The Wicked Small People of Whiskey Bridge

Jon Oplinger is professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Maine at Farmington. He lives in western Maine.

The Little People were a happy and peaceful clan who lived in the crater of a wonderful volcano. There, they were surrounded by their favorite smells-sweet sulfur, in particular-and were always warm and comfortable. It was safe there, too, because the predators stayed away, which was very important for the Little People, each of them no more than twelve inches tall.
Then, one terrible day, things begin to go wrong. The hiss of steam in their happy home comes less and less. The sweet sulfur fades, growing weaker by the day. Their volcano is dying; soon, it will no longer be a safe, warm, comfortable place to call home. The Little People are forced to flee, and they find themselves in a Maine mill town, lost and afraid. How will they survive? Who will come to their aid in this strange, new land?

Luckily, two curious kids, Timothy and Xandre, discover the Little People and befriend the strange clan. With the help of their new friends-plus a helpful grandma and a friendly dog-the Little People might be safe after all, despite the absence of sulfur and heat. At a chaotic town meeting, the fates of the Little People will be ultimately decided.