Ruins in the Mist
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Excerpts from several chapters:
Chapter 15…
My mother is dabbing at her eyes. Megan looks over at me and smiles faintly.
I should be listening to what the preacher is telling us.
“May they find safety on their long journey into the unknown,” he says.
More sobs. More sniffles.
“I’ve chosen for my text today…Psalm one hundred twenty-one…
“‘The Lord is thy keeper…the Lord shall preserve thee from all evil’…” He pauses and then goes back to reading.
Chapter 22…
I looked up and saw Evan close by, his face blackened with gunpowder. Davydd’s hands were shaking as he re-loaded his musket. But where was my father?
Another shot rang out. Evan was the first to reach him.
“You’re hit!”
His trouser leg was ripped open and blood was oozing from the wound.
A twig snapped. I stopped in my tracks.
I realized I was holding my breath. Terror filled me.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I froze.
“Are you afraid?” Davydd whispers as he comes up behind me.
I was unable to speak I was shaking so badly.
Chapter 31…
Rowboats transferred us from the vessel to the shore with our belongings. The regiment, along with the few women and children who had accompanied us, stood on the hillside and watched the vessel leave.
“So they’re just going to dump us here and leave?” Megan asks.
“A tent and a few ration…that’s it?” Elen asks, not believing our situation.
Chapter 43…
The smell of emptiness was what greeted me inside. Dust and cobwebs filled the corners. The windows wore masks of black dust. A shaft of sunlight pierced through the layer of dust on a broken window pane. More dust covered the old table, and when I touched it I was overcome with a longing for something I had known. I stood there, trying to remember what it was.
I could smell the dust now on the narrow stairs. I ducked a cobweb that tried to reach out and grab me as I reached the landing.
Chapter 45…
At each turn on the curved stairway I almost expected to meet the ghostly figure of a lady hurrying from the tower with her cloak flowing behind her.
I reach the top and through a narrow slit of a window I look out across the ruins below and from my vantage point I can see for miles in every direction.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Tomos and the younger members of his family stand at the rail of the departing vessel. Through their tears, they wave goodbye to the rest of the family left standing on the dock and watch as the shoreline of their beloved homeland soon becomes a distant blur.
Many weeks later, after a wretched voyage, they find themselves in America. Arriving on the eve of the American Revolution, they soon find themselves facing the terrors of war and the tragedies that follow.
“History comes alive amid the terrors of war, and the heartbreak that follows.”
—Monica Graham, historical writer, journalist.
“Timmons captures the essence of the Loyalist experiences, from the battles of the Southern Campaign to the hope of new life in Nova Scotia.”
—F.H. Hayward, UE, Education Chair, United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada.
“A story of courage and determination, in the face of desperate circumstances and tragic events.”
—Jamie Grant, Guysborough Historical Society.
“A realistic portrayal of what the Loyalists endured, when they gave up homeland, family and dreams.”
—Kristel Fleuren-Hunter, Pictou- Antigonish Regional Library.
About the Author
The author, being a Loyalist descendant herself, became interested in the history of the American Revolution some years ago, and that led to the writing of her first book Wilderness Home, the story of the founding of Country Harbour by Loyalists.
Her love of history is evident in her writing.
After years of living in various parts of Canada and the United States, she returned to Country Harbour, her hometown. There she writes, paints, and enjoys her gardening.