Novels aren’t the only place where written treasures are hidden in the narrative. Some are revealed in the chapters of a novella or the paragraphs of a short story. My walking buddies and I decided to make a range of written material available to other hikers who frequent the Buffalo Creek Preserve and Trail in Cabarrus County North Carolina.

The hiking trail is a segment of the Carolina Tread Trail. At the midpoint of the trail, a bridge crosses the creek. It is a place where we often pause to share our stories.

We dedicated a Little Free Library at the trail head and committed to supplying a short story each month to a local paper, the Senior Savvy.  The stories appear in a column - Trail Tales. PDF versions of the stories can be acquired by way of this blog. Simply submit the form to receive a free copy of the story featured this month.

As a special bonus to celebrate the holiday season, this month we share two stories. They were prompted by a conversation as we walked, about the impact of the number 12; talking about twelve apostles, twelve days of Christmas, twelve golfers, and several other stories about the number twelve in our lives. Two of the stories make their way into this holiday issue.

The first story by Heidi Thurston is titled “Twelve Days of Turkey.”

About - Heidi Thurston. Heidi was born, and spent her early years, in Copenhagen, Denmark. In her late teens she immigrated with her parents to the United States where she met and married her husband, Chuck Thurston, an author, playwright, and columnist.
Heidi an accomplished author in her own right, worked as a journalist, a feature story writer, weekly columnist, and reporter for The Evening Times, in Sayre, Pennsylvania. She is the recipient of several awards from the Pennsylvania Press Association and has had a number of stories published in various periodicals. She is the author of a published novel, “The Duchess, The Knight & The Leprechaun.” The book is available at Amazon.com.

The second story by Vincent James Vezza is titled “The Dirty Dozen.”

About - Vincent James Vezza. Vincent was born into a career military family shortly after WWII. He lived on or near US Army bases around the world and throughout the United States. He earned a BA Degree in Political Science and MS Degree in Education. He led several marketing initiatives at Apple Computer, Inc. Other corporate assignments included management and executive positions with educational technology publishing firms, including Houghton Mifflin and Films Media Group.
His writing career got off to a quick start when, writing under the pen name of Jackson Badgenoone, his debut novel “The Hidden Treasure of Dutch Buffalo Creek” won the prestigious Next Generation Indie finalist award for best fiction, presented by the Independent Book Publishers Professionals Group. The book is available at Amazon.com. and several local retail establishments and book stores. A sequel novella, "Neverborn" is scheduled for publication in 2018. In his spare time Vincent manages the Trail Tales column and this blog.

The Hidden Treasure of Dutch Buffalo Creek incorporates a number of chapters drawn from ten High Water Marker books and a novella titled "Neverborn." Along with a soon to be published title, Challenger Generation, these books form a cornerstone shelf in the library of Hidden Treasure Novels.

The selected chapters provide a translucent view of life. The view shelters young readers from the darker side of humanity. It provides a telling nod to older souls who can imagine the stories behind the story.

By their very existence Neverborn ghost writers introduce sensitive topics for discussion. A subsequent blog will explore those issues. Another blog will elaborate on the nature of the high water markers that define people, places, and events.