The 2012 Collected Works Of Jamie Greening

By Jamie Greening

Constantly updated throughout 2012 by Bard and Book Publishing, this collection of Jamie Greening's witty and insightful short stories and commentary is sure to delight.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bard and Book
• Release date: Jun 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476010588

Jamie Greening

I am the Senior Pastor (actually, there are only two of us on staff) at First Baptist Church in Port Orchard, Washington.I Love my life and have the best job in the whole world!

Book preview

The 2012 Collected Works

Of

Jamie Greening

by Jamie Greening

Smashwords Edition

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Read more from Jamie Greening at www.bardandbook.com

Website: www.bardandbook.com

Copyright Jamie Greening 2012. All Rights Reserved

Published by Bard and Book Publishing.

Cover by Julius Broqueza.

Table of Contents

How Bard and Book Publishing's Collected Works Anthologies Work:

Steve Chooses

The Trinity Is Not Mute

Speculation

The First Second

The Second Second

The Third Second

Deep Cove

Jolly Rogers: A Story About Boyhood

How Bard and Book Publishing's Collected Works Anthologies Work:

Bard and Book Publishing offers authors' short stories for free to reader-subscribers. Each time an author releases a new completed work, this anthology is updated to reflect the new content. Content can include short stories, poems, plays, or full length novels. To obtain an updated edition, you merely need to go back to the original Smashword's page, and provided you have already purchased the work, Smashwords will allow you to re-download the new version. This applies even if you have 'purchased' the book via coupons issued only to Bard and Book reader-subscribers. For more information visit: http://www.bardandbook.com.

Steve Chooses

Steve obeyed the voices. He had always obeyed the voices, since he first heard them when he was seventeen. That is when they told him to run away from home. He obeyed the voices when they told him to stick the needle in his arm, because the needle made him feel good. He obeyed the voices that told him to drink hard liquor all day long. He obeyed the voices when they told him not to worry about getting a job. He obeyed the voices when they told him exactly how to steal from the convenience store. The voices were wise and smart.

Steve obeyed.

Sometimes he wondered why, but he never openly questioned the voices. The voices must be the sound of god, so he had to obey. He was special and god spoke to him directly through the gift of the voices.

So when the voices told him to get a handgun he didn’t argue. He just did it. But it wasn’t easy. Steve tried to buy one from a sporting good store. He asked the man behind the counter for a .44.

The man behind the counter said, I don’t have one of those. Those are rare and hard to get. Who do you think you are Dirty Harry?

Well actually, Steve told the man, that is what I had in mind. Do you know where I could get one?

Nope, replied the chubby man with a van dyke beard. He wiped his mouth with his flannelled sleeve and finished, nobody around here will have one either. They are a collector’s item. You could probably get one from an online site. You will not find one around here though; definitely not.

Steve walked out of that store despondent. He knew he had to obey; but where to get one.

He walked into the Callow Avenue Pawn Shop. There were rows of rings, necklaces, heirloom jewelry, knives, music CD’s, DVD’s, and hats, all behind glass. Steve stopped and looked at the shiny Zippo lighters. He always liked the Zippo lighters, especially the clinking sound they made when the lid was popped open. What he really liked was the smell of the lighter fluid. It reminded him of his father. In his memories of his father his dad smelled like Aqua Velva and lighter fluid. It was a funny memory as Steve had not seen his father since he was 6 years old. He didn’t know why he was drawn to these antiquated lighters, but he had four of them.

There was one on the stand which had the emblem for the rock band AC/DC on it.

That’d be so cool! Steve shouted out loud.

But the voices scolded him. They demanded that he get back on task and stay focused. Steve must obey. He walked into the heart of the store and asked the tattooed and heavily pierced woman standing behind the glass case for the same thing he’d asked the flannelled man in the sporting good store; I’d like a .44.

She looked at him and smiled. Today is your lucky day.

You’ve got one? said Steve joyously.

Nope. You won’t find one of those anywhere except gun shows or a Hollywood studio shoot. Those are mostly collector’s items. I’ve got something better. Something more stylish. It’s a .357 magnum.

Oh, he said. Why would I want a .357?

Because you can do the same thing with a .357 that you want to do with a .44, except the .357 is cheaper and easier to carry. You do want to carry your gun, don’t you?

Uh, yeah, I guess. Steve hadn’t thought that far ahead. He didn’t really know what he wanted the gun for. He could tell by the woman’s demeanor that being able to carry the gun was desirable and something he should want to do. So he agreed and nodded at the woman.

This one just came in yesterday, she said as she pulled a box from underneath the counter and opened it. She’s a sweet thing this one; the black steel and the wooden handle grips are a real turn on. She moved her index finger along the barrel of the pistol and caressed the hammer; and then fondled the trigger in a very suggestive way. She winked at Steve and said, You know what I mean?

Steve didn’t know what she meant. She frightened him. He didn’t know what she had in mind. Steve had never been very good with women and frankly didn’t understand things like that at all. Some of the men at the feeding station were always talking about their ‘Old Ladies’ or their ‘Woman’ but their talk confused him. Steve didn’t need any woman or old ladies. All he wanted to do was to make the voices happy. He lived for the voices.

The voices told him to get the gun.

I’ll take it. Don’t worry about boxing it or anything.

The woman smiled. You can’t have it now, you’ll have to fill out a federal background check and come back in seven days to pick it up. But I can think of some ways we can kill some time while we wait, if you know what I mean.

Steve didn’t know what she meant. He wanted the gun now. He didn’t have time for games; the voices would not wait. He had to get it this week. Steve didn’t know why he knew that; he just did. He had to get the gun this week.

I do not have time for this. Is there anything I can do to speed it up?

Uh, long pause, No! said the woman defiantly. "You wouldn’t