The Boneyard [Paperback]

Robbin Nickaell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2000

Who says there are no such things as monsters? Take a walk on the wild side into an obscure cave off the beaten path and really explore. There may be more than gold inside there may be something horrible waiting down a dark tunnel with arms wide open...waiting for you.Drop by the town of Jasper, and find out the meaning of a good old-fashioned barbecue. But watch out, you might end up as the main dish.Dive into two tales of inexplicable horror: A Desert Dweller, and Jasper's Deadly Embrace. Savor a slice of madness and taunting terror. Once you turn the first page, there's no going back, and the ride is well worth the price of your sanity.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

As a child, Robbin Nickaell would terrify her sisters with late night horror stories. Her favorite childhood movie was The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock, and she was determined to follow in his footsteps.Today she is devoted to terrifying readers of all ages.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"Sometimes I hate you, Rob." Stacey mopped layers of sweat from her sweltering, beet-red face as she plopped her more than ample behind onto a large granite boulder. "I can't believe we're climbing this stupid mountain in this heat!" She glared as her husband meekly offered her a cool drink of water from his canteen.

Rob Jensen surveyed the vista below. The desert shimmered with heat rays. Towering saguaros bowed their heads obediently to the white-gold globe above. The stifling air occasionally stirred up puffs of dust, adding to the parchment-like appearance of the view. Far off in the distance, California vultures soared overhead, their feathery forms spiraling upward as they caught lift in a thermal, the same heated air responsible for the dust devils dotting the horizon. Despite the oppressive heat, the overall atmosphere was intensely serene. The Arizona desert harbored many pleasures and pains, and one did not seem possible without the other.

"Good grief, Rob! Are we going to sit here until our butts become one with nature?" Stacey slapped at an annoying buzzing insect, which was attracted to her perfume. "Damn bees are driving me nuts. You know how I feel about bees. They scare me to death. I swear to God, one of these days I'm going to get stung. And with my luck I'll be allergic to them and out in the middle of nowhere, like now."

Rob smiled absently. After 11 years of marriage he knew it was far simpler to agree with her than to argue. He pointed at a small hole faintly visible on an adjoining mountain range. He was determined to enjoy his hike, and was willing to use whatever tactics necessary to encourage Stacey to do the same.

"That's got to be a cave of some sort, Stacey. See it over there, kind of sunk back into the mountain?" He scrunched his face as he studied the camouflaged hole, while his hands reached for the binoculars hanging from a strap around his neck.

Stacey pouted as she dabbed on another layer of sunscreen. She was hot, tired, and irritable. She was also hungry, and ready to call it a day. As it was, she figured they had at least a two-hour climb back down the mountain to their car. And after a day like today, Rob was in for a real surprise if he expected her to prepare supper. No way, Jose'. She was planning on wining and dining at the Golden Arches. He could kiss her big fat butt if he expected anything any different. Just the thought of a big, juicy cheeseburger put a smile on Stacey's reddening face.

"Rob, darling. Could we eat out tonight? Nothing fancy. Just grab a couple of burgers, some fries, and maybe an apple pie and a cold, yummy shake. What do you think?"

Stacey's swollen stomach growled. The mere thought of a hamburger made a sliver of drool run down her chin.

Rob peered at the hole through the binoculars as he focused on the opening. There were a lot of bushes surrounding the area, and he detected what appeared to be bones of some sort on the ground before it. It was hard to determine what type of bones, but it sure looked like a large pile. Must be a predator of some type occupying the cave. He was definitely intrigued!

Stacey yanked on the back of her husband's shirt. "Darn-it, Rob! Don't you ever listen to me? I swear to God, I married a robot. No matter what I say, you never listen. I'd get more response out of a monkey than I do out of you most of the time. Am I so insignificant that I deserve to be ignored?"

Tiny red fire ants began to investigate Stacey's bare meaty Mega-legs. She howled as her large, fleshy hands slapped at the biting insects.

Rob poured what remained of the water from the canteen down her lily-white shins, washing the smashed remains of the ants into the cottony tops of her socks. Large, red welts formed as Stacey scratched, tears trickling down her round face.

At this point Rob realized that his much-anticipated hike had come to a shattering halt. Without water, and Stacey whining about the welts, there was no other recourse than to return to the car.

"Okay, Stacey. Let's head back. We'll pick up some Calamine lotion on the way home. That'll take some of the sting out of those bites."

He cast one last, longing glance at the mysterious cave, certain he was missing the adventure of a lifetime. He'd come back in a couple of weeks and check it out. Next time he'd bring someone else along, somebody from work that enjoyed a good hike, too.

Stacey sniffled, hoping to play on Rob's sympathy. "Thanks, honey. I sure do feel bad about ruining your plans. I hope you won't have any bad feelings towards me. I figured I could make it up to you with a big, juicy hamburger. Doesn't that sound delicious? It makes me hungry just thinking about it. And we could pick up a movie at that new video place by the house. Maybe we'll get a comedy. It's been a while since we've watched anything funny lately. I'm just about bored to death with those soaps. And I've noticed that they seem to have the same plot, too. Everyone's screwing everyone's husband, or wife, or sister. I'll tell you, there's a lot of crap on the television lately. Makes me almost ashamed to be an American."

Rob merely nodded his head in agreement, and began his trek down the mountain.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (September 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595120520
• ISBN-13: 978-0595120529
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,263,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A talent waiting to be discovered, January 27, 2002

By 

"justleavemealone" (Cheyenne Wyoming) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boneyard (Paperback)

I discovered this book while doing a web search for new horror written by relatively unknown writers. I ordered a copy and was not disappointed. Ms. Mikhall definitely knows how to spin a good yarn, and her writing skills are solid. All in all a very entertaining pair of stories. I look forward to more from the author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Boneyard, January 4, 2001

By 

Kathie Stanley (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boneyard (Paperback)

Growing up in the Arizona desert, this book kept me in suspense from the beginning to end. It was as if I could believe the cave really exists. Jasper is that town too good to be true, be travel leery, it could happen!! This book is a must to read.

4.0 out of 5 stars A talent waiting to be discovered, January 27, 2002

By 

"justleavemealone" (Cheyenne Wyoming) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boneyard (Paperback)

I discovered this book while doing a web search for new horror written by relatively unknown writers. I ordered a copy and was not disappointed. The author definitely knows how to spin a good yarn, and her writing skills are solid. All in all a very entertaining pair of stories. I look forward to more from her.