SOUL SABBATH SYNOPSIS Even as a child, Mieszko’s parents knew there was something not quite right about the boy, and when they saw him drawing a picture of a woman with wolf-like characteristics, they were convinced he was “unsound” and handed him over to the local Benedictine monastery, abandoning him forever. Mieszko would spend the rest of his life in that monastery until one day he simply vanished without a trace. Though he took his vows very seriously, he could no longer maintain his silence when an epiphany came to him that certain scriptures were not gospel at all – an offense that exposed him as a heretic. Mieszko’s revelation concerned the redemption of mankind, and such heresy shook the monastery to its very foundation. Though this was a crime punishable by death, Mieszko was able to bargain for his life, but it could be argued that the punishment delivered was, in fact, worse than death. The bricks were gathered, the mortar poured, and Mieszko was confined in the tiny scriptorium and assigned the task of scribing the greatest book of his time – The Codex Gigas. Even as Mieszko dropped to his knees to enter the tomb, he could not repent of the truth he had been shown, and he began the monumental chore, not to find forgiveness, but to pay homage to his convictions. Although he was writing possessed, Mieszko knew in his heart that he could never complete this impossible task alone – not in his current form. Still, he labored, and with each stroke of the quill, he became more a part of the book, until he was absorbed into the very book itself. The book was written and its author vanished, a phantom, disappeared into the mist of the past. Three hundred and fifty nine years would pass before Mieszko resurfaced at Jamison’s bedside as the man lay dying. Throughout these years, the book changed hands many times, and during its travels, eight pages – pages that represented Mieszko’s very soul – were removed and stolen. Together, the two men would embark on a journey through time and space that would ultimately save both their lives. Unbeknownst to Jamison, his prolific body art represented a map to the various destinations in their journey, each one bringing them closer to the missing pages – Mieszko’s soul. Though the men were from opposite ends of the world and different places in time, they would forge a friendship that knew no bounds. They would cross many people in their travels and dangers unimagined, and with each victory, their bond would strengthen, profoundly changing and enriching their lives forever. BOOK OFFER If you enjoy this book and would like to donate to my writing fund in any way great or small click here Any amount that you wish to give will be rewarded with the second of the four books: Garden of Solace. Yeas that is correct. If you enjoyed Soul Sabbath and would like to read further into the lives of the mentioned characters donate to the writers fund and soon a link will be provided so that garden of Solace is made available to for you to read. Soul Sabbath CHAPTER 1 PREACH TO EVERY CREATURE CHAPTER 2 THE BOOK BEGINS CHAPTER 3 THE ACCIDENT CHAPTER 4 THE MISSING PAGES CHAPTER 5 WHAT IS A MAN’S SOUL WORTH? CHAPTER 6 INTRODUCTIONS CHAPTER 7 THE GET AWAY CHAPTER 8 MEET THE PREACHER CHAPTER 9 INTO THE WORM HOLE CHAPTER 10 INTO THE RENAISSANCE MANSION CHAPTER 11 INTERROGATIONS CHAPTER 12 IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS CHAPTER 13 THE PREACHER PRAYS CHAPTER 14 MAGIC POTIONS CHAPTER 15 PARADIGM SHIFT CHAPTER 16 GREAT DISCOVERIES CHAPTER 17 NEW BEGINNINGS CHAPTER 18 DEMON IN THE DETAILS CHAPTER 19 CHURCH OF THE CROSS CHAPTER 20 RISING FROM THE DEAD CHAPTER 21 THE HIDDEN ROOM CHAPTER 22 THINGS START TO GET WEIRD CHAPTER 23 I HAVE IT IN MY HANDS CHAPTER 24 LOOK WHO IS MISSING? CHAPTER 25 THE DEVIL’S TRAIN CHAPTER 26 THE BRAVE NEW WORLD CHAPTER 27 IN THE LAP OF LUXURY CHAPTER 28 TIC TOC CHAPTER 29 RANSACK CHAPTER 30 TRAGEDY VISITS CHAPTER 31 XAYMACA CHAPTER 32 BEING PURSUED CHAPTER 33 CAT WOMAN CHAPTER 34 IN A HURRY TO JUMP CHAPTER 35 WHERE SHUWD LIVE CHAPTER 36 THE ETERNAL FLAME CHAPTER 37 MASTER RAKOCZI CHAPTER 38 HAVE YOU MET THE POPE? CHAPTER 39 BATTLE FOR SANCTUARY CHAPTER 40 MEET THE PEOPLE OF THE MOUNTAIN CHAPTER 41 THE CHURCH IN THE ROCK CHAPTER 42 CAUGHT, TRIED, SENTENCED CHAPTER 43 NICE DAY FOR A WHITE WEDDING CHAPTER 44 THERE IS POISON IN THE POT CHAPTER 45 THE FUTURE CHAPTER 1: PREACH TO EVERY CREATURE A young preacher, a new hell. ~ Traditional Proverb On a street corner adjacent to a four-way stop, a lone charismatic holiness preacher defies his retractors and critics with a megaphone in hand, balancing a homemade “REPENT OR DIE” sign on his calloused knees. His wardrobe reflects his ancient, worn out message of, “turn or burn.” Dressed in jeans and a flannel button-up shirt, he bellows scripture toward the motorists. His congregation is anyone within the decibel of his 600-yard range amplifier. He sacrifices for the gospel’s sake, breathing in the exhaust fumes daily to proclaim his message, “if you sin, you die.” His spiritual hero is Charles Spurgeon, who was quoted as saying, “Brethren, do something; do something; do something! While societies and unions make constitutions, let us win souls. I pray of you, be men of action – all of you. Get to work, and quit yourselves like men. Old Suvarov’s idea of war is mine: ‘Forward and strike! No theory! Attack! Form a column! Charge bayonets! Plunge into the center of the enemy! Our one aim is to win souls, and this, we are not to talk about, but to do in the power of God!” The hungry patrons at the local McDonald’s burger joint across the busy intersection kindly ignore his taunts and warnings. Mothers move their children quickly from their mini-vans, ushering them inside to the Playland, so their toddlers will not be exposed to the scary old man shouting Bible verses from across the street. In some ways, they feel violated, intruded upon and offended. They are afraid that the least little word shouted by the street preacher might crawl into their children’s delicate, impressionable ears and lead them astray. They fear their children will inadvertently turn into lost sheep, turning to and fro, from field to field, and take up pasture in the occult or something worse. For most that hear the street preacher, he is no more than a pyknic overfed black raven crowing, “This is it and nothing more.” Yet, still he cries, “Repent in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins; He will make your scarlet sins white as snow and save you from a devil’s hell!” Continuing in an angry tone, his raucous voice with its inconsistencies makes him a mockery of himself. The message is not a popular one, and the new generation of young people hardly find it to be of serious merit or to be useful in solving daily matters. It is not difficult for high school teens on their way home after school to drown out his antiquated message with their loud stereos and bumping sub-woofers. The bullhorn amplifies his unidirectional voice mimicking Pink Floyd in, “Waiting for the Worms,” but he preaches on, shouting to passersby, “God loves you and has sent his only begotten Son into the world to die for you. Turn or burn, sinner, or face eternal judgment!” He competes on equal ground with the sound of traffic and those that tune him out by simply rolling up the windows of their automobiles. In truth, very few actually hear the message of contradicting hope. No more than two or three listeners gather in Jesus’ name on this asphalt church today, harmonizing in the unity of the Spirit. There is just one disturbed old man trying to save the world, one soul at a time. If his god is so grand and great – so supreme – then, how did he allow the world to become so fractured? In a world where there are lonely, elderly people in need of company and terminally ill children lying confused in hospital beds, one would think that a man of such religious conviction could find something more worthwhile and productive to contribute rather than shouting roadside condemnation to his community. But, the preacher knows that, in this one stoplight town, pure evil exists. Every trailer park cultivates its poisons of crystal-meth, domestic violence and heartache, among other unmentionables. There are so many once voluptuous high school beauty queens who are now haggard, anorexic “Tweakers” with missing teeth, orange hair and leather skin that manifest the years of abuse. Most of the football heroes have not faired much better; many are bitter, middle-aged men working on their second or third marriages. They are balding with “in denial” comb-overs and waistlines rolling over the very Wrangler jeans that fit loosely just a couple of buffets ago. Once revered by the whole town, they are like straw dogs, trampled, used up and, their glory forgotten, are no longer good for much of anything. On the other hand, there are others who took a different path in life and turned out smelling peachy. Now, they are involved in positive affairs within the community. Some work in local government and schools, while others volunteer their services to community projects.