There is more to nature
than what we allow ourselves to see.
Something...
Sacred.
But we need to be willing to open our eyes if we want to see it.
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| Cover design by Laura Wright LaRoche |
A Sacred Journey is a fantasy short story written by Doreen Cox.
So what's it about?
A group of trackers is out looking for Leah... again. The elderly woman has been leaving her house in the evenings, walking out into the forest. Tonight, though, she's gone farther than usual. Animals within the forest are acting strangely, and the trackers begin to realize that there may be more afoot than simply a woman wandering out into the night...
What I expected to read and what I actually read were two very different things.
See, my expectation came from the cover. I honestly thought this was going to be some sort of Little Red Riding Hood retelling. I'm sure you can see what gave me this impression.
But the cover, aside from being beautiful, paints an accurate picture of what we find within the pages. Each creature that graces the cover is necessary and important to the story as a whole, and yes... Leah does wear a red cloak.
The story takes quite a different turn from what I expected. Rather than running from a big, bad wolf, Leah is actively moving toward the creatures of the forest. Things have been planned. Leah and the animals all work toward a common aim.
A ceremony.
She understands the animals, and they, in turn, understand her. As the trackers search for a gentle, elderly woman with a penchant for wandering into dangerous situations, Leah herself is skillfully navigating through the brambles in perfect safety.
During this time, the trackers deal with animals acting in unusual ways. The dogs that they brought to track Leah's scent run into difficulties, as well. This is all carefully planned by the creatures of the forest.
But while the trackers may be nervous, there is no danger... only the fear of danger.
Our emotions are powerful. The creatures realize this, and use this knowledge to confuse, then guide the trackers.
This story brings us into a mystical world, leading us on a woman's sacred journey. It causes us to wonder what is truly at work in this world. Cox makes us see that situations may come into play due to a greater purpose.
She teaches us not to fear the unknown.
While I think this short story could go through one more round of copy-editing, and the ending wasn't quite as strong as I'd like, this story can teach us to view the world with wonder, and to not assume that our perceptions are always the correct ones.
A sacred Journey can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.
What I expected to read and what I actually read were two very different things.
See, my expectation came from the cover. I honestly thought this was going to be some sort of Little Red Riding Hood retelling. I'm sure you can see what gave me this impression.
But the cover, aside from being beautiful, paints an accurate picture of what we find within the pages. Each creature that graces the cover is necessary and important to the story as a whole, and yes... Leah does wear a red cloak.
The story takes quite a different turn from what I expected. Rather than running from a big, bad wolf, Leah is actively moving toward the creatures of the forest. Things have been planned. Leah and the animals all work toward a common aim.
A ceremony.
She understands the animals, and they, in turn, understand her. As the trackers search for a gentle, elderly woman with a penchant for wandering into dangerous situations, Leah herself is skillfully navigating through the brambles in perfect safety.
During this time, the trackers deal with animals acting in unusual ways. The dogs that they brought to track Leah's scent run into difficulties, as well. This is all carefully planned by the creatures of the forest.
But while the trackers may be nervous, there is no danger... only the fear of danger.
Our emotions are powerful. The creatures realize this, and use this knowledge to confuse, then guide the trackers.
This story brings us into a mystical world, leading us on a woman's sacred journey. It causes us to wonder what is truly at work in this world. Cox makes us see that situations may come into play due to a greater purpose.
She teaches us not to fear the unknown.
While I think this short story could go through one more round of copy-editing, and the ending wasn't quite as strong as I'd like, this story can teach us to view the world with wonder, and to not assume that our perceptions are always the correct ones.
A sacred Journey can be found on Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords.
Hi, Rebecca, and thank you for providing a dollop of delightful surprise to my Saturday! You have a way with words that is refreshing; your review presented well the essence I had hoped to convey within my story. I'm glad that you discovered me so that I could connect with you in the stream.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! I found A Sacred Journey via a retweet on Twitter, so the thanks should really go to whoever it was that brought it to my attention. Sadly, I can't recall who that was, but I'm so glad they tweeted a link to your story!
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