Short Stories / Anicdotes relating to African Hunting Safaris/As a small boy growing up in Kenya, I would listen to the stories my mother told me with avid interest. I would hang on to her every word and vowed that one day I was going to be a hunter too. Many of my parent's safari boys were my friends and would scare the daylights out of me by telling me hair-raising stories of their own. Each chapter of this book is a complete story in itself. The book is designed to make light and amusing reading.

This story is about Puddy, a young elephant in the Kruger National Park, whose herd is culled. He and his mother are spared and sold to a small game park. Five years later at the age of nine, he, accompanied by an otter named Tarak, a polecat, a dog and two eagles, returns to his original home to search for his father. He and five bull elephants prevent a cull from taking place after which he and Tarak set out to explore the park. They meet a Russian named Bosky who for the past 28 years has been digging the park full of holes in fruitless search for gold he believes was buried there during the Anglo South African war. Bosky, who is able to communicate with animals and lives amongst them fearlessly, decides to accompany them. Bosky rescues Puddy when he gets into trouble with game rangers. They are joined by an old zebra; they annoy a baboon; foil the plans of two poachers, and are confronted by a lion and his mate. Puddy goes to place his memory of which is afterwards insubstantial and elusive. Later, Burchell saves Bosky from being trampled by an enraged elephant that flung him to the ground. Then the three animals together save the severely injured Bosky's life again. The story ends where plans are being made for a journey to a land where mammoths once lived; a story that is nearly complete.

Professor Leif Hansen, a wealthy Danish botanist, builds a pioneer ecovillage for scientists to begin research into lichen that could one day produce oxygen on Mars for future space missions. NASA agrees to help with the project and finds a suitable location for his research in Namibia, South West Africa, where he and his fellow ecovillagers can research permaculture, eco-living, and getting back in touch with Mother Nature. Unknown to him a cabal founded by surviving Nazis are planning World War Three and some of their members plan to take it by force as a haven. As the nuclear holocaust threatens their existence, the villagers resort to extreme measures to defend their precious oasis in the desert that they have strived for years to build, while battling both local militia and mercenaries. But what if the green revolution isn't what we think it is?

Caleb desperately wants a cat, but his mother is allergic to them. When a stray cat show ups at the house, Caleb can’t resist taking care of it—despite his mother’s sneezing! Hopes are dashed when Caleb’s father explains to him that he cannot expect God to always answer his prayers in the way he wants. Yet a surprising twist in the story makes Caleb eventually realize that “God does answer prayer, in His own time and in His own way.” A Better Ending is a collection of short stories and poems that take place at home, in school, across the world, and in out own back yards. Each story has a theme that encourages readers to reflect on their own hearts and lives as the relate to God’s Word. Table of Contents: 1. A Better Ending: “Small Steps” 2. A Higher Purpose: “Instruments of Praise” 3. Hand-Me-Down Dog: “A Child’s Walk with God” 4. The Red Geranium: “Let Them Come to Me” 5. When the Rains Came: “Just a Little Cloud” 6. Caiman and Camelids: “White as Snow” 7. The Ruins: “Heroes of the Faith” 8. Second Chances: “Blessings from Above” 9. French for Rachel: “Planned with Care” 10. The Swindler: “Tangled in Sin” 11. Patches’s Way: “The Saddest Sight to See” 12. Sweeter than Them All: “Today Is the Day” 13. Too Much Chatter: “Creatures of the Deep” 14. Surprised by Joy: “Happy Inside” 15. Two Are Better than One: “Closer than a Brother” 16. Wait for Me!: “To Serve His Way” 17. Missing!: “Jesus, Shepherd” 18. Ahead of the Storm: “My Feathered Friend” 19. A Break from Spring Break: “The Master’s Way” 20. Laughter in the Woods: “We Are Bears” 21. Someone Special: “The House of God” 22. Treasures and Daydreams: “What God Has Given Me” 23. Better than Sacrifice: “Be Holy” 24. Camping Woes and Wonders: “Two Words” 25. Hungry Inside: “Tell Me”