Rambling: Theistic Evolution

In light of the Dover, PA, decision against Intelligent Decision, I wanted to take a few minutes and discuss a common "compromise" position on evolution that many well-meaning Christians take. The position, "Theistic Evolution", says that evolution on a purely mechanistic level could not have happened, and that God's intervention was required for the process to have occurred. Generally, the time scale proposed was on the order of millions of years, just as in mechanistic evolution.
While it at first seems like an appealing option for Christians, Theistic Evolution is untenable.
Theistic Evolution says that evolution is the mechanism by which God brought forth life on the earth. It requires that there be death before the Fall, something that the Bible indicates was not the case, for Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:3, and Romans 5:12-14 all indicate that death did not exist before the Fall. Thus, the very mechanism by which natural selection works (death of the unfit) would have to exist before sin, which is not the order seen in Scripture.
For this reason, along with others that I don't have time to write about right now, Theistic Evolution is incompatible with the pattern presented in Scripture.

Commentary: It's Science Because I Said So, pt. III

Yet another round in the constant battle against dogmatic Darwinism has just gone to the Darwinists. While not totally surprising, the result is disappointing for a couple of reasons.
One is the negative tone taken by the judge in his decision. I would suggest at least skimming it, especially the last 30 or 40 pages (it's 139 pages long!). Besides the negative tone taken towards those who believe in intelligent design (who are implicitly labelled as "fundamentalists" several times), the court appears to have bought into (or already believed before the trial) the classic demarcationist argument. A full argument against demarcationism as applied to evolution can be found in the first part of the book "The Creation Hypothesis", edited by JP Moreland.
This battle is not going away any time soon, yet I fear that the Darwinists are so dogmatic that the only way for this battle to be over is for those Darwinists to leave their positions of power without educating new "disciples". If later generations wise up and reject Darwinism, then maybe biological science will be able to grow in leaps and bounds again.
Putting Darwinism aside, the implications of this decision are far-reaching. What happens to the quality of education when the topics to be studied are determined by judicial fiat? Could an elite few with enough money and some good lawyers override the will of the people as expressed through their school boards, causing socially detrimental ideas to be forced on our children? Yes, they could, if history is any indication. Now, more than ever, is a time to be in prayer for America. We are falling apart as a society, and only turning to God can help us. Politics won't work. Neither will law suits. Only when we as a society turn to Jesus will their be any hope for us again as a nation.

Rambling: Computer Viruses?

Viruses are a fact of life in this Internet Age. But as bad as viruses are, they could be worse. Consider the following excerpts from a larger list:

Gallup Virus -- 65% of PC's will be infected 45% of the time, plus or minus of 5% margin of error.

Adam and Eve Virus -- Takes a bite out of your apple.

College Dorm Virus -- Waits until you get into the shower, then sounds the fire alarm.

Elvis Virus -- Your computer becomes lazy and overweight, only to self-destruct and reappear at backwoods convenience stores all over the South.

Paul Revere Virus -- This virus doesn't horse around. It warns of an impending system crash. Once if by LAN, twice if by C:\.

Politican Virus -- This virus promises to do so much, yet once it's done running does so little.

Nike Virus -- Just does it.

Commentary: It's Science Because I Said So, pt. II

Here we go again. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a non-profit policy group in Washington, DC, has issued a report card grading each state's science standards, and, no surprise here, Kansas gets an F. Why do I say no surprise? Because any time any mention of intelligent design is made in science standards, the pro-evolution camp in the scientific community (which is the larger and more vocal part) circles the wagons and unleashes venomous rhetoric against any supporters of intelligent design. When challenged for a why, the reply inevitably boils down to something like "Evolution is science because we say so. Intelligent design is not because we don't want it to be." Therefore, anyone who teaches anything other than evolution in a dogmatic way is going to get a failing grade.
So, not surprisingly, Kansas gets an F. And, as also might be expected, I disagree with the grade wholeheartedly.
The reason the institute gave for the failing grade was the de-emphasizing of evolution. According to them, because of this, Kansas is now failing in the teaching of science to our children. Yet this reasoning is flawed. Science consists of far more than just biology. It includes physics and chemistry, to name two aspects, and both of these have nothing to do with evolution. In other words, the overall teaching of science has not been compromised. Newton's Second Law (Force = mass times acceleration) is still valid, regardless of whether humans evolved from monkeys. Water is still composed of hydrogen and oxygen, regardless of whether life began as single-cell protozoa. And that's to say nothing of the "soft" sciences such as psychology, sociology, etc. Therefore, the real problem the institute has is not with the teaching of most science in the Kansas schools. It's merely with evolution, a small component of science.
Is one aspect of one part of science so critical to everything that its removal warrants an F? The institute seems to think so. In its report, it claims that by de-emphasizing evolution, the Kansas School Board has "obfuscat[ed] the entire basis on which biology rests." This is good rhetoric, but it is bad science. De-emphasizing evolution does not affect the other sciences, as I've previously mentioned. Even within biology, though, most of the science is unaffected when evolution is removed. Cellular biology, species classification, human biology, anatomy, and every aspect of biology, except for the origin question, is unaffected by the removal of evolution. For example, house cats are classified in a certain genus and a certain species (felis catus). This classification does not depend on evolving from a common ancestor, but rather on the genetic and physiological traits that cats share with other felines, such as lions and leopards. So, as far as species classification, removing evolution has no effect on biology. This is only one example. Removing evolution, in other words, does not undermine biology as the report claims.
So, should Kansas get an F for the teaching of science? Abolutely not! As I have shown, the teaching of science has hardly been weakened. Instead, I think it has been improved, because once again, students learn that theories are based upon observation, not merely dogma. Kansas should get an A for allowing valid scientific criticisms of evolution to be presented. For too many years, evolution has been taught without mentioning any of the problems with the theory. It's time for students to be taught the full truth about evolution, including its flaws.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 10, pt. I

Two months ago, I stopped work on the story due to soccer season. I thought I'd pick it back up to see where it leads.

Chapter 10 -- A Counterattack

The red rays of the setting sun shone down on the empty central square of the market. The soft, red color gave the market a somber feel.
Near the center, close to the platform, stood Williams, alone. He hardly looked at the surroundings. He knew them all too well. How could he forget? He was twenty feet from the stage, looking at the empty, wooden platform. This was where he had stood on That Day.
No sooner had those words crossed his mind then the whole, horrible sequence of events began to play themselves out before his eyes again. The petrified slave wrestled with the guard for control of the gun. Keren screamed. Williams heard the shot and felt himself get hit by someone, not something. The force of the blow knocked him to the ground. His right shoulder protested in pain as he hit the unyielding stone pavement of the courtyard.
Had the bullet him? He reached with his left hand to see. No, he was fine; the shot had missed him. Who, then, had knocked him out of the way? And whom had the bullet hit, if anyone? He started to turn over to see, and then the whole scene shifted.
Once again, Williams found himself alone in the market courtyard. This time, men were carrying boxes out of the office of Mr. Johnson, the market owner. What were they doing?
Just as he was about to speak, though, the men suddenly vanished.
Williams awoke. He was in his room at Providence, and it was about 6:00 in the morning. In about twenty minutes, the sun would finish rising, and it would be time to get up.

Rambling: LotR Quiz 37

The last quiz. Ironically, it's number 37. I didn't plan it that way, but it's a nice bit of serendipity.
Question 105 – Who initially sets off with Frodo to the Grey Havens? (Choose as many as apply)
a. Gandalf
b. Bilbo
c. Sam
d. Merry
e. Pippin

Question 106 – What is the hobbits reaction to Frodo’s departure at the Grey Havens
a. They aren’t surprised. They knew about it the whole time.
b. They wonder who his travel agent is
c. They ask for directions to the West
d. They are surprised

Question 107 – Where is Sam when he says, “Well, I’m back.”
a. The edge of the Shire
b. Outside Bag End
c. In Bag End, while seated at the table
d. At the Grey Havens

105. Movie: a,b,c,d,e; Book: b
106. Movie: d; Book: a
107. Movie: b; Book: c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 36

Question 102—What does Frodo title his account of what happened during the War of the Ring?
a. There and Back Again
b. The Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King
c. The Lord of the Rings
d. Peter Jackson’s Greatest Ideas

Question 103 – What does Bilbo ride in/on during his last journey through the Shire?
a. A pony
b. A wagon
c. A mule
d. A chariot

Question 104 – When does Bilbo ask about what happened to the Ring?
a. As he rides in the wagon on the way out of the Shire
b. As Frodo talks with him in the Grey Havens
c. As he visits Frodo in Minas Tirith during Aragorn’s coronation
d. As the hobbits are passing through Rivendell on their way home

102. Movie: c; Book: b
103. Movie: b; Book: a
104. Movie: a; Book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 35

Question 99 – Who puts the crown of Gondor on Aragorn?
a. Frodo
b. Gandalf
c. Arwen
d. Elrond

Question 100 – Whom do the hobbits run into as return from Minas Tirith to the Shire?
a. No one
b. The army of the dead
c. Saruman and Grima Wormtongue
d. Radagast the Brown

Question 101 – What do the hobbits do when they arrive at the Shire?
a. They start a travel agency
b. They ride up to Bag End, dressed richly
c. They never go back to the Shire
d. They raise up the Shire to arms to fight against Saruman’s men, who have taken over the Shire and are mistreating the hobbits

99. Movie: b; Book: a
100. Movie: a; Book: c
101. Movie: b; Book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 34

Question 96 – Who nearly gets killed by a troll at the Battle of the Black Gate?
a. Gandalf
b. Pippin
c. Merry
d. Aragorn

Question 97 – How does Gollum die?
a. He stumbles over the edge of the cliff inside Mount Doom
b. He chokes on some bad Orc
c. Frodo knocks him over the cliff inside Mount Doom
d. Sam stabs him

Question 98 – What happens to the White Tree in the Citadel of Minas Tirith?
a. It starts to flower anew
b. It is destroyed in the Battle of Minas Tirith
c. It dies
d. It is dug up and replaced with a new white tree found by Aragorn

96. Movie: d; Book: b
97. Movie: c; Book: a
98. Movie: a; Book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 33

Question 93 – What do Aragorn and company do to the Mouth of Sauron?
a. Invite him to a “Meet Your New Neighbors” barbeque at Osgiliath
b. Legolas shoots him the moment he speaks
c. Aragorn chops off his head
d. Nothing. They refuse his offers and are attacked

Question 94 – When does Aragorn officially enter the city of Minas Tirith?
a. Right after the battle of the Pelennor
b. Before the battle of Pelennor
c. Not until after the Battle at the Black Gate
d. He never enters the city

Question 95 – Which hobbits go to the Battle of the Black Gate? (Choose all that apply)
a. Frodo
b. Sam
c. Merry
d. Pippin

93. Movie: c; Book: d
94. Movie: a; Book: c
95. Movie:c, d; Book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 32

Question 90 – When does Eomer realize what has happened to Eowyn?
a. Right after she kills the Nazgul king
b. When she’s brought to the Houses of Healing
c. At the end of the movie
d. Not until the end of the battle

Question 91 – Where does Merry find Pippin after the battle?
a. Wandering around the city streets
b. On the field of battle
c. Osgiliath
d. The Houses of Healing

Question 92 – In what location is the decision made to attack the Black Gate?
a. In the throne room of Minas Tirith
b. At Osgiliath
c. In tents outside the city
d. At Edoras

90. Movie: a; Book: d
91. Movie: b; Book: a
92. Movie: a; Book: c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 31

Question 87 – How is Theoden thrown from his horse?
a. He isn’t
b. It slips on oil
c. An arrow hits the horse and causes it toss Theoden
d. The Nazgul’s flying beast tosses them

Question 88 – At how many battles do Gimli and Legolas hold their counting contest to see how many Orcs they can kill?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4

Question 89 – What happens to Eowyn after her fight with Nazgul?
a. She joins in the battle and kills more Orcs
b. She lays next to Theoden, critically wounded
c. She is nearly killed by Gothmog, the Orc lieutenant of Sauron
d. She rides to Osgiliath and meets Faramir

87. Movie: d; Book: c
88. Movie: b; Book: a
89. Movie: c; Book: b

Rambling: LotR Quiz 30

Question 84 – Who says, “Ride to ruin and the world’s end! Death!”?
a. Gandalf
b. Theoden
c. Aragorn
d. Eomer

Question 85 – When does Eowyn say, “I am no man”?
a. Before she starts to fight the King of the Nazgul
b. Before she reaches Minas Tirith
c. Right before she kills the King of the Nazgul
d. After Aragorn rejects her

Question 86 – How does Denethor wind up on his funeral pyre?
a. He slips on some oil
b. He is knocked onto it by Gandalf’s horse, Shadowfax
c. Pippin pushes him onto it
d. He puts himself there

84. Movie: b; Book: d
85. Movie: c; Book: a
86. Movie: b; Book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 29

Question 82 – When and where does Gandalf confront the King of the Nazgul?
a. Before the battle, in Osgiliath
b. After the main gate has been breached, right in front of the gate
c. After the main gate has been breached, on the wall of Minas Tirith
d. He never confronts him

Question 83 – What happens when Gandalf confronts the Head Nazgul?
a. Nothing. The Rohirrim arrive and the King Nazgul retreats
b. He and the Nazgul agree to go on the talk show circuit once the battle is over
c. Eowyn sneaks up and kills the Nazgul
d. The Nazgul breaks Gandalf’s staff

82. Movie: c; Book: b
83. Movie: d; Book: a

Rambling: LotR Quiz 28

Question 79 – Where are the Nazgul during the Battle of Minas Tirith?
a. They aren’t at the battle
b. They stay on the ground near the wall
c. Out of bowshot above the city
d. Flying over the city, destroying catapults

Question 80 – How many orcs of the Tower of Cirith Ungol does Sam kill?
a. Zero
b. One
c. Two
d. A hundred

Question 81 – How far into Minas Tirith does the army of Mordor get?
a. All the way to the Citadel
b. The second circle
c. The third circle
d. They never make it in. The Rohirrim arrive and draw them off.

79. Movie: d; Book: c
80. Movie: c; Book: b (sort of...the orc trips and falls to its death in a fight)
81. Movie: a; Book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 27

Question 76 – How many women and children remained in Minas Tirith during the siege?
a. Two thousand
b. All of the cities inhabitants remain
c. Just a few
d. One million

Question 77 – What happens to Gollum after Frodo leaves Shelob’s tunnel?
a. He gets in a fight with Frodo
b. He sneaks back to Minas Morgul
c. He disappears until he somehow tracks Frodo and Sam down later
d. He makes a guest appearance on Oprah

Question 78 – As the attack of Minas Tirith begins, what happens to Denethor?
a. He leads the defense of the city
b. He sits in his hall, mourning Faramir
c. He starts reciting Hamlet
d. He gets clubbed on the head by Gandalf

76. Movie: b; Book: c
77. Movie: a; Book: c
78. Movie: d Book: b

Rambling: LotR Quiz 26

Question 74 – Why does Denethor despair? (choose as many as apply)
a. He realizes that he’s getting gray hair
b. One of his sons has died and his other is dying
c. Sauron has deceived him by controlling what Denethor sees through a palantir
d. We don’t know

Question 75 – The Army of the Dead helps Aragorn relieve the siege of what city?
a. Minas Tirith
b. Dol Amroth
c. Pelargir
d. Minas Ithil

74. Movie: b; Book: b, c (In the book, it's primarily c)
75. Movie: a; Book: c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 25

Question 72– Who is the last person to talk with Theoden?
a. Merry
b. Eomer
c. Eowyn
d. Pippin

Question 73 – How does Denethor die?
a. He runs off the prow of the city, aflame
b. The chief Nazgul kills him
c. He burns to death in his tomb
d. Faramir kills him

72. Movie: c; Book: b (In the book, Theoden never even knows that Eowyn is there.)
73. Movie: a; Book: c (Denethor running all the way to the prow of the city is terribly unrealistic.)

Rambling: LotR Quiz 24

Question 70– Merry rides to Minas Tirith with a rider of Rohan. With whom does Merry think he is riding?
a. Gandalf
b. Dernhelm
c. Eowyn
d. Pippin

Question 71– At the siege of Minas Tirith, how are the mumakil killed?
a. We don’t know
b. They aren’t, and Aragorn uses them to form a circus act
c. Huge stones are flung onto them by catapults from inside the city
d. Legolas climbs on one and shoots it down, others are tripped, a few scamper away

70. Movie: c; Book: b
71. Movie: d; Book: a

Rambling: LotR Quiz 23

Question 67 – At one point, Eowyn says that she fears “[t]o stay behind bars until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.” To whom does she tell this?
a. Theoden
b. Wormtongue
c. Aragorn
d. Eomer

Question 68 – Who lights the beacons of Gondor?
a. The men of Gondor, at Denethor’s command
b. Gimli
c. Pippin
d. Frodo

Question 69 – When are the beacons lit?
a. After the city is surrounded
b. After Gandalf and Pippin arrive at Minas Tirith
c. Before Gandalf and Pippin arrive at Minas Tirith
d. Before Aragorn sets out for the Black Gate

67. Movie: b; Book: c
68. Movie: c; Book: a
69. Movie: b; Book: c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 22

Question 64 – How does Aragorn learn of the black fleet of Corsairs that is about to attack Pelargir?
a. He just knows; he’s smart like that
b. An eagle tells him
c. He sees it in the palantír of Isengard
d. Elrond tells him

Question 65 – When does Aragorn look into the palantír of Isengard?
a. While he’s staying at Helm’s Deep, just after returning from Isengard
b. Right before he takes the Paths of the Dead
c. When he’s in the throne room at Minas Tirith after the Battle of Pelannor
d. While he’s waiting for Arwen to finish doing her hair

Question 66 – How many horses do Aragorn and company lead through the Paths of the Dead?
a. None
b. Two
c. Three
d. Thirty-two

64. Movie: d; Book: c
65. Movie: c; Book: a
66. Movie: a; Book: d
(32 comes from the fact that Aragorn has his horse, Gimli and Legolas share a horse, and 30 Dunedain ride with them. The lack of the Dunedain is another difference, but I won't put it in a question since I just did it in an answer.)

Rambling: LotR Quiz 21

Question 62 – Orcs from the Tower of Cirith Ungol come to investigate what Shelob has been up to. How does Sam avoid being seen by the orcs?
a. He dresses up like an orc
b. He puts on the Ring
c. He hides behind rocks
d. He does not avoid it, and the orcs capture him

Question 63 – Returning to Rohan/Minas Tirith, when does Aragorn get Andruil, his sword?
a. When Elrond brings it to him at Dunharrow
b. He always has it, even when we first meet him at Bree
c. He finds it in a Cracker Jack box
d. When the Fellowship of the Ring initially leave Rivendell

62. Movie: c; Book: b
63. Movie: a; Book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 20

Question 60 – After Gollum returns from sneaking off (and doing whatever he did), what does Frodo do?
a. He sings “If you’re happy and you know, clap your hands”
b. He wakes up and continues to climb the stairs with Sam and Gollum
c. He starts talking about all those people in old stories who never gave up
d. He sends Sam home

Question 61 – Who (besides Gollum) enters Shelob’s tunnel? (choose as many as apply)
a. Frodo
b. Gandalf
c. Sam
d. Aragorn

60. Movie: d; Book: b
61. Movie: a; Book: a, c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 19

Question 58 – What happens during the attack at Osgiliath?
a. Frodo nearly gives the Ring to a Nazgul, but is rescued at the last second by Sam and Faramir
b. Frodo uses the Ring to destroy the attacking army
c. Faramir takes the Ring from Frodo and uses it to defend the city
d. Osgiliath?! Frodo never goes to Osgiliath!

Question 59 – Frodo, Sam, and Gollum reach Cirith Ungol and start climbing the stairs. They stop to sleep. What happens next?
a. Gollum sneaks off to visit Shelob
b. Gollum tosses the lembas down a cliff and then makes it look like Sam ate it
c. Frodo slips and falls to his death but manages to give Sam the Ring
d. Gollum attacks Frodo and Sam, takes the Ring, and then in his joy, falls over the cliff

58. Movie: a; Book: d
59. Movie: b; Book: a

Rambling: LotR Quiz 18

Question 55 – Who tells Faramir that Frodo has the Ring?
a. Frodo
b. No one. He deduces it while he converses with Frodo.
c. Sam
d. Gollum

Question 56 – What does Faramir say when he realizes that Frodo has the Ring?
a. “I would not take this thing if it lay by the highway.”
b. “It should be mine, save an unhappy chance.”
c. “A chance for Faramir, captain of Gondor, to show his quality.”
d. “I want the Precious…gollum!”

Quesiont 57 – What does Faramir do with Frodo, Sam, and Gollum once he realizes that Frodo has the Ring?
a. He tries to take it from Frodo.
b. He sends them on their way, providing them with new provisions.
c. He tells about how he saw his dead brother in one of the boats of Lorien
d. He takes them to Osgiliath

55. Movie: d; Book: b
56. Movie: c; Book: a
57. Movie: d; Book: b

Rambling: LotR Quiz 17

Question 52 – Who rescues Frodo after he falls into the water in the Dead Marshes?
a. Gollum/Sméagol
b. Sam
c. No one. He swims back to the surface.
d. He doesn’t fall into the water.

Question 53 – Frodo, Sam, and Gollum find the Black Gate unapproachable. What happens immediately after that?
a. Frodo hitches a ride on an eagle to Mount Doom
b. Gollum convinces Frodo to try a second way into Mordor
c. Sam slips down a gravelly hillside and is rescued by Frodo at the last minute
d. Peter Jackson shows up

Question 54 – Concerning a dead Southron soldier, who wonders “what the man’s name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil, or what lies and threats had led him on the long march from his home…”?
a. Faramir
b. Gollum
c. Sam
d. Frodo

52. Movie: a; Book: d
53. Movie: c; Book: b
54. Movie: a; Book: c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 16

Question 50 – As the company rides back from Isengard to Helm’s Deep, someone meets them. Who?
a. Saruman
b. Rangers from the North
c. Elrond
d. No one

Question 51 – What happens to Aragorn in the Paths of the Dead?
a. Not much. He summons the dead traitors to follow him to the Stone of Erech and they do.
b. Nothing. He can’t even get in.
c. He breaks into yet another long song about Arwen
d. He nearly gets into a fight with the King of the Dead, but is able to convince them to help him.

50. Movie: d; Book: b
51. Movie: d; Book: a

Rambling: LotR Quiz 15

Question 46 – The Ents hold Entmoot to decide to what to do about Saruman’s treachery. What is their decision?
a. They decide to fight and march out to attack Isengard
b. They decide to fight but change their mind on the way
c. They decide not to fight
d. They decide to lobby Peter Jackson for more screen time

Question 47 – Where does Saruman die?
a. At Helms Deep
b. At Bag End
c. At Isengard
d. At Edoras

Question 48 – How does the palantír wind up in the waters around Orthanc?
a. It falls there after the Ents trash Isengard
b. It falls out of Saurman’s sleeve after he falls from Orthanc
c. It is just there
d. It is thrown at Gandalf and company as a parting shot from Wormtongue

Question 49 – When/where does Pippin look in the palantír?
a. At Edoras
b. Immediately
c. On the way back from Isengard to Helm’s Deep
d. At Dunharrow

46. Movie: c; Book: a
47. Movie: c; Book: b
48. Movie: b; Book: d
49. Movie: a; Book: c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 14

Question 43 – Who helps the Riders of Rohan defend the Hornburg at Helm’s Deep? (Pick as many as necessary)
a. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli
b. Sam and Frodo
c. Elves from Lorien
d. The Rangers from the North

Question 44 – What races are in the army of Saruman?
a. Uruk-hai
b. Uruk-hai and Wild Men of the West
c. Uruk-hai and regular Orcs
d. Uruk-hair and the Nazgul

Question 45 – Gandalf arrives near the end of the battle. Who rides with him?
a. More Elves
b. Eomer and his eored
c. No one
d. Erkenbrand and the remnants of his eored

43. Movie: a,c; Book: a (This is one of the more major changes from the book)
44. Movie: a; Book: b
45. Movie: b; Book: d (Eomer is at the battle in the book because he hasn't been exiled)

Rambling: LotR Quiz 13

Question 41 – How does Gandalf free Theoden from the mental atrophy brought on by Grima?
a. He exorcises Saruman
b. He uses athelas to heal him
c. He has Pippin recite a comic song
d. He has the king stand up, head out of his throne room, and grip his sword

Question 42 – Theoden orders all of the women and children in Edoras to flee to what location?
a. Fangorn Forest
b. Minas Tirith
c. Dunharrow
d. Helm’s Deep

41. Movie: a; Book: d
42. Movie: d; Book: c (This is one of those plot changes that I didn't fully understand. Sure, it increased tension, but it is very unrealistic.)

Rambling: After Alpha Comes...

Yet another Tropical Storm has formed in the Carribean. This one is named by the second letter of the Greek alphabet, Beta. Beta appears to be on a track to hit Nicaragua as a category 1 hurricane.
I am even more amazed at this new storm. What an amazing year this has been to me! What an ever-astonishing world!

Rambling: LotR Quiz 12

Question 38 – Eomer meets Aragorn after defeating the Uruk-hai. Why has Eomer ridden to the North?
a. He likes the North
b. He heard of a party of Orcs crossing the northern plains and decided to punish them for trying to cross through Rohan
c. He was exiled under order of Grima/Theoden
d. Gandalf told him to

Question 39 – Where does Eomer head after meeting Aragorn?
a. North, out of Rohan
b. East, towards the Anduin
c. West, towards Fangorn
d. South, to Edoras

Question 40 – Who says to Eowyn, “Who knows what [you speak] to the darkness alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all [your] life [seems] to shrink…”?
a. Aragorn
b. Grima Wormtongue
c. Gandalf
d. Frodo

38. Movie: c; Book: b
39. Movie: a; Book: d
40. Movie: b; Book: c (Gandalf speaks these lines in Return of the King at the Houses of Healing)

Rambling: LotR Quiz 11

Question 34 – Merry and Pippin flee into Fangorn forest. From whom are they fleeing?
a. The Uruk-hai and the Riders, out of fear of being killed
b. An orc who is trying to eat them
c. Treebeard
d. Peter Jackson

Question 35 – When do the hobbits meet Treebeard?
a. When he joins the Riders in attacking the Orcs
b. When they climb up him in order to escape being eaten
c. After they have climbed up a hill in Fangorn
d. When Entmoot is held

Question 36 – Where does the tree “Old Man Willow” live?
a. In Bree
b. In the Old Forest outside of Buckland
c. In Edoras
d. In Fangorn forest

Question 37 – Who says, “Old Man Willow, you should not be waking…”?
a. Tom Bombadil
b. Gandalf
c. Aragorn
d. Treebeard

34. Movie: b; Book: a
35. Movie: b; Book: c
36. Movie: d; Book: b
37. Movie: d; Book: a

Rambling: LotR Quiz 10

Question 31 – Sam and Frodo reach the far shore. Who sees them cross the River but decides not to follow them?
a. Merry and Pippin
b. Boromir
c. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli
d. No one

Question 32 – As Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas chase after the Uruk-hai, who lags behind?
a. Aragorn
b. Gimli
c. Legolas
d. No one, Legolas is an elf (infinite endurance), Aragorn is a ranger (used to long chases), and Gimli is a dwarf (dwarves do not tire on a chase).

Question 33 – As the Uruk-hai are trapped by the Riders of Rohan, what happens to Merry and Pippin?
a. They manage to crawl away before an orc chases them to try to eat them
b. The Riders find them and take them to Edoras
c. An orc takes them both away from the battle in order to try to get the Ring from them
d. Pippin bores the Uruk-hai to death with bad poetry

31. Movie: c; Book: d
32. Movie: b; Book: d
33. Movie: a; Book: c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 9

Question 27 – During their stay in Lorien, at least one member of the Company looks into the Mirror of Galadriel. Who looks into the Mirror?
a. Frodo and Sam
b. Frodo, Sam, and Aragorn
c. Frodo
d. Frodo, Sam, Gimli, and Legolas

Question 28 – As they row down the River Anduin, the Fellowship is followed by someone. Who follows them?
a. The Uruk-hai
b. Gollum
c. Saruman
d. No one follows them

Question 29 – Who says, “A shadow and a threat has been growing [in my mind.]”?
a. Aragorn
b. Legolas
c. Boromir
d. Frodo

Question 30 –Frodo has just climbed down from the seat of Amon Hen, where he has seen Sauron’s eye searching for him. What happens next?
a. He takes the Ring, throws it into the River, and goes home
b. He puts on the Ring and tries to cross the River alone
c. He meets Aragorn, who breaks out into another long song about Arwen
d. Aragorn meets him, refuses to take the Ring, and sends Frodo on his way

27. Movie: c; Book: a
28. Movie: d; Book: b
29. Movie: b; Book: a
30. Movie: d; Book: b

Rambling: Wow! Alpha...

Something has just happened that I never thought I would see: an Atlantic hurricane season has been so active that the National Hurricane Center has run out of hurricane names for the season. With Hurricane Wilma, the twenty-second named storm of the season, pounding the Yucatan peninsula, Tropical Storm Alpha has formed south of Hispanola.
Why Alpha? Because once the NHC exhausts its typical list for hurricane names (something that has never happened) it starts using Greek letters to designate tropical systems. If another tropical system were to form, it would be Tropical Storm Beta. One beyond that would be Gamma, and so on.
It's been an amazing weather year, and it once again reminds me of how amazing a God I serve. He has made a world that can such unusual and varied weather that is still orderly enough that human beings, who do not create weather, can still predict it.
So, as the crisp, autumn weather settles in here in Kansas, take some time to marvel at the nearly infinite variety that the Lord has put in this world in the form of weather.

Rambling: LotR Quiz 8

Question 24 – Pippin alerts the Orcs living in Moria to the presence of the Fellowship. How does he do this?
a. He shouts down a well
b. He touches a skeleton whose head falls off and down a well
c. He drops a stone down a well
d. He falls down a well

Question 25 – The Fellowship are attacked inside Balin’s tomb. Who stabs Frodo with a spear?
a. A Balrog
b. An orc chieftan
c. A cave troll
d. Gollum

Question 26 – The Fellowship escape Moria and head into the woods of Lothlorien. At what time of day do they enter woods?
a. Morning
b. Day
c. Night
d. At second breakfast, of course

24. Movie: b; Book: c
25. Movie: c; Book: b
26. Movie: b; Book: c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 7

Question 21 – The Council of Elrond is held. Which of the hobbits attend the Council, either invited or not? (Choose as many as necessary)
a. Bilbo
b. Sam
c. Frodo
d. Merry
e. Pippin

Question 22 – The Council selects nine people to be the Fellowship of the Ring. Their mission is assist Frodo in taking the Ring to Mount Doom. The Fellowship set out for the south. They try to cross over Caradhras. What happens as they climb?
a. Frodo slips. The Ring falls off and Boromir picks it up. Then they are snowed in.
b. They are snowed in, forced to retreat, and are attacked by wolves on the way down.
c. Sam breaks out into a comic poem.
d. Pippin falls off a cliff and everyone else rejoices.

Question 23 – After failing to climb Caradhras, the Fellowship head for Moria. The gates are locked, though. Finally, someone solves the riddle that gives the password for the gates. Who solves the riddle?
a. Aragorn
b. Gimli
c. Gandalf
d. Frodo

21. Movie: b, c, d, e; Book: a, b, c
22. Movie: a; Book: b
23. Movie: d; Book: c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 6

Question 17 – Which of the following are factors in Frodo and company’s decision to let Strider guide them? (Choose as many as fit)
a. A letter from Gandalf
b. The realization that servants of the Enemy would feel fouler and look fairer
c. Strider’s protecting them from the attack of the Black Riders
d. None of the above

Question 18 – Strider leads the Hobbits through the Midgewater Marsh and on to Weathertop, where Frodo is attacked and wounded. They continue traveling and cross the Last Bridge. As Frodo begins to fade from his wound, who meets the company?
a. Gandalf
b. Glorfindel
c. Arwen
d. Eowyn

Question 19 – Frodo rides on a horse after this encounter. Whose horse is it?
a. Strider’s
b. Gandalf’s
c. Glorfindel’s
d. Arwen’s

Question 20 – Who rides with him?
a. Gandalf
b. Glorfindel
c. Arwen
d. No one

17. Movie: b, c; Book: a, b
18. Movie: c; Book: b
19. Movie: d; Book: c
20. Movie: c; Book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 5

Question 14 – Frodo and company settle in for supper in the Common Room at the Prancing Pony. However, the Ring decides to betray Frodo. How does it do so?
a. It starts talking in perfect English
b. It falls in a pint of Pippin’s ale
c. It “accidentally” slides onto Frodo’s finger as he’s singing a song to distract the crowd from Pippin, who is revealing Frodo’s identity
d. It “accidentally” slides onto Frodo’s finger as he slips while running towards Pippin to keep Pippin from revealing Frodo's identity.

Question 15 – Strider sees Frodo vanish and then reappear. What does Strider do?
a. He rebukes Frodo and drags him off to his room to get him out of trouble
b. He asks to see the Ring
c. He rebukes Frodo and says that he wishes to speak with him later
d. He breaks out into a long song about Arwen

Question 16 – In what state is Aragorn’s sword?
a. It’s rusty, but whole
b. It’s whole, sharp, and not to be messed with
c. He has no sword
d. It’s broken just past the hilt

14. Movie: d; book: c
15. Movie: a; book: c
16. Movie: b; book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 4

Question 11 – Frodo and company flee the Black Riders. How close do they come to being caught at the Ferry?
a. Sort of close. They see Riders in the distance
b. Very close. One Rider nearly catches up to Frodo
c. They are caught initially, but Pippin distracts the Riders by throwing an apple
d. Not close at all. The Riders have lost all track of them.

Question 12 – Frodo and company cross the Brandywine on the Ferry. What happens next?
a. They head to a small cottage near the edge of Buckland and then into the Old Forest
b. They wait two days and then sail down the Brandywine
c. They travel for a few days uneventfully before arriving at Bree
d. Eagles arrive and fly Frodo to Mount Doom

Question 13 – What happens to Frodo and company as they travel to Bree?
a. Nothing.
b. They get lost in the Old Forest, are rescued by Tom Bombadil, get lost in the Barrow Downs, are again rescued by Bombadil, and then finally arrive at Bree
c. They head north along the River, cross the West Road, visit Fornost, meet Aragorn, and then arrive at Bree
d. Peter Jackson meets them and offers to make a movie about their quest if they are successful

11. Movie: b; book: d
12. Movie: c; book: a
13. Movie: a; book: b

Rambling: LotR Quiz 3

The quiz sensation continues! :-)
Question 8 – Who initially accompanies Frodo on his trip out of the Shire?
a. Sam and Gandalf
b. Sam and Pippin
c. Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Fatty Bolger
d. Just Sam

Question 9 – When does Frodo run into Merry and Pippin?
a. He doesn’t. Merry is driving a wagon to Buckland and Pippin is with him the whole time.
b. As they flee from Farmer Maggot
c. As Frodo hides from a Black Rider
d. When Frodo meets the Elves wandering through the Shire

Question 10 – Speaking of Farmer Maggot, how does he help Frodo and company?
a. He doesn’t. He just chases Merry and Pippin
b. He attacks a Black Rider with a bow and arrow
c. He takes them on a secret road through the Shire
d. He gives them supper and then drives them to the Bucklebury Ferry

8. Movie: d; book: b
9. Movie: b; book: a
10. Movie: a; book: d

Rambling: LotR Quiz 2

Here are the next four questions in the Lord of the Rings quiz. Answers are found in the full post.
Question 4 – Gandalf advises Frodo to keep the Ring safe. What does Frodo do with the Ring?
a. He puts gives it to Michel Delving museum
b. He keeps it sealed in an envelope and buried in the bottom of a trunk
c. He wears it around his neck on a chain
d. He gives it to Sam as a present

Question 5 – After Gandalf discovers that Frodo has the One Ring, he tells Frodo some of the story of its history. When does this conversation take place?
a. In the morning
b. At second breakfast
c. At lunch
d. At night

Question 6 – Gandalf advises Frodo to flee the Shire. When does Frodo flee?
a. After several months, to draw as little attention to his departure as possible
b. Immediately
c. At 10:15 in the morning
d. He doesn’t

Question 7 – As Frodo flees the Shire, where does he plan to head first?
a. To Bree, to meet Gandalf at the Prancing Pony
b. To the Grey Havens, to sail to the West
c. To Buckland, to pretend to set up shop so that his departure is unnoticed
d. To Isengard, to get advice from Saruman the White

Again, give yourself one point for answering according to the movie and three for answering according to the book.
4. Movie: b; book: c
5. Movie: d; book: a
6. Movie: b; book: a
7. Movie: a; book : c

Rambling: LotR Quiz 1

I was thinking a while back about the Lord of the Rings movies and how they are similar to and different from the book. I enjoy both the movies and the books, but have read the books numerous times, it's amusing (and occasionally frustrating) to see the changes that were made. Instead of listing them, though, I thought it would be fun to highlight the differences by making the differences that I see into the form of a quiz. Take it and see if you can answer correctly, either according to the movie (1 point) or according to the book (3 points). To see the answers, click "See the full post". I'll put three questions up today, and try to put one or two up every couple of days. A lot of these questions are trivia questions, but some concern major events.
Question 1 -- When Gandalf first arrives in Hobbiton, the children beg for him to set off fireworks. How many does he set off?
a. Several
b. None
c. Just one, in the shape of a dragon
d. So many that he has to head over to Bree to buy some more

Question 2 -- Who sets off the firework that turns into a dragon?
a. Frodo
b. Merry and Pippin
c. Bilbo
d. Gandalf

Question 3 – Bilbo gives his dinner speech and then slips on the ring. What happens next?
a. Nothing…the ring has lost its power due to a freak bleaching accident
b. Bilbo goes into the nether world and sees the nine black riders
c. He instantly disappears from view
d. He instantly disappears from view in a flash of fire

Answers:
1. According to the movie: a; According to the book: b
2. Movie: b; Book: d
3. Movie: c; Book: d [the flash is added by Gandalf as an effect to help explain Bilbo's disappearance]
Give yourself one point for each correct movie-based answer and three points for each book-based answer. Check back tomorrow, and I'll try to put up a couple of new questions.

Rambling: That's A Whole 0.041%

A recent geological survey conducted by the Chinese government has discovered a shocking result. The story can be read here.

It turns out that Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, is only 29,017 feet. The previous measurement of its height was 29,029 feet, meaning that the last measurement of the mountain done 30 years ago was in error by 12 feet. To put the error in perspective, that would be like the doctor's office measuring me to be 5'7.97" instead of the 5'8" that I really am. Not a big deal.
Still, suppose that it wasn't an error. What if the mountain were really shrinking? What would cause it shrink? Here are some options.
Option 1: Wind erosion. The peak of the mountain is at about the same altitude as the jet stream. Perhaps the intense winds of the jet stream are actually blowing the dirt, snow, and rocks off of the mountain. This effect, over time, could cause the mountain to lose about twelve feet of height.
Option 2: Global warming? Nope, global warming doesn't affect that part of the atmosphere. Only the lowest part of the atmosphere (very close to the surface) is seeing an increase in average temperature. Upper air temperatures have not been affected. So, no melting of glaciers up there, I'm sorry to say. And that allows me to side-step the whole issue of whether global warming is man-made or something natural, something that is not as settled as most atmospheric scientists would have you belive...
Option 3: Tourists. Yes, that's right, tourists taking the mountain back down with them could have resulted in the shrinking of the mountain. After all, if I ever made it to the top of such an insanely tall mountain, I'd want a souvenir. And nothing says, "I made it" more than a few feet of dirt from the mountain I just climbed.
Option 4: The mountain is moving faster. (Or the men who measured it were moving faster than 30 years ago.) According to Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity, objects in motion are perceived as being shorter than objects at rest (to put it simply). Thus, perhaps the mountain is really moving faster than it was 30 years ago, or the scientists who measured it were moving faster than the scientists who were moving 30 years ago. So, how fast would the mountain (or the scientists--it doesn't really matter) have needed to move to produce the necessary shrinking of the mountain? They would have had to move at 99.9999916% if the speed of light to have the mountain appear to shrink by 12 feet.
Option 5: The yedi. The yedi is the abominable snowman who supposedly lives somewhere in the Himalayas, the mountain range in which Everest lies. The team from 30 years ago measured the peak with the yedi (more than likely 2 yedis, in order to get twelve feet of height) standing on top of it. The yedis were not there this time because they decided to hang glide in the jet stream, and wound up in San Francisco, where they were mistaken for common, ordinary citizens.
Those are only some of the possibilities. I'm sure that those of you who are creative can come up with some other reasons why Mount Everest might actually be twelve feet shorter. If you have one, I'd love to hear it.

Commentary: It's Science Because I Said So!

Ever since the Kansas Board of Education began considering proposals to include the teaching of Intelligent Design (hereafter ID) in the Science Curriculum, the debate about whether Intelligent Design is even science has gone on, mostly unnoticed by the media. In light of all of this, Philip Johnson, author of the book Darwin on Trial is coming to Topeka in three weeks. The responses from the pro-evolution camp so far have been typical and hardly surprising.

Argument number one centers on whether debate is valid. "Evolutionary theory is science, and you don't debate science," these people argue, "because science is the observation of facts and therefore not open to debate."
The problem with this statement is the idea that one does not debate science. Not only is it incorrect, it is absurd. While it is true that one does not debate about the existence of facts, one can -- and should -- debate the interpretation of these facts. Evolutionary theory is not a fact; it is is merely an interpretation of the facts. Not all of the facts we currently know support the evolutionary theory that Darwin proposed. There has been debate for years among the science community about how to handle these anomolies. The theory of evolution is constantly being revised, and this revision results from a constant debate within the scientific community. Thus, the argument that one does not debate science is false. The scientific community is always debating, and this is healthy. If the scientific community ever ceased to debate, then science would cease to grow.
A second common response to the suggestion of teaching ID is that ID is not science. The arguers then proceed to suggest several criteria that science has to meet. The problem with their criteria is that their criteria also exclude evolution from being scientific. Space prohibits a full discussion, but I recommend the book The Creation Hypothesis by JP Moreland for a full discussion of this. One example, however, of the common criteria used to dismiss ID is that ID does not make any verifiable predictions. Scientific theories, ID detractors argue, should make verifiable predictions. However, the problem with this criterion is that evolutionary theory also fails to make any verifiable predictions. No predictions made by evolutionary theory can be verified in the typical scientific manner. It is hard to run lab tests that last for the millions of years required by evolution.
So, if evolution does not meet the criteria of science held up by its proponents, why is it science? Because it is easier simply say, "Evolution is science because I said so," than to seriously consider that a theory that one has held for years might be wrong. Fear drives a demarcationist argument such as this.
Sadly, this debate does not appear to be going away any time soon. Evolution has become a part of the American worldview, and the mainstream media and scientific community have so accepted it as indisputible fact that nothing short of educating a new generation in potential alternatives will allow science in the area of origins to return to a healthy state.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 9, pt. VIII

Finally, the end of Chapter 9. I tried not to rush it, but I had to finish. Be warned; it is long.

Having crossed the stream, she turned westward, heading back towards the town. She was unsure exactly how far should have to go, but she knew that it would take her about thirty minutes to reach the river that marked the east edge of town.
As she walked, she noticed how bright and clear that the air was. The birds’ songs seemed to glow with the same glorious excitement that she felt within her. She was on her way! She now only had to make it through town and she was free.
The town! How was she ever going to make it through there unobserved? Once the search began, Walters would doubtless send some men back towards town to try to find her. She had to get through without being spotted by anyone. Yet she was not sure how. She put that decision aside, instead choosing to enjoy this pleasant part of her escape.
Too soon the forest gave way to open plain, and in the center of the plain ran a narrow road. Forty yards past the road lay the river that meandered past town. By now, the sun had risen fully in the sky and the early-morning raucous of river creatures had quieted into a silence broken by the occasional splash of a leaping fish or the croak of a frog.
Maria wanted to stick to the road yet still keep to the cover of the forest as much as possible. Keeping the road in sight on her right, she walked south, skirting the edge of the forest, prepared at any many to dart back inside should she see or hear any sign of traffic along the road. Three times, she had to hide herself, each time from the rattle of a cart that came from the north.
Finally, as she drew near to the crossroads, the forest gave way. Reluctantly, Maria took to walking on the very edge of the road, picking the side nearer to the river where the tall grass in the ditches offered the best cover.
Maria no longer enjoyed the walk, for now the threat of discovery and the realization that anyone who saw her could be one of Walters’ men put her senses on alert for any sound or movement that would be her cue to hide. Slowly she moved forward towards the main east-west road that led out of town, as cautious as a kitten.
Eventually, the east-west road appeared in front of her. No traffic moved along it, but from across came the sounds of the town, awake and active. The greatest threat to her ability to make it freely to the Williams estate lay in front of her. If she could get across the bridge and through town unnoticed, she would be, for all practical purposes, free. She walked along the north edge of the road, creeping towards the bridge, wary of potential traffic.
Just as she was about to leave the brush to get on the road, she heard the rattling of two vehicles coming out of town. Determined not to be seen, she threw herself back in the ditch beside the road.
Within a few moments, a coach rolled into view, followed by an open cart. The coach Maria recognized instantly as Walters’. She did not recognize the driver of the cart, but one of its occupants caught her attention. It was Alejandro!
Maria nearly stood up in shock. What was he doing in that cart, and with whom was he riding? Was the driver of the cart one of Walters’ men, or was he just a man who was on the same road out of town?
As Maria took in all of this, the two vehicles moved out of sight. Slowly, Maria stood up, unsure of what she had jus seen. She had not thought that Alejandro would be so close. She fully expected to have to search for him and Emilia once she herself was free. Now, she knew that her search would be easier.
Determined more than ever to make it through town unnoticed, Maria climbed out of the ditch. As calmly as she could, she walked across the bridge into town. People clogged the streets in the mid-morning bustle of market day. Everywhere Maria looked, she saw people scurrying about their business, too busy to even notice anyone around them. Keeping to the crowds to be as unobtrusive as possible, she made her way through the town and eventually to the west road that led to Colonel Williams’ estate.

“I walked for about thirty minutes,” Maria added, “and I had been here for about then minutes when you returned, Colonel Williams. I realize now that you are the man I saw with Alejandro in the cart. Are you one of Walters’ men?” Her question held great fear.
Williams heard the fear in her voice and answered reassuringly, “No, Maria, I’m not. When you saw us drive by, we were headed to get you from Walters. Before we left, he gave us a letter that allowed his lawyer to write this.”
He held up the transfer of ownership certificate. “You are now under my authority, and my first act as your new master is to release you from slavery. You are now free.
Maria’s face exploded in joy. “Oh, gracias, thank you, thank you, Señor Williams.”
José entered the room just then. “Colonel,” he said, “supper is ready.”
“Thank you, José,” replied Williams. “Have the cook set an extra place.”
José nodded and left. With a welcoming wave of his hand, Williams beckoned everyone to follow him to supper.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 9, pt. VII

Chapter 9 just keeps going. I'm trying to finish it up, but I keep finding that there's more ground to cover. I'll try to get the last piece put together and posted by next Wednesday, but I doubt I'll get much more posted before that. I have a very busy weekend.

About half an hour later, she heard a carriage – presumably Walters’ – rumble off of the farm. She waited for a few minutes before she put her plan into motion.
Slowly, she walked up to the door and called sweetly out to Neol, “Mr. Neol, sir, I don’t suppose that there’s any way you could let me out of here for a couple of minutes to use the outhouse?”
From the other side of the door, Neol replied, “No, ma’am, there ain’t no way that I can a-do that. You know that you’re only allowed to go there when both me and Tyrone are present, and he’s asleep right now after a long night of huntin’. You’ll just have to wait.”
“Please,” pleaded Maria in the pitiful voice that had always allowed her to talk her way out of getting in trouble with her teachers. “Please, let me go. You can escort me, but I can’t wait for him to wake up.” She ended her request with just the right mixture of sweetness and feebleness. A lost, hungry puppy could not have made a more heart-wrenching appeal.
Neol thought for a moment. “Well,” he answered finally, “all right. I’ll a-let ya out for just a minute, but don’t a-tell Mr. Walters what I done. He won’t take too kindly to me stretchin’ the rules like this.”
(Maria always regretted what she did next. In fact, years later, when she was able to bring Neol to work for her, she treated him quite well, like a member of her family.)
Just as Neol started to open the door, she hid behind it. Then, once Neol had walked farther into the shack, she struck him hard from behind, hitting him in a spot on the back of his head that would leave him unconscious but alive. Then, she quietly slipped out of the building and headed towards the creek, her eyes blinded by the barely-risen sun.
The rest of the plantation still slept as Maria stealthily crept towards the creek. She ran as quickly as she could, knowing that she had to reach the creek before anyone else awoke. Upon arriving at the creek, she took extra care to leave footprints pointed eastward in the drying mud. After crossing the creek and cleaning her feet in the grass on the far side, she turned towards the north, where an outgrowth of the forest lay.
Once inside the forest, her main challenge lay in keeping a northerly path until she could find an easy place to cross the creek again. Thankfully, the forest roof was thin enough to allow sunlight to get through. Maria always knew where the sun was. After a few minutes of jogging, she found a spot where the creek tapered off to a trickle, and she easily leaped across it.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 9, Pt. VI

Maria knew that she could not leave immediately because of rain that had fallen that day. The ground would be muddy, and she would leave tracks that could be easily followed. To prepare for her escape, she started talking to Neol, the man who guarded her during the day, in order to get information about the terrain around the farm.

“There’s a-woods to the north, ma’am,” said Neol when she asked him what was around the farm, “and a crick off to the east; it’s usually a little muddy down there this time of the year, but it’s a great place to go a-huntin’ for crawdads. Now, off to the south and east, there ain’t nothin’ too terribly interestin’, just farmland. But them woods, man, let me a-tell ya, those are some great places. Why my old dog, Pontrus and I, we used to a-go off into the woods…”
Neol trailed off into a long, dull story of his adventures with his childhood dog, which Maria did her best to feign interest in. Her mind was busy plotting her exact escape route. Still, she had to wait for the ground to dry.
The humid early spring weather caused the ground to dry slowly. Over the next two days, Maria could see through a hole in the wall that the ground outside of the shack grew drier and drier. Finally, two days after the cook was thrown in the shack, Maria knew that the ground was just right for escape. She would leave no tracks in the mud, nor would she leave tracks in the dust. Once nightfall arrived, she would be off, sneaking past the often-sleeping night guard and on to freedom.
Walters caused her to speed up her plans. Early in the morning he burst into the flimsy shanty in a rage. “All right you,” he bellowed, “I’m heading into town right now to see the man who sold you to me. I know that he doesn’t take back slaves, but I’m hoping that he’ll give me my money back, unless, of course, you’re willing now to work. You have refused to do even the simplest chores, and I’m not going to keep feeding and housing a useless slave. You will start working.”
It was a demanded Maria had heard many times before. She never answered it.
“Still refusing to speak!” cried Walters incredulously. “Let me warn you right now that my patience is about up. If you don’t decide to work for me, then there’ll be worse than this for you.” He cracked the whip over her a couple of times.
Maria, still playing the part of a forlorn servant, began to cry.
Walters cursed. “Enough with the infernal crying!” he shouted. “That’s all you ever do is cry. Well, you can cry all you want, because I have no sympathy. And if you haven’t changed your ways by the time I get back from town, I may just decide that you’re not worth keeping around – alive.”
Maria paused in her faux crying at the shock of what she had just heard. Could any man be so cruel as to kill someone who refused to submit to his tyrannical rule? She had heard of dictators in distant countries who did such things, but never had she met anyone that would do something do cruel.
Walters noticed her shock. “I see that you value your life,” he said, misunderstanding her pause to mean that she was considering working. “Well, you have about four hours before I get back. By then, I hope that you’ll have changed your mind and be willing to work. Good bye.” He turned and left.
How the noose had closed around Maria! She did not doubt that Walters would kill her upon his return, yet she also knew how difficult a daylight escape would be. She had to find a way past Neol and off of the property without raising the alarm. Moreover, she had to do it quickly, because the greater the head start she had on her pursuers the better.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 9, pt. V

Here is part V. I'm working my way towards the end of the chapter, but there's still more to go. Enjoy!

“Did you say that he redeems slaves?” asked Maria, her curiosity piqued.
“Yes,” the cook answered, “he is a rich man who is very merciful. No one knows why he does it, but he’s just started doing it. If I knew that I could get away without being caught, I’d go myself, but I know that if I escape, they’ll kill me because I’ve run away twice already. They’ve told me that the next time they find me outside the plantation grounds without their permission I’ll be shot on sight.”
The cruelty of such an arrangement amazed Maria. She had expected to escape the barbarism of civil war when she had fled Cuba with her family. Now, she found the same depravity at work in America.
“How far away does he live? How do I get there?” she asked
“Well,” replied the cook, “it wouldn’t be easy. First, you’d have to get off of the grounds without being caught. Then, you’d have to make the trip – which would take the better part of a day on foot – without being caught. You’d have to cross the river into town, and there’s only one way to do that, the bridge on the main road into the east side of town. After that, you’d have to find your way to West End Road, which would lead you towards Providence. Once you had found that road, it’d just a matter of getting to Providence before the catch you.”
She slid back to far wall of the shack and sighed. “But there’s not much hope in that. The minute everyone knew that you were gone, they’d sound an alarm, and master Walters would send every one of his men out after you. There isn’t much hope of getting away, then, because they’d all be on horses and you’d be on foot.”
“That does sound like a challenge,” Maria said thoughtfully. Hope arose within her.
Here was the chance she had been waiting for! She now knew where to go. Her only obstacle was getting away from Walters’ property with enough of a head start that they would not be able to track her down before she reached town. In the back of her mind, she already began formulating her plans for escape.
“Yes, missy,” the cook said, “it is. And one that I don’t particularly feel like taking. I value my life too much to lose it on same crazy escape that may or may not work. I would rather live in this misery than die.”
“But isn’t it worth the risk to try to get freedom?”
“No way. At least here I get food and shelter. I have no family left. My parents and my siblings died in the hurricane that hit the coast last year.”
“Then you have nothing to lose,” Maria argued.
“I could lose my life easily enough,” countered the cook, “and that’s about all I have left right now. At least I’m alive.”
Maria tried to convince the cook that escape was worth trying, but she gave up when it became clear that the other woman, in an odd way, actually loved her life too much to be willing to risk losing it for the sake of being out of slavery. Even if Colonel Williams were to ride up to the plantation that day and tell this slave that he wanted to redeem her, it appeared that she would refuse his help. The realization that this woman would probably die in slavery because she loved comfort more than freedom saddened Maria.
In a few hours, Tyrone came in, roughly grabbed the cook and dragged her back to the house. Maria never saw her again.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 9, pt. IV

Sorry. I'm late with this post. I'll try to get one more up by Wednesday.

Maria continued to cry for several more minutes to make sure that she truly seemed distraught. From that point forward, whenever she knew someone was near, she did her best to cry and wail as much as possible.
A few hours later, Mr. Walters visited the prison, carrying with him a thick whip of solid leather. After Maria refused to answer any of his questions, he used it savagely on her. In spite of the terrible pain, she did not move and refused to answer any of his questions.
This incident replayed itself every morning for the next three days, which seemed to stretch on forever in Maria’s mind. Long periods of idleness mixed with hours of crying and wailing. She eventually found that real despair was beginning to set in, despite her best efforts to control it. She had to escape, but where would she go? She did not know the terrain, and she was not dressed appropriately to be outside in the middle of a cold spring night. She needed to have a plan, and it was on the fourth day of her imprisonment that the answer was thrown into the cell with her.

Just after lunch on that day, a young woman was flung into the jail with Maria. The unfortunate girl had a large welt across her face, obviously the result of a cruel whip blow. The woman did not move from the spot where she landed, but rather rolled over onto her back and groaned in pain. Tears began to form in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” asked Maria.
The woman did not answer; she merely began to cry. Maria slid over to the crying woman, took her in her arms and sat there for a long time, comforting her as one would comfort a distraught child.
Finally, the woman spoke. “Do you have any water?”
Maria walked over to the rusty tin pail that held her day’s supply of water. She returned with the pail to the woman, who took a large drink before returning the pail to Maria.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m glad you were in here. It’s much harder to be in here alone.”
“Are you saying that you have been in here before?” asked Maria. It was the first words she had spoken in several days, and she struggled a little with finding the correct English words to use.
“Yes,” the slave replied, “I get thrown in here about once every month, usually when Mr. Walters is in one of his more foul, more drunken moods.”
“What do you do that causes him to treat you so poorly?”
“I’m the cook,” answered the woman, “and it’s generally some sort of silly reason, like the biscuits were undercooked or the beans overcooked or the stew wasn’t quite right.
“I’ll tell you this, that I’ve about had enough of this kind of treatment. I hear that there’s a man who lives on a plantation west of town who will redeem slaves from the owners and let them work for him as employees. They say that all you have to do is to get to his plantation and ask for his help. He’s already redeemed fifteen or twenty in the past week, or so the story goes. His name, they say, is Colonel Williams, and he runs a plantation called Providence Estate.”
This story, of course, was exaggerated. The story of Williams rescuing Alejandro and redeeming Pedro had spread throughout the slave community. Few slaves dared try to escape, but it was encouraging for them to tell the story nonetheless.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 9, pt. III

Before the sun had finished clearing the horizon the next morning, Tyrone entered the prison and woke the women. Maria had managed just a couple of hours of sleep, but her experience in espionage helped her stay focused. She knew that if she kept her emotions under control that she would find a way to escape. If only she knew where to go!
“You three will all work in the house,” Tyrone said without preamble, “and you will be expected to do your jobs well or there will be consequences.” He patted the whip that was looped over a hook on his belt.
The other two women immediately crawled forward and knelt next to Tyrone in a display that sickened Maria greatly. Here they were, torn from their families, treated like mere property instead of like human beings, and these two women grovel in near-worship at the feet of their oppressor. Had they truly given up any hope of ever being free? It made no sense to her. She would not give up her freedom so easily; she was ready to fight.
Tyrone noticed that Maria had not moved. “Come on, woman,” he ordered fiercely, “on your knees!” He pulled out his whip menacingly.
Maria did not move. She knew that if she did not start to fight now, then would quickly surrender to enslavement.
Tyrone raised the whip over his head and lashed it out at Maria. She was ready for it, though, and barely ducked out of the way. This evasion further enraged Tyrone, and he proceeded to lash at her numerous times with the whip. Sometimes, Maria succeeded in dodging the cruel blows. In the end, though, she found herself curled up on the ground, in pain from the blows of the whip. She cried, not because she could not control her emotions but because she knew that her chances for escape were better if she seemed downtrodden.
“Now, missy,” growled Tyrone, “are you going to come inside and work, or are you going to stay right here?”
Maria did not speak a word to answer. She merely lay on the ground, crying.
“Fine!” Tyrone shouted. “Stay there. I’m going to tell Mr. Walters about you, and I assure you that he won’t be too thrilled about your attitude.”
He stormed out of the prison, the other two women following him subserviently.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 9, pt. II

This chapter has turned out to be longer than I thought. I'll try to keep working on pieces of it until I get done.

The hubbub of the slave market had faded into dull silence. The last of the slaves had been bought more than twenty minutes ago, and the final payments had been made. Walters was the last to pay for his purchases. As he returned from the business office, he met Tyrone and the two other female slaves he had purchased that day. All of them stood near the rope at the edge of the stage. Maria stood a little apart from them, her eyes glazed over with sadness. Tears welled up on the edges of her eyes.
Walters and Tyrone began to move towards the exit. The other women followed obediently, but Maria did not. After a few steps, Walters walked back over to her. “Move, slave!” he bellowed, grabbing her arm and giving her a harsh shove towards the exit.
Maria quietly obeyed, mindlessly lifting one foot and then the other. She walked for what seemed to be a vast distance before she arrived at the street that ran in front of the market. By now, the setting sun produced elongated shadows that made everything seem menacing and evil. Two vehicles awaited Walters: his coach and an open, unpainted, rickety cart.
Without a word, Tyrone led the women to the cart and ordered them to climb in. He did not help them, even though the step up was great. A thin layer of old, moldy straw covered the bed of the cart, and Maria did the best she could to find a comfortable way of sitting on the appalling surface. Just as she had gotten seated, Tyrone began to chain the three women together using a strong iron chain. He wrapped each woman’s wrist to the other in a figure-eight pattern before moving on to handcuff the next one in a similar fashion. Once all three women were joined together, he ran the chain through a ring attached to the front of the cart bed. He locked it with a padlock. There would be no escaping on the journey.
Hopping over to the driver’s seat of the cart, Tyrone cracked his whip over the two horses that pulled the cart, and off they sped. They moved at an amazingly fast speed. Walters and Tyrone were apparently in a hurry to get as soon as possible. It was a bumpy, noisy ride. At any moment, it seemed as if they would have been thrown out of the cart if they had not been chained to it. Maria wondered more than once if the cart bed itself might give way, causing her to be dragged along the ground as Tyrone unknowingly sped on.
How long the journey took, Maria could not remember, but she knew that it was almost dark by the time the cart mercifully rattled to a halt in front of a crude wooden structure with one door and no windows. It looked as if it were built as a small tool shed, but it had been converted into a prison for new slaves. A single lantern hung by the door provided the only nearby light. A lone man with missing teeth guarded at the entrance.
Tyrone produced a key from his pocket, unlocked the padlock, and forced all three of the still-chained women into the shack. He undid their chains, warned them not to try to escape or they would shot, and left, closing the door behind him. With an ominous click, they heard the same padlock that had held them to the cart now seal them into their jail.
In the dim light that was available before the door closed, neither Maria nor the women noticed any furniture. The floor consisted of about six inches of packed straw, and one by one, the women found a comfortable place to lie down. The other two women fell asleep quickly, but sleep eluded Maria for several hours as she wrestled with the despair of being separated from Alejandro and Emilia.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 9, pt. I

Here is the first of the two parts I have so far of Chapter 9. I will try to get the rest of it written over Labor Day weekend, and then I am going to put this story on hiatus until after soccer season because I do not have time right now to write more. Enjoy the first part!

Chapter 9 – The Escape

Williams, Alejandro, and Roderick stared at each other in shock. Williams managed to recover his voice first. “Did she say what her name was?” he asked.
“No,” replied his son, “she didn’t, but she’s waiting in your office for you.”
“All right,” Williams said, still dazed at the revelation, “I’ll go talk with her.” He invited Alejandro to come along, saying only that there was a runaway slave that he wanted Alejandro to meet.
They climbed the short flight of steps that led into the house, pushed open the white doors, and went to Williams’ office. As they entered the office, they saw the tall form of a woman, standing with her back to them and staring out over the fields.
Williams stopped just inside the door to his office. “Señora,” he said in Spanish, “I am Colonel Williams, the owner of this estate. My son told me that you wish to speak with me.”
“Yes,” replied the woman in Spanish as she turned around. She was a beautiful woman of no more than thirty. Her dark brown hair hung past her shoulders. Her face seemed tired, as one who had just traveled through many trials but had finally found a resting place.
“I wanted to speak with you…” She trailed off, unable to finish her thought. She had seen Alejandro.
“Alejandro?” she cried excitedly.
“Maria!” exclaimed Alejandro, running over to her. They embraced as only reunited lovers long-separated could.
“How did you get here?” Maria asked in amazement after a minute of the two enjoying each other’s presence.
“That is what I wanted to ask you,” replied Alejandro.
“Well, it is a long story, and I really need to talk with the Colonel a minute…”
“That’s fine,” Williams interrupted, “take your time, Maria. I want to hear your story, too. We’ve been searching for you for several days now. I’m amazed that you are here.”
“I am more amazed that Alejandro is here,” responded Maria. “I thought that I would never see him again after we were separated in the market.”
“We might never have seen each other,” Alejandro said, “if Colonel Williams had not redeemed me from the man who bought me.”
“That is why I am here,” replied Maria. “I heard one of the other slaves talking about a man who redeemed slaves from their owners and then allowed them to work for him, free of slavery. Are you that man, Colonel?”
“I am,” Williams answered, “and I have papers here from Mr. Walters – the man who bought you – that transfer your services to me. You are now in my care. You and Alejandro are welcome to stay here as long as you wish.”
“Thank you!” Maria and Alejandro said in unison. They looked lovingly at each other afterwards, and the conversation lapsed into silence for a brief period of time.
“Maria,” Williams finally asked, “would you be willing to tell us now how you escaped from Mr. Walters?”
“I would be glad to,” answered Maria. “We should sit, though, because this is a long story.”
Williams pulled together three chairs, and all three sat down.
“It all started,” Maria began, “on the day that I was sold to Mr. Walters…”

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 8, pt. V

Upon arriving, they found that Walters had indeed returned. He stood face to face with a tall, scrawny man with a sunburned complexion, disheveled hair, and missing teeth. From the postures of the two men, Williams could tell that Walters was ferociously rebuking the unkempt man.
As the cart pulled up, Walters ceased his verbal battering of the unfortunate man long enough to greet Williams and company. “Any success on your hunt, Colonel?”
Williams shook his head. “Unfortunately not. We tried to see if she had passed by the bridge on the edge of town, but there are no clues that she has.”
“Well, my men are still searching out east. They hadn’t found anything when I left them ten minutes ago. I just got back here myself and was questioning Neol about this woman’s disappearance. So far, he hasn’t been too forthcoming.”
“I’d a-gladly tell you all that you wanted to know, Mr. Walters,” replied Neol. He spoke with a thick country accent that had a slight lisp due to his missing teeth, “but you ain’t let me get so much as a single word in.”
“Quiet, fool!” Walters bellowed, raising his right hand as if he were going to hit the slave. “You only speak when I ask you questions, is that understood?”
“Yes, Mr. Walters,” Neol responded automatically, dropping his eyes to the ground.
“Now, explain to me how it is that you mishandled your duties and let that cursed woman escape!” thundered Walters.
“Well, sir,” Neol said hesitantly, clearly searching for just the right words that would appease his master’s vast anger to some degree, “I was a-standin’ guard just the way Tyrone and you has taught me, and the woman said that she needed to visit the bathroom. Well, I a-told there weren’t no way that I was about to let her get out of that there place because Mr. Walters had given me strict orders that she was to remain right there.
“Well, she done got this horrible, sad look in her eyes, and I thought she was break down and bawl right there on the spot. ‘Please, sir,’ she said in a sobbin’ voice, ‘let me go. I will be back quickly, but I must go now.’ Then she gave me the most pathetic look I’ve done seen since that time when I was a kid and my puppy wanted some extra food from me. Man, that was a good dog, was old Pontrus. Why, did you know that he…”
Walters glared at Neol in a way that made it clear he was not interested in the exploits of “old Pontrus”.
“Anyway,” continued Neol, “I guess you could say I got a soft side for ladies, especially ones that’s gotten themselves in trouble. I knew this woman was in some sort of awful pain because I’d a-heard her bawlin’ all through the week. So, I figured I could be nice for once and do her a favor.
“Well, I go to unlock the door, pull it open, and the next thing I know, wham! I get hit in the back of the neck with some sort of devilish punch. It must-a knocked me out cold, ‘cause the next I remember is wakin’ up on the ground with a terrible pain in my head and the woman I was a-supposed to guard gone!”
“And that’s when you immediately took off after her instead of notifying someone of her escape?” queried Walters, his anger in no way appeased by the story.
“Well,” Neol hesitated, “yes, sir, I – I didn’t know quite what to do. Ain’t never had no one escape on me before. I quickly went towards the creek ‘cause I figured if I was a-runnin’ away, that’s the route I would-a taken. There, I saw her foot marks in the mud, and I jumped on over and started sprintin’ after her.”
“How long were you searching before Tyrone found you and sent you back here?”
“I don’t rightly know, but it must-a been no more than an hour or so.”
“Which means she had nearly a two hour head start,” muttered Walters to himself. He shouted out to one his nearby servants to come take charge of Neol. “Put him in the cell that previously held the crying woman,” he ordered, “and see to it that he does not escape. I will deal with him later.”
The slave nodded and led the loquacious Neol away.
Walters turned to Williams, who had just finished explaining what had happened to Alejandro. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, gentlemen,” Walters said, “but Neol clearly hasn’t done job well. If he had been a little more astute, none of this would have happened.”
“There is not much that he could have done,” Alejandro countered with Williams translating for him. “My wife is very clever at getting her way. If she had not succeeded with Neol, she would have waited and tricked another of your guards.”
Walters responded, “Well, if you say so. Now, gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take care of some other business affairs. You may show yourselves off of my property. Please understand that I mean you no ill intent when I say that I never wish to see you again.”
He turned and was about to storm off when Williams called after him. “Mr. Walters, what about the paperwork for this missing woman?”
Walters spun around slowly. “What about it?” he asked menacingly.
“You had promised,” answered Williams calmly, “that you would write a letter to your lawyer asking him to write up papers that would transfer the services of this woman to me.”
Walters rolled his eyes slightly. “True,” he said through clenched teeth, “I did. Well, if you will follow me to my office, I will write the letter; you can take it to my lawyer. He’ll take care of it from there.” He walked into the building and Williams followed him in.
Five minutes later, Williams emerged alone with a sealed envelope that indicated Walters’ lawyer as its recipient. Climbing on the cart, Williams let Roderick drive back to town. In town, they stopped briefly at the lawyer’s office, which was a block north and a block west of the road that ran over the eastern bridge.
Upon returning to the cart, Roderick asked, “Where to now, sir?”
“Home to Providence,” replied Williams, “just long enough to organize everyone into search parties. We are going to search for this woman for as long as it takes to find her.”
“And do you think that we’ll find her, sir?”
“I do, but it may not be easy. I’m going to working out the details of how the search is going to work as we ride back to Providence.”
Roderick snapped the reins and made a clicking sound to the horse pulling the cart, and the horse sprang forward, pulling the cart behind it all the way to Providence.
The sun was sinking nearer to the horizon by the time the cart arrived back at the south gate to the estate. There to greet it stood Jayson and José.
Jayson smiled warmly, “Welcome, home, Dad. I didn’t expect to beat you here. What have you three been up to?”
Before Williams could respond, José said excitedly, “Colonel, there is another guest, but perhaps I should let Jayson tell you more about her.”
“Another guest?” a perplexed Williams asked. “Do you mean Darla?”
“No, Dad,” answered Jayson, “it’s a runaway slave who came here seeking you in order to be bought out of slavery. I didn’t know you did that sort of thing. What have you been up to these past few weeks?”
“I’ll tell you more about it later,” Williams replied. “Right now, I want to talk to this runaway slave. Where can I find him?”
“I’ll take you there right now,” said Jayson. “Oh, and Dad, it’s not a him; it’s a her, a tall, slender, Cuban woman.”

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 8, pt. IV

I'll try to keep posting twice a week -- Wednesday and Saturday, but there will be occasional interruptions. Here is the fourth (of five) part of Chapter 8.

Williams, Roderick, and Alejandro climbed back into the cart and made their way back to the main road. From there, they turned headed back towards town. Although they figured that Maria would probably have taken a westward course through the wooded area that lay north of Walters’ land, Williams knew that she would eventually have had to have left the woods and found a way to cross the river that stood on the edge of town.
“The only way she could do that, really,” explained Williams, “is to have gone to the bridge that lies right along the main road. Our starting point should be that bridge. We can ask people if they’ve seen Maria and then work our way backwards until we pick up her trail.”
“Do you think we’ll be able to pick up her trail at all, sir,” asked Roderick, “if Alejandro’s right about how good she is at avoiding capture?”
“I don’t know, but we’ve got to try.”
They arrived at the bridge, an unimpressive concrete-and-steel structure that led over the small river that marked the eastern edge of town. The bridge itself curved upward to a peak as it made its way over the river valley, peaking seven feet above its starting point before dropping back down to the other side. At some point, this river had been considered navigable, but irrigation and drier weather in the past forty years had ceased to make traversable by any but the smallest of boats. Thirty-five feet below the bridge ran the river, a narrow ribbon of quiet water that leisurely wound its way down to the Atlantic, becoming a mighty river by the time it arrived. From across the river, high up on the opposite bank, sat the town. People bustled about busily as the noon hour approached, many heading back to their homes for lunch.
Williams drove the cart over the bridge and found a convenient hitching post just on the far side. Tying up the horse, he and Roderick climbed out and began to talk with the people passing by. Their questioning met with little success.
“A Cuban woman, you say,” asked an older man, whose vision clearly was fading. “I haven’t seen anyone like around here in many days; course, I haven’t much of anything too clearly in the past couple of years.”
“I’m just passing through and haven’t seen anyone,” replied the local tailor to Roderick’s questioning. “I’m on my way to try to find someone to repair the axle on my cart. I had to swerve off the road to keep from running over an old man in a mule cart, and I think I damaged my axle in the process. It broke on me after I had traveled about a mile from town.”
A busy mother with two rambunctious children in two provided them with a slight hint. “I may have seen someone like that (Timmy, get back here with Mommy, okay), but I’m not sure. (Suzzie, get up out of the dirt.) I saw a lot of people go by me today, and I’ve had my hands full, as you can see. (We’ll get home in a minute, Suz; I’m trying to help this man find a friend of his.) Sorry I can’t be of more help, but I have to get these two back home before they get any more cranky. (Timmy, put the frog down and get back here immediately!) If you’ll excuse me, Colonel…”
After an hour of intense questioning and searching, a dejected Williams and Roderick returned to the cart, discussing the different conversations. As they neared the cart, they noticed that Alejandro was not there. “Oh, no,” Williams sighed in frustration, “where has he gone to this time?”
His question was answered moments later by the appearance of Alejandro over the crown of the bridge. He walked slowly, clearly pondering a dilemma. He held a small scrap of blue cloth in his hand.
“Where did you go, Alejandro?” Williams demanded in Spanish.
“I was bored,” answered the Cuban, “so I walked back over the bridge to see if I could find anything on the other side. I looked in the plants on the edges of the road, and I found this laying on the ground.” He held up the cloth, a deep blue material in a ragged state of repair. “Maria wore a dress of about this color,” he continued, “a week ago at the market. This could be hers. Maybe she got it caught on some thorns and had to tear this piece away to free herself.”
“Let me see it,” requested Williams. After examining it, he said, “It could be. Can you show me where you found it?”
Alejandro led Williams and Roderick back over the bridge. As they arrived on the far bank, he turned to the left and led them down into a ditch that ran along the side for drainage. Within the ditch grew several small, prickly bushes that seemed to delight in snagging any who dared walk near them. They scoured the area, hoping to find some sign of recent activity in the area.
Finally, Roderick found something on the edge of the gully near the road: tire tracks from a heavily-loaded cart. Apparently, some sort of shipping cart had strayed briefly from the road and beaten down the grass. As they looked at the tire tracks, the wind gusted and what looked like brightly-colored leaves fluttered up from among the prickly bushes before settling again.
Williams quickly grabbed a couple of them out of the bushes. As he did so, he gave a cry of disappointment. “So much for our hope of someone hiding here,” he lamented. In his hand he held two scraps of cloth, one red and one yellow, both lavishly bright, but clearly made of a similar material to the one Alejandro had found. “Maria wasn’t wearing either of these colors, was she, Alejandro?”
Alejandro shook his head but did not say a word.
“Where could all of these pieces of cloth have come from?” wondered Williams out loud, meaning his question to be rhetorical.
“I think I know, sir,” Roderick answered. “Remember the tailor I told you about? He mentioned that he had to swerve off of the road to avoid someone. Could these fabric pieces be scraps from his cart?”
“I suppose so,” responded Williams sadly. “From these other pieces, anyway, it seems to me that what Alejandro found is not going to be of any help to us.”
The three men returned to the road and walked back into town. Just as they arrived back at their cart, they could faintly hear the town clock striking half past the hour. “It’s 2:30,” observed Williams; “let’s head back to Walters’ plantation to see if he’s back there or had any success. Maybe we were wrong to think that Maria came this way.”
They climbed into the cart and rode quietly back to Walters’ estate.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 8, pt. III

Here is the next part, as promised.

Williams nodded and translated the question and his answer to keep Alejandro in the conversation. “I do. I’m guessing that Alejandro’s wife – Maria – probably started east as a ruse to confuse her pursuers. I can’t imagine that someone as knowledgeable in escape and evasion as she is would intentionally leave footprints that clearly marked her path unless it was divert her captors. She’s probably changed course and is heading somewhere else now.”
“But where would she go?” Alejandro asked.
“I’m not sure,” answered Williams, “but the first direction that I’m going to search is back towards town. If she put false tracks to the east, then it seems logical that she would head in the opposite direction.”
“Wouldn’t she expect her pursuers to try that as well?” Roderick questioned.
“No,” replied Williams, “I don’t think so. She knew that they saw her as a lost, confused foreigner. I’m sure that they’ve underestimated her ability to evade them.”
Before he could say any more, Walters rode up on a horse, a tall, imposing charger, dark brown with a black mane. It stamped the ground and looked every bit as fiery as its master. Walters controlled the horse with the skill of a master horseman.
“I’m going to check up on my men out east,” he said. “Are you all going to come with me?”
“No,” answered Williams, “we’re going to head out to the west, back towards town in case she headed back that way.”
Walters gave Williams a surprised look. “If you really think that’s a good idea, Colonel, then go ahead, but based off of the tracks we found in the stream, I don’t think you’ll find anything.”
“We’ll still try that way,” said Williams, “just in case.”
“Very well,” Walters responded flatly, “if you want to waste your time, then go right ahead. If you get tired of your goose chase and want to join us, come back here and wait for me. I’m going to search for a couple of hours, but I have better things to do than search for a runaway. I’ll see you later this afternoon, Colonel.” With a yell, he firmly kicked his horse in its sides and galloped away on it to the east.

Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 8, pt. II

Sorry, I'm a day late. Here's the next part of Chapter 8. The next part will not be posted until Sunday at the earliest. With the school year and soccer season starting, I am not sure how much more I will post. It all depends on how busy my schedule is and how much more I can write.

Williams stared at Alejandro. “Your wife is a spy?” he asked in irritation and disbelief.
“She was, but she is not one anymore,” Alejandro answered. “She quit her spying when she joined the rebels who fight against the current government.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Williams inquired.
“It did not occur to me to mention it. We left that life behind when we fled from our farm.”
“But I thought it was the rebels who destroyed your farm,” Williams protested.
“One group did, Señor, because they did not know that she had joined another party of the rebellion.”
“We’re wasting time,” Walters growled, “How do we find her?”
“I am not sure that you can,” replied Alejandro. “She knows how to hide in any cover, and she can survive for days in the country without being seen by anyone.”
“And we’re surrounded by thick forest,” Walters added in dejection. “So, we have no hope of finding her, then?”
“None.”
“Unless,” interrupted Williams, “we can figure out where she might be headed. Do you know, Alejandro, why she might have waited until today to run away? Why not flee sooner?”
“I do not know. Perhaps she was waiting for me to come find her and finally gave up, but I cannot imagine her giving up so easily.”
“Mr. Walters,” Williams asked, “can you think of any reason why she might have run away?”
“No, Colonel,” replied Walters, “I can’t, unless…” He paused in thought for several seconds. “…unless it was because of my insistence that she starting working for me,” he finished. “I had grown tired of her constant refusals to do even simple household chores. I don’t keep servants around who aren’t doing any good. I told that if she didn’t shape up and start working me, then I was going to make life unpleasant for her. I pulled out the whip and cracked it a few times over her just to make the point.”
As soon as Williams had finished his translation of this, Alejandro jumped out of the cart straight at Walters, calling him several foul names in Spanish and pummeling him with ferocious punches. Williams and Roderick quickly leaped off the cart and restrained him before he did any serious damage to Walters.
“Your friend here has a fiery temper, Colonel,” observed Walters rubbing the newly-forming bruise on his right cheek. “You’d best take care of him before he finds himself in serious trouble. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see how the search party is forming.”
“Let us come with you, Mr. Walters,” Williams requested. “We might be able to help you with the search.”
“What do you think you can do?”
“I was in the military at one time,” replied Williams, “and I know a little bit about escape and evasion. I might be able to give your searchers some ideas of where to look. Besides, even if you do track her down, she’s not going to come back here willingly. Let Alejandro go along. He might be able to convince her to come quietly.”
“Besides, there’s still the matter of us taking her from you,” added Roderick.
“If we can find her,” Walters responded, “she’s all yours. I’ll write a letter to my lawyer to have the papers drawn up, and I’ll send it in later today.”
Just as Walters finished speaking, Tyrone ran up. “Mr. Walters,” he said, huffing, “I’ve organized every available man to go search the country side. And Neol is not around. I’m guessing he’s gone after that woman. There are two sets of footprints in the mud along the stream. It looks like they both crossed over it and headed east, away from town.”
“Head that way,” ordered Walters, “follow him, and quickly!”
Tyrone nodded and ran off to lead the search team.
“Gentlemen,” Walters said with obvious frustration, “if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to have my stableman get a horse ready for me to ride. I’ll be back in a minute.” He stormed off to the stables.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Roderick spoke. “Quite an interesting man, this Mr. Walters,” he said ironically. He paused before asking, “Colonel, do you have a plan in mind for the search?”