Throwaways
The Claus Chronicles (according to me)
by
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Looking up, Hermes yelled back. “I found it! My mother's brooch! She always pinned her scarf on with it. I lost it when I was fishing.” Bending over he kept on digging and tossing muddy sediment in all directions. Furiously, he cried out again. “It's stuck in all this slimy yuck. I can't get it loose!” "Twist your fingers around it,” Claudius yelled back, cautiously kneeling on the narrow ledge of rocks. He reached toward Hermes. “Don't let go of the brooch; you'll get it.” He urged. "I'm trying,” squealed Hermes. Tearing his eyes away from Hermes for a moment, Santa glanced at the dried vegetation on the inner bank. He looked up at Robye. “Had you noticed that wide layer of moss and algae growth around the rim of the pond? I wonder how long the water level has been low, like this?” "Oh, for a while, I guess. Not quite this low, though,” Robye answered, his eyes still peeled on Hermes and his battle with the soggy weeds piled all around him. “We were here a few days ago and the water was almost waist high.” He looked up, with a grin. “That's how Hermes was catching so many fish. Didn't he tell you?” "No, I didn't know,” Santa said, looking back at Hermes. “When I taught him how to fish was my last time down here.” "I think he's getting it untangled!” Robye nudged Santa and pointed. “Hey, it looks like he finally got that big pin loose. Good for him.” Without notice, the pond was again filling with water, Hermes stood with his hands extended over his head and squealing with delight. “I got it! I got it! See, here is my mother's brooch,” he cried, swinging it over his head. The water had now begun to swirl higher against the pond's edge. With his face beaming, Hermes held the brooch high then stuffed it in his pocket and headed toward the long poles, laying a few feet away. The roar of the water's rotation caught Santa's attention. "Hermes!” He screamed in terror. “Get out of there! Quick!” Hermes heard Santa's urgent cry. He looked up. He saw Claudius reaching toward him. The waves rolled over Claudius, knocking him off the wall. Robye was holding on to Santa, pulling him back from the wall. Santa's hands were wrapped over Mr. Twiddler. In slow motion, Hermes saw everything. Then a sudden sensation of weight pulling at his feet, forced him to look down. Slick, muddy clay, sliding between his toes, began to drop into a void of darkness below. A wave of fear enveloped him. He screamed. He disappeared.
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About the Book
In the city of At il there were two laws strictly enforced: Number one, it was against the law to feed the children and number two,it was against the law to leave the city. Fox, the thirteen-year-old son of the governor, had done both. When he and two friends; eight-year-old Hawk and Wolf, age twelve, were invited to visit a family compound outside the city, Fox deliberated hard and long about the situation. Breaking the law, as a loner, was one thing but when it involved others the decision was much more difficult. It brought back memories of his first time outside the city walls; the broad, unending space of earth and sky he experienced had been a shock to his well-being. It had taken him some time before the freedom of boundaries was a comfortable experience. He was afraid this unknown may be too much of an adjustment for his friends since they had never ventured further than the guard-shack steps at the city entrance. True---he and his friends were only children; numbers on the city records. If they were ever found missing, as `Throwaways' they would just be crossed off the list of city residents.
About the Author
Diana Strahan, a story-writer from the early age of ten, when she wrote and produced plays for her classmates. Over the years her writing has included song lyrics, short stories and poetry, as well as novels. 'Throwaways', the first novel from the series "'The Claus Chronicles (according to me)" will soon be followed by the second which is entitled 'The Game'. Ms Strahan, born in Winchester, Indiana, has resided in Glen Rose, Texas for more than thirty years. She is the mother of three, the grandmother of four and the great-grandmother of five children. She enjoys family, friends, music, art and travel. Cross-country visits throughout the USA as well as many other countries, has always been her passion. She says the fantastic journey of story-telling is her favorite 'trip' of all.