A Green and Ancient Light
Page 28
Next door, Mrs. F ——’s house had been torn down, her garden nothing now but bare earth. There were new wooden pickets in the ground with yellow streamers tied around them. A new foundation, I gathered, was to be laid.
Standing, I stretched my back, breathing, taking the fragrances deep inside myself. I let the sun warm me and fill me with light. Then I began to walk—through the gate and the high grass, past the arbors, into the wildflower meadow, and finally, into the cool green embrace of the woods.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to my agent, Eddie Schneider, for never ceasing to believe in this book, and to my editor, Navah Wolfe, for finding a way to publish it, and for all her work, support, and commitment to helping the story find its best form. I send thanks to Tricia, Tammy, Steven, Gabe, Nick, Jeff, Ina, Lizzie, Catherine, Zana, Shelley, and Elizabeth, who read early drafts and offered sound advice. Thank you to Saga Press for bringing this book to light and for a cover that I love.
My deepest gratitude is due also to Pier Francesco Orsini, called Vicino, for building his sacro bosco (holy wood) in Bomarzo, Italy. Although the sacred woods in this story is fictionalized, it is inspired by the statues, structures, and alluring mystery of Vicino’s lifelong labor; his legacy echoes here as it has in the works of other writers and musicians across five centuries.
To those who wish to know more about Vicino’s garden, I commend the outstanding book The Garden at Bomarzo: A Renaissance Riddle, by Jessie Sheeler (Frances Lincoln: London, 2007). Finally, thanks must go to Janet Brennan, for her article “Monster Parks” in Fate, May 2008, which introduced me to the sacro bosco and was the first inspiration for this book.
About the Author
FREDERIC S. DURBIN grew up in rural central Illinois, where he spent his childhood avoiding shoes, climbing trees, reading, and playing in a ramshackle barn filled with the green light of the virginia creeper. He graduated from Concordia College, River Forest, where he studied classical languages and mythology. For two decades he taught English and creative writing at Niigata University in Japan. Dwelling with his wife among the wooded hills of western Pennsylvania, he is a frequent presenter of writing workshops. His published work includes the fantasy novels DRAGONFLY and THE STAR SHARD, as well as numerous stories for CRICKET, CICADA, FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, and BLACK GATE. Visit him at fredericsdurbin.com.
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www.SimonandSchuster.com * This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. * Text copyright © 2016 by Frederic S. Durbin * Jacket illustration copyright © 2016 by Roy Bishop/Arcangel * All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Saga Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 * Saga Press and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. * For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or business@simonandschuster.com. * The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. * Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data * Names: Durbin, Frederic S., 1966– author. * Title: A green and ancient light / Frederic S. Durbin. * Description: First edition. | New York : Saga Press, [2016] * Identifiers: LCCN 2015043181 | ISBN 9781481442220 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781481442244 (eBook) * Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Fantasy / Historical. | FICTION / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology. | FICTION / War & Military. | GSAFD: Fantasy fiction. * Classification: LCC PS3554.U6695 G74 2016 | DDC 813/.54—dc23 * LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015043181