Berniece Kroll

Rocky Mountain High Berniece Kroll

Leona was three years old when her mother was taken away and she was left with a grandma who was dying and an uncle who was delusional. Life with the uncle, she called General Haught, was exciting, regimented, and mission oriented, although absent of human touch. Leona became Haught's right hand man in his mission to save planet earth. She assisted the General in storing food and medical supplies in a secluded cave. Ultimately, Leona's mission was to escape the clutches of the Children's Protective Services and the law. When the 'survival cave' she lived in became too cold and lonely, she searched for help. She found a mountain woman who lived alone and needed her as much as Leona needed an adult with an actual house. Leona's new mission was the freedom to look in on and take care of her uncle, without interference from the law, but she learned to love the woman, Grace Winchester, also. Her goals soon included her. Leona Maude Summers finds the people who are hiding; hiding with shame; hiding from life; isolated from love. Martin hides behind material things to cover his poor beginning. Jaxson tries to hide his sexual orientation from himself and his children. Win hides the birth of her baby girl. Leona and Win hide the body of a man who would have raped and killed them. Leona becomes a catalyst in the lives of many, attempting to bring acceptance and love to those she comes in contact with. The theme of this story is man's search for the underlying purpose of Humankind's experience on earth. Perhaps life is not a forced testing of worth. Perhaps we, as a oneness, chose to have the experience of divine spirits placed in the bodies of human animals; with the different and exciting needs of animals; without the memory of eternity. What a fantastic lark. What a painful method of learning. What a magnificent acceleration of growth!