ONE UNFORGETTABLE YEAR

By Aaron McDougall

It's a two-fold love story that is woven around Colonial American history and the 21st

century. The main character, Jim Arnot, is a computer programmer specialist who works for

a company in the state of Maine. After running into some troublesome health issues, he

decides to go on vacation for a few days in the city of Salem, Ma

• Language: English
• Publisher: West Point Print and Media LLC
• Release date: Nov 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781959895121

Book preview

ISBN 978-1-959895-13-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-959895-12-1 (eBook)

Copyright © 2022 by Aaron McDougall

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

Part I

Chapter I

Where this story began I don’t actually remember because many years have gone by since a series of very unfortunate events led up to one of the most memorable years of my life. Some people say everything in life happens for a reason, and perhaps that’s true, however, I very seldom look at things that way. I’m a realist at heart. In fact, it would be fair to say that I see the better part of this world through the eyes of a wise man. Not that I ever desired to attain wisdom, it just happened, that’s all. Of course, it’s debatable as to whether or not that is a good thing, however, I believe most people rush into things that a wise person would never think of doing. I say that because, my soul is like that of a wise man. All knowing and ever cautious, readier than ever to take on a new adventure, but in most instances, not brave enough to experience all that life has to offer. Anyway, for that reason, it’s very difficult for me to get involved in anything and it’s even harder for me to build a personal relationship with someone. At any rate, without delving into that area of my personality any further, you’ll eventually understand the reason why I’m the way that I am. Perhaps, it would be a good idea to actually begin telling this seemingly odd, and somewhat pretentious story so without any further ado, that’s what I’m going to try to do. Well, let me see now. If my memory serves me correctly, about ten years ago, destiny or whatever the hell you want to call it, came right out and literally bit me in the ass one day when an unforeseen health problem nearly cost me my life. Anyway, while on vacation, I had the good fortune to meet a woman, who, by the grace of God, just happened to be in the right place at the right time. If that hadn’t been the case, I wouldn’t be here now, nor would I be able to tell this story. Her name was Dee Ann Nicewell and she was the most extraordinary person I ever met in my life. Anyway, as you might think, one thing led to another and long before I realized it, an unbelievable chance encounter turned into a very meaningful relationship for me over the course of a few weeks’ time. As a matter of fact, I was in love for the first time in my life, and I really didn’t think that would ever happen to me, nevertheless, it did, however we didn’t have very much time to spend together and our relationship was very short-lived. Anyway, it turns out, the way everything unfolded, we didn’t have any time to begin a family of our own as I would have liked too but that’s life. At this point, perhaps, I should say one other thing that I see as very important. Like all life on earth, not only is a person’s days numbered but even under ideal circumstances, time goes by very quickly, so pursue your dreams while you’re young because a day will come when you’ll realize, it’s too late to do whatever it is you originally wanted to do. At any rate, that’s not what happened to me however for reasons beyond my control, I didn’t have much time to enjoy the love and friendship I found with Dee, and now, years later, I can honestly say, it was one of the most memorable years of my life. Anyway, as you can well imagine, this story is dedicated to her.

Retrospectively speaking, I had just gotten through the better part of another long, cold miserable winter and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring. Now at age forty, winters are a hell of a lot more difficult to deal with than they were when I was a kid. Of course, as we get older, it usually gets harder and harder to stay on top of things yet at the same time, time will go by even faster. Regrettably, the carefree days of our youth do not last forever so cherish them while you can. I am sure most people can relate to the reality that statement at some point in their life, and those of us who can’t, probably never raised a family or worked a day in their life. Actually, in my opinion, there’s always something that needs to be taken care of when we become an adult. Then, factor in human emotion, feelings, and idiosyncrasies. We’re all vulnerable to that too. In addition to that, most of us learn how to handle responsibility, juggle appointments, and meet deadlines. Perhaps, some of us might even have to deal with one problem after another. The list is seemingly endless however I can honestly say, I miss the days of my youth. In fact, without a doubt, they were the best days of my life. Anyway, so much for being human and all the frailties that go along with the territory.

Now, before I get too far along with this story, it would probably make a whole lot of sense to take a moment and explain what actually made this such a memorable year for me. To begin with, the past year had been a very difficult one for me to get through even though I didn’t realize it at the time. Now, that’s not to say I didn’t have any physical pain or that I wasn’t feeling miserable at some point along the way however it did mean, I was having problems. Anyway, the whole darn unfortunate thing literally blew up in my face in the second week of October, during the fall of the previous year. At this point, I would like to say, I have a really great sense of humor and rarely take things seriously so when I came down with the symptoms of what you would call a common cold, I never gave it a second thought. Unfortunately, my symptoms kept getting worse and about three or four days later, I reached a point where I thought to Christ I was dying. Needless to say, I was coughing up a lot of bright, green phlegm and I could not breathe very well at all. I had a terrible fever with severe body chills, and I kept getting weaker. For the first very time in my life, I wasn’t able to knock out a cold on my own. Anyway, after admitting defeat to a lot of stubborn determination, I was eventually able to muster up enough energy from my almost totally lifeless body to go see my primary care doctor. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to wait for an appointment because my condition had deteriorated to a point I wasn’t sure if I was going to be all right. Needless to say, I was hoping my doctor would be able to tell me what my ailment was, and with any luck at all, have a cure for it as well. About ten minutes later, I had my answer. It was pneumonia! That explained why my condition kept getting worse and why I eventually had to go to the doctor. Anyway, he told me that I had somewhat of a battle ahead of me, but he was inclined to believe, I would be alright because I had a fighter’s determination. In addition to that, he said age was on my side as well. Needless to say, that was comforting to know. Anyway, the doctor prescribed some antibiotics, a very good cough syrup, and perhaps, one or two other things to help me get through the pneumonia. At the time, the infliction I was suffering from was so bad that I thought he was going to admit me into the hospital, but he sent me home to recuperate. I was greatly surprised by that however on the bright side of it all, my doctor reassured me very few people die from that illness, and I’m sure that was in the back of his mind when he let me go home that day. Anyway, I spent the better part of the next two weeks flat on my back, drinking as much fluids as possible. Finally, by the end of third week, I started to see some improvement however my chest hurt badly from all of the phlegm I coughed up. At any rate, after about a month, there was even more improvement. At this point, I knew I was going to be all right, and I did eventually get over the pneumonia, but it took me over three months to make a complete recovery. In fact, now, when I look back on it all, I didn’t realize how sick I was but that’s probably quite typical of how people look at things and such was the case for me as well.

Anyway, after making a complete recovery from the pneumonia that was plaguing the hell out of me for most of the preceding fall, another problem soon began manifesting itself on the left side of my abdomen. Needless to say, because of past issues with the left side of my urinary tract, it didn’t take me very long to realize I had a kidney infection or a stone in my left ureter. At any rate, for that reason and also because I was in a lot of pain, I thought it would be a good idea to go see the doctor again. Well, it turns out, I was right after all. Not only did I have a small stone lodged in my left ureter, but I also had a really bad kidney infection as well. Of all the possible luck a person could have. Now, it would be just a question of whether or not I got the stone to pass on its own by taking in a lot of fluids however with regards to the kidney infection, my doctor said some more antibiotics should take care of that problem over the course of a few weeks’ time. If it didn’t, he said I could explore a couple of other options however he didn’t elaborate on what those other options were and at the time, I didn’t want to know. At this point I was just simply trying to look at the whole thing in a positive light however pain and frustration were beginning to get the better of me though. Anyway, I immediately started a regimen of drinking a lot of fluids and began hoping for the best. With any luck at all, everything would eventually turn out all right. Over the course of the next few days, it’s not an understatement to say I wasn’t feeling very well. Needless to say, even the smallest of kidney stones can be quite painful. It can also be accompanied by fever, nausea, vomiting. Anyway, the antibiotics and pain reliever I was taking helped me get through the worst part of my ordeal. Finally, after a month of feeling absolutely miserable, the kidney stone passed through my system on its own. For me, that was the best possible news I could have received. That meant, I wouldn’t need any assistance from someone in medical profession to resolve the problem. My kidney was going to be alright, after all. Not only was surgery on my left kidney not going to be necessary, but the kidney was functioning well too. Needless to say, that was equally as important. Anyway, now I would be able to resume all of my normal activities again, in addition to being able to get some good restful sleep for the first time in as long as I could remember. Boy, was I ever pleased about that! In hindsight, I probably would have been better off had I opted to have surgery to fix the problem, but everything turned out well in the end and that’s all that really mattered.

Anyway, that should give you a pretty good idea on how I spent the better part of the fall and winter months that year. Sounds really exciting, doesn’t it! Well, I can’t say that it was however someway, somehow, I got through everything, and a short time later I was fine. Needless to say, due to those unforeseen health issues, I now found myself a bit tired. Anyway, the end result of all that left me contemplating the very thought of making some changes in my life. In reality, I needed to find a way to relax. Stress had obviously taken a toll on me. In fact, now, when I look back on it all, without having a social life or a good support system, I was obviously functioning like a fish out of water. Anyway, the more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion, taking a vacation somewhere was the right thing to do. Needless to say, I have to admit, a little fun and adventure was very appealing to me. Now, all I had to do was decide on a destination and go. Actually, there was a little bit more to it than, however everything else would be fairly easy to take care of. Anyway, as another seemingly long winter was about to come to an end, I began looking down the road a ways. At this point, my train of thought began centering around how the rest of the year would go. Granted, the past few months had been very difficult for me to get through, however I was still highly optimistic better days would eventually arrive in the weeks and months ahead.

At any rate, by now, it was the time of year when most of the people living in the area come down with what’s commonly referred to as cabin fever. Now, for anyone who isn’t all that familiar with what that entails, in my opinion, you’re not missing much. It’s just an affliction of the mind that tends to make a person do things they wouldn’t usually do however after being stuck inside the house all winter, I assure you, it’ll make a person want to cut loose at the first sign of spring. Anyway, while trying to keep these thoughts in perspective, I quickly took the initiative to ask my boss for a few days off before I had to use some more of my sick leave. Actually, in this case, he knew I’d been trying to get through some difficult problems at home, and it was probably the deciding factor in why he granted me the time off I wanted. Yes, a vacation was undoubtably be the best thing I could do for myself, so that’s the reason why I did what I did. Anyway, in spite of being very short-staffed at the office, thanks to his kindness, I was going to have some time off to get my personal life in order. Actually, I didn’t think he would approve the leave I put in for, however he did, so I thought I would take a vacation for a few days, and of course, that’s the reason why the moment I knew my vacation time had been granted, I left to go home.

Anyway, a little while later, I put a lot of thought into my alternatives for taking a vacation. First of all, I didn’t really care about flying so that ruled out traveling any great distance. Secondly, I didn’t make a very good passenger on a bus so that narrowed things down even more. On the other hand, driving my Corvette around was one of my favorite things to do so it made all the sense in the world to find a place I could drive too and then go. Anyway, after giving it a lot of careful thought, I eventually concluded, that would be the best thing to do. In the meantime, like I said before, I had to come up with a place to travel to and then I would more than likely be ready to hit the road. At this point, I began the long, slow process of running all of this through my head to try and come up with an idea that might be doable. In this particular instance, it had been a very long time since I considered taking a vacation, so you might say, I wasn’t prepared for the one I was about to take. Anyway, as it turns out, I remembered seeing a web site on the Internet that was of interest to me. It had everything to do with a coastal community in New England that is commonly referred to as Witch City, or better known to the rest of the world as Salem, Massachusetts. In fact, you might even say, the historical background of that city was so fascinating that I knew right then and there, this is where I want to go. Anyway, with that in mind, I sat back down at my computer and tried to learn as much as I possibly could in a very short period of time, I might add, about a place that was scarred by a series of very unfortunate events that subsequently led up to the horrific witchcraft trials of 1692. All in all, I found the history behind the city of Salem to be very interesting indeed. From those early days back in the 1600’s, all the way up to present day America. It was a community rich in history and one of the oldest cities in the United States. What more could I ask for with regards to finding an ideal place to go on vacation! Granted, there weren’t any palm trees there, however I wasn’t really looking for a romantic getaway anyway. The fact of the matter is I had always been intrigued by American history so the city of Salem should provide an excellent starting point for delving into the history of New England. Anyway, with that in mind, I was soon convinced this was where I wanted to go, so if nothing else happened to me, I was going to toss a few things into a suitcase and take a drive down to the city of Salem for a few days.

At this point, I shut my computer off, and went into the living-room to stretch out in my recliner for a little while. What kept nagging at the inner most corners of my mind was the fact a very senseless tragedy took place in the city of Salem, Massachusetts in the year of 1692. It also goes without saying, in the due course of events that year some very innocent people were murdered there during the late part of the 17th century. If I were to think about it, I believe history states, around twenty or so individuals were hung to death in the summer and early fall of 1692, just simply because they were thought to have been guilty of practicing the cult of witchcraft. I actually found that hard to believe however it was something that really did happen there. Needless to say, there was a lot of ignorance among the masses of people back in those days, and what happened in the town of Salem was a very good example of that. I actually thought the whole thing was absurd however I have a feeling most of the people living in the community of Salem back then, probably took the accusation of being a witch very seriously right to the point of actually creating a very bad nightmare that the whole community eventually had to deal with. The problem was they seriously thought the cult of witchcraft or voodoo (a religion of the West Indies) was a threat to their Christianity. Anyway, I guess voodoo, like witchcraft is based on the concept of magic. Think about it for a minute. Most of the people here in America, back in 1692 had probably suffered through many years of religious persecution in Europe and elsewhere for that matter. At any rate, all those god-fearing Christian people that came to America to start a new life for themselves were faced with an unmistakable dilemma that wasn’t going to go way on its own. Needless to say, that voodoo religion or whatever the hell you want to call it instilled a deadly fear into the community because it was seen as a threat to the very essence of their modern Christianity. What if a little black magic of that so-called ungodly religion of voodoo cast an evil spell on them and they lost faith in their own god. Surely, it would destroy their Christianity and everything they believed in, so it was obviously in their best interest to put an end to something they feared would overtake and destroy their newly found freedom of religious worship. Anyway, it didn’t take them very long to decide that something had to be done to resolve the matter. The only logical thing to do was to put to death anyone suspected of being a witch. Not only would it put everyone’s mind to rest but the likes of Satan would be destroyed as well. Sadly, they all believed that a witch, regardless of their gender was nothing more than the devil himself or some kind of an anti-Christ. Needless to say, the only thing they were concerned with was whether or not you believed in God, and that you adhered to the founding principles of our ancestors in the Holy Bible. Now that may sound a little ridiculous to most people but the reality of it all was they took this matter very seriously. Sadly, I guess that shoots holes in the old theory that ignorance is bliss. Generally speaking, in most instances that statement probably holds true however that’s not always the case. Sometimes, ignorance can be disastrous! Case in point, look what happened in Salem, Massachusetts years ago. Unfortunately, ignorance just happens to be a flaw in human nature, and in some ways, it probably won’t ever change. The Eden (or the paradise) that most people seek in life has been here all along, however there are times when it will parish at the hands of mankind’s own short comings. So much for the ignorance we bear in the shadow of the creator. The fact we’re only human is actually a testament to that however since, everyone is created in the image of God, there will always be some confusion as to just exactly what is right and what is perceived as wrong. Needless to say, the term paradise is obviously nothing more than a perfect state of being, where a person lives in perpetual bliss for as long as they are physically alive upon this earth. That fabled land of Eden, and the garden that was within it has always been here and it actually still is if you’re lucky enough to be alive in spirit so consequently if a person hasn’t lost their love or the positive state of being of the spiritual life within them, they will live out their human life in the firmament of heaven. In theory, it’s magnificent, in practice, it’s not so easily done. I am sure you all realize there are too many variables in life that are out of our hands. For example, if someone wants to punch you in the nose, there really isn’t a hell of a lot you can do about it. Obviously, you could reciprocate a punch in retaliation but that won’t stop the initial punch from coming, if you see what I mean. Unfortunately, most of the things people do in life, directly or indirectly affect everyone else in some way. In fact, I’m inclined to think that is the reason why the testament of Christ was created some two thousand years ago or so. As the civilization of mankind grew, the spoken word became more frequently used, and through years of time, it clearly became an unavoidable way to live one’s life. Four or five thousand years ago, when the word was first being introduced to mankind, it wasn’t immediately accepted by everyone. Initially, the gift of speech was rejected by someone in the Old Testament, out of fear of losing their mate or better said, the female of the species. The fact of the matter is, a woman represented warmth to a man, both physically and spiritually. Think about it for a minute. In a highly primitive day and age, survival was a never-ending struggle. If for some reason that source of warmth (woman) were to suddenly disappear, it was equal to the sun visibly sinking down beneath the earth at the end of the day. In other words, it turned their day into night, and the life they lived went from a heaven to a hell, so the gift of speech was perceived as the woe of man. Unfortunately, that’s the way a man saw it in those days. I wish that I could say otherwise but that wouldn’t be an accurate statement if I did. Needless to say, any type of warmth or light was vital to their survival in the early days of man so it was quite understandable they would be scared of losing something that literally meant the world to them. In fact, it would be two or three thousand years before someone dared to try and change the error of their ways. As it turns out, with the coming of Christ, the word was encouraged and more readily accepted in the days ahead however out of fear of persecution, it scared the hell out of many people for years to come. In fact, that’s the reason why it took so long to get the New Testament in print. The fundamentals of the New Testament were a complete and total reversal from the Old Testament. Surely, the individual who finally mustered up enough courage to put the New Testament in print didn’t actually see what the brainchild behind the modern Christianity had in mind. First, the New Testament was supposed to have been written with twelve whole testaments of a perfect man created in the image of God. For some reason that didn’t happen. There is a possibility, best intentions meant, someone just simply tried to summarize the printing of the New Testament however I really don’t think that’s what happened. It’s far more likely the writings of the New Testament got into the hands of someone who looked down upon the word and the female of the species. The reason I say that is because, eight testaments of Christ were missing and if I don’t miss my guess, they would’ve showed he took a wife and had children. I would also say, under those circumstances, someone did not want the world to know that, knowing darn well it would smite the earth with a curse and in a way it did. Anyway, regardless of what someone had in mind, Christ undoubtedly represented the tree of knowledge from the Old Testament as well as the gift of speech. The Apostles were the apples from that tree of knowledge. Now, unless I’m mistaken, there are exactly twelve months in a calendar year, so the only way a person could be as Holy as the Bible itself is to live a complete year of life or twelve months. That’s the reason why there had to have been twelve testaments of Christ, not just the four we have today. Furthermore, I believe the New Testament was supposed to have replaced the Old Testament a couple of thousand years ago, however it never happened. Alas, even more confusion! Finally, last but not least, the evening and the morning should have been left the way it was. Eve was supposed to represent the motherhood of mankind, so it wasn’t necessary to make the day reflect the morning and the evening of the day we live today. In fact, it’s undoubtably ass backwards in reverse of what it should be. Now, with regards to the calendar year, it just so happens, the modern-day Gregorian calendar more accurately reflects a full year than the Julian calendar. One way or another, the way the New Testament was eventually put into practice created a lot of unnecessary confusion. Needless to say, to explicitly behold what someone else had in mind isn’t always easily done, in particularly, when it has to do with something that was passed down from one person to another through generations of time. Unfortunately, it’s even harder to follow after something in absolute total blindness. The bottom line was in an effort to try and create a more divine perfect world, everything in the New Testament had to be done in a perfect light. Obviously, the brainchild behind our modern Christianity had the salvation of mankind in mind, when the basic foundation of it was first put down on paper. What happened in the years after its creation is another matter entirely. Actually, as more and more technology comes along, there will be one or two other questions that’ll eventually have to be answered. Of course, that’s based on the premise that mankind will not annihilate themselves with the nuclear bomb in the years to come. Anyway, if they can find a way around that, perhaps, they will learn how to obtain some kind of physical immortality through the use of bionics. From there, if man has any kind of success at all with that endeavor, the only other overshadowing obstacle I can see ahead of them will be to find another planet to inhabit. Needless to say, if man intends to preserve the origin of his species, he will eventually have to find another planet to inhabit because our sun will no longer be able to provide us with enough heat and light necessary for our survival. Obviously, that’s still a ways down the road but someday, it will become a reality. First of all, what will happen is actually taking place right now. Gradually, ever so gradually the sun will lose its heat intensity and as it does something very interesting is happening here on Earth. Have you ever heard of the ice age? Well, of course you have! Unfortunately, the day and age, man lives in now’s well into the second ice age. The only problem with that is at the end of this ice age, there will no longer be any life on the earth as we know it. Yup, believe it or not, we’re in the midst of another ice age. Actually, the changing of the seasons that bring snow to the northern and southern hemispheres on this earth are a testament to that. Needless to say, at the end of the first ice age, came the first world of life on Earth. That was the age of the dinosaur! Not long after the beginning of the second ice age, the continents of land were created by the end result of a cataclysmic shift beneath the surface of the earth. Up until that point and during the first world of life on this earth, this planet was one continuous land mass. In fact, shortly after the first ice age, there were a lot of warm marshy areas scattered about the face of the earth. Then, in the second ice age, as the surface of the earth began to cool off due to the decreasing heat intensity of the sun, it conflicted greatly with the hotter inner core of the earth. Needless to say, that in turn led to movement beneath the geographical surface of our planet, and it created the continents we have today. In fact, the end result of what happened then, is the reason why we have earthquakes. Obviously, ground instability’s the cause of that, and it was from that cataclysmic shift beneath the crust of the earth that creates earthquakes we have these days. Anyway, as time went by, ice began to form at the north and south poles of the earth. Then, in season, they would melt and flood out the valleys that were created by that cataclysmic shift beneath the crust of the earth. Needless to say, that’s how all the oceans got created. At any rate, by this time in the geographical history of this planet, the earth was well on its way to the present-day world we live in today. Anyway, as the earth continued to cool down, the second world of life came into being on this planet. Initially, that probably only amounted to the mastodon, the woolly mammoth, the saber tooth tiger, the three toed sloth and perhaps, a few other creatures including a very primitive man. Of course, through evolution those animals eventually evolved into the animals that roam the earth today. In fact, the ostrich, and the giraffe as well as the elephant are genetic cousins to the prehistoric life that was on this earth shortly after the end of the first ice age on this planet. At any rate, in the years to come, the winter season will gradually sweep down all the way to the equator until the entire earth is totally covered in snow and ice. Actually, it seems to me, just for that reason alone, the future of mankind lies in our ability to harness nuclear power. Needless to say, with the knowledge of how to split the atom, hard telling where new advances in technology will take us in the years ahead. Who knows, perhaps, someday that knowledge might even take us to a planet in another solar system. Granted, that’s a ways down the road, however I have a feeling that will become a reality someday. There is one thing I’m absolutely certain of though, and that is the future of mankind will depend upon us being able to do that because somewhere in the days ahead, mankind will need another planet to inhabit. At least, if they want to carry on the origin of their species that will be necessary. Needless to say, due to a lack of warmth from the ever-decreasing heat intensity of the sun, the earth will be uninhabitable. In fact, something tells me how everything was in the beginning is how it will be in the end. That sun, or what early man worshiped as God, will no longer be able to give light and warmth to the earth and it goes without saying, when that happens, all life on this earth will cease to exist. Ironically, for the opposite reason, the dinosaurs became extinct because they couldn’t adapt to the ever-increasing heat intensity of the sun. On the other hand, a human being is a warm-blooded creature that came along in the overall scheme of things at about thirty-five percent of the way through the second ice age, so consequently, mankind needs to find a way to survive in the ever-decreasing heat intensity of the sun. Needless to say, that’s the reason why it’s so vitally important for man to utilize the space program in the 21st century. In the end, it may very well turn out to be their salvation.

Actually, if a person spent some time studying our ancestors, they would probably understand the nature of things a whole lot better. In fact, between seeing the sun or their God as the creator, in addition to their misguided view about the gift of speech being evil, in theory, they took themselves out of the Garden of Eden but at that point in history, man thought he had the knowledge to judge good and evil, when in fact, all he did was destroy the Eden this earth was meant to be. Furthermore, I also believe Nirvana, or a Christians heaven are identical to one another in what they represent. Perhaps, there may be some minor differences between the two religions however I believe they teach the same thing. It’s quite obvious our Christian ancestors were extremely grateful to their God in heaven. In fact, primitively speaking, Eden or his den, meaning where God resided was the house of God. It was also common knowledge that God, the creator of all the life on this planet was found in the eve of the day, or what is now called morning. Needless to say, the cool of the day is at the rising of the sun. Actually, it was supposed to be reflected in the New Testament so our calendar year was turned upside down to coincide with the resurrection of Christ, which just happens to be in the spring of the year as it should be. Halloween of the Old Testament or All Hallows Eve was actually equal to Easter in the New Testament. Ironically, they were both originally found in the spring of the year. Anyway, the concept of spiritual immortality was derived from the meaning that anyone who was dead in spirit could rise up from the depths of hell, and find immortality in the firmament of heaven, or on the cross of life, depending on how you want to word it. In theory, it was a great idea, but in actual practice it didn’t work the way it was supposed to for more than one reason. Needless to say, there are way too many variables in life, in addition to the differences in belief that one person has from another for it to be the salvation of mankind. Everyone’s going to see things differently, and without a unified acceptance of religion, nothing will ever change. Anyway, my reason for getting into the subject of religion has to everything to do with the tragedy that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the summer and fall of 1692. It’s hard to believe anyone could be numb enough to believe in witches or the cult of witchcraft, however during this era of colonial history most people did. In fact, it was perceived as a threat to modern Christianity, so witchcraft was more than likely feared by most god-fearing Christians. If I am not mistaken, the legend of the witch was likened to the devil or some type of anti-Christ. In addition to that, at the time of the Old Testament, a witch was portrayed as a spiritually dead, white female who rode a pole, and had lots of children. After modern Christianity was put in print, the pole a witch rode was eventually changed to a broom, which I also believe meant the witch had room for a groom. All that really means is a woman originally had children without being married. After the coming of Christ, a witch was given a broom, and then she had children, only after being married. Anyway, putting all that aside, remember what I said earlier about how man looked down upon the word back in the days of Adam and Eve, when out of fear of losing their mate or the female of the species, they saw the word as evil. Obviously, if God says, you will die if you eat from the Tree of Knowledge, I think I would go on a diet. Seriously, the gift of speech wasn’t an encouraged way of life until sometime after the passing of Christ. To be like God in the Old Testament, a person gets the impression they’ll live forever as long as they don’t become like God. That’s because the sun or the God they worshiped lived and died every time a day went by. Generally speaking, the rising of the sun represented life, birth, or rebirth, while the setting of the sun represented loss of life or death. It also goes without saying, the devil was found beneath the Earth at the setting of the sun. Sadly, the Old Testament did not approve of the union of a man and a woman. The New Testament did, but eight of the original testaments of Christ are missing, so it doesn’t actually reflect that. It looks like someone tried to create a society of happy men however that’s not what the brainchild behind the modern Christianity had in mind. Seriously, the old traditional concept of marriage between a man and a woman was the goal and objective of the New Testament. Here in the 21st century most people probably believe in a loving relationship between two people regardless of their sex. Now, that’s all good and fine however it does go against some of the very principles modern Christianity was founded upon though. In the life we create for ourselves, it’s about men and women biologically having children to raise a family. In the life we make for ourselves through the gift of speech, the bonding is spiritual. It’s really never too late to make a commitment to do that. Unfortunately, in the life we create for ourselves, after a woman reaches a certain age, it’s impossible to have a child. Obviously, if that is something you want to do, I would highly suggest you dig the finger out of your ass and do it while you’re young. Besides, if that is a goal, or desire of yours, you won’t ever be able to achieve that by just sitting around the house somewhere. You need to literally grab the bull by the horns and take care of business. If what you do turns out to be a mistake, at least you can say you tried. In the end, I don’t think you will have any regrets about having tried to do whatever it is you wanted to do, however if that turns out to be the case, then, it would probably be best to forget what didn’t go your way and move on with your life.

Anyway, I guess according to the history of the Old Testament, the Jewish people or to be more specific, a Jewish woman was actually responsible for introducing the word to mankind. Needless to say, the Jewish people weren’t really at fault, neither should they have been blamed for all of the troubles of the world. Someone just simply looked at life the wrong way, that’s all. Obviously, it was an honest mistake and one that could’ve been made by anyone, anywhere at any time for that matter. Actually, it’s quite apparent to me that Christ came to redeem his people from the error of their ways. He said, Ye of little faith, come take of me, and eat of the tree of knowledge. I am the way. The true light of God. Eat also of the tree of life. Surely, thou shall not die! Verily I say unto you, he who believes in me shall have life-everlasting-life and yours will be the Kingdom of Heaven. Remember, according to the Old Testament, the gift of speech or the female of the species was thought of as evil or the woe of man. Well, Christ took an entirely different stand on the matter as he urged his people to take a woman, and to let their fruit multiply. What a complete reversal from the Old testament. He was encouraging the union of a man and a woman. Needless to say, the six-pointed Jewish star is actually a testament to that! As I said before, modern Christianity wasn’t immediately accepted. Many keepers of the faith who believed in the Old Testament did everything in their power to prevent the spread of modern Christianity. Sadly, the fundamentals of the New Testament was even considered blasphemy by many of those so-called keepers of the faith from the Old testament, and it was to remain that way for quite some time. Modern Christianity did eventually win out however it wasn’t accepted as the preferred religion until many years after the passing of Christ. When it finally gained acceptance, it evolved into the most predominant religion of the western hemisphere. It didn’t come without a struggle though, and over the course of time a lot of lives were lost. In fact, from the year 1096 until the late 1300’s, the Holy Crusades were fought to recapture the city of Jerusalem for the Christian people.

Needless to say, out of fear of being consumed by the fires of hell, from that point on, anyone who was suspected of being a follower of another cult or practiced some type of heathenism, at the very least, they would have probably been so persecuted for having strayed away from modern Christianity. The fabled legend of witchcraft had been around for many century’s, however by the late Middle Ages opposition to the cult grew because they believed the magic a witch used came from the devil himself and that was obviously considered to be a manifestation of real evil. That meant anyone who practiced magic, or sorcery outside the religious mainstream of society was looked down upon as some type of witch. Needless to say, they were perceived that as a threat to modern Christianity. By the 14th century if someone was found guilty of practicing witchcraft, they could be put to death. At that point in history support for modern Christianity had grown enormously. In fact, so much so, the majority of the population in Europe had become Christian. Then, if I’m not mistaken, during the early part of the 17th century, when European settlers started arriving in North America, the teachings of modern Christianity spread even further until it became one of the most highly respected religions in the world.

Anyway, putting that aside, during the ill-fated year of 1692 in colonial America, the small coastal community of Salem, Massachusetts was in the midst of an epidemic of witchcraft accusations manifested largely by the fear of the unknown. Actually, if I recall what happened there correctly, a man by the name of Samuel Parris brought a West Indies slave back to the village of Salem on his return from the country of Barbados. Her name was Tituba and in the fall of 1691, a nasty rumor began circulating around the community that she was in the habit of practicing a type of black magic called voodoo. What’s really interesting to note is just before Tituba was accused of being a witch, the people of Salem came to the conclusion, they were not going to pay Reverend