The Metric Clock

Book excerpt: A hazardous adventure forces a young boy to adapt in order to survive. Charles is an intelligent nine-year-old living in 1946 New England. Despite his intellect, Charles tends to be absentminded and preoccupied with daydreaming. He enjoys spending time with the group of boys that live on his street, but the most genuine connection he forms is with his best friend Mary Anne. Charles is presented with an opportunity to accompany his father on a trip to his hometown in rural Canada. While staying at the farm his father grew up on, Charles is able to learn of his father's past and his hidden personality. He gains a deeper understanding of his father through stories of his youth and learns of how the Great Depression led him to emigrate to the United States. Charles realizes the role hardship and suffering has played in his father's life and begins to form a solid connection with his once distant father. Charles appreciates the chance to meet and interact with members of his father's family. His older cousin takes an interest in him, and he decides to bring Charles on a hunting trip. The two young boys encounter a dangerous situation that forces Charles into a role that requires great strength and maturity. Will he find the resolve within himself to survive? Will he emerge unchanged, or will this unfortunate excursion leave him altered forever?