by Linda L Zern
“Affirmative.”
“Where’ve you been?” Darby sounded young and relieved. “Why did you scare us like that?”
Ella tousled Darby’s hair and then said, “Sorry, Darbs. Brittany, don’t stick Jamie with that. After you two smacked him around, I took him prisoner, more or less, and he took me to his camp. It’s closer than you think. You guys took off pretty quick or I would have told you, but I knew you’d stay put . . .”
Brittany snorted.
“Or hoped you would.”
“We did,” Darby said. “We did stay put. And you found us.”
“I did. And I’m not the only one.” Ella reached up, caught Darby’s chin in her fingers, and turned her head to look behind them.
In the shaded gloom of the woods, quietly watching them with glittery green eyes . . . eyes that matched her own . . .
“Ryan,” Brittany sighed.
They’d done it. They had found their brother in the middle of all this filthy, swirling chaos. Because of some stranger, a man in a Red Cross hospital tent, some man whose name they would never know, had told Ella where to look, where to try and find him, and she had, they had . . .
Brittany dropped her frog and walked with her sisters into the arms of their brother.
Dear Reader,
While Beyond the Strandline Series is a work of fiction, the atmospheric events leading up to the establishment of the S-Line Ranch as an oasis of prepared safety have been and might yet be very real.
Solar storms are a documented part of earth’s history. In 1859, a solar coronal mass ejection (a geomagnetic solar storm or solar flares) hit the earth. What little power grid existed at the time, mainly telegraphs, largely failed.
Our modern world, with its complicated power grids and systems, has only grown more vulnerable to the massive influence of our closest star. According to some in the scientific community: EMP’s, pandemics, dirty bombs, nuclear attack, global economic collapse, and all the rest are statistically less likely than the storms that we cannot stop but can only try to prepare for.
In the character of Colonel Kennedy, I wanted to show the potential for all of us to be able to think ahead and prepare (prep) for whatever the universe or mankind might have in store.
Curious readers have asked me, “How did he [Tess’s grandfather] know what to do to get ready?”
I rejoice at the question. Thinking about what might happen is the beginning. I like to imagine that Colonel Kennedy looked up emergency preparedness on the Internet and started reading. Something any of us can do.
This is a story of possibilities and hope and courage and love and survival. In my mind, it’s better than a fairy tale because it’s a story about the best fairy tale of all—life—in all its unpredictability.
Linda L. Zern
. . . And the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
Genesis 41:54
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author Linda L. Zern lives, works, and dreams in Central Florida.
Writing her way through the genre list, the author began with a children’s chapter book, “The Pocket Fairies of Middleburg, followed by an illustrated inspirational book, The Long-Promised Song, and continuing with a children’s middle grade historical fiction, Mooncalf.
Also included in the list of her works is a collection of short blog posts and essays titled, ZippityZern’s: A Collage and ZippityZern’s: Fifty More. Her humor blog essays@ www.zippityzerns.blogspot.com are a fan favorite and Humor Press national award winner.
Ms. Zern's latest novel is a young adult, realistic, dystopian action/adventure set in Central Florida called Following the Strandline, a sequel to Beyond the Strandline. Inspired by the classic Alas Babylon by Pat Frank, the author revisits the apocalyptic collapse of the power grid and the destruction of society in this romance “prepper” thriller series.
Ms. Zern has had experience publishing with a small press, the self-published platform, and Indie publishing through Create Space. A complete bibliography of her work can be found at
The Strandline Series
Linda L. Zern
“Rules”
Copyright 2019 Linda L. Zern
All Rights Reserved
Thank you for taking the time to read this Strandline Short Story: “The Story of Stone.” If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends and posting a review on
amazon.com/author/lindazern or other online sites. Word-of-mouth referrals are an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.
Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored into or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.
Books by Linda L. Zern
(Teen & Young Adult, Dystopian & Near Future)
The Strandline Series
Beyond the Strandline: Book I
Following the Strandline: Book II
Healing the Strandline: Book III (Coming 2019)
Before the Strandline (E-book Short Stories):
“Puppies”, “Darby’s Chickens”, “Storm”, “The Story of Stone”, “Rules”
A Novel
The Gryphon’s Glade: Impossible Love (Romantic, Rural Fantasy)
Youth & Middle Grade Chapter Books
The Pocket Fairies of Middleburg
Mooncalf
Humorous Essay Collections
ZippityZern’s: A Collage
ZippityZern’s: Fifty More
Inspirational
The Long-Promised Song
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
LINDA L. ZERN
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/lzern
FACEBOOK AUTHOR: http://www.facebook.com/LindaLZern
FACEBOOK GROUP (THE STRANDLINERS): www.facebook.com/groups/142108413109350/
BLOG: http://www.zippityzerns.blogspot.com/
LINKEDIN: http://linkedin.com/in/lindalzern
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7458937.Linda_L_Zern
PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/lindazern/
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/lindalzern
WEBSITE: www.zippityzerns.com
ALL AUTHORS: www.lindalzern.allauthor.com
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/lindazern/
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: www.amazon.com/author/lindazern
EMAIL: [email protected]
