A Hero's Reward

Is nobility something that a man can be born into or is it a right that that must be earned through dedication and hard work? Jeremy toyed with this thought in the late hours of the night in the days before his death. Jeremy had spent a great deal of his life trying to be a Noble and virtuous man. And in this respect he had obtained success which wasn't always easy in our increasingly violent and corrupt world. It was almost a necessity for young aspiring business men to lie, cheat, and plagiarize their way to success. Jeremy refused to succumb to the temptations of mortality. Throughout his life Jeremy had, had his fair share of rough and trying times but it was the current economic crisis that ultimately led to his untimely demise. The tragic hero of our story had never married. His work had consumed him to the point that he had almost no emotional ties left in this world. "A small price to pay for success," he had told himself on many occasions. And to some degree he did obtain success. Jeremy had built himself a business from the ground up. He remembered the long sleepless nights he had spent sorting through his ideas with a fine toothed comb trying to breathe life into his dreams. He didn't quite achieve his dreams but he came as close as the circumstances placed upon his metaphorical table would allow. The glass wasn't half full but it wasn't half empty either. For Jeremy it was almost as if the the glass didn't exist. Jeremy's business was to market and sell superficial electronic accessories. The kind that you see in infomercials that you would never dream of buying for at the original asking price. He employed three sales representatives which he payed a less than mediocre wage 12 dollars an hour. The small nature of his company and his careful consideration in hiring had bred a happy almost family like environment. On Saturday, July, 17 ,2007 Jeremy's team landed a major contract that would finally give them the funding they needed to expand their market into more worthwhile ventures. As a reward for this extraordinaire stroke of luck Jeremy closed up the office for the day giving his employee's the rest of the day off to celebrate their up coming raises. After pouring 20 years into his business things were finally on the rise. Jeremy spent the rest of the day wandering the city taking in the sites with a joy filled heart. As twilight began to descend upon the world Jeremy decided it was time to begin his journey home. It was at this time that he found himself in front of a poorly lit alley way at precisely the right time. A scream echoed through the nearby neighborhood almost inaudible over the sound of the constantly growing city. A desperate cry of a woman in need. Vaguely through the darkness Jeremy could see her struggling with her attacker. There was no hesitation in is selfless actions. He launched himself into the alley barreling into the dark clothed assailant just a few seconds later. The impact knocked them both to the ground. Jeremy wrestled with this confused and deranged man whose heart had been corrupted by the lack of jobs therefore feeling the inevitable need and want for money with which to obtain vital living essentials. The sound of gunfire filled the dark night. An abrupt silence followed but only for a brief moment. Jeremy knew he had been hit but he did not feel the biting pain of the sadistic bullet that had lodged itself in his body. Instead he felt bliss, probably from endorphins being released in his brain to spare his body an agonizing end. He heard the words being spoken by the woman he rescued to the 911 operators but they did not register in his fading mind. Paramedics arrived shortly after the grateful woman had placed her urgent call. The ambulance crew drilled Jeremy with questions about his day to day life in an attempt to keep him from going into fatal shock and Jeremy tried to answer but it was too late. As the light dimmed from Jeremy's eyes he knew the answers to the questions that had puzzled him so and deprived him of precious sleep. To be a noble man you must earn that title through your life's thoughts, words and actions. He had achieved greatness beyond what he had ever dreamed himself capable of.

The End

By: Matthew Lynn