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Death in Driftless Hollow

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Ben Tor

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“A volley thundered — and the prisoner kneeling beside Peter collapsed lifelessly into the dirt. Three more men fell elsewhere along the line. “Reload!” the State Security lieutenant kept commanding. “Aim!” Peter turned his gaze toward the NKVD squad. A rifle was pointed straight at his chest, the bayonet gleaming. He looked into the barrel. “Can a crude piece of lead really destroy my unique soul forever? No — that is absurd!” In a state of shock, he felt himself tearing away from reality, rising above the turmoil into a silvery, radiant height. Below, his body knelt on the ground. But his essence — his soul — watched what was happening with bitter irony from above. His gaze turned toward the beautiful light descending from the heavens. Peter shuddered. The rifle was still aimed at his chest. Yet he felt no fear. Now he knew: his soul could not die — it was impossible. His essence, his spirit — and therefore he himself — were immortal. “Stand down!” the NKVD lieutenant said with relief. “This time you are spared. But if there is any further sabotage, there will be no mercy.” — Volodymyr Shablia, Stone. Book One Context note: During a prisoner transport in Stalin’s USSR, Peter witnesses an execution and is moments away from being shot himself. Facing death, fear gives way to a profound inner realization about the immortality of the human spirit.”

FearInner StrengthExecutionHuman SpiritNear DeathExistential CrisisNear Death ExperienceGulagMoral StrengthStalin Era
Book:Камень. Биографический роман: Часть первая. Первые шаги к свету и обратно
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“Fear is location specific. Which is not something people from Bent Tree usually learn because they rarely leave. But if you're not from somewhere rural, gunshots have a different connotation. Any bang-bang in the city and your adrenaline spikes. You lock the door. You pray. At the Lodges, gunshots are like crickets; you don't hear them every day, but nearly. They are the sound of industry, and industry is money, and money makes you smile.”

FearIndustryProfitNormalityGunshots
Book:Tell Me Something Good
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