Father's Day Short Stories: A Collection

By D. I. Telbat

This 32,000-word Collection of 20 Christian Father's Day Short Stories by D.I. TELBAT is written in honor of our dads, grandfathers, sons, husbands, and all the other men in our lives.

 

The fictional stories in this little book, varying in plot and setting, will make you smile or cry, encourage and bless you, but always remind you of what's important.

They are written to exhort dads to keep making the hard decisions, to stand by the choices that matter most, and to lead their families and communities in a way that impacts lives for Christ. The stories are to inspire fathers to trust God when things seem bleak, and to keep their priorities straight in this compromising world.

 

To all the men in our lives—Happy Father's Day!

• Language: English
• Publisher: In Season Publications
• Release date: May 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201612153

D. I. Telbat

D. I. (David) Telbat is a Christian author best known for his clean, Suspenseful Fiction with a Faith Focus, which includes his bestseller and award-winning COIL Series, Steadfast Series, and several other suspense and End Times novels. He wrote his first book at age 14, and hasn't stopped since!Through David's weekly D.I. Telbat Newsletter, he provides free Christian short stories, or his Author Reflections, or his novel news. Many of D.I. Telbat's stories are about persecuted Christians—their sacrifice, suffering, and rescues.Getting into trouble with the law as a young man became a turning point in David's life. The Lord used that experience to draw David into a personal relationship with Him. Re-focusing his life for Christ, David now seeks to honor God with his life and his writing.David studied writing in college, and worked for a time in the newspaper field, but he is now doing what he loves most--writing and Christian ministry. When not busy writing Christian novels, you will find him teaching/preaching/discipling, and writing curriculum for Christians in the prison system.Though D.I. Telbat is currently living on the West Coast, he has kept his home office in the Northwest U.S. where his assistant, Dee, lives and helps with his research and editing needs.There is no redemption without sacrifice.

Book preview

Father's Day Short Stories

A Collection

D.I. Telbat

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Copyright © 2021 D.I. Telbat

All rights reserved

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Cover painting by

J. Lawson

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DITelbat.com

D.I. Telbat Author Pages

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These stories are a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, organizations or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

Dedication

This book reminds us of why we celebrate Father's Day. It is dedicated to our dads, grandfathers, sons, and husbands, and all the other special men in our lives. I pray it is a blessing to them.

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Acknowledgements

It's taken years to collect some of the following stories. Thanks to Dee for encouraging me to finish this collection. And thanks to our Beta Readers who continue to bless us with their helpful input along the way.

Table of Contents

Title & Copyright

Dedication & Acknowledgements

Author Note

1 –  Broken Peak, Part I

2 –  Broken Peak, Part II

3 –  Make them Suffer

4 –  A Stormy Gift

5 –  Automatic Postcard

6 –  Right Here in Line

7 –  No More Excuses

8 –  Father's Day Memory Lives On

9 –  A Father's Heart

10 – Mask or No Mask

11 – Parking Lot Interview

12 – Mountain of Death

13 – A Father's Comfort

14 – Dandelion Investments

15 – Dad, I'm Not Ready

16 – New Memories

17 – A Father's Calling

18 – Give your Life

19 – The Best Pitch

20 – The Privilege

Other Books by D.I. Telbat

About the Author

Author Note

Dear Reader,

After my Mother's Day Collection was released, we took a count of our Father's Day stories, and began to plan this collection. Many of the following short stories have never been published before.

There's a true story of a ministry that surveyed a high security prison in California for how many Mother's Day cards the inmates wanted to order. Thousands of cards were sent into the prison to be mailed to mothers. When Father's Day drew near, the same ministry asked how many cards they should send in for the fathers of inmates. Not a single inmate requested a card for their father.

Thanks to God, I grew up with a loving father who disciplined me and taught me to be a godly young man. His instruction didn't take right away, but later, the Lord opened my eyes as a Christian to find the value of having a father who sacrificed so much for his children. He left us a biblical example to follow.

Although the following fictional stories are varied in plot and setting, they're all flavored to some degree from my own experiences, and memories—both distant and recent—of my father. Since he's still one of my most faithful Beta Readers today, I hope he sees from these stories that I didn't take him for granted—I just needed to grow up a bit.

For all you fathers out there, Happy Father's Day!

David Telbat

1~Broken Peak, Part I

The Fishing Pole

Note from the author: There are many types of family situations in our world. I have yet to find the perfect family, because families are made up of imperfect people. But many of my adventure novels and stories rely upon reflections of my own childhood—raised in the outdoors, taught by my father to hunt, fish, and hike. Here's a story about a father making the most of what he's been given. It's dedicated to all those stepfathers out there who have a few more challenges to face.—David Telbat

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Carl Sigler frowned at his stepson across the campfire. This was supposed to be their big weekend to connect with one another, but thirteen-year-old Quincy had connected more with the games on his smartphone than with his stepfather.

Why don't we put the games away for a bit? Carl suggested. Check it out. The hot dogs are almost done.

Quincy didn't respond for a few seconds. Then he blew a raspberry and clicked his phone off. Pouting, he slid the device into a pocket on his backpack and kicked at the log nearest his foot. Sparks flew upward, and Carl barely saved their dinner from falling into the coals.

Sorry. Quincy ducked his head. I just don't feel like I belong out here. It's all wild and stuff. No lights. And cold.

It's definitely different. Carl gazed up at the sky. Without the city lights, you can see the stars better. Pretty cool to imagine that God made all those little sparkles, huh?

Yeah. Sure. Quincy didn't look up. How long until we go back home?

Well, we'll get to the top of the mountain by noon tomorrow, then we can start back down to the Jeep. Just wait until we get to the peak. You can see the whole range from up there. My dad took me up here when I was about your age.

You're not my . . . Quincy trailed off.

Yeah, you're right. I'm not your dad. And you're not really my son. Sometimes God puts people into our lives we didn't plan on. We can complain about it, or make something out of it. You know what might help?

What?

Maybe see me as someone God put here to help you become a man of confidence and strength. There's a long list of things a young man like yourself should know by now if he's supposed to become independent. I know your real dad would've taught it all to you if he could've.

There's nothing I need to know that I can't search for on the net. You don't know what Dad would've taught me.

Maybe. You can read about tying a tie, but it's better if someone shows you how. You can read about changing the oil in a car, but it's a whole lot messier and more fun if someone shows you how.

I don't have a car.

But you will soon, and you might even have a girlfriend one day. Carl plucked the hot dogs from the spit. Girls dig a guy who knows what he's doing. Imagine if you're on a date and your car tire blows. A girl wants to lean on a strong man, but there you are, trying to find on the net how to change a tire.

Yeah. Maybe. Quincy accepted his hot dog and took a monstrous bite. What else should a guy know besides car stuff?

Lots of little things. Like, how to fix a lock on a door to keep people safe. How to start a safe fire when the electricity goes out. And how to catch and gut a fish.

Gut a fish? Quincy cringed. Girls don't care about that.

A man who knows how to do manly things carries himself differently. God put us here to manage the world around us. A woman likes to know she's with a man who knows his rightful place in Creation.

That's what you did with Mom?

I offered her safety, sure. I love and respect her, too. All that goes together. I couldn't be what our little family needs if I just relied on the net or called in a handyman every time something fell apart.

Quincy finished his hot dog in silence. For the first time in the few months that Carl had been his stepfather, he felt like they were finally connecting.

I don't think my real dad knew how to do some of those things you're talking about. He was too sick all the time.

He knew. Carl handed Quincy another hot dog. That tent we just set up was his. And when I was going through the garage a few weeks ago, I found a brand new kid's size fishing pole. He never got a chance to take you, but he meant to. I wish your dad could've been the one to take you on this mountain. It wasn't his fault he got sick. I like to think that I'm helping him out by raising you right for him and your mom.

He got me a fishing pole? Really?

Yeah, really. You're a young man now, so you should use an adult fishing pole. But that small fishing pole tells us a lot about your dad. You were young when he first got sick. It just never worked out. Seems like we should continue what he would've wanted. What do you think?

I didn't know. Quincy hung his head and wiped his eyes. He got me a fishing pole . . .

Carl wanted to weep as well, and hug the young man as he broke through some of his anger, sadness, or loneliness. But part of their growth together meant that Carl needed to guide the boy through these things as if Quincy were a man, not a child.

Just wait until you're reeling in your first trout on a sturdy fishing rod. Carl laughed. Boy-oh-boy—they fight like sharks to get away!

They fight hard? Quincy's eyes widened. You've got to hang on tight, right? I've seen it in videos. I could do that?

Of course. You can do anything. Maybe we'll get you a fly rod. Oh, now there's a sport for a real fisherman. It takes some serious skill to make a fly dance natural-like to fool a fish.

A fly rod. No one at school has even heard about anything like that. How do you do it?