Bøger af John K Sutherland

Two Shot had many enemies, but he treated everyone the same, whether they were enemy or friend; he treated them very poorly. The one exception was Mildew Scatterbrain. He was just a scarecrow. Mildew was everyone's friend. After his last trick, stealing Max's dumplings, Two-Shot now had another enemy to add to his long list. Max. Two-Shot just laughed at all of it. They couldn't possibly do anything to him, he was too clever for them. He'd escaped the farmer, when the farmer had thought to cook him up for dinner that Saturday. Two-Shot was still angry with Silver Tonsils, the rooster, for singling him out for the farmer that day. He'd outwitted that dumb old owl; he'd even turned Mildew's foolish idea about capturing the moon, to his own advantage, with a nest full of food. After all of that, they had still not be able to catch the moon. Try how they might, they would never get even with Two-Shot. Or so he thought. That thought was his undoing. He was too cocky, and needed to be brought down a peg or two. And that's what happened. Except he even managed to escape that.

Two-Shot was especially fond of dumplings, but so were all of the other animals in the farmyard. When Thursday came around; dumpling Thursday, everyone ate well, except for Two-Shot. He always missed out. The other animals were very protective of their food on Thursday. They knew from bitter experience that Two-Shot liked dumplings too, and did all that they could to keep him away. However, being a very clever crow, Two-Shot knew that he could think of a way to enjoy dumplings just like all of the other animals, but how could he do it? He would think about it. Then, he had another brilliant idea. He could do it with a little help from his half-brother, One-Shot, and from another, difficult kind of friend. And that's what he did.

Robert was encouraged to take refuge on the upper floors of the Deming house when his friend, George, recognized that his mother was still, unexpectedly, at home, and was on the warpath.That, was when he met Rebecca, George's sister, in the attic area of the house.He had taken some time to see her with her sitting in a wing-back chair with her feet raised onto the window ledge in front of her, taking advantage of the sun.She was sitting, carelessly, in the window space, facing the setting sun, with the last warm rays shining in upon her, bathing as much of her as was possible under her dress. She did not seem to realise how exposed she was, what he could see reflected in the window, or how intent he was upon seeing more of her. He was shocked to see her there, but he was captivated immediately.She was avoiding her mother; succeeding, where George hadn't.Robert would be stuck in her presence for quite some time.He was stuck for long enough to fall in love with her, and to learn so much more about her, and about this peculiarly dysfunctional family.Fate had directed his footsteps here.Rebecca needed to be rescued, and he was the man to do it.

Royce has an appointment with death after losing his wife, Jen, and unborn child in a plane crash which he survived.Claire has other plans for him after he pulled her from the river, more dead than alive.Royce Healey is walking the Canyon Rim to 'Witches Cauldron', where he intends to take his own life after losing his wife, Jen, of five years, and their unborn child, three months earlier in a plane crash that he had no right to survive. Except he had survived, feeling lost and somehow, guilty.As he walks the rim, he sees a rafter fall overboard in the rapids half a mile below him. He has to get down there and rescue her before she drowns. He races against time and the river, taking risks he would not normally take, and pulls her from the river before she had gone even a mile. Claire is stuck with him and he is stuck with her; thrown closely together for a few days until he can get her to safety. She reminds him of his lost wife in so many ways. They unconsciously re-align each other's lives to bring him back into the land of the vibrantly alive and the living as they give free rein to their emotions in the most basic ways.

Margaret, 'Midge' Robarts decides that she has to get on with life, stop feeling sorry for herself, and stop holding her father and her Aunt Gladys back from getting married, even though her Aunt Gladys is five months pregnant with her father's baby.'Midge' has been in a wheelchair for four years since the accident that killed her mother and left her incapacitated.She opts to go to school: Slingsby College. She'd read about it, researched it, made a decision, and told her father. Her condition for going, was that her father and Aunt Gladys would settle on a date for their marriage.She was ready for college, but college was not ready for her. Then she met Robert Colton; as much out of place in that school as she was; just as damaged, and the only man in the school. The hormones, churn. She learns about him, and about herself.He is to help her get over her various traumas and begin living again by helping her recover. However, little goes as smoothly as it should. He has his own problems, or had, until he met her, and then he finds a new set of problems to deal with. He turns out to be one unexpected shock after another for her, She'd fallen in love. So had he. Now, how are they to survive in this school setting, where everyone spies upon them,

Women warriors from the four cities had risen up against their Thorian overlords, and had been given a victory, outside of the walls of Fenn. Yet no one had died. It had been a bloodless coup. They could not believe it.The ten, heavily-armed Thorian warriors, intimidating giants, had surrendered to the hordes of women when they had been challenged, but they had not surrendered because they had been outnumbered. It had been a tactical surrender. A thousand warrior women could not have managed this, by combat.The women had expected defeat. They hadn't felt such terror before, facing even these few men. That terror would live with most of them for the rest of their lives when they returned to their own cities. If they survived this.The Thorians, these vicious overlords, must still be playing their devious and cruel games with them.A voice out of nowhere filled their thoughts, but where it came from they did not know."Accept your victory, and hope that you really do want, and know, what it is that you will be getting. Though that, is still to be understood, and negotiated. You must determine your own futures now, if you can. "Be very careful how you negotiate away what you already have until you know what you are giving up, and what you will be replacing it with. There were many good things in that treaty when it was first written."It sounded ominous. There had been nothing good in that treaty.The voice came at them again. "You have let them stew for long enough. I think I would advise that you accept their surrender before they change their minds."This, did not sound like victory.

The title story won first prize in the Fog Lit Books for Young People. The competition was for books for readers or listeners up to age 18 and was limited to less than 4,500 words. 'Two-Shot Lands in Trouble', is a beautifully written story with a witty and interesting protagonist -- a hungry black crow -- who uses his wits and imagination to solve his dilemma. 'Two-Shot Lands in Trouible, is clever, nicely paced, and threaded with lovely imagery. There is a wonderful lyrical quality to the writing, and overall it was a truly pleasurable read. Adjudicator comments.

The Wilson girls-triplets-were on the school roof one night when it began to rain. They should go in, but first needed to pee. They stripped off their nightclothes, rolled them firmly to hold tight under their arms to keep them dry, and stood nakedly defiantly in the dark, at the edge of the roof, peeing, standing up.Sarah slipped. Clothing flew everywhere as her sisters leapt forward. Too late. She stopped at the edge; her toes in the gutter. They had only nightdresses to help her, so dangled them down to her. They couldn't go back into the school now. Le-an remembered the groundsman's cottage. There would be help there.She was totally naked, but Sarah needed help. She never paused to think about it, but went down the ladders off the roof, running across the lawn holding her breasts steady.She knocked on the door. No response. She opened it and shouted. Hearing taps running, she walked toward the noise. A completely naked young man stepped out immediately in front of her, not seeing her, drying his hair. He was shockingly aroused. Her eyes were fixed on that.They collided, heads bumping, then they were falling. There was not only a sharp pain in her head, but another developing much lower on her body as they settled over the end of the chaise together, with him lodged firmly between her legs. Too firmly. Hurting her. He had penetrated her! Gone into her! Merde!She passed out with the shock of it.

Steve and Barbara met at the lake one summer while Steve had been bathing, thinking he was alone. She hadn't known he'd been swimming at first, so she'd undressed and waded out, not seeing him until she was beyond the jetty. All of his clothes were piled there. He was swimming naked! They both panicked, but neither dared to climb out with the other there. Hell, he was only a boy, probably about thirteen, to her fifteen. She could intimidate him.But she couldn't, and found out that she didn't want to. He was interesting. He was also very shy, even more shy than she was.It was refreshing to see that.They decided to swim up here again on the next day, and the day after that, and even the day after that, and on and on... for the rest of summer.Inevitably, it evolved from there.

Mildew Scatterbrain, the scarecrow, was not known for his ability to think, though he sometimes had a lot to say, most of it confusing, even to himself. Then, one day he had an idea, and said something to Two-Shot which showed that he was completely crackers. Two-Shot had no patience with such foolishness and tried to let him see that what he suggested-catching the moon-was impossible. However, the other animals did not think so. What was worse, they all began to blame Two-Shot for not seeing how clever an idea it was and not helping bring it about. Two-Shot could only stand so much of it and had to give in eventually, but only when he saw how he could turn Mildew's foolish idea into something else that would benefit himself. It all went according to plan. Not Mildew's crackpot plan, but Two-Shot's brilliant plan.

Three brief accounts of war, from its atrocities, to its heroism, and to its adventure. There are some scenes of extreme and vengeful violence, as well as others of gentle intimacy. 'It Ends Now.'Rebecca, a prisoner for almost four months, nursed those in the Japanese hospital. Each day, she was summoned by Mashito to his hut. This would end in death for her. But he must die first.Covered in blood, Rebecca ran, laughing hysterically down the sandy slope, Mashito's bleeding head in one hand, and the doctor's briefcase in the other. Her nakedness was barely covered by Mashito's short jacket.The Cruel Aftermath of the Civil War.Seven Confederates ride onto the plantation with drawn guns. Elizabeth snatches up a gun to meet them. Now, seven men are dead. Another lies wounded; a southern Yankee. He changes their lives forever.A Medal For What?O'Brien held Margaret's thigh at his waist level, his hand under her, his little finger touching excitedly up against hair as he had slowly but steadily pushed into her. It was easy. She had prepared herself, although when they finished, the Gel she had used would attract and hold the sand onto their exposed flesh until it could be wiped off.

This account is a description of the Conscription in 1945 of Gerald Cooper, and of his subsequent deployment to locations in England for training, and then to the Middle East. He was deployed in Egypt, Palestine, and Cyprus, where he observed the workings of the British Army. He had a German POW batman for part of his deployment. His batman was an industrious craftsman who made him a sturdy canvas briefcase out of tent canvas. That briefcase, a memento of that era, saw him through architectural school in Leeds. It also saw his much younger brother-in-law through university, and is still in serviceable condition somewhere in Australia or New Zealand.

Anna went for a ride, going farther than she had ever gone before, even into the next county, but her mind had been on other things. She rode across the river and then, minutes later, turned to go home, crossing it once more, followed by her dog. She rode into the stable-yard almost three hours after she left, then learned that she had been gone not just three hours, but more than two weeks.Impossible! She recollected none of that. Surely, they were mistaken.They pointed out strange things about her she had not noticed. She was dressed differently than when she had gone out on her ride, and much more fashionably. She was wearing jewelry that she could not remember and that did not belong to her; even a large ring, as though she were married. She was also riding a different and much more notable horse; not Peony, her mare that she had gone out on, but a jet-black gelding, Tornado, and she now had a large dog, Samson, that refused to leave her side and was defensive of her. She noticed other changes; changes in herself. She felt more assured, decisive, and outspoken where she had always tended to be cautious before, even shy of putting herself forward and often taking too long to mull things over in her uncertainty. Those were not the only surprises, but it took several weeks for her to learn the rest of it when she came down sick, one morning.She was pregnant? She had no recollection of anything happening to her like that, and she was sure she would have.Gradually, the memories began to return, but there was no memory of this unknown man who haunted her mind and filled her every dream, coming to her as she slept, but gone, when she awoke.

Cassie, the respectable one of the thirteen-year-old Sinclair twins, escaped from her threatening environment one night, and swam across the lake to avoid her twin sister, Meg's, many, male 'friends'. Much older friends. That evening, dripping wet after her swim, almost naked, and exhausted, she was unofficially 'adopted' by Mrs. Robertson. She was brought to live under the same roof as Malcolm Robertson, eighteen, Mrs. Robertson's son, who was rarely at home, studying for exams and preparing for university and medical school. Mrs. Robertson saw the difficulties with a precocious and well-developed thirteen year old, and a hormonal youth, and kept the pair of them apart. They were not even allowed to meet, but their paths did cross in other ways. It was not hard for them to fall in love, despite never meeting each other. Each learned so much about the other in those few weeks and months before Malcolm went away to university.Some years after that, Cassie went to live with a distant aunt as she herself graduated to become a teacher.When she was twenty-three, her uncle... the only one of her family that she had any affection for, died, and at the same time she got a job offer at the same school that Mrs. Robertson taught at.She returned for the funeral and, arriving late, she decided to stay with her own estranged family for just one night, before going to see Mrs. Robertson.The next morning, with her own family out of the way, whooping it up on her uncle's meager savings, she decided to sunbathe on the dock. She was alone, she would sunbathe nude.Everything went wrong.She nudged one of the pilings on the dock and caused a tackle box full of fishhooks... three-pronged varieties... to fall on her. She thought she was being attacked by wasps and instinctively tried to sweep them off her. She learned her mistake the hard way. Fishhooks were embedded everywhere across her body. The pain was unbearable.She had her sister Meg's phone with her, rather than her own after Meg had left that morning taking hers with her.She phoned old Doc Robertson. She could trust him.

Margaret was walking alone, becoming confused and lost when the weather closed in around her. She had dressed too lightly for this, and soon became soaked and cold.That was how David, walking through the mountains to Colfax, found her, sitting under a tree, and close to losing consciousness in the sudden cold snap that saw snow now coming down. He wasted no time getting a camp set up where she was, lighting a fire, divesting her of her sodden clothing with some trepidation, but making sure that she would not suffer from exposure. He could apologize afterward.He would also need to share his warmth with her in that one sleeping bag.Neither of them was prepared for what happened.It was easy to chalk it up to love at first sight, as that was what happened.She, lived in Colfax. He, would be working there. It seemed like a fit made in heaven.It was, but then Margaret's daughter might have something to say about that.

Two-Shot's friends have found a new hero to admire; an owl. Not only an owl, but a King Owl! They now begin to ignore Two-Shot. This will never do. Two Shot must find some way to get rid of the owl or his life will never be as comfortable as it was. So, that owl thinks he's a King Owl does he? We'll soon see about that. He will have to meet with The Examiner of Kings first. Of course, the exalted Examiner of Kings is none other than Two-Shot.

This is the first story in the collection of six prize-winning stories. It is about a crow named Two-Shot. His stomach constantly gets him into all kinds of trouble, but he is also a mischievous bird. He plays tricks on his friends, and sometimes has the most brilliant ideas. His ideas all lead toward the same end; getting food. He has an especially good friend; Mildew Scatterbrain, the scarecrow, but Mildew doesn't scare Two-Shot. They are the best of friends (most of the time) because Mildew doesn't eat anything in competition with Two-Shot. These stories describe some of the outrageous adventures that Two-Shot encounters.

Two-Shot's very best friend was Mildew Scatterbrain, the scarecrow. Mildew stood in the middle of his field all day in all weather and throughout the seasons and the years. The wind pulled at his clothes and his straw filling. He got wet in the rain, and he got baked in the sun, yet he never complained. The mice who lived in his head tried to keep him stuffed with straw, but even that was soon lost from all of the holes in his clothes, which were falling to bits around him. Two-Shot felt sorry for him and decided, one day, that Mildew deserved to be better dressed. So that's what he did. He felt very good about what he did to make that happen, but the farmer didn't, because the new suit that Mildew was now dressed in, was the farmer's best suit.

Sheila met him by accident miles from anywhere out on the Fell. She became distracted trying to avoid him, as she had all week, and fell into a steep-sided little gully with a pond at the bottom. He heard her cry out as she fell, and immediately investigated, as he knew he had to.She was sitting in a deep pond, soaking wet, and did not need his help.Except she did. She had a twisted ankle, and she was cold and wet.Despite her objections, he saw to her.He'd have to get her dry, and then he'd have to carry her out of there.He'd need to give her his shirt while he got hers dry, except... her shirt was down near her wrists before he realised that she was not wearing a bra.There was nothing he could do about it, except to get them both dry and off the Fell.No way was she going to tell him where she lived, or that she would be alone for the rest of the week while her mother was away.However, things changed. She needed his help for much more, and he was turning out to be not such a bad guy.In fact, he was turning out to be everything she ever wanted, but had never known it. By the time they got off the fell, they were in love with each other.After an adventure filled week for them both, her mother returned unexpectedly to find them being intimate for the first time.It didn't end, but it developed from there in a revolutionary way as it needed to do..

The weather was absolute hell when they'd met on the top of the Fell, miles from anywhere.The downpour had caught her totally off guard and she was soaking wet when he saw her, sheltering in the lea of a large clump of rocks.He couldn't just ignore her, so he didn't.'If he ignored her...?' no one should ignore another in distress out here.She could refuse his help, but she didn't.He sat down with her and unsnapped his poncho to include her under it with him, until the storm passed.He should try and get her dry, or she'd never be able to go anywhere. Nothing is ever as simple as it at first seems, as James soon discovered.There was something about her...!He soon found out was that 'something' was. She didn't have a shy bone in her body and she was eager for his help.The situation very quickly got out of control.

Fenn, was one of the four, walled cities of Women, in Thorium. They survived because of a treaty with the Thorians; a terrifying race of warrior men; their absent rulers, whom they never saw except during times of difficulty and punishment... or so the tales related. Each month the cities were required to send out a total of ten young women into the wasteland, but to meet what fate? It constantly nagged at them. They dared not refuse, or question what the treaty required, or they would violate the treaty, and the punishment would get worse.Each week, a 'Yunk' trader-a giant of a man called, Stoker, came to Fenn, with everything they needed from the outside world, and to trade with them. He had done this for three years, rarely staying more than a few hours; rarely saying anything, but observing everything, biding his time. He was intimidating in every way. If 'he' was intimidating, what would a Thorian be like? They dared not consider that.He arrived, bloody, each time, because of the animals which attacked him as he crossed the wasteland. Their bodies were stacked in the back of the second cart, attesting to his skill with his weapons, and his strength.He rarely conversed with them as they washed the blood out of his carts after he'd emptied them.Today, everything would change because of the weather. He would need to stay overnight. Today, was the day when all of their lives would be changed. Today, he would tell them about Thorians and, today, they would challenge him in some way, to trade, or to win from him, those personal items he brought, that they were driven to possess.