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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

So Weeps the Willow - 10. Pause, then onto "Discovery"

Death doesn't always come as an end.

In Loving Memory of Jacob Ogden – born July 22, 1983, died September 17, 2017

Jacob R. Odgen, 34, of Minneapolis, died in his sleep of accidental causes on September 17th, 2017.

Jake was born July 22, 1983, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. He worked as a waiter, and was returning to his research studies at the University of Minnesota in clinical psychology.

He is survived by his mother, Winifred Ogden, Minneapolis, and father Darren Ogden, Forest Lake; his sister, Twyla (Steve) Smith, Ham Lake; his brother Cory (Elizabeth) Ogden, St. Paul, grandmother Geri Staten, Winona, grandfather Jacob Ogden, Lake Regina, WI, his nephews Logan and Steve Smith, Jr. and niece Ruth Ogden, and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

He is preceded in death by grandmother, Stacie Odgen, grandfather William Staten, and a brother John Ogden.

Services will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, September 23th, eleven am, at the Weeping Willow Funeral Home, in south Minneapolis. Burial will be in the Lutheran Brothers Cemetery. A noon meal will be served at the American Legion Hall, in Richfield following the burial.

Memorials are requested in lieu of flowers.

 

***

From the Ham Lake Herald, September 22, 2017.

Silent killer takes young psychology researcher, in the night

By Nigella Flecks

Jake Ogden was found dead of natural causes by a good friend Natalie Howe early in a morning in September. His death was a shock to friends and family. He didn’t have to die, according to his family and friends.

Howe recalls, “I was supposed to pick him up that morning. I knocked and knocked, and finally, used the key he kept hidden. There was a heater running and it was super hot in the apartment. He looked really pink and wasn’t moving. I’ve never seen anything so horrible.”

What Howe found was a man who died from the silent killer, carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is the result of inefficiently burned fuel, which is deadly to human beings. There are hundreds of deaths in the United States every year due to this poisonous gas.

“He was about ready to start a new life. He was returning to school and had turned things around,” his mother, Winnie Ogden told this reporter. “The makers of the heater killed him. That heater murdered him, and they need to pay.”

Jake’s mother is referring to the lawsuit her daughter is filing against the kerosene heater maker for negligence. The law firm of Rivers, Potter and Associates, a well-known plaintiff’s firm, has filed a case in Hennepin County for the wrongful death of Jacob Ogden. Here is an excerpt from the press release from the firm, “This situation is tragic. There isn’t any rationally good reason Jake died. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be prevented with some simple, effective safety devices and adequate warnings. Consumers are victims of a system that allows faulty products to kill people.”

This victim, Ogden, was a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s clinical psychology program. He took an extended sabbatical, and had planned on returning in the fall to do research. We can only guess what science and academia have lost because of this young man’s death.

“He was one of the smartest people I knew,” his friend and former boyfriend, Edward Logan, remembers. “I was always amazed at how he could listen to a person talk about their problems, and in an instant, he knew what they were feeling. I can’t tell you how much of a loss this is to me, well, to all of us. My heart is broken.”

The lead attorney from Rivers, Potter didn’t have a comment, but here are a few last words from the victim’s father. Darren Odgen says, “My son was taken from me. He was so young and his loss will be felt by all. He’s had a rough time so far. My son had asthma (sic) real bad, and sometimes struggled, but he always fought through things. I’m devastated he won’t fulfill his dreams. My son was a good person, and I can’t express how this really kills me. This is my second son to die. It’s not fair.”

Carbon monoxide is considered the ‘silent killer’ since it is colorless and odorless, and so no one knows when they are breathing it in. Carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the blood and the person’s cells die from asphyxiation. It isn’t a peaceful death. Hennepin County Medical Center physician, Dr. Nathan Roush explains in a story published in the Star Tribune, “Carbon monoxide poisoning causes nausea, disorientation, and other symptoms which can appear as inebriation to someone watching the victim’s behavior after exposure. As the blood saturates with the deadly gas, the victim experiences hallucinations and can pass out. Literally, the carbon monoxide victim is ‘intoxicated’ by the gas and it kills with prolonged and high enough levels of exposure.”

The firm handling the heater manufacturer has declined comment.

Please read the prologue also just posted. It is an explanation for what this story is and why I'm writing it as I am.

Thanks!
Copyright © 2017 Cole Matthews; All Rights Reserved.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Chapter Comments

So Jake’s story was just a prologue for the real story! I’m totally confused! (Yes, it’s very difficult to tell the difference from my usual confusion!)  ;-)

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How sad. And how confusing. I will be doing some rereading to sort out my thoughts. I have enjoyed this story, and am curious where it goes from here.

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On 10/31/2017 at 5:31 PM, Puppilull said:

This just turned everything on its head... I'll check out the prologue. 

 

Yes it did.  I'm so glad to see you're on board for this story.  It's going to be fun.  

Thanks!!

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On 10/31/2017 at 5:33 PM, droughtquake said:

So Jake’s story was just a prologue for the real story! I’m totally confused! (Yes, it’s very difficult to tell the difference from my usual confusion!)  ;-)

 

Jake's story is the real story, because his writing will be part of the investigation.  Keep that in mind, his blog posts are an important piece of evidence.  

 

Thanks for commenting and being a part of this.  I appreciate it.  

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On 10/31/2017 at 7:15 PM, Efmaer said:

Holy shit!!!   :o

 

Yes, things are changing quite quickly.  We will meet up with some old friends in the next chapter.  The next part is called Discovery.  

Thanks for the comment. :)

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On 10/31/2017 at 8:58 PM, Defiance19 said:

Whaaaat!!! Cole! Bloody hell... 

 

 

Hahaha!!!  The blog is important, as is getting to know our victim.  I'm glad you're as excited as I am. 

Thanks for your support!!!

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On 11/1/2017 at 12:10 AM, Headstall said:

Yeah, I was invested in Jake, so I'm not sure how I feel. I will digest. :( 

 

That's partly what I wanted to do.  I wanted a victim who's an actual character with history, feelings, hopes and some bad habits.  I hope you'll enjoy finding out what happened to him.  

Thanks for your comment.  Let's figure this out!  :)

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On 11/1/2017 at 12:36 AM, droughtquake said:

With fava beans and chianti?  ;-)

 

Haha!! Let's hope Hannibal isn't in this story.  Yikes!

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2 hours ago, JeffreyL said:

How sad. And how confusing. I will be doing some rereading to sort out my thoughts. I have enjoyed this story, and am curious where it goes from here.

 

Jake's story will continue with the next part called Discovery.  Something terrible happened to him.  His loved ones are going to want answers.  There will be many questions as well, but ultimately, we'll know the truth.  

 

Thanks for your comment.  I hope you enjoy the next part.  :)

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As I said in my Prologue comment, this chapter made me feel like I was in The Twilight  Zone. I read it thinking Jake was having some sort of nightmare and he'd wake up and really think he had been on a bender!

 

Like Gary, I was totally invested in Jake. I liked him; I liked the fact he always helped his mother even though he knew he was enabling her. I liked the relationship he had with Nats (when she wasn't being a pissy bitch :P). And...was she being a pissy bitch because Jake didn't remember what he had said or done to her?

 

Either way, I'm sorry to his life cut short. :(

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Whoa! Jakes death is a sudden twist - he seemed to be doing well with his recovery from alcohol addiction and redeveloping a friendship with a former boyfriend. Winnie's reaction to his death is an expected one -- all she can think of is a sudden income from a court settlement. In the list of survivors, there is some confusion about the name and sex of a sister/brother? But I am sure you will straighten that out, Cole.

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2 hours ago, Will Hawkins said:

In the list of survivors, there is some confusion about the name and sex of a sister/brother?

The spouse’s name is listed in parenthesis in the obituary.  ;–)

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13 hours ago, Will Hawkins said:

Whoa! Jakes death is a sudden twist - he seemed to be doing well with his recovery from alcohol addiction and redeveloping a friendship with a former boyfriend. Winnie's reaction to his death is an expected one -- all she can think of is a sudden income from a court settlement. In the list of survivors, there is some confusion about the name and sex of a sister/brother? But I am sure you will straighten that out, Cole.

 

Yes. This is a story of a person who died under questionable circumstances.  We know a little about him, but there is more coming.  I’m thrilled you are continuing on. 🤓

 

Usual convention in obituaries puts the family’s spouse’s name in parentheses. It is the way to give readers a reference to who is related to whom.  Like hyphenated names today. 

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On 11/16/2017 at 9:19 PM, Lisa said:

As I said in my Prologue comment, this chapter made me feel like I was in The Twilight  Zone. I read it thinking Jake was having some sort of nightmare and he'd wake up and really think he had been on a bender!

 

Like Gary, I was totally invested in Jake. I liked him; I liked the fact he always helped his mother even though he knew he was enabling her. I liked the relationship he had with Nats (when she wasn't being a pissy bitch :P). And...was she being a pissy bitch because Jake didn't remember what he had said or done to her?

 

Either way, I'm sorry to his life cut short. :(

 

When people are killed, they are living their lives.  Many stories seem to suggest it was predictable. It isn’t most times to the victim.  Jake was doing his best, and yet he was killed.

 

Jake is a guy we can love. He died.  People are trying to figure out what happened.  

 

I hope you continue. 😘

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