Escape to Canamith

by Richard Friedman

  ESCAPE TO CANAMITH

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters and events in this book are the products of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to real persons living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  BookBullet.com

  1300 W Belmont Ave Ste 20G

  Chicago, IL 60657-3200

  Copyright © 2013 by Richard Friedman

  All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form without permission.

  Editing by Elizabeth Irwin

  Proofreading by Vanessa Fravel

  Cover Design by Portfolio Creative Studio

  Interior text design by James M

  ISBN: 9781619843424

  DEDICATION

  To my parents, Edith and Morris Friedman

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 38

  CHAPTER 39

  CHAPTER 40

  CHAPTER 41

  CHAPTER 42

  CHAPTER 43

  CHAPTER 44

  CHAPTER 45

  CHAPTER 46

  CHAPTER 47

  CHAPTER 48

  CHAPTER 49

  CHAPTER 50

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I’d like to thank my editor, Elizabeth Irwin, for her deft skill that improved the story and my sincere appreciation to Bookbullet.com and their proofreader, Vanessa Fravel, for all the assistance getting the book published.

  Big thanks go out to my brothers. Lawrence is the wisest man I know. His guidance with the book began four years ago when he read the first draft of this story. Warren, a fellow author, taught me about the world of publishing and marketing. I can’t wait to read his second novel.

  A loving thank you to my children for supporting this endeavor. Special thanks to my wife, Debbie, for her encouragement, advice, and for keeping our household afloat during the countless hours I spent working on this book. I know you’re my biggest fan.

  A true Inspiration

  One of my favorite books of all time is “The Lorax” by Dr. Suess. It was the first environmental story I ever read. I loved that the Lorax “spoke for the trees.”

  Two years ago I faced uncertainty about whether to continue the journey as a writer. I headed to the local library for motivation where I saw a book lying face down on a table, partially covered with newspaper. When I brushed the paper aside, I saw a copy of “The Lorax.” My purpose was renewed.

  I hope my eco-thriller inspires you to make a difference in this world.

  CANAMITH COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT

  The deep blue cloth draperies peeled back from the middle of the wall and exposed the live image of Rex Templeton filling the white screen. He spoke in a clear, calm, and reassuring manner.

  “Evening, folks. I thought I’d end tonight’s weekly meeting and introduce you to the newest addition to our communications department. It’s a video or news report that you can see on this monitor. I’d like to thank the communications staff for their hard work to make this information available to everyone.

  “Our staff is constantly reviewing information from around the world and they’re going to be showing you any pertinent information regarding what’s happening outside these walls. If you look to the right of the screen, you’ll see a green light. If that light is flashing, then you’ll know a new update will be shown at the top of the hour.

  “For those of you not working in the tunnels, the video link will be sent from the central communication server to your home monitor. Please make sure your system is tuned to the default settings.

  “We’re right on the edge of cataclysm. I need all to you to stay focused on your jobs. If you do that, we’ll be okay.”

  CHAPTER 1

  The flashing lights stopped when the rescue squad pulled into the emergency entrance of Sanderell Hospital. Doctor Willis glanced at Sophie’s wound and shouted, “Get this girl on the table! Stat! Get that IV going. What’s happened to this girl?”

  Lila Jenkins jumped toward the doctor. “I’m her mother. We were at Malotte’s Petting Zoo and it bit her! I think it got her femoral vein. Is she going to be all right?

  “It’s too premature to tell,” said the doctor. “She’s probably lost a lot of blood and we have to clean the wound. What bit her?”

  “It was a billy goat.”

  “A billy goat? Interesting. Is she allergic to any medications?” asked the doctor.

  “No. I mean, I don’t think so. Please stop her bleeding!” Lila demanded.

  The doctor ignored her impassioned pleas and focused on his patient.

  “MOMMY!” cried the frightened girl. Her terrified face escalated her mother’s anxiety.

  “It’s okay baby! The doctor is going take care of you. We’re right here.” Lila stroked her hand with reassuring confidence.

  “Please, wait outside in the hall. I promise I’ll find you as soon as she’s stabilized.”

  Nurse Teel ushered the worried parents into the hall. Her hair was pulled back tightly into a bun and the force of the rubber band pulled on the sides of her ears, giving her an eerie, haunted expression. Staring at the clipboard, pen in hand, the nurse asked, “Please tell me what happened today.”

  Lila wiped away the mascara that dripped down the side of her face.

  “We thought it would be fun to take Sophie, that’s our daughter’s name, to Malotte’s Petting Zoo. It was pleasant and sunny today and then we—”

  Nurse Teel interrupted.

  “I thought that old place was closed. Mrs. Jenkins, please move ahead to the time of the injury.”

  Lila took a deep breath and began to explain what happened.

  “Sophie approached the billy goat pen and she tripped. She tried to stop her fall by placing her arm on the wooden fence that kept the animals in their cages. Her arm cracked the wood and Sophie fell into the pen. One of the billy goats lunged forward and grabbed a chunk of her leg. She started screaming in pain right away. It was awful. There was so much blood, and I was freaking out. We called an ambulance and here we are. I’m telling you, that billy goat attacked her!” stated Lila.

  “Hon, you can’t say it attacked her,” interjected J.J.

  “I sure can! I was right there! I say it attacked her. I know animals better than anyone, and I can tell the difference between territorial preservation and aggression.”

  “I’d say it was scared and tried to defend itself.”

  “Whose side are you on?”

  “Lila, this isn’t about ‘sides’. Nurse, I’m sorry, it’s just that Sophie means everything to us, and if anything were to happen to her…” His voice faded to silence.

  “Okay, I get the picture,” interrupted the nurse. “I�
�ll find you as soon as I hear from the doctor. Sophie’s in good hands, I promise. You’ve been through a lot today. Please go to the family room. It’s down the hallway on the right.”

  “Thank you. Let us know if you have any other questions,” said J.J.

  J.J. grasped his wife by the arm as they walked towards the hallway. He towered over her by almost a foot, but still managed to put his right arm around her shoulder to comfort her. There was nothing they could do in the waiting room do but sit and worry. J.J. stood up and tried to listen to the doctors working on Sophie’s leg. He heard medical terminology he didn’t like. Words such as “damaged” and “hemorrhaging” flowed down the hall. He tried to keep his spirits up. He faltered when he heard Sophie’s ominous cries of pain.

  “Come on, J.J., keep it together. I don’t want to start crying again,” begged Lila.

  “I’ll be okay. Did you see all that blood?”

  “Of course I did! Who kept pressure on the wound until the ambulance arrived?”

  “I know, I know, I feel so helpless. That’s our baby in there.” His pale expression didn’t exude much confidence.

  An hour passed.

  Another man and woman entered the waiting room. The woman was distraught and her husband held her tight.

  Lila whispered to J.J. “What happened to them?” J.J. shook his head.

  The balding man guided his wife down on the couch. He lumbered across the room towards the Jenkins.

  “Hi, I’m Donald Hunziger. That’s my wife Denise on the couch. Our boy was attacked by our dog. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. Our dog Bailey never growled at us one time in seven years. Today, little Ronnie comes down for breakfast…bam! Did you guys hear about the kid that was in here earlier? Horrible. Poor parents. You’d never think you’d have to bury your own kid.”

  “What happened to him?” Lila asked.

  Denise interrupted.

  “Donald…stop talking about that poor boy right now! You don’t know for sure that his pets killed him. That’s probably just some awful rumor. Come back here and leave those nice people alone. I’m sorry; my husband talks a lot when he’s nervous. Please forgive him.”

  Donald did as he was told and returned to the couch with his wife. Lila shot J.J. a worried glance and cuddled up closer to him.

  “No problem. We’re all worried today. Our daughter got bitten at a petting zoo. What in the world is going on?” she asked.

  J.J. squeezed her hand. “I don’t know. Can we just go back to the World Health Summit and start over? I’ll ask you out, you’ll be coy and standoffish, and then we fall in love and have a child someday, we’ll just make sure be avoid Malotte’s. We’ll take Sophie to a movie or something. We don’t even have to discuss Canamith until we get married.”

  Lila wasn’t impressed. “Just what you’d want to do, a man who specializes in Oxygenates…you haven’t been to a movie in ten years.”

  Mr. Hunziger couldn’t help himself.

  “Did you say oxygenetics? What in the world is that?”

  J.J. didn’t care to correct the man for his mispronunciation, or discuss the entire gamut of his job with a complete stranger while sitting in the waiting room of a hospital, but the momentary diversion did distract his attention from Sophie.

  “It’s quite boring really. Think of it as using oxygen to help us clean up the environment. I’m working with a company right now that’s installing gasoline storage tanks on the outskirts of the city. We assist in renewable and alternative fuels and phytoremediation, MTBE contamination, stuff like that…”

  Hunziger fell quiet and turned his attention back to his wife.

  J.J. moved closer to Lila and whispered in her ear, “He doesn’t have a clue about anything I just said.”

  The attempt to divert their attention from Sophie ended. Lila’s eyes welled up and she buried her head in J.J.’s strong body. He stroked her short hair and tried to soothe her.

  “It’ll be okay, Lila…I promise.”

  “You can’t make that promise. Let’s hope the doctor comes out soon. The waiting is killing me.”

  One more hour passed. Finally, in the third hour, Dr. Willis appeared.

  He hesitated for an instant as both sets of parents jumped to attention hoping the doctor brought good news.

  He looked at the Hunzingers, and then spoke to the Jenkins.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, she’s going to be fine. There was a lot of bleeding and we’re going to have to keep her here overnight for observation. She should avoid vigorous activity for three weeks. It’s going to take months for her leg to heal completely. I don’t anticipate any long term damage to the nerves or the muscle tissue.”

  “Thank goodness. That’s wonderful news,” said Lila.

  J.J. hugged Lila and then went to greet Dr. Willis.

  “Thank you! Thank you so much!” said J.J.

  “Mr. Jenkins, please!” said the doctor, pushing himself from the embrace. “There’s no need to break my ribs. Save those hugs for your little girl. I gave her a sedative to help her sleep. It won’t take effect for a few minutes. She wants to see you. We moved her to Trauma Room Three. This may sound odd considering what happened—she’s one lucky girl. She was more fortunate than the teenager that was in here earlier today. He was attacked by a—don’t listen to what I am saying. Go see your daughter.”

  “What about our son?” asked Mr. Hunziger.

  “I’ll be back with an update as soon as I have it. Sit tight, folks,” said Dr. Willis as he departed from the room.

  Lila and J.J. hurried down the hall, ignoring the doctor’s comments and failing to say goodbye to the Hunzigers. Lila gasped when she saw Sophie’s connected to a series of cables. One checked her heartbeat, another her blood pressure and temperature. The smell of fresh paint hung in the room. Blue tape outlined on the windows and doorways. The overflow of patients prevented the maintenance staff from finishing the trim work.

  Sophie whispered to her parents.

  “Mommy, that animal bit me. You told me they were herbidoors.”

  “You mean herbivores,” said Lila, the beginning stages of a smile pierced the sides of her mouth.

  J.J. tried to joke with the girl. “It bit you because you’re sweet. We tell you that all the time.”

  Lila implored her husband, “J.J., please. Sophie, we don’t know why it bit you. It’s an animal, not a pet. Even at a petting zoo, an animal can make a mistake. It was an accident. The doctor says you should rest and daddy and I will be right outside in the hall if you need anything and the nurses will be in to see you soon.”

  “Mommy, stay!” the girl pleaded.

  “Sophie, I’ll be right outside the door if you need anything. Doctor’s orders.”

  J.J. broke into the conversation. “I’ll stay right here at the edge of the bed until you fall asleep.”

  “Okay,” Sophie whispered those words and then faded and fell asleep a moment later.

  J.J. winked at Lila and scooted to the bottom of the bed. Her heavy breathing returned to normal as the medication took hold.

  The steady beeping of the monitors acted as a metronome, lulling J.J. into a catatonic state. He rose and went to the hallway where Lila was resting on a couch. J.J. caressed his wife’s hand and gently pulled it towards him. The exhausted couple sat there wondering why their sweet girl had been subjected to this ordeal.

  CHAPTER 2

  Lila and J.J. headed down to the beach with Sophie. Her leg had healed sufficiently in two weeks for her to make the short walk from the Jenkins’ backyard down the wooden pathway to the entrance of the beach.

  The sun scorched the white sandy coast. The beach was filled with sun worshippers and employees taking excessive lunch breaks. The sound of the waves collapsing on the coastline met the squeals from boys and girls enjoying the day. Gulls made repeated diving runs for specks of food tossed away by careless families on a picnic.

  Sophie played near the edge of the water. Her blonde hai
r was cut short like her mother’s and hung an inch below her ears. The gentle breeze pushed it to the side. The lone remnant of her injury was a narrow red line where the wound was healing. Lila and J.J. hoped to minimize any long-term psychological damage from the incident. Lila spent time encouraging Sophie to understand her ordeal was rare and that the animal that attacked her was ailing and had been put down. The latter was true.

  Tests could not confirm that the animal had been sick. All the standard examinations done on “Scoops”, the billy goat that bit her, showed no abnormalities. Lila hadn’t told Sophie that 317 other children had been attacked at petting farms and zoos in the last two weeks. The government shut down all of them, across the country, until further notice. The other victims hadn’t fallen into the pen. In those cases, the animals appeared to be the aggressors and inflicted harm on the children without provocation.

  Lila talked to the doctor who performed the necropsy on the animal that bit Sophie and the animal was found to have an inflated sodium level. That was typical for animals that were fed a diet of unsupervised food. Visitors regularly tossed food into the pen, refusing to follow the “Do Not Feed the Animals” signs.

  As the Jenkins family played in the water, Lila peered out at the ocean. What Lila saw was unmistakable.

  “J.J., look at that! There’s so many of them!”

  Huge plumes of water shot skyward from at least five hundred blue whales roaming towards the coast. The leading edge of the line of whales was several hundred yards away. The foaming whitecaps of the waves intermittently hid the beautiful animals. There was little doubt that the whales were coming closer to the shoreline with each turn of their majestic tails. They swerved back and forth, north a tad, and then south towards the beach again. Their motions were repetitive and worrisome to those on the beach…especially Lila.

  “J.J., I wonder if this change in their migration patterns is due to the warmer weather. What if they are here because of a natural predator in the area? What am I saying? We’re their only predator. J.J., this is crazy!”

  “You say everything is explainable…start explaining.”

  A quick-thinking security guard had placed the call to the National Oceanic Department for support. Police cruisers pulled up to the beach. Two men leapt out of the car. More police arrived within minutes and they established a control line where the current tide trickled up the shore. Sunbathing was finished for the day.