A Hard Life: A Love Story Set in the Everglades

By Philip Sherman Mygatt

A HARD LIFE is a 21,000-word novella by Philip Sherman Mygatt, author of five previously published full-length novels, including an Amazon top seller, INNOCENCE LOST - A CHILDHOOD STOLEN. Set in the Florida Keys and the Everglades in 1938, we follow Billy Settlemyer, a pilot who is approached by a notorious Mexican drug smuggler to fly 'cargo' from the Florida Keys to Avon Park, Florida, during inclement weather. At first, Billy refuses because the trip would be risky, but the smuggler ups the ante by offering him twice the standard fee. They arrange to meet later that night for the pickup of the 'cargo, ' which consists of two bales of high-quality Mexican marijuana.
Initially, the flight goes smoothly, but soon, the engine begins to sputter, and Billy realizes the fuel may be contaminated. The engine eventually fails completely, leaving him in a precarious situation over the dark, unforgiving Everglades far below.

Ultimately, he manages to crash-land the plane in the remotest part of the Everglades, where a Miccosukee Indian woman named Toki discovers him and brings him back to her village. She is wary of Billy at first, as her people view him as a potential threat due to his illicit cargo. While recovering from his injuries, Billy experiences the cultural differences and tensions between his world and that of Toki's people.

Toki lovingly brings Billy back to health. When he fully recovers from his injuries, he decides to steal a canoe and finish his mission by transporting the 'cargo' through the Everglades to Lake Okeechobee and then up the Kissimmee River to its final destination. As he attempts to escape in the dead of night, Toki surprises him and convinces him to take her with him. Little does Billy know that she is also escaping the village.

As Billy and Toki spend time facing the challenges of the Everglades, they develop a bond, sharing their thoughts and feelings about their lives and future. Toki grapples with her identity as a Miccosukee and her desire to explore the outside world. At the same time, Billy reflects on his past and the choices that led him to this moment, and how he is envious of Toki's lifestyle in the remote village.

The story escalates when alligator poachers capture Billy and Toki, take them to their remote cabin, and lock them in a secure storeroom while they decide what to do with the 'cargo.' They even discuss killing the two travelers. In a clever turn of events, Toki uses her charm and intelligence to distract the poachers while Billy plans their escape. His spur-of-the-moment plan is ultimately successful, and they flee in her canoe. As they navigate the dark, thunderstorm-driven Lake Okeechobee in the middle of the night, their captors almost catch up with them, and they barely escape with their lives. On the way back to Toki's remote village, they are again faced with escaping their tormentors who confront them as they cross the Tamiami Trail, where a group of Micosukke Indians at the nearby trading post save their lives.

Ultimately, Billy and Toki's journey is about escaping danger and finding their places in the world and the connections they forge along the way. Their love story unfolds against the backdrop of the Everglades, highlighting themes of cultural identity, survival, and the complexities of human relationships. The story concludes with their ultimate escape, leaving their future uncertain but hopeful as they paddle towards freedom and face the decisions they have to make about their collective future, which they only reveal to each other and the reader at the end of this adventurous love story. A heart-wrenching epilogue concludes the novella.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0F9PSXS1T
• ISBN13: 9798283580883
• Release Date: May 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 114 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"