The Game (11 page)

Bill places a hand on his son’s head and gently
rubs the soft black hair. He suspected this might happen. It had
happened to him when he had first gone hunting with his own father
so many years ago. And he knows exactly what his son is feeling. To
take the life from something, even something like a deer, and
knowing that it can never be returned—well, it strikes the heart in
much the same way his son’s bullet had struck the heart of the
deer. Except, where the deer is concerned, the pain and anguish is
over almost as soon as it began—for his son, he’ll remember this
moment for the rest of his life.

To take an innocent life is a hard pill to
swallow. Not everyone can be a hunter. Some people can’t get over
the taking of that life, even when justifying the action for food
or clothing. True hunters recognize the life sacrificed and thank
God for providing it. Sport hunters do not care one way or the
other; to them it is all about the trophy.

If The Gringo (Bill’s still giving himself a
mental headshake at his son’s choice in nicknames) follows in his
footsteps, he’ll come away from this experience with a new respect
for life. He’ll be less hesitant in taking a life and more
appreciative of the benefits that life has to offer.

“
You okay?” His voice is gentle and
complements the setting sun, the wisps of wind through the pines,
and the musky smell of the great deer lying on the ground in front
of them.

“
Yes, sir. I just wasn’t expecting
this at all.”

Bill nods in agreement even though his son
isn’t looking at him. He’s also a little surprised. Here sits his
son, not even a teenager, but so many times throughout the past
year, he presented a persona far beyond his young years. It’s at
those times he feels that his son has become more than just his
son—more like a friend or brother—and someone much closer in age.
He wonders if his own dad had felt that way about him when he was
growing up.

Steven sniffles, wipes his snotty nose on a
sleeve, and says, “As soon as I pulled the trigger I wanted to take
it back.”

“
I felt the same way when I killed
my first deer.”

His son finally lifts his eyes away from the
deer and looks at him in the dimming light. “You-you
did?”

“
Yes, Son. Taking a life, even one
that would seem insignificant to us, is a hard thing to do and
should never be done out of spite, hatred, or sport. This deer is
giving us his life to provide our family with food.”

“
But-but did we really need his
meat?”

His dad looks away. He gathers his thoughts
carefully, adjusting the words in his head to match a lesson his
father had taught him years before.

“
No, Son, we don’t need the
meat.”

“
But-” he begins, but his father
holds up a hand to stop him.

“
Let me finish, okay?”

Steven nods.

Bill continues, and the words trigger a deep
feeling of déjà-vu. The words spill from his mouth but he feels
detached from them, as if they are channeled directly from his own
father—a man ten years in the grave. “There are certain lessons in
life, Son, which you cannot learn from either books or by standing
aside and watching. Hunting is one of them. You cannot respect life
until you know what it is like to take a life...only then do you
learn to appreciate it. Do you understand that?”

“
I think so.”

“
Good. But that isn't the only
lesson here.”

The boy dons a quizzical stare and it makes him
smile. The orange glow of the setting sun seeps through the trees
like water through a colander, splattering his son’s face and the
ground with golden light. He continues, “You probably will not
understand this, but when you get older, you will begin to see that
this world is full of uncertainty. You never know when disaster or
tragedy will strike. Heaven forbid it ever happens, but if you are
ever left on your own in the wilderness—for whatever reason—you
have to be able to hunt and live off the land.”

“
Kind of like setting snares and
traps for rabbits like I learned in Boy Scouts.”

“
Yes.”

“
And like how you taught me how to
fish using a cane pole and some string and a worm?”

“
Exactly. Now, do you know why I
taught you to do that?”

He thinks for a second and his dad doesn’t
interrupt his thoughts. He looks down at the rifle in his father’s
hands. His eyes rise back to his dad’s patient stare. He answers,
“Because I might not always have a fishing rod?”

“
That’s right.”

His gaze settles on the rifle again.

“
But why teach me how to use a
rifle? What if I don’t have one of those either?”

He tousles the boy’s hair again and realizes
that it is an automatic gesture of affection —something done
countless times and will be done countless times more. “That’s why
you learned all those other skills, but if you do have a rifle
available, don’t you think you need to learn how to use it too?
Just like you learned to fish with a fishing pole?”

“
I guess so.” As the final
brush-strokes of light bleed away with the setting sun, Steven
says, “But I still don’t like it.” It isn’t just the death of the
deer that has him upset. The world around him has taken on a whole
new light. Sure, he’s seen death time and time again in movies and
television shows, but it’s always disconnected from life. But now
that death is lying right in front of him, he worries that it will
come for him sooner rather than later. If it doesn’t come for him,
then it will come for his mother...or heaven forbid, his father!
For the first time in his life, death is a very tangible thing,
something more than just an idea or a scene from a
movie.

“
That’s good, Son. That’s very
good.” His father stands and steps over the deer. He pulls a knife
from the scabbard on his belt. “Now break out one of those
flashlights and help me get this deer cleaned. We’ve got a long
hike back and he’s going to be mighty heavy.” He plunges the knife
into the deer's belly and the coppery aroma of blood spreads its
invisible tendrils through the air. It’s a smell that will grow
familiar to Steven in the coming years.

The Gravedigger

Coming Soon

This book is a real thriller! Loved
the suspense and mystery. It really keeps you on the seat of your
pants with all the action! I would recommend this book to almost
any one. The killer was a real psychopath and is tortured with the
evil one. Joe can see clearly after he connects with God! A great
book!

-Valory Elliott, Author

This powerful story tells of
overcoming tragedy, dealing with fear and finding salvation. It's
written in a most readable form and draws the reader into the
story. I kept telling myself, "Just one more page. Just to the end
of this chapter." But I didn't stop reading. I highly recommend
it.

-Pat Haddock, Author

Joe is a man haunted by his past; a
past that holds great power over him. He possesses an unusual
gift—he can see into the spirit realm. And so the story unfolds,
and we, the reader, learn more about Joe’s fears and trials as he
struggles with his ability (or disability, as Joe himself
thinks).

This book skillfully combines the
literary conflicts of Man vs. Man (the central plot of the novel)
and Man vs. Self (Joe’s struggles with his “gift”). The action
takes place in East Texas, and the characters and their dialogue
feel accurate in their depictions. Their interactions with one
another ring true and at times made me laugh out loud. There are
hints as to the identity of the antagonist, but the presence of a
few red herrings adds interest and allows the suspense to build.
The tension is palpable as our villain enacts the vendetta against
Joe, causing him to embark on a circuitous journey as he tries to
unravel the clues to the killer’s identity. As hard as he tries to
avoid it, all paths lead him to the same place and Joe is forced to
confront his fears. Ultimately, this is a story about good vs.
evil, acceptance, and “letting go and letting God.”

-Erin Schroeder

“
I have enjoyed Inspirations. It
shows much depth, especially from a spiritual standpoint! You are
blessed as in this world there are few who aspire to climb higher,
spiritually.”

-LWT (one of my toughest
critics: my dad)

“I received this book on a giveaway
for an honest review and I truly enjoyed it! Christopher is such a
great inspirational writer and I love the fact the he brings true
personal life experiences to this book which makes it so
interesting to read. It is very well written and the poems are just
beautiful. I would recommend it to anyone seeking peace,
inspiration and knowing they are not alone out there living life's
troubles and tribulations......anything is possible if we have
faith in God and persistence in everything we do!! Thank you
Christopher for bringing us this wonderful book and please continue
inspiring us with your writings you have won a fan in
me.”

-Annie (Goodreads
Member)

“Inspirations” was the first book
by Chris that I have had the pleasure to read. He includes brief
introductions to several of his poems to give the reader insight to
his subject. Some are written with the intent to merely entertain
while others have a deeper meaning meant to “inspire” the reader.
The short stories give us a brief taste of his talent with prose,
making us yearn for just a bit more. The commentaries are snippets
of his life—also included in his memoir, “I am Nobody”—that leave
you with a better understanding of Chris, the person.

-Erin Schroeder

Deeply
personal
 
& beautifully written.

Thoroughly
enjoyed!
The title says
it
all: Inspirations.
Truly,
 
an inspiration.. x.

-@akakadydids (twitter
follower)

Chris has a very lyrical style of
writing that truly engages the reader. Throughout this book, he
opens his heart to us and gives us a view into the different stages
of his life—from childhood to adolescence to adulthood—and all the
trials he experienced during that journey. Many of us will have no
trouble identifying with his many adventures, joys, and even
sorrows. To say I enjoyed reading “I am Nobody” would be an
understatement. It made me laugh and it made me cry…many times in
the space of a few paragraphs. It would be impossible to read this
book and not feel touched by the depth of emotion behind the prose.
I think we can expect many great things from Chris in the
future.

-Erin Schroeder

“
It is so good. The way its written
is like he’s right in front of you, sharing his story…
beautiful.”

-@pack_of_one (Twitter
follower)

“Nuggets” is a collection of micro
poetry, a veritable treasure chest of poems to delight and
entertain the reader. I had never heard of micro poetry before
reading this book, but it is a challenging medium for the author
and Chris nails it. The entire spectrum of human emotion can be
found within its pages. It is true joy to be led through that
spectrum by such a skilled author. Chris has a real gift for
storytelling, whichever medium he uses.

-Erin Schroeder

“
So dramatic, and different in a
good way, I love your poems x.”

@gamzemey96 (Twitter
follower)

You sign into
your
 
Twitter and are greeted
with
 
#Nuggets of beauty…
You star favorites
 
and immediately
a
 
want for more is
craved.
 
"Nuggets" satisfies
 
those cravings in a
perfect
 
book of favorites.

-@akakadydids (twitter
follower)

About the
Author

Christopher J. Thomasson was born in
Honolulu, Hawaii in 1972. His family permanently settled in the
piney woods of East Texas when he was two years old. He discovered
a love for reading and writing at a very young age and until
recently, only ever wrote for himself, his family, and his closest
friends.

In April 2013, at the age of 40,
Christopher suffered a mild heart attack while on the tennis court.
Within a couple of days, he was undergoing triple-bypass surgery.
Because of his love for tennis and the increased active lifestyle
the sport provided, the doctors informed him of a miracle—with the
clotting in his veins, his heart created new vessels to transport
blood to those areas of the heart that were being depleted...and as
a result of those new vessels, his heart had sustained no
damage!

As a result of this experience,
Christopher realized that he has more to add to this life than
merely existing—he has a story to share—a lot of stories to share!
He loves the challenge of writing outside just one or two genres.
Many of his early short stories and poetry compositions include
fantasy, science fiction, romance, and horror.