BEYOND THE BLUE - an excerpt
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Before he even reached the sidewalk in front of their house he heard his mother's cry. "Anthony, dear God, what has happened to your arm?"
He offered his usual response. "It's nothing, mom. We were just rough-housing in the schoolyard is all."
"Let me take a look at that arm," she insisted. "Come along into the house and let me see what needs to be done this time. Have you been fighting?"
"No mom, honest. I haven't been fighting."
Suddenly from nowhere he had remembrance of the whisper, "Enigami." And the whisper caused him to carefully consider what his mother had asked. Fighting? I'm not a fighter, he realized. I'm a coward. Dad was a fighter. He wouldn't let anybody push him around. If dad were here I would be a fighter too. He would back me up. Without him I'm just a hopeless weakling. No wonder the bullies pick on me this year. They know I'm a coward; might as well be wearing a big sign on my back. I know I should fight back. I know I should do a lot of things I don't do.
Tony knew twelve-year-old boys don't cry but the tears just seemed to be covering his face like a blanket. "There, there," his mother soothed. "It's okay, son. We can patch this up with a bit of salve. It will take the bite out of it and you will be as good as new. Don't cry, Tony. It's okay."
That evening after supper Anthony thought about the shadowy shape he had seen beyond the blue. As he finished his bath and climbed into his pyjamas ready for another night's sleep he thought about the upcoming school day. Pushing the worrisome thoughts about bullies out of his mind he turned his thoughts to the magical window. I want to see the shape more clearly. Tomorrow I will look beyond the blue and I will see the shape more clearly, he resolved.
BEYOND THE BLUE is available in paperback, kindle, and audiobook formats on all Amazon sites. You will find it on my author's page at https://amazon.com/author/audreyaustin
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