The Asquinn Twins Come To The James Bay Frontier
 

By Heather Radford

Book One in The Asquinn Twins Series


    This story takes place in the vast area of ‘New” Ontario, Canada in the mid- forties. The Asquinn Twins, three year old Marty and Martha, along with the rest of the family, arrive in the James Bay Frontier, with their father, Obediah Asquinn, who is a missionary. He was sent by God, to leave his church, friends and family in Wales and come to this vast area to prepare a people for God- to teach the residents about Christianity.
    Devil worshipers rule this vast area. The school children obey and fear Conrad Cameron, High priest, a mere child himself. He had not only the school children under his spell but the teacher, Mrs. Tremble, and most of the other adults as well. The twins are shocked to learn the leader of the devil worshipers is a distant cousin, the same age as their older brother, Kenny, which is six. There has been enmity between the Asquinn family and the Camerons. The families are at opposite ends of the scale when it comes to belief in God and Jesus.
But for this dark and heathen land there is a ray of hope.
    How would this missionary know where God intended him to settle and start teaching? Obadiah Asquinn and his family had crossed the ocean and arrived in Canada. For a short period of time he had paused in Central Ontario in a beautiful and scenic area known as the Halliburton Highlands. At first he felt this was the place God intended; services were going well, brethren allowed him to hold services in the basement of their homes. People were saved and became tithing embers of the church. The twins were thrilled to hear their father was about to buy a house. Now they would have a house to live in instead of calling cramped motel rooms their dwelling place. Then this happiness and great expectations came to an end. Three priests visited Obadiah and told him to get out of the Halliburton Highlands; they did not want him teaching his heresy. They even forced him to pack his belongings and family and practically chased him out of town.

    The twins found their father driving north, making their way into further and further into the then unknown wilderness of the James Bay frontier. When asked how he would know where God intended him to start teaching, the only answer pastor Asquinn had for his children was that he would know when God brought him to the spot. And he did.
    The twins and Kenny merely wanted to visit Forest lake. Their Father wanted to go onto Timmins, but everyone else felt a tiny detour and a chance to get out of the car and stretch their legs was a good idea. So Pastor Asquinn relented and drove into the hamlet of Forest lake; and he was there ever since.
    How he knew this was the spot; while crossing the ocean on the ship, he had dreamed several times about a small boy playing on the steps of a stone house. Sure enough, at one spot the family had stopped to get out of the car and admire the beautiful scenery of Forest Lake. One was the huge body of deep blue, sparkling waters of Lake Forest.
    But while at that spot, beautiful harmonica music as the family had never heard before came to them. Kenny finally located it; sure enough a small boy played the instrument, sitting on the steps of a stone house.
    The ministry was set up here; the twins were happy when their father bought the stone house, the beginnings of the Golden Ridge Baptist Church and later The Golden Ridge Baptist School.
Arthur Cameron, Conrad’s father, and a distant cousin of Pastor Asquinn was not happy about a missionary coming to Forest lake; nor was his son eager to have God’s word heard. He knew this would be the end of his rule as high priest. One night he captured Matty, a friend of Kenny, and forced him to take part in a devil worship ceremony. The purpose of this ceremony was to cause the death of Kenny, whom he knew was a threat to his reign. But this curse backfired and one of Conrad’s own lieutenants died that night in a house fire meant to kill Kenny.
    That night as the residence of Forest lake surveyed the ruins of the fire, the fight between good and evil had started and each side squared off. For evil there was Conrad and his half brother Malcolm; for good Kenny and his friend, Matty Turehue.
    Conrad had a half brother, Malcolm, who was nothing but a slave to his older brother. One night Conrad locked him out of the house. For several days Malcolm wandered around Forest lake with no place to go; not even school. He at last found warmth underneath the one-roomed school house. One evening the twins found him there, freezing and starving. Malcolm was taken home to live with the Asquinn family. He was there for only a short while but during his stay, God took pity on him and saved him.
    But that wasn’t the end of his problems. Conrad lured him back home.
    Shortly after that Conrad announced to the entire one-roomed school that their father was moving them into Lakeview, a larger town twenty miles away.
    The twins looked at each other, knowing the side of good had won a small victory. At least Conrad and his evil influence would not be directly in Forest Lake anymore.