Six Short Heresies . . . Just for You

By James J. Brodell

Life is full of untested assumptions: Prostitution exploits women, bloody religious ceremonies are of the past, Santa is jolly, there is one God, suburban life requires a great lawn. The six stories here, some drawn from life and some tongue-in-cheek, suggest otherwise. Humans justify their existence in many ways in many cultures. The concepts of god and sin are not universal. In the modern world human sacrifice mostly has become a symbolic sacrifice with wine substituting for blood. But not always. Most western religions are monotheistic, but the concept is a relatively new. The following six tales explore some of these quirks. What happens when a Jersey City Catholic elementary school teacher inherits a notorious Latin American hotel-casino better known for babes than bets? Do Medieval and bloody religious ceremonies still take place in America? How about really bloody pre-Columbian rituals? Can the green thumb pressures of suburban life warp the mind? Has Santa been short-changed? And is monotheism just marketing?

• Language: English
• Publisher: James J. Brodell
• Release date: Nov 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463257944

James J. Brodell

James J. Brodell considers himself a skeptic or an iconoclast, perhaps due to the 50 years as a reporter and editor. His novels and short stories builds on the wacky incidents he has witnessed. He said he prefers short stories because he has a short attention span.

Book preview

Six Short Heresies … Just for You

By James J. Brodell

Published by James J. Brodell at Smashwords

ISBN: 9780463257944

Life is full of untested assumptions: Prostitution exploits women, bloody religious ceremonies are of the past, Santa is jolly, there is one God, suburban life requires a great lawn. The six stories here, some drawn from life and some tongue in cheek, suggest otherwise. Humans justify their existence in many ways in many cultures. The concepts of god and sin are not universal. In the modern world human sacrifice mostly has become a symbolic sacrifice with wine substituting for blood. But not always. Most western religions are monotheistic, but the concept is a relatively new. The following six tales explore some of these quirks.

Copyrighted 2018 James J. Brodell

Table of contents

The Latin Legacy

The Way of the Cross

Dea Ex Machina

A Suburban Lawn

Santa's Lament

The Ceremony Approaches

The Latin legacy

Why are there so many young women here, Mr. Reza, the 32-year-old American woman asked the lawyer. They all look unaccompanied but very pretty and well dressed.

It is possible, Miss Youngstock, that your uncle was not as descriptive as he should have been with his heir, the smartly dressed lawyer replied. It seems that the business model that you just inherited has a lot to do with women meeting men.

You mean like a dating service, Mr. Reza?

That would be a good way of looking at it for now, Miss Youngstock, until you get your feet on the ground, so to speak. But first let's go to the office. I have some documents for you to sign to formalize your new ownership.

Miss Youngstock, fresh from the airport, surveyed the room. Everywhere she looked there were beautiful women standing alone or in small groups. Some had drinks in their hands. Others appeared to be hard at work on the rows of slot machines. Against the wall three young women in more casual clothing were serving up drinks to what appeared to be a thirsty crowd.

You are new here, right, a voice asked. The woman turned to see a 60ish bearded man, obviously an American, smiling as he put his arm around her waist and exuded alcohol.

The lawyer stepped in. "The lady