I thought to drop in an extract from the book I am busy on. This is my young readers book by the name above. Take a read and let me know your thoughts or views. . .
CHAPTER 5
The old woman looked down from her hidden position on the side of the hill. She could see the young boys kicking the ball to and fro on the soccer field and on the closer side of the school to her, a group of girls throwing a ball through the netball hoop. Another group sat together chatting to each other leaning against the wall of the administrative building of the school.
She watched them for a while, envious of their youth and energy. Her life had been one of watching and waiting. She was The Keeper. Her job had had moments of anguish and of confrontation with people she had preferred not to have occurred. It had been many, many years now of watching with nothing happening. She felt in her old bones that she was soon to have another confrontation. She thought she had seen them, those she had encountered before. Maybe this was the time.
She sighed and scratched her nose, a slight itch irritating her.
She had perfected the art of camouflage, not being seen by the farm workers, the farmer himself and many of the children when she was but meters away from them.
She gazed upwards to judge the time of day, her white eyes reflecting the glare of the sun. Her body had become old and wizen over the years and her hair had turned white. She had to use mud to cake her hair so that she could remain hidden and so had gotten used to a helmet of dried mud in place of hair she remembered being able to run her fingers through. But that was the price of her position as The Keeper.
She gazed down once more at the children as the school bell sounded and they made their way back to the various classrooms. When the last of them had disappeared into class, she slowly rose, stretched out her back and turned towards the hill. She took three steps towards a clump of bushes and disappeared.
Paul R Sondergaard 