Every year on April 20 marijuana smokers worldwide celebrate a day of fun, all done in the spirit of peace, but this year millions of Americans simultaneously fell dead for unknown reasons. They thank God for the gift of marijuana to humanity. But the order of magnitude for such a widespread killing spree pointed to a man-made event, as Mother Nature could not have been so meticulous in her plan; deliberate in her approach, and thorough in her execution. Twenty-four hours after the annual "smoke-in" the TV Breaking News articles were a series of unbelievable stories, photos, and accounts of an apocalypse. The death count surpassed that of an Atomic Bomb without an enemy or attack to attribute the horror. Without answers as to why bodies were scattered from coast to coast, the public was panic-stricken full of anxiety and fear. Bodies were anywhere a person would go to feel safe to be themselves for a few minutes. The challenge wasn't completed by the poison weed or the act of smoking it. The success of the massacre lay in the production and unique distribution approach to chemical warfare - attack from within.
Central to the story's theme is a cross-country 3-tiered structure consisting of an underground tunnel with a canal continuously filled by Global Warming oceans' overflow, a single rail sled, and an above-ground walkway. In peace, the canal would water parched land to produce food for the country's food banks. Unfortunately, the labor to build the structure was a resentful workforce with revenge on their minds. The construction crews were littered with saboteurs who were mixing a "crumble chemical" into the building material such that the wall structure would dissolve not long after it was completed. The enemy's ultimate goal was to control the Western Hemisphere. First, they had to take over the U.S. who was the only country strong enough to stop them.
In retrospect, two years earlier a suspicious killer virus struck the U.S. murdering thousands in a poor attempt to wipe-out Americans. But a CDC vaccine diluted the anemic disease from its purpose. It was a strange event that surfaced many questions about where it began and the human condition that started it. But the plan needed to be swift, thorough, and safe from self-inflicting harm and malicious discovery. The enemy's combined forces remained mysterious. The fighting force known as the Western Hemisphere Armed Forces (WHAF) had yet to invade the U. S. Aside from gaining residence and familiarity with our land, they worked at gaining the Americans' trust. but their The infiltrator segment adjusted well to our lifestyles socializing with our families and friends in plain sight.Quite by accident, I came to possess a cryptic map with the shape of the United States drawn on it - a left-hand overlay was sketched over the U. S. - the map resembled a marijuana leaf. Without any of the lines labeled, nothing I looked at made sense. When I learned the man, who slid the map to me, as he was being dragged from a barroom, paid for it with his life, I was convinced the drawing was tied to the massacre in some way.
Before the Americans could regroup into what was left of their powerful fighting force, the WHAF attacked by landing on the California coast. They took no prisoners, except the ones they needed. All foreign survivors had the back of their right hand unmistakably tattooed with the date they were captured. Most were deported, while others were kept in labor camps to work on the country's infrastructure destruction. A few escaped never to be seen again.

I am a first wave baby boomer from a small town in northern New York. I graduated from college and married in June 1969. The War in Vietnam weighed heavily on me as our "love child" was born a couple of months after the August Woodstock Music Festival. With my draft board after me, I started the pressure of a new career in a leading-edge computer industry. The Woodstock Nation spawned a culture that swept me into a lifestyle of a grass smoking, long hair, and characteristics that identified me as a hippie in a white-collar job.
My alcoholism and addiction can not be understated as they influenced my life unmeasurably. Often I felt alone on a dark path very few have traveled. Simultaneously, I quickly advanced upward through the computer technology industry earning management promotions, awards, and guest speaker engagements, an opposite path that even fewer have traveled.
Forty years later, I retired as an IT Project Manager after a successful career that included global travel to places like Singapore, China, and Nice, France. But it was the only life I'd ever known, so the peace away from stressful work and life in the fast lane led me to a quiet life of writing.
My biggest achievements in life are my two children as they have growing careers, loving families, and are solid citizens. Of course, the love from my grandchildren reminds me how lucky I have been in my crazy life.