Wizards, Beavers, and Such: Book One

by John Gary Shirley

Overview

The story revolves around three fictional characters heading south on the Great Dismal Swamp searching for a safe, future homesite. The leader of the group is Ollie, a wise, spunky young beaver that insists on integrity. Second in command is a brazen coyote named Bud. His scruples are at times questionable, often conflicting with Ollies. But when an issue arises, Ollie maintains control. The last of the leaders is a former general for the Florida Alligator Homeland Security. The alligator, named Hector, challenges Ollie and Bud to a duel. Hector loses the battle, but Ollie calmly saves his life. There will normally be three short stories included with each book. This book, book 1, will contain three short stories. The first begins with General Hector; the second subbook will involve a huge sixteen-foot python named Thunder. The third and last subbook will describe the rescue of an enormous boar named Papa Boar. Papa, weighing close to six hundred pounds, had become mired in swamp mud. Ollie, with assistance from the local alligators, conjures up a successful rescue plan, freeing the boar from drowning. Future stories include the discovery of a space vehicle and the containment of a large ocean oil release.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781490722481
Publisher:	Trafford Publishing
Publication date:	01/10/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	26
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

John Gary Shirley graduated from Easton High, Easton Pennsylvania, and, after a summer, followed his father’s footsteps joining the US Navy. Eight years later, he left the military and earned his BS degree in chemistry at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. He eagerly took a position with a Hazardous Waste Management company (Four Seasons Env). The work consisted of identifying unknown chemicals for EPA approved transportation and disposal. The job required extensive travel, introducing him to a diverse variety of personalities. Perhaps the greatest influence on him, for better or worse, were his childhood years growing up in Panama. Each day he would stumble upon a new and unique creature for my memory bank. Those post-Darwin day memories remain as clear and exciting today as they did for a youngster some sixty years ago.

Read an Excerpt

Wizards, Beavers, and Such

Book One

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By John Gary Shirley

Trafford Publishing

Copyright © 2014 John Gary Shirley
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4907-2247-4

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CHAPTER 1

Gators

This scary tale describes the many dangers of rafting the Great Dismal Swamp during the early 1500s. The adventure involves an unlikely pair of animals, including Ollie, the beaver, and Bud, the coyote. During their adventures along the treacherous foggy swamp, they encounter alligators, snakes, wolves, and in general, numerous other hungry critters.

Ollie first met Bud on a desolate small island deep in the swamp. He heard the coyote moaning as a result of a severe beating he had received from an angry pack of wolves. It seems the wolves caught the coyote eating their precious winter food supplies. When they discovered their food was gone, they mauled the coyote and left him to perish. Ollie brought the mangled coyote back to his lodge, where he applied a variety of old medicines that he had gathered over time.

Normally, beavers and coyotes are not the best of pals. Ollie proposed a deal to improve their relationship and, at the same time, hasten Bud's recovery. Ollie provided the coyote with food, shelter, water, and medicinal herbs to regain his strength. Bud, in return, pledged to protect Ollie by using both his amazing physical skills and his courage.

Bud's rapid recovery from his wounds energized his spirit. It permitted him to spend almost every day working on the raft. You could hear Ollie and Bud laughing and singing one of Ollie's many poems.

Wild boars can gore you,
Gators will munch your bones,
Spiders and snakes won't ignore you,
It might be wise to return home.

At last the raft was completed and the journey began. They headed south into the eerie swamp. The wiggling, windblown vines looked like swaying, dancing snakes ready to attack from above. The exhausted pair soon found a quiet cove to rest in for the evening. When they awoke, they were startled to find at least a hundred grouchy alligators surrounding them.

The gators were waiting for the arrival of their fearless leader, General Hector, commander of the Dismal Swamp Alligator Division (DSAD). The ferocious leader had not been battle-tested for several years and was anxious to demonstrate his fighting skills. The general demanded an explanation for the duo's reckless behavior of entering the swamp without his permission. Trespassing was not tolerated. The penalty demanded a fight to the death.

General Hector, weighing more than three hundred pounds and capable of short bursts of speed up to thirty miles per hour, was a fearsome warrior. He laughingly agreed to simultaneously battle Ollie and Bud. The duo, armed with oak stakes, appeared to be in deep trouble. However, most of the general's previous fights were against poorly trained gators that lacked the duo's tactical skills.

Hector's supporters were yelling and shouting, pleading with the general to make the battle last. The general was a brute and thoroughly enjoyed the pain and glory of a fight. The alligator crowd wanted the battle to last at least until lunch or longer, savoring the thought of biscuits, beaver stew, and coyote ribs for their noon meal.

The warriors finally faced off. Ollie circled to his left and Bud to the right. The general was amused and began laughing. He mistakenly assumed that he had successfully split the duo to use the strategy of divide and conquer. Ollie, however, was prepared for this. He positioned Bud out of the general's field of vision, waiting for the alligator to make the first move. When Hector made his move, Bud would quickly respond with a blindsided countermove.

The general suddenly charged toward Ollie with his jaws wide open. Bud, with lightning speed, dashed up and placed a long oak stake into Hector's open jaws. However, the stake was improperly positioned, resulting in only modest bleeding, and fell harmlessly to the ground. Hector, however, was shaken and breathing heavily.

The young coyote's determination and energy sprang to life when he saw how poor the alligator's physical condition was. His next attempt to disable the gator succeeded as he placed the stake in the correct position within the general's gaping mouth. With his jaws pried open, the general was helpless. He desperately tried to remove the stake, but it would not budge. The fight was over.

Ollie had outsmarted the general. However, if the oak stake was not removed soon, the general would perish. Ollie wished no harm come to the proud old warrior. Instead, he proposed an option to remove the stake if Hector would guide them to their final destination. The general quickly agreed. The crowd was pleased with Ollie's suggestion and grateful for sparing their ex-leader's life.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Wizards, Beavers, and Such by John Gary Shirley. Copyright © 2014 John Gary Shirley. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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