The Bantering Welshman
Bio
M.S. Humphreys is The Bantering Welshman, an East Tennessee native, author, journalist, storyteller, marketing specialist, husband and step father. https://www.instagram.com/thebanteringwelshman/ and http://www.banteringwelshman.com
Stories (43/0)
Black and Gold
It was summer 2009, and my divorce was final after a Colorado mandated three-month separation. One month prior to being “separated,” I had just returned from a difficult 15-month tour in Iraq. While deployed with the 4th Infantry Division in Baghdad, I was part of a combined arms team of nearly 6000 U.S. service members fighting to win The Battle of Sadr City through the worst combat since the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003.
By The Bantering Welshman2 years ago in Wander
No Ducking Way
An avulsion fracture is what the orthopedic surgeon in the city called it. That’s when bone fragments detach as a result of tendons or ligaments pulling away from the bone. Fortunately, it wasn’t as bad as the nurse practitioner at the hometown urgent care had told us the day before. We expected a full leg cast or even surgery, but my wife is a tough gal. The doctor’s prescribed treatment for her knee injury was only two weeks of no weight followed by light duty for a few more weeks after that.
By The Bantering Welshman2 years ago in Petlife
L'Homme vrai aime son pays
I wasn’t born in Wales, and I don’t speak the Celtic language of the people, but even as a child, fascinated by the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, I felt in me the spirit of the Welsh bard that propagated these tales and gave life to the legends.
By The Bantering Welshman2 years ago in Families
Lil's Spirits: A Short Story
Background Lil's Spirits is the continuing story of Lilith, an extra-Biblical character and her quest for vengeance since creation. I wrote my first story with Lilith in 2002 while in command in Germany. I was a captain in the Army and commanded the 535th Engineer Company in Grafenwoehr. For Halloween that year, I wanted to take my lieutenants on a monster run through the dark forests around the installation, but I had to create the monster story to tell them first. The Knockl went from being a quick short story to 8000 words that read like a legend handed down through the ages. The story includes a dark witch crucial to the plot and the character developed beyond my expectation. Before I even knew her name or her history, I knew The Knockl witch would be a character I wanted to write again.
By The Bantering Welshman2 years ago in Horror
A Pair of Jacks
Like most days, Jack Bowers stopped by the baseball diamond on his way home to catch a glimpse of the boys starting a game. He never stayed to play - though it wasn’t because he didn’t want to or because he was never asked. He never stayed to play because he dared not be late for home. Jack’s granny knew exactly what time school let out and how long it took to get home.
By The Bantering Welshman2 years ago in Humans
Take Care of Merle
A cobblestone walk lined in terracotta bricks leads patrons past two potted olive trees and massive timber columns holding up a gabled roof projecting from the stone and timber building. Under the high vaulted ceiling of the extruded entryway a man paced nervously. He looked at his watch, then down the walk from which he came only moments ago. He turned to the building’s heavy oaken doors each framing a single, tall and narrow pane of glass then returned to his watch to repeat the routine. After several minutes of this redundancy, he looked one last time down the walk and resolved to advance on the heavy double doors.
By The Bantering Welshman2 years ago in Humans
Seasoned with History
Perched on a high valley near the Holston River between Bays Mountain and Clinch Mountain rests a treasure of history and Appalachian culture that is Rogersville, Tennessee. A crown jewel among precious stones, The Hail Springs Inn and McKinney’s Tavern, though patinated from a revered history, sparkle with unmatched brilliance.
By The Bantering Welshman2 years ago in Feast
