Moments for the Heart

Hey, Weekend Writing Warriors. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the mom’s out there and to the dad’s who serve as mom’s. You are the unsung hero’s of life and and we often don’t take the time but once a year to say we love you and to thank you for all you do for us as children and husbands. God bless each of you. Enjoy your day.

On another note, I had my PET scan and this boy is cancer-free. They do want to monitor me because the type of tumor I had was extremely rare. I guess the Oncologist wants to make me a case study. He keeps on bringing in a ‘student’ in to our appointments. It is fine, I don’t mind. If studying me helps another in the future, I am all for it. I go back in a few months for a check-up. But praise God, prayers were answered I am cancer-free.

The Five Barred Gate parts One and Two are available on Amazon! Pick up your copies today!!

SNIPPET:

Summary:
This Five Barred Gate sequel, is a Dystopian Suspense about what would it be like if freedom of expression liberties were taken from us. In this installment laws have become more strict. One could be arrested for simply speaking their mind if another chose to press charges. This only multiplied within the Christian community. The laws were strict for Jacob in the first novel, now twenty four years later, his son Michael must face his own battles.


Last week Michael confronted his father about his past. Here is a bit as a reminder.

“The Spik and Span?”

“Yeah, that’s it,”

“Dad, I go there twice a week to wash my car. Sometimes I have the kids with me.” Michael suddenly felt sick. Not that the men meant anything to him, but shining up his rims over a double homicide didn’t sit well with him.

“It was twenty years ago, son. I figure it didn’t matter. It’s in the past,” Jacob sighed and walked to the window. “In the past, where it should stay.”

We pick up right were we left off. Let’s get right into it.

“When did you first notice the SUVs again?”

“Why does this matter all of a sudden?”

“If you and Frank are seeing SUVs, something is about to happen. It may already be happening. Rachel’s arrest may not be an isolated incident.”

“You think it is connected?”

“I don’t know,” Michael said. “But when you consider all the subtle hints we have been receiving, from the hints Xavier was dropping to Johnathan, you, and Pops sightings, and now with Rachel’s closed-door hearing? You must admit the coincidences are piling up fast.”

::There is your ten, but let’s continue on for a moment.::

“What do you want from me?”

“I need to know what to expect next.”

“I don’t know what to expect next. The laws have changed. All I knew was what Edwards could and would do. I have no clue what’s going on now. Edwards is gone, and he poses no threat to us or Rachel.”

“What about those SUVs?”

“What about them?”

“When was the last time you saw one?”

Jacob looked out the window again and didn’t speak. Michael knew what that meant; his father was hiding something.

“Dad?”

“This morning.”

“Today?”

“I think,” Jacob said. “I don’t know. It all happened so fast.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well, I was outside helping a couple inside when I saw the reflection of the Denali’s in the window. By the time I spun around, they had disappeared into the traffic.”

“Could’ve been your imagination.”

“Two of them? Back-to-back? Same color?”

“Could be.”

Jacob shook his head and sulked back to his chair. “I don’t know, Michael. I felt uneasy, but not to the point where I wanted to cancel services.”

“Johnathan mentioned something Xavier said as well. Something about plants.”

“Hmmph,” Jacob said with a smirk. “Not likely. We had no visitors this morning, and everyone here I know personally.”

“So, the plants back then were visitors?”

“For the most part. You can sense when one is around. They just seem out of place. But the good ones can blend in well. But some can stick out. They sometimes go too far, overly enthusiastic about getting close to what is happening. But there is a balance they need to find because they go too far, they could be accused of breaking the very laws they were sent to expose.”

“Which are?”

“Even that has changed. When you were little, it was simple. Say anything against someone in authority, and you could be arrested. But Official Edwards took it too far, too literal. He took the law into his own hands and made himself judge and jury. He had the right to but just went about it the wrong way.”

“Is that why we don’t have Officials down here now?”

“Part of it, yes. The Nathan Edwards name became synonymous with brutality. It gave the Officials a bad name. They still operate and function as their own entity alongside law enforcement. That much hasn’t changed. The only change has been the laws themselves.”

“Is that why Rachel was arrested then?”

“I don’t know why she was arrested. But if she was just speaking to someone and mentioned God, and they were offended, then they had every right to have her arrested. It is the law now.”

“So, Rachel really is in trouble now, then?”

“Yes, she is. I’m not going to lie to you. Things can get worse if this has anything to do with religion or plants. You need to pray for an understanding and lenient judge who will see past the game and maybe even a judge who is saved themselves.”

“What happened with your judge?”

“Heh. That is where you are lucky. I never saw a judge. I was arrested and immediately taken to jail. Where Rachel is now is part of the Nathan Edwards improvement of the Federal Speech Act. His actions caused the rewriting of it or, rather, additions to it. But with the additions, the rules also became stricter on the other end. The lines clarified what can and cannot be said and done.”

“So, Rachel seeing a judge protects her then?”

“If she sees the right judge.”

We find out more about Jacob’s past and what is happening with Rachel. Again we find the Andrews’ family history has impacted current federal law. Well soon see if it helps her through her trial or if her imprisonment is because of that family history.

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Featured Titles

Other titles by Jeff S. Bray:

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Jeff S. Bray’s Children’s Series:

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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.

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