Today I found the book. It was the first book I had seen since the worldwide book burning four months ago. I eagerly picked it up and turned to page one. And I looked down at a blank page. It was a diary. A blank diary. My eyes filled with tears.

As I look back at those first few words I have just written above, I realize I have not started my story very well. Although I do not have much formal education, I can read and write. And before the war started, my favorite leisure activity was reading. Although I have always been poor, I never had any trouble finding a book to read.

That was before the war began. Like all wars, this one began in a very normal way. And for several weeks I frequently listened to the war news on the radio. But since the war was being fought on the other side of the ocean, I thought it would have no impact on me. I was wrong. The war engulfed us before we could do anything to protect ourselves. I was lucky. I lived through that first awful day of destruction.

I was also lucky in another way. The war was being fought without nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. Although every nation had those options available, they decided to use the old fashioned weapons of World War II instead. But they didn't need airplanes to drop their bombs. During the past twenty years every major city in the world had dozens of bombs smuggled into them by their enemies. Those bombs had been strategically planted where they would do the most damage. All the telecommunication, power, gas, and water companies had been carefully targeted throughout the world. When the war escalated, each nation simply triggered their prepositioned bombs by remote control. A few cities (such as Washington, D.C. and Moscow, Russia) contained so many prepositioned bombs that they were totally destroyed in a matter of minutes. But most cities only suffered normal damage. However, their utility infrastructure was completely destroyed. And without fresh water being piped into the cities, fires quickly raged out of control in many areas. After the fires died out, life in the cities became impossible due to the lack of drinking water. Almost everyone evacuated their homes and moved into a government shelter of some type. However, not all of us accepted the hospitality of our governments. Some of us decided we would wait and see what happened next.

After all the prepositioned bombs had been remotely detonated, foreign armies began invading their enemies. Within one week at least five major nations had their troops entrenched on United States soil. And then the fighting started moving from place to place as the troops destroyed one area and then moved on to the next area. About two weeks after the foreign troops arrived here in the United States, I heard the "rumor." The enemy was burning every book they could find. Therefore I was not surprised when, at a safe distance, I saw the enemy destroy the local public library. However, I was surprised when I saw my fellow countrymen assist in the book burning. A small group of misfits went about collecting every book they could find and they delivered them to the enemy in truck loads. For each truckload they were given one week's supply of food and five gallons of gas for their truck.

That this tragedy was happening everywhere at the same time I did not learn until later when I had the chance to visit other partially destroyed towns. I gradually became aware of the fact that the one thing that was missing in every home, store, and building was a book of any type. I was confident that some people loved books as much as I do, and they had found some way to hide and preserve the books they treasured. But until today I had not found a single copy of any book.

That is why I was delighted to find the book inside the desk of the partially destroyed office building I had entered to spend the night. There was nothing of interest in the desk except for the book and two writing pens. The printed title on the cover of the book was "Diary." When I opened the book to read the words therein, my heart sank. The pages were blank. All blank. For some unknown reason, the person who bought this book had never written a single word; not even their name or the date.

I was heartbroken. But then I saw an opportunity. I could write my own diary. I could tell the world how my life had been destroyed by this war. And that is what I am doing now.

The biggest decision I had to make was where to begin. I decided not to bore you with the details of my birth and early life. They were too ordinary to be of any interest. I decided to begin with the events of today. I have to call it today because I don't know what day of the week it is. I'm not even sure what month it is. Before the war began about four months ago, every day was so predictable it was a simple matter to keep track of time. But after the war started I was not concerned about what day it was. My complete attention was focused on finding food and water, and staying one step ahead of the enemy so I would not be killed or captured. When I find out what day it is, I will insert that information in this diary for anyone who is interested.

My writing hand is getting tired so I think I will go to sleep for the night. The wind is blowing through the broken windows of this war damaged building so I will definitely need my blanket tonight. But I have a roof over my head so I don't have to worry about getting rained on while I sleep.

Day Two

A terrible creaking sound woke me this morning. At first I didn't know what it was and then I felt pieces of plaster falling on me. I grabbed my boots in one hand and my equipment belt in my other hand and I ran into the street to safety. As the dust settled I looked back at the office building where I had spent the night. The upper floors of the building had totally collapsed into one big heap on the ground. My sleeping blanket, my backpack, and my weapon were under a pile of rubble about ten feet high. The futility of trying to recover my lost belongings was obvious to me.

It was time to take inventory. My civilian clothes had become rags some time ago and I now wear whatever I can find that will fit me and not be too tight. I don't mind if my clothes are a little loose but I can't tolerate clothes that are too tight. A few weeks ago I found some hunting camouflage clothes in an attic in a partially destroyed home. The camouflage pattern is great when I am in the woods but terrible when I am inside a town.

I also have a medium-size waist pack that contains seven military food ration bars, about four ounces of salt, a compass, a flint and a piece of steel, a fork and spoon, a steel drinking cup, a military can-opener, a fingernail clipper, a toothbrush, eight thin snare wires, twenty feet of strong nylon twine, twelve feet of fishing line and several fish hooks, and a road map of this state.

I have a very nice hunting knife that has one advantage that is also its main disadvantage. It has a hollow handle with a screw on cap. Inside the handle I have my three remaining matches, a sharpening stone, and six aspirin tablets, all individually wrapped in clear plastic wrap. When the cap is screwed on tight, the handle is waterproof. But because the handle is hollow, I know I cannot use the knife as a hacking tool or the blade will break off from the handle. Therefore I have always been careful when I use my knife since I am aware of this weakness. If I find a good hunting knife without a hollow handle, I will probably exchange my knife for it.

I also have a 30-ounce belt canteen and it is about one-third full of water. I keep a thin clean cloth in the bottom of my canteen pouch. All of the above items are attached to my equipment belt. Before the ceiling collapsed I also had a backpack that contained several other useful items but nothing that is worth digging through ten feet of rubble to recover. Therefore I made the decision to abandon my backpack and my primary weapon of self-defense. I will have to rely on my knife and my wits to keep me alive until I can find a replacement weapon.

I need to say a little more about my salt. In my opinion, salt was the best kept secret in the United States prior to the war. Every doctor and magazine article stressed the fact that we needed to reduce our salt intake. "Don't add salt to your food at the table. Commercially processed foods contain all the salt your body needs." And that was true. However, naturally grown foods don't contain any salt. And you can't find salt in the woods. But our bodies need salt to function properly. The bottom line is that salt is as precious right now as silver or gold. That's why I always keep what little salt I might have in my waist pack. My life and my health depends on it.

My boots are probably my most valuable asset. Without them, travel would be painful, difficult, or maybe even impossible. I have always been very particular about my footwear. For the past few years I have always worn ankle-high lace-up hiking boots with grooved soles. I would only buy boots that felt good on my feet when I first put them on. I am not one of those people who believe you have to break in your shoes for them to be comfortable.

After the loss of my weapon, my next most important concern is that I only have the one pair of socks I am wearing. They are in okay condition but they will not last more than another ten or fifteen days before tiny holes start to appear. Wherever the holes appear, a blister will soon follow. If I had a needle and some thread I could sew up the holes. But I learned from experience that the sewn area will still rub a blister on my foot. My socks are also the reason I carry my fingernail clipper in my waist pack. I use it to keep my fingernails and my toenails trimmed short. Long toenails can destroy a good pair of socks after only two or three days of hiking.

Before the war began, I didn't truly understand how important my feet were. It wasn't long before my opinion about my feet changed. If my feet hurt, itch, or are bleeding, I can't travel very well or very far. Before I lost my backpack, I had four extra pair of socks. I rotated them very carefully. Each night I would remove my socks, wash them and hang them near the fire to dry. Then I would wash and dry my feet. I would then take a clean pair of socks from my backpack and put them on. I have avoided all types of foot fungus and blisters that way. I can still wash my feet and my one pair of socks each night to avoid the foot fungus. But I have no way to avoid the blisters unless I can find some more socks within the next week or two.

My three major priorities: a new weapon, food, and socks.

I need to clarify something right now. Before the war began I would never have considered taking something I hadn't paid for. But the war has changed that. I still refuse to steal. But if I find something that has the appearance of being temporarily abandoned, then I will confiscate it in order to stay alive. I think the difference between me and the average thief is that I know I don't have any right to the things I take. And my conscience bothers me tremendously. Maybe when the war is over I can somehow make amends by helping people less fortunate than I am. I don't know. I will cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, I only ask that you not judge me too harshly for eating any food that I happen to find, or wearing any clothes that happen to fit me.

I walked about two miles through the remains of this war ravaged town but I didn't see anyone. However, I didn't know if the town was completely deserted. There are survivors everywhere. But generally we don't reveal ourselves to each other. If I see someone else first, then I try to remain concealed until they have passed me by. I am confident others have seen me first and they practice this same strategy.

From past experience I knew I would probably not find anything of value in this burned out town so I made my way to the edge of town and entered the woods. I consulted my map, looked at my compass, and made a mental note of where the sun was and the best route to the next town.

My primary objective is to return to my hometown in the southeast and see my parents. The economy went downhill about a year ago and most of us lost our jobs where I lived. The only decent job I could find was in the mid-west. Since I was single I moved to the mid-west and got a new job. But the war has changed my priorities. All I want to do now is to get home safely and see if my parents and two older brothers are okay.

It was early morning so I started my hike through the woods. When I am in the woods I always travel quietly by day. If I am following a road, I travel quietly by night. Even at night the main roads can be extraordinarily dangerous, so I try to strategically select which roads I will follow. Dirt roads are usually safer and can be traveled during the day. However, the main roads contain numerous gangs of thieves and cutthroats that prey on passing travelers. Travel by car is also impossible because of the numerous roadblocks. When you see a roadblock you don't know if it is the enemy, or our own military, or a band of renegades. The other reason I am on foot is due to the fact that the gas stations are all closed. Only the military has access to gasoline.

Travel by night along a secondary road is not very difficult if the moon is shining. In fact, I use the moon as a guide when I have to choose between two forks in a road. Except for the few nights when the moon is full, the bright side of the moon always points in the direction of the sun. Between sunset and midnight it will point west towards the setting sun. After midnight it will point east towards the rising sun. When the moon is full, I use my compass. It is very easy to read under a full moon.

I also travel alone. By necessity, not by choice. On three occasions I have teamed up with other people but I never stayed with them for more than a day or two. They couldn't resist the urge to talk as they walked. I have no objection to conversation, but not while I am traveling. Talking distracts you from paying close attention to the area ahead and around you. And you can't hear your surroundings when someone is talking. And it alerts anyone who might be ahead that you are coming their way. That's why I travel alone. So far I haven't met anyone who could abstain from conversation while walking.

That's all I can think of at this time, so I will put this diary away for now.

Day Five

Nothing important has happened since my last entry. I found a stream shortly after I entered the woods three days ago and I followed it. At one spot the stream formed a small pond about eight feet deep and 20 feet across before it continued its way through the woods. I camped there the first night and fished from every bank of the small pond. I caught two small fish that I would have thrown back during normal times but which I kept and ate due to the circumstances. I had better luck with my eight snares. I caught one squirrel late in the evening and another one the following morning.

I always stop about three hours before sunset to set my snares and to make camp. I then check my snares just before dark. And again at sunrise. And again two hours after sunrise. Then I collect my snare wires and start hiking again. I call them snare wires but that's not what they were when I found them. One day while I was casually searching a flower shop I noticed some thin green wire that was used to tie silk flower arrangements. I cut the wire into different lengths (between 6 feet and 10 feet) and I have used it successfully as snare wire ever since.

Let me also mention my drinking water. First I pour whatever water I can find through a clean cloth to filter out any large impurities. Then I hard boil the water for 1 or 2 minutes in my steel cup. I only put boiled water in my canteen to drink. So far I have been lucky and I have not had a case of the runs since before the war started. I still have all three of my matches. I use my flint and my piece of steel to start my fires. It is slow and tedious work but I refuse to waste my remaining matches. I may get sick one day and not be physically able to start a fire with my flint. If that happens, then my matches could save my life. Without water I am dead, and without boiled water to drink my chances of survival are very slim.

I wish I could a find a butane cigarette lighter. Before the war started I could have bought all the lighters I wanted for under a dollar each. Hindsight. One of the many inexpensive things I could have done that would have made my life so much easier today.

I don't eat breakfast. When food is available, I eat lunch and a late supper. I don't miss breakfast. After the first few days of doing without breakfast I realized that, contrary to what I had been taught, breakfast isn't the most important meal of the day. Even if I have not eaten the night before, if I get a decent night's rest, I can travel for several hours the following morning before I start getting weak from fatigue. That's when I eat my lunch. If I am low on food, I skip supper. I stay alive that way. And I have lost about 20 pounds. But I have added a few pounds of muscle in my legs. I am now thin but not emancipated. And except for being hungry most of the time, I actually have never felt better in my entire life.

I have to mention my dreams. After the war began, they gradually changed. I don't dream a lot, but my dreams now are usually about food. Foods I once had easy access to but didn't appreciate. Corn on the cob. A baked potato with butter. A glass of cold milk. Raw vegetables and fresh fruit. Cheese. Freshly baked bread. I read the words I have just written and they are very precious to me. But I sincerely doubt if you can appreciate them as I do unless you have been hungry for some extended period of time during your life.

By following the stream, I have come to the edge of another war ravaged town. I watched from the edge of town for a short period of time and saw no movement anywhere. I then picked out the house I would attempt to enter to spend the night. I always try to pick the least desirable house in the immediate area. It is usually the safest place to spend the night. Around dusk, while I could still see well enough to move safely but could not easily be seen from a distance, I made my way to the house and went inside. It was abandoned. I spent the night in relative comfort.

Day Six

Most of the homes on the outskirts of town were partially destroyed or burned to the ground. In the small business section, most of the buildings were also either partially or totally destroyed. I spent the entire day looking for something to salvage but I found nothing I wanted to take with me. I found a lot of things that were in good condition, but as I have already mentioned, I am not a thief. I am only looking for things that will help me survive the remainder of my journey.

Day Seven

I entered the main business district of town around noon. In the downtown area most of the buildings have vending machines and a small lounge area with a coffee pot and a microwave. Sometimes these break rooms are on the first floor but frequently they are on an upper floor. It is also very unusual for me to be the first one to find them. But on those rare occasions when I find a break area that hasn't already been looted, then I am in junk food heaven.

I was exploring the second floor of a building when I heard voices in the street outside. I crept to a position near one of the windows and carefully peeked outside. I saw a group of armed men. That didn't alarm me because anyone who can find a weapon carries it with them nowadays. What did alarm me was the foul language the men were using. Every sentence was punctuated with several words of profanity. I have nothing against a cuss word every now and then when the occasion warrants it. But my Dad always told me that you can't depend on a person who uses profanity in every sentence. (My Dad also told me not to trust a man who hits a woman.) Therefore I remained in hiding to let those people pass. It seemed the wisest course of action since I only had my hunting knife for self-defense. To my dismay, they entered a building a short distance down the street and two rough looking men stood guard outside the door. I remained very quiet and waited. After about 10 minutes I decided that building must be their headquarters, so I crept quietly across the room and down the stairs and out the back door into an alley. I entered a building on the opposite side of the alley and closed the door behind me as quietly as I could. I then felt a little safer.

The building was not in bad condition, except for the fact that it was very old and the glass had been broken out of all the windows. I explored the ground floor and found nothing of value. I even looked in the small closet beneath the stairs but it was empty. As I started up the stairs my foot broke through the fourth step. After I got over the initial scare, I pulled my foot free from the broken step and I saw something inside the hole. It was a backpack. I realized the pack was too big to lift through the hole, so I returned to the closet below the stairs and I examined the small wall directly below the bottom steps. It was a simple wood panel that was held in place at the top and bottom by eight small nails. I carefully used my fingernail clippers to get a grip on the small nail heads and they withdrew from their holes very easily. I then removed the thin wood panel and gained access to the secret compartment below the first six stairs.

I was rich. I had found a backpack and two duffel bags. One duffel bag was full of food. The other duffel bag contained a nice variety of clothing. The backpack contained a magnificent collection of camping gear. Evidently someone who previously worked in this building had secretly stashed these supplies under the stairs in the event the war started while he was at work. He was very foresighted. But since the war began in the middle of the night, he hadn't gotten trapped here in the city and been forced to hike his way home.

I didn't want to unpack and examine everything here since I was still so close to that band of men I was trying to avoid. So I put the pack over my shoulders and I picked up a duffel bag in each hand. Then I carefully made my way across several city blocks before I stopped in another abandoned building to rest.

The first thing I did was go through the duffel bag containing the food. It contained four cans of Spam, four cans of Chili with beans, 20 packages of dry gravy mix, 10 packages of dry chili mix, 12 pounds of white rice, 12 pounds of wheat berries, 5 pounds of instant potatoes, 5 pounds of dried beans, 5 pounds of dried corn, 5 pounds of dry noodles, 100 small tea bags, 12 packets of hot chocolate mix, 2 pounds of powdered milk, 1 Pound of White Sugar, 2 Pounds of Pickling Salt, a half-pound of round peppercorns, 1 pound of miniature Tootsie Roll candy, 1 pound of individually wrapped caramels, and 1 pound of individually wrapped assorted hard candies. There were also a few simple recipes. I was rich. I couldn't resist opening one of the caramels and putting it into my mouth to melt while I went through the other things I had found.

Next I examined the backpack. It was externally mounted on a metal frame and it had shoulder straps and waist straps. Tied to the outside of the pack I saw a collapsible shovel and a single-shot over-under combination 20 gauge shotgun and 22 caliber rifle. A decent supply of ammo was in one of the outside pockets of the backpack. I loaded one shotgun shell into the upper chamber and one 22LR bullet into the lower chamber. I clicked the rifle closed.

There were four large pockets on the outside of the backpack and two major compartments on the inside of the pack. I am not going to bother listing what was in each area. Instead I will just list everything I found.

Comb, razor, toothbrush, small tube of toothpaste, dental floss, chapstick, unbreakable mirror, safety glasses with flip-down sun-glasses, small shampoo, small hand lotion, sewing kit, nail grooming kit, tweezers, small fingernail brush, two ear plugs, Q-tips, compass, miniature weather thermometer, whistle, magnifying glass, bar of Ivory soap, bar of Lava hand soap, wash cloth, bath towel, ziplock bag containing 40 paper towels, multi-tool, thin steel wire, two butane lighters, two waterproof containers of strike-anywhere matches, duck tape, sharpening stone, pocket knife, can opener, fork, spoon, enamel dish plate, six-quart enamel cook pot with lid, Teflon coated skillet, wide-mouth funnel, long wooden spoon, long plastic fork, two small stainless steel cook pots with lids and with copper bottoms (one pot fit inside the other pot), stainless steel cup, dish cloth, dish towel, metal scouring pad, rubber gloves, 100 coffee filters, ten empty 1-gallon ziplock freezer bags.

Also a Buck hunting knife with a gut hook, hatchet, commando saw, small fishing tackle set, small solar-powered portable radio, large flashlight, small flashlight, four spare flashlight bulbs, twelve rechargeable AA Ni-Cd batteries, topographical map of the local national forest, 9X12 camouflage tarp, heavy duty hooded rain poncho, 100 feet of strong nylon cord, 500 feet of nylon string, insect netting, jungle hammock, blanket, small pillow.

Also four assorted paperback novels, deck of playing cards, book of solitaire card games, book of puzzles, two pens, five Yahtzee dice, 20 Yahtzee score sheets, pad of paper, survival manual, book on edible wild plants, first aid manual, small but comprehensive first aid kit, box of 100 band-aids, assortment of medicine tablets, 100 aspirin tablets, 100 Ibuprofen tablets, 200 mulit-vitamins, bottle of ThyroBlock, tube of clotrimazole cream, set of surgical tools, set of dental cleaning picks, set of lock picks, needle nose pliers, Deet insect repellent, sun block, gun cleaning supplies.

I was confident the paper towels weren't included for normal kitchen applications. Their most likely use would be as industrial strength toilet tissue. And I wouldn't use the rubber gloves to wash my dishes. I would wear them when I cleaned fish and skinned animals. The rest of the time they would remain inside one of the ziplock bags to keep the odor from spreading to the other items in my backpack.

The small flashlight operated on a single AA battery. I transferred it to my waist pack. It would be nice to have light in the middle of the night for an emergency trip to the bathroom. The large flashlight took four AA batteries. It was unique. It was made by Garrity and the top of the flashlight could be lifted up and the unit would function as an area lantern. If you left the top of the flashlight in the closed position, it provided a very powerful beam of light.

There were also a few family pictures in the backpack. I reverently placed those pictures on a nearby desk. They weren't my family but I knew those pictures were valuable to someone.

There were three other items in the backpack that I want to mention separately.

First, there was a Katadyn pocket water filter with instructions. I don't know why they call it a pocket filter. It wasn't very big and it only weighed 18 ounces, but it would never fit into my pocket. It had a 0.2 micron filter that would remove harmful microorganisms and it would yield drinking water at the rate of one quart per 90 seconds. And the filter would process 13,000 gallons of water before it had to be replaced. This unit was worth its weight in gold to me. Sometimes the only reason I built a fire was to boil some drinking water. This unit would eliminate my need to build a fire unless I needed to cook my food. In order to get the maximum life out of the Katadyn filter, I intend to pour my water through a coffee filter (or clean cloth) before I put it through the Katadyn filter. The instruction page that was with the filter had been hand stamped with the name of the company that sold the unit. Before the war began the Katadyn Pocket Water Filter could have been purchased for $159.95 from the following source:

http://store.yahoo.com/truefoods/2012000-.html

Second, there were four-ounces of 68% Calcium Hypochlorite granules and some instructions. This is the stuff they use as shock treatment in swimming pools. The instructions that were taped to the small bottle were very informative and therefore I decided to copy them into my diary below:

1. Pour water through a Filter (Coffee Filter, T-shirt, Pillowcase).
2. Bring water to a temperature of about 70ºF or higher before the next step.
4. Add 1/96 Oz. per Gallon Water (A pinch between thumb and finger).
5. Wait 30 Minutes.
6. A Chlorine smell, OK to drink. No chlorine smell, add another pinch and wait 30 minutes.
7. A Chlorine smell, OK to drink. No smell, discard and start over. Too many germs in water.
NOTE: Start small and add chlorine. Too much chlorine is bad for you.

It seemed redundant to me to have the world's best Katadyn water filter and some chlorine granules to purify water. You would only use one or the other but never both at the same time. However, I wasn't going to leave either one of them behind. If I found that I didn't need the chlorine granules, maybe I could trade them to someone for something I did need.

Finally, the backpack contained an Aladdin Stanley wide-mouth 24-ounce steel thermos bottle. Inside the thermos I found a ziplock bag of white rice, a ziplock bag of wheat berries, and some instructions. The hand-written instructions were very informative and I am going to copy them into my diary below because I think you might also find them interesting:

Reasons for Thermos Cooking:
1. Requires less energy (firewood).
2. Retains more nutrients (vitamins and minerals).
3. Prevents cooking odors from attracting enemies or bears.

You will need: A thermos, a long wood or plastic spoon, a wide mouth canning funnel, and a cook pot.

Wheat Berries (Wheat Kernels)
Put one-half teaspoon of salt, four ounces of wheat berries, and eight ounces of water into a pot or saucepan and bring to a rolling boil, stirring the entire time. Quickly but carefully pour the contents from the pot through a wide-mouth funnel into your thermos. Put the cap on the thermos firmly, but not too tightly, and lay the thermos on its side to evenly distribute the contents in the boiling hot water. Wait 8 hours or overnight. Pour the contents of the thermos into a bowl. Four ounces of dry wheat berries will yield about 3/4 pound of cooked wheat and several ounces of vitamin and mineral enriched water. Be sure to drink the water. It has a pleasant taste and many valuable nutrients.

Stew
If you use raw meat, slice the meat into short, thin pieces so it will cook evenly throughout. Brown the meat slightly before adding the other stew ingredients. Put all stew materials in some water in a pot, bring to a rolling boil and transfer everything to your thermos. Cap firmly and lay the thermos on its side. Wait 4 hours. Nothing leaves the thermos during the cooking process so you end up with a better tasting, more vitamin enriched stew than if you cook it in an open pot.

Rice
Prepare rice according to the package directions (1/2 cup rice and 1 cup water). Bring water to a rolling boil in a pot. Then add the rice and stir for 30 seconds. Transfer to the thermos and cap firmly. Lay thermos on its side. Wait the required time (usually 20 minutes). Transfer the rice to a plate and enjoy.

You need two clean, empty glass jars, 16 ounces or larger (pickles, sauce, etc.) Use a thin nail to punch 50 small water (air) holes in the lids of each jar. Or you can use plastic zipper bags or plastic food saver containers. Anything that allows the water to be drained off the wheat and allows air to get to the moist wheat berries. In other words, don't seal the zipper bags completely. And don't snap the plastic lids on; just rest the lids on top of the containers (keeps bugs out). In the evening, put four ounces of wheat berries into the first jar. Fill the jar half-full with water (cover the wheat with water) and let it soak overnight. Drain and drink the soak water the following morning (it is full of vitamins). Turn the jar upside down and let it drain completely. Cover with a small towel. Four hours later, half fill the jar with water, wait two minutes, drain and cover with a towel. Every 4 hours, half fill with water, wait 2 minutes, drain, and cover with a towel. The purpose is to keep the wheat moist but not water logged. Just before going to bed at the end of the day, start the second jar (4 ounces wheat and 1/2 water). You now have a system that will keep you in healthy, nutritious food every day. The following day, fill the first jar with water every 4 hours, wait 2 minutes, drain and cover. At the end of the day, the wheat in the first jar will have small white sprouts extending from the ends of the kernels. It is part grain and part fresh vegetable. It has a high protein and vitamin content and it is a more complete food. Remove the sprouted wheat from the first jar, and refill it with fresh grain and start the process over again. Prepare the sprouted wheat using the thermos cooking instructions for wheat berries above.

That was everything I found in the large backpack. I was very pleased. The person who put that pack together did a really nice job and I will always be grateful to him.

Finally, I closely examined the clothes in the second duffel bag and I quickly realized they were much too big for me. I transferred them to the top of a desk near the front door for someone else to find. The only clothes items I kept were six pair of socks, one pair of soft cotton gloves, one pair of leather work gloves, and one cotton ski mask. The duffel bag also contained a 45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a pistol belt, a holster, four extra seven-round clips, and one box of 50 hollow point bullets. I loaded all the clips, put one clip into the pistol, and adjusted the pistol belt to fit my waist. This required cutting about 15 inches off the end of the belt and punching a new hole for the belt buckle to hook into.

Then I slung the pack onto my back. I picked up the food duffel bag in one hand and my new rifle in my other hand, and I made my way to the front door. There was no reason to explore in this town any further. I had all I could carry and enough food to last me several weeks. I only needed to escape into the woods and all would be well.

I arrived at the front door, which was actually lying on the floor. I paused and listened but I heard nothing out in the street.

Very carefully I made my way across several city blocks to the edge of the business district and I entered a medium sized building to spend the night. I was trying to put as much distance as I could between myself and that gang of men I had seen earlier. However, I was carrying about 100 pounds (more or less) of equipment and supplies and I was getting very tired. About two-thirds of the weight was in my food duffel bag but I had no intention of leaving any of that food behind.

The first thing I did was remove my backpack and then I found my new Teflon coated skillet. I was getting ready to open my food duffel bag when I saw a human shadow on the building across the street. The sun was setting and therefore everything was casting long shadows. I picked up my rifle and moved quietly to a hidden position beside one of the front windows so I could get a look at the owner of that shadow as they passed by in the street outside. Another moment or two elapsed and then the shadow became an attractive woman. I call her attractive but I don't know if you would. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. She had shoulder length straight black hair. It was the blackest hair I had ever seen. She was dressed in civilian clothes but she was carrying some type of military rifle. She was moving very cautiously towards the southeast. In less than a minute she was out of sight. During the short time I had been watching her I had completely forgotten about my supper. But now my mind returned to the business at hand.

Ever since I had first seen those cans of Spam and Chili a couple of hours ago, I have not been able to get them out of my mind. Before the war I had eaten a variety of foods, including healthy foods and junk foods. Therefore my body was accustomed to occasionally getting some really greasy food to digest. However, since the war began, greasy foods have been almost impossible to find. Consequently, for the past two hours my stomach has been continuously reminding my brain that satisfaction was only a can opener away. That's why I opened one of my cans of Chili with beans and heated it in my new Teflon skillet. It was the most delicious meal I have eaten in a very long time. I know that including this paragraph in my diary will lower my credibility in the eyes of some people, but I had to record this event because it was extremely significant to me.

A short time later I unwrapped one of the miniature Tootsie Roll bars and let it melt in my mouth. It had been a long time since I had any type of chocolate in my mouth and I thoroughly enjoyed it. That night I didn't brush my teeth. I wanted the sweet taste to remain in my mouth as long as possible. I eventually pulled my new blanket over me, adjusted my new pillow, and went to sleep.

Day Eight

It was raining when I woke up this morning so I decided to relax and not travel today. The first thing I did was carry all my belongings to the top floor of the building where I had spent the night and I made myself comfortable in one of the end offices. It had been raining for at least an hour and I knew the rain had washed the impurities out of the air. I took my tarp up onto the roof and secured it at an angle so it would direct rain water into my six-quart cook pot. It was late summer and the rain felt good on my face. I returned to my backpack and removed my bar of Ivory soap, my little bottle of shampoo, and my bath towel. I then returned to the roof and removed my clothes and washed them in the rain. I laid my clothes across a nearby roof vent cover so the rain would wash the soap out of them. Then I lathered up and took my first really good bath in over a month. It felt so good. As I was showering I thought of all the hot showers I had taken earlier in life. Showers I had taken for granted and not really appreciated. If I survived this war and things returned to normal, I would remember to appreciate the simple luxuries of life in the future.

I returned to the top floor of the building and dried off with my bath towel. I strapped my 45 to my waist and then I wrapped myself in my blanket.

I got the small portable radio out of my backpack. I read the instructions and I was so impressed with the radio and its many options that I must tell you about it. It was designed to pick up AM and FM stations, TV sound, the police bands, the aircraft bands, the weather band, and a complete range of shortwave bands from around the world. It could be powered in five different ways. It could be plugged into a normal 120-volt wall outlet. It could be plugged into an automobile cigarette lighter. It could run off four AA Ni-Cd batteries. You could rotate its built-in hand crank and recharge the four batteries. And it had a built-in solar panel. About three hours of direct sunlight would recharge the four batteries and provide about five hours of listening pleasure. It had a standard telescoping antenna. And it had a separate wire antenna that you could clip to the main antenna and increase the radio's range so it could pull in shortwave stations from around the world. It also had an ear plug for listening privacy. The invoice was still in the box with the radio. It only cost $69.88 and before the war began it could have been ordered as Item #310 from:

http://www.y2knorth.com/dynamo_amfmsw.html

As I was looking at the radio it occurred to me that I could use its solar panel to recharge all my AA Ni-Cd batteries. In the future I would always have power for my flashlights and my radio.

I installed four of the AA batteries in the radio. I then rotated the hand crank for about 30 seconds just to make sure the batteries had some charge in them. Then I turned the radio on. I couldn't pick up any local AM or FM stations. I didn't know whether or not they were still broadcasting. So I switched to one of the shortwave bands and I picked up a lot of stations. Most of them were talk and about half were in English. The only subject was how the war was going. I kept changing the channel until I found a station that was playing soft music. Just music, no words. I turned the volume down very low, leaned back in my desk chair, put my feet up on the desk in front of me, and relaxed. The music was so peaceful. It occurred to me that I had an entire orchestra at my disposal. Their only job was to play beautiful music for me to relax by.

And then I had another one of my revelations. For thousands of years only kings and queens could afford the luxury of having an orchestra play just for them. I was enjoying something only kings and queens once had the pleasure of enjoying.

And then something else occurred to me. Before the war began I had actually lived better than most of the kings and queens of the distant past. Even though I had never been rich, I had lived in a heated and air-conditioned apartment. I had hot and cold water instantly on demand. I didn't have to wait for my water to be heated and delivered to me. And I'd always had an indoor bathroom. I didn't have to make a trip to an out-building to relieve myself. And I had a refrigerator in which I could stock any food I desired at any time of the year. Fresh fruit and vegetables in the middle of winter. Any kind of meat I wanted. And international cuisine from any country in the world. And I only had to work an eight-hour day, five days a week. The rest of the time was mine to enjoy. I could watch color movies on TV. Or I could read any book I wanted.

Before the war, I had lived a life of luxury. My living conditions had been far superior to almost everyone who had lived during the past several thousand years. And that included kings and queens of the distant past. I have no idea why this thought didn't occur to me before the war started. If it had, I would have enjoyed my life so much more back then. And if things ever return to normal, I will definitely enjoy my life more than I ever did in the past. The things I once complained about now seem so very trivial. It's sad that it took this unfortunate turn of events to bring me to my senses.

I returned to the roof and I collected my clothes and brought them inside to dry. I also collected some of the water from my six-quart pot to drink. I knew rain water was safe to drink without boiling so I enjoyed a nice cup of fresh rain water.

Then I returned to my office chair. The music was still playing on my radio. For some reason I opened the drawers of the desk where I was sitting. I didn't find anything unusual. Mostly files and papers and a few bound reports. I flipped through the file folders but I didn't see anything of interest. Then I ruffled through the papers and they were even more boring. So I looked at the reports and they also looked boring. Research reports. Evidently the man who previously occupied this desk had once worked in a number of different jobs and he kept copies of his most important work so he could document his resume.

One report in particular captured my interest because he had written a note on the cover page that read, "This report cost me a good job. However, one day I will do a more extensive in-depth study on this subject and I believe it will make me famous. Not rich, just famous."

I had nothing else to do so I read the entire report. It was fascinating. In fact, it was so enlightening that I am going to copy the "Executive Summary" and one of the "Tables" from that report here into my diary.

The purpose of this report is to document my preliminary findings with test subjects who followed a prescribed course of medication and treatment. The test subjects were volunteers who came to our research clinic for free treatment. However, their particular medical complaints weren't of interest to the other researchers. Since I was the most junior member on the research staff I had the final opportunity to decide if I could use them before they were turned away. Most of the subjects had at least one of the medical conditions the other researchers were interested in, but it was always complicated by an advanced case of AIDS.

I decided to experiment with possible treatments for the AIDS virus and see if the treatment had any positive impact on the patient's other medical complaints. As you know, my research funding was extremely limited. I only had an annual discretionary budget of $10,000 which I was permitted to spend before submitting a formal research proposal. Since I wanted to experiment on 50 different subjects, I had to select a plan of treatment that cost less than $200 per subject. In reviewing the literature available on the Internet, I decided to experiment with Dr. Robert C. Beck's Blood Purifier. His unit was powered by a single 9-volt battery and it would send a very small electrical current through a person's skin into their wrist arteries. The electrical current would kill any harmful microorganisms that were in the person's blood as the blood circulated through his wrist. No surgery. No medications. And everything worked off an inexpensive 9-volt battery. The unit was called a Silver Pulser, Model ZBB5, and each one sold for $195. Dr. Beck was retired and he did not market the machines himself. However, he very generously permitted anyone to manufacture and sell the units he had designed without paying him any royalties of any type. I ordered 52 of his Silver Pulsers from SOTA Instruments at the following Internet address:

http://www.sotainstruments.com/products.html

I carefully selected 50 test subjects. Each subject had a different primary medical problem in addition to AIDS. A list of the subjects and their medical problems is in the appendix. I carefully demonstrated the use of the Beck machine to each patient in my office. When I was certain they could do the treatment on their own, I turned the unit over to them and asked them to fill in a simple data collection sheet on a daily basis. A statistical summary of the data from those sheets is in the appendix.

After one month of treatment, 20% of the patients reported feeling better. Blood samples from all the subjects showed 74% of the patients had fewer destructive microorganisms in their blood.

I immediately followed up on the 20% of the patients who reported feeling better. I discovered they had also begun using the Beck Blood Purifier to make Colloidal Silver (C.S.) according to the instructions that came with the unit. I then demonstrated to all the test subjects how to make Colloidal Silver and I asked them to take one tablespoon four times per day.

After another month of treatment, 44% of the patients reported they felt better. Blood samples showed 92% of the subjects had healthier blood. I then asked each of the subjects to bring me a sample of the C.S. they had made in their homes. I had to find a way to measure the concentration of C.S. in each sample so I searched the Internet and found a very simple battery operated C.S. meter manufactured by Hanna Instruments called the TDS-1 Meter. It sold for $39 and I purchased one off the Internet from the following company:

http://www.utopiasilver.com/orders.htm

The C.S. made at home by the patients ranged from a low of 1-ppm to a high of 18-ppm. Most of the samples also contained other compounds because the subjects could not afford steam distilled water and they were using tap water instead. I realized this was introducing a variable into my findings and I needed a way to control it. So I experimented with the Beck unit and I made C.S. myself. Even though I used every possible control technique, my batches ranged from between 5-ppm to 12-ppm in concentration. I knew I could solve this concentration problem by mixing two or more batches together and that would yield any concentration I desired. But I was really curious if I could find a more consistent method of making C.S.

Another Internet search yielded a Constant Current Machine that used two flat silver electrodes instead of the two thin silver wires. I ordered a Model SG5B for $139 because it would operate using either 120-volt house current or a standard 12-volt car battery. I purchased the unit off the Internet from the following company:

http://www.silvergen.com/

After exactly four hours using steam distilled water, my batches were consistently between 8-ppm and 11-ppm. This was a tremendous improvement. The Model SG5B was far superior to the Silver Pulser for making consistent Colloidal Silver. However, it could not be used to purify the patient's blood. Only the Beck machine was capable of doing that. To reduce the number of variables in my experiment I decided I would make the Colloidal Silver and give it to my patients at a consistent strength of 10-ppm.

At the end of the next month, 64% of the patients reported feeling better. And blood samples showed 98% had healthier blood. However, the patients were returning to the clinic for more C.S. at different times during the month. When questioned, they admitted to consuming more C.S. on the days they felt the worst. Further questioning also revealed that the subjects were not following my original instructions on how long to use the Beck Blood Purifier each day. It appears that some subjects were more desperate and they used the machine for two or three times my original recommended time period.

I did a statistical analysis and compared the amount of time a patient used the Beck machine each day to the reduction of harmful microorganisms in their blood. This analysis is in the appendix. There was an 86% correlation between longer machine usage and a higher reduction in harmful blood microorganisms.

An analysis was also conducted on the secondary medical problem originally reported by the AIDS subjects. 22% of the subjects experienced a complete healing of their secondary medical problem; 28% experienced a significant improvement in their secondary medical problem; and 36% experienced a stabilization in their secondary medical problem. Only 14% of the patients experienced a decline in their secondary medical problem. Please remember this data is based on chronically ill AIDS patients. A breakdown of this data is in the appendix.

Finally, blood samples from two of the subjects (4%) revealed no trace of AIDS in their blood after three months of treatment. Although this is not a statistically significant percentage, please remember that the controls for this experiment were being developed as the experiment progressed.

Based on this preliminary research, I am requesting funding for a more detailed study using the Beck unit in conjunction with Colloidal Silver. A proposed funding budget and a funding request is included in the appendix to this report.

Internal: (Sore throat, bladder or kidney infection, bronchitis, etc.) Hold 1 or 2 tablespoons of solution under your tongue for 2 minutes and then swallow. Repeat every 3 to 4 hours. For sore throat, also gargle before swallowing.

External: (Burns, rash, skin sores, wounds that don't heal properly or infected wounds) Put 3 or 4 drops on the infected skin surface. Repeat every 2 hours. (Or cover area with damp C.S. gauze.)

Ear: (Ear ache) Put 3 or 4 drops on the end of a Q-Tip and carefully swab out the ear. Repeat 2 to 4 times a day.

Eye: (Pink eye, eye infections, or minor eye injuries) Put 2 drops in corner of eye. Repeat up to 4 times a day.

Nasal: Put a small amount in an atomizer and spray a fine mist up each nostril. Repeat up to 6 times a day.

Anal: Insert 1/2 to 1 ounce into the anal canal using a laxative type anal applicator. Repeat up to 2 times a day for no more than 3 consecutive days.

Vaginal: (Yeast infection, itching, etc.) Put 1/2 to 1 ounce on the area of discomfort either on or in the vagina using a douche applicator. External application can be repeated up to 6 times per day. Internal application should be done once a day for no more than 3 consecutive days.

After I finished reading the above report, I opened all the drawers in the desk where I was sitting and I found six new 9-volt batteries. I also found one of the Beck Units in an unopened box. I opened it and I was surprised to see how small it was. It would fit in my shirt pocket. The unit contained instructions and two silver wires for making C.S. And it contained two wrist straps so I could attach the electrodes to my wrist and use it to clean my blood. The 9-volt battery sends a very small electrical charge through your skin into your wrist arteries and it kills any and all bacteria or virus microorganisms that are in your blood as your blood circulates through your wrist. The instructions that come with the unit explain a few safety precautions, such as using the unit for short time periods at first and gradually increasing the amount of time you wear the unit.

I put everything I had found into my backpack. The next time I got sick, I was going to experiment with this machine myself.