Rod and Staff: A Short Story

Fiction & Literature, Anthologies
Cover of the book Rod and Staff: A Short Story by R.S. Guthrie, R.S. Guthrie
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: R.S. Guthrie ISBN: 9781301023493
Publisher: R.S. Guthrie Publication: September 12, 2011
Imprint: Smashwords Edition Language: English
Author: R.S. Guthrie
ISBN: 9781301023493
Publisher: R.S. Guthrie
Publication: September 12, 2011
Imprint: Smashwords Edition
Language: English

After the death of his estranged, teenage son, a man returns to the mountain stream of his beloved Wyoming to reconcile with a God he has long since forsaken. This is a story of staggering loss---of the guilt, anguish, and disbelief a parent feels when a wedge is driven between them and their son or daughter. It is a story of the irrevocable profoundness of loss when a child dies. Finally, it is the story of a man who long ago chose to set aside his God in order to make his mark here, in the now, and how many of us find it difficult to reconcile faith when facing head-on the crippling finality of death, the inequities of life, and the absence of answers in the midst of our worst storms.

"And If I touched my rod to the river, and if the water turned to blood, would that be enough to restore faith in a God who would take a young boy from his father and mother before it was time?

When I was young I was enthralled by such magnificent stories, but now I was mostly content to nurture the seeds of disappointment, loss, and shame, seeing to it that the flowers of anger could blossom fully in my soul.

The ghosts, sensing a foothold, breathe life into scarred, inanimate memories, resurrecting them:

A knock at the front door.

Two cops, their countenances betraying an instinctual desire to be anywhere else but where they are, tasked with such unthinkable burden.

Numbness.

The lingering specter of flesh, and bone.

The whiskey-orange comfort of solitary retreat."

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

After the death of his estranged, teenage son, a man returns to the mountain stream of his beloved Wyoming to reconcile with a God he has long since forsaken. This is a story of staggering loss---of the guilt, anguish, and disbelief a parent feels when a wedge is driven between them and their son or daughter. It is a story of the irrevocable profoundness of loss when a child dies. Finally, it is the story of a man who long ago chose to set aside his God in order to make his mark here, in the now, and how many of us find it difficult to reconcile faith when facing head-on the crippling finality of death, the inequities of life, and the absence of answers in the midst of our worst storms.

"And If I touched my rod to the river, and if the water turned to blood, would that be enough to restore faith in a God who would take a young boy from his father and mother before it was time?

When I was young I was enthralled by such magnificent stories, but now I was mostly content to nurture the seeds of disappointment, loss, and shame, seeing to it that the flowers of anger could blossom fully in my soul.

The ghosts, sensing a foothold, breathe life into scarred, inanimate memories, resurrecting them:

A knock at the front door.

Two cops, their countenances betraying an instinctual desire to be anywhere else but where they are, tasked with such unthinkable burden.

Numbness.

The lingering specter of flesh, and bone.

The whiskey-orange comfort of solitary retreat."

More books from Anthologies

Cover of the book Lady Bits (P***y) #016 - Alexa's Smooth NooNoo Naked by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Of Mom and Me by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Sandy and Kari Nude by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Complete Poems Works by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Spoon Knife 2 by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book La littérature canadienne francophone by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Three Wild Nights by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book The Friends to Lovers Collection by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Wicked Women In Black and White Collection 2 - An erotic photo book - Volumes 5 to 8 in one book by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Oeuvres de Georges Courteline by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifth Annual Collection by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Le grandi poesie italiane Volume 2 by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Harlequin Historical July 2018 - Box Set 2 of 2 by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Teaching English Language Through Literature by R.S. Guthrie
Cover of the book Black Fedora by R.S. Guthrie
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy