Finding Hope

By Dan Rogers

A treasure hunt of epic proportions is the result of a chance encounter between an elderly man and a college student returning home for the holidays. When the college student embarks on a mysterious journey for unknown wealth, a masterfully woven tale of intrigue and excitement ensues that leads to an unforeseen turn of events. Set in Biloxi, Mississippi, Finding Hope is a captivating account of self-revelation, the pursuit of love, and the discovery of an invaluable paragon that will leave the reader in complete and utter ecstasy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499070071

Dan Rogers

Dan Rogers was born in Cherry Point, NC and now resides in Biloxi, MS. He spent two and half years as a Marine Corps Reservist and another fifteen on active duty in the U.S. Army. He earned an associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor’s Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from Grantham University and currently is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Grantham University as well. He enjoys writing about the phenomena of life and reaches out to readers of all ages.

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Copyright © 2014 by Dan Rogers.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014917415

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4990-7006-4

   Softcover   978-1-4990-7008-8

   eBook   978-1-4990-7007-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 09/29/2014

Xlibris LLC

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www.Xlibris.com

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1: The Jewelry Box

Chapter 2: Greyhound

Chapter 3: C-Note

Chapter 4: Sgt Merriman

Chapter 5: Come Together

Chapter 6: 8-1-14

Chapter 7: Hope

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Love. What can you say? An intangible feeling deep within the corridors of our being? Or perhaps a tangible expression of activities and gifts we perform for one another. The fact of the matter is that it is an unexplained phenomenon that possesses power that can’t be measured. Love for a person? Love for a belief? Love for an action? Or love for a particular thing? We search for it, we find it, we lose it, we live for it, and we die for it. Love is a necessity hidden within our spirit that can’t be ignored. There is nothing out there that feels as good as love and there is nothing out there that hurts as much as love. Maybe there is a plan constructed for all of us in which the puzzle pieces connect and there is a particular piece out there that attaches perfectly to each and every one of us, regardless of appearance or character. As you explore the scattered pieces amongst the world, remember, don’t ever give up, there is a piece out there that corresponds with your own and there won’t be a shadow of a doubt when you find it—I hope.

For Christie

THE JEWELRY BOX

They’re beautiful! the elderly women exclaimed as the concierge displayed a pair of 1-1/2 carat diamond earrings set in 18k white gold.

Yes they are, we just got these in today. They were a custom order that the buyer failed to pay for. They are truly one of kind, I have worked here for quite a while and I have never seen a pair as exquisite as these.

The elderly woman peered into the diamond earrings and began to get lost within herself. She could see the different stages of her life arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structures. A beautiful little girl raised by a well-to-do family in Biloxi, Mississippi appeared deep within the clarity of the mineral. She had endured a fortuitous life as a tear began to roll down her cheek.

Are you ok ma’am? the concierge asked.

Oh, yes my dear, just got caught up in my thoughts.

Those are very unique earrings you have on ma’am. May I ask where you got them?

The elderly woman wore a pair of vintage 14-karat yellow gold diamond earrings that were inlayed with the letter H deep within the carbon atoms that composed the jewels.

She caressed the diamond within her right ear as if it were a newborn baby being rocked to sleep in front of a fireplace on a cold winter’s night and smiled.

My husband gave me these fifty years ago when he met me and I have rarely ever taken them off. I can remember that day as if it were yesterday. He was such a fascinating and handsome man and still is until this day. He has given me more than I can ever imagine and I could never imagine my life without him.

In the background, an elderly man pressed his face up to the window as if he were a little boy trying to catch a glimpse of a toy that he had asked Santa Claus for. The hot air from his exhale began to fill the glass and he had to repeatedly wipe it away to get a better view of what was inside. His eyes illuminated like stars in the night sky when he saw the elderly woman. In a store with such precious stones, she was the one that sparkled the most. He began to reminisce about the first time he had seen her and a tear began to roll down his cheek. She had given him so much and he could never imagine his life without her. Suddenly the elderly woman made her way to the exit and as she walked, the elderly man watched. From his perspective, she did not walk, but glided on what seem to be clouds beneath her as if she were a mythical siren that couldn’t be touched. The elderly man crouched behind a huge urn filled with a decorative plastic pine that masked his position. The elderly woman exited the store, but paused as if she could feel his presence and eyes upon her. She glided down the foyer of the Beau Rivage casino and disappeared into the sea of people as if she were a ghost and never there.

The man exposed himself from his camouflaged position and stood in front of the Jewelry Box retail store of the casino. It was a lavish and upscale store with windows that gleamed and presented itself like some unexplored temple deep within the South American rainforest. As he crossed the threshold, an intoxicating aroma of the exotic blossoms of a magnolia tree triggered his memory and once again sent him into a hypnotic state where he was having a picnic with his wife on a summer’s day, like they did every Sunday after church. He could see her in one of her beautiful sundresses and her hair braided and cropped as if she were a princess in a forbidden kingdom. He could see them walking through a field of daisies as they made their way to their spot under a huge oak in the middle of nowhere. It was truly bliss and there was nowhere in the world he would rather be but with her having a picnic in that spot.

Sir? the concierge asked, but the man stood there in a comatose state and didn’t reply.

Sir? The concierge asked again and the elderly man awoke from his vegetated Elysium and replied.

Yes ma’am.

Are you alright, sir? the concierge asked.

Oh, yes ma’am, I am sorry, the elderly man replied.

Well, if you need assistance, just ask, Ok? Enjoy.

Thank you, I will, the elderly