It is a highly entertaining read. if I must say so myself
GUARDIANS SYNOPSIS
BY DEREK RUSH
Sometime between the years 1564 and 1570 an unknown illness was spreading throughout the Northeast, infecting scores of the Native people there. Immunities to what the white man brought with them were weak. As a result thousands perished in its wake, leaving survivors to contend with the scores of dead, and an aftermath which gave rise to an ominous legend.
The Abenaki tell of the Cheenoo, the Micmac know the Gugwes, the Strendu were said to be the averred enemy of the Huron and Wyandot—all relate dreaded accounts of those able to rend the earth in fury, of cannibal giants, guardians of the land who roam mostly at night. And for years, it remained just that…a legend…spoken of today with tongue-in-cheek and a good roll of the eyes.
Now, a recent rash of bizarre animal mutilations have those of a small New Hampshire community on edge. While authorities are warning all residents to be on their guard for what is believe to be a rogue black bear, and urge that family pets be kept indoors at night, some of the older-timers haven’t yet forgotten the sightings of the late 1930’s, nor for that matter, of the frantic search for the two little girls who went missing without a trace more than six decades ago. They know better than to scoff at the local Indian lore, because that which is taken lightly here in the North Country has a way of biting back.
Sixteen year old Max Lambert, on the other hand, has never put much thought into monsters, at least not beyond those of the horror novels he often finds himself engrossed in. In fact, he’s never seen Ellisburg for anything other than the quiet northern New Hampshire town it is. Which is precisely why he and his mother love it so much.
He and his mother, Emily, have traveled from Massachusetts to New Hampshire so often that both can almost give an accurate count of the dotted lines on the highway between their house and granddad’s, a place each have come to know as their second home. But with the unexpected passing of the old man, Max begins to worry that talking his mother into moving there permanently might not have been the best of ideas. Aside from already missing his two closets friends, and recognizing that he’s got an entire summer to dwell upon the arduous transition to a new school in the fall, he fears that maybe the house will have changed somehow with granddad gone. After all, he’s what made the place so special to begin with. It’s been difficult coping with his death. Losing him was like losing the father figure he’s never had, never knew. Being just him and his mother all these years, battling together against life’s never ending supply of adversity tossed their way, he has to figure the change will do them good. Even she agrees the smaller house is more suited to them—no more traffic jams and busy supermarket lines, no more nosey neighbors and booming car stereos…just a whole bunch of that wonderful peace and quiet she’d always enjoyed growing up there as a kid. Although she looks forward to coming home, to once again being able to concentrate on her writing, and maybe even getting that lens off her new camera to snap a few shots of the wildlife, she worries for the same things her son does—the memories—and if it’ll all be the same, or just another big mistake. However, after being paid a visit from an old friend, she comes to see her decision as anything but.
Max, too, finds good reason to suck it up and settle in. He’s been looking forward to finally getting the chance to break in his new ATV, setting out later on to charter the wealth of area footpaths and fire roads, and simply jumping headlong into some serious riding—something he was desperately lacking back home. He’s drawn to the forest. Always has been. When he heads out the following morning for a jog, he’s almost glad to be nearly run down by the local gang of dirt bikers, for after the cloud of dust clears, he meets a new pal, and soon learns of THE place to really “tear it up” and “break it in”.
The Pits, an old sand and gravel pit, is an off-roader’s dream come true, a rolling play of land so deep in the engulfing woods and far from town that the local gang of dirtbiking hooligans have absolute reign over what they’ve transformed into the most spectacular race track he’s ever seen, complete with enough jumps and dips and whoops and hairpins that’ll make even the most professional Motocross riders envious. It just leaves Max drooling. But his amazement is short-lived and quickly takes a backseat to the bad vibes that hold high court here. He feels watched.
Tales of the area and an ominous history lesson told by the old school teacher he soon meets, lead him to believe that his concerns for some strange happenings of late are not unfounded, that maybe there was something more to an incident with a strange man earlier this morning who made even his brave companion, Cody—his granddad’s yellow Labrador—shy away and whimper. Ghosts and hair-clad monsters only add to his curiosity.
Max doesn't think much of the new development site or for callous land developer with plans for a golf course and a grudge for the local kids. He just wants to know more of Brittany Lawrence, the pretty girl next door who just about made him forget the spoken word when he tried striking it up with her down at the market yesterday, and the bonfire party there tonight might be his best chance at doing just that.
He's not expecting the things of his nightmares to be waiting for him there.
In the long night ahead, Max Lambert will be forced to confront the horrors no one else dares to believe in. Soon he will come to learn the fate of a man he never had the chance to know.
