The Goof on the Roof

By David Naismith

In this short story, we follow a young drifter as he wanders across the great northern tundra lands with his dog, picking up odd jobs when he can. When he finds himself in the small, wind-swept mining town of Fort Nichols, population 180, he befriends the locals and has the time of his life. Slowly though, the truth of this little village is revealed. What unfolds next is the most outlandish series of events in his life, culminating in in a struggle of good versus evil! .

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Naismith
• Release date: Nov 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370593088

David Naismith

David Naismith is a writer and artist who works in a multiple of media. He lives in Nova Scotia, Canada. Connect on Facebook!

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The Goof on the Roof

By David J Naismith, copyright 2017

Way up north, there’s a town I visited once, a long time ago. It used to be called Fort Nichols, but don’t look for it on any map. It isn’t there anymore. It was shut down, packed up and moved away by the government. Because of the water problem.

The problem with the water was that there wasn’t any. Well, none that was any good, at least. The groundwater table and the small neighbouring lake that served as the town’s reservoir had been contaminated by the local mining operation with twelve pages worth of ‘non-degradable persistent toxins’ – fancy lingo used by the scientists who made a study of the place, which basically meant the water was poison.

It came as no surprise when the finger was pointed at the mine. A whole bunch of people had to get sick and die before the company fessed up to the problem. When the official notice to shut down the entire village finally came, that dirty mining company had to help to pay for everyone’s relocation.

If you were to go to Fort Nichols today, you wouldn’t see very much. The old gravel road that leads to it hasn’t