2 minute video trailer that attempts to explain what my writing project is about.  https://www.ben-willenbring.com/willenblog/the-masters-sample-chapter-and-video ..read more

In this episode, I describe what The Masters is about and why I'm writing it. Also, why people see Jesus in pancakes, how autobiographical reasoning and historical memory are related (in my opinion), I throw in a story about a Roman emperor killed by his own brother, a childhood anecdote about the KKK, a comb and an afro pick, and recap why the Haitian revolution was such an important event. https://roughmasters.substack.com/p/a-monster-story-with-a-point-of-view ..read more

Previously — In episode 13, we learn the backstory of John Spillers, as told by Sergeant Zayas during his final moments following the attack on the Grass Cutting Area. Spillers was an immigrant from Holland who joined the crew of the Santa Maria as a cooper, and was later left behind in Haiti with 39 other men in 1492. He’s not only managed to survive 450 years, he’s doing whatever he wants. With impunity. First, there’s JTF Alpha—soldiers he’s hand-selected and modified with super-human capabilities. They can travel undetected, somehow under the concealment of a strange blue light. They also ..read more

Previously — In episode 12, Vandyck reveals her misgivings about Area J operator procedures — specifically, the over reliance on aperture screen technology. She mockingly compares this to Santiago’s no-frills demonstration from earlier, when he took control of a recorded session to directly address a room full of operators from his stone dungeon in Puerto Rico. Privately, she admires the old man, and wonders if she might be able to duplicate his results — essentially creating a bridge between her world and his. Back at the Grass Cutting Area, there’s a catastrophic descent into chaos shortly a ..read more

Previously—In episode 10, Sepulveda walks with Spillers in the Grass Cutting Area compound, only to wake up below the canopy of the enormous ceiba tree. Unable to speak or move his legs, things quickly take a turn for the bizarre when Garcia shows up. This is the Spaniard Santiago’s father killed over 400 years earlier while protecting his family. During the melee, Spillers disappears from view and tells Captain Sepulveda he must get up and fight or die at the hands of the Spaniard. There’s a struggle during which Sepulveda is convinced he will die. In what he believes are his last moments, he ..read more

Previously—In episode 9, Captain Sepulveda and FBI station chief John Spillers go for a short walk. Their conversation is cordial—mostly smalltalk about the new Sikorski helicopters recently shipped to Ramey Air Force base. But deeper into their walk, Spillers suggests moving over to a tall tree in the distance. When this happens, Sepulveda catches a glimpse of something he can’t explain—Spillers’ face seems to wobble and move, capturing and bending the light in a way that acts as a kind of blurring filter. At Area J, we find out that Jesus Santiago has somehow become aware of the activities o ..read more

Previously—In episode 8, FBI station chief John Spillers arrives at building one of the Grass Cutting Area, and quickly makes it clear to Captain Sepulveda that he and Ramler are there only to interrogate Jesus Santiago. Sepulveda, who’s meeting Spillers for the first time, instantly feels there’s something off about him—he just can’t quite put it into words. After some awkward introductions, Spillers and Ramler leave the captain’s office to confer privately. When they’re gone, Sepulveda calls his old acquaintance Pedro Alvarez, who runs la Princesa prison in San Juan—hoping to learn something ..read more

In Episode 8—Spillers arrives at building one of the Grass Cutting Area, a secret interrogation facility nestled in the middle of Ramey Air Force Base. Spillers, who earlier killed Ramler, then reanimated him, seems unsure about whether or not he can count on the man’s loyalty. Sepulveda, having just found out from Ramler the unbelievable story of an indestructible uterus being kept in a jar… doesn’t trust anyone, and begins to wonder how Jesus Santiago fits into all of this. Previously—In episode 7, PORTREX, Captain Sepulveda revealed to Ramler that earlier in the year, several of his men die ..read more

In Episode 7—Captain Sepulveda explains what happened recently to his men at New York Presbyterian hospital. Ramler, who’s being held at gunpoint, has to decide—is it time for an on-the-spot-correction… or something else? He shares some backstory about what’s in the crate, and how its contents overlap with classified Los Alamos research being done in Puerto Rico. Previously—In episode 6, the Ceramicist, we learn from Dr. Vandyck that Mr. Spillers, in addition to having extremely long life, can revivify people—can literally bring them back from the dead—which he does to Anton Ramler, after crus ..read more

In episode 6—We find out about one of Spillers additional capabilities, alluded to by Dr. Vandyck in the previous episode. We also watch as Captain Sepulveda greets a visitor to building one—an FBI interrogator sent by station chief John Spillers. On the face of things, the purpose of this man’s visit is to demonstrate interrogation techniques, but Sepulveda doesn’t quite trust him. For good reason. Previously—In episode 5, The Hawk’s Bells, we learned that in 1518, John Spillers went to a small Taino village in Aymamio to collect gold (what is now Aguadilla, Puerto Rico). When he discovered t ..read more