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Crescent Press - Chris Welsh-Charrier

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325 pages

English

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Extrait

Description

Embark upon a thrilling journey of self discovery with Janie Smallwood as she uncovers the startling truth about her past and sets out on an epic adventure to defeat the evil festering in her homeland.

Sujets

Coming of Age

Military

War

Fiction

Informations

Publié par	Crescent Press
Date de parution	25 avril 2023
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781977264244
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

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Janie Smallwood and the Mystery of the Man in the Woods All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2023 Chris Welsh-Charrier v1.0
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Crescent Press
ISBN: 978-1-9772-6424-4
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
Introduction and Thanks
Prologue
Part One: The Destruction of America
Part Two: A Rebirth of Freedom
Part Three: An Altar of Peace
Part Four: The First College
Story Number One: The Mysterious Old Man
Part One - The Man in the Woods
Part Two - Old Enemies Become Friends
Story Number Two: Adventures in Japan with the Man in the Woods
Part One - Japanese Destiny
Part Two - The Mystery in Sensei Buttermore’s School
Part Three - Darkness at the Olympiad
Story Number Three: The Tragedy of the Man in the Woods
Part One - The Fog of War
Part Two - Gus’s Biggest Secret
Story Number Four: The FUBAR Redemption
Part One - The FUBAR Quest
Part Two - A Daughter’s Belief
Epilogue
Part One: Death of A President
Part Two: Preparing for A Milestone
Part Three: Samantha’s Biggest Secret
Part Four: A Dream Fulfilled
Character Tree
I NTRODUCTION AND T HANKS
I first came up with the idea for the man in the woods in 2003. Over the years, I experimented with different iterations for this amazing character. Ironically, the version of the man in the woods that you are reading, is the iteration closest to my original version.
Thanks to my mom and dad for their enthusiasm and support, and thank you to Star Wars creator Geroge Lucas and Harry Potter author J K Rowling. Both character creators have taken me on endless and amazing journeys and served as inspiration for these stories. Also, with my history major and interest in American armed conflicts, see if you can spot the homages to the historical fiction action adventure movies "The Patriot" and "The Last Samurai" and see if you can identify the nods to the iconic World War II movie, Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, and the early twenty-first century war movies "Black Hawk Down" and "We Were Soldiers."
I hope these stories set you on a path of mystery, action and suspense and challenge you to rethink what it takes to make a person evil, the possibility of redemption , the nourishment of friendship and other philosophical questions.
Enjoy!! Chris Welsh-Charrier
Prologue
P ART O NE : T HE D ESTRUCTION OF A MERICA
2068. It was a somber year for America and the world. The American Neo-Nazis led by Gregory Cartyde had achieved their coup, transforming the United States into the Nazi States of America (NSA), with Cartyde as the President.
Mere hours after Congress approved the renaming and reorganization of the US, Kristen Buttermore witnessed the death of Takasha Hirotaru, daughter of Natsumato, the Japanese Prime Minister. Japan had helped the US in winning the Second American Civil War. Now Kristen looked across the room at a man who cradled the baby girl that Takasha had given birth to moments before she died. She addressed the man, "Mr. President", but before she could finish, the man holding Takasha’s baby said, "My new name is Gus."
"Oh, all right then, Gus," sighed Kristen.
Just then, Kristen and Gus heard a terrible scream. They both knew what it meant. Adolf Russo was still alive. Gus looked at Kristen, who was running her fingers through her hair, which she did when she was nervous. Blinking his eyes rapidly, Gus said, "I just could not do it." The scream was followed by an evil laugh, so vile and compassionless, that Kristen and Gus shook with fear. "I could not do it either," said Kristen, referring to her failed attempt at defeating President Cartyde.
Gus then looked at the baby he cradled in his arms. "What should we do with her?"
"We should take her to a secret place, where her father cannot find her."
Just then, one of the nurses entered the room and addressing Kristen, said, "Ms.Buttermore, Natsumato, the Japanese Prime Minister, has just arrived."
Kristen bowed in greeting to Natsumato, a moderately tall and muscular man with sandy grey hair, who entered the room, barely holding onto his composure as he looked down at his dead daughter.
"What happened to her?" asked the Prime Minister in a barely audible voice.
Kristen sighed and said, "Adolf Russo killed her."
"But why?" asked the Prime Minister, confused. "Russo loved her."
"I’m afraid Russo is no longer capable of love," replied Kristen.
Gus interjected, "We were just trying to decide what to do with Takasha’s baby."
As a true commander, Natsumato embraced the reality before him and replied, "You will take her to Spokane where she will live with a dear friend of mine.
"Take her back to the NSA?" Kristen gasped in horror. "Natsumato, you can’t. If she lives in the NSA, she will be in constant danger."
Natsumato was firm. "Sometimes the easiest path is not the best path. When the time is right, I want you to send Takasha’s daughter to Hawaii, so I can meet her, and inform her about her true heritage. I believe it’s only a matter of time before Hawaii becomes a Japanese territory. When that happens, I will set up residence in Hawaii to start a renaissance of the Samurai. I believe the time is right to reestablish this clan. And Ms. Buttermore, after Russo’s attack on your school in Virginia, I believe you want a new place to continue teaching. You will be welcome to teach and reestablish your school in Hawaii, hopefully in my village."
Three days later, Gus appeared at a slightly ramshackle house in the suburbs of Spokane. As he approached the house, an elderly woman named Samantha appeared. Samantha was a moderately tall Caucasian woman with a roundish face that featured ruby- red eyes. She smiled at Gus as he handed her the African American girl. As Samantha held the sleeping baby girl in her arms, the baby opened her eyes, and smiled contentedly upon seeing Samantha’s loving face. Samantha watched with tender eyes as the baby placed her thumb in her mouth. Samantha lifted her gaze to say goodbye to Gus, but he was already gone. Oh well, Samantha thought. She knew she would see Gus again eventually.
Over a decade later, in 2079, Kristen Buttermore stood on the balcony of her apartment in Honolulu watching the sunrise. With an oval face, white hair, and yellow eyes, Kristen had become shorter over the years and was in good shape, and she was dressed in a kimono, the new traditional clothing of the island. Hawaii had been under Japan’s territory since 2070, a gift from the NSA for Japan’s help in the Second American Civil War, which raged between 2063 and 2068. Kristen felt worn out by life. With advances in science and genetics, life expectancy had improved, so Kristen felt that she had lived two lifetimes.
She was a citizen of the United States of America. However, 30 years was a long time to live in denial; as horrible as it was, the NSA was a world power. Still, every day as she stood on her balcony gazing at what seemed like an omen in the sky, she prayed for the day when the sun would once again rise in the United States of America and set over the NSA. As Kristen stood on her porch that day, she glanced through a photo album, and stumbled upon a picture of her dear friend, Molly Grace. Kristen sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she remembered how wonderful things had been when Molly was the President of the US. How things had changed.

In the year 2045, a catastrophic event occurred that would alter the course of world history forever. During the first year of Molly Grace’s second term in office as the President of the US, the Yellowstone super-volcano erupted, crippling America’s infrastructure and killing an estimated 20 million people. The blast from the volcano destroyed the three states that the national park resided in, and the giant ash cloud suffocated crops and spread copious amounts of loose ash as far as New York City. The huge ash deposits combined with torrential rains caused by several category 5 hurricanes resulted in devastating mudflows. From the Hoover Dam, through the Gulf of Mexico states, and along the entire eastern seaboard, the US became a monochromatic wasteland.
However, there was hope. After making the hardest decision that any US President had ever made, President Grace gave the order that initiated the complete evacuation of the entire country, saving millions of lives. Faced with the dire situation of leaving their country, hundreds of millions of displaced Americans found refuge in the generosity of countless countries across the globe, who gladly opened their borders and hearts to the needy Americans. This show of unprecedented and immense international generosity and support was fueled by Molly’s stunning popularity abroad, which was even higher than her phenomenal popularity in the US. Nevertheless, President Grace defied the orders of the Secret Service to evacuate herself, giving up her seat on Marine One to ensure the safety of a staff member and her baby, thereby jeopardizing the leadership of the country.
Eventually, when the President nearly died after being buried in a mudflow, her prior defiance of Secret Service orders came back to haunt her, stirring up controve