Summer of Bridges
(The Sioux Rock Falls Stories)
Synopsis
Kenny had planned to spend the summer skateboarding and hanging out with his friends, but his uncle Harry drafts him into a bridge painting crew — a job that will take Kenny deep into northern Ontario. As the youngest member of a crew composed of ex-cons and bikers, Kenny knew it would be tough fitting in, but he never dreamed the job would involve pulling a corpse from a river, fighting forest fires and solving a murder. He has to learn fast, overcome his fears and grow up before the fall.
These award winning short stories first appeared as a series in Storyteller Magazine, but now they’re back with three new stories that complete Kenny’s summer of adventure.
ISBN #978-0-9868641-1-7
Previously Published Stories included in Summer of Bridges
Burning Moose
(First published 2002 in Storyteller Magazine Volume 9 Issue#1)
How does a town seek revenge on a pulp and paper mill, the only employer, when an industrial accident claims one of their citizens? Kenny discovers that the forty-foot wooden moose in front of the pulp mill will take the heat instead of corporate executives.
Railroaded
(First published 2005 in Storyteller Magazine Volume 12 Issue#1)
Kenny never imagined he’d witness murder in a small town. Being a construction worker from the Big Smoke makes him an outsider, so he doesn’t understand why everyone in Sioux Rock Falls wants him to keep his mouth shut and stay away from the police.
White Metal
(First published 2005 in Storyteller Magazine Volume 12 Issue#3)
A heart attack brings down Kenny’s uncle Harry, leaving Kenny with a bridge that still needs painting and a crew that hasn’t been paid in two weeks. Worse, the Ministry of the Environment inspector intends to close down the bridge painting job to get revenge on Harry for an insult. For Kenny, it comes down to a choice between turning his back on university and turning his back on Harry.
Fire Retardant
(First published 2004 in Storyteller Magazine Volume 11 Issue#2)
The village of Lost River is trapped by a forest fire. Kenny and Sarah find their only transport out of the disaster is a Bobcat, a little want-to-be bulldozer that seats one and has a top speed that a dog can outrun. Kenny can only ride by standing in the bucket of the loader and holding a metal handle on the side of the roll cage. Worse, the fire has reached the dirt road, the only road that leads to the highway.
Jumpin’ Jack
(First published 2003 in Storyteller Magazine Volume 10 Issue#3)
Jack doesn’t just look like a sixties hippy Jesus, he preaches too. His message to Kenny is to abandon his fear of heights and jump from the bridge they’re supposed to be painting. Kenny will not, but Jack forces the issue.
Beer Truck
(First published 2002 in Storyteller Magazine Volume 9 Issue#2)
What happens when five construction workers spend six hours riding through northern Ontario in the back of a flat-bed truck with only four-foot wood walls to protect them from the wind? Well, if a beer truck pulls alongside in a passing lane with a side rolling door open, it can only mean trouble.