----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I always loved the poem by e.e. cummings that begins: “in Just- spring when the world is mud- luscious the little lame balloonman whistles far and wee” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cummings seduced me with his poems when I was in high school, and on into college. He was responsible for...

Twelve minutes. Why am I so nervous? Of course, I was nervous then, too… I joined the line at the Dickson Dining Hall with the other high school students taking special summer courses at Cornell, and stood behind a cute blonde girl. Deciding that I wouldn’t be the shy nobody I was in high school, I said “Hi!” She turned and broke into a smile. “Hi yourself! So, what are you in for?” “Special relativity and quantum mechani...

“No Robots Allowed!” is scrawled in red letters on a piece of wood crookedly hanging beside the door. The bar resides on the edge of town just past the blue billboard with a smiling sun in one corner and the bright yellow letters “Welcome to Eddyville!” across the middle. My head rotates between the welcome sign and the sign on the door, then I decide to turn the knob and enter. The lights are brighter than expected for a...

Dammit. I can’t think of a thing. What the hell am I gonna do? The deadline's next week, I'm supposed to be on vacation, and I got nutin’. Wait. Larry Niven said the sure way to beat writer’s block is to just start typing, and keep going until a story emerges, so here goes. The quick red fox jumped over the lazy brown dog. Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. (Ain’t that the truth!) Unique...

My dad, younger brother, a family friend, and I had rented two canoes for a week and set off on a weeklong canoe-and-portage journey through the marvelous Killarney Park lake system in central Ontario. It had been hard work, but beautiful, camping by the water, eating freeze-dried food by a campfire, and each having an evening tot of Ballentine’s Scotch whisky as we watched the stars emerge. Gliding along a river or lake...

The elevator doors closed on the last of the party-goers, and my shoulders slumped. “Are you okay, Mr. Williams?” I forced a smile and turned to look at my executive assistant – who was, of course, the last one to leave. “I’m fine, Justine, just tired. You have to admit, it’s been a busy time. I’ll look forward to getting some rest.” But I couldn’t quite meet her eyes, then covered it by laughing. “And now, it’s time for...

Henry was trotting along in the twilight looking for food. It was always twilight in the Arctic in Winter – except when it was completely dark. But since Henry was a trickster, he was looking for both food and fun. He loved laughing – especially at other people's expense. Suddenly he stopped, completely still, because he knew that movement could make the ptarmigan up ahead notice him. Henry’s fur was completely white in t...

Eyes struggle, then start to fail As I tread an oft-forgotten trail While my dizzy thoughts retreat… I see these things, beyond the veil Grandad milks into a pail Then walks back home to eat I am a slowly crawling snail Sliding sticky on a rail Seeking a rotting treat I’m an up-and-arching whale Flukes up high, then smacking like a flail Spreading stars as waves retreat Next a startled, leaping quail Leaking feathers from...

I had just about given up on the library when I spied Jimmy back in the corner, head down in a book – naturally. He was in the history section, where no one else was seated. He didn’t want to go home. His shiftless, drunk of a father would be there, and Jimmy would have to face him when he went home to cook supper for them both. The school building had closed to students over two hours ago, and the janitor had finally boo...

Bear woke up later than usual and stretched along the rag rug. He rolled on his back and looked up at the ceiling, the beams crisscrossing along the open space between the floor and roof logs. He lay there, luxuriating in the feeling. After a while, he wondered why he wasn't hearing Girl, so rolled over and got to his feet. Padding into her room, he started to give her some smart-ass greeting but stopped once he was throu...

Bear was awoken from a sound sleep by a human torpedo as Girl thumped into his side, quivering. At first, he was puzzled, but then, when he heard the crash of thunder overhead, realized that she must have been frightened by the noise. He stroked her head. "It's okay, Girl. It's only thunder." That didn't seem to help, and every fresh flash of light and crash of thunder seemed to produce an electric shock in her body, caus...

It was mid-morning, and Bear was seated on the porch, watching the mountains grow – or not grow, as the case might be. Girl was seated in her rocking chair, reading, her knees up under her chin. After a while, she put her book down and said, “Bear?” Bear’s head swiveled towards her, and said, “Frog?” She shook her head and said, “What? I’m not a frog, I’m a girl!” Bear chuckled, “I know. I just wanted to see if you were a...

It was early morning, and Bear was resisting the need to get up, luxuriating in that hazy land between sleeping and waking. Then he heard feet on the floor, moving fast. He lifted his head just as the front door banged open. He lumbered up, walked curiously towards the open door, and peered out, still slightly enmeshed in sleep. And saw Girl, wearing only her nightgown, running barefoot off into the meadow. He furrowed hi...

Bear and Girl were out walking in the forest one afternoon. The sky was blue, there were white puffy clouds, and it was beautiful. They were chatting about everything, and nothing, and laughing about it. Suddenly, a wolverine walked out from behind a bush, stopped, and growled at them. Bear shoved Girl behind him, and said, “Steady, friend. No one is here to hurt you.” The wolverine barred its teeth and started walking to...

It was time. I looked at the tense, frightened faces around the circle and knew what they were feeling. I’d gone through my own first Hunt at their age and lived. But it was important that they knew what they were getting into and how important it was; that was my job as Chief. “Tomorrow, you will all participate in your first Hunt, which runs for three suns. That much you already know. But this darkness, I need to tell y...