Angel Falls

The story is set in the late 1990s in the idyllic small town of Last Bend, Washington, which was founded 50 years earlier by Ian Campbell. Before dawn on Halloween, nine-year-old Bret Campbell, Ian’s grandson, puts on his cowboy costume and goes to the barn to saddle his mother’s horse, Silver Bullet, determined to prove that he is ready for an overnight ride. Impressed, his mother, Mikaela, agrees to let him go. After putting on her helmet and reminding her son to keep his distance while watching, she warms up the horse over jumps in their arena.

As Mikaela rides, Bret notices that one particular jump is out of place. He tries to warn her, but she doesn’t hear him. The horse balks and throws Mikaela, and her head strikes a barn post. Bret finds her unconscious. His 16-year-old sister, Jacey, hears his scream and gets their father, Liam, who is a doctor. Liam administers first aid while Jacey calls 911. As paramedics take Mikaela away, the narrative briefly shifts to Mikaela’s confused and pain-filled consciousness.