The Arches of Orkney County

By Ryan Holden

Long ago in the county of Orkney there were two towns that faced each other. They were near each other as the crow flies and worlds apart in every other way. Seasons came and went, and each day was as like to the one before as it was to the one after, until because of a child's bauble and a boy's wits and a girl's face it was not so.

In this 25 minute read, meet a boy born on the wrong side of the ravine, forced to do something about it, and how Orkney County will never be the same.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryan Holden
• Release date: Jan 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370251841

Ryan Holden

Hi! I'm Ryan Holden. I enjoy reading both fiction (mainly fantasy) and nonfiction, staying active (currently judo), and attempting to break my rut by traveling out of the country every year. I grew up speaking Tagalog in the beautiful island nation of the Philippines, and speak tourist-level Spanish and Italian. I find language is a powerful road to experience in both geographic and literary travels. My fiction is written to tell a good story and generally involves clash of culture. What change do we fear? What ignorance or other barriers must be overcome? But what hope is there, and how do we find it? I hope my writing waters your mind, feeds your soul, and brings you JOY.

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The Arches of Orkney County

by Ryan Holden

Distributed by Smashwords

Copyright 2017 Ryan Holden

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Long ago in the county of Orkney there were two towns that faced each other. The one on the left was Kirkwall and the one on the right was Stromness. They were near each other as the crow flies and worlds apart in every other way.

Kirkwall rose gently from the plains behind it, carrying a winding path the oxen found steep enough to moo about but not steep enough to get whipped. Its roofs were thatched, when they did have roofs, for in its early days its inhabitants did not fear rain. The splash of seawater, yes, for that poisoned their plants, but Kirkwall was too high above the bay to be in any danger.

Immediately across a deep ravine was Stromness. The ground was rocky and hard and there were no oxen to complain of the steep slopes. No, no. Donkeys were used or, better yet, mules. They carried the wealth of the mountain beyond to a place that was