Short Stories

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He found the book looking through the attic. He had come because his great grandfather died. James' great grandmother had also died a few years before. His great grandfather's funeral was two weeks ago to the day. The time for emotions had died down, or so he thought.

His grandmother and mother had asked him to look through the things in the attic to see if there were things that he wanted. They had decided to continue the process that his great grandfather started. About a year ago he began selling many of the things he'd taken years to accumulate. He was a collector of sorts. A collector of sorted things might be a better phrase. Some were indeed valuable though. When Great Granddad was asked why he was selling the things he treasured, he would say things like, "I have my real treasures in another place, or soon I will be gone and I want to use my assets to help others to get to where I am going". Seventeen-year old James really didn't know what he meant when he would say something like that.

James found a few pictures he wanted to keep. This was kind of odd. Among other prized items in a box was an ordinary looking book. Its front and back cover had been torn off. The pages were worn thin. There were several thicker pages at the back that said "Notes". He began to read them.


"To whom it may concern.
I am a high official in Fidel Castro's government system.

There is a reason this book has no cover. Fidel saw fit to remove the front and back covers. They were made of valuable leather, which could be sold for making handbags. The remaining parts of the books were supposed to be completely destroyed. I decided however to keep a couple out of curiosity. I could have been killed for this. At that time, I did not care much for living or dying."

"As I read through this book I found out many things that I had never known. Some of it made sense some did not. I sought out some others who I thought might know more about the book. I could not do this openly I had to be very careful..."


James felt his heart racing. He loved reading mysteries and adventure novels. This was beginning to sound like one of those. The writing became somewhat less legible as it went on as if the person also was writing faster or getting more exited.


"It took me quite a while to find the right people who knew what I was looking for. Finally I understood the most important parts of it. I made my decision. I am now willing to die for the secrets it contains. It is possible this copy may be found and destroyed as I was told to do. There are other copies though. Some were even hand copied."

"We want the world to know what it contains. It took my new friends some time to trust me being the high official that I am. They told me of others who had indeed died because of the secrets contained in this book. I think I recognized one of the names of my fellow countrymen. I may even have played a part in the execution. This is something that grieved me greatly."



James stood up from where he'd been sitting; he leaned against the windowsill so that he could see better with the light shining in the window.


"These were not intended to be secrets but Castro would like them to be. He went to incredible lengths to contain them. It is too important to be contained even with Castro's power. Its realities must be told. I learned that several other people throughout history have chosen to die for similar reasons. Some are recorded in these pages. I made my decision. I risked my position and my life to get these things out. I hope who ever finds this book and reads what it contains truly understands the reason I have made that decision."


James' hands were now trembling and he could hear his breathing. He flipped back to the front of the book. There were chapters of the book listed. Some looked like names, other words he couldn't pronounce. This was odd one of the chapters was his own name. He turned the next page and ran his finger across the black, bold letters. Could this be what the person spoke of dying for? He turned one more page and began reading.


...In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.


In that small, overcrowded, and dusty attic another great adventure was just beginning. One soul that had lived unashamedly for Christ had now stretched across time and space to inspire another.





Author's note: A few of the elements and realism of this story were influenced by true accounts read over the years from Voice of the Martyrs organization, which has served Christians in difficult areas for over thirty-five years. (www.persecution.com)

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