A Healing Sleep: The Death and Untimely Life of Skip Stevens

(Paperback)

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Skip is looking forward to a new job and a fresh start in Miami following a painful divorce. As he sheds the trappings of his previous life as a radio station program director in Columbus, he has but one loose end to tie up: the sale and delivery of his precious 1969 Cherokee 180 airplane. Skip diverts from the short hop between Columbus and Dayton to "spice up" his final flight with a little sightseeing tour over the Hocking Hills of southern Ohio. Buzzing over the lush beauty of the emerald forest below quickly turns into a treacherous journey and threat to survival when he experiences engine trouble and crashes into a stand of pines, ending his flight and his life.

Skip wakes to find himself in the care of the beautiful Kate, who describes how she and her Amish neighbor Caleb rescued him from the twisted wreckage of his airplane. But Skip hasn't a scratch on him. Kate has done little more to assist in his recovery than watch him heal in his sleep. When Kate describes a world with no phones, no cars, few conveniences, and even fewer inhabitants, Skip wonders if he's being held captive by a crazy person. When he goes for a walk to escape and she warns him about the vicious Belly Dogs, he's certain of it. He'd have been wise to heed her warning.

The beautiful Kate, with her horses and garden, thinks they might be in Heaven. Caleb thinks they're in Purgatory. The sadistic farmer Morgan is certain they've all gone to Hell... and before long, they begin to wonder if perhaps he's right.

Author Bio

Hal Fish was born and raised in southern lower Michigan. He's been a professional musician, radio announcer, radio station program director, and private pilot. These pursuits, along with his small town upbringing, have greatly informed his writing.