Vantage Point - Ill-Gotten Gains
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About this ebook
A fortuitous find, an unfortunate encounter, and a score that is settled from beyond a shallow grave.
During the New Zealand gold rush of the 1800s, Job and his son Thomas have toiled for too long within the depths of the Vantage Point mines. Hoping to strike it lucky and return to their West Coast home rich men, a chance discovery offers them the means of escape. But news travels fast in this cursed place, and some prospectors make their own luck by the misfortune of others.
If you like immersive settings, tormented characters and vivid hauntings, then delve into this novella and discover how the past doesn't stay buried for long at Vantage Point.
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Vantage Point - Ill-Gotten Gains - Ian J. Middleton
Vantage Point
Ill-Gotten Gains
Ian J. Middleton
Visit www.ianjmiddleton.com to find out more about the author and pick up your exclusive copy of the Vantage Point novella - Still Life
A big thank you for the help and support I received from the following people:
Kat Lilly
Sian and Deryn Morgan
Stuart Middleton
Adam Sherratt
Matthew Roberts
Steve Wright
Meegan Duncan
Mike Peddle
Hopefully one day I can express my gratitude in more ways than putting your name at the front of a book.
Chapter 1
Alright, now hold still,
a muffled voice instructed from under a dark cloak. The random collection of eight miners, including Job and his son Thomas, stood with their arms folded, staring at the little wooden box propped up on skinny legs. There was a sense of anticipation in the air. A few seconds passed, then the man reappeared from under the black cloak that hung off the back of the mysterious box. Thank you gentleman, you're all now officially part of the year 1863,
he called out with a smile, indicating that they were now able to break free of their stiff postures.
That’s it?
Job asked, expecting something more elaborate. His weathered, bearded face was creased in a frown. He’d seen a handful of photographs before, just like the one they just posed for, and assumed there was more to it than that.
Never happy are you, dad?
Thomas joked, as they left the other equally bemused men and wandered into Tent City. Endless rows of stained white sheets, propped up with crooked logs and pulled taught with guide ropes lined the wide, muddy road that ran through the middle of the encampment.
It seems to get busier every week.
Job watched bearded men in waistcoats and heavy boots walking in all directions; some carrying tools, others with large, full bags slung over their shoulders. Everyone wore a stern expression. It seemed the only time Job saw people smile was when they were leaving this place for good, their pockets filled with fresh gold; off to start a better life somewhere that wasn’t this hell hole.
With each grinning prospector who left, ten fresh-faced, eager men replaced them. It only took a few days before their initial enthusiasm was substituted with that ubiquitous stern look; their faces seeming to have aged by at least a decade. The success stories travelled faster than the tales of misery, and it only took a few hours in the mines to determine which were more accurate.
You say that all the time,
Thomas said with a smile, brushing away a strand of thin brown hair that had fallen across his eyes. His once youthful complexion, no doubt inherited from his mother, had been eroded away during his short time at the camp. Job was hesitant about Thomas joining him. This was no place for a teenager to spend his formative years. However, with few options available to him at their village on the west coast, Job and his wife Gretta came to the same, unfortunate conclusion. As much as he didn’t like the idea of him being here, he admired Thomas’s ability to remain positive in spite of such strife. Truth be known, he’d miss him if he left.
And every time I say it, it’s true.
Job didn’t remember being this cynical, but this place did it to you. They’d arrived fresh-faced and eager like the rest of them as word spread of new gold deposits on the outskirts of Vantage Point - a developing township that was feeding off the hopes and dreams of simple men. They’d toiled for several months on their claim, hoping it would bear fruit. It hadn’t been a complete waste; the area born a modest sum, made even more so by Job’s self-imposed meagre living. This place was a means to an end, and was treated as such. Everything they owned had a purpose, and money was only spent on satisfying their needs. He’d heard too many stories of men losing their fortunes to booze, gambling and women.
A rickety, horse-drawn cart clattered past, splashing through mud puddles as it ferried a group of sad-looking men into town. Off to drown their sorrows at the Vantage Point Hotel, mused Job.
They look like they could do with a drink,
Thomas commented, still wearing that broad smile and mischievous glint in his eye.
Job noticed that he seemed to be in good spirits today, even more so than normal. What’s got you so happy?
You’ll see.
Job shook it off.