Twinkle, Twinkle

By Nicholas John

A new town, an escape from their grief, a new start? But they are not the only strangers in this strange land.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicholas John
• Release date: Aug 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370658718

Book preview

Twinkle, Twinkle

by

Nicholas John

1

Dozing lightly on the stoop’s ancient rocking-chair, Abigail Wyatt barely stirred as the distant crack of a shotgun snapped and echoed through the calm of evening.

This was farming land and the sound a familiar one. Somewhere out there one of their neighbours (if you could call a family who lived four miles away, ‘neighbours’), would be firing into the air to chase off a fox, wolf or maybe even a bear from slaying one of their cattle.

It was a problem the Wyatt’s had never been faced with – they were corn farmers, and as Abigail came fully awake at the report of a second shotgun blast, peeling through the later Summer evening, she was greeted by ears of corn, fields of gold transferred to a sea of silver by the alchemy of pale moonlight.

Still getting her bearings, Abigail marvelled at the silver beauty; in the breeze, waves of mercury seemed to swell and ebb… inhale and exhale...

The screen door winced open; Nana, there’s plenty of cornbread left, you want that I should keep it in the pantry?

Abigail hid a grin, No child, you take it home with you.

Judging by the awful slices she had had, Abigail imagined there would be a great deal of the cornbread left un-eaten.

Should’a let me make it when I offered, she thought, you don’t live with corn for sixty-something years and not learn how to make a decent cornbread.

Emily was her youngest granddaughter; fair in appearance and nature, the kindest, sweetest thing – had been since childhood. But woe behold if the girl got into the kitchen.

Only woman I ever knew could burn a pot of water, her