fact or fiction
Is it fact or merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the myths and beliefs we hold about the military and the physical, logistical, emotional and moral obstacles involved.
Mike Smith Is Dead—Pt. 12
The red fishing boat was tied to the side of a pier. Kip wandered over and looked at the small boat. Kip judged it to be 24 feet or so with deep sides and bait boxes permanently attached to the port side and net storage on the starboard. Two ancient outboard engines looked primed more for distance than speed. An elderly man was seated on the keel slowly mending a net with a long hook device. Kip stood on the pier for several seconds before the old man looked up. He simply nodded to the aft. Kip stepped off the pier and his feet slipped as the boat bobbed. He fell and nearly went overboard. The old man did not look up. Kip sat clumsily on the deck between gas cans and wondered what was next.
By Dub Wright6 years ago in Serve
Mike Smith Is Dead—Pt. 3
Jorge Salas seemed genuinely pleased to see Kip when he knocked on the banker’s office door. “Mr. Smith or is it Mr. Waller? Who are you now?” he said cheerfully. “It’s been awhile since you’ve been to the bank. With the new electronic banking we are beginning to lose touch with so many old friends.” Salas was a short man in a tailored blue suit and matching tie. A thin mustache covered his upper lip and Kip was always amused that Salas sat on a cushion on his office chair.
By Dub Wright6 years ago in Serve
Mike Smith Is Dead—Pt. 5
The newspaper notice appeared in the paper on Thursday, the funeral would be Monday. That became significant because Friday morning two black sedans arrived at the Holiday Inn. Kip’s room faced west toward the highway and he had been gazing into the hazy morning. Four men got out who definitely were not salesmen. Kip could tell when one bent over to tie his shoe he was carrying a weapon.
By Dub Wright6 years ago in Serve
Nelson Gables
Nelson Gables loved to walk along the river. Each day during his walk he would stop by the hotdog stand in the park. There he would purchase a Coney dog and a big orange drink. Then he would walk over to a park table, sit and eat. The only days he missed his trek was when it snowed very hard, or the rain blew in such a way that walking along the river was too difficult.
By Dub Wright6 years ago in Serve
L'appel du Vide (The Call of the Void)
Rain slowly fell in that mud-laden field. To my left, as I strolled along that man-made path, was a wheat field, gold and gleaming whenever the sun shone through the increasing cloud cover. It would stretch out beyond the horizon, the wheat briskly dancing through the breeze. Part of me wanted to walk off this path, and sit among the field and just stay there. Think about things for once. Behind me was a string of men, most of them boys: bushy-tailed and ready for adventure. They would find no such thing here.The field slowly turned mud and smoke. Ruined Earth now littered our path, and all around us turned to grey: bleak, and such a striking turn that one would think they walked into another world. This was Belgium, and the year was late 1914.
By Taylor Weston6 years ago in Serve
Mike Smith is Dead—Pt. 34
A week later, at the Florencia house, Kip and Rosa sat with Giles and Marcos having breakfast. An old Porsche pulled in the driveway and Marcos instinctively stood and walked to the front window tucking his Glock in the back of his jeans. A nice looking young man walked up to the porch and rang the bell. The housekeeper started toward the door but Marcos held up a hand to stop her.
By Dub Wright6 years ago in Serve
Mike Smith Is Dead—Pt. 33
“So,” Marcos put his feet on the next chair. “I picked up an old 1972 Antonov An-12 Cub transport at Aeropuerto Internacional Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero in El Salvator and the hanger it was in was next to this football field. There were a bunch of kids, about seventeen or eighteen years old I’d say, playing. Anyway a ball bounces over the fence and I picked it up and carried to the kid waiting, I thought for sure I was looking into the face of a young Roger Olson. I remembered that face from 1984. The kid said in English “hey, mister,” then he switched to Spanish and asked for the ball.”
By Dub Wright6 years ago in Serve
Mike Smith Is Dead—Pt. 32
They found a tux for Roberto, although it had to be altered and for his wife the same difficulty in building a formal gown. The black tie affair at the mansion was a sought after invite. Roberto and his wife served as door hosts for the occasion. In the late evening Marcos arrived with a beautiful blond woman. Kip was busy speaking with dignitaries and didn’t see them approach. Giles tapped him on the shoulder.
By Dub Wright6 years ago in Serve
Mike Smith Is Dead—Pt. 30
The big house in Florencia seemed cold to Rosa as she prepared for her day, she had been home over a week and depression had been the watchword although the doctor gave her medication she still was lonely and depressed. The new manager was handling all the properties and she learned she had a dozen people on staff and was still showing a profit. She paced the floor and finally picked up her phone and dialed Sam’s number in Argentina. After many clicks she knew it was searching for a tower or a location. “She’s probably traveling.”
By Dub Wright6 years ago in Serve
Mike Smith Is Dead—Pt. 29
The Vice President, his wife, and his college age stepdaughter boarded a yacht in Miami harbor for a short cruise. They brought no baggage, only a change of clothes and swimwear. Their well paid captain set an unregistered heading for Havana, Cuba.
By Dub Wright6 years ago in Serve
