The INNKEEPER  -  by E. H. Maze

Prologue

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      The year wouldn’t matter, except that it had been only three years since David Poser had walked weak-kneed from the front doors of the Inn in Apple Valley , California and three years since General Grafetti had risen to power in the newly formed middle-eastern state of Palesalem.  In that three years the state of the world had turned darker than any could remember.  Historians had already declared the decade as surpassing the inhumanity of the years of genocide. Ancient historians found themselves struggling with the parallel of the United Nations and the glorious days of the Roman Empire .  Countries from two sides of the center were rebelling from the W.E.N. Agreement.  Another world war was imminent.  The fourth decade of the century introduced a new conflict in the peace promised by the new order.  Everyone had heard it all before.  And, the Apple Valley Inn was still making headlines!

      The letter on General Grafetti’s desk which he had received earlier in the day caught his eye again and, although it was a long letter, he thought he might take the time to read it now.  A business man from America , now living in Jerusalem , had written it to one of the General's officers, apparently trying to convert him to Christianity.  The letter had come to the General by way of an informant.

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      "Hello, and Shalom, my friend.  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem .”  Grafetti snorted as he read over the words about praying for peace.

      “My name is David Poser." 

      The General stopped reading. 

      ‘Maybe,’ he thought, ‘I'd better not take time to read this ignorant stuff.  I have more pressing matters to attend to today.’

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      The major problems to attend to were not only the wars breaking out and the agreements breaking up.  The problem he was having these days was keeping the rebels on the right side - his side.  His personal seven-year plan of global union and domination had backfired more than a few times.  Beside the fact of the economic chaos now crippling even the giant nations and opening the way for his peace plan three years earlier, now he also had the old biblical prophecies on his side.  Christianity was virtually defunct, but the Jewish sector was still waiting for and preaching more intensely than ever about their Messiah.  The buzzing of a promised Messiah remained the distraction, in spite of evidence to the contrary and, regardless of the three-year old stories of which the author of the letter that the General still held in his hand attested to.

      Grafetti had almost convinced the world that he was the Messiah.  And, as the Pharaoh of the century, he had successfully managed to unite most of the superpowers under his Plan.  Three years later he pulled the plug.  That was when the wars began – not quite like he had planned.  But, now this great charismatic leader, whose name they had been chanting with the blessing, "The Christ!  Our Christ!" twelve months earlier, was becoming a mockery to the smaller nations.  He was still very much in control; it was just getting harder for him to maintain that control.

      It was a blistering cold morning outside, but he was comfortable sitting in his burgundy leather office chair.  He swiveled the chair to look out of the window.  He was proud of the view he had from his office in the recently relocated United Nations Building.  The General could see the ruins of the temple of the Jews as he looked down from the 21st floor office.  He looked out across the east to Mount Olivet and could see the hill that was still called the place of the skull.  Someone had recently placed three crosses on the hill - two yellow wooden crosses on either side of a larger white cross.  From the distant view they seemed much smaller than they actually were.  Still, they stuck out ironically from the surrounding background of old olive hills smattered hear and there with pieces of armored tanks and war residue.

      He turned his chair back to the desk and set the letter down.  He reached into a desk drawer and retrieved a pair of digital binoculars.  Turning back to the window, he focused the binoculars beyond the city to the near valley.  Looking through the powerful lenses, he could see clearly for several miles.  There was the valley of the Jordan River .  There was the army raising dust as it maneuvered itself in training rituals.  There was the cold Israeli wind blowing smoke from the powerful tank engines eastward across the river.  There were the fighting machines rolling on in line.  There were the soldiers, a battalion of men and women, safely marching between companies of armored tanks.  Proudly and, as if to silently boast, he lifted his shoulders and viewed the land.

      It was his land. 

      Letting the binoculars slowly drop into his lap, he turned back to the desk and the tasks before him.  Mornings always gave him confidence.  This morning was no different.  Let the problems of yesterday be gone.  Lifting the binoculars from his lap, he returned them to the drawer.  He pushed a button on the left side of the desktop.  A digitally enhanced voice spoke, telling him, "It is 7:35 a.m., sir.  You have general council at 8:15 a.m., followed by the pre- summit conference at 10:00 a.m..  Have a nice day, sir."

      The letter caught his eye again and he decided he would go ahead and read it.   

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      “Hello! And Shalom! My friend.  Pray for the peace of Jerusalem .  My name is David Poser.  You do not know me personally, but you and I have some general acquaintances.  I felt it would be good to write you and tell you that all is well with your friends.  I last saw them at Easter while traveling in Greece . 

      “Before I go on I want you to know that this letter will be written with great passion.  And I hope that you receive it that way.”

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      David Poser was living in Jerusalem at the time he wrote the letter.  Jerusalem had become the hub of prosperity.  The fertile valleys that biblically flowed with 'milk and honey,' had become a fertile economic oasis.  When the new World Trade Center was built just west of the new Jewish temple, his business would prosper like never before.  The Dome of the Rock, destroyed during the 'Fight at the Heights' had been the final blow for the Muslims – and, Judaism had been declared the national religion once again, then came the uncovering, by the media, of the secret agreement between Rome and Jerusalem .  Poser’s experience of three years earlier had convinced him that Jerusalem was the best place on earth to be for the present time – just in case what had happened three years earlier repeated itself.

      By the actions of the Catholic Church during the last three years it wasn’t hard to understand why there was still a Catholic Church.  Many Catholic people had disappeared, but the church itself was stronger than ever.

      Pope Papillon had, in fact, without warning and without the knowledge or consent of the World Council of Churches, agreed to join forces with the W.E.N.  The pact, of course, favored the church by giving them autonomy in religious matters.  The exception would be that the old city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel , whose borders would soon be expanded east beyond the Euphrates , would continue to practice Judaism.  The expansion included land and religion so the entire Persian Gulf area was declared Judaistic.

      Muslims and other minor religious sects were, of course, outraged.

      It was only a few months into the agreement that W.E.N. Council Leader Gino Grafetti's power and plan was fully realized.  The Catholic Church felt it first.  Christianity was not declared the world religion.  Judaism had been declared the universal world religion by Grafetti during an address from the chambers of the U. N. Building in Jerusalem .

      Now, Rome was outraged!  She threatened to withdraw.  No one ever knew why the Universal Church stayed in the pact, but most people, in an opinion poll, were convinced it was because there was more benefit in staying than in resigning.

      In spite of the Catholic Church’s disappointment in his leadership, an almost worldwide dictatorship had prevailed under Grafetti’s thumb and nations of all continents were living in peaceful resolve.

      Most politically minded world citizens knew it was just a matter of time before Rome quit bucking the new system.  Their disagreement with Israel 's invitation into the W.E.N. had kept the Universal Church hesitant. Eventually, they would see the economic necessity.  Others understood it would be economic greed, not necessity, which would eventually win over the tenth nation.

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      “Your friends agreed that I should write to you and do what I could to convince you that you may be in grave danger.  No!  You are in grave danger.

      “Allow me to share this story with you.  Afterwards, you may decide as you will whether to continue in your current position or do as others have done and flee from the tyranny of the King of Palesalem.

      “It was a planned business trip that took me to the Apple Valley Inn in America three years ago.  I had gone to the Inn for a simple business deal, but it was there that I learned (or thought I'd learned) that God is real and that God is in command of all things. 

      “I want to start my story by retracing the events of three years ago.  You already know what the news stories told, but I want to tell my story.  I want you to hear about it from an eyewitness. 

      “Knowing how the world is presently speaking of prophetic zealots (of whom I am one), it needs to be said here that I speak only from my experience of that one day.  I have had no relationship with any religion in the past, albeit I am by heritage and lineage a Jew.

      “I am a Christian now, but can only write about what I have discovered about the status of Christianity during those days.  Although great men of the faith believed that the delay of Jesus' Second Coming only brought the day closer, most had abandoned their hope to the voices that said His delay was daily proof he probably wasn't coming at all.  The faith of the Christian world had legitimized itself with social concerns alone.

      “You most likely have heard the reports of the hundreds of separate events during that day.  I am writing to you about my experience because I want you to be saved from the sure disaster of these present days. 

      “My friend, I do not want you to be caught off-guard.  After reading these accounts of how I came to believe that Jesus is the true Messiah and the King who will return to earth very soon, I hope you will consider resigning from you present position and come to see us.  We could use your expertise, for sure, but what we want more than anything is for you to be saved from the coming tribulation.”

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      Grafetti paused, depressing the flush sensor of his communication device built in to the wood-grain panel of his armchair – disallowing any communication into his office until he either pressed it again or left the room.  This letter had caught enough of his attention that he wanted to finish reading it without interruption. His private office would remain undisturbed until he saw fit to allow it to be disturbed.    The Office Suite computer program mapped from his laptop to the outer office servers would automatically reprogram his morning schedule, moving the meetings to the afternoon.  His officers had plenty to do otherwise, but would not wander too far away because there Palms would receive the notification of the reschedule within seconds.

      He fanned the top right corners of the unnumbered pages of the letter, realizing that it was more the size of a manuscript than a letter.  Still, his interest led him to keep reading.

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      “It was three years ago that I was on a business trip that landed me in Apple Valley , California …..

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end of Prologue (click here to go to Chapter 1)- if link is not active, the chapter is not yet ready.  Check back later, please.

Please let me know if you have read (and enjoyed) this chapter by sending me a quick email to:  ehylandmaze@aol.com

bless you.....................................Eugene H. Maze

This chapter and all chapters related to this website book entitled "The INNKEEPER" (copyright 1995, 2005) was written and published by Eugene H. Maze.  No portion of this book may be copied, sold or distributed either by electronic or other means in any fashion whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the author.  Permission for distribution may be obtained by contacting the author at ehylandmaze@aol.com.  Links to this and all previous and subsequent pages of this book entitled "The INNKEEPER" may be distributed freely without permission.

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