Wellman Spring

by Craig Deutsche

The story takes place in the early Twentieth Century in the fictional Antiem Valley of central California. Here ranchers and dryland farmers fashion their lives in an often hostile land among intimations of an older world beyond the visible surface. Mary Branson returns to her home after serving as a nurse in World War I. She is disillusioned and is hoping that the slower life of the isolated valley will restore a sense of purpose that was lost in her years away. Her story is told by Emma Jeffries, a lifelong friend, who in addition to chronicling events, recalls scenes from their shared wandering through fields near their home, an encounter with an herbal healer at a nearby ranch, their years together in high school.Initially Mary finds a place helping in her parents’ general store and treating the illnesses and injuries that occur in the isolated Valley. A potential suitor appears, but when he is never able to make a commitment, Mary must finally tell him goodbye. Not long afterwards, a drifting vaquero stops at the store, tells of Mary’s past, and hints at her future life. This is Onorio Sanchez who carries a reputation for being crazy and also for being a seer whose dreams have often been prescient.The third person to enter Mary’s life in these years is Peter Finch, a somewhat older man who works a ranch on the far side of the Valley. Peter is both charming and impulsive, and although he is not well known in the community, rumors suggest that his business practices may be tainted. Following a non-traditional courtship and a more formal marriage, Mary leaves her family home for the life of a traditional wife on Peter’s ranch. When a daughter is born, Emma hopes that Mary’s awkward years have come to an end. Married life has episodic ups and downs, but two persons at the ranch help Mary cope. Rosario, the hired cook on the ranch, is also a victim of Peter’s irrational furies but provides a broader perspective for the events that occur. The second person is one of the hired hands who offers aid to both Mary and her daughter in difficult circumstances. The greatest source of clarity for Mary comes from the land itself. On several occasions she visits the a canyon near the ranch, and here at Wellman Spring, she finds pictographs of unknown origin, a quiet refuge from daily work, and a sense of connection with an older and greater world. The spring and its aura become a recurring theme. When a devastating drought arrives in the Antiem Valley, Peter becomes obsessed with money and security. His darker side becomes dominant, and Mary struggles to keep their lives on an even course. Onorio reappears twice with hints of a coming crisis. Mary’s father dies, and Peter becomes abusive to both Mary and to their daughter. Resolution of the conflict follows from Mary’s innate integrity and from the intervention of a seemingly natural disaster. Onorio’s prophecies are realized, and coincident with Mary’s escape, the drought ends and rains return to the Antiem Valley.

220 pages, Paperback

Published September 28, 2020