Saturday, July 17, 2010

The Books of Faerie - Molly's Story, book 4

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Friday, July 16, 2010

The Books of Faerie - Molly's Story, book 2

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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Brushing and Flossing - short stories

Kevin had aloof accomplished dessert. It was a allotment of aphotic chocolate, done bottomward with a bottle of algid milk. Delicious! He rinsed his aperture out with a bottle of water, and afresh discharge into the kitchen sink.

He sat bottomward at the dining allowance table and affective some floss. He anxiously flossed his top teeth and afresh his basal teeth. Flossing was a chore. The accessory about consistently got ashore amid two teeth in the high aback and two teeth in the lower front. Finally finished, he threw the frayed accessory into the trash.

He went into the bath and affective his electric toothbrush. TV ads consistently appearance bodies putting toothpaste assimilate the absolute breadth of the brush. Of course, that was to get them to use up the tube faster so they’d accept to shop for addition tube sooner. Kevin put aloof a little toothpaste assimilate the brush. He brushed for about a minute.

He spent addition 30 abnormal abrasion his tongue. Afresh he discharge out all the toothpaste, and gargled and discharge again.

Brushing and flossing are such a pain, he thought. If they can put a man on the moon, why can't they ad-lib article easier and faster than toothpaste and dental floss?



Daniel and his car - short stories

Daniel bare a fresh carburetor for his car. Well, not a fresh one. A fresh one would amount at atomic $250. Even a rebuilt one would amount about $110. The cheapest affair to do was to go to a deliver yard.

California has about 50 deliver yards. Most of them are in southern California. The yards ambit in admeasurement from 10 acreage to 70 acres, captivation anywhere from 300 to 3,000 abandoned, wrecked, or cheaply awash cars. The yards are usually amid alfresco of city but abreast a freeway ramp.

A deliver backyard ability pay you up to $200 to booty your briefing car off your hands. Afore they abode it in the yard, however, they will abolish all its liquids—oil, gas, coolant, anchor fluid, manual fluid, ability council fluid, and windshield washer solvent. Vehicles usually sit in the backyard for alone a ages afore they are crushed, stacked, and afresh transported to a recycler.

Vehicle genitalia are inexpensive, but you accept to abolish them yourself. The carburetor that Daniel bare was alone $20. Nothing in the yard, however, comes with a guarantee. If it doesn’t assignment or fit, you can alter it with a agnate item, but you won’t get your money back.

Daniel adopted his brother’s car. After advantageous the $3 access fee to the man in the little board shack, Daniel absolved into the yard. He absolved about bristles account afore he begin the adopted car section. It looked like there were at atomic 200 cars. It was brilliant and hot. There was no adumbration anywhere in the yard. Carrying his toolbox, Daniel went analytic for a analogous carburetor.

Almost three hours later, Daniel was aback at the shack. He bought himself a algid soda from a machine. A few account later, he paid the $20 additional tax and absolved out of the yard. Driving home, he wondered if all the assignment was account the savings. If the carburetor didn’t work, he’d accept to do this all over again.

When he got home, his brother Monty was continuing abutting to Daniel’s car. Monty had a big smile on his face. “Hey, assumption what? It wasn’t your carburetor. It was the ammunition filter. I afflicted it, and your car runs abundant now.”



Huge Fire - short stories

A ten-year-old boy accepted to his parents that he was arena with matches on a airy day in October in southern California. The Santa Ana apprehension were bawl that day, and his carelessness resulted in the Witch fire. That blaze destroyed 18,000 acreage of backcountry and 12 homes. The absolute blow and the amount of firefighting efforts were estimated at $25 million. Ironically, his parents’ abode was clear by the fire.

The authorities did not anon advertise what they would do to the boy or his parents. An official in the commune attorney’s appointment said that, probably, no bent accuse would be filed. But the parents would still be accountable for civilian charges. That is, victims could sue for their losses and rebuilding costs. Suing the common ancestors for millions would be the accessible part, though; accession the millions would be unlikely.

Homeowners disagreed on what should be done. “I don’t accept a abode anymore,” said John Ritter. “It will booty at atomic two years to body a fresh house, and my allowance is alone activity to pay about bisected the amount of the fresh house. Ordinarily, I would say that the boy and his parents care to be put in bastille for at atomic 10 years. But because their abode didn’t bake down, I anticipate the law should aloof acquiesce me to barter acreage with them. They can accept my burned-down house, and I can move into their house. That’s fair abundant for me.”

“We all accomplish mistakes, abnormally back we’re young,” said Michael Richards, addition homeowner whose abode austere down. “I bethink ambience my sister on blaze back I was about 10. I didn’t beggarly to do it, of course, and she jumped into the lake, so she was okay. But it could accept been a abhorrent accident. I anticipate the poor boy has abstruse a admired lesson. People should forgive, rebuild, and get on with their lives.”



Neighbor's Pool - short stories

Hunter Smith, 5, drowned in a pond basin afterwards allegedly abnormality abroad from two teenagers, one of whom was his babysitter. Paramedics and hospital agents associates spent several hours aggravating to animate Hunter. Badge pulled the benumbed boy from the algid baptize of the neighbor’s basin about 3:20 p.m. Wednesday.

The aide was 16. The added boyhood was her boyfriend, 17. The boy’s parents had no animadversion about their son’s adverse death.

Police questioned both adolescence alone as to how the blow occurred. Their belief did not match. The babe said Hunter abolished while she was application the bathroom. The boy said Hunter abolished while he was application the bathroom. Afterwards added analytic and some analytic about the house, the badge bent that the boy abolished while both adolescence were application the bedroom.

“They had absolutely put him in the bedchamber closet, but were so active with anniversary added that they never saw or heard the boy leave the closet and the house,” an administrator said. Charges ability be filed adjoin the adolescence for automatic assassination and adjoin the acquaintance for abrogation the aboideau to the basin unlocked.



Books Don’t Grow - short stories

A bounded association academy assistant absitively to action back. “The amount of books for our acceptance is aloof accepting academy and academy and, accumulated with the ascent amount of tuition, it’s killing these kids,” said Peter Jason, Ph.D. “Remember, acceptance are one of the atomic groups of bodies in America. Almost bisected of them accept at atomic one part-time job. In fact, one of my acceptance has three jobs. She is a part-time sales agent at a accouterment abundance three canicule a week, again works three evenings a anniversary as a pizza cook, and on weekends she does manicures at a adorableness salon. And she still manages to accept a aerial GPA and go to academy full-time.”

Textbook prices are commonly high. Adding to that problem, abounding academy advisers change textbooks year afterwards year; they either advancement to a fresh copy or about-face to an absolutely altered textbook. This added hurts acceptance because if an adviser no best uses a accurate textbook, that book has no resale value.

Dr. Jason absitively to accomplish activity a little easier and a lot cheaper for his acceptance by autograph his own book on accessible speaking. “Many books accept an added amount because of accretion and whistles: CD-ROMs, lots of blush photographs, and lots of graphics. I talked to my students, and abounding of them, like me, adopt to accumulate things simple. So, during a breather a few years ago, I wrote my own textbook. I fabricated abiding that it wasn’t long-winded. I alleged it Successful Accessible Speaking: How To Be Brief, Concise, and to the Point.

“Compared to best added accessible speaking primers, abundance is bisected the cardinal of pages, and one-third the price. That is, $30 instead of $90. Plus, it is appear in a three-ring adhesive format. So, back I wrote a additional copy aftermost year, acceptance alone had to shop for the 35 fresh pages and annul 35 of the aboriginal pages. For alone $7.00, they had upgraded to the fresh edition. I’ve had abundant acknowledgment from my acceptance about this loose-leaf concept. Maybe the chat will get out, and added writers and publishers will try it.”



book him - short stories

A man accused of declining to acknowledgment added than 700 children’s books to bristles altered libraries in the canton was appear from bastille bygone afterwards a book administrator agreed to column his band of $1,000. The administrator said, “There’s a news here. This is a man who loves books. He aloof can’t let go of them. He hasn’t baseborn a distinct book. So what’s the crime? We anticipate that Mr. Barush has a news to tell. We plan to broadcast his story.”

When asked why he didn’t acknowledgment the books, Mr. Barush said, “Well, how could I? They became ancestors to me. I was abashed to acknowledgment them, because I knew that kids or dogs would get authority of these books and bite them up, bandy them around, rip the pages, discharge soda on them, get jam and clabber on them, and asphyxiate them in the toilet.”

He continued, “Books are people, too! They allocution to you, they booty affliction of you, and they adorn you with acumen and amusement and love. A book is my bedfellow in my home. How could I bang it out? I repaired broken pages. I dusted them with a bendable apple-pie cloth. I angry their pages so they could breathe and get some beginning air.

“Every anniversary I reorganized them on their shelves so they could accommodated fresh friends. My books were HAPPY books. You could acquaint aloof by attractive at them. Now they’re all aback in the library, on the lower shelves, on the floors, at the benevolence of all those runny-nosed kids. I can apprehend them calling me! I charge to accomplishment them. Excuse me. I accept to go now.”



Barrel hides the body (2) short stories

Russell bankrupt the tailgate of the auto and they collection to the dock. It was a algid day, and it was raining. They transferred the butt into the aback of Russell’s 25-foot fishing boat. The baiter was alleged “Staci,” although it had aboriginal been alleged "Kathy," and again “Beverly,” afterwards Russell’s aboriginal two wives. Russell steered the baiter into the gulf. An hour later, afterwards some bottomward and grunting and lifting, they managed to dump the butt overboard. George told Russell that it had become a “three case” job. Russell chuckled and said no problem.

Russell chock-full at a bazaar on the way home, and they put three cases of algid Bud into the bed of the pickup. Russell opened a case and pulled out two cans, and they drank them on the way aback to the abode in the amore of the cab.

George alleged Staci a few canicule later, because he capital to borrow some money from her. Russell said that Staci was gone.

“What do you mean, ‘gone’”? George asked. Russell said that Staci had larboard him for addition man, and she had confused out of the city. George anticipation that was actual odd; but because Russell was a policeman, George believed him. He asked Russell if he could borrow $300 so that he could absorb the weekend in Las Vegas. Russell said no problem.

Before leaving, George alleged his mom to acquaint her about Staci. When he alternate from Vegas, George saw his sister’s face on the bounded TV news. Under her account was the chat “Missing.” The TV anchorman said that Kathy, Russell’s aboriginal wife, had been accidentally attempt to afterlife while turkey hunting with Russell six years ago. Beverly, Russell’s additional wife, had accidentally drowned in her bathtub three years ago. George, now suspicious, put bottomward his beer. He alleged the police. The administrator asked if she could put him on authority for a second. George said no problem.



Barrel hides the body (1) short stories

George Gobel thinks that he ability accept helped dump his own sister’s body. George told badge that afresh his brother-in-law Russell had asked him to advice move a big metal butt out of his house. “I’ll shop for you a case of Bud,” Russell promised. The butt was in the adept bedroom. George remembers that aback he was attractive at the barrel, he happened to ask Russell, “Where’s Staci?” Russell told him that she was out shopping.

Oddly, the butt was balmy to the touch. “What’s in here?” George asked. Russell said it was aloof some old rags and agent parts. He capital to get rid of them because he had heard that ad-lib agitation could occur. George said that he anticipation it ability be occurring at that actual moment.

The butt was actual heavy. He asked Russell if the accomplished agent was central the barrel. Russell aloof grunted. Once they got it outside, they formed it to the aback of Russell’s auto truck. George helped Russell position a metal motorcycle access abaft the truck, and they pushed the butt boring up into the bed of the pickup. Aback they finished, George told Russell that this was a “two case” move, acceptation two cases of Budweiser. Russell told him no problem.



Civic Center - short stories

The bounded university claret centermost had a claret drive today at the Civic Centermost auditorium. Almost 300 bodies showed up, but about 50 were angry abroad for assorted medical reasons. Fifty others larboard because the curve were affective so slowly. The accident assured at 6 p.m., three hours afterwards the appointed close. It was a continued day for everyone—administrators, nurses, and donors. But there were affluence of chairs and tables, and abounding bodies brought their own books, magazines, or newspapers.

The aboriginal affair the donors had to do, of course, was ample out the donor allotment and screening form. When they accomplished bushing out the form, they waited until a assistant alleged them to her desk. The boilerplate developed anatomy contains 8 to 12 pints of blood. Donors can accord one pint at a time. It takes your anatomy 2 to 4 weeks to alter this amount. Most donors abounding up the pint bag aural 5 to 10 minutes.

Before leaving, the donors accustomed a area of instructions including: Do not lift any abundant altar for 12 hours. Leave your burden cast on for 2-3 hours. Do not smoke for at atomic 30 minutes. Avoid booze for the blow of the day. Do not do any arduous action for 24 hours.

"I ambition I could hug and kiss all the volunteers that are actuality today," said Martha, the claret centermost donor recruiter. "Many donors belittle the accent of what they're doing. They anticipate it is no big deal, but it is a big deal. Their claret is absolutely extenuative lives, allowance added bodies to live. We cannot acknowledge them abundant for that, nor can the recipients.”



On Friday, sad - short stories

The day afterwards Thanksgiving has become America’s wildest arcade day. Closed all day on Thursday, alternation food all beyond the nation accessible aboriginal on Friday. Some food accessible at 12:01 Friday morning, while others accessible at 4 a.m. Some “sleepyhead” stores, like Target this year, don’t accessible their doors on Friday until 6 a.m. From Friday to the day afore Christmas, this is the division aback businesses accomplish as abundant as 25 percent of their anniversary revenue. This division puts abounding businesses “in the black”—that is, into profitability—for the year.

Reporters from bounded TV stations account bodies who affected out in advanced of food a day or two afore the doors accessible on Friday. These bodies patiently delay in band to get articles that are discounted 50 percent or more.

“Oh, we accept fun,” said one camper. “We accompany amateur to play, we watch TV and adjustment lots of pizza, and we accommodated absorbing people. And, best important of all, we save big bucks!” The catch, of course, is that alone a actual baby cardinal of articles are accessible at the better discounts. Regardless, anniversary abundance has affluence of added items that are bargain from 10 to 50 percent—saving shoppers from $10 to $400 per item—to attract Americans to shop.

Not all Americans acknowledge this aberration of shopping. Reverend William Graham, pastor of the Church of the Risen Jesus, wants to rename Black Friday. “We appetite to alarm it Remember Jesus Friday. Bodies should alpha the division with the appropriate attitude. Christmastime has become a Division of Shopping. We appetite to accomplish it a Division of Giving. And we don’t beggarly giving IPods, DVDs, collapsed awning TVs, and added crap. We beggarly giving your back, your mind, and your hands. Help an old adult apple-pie up her house. Teach a kid how to read. Visit ailing bodies in the hospital or in nursing homes. Pick up the debris in your neighborhood. Give claret to the Red Cross. Do advance assignment for charities. Celebrate Christmas by canonizing Jesus and apathy Santa Claus.”



IN Vegas - short stories

Jasper's parents were activity to Las Vegas for a week. The aftermost time they were there was 10 years ago. The burghal had afflicted abundantly in those 10 years. For one thing, the all you can eat buffets were $15, instead of $3. And cartage was abundant worse, of course. But now Las Vegas had a monorail that chock-full at all the above hotels. No added walking in the hot sun (or the bitterly algid wind, if you visited Las Vegas in the winter). Jasper's dad admired the buffets. "Even at $15, he'll still eat $20 or $30 worth," Jasper's mom said.

Jasper asked his dad what amateur he was activity to play. Blackjack, he replied, if he could acquisition a $2 table. Jasper told him that he ability accept to go city to a absolute old casino. Most casinos, he said, crave a $5 minimum nowadays. That didn't abruptness his dad. Afterwards he absent a hundred dollars, he was accomplished anyway, he said. He was never one to bandy acceptable money afterwards bad.

Jasper's mom had no use for annihilation except aperture machines. She admired the slots, as continued as she could acquisition nickel machines and dime machines. "Are any of those left?" she asked Jasper. He said he wasn't sure, but there had to be some, somewhere. She said she was activity to comedy abnormally on this visit: she would delay till addition acclimated a apparatus for at atomic 15 minutes. Then she would comedy that apparatus back that being got up and left. Maybe, she hoped, the jackpot would hit on the aboriginal nickel that she put in. That's a acceptable idea, Jasper thought. Unfortunately, it's the aforementioned ambush that anybody who plays the aperture machines does. And about anybody goes home broke.



Saturday, July 10, 2010

un chance, sometimes better - short stories

Sam, an unemployed piano tuner, said it was alone the additional affair he had anytime won in his life. The aboriginal affair was an Afghan absolute at a abbey raffle back he was 25 years old. But this was abundant bigger: it was $120,000! He had won the Big Cube, a accompaniment action game. To win, a adversary charge aboriginal assumption which cardinal a spinning cube will stop on. The cube has six numbers on it: XI, 10X, 50X, 100X, 500X, and 1000X. If he is correct, the adversary charge again assumption which of two called variables is activity to be greater. So, aloof academic which cardinal appears on the cube does not agreement that you will win any money.

Sam accurately estimated 1000X, but he still had to accept amid two variables. One capricious was the cardinal of cars that would run the stop assurance at Hill Artery and Lake Avenue in six hours. The added capricious was the cardinal of times that a boyish boy would change TV channels in a three-hour period. This was a boxy decision.

Finally, Sam addled a coin. It came up heads, so Sam best the teenager. He best right. The stop assurance was run alone 76 times, but the boyhood clicked 120 times. Sixty-year-old Sam jumped for joy, for he had aloof won 1000 times 120, or $120,000. Sam dreamily larboard the action studio. Talking absurdly on his corpuscle buzz while bridge the street, he got hit by a little sports car.

Sam is boring accepting better. He was in the hospital for a month. His hospital bill was $110,000. And the allowance aggregation for the little sports car’s buyer sued Sam for $9,000 account of repairs. Also, Sam still has to pay federal taxes on his winnings. Sam doesn’t comedy the accompaniment action any more. He says it’s added good to be unlucky.



Teacher smiled - short stories

The anniversary teachers’ affair was the alone time that all the agents got calm in one abode at one time. It was a 3-hour meeting, from 7 to 10 p.m. Advisers talked on assorted subjects. Each allocution was followed by a catechism and acknowledgment period. It was an informal, affable evening.

The atramentous consistently began with a adorable banquet catered by a bounded restaurant. This year’s host was a Middle Eastern restaurant. Agents accumulated as abundant as they capital on their cardboard plates and begin a bench outdoors or in the auditorium. Most agents absolutely seemed to acknowledge the food.

For Shane, this atramentous was his befalling to analysis out the changeable teachers. This year, a adorableness absolved into the amphitheater about 10 account late. She sat in the row in advanced of Shane, aloof two seats away. Shane couldn’t accept it. She was not alone the best-looking woman in the auditorium, but she smiled at him afore she sat down. She was alpine and had continued red hair. She was cutting a adult atramentous cocktail dress.

Shane could not focus on the affair anymore. He looked at the advisers beneath than he looked at the redhead. He was belted in her perfume. She took addendum right-handed. She ran her fingers through her hair. She beyond and uncrossed her legs. Shane was activity crazy. Plus, there was no arena on her larboard hand.

The affair ended. The administrator thanked anybody for attending. Everybody acclaimed the presenters. The redhead stood up. Shane stood up. She smiled at him, and again absolved out. Shane absolved out. She went to the restroom. Shane waited. When she came out, he absolved up to her.

“Hi,” he smiled. “My name’s Shane. I was apprehensive if you accept time for a cup of coffee. I was acquisitive we could allotment some of our teaching experiences.”

She smiled. “Why, acknowledge you. That’s candied of you. I acknowledge your offer, but I’ve got to get home. My bedmate is babyminding tonight, and I’m abiding he’s appealing tired. Maybe addition time?” She smiled, and absolved away.



New bath - short stories

A middle-aged man with a continued bristles was arrested by the badge for chaotic conduct and acreage damage. “More accuse ability be added later,” said a badge officer.

The man, articular as Bill Wild, arrested into the Cabin Five aftermost night about an hour afterwards sunset. Telling the agent that he would be blockage four nights, he paid banknote in advance. He again asked her area a grocery abundance was. She said that the abutting grocery abundance was John-Johns, which was alone two blocks away.

The badge said that Wild went to John-Johns and purchased three gallons of honey and four gallons of amber syrup. The checker asked him what the break was. He replied, “I’m aggravating to become a sweeter person.” The checker smiled at the joke.

Wild collection aback to the motel. He opened all seven containers and caked them into the bathtub. He added balmy baptize to the mix. Again he placed his bang box on the bath attic abutting to the tub. He acquainted the radio to an opera station. He got undressed, hopped into the tub, and started singing audibly with the music.

Fifteen account later, the lodgers in the allowance abutting aperture phoned the clerk. She banged on Wild’s door, but he kept singing. She phoned his room, but he didn’t answer. Again she alleged the police, who accustomed quickly.

“Well, at atomic he paid in advance,” said the clerk. “That money will advice pay for the plumber.” The bathtub cesspool was absolutely clogged. The tub remained abounding of amber and honey.

“You aloof never apperceive about people,” said the clerk. “He seemed so nice and friendly. Who’d accept anticipation he was a bathtub-singing nut?” The badge said this was the third time that Wild had been arrested for this affectionate of behavior.



The Bank's risk - short stories

It was 80 degrees in the shade. A man cutting a abundant army jacket, a bodice absolute cap, and aphotic sunglasses absolved into the First American Coffer at the bend of Maple and Main streets in city Short Beach.

The man absolved up to the teller and captivated up a duke armament for all to see. He said, “Give me all your money, all the money in this bank, appropriate now!”

Everyone in the antechamber screamed and started running, alike the aegis guard. Nervously, the adolescent changeable teller handed the man three big accoutrements loaded with cash. He absolved out the door. A additional later, one of the money accoutrements exploded, accoutrement him with red dye. He yelled in affliction and surprise, and started pacing about in circles because he couldn't see area he was going.

He couldn’t see, but he could hear. He heard the badge siren get closer. Then he heard the badge acquaint him to get bottomward on his abdomen on the sidewalk and put his easily abaft his back. They abandoned him and placed him in the aback of the badge car.

Seeing the duke armament on the sidewalk, the badge told anybody to get back. They closed off the accomplished block and alleged the bomb squad. The bomb band came and advised the duke grenade. Then they laughed. They told the badge it was a fake. The duke armament was absolutely a controllable dummy, article a 12-year-old ability comedy with.

The badge chuckled. The coffer advisers alternate to work. The coffer barter alternate to their lines. The coffer robber, hopefully, would never return.



Poor communication - short stories

Boy, this is the affliction edger I’ve anytime had, Wesley thought, alike admitting it smelled great. He’d formed two joints, smoked them both, and still didn’t feel high. He’d heard about some cool edger that gets bodies so aerial that they anticipate they’re straight. Maybe this was cool weed. Gnaw, he thought. This is aloof crap. His best associate had ripped him off! There was alone one affair to do: alarm the police.

Wesley told the badge his problem. They said they would be appropriate over. He went to the advanced aperture and apart it. Slowly, he printed Buster’s buzz cardinal and abode on a cigarette paper. He put it into the big baggier of grass. He wondered if his alarm was activity to accomplish TV news. Or maybe the advanced folio of the newspaper: “Good Citizen Turns in Drug Dealer.” Wow! The burghal ability accomplish him an honorary agent sheriff. He lit addition joint—maybe the third one would be the agreeableness ...

He heard the car doors closing and the footsteps approaching. All right, he thought. He wondered if they had brought a television aggregation with them. Maybe he’d accomplish the 11 o’clock news. The badge were actual polite. They thanked him for Buster’s buzz cardinal and address. Then they arrested Wesley. “What for?” he protested.

“For possessing added than 28 grams of pot,” an administrator replied.

“But this isn’t pot—it’s added ‘not’ than ‘pot.’ Why do you anticipate I alleged you—I got ripped off!”

“Well, we’ll see about that afterwards the lab analyzes it. If you’re both lucky, you did get ripped off.”



Pork is not good - short stories

What’s that smell, Nadine wondered. She had bought a big allotment of pork from the bazaar four hours ago. As always, she smelled the pork afterwards the boner handed it to her. It had smelled fine. But now, it didn't. She cut into the added ancillary of the pork and took addition sniff. Annoyed, she captivated up the pork, affective her receipt, and collection aback to the market.

She went up to the aforementioned boner who had handed her the pork that morning. She asked him to aroma the pork. He said that it smelled accept and gave it aback to her. She told him to alarm the administrator of the meat department. The administrator came out a minute later. Nadine told him about the pork. She additionally told him that he bare to appoint butchers who had more good noses. He smelled the pork. “Phew,” he said. He apologized to Nadine.

Then he batten to the butcher, who said he couldn’t aroma annihilation because he had a cold. “You accept a algid and you’re administration meat and fish? Go home!” The administrator angry aback to Nadine, apologized again, and told her she could accept a abounding refund. She gave him the pork and thanked him. She inspected a brace of beginning trout and had them captivated up. She went to the accountant at the advanced of the market, got her acquittance for the pork, paid for the fish, and absolved out. While she was accepting into her car, the administrator told addition boner to bullwork up the pork with a little adhesive abstract and advertise it at a 20-percent discount.



Some good news and one bad short stories

My aeon started today,” Ruth said. Broody could apprehend her anguish over the phone. “Oh, I’m sorry, honey. That’s too bad,” Broody said. Until now, they both had affected that she was pregnant, because her aeon was declared to alpha three weeks ago.

Broody had alloyed animosity about the news. On the one hand, he knew that Ruth capital a babyish added than annihilation abroad in the world. So, he artlessly capital her to be abundant and happy. In fact, he capital a kid as abundant as she did. He would adulation to accept a son, so he could advise him how to abstain all the brainless mistakes Broody had fabricated in his own life.

On the added hand, he had aloof apprehend about a fresh abstraction that said the amount of adopting a adolescent was now $225,000. And that was aloof through aerial school. College was an added expense. Right now, the boilerplate amount of accessory a accessible university was $6,000 a year--if the apprentice lived at home. Eighteen years from now, how abundant would it be?

Broody and Ruth had alone $50,000 in savings, not alike abundant for a bottomward acquittal on a nice house. Plus, neither of them had bloom insurance. Premiums for insuring themselves and the babyish would amount at atomic $400 a month, not to acknowledgment the deductibles and co-pays.

“You anguish about money too much,” Ruth had already told him. “Look at you—your parents aloft you and bristles added kids, and they were authoritative abundant beneath than we are authoritative now.”

“That’s true,” Broody agreed. “But things were a lot altered then.”



Not the dreams of a beautiful - short stories

“I had addition bad dream,” she told her fiance. “It was about you again. You and your ex-girlfriend were kissing. I yelled at you to stop it. You looked appropriate at me, and again you laughed at me! She laughed, too. Again you both went aback to kissing. I approved not to watch, but aback I covered my eyes, article pulled my easily away. I approved to leave, but my anxiety were alert to the ground. Finally, I woke up. Of course, it was actual difficult to get aback to sleep.

“I had to drive home from Las Vegas this morning. It’s a admiration I didn’t blast 50 times. Instead of seeing cartage in advanced of me, all I saw was you and her. I can’t booty any added dreams like this. We’re activity to accept to breach up. We can be friends, but aloof friends. That way, I won’t be anxious anymore, and I won’t accept these bad dreams anymore.”

“Why didn’t you alarm me up and acquaint me about your dream?” he asked. “They say that the added you allocution about bad dreams, the eventually you’ll stop accepting them.”

She disagreed. She anticipation that the alone band-aid was to breach up and be aloof friends. She admired him, but these dreams had become so common that she was absolutely abashed to go to sleep. She was accident weight and accepting stomachaches from the stress.

He didn’t apperceive what to do. He capital her to accept affable dreams. He capital her to accept a activity after stress. He capital her to be his wife. This was it, she repeated; if she had aloof one added bad dream, they were through. He awkward her hand, but said nothing.



How to avoid getting the flu - short stories

Flu division occurs annually in countries that accept algid acclimate in the winter. Although the affliction virus is animate throughout the apple in all four seasons, it seems to accept its greatest appulse on bodies during the winter. Scientists are not abiding why. They anticipate it’s because in the winter bodies are central and abutting calm for best periods of time. Also, the virus ability be able to alive best and be stronger in colder weather. Finally, calm air can dry up the close that helps assure bodies from the virus.

In the U.S., the virus is not article to apprehend at. It kills about 36,000 bodies annually (most of them elderly). It additionally causes about 250,000 bodies to end up in a hospital bed annually.

Scientists advance a antitoxin flu attempt for bodies to booty as winter begins. This attempt is not affirmed to anticipate flu; scientists can alone assumption at which virus ability be the best alarming in the accessible season. The attempt protects adjoin alone that accurate virus. For those who do not get the shot, affliction spreads amid them easily. It takes alone a sneeze, a cough, or a touch. Victims frequently get ill from afraid hands, aperture doors, or administration money.

Most adulterated bodies will accept a fever, abscessed throat, and cough. But the affection are generally balmy and aftermost for alone a week. For abounding others, however, affection can be so astringent and abiding that victims end up in bed for weeks, or in the hospital, or in the cemetery.



Criminals - short stories

A 29-year-old woman was active her car in the amiss abode at the amiss time. She was fatally blood-soaked by a brace of devious bullets. The bullets were advised for a 20-year-old man, who was actively blood-soaked by two added bullets.

The shootings occurred an hour afore sunset, a mile west of city Los Angeles. Two assemblage associates attempted to rob the 20-year-old man. The victim punched one of his attackers, animadversion him down, and again took off running. As he ran, the abyss accursed several times and addled him in the back.

They additionally put a brace of aberrant shots into the arch of the woman driver. Mortally wounded, she comatose through the big bottle window of a salon, advancing to a stop at the hair-washing sinks.

Fortunately, the salon was bankrupt because its buyer was at a ancestors funeral. His nephew had been stabbed to afterlife by a assemblage affiliate a anniversary earlier. The assemblage member, who was annexation the nephew, got affronted back all he begin in the nephew’s wallet was a dollar, an ID card, and a library card.

“A library card!” the assemblage affiliate said angrily. “You anticipate you're smarter than me? If you're so smart, why are you accepting robbed?” He again stabbed the victim assorted times, ripped up the library card, discharge on it, and ran away.

“This city’s accepting ridiculous,” said a bounded adjacency watch member. “Criminals are killing bodies about every day. They beam at us. They apperceive that, alike if convicted, they will get chargeless housing, chargeless meals, and chargeless medical care. And they get to sit about in bastille all day account magazines! That’s punishment? It sounds added like a reward! What do the blow of us get for actuality HONEST? We get to assignment adamantine all day so we can die annoyed and poor



Jealous girlfriend - short stories

Scott was complete comatose aback the buzz rang.

"Are you awake?" Jolie shouted. Scott decrepit something. How could he still be asleep, she asked. It was about noon. He told her that he hadn't gone to beddy-bye until 6 a.m. Jolie told him to get up, and appear aces her up. They had to go to the abundance to acknowledgment the altogether allowance he had accustomed her.

It was a apricot plant. The leaves were crimper up. It was activity to die, she said. "Curling leaves agency the bulb is activity to die?" Scott asked. Of course, she told him.

"Look, honey," he asked, "let me go aback to beddy-bye for one hour, okay? Then I'll appear aces you up." Jolie wondered why he bare one hour. Was he assured a buzz alarm from his ex-girlfriend? No, he patiently approved to explain, he aloof capital to get addition hour of sleep.

But he could not beddy-bye anymore. Once Jolie mentioned annihilation about Amy, he'd more good get over there quickly. Scott bankrupt up with Amy bristles years ago. Now they were aloof friends. But, Amy still admired him. That wasn't a botheration for Scott, until Jolie begin out about it. If Amy still admired Scott, Jolie ample that they aloof ability get aback together.

She can admit a dying bulb but not a asleep adulation affair, Scott grumbled as he formed out of bed.



Worker wants to be happy - short stories

She was a big, homely, ample adolescent woman, in her backward 20s, maybe. No arena on her finger, so she was apparently single. In fact, anticipation from her acrimonious demeanor, she apparently had no boyfriend. And unless she started dieting and appliance regularly, she would apparently abide unattached.

Vivian asked her to accomplish abiding to abolish the artificial tag from anniversary commodity of accouterment that Vivian was affairs at Marshall's. The woman looked at Vivian but said nothing. Not "yes, ma'am," not "of course," not "no problem." She yanked anniversary shirt off its hanger, removed anniversary tag, and bankrupt anniversary shirt bound but carelessly. Even admitting the architecture was air-conditioned, her forehead had chaplet of sweat. Occasionally she wiped the diaphoresis off with the aback of her hand.

When she accomplished removing all the artificial tags and folding shirts into three piles, she rang up the total--$530.78. Vivian presented her VISA card. The agent completed the transaction and gave Vivian the cancellation to sign. Then she started to put all 19 shirts into one big bag. Vivian said no, amuse put them into three accoutrements because that would be easier to backpack aback out to the car. The adolescent woman fabricated a acerb face, as if she had been asked to lick the attic clean.

She about threw anniversary accumulation of shirts into three abstracted artificial bags. Vivian said acknowledge you and best up the bags. The adolescent woman said nothing. Wordlessly she wiped the diaphoresis off her forehead, pulled a shirt off the hanger for the abutting customer, and bankrupt it.



Bark of the best bites - short stories

A New York Burghal administrator is gluttonous investors for his “No Bark” startup. With abundant advance money, TTY Cobb says, he will be able to ascertain the melodies that, back played, will instantly quiet barking dogs. Because dogs apprehend complete frequencies that bodies cannot hear, the melodies will be exceptional by humans.

“There’s a huge bazaar for this service,” Cobb declared. “There’s about 30 actor dogs in this country, apparently 2 actor appropriate actuality in the city. And what do these dogs adulation to do added than anything? Bark, that’s what! And what do bodies abhorrence added than anything? Barking dogs, that’s what!”

Cobb says that he went to India to abstraction how snake charmers ascendancy the baleful cobra with music. He ample that if they could use music to anticipate a baleful cobra from arresting out at humans, he could use the aforementioned music to anticipate a dog from barking. So he abstruse how to comedy the Punic, the snake charmer’s flute. And he abstruse abounding of the aforementioned tunes that the snake charmers played.

He alternate to New York, area he accomplished the tunes on his dog. At first, his dog artlessly barked forth with the music. After hours of modifying tunes, Cobb apparent one that absolutely acquired his dog to stop barking.

He was jubilant. He had apparent a melody that would shut dogs up. He would be affluent above his wildest dreams! Unfortunately, the melody formed on his dog, but not on his neighbor’s dog. Nor on several added dogs in the neighborhood.

Cobb abstracts that computers will advice him acquisition the appropriate melodies at the appropriate frequencies to shut up any dog on Earth. “My dream, of course,” he said, “is to ascertain one melody that will shut up a accomplished block of barking dogs. That ability rank appropriate up there with the analysis of penicillin!



Agencies Get Millions for Homeless - short stories

The Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $5 actor to three altered bounded nonprofit organizations. The money will be broadcast over a four-year aeon and is aimed at allowance about 1,000 abandoned bodies in the canton of Armada.

One agency, with address in Footbridge, is slated to accept $1.5 million. The bureau administrator says that they will focus their assets on educating the homeless. “We will apparently body addition school-home with this money,” he said. “A school-home is absolutely what it sounds like. It is a academy and a home. We accept already congenital four school-homes throughout the county. We get the abandoned off the street, and we brainwash them so they don't accept to acknowledgment to the street. We advise them how to be auto mechanics, plumbers, landscapers, painters, carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, and air-conditioning repairmen.

“You wouldn't accept the success that we accept had. In fact, a brace of weeks ago, our appointment air-conditioning went out. My secretary alleged a repairman. The repairman was one of our aboriginal abandoned students. He now owns his own air-conditioning business, additional two houses, two cars and a boat! He has a dozen employees. Holy cow! He's accomplishing more good than I am. He anchored our air-conditioning for free. I anticipate I ability assurance up for the air-conditioning chic myself.



Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The disappearance of Steven Magellan - short stories

Steve Magellan, world-famous adventurer, has been missing for two days. The man who soared about the apple by himself in a airship took off in a single-engine aeroplane from a clandestine airport in Nevada. He larboard at apex for a three-hour flight. The acclimate was perfect. There were no storms in the area. He took no emergency provisions. Presumably, he advised his flight to be little altered from a cruise to the bazaar for a quart of milk.

He didn’t book a flight plan, so absolutely breadth he went is unknown. Searchers are combing a 200 by 200 mile breadth by air. The breadth is aerial desert, with lots of ravines. “It would be actual accessible for a baby even like that to abide undetected for months,” said an administrator from the Civil Air Patrol. The plane, like best baby planes, did not accept a “black box,” which sends out radio signals in accident of a crash. A acquaintance of Magellan’s said that he usually wears a watch that can accelerate radio signals. But no signals were advancing from that watch, if he was in actuality cutting it.

Magellan had a adroitness for walking abroad absolute from accidents, so accompany and ancestors did not assume to be ever alarmed. His adolescent sister said that it wouldn’t abruptness her if he came aimless out of the arid in a day or two. Magellan fabricated his affluence in absolute acreage back he was young, and has adherent the blow of his activity to advancing apple annal in ballooning, aerodynamics airplanes, and active fast cars. The purpose of his afternoon flight was to acquisition a acceptable breadth to try to set a fresh acreage acceleration almanac for automobiles.



The offender attempted to commit suicide - short stories

Actor Brett Maverick, the advance amateur in abounding movies, was taken to Cedars-Sinai Hospital afterwards his brother alleged an ambulance. Luke had begin Brett in a addled accompaniment with both of his wrists slashed. A hospital agent said that the cuts on his wrists were superficial, and that Brett was in acceptable condition.

The amateur has starred in abounding adventurous comedies. He generally portrays a appearance who meets a babe who doesn’t like him at aboriginal but avalanche in adulation with him by the end of the movie. In fact, a real-life affair occurred in his aftermost movie. His costar, extra Katherine Heparin, fell in adulation with Brett and confused in with him. This occurred admitting the actuality that Katherine was affianced to wed Richard Burton, addition acclaimed actor. Burton, heartbroken, told the media that he was activity to become a Buddhist monk.

Unfortunately for Brett, Katherine afresh fabricated addition cine with amateur Ferro Flynn. This movie, “Love in Baghdad,” is a ball involving a affiliated brace who are afar by terrorists. Katherine told Brett she was activity to “visit” Ferro on his 200-foot yacht afterwards filming was finished. But anon afterward, TV ball shows like “Access Hollywood” and “Entertainment Tonight” showed photos and videos about circadian of Katherine and Ferro hugging, kissing, dancing, and shopping.

“Brett couldn’t booty it anymore,” said Luke. “He was accessible to achieve bottomward with Katherine. He was activity to abdicate acting. He had told her that he planned to shop for a agronomical in Wyoming for the two of them. Just them, the dejected sky, the meadows, and the beasts and the sheep, for the blow of their lives.



Year Without TV - short stories

Starting in February 2009, broadcasts of all TV signals will be digital, replacing accustomed analog signals. For bodies who accept cable or accessory TV, this is a non-issue, because their accession will not be affected. But bodies who use aerial aerial or alfresco antennas won’t be able to accept the fresh agenda signals. They’ll accept to boutique for a advocate for anniversary TV, which will amount about $50 each. For Chris, that was too much.

Instead, Chris was artlessly activity to accord his two TVs abroad to a austerity shop. Then he would delay until the prices went way bottomward on agenda tuner TVs, and boutique for one back the amount was right. He loaded the TVs into his car.

The adult at the austerity boutique wasn’t absorbed at first. She afflicted her apperception back he said that they were alone 13” TVs, and that they formed perfectly. He was adequate back she accustomed them. Had she not, he would accept had to drop them at a chancy decay facility, which meant cat-and-mouse in line, in his car, for hours on end.

Chris got home activity good. Now he was activity to get pleasure at atomic a year of no TV. The “idiot box” was a acceptable name for that decay of electricity. He acquainted like a fresh man for accepting got rid of his two TVs. Back Donna alleged that night, he proudly told her the news. Donna, whose built-in accent was Chinese, was not happy.

“What do you mean, you accept no TV?” she yelled over the phone. “How are you activity to advise me annihilation back I alarm to ask you about fresh cant on the 11 o’clock news?” She had a few added things to say. Chris sighed. Back she finished, he promised her he would boutique for a fresh agenda TV the actual abutting day.



What women need - short stories

Wally asked Banta how her babe Heather was doing. Heather had consistently been a dutiful, admiring daughter. She got affiliated about 10 years ago, at the age of 23. It was the aboriginal alliance for her and her bedmate Ben. They had two kids. Everything seemed fine, alike admitting Heather was the alone one working. Ben had gotten laid off two years ago. He was still attractive for work.

They were advantageous because Heather’s grandma admired her to death. She had bought a abode for Heather as a bells gift, so Ben and Heather had no mortgage to pay. Not one penny. Grandma asked alone that Heather alarm her alert a month. Recently, grandma had asked Banta what was amiss with Heather. Banta said she didn’t understand—nothing was wrong. “Then why hasn’t she called?” grandma asked. Banta said she would allocution to Heather.

She larboard several messages, but Heather didn’t alarm back. Banta collection over to the house. Ben was home, demography affliction of the kids.

“Where’s Heather?” Banta asked.

“She went to the beach,” Ben told her.

“Without you and the kids?” Ben was afraid to talk, but he did. Heather had started smoker again. Alike worse, she had begin a boyfriend. She had met this guy at work, and things got out of hand. Ben didn’t apperceive what to do. If he filed for divorce, he ability be out on the artery with two kids to support. If he didn’t get a divorce, he had to alive with the abasement of actuality accurate by a wife who was cheating on him.

Banta was afraid at her daughter’s egocentric actions. She collection home and alleged her mom. Grandma said that hopefully it was aloof a appearance that Heather was activity through. She told Banta to accomplish abiding to admonish Heather to call.



Walking in the desert -short stories

Bill anchored his car on the residential street. The artery acclimated to be safe, but now there were common letters in the account cardboard about break-ins. He put The Club on his council caster and fabricated abiding that annihilation of value—not alike a brace of bargain sunglasses—was arresting through the car windows.

He got out of the car and started the acclivous walk. The abundance aisle was mostly attenuated for the aboriginal two miles. Only two bodies could airing ancillary by side. When the aisle got abutting to the bend of the mountainside, it was best if bodies absolved distinct file. Several years ago, an accomplished hiker, walking alone, slipped and fell to his death. The aisle went accomplished a baby basin created by a dam, and again broadened as it went up into the affection of the mountain, abroad from cliffs. When Bill got to Aboriginal Camp, he chock-full by the baby beck to attending for angle or frogs. Suddenly, he heard a adverse awkward sound. Then, he acquainted a aciculate chaw on his calf. He angry about in time to see a rattler slithering off.

There was annihilation to do now but airing aback bottomward to his car. He had no corpuscle buzz with him. He would bethink to accompany it abutting time, if there was a abutting time. Should he airing slowly, so the adulteration would advance slowly? Or should he airing fast, so he could get to his car and get medical advice faster? Perhaps he’d accommodated addition on the way down.

A simple walk, he thought. It was aloof activity to be a simple airing up a abundance trail.



Liz with her mom in Asia -short stories

Liz was excited. She was activity to Asia with her mom. Neither of them had anytime catholic out of the United States before. They were activity to fly to Hong Kong. After blockage in Hong Kong for three nights, they would biking on their cruise address to Shanghai and Beijing.

"Beijing is inland, so we accept to booty about a two-hour bus ride to get there from the port. I balloon the name of the port. Anyway, we're activity to see the Great Wall, the Tirana Square, and the Forbidden City. It’s activity to be so cool!" she told her acquaintance Jane.

From China, the cruise address would go to Pulsant in South Korea, and assuredly to Tokyo. From Tokyo, they would bolt a flight aback to Los Angeles.

"The cruise is activity to aftermost three weeks. It's alone activity to amount us $2,800 each, IF we can ascendancy our appetite to shop," she laughed.

"I achievement your cruise is added fun than abundance was," said Jane. "I took a cruise to the Bahamas, but about all the cartage got sick. I bent some affectionate of virus that fabricated me bandy up for about three days. They gave us a abatement that we could use on a approaching trip. Ha! No added canoeing for me."

"We've heard about those disasters," said Liz. "Mom and I are activity to be abrasion our easily every 30 minutes, and we're bringing surgical masks with us."



Roy in Egypt - short stories

Roy capital to appointment Egypt two years ago. But while he was blockage out altered bout packages, an aeroplane comatose into the Atlantic. The even was an Egypt Air flight from New York to Cairo. It had no eventually gotten aerial than it affable beeline bottomward into the ocean, killing all on board. There was a abundant accord of analysis into the crash, but the final conclusion, fabricated afterwards convalescent the atramentous box, was that the copilot had absitively to booty his life, forth with all the cartage and crew.

Pat told Roy to balloon about aerial to Egypt. As his wife of 50 years, she wouldn’t admittance it. If he capital to see the pyramids, she said, he could hire a video or Google the pyramids online. Two years went by, and no added crashes occurred. One day Roy told Pat that he was activity to Egypt, with or after her approval. He asked her if she capital to go with him. She said no, acknowledge you—she didn’t accept a afterlife ambition “like addition I know.”

Roy said that the even comatose two years ago—she afraid too much. He said he was additionally authoritative a ancillary cruise to Israel. Pat said, “Go ahead. I’ll alarm the burial parlor so they apperceive you’ll be bottomward by.” Roy laughed. He said there was a greater adventitious of dying in a car blow in their own adjacency than of actuality dead by terrorists in Egypt or Israel.

“Yes,” Pat said, “but we accept to drive about our adjacency to do our errands. We don’t accept to go to Egypt and Israel. You’re aloof appetizing fate.”



A Shower Injury - short stories

Ben leaned over the bend of the tub. He angry on the hot and algid baptize faucets. The baptize came out of the cascade abreast the top of the tub. He pushed bottomward on the batten below the cascade so that the baptize would drain. He was activity to booty a shower, not a bath.

He activated the temperature. It wasn’t hot enough. He adapted the hot baptize faucet. There was addition handle amid the hot and algid faucets. This one controlled whether baptize came out of the cascade or out of the battery head. Ben angry it all the way to the right. Now hot baptize was advancing out of the battery head. The temperature was aloof right.

Ben took off his bathrobe and stepped over the top of the tub. He pulled the battery aperture closed. He affective the bar of soap out of the soap bowl and started ablution his face.

While his eyes were bankrupt to accumulate out the soap, he put the soap aback into the dish. Then he accomplished for the big artificial alembic of absterge on his window ledge. The canteen slipped out of his easily and landed on his larboard foot.

"Shoot!" Ben said angrily. That hurt.



The issue of student in a school - short stories

A straight-A apprentice got a C in affable chic and didn't like it. She didn't like it so abundant that her dad filed a complaint in federal cloister about it. He alleges that the teacher, who is white, discriminated adjoin his daughter, who is black. He seeks to accept her brand afflicted from a C to an A and asks for bearding banking damages.

Virginia Brown is in the ninth brand at Ashley High School. Back her aboriginal year in school, she has had absolute appearance and all her grades accept been A's. Virginia's ancestor said her affection was burst back she got the C.

"She cried the accomplished weekend," he said. "She wouldn't appear out of her room. Her eyes were red and puffy. My little babe hasn’t been this agitated back her cat got run over by a car back she was 6 years old."

Virginia is a archetypal student. She's the chic president. She's on the bathe team, the volleyball team, and the clue team. She belongs to the chess club. She is a affiliate of the Babe Scouts and sings in her abbey choir.

The home economics abecedary is 28-year-old Jessica Smith. This is her aboriginal year teaching. Ms. Smith said that bigotry was actually not the issue. “Some of my best accompany are African-Americans," she said. “This isn’t a atramentous and white problem. Everybody in America wants to sue everybody else. I’m activity to sue them for aspersion of appearance and whatever abroad my advocate comes up with.”

The academy principal, who grew up in India, said that he accurate Ms. Smith 100 percent. He said that Virginia is an accomplished apprentice who would accept no botheration accepting into the best universities alike with a C in cooking. “She won’t accept any adversity award a abundant university, but she ability accept problems award a husband,” he laughed. “She’d more good attending for a man who brand to eat out a lot.



Kidding - short stories

On craigslist.com, a “Sheldon” wrote that he was moving. “I’m starting a fresh life, and I don’t appetite annihilation that reminds me of my old life,” Sheldon appear on the Website. Giving his address, he arrive anybody to appointment his accommodation on April 19 from 8 to noon: “Take whatever you want; it’s all free.”

When the absolute Sheldon alternate from his morning about-face at the hospital that day, he was afraid to acquisition his accommodation aperture unlocked. He was abashed to acquisition his accommodation bare clean. I’ve been robbed, he thought. He agape on his neighbor’s door.

Virgil told Sheldon that he had apparent strangers advancing and activity that morning. When Virgil asked them what was activity on, one said that Sheldon was giving all his accouterments away. “I ambition you had told me,” Virgil said. “When I went into your apartment, there was annihilation acceptable left.”

Sheldon explained that he hadn’t told Virgil about the betrayal because he hadn’t accepted about it himself. Virgil said that he saw Pamela central the apartment; she seemed to be in allegation of things. “My ex-girlfriend Pamela?” Sheldon asked. “My affronted ex-girlfriend Pamela?”

“Ex? When did you two breach up?” Virgil asked.

They had anachronous for two years. Pamela had larboard him aloof recently. She had apparent Sheldon continuing with a woman in the parking lot. Sheldon had told her it was alone his coworker. “Your coworker? Is it accustomed for coworkers to kiss in the parking lot?” Pamela asked. Sheldon said that he wasn’t kissing his coworker. She had artlessly asked him to aroma her animation to be abiding her animation smelled okay. She had eaten garlic aliment at lunch.

As Pamela stormed away, Sheldon heard her say article about accepting even.



bad Neighbor - short stories

Barbara couldn’t booty it any more. Her admiral acquaintance was announcement his stereo again. She had asked him alert already to about-face the aggregate down. The aboriginal time she asked, he was surprised. He said he didn’t apperceive that she could apprehend his stereo.

"Yes," she said, "it’s aloof like your stereo was in my active room. I can apprehend every note!"

He said he would accumulate it down. She hoped that he was cogent the truth. Of course, he wasn’t. The actual abutting day, he accursed his stereo. She marched admiral to admonish him of his promise. He said the aggregate was so low that he could almost apprehend it. She asked him to about-face it lower. He said he would try. Barbara could affirm that aback she reentered her apartment, the music was louder than aback she had absolved upstairs.

So, this was the third time. She took her baseball bat admiral with her. She agape actual audibly on his door. Aback he opened the door, she screamed at him like a crazy person. She told him she would annihilate him if he didn’t about-face the music bottomward and accumulate it down. His eyes got big.

She went aback downstairs. She couldn’t apprehend a note.

I can’t accept I said that, she told herself



A Murder-Suicide - short stories

A man and a woman died in an credible murder-suicide aftermost night in Altadena. The man was 74-year-old Dominic Vittorio. The woman was his 70-year-old wife, Victoria. The brace had been affiliated for 50 years. In fact, their 50th ceremony occurred aloof a ages ago, according to their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Allen. The brace was childless and had no abutting friends. Mr. Vittorio was a retired carpenter who had emphysema and was dark in one eye because of a cataract. His wife was a diabetic who had already had one bottom amputated because of complications from the disease. Her apparition was about absolutely gone.

“They were such a nice couple,” said Mrs. Allen. “I’ve lived abutting to them for the aftermost 20 years or so. I’m widowed, and Dom consistently acclimated to advice me with things like alteration ablaze bulbs and acclimation appliances. They had no kids, but they were consistently affable to the adjacency kids. Every Halloween they handed out bags of bonbon and beginning fruit. But about eight years ago Vicky came bottomward with diabetes, and things aloof haven’t been the aforementioned for her or Dom. They acclimated to be so affable and abounding of life, and again they aloof seemed to get quieter and quieter.

“She acclimated to appear over to my abode already or alert a week, and we would allocution about all kinds of things and accept the nicest time. But that happened beneath and beneath as she got sicker. So I would go over to her abode about already a anniversary and we would talk. But the conversations steadily got shorter, and she seemed to lose absorption in alert and in talking. She didn’t say it, but you could acquaint she was in a lot of pain.”

Mrs. Allen said she hadn’t alike talked to either of the Vittorios in about a year. They never came out. Alike aliment was delivered to them by a bounded agency. She said she heard two gunshots aftermost night—“It afraid me bisected to death!” She anon alleged the police. “Such a sad catastrophe for such nice people,” she said. “Together in sickness, but abandoned in the world



Find Lost Cat - short stories

The buyer of a missing cat is allurement for help. “My babyish has been missing for over a ages now, and I appetite him aback so badly,” said Mrs. Brown, a 56-year-old woman. Mrs. Brown lives by herself in a bivouac esplanade abreast Clovis. She said that Clyde, her 7-year-old cat, didn’t arise home for banquet added than a ages ago. The abutting morning he didn’t arise for breakfast either. After Clyde absent an extra-special lunch, she alleged the police.

When the policeman asked her to call Clyde, she told him that Clyde had admirable blooming eyes, had all his teeth but was missing bisected of his larboard ear, and was seven years old and absolutely white. She again told the administrator that Clyde was about a bottom high.

A alarm went off. “Is Clyde your adolescent or your pet?” the administrator cautiously asked. “Well, he’s my cat, of course,” Mrs. Brown replied. “Lady, you’re declared to address missing PERSONS, not missing CATS,” said the affronted policeman. “Well, who can I address this to?” she asked. “You can’t. You accept to ask about your adjacency or put up flyers,” replied the officer.

Mrs. Brown ample that a advance would assignment a lot added good than an 8”x11” allotment of cardboard on a blast pole. There was an abandoned advance at the end of her artery aloof off the artery highway. The advance had a buzz cardinal on it. She alleged that number, and they told her they could draft up a annual of Clyde (from Mrs. Brown’s ancestors album) and put it on the advance for all to see.

“But how can bodies see it back they adept by on the interstate?” she asked. “Oh, don’t worry, ma’am, they alone adept by amid 2 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. The blow of the day, the artery is so abounding of commuters that no one moves.” They told her it would amount alone $3,000 a month. So she took best of the money out of her accumulation annual and busy the advance for a month.

The ages has passed, but Clyde has not appeared. Because she has about no money in savings, Mrs. Brown alleged the bounded bi-weekly to see if anyone could advice her hire the advance for aloof one added month. She is cat-and-mouse but, so far, no one has stepped forward.



A Love Letter - short stories

Bill wrote this letter to Mary:

We’ve talked on the buzz and in my apartment, and now I'm autograph this letter. Maybe if I put my thoughts and animosity in writing, you’ll accept them better.

I adulation you. I appetite to ally you. I appetite to be with you for the blow of my life. You are the best admirable woman I accept anytime met. You are not a "load." You are not a "troublemaker."

Yes, you accept problems. So do I. And together, we can break these problems added calmly than if we were apart. Problems are a allotment of life. But so is happiness. Let’s allotment our problems and beatitude instead of experiencing them alone.

We are not a bad "fit." We are a absolute match. I do not attending bottomward on you. I attending up to you. I adore you. I anticipate you are smart, brave, and independent. Don’t acquaint me to go acquisition addition woman. I don’t appetite addition woman. I accept begin the absolute woman.

Every day, I anticipate about your admirable smile, your blessed laugh. I anticipate about the continued walks we acclimated to take, captivation easily all the way. Remember how we acclimated to sit on the grass in the esplanade and watch the parrots?

We were activity to get married, and now you appetite to be "just friends." Whatever I did or said that was wrong, amuse acquaint me so we can assignment this out. I don’t appetite to lose you.



Courteous required - short stories

It sounds incredible, but the baby country of Greece seems to be afire down. Badge accept arsonists are amenable for at atomic bisected of the fires. Thirty bodies accept died so far, abounding of them trapped in their homes or their cars. Residents all over Greece accept alleged blaze departments, police, and media about fires surrounding their homes, but there accept artlessly not been abundant firemen to acknowledge to all these fires.

The government has asked for aid from France, Italy, and Germany. Greek charcoal that are about 3,000 years old are in crisis of actuality burnt down. Fires beleaguer Athens, the basic city. The hillsides are ablaze, and there seems to be no end in sight. Entire villages accept been destroyed. There has been no rain for two months, and the copse are so dry that aloof the calefaction from an abutting blaze causes them to backfire into flames.

Police accept arrested three doubtable arsonists. One suspect, abnormally enough, was still accusatory about the 2004 Olympics. He had activated to backpack the bake into the amphitheater and ablaze the blaze to clearly alpha the Games. His appliance was ignored. “You accept to be somebody,” was the acknowledgment he got back he alleged the Olympic Committee in Athens. “And you’re not—you’re nobody,” an official told him. The man was in bastille for three years for aggravating to draft up the committee’s headquarters. Yesterday, badge bent him walking abroad from a fresh blaze with an abandoned gas can in his hands.

“I’m nobody, huh?” he told the police. “Well, I’m somebody now!”



A Life-Saving Cow - short stories

Six after canicule of bounce rain had created a angry river active by Nancy Brown’s farm. As she approved to assemblage her beasts to college ground, she slipped and hit her arch on a collapsed timberline trunk. The abatement agape her out for a moment or two. When she came to, Lizzie, one of her oldest and admired cows, was beating her face. The baptize was rising. Nancy got up and began walking boring with Lizzie. The baptize was now waist high. Nancy’s clip got slower and slower. Finally, all she could do was to bandy her arm about Lizzie’s close and try to adhere on. About 20 account later, Lizzie managed to auspiciously cull herself and Nancy out of the angry baptize and assimilate a bit of aerial land, a baby island now in the average of acreage of white water.

Even admitting it was about noon, the sky was so aphotic and the rain and lightning so bad that it took rescuers addition two hours to ascertain Nancy. A helicopter bargain a paramedic, who absorbed Nancy to a life-support hoist. They aloft her into the helicopter and took her to the academy gym, area the Red Cross had set up an emergency shelter.

When the flood below two canicule later, Nancy anon went aback to the “island.” Lizzie was gone. She was one of 19 beasts that Nancy lost. “I owe my activity to her,” said Nancy sobbingly.



A Jealous Girlfriend - short stories

Gary and Alma were accepting problems, again.

"But you told me it was accept to alarm up Carol," said Gary. "I asked you if it was accept to allocution to her, because it was her altogether and I've admired her a blessed altogether every year for the aftermost 10 years."

"But you had already promised me that you would never alarm her again. You promised me that. So, you aria to me."

"But I had abandoned that I told you that. You apperceive that I balloon things. I'm not activity to altercate with you; you accept a anamnesis like an elephant. But you've got to accept me, I absolutely forgot. And added important, Carol is aloof a friend."

"No, she isn't. She's still in adulation with you."

"But I'm not in adulation with her. She can adulation me all she wants, but I'm not in adulation with her. I never was!"

"Well, you say that. Maybe it's true. Maybe it isn't. But the important affair is that you never apperceive what the approaching will bring. You say that annihilation will appear amid you and her, but you don't apperceive that for sure, because you don't apperceive the future."

"Yes, you're right. No one knows the future. I could abatement in adulation with her again, and she and I ability run off and get affiliated and accept nine or ten kids."

"Again? What do you beggarly 'again'?"



A Hot Day and a Cool Pool - short stories

It was their aboriginal leisure time calm in years. Meg and Oscar had been active their own adornment business for years. They fabricated a nice income, but they were active all the time. They went to one barter appearance afterwards another, aerial throughout the US and generally to China and added countries. Their aftermost leisure time was at atomic ten years ago. Recently, Oscar’s doctor said that Oscar’s aerial claret burden was activity to be the afterlife of him. Afterwards analytic Oscar about his bistro and exercise habits, he assured that Oscar was affirmation himself out at work. He told Oscar that he bare to stop and aroma the roses added often.

“In short,” he said, “I’m autograph you a decree for two weeks of R&R—rest and relaxation, immediately. In fact, I appetite you to booty off four weeks a year, and these charge be nonworking vacations. No corpuscle phone, no laptop. Do you accept me? In case you don’t, I’m cogent Meg, too. You ability not accept to me, but you will accept to her.”

Meg canceled all their activities for the two weeks at the end of July. Fortunately, they did not accept any flights scheduled. She appointed them a nice auberge abreast Palm Springs. “We’ll bolt up on our magazines, newspapers, and TV reruns,” she told Oscar. “We won’t alike TALK about assignment for two weeks, okay? We’ll relax in the pool, get massages, and amusement ourselves like royalty. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Oscar said, animated as he saluted her.

The auberge had bootless to acquaint them that it was ability renovations. But aback it offered aggregate at bisected price, Meg and Oscar stayed. The additional morning, about 10, Oscar told Meg he was activity to booty a swim. She told him not to balloon his sun block. She went aback to sleep. Aback she woke up at noon, she put on her bathe clothing and went outside.

She couldn’t stop agreeable aback she saw Oscar abysmal below the water. His bottom had gotten bent in a assimilation aperture that workers had not covered properly. He had been beneath baptize for ten minutes.

A ages afterwards the funeral, aback home, Meg was activity through her mail. The hotel, allegedly afraid about a lawsuit, had beatific her an action to break there chargeless for a month. The adapted letter appropriate that she “Bring a friend!”



Cassandra and a problem in her ear (2) - short stories

Two canicule later, Cassandra was still activity uncomfortable. The whooshing complete was constant, and she still acquainted addled and abhorrent occasionally. Travis had already fabricated an arrangement with Dr. Schwartz for Wednesday. On Wednesday, Dr. Schwartz absolved into the analytical allowance in his shorts and sneakers; he was semi-retired. Travis told Dr. Schwartz what had happened. Dr. Schwartz listened, and afresh looked in Cassandra’s ears.

Yep, he said, her larboard eardrum was punctured. Travis acquainted like killing himself. “How could this happen?” he asked. “I’ve had lots of girlfriends. They blew in my ears, and I blew in their ears. This never happened before.” Dr. Schwartz said that it was unusual, but that it did appear from time to time. What could be done, they both asked the doctor at about the aforementioned time.

He told them that they had two choices: surgery, or waiting. The anaplasty would amount about $2,000. Cat-and-mouse would amount nothing. He appropriate that, if Cassandra could buck the discomfort—she charge accumulate that ear dry at all times—for about two months, the eardrum should alleviate itself. Surgery, he said, ability be appropriate afterwards two months, but he wouldn’t acclaim it now. He could appoint her some medication to affluence her discomfort. They agreed to wait. They thanked Dr. Schwartz, and Travis collection Cassandra to Rite-Aid to aces up the medication. He apologized to her again. She said that they charge adjure every night for her eardrum to heal.



Cassandra and a problem in her ear (1) - short stories

It was Sunday. “Don’t draft in my ear!” Cassandra yelled. “I accept actual brittle skin. If you draft in my ear, it ability breach my eardrum.” Travis laughed. He didn’t accept her. He had apparent too abounding movies and apprehend too abounding books area the guy blew in the girl's ear and the babe concluded up marrying the guy.

So he blew in her ear. She cried out in pain. “You're kidding,” he said, startled. But the attending on her face said that she wasn’t kidding. Something’s wrong, she told him. He apologized profusely. She put her little feel in her ear; aback she pulled it out, there was damp on her fingertip. She said she could apprehend a whooshing sound. He acquainted sick. He couldn’t accept that he had aloof afflicted her. This had never happened in any cine or any book. Yet it was accident to her.

She acquainted dizzy. She ran to the bath and threw up. “I’m so sorry, honey,” he told her. Actual quietly, she said it was okay. She capital to go home. He absolved her out to his car. She said the whooshing complete was not activity away. Aback they got to her place, she got into her bed and lay down. She asked him to amuse leave, as she capital to try to sleep. He apologized again. He got aback into his car and alternate to his apartment. What a jerk I am, he said over and over. What a jerk.



A Hairdo - short stories

It was time for a haircut. Lenny didn’t alike accept to attending in the mirror. Alike admitting he was activity bald, he knew that he bare to cut his beard every two weeks.

He had a "tongue" of beard on the top of his head. His beard was abrasion at the crown. He still had affluence of beard on the abandon and back. It was what they alarm "salt and pepper," a admixture of gray beard and aphotic amber hair. It was alone a few years, he figured, until the alkali and pepper became aloof salt.

He never let his beard abound for added than two weeks. The best it got, the worse it looked, he thought.

He advance a bi-weekly over the bath bore so that no beard went bottomward the drain. He acquainted in the clippers and started acid his hair. He started at the aback of his head, went to the sides, and accomplished on the top. Every minute or so, he had to apple-pie the beard out of the blades with an old toothbrush.

Finished, he best up a duke mirror to analysis out the aback of his head. Everything looked okay. He agitated the bi-weekly aback out to the kitchen and befuddled the beard clippings into the debris can.

Then he took a shower.



Gordon hungry - short stories

Gordon was hungry. He opened the refrigerator. There charge be article in actuality to eat, he thought. There was—a distinct hot dog.

He took it out of its amalgamation and put a baby frying pan assimilate the stove’s gas burner. He angry on the heat. Again he caked a little bit of vegetable oil into the pan. He broken the hot dog in bisected lengthwise. When the oil got hot, he put the two behindhand in the pan. About a minute later, he addled anniversary bisected over. After addition minute, he took the hot dog out of the pan.

Gordon put two slices of aliment into the toaster. This was appetizing and advantageous bread. The aboriginal additive listed was amoebic sprouted wheat. The aboriginal additive in accustomed aliment is usually agrarian flour.

When the acknowledgment popped up, he put mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup on one slice. Again he added two slices of onion. On top of the onions, he placed the hot dog. On top of the hot dog, he put a brace of slices of apple. Again he added some $.25 of hot blooming chile, and again put the top allotment of acknowledgment assimilate the chile bits.

Ahh, what a sandwich, he thought, as he sat bottomward to eat.



An exhibition of books - short stories

People antic that no one in Los Angeles reads; anybody watches TV, rents videos, or goes to the movies. The best accepted account actual is banana books, cine magazines, and TV guides. City libraries accept alone 10 percent of the cartage that car washes have. But how do you explain this? An anniversary book anniversary in west Los Angeles is “sold out” year afterwards year. Bodies delay bisected an hour for a parking amplitude to become available.

This alfresco festival, sponsored by a newspaper, occurs every April for one weekend. This year’s appearance was estimated at 70,000 on Saturday and 75,000 on Sunday. The anniversary featured 280 exhibitors. There were about 90 talks accustomed by authors, with an admirers question-and-answer aeon afterward anniversary talk. Autograph seekers approved out added than 150 authors. A aliment cloister awash all kinds of accepted and indigenous foods, from American hamburgers to Hawaiian barber ice drinks. Except for a $7 parking fee, the anniversary was free. Even so, some bodies abhorred the aliment cloister prices by cheating in their own sandwiches and drinks.

People came from all over California. One brace collection bottomward from San Francisco. “This is our sixth year actuality now. We adulation it,” said the husband. “It’s aloof absurd to be in the abundant outdoors, to be amid so abounding books and authors, and to get some actual acceptable deals, too.”

The abstraction for the anniversary occurred years ago, but cipher knew if it would succeed. Although book festivals were already accepted in added US cities, would Los Angeles association embrace one? “Angelenos are actual unpredictable,” said one of the anniversary founders.



cigarette factory - short stories

Many years ago, some women fabricated a bare active by alive in a cigarette factory. It was their job to put 20 cigarettes in anniversary pack, by hand. Their administrator was a beggarly old man. He agitated a bamboo rod in his hand. His bodyguard, who accompanied him everywhere, was alike meaner.

Maura, alone 19, was sick. But she knew that if she didn’t go to work, she would lose her job. At the branch that day, she blimp backpack afterwards backpack of cigarettes. Sweating and dizzy, she larboard a cigarette out of one pack. The administrator noticed her absurdity immediately. He yelled at her and again hit her acutely beyond her aback with the rod. Again the babysitter kicked her in the stomach. Maura got up and staggered out of the factory. She died at home the abutting day.

The day afterwards Maura died, her coworkers banned to access the factory. They stood outside. The administrator told them to get to work. He aloft his arm as if to bang them, but they stood firm. He told them he was activity to get the police. They still didn’t move. The babysitter went central and alleged the police.

The badge arch came. The women told the badge arch what had happened to Maura. He arrested the administrator and the bodyguard. He alleged the buyer of the factory. A fresh administrator accustomed after that morning. He told the workers that they would all get the agnate of a nickel per day raise. They went aback to work.

Before the arch abandoned the administrator and put him in the badge car, the administrator agilely offered the arch a abundant accord of money to let him "escape." He told the arch he would leave the country and never return.



A Dream (2) - short stories

The abutting day, I alleged my mom. “Do you bethink me walking into the pond and grandpa rescuing me?”

“My God! Who told you about that?”

“You mean, it absolutely happened?”

“Yes, but your ancestor and I never told you about it because grandma swore us to silence. Even admitting it wasn’t her fault, she acquainted that she had bootless in her responsibility, and never capital you to apperceive about it. My goodness, that was so continued ago. Who told you this?”

“Mom, did I go for a airing with grandpa and acknowledgment with daisies for you and grandma?”

“Okay, I get it. You and your dad are arena some affectionate of prank. Okay, it’s actual funny. Now, abdicate it.”

“This is no prank, mom. Grandpa told me this in a dream aftermost night.”

“It still sounds like a prank.”

“No, I’m serious. He told me that grandma had a acknowledgment to blackberries. He said I was cutting amber and white Buster Amber shoes. He said I gave you and grandma daisies.”

“Oh, my God. Your ancestor would never bethink all this. It charge be Daddy! Did he say annihilation about visiting his gravesite?”

“Yes, that was his problem. He capital me to appointment them. He additionally said you had not visited since—”

“—Since mom’s altogether six years ago?”

“Well, not—”

“I’ve got to get over there appropriate now!”

“Wait for me! I’m advancing with you, and I’ve got to accompany those daisies. Maybe we’d more good alpha activity every year, huh, mom?”

“Yes. There’s no cogent what grandpa ability acquaint you abutting time.”



A Dream (1) - short stories

I was complete asleep. My grandfathering appeared in a dream. He asked why I had never visited him and grandma at the cemetery. He said that alike my mom hadn’t visited aback October 4 (grandma’s birthday). He told me that, aback I was young, I had absolved out into a pond and slipped beneath water. He had rescued me. He said grandma was declared to be watching me, but that she had gotten ailing all of a abrupt and was throwing up. It was apparently the beginning blackberries they had best and eaten earlier. Grandma had a bad stomach.

My parents were out on a baiter in the pond. They did not apperceive that grandpa had adored me until they got aback to shore. I was in a anhydrate and my clothes were dehydration on bushes. My amber and white Buster Amber shoes were additionally soaked. I was alone three years old, grandpa said. My parents were affronted at first, but aback they saw that grandma was still activity sick, they forgave her.

Grandpa told me that we had a barbecue afterwards that. The four of us ate some chicken, potato salad, and bootleg cookies. We drank lemonade. Then grandpa took me for a airing in the dupe (I sat on his shoulders). I saw some daisies, and we best them. Aback we returned, I presented three daisies to mom and three to grandma, who was assuredly activity better. Grandpa said to accompany some daisies to the gravesite. Then I woke up.



Theft in the day - short stories

Rod was a administrator at House Depot. He formed about 50 hours a week. He admired his job, although the added hours cut into the time he could absorb with his three little girls. One morning he was declared to go home at 7 a.m. Instead, he backward on to advice out for three added hours. He was aloof about to leave at 10 a.m. back he heard something.

At one of the checkout counters, he saw a man dressed in white painter’s coveralls pointing a gun at the changeable checker. He had on a chicken cap, a white artificial painter’s mask, and white gloves.

Rod abrupt over. Times in Los Angeles had changed. All managers now accustomed training on how to acknowledge to armed robberies and hostage-taking. Rod was nervous, but he knew what he was declared to do. He approached the gunman.

“Sir, amuse don’t point that gun. We will accord you all the money you—”

The apache didn’t alike delay for Rod to accomplishment his sentence. He attempt Rod in the stomach. The checker screamed. The apache ran out to a white van and hopped in. The van sped off.

Rod didn't alike accomplish it to surgery. The killing fabricated all the TV account shows. House Depot offered a $100,000 reward.



three brothers (2) - short stories

The three brothers went out on the river about every day, acclimate permitting. They angry some rowboats abaft their baiter to use as amphibian debris cans. They best up all the debris they could see amphibian in the river. Accompany abutting them. Then accompany told added friends, and by the end of the aboriginal year there were added than 200 volunteers allowance the Green Fleet apple-pie up the river. In the aboriginal 365 days, the brothers estimated that they had removed added than 10 bags of debris from the river. Their assignment was creating a cleaner-looking and cleaner-smelling river.

Corporations got complex and donated money and materials. By the end of the additional year, the Green Fleet had developed to four boats and four barges. The brothers appeared on radio allocution shows and on bounded and civic TV shows. Activists throughout the nation began acclimation their own Green Fleets.

The Green Fleet got bigger and more good every year. Five years afterwards its inception, the three brothers were able to go snorkeling on weekends in their river. Unfortunately, a year later, Manny accidentally ashore himself with a hypodermic aggravate while acrimonious up a bedraggled artificial bag. He got an infection but didn’t see a doctor until it was too late. At Manny's funeral, his brothers vowed to backpack on their advance assignment until they were too ailing or old to do it any longer. To account Manny, the St. James burghal board voted to rename the city's better esplanade afterwards him.



three brothers (1) - short stories

The three brothers were sitting on their boat, accepting a few beers and talking about the acceptable old days. As they talked, they watched the debris float by on the St. James River. Their chat angry to the trash.

“It didn’t use to be like this,” said Manny. “Remember how we acclimated to go pond in this river? I wouldn’t put my big toe in this river nowadays. There’s no cogent what ache you’d catch. Time was back bodies knew that debris went into debris cans. Nowadays, the streets, the woods, the accessible parks, and the lakes and rivers are aloof huge debris cans after lids.”

“Not to acknowledgment the freeways—last night on the radio they appear a refrigerator in lane one and a abrasion apparatus in the average of an off-ramp,” said Moe. “And about every day drivers accept to contrivance mattresses, ladders, and tires on the freeways. And what about all the graffiti on the freeway signs?”

They all agreed that slobs were authoritative America ugly. Then Jack had an idea. “Look, back we’re all retired and we accept the time and energy, why don’t we do article instead of aloof complaining? We can't apple-pie up everything, but maybe we could apple-pie up our river.” They admired this idea, and talked about it for addition brace of weeks. Manny appropriate a name for their effort—the Green Fleet, an alignment adherent to axis the St. James River dejected again.



A Clean Toilet Bowl - short stories

Mildred’s sister called. She was activity to bead by. And whenever she visited, she usually fabricated at atomic one cruise to the bathroom. That meant one thing—Mildred bare to apple-pie her toilet bowl.

This was the domiciliary assignment that she hated the most. It was so icky! She affective the cleanser from below the bath sink. She brindled lots of it into the toilet bowl. Then she got out of her clothes, put on a big T-shirt, and pulled on her long-sleeved elastic gloves. Finally, she put on her goggles, because she didn’t appetite any toilet baptize to burst into her eyes. She didn’t apperceive if toilet baptize could account an eye infection, but she wasn’t activity to booty any chances.

She affective the long-handled toilet basin besom that was below the sink. She started scrubbing. She adjourned beneath the rim, all about the bowl, and abysmal into the throat of the bowl. Five account later, she ample she was finished.

She ablaze the toilet and arrested the bowl. It was apple-pie as a whistle. Mildred breathed a blow of relief, because usually she had to abrade the basin alert to abolish all the stains.

She removed her goggles, gloves, and T-shirt. Then she hopped into the shower.



A Bird Attacks - short stories

Heather admired the abandon of aerial aerial aloft the acreage and sea. She abstruse how to hang-glide from her boyfriend.

Initially, she was afraid to death. The aboriginal time he took her up, she afraid on for baby life. But by the end of that flight, she was hooked. Half a year later, she bought her own hang-glider.

Almost every weekend, she collection to Torrey Pines and leaped off the cliff. She could arise to La Jolla in beneath than bristles minutes. She admired to fly over the town. She would beachcomber at kids pointing and attractive up at her, and they would bark and beachcomber aback excitedly.

One day she was abiding to the barrage armpit back she noticed a red militarist rapidly abutting her. It briefly disappeared. Then she heard its claws ripping the wing’s fabric. It flew off. But the abutting affair she knew, it was aerial beeline at her. She angry out of its way, but it affable at her again. She was scared.

She had to balk its attacks four times afore she was able to acreage safely. Even afterwards she landed, it circled overhead, as if adventuresome her to fly again. What did I do to you, she wondered.

As she collection home, she begin out that she had been lucky. The radio account appear that in Australia, a hang-glider had been attacked by not one, but two, eagles.

Maybe it was article in the air, Heather thought.