🏚️ Stranded in the Squall
High up on the exposed moors of Peckles-Wood Shire, the weather changes in the blink of an eye. One moment the trail is clear, and the next, a sudden, blinding squall rolls over the mountain peaks. When freezing winds howl and heavy snow or stinging rain blankets the path, continuing the six-mile trek to the schoolhouse becomes impossible.
For the Whitaker children, survival means seeking immediate cover.
Tucked into the rugged hillside sits a lonely stone and timber shack. Decades earlier, this was a bustling miner’s cabin, filled with the clinking of pickaxes and the warmth of a roaring hearth. But when the local mines shut down, the workers packed up and left, leaving the cabin vacated to face the mountain storms alone. Today, it stands as an abandoned sanctuary—a vital winter shelter for children braving the wilderness.
Keeping Warm: The Game of “Jacky Steans.”
Inside, there are no soft chairs, no heaters, and no fires to dry their wet woolen coats. The air is biting cold. To stop their fingers from freezing and to keep their spirits up while waiting out the storm, the children have to stay moving.
They pass the hours by playing “jacky steans,” a traditional, old-fashioned game of jacks.
Gathering five smooth, small pebbles from the dirt floor, they take turns throwing one stone into the air while quickly scooping up the others from the ground before catching the first one on its way down. It takes fast reflexes, nimble fingers, and intense focus. The dusty floor echoes with the quiet clink-clink of the rocks as they challenge each other, laughing to forget the roaring wind shaking the old wooden rafters outside.
Welcome to Peckles-Wood Shire— where every child’s imagination runs wild… one time or another.
Continue the adventure with the Broken Sanctuary novel, the first journey into the world of Peckles-Wood Shire. Then discover collectibles and keepsakes inspired by the Whitaker family’s adventure.
Own a Piece of 1885 → | Peckles-Wood Shire Map →
The Illustrator’s Vision—The maps and illustrations of Peckles-Wood Shire are inspired by the real landscapes, places, and traditions of Victorian Northumberland. Created for The Chronicles of Peckles-Wbood Shire, they blend historical research with imagination to bring the world of Broken Sanctuary to life and invite young explorers to step into the Whitaker family’s adventure of 1885.
Copyright©2026 by Lee Wimmer and Hightower Publications. All Rights Reserved.