The Kings Blue Knight

© 2011 David Jackson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 12/12/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3833-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3835-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3834-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011912760

Printed in the United States of America

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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This book is printed on acid-free paper.

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Contents

IN THE MIDST OF DARKNESS

ON THE EDGE

A NEW LIFE

THE BAND IN THE PARK

BLUE DAY TWO SAVED

FINDING A CHURCH

BLUE FRUSTRATION

BACK INTO THE WORLD

BECOMING STRONG

ERIC GETS MORE INVOLVED

A LOST FRIEND

AMBITION FOR OLD FRIENDS

ERIC TRIES AGAIN

REDEDICATION

BLUE MEETS HIS LOVE

FIRST DATE

A GREAT DAY FOR A PICNIC

NEW YEARS PARADE

AT JAMES

BACK AT HOME

FRIDAY NIGHTS STUDY

A CHAPERONE

BLUE KNIGHTMARE

THE PARTY

ANDREA’S PARTY

GINNEL, MONICA?

MEETING ERIC’S PARENTS

EASTER SUPPER AND A TALK

DEPRESSION

MISFORTUNE

IT’S TIME TO CHANGE OR LEAVE

GOING FOR THE BOTTOM

STEVE’S BURDEN

ROCK BOTTOM

A NEW DECISION

About the Author

IN THE MIDST OF DARKNESS

Lurking through the darkness it comes. Thump. The sound of its foot pounds heavily on the ground, with its size rivaling that of a one-story building, and a face fierce with hatred and anger. Thump. A long scaly tail swings back and forth as it moves through the blackness. Thump. Approaching, breathing heavily, growling with a low throb coming from deep within its throat. Its neck sways, looking back and forth, searching. Thump. With eyes glowing like red-hot coals, piercing the darkness as it searches, getting even closer. Thump. Thump. It lets out a heavy breath, a long-winded sound as if air is being released from a tire all at once. Thump. Thump. Drawing closer. Thump. Thump. Something has caught its attention, and it focuses on it. It sees the next victim, someone who has come to challenge him. Now with burning eyes it looks deep into the soul of the challenger. The gaze of its stare is enough to drive a man insane. It spots a weakness and moves more quickly to capture the victim before he can escape. Thump. Thump. Thump. He has the victim cornered and draws in a deep breath. The fear on the mans face is obvious. Yet, even so, the man does not know what he has gotten into. The dragon lets loose a burning flame that consumes the man. All that remains is a heap of smoldering ashes.

Now once again the dragon moves through the darkness. Thump. Thump. Searching for a new victim, another person who thinks they can challenge the Dragon. Someone who thinks they can handle it.

Little by little you work your way down into the dragon’s lair. Creeping deep into the darkness. The stench of sulfur in the air almost makes you pass out as you long for fresh air. You fool! the Dragon laughs to himself. You come into my lair without bringing the Light. Even so, it would not protect you. He watches as you make your way deep into the cave. Watching…Waiting.

It is dark and he is coming. Thump. Thump. Thump. Getting closer… closer. The fear swells up in you! Are you prepared?

They say that in the darkness it is quiet. So quiet that you can easily hear your heart beat. And without the Light you will grow slowly insane. There in the darkness he watches and waits. Watching you, waiting for the right time, the right opportunity. If you slip, will it be the end? Who will be there to catch you? Who will be there to help you?

Suddenly heavy footsteps fall echoing through the darkness: Thump, thump. Your heart begins to pound heavily in your chest as the steps get louder, closer. Thump… thump… thump. Then stops some where in front of you… and all is quiet. You look around in the darkness but see nothing. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up as chills run up your spine. Then the silence is broken as the Dragon draws closer. Thump… Thump… Thump… Thump. Now glowing in the darkness ten feet in front of you are its eyes. Eyes as big as your hand, with pupils like a cats eye, burning yellow and red, searching you over, looking for your weakness.

Suddenly piercing through the darkness comes an evil laughter: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…!!!

ON THE EDGE

Sitting on the edge of the building window, he looks down beyond his feet that are dangling several stories up. The distance to the ground doesn’t bother him. He is a man with blond hair, blue eyes and a medium build, wearing faded blue jeans and a plaid collar shirt. A man who has finally hit bottom. All that is driving him now is the depression, losing all that he had, and having nothing to look forward to. He sits there contemplating. Looking at his past and seeing nothing in his future. It is quiet. The countenance on his face is so deep and hollow that it tells the story all by itself. The breeze blows through his hair and puffs up his shirt causing him to breathe in deeply. The air is sweet and refreshing. He looks around at the landscape. The beautiful grass in the park has just been freshly mowed. The oak trees turning colors as the fall season moves in. The breeze picks up the falling leaves and scatters them all over the park. The trees are full of birds all singing their beautiful songs to each other, and underneath the branches, the empty picnic benches, all being covered with colorful leaves. The sky is blue with just a few clouds taking on all kinds of shapes as they slowly move by. The weather is warm with a slight breeze making this a beautiful day. But that doesn’t matter. All around him life seems perfect, which is why he is sitting there on the edge of the building. He doesn’t fit in. No one cares, and why should they. He just doesn’t belong, and he knows it. He knows that when he is gone no one will miss him. Yes, he has had friends before, even Christian friends. But none of them really cared about him. It was always a, Hi! How are you? Well, see ya. type of friendship. No one wanted to even listen, or cared to listen if he said anything else other than, Fine. So, truthfully he really had no friends. No one cared. One time he decided to prove it. So he secluded himself from everyone. Not even attending Church. Weeks later no one had checked up on him, not even the pastor. So he went back to Church. When he arrived no one knew that he had been gone. It was as if he was always there, or had never been there in the first place. No one even cared to notice.

It’s not that he was hard to get along with. It’s just something in his personality that made people not want to know him. Then there were the other things. Life just didn’t seem to agree with him being around. So here he is… sitting on the edge of the building.

He feels comfortable for some reason as if he belongs here. Like a second home that he could always come to, to rest and think. A place that was especially designed just for him. A place that he should have been to a long time ago, but he never found until this moment. As he sits there he remembers things that have happened in the past, things from when he was a child and on up. One incident that he remembers occurred when he was around the age of 6 or 7. He woke up from a bad dream breathing hard. The dream was about a monster chasing him. As he sat up in his bed still breathing hard, he began to pray to a God that he never really knew. Oh God, please don’t let me have any more bad dreams… please, oh please. As he continued to plead, a peace came over him, and he fell back asleep.

He looks down at the ground slightly encouraged. Soon other memories appear.

You’re such a loser Eric! A ten-year-old boy about Eric’s age said. Why don’t you run home to your mommy.

Shut up! Eric shouted, I am not a loser! Eric could feel his fists getting tighter as his mocker kept on insulting him. Loser, loser, Eric is a loser. Eric’s face burned red as he went over and threw a punch at the kid. The kid blocked the punch and sent one back at Eric knocking him to the ground. Eric began to cry as the kid laughed at him and continued to mock him. Loser, loser. Eric got up and ran home. That’s right, The kid shouted as Eric ran. Run home to your mommy, you loser.

What’s wrong with you? Eric’s dad said with extreme anger in his voice. Eric broke a vase while playing ball in the house. You’re so stupid. How many times have I told you to not play @%#* ball in the house? He grabbed Eric by the shoulders and threw him into the glass on the floor. Eric put out his hands to catch his fall, but in the process cut his hands and knees. Pick that @#*% glass up right now! I don’t want to see even the smallest piece before your mom gets home. He began to storm out of the room, but then turned back seeing Eric with tears in his eyes picking up the glass. Don’t you dare cry, he yelled out. And you better not get any @#%&* blood on the carpet! He then turned and stormed out of the room.

Let’s do a skit about two knights fighting over a fair maiden, Linda said to her two companions on her high school Drama class team. "Todd, you can be the Black Knight; and Eric, you can be the White Knight.

Wait a minute Todd objected He doesn’t look like a white knight.

You’re right. Linda said while looking Eric over. How about The Blue Knight?

The Blue Knight? Eric said with curiosity. That sounds kind of weird.

Todd jumped in also. Why call him The Blue Knight?

Well, it seems to suit him. He kind of looks like he could be a Blue knight, Linda said while looking at Eric with a flirtatious smile. Besides, you’re always wearing something blue. Like today, you have on blue jeans and are wearing a blue coat to class.

You know you’re right, Todd said while looking over at Eric. He does look like a Blue Knight.

OK, ok. I’ll be The Blue Knight. Eric said with a smile. Besides, I kind of like the name.

Good Linda said smiling back. Now here’s what we’ll do…

The crowd grew as the cheers of onlookers shout out at the two boys fighting. Don’t you ever call me a loser again! Eric says while grinding his teeth. He was fighting the same boy he fought years ago.

Loser, loser. Eric is a loser. The boy yelled out in such a way to get the crowd laughing and cheering him on. He looked over at Eric with a smirk on his face and said, You’re such a momma’s boy. I don’t even know what she sees in you?

With great heat and anger built up within him from over the years, Eric clenched his fists together and with precision, swung at his tormentor’s chin. His right fist made contact, sending the boy five feet back into the crowd. Eric ran over to the almost unconscious boy, picked him up and tossed him back into the circle of kids. The boy tried to get up, but before he could, Eric ran in and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to keel over. Eric now used his knee to finish the job in the chin. The crowd grew silent as Eric’s hot anger finally came to rest. Breathing hard he reached down, grabbed the boy’s head by the hair, and pulled it up to reveal a bloody face. He put his face down close and said through clenched teeth, Never call me loser again, from now on it’s The Blue Knight. He started to drop his head, but then brought it back up. Oh, and my momma doesn’t see anything in me. And now, I name you the loser. He let go of the boy’s head, got up, turned, and walked out of the circle. The crowd remained silent as Eric walked through the circle of kids. But then, someone from the crowd began to chant, Blue Knight! Blue Knight! Soon the whole crowd joined in. Blue Knight! Blue Knight! Eric didn’t turn, but smiled to himself and walked away.

It was then as a senior in High School when things started to change. This is where he got the name The Blue Knight, and ever since then, that name has become his nickname. He liked being called The Blue Knight. It kind of made him seem noble in some way. He even tried to live up to the name. He tried to help people in whatever way he could…to be their friend…but for some reason it didn’t work, no matter what he did. It seemed that everything backfired on him. It seemed that no one cared for his friendship or his help.

He stands to his feet and prepares himself, working his way closer to the edge of the building. Suddenly, different scenes raced through his mind from times gone by. The controversial battles that made up his past…clicking through his mind like a drum beat…pounding their way in… going faster and faster. His life, good and bad. All the fun he’s had with the good times and the bad intermixed. The one he loves shining bright and clear then fading to ugliness. His anger, and disappointments, along with all the depression. His life passing before him. Faster and faster the controversial battles pound their way through him. Grinding, pushing, working on him. Like voices driving in the depression. Driving him almost to the point of madness, until it suddenly stops.

It is quiet now. His heart beats harder and faster. The depression is now too much for him to handle. A deep breath is taken. Then he pushes away from the building.

It seems like slow motion as he falls away. A scream is heard in the distance. He turns his head and sees the one that he loves running toward him. But now it is too late. A tear rolls from his eye and is swept away by the wind that rushes by as he falls. From eyes that will never tear again.

A NEW LIFE

Eric pounces up from his sleep sweating and breathing hard. It was only a bad dream. BAD DREAM? It was a nightmare!!! He thinks to himself. But it seemed so real. Like it was actually happening. He wearily looks around his bedroom at the dingy bare walls while trying to calm down and collect his thoughts. His breathing finally begins to slow as his mind comes back to reality. But is it reality that he is waking up to? As it is, reality for Eric isn’t much at all. His life is meaningless and has no real direction. He lives in a dump of a hole in the wall, with screaming neighbors; not to mention his own parents. There is no insulation in the walls or ceiling to deaden the annoying sound, and also with out insulation it causes it to be very hot in the summer, and cold in the winter. He has a great void in his life. A void that screams to be filled. So he fills it with drinking, drugs, women, etc… But even with all of these things, he still has the void, and the void is getting bigger.

He looks over at his alarm clock. Five A.M., He thinks to himself. I may as well get up. There is no way that I’m going to get back to sleep after that dream. He gets out of bed and begins to get dressed, then he walks into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror he stands there, his eyes are heavy and begin to close…

A scream is heard in the distance. He turns his head and sees the one that he loves running towards him. A tear rolls from his eye and is swept away by the wind that rushes by as he falls.

He jerks his eyes open. That is too much! He says out loud. I don’t even love anyone. Who could this girl be? And that feeling of falling… Quickly he turns away from the mirror and leaves the bathroom. Feeling queasy he decides to skip breakfast, puts on his coat and heads out the door.

Eric’s family moved to L.A. several years ago. Back then he hoped to start a new life…to leave behind the old Eric and put on a new. Before the move he was friendless, and didn’t get along with people…a shy and misunderstood person. Because of his shyness he found that it was difficult to meet people and make friends. But those days were different. Here in a different location with new people and different attitudes, he felt that he could finally break out from the shell that had entrapped him for so long. He could find friends and hopefully a steady girlfriend. He was a clean-cut type of person and enrolled in a junior college.

When he enrolled it was late registration, and not many classes were left open. He decided to register in music classes until the next semester when more classes were available. So he took voice training, piano, choir, and music theory. This really was about all that was available for that semester anyway, at least of anything that was of interest to him. Here he did make new friends, or so called friends. But instead of changing for the better, he ended up pretty much the same. And as far as a girl friend, he found one, but she was just a user, and ended up dumping him after she got what she wanted.

Man what a drag! My mind is empty and screaming to be filled. But everything I do just reminds me of the emptiness.

THE BAND IN THE PARK

In a little village east of the kings castle lived a teenage boy by the name of Aron. He worked as a stable boy and took care of the stalls where the horses were kept. In truth it was a family stable. In this village one had to have a trade and the family trade of stables was about all that he hoped to know. It wasn’t much, but at least it kept him busy. His job was not only to make sure that the stables were clean but also to groom the horses and exercise them for the paying customers.

One morning as he came in to the stables he spotted a very strong and handsome steed. It was well groomed and fed. As he looked over the steed he could see that it was not only strong but looked as if it had been in battle due to some scars on the horses back side.

Father? Aron asked as his dad walked in Who’s horse is this? I’ve never seen him around here before.

Stay clear of that one! His father replied That horse is spirited and belongs to one of the king’s knights

"A Knight? Wow! Where is he?

He came in late last night after you had fallen asleep. He entrusted his horse to us and left rather urgently. He didn’t say where he was going or when he would be back. But what he did say is to be careful of the steed. Then he paid us in advance and when he returns he said he would pay for any extra nights.

Wow! I hope I get to meet him. Aron says. I better get his horse some hay.

Later that night, Aron heard some noise coming from the stable. He snuck up and peered his head through a window to see who was inside. It was a man, and he was with the Knights horse. Aron quickly grabbed a pitch fork and ran inside the building. Get out of the stables and away from that horse. He said with all the courage he could muster up while pointing the pitchfork at the man. Who are you and what are you doing with that horse. The man backed up into a corner while Aron approached him. But when Aron got close, the man grabbed the fork twisted himself into a position of balance, put his leg behind Aron’s and pushed him down onto the ground, and then took the pitchfork and pointed it at Aron. Aron shocked and dismayed at how fast the man disarmed him lay helplessly on the ground with fear in his eyes waiting for the man to push the fork into him. The man took the fork and after looking at the boy eased up and threw the fork into the corner. He reached down his hand to help Aron up.

My name is Halligan. I am the king’s knight and this is my horse.

Aron grabs his hand and is lifted up from the ground I’m sorry Halligan

Call me Hal The man interrupts with a smile.

Hal I didn’t know who you were. I take care of the horses here and I was told to not let anyone get near that horse."

Well you handled yourself quite well in overcoming your fear of me in order to protect these horses. What else do you do here?

Um well I feed the horses and clean…

No, no! What I mean is what else do you do in this village?

Nothing really. This is all I know. And by the looks of things is probably all I’ll ever know.

Have you ever been anyplace else or gone anyplace?

Not really. Once we went south to the Kenara village to get some supplies. But mostly I get out of the village through stories that my uncle Jacob tells me. He tells me of all kinds of different places. Because of him I get to see the world through his eyes. And maybe some day I’ll get the chance to see it with my own.

Well I’ll bet you’ll get your chance sooner than you think if you really want it. Hal says

Aron smiles. You really think so?

You can count on it. Hal says

Aron takes an immediate liking to Hal. And he can tell that Hal likes him also. Night after night Aron would come into the stables to talk to Hal. Hal would tell him stories of battles that were fought, and places that he would visit. By far Hal’s stories were better than Jacob’s. But the story that fascinated him the most was the one about the Dragon. It was a scary kind of story with no ending. It started off as a creature in the king’s service, very intelligent and skillful. But it rebelled against the King and convinced many of the knights to follow him. There was a great war and the beast who was so full of hate, lies, and deceit turned into a great dragon. The battle grew heavy until the Dragon was cast out of the kingdom with all of his followers. Now the Dragon goes looking for revenge. He’s out there Hal would say; Building up a strong army. Many of his followers don’t even know that they are siding with the dragon because he uses his closest followers such as the Black Knight to lead many astray from the king.

Hal looks over at Aron "How would you like to meet the king yourself?

Aron looks at the ground to think about it. And in an uncertain voice says; Well maybe… Then his face brightens up. "Yeah sure! Let’s go. I want to see the King…

Eric walks around the corner of a building into an alley. A couple of years have passed since he dropped out of college. He is wearing a black leather jacket and blue jeans that are worn with a hole in one knee. Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulls out a joint, and after looking around to see if anyone is within sight he lights up. Leaning up against the brick wall of the building he takes in some smoke. He holds it in, and begins to think of the things that are happening. It seems that no one cares about anything anymore. He thinks to himself then he thinks about his friends. Heck even my own friends don’t care. I can’t even talk to them. He takes another hit. "It seems that every time I try to talk to them they just walk away. Man, I remember one day when I was talking to Bill.