What Is Life?

By G.B. Miller

"Cedar Mountain" looks at a year in the long life of a gentle mountain through the eyes of the mountain itself.
"The Forest" samples a moment in time, when spirits and sorceresses ruled the world and nature was a just means to an undignified end.
"Creativity In Action" looks in on a not-so-typical day of Todd, a wannabe writer of dubious adult fiction, who ultimately gets his just desserts for his efforts.
"Red Stripe" examines a day in a not-your-prototypical punk rock musician, whose singular drive will take her to places previously unimagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: G.B. Miller
• Release date: Feb 6, 2024
• ISBN: 9798215534663

G.B. Miller

While working as a payroll clerk in state government back in 2006 (and with a little encouragement from friends & co-workers) G.B. decided to take up writing so as to make better use of his free time. In 2007, in a crisis of conscience, G.B. dove head long into the shallow water of chat rooms, so as to get the basic skills needed in order to write like he knew what he was talking about.By the spring of 2008 (with a little encouragement from friends), G.B. packed his quill and parchment and moved over to the blog world, where he promptly created his first mainstream blog called Cedar's Mountain. In late 2013, he created a new and improved mainstream blog entitled Father Nature's Corner, and promptly turned his first one into a living archive.Sadly, this new blog lasted until early 2017 and this too has been turned into an archival blog. He can now be found on his new Blogger blog, I Have Stories! a stream-of-conscience blog with his writing adventures as the theme that ties all the posts together.In the past 16 years, blogging has been extremely good to G.B., as he honed his writing skills to the point where he has had a modicum of success with his writing: two published short stories, two self-pubbed novellas, six self-published e-books (including two short story anthologies), his commercial debut novel, and a reissue of his commercial debutWhen he's not creating written mayhem in the cyber world and real world, G.B. now spends his free time chillin', styling and profiling in retirement....and walking around his tiny little town exploring the wonder of Father and Mother Nature.

Book preview

What Is Life?

(A Four Act Play)

G.B. Miller

This short story collection © 2016 G.B. Miller

All stories but one were previously published: Cedar Mountain ©(p) 2009 in Beat To A Pulp e-zine; Creativity In Action (p) 2010 in the short story blog Flashing Georgie’s Shorts; Red Stripe ©(p) 2011 in The Cynic Online Magazine; internal story #1 in Creativity In Action (p) 2009 & 2011 in the short story blog Flashing Georgie’s Shorts & the adult blog It’s Always Saturday In Suburbia; internal story snippet #2 in Creativity In Action (p) 2008-13 in the blog Cedar’s Mountain; internal story #3 in Creativity In Action (p) 2010 in the short story blog Flashing Georgie’s Shorts; internal story #4 in Creativity In Action (p) 2009 in the short story blog Flashing Georgie’s Shorts; The Forest (p) 2010 in the adult blog It’s Always Saturday In Suburbia; internal story #5 in Creativity In Action not previously published on any blog.

This book cover art was initially created in 2016 by Kellie Dennis at Book Cover By Design (http://www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk)

Ebook formatting by www.gopublished.com

Table of Contents

I. Spring: Cedar’s Mountain

II. Summer: The Forest

III. Autumn: Creativity In Action

IV. Winter: Red Stripe

V. Excerpt from A Taste Of Pain

VI. Excerpt from The Inner Sibling

VII. G.B. Miller’s Bio

VIII. Where’s G.B.?

Dedication

This is dedicated to my wife Joanne, my son Jeremy and my daughter Jenelle. You have always been my pride and joy, and my life has been enhanced to the stratosphere because of it. Keep fighting the good fight and never take the path of least resistance.

Cedar Mountain

1

I am your mountain.

I am the mountain of your childhood. I am innocence personified. I am what you see from your bedroom window when you wake up on a Saturday morning. The early morning mist covers your window like a stage curtain, as you patiently wait for the opening notes sunrise serenade, signaling that the performance is about to begin.

As the sun rises, the curtain slowly opens to reveal a breathtaking view. A canopy of trees, as far as the eye can see, is emblazoned by the morning light. Their emerald-colored leaves wave in the gentle breeze, beckoning you to come visit Mother Nature.

An hour later, you’re standing at the entrance with your father. You can hear the gentle rustling of the branches, as if they’re saying, Welcome, my friends, so glad you could join us on this beautiful spring day!

Taking your father’s hand, you step onto a newly made trail and begin your hike. Up ahead, rabbits, squirrels and even birds seem to leisurely make their way across the path. When they catch sight of you and your dad, though, they pause, as if to say, Welcome, my good friends, to our woods. Please enjoy your visit.

Further up the trail, you catch the distant scent of dozens upon dozens of wildflowers as a cool breeze blows down the mountainside. You gradually become one with the mountain as you continue on your hike. Spying a small clearing up ahead, you sprint to a log and sit down to rest. Turning back to call out to your father, you’re immediately blinded by the morning sun.

2

I am your mountain.

I am the mountain of your teenage years. Not quite as innocent as before, I still hold the secrets that you shared with me as a child. Your first girlfriend comes jogging up to the clearing from out of the sun and sits next to you on the log. Holding hands, the two of you listen to the birds collectively singing the highest praises of the mountain before taking off in flight. The sky is filled with a spectacular palette of vibrant hues: shades of reds, blues, greens, and yellows.

Spiritually refreshed, you continue on your pleasant hike through the woods, observing and inhaling the vibrant smells of nature. Cresting a small hill, you suddenly arrive at a small valley nestled in the heart of the mountain. Everywhere you look wildflowers and mountain laurel greet you. Your lover races off to the right to pick wildflowers as you go to the left to pick mountain laurel.

Eventually your paths intersect and you gently collide and fall to the ground laughing. A few moments later, the laughter subsides and you begin making headbands from the flowers. Soon you are wearing each other’s creations.

Lying on the ground, you watch in utter amazement as small woodland creatures come to investigate the two of you. Rabbits and squirrels carefully hop up to you and jump on your bodies. They begin to twirl and dance, as if to say, Welcome to the valley, please enjoy yourselves.

Eventually the rabbits and squirrels end their spontaneous dance and take flight in different directions, leaving you quite alone with your lover. She rolls over on top of you and begins to put wildflowers in your hair. You smile and stroke her face until the hot sun and gentle breeze act like a soothing lullaby and soon the two of you are sound asleep.

3

I am your mountain.

I am the mountain of your adult years. I have experienced only happiness as you grew up in my warm embrace. I am wiser but still carefree and as always, I hold the secrets that you’ve shared with me in the preceding years.

The voice of a young girl awakens you from your afternoon nap. It’s still very sunny but now there is a just a hint of chill in the air on this autumn day. Your daughter holds up a bouquet of mountain laurel and says, Daddy, do you like the flowers that I picked for you?

Of course I do, they’re very lovely. But I think it’s time for us to be heading for home.

Taking her hand, you start back through the valley. As you walk along, you can see that the trees on the edge of the valley are starting to change colors, like God decided to do a little bit of painting today. Wonderful shades of red, yellow and orange shine in a blaze of glory on the trees, as if to say, See what my Mother and Father have done for you today? We are beauty personified. Please continue to enjoy your journey.

At the edge of the valley, where the wildflowers meet the mighty maples, you and your daughter are greeted by the pleasant sound of