M. Short's Blog

Excerpt for my new book Escape from the Mamluk Empire

As they continued their hunting trips, the stags moved lower onto the plains below the cave entrance. This morning, fresh snow had fallen the night before.

“The Stags will move today to find other sources of food. Let’s hope today will be a good day of hunting.” said Christopher.

As they set out for a day of hunting, Natalie was in the fighting positions for the day watch. When she saw Bryan and Christopher leave the cave she radioed, “There’s a small herd moving from the west to the east along the road to the fruit trees. They are a good 17 kilometers from them.”

“Roger, we’re taking a truck to beat them to the fruit trees.” said Christopher.

Bryan and Christopher jumped into a truck and headed to the fruits trees some fifteen kilometers away. When they reached the house, they parked the truck on the eastside to prevent it from being seen.

Christopher radioed, “Where is the herd now?” 

“They’re still walking on the road about 10 kilometers away, they are still at their same pace.”

“Bryan, let’s take a position 50 meters to the south to be perpendicular to the herd as the walk down the road. We’ll have a better angle to pick our targets.”

As they moved into position, the herd continued down the road. When the herd was within range, Christopher whispered to Bryan. “Call your target, we need to shoot at the same time.”

“I have the stag at the front of the herd.”

“Good, I will take the one walking in the middle. On the count of three. One, two, three.”

The two shots rang out as one, dropping two large stags immediately. Christopher took aim once again as the herd sped off. At 300 meters, at a full run, he dropped another stag.

Bryan amazed at Christopher’s aim, “Where did you learn to shoot like that?”

“I’ve had plenty of practice shooting at fast moving targets. You get the truck and I’ll get to our kills. We’ll get the farthest one away first.”

Bryan slung his hunting rifle and ran to the truck. By the time Christopher reached the last stag, Bryan was pulling up.

“Let’s load all three in the truck. We can dress them at the house.”

As they were loading the second stag, the radio crackled, “There are two mobiles moving toward you. They are having a hard time getting through the snow.” said Natalie.

Christopher radioed, “Roger, how much time do we have?”

“They’re moving slowly, you have fifteen minutes before they reach the fruit trees.”

“Roger, we have one more to retrieve and then we are heading to your position. Do you have your sniper rifle in your fighting position with you?”

“I carry it like I use to a purse. It’s always with me.”

“If they follow us, you may need to eliminate one or both of the mobile drivers and stay low.”

“Roger.”

Christopher and Bryan quickly loaded the third kill in the truck and headed to the cave. As Bryan sped to the cave, Christopher radioed, “Are they following us up the mountainside?”

“No, their mobiles are stuck in the snow 200 meters from the fruits trees. I think they ran off the road. Wait, they are getting out of their mobiles.”

“How many are there and what weapons do they have?”

“It’s a man and a woman. There’s a small child with them in a child seat in the back of the second mobile. I can’t see any weapons yet.”

“Is there anyone chasing them from a distance?”

“No, the road is empty as far as I can see on both sides of the mountain.”

“Get to your truck. When we get there, we will go back to see if we can help them, but I want the three of us there with weapons just in case. Have our helmets, vest and small arms ready by the time we get back. Have Bud and Claudia take the watch from inside. They can keep us posted while we are helping the family.”

“Roger, heading there now.”

When Christopher and Bryan arrived, Natalie was standing in the bed of her truck watching the family moving toward the house with the fruit trees. Christopher and Bryan jumped out of their truck and quickly donned their helmet, vest and small arms gear. Soon the three sped back to the stranded family. When the man and woman saw the truck speeding toward them, they ran back to their mobiles.

“When we reach the family, stay behind the doors pistols only and keep them low. I will approach them to let them know we are friendly. If they draw weapons, you know what to do.”

They stopped the truck five meters for the mobiles. As the doors opened Natalie and Bryan assumed their defensive positions, Christopher walked slowly to the mobiles.

His rifle slung with his hands in the air to show them he meant them no harm. When Christopher was a meter from the mobiles two doors opened rapidly with the man and woman firing a pistol and a shotgun. Christopher dropped and rolled behind a mobile as Bryan and Natalie neutralized the threat. After the sound of gunfire subsided, only the cries of a small four-month-old girl could be heard.

Christopher jumped up to check the status of the man and woman. They were dead. Natalie had the girl in her arms covered in blood.

“Is she shot?” asked Christopher.

“No, it’s her mother’s blood. Why did they fire on us?” asked Natalie as tears welled up in her eyes.

Christopher hugged Natalie, “Honey. Those people were scared and desperate. Desperate people always make the wrong moves. We did nothing wrong, we only defended ourselves. Get the little one in the truck and keep her warm. Bryan and I will search the mobiles and then burn them.”

As Natalie tended to the little girl, Christopher and Bryan searched the mobiles to find another shotgun and two more pistols and a hundred rounds of ammunition for each. Bryan also found clothes and toys for the little girl. Bryan put the weapons with the girl’s clothes and toys in the truck while Christopher put the bodies in the mobiles and set them on fire. As they headed to the house, Christopher watched in the side mirror as the flames fully engulfed the two mobiles. As they were getting out of the truck Sylvia ran outside to meet them, I heard gunfire are you three alright. Christopher hugged Sylvia, then told her the story of the encounter. As Christopher was finishing the story Natalie, tears running down her cheeks, came to them holding the blood drenched little girl.

“Is she hurt?” asked Sylvia.

“No, she just needs cleaning up and a good meal.” said Natalie.

“Let’s take her inside Natalie and get her cleaned up and fed.” said Sylvia.

Is Kindness Lost?

In this new culture we find ourselves, I wonder, is kindness lost? The pressing thought for everyone to me seems they’re trying to play a victim. “Your words offend me.”
Is all one will say with no explanation how or why they’re offended. If someone speaks their views on a subject, another will try to cancel that person’s view with the phrase, “Your words offend me.”

What they mean is your words have no significance because as an individual or a group they are offended, so, if someone wants to exert their view, or will over another, all they need do is to be offended.

Victimhood is short-lived. It will soon turn on you and cast you as a person of hate. If everyone offends you, then you hate everyone. Not a pleasant state of mind.

Kindness however is never wasted. Kindness gives rather than takes and thus produces a far better result. It can lead to the pay it forward, concept. Here a kindness is repaid repeatedly, perpetuating a constant return on investment. When you commit an act of kindness, it benefits you and the person to whom you extend the kindness. You both feel a spirit of wonderful work and restored as a person. Being offended at everything only benefits the hater.

So you have a choice. You can be a hater and live a life of strife and pain, or you can be one who offers kindness and hope. It’s your choice.

Free Will

No free will is not a movie about a killer whale and a young boy, free will is the ability to determine your our destiny, to choose your own way of life. Free will is the ultimate expression of love and your willingness to sacrifice yourself in the service of others.

Free will allows us to reason for or against how we choose to work, play and love. It gives us determination, compassion and inspiration separating us from all other animal species on the planet Earth. If free will, as self determination, is removed then all other motivations will fall by the wayside, but since our creator gave us free will, can it be taken away or thwarted. We have seen Civil Wars on the planet of others to wanting exert their free will. In the United States. We saw the Revolutionary War to free us from what we considered a tyrannical King and then again in our Civil War to free us from our mistakes.

There is power in free will that cannot be suppressed forever, although many have tried through starvation and imprisonment. Free will is given to us by our creator to self determine our lives and for our creator to see if we indeed love him, because free will allows us not to.

Don’t give anyone the privilege of taking your free will. It is a gift.

A Mother’s Love is Blind!

Have you ever heard the adage, “A Mother’s Love is blind?” In those five words lies the true meaning of love. No matter the actions they commit, the disability they have or the physical scars of life they bear, a mother’s love to stay true.

Mothers hold a very special place in the hearts of their children, or at least should. If they only knew the sacrifices mothers had to bear to bring them to life. The tortuous nine months, the pain of birth and the emotional hardship placed on a mother while their children mature into adults. But it doesn’t stop there. Mothers continue to worry and fret for their children until their death.

My youngest daughter who has two children of her own has called her mother many times after her first child came into this world, “Mom, I’m so sorry for all the trouble I caused you.”

Mothers are very special. If your mother is alive, please talk to her regularly. If your mother is no longer here for you to be with talk to her regularly, it will do you and her memory a lot of good.

Thanks Mom!

Brawn or Brain?

Do you use your brawn or do you use your brain first? A simple question, but not easily answered. Many of us when we face controversy or a problem in life we more often than not use or brawn rather than our brain first.

In the Aesop Fable, “The Crow & the Pitcher”, the crow tries to use his brawn to extract water from a tall narrow pitcher. After wasting his time and energy, he turns to his brain. After deep thought he devised a plan to get the water without spilling it onto the dry ground, by putting pebbles in the pitcher to bring the water to the top for him to drink. Smart crow, or is he?

While he devised a workable plan to drink the needed water. He could have enjoyed it much sooner if he had engaged his brain before his brawn. Are you wasting time and energy? Do you subscribe to the adage, “I’ll read the instructions after all else fails.”

When faced with problems in life, think before you act. Always ask yourself the question, “How can this be solved with the least amount of effort.”

The creed of a lazy person or an efficient one?

Bending to the Wind?

One of Aesop’s fables I really enjoy is the one about the Oak and the Reeds. This fable address how a stubborn and closed mind can lead to ruin. In this analogy, stubbornness is the oak standing tall, never wavering for its views. Here the reed represents open mindedness and a powerful belief system that allows them to listen to other’s thoughts and opinions unlike the oak. The tempest in our analogy is the difference of opinions and ideologies.

The oak boosted of his might of mind and physical strength, while ridiculing the reeds for their weakness and bowing to even the slightest breeze. Controversy here represented by the wind in Aesop’s fable grew more and more intense. As the reeds bowed to the wind, the mighty oak resisted, only to be ripped up by its roots and lying among the pitying reeds.

In life, the stubborn oak does not listen to reason or heed advice. It is of its own mindset and it will not change even to its eventual destruction. While the reeds are of the mindset, every opinion has value and should be respected no matter how trifle, they don’t compromise on their core beliefs, but remain open to reason and the advice of others. 

In our life, we’re presented with many tempest or storms as controversy and life’s situation thrown our way every day. Listen to reason and consider the advice of others, but never give up your core beliefs, your roots in this analogy. Your roots keep you grounded. Consider your friends and family’s advice and never turn down an opportunity to hear the other side of the story. With a strong belief in individual freedoms, free speech cuts through ignorance. 

Questions?

I’ve been receiving many inquiries about having guest bloggers or if individuals to could contribute to this blog. When I try to answer them their email comes back as undeliverable. While I would welcome such input to the blog site if you want me to answer your questions I need a valid email to return my answer. I love hearing your comments about my articles and the blog site in general. Just please use a valid email address.

As to having discussions on the site, I will look into it and see if that is possible. I would thoroughly enjoy discussions about any blog posting. I am always looking for different ways to approach the same subject. As soon as I find out any information I will post it here. Keep checking in.

Too Steamy for SCI-FI

Again that night, after tucking Bud and Claudia into bed Sylvia brought a bottle of wine and two glasses to the couch in the front room and poured each a glass. As Sylvia snuggled close to Christopher, “We can only do this for a little while.”

“Am I not playing my cards right?”

“Your card playing is masterful to this point, but we only have 183 bottles of wine stored in the back of the cave.”

“I guess I need to go to the library and get us a few books on how to make wine at home.”

You don’t need to do that. I used to make wine when I lived in the city. It was easy to make and I made it the way I liked it. All we need is the grapes.”

There was a grape harbor behind Bud’s old house if I remember correctly. Bryan and I will check it out in the morning when we are planting the trees. It may be too late in the season for grapes this year but we can have them next spring. Are we doing well on the grain alcohol?”

We have enough grain alcohol to last until Bud is old enough to drink. Remember you telling me it would be good for medicinal purposes?”

Oh, yes I do remember. Well, if the wine runs out we can always bring a bottle of whiskey to the couch.”

Sylvia slapped him on the chest, “Or maybe not.”

“Hey, I was just saying. Maybe if I get you drunk I can take advantage of you.”

Sylvia set up and looked at Christopher, “You want to get me drunk and take advantage of me?”

“When you put it that way it doesn’t sound as good of an idea as it was in my mind. What I wanted to say was I’m falling in love with you Sylvia and I want to be with you. “

Sylvia jumped up from the couch and headed toward her room. As she reached the hall to the bedrooms she looked back at Christopher with his head in his hands. Then is a low sexy voice, “Are you wanting that fashion show or not? It starts in 10 minutes in my room. You better not be late. You just drew into an ace high royal flush and I’m all in.”

“I’ll be there standing tall in nine minutes.”

“You better be well rested, you may need to be at attention for a long time tonight.”

Christopher showed and shaved in under eight minutes and was at Sylvia’s door lightly tapping in nine. He heard Sylvia invite him in. When he opened Sylvia’s door she was standing by her bed in a black see through night grown. As Christopher’s eyes were taking in the view she asked, “Do you like it? I picked it out when we were at the mall in hopes of such a night.”

“I love it and you Sylvia.”

Sylvia then took off the night gown and laid it in her chair, “See it even matches the furniture.”

“It matches lovely.”

Sylvia then went to Christopher, “I think you are over dressed for the occasion. Let me help you out of these pajamas.

Sylvia unbuttoned the pajamas one button at a time. As she unbuttoned his shirt with one hand she stroked his chest with the other and then ever so gently kissed his chest.  Once she removed his shirt she lowered his pants, “Well soldier you are already at attention.”

Christopher then picked her off her feet and carried her to her bed, “Now my lady let me show you how an officer and a gentleman treat their lady.”

Christopher laid Sylvia on the bed then proceeded to kiss her on the neck, then her shoulder and then to her waiting breast. As he continued down her body kissing every centimeter her back arched with pleasure. When she was ready for Christopher she nestled her hands under his chin and pulled him onto her holding him tighter and tighter with each thrust. Christopher and Sylvia continued to make love until the wee hours of the morning.

The next morning Christopher woke with Sylvia’s head and on his shoulder and her hair long hair draped over his chest. Christopher smiled and then kissed Sylvia on the forehead, “It’s 0600 hours the children will be up soon.”

Sylvia awakens and looked at Christopher, “Good morning soldier. Did you have as good as night as I had?”

“As a matter of fact I had an excellent night.”

“Should we get up or can the children get their own breakfast this morning.”

I hope you don’t mind but I left a note for Natalie letting her and Bryan know we will be getting up late this morning. I asked them to fix Bud and Claudia’s breakfast.”

“Do I mind, of course note? I wish I had thought about leaving a note.”

“Now let’s resume from where you laid me in the bed.”

Sin or Hate.

I heard a person yesterday say she hated her daughter for living with a guy before they married. I didn’t interject myself into the conversation, however I wondered, did she hate her daughter or did she hate the sin she perceived her daughter was taking part?

In the bible it is said to hate the sin but love the sinner. In the eyes of GOD we sin every day, but in his word we see he loved us so much he sent his only son to be a sacrifice for our sins.

Love to those who sin. You can hate the sin but don’t hate the person. As GOD’s love turned you from sin, so can your love through GOD turn others from sin. Wasn’t it an act of love from someone you knew that brought you to GOD? Don’t deny your act of love from others because you hate the sin you are living in. Love them as GOD does. Who knows, you may save a life, both spiritually and physically.

Think about it, won’t you?

Carrying You Ass

It was said once upon a time that if you try to please everyone, you will please none. If that is indeed the case then who should you please? Here is some food for thought. If we make a list of those we love most. Would pleasing them be the best course of action? Perhaps here again were may find ourselves pleasing no one.

Let’s define pleasing. The root word please is defined as causing the feeling of happiness, or satisfaction. I believe many people mistake the word pleasing for service. The noun service is defined as the action of helping or doing work for someone.

In the Aesop Fable titled: The Miller, His Son & the Ass is a good example of how trying to please everyone, you please no one. Here’s the story:

One day, a long time ago, an old Miller and his Son were on their way to market with an Ass which they hoped to sell. They drove him very slowly, for they thought they would have a better chance to sell him if they kept him in good condition. As they walked along the highway some travelers laughed loudly at them.

“What foolishness,” cried one, “to walk when they might as well ride. The most stupid of the three is not the one you would expect it to be.”

The Miller did not like to be laughed at, so he told his son to climb up and ride.

They had gone a little farther along the road, when three merchants passed by.

“Oho, what have we here?” they cried. “Respect old age, young man! Get down, and let the old man ride.”

Though the Miller was not tired, he made the boy get down and climbed up himself to ride, just to please the Merchants.

At the next turnstile they overtook some women carrying market baskets loaded with vegetables and other things to sell.

“Look at the old fool,” exclaimed one of them. “Perched on the Ass, while that poor boy has to walk.”

The Miller felt a bit vexed, but to be agreeable he told the Boy to climb up behind him.

They had no sooner started out again than a loud shout went up from another company of people on the road.

“What a crime,” cried one, “to load up a poor dumb beast like that! They look more able to carry the poor creature, than he to carry them.”

“They must be on their way to sell the poor thing’s hide,” said another.

The Miller and his Son quickly scrambled down, and a short time later, the market place was thrown into an uproar as the two came along carrying the Donkey slung from a pole. A great crowd of people ran out to get a closer look at the strange sight.

The Ass did not dislike being carried, but so many people came up to point at him and laugh and shout, that he began to kick and bray, and then, just as they were crossing a bridge, the ropes that held him gave way, and down he tumbled into the river.

The poor Miller now set out sadly for home. By trying to please everybody, he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass besides.

The Miller should had remembered the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me.”

Please yourself and serve others