I am preparing my next eBook for publication and I wanted to give you a preview of it. Here is a sneak peek of this short story. It is my first attempt at Southern literary style. It is told from the point of view of a nine-year-old girl and is suitable for anyone aged 9 and over. I hope you enjoy it.
An Excerpt from The Spaceport Was Empty
“Are we there?” I said, hardly believing
it was possible.
it was possible.
“We’re somewhere,” said Old Dev, looking
out the tiny window, his eyes darting back and forth. “But it ain’t Louisville,
and it ain’t home.” I never quite knew what Old Dev meant when he said things
like that. Telling me where we ain’t, instead of telling me where are. Just
then Mother walked by fast and furious, like a bat out of Hell. “Oh-oh,” Old
Dev said, his hands on the armrests, trying to decide whether he needed to get
up. Suddenly we heard shouting, coming from the direction of the cockpit.
Mother and the Captain were at it again, even louder than before. When he heard
the commotion in the cockpit, Old Dev got up and squeezed past me. I looked
around. Some of the passengers were fanning themselves, though it wasn’t hot.
Some were asleep with blankets over them. Kids were playing games and reading
books. These people had no idea what was going on and neither did Sim, who was
staring straight ahead like an old heifer chewing her cud in the middle of the
dang day. But they didn’t care either. Maybe they knew something I didn’t know.
Maybe it had something to do with the powder room. Whatever it was, Old Dev
didn’t know either, because he was up front with Mother and The Captain doing
something.
out the tiny window, his eyes darting back and forth. “But it ain’t Louisville,
and it ain’t home.” I never quite knew what Old Dev meant when he said things
like that. Telling me where we ain’t, instead of telling me where are. Just
then Mother walked by fast and furious, like a bat out of Hell. “Oh-oh,” Old
Dev said, his hands on the armrests, trying to decide whether he needed to get
up. Suddenly we heard shouting, coming from the direction of the cockpit.
Mother and the Captain were at it again, even louder than before. When he heard
the commotion in the cockpit, Old Dev got up and squeezed past me. I looked
around. Some of the passengers were fanning themselves, though it wasn’t hot.
Some were asleep with blankets over them. Kids were playing games and reading
books. These people had no idea what was going on and neither did Sim, who was
staring straight ahead like an old heifer chewing her cud in the middle of the
dang day. But they didn’t care either. Maybe they knew something I didn’t know.
Maybe it had something to do with the powder room. Whatever it was, Old Dev
didn’t know either, because he was up front with Mother and The Captain doing
something.