July Indie Spotlight: A Gleam of Light, by T. J. and M. L. Wolf

C. L. Schneider
Jun 30
5 min read

Blurb

In 1995, at the age of eight, Una Waters survived a terrifying encounter at 30,000 feet aboard Flight 564 from Dallas to Las Vegas. It changed her forever. After 21 years, and a decade away from the Hopi Reservation where she grew up as a child, a surprise plea for help brings Una back, to solve a mystery that threatens their traditional way of life. The U.S. Army's sudden interest regarding a cave discovery in the Sacred Peaks has triggered alarm, leading to violence. With the help of friends, new and old, Una must confront her painful past, seek proof to qualify the ancient site for protection under law, and stand up to a stiff-necked general, whose agenda is more concerned with retrieving a mysterious power source.

Excerpt

TWO WORLDS

On a cloudy afternoon in late May, 1995, eight-year old Una Waters waited patiently in line

beside her parents at the America West terminal of Dallas-Fort Worth International to board their flight. On layover from its starting point in Tampa, Florida, the giant B-757 airliner would only be here for an hour, to pick up a few passengers before heading to its final destination, Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the first time she and her mother had been asked to accompany her father, a missionary who had devoted his entire life to the betterment of U.S./Native American relations. It was how he met her mother on the Hopi reservation she called home, and the reason for this trip.

Una did not understand much about the Indian problem, as some people put it, though she

thought she knew what it meant to be a Hopi. All her teachers at the Mission School in Arizona

taught her to respect tribal elders, obey the law, and work hard at her lessons. Good grades were the key to a brighter future. People with good grades could grow up to be decision makers, and that could make the world a better place--for everyone.

The airport made her head spin! So many people everywhere with luggage, and all the

announcements of flight times. There were families with children, youths in uniform with duffle bags, and older men in business suits, clinging to briefcases. Whatever they kept inside must be awfully important, because they never let them go, except to light a cigarette or make calls from airport telephones lined up along one wall. Most of them seemed tired and cranky, without much to smile about. Una decided she would not like to walk in their shoes. By the looks on their faces, it seemed that black leather must make their feet hurt.

"How much longer, Mummy?" she asked.

Lenmana Waters tried to smile. Their arrival flight from Flagstaff had given them just

enough time to wait in long lines for the Ladies room and a quick lunch from Urban Taco. The

food reminded her of hominy and beans back home, but more spicy with plenty of hot peppers.

Texans seemed to eat a lot like Mexicans, even though they lived in America. It was like two

worlds overlapped. That also reminded her of life as a Hopi.

Una gazed up at her father, white-haired, tall and lean like an actor she'd seen on TV

reruns of Barnaby Jones. Simon Waters smiled pleasantly at everyone they met. He seemed out

of place here. His genuine, easy-going style enabled him to connect with people of other

cultures, because they did not feel intimidated. "The eyes are the window to the soul," he once

told her, "People know when you're not sincere."

Everyone who worked in the airport smiled a lot. People at the ticket counter, baggage

handlers, even people who emptied trash cans or swept up the endless stream of wrappers and

styrofoam cups left by weary travelers. Una sensed pain in their eyes. Of course, this was only

her second time entering an airport since leaving her home on the Reservation. Dallas had more runways, more planes...more everything! The bigger the city, the more smiling workers. But it had nothing to do with happiness. Behind those smiles, they weren't happy at all.

"Why, Papa, why?" she'd asked him only a few days before.

"It's a National Conference on Indian Affairs. I've been graciously invited to present a

paper on my work. Many people will be there who share our values. They understand the

importance of preserving ancient lands. Some even have friends in high places. We need those

kinds of friends...to protect our way of life. Without them, everything we cherish might one day

disappear."

Already most of Una's friends spoke English, but had little understanding of Hopi words

used in traditional ceremonies. Her mother once told her the people of their village had grown

blue corn for a thousand generations, long before Columbus came to America. It was getting

harder to grow all the time. Without it they could not make Piki bread--one of her favorites!

Just the thought of it made her mouth water. It seemed like ages since their last home

meal. One week, her father said. One week and it would all be over. This was still only the first

day! She was getting tired of airports. Tired of waiting. Tired of bright lights and loud noise.

Tired of smells repeating themselves every 50 feet no matter which way they turned. Smells like McDonalds, floor wax, upholstery and stale coffee.

"It's not time yet," said the woman at the boarding desk. "Your flight has been delayed."

Her father sighed.

The woman smiled at Una. "I'll bet you can't wait to see Pocahontas. My daughter can't

stop talking about it."

Lenmana took Una by the hand. They'd seen all the hoopla on TV. All the picture books

and toys. One of her classmates even told her about a shopping mall display in Phoenix,

complete with a huge model of a sailing ship. The movie release was still weeks or months away.

It might as well be an eternity.

About the Authors

T.J. & M.L. Wolf joined forces in the field of Healthcare, exploring mutual interest in the work of UFO researchers like Budd Hopkins and movie directors like Steven Spielberg. The History Channel's "Ancient Aliens" became a focal point of their quest to uncover the truth regarding humanity's purpose and how it pertains to our future. Married over twenty years, they write

Speculative Fiction and live in Boardman, Ohio with their six-pound Yorkie, who keeps the family in line.

Three Things Readers Should Know About Our Book

1 -- A GLEAM OF LIGHT was an Award Finalist for Young Adult Sci-Fi in the 2019 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards. The AUDIOBOOK is narrated by professional voice actress Kat Bohn with original music by composer T.J. Wilkins.

2 -- Each life-changing story in THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY (inspired by Real Events) sheds light on racial injustice -- as it explores the human connection to Ancient Aliens through the eyes of Native Mythology. Throughout history, native peoples have borne first witness to the TRUTH about our relationship to Planet Earth ... and Life elsewhere in the universe. In the modern world, that Truth has been lost.

3 -- Glowing TRILOGY Reviews appear on Amazon and Goodreads from women across the USA! One reviewer writes: "It takes the narrative of good aliens and bad aliens and then makes it accessible, just as it does the good humans and the bad humans ... I think that this whole series ought to be available in high school and middle school libraries." -- Teresa H. Garcia, Star Dragon Publishing