RBM 2018 6 | Page 70

Book Spotlight
Excerpt from ‘Justice’
Standing over the shallow grave, the man peered at its revealed contents. Decision made, he
pulled off his gloves and dropped them to the ground, lifting his face skyward. In a small patch,
charcoal clouds gave way to a waxing moon and bathed the glade in a silver wash.
With narrowed eyes he focused on drawing supernatural energy into himself. He felt hot, and
knew his brown irises were changing to a deep gold-yellow as sparks flickered from their depths,
while tiny flashes shot out from the radiant orbs. The power was taking hold.
Outstretched arms were raised toward the moon, and a golden glowing aura surrounded his
body. Spiraling downward and touching the ground, it rapidly covered the short distance to encircle
the grave. He looked to the heavens once more with arms spanned to either side. An energy source, not
known to mankind, enveloped his body, and raised him inches off the ground.
Now infused with an unearthly power, he lowered, his feet, now once more in contact with the
ground. Fingers spread, he positioned a hand over the grave and focused his power, willing its secrets
to be revealed.
The bones gradually started to ease from their resting place and rise. Thick rubble dropped
away, soil and small clumps of dirt and rock falling back into the grave.
Unearthed, and encased by a gilded veil, a small childlike skeletal body was released, floating
above its burial bed. His eyes locked onto the form.
The golden glow enveloping the body, now discharged shooting sparks into the overgrown
grass like welding flashes, arcing out and alighting on the ground at different points.
Thunder cracked and lightning ripped through the air, while an earthquake-like rumble shook
the forest. The nearby ground started to lift around him. Fissures of brilliant light erupting from the
area where the sparks landed. Beams of brightness, blinding in their ultra violet intensity, shone
straight up into the night sky from the different locations within the open space. He stepped back and
shielded his eyes from the brilliance.
The sweet-smelling earthiness of the rich soil filled the air. At the same time, several holes
progressively appeared, the grass and under-brush sinking down into the exposed cavities, their
contents surrounded by sparkly golden light.
Shaken, the man twisted his head in different directions, absorbing the scene before him.
Within seconds, comprehension dawned and both his arms now reached out before him, palms
downward and fingers spread, maximizing his powers to elevate and unmask the true horror.
Beads of sweat percolated onto his forehead and trickled down the side of his face with the
effort as more small bodies arose from their graves.
The clearing, no more than sixty square feet, had released its hidden secret after forty long
years.
He’d gone to that lonely, forlorn grave-site, to search for one forgotten soul. Instead, he was astounded
to find seven children’s bodies - all looking for justice.
© Georgia Tingley 2018