Bear Dog
Camden Ayan
Author Bio
I grew up in what use to be a small rural town between the escarpment and Lake Ontario. I spent much of my youth doing nothing outdoors, and I now live in Ottawa. Some of my favourite authors include Cormac McCarthy, Haruki Murakami and William Faulkner. As a member of a book club I have taken on writing and discovered I very much enjoy it during the latest hours of the day. I hope you enjoy my submissions.
Description
Two young brothers, Jules and Lorry, occupy themselves on the family farm by working hard for their parents and spending the rest of their time contemplating the world beyond the boundaries of their property. When they suddenly find themselves exposed to events which threaten the lives of the inhabitants of their small community, the boys natural instincts to protect those they love kick in. As nightmares and traditional stories mix with reality, one brother comes up with his own solution to avoid the impending perils that threaten their family.
Rated as a five star short story, this is what reviewers had this to say about Bear Dog:
“I highly recommend this for fans of short stories or anyone who wants a quick great read! The mood of the story evoked memories of some of my favorite novels from childhood including Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. I was quickly drawn into young Jule’s world and found myself relating to his inner thoughts and fears. His relationship with his older brother Lorry was unique yet somehow familiar. The sense of an impending threat on several levels was subtle but palpable. I loved some of the themes of the story including the colonialization of Aboriginals in early Canada, the tension between nature and civilization, and the central idea of “judgment”. As with any good short story, the climax and ending were absolutely terrific. After I finished Bear Dog, however, I wanted more—more backstory on Jule’s Mom (who was a great character), more childhood shenanigans from Jules and Lorry (which incidentally reminded me of Tom and Huck), and more on Jule’s life growing up as a child of a hardworking Irish farmer and an Aboriginal woman. I was glad to see Camden Ayan has already published a second story. I am looking forward to reading that one next!”
“This was a fascinating story. It centers around a young boy who lives with his family in the wilderness (no year given but it has the feel of being quite long ago). His mother is Native American and his father is Anglo.
Not wanting to give anything away, I will only say that this is a story about a boy who is finding his place in the world, and the decisions he makes to protect his family. There is a supernatural/mystical element to the tale.
This is a well written short story and I look forward to reading more from this author.”
Book excerpt
People in town would say it was unnatural for a boy his age to be sleeping in his room with a loaded rifle leaning against the wall in the far corner. But out in the country, Jule had always had this gun as long as he could remember. His father had given it to him when he was just a child, and taught him how to carry it with respect, how to pick it up, how to put it down, how to keep it and others around it safe. Not that there were many others to worry about besides his older brother Lorry, and his mother. But for now, the rifle was the friend that kept Jule feeling he had a companion when he had to face his fears.
When he reached the age of seven, Jule’s father began teaching him how to use the rifle. They started with target practice. That quickly became an event that Jule looked forward to. He liked the approval he sensed as his father stood over his shoulder and watched him steady the rifle, calmly aim, maintain his target and control the gun as it fired its round. By the time he turned nine Jule was carrying the gun around the ranch loaded and ready to use if necessary.
As Jule lay in his bed thinking back to the events of the day, he was glad he had the rifle in his room. Tonight he moved it closer to his bed, placing it on the floor within reach, between him and the two windows on the wall facing the foot of his bed. It seemed childish to fear something coming crashing through a window; he wasn’t a boy that feared animals. He was a boy who grew up with wild animals, who tamed them on the ranch, and protected them from other wild animals. But he was also a boy prone to unwanted thoughts.
When he was younger, Jule kept himself up at night, staring at the shadows cast by the uneven light on the walls, forcing himself to see vicious faces, daring himself to create an unbearable fear, until he did indeed see those eyes in his mind form in the cold shadows, a face staring back at him.
Once when Jule was conjuring up a face in the wall, a face appeared that he did not expect. It wasn’t something he could say came from his imagination, and this scared him in a different way. It was like having a vivid memory of a brother that he did not have, a stranger invading his night time fear-tempting.
The night the new face appeared, Jule didn’t close his eyes and look away as he usually did, thinking he could overcome the fear and send the vision back to where it came from. But unexpectedly, the evil kept its stare then opened its mouth wide and raised its head in a silent laughter that rang in his brain before fading back into the cold cloud of shadows. Since that incident, Jule decided not to tempt his fear so much. Instead, he kept it well in check. That was until tonight.
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http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Dog-Camden-Ayan-ebook/dp/B007QNUM02/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8