An Early American site is discovered by an archaeologist who teams with a religious fundamentalist organization to fund excavation. A science-religion conflict builds as work on the site proceeds, similar to a conflict that occurred 13,000 years ago.
An Early American habitation site is discovered in the foothills southwest of Denver. Excavation at the cavern is supervised by Lisa Trayer, an archaeologist with the Colorado Museum of Natural History. In an effort to secure funding for the project, Lisa agrees to a partnership with the Chapleton Institute, a religious fundamentalist organization that seeks to merge science and religion. ANCESTORS OF GODS describes the science-religion conflict that builds between Lisa and Fred Walcott, the representative of the Chapleton Institute, as work on the archaeological site proceeds.
The conflict receives an ironic twist when Lisa and Fred are trapped inside the cavern when the back of a passageway collapses. As the air runs out and they lose consciousness, both experience separate spiritual journeys. While Lisa’s near-death-experience (NDE) is a vision of what life was probably like 13,000 years ago, Fred has a more typical NDE in which he goes to heaven and learns valuable lessons from the heavenly ‘Beings of Light’. Lisa’s feels her experience is much richer and fuller of wonder and awe than Fred’s and it convinces her that putting off marriage to Stephen Baker, a man she loves, is a mistake. ANCESTORS OF GODS combines current scientific discoveries and intelligent design theories with interesting characters who reflect diverging views of man and his spiritual nature.
Excerpt
Prologue
Dedehewa left the chamber in anger; angry at Meka for the lack of respect that Meka showed for him. Dedehewa, after all, was the shaman. Dedehewa understood the ways of the spirit world. Meka was only one of the band’s chief headmen, a hunter-warrior leader for their small band of hunter-gatherers. Meka, consequently, was not informed in the ways of a shaman. Only Dedehewa knew of the dangers that were facing his people. In anger, Dedehewa struck out with his staff at one of the joined stalactite/stalagmite pairs that bordered the narrow passageway. He had only advanced a couple of steps when he heard the crack. Turning around, he saw the crack grow across the stalactite where he had struck it. Frightened and realizing what he had done, Dedehewa backed away from the passageway as the rock column collapsed and the ribbon rock across the top of the passageway, no longer supported by the column, began to fall. As Dedehewa turned to flee, he tripped and fell. Stunned, he turned over to look at what was happening. While he was focused on the falling rock filling the passageway, he heard another crack directly above him. Before he could move and get out of the way, a twelve foot long stalactite broke free from the roof of the cavern and quickly pierced his chest, crushing and pinning him to the floor of the cavern. Dedehewa died before he could fully comprehend what he had done. In a fit of anger, Dedehewa had deprived his people of their spiritual leader and their greatest hunter.
Part I
Present - Colorado
Chapter 1
It was early morning on a clear sunny spring day, and Jeff McNair was again staring out the window of his office. His office was on the second floor of an office complex in the southwest Denver metro area. Jeff worked for Environmental Services Consulting (ESC) as a geologist and was in the office to finish a Phase I Environmental Assessment report for a ranch property he had investigated a week ago in the mountains near Fraser, Colorado. He was already getting cabin fever and was looking forward to getting back out in the field.
Jeff was six feet four inches tall, weighed 210 pounds, and had played tight end for the University of Colorado football team. He currently looked as physically fit as he had during his football days. His eyes were a golden green and a well trimmed brown mustache covered much of his upper lip. Since starting with ESC, Jeff had let his hair grow so that it now grew over his ears and down to his shoulders at the back of his head.
Jeff had worked for ESC since earning his Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Geology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Although he had not been much interested in graduate school when he had earned his BS, he was now considering it. The Colorado School of Mines had a good geology program and he was strongly considering going there, possibly starting in the fall of the following year.
As Jeff was gazing out the window, he saw a fox in the large natural open area that was located between ESC’s three-story office building and a small ridge of outcropping, eastward-dipping, red sandstone a quarter of a mile to the east. The ridge outcrops consisted largely of sandstone and shale of the Morrison formation deposited as stream sediments some 145 to 155 million years ago. Tilting of the sedimentary rock that occurred during the uplift of the Rocky Mountains between 80 and 40 million years ago left the rock in their present configuration. Erosion following the uplift had sculpted the current landscape.
An arroyo, the remnant of a former river channel, paralleled the ridge, ran down the north-south axis of the open area, and drained toward the south. Sometimes after a heavy rain, water would fill up the arroyo with several feet of water. Several large deciduous trees were located along the bottom of the arroyo and numerous scrub oak bushes were scattered in large clumps higher on the slopes.
Jeff had seen the fox a couple of other times that spring and realized that it probably had a den nearby. He retrieved a small pair of binoculars that he kept in his desk, raised them to his eyes, and watched as the fox disappeared under a brush about two thirds of the way up the slope of the ridge that formed the eastern horizon of Jeff’s view. A few moments later, dirt flew out from under the brush. That is probably where his den is, Jeff thought.
At 11:30 AM Jeff left the office for lunch. He often brought a bag lunch that he would eat on one of the benches that were located along a concrete sidewalk that followed the arroyo.
Married ten years, and more in love than ever, Robert and Marcie have everything to live for. But a terrible secret is breaking Robert's heart: he knows that Marcie is about to die...
Deputy Dave Jenkins investigates the murder of local high school principal, Jerry Egge, but this is a multi-faceted novel that deals with spiritualism, romance, friendship, and children who fall through the cracks.
"Murder isn't usually this
