“Just as Mirawami concluded her serenade, the council raucously dispersed upon Mankani’s bold decree. The elders went straight to their homes, loudly calling together their unwed sons, their nephews, and sons-in-law. These were the warriors in their charge, so that each elder led a small squad of five to ten fighting men. Elders shouted, men came to, and women dashed to duties that they did not desire, and they dragged the young along teaching them even then the ways of war. Whoops and ululations filled the air. Arrows were dipped in simmering pots of poison. Stern young faces emerged from huts throughout the village. Arms were thrust skyward brandishing the lance and bow and shield in fearsome challenge to their would-be foes.” (From Bentari, Chapter 10: “The Crocodile and the Plover”)

The opening paragraph of chapter 10 sets the stage for battle in Bentari’s village. His grandfather, Chief Mankani, has declared a defensive response to the military intrusion by a company of German soldiers. There is tension. There are regrets. It must be a swift response. And there is excitement in the air. Not a bad way to open a chapter.

There are at least 1,000 paragraphs in Bentari. I had a great deal of fun writing each of them. I worked hard at making each paragraph a fitting piece of the whole; especially the first and the last paragraphs of each chapter. Both must absolutely entice the reader’s eagerness to read on. Both must speak to fingers and make them turn another page.

In this particular chapter opener, I coped with one of my favorite themes—war. I am a Navy veteran, and I served in a time of war; not in combat, but close enough to smell the bombers’ burning fuel on many frequent take-offs. It makes you think deeply about the cost of Humanity’s deadliest enterprise. It made me begin a life-long quest to figure out one thing—WHY? And whether you have an answer for that eternal question or not—when the battle call fills the air, a community will respond. Here you see my treatment of how our hero’s community undertakes the first regrettable throes of armed conflict.

Photo: What I’m up to lately—still honing the script.

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