2nd Earth: Shortfall

by Edward Vought

  He says we are right on the nose, but how do we know. I tell him Tim and I are Navy SEALs who were going home on leave. Ken says the same thing only he was in the Army Corps of Engineers. Sara says she is a pilot who was visiting friends after leaving the Middle East. We explain that none of us knows for sure why we are here, but we all feel it has something to do with what we can contribute to make this world a better place. He says he can see where we have helped a lot of people live better lives, but he isn’t sure he has any skills that will help anybody. We tell him to relax and do what he can and we are sure we will all know soon enough why he is here.

  Sara hangs back a little when he starts following the others home, she turns to Tim, Ken, and I and tells us she knows why he is here.

  “That is one grade A hunk, he doesn’t know it yet, but that is going to be my husband. I’m sure I will be able to report at least a couple things he is good at in a while.”

  We all laugh and tell her we are sure she will at that. It has been a full day, but we still have a lot of wheat to be put in bags. We decide to finish it tomorrow after church services, and if not then on Monday. We know it will get done; we have a very large family to help us. This evening all I want to do is cuddle up on the couch with all the children and my new son and enjoy life.

  Other Books by Ed & Eunice Vought

  2nd Earth: Emplacement

  We have a radio downstairs, as well as the one upstairs and we are starting to get calls from some of the men in our group, telling us they are okay, but that was a close one. We are also getting calls from the other groups telling us that they ran into the same thing we did when they started to go to the Docs aid. While we are talking, trying to figure out what is happening; a voice comes over the radio that I have never heard before. He is telling us that we are surrounded and have no recourse, but to surrender. He tells us if we do that, he will allow us to take our personal belongings and leave. That is everyone except the women they decide to keep. The voice tells us that they intentionally fired not to hit the men the first time, but from now on they will shoot to kill if they see anyone or if we try to resist.

  Join Jon, Dayna, and the others as they continue to meet the challenges of living in a world where the only law is what they can enforce.

  Best Friends: The Beginning (Published 2009)

  Sometimes being in the wrong place at the right time can be a good thing.

  Oh well, I will go in. I close my eyes as I get into the girls locker room though, I can live with bruises, I’m not sure I could explain a black eye to my mom’s satisfaction. I am ready to call out when from inside I hear a voice that is plainly angry and plainly Mindy. I know that voice well, but now I hear boys’ voices laughing. I shouldn’t be hearing that in here. I follow the sound and wind up just outside the girls shower room. This is not good, what in the heck is going on? I hear Kathy’s contemptuous voice.

  “You will never get away with it and when Ed catches you, you’ll be very sorry.”

  I hear a boy’s voice answer.

  “Well, he will never find out will he? Because if you tell anyone the next one we get will be your aunt or maybe your mom.” Then he laughs a very evil laugh. I know that voice, I pinned him tonight. Now I am mad but I want to make sure I get as much information as I can before I go in to break this up.

  Join Eddie, Mindy, Kathy, Ramona and Amy as they forge a friendship and share life’s adventures together. This first book in the Best Friends series introduces you to Eddie Marlow and his ever increasing group of friends as they experience growing up in a world where true friendship is a very scarce commodity.

  Best Friends 2: First Summer (Published 2010)

  Sometimes when you love someone you may be asked to do things that make you uncomfortable.

  I don’t like the way Mindy is looking at me. She leans close and whispers in my ear.

  “Do you want to sing a song with me? Pleeeeeease?”

  “I don’t know how to sing.”

  “What about that song you like that your dad plays sometimes, you know that Marie Osmond and Dan Seals song?”

  “I don’t know. How does that thing work anyway?”

  “They show you the words to the song on a screen and you sing to the music.”

  Before I know what is happening she is out of her chair dragging me up to the stage. It’s a good thing she knows how this thing works, wait a minute scratch that, no it’s not. Anyway the music starts playing and I see the words coming up on the screen but I can’t make any sound come out of my mouth.

  Join Eddie, Mindy, Kathy and the gang as they encounter uncharted area’s in their relationship and in life.

  Best Friends 3: Sophomore Year

  Best Friends 4: Sophomore Year II

  Sometimes being in love is a good way to expand our horizons and do things that we wouldn’t normally do.

  “Eddie, you love me don’t you?”

  “You know I do. What do you want me to do this time?” Now I know I am in trouble.

  “It’s nothing really, did you hear about the play the sophomore class is putting on in the spring?”

  “Yes, each class is putting one on.” I am sensing impending doom.

  “This year the class sponsors got together and decided to do something different. Instead of doing traditional, well known plays they decided to allow each class to choose a theme and let them write their own play and put it on.”

  We are going in a circle so that everyone gets an opportunity to participate. It seems every time I think of something someone else has the same idea. Finally I have an idea that I think might be worth something and nobody else said it first.

  “Maybe we could do something with a patriotic theme, everyone here is talented, except perhaps me, with either musical instruments, singing or dancing. I know a lot of you have been hoping our play would be a musical so you can show those talents off. What if we did something like a USO show, we could pretend we are holding auditions for acts to visit our troops and the people auditioning would do it for our audience. The grand finale could maybe be a song everyone knows and could include the audience.” Everyone is looking at me like I just grew a second head. “Or not, sorry it was just a thought.”

  Eddie, Mindy and the rest of their ever expanding group of friends are now sophomores. Their experiences and challenges grow right along with them. Join them as they continue to learn about themselves and the world we live in.

  Best Friends 5: A Time of Maturing (Coming soon)

  When Mindy’s mom asked Eddie to spend the night there was no way any of them could imagine how much and how quickly their lives could change.

  Somewhere around midnight I must have dozed off but now I am completely awake. Did I hear something or is my imagination playing tricks on me? I have stayed here enough to know the night sounds the house makes, every house is different. There it is again, it sounds like someone at the back door. Not knocking, working the doorknob or something like that.

  I get up and grab an aluminum baseball bat that is in the family room for some reason, I’m glad it is. I walk as quietly as I can into the kitchen staying close to the wall so I won’t be highlighted by the light in the family room. Every sense in my body is alive and I have a very sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. What if someone breaks in and gets past me? I’m still just a teenager, and these may be men, mean vicious men. The mind has a tendency to over react at times like this.

  I am almost right by the door now, there is definitely someone or more than one someone’s outside that door, I can hear voices. I definitely hear one tell the other.

  “The women are home, I saw them this morning, the old man isn’t, his old lady says he’s in Arizona.” These guys are some nasty customers, they are not just interested in stealing, they want Mindy and her mom. If I have anything to say about it they will have to take them over my dead body. That sounds a bit dramatic but that’s the way I feel.

  In the next few seconds all heck breaks loose, I am gettin
g better I don’t even swear in times of stress now. They must have used a pry bar because the door breaks inward and the first guy is through into the kitchen in a step or two. He is followed by another one but I am not sure if there are more or not, can’t worry about that now.

  Join Eddie, Mindy and the rest of their ever expanding group of friends in their most challenging experiences and adventures yet.

  They Call Me Nuisance (Published 2010)

  With a name like Nuisance life can be challenging to say the least.

  Dakota horse stops dead in front of the general store, there’s a wagon out front and he stops right next to it. I am sitting here looking stupid, well stupider than usual. A few minutes after we stop here a very pretty young lady comes out of the store yelling at someone inside. She is dressed in a man’s clothing which is strange for the west these days. She is talking like a man too, this lady can cuss with the best of them. She looks around and sees me staring at her. I’ve never seen a woman as pretty as her.

  “What are you looking at? Maybe the question should be what are you?”

  Now I’m embarrassed, I’m trying to get that horse to move but he ain’t going nowhere.

  When Nuisance, Dakota horse and the dog ambled into town they had no idea what they were getting into. Not that it would have changed anything, they are simply not the type to allow anyone to ride roughshod over a lady. Join them as they help Miss Emily and prove to the bad guys that he is only a nuisance to them.