The Artful (Shadows of the City) (36 page)
Read The Artful (Shadows of the City) Online
Authors: Wilbert Stanton
April 2027—New York City Border
eter sits at the head of the campfire, poking it with a piece of kindling. He notices the distant look in my eyes. A strong sadness has overtaken me. This was the part of my tale that took the highest toll. The Runts all look tired; however, they are enthralled with my story. Most of them yawn and fidget about, except small Sam, who has been watching and listening with a determined interest.
Peter decides it’s time for bed. “Come now. Twist is tired. Let him rest, eh? Those were dark days that followed, the way I remember. That’s when everyone was out looking for Gutter Punk blood. The streets ran thick with those greedy bastards. How quickly everyone forgot the deeds they did. It wasn’t worth a damn once a bounty was on their heads. Dodger was gone, dead as dead, and I had mine to watch over. Meanwhile, Twist here was playing first knight with the Brooklyn tyrant and falling for the princess he had no business falling for. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You couldn’t even begin to imagine all the troubles headed his way. Not to mention someone else was getting blamed for putting the hit on Reynolds. And Queens was a sleeping dragon no one wanted to wake. Yet wake it did.
“Go on, scram! Time for some shut eye. We got a long journey ahead come tomorrow. There will be no more time for slowing down. We’ve come too far to slack off now. Twist will have more to tell. I’m sure he can’t wait. The tales are all he has. But tomorrow will be another day for stories to be heard. Tomorrow, we make our way to that place they took Twist, that place at the end of the world.”
Most of the Runts scurry off without protest; only small Sam pouts and looks at me with desperation in his eyes. I smile at him, then nod toward his bedroll. With a great sigh, he crawls in and turns his back towards the fire. There aren’t many of us left, just Peter, six of his youngest, and myself. We still have a long way to go, but already New York is behind us. The moon shines low over the precipice between here and there. We can already see the looming walls that surrounded the city. When we left to find the end of the world, all we left behind was a wasteland; New York City will be a war zone soon, and it doesn’t matter because there is nothing left for us. We are leading the last of the Runts to a better tomorrow.
When you tell somebody you are writing a book, they usually want you to tell them what the story is all about; this can quickly become awkward in itself. Some people will smile and nod, then conveniently have to go to the bathroom. While others will smile in delight and offer you their ear and ideas. During the process of writing this book, there were so many people who in some way helped, who I didn’t want to forget to name drop. Whether it was something small or something so major these people were a huge help. I found that writing a book takes plenty of time, time you never have, dedication, hard work, and most importantly support. This is the story of those supporting people.
There were so many people involved in some way behind the scenes, and I would like to take a moment to thank them. To my beta readers; Jun, Mike, Daniel, Ali, Diana, Crystal, Wyleen, and Dave. Thanks for reading my rough drafts and committing yourself to all the questions and emails that followed. Most of all thanks for reading it from beginning to end, even with all the mistakes.
To my editors; I always hear Craig’s list horror stories, but I was lucky enough to find a great editor there. Tracy, you took my mess of ideas and helped me mold them into something beautiful. You gave me the confidence that this book needed, and convinced me it wasn’t meant for the slush pile. Val, you are not only one of my closest friends, but you have so much patience with me it’s amazing. It’s the patience that only comes with family, which you truly are. Your last minute edits, notes, and help will always be appreciated. Last but certainly not least, Matt, for saving the day at the very last minute. I thank you all for the time and effort you put into this book.
I can’t forget all the cool kids who were there for me through all this, who recognized and helped bring out my inner talent; Alex, Lenis, Igbara, Biz, Gavin, Lou, Melissa, Vicky, John, Lana, Susan, and The Doctor.
Last but nowhere near least, I obviously have to thank the Curiosity Quills staff; I can’t imagine a better company to publish my first book with, than such an awesome crew of goat loving misfits. A special thanks to James for wanting more after reading my query letter, and for telling me Dodger curses too much. The whole staff has welcomed me with open arms and made my dreams a reality.
Wilbert Stanton
was born and raised in New York City. From an early age, Wilbert decided he would either write books or take over the world; everything else was just a precursor to his end game. Along the way, he has studied Psychology, English, and Computer Science. He's held jobs in a wide range of fields and met people from all walks of life.
Wilbert is constantly learning and growing as a person, in order to solidify his dreams. In the end world domination was a bit tedious, so he decided to focus on writing books.
You can find Wilbert online at:
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