Book Details

What Happens When Strangers Care Enough to Risk Everything?

Strangers...We meet them every day. They’re in the checkout line at your local grocery. You can find them scanning the best-seller aisle at your favorite bookstore. You might even have strangers living right next door. They come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes, they can touch your life in unexpected ways. When three strangers drive their old Ford pickup truck into the small rural town of Anna’s Mill, Georgia, no one could have predicted the incredible impact of their short visit. Most strangers would have skipped town once Anna’s Mill tragic secret was revealed. Instead, the three strangers chose to stay and risk everything, including their lives.

 

Book Excerpt


The truck bounced down a neglected, pothole-filled road. Cracks filled and divided the pavement like checkered board and pine trees crowded in on both sides. Flimsy branches merged overhead, blocking out what little sunlight remained in the long day. Hobbs reached down and flicked on the headlights. A sudden wind rocked the truck and the high, thin pines swayed back and forth as pine needles rained down.

“We’ll be walking before long,” Hobbs said to his friend, J.R. He eyed the fuel gauge. They had used the last bit of money on fuel and now that was nearly spent.

J.R. looked out at the pines from the middle seat, smiling. His long, thick eyelashes framed large and hopeful eyes. His wavy brown hair fell below his ears and dimples formed at his cheeks. Dippy dozed fitfully, his short legs stretching to the floor.

“I just know we’ll find some work in this next town,” J.R. said.
“We’ve been looking all day,” Hobbs responded. “I hate to say it, but Dippy was right. We ain’t gonna find work. Not today; not around here.”

“Don’t give up hope yet. I’ve got a good feeling about this next stop.”
Hobbs looked at J.R. with amazement. Despite the incredibly bleak and fruitless day, J.R.’s optimism never failed. They’d been to Zebulon, Aldora, Concord, Meansville, and many more places searching for jobs. Rejected at every stop, and yet J.R. remained hopeful.

Hobbs struggled to understand the source of J.R.’s cheerfulness. Like Hobbs, J.R. grew up underprivileged; but worse, he was challenged with a learning disability. At the age of 16, J.R. ran from an abusive home and partnered with Hobbs. J.R.’s optimism contrasted with Hobbs’ pessimism and it confounded Hobbs that his friend shirked off life’s hard blows with such ease.

The wind outside the truck ceased and a surreal calm filled the pine forest. Twilight settled in and the shadows of the forest merged so that nothing remained but darkness. The dim headlights revealed low, skinny, and pale branches that reached out at them from all directions like some creature from a horror movie.

Their last hope for the day rested on a small town by the name of Anna’s Mill and an auto shop by the name of Voyals. The difficult part was locating the scratch town in a sea of Georgia pines and the barren road provided no comfort. Hobbs half expected the drive to end at a dilapidated shack with a couple of shot gun toting degenerates on the front porch.

Hobbs pulled his truck to a stop in front of a road sign, mostly hidden by overgrowth. The headlights from the truck reflected off the signs dull surface. It read, “Welcome the Anna’s Mill, Population 1,258”.

A neglected placard dangled precariously by a single chain. Hobbs tilted his head to match the angle of the placard. It read, “HOME OF THE GREEN UGLY."

With foreboding thoughts, Hobbs looked out the front window of the truck at the small town of Anna’s Mill. The pines receded and, in the distance, he could see a few lights in the center of town. No people were in sight as the first raindrops began to fall.

 

About the Author

Douglas Toal

Douglas Toal lives in North Carolina with his wife, June. Together, they raised four children. This is his first novel.