The Monastery: And More Intriguing Short Stories

By Charles A. Sennewald

This work is Mr. Sennewald's second short story collection, following on the heels of the MAGI'S GIFT OF GOLD. That book, published in 2019 bears an Amazon Book"s five gold star rating.

Watch out! He has a unique way of catching the reader off-guard with his unpredictable endings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Aug 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781489737748

Charles A. Sennewald

Charles “Chuck” Sennewald, CSC, CPP, is an independent security management consultant and expert witness and the author of numerous Butterworth-Heinemann titles, including "Effective Security Management"; "Security Consulting"; "Retail Crime, Security and Loss Prevention: An Encyclopedic Reference;" "From the Files of a Security Expert Witness"; and earlier editions of this book "The Process of Investigation." Chuck is a graduate of California State University - Los Angeles with a BS degree in Police Science and Administration. Chuck is also the founder and first president of the International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC), and is a long-time member of ASIS International. He has lectured and is read in countries around the globe.

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Copyright © 2021 Charles A. Sennewald.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Scriptures taken from The New Jerusalem Bible [Standard Edition].

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3773-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3774-8 (e)

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 08/24/2021

CONTENTS

The Journey to the Monastery

You Choose, Heaven or Hell

Flying Saucer in Nebraska

Trickle Creek and Preacher Pete

Victus the Centurion

The Golden Nugget

Let’sdolunch.com and the iPhone

How Can this Bee?

The Upper Room

Billie the Bullfrog

Me, the Castle’s Tower

The Ghost Train

The Lantern in the Forest

And So is War

Cutting in Front of the Line

Here I Am Lord

The Secret Diary

Adrift

The Lighthouse

Santa Lives

Prepare Yourself

He Left His Footprint on the Road

Death

Your Glorious Destiny

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This work is a collection of twenty-four short stories which I originally privately published in two small books solely for family and close friends. I’ve written a good number of books but their market was for professional growth in the security field as well as college textbooks. But those close to me often challenged me to write something we could read and enjoy.

So I turned to short story telling. I couldn’t have written those two first books without the help of my son Stevo and his wife Yvette and two of Stevo’s employees, Shawna and Holly. And my son Jay C. pitched in from time to time, making this a family effort.

I also acknowledge Flo Tugwell of Fresno, Ca, who has been a wonderful friend for many years.

It became clear with the passage of time, the stories were enjoyed and passed around and the demand exceeded my ability to deliver, because there were not available to the public.

Hence, those original two books are herein combined into one with an ISBN number and available on the internet and book stores.

Lastly, I acknowledge the Holy Trinity who is responsible for giving me the gift to put words to paper.

DEDICATION

Dedicated to the four influential women in my life.

St. Therese of Lisieux…for faith.

Mary (Tottie) Sennewald…. for work ethic

Connie (Precious) Sennewald…. for love

Rose (Honey Rose) Koskovich…. for gentleness

THE JOURNEY TO

THE MONASTERY

I joined the service at the age of 17 with no thought, whatsoever, of going to college. As a recruit in basic training in San Antonio, Texas and while subjected to the harsh rigors wearing sweaty and dusty fatigue overalls, I couldn’t help but see three men in clean, carefully ironed Khaki uniforms talking some short distance away and I asked a fellow recruit, Who are those guys? He answered, Those are officers.

I said, Well, hell, that’s what I want to be.

He laughed and said, You have to go to college to be an officer, dummy.

That tiny, brief encounter and exchange CONVINCED me I would have to go to college… no matter what.

I was sent to the Philippines following Military Police school. While there the University of Calif. Berkley set-up an extension for servicemen, one class at a time. I enrolled. First class was Philosophy I, studying Plato, Locke, and Mills. Pretty heavy stuff for an 18-year-old that paid little attention to high school classes. I was the only enlisted man in the class.

When that class was over, and I passed, the next class was Sociology I. This time a fellow enlisted man joined, a black man, and we were the only enlisted men in these all-officer classes.

The subject matter was again, somewhat abstract to me, such as housing projects being constructed and all men wore grey suits and went off to work and all women had babies and took care of the home, suburban living and housing tracks. I passed. Same with the 3rd and final U of Cal extension center course there: Sociology II.

Then the Korean War started.

The word out among the troops was only those G. I.s who serve in the Korean War would be entitled to a new G.I. Bill of rights entitling veterans to a college education. I attempted to volunteer several times but was always too late. Then one late afternoon the First Sgt. asked me to answer the phone while he ran a quick errand. The phone rang. I answered Sgt Jones desk. The caller asked for Sgt Jones. I said I’d take a message, he was out. The caller said headquarters needed 5 Air Police volunteers for Korea. I said, No sir, I’ll tell him you need 4 volunteers. I’m the 5th, Corporal Charles Sennewald, 6205th Air Police.

Stop here for just a moment. The reader should bear in mind, this story is the preamble to my quest to be educated and go to college.

Wanting to be an officer is what ignited that quest. Korea was the last place for any particular preparation for the future with one exception.

On my tent base, K-10, word was received from the Army in Pusan there would be an OCT (Officer Candidate Test) and interested enlisted men could be transported to Pusan for that exam. I and one other G. I. opted to go. We were among maybe 30 others from other parts of Korea. After the test we were transported back to K-10.

Two weeks later I was summoned to the Air Police Headquarters tent for a field phone call. It was the Army. I was told I passed and they wanted me to report to Seoul (right behind the battle lines) for an Air Force discharge, a re-up into the army and a field commission as a 2nd Lt. I asked if it would be in the Military Police Corp? No, in the infantry I was told. Will I attend any officer training school in Japan? No. I could have been an officer without college, but I opted out.

PART 2

When my overseas duty was over I returned to the states. After a very short and unimportant assignment, I was assigned to the 10 Air Force Train Rider Detachment #1 headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyoming whose task was to patrol Union Pacific Trains, east and west bound between Omaha, Nebraska and Ogden, Utah, a 24-hour stint with Cheyenne the middle point, i.e. each evening at about 7:00pm the westbound train arrived and departed Cheyenne to Ogden arriving 7:00 am. We were put-up in a hotel a block from the train station and then that evening, around 7:00 pm we caught the east bound train arriving in Cheyenne about 7:00am. We had 36 hours off and then repeated the schedule.

There’s many stories connected with that but the object of this short story is to focus on a book I had purchased which listed the 25 most important books one could read if not a college graduate (I cannot find that book after hours of research). Each chapter in the book focused on specific topics, such as science, literature, art, history, religion, music, mathematics, etc.

Remember, my intention was to go to college.

In the chapter about religion the book recommended reading a book by Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, titled The Seven Story Mountain. The message and contents of this book caused me to purchase a second book by Merton. These books took my breath away. The Trappists are a contemplative order of Catholic monks who live and work in silence…meaning the majority of their day is spent in quiet prayer. They are also known for their beautiful chanting during the various services each day, starting at 3:00 am. Somehow I learned that there was a Trappist monastery not far from Ogden, the railroad town in which we laid-over in a provided hotel 10 hours a day a couple times a week. Wow, I had to go there. Maybe they would let me in or maybe not, but it was worth the try.

During that time my partner was, Don Schultz, a good friend and the man that saved my life. One of our duties on the train (in addition to keeping order) was to announce the closing of the lounge car and bar. At the magic hour, I think it was 10:00 PM, I went through the car informing those in uniforms that the bar was closing and asked them to please return to their car.

About 5 Korean War army vets who were drunk took exception to being told they couldn’t drink anymore. They jumped up and over-powered me. One said let’s throw this asshole off the train. The train was speeding along at 70mph. Don, who was engaged with a service man or two at the far end of the lounge car, heard and saw my situation. He pulled his .45 cal. pistol and racked a round into the chamber, shouting Let him go. Although intoxicated, the group came to their senses. I was released. Every soldier knows that distinctive sound of cocking a .45. Their leader, a Master Sgt. who wasn’t in the car at the time, was summoned and learned of the event. We discussed arresting that group and turning them over to the Cheyenne P.D. but the Sgt. said he would report the event to the commander of the base they were enroute to. We later learned each of those soldiers was reduced in rank, to Private.

Don found a 1939 Chevy in Ogden he could purchase really cheap and the seller allowed him to let it sit on his property for weeks or months until he could find time to drive it back to Cheyenne.

Next trip to Ogden we obtained directions to the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity Trappist Monastery in Huntsville, Utah and drove out into the wide rural valley. We could see it from a distance, a collection of Quonset buildings. You could hear the silence. It was eerie. There was a large wooden door alongside of which was a rope to a bell. I rang the bell. Silence. A long silence. Then the door opened and standing in the doorway was a Trappist monk, wearing a white long robe over which, like an apron in front and back, was a black cowl. He folded his hands over his mid-section and in a deep welcoming voice said, Well now boys, have you come to stay? I replied, No sir, but I’ve read two of Thomas Merton’s books and we’re curious about your faith and way of life.

Well now, my name is Brother Peter and it’s my task to inter-act with the outside world, with gentlemen like you and it will be my pleasure to escort you on a brief tour and explain our way of life. Please step in. We did and the heavy door slammed behind us. He pulled his hood up over his head and told us to follow him. "First thing I want you to see is the very heart of our life, the chapel. As we walked down the dimly lit long hallway we could hear music ahead. We entered the chapel, like a church, with the