Author:
Alex McGilvery has been reading since before he can remember, and writing almost that long. He has published 18 books and is author and editor at his imprint Celticfrog Publishing. He lives in Kamloops with his dog and the stories clawing their way out of his head.

The Heronmaster includes the title story, which is the tale of Leaper who grows from a tadpole to become a legend. Murder in the Woods is a noir style mystery with animals rather than people. Nick, a young wolf, is forced to seek out the answer to Bob the moose's disappearance. Sammy is a the story of a young man on a cruise with his new car, the elderly man he takes with him and a red balloon. Madison's Meteor tells the story of Frank Madison, a farmer outside of the town of Madison which has fallen on hard times with the closing of the plant - the main employer for the town. Frank finds a meteor one night and changes start in both him and the town.

The Heronmaster

"She got the new Business Association going, convinced everyone that fixing up Main Street would be a good idea, even got old-timers and the new people talking. She'd be perfect."


"Oh no, no," Alixxa waved her hands in front of her. "I have enough on my hands with just the coffee. There's no way I want to run the whole show. You hear that Aunt Alice?" She called through the arch. "You stay out of politics and run the restaurant."


"Frank here thinks you would make a good mayor."


"Does he now?" Alice went back to wiping the counter, but there was a thoughtful expression on her face.


"What have I done?" moaned Alixxa. She looked at Frank. "You're a terrible man. She would never have thought of it if I hadn't said anything."


"I don't know," Frank said and laughed. "But I am pretty sure someone would have mentioned it to her." He sat and finished his coffee while Alixxa served customers and peered over at her aunt.


When he finished the coffee he went back out onto the street and walked toward the library. Every store was doing business. People were bustling along the street weaving past each other in an endless dance.


"Hey Frank." John came up to him. "The plans for the development are coming along really well. Those people you put me onto are geniuses. We've already got enough people to start on the townhouses and the detached units have a waiting list. Who would have thought that giving land to parks would make you more money not less? Come by the office and I'll show you the latest plans" The younger man dashed off again before Frank could reply. The old gravel pit was in good hands.


The whistle for the shift change at the plant blew and everyone on the street paused for a second to listen. Bruce was right, the whistle reminded the folks that they owned the plant, not some far away people who didn't care about the town. They'd called back all the workers, and he'd heard that they were going to be hiring new people.


He checked his mail and said good morning to the new post mistress. He missed Jim and Mary, but Jim had got a call from a town in another state that wanted to learn how he had put together the proposal to buy the plant locally. He and Mary had moved there for the time being while he helped them work it out.


Frank arrived at the library where Greg DeLorne was sweeping the steps.


The young man turned his back on Frank and kept working. It was an improvement. He wasn't swearing under his breath any more. The charges against his father had been dropped, but Mrs. DeLorne had kicked her husband out and devoted her time to her new knitting shop. Greg had been given the choice of pleading out his charge and staying with his mom or fighting it and living with his dad. He chose his mom and was given probation and community service.


Frank pushed through the doors and entered the library. Sergio waved at him from the new circulation desk and pointed to the back. Frank nodded and headed back, but first he stopped at the meteorite sitting on a block in the center of the foyer. A university had mounted it in exchange for keeping the four core samples they drilled to fasten the rock down. Frank put his hand on the meteorite just as he did every day he came in. It was getting polished from other people doing the same thing.


Jennita was reading to a group of pre-schoolers in the children's room. She wiggled her eyebrows at him without missing a word in the story. Frank slid into the room and sat in a leather arm chair and listened to the sound of his wife's voice doing what she loved.


     There was nowhere he would rather be.


Chapter 14: Madison's Meteor, Part 14