The Dark Side of the Earth - Softcover

Bramlett, Timothy A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1546253106 ISBN 13: 9781546253105

Verlag: AuthorHouse, 2019

Inhaltsangabe

This is a collection of short stories that shows the dark side of humanity in a sometimes humorous, introspective way, exploring various sides of the human psyche in a variety of circumstances.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Timothy A. Bramlett is the author of a number of books including short stories, novels, and children's books. With a strong science background, he is a former biology teacher and Vietnam era veteran. He has written and published eight previous books. He started writing at an early age, and has been influenced by authors including Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, and H.G. Wells.

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The Dark Side of the Earth

By Timothy A. Bramlett

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2019 Timothy A. Bramlett
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5462-5310-5

Contents

Preface, vii, 
The Dog That Went to College, 1, 
5th Street Church Cafe, 13, 
The Other Half, 22, 
The Junkyard Cafe, 28, 
The Dead Don't Always Die, 33, 
The Evil Old Man, 40, 
The Island, 48, 
A Dry Day In Vance, 58, 
The Snows of Pine Mountain, 71, 
The Curse of Angelo, 79, 
Sharkey And The Blips, 88, 
The Ghost of Camp Daniel Boone, 96, 

CHAPTER 1

The Dog That Went to College

Let's make it clear from the start. Butch was no ordinary dog. You might even say he was a dog prodigy. Extremely intelligent and some may even say he was smarter than most of the people in the neighborhood. His little black nose seemed to be into everything, even from the start. He was furry, not short haired like a lab, and had the distinct look of a terrier mix. He was never self-conscious about his mixed breed background and it was never confirmed who the father was, but it was strongly suspected that the culprit was a friendly mutt rounder-about-town named Harvey. Butch's mom, Helga, was a sweetheart of a dog and loved by all the neighborhood kids. She lived up the street with her adopted family, the Smiths. They were two doors up from Mr. John Randle, his wife Gladys and their two children, Hal and Janet. The Randles lived at 275 Maple Street. They were promised one of Helga's pups, which they looked forward to adopting.

When it became well known that Helga was in the family way, it was an exciting time in the west end of the neighborhood. As the glorious moment drew near, the neighbors came to witness the blessed event. They brought puppy food, chew toys, pull ropes, baby beds and blankets, and other things that were obviously for larger puppies.

Butch was the boss of the litter from the start. He was an obvious alpha dog and never let the others doubt for a minute that he was in charge. Mother Helga had to put Butch in his place several times when he got a little too rough with his brothers and sisters.

In about six months, the Randles adopted one of the pups and named him "Butch." They waited until he was weaned from his mother before taking him home, at which time his own bed and bowl were waiting as well as free run of the house.

Butch grew fast and in no time at all, he was tugging and pulling and tumbling. His little sharp baby teeth were soon cutting happily into the unsuspecting flesh of an unwary human hand that carelessly ventured toward his friendly little furry mouth.

When Butch was almost a year old, it became obvious that he was no ordinary dog. He learned fast, much faster than the others in his litter. He was even making up games on his own. He was tricking the family out of food and treats at every opportunity. His demeanor was one of a trickster but one with a seemingly sense of humor. He often appeared to be in deep thought as he pondered his next move.

An event that seemed to set in motion a series of incredible events took place on a cool March Tuesday evening. Hal, the eldest child in the family, was playing a game of chess one day with his younger sister, Janet. Butch would watch intently, and he seemed to learn what each piece did. He noticed that the pawns moved forward, the bishops went diagonally, and the rooks moved straight ahead, backward, or straight left or right. By observing this, he learned what moves to make. He would nudge a pawn or a rook in the direction he thought was best and it turned out he was right most of the time. "Remarkable," Hal would say to his mom and dad. "This dog knows how to play chess."

"Impossible," his dad would say. "He's just a dog." Butch would look at him with indignation and a sense of pity that the father was so naive. A quick demonstration proved Hal to be right.

But Butch was much more than a chess player. He learned the alphabet and could actually read. He understood words and associated them with pictures. Soon, he was playing scrabble, spelling out words with his paws with a special alphabet devised by the father, who by this time was convinced that Butch must be a canine genius.

When the neighborhood kids came over to witness this incredible display of intellect, they would make up games, which Butch quickly learned.

Soon, word got to the local television and newspaper. An article was written about how Butch was a "genius" among the canine community. The TV station did a special program on Butch, featuring him in a question and answer session. He was given words and seemed to match them with pictures. Everyone was amazed that he had actually learned the alphabet and was able to form words and recognize them. He seemed to have a photographic memory.

But Butch's big break came when the local chess champion, Horace Kripes, challenged him to a chess game in the television studio. With the help of Hal and Janet moving the pieces, Butch would nudge the chess piece and then touch the proper square with his nose. The kids would move the piece. Kripes was defeated in twelve moves. "Incredible," the media reported. "It's got to be a trick," they would say. But it was no trick. Butch was for real.

The headlines the next day read, "Butch Randle is a chess master" as they showed his picture on the front page with his paws on the chessboard.

And, of course, the inevitable happened. He was given an I.Q. test by the local high school faculty. He scored an astounding 130. Of course they had to provide the proper way for Butch to answer the questions but to everyone's surprise, he was the smartest "person" in the entire school. And just to prove it was no fluke, he was given another test and he scored even higher, a 135.

As time went on, Butch became more of a celebrity. He cruised through puppy hood and his baby teeth were replaced by his permanent teeth, and his soft puppy fur was replaced by the coarser, more wiry, adult hair. He learned more and more things. He was able to accomplish more important feats that astounded more and more people.

"I think it's time for bigger and better things for Butch," Mr. Randle said one day to the family. "What did you have in mind?" Gladys asked.

"At work today I was approached by dean Alvin McAllister from Hartley College." They think we can make a lot of money with Butch."

What are you talking about," Gladys asked candidly.

"I mean he thinks Butch can go to college." Mrs. Randle almost fell over in her chair and the children were dumbfounded. Butch go to college? How absurd is that, they inquired.

The next day, they all went to the Hartley College registrar to discuss this bizarre possibility. After a lengthy discussion with dean McAllister and the registrar, it was decided that even if it didn't work out, it was some positive publicity that the college needed.

"Enrollment is down somewhat," the Dean stated as he sat up in his chair. "Butch could be the shot in the arm we need to bring more people in.'

"But, keep in mind," the registrar added. "He must take the SAT," If he scores high enough, I can recommend to the board that Butch be accepted. Besides, freshman Butch Randle might even get a scholarship."

It all seemed sort of crazy. Whoever heard of a dog going to college? "What's in it for us?" Mr. Randle asked. "After all, Butch will be leaving home and the children won't like this very much."

"Monetary compensation," the Dean answered succinctly. "We'll pay you a goodly amount of money to let us put your dog through four years of...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: AuthorHouse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1546253106
• ISBN 13: 9781546253105
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 110
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland