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Short Stories




Old Brindle by Nathaniel A Miller A story of my Great Grandmother in Cica 1936 rescuing the family cow, their only source of milk dur... [1,559 words]
Ethel by Ekaterina Alexandrova Ethel by Kate Alexander. A man's struggle with his emotional demons finally ends in death of his much be... [1,407 words]
The Old Man by Tony De Lima A story on the end of a great man's life. [775 words]
My First Lifeline by Joe Pena The true story of a young boy who learns the greatest life lesson from his grandfather. Publ... [1,774 words]
Alone In Blood by Christina Aspears A girl is on a bus to see her parents. Little does she know, there's a surprise waiting for her.... [2,212 words]
The News by J Shartzer A young woman tells her husband she is expecting. [361 words]
Closet Space (Revised) by J Shartzer A teenage girl learns her father's dark secret... [2,498 words]
The Slaughterhouse Electric H2o by Stuart Eric Longridge A walk in my reality. [1,312 words]
The Mysterious Stars by Somdev Mukherjee A short story about Akash's quest for knowing about the heavens and his enlightenment. [859 words]
Words To Die For... by Harvey Kennett The story of one man's obsession with words.... [571 words]
Whittlin' by Gypsey Teague Even the dead need company from time to time. Daryl learned the hard way that friends are often for ... [959 words]
What A Bad Day! by Emma The Apprenticeserialkiller It is a bad day today. Note - Skippy is a person. [1,598 words]
Viewing Essential by Geoff Nelder New job, new town and a completey bizarre set of new problems for teacher John Forrister. Wha... [3,744 words]
The Stairs Of Woman Hill (Phnom Srei) by E Rocco Caldwell It's time we brought home all our missing Americans from the Vietnam War.... [1,208 words]
The Rear View Mirror by Brotherman A story about a man who blew his chances in life. [2,427 words]
The Old Man And The Tree by James T Algo A remembered incident at a Christmas tree lot where a young man worked as a young man. [2,213 words]
The Last Revelation by Harvey Kennett An alternative look at when we die... [883 words]
The Honor Of A Lady by Susan Brassfield Cogan Steel is drawn when the honor of a lady is besmirched. [321 words]
The Fallen Arc by Brotherman A story about a Brother with no excuses. Absolutely no excuses. [2,319 words]
Somewhere Else Than Here by Krige Van Rensburg This is a fast-paced story that beheads dull moments. (For lack of a better phrase) [3,361 words]
Not In My Name The Conclusion by E Rocco Caldwell He confronts the fireman in death that couldn't save him in life. The fireman hop... [1,402 words]
Not In My Name Part 1 by E Rocco Caldwell A spirit from the terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers must let go of the living in... [2,458 words]
New T.V. by Evilderry A brief glimpse into a married couple's decision to buy a new tv. [2,178 words]
Mr Brown, A Mentoring Tale by Brotherman A story to all of my mentors, who were better men than my father ever was. [2,972 words]
Manborg Menace by Randy Johnson An intelligent alien and his girlfriend travel to thirty-first century Earth and help the humans... [2,786 words]
Love's In Need Of Love Today by Brotherman A story about a grandmother and her grandson. [2,655 words]
License by Shelley J Alongi Aviation Story 14. Will Andrew ever get to hear the news that his niece has gotten her private pilot's... [2,947 words]
Ike And Lou's Barbershop by Brotherman A story dedicated to Sam and terry's barbershop in Tacoma washington. [2,842 words]
Forgive Us Our Debts...Part2 by E Rocco Caldwell - [1,525 words]
Forgive Us Of Our Debts So We Can Be Debt Free by E Rocco Caldwell A gunman owes a debt that he's come to town to pay in the old we... [1,241 words]
Forgive Us Of Our Debts...Part 3 by E Rocco Caldwell A company of US soldiers block Coltrane's way into Topeka but going around isn... [1,274 words]
Forgive Us Of Our Debts...Finale by E Rocco Caldwell This ends the first two chapters of the Novel I hope you enjoy it. [1,472 words]
Finality by Lissa N Metz-Gomez - [727 words]
Emerald Green by Emma The Apprenticeserialkiller Someone life is ruined. [1,924 words]
Egalitarianism by E Rocco Caldwell We must pay for the sins of our enculturation that tells us we own the world one way or another. [750 words]
Don't Kill Mother! by Stoyan Valev A story by Stoyan Valev, Translated from Bulgarian by: Nevena Pascaleva. [4,706 words]
Bloody Mary by E Rocco Caldwell Sometimes slumber parties games can get the best of you. [564 words]
Abilene And Beyond by E Rocco Caldwell Further adventures of Bob Coltrane's war against the railroad in the Old West. [932 words]
A Requiem For Ruby Ellen Daniels by Brotherman A short story dedicated to my grandmother. [4,307 words]
A Rainy Night In Baghdad by Susan Brassfield Cogan This rain is the piss of Satan! [812 words]
A Father And Son Chat by E Rocco Caldwell Are racists born or are they made? [278 words]
What Lies Beneath The White by Alyssa Vonputtputt The Tooth Fairy. Those three words can mean a lot to one person, a little to anothe... [701 words]
Under The Full Of The Moon by Norman A Rubin A love goddess looking for new seed for the renewal of life. [1,771 words]
Uncle Willie's Gift by Frank Dunsmore An old Greek regrets he never did more with his life. He wants to give money to his church ... [3,317 words]
The Reckoning Zone
The Conductor by E Rocco Caldwell What exactly is death? Is it the release of our spirits or just the recycle of energy? One person... [920 words]
The Character by Sheryl Hanna This is a story about a woman who is an author who has previously written a story about a vampire... [1,673 words]
Sirens by E Rocco Caldwell - [682 words]
Pick A Pocket Of Sunshine by Susan Brassfield Cogan What a beautiful day for petty crime! [379 words]
One More Highway Song by E Rocco Caldwell Racial hatred can burn both ways and be all consuming no matter what color your skin is! ... [3,735 words]
Life, Death, And A Guitar by Susan Brassfield Cogan Life can turn on a dime and sometimes the guitar doesn't make it. [480 words]
C.C.'ed by Tom Scanlon A salmon engineer returns home from work to find his wife is cheating on him with . . . him. "Why does ... [1,929 words]
Cassius-The-Leg, Part Two by Buxton After an encounter with wild shop owner Dargeta, our young furry friend is in recover... [369 words]
Cassius The Leg, Part Three by Buxton Cassius had faced death at least 17 times, but his life was more under threat than ... [543 words]
Behind The Wheel by Harvey Kennett Tirenedness kills...take a break ! [556 words]
Another Crummy Day by Chris Flynn A seventh grader's view of a school day. [2,158 words]
Algolagnic by E Rocco Caldwell What happens when you replace total pain with total pleasure? One woman is about to find out! [2,768 words]
Alchemist. by Durlabh Singh Short story with Indian settings. [1,187 words]
A Caustic Silence Amidst No�l by Benjamin Allen Hale A short suspense story. This was written inspired by my friend Winny. The story... [1,489 words]

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TITLE (EDIT)
The Reckoning Zone
DESCRIPTION
A place we all must give a reckoning for the deeds you have done.
[491 words]
AUTHOR
E Rocco Caldwell
ABOUT THE AUTHOR



[April 2005]
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (124)
58th And L (Poetry) Becoming a man [95 words] [Drama]
A City Pineapple (Poetry) - [117 words]
A Fair Brown Maiden (Poetry) - [155 words] [Erotic]
A Father And Son Chat (Short Stories) Are racists born or are they made? [278 words]
A Good Vision Demands Keen Insight (Essays) This is a part of a larger work entitled the New Union Standard. [1,302 words] [History]
A Grand New Age2 (Novels) The final chapter of a middle reader novel I am about to submit. [1,531 words] [Fantasy]
A Matter Of Faith (Novels) This is a small section of a piece I'm tossing about entittled "Calling all Angels". [408 words] [Fantasy]
A New Iraq- Repost (Poetry) For the brave Iraqis who chose liberty over fear and voted in the first democratic election ever! [45 words]
A Peaceful Sabbath (Short Stories) A reflection on modern times. [915 words] [Psychology]
A Seattle Dawn (Poetry) - [41 words]
A Sense Of Timing (Short Stories) - [564 words]
A Shooting In Iraq---Part Two (Short Stories) The special opts his ranger squad conducted was illegal and may have resulted in the death of a teenaged girl. [400 words] [Crime]
Abilene And Beyond (Short Stories) Further adventures of Bob Coltrane's war against the railroad in the Old West. [932 words] [Western]
Algolagnic (Short Stories) What happens when you replace total pain with total pleasure? One woman is about to find out! [2,768 words] [Fantasy]
Appomattox (Poetry) What is love can be domination too! [23 words] [Drama]
At A Wto Rally (Short Stories) - [853 words] [Fantasy]
At A Wto Rally 4 (Short Stories) Joe confront the internal workings of the consortium. [723 words] [Fantasy]
At A Wto Rally (Part Three) (Short Stories) Joe gets his first lesson as to what is the consortium. [435 words] [Fantasy]
B B C (Poetry) I just love the English accents.... [70 words] [Humor]
Back Page News (Short Stories) The thoughts of a dying US soldier on the road to baghdad. [805 words] [Drama]
Bird In The Hand (Short Stories) Gothic story of two men on a battlefield dealing with racism. [5,695 words] [Mystical]
Blackout-Part One (Short Stories) A detective that suffers from alcoholic blackouts is hired to discover the affair of a client's wife... [1,140 words] [Mystery]
Bloody Mary (Short Stories) Sometimes slumber parties games can get the best of you. [564 words] [Horror]
Business Card (Short Stories) Madness can be in a simple telephone call. [723 words] [Thriller]
Cascading (Poetry) - [57 words]
Clean Things..Part 2 (Short Stories) Brenda is horribly murdered and the police think it's Ryan who did the deed. [570 words] [Crime]
Clean Things...Part 3 (Short Stories) Ryan is surprised when the person he believe did the murder ends up murdered himself. [578 words] [Crime]
Clean Things...Part One (Short Stories) Unchecked desire can lead a man to the dirty things in humanity. [463 words] [Crime]
Clean Things...The Conclusion (Short Stories) There's one thing with being right...being dead wrong! [734 words] [Crime]
Colloquium Part Two (Short Stories) Ryder arrives at Moon Base George W. Bush in the 21st century. [349 words] [Science Fiction]
Colloquium...Part One (Short Stories) Inhabitants on a planet prepares to travel in time in order to save their own world [431 words] [Science Fiction]
Colloquy (Poetry) - [37 words]
Comatose (Poetry) - [92 words]
Cool Moonlight Outside My Hospital Door (Poetry) Ponder life as death lingers [86 words]
Droit Du Seigneur (Poetry) - [98 words]
During A Nursing Home Visit (Poetry) A poem of reflection. [92 words]
Egalitarianism (Short Stories) We must pay for the sins of our enculturation that tells us we own the world one way or another. [750 words] [Fantasy]
Equivocation (Novels) The Sage of Scarbourgh is more powerful than Rye thought. [748 words] [Fantasy]
Equivocation Part 2 (Novels) Rye and the sage confront each other. [822 words] [Fantasy]
Fear Of Water (Short Stories) What's is in out drinking water anyways? [637 words]
Fighter (Short Stories) In a moment of weakness one can find strength to endure. [561 words] [Drama]
Forgive Us Of Our Debts So We Can Be Debt Free (Short Stories) A gunman owes a debt that he's come to town to pay in the old west. [1,241 words] [Western]
Forgive Us Of Our Debts...Finale (Short Stories) This ends the first two chapters of the Novel I hope you enjoy it. [1,472 words] [Western]
Forgive Us Of Our Debts...Part 3 (Short Stories) A company of US soldiers block Coltrane's way into Topeka but going around isn't an option. What's a man to do....? [1,274 words] [Western]
Forgive Us Our Debts Part 5 (Novels) Confrontation between two of Coltrane's gang and Lincoln Washington. [1,022 words] [Western]
Forgive Us Our Debts...Part2 (Short Stories) - [1,525 words] [Western]
Form A Vision To Success (Essays) This is a speech I am going to give to Junior High Schoolers today 1/16/04 for Martin Luther King Jr day. [759 words] [Self-Help]
Freedom Riders Of 1966 (Poetry) After a rally in a southern town in 1966 four SNCC kids are heading back to Vermont. [83 words]
Gambling (Poetry) - [100 words]
Gay Marriage Is Constitutional (Essays) - [807 words]
Georgia Peaches (Novels) This is a portion of a novel I'm working on. [963 words]
Global Part Four (Short Stories) Some clones are like bad pennies...they keep turning up even when you don't want them to! [610 words] [Science Fiction]
Global Part One (Short Stories) It's in the near future and human organs are in great demand...to make money you have to get them anyway you can. [655 words] [Science Fiction]
Global Part Three (Short Stories) Clones can bleed and have emotions and what's worst they can have babies..... [792 words] [Science Fiction]
Global Part Two (Short Stories) One way around the problem of made organs and real organs is a line straight line! [585 words] [Science Fiction]
Hanging With Jack Day (Poetry) Jack Day was a friend of mine who shot himself one afternoon....at times I think of him. [182 words]
Heaven And Earth (Poetry) A poem about life and death. [75 words]
Hell (Poetry) - [181 words] [Spiritual]
If There Are Two (Poetry) - [59 words]
Instincts (Short Stories) A young reformed gang member is trying to just survive the night and make it home. [3,398 words]
Laborer (Poetry) - [86 words]
Lady America (Poetry) - [146 words]
Lead In Walls (Poetry) - [72 words]
Love Ended A Long Time Past (Poetry) Another poem in my series of the usage of sunlight [97 words]
Madness In The Dark (Short Stories) Insanity creeps up the spine of a shunned lover during a blackout in New York. [660 words] [Psychology]
My Cat (Poetry) What exactly is a habit any ways? [135 words]
Mystery (Novels) A Private eye and Catholic Priest attempt to find out what is really behind New Orleans. [888 words] [Mystery]
Mystery Part2 (Novels) The seeds of voodoo grow in New Orleans. [605 words] [Crime]
New Iraq (Poetry) Repost of a poem I did yesterday. [45 words]
Not In My Name Part 1 (Short Stories) A spirit from the terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers must let go of the living in order to cross over with the dead. But he is held to the living by the revenge of love ones. [2,458 words]
Not In My Name The Conclusion (Short Stories) He confronts the fireman in death that couldn't save him in life. The fireman hopes he can convince him to let go of the living and embrace heaven and finally peace! [1,402 words] [Fantasy]
One More Highway Song (Short Stories) Racial hatred can burn both ways and be all consuming no matter what color your skin is! One eight year boy learns one night during the Newark Riots in 69 [3,735 words] [Drama]
Pieces Of The Pie (Novels) This is the first three pages of a novel I am just about finished with...it is 189 pages in length and is targeting high school readers. [650 words] [Science Fiction]
Place's End (Poetry) This is an old one I posted a while ago but thought I would re-write it and re-submit it. [137 words]
Poltergeist Inc. Part One (Short Stories) One corporation has figured out how to defeat it's competitors...cut all energy cost and convert to seemingly endless energy....there's a catch...ghosts [683 words] [Science Fiction]
Poltergeist Inc. Part Two (Short Stories) Hilliard Aerospace has a secret.... [390 words] [Science Fiction]
Ripple Effect (Short Stories) A scientist has discovered time travel or maybe his own descent into insanity. [838 words] [Science Fiction]
Scarborough Fair (Novels) This is a portion of one of the chapters of the novel Scarborough Fair. It is a place the people there aren't completely sure what it is. The chapter is entilted Brenda. I will submit it in portion to... [657 words]
Scarborough Fair Part 2 (Novels) Further portion of the chapter Brenda. [701 words]
Scarborough Fair Part 3 (Novels) Further portion of the chapter entitled Brenda. [888 words]
Semantics (Short Stories) A police interview. [305 words] [Drama]
Shooting In Iraq (Short Stories) - [466 words] [Crime]
Should I Look Within (Poetry) For my mother. [125 words] [Spiritual]
Silicone (Short Stories) (The centralized theme of the story is to ask the question in a marriage how much of it is companionship and how much of it is sexual? Is there a balance? On the psychological level, what is the balan... [3,012 words] [Psychology]
Sirens (Short Stories) - [682 words]
Space, The Final Finale -Repost- (Short Stories) What happens in space can be inside or outside the mind. [1,008 words] [Science Fiction]
Stains (Poetry) - [120 words]
Standing On A Monterey Pier (Poetry) - [59 words]
Stephanie (Poetry) - [63 words]
Tacoma (Poetry) A poem about the city I love and believe has potential. [111 words]
Tangled Berry Bushes (Short Stories) In the style of Edgar Allen Poe. [1,892 words] [Crime]
Tempered Tools (Poetry) Healing is always a miracle [30 words] [Spiritual]
Tenements (Poetry) - [58 words]
The Adventures Of Roco Clay (Novels) A man hunts the takers of his wife in the Sudan. [1,128 words]
The Axe Man (Poetry) A professional on his way to work. [113 words]
The Cascade Hills (Poetry) In Washington State, there is nothing more lovely than the Cascades in the dawn. Another installment of my sunlight collection. [67 words]
The Christian Thing To Do (Novels) Lincoln Washington sits in ambush for two outlaws from Coltrane' s gang. [1,021 words] [Western]
The Clearing (Short Stories) A simple ghost story that happens to be true. [783 words] [Horror]
The Conductor (Short Stories) What exactly is death? Is it the release of our spirits or just the recycle of energy? One person will soon discover the truth. [920 words]
The Dawning Of A Seattle Morning (To Doc Bryon) (Poetry) I wrote this poem a bit ago but never liked it. With the passing of my friend Doc it seemed to all come together. [78 words]
The Game (Short Stories) A contractor contracted to knock down the last vestment of baseball learns the power of the game. [1,838 words]
The Hunter And It's Prey (Short Stories) - [446 words]
The Manipulatory Factor (Novels) The only man that can save Known Earth struggles to save his sanity. This is a section of the chapter titled The Manipulatory Factor in book one of the DayStar Trilogy. I started writing this my first... [1,160 words]
The Penalty Is Death (Short Stories) A Private Investigator is hired by a client to find out if his wife is having an affair. What he finds will change his life for good. [4,184 words] [Crime]
The Phantom Group (Novels) Portion of one of the chapters. [2,308 words]
The Quintessence Of Death (Poetry) - [96 words]
The Stairs Of Woman Hill (Phnom Srei) (Short Stories) It's time we brought home all our missing Americans from the Vietnam War. This story is for all who fought in that damn war! [1,208 words]
The Stigma Of A Race (Poetry) - [79 words]
The Strength Of Six Million (Short Stories) A young man is confronted with death but calls upon the strength of Six Million. [746 words] [Fantasy]
The Trees On Mckinley Avenue (Poetry) - [153 words]
The Union Chronicles (Novels) This is a portion of a chapter of a novel I wrote some time ago. I was re-reading it and thought it might be a nice read. [790 words] [Fantasy]
The Voyage Of The Kyle Mayes (Poetry) This is a poem in 5 beat meter as a part of the poetry contest mentioned in the Advisor. [78 words]
Title Less (Poetry) - [95 words]
Union Chronicles (Novels) Just a little more of the story. I enjoy this section the most. [645 words] [Fantasy]
Wal-Mart Wants To Rule The World (Essays) Someone left a message that this article was racist and I would like the site's opinion. [917 words]
Wanning Colors (Poetry) - [102 words]
Wanning Vivid Colors (Poetry) - [140 words]
What Else Can Sunrise Do (Poetry) Driving to work I see the sunrise nearly everyday...it's a wonderful death and life expereince. [60 words]
Where The Struggle Has Gone (Poetry) - [86 words]
Who Are We (Poetry) I wrote this after my mother past away Are we spirits or just a portion of the universal constant...energy? [124 words] [Spiritual]
Who Are We -Revise (Poetry) For my mother. [124 words]
Wto Rally The Final (Short Stories) Joe has a rude awakening. [548 words] [Fantasy]
Ze Zen Ta Continue (Novels) - [545 words] [Science Fiction]
Ze Zen Ta (The Way Of The Thinking Fist) (Short Stories) First part of a potential novel. [692 words] [Science Fiction]
The Reckoning Zone
E Rocco Caldwell



It is in a moment just before you look into Niflheim there's the rainbow tints of a nimbus and then darkness. The drifting in a substance that could be water and there you are sequestered for a frozen second of eternality absence of sight, sound and touch just drifting: a moment urges and the next thing you are walking through a misty morning with the scenery that of a New England wood and you are naked as an infant. The wood opens to a meadow where a large slightly leafed tree stands in the gold of the day where the land contours and is covered by grass. The soil is rich squeezing between your toes and you are overwhelmed by the cold and the wet. It assures you there is life still in your body. In the distance emerging from the glow is a figure walking towards you and you can tell it is a woman. Suddenly shame and fear overtakes you because you have no clothes but as she nears you realizes she has no clothes and the both of you confront each other beneath the tree. Her skin is pallid as if washed by bleach but in contrast her hair is the deepest black and her eyes onyxes. She is very attractive but anger is twisted in her expression. You realize she is Iraqi. She screamed swinging her arms about until she drops to her knees exhausted by the actions.
"Why?" worms from her lips as she stared at the grass. You know what she means.
"The war on terrorism had to be fought somewhere," you say.
"My mother wasn't a terrorist, or my crippled brother but you killed them." In the final analysis there is no innocence just collateral damage.
"My brother wasn't your enemy when he went to work at the World Trade Center one September morning. Terrorists killed his anyway."
But the both of you are human beings fragile and fleeting lacking longevity or hegemony. You are only a portion of the complexity of life set on a spinning orb. In your nakedness you see no difference and realize each have suffered yet what has been accomplished? You dare say the obvious! You place a hand on her shoulder and she looks up at you. Then you remember her face and suddenly pull you hand away. She lets an insidious grin spread through her lovely lips. And you know why you are where you are and how you came upon such a place. Humans are fragile and fleeting incapable of resisting sheer force and fire especially in the form of a bomb. The bomb she had strapped to her lovely body as she walked in the video store visited by American soldiers in Baghdad. In that moment you realize the futility of all endeavors to combat sheer hate. The place you stand is the reckoning zone, the flash of time before judgment.

 

READER'S REVIEWS (2)
DISCLAIMER: STORYMANIA DOES NOT PROVIDE AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWS. ALL REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY NON-ASSOCIATED VISITORS, REGARDLESS OF THE WAY THEY CALL THEMSELVES.

"Rocco, we do not agree on a lot of issues, but I enjoy reading your work. This was a great piece I completly enjoyed it. Its quite thought provoking. Its rare to disagree with someone on the internet and still be thanked for the input. I saw your thank you message on the boards. This shows that you respect opposite opinions despite your disagreement with it. Thanks for the writing. Looking forward to reading more." -- BH.
"And thank you again, BH. I appreciate all views...that way I never think I'm right all the time." -- e. rocco caldwell.

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 2003 E Rocco Caldwell
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
October 2003
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2417
 

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