Synopsis

Overlapping memories, overlapping lives, wide open spaces, and soft but sometimes heart-breaking reminiscences, with the mighty Mississippi running through it all — let Jim Bates take you on rich, human, intertwining journeys into a landscape of souls where you can glimpse beauty and peace, longing and contentment, the burden of past decisions and their forgiveness, and perhaps find yourself.

Amazon

Excerpt

The Standoff

Without warning the snow ledge we’d been traversing collapsed, sending Jerry and me hurtling twenty feet down the side of the shear granite canyon into the boiling rapids of the boulder-infested Tettegouche River. In a matter of moments our packs were swept away and our heavy winter clothes were completely soaked, but we were able to fight our way out of the icy water onto the snowy riverbank where we lay exhausted in the minus-ten-degree February air. I’d sprained my wrist and from the swelling in his ankle it looked like Jerry had either a bad sprain or a fracture. We were minutes from freezing to death and had to get a fire going. Thankfully, Jerry was able to.

“There’s hope,” I said scooting closer as the first flames licked the pine needles we’d used for tinder. “We may make it yet.”

Jerry gave me a sick grin, “Always the optimist, aren’t you Steve? We’ve lost our gear, I used all our matches to get the fire started and we don’t have any food except these granola bars.” A point he emphasized by reaching into his pocket and handing me one of the two he had remaining. I had none. “And no one knows where we are. Yeah, things are looking great.”

I gratefully took the bar, opened it and contemplatively munched. My friend did the same.

If I were an optimistist, Jerry was a realist. We’d been camping on Lone Loon Lake for two nights, only three miles from the trailhead where we’d parked our car. We could have snow-shoed the distance back in half a day easily, but we’d taken an alternate route for fun. Not a good idea. We’d gotten lost, ended up in the river, and now here we were, the flames from our fire the only thing keeping us from dying a slow agonizing death from exposure in the unforgiving Minnesota wilderness.

With the sun hanging low on the horizon and with the kindling in the fire starting to die out, I hurried to collect as much firewood as I could, hindered greatly by my sprained wrist. Jerry could hardly move due to his swollen ankle, now nearly popping the laces of his boot. By the time I had gathered a healthy pile of pine, birch and aspen, the pain had become so intense he was fading into and out of consciousness.

With that in mind, I almost didn’t believe him when he recovered momentarily and pointed to the top of the canyon on the other side of the river. “Steve, you’re not going to believe this. We’ve got visitors.”

Thinking we were going to be rescued, I was about to cheer when my throat constricted and my heart rate jumped from the adrenaline pouring into my blood. There, peering over the edge of the canyon in the fading twilight was a wolf – a large one, an alpha male. In a moment he was joined by a smaller wolf, probably his mate, then three more, most certainly last year’s offspring.

I turned to him, “My god, it’s a wolf pack,” I whispered. “What are we going to do?”

For once in his life, Jerry had nothing to say. Then he spoke softly, “I’ve no idea, but off hand, I’d say we’re toast.”

About the Author

Jim’s stories and poems have appeared in nearly five hundred online and print publications. His collection of short stories, Resilience, is published by Bridge House Publishing. Short Stuff, a collection of flash fiction and drabbles is published by Chapeltown Books. Periodic Stories, Periodic Stories Volume Two, Periodic Stories Volume Three – A Novel, and Periodic Stories Volume Four are published by Impspired. Dreamers, a collection of short stories, is published by Clarendon House Publishing. Something Better, a dystopian adventure novella, and the novel, The Alien of Orchard Lake, are published by Dark Myth Publications. In the fall of 2022, his collection entitled Holiday Stories was published by Impspired as was his collection of poetry, Haiku Seasons. In February 2023, Periodic Stories Volume IV was published, as was his collection of poems, The Alchemy of Then, both by Impspired. In June 2023, a collection of flash fiction, Dancing With Butterflies, was published by Impspired.In July 2023, his YA novella The Battle of Marvel Wood was published by Impspired. His short story “Aliens” was nominated by The Zodiac Press for the 2020 Pushcart Prize. His story “The Maple Leaf” was voted 2021 Story of the Year for Spillwords. He was voted December 2022 Author of the Month for Spillwords. He also reads his stories for Talking Stories Radio and for Jim’s Storytime on his website. He lives in a small town west of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Website