rite of passage (a novel)
by 
captain mission


the forecast was for rain but it was sunny and warm, skies clear and ocean tranquility blue, just like the beginning of a beautiful dream that turns bad, in one sudden shadow that appears out of nowhere faster than the eye blink, thunderstorms materialise, they come rolling over that horizon like film speeded up, they change the colour of a bright day to a darker shade of ominous. 
the reptilian brain kicks in, flight or fight, prehistoric survival over riding any other logic. you glimpse over your shoulder and the burning flames of hell lick your heels, start running, out maneuvering the inevitable until the nightmare is everywhere and there is no running left. spiralling into chaos, no longer a voyeur of mans inhumanity but a participant, something snaps and that flight mechanism switches over to fight.
one individual under certain conditions can't do much, but they may be able to choose, even as the consequence may be their own destruction. some people call it bravery, some would call it stupidity, either way when the odds are stacked against you sometimes it's not a choice, it's just fate directing you.
i was just an individual, in the wrong place at the wrong time, in retrospect people say it was the right place but then they didn't have to live in my head. 
given the circumstances i'd avoid the experience, i recommend you do to, in fact i'd encourage you to stick your head back in your cereal and toast, stay in the cocoon of happiness domestic life bestowed upon you, turn of the tv, make love to your wife and drop your kids of at school and make sure they are safe from harm. ignorance is not bliss but it's sometimes less painful than knowing the truth.
sometimes you find yourself caught without an umbrella in a storm, sometimes even when you have an umbrella you still get wet, it's like waving a matchstick at the universe and expecting it to take notice, either way i was about to face my storm and i didn't even have a matchstick.
this is my story, it's about my storm, it's about me and who i am and what defines me. it's about boundaries, where the line is crossed and drawn but it's also about something larger and deeper and unfortunately darker.