{"id":1046,"date":"2012-07-20T13:58:57","date_gmt":"2012-07-20T21:58:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=1046"},"modified":"2021-01-02T19:32:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-03T03:32:45","slug":"novels-and-short-stories-by-the-author","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=1046","title":{"rendered":"Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

This page features some fishing tales, true life adventures and highlights some of the thriller fiction novels that I have written, including my latest thriller novel set in Southeast Alaska and perfect for days cruising. For more details and how to purchase my novels, go to www.FredrickCooperAuthor.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

GLACIER WORLD\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2014 by Fredrick Cooper (Now available on Amazon Books)<\/p>\n

The theme park was five years in development and touted worldwide as a golden destination for foreign tourists. It would offer everything a tourist desired to experience in Alaska\u2014snow-capped mountain ranges, a gold rush town, whale watching, salmon fishing, an aquarium with dolphin and orca acts, an eagle sanctuary, and glacier viewing. Cruise ships would dock adjacent to a recreated gold mining town where tourists could enjoy all of the wonders of Alaska at one location. But the most compelling experiences for tourists would be the predators of Alaska\u2014Glacier World\u2019s massive, wildlife enclosures with five-star wildlife attractions, like the Alaskan brown bear, cougar, wolves, wolverines, caribou and musk ox\u2014all in their natural habitats.<\/p>\n

But Glacier World had a darker side. Local residents were miffed that over $500 million was being spent to develop an old cannery as a destination resort without hardly any local hires. In the fall of 2019, just before Glacier World was scheduled to open, people died under peculiar circumstances and government authorities were apprehensive about reports of missing cargo in the Gulf of Alaska.<\/p>\n

A thousand miles to the south on the coast of Washington state, Earl Armstrong, the forester for an Indian tribe, was missing something too\u2014one hundred thousand board feet of premium lumber, which his freight forwarder informed him\u2014had vanished. It could cost him his job and destroy his career. When attempting to trace his lost shipment in an era of computerized, global transactions and ultimately in the ice and snowbound mountains surrounding Glacier World in SE Alaska, Earl and his friends are exposed to danger from more than one kind of predator, some desperate and some just hungry.<\/p>\n

__________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"BookCoverImage_large\"DESTRUCTION ISLAND<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2014 by Fredrick Cooper (Now available on Amazon Books)<\/p>\n

Tribal Forester, Earl Armstrong, inadvertently learns about the mysterious and tragic history of an obscure island where his great-grandfather was the first lighthouse keeper in Fredrick Cooper\u2019s thrilling new novel, Destruction Island.<\/em> <\/strong>The author has released a sequel to his award-winning and debut novel, Riders of the Tides<\/strong><\/em>, that once again delivers fast-paced action, interesting characters, sharp dialogue, and vivid settings on the extraordinarily beautiful Washington coast. Earl has haunting, and all too real dreams, of his great-grandfather\u2019s spirit asking him for help. His attempts to ignore these ghostly pleas are shattered after he discovers the murdered body of a Native American man and then an attempt on his own life and his wife\u2019s. Realizing he cannot neglect the island\u2019s troubling past and the possibility that it is connected with his own predicament, Earl enlists the help of the victim\u2019s brother and an old Indian shaman to uncover his ancestor\u2019s long kept secret. In doing so, he must outwit a vicious treasure hunter and his men who are seeking a rare and priceless Native American artifact, as well as a desperate woman who is attempting to escape death at the hands of the Japanese mafia by recovering of a small fortune adrift off the island\u2019s coast. What she is searching for is part of a huge mass of tsunami debris that is threatening to result in an environmental disaster on the coast of Washington State and the \u2018Isle of Sorrow\u2019\u2014Destruction Island.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn exhilarating thriller that will have readers demanding another sequel.\u201d Kirkus Reviews<\/em><\/p>\n

__________________________________________<\/p>\n

Off the Wall Silvers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Years ago I used to fish every year out of Clover Pass north of Ketchikan for silvers. My buddies and I would rent skiff from the Knudson Cove Marina and on calm days we would scoot across to Camano Point. But when the southerly winds were blowing we had to\u00a0troll around Point Higgins or from Pup Island up to Tatoosh Rocks. These have always been popular spots and on weekends there can be 30-50 boats fishing this area of Clover Pass. One year I decided to take a skiff out by myself one more time before calling it quits for the season. Rigged with a diver and full herring, I trolled north along the west side of Betton Island and off the second point got a strike from a nice 12 pound silver. After netting the fish I decided to do a quick turn and come through the same spot again. I had another strike and another nice silver in the boat. Will it work again? I brought the skiff around and trolled through the same spot a third time and took another silver. In all, I made six passes and took my limit of six silvers and was back at the dock cleaning my catch within an hour. I’ve never forgotten that incredible morning.<\/p>\n

Last year, I had been fishing halibut near Kake and heard that there was a great silver run in the Ketchikan area. I was scheduled to be down there within the week and was curious whether my luck would repeat itself. My oldest son Andrew was with me and I showed him how we should fish it. We wanted to be just outside an underwater wall with the depth finder showing 135-140 feet. He put us in the right place and in minutes we had a double hit and landed two 15 pound silvers. Andrew circled around and came through the same location and we hit two more. We kept working the same spot and landed five more over the next hour. I definately had a sweet spot and did it produce!<\/p>\n

_______________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"frontcover-web1\"<\/p>\n

RIDERS OF THE TIDES<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2013 by Fredrick Cooper<\/p>\n

Riders of the Tides<\/strong> is a new novel\u00a0released by Langdon Street Press in February 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cRiders of the Tides<\/strong>\u00a0is one lively and exciting adventure after another set in two time periods \u2013 the 1850\u2019s and present day.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cA wonderful tale blending historical events of the Oregon Territory, compassion for the plight of Native Americans during the time of Manifest Destiny, and\u00a0family saga.\u201d<\/em> Earl Armstrong, a young tribal forester, lives a quiet life along the Washington Coast, surveying timberlands\u00a0and minding his own business. When a drive along the Pacific Coast Highway leads him to Unck, a local Indian storyteller with a suitcase of old treasures\u2014a beaded tobacco pouch, a whalebone-handled knife, a piece of an old totem\u2014Earl\u2019s life, and his understanding of the past, are forever changed. First, a tingling in the fingers. Next, restless sleep. Someone is there. <\/em>As pieces of the past slip through Earl\u2019s dreams, the true nature of the treasures is revealed, guiding Earl to clues surrounding a murder that has plagued his family for generations. But in learning about the death of Ben Armstrong, a pioneer, adventurer, and successful lumberman in the Pacific Northwest, Earl places his own life at risk, linking past and present in a horrifying twist. Riders of the Tides,<\/i><\/b> a family saga, is filled with adventure and mystery. Real life pioneer and lumberman Ben Armstrong was one of 44 men who petitioned the U.S. Congress to form the Washington Territory and he was murdered. Due to lack of evidence, the case was never solved.\u00a0Riders of the Tides<\/i><\/b> seamlessly weaves together past and present, nature and Native American spiritualism. Historical fiction lovers and mystery connoisseurs will relish every word of this captivating book. _______________________________________<\/p>\n

The Ghost Bear<\/strong> is an exciting\u00a0short story set in the wilderness of Princess Royal Island in northern British Columbia. It is reproduced here in its entirety.<\/p>\n

THE GHOST BEAR<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2008 Fred C. Cooper<\/p>\n

Mack Hufford\u00a0stepped over a snow-covered log and pushed his way through some low hanging branches following a small game trail.\u00a0 There had been fresh fallen snow since he walked it two days ago to set a line of traps.\u00a0 He slid down a bank of a shallow stream and splashed across.\u00a0 The thin ice around the edges of the protruding rocks crushed beneath his insulated, leather boots with the sound of breaking glass.\u00a0 He pulled himself up the far bank and adjusted his backpack full of traps and a rifle that was slung over his right shoulder.\u00a0 Sadie, a mixed Blue Tick hound, had scampered across ahead of him and now waited excitedly at the top of the bank. \u201cGood girl, Sadie!\u201d\u00a0 The man said to her as he paused to catch his breath.\u00a0 \u201cNow we\u2019ll see if we had any luck with our trap line.\u201d Sadie bounded ahead once more following the game trail leaving deep tracks in the fresh layer of snow.\u00a0 The man and the dog had followed the small stream up the valley from the beach for nearly a half mile.\u00a0 Mack Hufford\u00a0enjoyed being out alone on his small boat tucked safely in a small cove away from the blustery winter storms of Northern British Columbia and in the woods.\u00a0 He worked in Prince Rupert at whatever steady job he could find during the summer and the rest of the year earned a little income by trapping in places that were as wild as they were 100 years ago.\u00a0 He trapped whatever he could – fox, marten, fisher, wolverine and black bear – anything where the hide had value.\u00a0 He tanned the hides and sold them to a fellow who made trips to Prince Rupert each Spring and exported them to China and Russia where they were supposedly used for trimming winter coats.\u00a0 He grumbled to his friends that he wasn\u2019t getting any younger and that some day he would have to give it all up and move south to Vancouver.\u00a0 But that time was still some years off.\u00a0 He loved this remote country. His thoughts and the peacefulness of the new snowfall were suddenly disrupted by a noise in the brush just ahead of him.\u00a0 It was the beating wings of a grouse taking flight through the snow-covered branches of a cedar tree after being flushed by Sadie. \u201cStay close dog!\u201d He hollered knowing full well she would take off after the grouse.\u00a0 Her bays got fainter as the dog gave chase up the trail which paralleled the stream just below a high rock cliff now shrouded in gray clouds along with the rest of the mountains of the island he was on.\u00a0 Both he and the dog knew the area well from years of trapping its many valleys.\u00a0 Up ahead were several well used animal trails leading down from caves in the cliff and across the stream.\u00a0 It made for a good place to set traps. Mack was about to holler for Sadie again when he heard sounds that sent a chill down his back and caused him to rush forward with dread.\u00a0 It was the high pitch wail of a bear cub calling for its mother along with\u00a0the frenzied barking of Sadie.\u00a0 Suddenly the dog gave a woeful howl that was unexpectedly cut off. \u201cNo, Sadie, No!\u201d\u00a0 Mack hollered running as fast as he could.\u00a0 He dropped his pack on the trail and unslung his old Winchester 30.06 chambering a round as he ran.\u00a0 Bursting into a clearing he faced a horrifying scene.\u00a0 Blood was sprayed everywhere on the snow-covered grass.\u00a0 Sadie lay in the middle of it her intestines pulled from her belly and her head nearly torn from her body.\u00a0 Just behind her a yearling black bear cub thrashed wildly with one hind paw held firmly in one of his traps its muzzle dripping blood.\u00a0 The man released the safety on the rifle and shot the cub in the head.\u00a0 It collapsed in a heap as the blast reverberated off the cliff and then the woods became deathly silent. Mack placed his rifle against the log where the trap was anchored and walked slowly over to the remains of Sadie.\u00a0 He knelt and patted her head as he spoke to her one last time. \u201cDamm it Sadie.\u00a0 I told you over and over don\u2019t get too close to an animal in a trap.\u201d Behind him there was a deep growl and a sound like a sudden gust of wind.\u00a0 Mack knew instantly what it was and the mistake he had made.\u00a0 But he had no chance to get to his feet and reach his rifle as the creature hit him square in the back.\u00a0 He tried to roll and protect his belly but the massive animal pinned him down and grabbed his right shoulder with its teeth.\u00a0 He heard bones crunch.\u00a0 The pain shot across his chest and he exhaled with a loud scream.\u00a0 The last things Mack Hufford remembered as the huge white bear clamped her jaws on his throat were the fury in its eyes and the coppery smell of his own blood.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Miles to the north in Prince Rupert Arnold Hufford stomped his feet loudly as he crossed the porch of his father\u2019s house.\u00a0 The house was dark.\u00a0 He had waited at the BC Ferry landing for over an hour and finally started walking.\u00a0 It was nearly midnight when he finally reached his father\u2019s place lugging a suitcase and a large backpack.\u00a0 He was upset.\u00a0 His dad had begged him to spend winter break from college with him in Prince Rupert instead of going home to his Mom in Victoria.\u00a0 Well, he was here and Dad hadn\u2019t bothered to come and meet him. Arnold pounded on the door and called out.\u00a0 There was no answer.\u00a0 He tried the knob and the door opened.\u00a0 Dad never locked it.\u00a0 Calling out again from the living room he was finally satisfied there was no one home.\u00a0 The place was as cold as the outside.\u00a0 He found the spare bedroom and burrowed under some wool blankets to get warm.\u00a0 Arnold was asleep in five minutes. Early the next morning he changed clothes and wandered through the house trying to figure out when his dad was last home.\u00a0 Things were not picked up and the floor was filthy.\u00a0 A pile of dirty dishes in the sink looked like they had been sitting there for days.\u00a0 Not wanting to face cleaning the place up, he grabbed his jacket and hat and trudged down to the waterfront and found a caf\u00e9 that opened early.\u00a0 The name painted on the window read The Dockside Caf\u00e9.\u00a0 Aside from three fishermen who were joshing with the waitress at the cash register there were only two other people in the place – a young man about his age sat a table near the kitchen entrance and an older guy at the counter sipping a cup of coffee.\u00a0 He slid a chair out from a table by the window and waved at the waitress as the three fishermen walked out. \u201cI\u2019d like a cup of coffee with cream, mamm.\u201d\u00a0 Arnold asked politely. She brought over a half-full pot and turned over a heavy, white mug and poured him some.\u00a0 \u201cCream and sugar on the table.\u00a0 Wanna order somethin\u2019, Hon?\u201d The waitress peered at him over her half lens glasses as she jotted down his order of eggs and home fries.\u00a0 She looked to be around the same age as his father.\u00a0 The name embroidered on her blouse said Wanda.\u00a0 He decided to ask her a question.\u00a0 \u201cWanda, you wouldn\u2019t by chance know Mack Hufford?\u00a0 He\u2019s my father and he doesn\u2019t seem to be home.\u201d The heads of the other two people in the caf\u00e9 turned to look at him as Wanda replied.\u00a0 \u201cSure.\u00a0 Just about everyone in town knows Mack.\u00a0 Can\u2019t say that I\u2019ve seen him in five or six days though.\u201d As she walked unhurriedly over to the kitchen window to place his order, he heard the scrape of a chair and turned his head to see the young man walk towards him. \u201cHi, my name\u2019s JD.\u00a0 You Mack\u2019s son?\u00a0 Not waiting for Arnold to reply, JD sat down in a chair across the table.\u00a0 \u201cHe left town to work some traps over a week ago.\u00a0 Should be back by now.\u00a0 You been to his house?\u201d \u201cYeah, was there last night.\u00a0 Place was cold and the sink full of dirty dishes.\u00a0 I\u2019m Arnie Hufford. \u00a0Been attending Simon Frazer.\u00a0 It\u2019s my first year.\u201d\u00a0 Arnold replied.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know where he goes?\u201d JD sat for a moment twirling a coffee spoon before answering in a hesitant voice.\u00a0 \u201cI, I think he said he was going to Princess Royal.\u00a0 I help Mack skin and stretch hides sometimes\u00a0when he\u2019s got a lot of them to do.\u00a0 He\u2019s got some special places that he doesn\u2019t talk about much.\u00a0 But last time I saw him he mentioned that he hadn\u2019t been to Princess in a while.\u00a0 Princess Royal Island is little over a half day run south down Grenville Channel depending how fast a boat you got.\u00a0 It would take Mack a long day.\u00a0 His boat is pretty slow.\u00a0 But he likes to go there since not many people go that far to hunt and trap so he does pretty well.\u00a0 Of course there are the tourists that want to go there to see a Kermode.\u201d \u201cA Kermode?\u00a0 What\u2019s that?\u201d\u00a0 Arnie asked. \u201cIt\u2019s a bear, a white bear which is pretty rare.\u00a0 Princess Royal Island has a big black bear population and they say maybe one in ten of the cubs are born pure<\/em>\u00a0white.\u00a0 Not albino neither.\u00a0 The First Nations people round here refer to the White Bear as a Spirit Bear.\u00a0 Others call them a ghost bear \u2018cause they\u2019re hard to see.\u00a0 But man, being a Spirit Bear that\u2019s pretty far-fetched\u2026.\u201d The other man in the caf\u00e9 must have been listening to JD ramble on about bears and cleared his throat loud enough for Arnie to hear and for JD to stop talking.\u00a0 The man had twisted on his seat and was staring at the two boys.\u00a0 He looked Indian to Arnie.\u00a0 He wore a blue baseball cap with a beaded Canadian flag on the front.\u00a0 His hair was long and solid black except for starting to turn gray around his ears.\u00a0 His hand that was still wrapped around a coffee mug was rough and dark-skinned.\u00a0 He looked directly at Arnie and JD and spoke softly almost in a whisper yet they both heard him clearly.\u00a0 \u201cPrincess Royal is not a place to go poking around for any reason.\u00a0 It\u2019s the Spirit Bear\u2019s home.\u201d JD made a half-smile and replied.\u00a0 \u201cAh, its okay, Elton.\u00a0 Nobody harms those white bears.\u00a0 Besides, those tourists pay good money to be taken down there on the chance of seein\u2019 one.\u00a0 Most just get a scenic boat ride and maybe see a black bear and a few bald eagles.\u00a0 The white ones seem to shy away from people.\u201d \u201cJD, you should know better\u201d.\u00a0 Elton said with a firm voice.\u00a0 \u201cYour Aunt Liz and me both know that the Spirit Bear has been there since before the first people came.\u00a0 Over 10,000 years ago.\u00a0 Some say before the ice age.\u00a0 This whole Skeena\u00a0River Valley was ice-free.\u00a0 Glaciers didn\u2019t cover it like most of BC and the Yukon.\u00a0 The Spirit Bear was here then and still is.\u00a0 It tells us how to live in this world and on the other side once we pass on.\u00a0 Our legends say that it collects souls of the unforgiving and offers them to our grandfathers to deal with.\u00a0 Take my word.\u00a0 It\u2019s a powerful animal in more ways than one.\u00a0 People need to respect them and their home on Princess Royal.\u201d Elton had finished his little lecture.\u00a0 He got up; put a dollar on the counter and left the Dockside without so much as a goodbye or a nod. Wanda came out from behind the counter with plates balanced on her arm and the coffee pot in one hand.\u00a0 \u201cHere you go.\u00a0 Brought you a side of hotcakes right off the griddle too, Hon.\u201d\u00a0 She set the plates in front of Arnie and started to walk away but hesitated and turned to face the two young men. \u201cI heard what Elton Duke told you boys.\u00a0 You best pay attention to what he says.\u00a0 He\u2019s one of the wisest Natives around.\u00a0 He speaks the Tsimshian language and holds to their old traditions.\u00a0 Even speaks to animals and birds like the bear and the raven.\u00a0 But don\u2019t take that trait as strange.\u00a0 It\u2019s the way he was raised.\u00a0 In what\u2019s called the old ways.\u201d Arnie finished his breakfast hungrily.\u00a0 While he ate he thought about his father and the dangers there must be in a place like Princess Royal.\u00a0 It had been days, maybe a week since anyone had seen him.\u00a0 Maybe Mack had a problem with his boat or even an accident.\u00a0 He was becoming concerned and wondering what could be done.\u00a0 Pushing aside his empty plate he looked at JD and told him what he was thinking. \u201cJD, what if Mack went down there and ran into some trouble? \u00a0Maybe he had a problem with his boat or got injured in the woods.\u00a0 We need do something about it.\u00a0 Could you help me JD?\u00a0 Have you got a boat that we can use to find him?\u201d \u201cI can probably use my dad\u2019s boat.\u00a0 It\u2019s fast.\u00a0 Got two Yamaha one thirties on the back.\u00a0 Ah\u2026.you got any money to buy gas?\u00a0 I\u2019m broke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0***<\/p>\n

By mid morning, JD and Arnie had gassed up and were leaving the boat basin.\u00a0 Arnie liked the thirty foot Broadwater aluminum boat belonging to JD\u2019s father who was away for a few more days helping a friend haul shrimp pots up from Vancouver.\u00a0 He frequently left JD to fend for himself, Arnie learned.\u00a0 He looked out the window of its small cabin at the channel where JD had pointed the boat.\u00a0 Gray sky hung low over gray water.\u00a0 The low clouds obscured the tops of hills but at least they didn\u2019t have the dark look that brings more snow.\u00a0 As JD drove the boat they were quickly away from civilization and passed numerous uninhabited islands that lay between their course and the Pacific Ocean.\u00a0 Arnie realized that he sorely needed JD to help find his dad.\u00a0 He would never have been able to do this alone.<\/p>\n

It took them a little over four hours to reach Princess Royal Island.\u00a0 JD pointed it out up ahead.\u00a0 The clouds had lifted some and Arnie could see that the island was large and its topography varied greatly.\u00a0 Several snow-covered\u00a0peaks that must be a thousand feet high gave the island a remote and foreboding appearance.\u00a0 He could make out sheer rock cliffs and a couple of water falls cascading hundreds of feet down their face into timber filled valleys partially hidden in a pale mist. \u201cIt\u2019s a big island.\u00a0 This looks like an impossible place to find someone. \u00a0Where do we even start?\u00a0 \u201d Arnie declared with his voice showing signs of in trepidation. \u201cNot hard at all.\u201d\u00a0 JD hollered back over the noise of the two outboard motors.\u00a0 \u201cFirst we find Mack\u2019s boat.\u00a0 There\u2019s not many places he can anchor.\u00a0 If he\u2019s not on the boat we look for where he beached his skiff.\u00a0 Mack always tows a fourteen foot Lund.\u00a0 It’s an aluminum boat with dark red sides.\u201d JD pointed to a break in the rocky shoreline.\u00a0 \u201cSee that point over there to the right?\u00a0 There\u2019s a small inlet just behind it called Home Bay.\u00a0 At the far end there\u2019s a stream that comes out of a lake about two miles up a valley.\u00a0 The only place you can anchor is just off the stream at the end.\u00a0 So we check it out first.\u00a0 If Mack\u2019s not there we move on to the next possible anchorage.\u201d They slowed the twin outboard motors slightly and slid around the point with their wake lapping against the kelp covered rocks.\u00a0 Another turn and they could see the end of the cove and JD slowed the boat further so that they were moving slowly through the narrow entrance of the cove.\u00a0 Luck was with them.\u00a0 A small boat was anchored there in the pale gray mist of the cove.\u00a0 JD brought his dad\u2019s boat alongside the larger boat.\u00a0 They immediately saw that the back deck of the other boat was covered with snow and there were no tracks indicating any recent activity. \u201cShould have known that no one was on board.\u00a0 Sadie didn\u2019t raise the alarm as we entered the narrow channel.\u00a0 Sadie is Mack\u2019s dog.\u201d\u00a0 JD declared as the boat drifted in the quietness of the cove.\u00a0 He turned slowly scanning the shore around them then pointed off to his left.\u00a0 \u201cThere, just to the right of those rocks where the stream comes out.\u00a0 That\u2019s Mack\u2019s skiff pulled up high above the tide line on the beach.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to take us in there.\u00a0 You jump out and untie the skiff then drag if back into the water.\u00a0 We\u2019ll tow it out to Mack\u2019s boat and raft this boat up to it.\u00a0 Then we can use the skiff to get back to shore.\u00a0 Dad would kill me if I beached this boat.\u201d \u201cOk.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t like the looks of this.\u00a0 I worried about Mack.\u00a0 He\u2019s been away from his boat too long.\u201d A movement on shore to the right of the stream in the periphery of Arnie\u2019s vision drew his attention.\u00a0 Something had moved behind a stand of stark white alders.\u00a0 He stared at the spot hoping to see it again but whatever it was had disappeared into the dense forest and didn\u2019t show itself. \u201cDid you see that JD?\u00a0 Over there to the far right.\u00a0 I thought I saw something move.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t a dog or a man.\u00a0 It was a lot bigger.\u00a0 Kind of pale colored I think.\u00a0 Only caught a glimpse of it.\u201d \u201cNope.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t see it.\u00a0 Could have been a deer.\u00a0 Everything looks different on shore from a boat.\u201d Fifteen minutes later, they had retrieved the skiff and were tied to other boat.\u00a0 In the extreme stillness around them Arnie could hear the faint riffling sound of the stream where it spilled out of the dark forest with its coat of white snow a stark contrast to the inky colored water of the cove.\u00a0 The only other sound was the repetitive squawk of a raven from somewhere deep in the woods.\u00a0 JD got Mack\u2019s outboard motor going and while it was warming up went back into the cabin of his dad\u2019s boat and dug through a locker under one of the cushions.\u00a0 He took out a 12 gauge shotgun with a shortened barrel and a sling.\u00a0 He removed a couple of slugs from a box of shells and stuffed them in his jacket pocket.\u00a0 Then he grabbed a can of bear spray and tossed it to Arnie. \u201cPut this on your belt.\u00a0 I\u2019ll carry the shotgun.\u00a0 My dad calls it his bear gun.\u00a0 Takes it along when we fish streams where there are bears.\u00a0 You never know when you are going be in a bad situation with a fish hungry bear.\u00a0 Meeting one in the brush just a few feet away can scare the crap out of you.\u201d After beaching the skiff in the same location JD searched around for Mack\u2019s trail into the woods.\u00a0 He found it just off the stream.\u00a0 Arnie followed as JD led them into the woods.\u00a0 Minutes later he discovered tracks of a dog and a set of boot imprints in a patch of bare ground where the trail passed under some large cedar trees.\u00a0 JD pointed at the tracks and then towards the stream full of fallen trees up ahead. \u201cLooks like he went this way alright.\u00a0 Only one set though that leads in and none out.\u201d JD kept up a nervous chatter.\u00a0 \u201cHope you don\u2019t mind me making small talk.\u00a0 The sound of our voices helps to alert any bears around so they have a chance to go another way.\u00a0 Do you know how to use that bear spray by the way?\u00a0 Just flip off the safety loop and push down on the trigger with your thumb after pointing it directly at the face of the bear.\u00a0 It will shoot out 20-25 feet.\u00a0 Presuming you got time to do it and don\u2019t spray yourself in the process.\u00a0 Ha Ha!\u201d As he spoke, they both heard the faint crack of a branch breaking somewhere on the other side of the stream. \u201cThat\u2019s probably the deer you saw.\u201d\u00a0 JD commented. Arnie wasn\u2019t sure.\u00a0 He thought it sounded bigger than a deer.\u00a0 They crossed the stream at the same place Mack had used and in a few minutes later the trail opened up into a clearing.\u00a0 Two ravens were pecking at a dark form in the snow and took flight as they stepped out of the brush. \u201cSomething\u2019s not right here.\u201d\u00a0 JD said as he stared at the mound on the far side of the clearing.\u00a0 \u201cWe better check this out.\u00a0 Looks like the carcass of small bear.\u201d Arnie hesitated at the edge of the clearing and was unsure whether to follow JD.\u00a0 He watched as the boy glanced nervously at the brush around them, then crossed the clearing to examine the carcass.\u00a0 Half way across he stumbled on something in the snow and fell forward onto his hands and knees. \u201cWhat the heck?\u201d\u00a0 He exclaimed scrambling to his feet and examining his hands.\u00a0 They were covered in blood.\u00a0 So were the knees of his trousers. \u201cHoly shit!\u00a0 There\u2019s blood everywhere.\u201d Arnie walked over to the snow-covered object that had caused JD to stumble.\u00a0 He kicked it and could see some exposed leather.\u00a0 He reached down and picked it up.\u00a0 It was an insulated boot only it was heavy and the top was torn.\u00a0 What he saw inside caused his stomach to turn and he retched as he tossed it away. \u201cEeh!\u201d\u00a0 Arnie yelled wiping his hand on the side of the sleeve of his jacket.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a man\u2019s foot still inside.\u00a0 What the hell happened here, JD?\u201d \u201cI dunno.\u00a0 This looks really bad.\u00a0 I think we better get back to the boat.\u00a0 We gotta tell the RCMP.\u00a0 Let them deal with it.\u201d JD and Arnie turned to go and froze where they were in the center of the clearing.\u00a0 Standing motionless in the center of their trail was a monstrous white bear.\u00a0 Its pale form was barely visible in the snow-covered trees and a wispy mist that hung in the clearing.\u00a0 But nevertheless there it was.\u00a0 Just watching them with blazing eyes. \u201cWhat do we do?\u201d\u00a0 Arnie whispered. \u201cJesus! That\u2019s a huge bear.\u00a0 One of them ghost bears but it\u2019s as big as a grizzly.\u00a0 Whatever you do, don\u2019t run.\u00a0 A grizzly will bite you a couple of times and walk away.\u00a0 This bear will kill and eat you.\u00a0 If it doesn\u2019t turn and leave I may have to shoot it.\u201d Arnie moved back slowly a couple of steps as JD, keeping his eyes fixed on the bear, slipped the shotgun slowly off his shoulder.\u00a0 The bear lowered its head and took a slow step towards him.\u00a0 JD lifted the gun to his shoulder and pulled the trigger. \u00a0Instead of a blast there was a quiet click.\u00a0 JD looked terrified.\u00a0 In his panic he had forgotten that the slugs were still in his jacket pocket.\u00a0 The bear sensed JD\u2019s terror and charged across the clearing knocking him to the ground.\u00a0 Its teeth tore through a sleeve of his jacket.\u00a0 JD screamed and tried to crawl away but the bear bit again this time grabbing hold of one of his legs below the knee.\u00a0 Arnie heard a bone break.\u00a0 He started to holler at the bear and waved his arms to distract it from JD.\u00a0 Then he remembered he had the can of bear spray.\u00a0 Maybe it would work to scare the bear away. The bear let go of JD who now lay motionless in the trampled snow moaning and sobbing.\u00a0 It stood on its hind legs and looked at Arnie.\u00a0 Then it dropped back down and then ambled slowly towards him.\u00a0 Arnie flipped off the safety on the can then losing his nerve stepped back and stumbled over the carcass of the bear cub.\u00a0 He scrambled to his feet somehow still holding the can just as the bear charged.\u00a0 He pressed the trigger and the stream of concentrated pepper spray hit the bear square in the face.\u00a0 It roared and slid over on one side then jumped up and crashed blindly into the brush. \u201cJD!\u00a0 Are you okay?\u00a0 The bear\u2019s gone.\u00a0 We gotta get back to the boat before it comes back.\u201d JD moved then screamed in pain as he tried to get up.\u00a0 \u201cMy leg!\u00a0 It\u2019s broken.\u00a0 Help me, Arnie.\u00a0 I\u2026I don\u2019t want to die here.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to lose my soul to that ghost bear.\u00a0 Please get me out of here!\u201d \u201cStop raving, JD!\u00a0 We\u2019ll make it.\u00a0 Grab my arm and stand up on your good foot then put one arm over my shoulder.\u00a0 We can do this.\u201d Arnie struggled to support JD and somehow they got across the stream and worked their way down the trail.\u00a0 They stumbled and fell several times.\u00a0 Each time JD screamed but the urgency to get back to the beach and the safety of the boat kept them moving.\u00a0 They reached the skiff and JD tumbled in while Arnie pushed the boat into the water.\u00a0 He climbed in and started pulling on the starter cord.\u00a0 All of a sudden JD was hollering at him. \u201cIt\u2019s here!\u00a0 Get the motor started.\u00a0 It\u2019s here!\u201d Arnie glanced up to see the bear charge out of brush and into the water.\u00a0 Its claws raked the side of the skiff and the weight of the bear nearly capsized them.\u00a0 Arnie pulled out the choke, yanked the cord again and the motor started.\u00a0 He jammed it in reverse just as the bear lunged for them again.\u00a0 The boat surged away from the bear with the motor screaming and its prop churning up the water.\u00a0 He threw the motor into forward and pushed the tiller all the way over.\u00a0 As they sped toward the boats in the center of the cove, the white bear climbed back on shore and shook the water from itself.\u00a0 They could hear its roars over the whining of the outboard.\u00a0 And then as suddenly as it had appeared it was gone. An hour later the two boys were speeding back up Grenville Channel toward town.\u00a0 They sat silently not speaking to each other about their close encounter with death.\u00a0 An old fishing boat appeared going in the opposite direction.\u00a0 As it passed Arnie gave a little wave.\u00a0 The man at the helm did not even look at them.\u00a0 Arnie noticed he was wearing a blue baseball cap.\u00a0 Elton Duke!\u00a0 Where\u2019s he going?\u00a0 <\/em>He thought to himself. After a while JD dug out a handheld marine radio.\u00a0 He called the Coast Guard in Prince Rupert and in a painful voice described what had happened.\u00a0 When Arnie and JD arrived they were met at the dock by the police along with an ambulance and two medics who transported the injured JD to the hospital.\u00a0 The RCMP sergeant in charge informed Arnie that he needed to accompany him and several deputies back to the island in the morning.\u00a0 He accepted in hopes that the remains of Mack Hufford might be found although he doubted it.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

When Arnie arrived at the cove the next day with the RCMP he was surprised to see another boat already there.\u00a0 It was Elton Duke\u2019s fishing boat and the Indian stood on the deck waiting for them.\u00a0 The sergeant asked Elton what he was doing there. \u201cThe matter of the white man who violated the home of the Spirit Bear is settled.\u00a0 I\u2019ve spoken to the bear, Sergeant.\u201d\u00a0 Elton said simply.\u00a0 \u201cThere is no need for guns or to hunt for her since you will never find her.\u00a0 There will be no more killing.\u00a0 She has agreed to go far into the mountains and has taken the soul of a man with her to offer to our Grandfathers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This page features some fishing tales, true life adventures and highlights some of the thriller fiction novels that I have written, including my latest thriller novel set in Southeast Alaska and perfect for days cruising. For more details and how … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P2dWYW-gS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1046"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1046"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3487,"href":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1046\/revisions\/3487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nordicquest.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}