LOST IN THE SMOKIES
PROLOGUE
Page One
Four year old Scott gritted his baby teeth, mustered all his courage and went careering down the driveway at break-neck speed. His freckled face took on a look of grim determination as he resisted the urge to use his sneakered feet to slow down. Grey/blue eyes narrowed against the sun's rays, judging the exact moment when he would wrench the steering wheel to the left, just before the gate and come to a halt on the lawn.
All went well, until he hit the grass and then the little car flipped over leaving Scott lying on his back, staring up at the sky. For a moment he thought about yelling in frustration and in fact screwed up his face and opened his mouth to do just that, but then, he was distracted by the clouds.
What interesting pictures they made. He spotted one that looked like a steam-train, complete with a trail of white smoke. The one that really caught and held his attention though, was the old man with a short, pointy beard and handle-bar mastache, a gravity-defying pipe snug in the corner of his mouth. Scott's eyes widened with surprise when the cloud man chuckled and looked down at him, his bushy eyebrows lowering over his eye-lids.
" My word, young fella! You took quite a tumble there." He chortled.
Still lying prone on his back, Scott poked at his chest with a grubby forfinger. "Uh... You talkin' to me?"
The old man's brows jiggled merrily. " Am I talking to you, you say? Well, I don't see anyone else so I must be."
"Oh.." Said Scott in a small voice and then remembering his manners, " Uhh, my name is Scott Anderson." although he had a feeling that he was telling cloud man something he already knew.
The suspicion was confirmed a moment later. " Yes, it certainly is, and today is your fourth birthday!"
Scott lifted his hand to shade his eyes, " H-how do you know?" He queried, his voice sounding like a squeek.
" Hah. hah." Chuckled Cloud man. " Why, I know everything about you, Scott. When you are older, you will learn more. You and I are destined to be the best of friends." He raised his cloud hand and removed the pipe from the corner of his mouth, blowing out an impossible stream of billowing smoke.
Scott sat up, tilting his head back to keep cloud man in view. " Who are you?"
" Patience dear boy, patience. All will be revealed in good time. So long for now."
" Wait!"
Cloud man began to dissolve but before he disappeared completely, Scott heard as if from a great distance, his parting words. " See you in four years, Scott."
PROLOGUE
Page One
Four year old Scott gritted his baby teeth, mustered all his courage and went careering down the driveway at break-neck speed. His freckled face took on a look of grim determination as he resisted the urge to use his sneakered feet to slow down. Grey/blue eyes narrowed against the sun's rays, judging the exact moment when he would wrench the steering wheel to the left, just before the gate and come to a halt on the lawn.
All went well, until he hit the grass and then the little car flipped over leaving Scott lying on his back, staring up at the sky. For a moment he thought about yelling in frustration and in fact screwed up his face and opened his mouth to do just that, but then, he was distracted by the clouds.
What interesting pictures they made. He spotted one that looked like a steam-train, complete with a trail of white smoke. The one that really caught and held his attention though, was the old man with a short, pointy beard and handle-bar mastache, a gravity-defying pipe snug in the corner of his mouth. Scott's eyes widened with surprise when the cloud man chuckled and looked down at him, his bushy eyebrows lowering over his eye-lids.
" My word, young fella! You took quite a tumble there." He chortled.
Still lying prone on his back, Scott poked at his chest with a grubby forfinger. "Uh... You talkin' to me?"
The old man's brows jiggled merrily. " Am I talking to you, you say? Well, I don't see anyone else so I must be."
"Oh.." Said Scott in a small voice and then remembering his manners, " Uhh, my name is Scott Anderson." although he had a feeling that he was telling cloud man something he already knew.
The suspicion was confirmed a moment later. " Yes, it certainly is, and today is your fourth birthday!"
Scott lifted his hand to shade his eyes, " H-how do you know?" He queried, his voice sounding like a squeek.
" Hah. hah." Chuckled Cloud man. " Why, I know everything about you, Scott. When you are older, you will learn more. You and I are destined to be the best of friends." He raised his cloud hand and removed the pipe from the corner of his mouth, blowing out an impossible stream of billowing smoke.
Scott sat up, tilting his head back to keep cloud man in view. " Who are you?"
" Patience dear boy, patience. All will be revealed in good time. So long for now."
" Wait!"
Cloud man began to dissolve but before he disappeared completely, Scott heard as if from a great distance, his parting words. " See you in four years, Scott."