Love is Stronger Than Death

To follow in the foot steps of an author like Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is a difficult task at best. One can only aspire to such greatness that is his, but one will never will reach or exceed it.  The book offered here is an attempt to emulate his literary effort in the short story field. This book: “Love is Stronger than Death”, offers the human condition in a variety of stories, but all consider the need to not only survive but to know the power of love. One of the main themes offered is metempsychosis, commonly known as transmigration of one’s soul or reincarnation, which is not readily accepted by religionists or others one might call  fanatics. Once a human always a human, is the maxim offered in an allegorical expression by the philosopher of Samos.

 Another theme revolves around the need to seek truth for one’s self. The word death is altered to present a more logical description of the journey into darkness and is called a transition. The word fiction has been altered as well and in this book you will understand seeking to be more to the way of it than simple statement of fiction. Still, fictional stories as defined will allow one to explore various ideas without need to feel the wrath of convention or that of narrow minded people. The great philosopher of Samos considered truth to be a worthy challenge, but one must seek his own truth; to do else demands that an individual accept another’s truth which is not founded on his effort.  Seeking is an active verb and requires a good deal of work. This book is what some individuals would call fiction but it is, quite frankly, one man’s efforts in seeking the light of understanding before the need for transition to fall on him. It will fall on us all without exception.  

The first story, “I’ll Remember”, offers a vision of an old man in a wheel chair. He had a life, but now is nearing the moment of transition. We will, with apology, intrude into his thoughts; we have a need to discover if he actually thinks and remembers, for soon we too shall become old and infirm. The picture he sees in his mind is offered in words that cannot and will not suggest he is but a mindless vegetable in a wheel chair. It will be seen that he has more depth than one might suspect from simply looking at the exterior of a shell of a man suffering from a mild stroke. He does remember; you’ll know what he sees. What he remembers might shock you. But try to be kind and generous. Demonstrate empathy as you begin to see, as he closes his eys, what he sees.

The second story, called “The Elevator man” revolves around a troubled man that society forced to destroy his fellow man in a war he was sent to fight. He hates society for sending him into a living hell and takes advantage of his customers in the most evil way, but he soon discovers he is not alone. On his way down to the first floor, he sees his reflection on the inner door of the elevator, and the reflection frightens him; he sees the horrible visage of death and hears death calling to him. He knew about many premonitions of death men in war had voiced; they were real; those who saw death’s face met their end,

Is it now his turn?

The next story we examine is called “The Sacrifice.”  A gentle mother has lost her only son to war, and the sacrifice is too much for her to bear, after all, even though God lost his son to the cross, He took him back home to His embrace; she could never hold her son again, and she became angry with God and cried out for all to hear: “Where is your sacrifice as compared to mine? You took your son back; I can never take my boy back.”  The pine tree began to sing as the soft breeze passed among the branches.

We now investigate the story called “D -Floor”. The letter D is but an alphabetical designation which has nothing whatever to do with the word death. It’s just a coincidence.  And yet, it is where those who are classed as terminal and are about to vacate this life are placed.  There is a man who does manual labor in this medical facility, sweeping and mopping, and that sort of thing. Yet, he is much more than a simple janitor. He is the ultimate story teller for the worthy souls that are in the last stage of transition. Those who are about to take the frightening journey into darkness begin to understand and smile as they are swept into the void.

The last story we shall peer into is about a young girl who discovers she is pregnant without a soul to turn to or help her in her distress. Her man, the potential father, has abandoned her to her own devices; without hope or help she decides to eliminate her life body and that of the child she is carrying. She proceeds to leap from the roof of a seven story building and arrives not only at the hard concrete of the sidewalk but somewhere else.

There are many other stories in this book one might find interestin