Excellent Belief comes in many flavors and can try our souls. Day is Done by Jerome Goldberg      I Believe Contest Winner

I believe that the Sun will rise in the East and set in the West everyday. I believe that I am here; but, I do not know why. Silence. The sun was slowly sinking into the West. An old, gray haired woman was sitting by a gaping hole in a war torn building knitting. A large mixed breed black dog lie snoring softly beside her. For the moment there was peace. Almost serenity. The large black dog rose and wandered out into the rubble strewn courtyard. He sniffed the old shell casings, the chunks of concrete and occasionally some grass. He found a place or two that he liked and did his business. Then he lethargically moved into the woods. Once he was deep into the woods, he began to run. Two hours later he returned to the old woman. The old woman welcomed him home warmly, fed him and removed his collar. After he laid down by the small fire in the fireplace, she took his collar and climbed the shaky stairs to the next floor. There, and in almost total darkness, LT. Mark Silver, USA, removed his old woman's wig and bulky sweater and opened the secret compartment in the dog's collar. He carefully read and coded the report that his partner, LT. John Lewinski, USMC, had written on the Enemy's movement over the past twenty four hours. After checking for any signs of life in the area, he uncovered his battery powered transmitter and sent the coded report to Field Head Quarters. This cycle was repeated every day for a considerable length of time. No one seemed to question a gray haired old woman squatting with her dog in an old house that had been severely damaged by mortar fire. But, the Enemy was becoming very concerned and did question about how our air strikes always seemed to know where they were. Too much for good luck or coincidence. They stepped up patrols. On day twenty-one, the large black dog came home late. He ate his dinner but did not go to sleep. He just kept gazing out at the courtyard. When the Lieutenant checked his collar, there was no message. On day twenty-two it was the same. The large black dog kept staring out at the courtyard and the forest beyond. On day twenty-three it was the same. The large black dog continued staring out at the courtyard and the forest beyond and began whining. On day thirty-one, an old, gray haired woman and a large mixed breed black dog with sad eyes joined the slow moving line of war-ravaged refugees trekking toward safety. Writing Prompt Write a story or essay that begins with the sentence: I believe _______ (finish the sentence). Maximum word count: 1,000. I Believe Contest Winner Author Notes Hope that this story was not too depressing and for some there was meaning. Thank you for reading it.

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