Lost, to Get High / The Greatest Trick
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Lost, to Get High
Ant didn’t do so much as step on his front porch to breathe a bit of fresh air for almost two weeks after that night. Instead he sat at home all day, everyday; he was smoking much herb, trying to numb his body to the emotional pain that would attempt to rip him apart. In the process he spent a lot of time thinking, and trying to find an answer to why everything turned out as it did. From time to time he would sit in the presence of his young brother just to have his spirit lifted. He and his mother also took advantage of their opportunities to have more, and better, interactions.
The night of the shooting, after they separated, Ant hid inside a car located in the alley for hours waiting for things to settle down. All through the fl ocks of police cars swarming the streets, and the spotlight from the police helicopter circling the neighborhood, Ant believed that Tommy would escape. It wasn’t until later on that night on the local news that he learned of Tommy’s arrest. And the following day he learned of Rico’s incarceration from his little brother who had overheard a conversation about it in the streets. 92 A. Michael Howard “ Word around the streets is, everybody think you the second suspect the police looking for, and that you on the run.” “ Nah, I’m just dependin’ on my high hopes that I don’t be the next nigga to get lost out here.” Wondering if the police would be coming to bang on his mother’s door at anytime, along with thoughts of all the other recent, tragic and awful occurrences, weighed down on Anthony in a terribly unbearable way. Trying to wait out all the confusion, and allow his soul to simmer down, he wouldn’t receive any company or take any phone calls the whole time he caged himself up in the house, not even from Ni. Ni was just starting to allow herself to regain some sense of hope when she learned of Rico’s and Tommy’s situations. She was deeply saddened by the news. When she picked up on the stories of Ant’s predicament she was moved to fi nd out the truth about her remaining circle member. But only to her disappointment, she failed to make any contact with him. She didn’t know what to perceive of the sudden demise of the group containing the four strongest and most influential peers of her short life. She didn’t know what to believe except that it seemed like that part of her life was over. Driven by her family, of blood and love, and the newly introduced motivational force that she carried in her belly, Ni was determined to stay strong and focused. So she devoted all of her time to allowing her family, of blood and love, to advise her about guiding her life in a positive, progressive direction, according to what they all believe. And she continued to be active. One day Ant received a letter in the mail from his dope game role model. In the letter the Rocksmith opened with a mention of prayer for the young brother whose life he feared was heading for ruins. He went on to mention that stories of Rico’s involvement with the robbery turned homicide of two highly connected mobsters were circulating around the penal institutions. And, he was marked for death at someone’s earliest convenience. The Rocksmith had learned of Al’s death and expressed his condolences for the young brother, for whom he was also responsible for opening the doorway to a life of disorientation. In closing, he noted to Anthony that now he was probably staring at a two-way sign along his life’s avenue, “ Weak St. and Strong St.” And now was the time to pull himself together and decide which way he would go, into disaster or towards a path of constant elevation, ...
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About the Book
A bold and window-like depiction of the idea of life in the streets of Cleveland, where a small gang of friends follow their desires, unforseeingly, to sudden drastic prosperity, and the demise of their collective just a few weeks into their worst summer vacation ever.
This is Lost, to Get High, a tale of wild, teenage youth making the sorts of mistakes that are to be fairly expected from the young of the world in a state of fluctuating chaos, allured by the many temptations that offer the possibility of making life somewhat better. This is a tale of youth directly involved with the lifestyle of drug use, and drug dealing, and robbery, and murder- and many more of the contributing factors that can drive a young soul insane. And also, this is a tale of coming to one's senses.
This is The Greatest Trick. Sgt. Juda Terro relocates from San Diego and takes the SFPD by storm. Unbeknownst to the people around him is that his job is twice as difficult as it seems. There is a lot of pressure on Terro's conscience to be the person that he wants to be. Or is there? His mission is, has been, and could possibly remain twofold. The trick is being able to pull it off.
About the Author
A. Michael Howard is the quiet soul of a Black American- Quiet meaning he has plenty to say that is worthwhile, but prefers to express it in a manner which is most effective. He extracts what he writes from his heart, filters it through his mind, and gives to us exactly whatever he gets. Hailing from Cleveland, OH, he currently resides in Hollywood, where he is pursuing aspirations to write and do other things in the film industry. These are the first two of three novels he has written thus far.