When Marquis was seventeen he had left his father’s home, crossed the river and headed into the White rock field. He knew then that going any farther would require a horse.

A year later he rode a horse for six weeks. It was then than an earthquake had opened up the land and Marquis, by the fortune of the Gods, had discovered the existence of a previous civilization.

From that moment on, the warnings of the elders were discarded and everyone traveled to the forbidden lands for answers.

What had happened? What became of this civilization?

What was the wisdom of the past that would prevent disaster of the future?

Everyone knew if that answer was uncovered then perhaps the war would be stopped.

But the complete irony of it all was that men fought for portions of the land where they believed this fortune of knowledge existed.

For years Marquis searched, and as he worked and saved his money, he hired men to search for him. He would fight for the buried knowledge if need be.

A few men’s lives would be worth the price to save all mankind. That was his reasoning.

Lying with his new bride, just two days after his thirtieth birthday, Marquis was stirred from the sleep that he fought so hard to find.

“General!” a voice called.

Marquis heard the call and the stampede of horses.

His wife mumbled in her grogginess, “What is it?”

“No worries, my Love, I’ll handle it.” Marquis got up from bed and went to the window. “You call my name with urgency,” he said to the younger man on the lead horse.

“General. We found it.”

Marquis didn’t need to ask what. He knew. This was the latest team he had sent on a search of the land a hundred miles north of the White Rock field.

Grabbing his robe, Marquis hurried from his bedroom and out to the first floor of his house.

“Enter,” he said as he opened the door.

The young man dismounted, instructed the others to stay behind and then reached into his satchel and grabbed something.

Marquis patiently waited inside for the young man to enter.

“We uncovered this.” The young man laid a metal box on the table. It had to be at least a foot long and eight inches deep. “We found a stairwell and it was buried below.”

Marquis gasped at the beauty of it. “What are these markings?” he asked as he softly touched the top of the box.

“They are words, General. Someone took great care in etching them in the box. They are like a title or an introduction. These words mean the answers to the past are in here.”

“What do they say?” Marquis asked.

The young man held up his hand, went to the door and summoned another person inside.

The man was old, perhaps seventy or more.

“This man,” the young man said, “is an interpreter of ancient language.”

“Please,” Marquis said. “What does this say?”

The old man ran his hand over the markings and said, “Freedom leads to prosperity. Freedom replaces the ancient hatreds among the nations with comity and peace. Freedom is the victor.”

Marquis drew breathless and reached for a chair. “I have heard of words spoken like this. This box must contain the mythical magic stone that holds the key to peace.”

“One way to find out,” the old man said. “Open the box.”

Marquis did.

Thank you for taking the time to read, Then Came War: America’s Demise.

Copyright

Then Came War

By Jacqueline Druga

Copyright 2012 by Jacqueline Druga.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

AMERICA DEMISE THEN CAME WAR PHOTO © Brocreative - Fotolia.com

Special thanks once again to Ann Cochran for all her help