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Rated: 18+ · Book · Drama · #2221334
This novel is available through Barnes and Noble site. Author is Wylie Reed Richardson.
(SYNOPSIS: "Golden Strings" is a literary odyssey about a gifted young musician from rural California. This tale takes place in the heady summer of 1974. Gary Sapling, an eighteen-year-old resident of the (fictitious) small town of Panville California, works at the music department of his local mall, but secretly dreams of becoming a musical star one day (via his gifts as a singer-songwriter, with the acoustic guitar). A key moment in Gary's life comes when he accepts an invitation to visit his divorced uncle Karl, who lives in a remote part of California. Gary arranges a brief vacation, and goes out to visit Karl. After re-establishing their familial bond, Gary suggests that the pair of them visit San Francisco together. Karl agrees, and drives them to this famous place. They check into a hotel together, and Gary ventures out alone one day, to see what he can discover. This excerpt depicts a seemingly random encounter between Gary and a young SF resident named Bonnie, that turns out to shape Gary's destiny.)



CHAPTER TWELVE (excerpt)


Gary noticed a young woman in a funky outfit approaching various people in the park, with what appeared to be a portable tape recorder in her hand. She was clad in a green mini-dress with a yellow metallic belt, and wore sandals on her feet. She was quite attractive, with long strawberry-blonde hair that cascade past her shoulders. Gary played his guitar softly as he watched the woman talk to people in the immediate area, holding up her tape recorder to get their responses. Gary couldn't quite make out what was being said, by either the woman or the people to whom she was speaking. She didn't speak to any one person for more than a minute. Gary noticed the differing facial expresses of the 'interviewees'. Some of them seemed amused by this woman, other annoyed, a few totally puzzled.

It wasn't long before the woman approached Gary. "Hi!" she said neutrally.

"Hello there," Gary replied, still softly strumming his guitar.

"What's the answer?" She moved the tape recorder from her mouth, close to his.

Gary wasn't quite sure what to make of this odd query. "Pardon me?"

"What is the answer?" she repeated, patiently.

Gary just laughed. "I don't know what the question is," and then strummed a few more notes.

"Neither do I. That is why I am asking everyone."

Gary looked closely at the woman. If she was trying to be funny, she was hiding it well. Was she playing some sort of game with him? He couldn't tell. He decided that if she was going to act strange with him, then he would simply play along.

"What's the answer? I have always thought that the answer is..." Gary played the G # chord, three times in a row. "Or then again, maybe the answer is..." He then strummed a B minor. He sat back, and waited for the strange lady's response.

"So that is the answer? Thank you, thank you so much!" She turned off the tape recorder, and warmly shook Gary's hand. Gary noticed a lime-green bracelet on her wrist. She took a paper flyer from a little knapsack, and handed it to Gary. He glanced down at it.

"The 'frisco Freedom invites one and all to our live (not on tape!) performance at the Teapot Theater on Tuesday, June 15th. We will be be performing at 10:30 PM on the dot. Free admission, but donations are welcome (and encouraged)," the flyer read. It gave the street address for the Teapot, and also featured a grainy B&W photo of five individuals standing together, smiling and making silly faces. There were two males and three females in the picture. Gary looked up from the flyer. He noticed a strong resemblance between one of the women in the picture, and the woman standing in front of him.

"Say - are you in this picture? Are you part of this..." He had to glance back down at the flyer, to get the troupe's name. " 'frisco Freedom Collective?" She nodded her head 'yes'.

"Yes, that is me right there." She pointed to her face in the picture. "I'm Bonnie. Bonnie Montclaire." She offered her hand. Gary lightly shook it. Her skin was soft, her fingers smooth and delicate.



(END OF EXCERPT)
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