The Village Book

There was a custom in our village. Before every girl got married, she had to take her boyfriend to the shrine to pay respects. If they came out safe and sound, it meant the two of them would live happily ever after. Both of my younger sisters got married when they were twenty. However, I was already thirty and still not married. That was because every boyfriend who had ever gone into the shrine broke up with me afterward. Some even tried to kill me. My new boyfriend was fed up with our village’s backwardness but insisted on going there. My dad, who was the village chief, brought him in. As soon as they came out, my boyfriend pinned me to the floor and tried to strangle me. I did not understand. What exactly was inside the shrine that made them change so drastically? Even though my dad knew they would turn on me once they went in, why did he insist on taking them there?

"You built an elevator on a mountain. It's obviously a code violation!" Walter Grady lifts his walking stick, the muddy tip coming inches from my nose. The massive mountain completely boxed in our town, forcing everyone to endure a brutal two-hour hike just to leave town. That is why, the moment I made my fortune, I paid out of my own pocket to install a massive outdoor elevator. For five years, I've been charging a 50-cent fee just to cover the costs of electricity. Knowing the town is mostly comprised of elderly folks and children, I bought the most expensive, heavy-duty materials available and hired a 24-hour maintenance crew for the elevator, never expecting them to report it to the city council as a code violation. I feel completely blindsided, but I still hold out hope that the people I spent years helping will stand up and speak for me. Instead, Martha Bell rolls her eyes and remarks, "Who ever heard of an elevator charging a fee? You're just ripping us off!" Marcus Crowe chimes in with a sneer, "You're just lazy and using us as an excuse to line your own pockets." I let out a bitter, angry laugh. To keep the residents comfortable, I keep the air conditioning running inside the cabin. Now, the city council is giving me a three-day deadline to tear it down or face a fine. Walter is practically gloating, saying that it's about time. I sign the citation on the spot and immediately call a demolition crew. If they enjoy hiking so much, they can be my guest. I'm officially done serving them.

To make life easier for my grandpa, I pay out of pocket to set up a well in the village. But since no one has ever bothered to maintain it, and because it has been raining heavily for several days now, mud and sediment end up getting into the well. The villagers assume that I cut corners when I had the well built, so they call me up to force me to pay for another well. When I refuse, they barricade Grandpa at his house and throw bricks into the courtyard in the middle of the night. I rush back to the village and see debris scattered everywhere. I say nothing. But Grandpa, an 80-year-old, gets so worked up that he shouts, "Where is your conscience? My grandson put in more than 80,000 dollars of his own money to build the well, and he didn't charge any of you for that!" Peggy Mitchell, the ringleader of the troublemakers, shouts right back at him, "Don't be ridiculous! He's the one who built the well, so now that there's a problem with it, he's responsible for it!" Henrietta Nelson, the village chief, smokes a cigarette and says matter-of-factly, "We're all from the same village, Fred. Just put up the money to handle this." After five seconds of silence, I declare, "In that case, I'll bring a crew over this afternoon to fill in the well. You guys can head into town to get as many pails as you can. You're going to need to start hauling water from the river several miles away again."

a really good book for you. I hope you like it becuase it tells you a good story. Please read it.

Blurb The downpour washed the dark alleys of Ole Keating Village like Jupiter is wrathful towards the small town. Every time the lightning slashes the skies sending frightening thunders everywhere, the little boy’s strides become faster. “You’ve got nowhere to run, boy.” He harshly covered his ears just to get away from the taunting voice. The heavy rain somehow managed to wipe the blood from his body yet the pain unrelenting to grow. He fell on his knees resulting in another painful and ugly scratch to bleed. He looks like a beaten rag. He hasn’t eaten for days and the fearsome encounter he just escapes didn’t guarantee his safety. Even limping, he tried to get on his feet just to stumble and fall on the cold, hard ground again. A loud sound of the honking car filled his ears as the blinding light approaches closer. Surrendering, he lied flat on the ground wishing the pain finally ends. Sounds of boots slapping the water from the road come into his senses but he’s too weak to care. Someone’s checking on him but all that he can think of right now is the girl she left alone in the old warehouse. “S-save her…” he mumbled, tasting blood in his mouth, “Please save her.” The darkness pulled him and he finally gave in.

The town of M'ri Kassia has been living a life of misfortune after the Kurim, the stone given by their god, Kassia, was stolen and lost by the witches who pretended to be pirates. Reeve, the son of the town leader, travels far and wide to search for it until he finds an unexpected treasure that will change everything he knows about his life and his people.