The Reason

By L.C. Markland

Among his best work. Markland pushes emotions and his story moves considerably straight forward as opposed to the up and downs which is typical with most of his works. However, he does reach for a very sentimental end as he does in his other novels. In this book, Paul C. Markland, gives the reader inspiration to consider their own life, as well

• Language: English
• Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
• Release date: Nov 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781643679464

L.C. Markland

L.C. Markland is a local author. He and Judy, his wife, reside in North Canton, OH. He graduated from the Akron East High School, the University of Akron, and Malone University of Canton OH. Before writing novels, Paul served two pastorates in the Akron/Canton area and directed a non-profit organization. Health issues led to an early retirement in 2014. Since then, he has written several works, "Whispers in the Willows" is among them. He uses the pen name L. C. Markland in memory of his father. His other books are "All Things Work Together for Good," "Winds of Change," "Killing Me Softly," "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," "No Holds Barred: No Holding, Back," "The Whispering Woods," "The Widows Web," "The Widows Web Unwoven," "I Existed," and "The Widow's Web Unwoven: The Mitchells' Mystery."

Book preview

The Reason

Copyright © 2019 by L. C. Markland. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, descriptions, entities, and incidents included in the story are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events, and entities is entirely coincidental.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of URLink Print and Media.

1603 Capitol Ave., Suite 310 Cheyenne, Wyoming USA 82001

1-888-980-6523 | [e-mail]

URLink Print and Media is committed to excellence in the publishing industry.

Book design copyright © 2019 by URLink Print and Media.

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States of America

ISBN 978-1-64367-947-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64367-946-4 (Digital)

14.10.19

More books from the author:

Hard to Say I am Sorry

I Existed

The Widow’s Web

The Whispering Woods

No Holds Barred

Killing Me Softly

All Things Work Together for Good

Winds of Change

Whispers in the Willows

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T he Reason, is my twelfth novel. By far, it is one of my most difficult work. I could not have no t have completed it without the support of both family and friends. My wife Judy Markland, along with our daughter Ashley Gibbons, continually read this work as it was being written. They offered valuable advice that ultimately changed the ending.

Shirley Rice Verhey and Raymond Shook diligently proofed and continually offered their insights to improve The Reason. Mr. Shook was gracious enough to write an honest review.

Like past novels, I relied on Jim Neidert. He did what he does best. He provided his artistic skills to design the front cover.

In short, The Reason is the result of several people working together to complete a desired end.

I owe much to said individuals. I could not have finished The Reason had not they used their God-given gifts. I am indebted to them.

FOREWORD

When I first sat down to pen The Reason, my initial intention was to write an autobiography regarding my childhood experiences. It was to compliment, No Holds Barred: No Holding Back, a previous work detailing my ordeals as an adolescent and young adult.

I asked my wife (Judy), and daughter (Ashley) to the read this work as I wrote it. They described it as intense. They also learned some things about me. There were things they never knew or cared to know. As far as they were concerned, I was not the person portrayed.

In response to reading the book, Judy requested it be presented as fiction rather than fact. I honored her request. The Reason, though much of the work is based on fact, is a fiction. It is for the reader to decide and distinguish between the two.

The Reason depicts a man, Mr. Ericsson, seeking to discover the reason for his existence. An incident sparks on this quest. His mind travels back to his childhood. The pain of yesteryear haunts him. He is to meet with a counselor, Shelly, to discuss his issues of anger and trust. In the end, Mr. Ericsson rediscovers his reason to exist. Despite his love for his family, it is unearthed by helping Shelly heal from her past.

The Reason is a faith-based work. A note of caution. Because of the content and language described, it is most definitely aimed for adults only.

CHAPTER ONE

This morning was like most mornings. I woke up, made coffee, dressed, and made my way to watch my grandson. In route, I heard the weather forecast. The day promised to be hot and humid. Heat indexes were expected to be in the 100’s. Great! I thought. That’s exactly what we need. I planned to mow my lawn with my grandson.

He was only 19 months old. It was becoming our tradition to mow the lawn together. He expected it. Every week, he ran to the garage door. He pointed to the contents inside and shouted, Papa! Tractor!

I affirmed his excitement. Yes, tractor! I sat him on my lap, and I held him tight. We then went for a ride.

However, on this particular morning when the heat and humidity reached new heights, I opted to do something different. Instead of mowing grass, we went grocery shopping. As always, he caught and captured the attention of people. They were mostly female. I enjoyed the attention he received.

Unfortunately, on this particular morning, he did not catch the attention of everyone. As we exited the store, we started to walk to our car. Out of nowhere, I saw a vehicle driving toward us. The driver failed to slow down: rather he decided to speed up. He was coming straight at us.

My instincts kicked into gear. There was no way I would allow any harm to come to my grandson. Hurriedly, I pushed the cart toward a couple walking opposite of me. My only recollection to that event was feeling the brunt force of the impact followed by a bright light.

CHAPTER TWO

I recall opening my eyes. My greatest fear became a reality. I am alone. I am serving a life sentence. Yes, I am a prisoner. My prison, however, is not typical. I am not in a secure or guarded institution associated with the judicial system.

As a matter of fact, I have never been convicted of a crime. I have never done anything to confine