Lanterna Rally

Author: B. Wright

Publisher:

Published: 2011-05-06

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 9781461159681

Introduction:A summer at the family ranch had been carefully planned for Brandon by his father, to impress upon him the kind of life he should not want. Old man Ashcot had not anticipated Brandon's love of the land, nor had he anticipated Brandon's love for a ranch hand. Brandon discovers much more than love while on the family ranch. Brandon discovers family secrets which his father has worked a lifetime to keep hidden from him.Excerpt:It was at the ripe old age of three when he had entered the endless journey of his predestined education, the right preschool, the most prestigious of elementary schools, and of course the Ashcot Prep School which his great-grandfather had founded not in the interest of the students, but in an effort to show to the world that he was a man of grand status. For the past year following four long and lonely years of prep school, Brandon had been sent to work on the ranch which straddled the border between Montana and Canada, one of many ranches the Ashcots claimed as their own. It was an Ashcot tradition that the men of the family learned all aspects of the family business, especially ranching, as the love of the land was the foundation of the Ashcot fortune. Brandon knew it wasn't really about the love of the land, but more about how it looked to others that the Ashcots loved the land they owned. The bottom line and status were the only things now that were of importance to the Ashcots. This past year on the ranch and away from the family business was a welcome change from the mundane life of prep school. Brandon had never felt so free. He lived among the ranch hands, many nights sleeping outside under a star studded clear blue sky. Unlike his life back east, he had plenty of free time to experience new adventures and meet new people, people who were happy with their lives on the ranch, the simple way of life, people to whom prestige and money were not required to validate their existence. It was during this year that he had met Dylan. ********Dylan stood absolutely still, his heart beating so loud and fast he thought it would break out of his chest. "Who's there?" Dylan demanded. There was no answer. "I demand you show yourself, or I'll shoot!" he demanded again, though he was not armed. Still there was no reply. The rustling continued off and on. Slowly but cautiously Dylan moved toward the sound. He didn't see anything or more importantly, anybody. He ascended to the top of the barn as quietly as he could. When he reached the top he moved to the right corner where the rustling continued. As he neared the sound, a large mouse ran out from where the noise had been, right in front of him causing him to almost fall backward. Oh, what a relief, he said to himself. He continued to where the mouse had been because he thought he saw something white in the darkness. He moved toward it slowly and was relieved to see that it was just some papers. The mouse probably dug them up from the bottom of the dirt which was abundant in here to be part of its indoor habitat thought Dylan, but was curious about them nonetheless. As he bent to pick them up he realized that they were legal documents of some sort. Fortunately, they weren't too torn up yet so he was able to read them. It seemed to be a deed of some sort. It was very old and a bit smudged, so it took Dylan quite awhile to get the words to make sense to him. As he read, he realized that it was the deed to the ranch in Montana.