Part III Chapter 21 ____________________________________ Walking up to the wreck, Callahan thought it looked like an old Soviet T-54 main battle tank, but now, after several years under the desert sun, the original dark green paint had given way to a lizard-like patchwork of rusty tans and grays, the main turret punctured in at least two places by, he ass...
[note: a short chapter here, but a necessary aside before you begin. Most have figured out by now that my 'Adrian Leverkühn' moniker comes from Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus. Fine, that's true enough. But I want to draw your attention to another work by Mann, The Magic Mountain. Note we're writing about Harry Callahan, or HC. The Magic Mountain is a sort of G...
What am I doing here John thought as the Cathay Pacific jet screamed down the runway at Brisbane airport on its way to Hong Kong and then on to Hanoi. He shook his head as he thought back over the rapid changes to his life over the past few months. A tear ran down his cheek as he recalled how he had lost the urge to work when Mary his wife of 20 years died s...
Her hotel was a definite step up from his own. It was a faux-ritzy outfit which almost felt like a parody of the ostentatious displays at expensive establishments, with a touch of local charm. From the ceiling in the lobby hung one of the gaudiest chandeliers he'd ever seen in his life. So large, in fact, that the dangles drooped all the way down to his head...
My name is Derrick Jean-Renald. A big and tall young Black man of Haitian descent living in the City of Ottawa, Province of Ontario. I'm originally from the City of Montreal, Province of Quebec. While growing up in the Haitian-dominated suburb of Montreal-Nord, I wasn't exactly an angel. I got into some trouble, and my parents sent me to my uncle and aunt's...
Introducing the Fantasy A few weeks had passed after I had taken Tammy, my petite Asian wife, to a sex club with Richard, who I was enjoying sharing her with. Richard was a handsome Australian hunk who we had met through an online advertisement. In addition to being clean cut, blond, handsome and well-built, he was a classy gentleman. Tammy clearly had the...
New day, new walk. It's true, the medic though: everything can become a routine. Even the fact that he was keeping in hand what he was keeping in hand. Who could have said that, just a month before? Semiautomatic assault rifle AK74, for its friend "Kalashnikov". For closers, "Kalash", it seemed. Just the new, "upgraded" version of the old AK47. So his drill...
The year is 1967, the Summer of Love. This is the era of Rock & Roll. The Beatles, The Stones, The Doors, and Procol Harum are the top bands. Johnson is president. The Vietnam War is in full swing. Anti-war marches alternate with civil rights protests, often led by Martin Luther King. Gas prices are 33 cents a gallon and cigarettes are 35 cents a pack. A...
Daisy Ridley is on her phone, going over the key talking points. Shes on her way to an interview as part of the promotional tour for the new Star Wars movie. Her latest stop is in Vietnam. She was in London yesterday and in Australia the day before. Shes a little worn out, but shes excited to promote the movie. Shes wearing a gray, backless dress that goes...
John and Martha had finally settled down. It had been tough, and John still wouldn't talk about Vietnam, but he'd managed to find work, unlike many of his brothers in arms. Martha was supportive, helping keep the families finances in line by working as a typist, but the pregnancy that had been growing since their joyous reunion had been slowing her down. Jo...