January 22, 2026

Series

Elara and Dragonia (3 book series)

by Geo Dell (Author)

Elara, a twelve-year-old blacksmith’s daughter, discovers her latent power to tame dragons after a desperate battle with Dragonia, a fearsome black-scaled beast threatening her village, Valerion. Guided by Lady Janely, a wise elder with a mysterious past, Elara learns to harness her abilities, forge an unbreakable bond with Dragonia, and lead a daring mission to save her people from an encroaching dark force and beyond to explore the Hitherlands and the Yonderlands… #YA #Dragons #Fantasy #Drama #Epic

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FT1TPMZT


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  • The Yonderlands (Elara and Dragonia Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Geo Dell 

The Yonderlands are a vast, enigmatic region beyond the Hitherlands, shrouded in myth and rarely visited by outsiders. Named for their distance and mystery (“where few go yonder”), they are a place of ancient magic, forgotten civilizations, and primal forces. Unlike the chaotic, nomadic Hitherlands, the Yonderlands feel timeless, with landscapes that seem alive with power and secrets. They are both beautiful and dangerous, testing Elara’s courage, wisdom, and bond with Dragonia as she confronts the true scope of the evil cabal’s plans… #YA #Dragons #Fantasy #Drama #Epic


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Stranded beyond the Stars

by, Wendell Watson Book 1 – Stranded – 2025 – EN

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the battered faces of her surviving crew. They were few, broken, and weary, but they were alive. And as long as they were alive, there was a flicker of hope. A fragile, almost imperceptible ember, but hope nonetheless.”We survived the descent,” Jameson continued, her voice firming with resolve. “That’s more than many could have managed. The Odyssey may be broken, but we are not. We will assess, we will adapt, and we will survive. This is …Stranded beyond the Stars eBook by Wendell Watson – EPUB | Rakuten Kobo United States

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/stranded-beyond-the-stars


Stranded: A tale of two Worlds

by Wendell Watson Book 2 – Stranded 2025・EN

The conversation continued for hours, a complex dance of strategy, ethics, and sheer, unadulterated wonder. The Xylosians, with their silent songs and living art, had presented humanity with a profound challenge. They were a mirror reflecting humanity’s own turbulent, often destructive, history, but also a window into a future that, while alien, held the tantalizing promise of something…

Stranded: A tale of two Worlds eBook by Wendell Watson – EPUB | Rakuten Kobo United States

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/stranded-a-tale-of-two-worlds


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Mother Mars: Book Two: Dead Planet Kindle Edition
By W. G. Sweet (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
The air, once a crisp promise of life, now hung heavy, a suffocating shroud of ochre dust and acrid fumes. Earth, their ancestral cradle, was gasping its last, ragged breaths. Decades of unchecked industrial sprawl, of rivers choked with effluent, of forests razed for short-term gain, had finally brought the planet to its knees. The sky, a bruised canvas of perpetual twilight, offered no solace, only a grim testament to humanity’s heedless ambition. From the viewport of the Eagle Two, Earth was a dying ember, its once vibrant blues and greens leached away, replaced by the sickly hues of decay. #SpaceTravel #Sciencefiction #SpaceColonization #DellSweet #SciFi #Amazon #KU #Kindle

Apocalyptic fiction is a genre of literature that explores the end of the world or a catastrophic event that significantly alters human society. This genre often features survivors navigating a treacherous new world, battling for resources, and confronting the unknown. One notable series in this genre is Earth’s Survivors, which I’ll discuss in more detail below.

Characteristics of Apocalyptic Fiction

Apocalyptic fiction often features:

  1. Catastrophic events: Natural disasters, pandemics, nuclear wars, or other global catastrophes that threaten human survival.
  2. Post-apocalyptic worlds: Devastated landscapes, ruined cities, and scarce resources.
  3. Survival themes: Characters must navigate the new world, find food and shelter, and confront threats from other humans or the environment.
  4. Social commentary: Apocalyptic fiction often explores themes of social collapse, government failure, and human nature in the face of disaster.

Earth’s Survivors Series

The Earth’s Survivors series is a collection of post-apocalyptic novels that follow a group of survivors as they navigate a world devastated by a catastrophic event. The series explores themes of survival, community, and human nature in the face of disaster.

Some notable aspects of the series include:

  1. Diverse characters: The series features a diverse cast of characters, each with their own unique skills and perspectives.
  2. Realistic world-building: The author creates a detailed and realistic post-apocalyptic world, with a focus on the challenges and dangers faced by survivors.
  3. Action-packed plots: The series features fast-paced plots with plenty of action, suspense, and drama.

Themes in Apocalyptic Fiction

Apocalyptic fiction often explores themes such as:

  1. Survival vs. Humanity: Characters must balance their need to survive with their humanity, often facing difficult choices and moral dilemmas.
  2. Community and Cooperation: Survivors often form communities and work together to overcome challenges, highlighting the importance of cooperation and teamwork.
  3. Loss and Grief: The series explores the emotional toll of surviving a catastrophic event, including loss, grief, and trauma.
  4. Hope and Resilience: Despite the dire circumstances, the series offers a message of hope and resilience, highlighting the human capacity to adapt and overcome adversity.

Notable Books in the Earth’s Survivors Series

Some notable books in the series include:

  1. [Apocalypse]: The first book in the series sets the tone for the rest of the series, introducing readers to the post-apocalyptic world and the main characters.
  2. [Rising from the Ashes]: The second book in the series explores the challenges of building a community in a post-apocalyptic world, highlighting the importance of cooperation and leadership.
  3. [The Nation]: The third book in the series takes the characters on a perilous journey, testing their survival skills and confronting them with new threats and challenges.

Impact of Apocalyptic Fiction

Apocalyptic fiction has had a significant impact on popular culture, influencing literature, film, and television. The genre:

  1. Reflects societal fears: Apocalyptic fiction often reflects societal fears and anxieties, providing a unique lens through which to examine contemporary issues.
  2. Provides catharsis: The genre offers a safe space for readers to confront and process their fears, providing a form of catharsis.
  3. Inspires hope and resilience: Apocalyptic fiction often highlights the human capacity to adapt and overcome adversity, offering a message of hope and resilience.

Conclusion

The Earth’s Survivors series is a notable example of apocalyptic fiction, exploring themes of survival, community, and human nature in the face of disaster. The series offers a realistic and immersive post-apocalyptic world, with a focus on character development and action-packed plots. As a genre, apocalyptic fiction continues to captivate audiences, providing a unique lens through which to examine contemporary issues and offering a message of hope and resilience in the face of adversity.


Read the books:

Earth’s Survivors series

Earth’s Survivors: Apocalypse

Earth’s Survivors Apocalypse follows survivors of a worldwide catastrophe. A meteorite that was supposed to miss the earth completely, hits and becomes the cap to a series of events that destroy the world as we know it. Police, fire, politicians, military, governments: All gone. Hopes, dreams, tomorrows: All buried in a desperate struggle to survive.

#Dystopian #ApocalypticFiction #Horror #Readers #BookLovers #KU #KindleUnlimited

Earth’s Survivors: Rising From The Ashes

The end has come for most of the world’s population. Small groups of survivors are picking up the pieces… Learning to live again…

When the sun began to peek over the top of the ridge on the opposite shore of the Black River, everyone filed out to the two remaining trucks. It had been decided that Mike and Jan would stay behind while the others went in search of the stolen truck. They switched on and tested two sets of F.M. radios.

#Dystopian #ApocalypticFiction #Horror #Readers #BookLovers #KU #KindleUnlimited

Earth’s Survivors: The Nation
Sandy’s Diary – March 26th
I should start calling this a diary not a journal. It’s funny, but we started these to leave at the cave but then we brought them with us to keep for the children. Now it’s becoming something more, although still for the children, so they can see who we were or are… or both.
I was about to write when I found out we’ll have visitors in the morning. I hadn’t expected it so soon. I wonder if they are people we can make a part of us? I guess we’ll all see tomorrow. I’m excited, but I was already.
Susan and I, well we’re together. As in living, as in sleeping together. I cannot believe I took the step. I didn’t know I could. I didn’t really believe there could be someone out there for me. But she made it clear to me how she felt and that she will go with me where ever I want to go. You know, up until right then, all I wanted to do was go and help Bob and Jan start this Nation. I thought that was all I had in my mind. It wasn’t though. If she asked me not to go, I wouldn’t.
I’ve never known an emotion that could affect such change inside of me so quickly. I’m not sure I’ve even known this emotion before… not like this. People are coming, and that is exciting. I’m with Susan, and that is life. Do you know what I mean? And that means I’m a lesbian. I guess I knew that. It is important to me to know who I am though. To say it, to own it. In our so called enlightened society it wasn’t universally accepted. Oh, on the surface, sure. But not really. And where is that world now? Gone. I guess it’s just us now. We don’t have time to be so judgmental, or for me, to care if I am judged. I’m happy!!! …

#ApocalypticFiction #Horror #DellSweet #Dystopian #Zombie #action #KindleUnlimited #Amazon

Earth’s Survivors: Home in the Valley

It happened so fast, Mike told himself later, that no one had, had any time to react. They had heard nothing. Two watches were posted, Nellie and Tim on opposite ends of the circle. Nellie facing the highway, Tim looking back towards the mall.Molly had just stood up to walk over and talk to Nellie when the shot had come. The flat, loud crack of a high powered rifle. Mike’s head spun hard as it automatically turned at the sound and tried to duck at the same time: He saw Nellie falling and falling, and it seemed as though there were a fog around her head for a second and then it was gone, and in the silence he could hear blood pattering to the pavement.#ApocalypticFiction #Horror #DellSweet #Dystopian #Zombie #action #KindleUnlimited #Amazon  

Earth’s Survivors: Plague

The United States of America is no more. The police are gone. The government dead. The military vanquished and the remaining people left alive after the plagues and disasters are on their own. Some have come together for protection and to increase their chances of survival. The Nation, as they call themselves is one of those groups living in the former forever wildlands area spread between the former states of Kentucky and Tennessee.
The Nation makes it first major foray out into the Wastelands to search for weapons and supplies. Mike leads them, and the trip is fraught with savagery and death… #ApocalypticFiction #Horror #DellSweet #Dystopian #Zombie #action #KindleUnlimited #Amazon  

Earth’s Survivors: Watertown

The book steps back to the beginning of the plagues and how it was started. The release of the plague is detailed in this book, but it is not a post plague book, and you will not find many of the characters from the main Earth’s Survivors books. I wrote this book to off an explanation of how the plagues came to be and offer up those responsible…

#ApocalypticFiction #Horror #DellSweet #Dystopian #Zombie #action #KindleUnlimited #Amazon  

Earth’s Survivors: Wastelands Run

It is Bear and the Outrunners that will become the bridge between The Nation and its biggest rivals. It is also the Outrunners who will eventually unravel the mystery of how the Zombie Apocalypse came to be. They will protect The Nation, search out weapons and stockpiled foodstuffs, and they will fight the Zombie Plagues. Bear is the key to all of it. The one man who lives on the edge and likes the view there. With Beth he is the major force behind the Outrunners, who keep the Nation safe and allow the society there to live in relative peace in their valley. …

The battered chassis of the “Razorback,” Bear’s customized gas-guzzler, groaned under the strain. Dust devils, kicked up by their passage across the cracked asphalt, swirled around them like vengeful spirits. The midday sun beat down mercilessly on the wasteland, baking the already parched earth to a crisp. Behind them, the rusted skeletons of long-dead skyscrapers clawed at the sky, grim reminders of a world lost. This was their last run, a desperate gambit to reach Haven, a remote settlement clinging to life amidst the ruins.
#ApocalypticFiction #Horror #DellSweet #Dystopian #Zombie #action

Earth’s Survivors: Alabama Island 1

The Earth’s Survivors books follow series of survivors as they awaken to the destruction of the Earth and begin to pick up what is left of their lives. This is the first book to center on the Alabama Island survivors. Set in the former state of Alabama, it begins in New York and makes its way there via the ruined roads and fields…

Joel and Haley

They both stopped short as they topped the small hill at the crest of Main Street and stared down at the downtown area on the other side of the river.

It appeared to be more of a war zone than a city. The buildings that were still standing leaned crazily to the left or right and only the tallest seemed to have been as yet untouched. Haley wondered aloud at that.

“The taller ones are not that old. Built with federal monies. Earthquake proof…. To an extent: When I was a kid the tallest building was the Baptist church tower.” He pointed to a gray stone spire that reached into the air.

#ApocalypticFiction #Horror #DellSweet #Dystopian #Zombie #action #KindleUnlimited #Amazon  

Earth’s Survivors: World Order

The Nation is growing and needs protection from the dead… …

“So… Bear and the Outrunners. This is probably the important thing before the public meeting. I like him. I think he’s level headed. He sees what we need and he’s willing to do it,” Mike said.

“And what is it we need?” Steve Choi asked.

“Protection,” Candace tossed out.

“Weapons too,” Ronnie added.

“And we need to be able to trust that person. That’s our safety net, what allows us to have this, that knowledge that there is a barrier between us and them.”

“Them… You talk about them as though they were still living … things. Still living things, Michael.” Janet added.

“They are… They are not stupid dead …”#ApocalypticFiction #Horror #DellSweet #Dystopian #Zombie #action #KindleUnlimited #Amazon  

Earth’s Survivors: Los Angeles

Los Angels in the midst of the largest extinction event in thousands of years. Billions worldwide will die. Millions will die on the North American continent. The few who are left will struggle to stay alive in a vastly changed world where the worst of humankind seems to have come forward.
Billy and Beth are friends who live in L.A. Beth works as a waitress in a seedy club, Billy is on the run from the authorities in two countries. He lived a dangerous life in his past. He also has a thing for Beth that is not returned, but it doesn’t matter to him: He wants her anyway. #ApocalypticFiction #Horror #DellSweet #Dystopian #Zombie #action #KindleUnlimited #Amazon  

Earth’s Survivors: Alabama Island 2

The first trip to the island had gone well, but they had been unprepared for the amount of work they would need to do to be able to settle there. They needed more people, they needed more supplies, and the lists were endless. The return to the nation had taken months, but they had made it just as the snow was falling in early winter. They had been concerned that they might end up stranded outside the Nation for the entire winter months. Even so, they were stranded in the Nation, which was not really a better solution, excepting the care that could go into the planning for the return trip. What to take, who would go, who would lead the settling of the island. #ApocalypticFiction #Horror #DellSweet #Dystopian #Zombie #action #KindleUnlimited #Amazon


Home: https://www.wendellsweet.com


Knock

5.0 out of 5 stars

Johnny. The Farm House:

My hand is cramping, but I am almost finished. The dead are quiet right now. Quiet as in, not scratching, not trying to get in. #Zombie #Horror #Kindle #Amazon

Zero Zero

As the clock ticks down for our planet and her inhabitants, powers that have lain dormant for centuries are loosed on the Earth. #Horror #Kindle #Amazon #Biblical #Christian #Fiction

Star Dancer

Michael Watson is the captain of an inner galaxy cruiser: He Purchased Star Dancer and has spent the last twenty years running people and supplies to outposts within the confines of the Solar System… #SciFi #StarTravel #DellSweet



Book 3 of 3: Easy Crime

Marva took a slow sip of her drink, her expression unreadable. “Midnight’s risky, Robbie. The place is usually crawling with people that late.” Her voice was flat, devoid of any emotion, a stark reflection of her hardened exterior. Years spent surviving in the unforgiving landscape of the city’s underbelly had honed her survival instincts, turning her into a creature of stark pragmatism. She had seen too much death, too much violence, to afford herself the luxury of fear or sentimentality. #Crime #Fiction #KU #Readers #Thriller #Kindle #Audible #Series


Home: https://www.wendllsweet.com


Posted by Dell 01/26/2014

I grew up in a small town. In small towns everybody knows everybody and most often they know more about you and your circumstances than even you do.

I was talking to a friend a few weeks back about how I learned I was mixed race. I had thought I was just a white kid like any of the other white kids I hung out with. Of course we didn’t all look white, but you don’t really think about things like that when you’re a kid. There’s too much other stuff that has to be dealt with. This is one of those other things.

This is from the short story book True Two. There is a longer collection of true stories True One. And I have been working intermittently on a novel length collection for a few years now that will cover my time on the streets and more…


THE DAM is Copyright Wendell Sweet and Writerz.net Publishing 2010 – 2024

All rights are reserved by the copyright owner and publisher.

You may not copy, reproduce, print or otherwise distribute this copyrighted material without the copyright owners and publishers permission. Permission is granted to use small portions of the text in critical articles or opinions about the writing. If you wish to share this story with a friend please point them to this blog address.

This is not a work of fiction. The names have been changed for some of the individuals, but not all. I never answer questions about real events or reveal anything about those people when I am asked.

*******

THE DAM

*******

*******

THE DAM

*******

It was summer, the trees full and green, the temperatures in the upper seventies. And you could smell the river from where it ran behind the paper mills and factories crowded around it, just beyond the public square; A dead smell, waste from the paper plants.

I think it was John who said something first. “Fuck it,” or something like that,” I’ll be okay.”

“Yeah,” Pete asked?

“Yeah… I think so,” John agreed. His eyes locked on Pete’s, but they didn’t stay. They slipped away and began to wander along the riverbed, the sharp rocks that littered the tops of the cliffs and the distance to the water. I didn’t like it.

Gary just nodded. Gary was the oldest so we pretty much went along with the way he saw things.

“But it’s your Dad,” I said at last. I felt stupid. Defensive. But it really felt to me like he really wasn’t seeing things clearly. I didn’t trust how calm he was, or how he kept looking at the river banks and then down to the water maybe eighty feet are so below.

“I should know,” John said. But his eyes didn’t meet mine at all.

“He should know,” Gary agreed and that was that.

“That’s cool. Let’s go down to the river,” Pete suggested, changing the subject.

“I’m not climbing down there,” I said. I looked down the sheer rock drop off to the water. John was still looking too, and his eyes were glistening, wet, his lips moved slightly as if he was talking to himself. If he was I couldn’t hear. But then he spoke aloud.

“We could make it, I bet,” he said as though it was an afterthought to some other idea. I couldn’t quite see that idea, at least I told myself that later. But I felt some sort of way about it. As if it had feelings of it’s own attached to it.

“No, man,” Gary said. “Pete didn’t mean beginning here… Did you,” he asked?

“No… No, you know, out to Huntingtonville,” Pete said. He leaned forward on his bike, looked at john, followed his eyes down to the river and then back up. John looked at him.

“What!” John asked.

“Nothing, man,” Pete said. “We’ll ride out to Huntingtonville. To the dam. That’d be cool… Wouldn’t it?” You could see the flatness in John’s eye’s. It made Pete nervous. He looked at Gary.

“Yeah,” Gary said. He looked at me.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “That’d be cool.” I spun one pedal on my stingray, scuffed the dirt with the toe of one Ked and then I looked at John again. His eyes were still too shiny, but he shifted on his banana seat, scuffed the ground with one of his own Keds and then said, “Yeah,” kind of under his breath. Again like it was an afterthought to something else. He lifted his head from his close inspection of the ground, or the river, or the rocky banks, or something in some other world for all I knew, and it seemed more like the last to me, but he met all of our eyes with one sliding loop of his own eyes, and even managed to smile.

~

The bike ride out to Huntingtonville was about four miles. It was a beautiful day and we lazed our way along, avoiding the streets, riding beside the railroad tracks that just happened to run out there. The railroad tracks bisected Watertown. They were like our own private road to anywhere we wanted to go. Summer, fall or winter. It didn’t matter. You could hear the trains coming from a long way off. More than enough time to get out of the way.

We had stripped our shirts off earlier in the morning when we had been crossing the only area of the tracks that we felt were dangerous, a long section of track that was suspended over the Black river on a rail trestle. My heart had beat fast as we had walked tie to tie trying not to look down at the rapids far below. Now we were four skinny, jeans clad boys with our shirts tied around our waists riding our bikes along the sides of those same railroad tracks where they ran through our neighborhood, occasionally bumping over the ties as we went. Gary managed to ride on one of the rails for about 100 feet. No one managed anything better.

Huntingtonville was a small river community just outside of Watertown. It was like the section of town that was so poor it could not simply be across the tracks or on the other side of the river, it had to be removed to the outskirts of the city itself. It was where the poorest of the poor lived, the least desirable races. The blacks. The Indians. Whatever else good, upstanding white Americans felt threatened or insulted by. It was where my father had come from, being both black and Indian.

I didn’t look like my father. I looked like my mother. My mother was Irish and English. About as white as white could be. I guess I was passing. But I was too poor, too much of a dumb kid to even know that back then in 1969.

John’s father was the reason we were all so worried. A few days before we had been playing baseball in the gravel lot of the lumber company across the street from where we lived. The railroad tracks ran behind that lumber company. John was just catching his breath after having hit a home run when his mother called him in side. We all heard later from our own mothers that John’s father had been hurt somehow. Something to do with his head. A stroke. I really didn’t know what a stroke was at that time or understand everything that it meant. I only knew it was bad. It was later in life that I understood how bad. All of us probably. But we did understand that John’s father had nearly died, and would never be his old self again, if he even managed to pull through.

It was a few days after that now. The first time the four of us had gotten back together. We all felt at loose ends. It simply had made no sense for the three of us to try to do much of anything without John. We had tried but all we could think about or talk about was John’s father. Would he be okay? Would they move? That worried me the most. His sister was about the most beautiful girl in the entire world to me. So not only would John move, so would she.

He came back to us today not saying a word about it. And we were worried.

When we reached the dam the water was high. That could mean that either the dam had been running off the excess water, or was about to be. You just had to look at the river and decide.

“We could go to the other side and back,” John suggested.

The dam was about 20 or 30 feet high. Looming over a rock strewn riverbed that had very little water. It was deeper out towards the middle, probably, it looked like it was, but it was all dry river rock along the grassy banks. The top of the Dam stretched about 700 feet across the river.

“I don’t know,” Pete said. “the dam might be about to run. We could get stuck on the other side for awhile.”

No one was concerned about a little wet feet if the dam did suddenly start running as we were crossing it. It didn’t run that fast. And it had caught us before. It was no big deal. Pete’s concern was getting stuck on the little island where the damn ended for an hour or so. Once, john, and myself had been on that island and some kids, older kids, had decided to shoot at us with 22 caliber rifles. Scared us half to death. But that’s not the story I’m trying to tell you today. Maybe I’ll tell you that one some other time. Today I’m trying to tell you about John’s father. And how calm John seemed to be taking it.

John didn’t wait for anyone else to comment. He dumped his bike and started to climb up the side of the concrete abutment to reach the top of the dam and walk across to the island. There was nothing for us to do except fall in behind him. One by one we did.

It all went smoothly. The water began to top the dam, soaking our Keds with its yellow paper mill stink and scummy white foam, just about halfway across. But we all made it to the other side and the island with no trouble. Pete and I climbed down and walked away. To this day I have no idea what words passed between Gary and john, but the next thing I knew they were both climbing back up onto the top of the dam, where the water was flowing faster now. Faster than it had ever flowed when we had attempted to cross the dam. Pete nearly at the top of the concrete wall, Gary several feet behind him.

John didn’t hesitate. He hit the top, stepped into the yellow brown torrent of river water pouring over the falls and began to walk back out to the middle of the river. Gary yelled to him as Pete and I climbed back up to the top of the dam.

I don’t think I was trying to be a hero, but the other thought, the thought he had pulled back from earlier, had just clicked in my head. John was thinking about dying. About killing himself. I could see it on the picture of his face that I held in my head from earlier. I didn’t yell to him, I just stepped into the yellow foam and water, found the top of the dam and began walking.

Behind me and Pete and Gary went ballistic. “Joe, what the fuck are you doing!”

I heard it, but I didn’t hear it. I kept moving. I was scared. Petrified. Water tugged at my feet. There was maybe 6 inches now pouring over the dam and more coming, it seemed a long way down to the river. Sharp, up-tilted slabs of rock seemed to be reaching out for me. Secretly hoping that I would fall and shatter my life upon them.

John stopped in the middle of the dam and turned, looking off toward the rock and the river below. I could see the water swirling fast around his ankles. Rising higher as it went. John looked over at me, but he said nothing.

“John,” I said when I got close enough. He finally spoke.

“No,” was all he said. But tears began to spill from his eyes. Leaking from his cheeks and falling into the foam scummed yellow-brown water that flowed ever faster over his feet.

“Don’t,” I screamed. I knew he meant to do it, and I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Don’t move,” Gary said from behind me. I nearly went over the falls. I hadn’t known he was that close. I looked up and he was right next to me, working his way around me on the slippery surface of the dam. I looked back and Pete was still on the opposite side of the dam. He had climbed up and now he stood on the flat top. Transfixed. Watching us through his thick glasses. Gary had followed John and me across.

I stood still and Gary stepped around me. I have no idea how he did. I’ve thought about it, believe me. There shouldn’t have been enough room, but that was what he did. He stepped right around me and then walked the remaining 20 feet or so to John and grabbed his arm.

“If you jump you kill me too,” Gary said. I heard him perfectly clear above the roar of the dam. He said it like it was nothing. Like it is everything. But mostly he said it like he meant it.

It seemed like they argued and struggled forever, but it was probably less than a minute, maybe two. The waters were rising fast and the whole thing would soon be decided for us. If we didn’t get off the dam quickly we would be swept over by the force of the water.

They almost did go over. So did I. But the three of us got moving and headed back across to the land side where we had dropped our bikes. We climbed down from a dam and watched the water fill the river up. No one spoke.

Eventually john stopped crying. And the afterthought look, as though there some words or thoughts he couldn’t say passed. The dying time had passed.

We waited almost two hours for the river to stop running and then Pete came across…

We only talked about it one other time that summer, and then we never talked about it again. That day was also a beautiful summer day. Sun high in the sky. We were sitting on our bikes watching the dam run.

“I can’t believe you were gonna do it,” Pete said.

“I wasn’t,” John told him. “I only got scared when the water started flowing and froze on the dam… That’s all it was.”

Nobody spoke for a moment and then Gary said, “That’s how it was.”

“Yeah. That’s how it was,” I agreed…

###


True: True Stories from a small town

True: True Stories from a small town #1

The True: True stories from a small town are true stories from that place. From my childhood up through my adulthood. Some heartfelt, some heart rending, some the horrible truth of the life I lived at that time… #NonFiction #Crime #OrganizedCrime #Childhood #Readers #KU #Amazon

True: True stories from a small town #2

In my younger days I lived my life like there was no tomorrow. I wasn’t thinking about what to do when the check came due, when life changed, when I crossed someone or they crossed me. I wish I had grown up different, but my time on the streets and the lessons that taught me. #NonFiction #Crime #OrganizedCrime #Childhood #Readers #KU #Amazon

True: True stories from a small town #3

In AA they say that addictions will take you to hospitals, Mental Institutions and Prisons. It’s true. They will. I have been in all of those places because of my addictions. But addictions are not responsible for the life I lead entirely, and certainly not responsible for the things I did. #NonFiction #Crime #OrganizedCrime #Childhood #Readers #KU #Amazon

True: True stories from a small town #4

The True: True stories from a small town are true stories from that place. From my childhood up through my adulthood. Some heartfelt, some heart rending, some the horrible truth of the life I lived at that time…
(Based on a true story from my life. Names have been changed, but truthfully almost all of them are dead now so it doesn’t matter.) #NonFiction #Crime #OrganizedCrime #Childhood #Readers #KU #Amazon


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