Moments for the Heart

Hey Weekend Writing Warriors. I forgot to link last week, so I’ve had this one ready for you for a bit. In this downtime I’ve grown another year older. Honestly I don’t feel much different. Ask me this question next year. 2025 is a milestone for me. The big 5-0. So I will enjoy 49 for all it’s worth. I don’t feel 49. But I know I am getting older and with Epilepsy I know I’m not as agile as I used to be. My disability keeps me confined and not able to do some of the things I used to, but it allows me to do some of the things I have always dreamed of doing.

I do miss driving. Having a CDL allowed me to see our country and work for a living, but I love writing and spitting out a word or two. As Job proclaimed, “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” I am blessed either way. Thank you, readers for joining me on this journey.

Now, let’s get to this week’s snippet:

**If you’ve missed out on anything and want to can catch up on past snippets, you can click here.**

SYNOPSIS:

Michael Andrews thought he was far removed from the events his father went through twenty years ago. He heard the bedtime stories, so much so he had driven them out and was barely speaking to his dad. Religion was the last thing he wanted, until it became the only thing that mattered. A new threat arises; his wife is arrested for talking about God to the wrong person. Now Jacob Andrews may be his only hope. He must lean on him, Rachel’s attorney, and close family who understand what occurred twenty years ago and may be happening now when an old adversary returns to wreak havoc and use current federal laws to his advantage and exact revenge on the Andrews family. Will he succeed, or will justice prevail to set Rachel free?

>>>If you are curious about the first novels snippets, I have them archived: Here is a link to them if you want to read up on The Fiver Barred Gate <<<

SNIPPET:

Summary:
This Five Barred Gate sequel, is a Dystopian Suspense about what would it be like if it our freedom of expression liberties were taken from us. These laws existed in the first novel, but are much stricter it being twenty years later. Now you cannot challenge an authority figure or be arrested. This spills over into the religious community as churches are no longer allowed to speak freely, out of fear that a sermon would violate the law. Pastors must submit sermons and speeches for scrutiny before they are spoken in a public forum. If you fail to do so, you are threatened with closure. This is where we find Jacob Andrews. He was the MC in the first book, he is now the pastor of a church and faced with the challenges of obeying the laws. This book surrounds his son Michael and how the laws now impact his life, wife, and children.

**Officials are like police officers, but not. The are federal government law enforcement officers placed into districts to enforce federal laws.**

Here is a bit from last week: (Jacob is speaking to his wife Renae)

“You’re right, babe. Thanks.” Jacob smiled and walked away from the window back toward the gym. “Will you be by for a workout after work today?”

“Yes, that’s the plan. I’m getting in the car now. See you later, love.” Renae said.

He blew kisses into the phone and ended their call.

—We are jumping ahead into the next Chapter. We are now with Michael, the MC. He is with his wife’s attorney, Johnathan. They are in the courthouse and Johnathan is waiting to be called into courtroom.–

“Fourth is better than last,” Johnathan reassured him as they sat on the same chairs they had sat the day before.

“It still means the rest of the day sitting here guessing,” Michael sighed.

Michael shared his father’s experience with his attorney. Johnathan could only shake his head. Other than the document service, it appeared they were leaving him alone. It made little sense to Michael; why not scare the attorney away? It would be his first move; scaring Johnathan enough to drop the case or run away. Maybe they had other plans. His Dad said they were smarter than that. Even though a reaction may get the case stalled, it wouldn’t get it thrown out; it would only cause a delay. They wanted the case to proceed. A conviction is what they wanted, and since they held all the cards, why would they need to frighten the attorney? Leaving him alone was a threat enough.

There is your ten, but let’s continue for a bit:

“Who do you think this Official is?” Michael said. “We haven’t had any of them around Carrollton in over a decade. Interesting with Rachel’s arrest, he suddenly appears.”

“You said that our mystery guest stated they are reentering the area after being away for so long,” Johnathan said. “We need to find the trigger. It can’t be a coincidence Dr. Houston was in that market at the same time Rachel was.”

“Rachel told us the same thing,” Michael said. “Remember, she said she felt it wasn’t a coincidence they kept passing in the aisles. She said it felt like God was speaking to her. But what if Dr. Houston instigated the interaction and Rachel misinterpreted that as God’s hand?”

“It’s possible,” Johnathan admitted. “But there is no way to ask her about that right now. I can’t get ten feet near her without some sort of liaison. So, all we have are assumptions.”

“At this point, does it matter when you talk or what she says when you do?”

“According to the legal system, yes. Remember, the world changes the moment I walk through those doors. You think it’s bad out here? It increases tenfold when I walk in there.”

Michael stood and paced. “I want to be in there. I need to be in there,” he said with growing frustration.

“The tension in your voice is why you shouldn’t,” Johnathan said. “Especially after your ordeal. You’d most likely lose it in there. Let me handle it. I am your voice, so let me do my job. You can trust me, Michael. Just be patient.”

The powers that be have set up this trial closed-door. Only the attorney is allowed in the courtroom to defend the accused. This tells Johnathan from the get-go that something is not right. He tries to assure Michael that he has everything under control, but he himself has his doubts. In the next few weeks we shall see how deep doubt this goes.

NOTE: Michael’s “ordeal” was similar to what his dad went through, only these Official’s did not approach him face to face, they approached him on the highway and almost drove him off the road.

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Monday is Memory Monday
We remember an important event that occurred on that Monday or sometime that week.

Tuesday is Two Twenty-Two Tuesday
A weekly vlog where I talk about writing or something that’s been on my heart, all in two minutes and twenty-two seconds. — I am way behind on this… sorry.
This is posted on my YouTube channel.

Wednesday is when I post my blog for the week.
I speak from my heart on various topics from writing to faith.

Thursday is This or That Thursday
A weekly two-option poll that raises the question, do you like this, or do you prefer that?
I host this on this on Twitter, IG, and Facebook.

Friday is Fun Fact Friday
I find and share interesting or obscure facts on my pages.

Saturday is for Weekend Writing Warriors
Saturday is for Snippets from a current piece or past work.

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In His Exciting Service,

Jeff S. Bray

Check out amazing established and emerging writers at Weekend Writing Warriors. Each week we post new snippets from either published works or works in progress for each other to comment on. Gain insight into how the mind of a writer works and a behind-the-scenes look at works before they hit bookstands everywhere.