Seraphim's Miracle

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Genre: (Drama/Mystery)
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Ben was once an award-winning war correspondent. But his life and career came off the rails when his wife unexpectedly died while he was on assignment in Afghanistan.

Five years later, Ben is now a jaded, quasi-journalist who specializes in debunking mysterious phenomenon for a trashy tabloid magazine called ‘Scuttlebutt’.

The publication is managed by his mentor and friend, Selina. Herself a former chief war correspondent who left the field behind after experiencing a devastating personal tragedy.

One day, ‘Scuttlebutt’s wealthy benefactor, Phil Knox requests that Ben discreetly research a beguiling case. Furthermore, Phil is facilitating this ask directly on behalf of The Vatican. Or so he says.

Ben is reluctant to take on the case. But decides to do so as a favor to Selina, as her business is flatlining, and cannot survive without Knox’s support. Moreover, the Church has promised Ben recompense in the form of unsealing a set of adoption records he’s been seeking ever since his wife died.

The investigation itself, is about a Naval Aviator who allegedly appeared in a rural Townhall/Church on the night of a deadly storm. The townsfolk claim that firstly, if not for the timely visitation of this Pilot, those in the Church likely would have been killed by a sudden and catastrophic tornado.

Secondly, they also insist that this Aviator was Jimmy Clancy. A local young man who had joined the Air Force three years prior to the incident. However, during the storm, Jimmy was actually half-a-world away at the time. And more importantly… dead.

Ben starts his investigation by interviewing those closest to Jimmy and other witnesses of the so-called ‘incident’. With each conversation, Ben discovers how authentic and honest the people are about what happened. Not just the event, but rather how it impacted their worlds afterward. How it changed the course of their lives and gave them a sense of peace and purpose.

This is unlike the other stories of mysterious phenomenon he’s probed and debunked in the past. For, in most cases it was easy to disprove their far-fetched tales and consequently, weed out scammers, liars, grifters and con artists alike.

But no matter how doggedly he pries, Ben cannot disprove this chronicle. Which becomes problematic, as Selina and Phil are putting pressure on Ben to debunk the ‘miracle’, no matter the truth.

As with any good journalist, Ben follows the story wherever it may go. And because of the urgency and forcefulness of both Selina and Phil, Ben decides to search for what prompted the investigation.

What he eventually uncovers is a seedy conspiracy to make the people of the town and their story come across as crazy and unhinged. Why? To clear a path to help Phil buy the land where the supposed ‘miracle’ took place and line his already well-stuffed pockets.

To make matter more complicated, Ben learns about his own remarkable connection to the town’s tale and its people. An extraordinary and highly personal bond that he cannot callously brush aside, regardless of the potential ramifications for everyone involved.

And even if he should choose to accept and tell the real story, he worries that we live in a post-truth world that is full of cynics and trolls, who wouldn’t believe him, irrespective of the truth.

So, in the end, Ben must choose a direction that will have profound consequences and collateral damage, no matter what action he takes; Either walk away or write a fabricated denunciation.

Before deciding what to do, Ben comes to understand that this is a choice about having faith in himself. For, if there is one lesson he learns from Jimmy’s closest circle, is that; if we are true to ourselves and the memories of those we love, the path we choose will lead us right where we belong.

For Ben, that means telling the story of Seraphim’s Miracle. Believing, that maybe not everyone is beholden to cynicism. Maybe, all they crave is an impossible story. Told by an improbable person. To captivate their hearts and spark their imagination.

(Seraphim’s Miracle is an inspirational tale that explores how we all experience grief differently. How those emotions impact the way we cope in the aftermath. What do we do when confronted by the misery of misfortune or the magic of miracles? How do we behave? What do we believe? In the end, how we prevail after losing someone we adore, can be a negative, relentless reflection of our pain. Or, in time, a positive embodiment of the values and virtues of those we loved and lost. Ensuring their memory and all that was good about them, lives on through us… forever.
I sincerely feel that we could use more stories like this, given the uncertain world we live in today.)

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Genres: Drama, Supernatural Mystery, Magical Realism
Recommends: Screencraft, Stage 32, StoryPros, Launch Pad, BulletProof Coverage, Coverage Ink, Plus, 'Reader Recommended' and 8/10 avg. on 'The Blacklist'.