Rosemarie Nervelle
Location: Camden, Maine
Down East Enterprise:
The Witch of Beaver Creek Mine
Author: Rosemarie Nervelle
Everybody in Beaver Creek, Nova Scotia, knows that the old gold mine just outside of town is treacherous. Some of the shafts are flooded, and portions of the tunnels collapse without warning, creating sinkholes that can swallow anyone who strays too close. But it’s not the mine the townspeople fear most. It’s Old Maud who really gives them the shivers. Reputed to be a witch, the badly disfigured Micmac Indian woman is the only person who dares to traverse the land overlying the abandoned mine.
Thirteen-year-old Johnny Lightfoot has heard stories about Maud all his life. When, one day, he wanders too close to the mine, the earth gives way and he falls into an old tunnel. That’s frightening enough, but even more alraming is the sight of Old Maud peering down at him!
Such is the beginning of an unusual friendship, as Johnny comes to realize that overcoming his own fear of Maud is nothing compared to changing the prejudices of others. Set in the 1940s, and enlivened with dangerous challenges in the form of sudden floods, a fire, a lynx attack, and an angry mob, this is a story of tolerance, finding pride in one’s heritage, and, most of all, friendship.
Author Information: ROSEMARIE NERVELLE grew up in a small Nova Scotia mining town, and draws on her own experiences and mixed ethnic heritage for this story. Her poems have been published in the Village Voice and the Goose River Anthology. This is her first book. Rosemarie lives in Camden, Maine, for most of the year, with summer sojourns in Nova Scotia.
A selection of items at Northern Tides
Please email us to verify item availability. Phone orders are welcome. Nationwide shipping available. How to order.
