Lake George and Other Memorable Incidents in the Life of William King
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Then at 2:43 a.m. Sunday morning I was rudely awakened by being tossed violently out of the bed, crashing onto the floor. It was almost pitch dark—only the dim light from nearby street lamps offered any kind of shadowy relief. The floor was rolling violently, making it difficult for me to maintain my balance as I urgently moved about, searching for the street clothes I’d been wearing the day before. As I struggled to climb into my pants I had to keep ducking to avoid the crazily swinging metal chandelier. Somehow, I managed to get into my clothes then work my way to the door leading out to the hallway. The floor was still shaking, as were the walls, warping the frame to which the solid metal door was hinged and locked. I pulled on the door but it wouldn’t open. Desperately, I pulled again and again until finally the door frame lurched momentarily true, freeing the door to open. I quickly slipped out of the room and into the hall where I met up with about five other residents gathered at the top of the stairs leading to the street but unsure whether to proceed or not. I pushed my way forward and began down the stairs, motioning for the others to follow. They did, despite their fears. Fortunately, the main entrance door offered no resistance and all of us were soon out on the street. I stayed in the street until sunrise, anticipating aftershocks, listening to ambulance and fire truck sirens, and commiserating with the other residents as best I could in my broken Spanish. In daylight it was reassuring to see that my building didn’t look any the worse for wear despite the lengthy shaking. I climbed back up to my apartment to see whether it had suffered any interior damage. All seemed in good order, albeit in some disarray. I washed, changed into fresh clothing and returned to the street—this time to check more generally on how the city had fared from what I later learned was a magnitude 7.5-7.9 earthquake whose epicenter was about 380 kilometers away, in the state of Guerrero.
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About the Book
The Work is a collection of eleven short stories that highlight memorable incidents in the life of our fictional protagonist, William King. William King was only ten years old at the time of the first incident and a teenager in the next three stories that have him gaining a thirst for wisdom and journeying to other lands and cultures. The three short stories of King’s early twenties reveal a dedication to literature together with a continued urge to travel. By his middle and late twenties, William King has settled on an academic career in archaeology as glimpsed through an account of events set down in the next two short stories. The final two stories highlight incidents associated with the mounting of archaeological expeditions in foreign lands at a time when William King was in the prime of his academic career.
About the Author
JOSEPH W. MICHELS is a novelist whose list of titles include works of historical fiction as well as various other genres, such as mystery and romance. His WILLIAM CHURCH series of action thrillers has gained particular attention among readers familiar with his work.