The Spirit of the Estuary
by
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The illness came suddenly. It infected the babies and the old people first. Their bodies dried out. Like the land, they lost every drop of moisture. Finally, hot with fever, and then never warm again, they passed away into some imagined place where there was no dam and where the world had not been destroyed by evil done in the name of someone else's good. And there came a time when there were no children at all. None were left alive to play...or to hold, or to love. With them went the future. And in that same time the old were also placed underground, and with them went the past. Those who remained were dazed and suffering in ways that only humans can experience in hell. Serina sat stupefied by emotional pain, unable to weep. Her recently widowed father, tough because of where his knowledge of life had come from, led her to their wooden boat and forced her in with a promise that they would go back to their estuary and find happiness there. He told her that their time here had been only a dream. That night, Serina and her father set their sail to catch the evening breeze. As they began making their way south along the coast of the Desert Sea, Catal and the others returned to find their homes fired, and their loved ones killed. Crazed men were roasting the remains of their stored food over the coals. In battle with those who had lost their humanity, Catal and his friends died---their essence and the pain of their last horrible suffering joining that of the others...and the animals...and the plants---all the creatures of their lost world. The spirit-energy that rose up out of the delta of the Colorado River came together as a force of ethos, filled with the voices, hopes and dreams of once living things. It rose like an ethereal cloud up and over the north lands, a heaven of what was. And then, as if evil wasn't enough, it was captured by an alien force previously unknown. The ethos of the Cucap and their lost world was caught by, and channeled down copper wires strung across the desert on ugly steel towers. It flowed along the wires to Los Angeles. There, it was directed to a string of street lights that lit a dusty city street. The lights surged bright and then, before dawn, the spirit and life energy of an entire ecosystem were gone. The street lights dimmed...and went out before dawn. Strange Gods do not care!
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About the Book
Well written! Well researched! History and Mystery combined
Meet...
Serina
, a Seri Indian girl whose school was the Sea. Her experiences and observations picture the Sea of Cortez from the 1930's to the present, as man's impact destroyed balance and everything she loved.Marbrisa, a loving daughter of the sea, caught between worlds. Innocent and spiritually free, she was in the way of progress, the victim of greed and evil.
Ter Martel, an expert on determining the feasibility of real estate developments, is called to Mexico to investigate a major development proposed for the bleak sand dunes along an estuary, he faced his most difficult challenge yet, and death.
Robert Meachington, an honest developer who wanted facts so that he could manage the corporation. One of his partners had disappeared at sea. The other was in bed with evil.
Margret Bridges, a beautiful young scientist who found her greatest contributions would come from helping others survive.
Dave Bridges, an educator who changed his life for the love of a woman, the deserts and Sea. He and Margret are dedicated to helping others understand the concept of sustainable resources.
Angel and Adolfo Ramirez, father and son who each loved deeply, but hid their love from each other until it was too late.
The Fowler brothers, political animals whose amoral conduct and rapacity allowed them to thrust themselves into positions of power.
HOOVER DAM, THEN GLEN CANYON! FEW KNOW THE HORROR AND SUFFERING THEY'VE CAUSED.
WE HUNGER FOR SHRIMP! OUR INSATIABLE DEMAND FOR IT IS DEPLETING THE SEA AND ALL LIVING THINGS THAT DEPEND UPON IT FOR SURVIVAL.
AMERICANS HAVE LOST ACCESS TO THEIR BEACHES. NOW, THEY WANT THOSE IN MEXICO. BUT AT WHAT COST?
About the Author
Descry was born in Colorado and grew up exploring wild places in search of pre-historic peoples and the wonders of nature. In his twenties, he was captured by the magnitude and magic of the Colorado Plateau and melded his life into that region. Descry's work emerged out of one of the most exciting and mysterious regions on the Planet, the American Desert Southwest. His works are filled with vivid descriptions of real places and events. His writings explore possibilities that are so plausible that the reader has a difficult time separating truth from fiction. Descry and his family live, depending on the season and their whims, in Sedona or Prescott, Arizona, and Cortez, Colorado. They also spend time near the Sea of Cortez and are avid supporters of the Center for the Studies of the Oceans and Deserts. He is actively involved in education, archaeology, environmental issues, and business. In his writings, he shares his insights and love of the land and its peoples in a way that charges one with awe. The Spirit of the Estuary, is Descry's third in the Spirit Series. It is a history-mystery told through the life of a murdered Seri Indian woman. It is set in the northern Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) region of Mexico. The Spirits in the Ruins, is a history-mystery that challenges the reader's detective abilities as Arnie Cain attempts to solve the century old murder of a Native American leader. Descry provides insights into the illegal trade in Anasazi grave goods, and a previously untold history of the Ute Mountain Ute Indian people. The Spirit of the Sycamore, is a tantalizing and complex history-mystery that explores discord and harmony in Sedona, Arizona, which is one of the Planet's important spiritual energy centers, and one of the Earth's most beautiful places.