Joshua's Quest
The Legend of Joshua MacKinty
by
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The raging storm was so intense, Joshua MacKinty found it difficult to see more than a few feet in front of him. The rain was falling in a pelting downpour. Water ran in gushing paths along the sidewalks. The howling gale-like wind was gusting ferociously, it was tedious to walk upright. Lightning blazed in a dazzling spectacle, almost never-ending. Thunder virtually blotted out all other sounds. More than once, driven by the squall, he nearly crashed into one of the shopping mall's store windows. This fierce storm had appeared quite suddenly, completely unforeseen. It made his search more difficult than was desired. In recent days, one of his favored pastimes was the collection of rare manuscripts. He was systematically searching the local bookstores for a particular set of historical texts. He continued his scouting along the broad sidewalks of the shopping center. Suddenly, he spotted the doorway of an unknown bookshop directly in front of him. He did not remember ever having seen this store before. For some unanswerable reason the wind forced him into the shop's entry, as if by an unseen force. In his mind came a strong prompt, "This is it, Joshua!" So clear had this voice appeared in his senses, that he looked about to see if someone had addressed him. Spotting no one, he shrugged his shoulders, telling himself that it was just one of those mysterious things that happen. He read on the entrance, written in bold gold lettering, "Books! Your hearts delight, and your souls desire." He thought this was a very strange title. Truly, this sparked a flare of interest and anticipation within him. With sudden excitement he entered the shop. As he did so, the warm air of its interior smacked him in the face startlingly. Joshua could not rationally explain this strange sensation. He knew that it was quite cold outside, but this abrupt frightening impact was totally unexpected. Even so, it did heighten his expectations. As he started to move further into the outlet, in his mind he again heard a voice speak to him. It said, "Wise decision Chosen. A wise decision!" Alarmed by the clarity of the voice, he again looked about. As before, no one was anywhere near him. In fact, he saw no one at all. A faint delicate aroma of something sweet, yet quite pleasing, tickled his senses; try as he could, he was unable to identify it. He reasoned it might be some type of incense, or perfume, or something similar. To himself he mumbled, "This is wild! - Weird! - Crazy! How did I ever find this place?" As he looked about the interior of the store, he grumbled half aloud, "I am familiar with most of the outlets in this area, but I sure don't remember this one. I wonder if they have the texts needed to complete my research." With the unexplainable events of the last few moments left unanswered, he continued to look about. Joshua was amazed by what he saw within the walls of this shop. The room in which he found himself was maybe forty feet wide by nearly one hundred feet long. There were rows after rows of book shelves stretching from the floor to the ceiling. These were about ten feet high, and to the total length of the room. All the shelves were filled with what looked like ancient books with leather covers. To his trained eye, as a book collector, he was certain each was priceless. In one corner of the shop he spotted an elderly, yet seemingly ageless, gentleman standing near an ancient oak desk. This elder was patriarchal. Seemingly quite old, nevertheless, his age was totally obscure. His movements, his eyes, were those of a vigorous and far younger man. His intense piercing gaze was of one holding vast knowledge. His face was almost completely covered with a long, carefully manicured sliver beard. This gave him a definite royal look, especially as he was dressed in a long flowing floor-length white robe. Joshua thought to himself, almost mirthfully, "I’d guess this person was an angel, if I didn't know better." Again, he gasped half aloud, "Where did all of these precious books come from? In all of my research, I can't ever remember a store such as this." Then looking to the timeless ancient, who was watching him closely, he asked, "What is this place? How did you come by these priceless documents? This is a book collector's dream!" Then Joshua added, "Please, what is your name sir?" The elder smiled, then chuckled lightly. He responded, "My name is not relevant, but it is Timekeeper. We have met before, you and I. Do you not remember?" Indicating with a sweep of his hands, "All of these are volumes about a time and place for which you search." Then continuing, "Joshua, we have awaited and prepared for your visit for some great span of time. Don't you remember? Think of your foresight as a child, as a junior, and when you were away at the military academy? "Think! Don't you recall the night visions of your visits to this very shop, and to the land it depicts?" Joshua was perspiring profusely at these questions, and especially at this last one. "How did this man know so much about him?" Why of course he remembered the "fantasies" this one spoke about. How could he forget, they were often repeated in his dream mind, over and over again. His mother had assured him when he was but a moppet, that they were only a nightmare of one with a vivid imagination. And later, as just a remembrance of an impressive dream tale. He had accepted this explanation, but not completely. Just so, he had not had these experiences recently. Of a sudden, like a flash, the periodic misty dream unfolded in his mind. He remembered entering a bookstore just like this. That a fatherly elder within it had given him a bound manuscript that he claimed would reveal his destiny and purpose for being born. Each time, his mind had refused to accept what he thought he saw and heard. Even so, this elder was precisely as he had seen him in these experiences. In the 'dream,' when he opened the richly leather bound text given him, he could remember seeing swirling hazy clouds in his awareness. Faintly, he could barely remember a compelling voice say, "Joshua, you are the hope and future of this land."
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About the Book
Joshua is a twenty-eight year old college graduate of a prestigious military academy. For as long as he can remember, he has been beset with a singular recurring dream. In these repeated episodes, he is predestined to lead, aid and defend an alien people in an alien world at a stated time in their history. Partly as a consequence of these repeated episodes, he turns to collecting ancient manuscripts. His burning passion is to explore the possibility of such an occurrence ever happening. One day in his young life, an event occurs that stretches his concept of ‘reality’, while testing his very sanity. It all starts when Joshua encounters an unusual bookstore during his search for new outlets that sell historical manuscripts. In this particular shop, he surprisingly meets a prime character of his 'dream' events, one called ‘Timekeeper’. This distinctive ageless elder offers him a rare ancient document. Stunned by the shock of this meeting, Joshua accepts the gift. Taking the text home to study, he explores it avidly. At some point in his research, he is suddenly and mysteriously transported to the sphere of his 'dreams'. Shortly after his arrival in this realm, Timekeeper greets, befriends and instructs Joshua towards his ordained destiny. After several grueling, frightening and mind-boggling days in this alien world, Joshua is guided and instructed by a new friend, Bumblet, to drink from the 'Spring of Life'. This act of anointing mystically reveals to all the Land's inhabitants, that this appointed one is their promised leader. The Holy Scrolls, of this world, had predicted, nearly three thousand years before, that one called Joshua would save them from tyranny. At the instant of the anointing, Gol (Giver of Life/Creator) gives Joshua the 'Stone of Power'. This gift is a temporary matrix that provides Joshua with the potential to draw upon the total resources of all nature. These are abilities beyond Joshua's wildest dreams. From this point on, he is almost constantly physically and mentally attacked by the might of Ahriman, the master of all evil; who is the instigator of the invasion. At the halfway point in his long trek to his designated goal, Heaven's Gate Monastery, Joshua finally, fully accepts his Gol-given commission. It is here, in a terrible battle, that he and Bumblet are able to assist in the defeat and destruction of an immense attacking, invading Cram army. After his training and seasoning at Heaven's Gate, his assigned quest is to raise, train and organize a huge army of the Land's faithful. And then, he is to lead them in turning back the enemies of Gol's chosen people. In this task, with the aid and assistance of many outstanding friends, Joshua stems the invasion. In the final climactic series of swirling battles, Joshua fails his promise to Gol and must suffer the ultimate consequence. At the end of book one, the Land must also bear the brunt of Joshua's failure. But Ezekiel, Joshua's teacher and friend, remembers an ancient promise written in the Holy Scrolls that could provide new hope for Joshua and the Land.
About the Author
William O. Walker is my name. I live in the city of Fair Oaks, California, which is near Sacramento. My greatest joy was teaching. I taught at the high school level for more than thirty years. I hold a master’s degree in education from the University of San Francisco. My teaching specialty was ‘creative thinking’ subjects. In years past, as an author, I wrote many educational class guides skill books and workbooks. As a hobby, and hybridizer, I introduced more than twenty new varieties of fuchsias, also writing and publishing innumerable how-to-grow culture books. In addition, I have written, illustrated and published an extensive text on ‘Bonsai’ plants which has sold in many countries around the world. In past years communication skills was a favorite subject of mine, writing many texts and teaching many adult classes as a favorite pastime. At the present time, I am writing fiction-fantasy stories based on "FAITH".