A New Beginning

By Clifton Martin

An abandoned little girl already caring for her little brother saves a sick old man from tormentors. She takes him to the shack her and her brother are hiding in and gets him something to drink as he begins to tell them a story of the days of yore, of a time before the new. As Carol listens, she finds herself transported into his story, from the days of the crucifix to the days of the gunfighters, where she witnesses the death of her mother and her grandfather by the hands of her abusive father throughout all her past lives. Guided by the old man in his many forms she finally see's the rescue of her mother and finds that one little girl can make all the difference in the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clifton Martin
• Release date: Nov 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310929892

Clifton Martin

I was raised in Perryville, Md. until I went in the Army and after my honorable discharge I resided in Laurel Maryland where I went to Prince Georges and Montgomery County Community College for awhile where I majored in Art and minored in art history. I needed another credit so I took the only thing available which was a Journalists class. I was married and worked two jobs and didn't really have time for research so I made up stories, but my imagination always went wild and I was finally caught. I was told to write two stories, one young adult fiction and one young readers fiction and the class would grade them. If seventy percent of the class graded above a C - I could continue in his class the way I had been. The average grade was a B. At the end of the semester my professor bought two of my stories. A Soldiers Thoughts and The Talking Gilliwok.Evil Watching is my first novel, I have also written a young adult short story entitled A New Beginning, a ABC picture book for young readers entitled David and Miya's A to Zoo room and a count to ten picture book entitled Ten Little Rabbits. I am currently working on my second novel entitled Newstuff, a short story entitled A Org named Paul, and an outline for another novel entitled Marshland.I currently live in Elkton Maryland with my lovely wife Linda and together we have six of the greatest children one could hope for and ten grandchildren.

Book preview

A NEW BEGINNING

by C.L.Martin

Copyright© 2013 Clifton L. Martin Jr

Maryland's cold brisk March winds blew harshly off the Susquehanna River and forcibly made its way up through the cracks and rotting walls of the old abandoned shack as easily as the bugs crawled through the broken rotted floorboards.

Carol huddled in the corner of the dark, musty smelling empty building with her five-year-old brother Stephen trying to hide from the harsh winds beneath a thin fleece blanket she had stolen off the clothesline from an unfenced Havre-de-grace backyard just a few days earlier. Another pang of guilt returned, knotting up her small insides as she admired the beautiful floral design that covered their only hope of warmth against the cruel cold winds that meant them harm.

She knew taking the blanket was wrong. It went against everything her mother and the church had taught her, but she had also made a promised to look after Stephen, and that meant finding something to keep him warm.

The thought of her missing mother caused more tears to flow down her face, leaving muddy tell tale streaks across her dusty cheeks. Mom where are you? She asked as quietly as a prayer through her sobs. How could you do this to us? She knew her mother was a recovering alcoholic, but when she had finally found the courage to leave their abusive father, she had sworn off drinking and had managed to stay sober ever since. However, Havre-de-Grace Maryland was a long way from their home in Houston Texas for a job interview. Maybe the job fell through and she couldn’t take the pressure. She thought. Then she probably went on a drinking binge with the money we had to hold us until she got a paycheck or got us back home. The second thought caused a small twinge of anger. For even though it angered her that her mother may have went back to drinking she prayed it was drinking that kept her away and not the alterative of being in a hospital or worse.

She felt Stephen starting to shiver wrapped her arms around him pulling him closer. Don't worry little brother. She whispered while gently stroking his dusty hair. "As soon as mom can she’ll come looking for us and everything will be alright. After all, down here by the water will be the first place she will come to look. She knows