The Decision

By Miroslav Krejci

This book is happy and sad at the same time – a true story of two friends and an adventure. Although set in the present time, it contains stories from their childhood and youth of both, each of whom enrolled in the army in the former regime and spent their youth at a military school.
The story has nothing to do with politics – boys between fifteen and eighteen years of age have completely different interests.
This is the story of two real friends affected by the terminal illness of one of them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CUSTOM BOOK PUBLICATIONS
• Release date: Feb 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370130276

Miroslav Krejci

The Author was born in Czechoslovakia. After finishing elementary school, he attended military college during the period his country was under Communist Party rule. Designed to prepare young officers, he disliked the school, the work they did and the senior officers. It was unreasonably disciplined and impossible to leave, so he ended up in an army jail. Twelve months later, when the Communist regime ended, he was released. He wrote about the period and the many unusual people in a book titled – A Year in Jail. With friends, he then established a successful software company, and over the next few years married. He and his wife have four children. He now divides his time between his work and writing books. The family resides on a small farm where he breeds horses, a love since childhood. They even feature in his writing – Molly & Endo.

Book preview

THE DECISION …

This book is happy and sad at the same time – a true story of two friends and an adventure. Although set in the present time, it contains stories from their childhood and youth of both, each of whom enrolled in the army in the former regime and spent their youth at a military school.

The story has nothing to do with politics – boys between fifteen and eighteen years of age have completely different interests.

This is the story of two real friends affected by the terminal illness of one of them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Author was born in Czechoslovakia. After finishing elementary school, he attended military college during the period his country was under Communist Party rule. Designed to prepare young officers, he disliked the school, the work they did and the senior officers. It was unreasonably disciplined and impossible to leave, so he ended up in an army jail. Twelve months later, when the Communist regime ended, he was released.

He wrote about the period and the many unusual people in a book titled – A Year in Jail.

With friends, he then established a successful software company, and over the next few years married. He and his wife have four children. He now divides his time between his work and writing books. The family resides on a small farm where he breeds horses, a love since childhood. They even feature in his writing – Molly & Endo.

C

opyright © 2017 Miroslav Krejci

Asia’s Print & Digital Publisher

THE DECISION

A True Story

by

Miroslav Krejci

Illustrated by Miroslav Krejci Snr.

The motor hang-glider was slowly drifting over the stables. The summer sun flashed through its laminated wing from time to time and occasionally the chrome-plated parts of the engine reflected a sunbeam. After a while it started to descend, clearly looking for a place to land on a nearby grazing field fenced by iron barriers. After a while of manoeuvring and levelling the wing in the light breeze, the front wheel gently touched the ground.

At that moment, it sunk into the soft soil and the machine with the two pilots inside, reared. It carried forward stiffly on its front wheels until it sat unwillingly on the other two back wheels. The engine stopped roaring and the hang-glider stopped after another few metres of uncontrolled movement. The passenger sitting behind the pilot took off his helmet slowly, breathed out heavily and slapped the pilot’s helmet with his hand.

‘Jeez! Roman! What was that supposed to mean?’

The pilot took off his helmet as well, pulled off his gloves and turned towards the passenger.

‘Almost wetted your pants, didn’t you, Milan?’ he laughed, ruffling his brown hair, flattened under the helmet, with his hand.

‘I can show you my underwear if you like. You will find there some adrenaline and something more,’ Milan answered and pretended to slap Roman’s head.

‘Yeah, it was a mistake. I didn’t plan it right. I didn’t have a clue the ground would be so soft,’ Roman admitted as he was getting off his seat.

‘I saw us flipping over and the engine smashing us to the ground.’ Milan unfastened his seatbelt and got out of the seat.

‘Help me change the propeller?’ Roman asked. ‘I’ve got a new one, with three blades. The old one, wooden and with two blades, is much heavier and doesn’t give as much performance. You will see the thrust of the new one … I’m already looking forward to it.’ Roman’s eyes were alight with excitement.

‘I can’t wait to see it. Will we try it together?’ Milan got as excited as Roman.

Roman and Milan had been friends since they were children and even in their late thirties now, they still had the same hobbies and interests that were uniting them and keeping them in touch. Milan had his feet on the ground, felt responsible for his family and the company he co-owned. Roman was the opposite – although married with a twelve-year old daughter, he was crazy. He continued to try activities that were not quite safe. Apart from riding horses, which both loved, he came up with the motor hang-gliding. He had passed all the tests and was flying regularly. Anytime and anywhere.

And whenever it was possible, Milan, as a true friend, was flying with him.

The sun was just above the horizon when Roman and Milan finished changing the propeller. They were just standing by the machine, enjoying the feeling of a well-done job. Milan broke the silence. ‘So what, shall we go? Try and fly it?’ he asked.

‘Sure, that’s agreed’ Roman answered. ‘But before we fly, I’ll show you something. I will show you how fast the hang-glider can go with its wing removed. You will see the power of it. The chassis itself starts as swiftly as a formula one!’

Roman didn’t wait for Milan’s answer, spun the propeller, got into the seat and put his right hand on the gas lever.

End of August 1980.

Milan and Roman had just started at a military boarding school. Now they were lined up with other thirty boys by the sport field, ready for their first P.E. lesson.

‘Attention!’ sounded a sharp voice of a thirty-year old first lieutenant, their P.E. teacher.

‘Everybody whose father is a member of the Communist Party, a step ahead!’ the sharp voice continued. Almost three quarters of the boys did so.

‘Those of you who stepped out, get to the ground and fifty push-ups!’ the first lieutenant ordered them mercilessly.

Milan and Roman who were among the few who stayed where they were, looked at each other in disbelief.

‘That’s what I call courage’ Milan leaned towards Roman and they were trying with all their might to suppress laughter.

*****

The propeller started spinning madly. Roman kept his foot on the brake and waited until the engine reached its maximum revolutions. Then he let go of the brake and the chassis of the hang-glider shot forwards. Within seconds it was screaming across the field on top speed. Milan, holding his breath, was watching it dashing towards the metal fencing only about a hundred metres ahead.

‘Damn, slow down!’ he thought.

But the hang-glider clearly didn’t mean to do that at all. Quite the contrary, it was gathering more and more speed as it was heading towards the barrier.

‘Roman, stop!’ Milan started running after the speeding machine. As if he had heard him, he suddenly turned the steering sharply to the left, the hang-glider stopped abruptly and at the same time it turned over. The spinning propeller whined and sunk into