Under the Tree a Novel by Greg Stone

The Explorer’s tires found the ice hidden beneath the fresh dusting of snow and lost traction, sending the SUV into a skid; nose right, ass left. The driver, accustomed to wintry driving conditions, corrected. The SUV came around, then kept on going; nose left, ass right. The driver corrected again, but it was no use, physics had taken over: momentum and ice conspired to send the vehicle hurtling off the mountain. Gravity pitched in and did its part, accelerating the descent of the doomed Explorer. For the driver, that would have been the end of the story—if not for a lone pine.

The impact shattered the tree’s trunk, but the pine remained standing; though bent and certain to perish, its sacrifice halted the Explorer’s descent. A moment later, the engine cut out. The driver, blood streaming down his forehead, moaned one last time. Then, once again, tranquillity blanketed the snow-covered mountain pass.

Inside the SUV, dangling from the mirror, a doll, a plump miniature monk, rocked back and forth, as though praying.

To continue reading, download the PDF of Chapter I.