Tag: Modern
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Yellow Eyes
This story is brought to you courtesy of my ten year old son, with a few slight changes on my part for clarity. I hope you find it as entertaining as I did. One night a family of four was driving out in the woods. They heard a howl, and the dad said, “It’s just…
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First Chill
The hay was in. The last two bales perched like strange giant eggs at the edge of the field nearest the house, securely wrapped in their white rain guards. Not that the sky gave any reason to believe the guards were necessary; the colors of the mountain grasses shone in brilliant contrast under the cloudless…
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Opportunity and Prejudice
Recently I posted a series of questions on social media. I wanted, and received, feedback revealing how we as a society understand certain concepts that are central to a civilization. Need, work, and identity are necessary in order for a culture to thrive, but perception of what constitutes those things varies widely. When those varying…
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Book Review: The Lady and the Spider
A spider finds her perfect home in a cozy head of lettuce in a lady’s garden. The leaves collect water and tasty insects buzz and crawl within easy reach. The lettuce even provides quick shelter from larger animals who might turn the spider herself into a meal! When the lady harvests her lettuce she doesn’t…
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The Quarter
Jean rested in the relative darkness of the tiled alley. The fan, incongruous against the ancient brick, did little to improve the sticky New Orleans heat pouring in from the open courtyard. Why couldn’t he have died somewhere cooler, he grumbled to himself. He’d certainly had the opportunity. Born the younger son of the old…
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Under the Oaks
He stared down the well groomed brick walk, his worn pack slipping from his shoulder to land with a metallic rattle. His torn, mud-stained uniform was a sore thumb against the impossibly manicured lawn and the milling people nearer the big house. A woman in skintight pants, of all outlandish costumes, skirted around him with…
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Different Holes
Most babies and toddlers are given toys involving various shapes that fit in specific holes. The purpose, of course, is to develop the reasoning skills to match like items. Usually young children are fascinated by this physical, concrete challenge and will try and try again until they master the toy. Unfortunately, we do not often…
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The Tomb
“What a depressing place! Why on earth did you bring me here, Jack?” “Oh, I dunno, I think it’s pretty cheerful with the sun shining through the trees and all.” “Whatever, weirdo! Seriously, what’s with the creepy mausoleums?” “Come here, I wanted to show you something. Look at the door on that one.” “What about…
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The Corner
It wasn’t beautiful, the corner of Cedar and Walnut. In fact, whatever planner decided to name the streets after trees must of have had some twisted sense of humor. No forest could have less to do with the dirty, dingy gray of metal and concrete. Despite uninviting appearances, the bench at the corner was always…
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December 1st
It’s the countdown to Christmas. Time to decorate the house, finish all the gifts, watch all the movies, listen to all the music, and cook all the food. At least, that’s the plan. The Christmas tub was stored on the porch through all weathers this year instead of making it back to storage where it…
