The Horn and the Halo: Thath

By Hilbert Bernard Pompey and Reginald L. Bullock

The Horn and the Halo is about an angelic demon who somehow ended up with a halo wedged over one of his horns. His childlike behavior and animated thoughts compel you to see him as a lovable character although he can be very devilish. As Lord Devil begins to plot against Thath, the book transitions to earth, where the Defense Forces (good guys and gals) are protecting the people of earth and the planet itself. The various characters in the military all play a vital role as a team to maintain the balance of the forces, as well as themselves. Each one is a very strong leader to include one of the new recruits. Although this is a fictional book, you might see yourself or someone you know in one or more of the characters.

The book starts off in a very melodic poetry format articulated in rhyme similar to that of Dr. Seuss, except Bernards style goes from an urban Ebonics flair and the new and old biblical testament to scientific language, scholarly thought, and of course, his own developed language and grammar. The transitions of word styles and the creativity of the books journey is reminiscent of how we thought when we used to just simply go outside and play. The book is truly a reflection of Bernards freedom to express himself and his mind.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Feb 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532039881

Hilbert Bernard Pompey

Hilbert Bernard Pompey was born June 29, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a latch key kid in an urban environment of poverty who was blessed with an amazing mind of creativity, high academic achievement, a caring heart, artistic prowess (especially comic characters) and a curiosity for what lies beyond the universe. His creativity had no boundaries. From designing his own alphabet to establishing his own numbering system, he was simply having fun. Reading entire text books from end to end was light weight for him. Besides, since he was so competitive, he could not allow anyone else to be smarter than him, least of all his teachers. His insatiable appetite for knowledge, learning and applied science made him a genius amongst friends and admired by all. He was selected and listed in the Whos Who among American high school students 1980 1981. In September 1981, Bernard or HB as some called him, began his first semester at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he majored in Aero Space Engineering until he took his life on February 8, 1983. He was 19 years of age. Witting this book was a passion for Bernard.

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Copyright © 2018 Hilbert Bernard Pompey and Reginald L. Bullock.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-3987-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-4330-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-3988-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017919601

iUniverse rev. date: 03/19/2018

CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1   In The Beginning

Prelude To Chapter 2

Chapter 2   Dewberry Park

Chapter 3   Lord D’evil Schemes

Chapter 4   Pi-Di-4

Chapter 5   Ac Meets Monster at Defense Headquarters

Chapter 6   Thundra’s Mind

Chapter 7   Theo

Chapter 8   Thundra Goes Nutz

Character Map

About the Author

FOREWORD

T HIS BOOK WAS written by my brother, Hilbert Bernard Pompey. My contribution was to finish it for him and publish it. Bernard began his dash on June 29, 1963, and ended his dash on February 8, 1983, at the young age of nineteen. He started working on his book during high school around age sixteen in 1978 but left this world before finishing it. Therefore, technically, it is an unfinished body of work.

One of the most amazing elements of his writing that I’ve found, in addition to his creativity, is his vision of the future. His communication and the technology he references in 1978 are not only very relevant in today’s time, but some of it also has only been recently implemented. How could a sixteen-year-old in 1978 during the industrial age know what we would be watching on TV now, doing now, and using now? Imagine if he were still alive today with forty years of experience under his belt; his vision would probably be writing and developing for the year 2075.

To say my brother was a genius is an understatement. During middle school, he read the entire encyclopedia from A to Z. Of course, this was after his lightweight reading of the dictionary. He not only was ahead of his time but also would meditate for hours to transcend time and sometimes mentally teleport himself to another universe of his choice to learn more than earth could ever teach him (truth to in a galaxy far, far away). Although I cannot explain how he did it, I and others who were very close to him witnessed the results almost daily. Sometimes I just shook my head in wonder of how he was able to know and do the things we mortals find elusive. My cousin Bill Turner would say that Bernard was animated and subliminal at the same time. To get straight A’s in every class all the time just for the fun of it was not normal, especially when you were from the urban environment we grew up in—the projects, the hood. To practice complex math while watching TV as a brain exercise is one thing, but to do it several grades ahead, before even learning about it in school, was an amazing thing to watch. Of course, since I was a grade ahead of him, I would allow him to do all my math homework while I went outside and had fun. I would scramble his Rubik’s Cube when I returned, which actually empowered him since he could make it right in record speed.

Needless to say, in February 1983 when Bernard hung himself in his dorm room while in his second year at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), majoring in aerospace engineering, it hit me very hard. I was an air force airman first class stationed in Sembach, Germany, as an armament systems specialist. Master Sergeant John P. Loiselle and Senior Master Sergeant Lowell V. Goines broke the news to me, logistically took care of everything to fly me home to be with my mother, for me to handle all the elements associated with his funeral and college closeout.

My brother took his life on purpose, with full knowledge of the impact it would have. He wrote a letter explaining why he was doing it, and of course, in typical Bernard fashion, leaving nothing to chance, he wrote a last will and testament instructing my mother and me on how he wanted to be dressed in his casket, as well as the distribution of his personal effects. Amazing. In his letter, he talked about his book, which was actually handwritten using mostly a regular number two pencil and paper. Therefore, I not only had to transfer his handwritten script from his book to the computer, but I also had to literally interpret some of the language. Of course, when he was writing his book, the only technology we had back then was a typewriter—mostly manual; however, the electronic typewriter was in use, but very expensive. I think the Commodore 64 computer was just invented, so this gives you a perspective on his writing back then versus now. How could he have referenced computers and other various technologies, when they were not even invented, let alone in use by the public?

If my brother had the luxury of the technology we have now, Star Wars, Avatar, The Matrix, Harry Potter, and other movies that were on the cutting edge of technology of their time would have been written differently because Bernard would have forced them all to catch up to his level of thought. Neither fifth-generation warfare nor the joint strike fighters were even being used, let alone even being talked about, yet in his book he was already beyond that level of war-fighting technology—possibly operating at the sixth- and seventh-generation warfare level of combat. What if …

While he was at MIT, everyone called my brother HB. He was one of the original members of the 500, which was a new dorm at the time. His level of tenaciousness toward academic achievement was so intense that he was not satisfied with Bs and Cs, which had an impact on why he wanted to leave this world.

Therefore, I would be remiss if I did not mention the word suicide. My brother hung himself in his dorm room. Of course, so many questions are unanswered, especially the question Why? I have reflected over this question for many years, and I would love for my brother to be publishing his own book, rather than me publishing it for him. I have come to the conclusion that suicide at a young age is partly the result of lack of communication and understanding. If the right people were communicating with my brother, to include strong mentors who understood who he was and people he trusted to share his feelings with, he might still be here today. It’s no one’s fault, but it would be great if we could help more young people to reach the prime of their lives and capabilities.

I do not want to take anything away from the fullness of what he has written, so I will keep my foreword short. It’s his book, not mine. However, I felt the need to at least give you some context on who the writer—my brother—was. The rest you will discover as you read his book.

PREFACE

I T IS A difficult task to interpret the thoughts of another person, particularly when he is not