This is an exciting time of year if you’re a professional football fan. In this, the season’s 17th week, the playoff picture is coming into sharp focus. I have been a fan all my life; during my formative years, the Cleveland Browns were the only Ohio team and star running back Jim Brown was in
Christmas is fast approaching, so it’s time to repost my Christmas story. This was inspired by a friend who works as a department store Santa. He once described meeting a little girl with a special wish, and I took it from there. This is included in my book, Stories: Short and Strange, available at Amazon.com.. Thanks, Santa
I ran across this story that I think is worth sharing. It is attributed to appellate Judge David Bazelon. A Chinese father calls his children to a family meeting and tells them that somebody has pushed the family outhouse into the Yangtse River and asks somebody to confess; nobody comes forward. The father says, “Let
A summons for jury duty is always a surprise and usually unwelcome. In my lifetime, I have been called three previous times. In the first instance, I didn’t have to report. In the second, a settlement was announced just before jury selection began, and in the third, a civil lawsuit, I was not selected. But
One of my short stories published on the Bewildering Stories website, in Issue 864, turned out so well I just kept writing. Forty-two thousand words later, I have With a Little Help From My Friend: A Mystery Story from Solstice Publishing. You may order from Solstice Publishing at https://solsticeempire.com/products.aspx?categoryid=538 The book is also available from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Little-Help-My-Friend-Mystery/dp/B09FS2VXWQ/ref=sr_1_1?)
Today, May 3rd, is Teacher Appreciation Day in the U.S. This comes as I’m nearing the end of my 17th year as a substitute teacher after failing to get a permanent position in Social Studies. Well, I was 57 years old at the time and had a master’s degree, so I was too well qualified
This is one of my favorite short stories. It was originally published at BewilderingStories.com in Issue 612, and was an Editors’ Choice in the 2015 First Quarterly Review. It’s also included in my book Stories Short and Strange, available on this website and Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle versions (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=%22stories+short+and+strange%22&i=stripbooks&crid=3NM0S4R47KU87&sprefix=stories+short+and+strange+%2Cstripbooks%2C145&ref=nb_sb_noss). By the way, one of these segments actually
World travel can be life-changing. I’ve visited Hiroshima, Japan; China’s Great Wall; and Kenya’s savanna with its abundant wildlife. All have made a huge impression om me in their own special way. Now I’ve seen Antarctica and its unique and fragile ecosystem, and again, I’ve come away impressed. To a one-time tourist like me, all
For the past two weeks, I’ve been testing a neighbor’s theory about me — he thinks I’m crazy. And after this last adventure, I will concede he has a point. We all need goals, and a major objective in the sport of running is to complete a marathon on all seven continents. But isn’t Antarctica
An idea from the If-I-Ruled-The-World Department — If you believe the news reports, a Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent. Formerly a part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Ukraine became independent following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But President of Russia Vladimir Putin, in an apparent bid to put Humpty
