Many thanks to Athena Lark, guest editor at The Whistling Fire for selecting my short story, “Nikki,” to be featured on the site. She says, “the characters are rich, the setting is intimate, and the plot intriguing. Hatter gives a knock-out punch with this story of a young woman’s search for enlightenment.” Nice! I hope you enjoy it.
The story was posted on Tuesday, July 3, but a storm on Friday night had knocked out power in my neighborhood. Rather than swelter in the house, my son and I took off to the Shenandoah National Park for an impromptu camping trip. We had already talked about visiting Luray Caverns in Virginia and considered the possibility of camping, but figured a day-trip would be fine. When the power went out and Pepco’s recorded phone message indicated that it would be a week before electricity was restored, away we went!
The Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
The weather was gorgeous – quite hot during the day, so heading underground into the Caverns was perfect. The stalagmites (rising from the ground) and stalactites (dropping from the ceiling) were amazing. If you get the chance to visit, you should. At night, temperatures fell into the 50s – quite chilly after 90s. But so much better than sweating a sea in my house.
Luray Caverns
Nice to see my son with his head in a book!
