Faith, Turbulent Forces, Dangerous Rites, and Persistent Secrets

By Dr. Michael Ralph Sr.

It is just after two’clock in the morning in August 2017 as a hurricane churns in the Atlantic ocean. Rod Brown, who is on the early shift at the Caribbean weather station on the island of St. Martin, boots up his computer while wondering how the day will end. The hurricane is headed directly for St. Martin. Even worse, he has just received news that his seventeen-year-old son, Scott, a freshman at Florida’s Sunderland University, is missing. Unfortunately all airplanes are grounded, leaving him feeling helpless.
Allegedly involved in a fraternity hazing, Scott was last seen leaving the campus with other students in a SUV. As Rod is eventually evacuated from the island and transported to Puerto Rico, he must rely on his faith as a Unitarian Universalist to carry him through his worries about Scott. Finally as Rod makes his way to Florida amid horrible weather and begins a desperate search to locate and rescue his son, Scott awakens in a dark cavern, alone, frightened, and determined to find his way to the light again. But as he begins exploring the cave, Scott has no idea of what awaits him that will change everything.
In this inspirational tale, a father on a quest to find his missing son must rely on his faith for strength as the past rises up to meet the present and reveals a shocking secret.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973639145

Dr. Michael Ralph Sr.

Dr. Michael Ralph Sr. is a higher education leader, administrator, and strategic planning consultant who holds a doctorate in higher education leadership from New York University and a master’s degree in international relations and political science from the University of British Columbia, Canada. He is a committed Unitarian Universalist, prospective seminarian, and proud husband and father. This is his seventh book.

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Copyright © 2018 Dr. Michael Ralph Sr..

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.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-3913-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-3915-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-3914-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018910738

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/12/2018

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife, Lynette, my sons, Wole, Michael, and Laurence. My heartfelt thanks go to each of them for their encouragement.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1     Hurricane Landfall in the Caribbean     and Florida

Chapter 2     Father and Son

Chapter 3     Rod’s Perilous Journey to Florida

Chapter 4     Increasing Turbulence and Severe Devastation

Chapter 5     Secrets of the Fraternity

Chapter 6     Campus Fraternities: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Chapter 7     The Search

Chapter 8     The Initiation

Chapter 9     The Search Expands

Chapter 10   The Subterranean Cavern

Chapter 11   The Comfort and Reassurance of Faith

Chapter 12   Crystals, Pearls, and Macabre Discoveries

Chapter 13   The Intricate Web of Existence

Chapter 14   The Liberation of Scott

Chapter 15   Unexpected Developments

Chapter 16   Events and Consequences

Chapter 17   An Impending Catastrophe

Preface

Of all the periods in his life, Roderick Brown (known as Rod by his friends), one of the heroes of this book, frequently felt that the occurrences, dynamics, and activities in the years 2016 and 2017 most exemplify the words of Dickens represented below. Rod felt strongly about this, though he would readily acknowledge that others must have shared the same sentiments

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

~Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities

To Rod, these enduring words of Dickens served as a vivid motif for his time. For those who knew him well, Rod was a man of principle, striving for a life of quality and a distinct set of beliefs. To start with, he believed in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Therefore, he championed justice, equality, and compassion in human relations; the acceptance of one another and encouragement for all to develop their talents and spiritual potential. He believed in the free and responsible search for truth and meaning, as well as the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process in society at large. Rod was committed as well to a global community with peace, liberty, and justice for all, and respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which he believed we are all a part. As a committed Unitarian Universalist, these principles were central to his beliefs.

Paradoxically, Rod also felt that he lived in a time of stark contradiction to the best of times, though he readily admitted that there was tremendous improvement of society in many important areas. Rather than being the best or worst of times, he felt that a cyclical ethos was evolving where for a while events made it appear to either be the best or worst of times. But, as the cycle continued, change in the opposite direction would emerge, linger, then cycle in the opposite direction before reverting to its original position.

He engaged in countless debates and arguments with colleagues who believed that the modern era epitomized the best of times from one vantage point and the worst of times from another. Rod acknowledged that in the current era, we had observed the emergence of a world of unprecedented levels of lavishness and extravagant lifestyles. At times these tendencies were accompanied by the most immoral behavior.

In contrast, in certain pockets of the United States, such as the Mississippi Delta and inner-city neighborhoods of Chicago, Baltimore, New York, among others, the starkest levels of poverty and depravity exist. Demographers and sociologists may also point to the crowded slums of India or isolated locations in Brazil. Others may contend using statistics such as per capita earnings that the Demographic Republic of the Congo has earned that dubious distinction. Additionally, the politics and wars in the Middle East and Syria certainly present other cogent examples of what may be considered the worst of times.

The worst of times could also be found in the political realm. Many would agree with Rod that the election of the current president of the United States heralded the worst of times in political and governmental leadership, with some Christians actually thinking it heralded the end times. Commentators have bemoaned the election of a leader of the US who is guilty of the worst forms of bigotry and mendacity, and possibly even high crimes and misdemeanors (only alleged at the time of this writing, but history will bear witness). His words and opinions frequently seem completely devoid of any shred of integrity or morality. He is often described as a self-styled titan of business turned politician, but with a personage that barely fulfills a modicum of the duties of his office honorably. The mistruths with which he desecrates the presidential podium are often accompanied by embellishments about his prowess and accomplishments, whether true or completely imagined. He continues to demonstrate the behavior of a reckless man who revels in petty insults and the assignment of offensive names to his critics instead of adopting a posture of dignity and humanity consistent with the important office he holds. Worst yet, he contends that he is the best man to hold his office while ignoring and/or demeaning the achievements of his predecessors, whom he often criticizes using the most banal and offensive language.

The president’s bigotry was on full display when a group of self-professed neo-Nazis, white supremacists, white nationalists, and Ku Klux Klan members marched on Charlottesville, Virginia, to protect a statue of General Lee, a former Confederate soldier. When counter-protesters of this hate group clashed with them, violence ensued and many were beaten and injured. A white female counter-protester, Heather Heyer, was killed when a member of the offensive group of white supremacists drove his car through the crowd, killing her and injuring many others.

When urged to address the situation and admonish the wrongdoers, the president chose not to reproach the white supremacist marchers for their hateful behavior and ideology, instead claiming there were good people on both sides. These nationalist leaders included well-known self admitted separatists such as Richard Spencer and Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke. This attitude is consistent with other instances when the president has shown no remorse for his shameful behavior and continues to speak in grandiose terms of his every act while displaying no empathy for those who are struggling against unfortunate circumstances. As he seeks to navigate the challenges and responsibilities of his office, he continues to display little regard for the truth, and no patience for handling the slightest criticism.

The number of people currently incarcerated in America, many of them unjustly, also exemplifies the worst of times. Research shows that between 1980 and 2017, the number of people incarcerated in America increased from roughly 500,000 to over 2.2 million by 2017. Though the United States accounts for about 5 percent of the world’s population, it held 21 percent of the world’s prisoners in 2017.

Even more egregious is the racial disparity in incarceration. For example, in 2014, African Americans constituted 2.3 million, or 34 percent, of the total 6.8 million of the imprisoned. The numbers show the rate of incarceration for African Americans to be above five times the rate of Caucasians. When women’s imprisonment is analyzed, the data show that African-American women are twice as likely to be imprisoned when compared with Caucasian women. When the analysis is focused on children, it reveals that African-American children represent 32 percent of children who are arrested, 42 percent of children who are detained, and 52 percent of children whose cases are judicially waived to criminal court. Additional data illustrates that African-American juveniles are more than four times as likely to be detained by the criminal justice system as are white juveniles.

When admitting that in some ways today’s society represent the best of times, Rod discusses many significant advances in technology. He cites as an example