Penage

Before July 15, 1977, the most unusual thing about Madison Green was that he had four dentists. These dentists were not aware that they shared a paranoid patient who used each of them to check on the work of the others. Madison Green's paranoia resulted in four annual sets of dental X-rays and an accumulating exposure to radiation. An accident at work resulted in X-rays, then X-rays to double-check the first X-rays, and of course further radiation exposure.
When Madison Green's plane is twice struck by by lightning, it plummets into Lake Penage. The combination of radiation and lightning strikes transforms Madison Green from a self-absorbed violent man into a self-absorbed violent beast. The plane's destruction by lightning is witnessed and the beast is seen, but the tall tale telling alcoholic witness named Willy Harrison is not believed. The possessive beast gathers the remains of the plane and lives secretly in the depths of Lake Penage for more than a decade.
Years later when attempting to retrieve a fishing rod from the depths of Lake Penage, Taylor Price accidentally snags a piece of the beast's property. The contact with the humans that the beast had avoided for so many years becomes inevitable. In spite of evidence of its presence and encounters with the creature, it is easier to deny its existence when any public suggestion of its presence brings ridicule. A drunk, a school teacher, a widow, a marina owner, and a truck driver are eventually forced to

I was born in Newfoundland in 1950. I grew up in Northern Ontario and still live there. My poetry book, Shirtless Tattoo, was published by Your Scrivener Press. My work has also appeared in anthologies. Besides writing, my interests include photography and long road trips.