Paranormal Suspense
Date Published: May 20, 2025
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Matteo Ferrari has always been different. Gifted with unsettling clairvoyance, he sees shadows where others see light and hears whispers from the unknown. But when he fails to protect the ones he loves, his abilities vanish, leaving him lost and desperate. To reclaim his powers and find a new path, Matteo abandons his old life and ventures into the Alaskan wilderness.
Gabriella Valentina knows the pain of loss all too well. Once enchanted by the spotlight, she now flees from her past, seeking refuge from fear and sorrow in the same wild expanse.
When Matteo and Gabriella’s paths cross amidst the eerie beauty and hidden dangers of the Yukon, they must confront not only the shadows of their pasts but also the dark forces that lurk in the forest, waiting to claim them.
Excerpt One
395 words
1984
a cESSATION OF EXISTENCE
The Attack, Part 1
There was zero chance of survival for the four of us. Although I did not know the two criminals, for a split second I felt a sense of remorse for them. My thoughts were on the survival of my friend, Gabriella, since she certainly did not deserve this treatment. But then again, no one did. My wish to die first was not granted. I watched in horror as the first man shrieked the moment before his head was ripped off his shoulders. Without blinking, I watched the dead man’s head fly along, bounce once, and careen down the steep hill like a runaway ball. I remained mesmerized as the second, younger man began to crawl away with the knife still in his leg. He too was mowed down in a flash of dismembered arms and legs flying through the forest air.
I began to dry heave, gasping for air as the head of the second man landed near me with a thud. His shocked eyes remained wide open, staring directly at me.
The furious beast turned on my friend and swatted her through the air with a half swing. Gabriella flew over the edge of the hill, and I screamed, “No!” The terrifying beast stopped, ignored his task, gave me an evil eye, and then rumbled toward me. The rope around my neck that kept me bound to the tree tightened as I struggled to free myself. My arms were useless, tied behind my back. There was no escaping this attack.
The sinking-gut sensation came quickly. I had not felt that amount of dread since the sudden loss of my five-year-old daughter, Rose, years ago. As I was seated on the ground, I crossed my legs, closed my eyes, and prepared for death. Everything switched to slow motion, and untimely thoughts of Gabriella sifted through my mind. I hoped she could survive. I’ve heard that preparing for a sudden death is eerily calming in some bizarre way since the body’s central nervous system locks down in shock. The ground shook beneath the pounding of the beast’s massive paws for what seemed like an eternity. His ferocious growl was deafening. I took a deep breath, and darkness enveloped me. Death was my only cure.
Dying is easy; it’s living that is difficult.
Excerpt TWO
1565 words
30. AWAKENING
GABRIELLA
I hit the ground with a thud and felt pain on my left side where Golden had slapped me flying over the edge of the hill. The bear ran at Matteo, and I heard him yell, “Run, Gabriella!”
With abandon, I rolled down the steep hill unable to stop myself. Tumbling over and over, I glanced off trees and came to a rest far down the hill. I lay dazed and confused. Various sized boulders were all over the hill and at the bottom. Miraculously, I had missed all of them.
I had careened off a few trees and felt lucky, hardly able to move. I opened my eyes, lying face down in the dirt. Turning my head I looked straight into the eyes of a small white mouse that stood on its haunches looking at me while sniffing the air. He ran off, and I felt like telling him to come back. It reminded me of a time long ago when I raised pet mice, and they all became my friends. When I came home from school, they would all gather around the cage until I allowed them out to sit on my shoulders as I walked around the house. My stepmom thought I was crazy and was afraid of the harmless creatures. But I needed their company. And I wanted this wild mouse to stay with me now. I crawled to the nearest tree and leaned up against it. Checking my body, I had no serious injuries, just multiple bruises. Still in shock, I gazed up to the top of the hill and noticed the great head of Golden staring down at me. I reached for the .44, but it was gone, taken by the miners. I sighed, looked up, and Golden turned and disappeared from my sight.
I sat still for a while thinking of the tragedy that had just unfolded, and felt devastated that I could not help Matteo, a loss I did not wish to endure. Now that he was gone, my affection for him poured out, and I began to cry. I wished I had treated him with more fondness but was unable to ditch my emotional cage. Never had I met a man such as Matteo, so kind, so attentive, and always there for me.
What a fool, and now he was gone, and I must forge on, but I felt like dying instead. I thought for a few minutes and decided to climb back up and deal with his body. He would do that for me. If Golden was there, then I would perish with Matteo. Gathering my senses, I stood and began the arduous climb to the top. Trying to remain as quiet as possible. I rested every twenty feet, trying to maintain strength to avoid tumbling to the bottom again. I looked at myself. I was covered with dirt and pine needles, and I reached up and felt my hair. It was a rat’s nest. I muttered to myself that I must blend in well with my environment.
Halfway up, I paused and began to think, which in my case could be dangerous. I had run from my past in a rampaging effort to locate something to fulfill myself. I did find extreme value and reward in learning the fine art of fly-fishing and becoming adept at teaching it. I’d studied and mastered the requirements of becoming a dedicated ranger. I’d learned to handle and shoot a gun, something this model never even imagined.
In so many ways, I had accomplished my goals and felt fantastic but was still unfulfilled. Yet often the answer is so obvious that it can’t be seen by someone looking too hard. It’s like someone must drop the proverbial brick on my head. Naturally, even obsessively, I searched and consciously avoided people and events countless times, dismissing everything and everyone while always seeming happy.
Perched on the side of this hill, covered in dirt and pine needles, it dawned on me that whenever folks act happy all the time, it means the opposite, sadness. Rubbing my eyes to clear the tears, I now understood the glaring solution to my frustrations, and it had been swirling around me over the past few weeks, making me laugh and cry with intellectual compassion and humor meshed with Matteo’s own tragic tale. And now he was gone as fast as he had arrived. Pouring his personal life onto me was like pure mountain stream water bathing my mind of negativity and ultimately, and shockingly, it spurred me to enter his tent and reveal some of my discombobulated life.
Trying again to justify the fact that I had known him for only a few weeks failed miserably because something about him had eased my pain with the noninvasive power of persuasion. I had a chance to exorcise my demons by simply accepting this warm, blessed being who stood patiently in front of me, washing me with humor, with keen discourse, and with compliments. But no, I retreated again to my defensive position and screwed myself in the process while discouraging him at the same time. Although he still stood in front of my blinded eyes. Sighing, I began to climb again, quiet as a mouse. The task ahead of me seemed insurmountable and deadly, but I pushed ahead.
As I approached the hilltop, I sank into cold fear created by the realization of my impending end of life, and here I was about to experience it for the third time in one day! I knew bears seldom abandon their kills for fear of others pilfering their catch. I hoped the .44 magnum would be close as it would be my only chance. Stopping a few feet from the edge, I lay quietly in the dirt and pine needles, and oddly I felt remarkably comfortable. I smiled at the frivolity of my effort, sighed, and gathered my wits for the obvious mayhem that lay ahead. I had hoped that most of Matteo would be intact for a decent funeral, as it was his wish to be buried in the remote woods of our majestic wilderness.
My heart skipped a few beats as I cautiously peeked over the hill and first saw multiple body parts scattered about. I suppressed a scream and pulled back gasping for breath until I calmed down. Gathering my strength, I stuck my whole head up and scanned the setting. My heart jumped as my gaze settled on Matteo slumped over still tied to the tree! I noticed well-picked bones scattered near him, but no blood on Matteo, and no sign of the killer bear. I refrained from yelling at Matteo as I noticed a glitter to the right, the .44 magnum near the torn remains of our dead captors. After hesitating for a final look around, I bounded over the hill and rushed to the gun. No bear. I ran to Matteo, he looked up, startled, and I hugged him repeatedly.
About the Author
A graduate of UCSC and UCSB, Navy brat Bryan Burnell majored in creative writing and English literature. After selling his successful office furniture business, which he ran for three decades, he started paying more attention to the story ideas that had accumulated in his mind over the years. Free time allowed him to finally bring life to his first book, Saving Yukon. This long-time Santa Barbara resident loves the meditative aspects of swimming, gardening, golf (despite his high handicap), and an occasional shot of good bourbon. He is married with two grown children and a spoiled Labradoodle named Nelli
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Instagram: @bryanburnellauthor
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