Children's action packed novel. High interest level for all readers age 12 and up.
What do surfing, skateboarding, and horses have in common? They're all things that many girls, especially those that are not girly girls love to read about. Add some active boys that have the same interest, put the characters in a spellbinding story and here it is! This is a young adult novel which entices readers and nonreaders alike as they follow the adventures of four bestfriends. The foursome gets wrapped up in having summer fun while also learning several important lessons of life. The importance of trust, friendship, and love. Filled with action,suspense,frightening encounters,and the puppy love of youth,this is a hit for all readers ages 12 and up. From an ocean shark attack to the dangers lurking in the southernwoods,Karen and her freinds must make a journey of both body and spirit to find safety. In the end they must beg nature to return them to their world as it was before. This is must reading for every young reader in America! Don't let this summer end without reading this novel!
Excerpt
John resembled a Greek god. His skin was olive and well tanned like
the surfers of his island home. His hair was jet-black a heritage from his
Italian father and Cuban mother. His ebony locks flowed free, rippling in
the summer breeze, splashing over his perfectly formed ears. His sparkling
blue eyes were similar to the clear Atlantic waters that messaged the eastern
shores. They were eyes of adventure, filled with intrigue and a zest for life.
They were often as fierce as the edge of a hurricane or as placid as its eye.
At this moment, as he stood examining the breaking waves off the jetty,
those same eyes displayed a sense of excitement. The waves that were
usually small and closed out were now breaking perfectly—even creating
tubular tunnels to house the rider and board. Days like these were far and
few between, only occurring when offshore hurricanes or winter storms
existed in the Atlantic waters.
The evenly crested formations were every surfers dream, rising ten to
twelve feet from the ocean’s surface, lines of nature’s energy to create the
perfect ride. John was awakened from his trance as the residue of one of the
waves he’d been admiring crashed upon the rocks, splashing him with cold
mist and sea foam. Instinctually, he backed up almost brushing the boy
behind him. Unable to escape the rushing water, his Khaki-clad beach
britches caught the last spray of the sea’s wetness. Lowering his hands and
with two strokes he fruitlessly brushed at the beads of water that had
attached to the fabric. As if encouraged by the waters, he was ready to
speak. He turned to his red headed friend to express his satisfaction.
“It’s awesome,” John spouted.
While pointing toward the set of waves in the distance to their south, his
friend replied, “they’re even cleaner by the pier.”
The boy waited for John to judge his analogy. Then John gave his
authoritative blessing.
“Let’s hit it Red,” he finally pronounced. “I’m good.”
With a muttered slang word, the boy with the wiry copper hair followed.
“Red,” he heard himself growl.
Actually, he didn’t mind being called Red. He’d come into the nickname
when John’s group of middle school boys had accepted him into their clan.
Okay, his hair was red! Perhaps this along with his light completion that
made him prone to his routine sunburns was another good reason for the
name.
The gang wasn’t aware of his hot Irish temper, the gene he’d acquired
from his father. This too coincided with the name “Red.”
Knowledge of this would have surely added to their confirmation that
they’d selected the perfect nickname for him. Thank goodness this hadn’t
been the case. They hadn’t seen this side of him. With the help of the
medication the doctor had prescribed, he’d mastered the art of controlling
his anger. This along with his family’s recent move to this seaside resort
community had helped to calm him. He had it on good authority, his
mother’s, that he was adjusting well to his new home and friends.
The new house was a far cry from that other place, the one he’d been
happy to escape and anxious to forget. He’d left his hot temper and “bad
boy” reputation there and was now channeling what many had called
delinquent energy into his new passions and loves—surfing and
skateboarding. Getting into trouble with the authorities again? —Not a
prayer.
“Just the boy every mother would love,” his mother had commented
about the new leaf he’d turned over. He too was pleased with the new
Scotty. He’d found a new niche, a new love and skating and surfing were
not all. The now tall and gawky boy was getting the attention of some of the
females of the group. Often saying he was cute.
Approaching the place in the coarse Florida sand where they had
positioned their belongings, the boys noticed two individuals straddling their
surfboards. Coming closer they recognized the two girls. It was Karen
Walton and her best buddy Shelby Michad. Karen was a goddess, Shelby
simply a budding flower. Both were waiting for them.
Morning sunlight poured from the sunrise, outlining Karen in flame,
turning her fair wind blown hair incandescent. Blinding Scotty, but that was
all right because she was here. In the bright sunlight, her hair shone like a
new penny. The boys approached them from behind.
“If you’re trying to sneak up on us,” Karen said when they came to a
halt beside them, “I think you should know that we knew that you were
behind us the entire time. We saw you both on the jetty and didn’t think
you’d mind if we sat on your boards while we enjoyed the finally minutes of
the sunrise.” It seemed as though she was talking directly to John, but only
Scotty was concentrating upon her every word.
“We don’t mind, do we John?” Scotty asked.
“No,” John answered uninterested. His mind was on the waves.
“We’re going down to the pier, they’re breaking better down there,”
John announced. “You coming?”
He seemed to be asking Scotty, but the two girls accepted it as an
invitation.
“We’ll get out boards and meet you,” Shelby chimed in. “The waves
can’t get any better than this.”
“Yeah, see you in a while,” Karen replied winking at John. He didn’t see
her flirt, instead he was concentrating upon waxing the surface of his board,
making certain the coat was evenly distributed across the fiberglass
covering.
Scotty watched as the females headed to get their boards positioned in the
rack on the nearby dune. Karen’s hair fascinated Scotty. He wondered what
it would be like to touch, whether it would be springy under his hands or
soft. She looked fantastic when she smiled, although she seemed to only
lighten for John. Her smile made Scotty feel like he was standing in front of
a warm fire—like the beach bon fire where they’d first met. He mentally
filled in the blanks, remembering something as John introduced them. Her
attention always seemed to center around John. Constantly searching him
out. She was pursuing him, seeking his attention. It was like that in the
water too. Always positioning her board in line with his. Trying to win his
attention. Scotty often wondered if she even liked surfing. Sometimes he
thought she was just trying to win John’s affection by displaying an interest
in the sport. Though he’d have to admit both girls had become very adept at
it—even placing in several of the winter surfing tournaments held by the
Goldcoast Surfing Club.
Scotty had to agree that although John didn’t seem at all interested in
the girl, they looked good together. If they were in a movie, John would be
cast as Karen’s surfer boyfriend. Just thinking about it gave Scotty a sick
feeling in the pit of his stomach. Rumor had it that Karen had had other
boyfriends. Scotty was hoping that he’d be the next.
John and Scotty had already maneuvered past the first set of smaller
breaking waves when the two girls reached the water line, duck diving under
the large waves. Other surfers were also beginning to assemble, attaching
their leash cords and readying their gear for the plunge into the murky water.
They too had discovered the boy’s optimal surfing spot.
Scotty darted his glances, sharing his attention between the incoming
waves and the crowd of surfers forming along the shore. His lack of
concentration forced him to miss the first ride. John wasn’t so unlucky.
He’d caught the crest of the first wave and was experiencing a most
exuberating voyage toward the beach. Meticulously positioning him and his
board in the break of the wave. In the tube he was only occasionally visible
by the onlookers on shore.
“John’s getting an outstanding ride,” Shelby proclaimed to Karen.
“What a ride!”
Karen looked up from paddling to see him cut out and jump his board
over the wave he’d been riding. His movement was rapid and well executed,
providing the perfect position to return to the starting point beyond the
breaking water.
Only hesitating for a moment, Karen again began paddling frantically in
order to overcome the power of the surf. She was almost to John when she
heard cries from the shore. From the distance, she couldn’t make out what
they were screaming. What could it be? She attempted to adjust her bathing
suit—was it wedged? That wasn’t what the boys on the beach were hoot
hollering about. Her one-piece suit was perfectly positioned on her petite
body. It was something else. This puzzled her. What are they carrying on
about? Then she saw it!
Running adjacent to the shore, a large school of some type of fish was
coming her way. Probably bait fish—shiners or mullet. They were going
crazy. It looked to her as if they were running from something—maybe
running for their lives? The something was a school of larger fish and they
were having a feeding frenzy. It wasn’t king, dolphin or sailfish, she was
almost certain they were spinner sharks and they were coming her way!
Now she understood why there had been so much commotion from the
shore. Shelby was also aware and in total fear had joined in the chorus of
warnings from the beach.
“Sharks! Get safe! They’re coming right for us!”
Time seemed to stand still as both girls carefully positioned their bodies
on their boards. Each girl determined to make sure all dangling arms and
legs were out of the water. Fortunately, both were beyond the breaking
waves that could easily capsize their tiny vessels. Shelby held her breath as
both schools submerged under her.
First, a school of smaller thin like silver fish, then the larger silver
predators. She watched the little fish dart about, they seemed to be out of
harms way. Shelby saw those coming close to the jaws of death literally
jump out of the water into the air, momentarily safe until the sharks, next
approach. She was not certain how many of the little silver fish the monsters
were devouring, nor was she certain if she was safe upon her board. It was
like a jungle down there—where there are all kinds of food for all kinds of
creatures—the large sea creatures eating the smaller ones—the ocean food
web—connecting each living thing to other living things.
All she knew was there was a lot of activity under the water’s surface—
some even spilling out. She knew that both schools were gradually edging
away from her proximity. She was praying that she’d stay afloat—out of the
water until they were gone. Like the baitfish she had no intention of being at
the mercy of the sharks. Knowing that sometimes the silhouette of a surfer
on a board looks like a tasty seal to a shark, she was trying not to look or
splash like a seal.
Still motionless, Shelby watched as the tornado of activity approached
the location near her friend. They were almost directly under Karen now.
What kind of carnivorous fish were they? Were they great white sharks—
using their rows of sharp teeth to capture and tear into their prey? Great
whites usually attack from below. She’d heard someone tell her that in the
whole world, only about a dozen people die from shark attacks every year.
Seeing the hunt pass under her, she sighed with relief. Luckily, she hadn’t
become a statistical fatality. She was safe!
After passing under her, she realized that the monsters weren’t great
white sharks. They were some smaller type, maybe tiger, nurse,
hammerhead, or spinner—but still dangerous!
Somehow, Shelby did not think that Karen would be as fortunate.
The spinner sharks were beginning to churn with increasing activity—
attempting to confuse the school of mullet with their rapid twists and turns.
Her assumption was correct! Karen felt a shark’s dorsal fin bump her
board. The force from the impact momentarily shifted her board, tilting it to
the left—her weaker side. Yet, with excellent balance, she adjusted her body
to accommodate the sudden movement—countering the seesaw affect. Once
again in a steady position a top her board, her heart still raced in anticipation
of another encounter. She watched as several other sharks narrowly missed
her board, passing just below the surface.
The prehistoric creatures with their origination firmly rooted in the past,
were now heading toward John. Unlike the two girls, he was uncertain of the
pending danger, routinely paddling toward Scotty to join him. Scotty was
also oblivious of the threat, searching for the perfect set of waves.
“Sharks, Sharks!” Karen yelled trying to get John’s attention. She was
screaming even louder now!
“John get out of the water!”
But the sound of the powerful surf silenced her cries.
It was Scotty that noticed something was wrong. But he too seemed to
far to warn John. By the grace of God, as the dark outline of the school of
fish approached, John looked to his left and realized his predicament. Two
fins pierced the surface identifying the sharks.
Instantly, John raised his appendages above the waterline in a split
second effort to safely protect his flesh from the ferocious hunters. Like
Karen, he also felt the power of these prehistoric creatures, as a misdirected
shark’s firm rubber like snout brushed the back of his hand. John narrowly
missed the outer jaws housing its razor sharp teeth. Panic stricken, John’s
head bobbed from left to right and left again, straining to see their
whereabouts.
“Darn it,” he vocalized, now looking down toward his feet. Seeing that
every part of his body was out the path of any misdirected shark reassured
him. Well positioned upon his board and out of the water, he felt relieved.
He scanned to his left in another attempt to determine the whereabouts of the
creatures. Had they disappeared? Were they under him? He wondered?
Then, a strange noise echoed through the water. It sounded like a
squeaky door. From the corner of his eye, he saw a flash! A torpedo-shaped
shadow rushed through the water near John. Had a shark returned or was this
something else? Fear and panic filled him.
Not until the creature leaped out of the water did it identify itself. It was
a bottle-nosed dolphin—the shark’s foe.
The sight of the mammal and feeling the spray of splashing water during
the mammal’s return from the ocean’s surface startled John. He’d been
expecting the return of an unwelcome sight—a shark.
Then a strange thing happened. The dolphin reappeared cautiously
watching John. The beak like rostrum front of the dolphin’s head poked
through the turquoise colored water and gradually rose upward. It was as if it
wanted to get a better look at the boy on the board. John estimated it to
measure between 8 and 10 feet long— middle to large sized. He observed
the dolphin take rhythmic breathes through its blowhole—opening and
closing as it inhaled. Almost as if he was smiling, the grey colored creature
opened its mouth to display pointed teeth. This wasn’t all! As if it was
talking to John it began making clicking sounds, emitting what seemed like
over a hundred clicks per second—he was talking up a storm or warning him
of one. Maybe trying to tell him more about the sharks and how being alone
in the wide-open ocean could be dangerous.
As if he was finished and bidding farewell, the dolphin made a wave like
motion with its flippers. With this the speckled mammal turned away and
dove into the deep blue ocean.
Minutes passed as all four surfers rested still on their boards—each one
trying to analyze what to do next. It was Scotty who first initiated action.
Braving it, he began using precise and limited strokes of his alternating
hands. With this effort, he managed to point his craft toward the beach in
hoping that the force of the waves would carry him to the shore. One by
one, the rhythmic motion guided him closer and closer to the breaking
waves.
Finally realizing that he was captured by a large wave, Scotty held the
edge of his board, slid back moving his weight to the rear and permitted the
wave to lift the board. The large extended hand of the wave grabbed. In
possession of Scotty and his board, he remained positioned on his stomach
as the force of the wave pulled him toward the beach. Staying with the ride
he even permitted the foam of the wave to take him even closer to the sandy
shore. Not until he was within yards of the beach, did he abandon his board;
enter the water and race to the safety of land.
The others followed his lead and soon they all reached safety. Shelby
was shaking hysterically as she dragged her board out of the water. Karen
was right on her heels, wildly rushing to feel the secure sand under the soles
of her bare feet. John and Scotty welcomed the frightened surfers with open
arms. The foursome embraced creating a great barrage of human flesh
huddling amidst the growing crowd of onlookers.
“I’m so glad that we’re all safe,” Karen said. “That was a close one!”
“Thanks for the warning,” John said sarcastically.
“I tried to tell you,” Karen chided. “I guess you didn’t hear me.”
“The dang thing was so close, I touched it. If my hand had been in the
water a few more seconds and it would have taken my hand off,” John
exclaimed.
“I’m glad we had our long boards,” Scotty interjected.
“Yeah,” Karen agreed. “Thank goodness!”
Shelby spoke, still shaking. “Don’t talk,” she whispered. “Just hold me.
Hold me as if there is no tomorrow!”
But Scotty couldn’t be silenced. Although himself only in slight danger,
he’d been terrified. To medicate his fear, he needed to talk.
“I thought we were goners. I can’t believe no one got attacked!”
“Are you ready to go out again?” John joked.
But no one thought it funny!
“Not me,” Scotty replied seriously. “I’m sitting out!”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s it for the day,” John confessed.
“For the summer,” Shelby said.
“Maybe forever!” Karen added, perhaps half serious.
During the hours that followed the foursome were inseparable. If a
polygamous relationship had been socially acceptable, it could have
succeeded here. Their recent brush with death was the beginning of a
cohesive bond for the group, an attachment that they would need in the trails
that they would soon face.
Young Sasha, a little bear orphaned as a cub, finds new friendships as he struggles to realize his potential. But as he does so, danger awaits in the jaws of an evil wolf * the much feared * Rasputin. In his time of need, can Sasha overcome his fears
