is interrupted because of betrayal , deceit, sexual promiscuity and pregnancy happens!
