Jungle Rains by Joseph Miles

This is an excellent short story from the American author, Joseph Miles, which is based on a couple of true stories: a chimpanzee attack in Sierra Leone, and an alligator attack on a dog in Florida. Our hero has moved to New York City, in search of the solitude he requires to continue his work on his book of virtues. His world is turned upside down when his apartment is broken into, and he is forced to call upon his landlord, SC, to repair his broken window. SC has an extreme vision of the future, which disrupts the thought processes of our hero. Until, that is, it becomes true… Jungle Rains is a very stimulating, and philosophical short story, that also abounds in a subtle humour, which makes it a great addition to this series of online stories.

An extract from the story:

It all started when I realized my life’s calling - that I would write a book on virtues. I was enthralled by their power: virtues embody everything good in mankind and lie at the foundation of our greatest institutions. If ever there was a source of potential in mankind that was still untapped, this was it, and I embraced them wholeheartedly.

I turned to routine. I became focused and dedicated. The actions of my life would now carry with them greater meaning and purpose. Slowly, I began picking up steam. Thoughts became connected and I even began putting some things down on paper.

As dedicated as I was, friends forcibly stood in my way. They wanted to continue spending time with me, and at first I would abide. But I wouldn’t let that time slip away not thinking of my work. I even went so far as to guinea pig them.

“You know, virtue is all powerful.”

“Huh?” said Jones.

“It can move you ahead in life,” I continued.

“I don’t want to get ahead,” said Jones, lighting another cigarette and turning the car without making a signal.

You can download the story from lulu.com for 50p (approx. 1 US dollar). The story is a 0.139MB pdf file:

http://www.lulu.com/content/4681893

If you have any problems with your order, please contact editor@authortrek.com.

If you want to do a review you can send it to authortrekreview@authortrek.com. We will not publish your email address, or pass it on to other parties. Please include the author’s name and the story title in the subject line of your email. If you have any further queries, then please read the FAQ first. For more details about the author, please visit our Joseph Miles page.

Lisez cette page en français avec Babelfish Lesen diese Seite auf Deutsch mit Babelfish

Submit your website to 40 search engines for FREE!