HAVENWOOD TALES ~ BEGINNINGS
“And as predictable as the cycles of the moon, you felt very alive and fortified in his presence, imbued somehow with your own capacity for higher understanding . . .”
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Mister Walling was, pure and simple, a world of his own. And he was different from anyone anywhere I’ve been since the days of Havenwood.
Truth be told, I rarely ever saw him. It happened in the course of my living that the journey itself absorbed me more than my quest for truth. And yet Gabriel White Cloud Walling became an indelible part of my life, as necessary as my dreams and the ground I walked on . . . . .
He never intimated there was anything out of the ordinary about his appearance. And I really enjoyed looking at him.
His condition seemed so natural, it never occurred to me to ask if there might have been strange circumstances. Or an accident at birth. Or any other meat-brained question I already knew wasn’t the answer. And because he conducted himself as a quiet and unassuming, good-natured creature and I’d heard no one complain or say he was odd, it seemed to me, initially, that folks around Havenwood had accepted him for the miracle he was — until I realized that he was never spoken of.
Miracle of Spirit
Yet the best I could track, Mister Walling had lived deep in the same patch of woods past the north shore of Silver Bear Lake above Havenwood for well over half a century before I even met him. And he didn’t seem to me to be what folks would call a bona fide recluse; he just preferred to keep to himself, choosing his people and causes of his own accord.
His value sprang from the stories he shared with a privy few of each new generation. And those he touched knew in their hearts that a visit with Mister Walling promised, if just for a moment, a freedom from the stream of time — something sacred, eternal and true.
I think another reason he was so special was the fact that whenever you arrived to him, he already knew why your were there, whether you knew why or not.
And as predictable as the cycles of the moon, you felt very alive and fortified in his presence, imbued somehow with your own capacity for higher understanding—if not of what had happened, then surely of things to come . . .
Excerpts from the opening of HAVENWOOD TALES Beginnings
D.J. Houston, Author
Copyright©2006, 2014 D.J. Houston. All Rights Reserved.
Mystery Novel – Life Journey – Paranormal Intrigue – Visionary Fiction – Inspirations
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Thank you, Miss Trudie, for sharing your story with D J. I am ever so grateful to be allowed to peek into that bright world you knew. It is such a pleasure and speaks to me way past these Earthly trappings. With gratitude and a big smile, Julia Roark
It is such a pleasure for both of us to have you for a fan and friend, Miss Julia. My author D.J. Houston and I will always be grateful. We send you a big smile back! Thank you for sharing your wonderful spirit with us.
Your True Friend,
Trudie McAfee – Narrator HAVENWOOD TALES
[ ] We drifted back and forth in tandem, Mister Walling glowing in his giant rocking chair and I on my swing, as he spoke his name… [ ]
[And there across the glade — as if Nature herself had woven it into the landscape — was Mister Walling’s cabin, set like a secret high on stilts above the banks of a slow-running creek]
[…] I was gazing out the classroom window across the scarlet hilltops toward Silver Bear Lake, when she floated like a whisper past my desk and murmured, “Daydreams are like butterflies” […]
Your story smacks of a new breed of great modern literature. I am reminded of Charles Dickens’ unforgettable characters, stamped by Mark Twain in a new era of American classics.
Here’s to the brilliant success of Havenwood Tales!
Peter – a Brit fan
Thanks for your outstanding remarks, Mister Peter! My author D.J. Houston is most pleased 😀
Your Friend in America,
Trudie Elizabeth McAfee – Narrator (and the person this happened to)
[…] a summer of brave adventures, some startling misadventure and plentiful mystery followed my precocious encounter with Gabriel White Cloud Walling […]
Wow, so this is how it all begins! As a subscriber who’s read several of your later excerpts, I feel like I just arrived in Havenwood for the first time!!
My family and I are so glad to find you’ve shared the story’s beginning with us. Honored to read your work!
Very best,
Helen
My author D.J. Houston welcomes your visit, Miss Helen! We’re tickled and honored to have you and your family as Subscribers and Fans. And don’t worry, you haven’t seen the real beginning yet — it’s a surprise 😉
Your Friend,
Trudie Beth McAfee – Narrator HAVENWOOD TALES
[…] We drifted back and forth in tandem — Mister Walling glowing in his giant rocking chair and I on my swing… […]
[…] I had my family, my community and a fairly unbridled imagination. And I had whatever I could of Mister Walling […]
What a stunning web you weave! I want to stay!
Stay all you like, my friend. Havenwood welcomes you 🙂
You Friend Trudie McAfee – Narrator HAVENWOOD TALES
Really, really nicely done!
This is stunning! Intriguing story tease! Gorgeous masthead! Is it your photography?
Thank you! My author D.J. Houston is also a photographer. She took that picture you refer to, of a barn I liked when I was little, all fixed up with fresh paint now 🙂