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On The Moon
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Evan and Bonn, twin boys, celebrated their seventh birthday by rolling
out the family album and dancing on it. PrunePit's new song was great
fun and had a wonderful beat. Sock footed, their dancing caused... read more
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Late Idea
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Ezra Lewis leaned on the fore-rail of Hornblower Princess. He felt
too full from the Christmas meal he'd just eaten. Turkey with dressing
and pie. He felt a full belly energized his brain cells, so he... read more
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Member When
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Dan Fastern thought a Troika was a Russian horse with
three legs. Nancy Wells knew better and told him it was
a carriage pulled by three horses. Bill Shootz liked... read more
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Fred Mc-something
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Daphne Wallenbrook despised parties, yet found herself always invited.
She couldn't stand idle small talk, chit-chat, or opinions about the
famous. She liked even less the ramblings of the drunken whose... read more
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Listening
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Joey Cloperd stopped his bicycle to watch. As a young teen he was
often bored out of his mind and at wits end for want of something fun to... read more
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Idle Word Games
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"That tire looks tired," young Robby Waxman said, his nose pressed
flat against the bus... read more
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Bananas
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"How about a banana?"
The question got Abe Wiscouski thinking. Abe wrote... read more
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Cool David
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
David Gapps didn't see or hear the truck overturn. It was too far up the hill
and around a bend. And besides, the day was too hot and too humid.
David was too... read more
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Art Shoes
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Soma Sousa was older than his brother Doug by four years,
but was also a foot shorter and frail. Soma always thought
they had different dads but their Mom denied... read more
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Thread
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
She missed her dead husband so desperately, she could not let go.
The former Mrs. Wendy Franks saw aspects of her husband in all men she
passed. A young man's full mane of hair reminded her of her... read more
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Looking For Dad
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Bess Castleman and her brother Dutch knew their dad was crazy as a loon.
But they never --not even in a million years-- expected to find him
dressed in long red underwear, wearing a Santa hat, yelling... read more
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Famous
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Fran DeWorthy made a special run to the corner store
every Saturday morning to buy a carton of cigarettes for her
crippled mom. She dreaded Saturday mornings... read more
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Muscles
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
After school, Juan Batists lead his most recent girlfriend,
Mora Dimoster, to a wall covered in... read more
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Three Dots
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Gina Zarchroff broke the teen barrier a scant two weeks earlier on
her thirteenth birthday. So it was with new maturity and chagrin that
she walked her much younger brother Ron, whom she called... read more
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Two Flags
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
A bucket of souvenir-sized American flags rested just to the left
of the hardware store's front door. To the right were stacked sacks
of fertilizer. An oldish man wearing overalls was bent over,... read more
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Pharmaceuticals
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Tom Reómun and his sister Sal Duncan had different
dads but were otherwise similarly rebellious. Tom dyed his hair blue on
a dare. Sal wore a silver wig all day long. Their common... read more
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Hoodwinked
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Bud White worked as a guard in the new FlexCo Building.
On his way to work he stopped at the model airplane store
in the strip mall near Signal Road. The store had... read more
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Coattails
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The last known photograph of Lewis Coattails showed him taking
a picture of a spider. What was not known until years later was
the power of that spider's bite. Within seconds it could... read more
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Stupid Bird
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Jill Tuffwull watched her husband Frank approach the picnic table.
A heavy cooler in each hand made him stoop. To her eye, that bend
accentuated his hairy back and made him seem to her more that... read more
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The Smell Of Coffee
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The written directions were hen scratches again, almost impossible to
read. "Damn Neanderthals and their
seniority," the ghost of Jack Fenn said. "I wish they'd... read more
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At Four
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Duncan Reese stood on the cold loading dock and watched
a workman, who knelt on the floor, refill fire extinguishers.
Duncan had recently... read more
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Video Nut
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
As a young boy, Dole Eppler believed he was God's gift to music.
On his sixteenth birthday, Dole concluded he was a musical maladroit
who couldn't play his way out of a paper bag. Later, married... read more
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Infectious Tunes
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Fran Mox encountered an odd protest while walking home
along 2nd Street in the SOMA area of San Francisco.
The protesters held signs that... read more
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Rubble
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Rita and Bob Samuelson leaned on the low fence and looked at the rubble.
Bob spoke first. Rita expected Bob to always speak first. She... read more
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The Straw
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Buzz Randles liked his wife because she would do most anything he
wanted. Just yesterday, for example, she walked the entire parade
while he drove... read more
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Donna Woke Up
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Purely on a whim she peeled her first orange and ate it in pieces.
Before that, she'd sliced an orange with a knife, a technique taught
her by her mother. But at fifty, exactly at noon on her... read more
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The Birds
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Wendy tried to forget her last name. She'd filed for divorce
from that idiot and immediately set out on a leisurely
drive down the coast. Along the way she'd rediscovered... read more
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Chair George
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Ron Greysmyth had been in grammar school when his Granddad
died. The folks bundled he and his older sister up for a visit
to his... read more
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Dancing
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Lunch at the Streetfront Restaurant on the second story of the
New Montgomery Hotel was always delicious. And it didn't hurt
that the senior menu was dramatically... read more
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Diamond
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"What are you looking for?"
Ralph Emerson asked as his wife Sue rummaged through his
right coat pocket. "I keep my handkerchief in the left... read more
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Dad's Clock
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
When Joe Samosa was a young boy of seven, his Dad installed
a clock on the front of their house. It was a large analog
clock that could be seen a block away. As Joe grew older,... read more
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The Dive
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Dot crossed awkwardly into middle age. She stumbled badly when
she discovered she, and her four sisters, were each conceived
in a different... read more
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Deja Vous
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The grass was just too damn soft. Or he was just too damn tired
from a late night. Rick Jameson couldn't decide. He laid on his back,
his hands folded under his head, and gazed skyward. The concert... read more
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Red
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The laser pointer shook, so young Ann McFridae braced it with stones.
She desperately needed to talk to her friend Sally Tu, but didn't want
to phone because Sally's Mom might get involved. So instead,... read more
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Nat and Dave
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The truck was just where he had left it. A terrible rain. He'd parked his
truck and ran to a nearby restaurant for shelter.... read more
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Fussy Bucket
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
His wife called him a, "Fussy Bucket." Dave Manx managed a restaurant and drove
his employees crazy. If it wasn't dust found in the most obscure places,
it was a fold just slightly off... read more
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Rich
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Rob Phlems got mildly tanked nightly at the Sour Barrel on
Beach Road. Just drunk enough to drive home, as he liked
to phrase it. But on Tuesday night, as he left the... read more
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Kelp
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Little Tommy Dangreto was always the preferred target
of his two older brothers. Mel, the second oldest, was just plain mean.
Andy, the oldest, drew the line at just teasing. That... read more
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Overslept
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Raul Gomez overslept and was late to work again.
He rode his bike onto the hotel
grounds and parked it by hastily leaning it against a... read more
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Shard
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Mole Son Of Whisker was the youngest of twenty sons. They'd
walked for three days behind the ox cart that carried their three
mothers and two sisters. Father led using a switch-reed to keep the ox... read more
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New Bell
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Carson Carcón was fat and lazy and he didn't care. He was
sixteen, not old enough to drive, and too old
to learn how to ride a bicycle. At least... read more
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Coffee
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Jeff Marcos and his school friend Tom Sibbanski were flying
home from the Pan American Triathlon. They had both competed
and both lost. A hurricane on the other coast had delayed... read more
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Mr. Velvet
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The four Morrow sisters were on their way home from Costa Rica.
Emma, Ella, Esther, and Bonnie. Bonnie was the youngest by
a year and had a different father than the others. Being... read more
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Joes
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Joe Hamash drove a taxi. After the election he had
a low opinion of plumbers named Joe and said so to
his... read more
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Grandfather
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Let me tell you
about a conference I attended in the mid 90's. It was
at lunch on the second day. I sat at a table... read more
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Six Holes
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Brothers Sam and Larry Stackworthy stood next to each other
at the long metal urinal and peed into... read more
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Crime
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Ellen Annsin was bored. The train had been stopped between
stations for almost thirty minutes now. She spoke more to
hear herself speak than to be... read more
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Rootbeer Barrel
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Bob Smalls and his son Andy were sharing a Saturday afternoon
walk. The sun was encompassing and warm, and Quepos was quiet.
Bob's wife, he believed, was in town finding a divorce... read more
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Pillows For Sale
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
James Maxwell walked the edge of the deserted Interstate. He walked
alone, one of many all walking south towards a warmer climate, each
spaced well apart. A line of individuals like dots on a ribbon.... read more
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Pop Tarts
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"I dreamed I was a monkey," Ann Pennski muttered through the steam
rising from her dark roast coffee. "I dreamed I was hungry and
hiding. I wanted Pop Tarts and Big Macs. I wanted human food... read more
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IQ Test
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Too warm in his cotton shorts and t-shirt, Roger Franks sat well
back in the unlit patio area and watched the others swim.
He'd started with red wine, then said, "What the... read more
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Ghost Light
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Wendy Linders reported for the Vodont internet channel. Her show
was called, "Odds and Ends," and dealt with anything from a
two-headed snake to a government coverup. An odd email... read more
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Bad Beer
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Dave McGee was thirsty in the heat. He drank a manly swallow of
Imperial beer. It was cool, having been iced. He smacked his lips
and smiled sensing fun. Then he... read more
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One Thing
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"Mom," Linda Winkles shouted. She'd been digging through old photographs
and found one of her mother. It said she'd been sea sick. "You
never get motion sickness. What's up with this?" She held the... read more
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White Bread
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Dan Granger recently inherited nine million dollars of farmland
just north of Goodland, Kansas. Ruth Bixbe had been born in Kansas
but now studied English Lit at U.C. in Berkeley, California and... read more
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Kiss
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Samson Samosa never cut his hair. As a young boy he
had read the stories of Samson and Delilah and feared,
like the myth, he would lose his strength if he... read more
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The Woman
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Joseph Wendegon set the last of the soup cans on a low
shelf. He stood and wiped his hands on his apron. The
little store was neat, well... read more
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A Bump In Time
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The bus bumped over the narrow bridge causing Hank Granger to
wake up. "Where are we?" he asked. He lifted his SF Giants baseball hat,
the bill revealing his... read more
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Four Screws
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"Your mind is like an empty bus stop."
Al Troudeux finished chewing his Corn Flakes and looked... read more
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Roger Voted
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Roger Evans stood in the voting booth, pen poised and remembered the
month before. Like most of his life, the month had been filled
with parades, and concerts, and parties. Not that he felt... read more
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Mote
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
He was a mote. Smaller, he believed, than the one in God's eye.
Once his name had been Golden Frey Habinger and he had owned
all the land anyone could see from his highest... read more
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Lucky
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
They broke through the ice, just to find someplace out of the wind.
Stone's wife was with-child and she appeared to suffer when the
icy wind gusted. The others of the tribe thought it a waste... read more
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Hope
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Ed Saloux rested in a rocking chair on the back porch of
the Senior Home. Over his lap spread a small knit blanket
donated by good folks he didn't know. Ed... read more
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Lucky Stick
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Billy Fallon was an eleven-year-old with a lucky stick.
Well not a stick exactly, more
like a twig. It wasn't strong enough to use as a cane and... read more
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Like A Bone
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"Only in Berkeley," Duff spit as he said it.
"Not a fan of Berkeley I take it?" Fred... read more
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Early
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"There's the house," Bess told him. Bess was his girlfriend
of one... read more
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Sugar Water
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Born the same year as the fall of civilization, Noah Featherman worked
and lived in the Commune, the only life he had ever known. His job was
to turn the huge crank on the machine that ground sugar cane into... read more
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Just A Frog
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Only in a fairy tale is a frog supposed to have once been a prince.
Virginia Sackson knew well that fairy tales were just stories,
of course. Made up words to raise her desires then dash... read more
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Liam Whistled
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The rain. The night. The warmth in Costa Rica was magic. If he could
dance, he would have danced in the rain. If he could sing, he would
have sung his youthful heart out. Liam Samosa could merely... read more
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Grace
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The Devil assumed the guise of a young boy and stood
at the entry of a small town's... read more
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Lesson
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Tom Tillywalker lifted his sunglasses with one
hand and peered at the GPS held in his other hand.
"It looks like we need to walk downhill... read more
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Envy
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Mo Sousa watched his older brother Dan ride a motorcycle out their drive. Mo had
a look of envy on his face. His brother rode a new... read more
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Snooped
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Len Svinsk sat in the third row back, next to the
taciturn girl from the States. What was her... read more
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On Water
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Hank and Steve were the brothers Timberlane from Seattle. This was
their first nature cruise ever and they were already one sheet
to the wind. Needless to say, the others on the tour... read more
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Idiota
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"I tell you," Rodney Weighter said to the checkout lady. She didn't appear
to speak English but that didn't deter Rodney. He felt that everyone should
speak English. "I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached to my neck." He... read more
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The Miracle
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Henna Wanyson swam daily for exercise, without knowing how.
Even on her trip through Costa Rica, she maintained her
daily routine. Twenty minutes of dog paddling followed... read more
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Descent
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The descent into Hell isn't so bad. Or so Tim Nonan thought. Tropical and
warm sure, but no flames. No devils with pitchforks. Just stairs. Lots
of... read more
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Photos
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Sometimes on Sundays, young Jerome Wrinkson would pull open the
bottom drawer of the china cabinet and look at old photos
haphazardly... read more
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Scratchy
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Raul Guerro and his wife Irma strolled hand-in-hand through
the small park at sunset. They'd been married only one
month and were on their way to celebrate at the... read more
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WW II
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Norma Dey, wrapped in the blanket she'd wisely brought, sat on deck and
waited for the Blue Angels to perform. There was no wind that afternoon
on the Belle cruise, but the air felt chilly just the... read more
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Safe Life
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Randal Graybeard experienced his first big
scare when he was twenty. He was almost killed in
a motorcycle accident. He swore off motorcycles... read more
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Then and Now
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Noah Fitzlander was a photographer of the old school. He shot
large format stills of classic buildings using an antique
4x5 view camera. Of course, negative film was a thing of... read more
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The Secret
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The water bus sped past without stopping. Mona Whaye jumped
and shouted and waved her shut umbrella like a sword. "Damn bus,"
she half said to the bus and half to her boyfriend Dil... read more
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Joe Alaska
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
They called him Joe Alaska, the folks on the island that is. Joe was
from Alaska, a long, long time before. That's why he took his
daily walk in the darkness an hour before dawn. It was the... read more
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Her Bob
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Barbara Roberto, when a child, found a bottle on the beach and inside that
bottle a note. That note read, "Having a great time. Wish you were here.... read more
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Pink Ribbon
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Nora Samuels drove back from college because her brother's daughter,
her niece Becky, was lost. Her brother, Bill, greeted her at
the front door of their long departed parent's... read more
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Not Eating
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"That's so fake," Ed Planque said. He and his girlfriend, Goldie Zuckermann,
drank cheap wine and watched TV. They drank straight from the bottle
because Ed hadn't thought to buy glasses... read more
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Feeling Good
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
John Wensloda was happy that morning.
"Why are you so happy?" his neighbor asked as John locked his front... read more
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Mr. Blanque
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Mr. Blanque wandered the city. He didn't know why he wandered nor did he
remember how he came to be in the city in the first place. In fact, his
last name, Blanque, was made up. He couldn't remember his own last... read more
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The Flu
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Wendy Mendoza had a bad hangover and it was four in the afternoon.
The night before was fuzzy, but she remembered a white beach and
a new moon. Now she hunched over, arms crossed, and sat... read more
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Bad Penny
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Nick Moore had received a text message from his sister, so
he snuck out to meet her at Parque Esplaña. He was
early, so he sat on a bench in the shade and thought... read more
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Girly Hair
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Young Joey Louga sat on the steps below a huge dome
and wept. His older brother had called him a sissy.
"Girly boy," his brother had taunted. "With long girly... read more
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Reborn
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Brenda Mendoza became aware that the sun had just set. Just like that.
The sun had set and she stood on a platform in a dark... read more
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Went Home
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Don Juaze was born in Costa Rica. Child of a Yank father and
a Tica mother, he'd been raised in the States since he was
six. His mother died giving birth to his younger... read more
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Lesson Learned
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Dan Hollday vacationed often in Costa Rica. He fancied himself
a mature traveler, rarely able to make a mistake. He long ago
discovered it best to dress like the locals, the better to not stand... read more
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The Studio Mirror
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Alice sat in her wicker chair and sipped green tea. What a night the
night before had been. Wine at first. Then whiskey.
And Doug. Or was his name... read more
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What's That Ed?
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Ed stood in his wide but small fishing boat. He enjoyed the sunshine
and music from a festival on shore. He finished the last from his
can of beer,... read more
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Giggle
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Dixie Morgan was a twenty-something who valued appearances.
Every morning, before her first cup of coffee, she would
spend exactly one hour preparing her face and hair for the... read more
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His Edge
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Ace detective Rod Scales may have finally met his match.
Either that or he somehow lost his... read more
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Goofy
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Gil Duffy leaned on a bridge railing in Disneyland and
thought back on his life. He remembered his last trip
overseas all those long years ago. He remembered his... read more
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Fluffy Ass
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Dan McLent was reincarnated as a statue. He thought he had it made.
A nice room in a nice home, probably surrounded by wealth. A big change
from his prior life, scratching for crops in rocky bad... read more
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Strawberry
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Jane Diggens wanted to eat better. Pizza, mac and cheese, and
burgers, she feared, were going to ruin her son. So that Saturday
after laundry and weeding, Jane... read more
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The Wrong Man
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Frank liked costume parties because they allowed you
to remain anonymous. The party that night was mixed, which made
it a bit harder to find a good gay man. He... read more
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Pickle-terry-ann
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Karl Gefeltsen liked to visit the art at the airport. He fancied
himself a bit of a writer and believed the art inspired his stories.
He gazed at a wall filled with little 3x3 squares, each a... read more
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He
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Wendy Franks, on her twenty-ninth birthday, traveled
with her Grandmother (who she
called Grams) to... read more
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Not A Quitter
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Pat Barnstormski began to jog, she told her friends, so that she could
get back into shape. She jogged daily for a month, then ran in the Bay To
Breakers race. The next day she stopped... read more
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Dog person
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"What do you mean I must like dogs?"
Bob Brisket had driven to pick up Sue Sontag for a... read more
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Let's Go Smoke
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Dean Planzo chewed tobacco but didn't like the way it made his teeth
look. Then he tried a pipe, but that made him look like a professor and
he hated college types. He thought about quitting, but that struck him as... read more
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Sunburn
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Deb McStown had dreamt the same dream over and over all
week. Her brother Roger, who was to leave for college next
week, tried to diagnose her dream every morning over a... read more
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What's A Wooden Indian?
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Young Carl Heplin wanted to fly jet planes. "You'll
make a great writer," is what his father always... read more
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Cold Cuts
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Bess Tisly-Miller couldn't remember when she first found
her husband tiresome. She never did fret not remembering, after all
life had to go on. That is until a woman at work, someone... read more
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Applause
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Robin Watts was one month into twenty-one and could drink, although
her mother had said "No." But this was a concert, after all, and her mother
wasn't... read more
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A then B
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Fenton Phillips liked to ride his bike, point at people,
and laugh. He never laughed to be mean. He laughed because
people were... read more
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Just Tea Then
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Every day since what the pundits called, "The End Of Days," the
three Blanque sisters would
stand on their porch and watch the goings on in the street... read more
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Taped X
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
It began as a protest against a local church. Then an unruly mob
of pretend zombies
arrived and it transformed into a party. A truck with huge... read more
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What A Place
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The lit sign over the door touted, "Become Your Dream. Super hero,
cartoon character, mythologic creature, any or all for a small fee."
Drew Tunderman was barely twenty,... read more
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Madding
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
They called her Madding, because she always
avoided crowds. She wandered the nights always overdressed
with layers of clothes to remain warm. She always... read more
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Off Again
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Wayne Donue was in an on-again/off-again relationship
with his girlfriend Sue Chounsteux. A friend had emailed
him notice about a City Readiness Exercise in the... read more
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But Instead She Said
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Young Ann Miller liked jewelry. Her younger brother Sam, liked magic.
Her mother liked puppets, and her dad liked... read more
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Harmless Fun
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Matt Wintergrune rode his bicycle every Sunday for exercise
and health. Sunday last, he rode through the Presidio grounds
and down to Crissy field. There he encountered an... read more
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The Trouble
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The were called Tribbles after the famous Startrek episode
that originally showed an infestation of the adorable fuzzy creatures.
Mary Silkroad... read more
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The Tip
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Whether it was bad acid cut with something else, or meat cooked not right,
the evil just wouldn't let... read more
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Chutes
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Rex Noilon had been uncomfortably married to his first wife for thirty
years. That was until she wrongly asserted her right of
way over a dump truck. His second wife, Flame, was... read more
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Means
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Brad Nipoline looked for a broom handle to knock
down the bird houses. His sister Breeze wanted to keep
them. But the garage and garden shed had been... read more
|
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Greener
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"Look at all those steps," Al Pawnski said to his ten year old
daughter Luna. "I bet they sure make it easy to get... read more
|
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Hats
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Brad Tyler held his son in his arms to watch the finish of
the San Francisco Marathon. He glanced up and saw his son admiring... read more
|
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The Phrase
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
May and June Brady were sisters. At thirty, May was the younger by
a year and a month. They had just attended a hypnotist
show at the Jewish Community Center and now... read more
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Shade
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Old Wallace Brakford was feeble of body but not mind. Trapped in
his wheelchair, he was at the mercy of his granddaughter Bevy... read more
|
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Up Hill
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The last in the sequence of notes said,
"Under the arches built of iron leafs." Zoe McDomecle
had been set up on another of her roommate Dolores' blind-date... read more
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Choose Me
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Ann Tuttle stood outside the magic shop and looked in.
Her arms were crossed and she was a little drunk and a
lot angry. Her two boyfriends towered on either... read more
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Damaged Shirt
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Benny Bogwagns saw two identical shirts in the same sizes
hanging from a rack. He called his wife Donna over because
she always had a way of getting a bargain. "I like... read more
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Rocks
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Ezra Georgan had never sailed. The only reason he
was on Chuck's boat was to impress his new girlfriend... read more
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Damn You Wang
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Randel Cogsan remembered a picture of himself on the Internet
back when there was an Internet. He wore a fireman's hat while
touring a sailing... read more
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Boiling
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Zeno Darrunda stood by a fence at the far corner of a pier
and felt his blood boiling. His mother had been the first
to say that phrase. Whenever he got super-mad, she... read more
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Glimpse Of A Hand
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
He dreamed of a ghost ship. The ship appeared deserted and adrift.
As he walked toward the stern he glimpsed just the hint of a hand
on the great wooden wheel. And then he... read more
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Be A Clown
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
When Dave Pickens was a boy, his father played the Cole Porter
song, "Be A Clown." over and over until his mother finally broke
the record, "By... read more
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Plumage
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Benny D'Brokmill was skunk with perfume. He preyed on
women using tricks he had learned from his... read more
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The Muse
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
On weekdays other than Wednesday, Amos Rex would stand next to
the banner just outside the kite shop and stretch. Once loose,
he would jog for one hour before getting ready for... read more
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Parasol From Earth
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The patched parasol was Mona Blue's favorite possession, that and her
big purse. The parasol was better
than sunscreen in the thin atmosphere of Mars because the ever present... read more
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Film Me
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Tornado Umanta stopped and glared at her dad again.
He was pissing her off. Every time she looked he was
filming the other girls in the parade, and not... read more
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Old Ezra Clappit was reading Moby Dick for the third time
when even older Mia Tankerski leaned her head into his room
and said, "My TV stopped working." Ezra followed her
to her room and saw she was correct. He left her with
a promise to fix the TV.
Ezra found one shoe under the bed and the other... read more
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Dan Drew knew he was in trouble when he looked at the globe of the
world and he had no idea what he was looking at. "That can't be
South America," he said. As he spoke he smelled his own breath
and it smelled bad like burned coffee.
Mere moments before, he had been a tall, handsome,... read more
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Fed the Monkey
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"Oh look," Rita Chillweather said. "A monkey." Rita worked as
a waitress in IHOP. She'd barely wrangled the day... read more
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Heavy Bob
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Bob the seagull --just like all seagulls-- would eat anything.
Fish tasted best, of course. But bread, cardboard, and shiny
bits of this and that could be tasty too. For example,... read more
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"Mom," young Rose Tinneblu said to her mother. "What does it
mean he is the last guard? Why doesn't it say this is a replica
of the last guard?"
Donna Tinneblu leaned over the label and read it. "That's right.
I remember reading about him in school."
"What's it... read more
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Dotti Fernandez and Buzz Huffs had dated for almost a year. On outings and
around town they developed the habit of serving as each other's chair
back. On a bare sitting surface, one without a normal back, they would
sit back to back, each providing their own back as a chair-like
support for the... read more
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Jenny Sekliff was a young girl with an aggravating family.
Over her young years she built a protective wall around
her mind. It was constructed from butterflies and candy, and
populated with dancing unicorns and pink teddy bears.
Jenny was born accidently twenty-eight years after her sister,... read more
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Sue Dally celebrated her fiftieth birthday at home with her
younger sister Ann. They sipped pinot noir from old crystal
and thumbed through a pile of photographs on the living room carpet.
"Here it is," Sue announced. She held up the picture so
Ann could see it. "Mom's first lover. Signed Ben... read more
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Toby Johansen never thought he would become his father. He never believed
he would become the same gruff old man that his father became. Never, he
thought, not in a million years.
His sister Dotty said, "Let's all move the chairs over there into
the shade."
Toby was surprised to hear the words... read more
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Time meant everything to Carl Reizentour. Literally everything.
Carl turned the corner, just past the kitchen and entered the corridor
that led to the restrooms. That one footstep took him from a room
crowed with noisy people into total silence.
Carl looked at his watch, an expensive, precision... read more
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Al O'Wishus celebrated his sixtieth birthday by attending
the fair. "Good beer," he said. "And free too."
Ben Tripps accompanied Al because he liked the old coot.
Ben was a strapping young man in his mid fifties.
"Funny," he said. "How they think fifty-five is old."
The pair were sitting in the... read more
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Bertha Twingle twisted the key in the lock. With a hard
clack, the door unlocked. She swung the door inward and
said, "This is an art studio. It's occupied, of course,
but I just wanted to give you the flavor of this building."
Truman Dentermon shifted his camera to avoid bumping it and
stepped... read more
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"A tramp steamer," she had said. "I'll be leaving
on a tramp steamer."
Dan Bluex leaned on the cold metal railing of the Golden Gate
bridge. He had walked out there every day for the last week to
watch ships pass under the bridge. He kept his cellphone
in his shirt pocket, close to this heart,... read more
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Wopa Copa and his brother Zupa reached the south border of the island
after a two day walk. Wopa gazed across the wide, deep canyon at the
far side. Far below, a thin stream ran through a dry riverbed.
Crops and food animals only grew in the center of the island in a
place called, "Home." The... read more
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Wendy Bergen felt her cellphone vibrate so she answered
it. "Hi Lina," she said. It was her stepmother.
Wendy was parked outside high school waiting to pick up
her daughter, Susan. The day was hot so she sat with the
engine running and the air conditioner set on high.
She remembered her dad and... read more
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The night before had been brutal. Ranji Kappon kept joining his hands
as if blessing the crowds, but really he was still a bit sick.
Ranji had walked down Irving toward the open-open corner store on
19th Avenue. It was just a bit after eleven at night, and he'd
just finished watching his latest... read more
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Gloria Waxman held baby Jill in her arms. They wore soft white
cotton robes and stood inside a glass-walled booth. The booth was about twice
the size of a telephone booth. Above her face, inside the booth,
a clock quickly counted down from ten seconds.
Through the glass, Gloria watched calm... read more
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Earth-2
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Gloria Waxman was the first on the bus with her baby
girl Jill. Her town was furthest from the transfer station.
Others volunteers would board, she was told, along the... read more
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Diane Fressie shared a lunch with her good friend
Wendy. The afternoon might have been too warm, but the patio behind
the restaurant was shaded by mature trees.
"I remember that last fun morning riding on Dan Dad's
shoulders. I was just a little girl then, a mere child.
But I felt in that moment.... read more
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The Bubble
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
B'fatz Slowtooth threw the switch to begin the test. A large
lens-like window appeared and the few representatives from
The Counsel made a satisfying sound of... read more
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C-child of M-Seaside toyed daily will killing herself.
She would turn sixteen in a mere seven days and would be shipped
off for breeding. She knew, that once gone, she would never
see her friends or parents again.
She waited by grey building number-AR for her friends to arrive.
"A train," she... read more
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The explosion surprised everyone on board. Danny
Gloman rushed outside and found a place on the rail
to lean and watch.
"What blew up?" Danny asked.
An older gentleman next to Danny spoke without turning
his head. "Terrorists. I knew it. I just knew this day
would... read more
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What it smelled
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
"What do you suppose it smells?" Deb Maximillian asked really-old mother.
"Money, or a bad day at the... read more
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Henry Zwolf was certain the two musicians would dual.
Henry was not a great judge of character, nor was he
prone to say much at all. Henry found the easy road
through life to be that of a listener.
"C," said the musician on his left.
"C," said the musician on his right. That musician played a... read more
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"The leasing office is this way," Nancy Sofram said to her son Danny.
She and her husband Phil, their son between them,
entered the huge old Administration Building.
Danny tugged on Nancy's hand and pointed up. "Look," he said. "Paintings
on the wall."
They paused in the huge empty room. Nancy... read more
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"Thank the god's, sunlight at long last."
Walking Feet didn't actually say those words, he thought
them. Walking Feet was a package of bones, long ago
wrapped in many layers of leather and buried.
When Walking Feet was a young boy, his uncle took him
to see an old man in the hills. The old man... read more
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Since the Big Quake of the month before Treasure Island was
cut off from both bridges. The Oakland side collapsed
totally and the new span had not been finished. Some
on the island blamed the Governor for that mistake.
The San Francisco side only lost a few snapped cables.
They said repairs would... read more
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Kenny Whips had one of those leaky pipes they talked about
in the commercials on television. When he had to pee, that was
it, period. He had to pee right now.
Kenny had avoided drinking anything at all for the four hours leading
up to the boat race. Sure he'd get dehydrated. But he didn't... read more
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His curse was to guard a single stairway. Of course that was over
a thousand years ago, long before there even was a stairway.
Originally he had been named Wandering Weed because of his
height. But now, in his thousandth year as a sea gull, he thought
of himself more as, "!."
The cave a thousand ... read more
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It was overcast and chilly that morning, as he waited. Dixon Millweather
was a photographer who sometimes doubled as the right arm for a private
detective. Today he was supposed to pretend to take shots of
the kiteboarding contest off Crissy Field. But, in actuality,
he was supposed to document... read more
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Eight pairs of shoes were neatly laid out on the shelf. One pair
of clean white socks was tucked into each left shoe. Burt Klintin
faced day one of his confinement.
"Stupid bet," he said.
His only choice was to sleep on the floor or a hard table.
"One chance in a thousand," he said. "One in a... read more
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Ella Wilkey had her turn by the tiny window. Most of the other
middle-school kids had been locked, one at a time, in a prison cell.
The lesson was to pretend what it was like to be in prison.
"Face the window and look out," said her teacher, Mrs. Wisowati.
"Pretend you're in prison for life with... read more
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Van Doyle sat on a wooden bench facing the beach and
held his pencil just off the page. "Character," he said
to himself. "Dialogue, theme, pacing. Dialogue, theme, pacing."
Satisfied with his mantra, he wrote:
A kite blew into the water. That caused dogs to charge into the
water after it. A woman... read more
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Brenda Bostly called herself, "BB," or was it, "B Bos?"
She waited as she did every day for her son to emerge
prancing out of school. She didn't realize she had no son.
She didn't realize the school was closed.
Brenda had a stroke when she was sixteen. The part of
her mind that dealt with logic... read more
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The Antique Baseball
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The antique baseball rested in the dark, on a gold pedestal
inside a glass dome, on a shelf, inside a sealed room, behind
a bricked over wall, in an abandoned basement. A... read more
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"Nice hat," said a man's voice.
Geo Welt had been watching the penguins at the zoo. He liked
their tuxedos, a formal bird waiting for the catering truck to
arrive.
"Nice hat."
Geo looked at the man. He seemed harmless. Still,... read more
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Her Voice
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
L'da Ve visited the zoo with her Voice. All children born since
That Day were born with a Voice. L'da's Voice had a parrot-like... read more
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Doug McCatche paused astride his motorcycle and thought.
He wondered when the parade might start moving
again. The morning was warm, and the afternoon threatened
to become actually hot. He tried to remember if he'd put
on sun screen that morning but couldn't remember leaving
the house.
"When I... read more
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The Poke
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Granny tapped the glass of the old-style computer monitor. Her heavily ringed
finger sparkled. "It looks like you're poking that man," she said,
her voice sounding like the crackle of broken... read more
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Wendy Wells believed she could perform magic. When someone near her
expressed a wish, she would wave a wand, or a finger, or a pencil, or
whatever was handy, and would grant the wish.
Once she overheard her mother in an argument wish her father dead.
Wendy thought about this and decided the wish... read more
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Sousa Albino tried for the third time to text his
girlfriend while marching in the Carnival Parade.
He completed the message and pressed send. His phone
beeped at him again and claimed a network failure.
"Who you with?" his friend Bonito Fronds asked.
The music changed. Sousa dropped his phone... read more
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Minny Regles roamed the Farmer's Market with her mother and
oldest daughter. Her daughter, Chicago Dandor, still used Minny's
first husband's last name. Her daughter was a thirty-something and
still unmarried.
They examined bins of tomatoes. There were dozens of different
kinds. Minny's mother,... read more
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The man in the mask seemed almost harmless because
of the tassels. He was tall and leaned over Brenda Wills
a bit too close. His breath smelled of cheap wine and
cigarettes. "Gimme a dollar," he said.
"You're not homeless," she said. Her voice didn't
quaver.
"Gimme a dollar," the man said... read more
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All had presumed for a century that it was merely an old factory.
Nail Monday spent most of his young days exploring the old place,
finding fun bits of wire and old coins. Late one particular
afternoon on one of the hottest days of summer yet, Nail and his
girlfriend Bon Bones loitered together in... read more
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"Your toy boat looks so real," the Judge said to young
Stephan Fisher. "I especially like the miniature birds
flying around it."
Stephan puffed his thin chest proudly. "My dad helped
me breed the birds. He's a professor at the University.
He made us rich with his mice size elephants."
"Still,"... read more
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Windy Breeze and her brother Doubtful Reason had been exploring the
city since early morning. The city was clean and white and empty
of life. It sparkled as if new, despite being many years older than
a thousand.
For as long as they could remember, they'd asked their parents and
the town elders... read more
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Jim Spiegal's Last Case
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Jim Spiegal wore the same silly hat. He rode
the same cruise boat back, once again at 1:00 in the morning.
Jim frowned because this was the... read more
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Zin Velata knew magic when he saw it. The two shoes in the
store window reeked of magic.
Zin looked left, then right, up and down the sidewalk. He appeared
to be alone. He grinned a sly grin and tapped his magic ring.
Zin remembered where he got that ring. A fire in a trash can down
a dark... read more
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Don Nopaxian visited the indoor fair with his youngest daughter of ten.
They shared garlic fries --not the best-- and potato pancakes
--too squishy. Don pointed at the large cloth replica of a
dove hanging from the ceiling.
"Look Ula, that's a bird of peace."
"It looks like a big... read more
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In 1998, Fester Williams stood and enjoyed a smoke. He had just finished
painting the cleat white. He felt pride by his small part in
reconstructing the old wharf.
John, just John, looked old but was only in his forth dozen of years.
He pulled his wooden skiff alongside the crumbling wharf. He... read more
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Leo Buckenwalker Jr. walked his dog peacefully down Bluxome Street
when the sirens blared. Behind him, fire trucks roared from
open doorways and sped off the opposite way.
"Easy," Leo said to his dog. "Easy Eight."
Leo's dog was named Eight because of a bet. Leo couldn't remember
the bet, but... read more
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Almost sunset, almost home. Jersey Framer hitched her
collar higher against the fog's cold and watched San Francisco approach.
Almost there.
If it were not for the children, Jersey believed, the trip would have
been a pleasure. Just her and her sister, a brunch cruise on the Bay,
what could be a... read more
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Yellow was a Bay Quacker, one of a few early models of
robot tour vehicles. He awoke at exactly the same time
every morning. And every morning he looked at himself
in his fender mounted mirror.
Normally, Yellow would only have a sliver of time, mere
moments to look at himself and ask his... read more
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The next photo in the series expanded to fill the wall.
Marta nBarington asked her young students, "And what
is this?"
Berrie eFranks raised his hand first, but Toni gWande
behind him was called first.
Toni said,
"It's an old propeller used during the early transforming of New... read more
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Juan Valamous gazed up at the window. It was the only
window in that side of the building. Behind the glass
a Chinese looking woman gazed out at something in the
distance. Juan turned his head to look, but couldn't
detect any point of interest for her gaze.
Without self-awareness of why, Juan... read more
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Jane Wing asked the woman next to her, "Will this
signal ever change?"
"There was a flash, there," the woman pointed at a round
plate in the center of the road. "Then the signal got
stuck. It's been stuck green for all the cars and red for
us since then."
Jane shook her fist at the rain falling.... read more
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Frank Sitrow sipped beer and waved at the departing boat.
"You must be feeling pretty good," his friend and buddy, Wayne
Lutzowitz, said.
The two men leaned on the rear rail of the small bay-side
bar. There outside, the weather threatened rain, but Frank didn't care.
"I do feel good," Frank... read more
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Only a few knew the myth, and those few considered it a fact.
One such believer was Henry Winkle, a book seller in Karlsruhe,
Germany. The long awaited phone call came at three in the morning.
"Henry?" the voice asked. "Are you awake enough for the news?"
Henry glanced at his bedside clock,... read more
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Shanghaied
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The last word Bob Devlin heard were, "Last call." Then he was
blinded by a bright... read more
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On her eleventh birthday, Delta Mellodi's father gave her a single
sip of champagne. It tasted tart.
Delta celebrated her twenty-first birthday on a Bay
cruise with her friends and parents. She drank champagne for the
second time in her life and got drunk. From within that haze, she spoke... read more
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The train, the sign told her, would be five minutes late.
Dina Sontag set her lone suitcase by a bench and sat down.
She had plenty of time. The transfer in Stuttgart to
the Berlin train left twenty minutes to spare.
A ball rolled up to Dina's boots. It was red and water specked
as if it had come... read more
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Joan Filbert remembered the stage, half built for the play "Yerma,"
by Federico Garcia Lorca. The sound of hammers and saws, the smell of paint.
"Turn out all the lights. Just leave that one on," he had said, the
Director.
"Hey, how about the work lights? We won't be able to see to... read more
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"So children," Miss Jillian the teacher said. She pointed
again at the picture of a monkey on the back of a camel's
saddle. "What is the moral of the Aesop's story about
the monkey and the camel?"
Lindy Lattoa raised her hand and blurted, "Don't monkey
around with a camel."
Billy Caterieux said,... read more
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Basta Jolinni, in the darkness before dawn, found the back door
to his cafe unlocked and partly open. The words, "I been robbed,"
leapt from his lips before he could stop them. Worried the thieves
might be inside, Basta opened the door slowly.
His cafe was small. On tiptoe in the doorway he could... read more
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Snapshot
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Alex TheWhistle found the old snapshot behind the rail yard.
The picture had been lovingly wrapped in faded pink cotton, and outside that,
had been wrapped five nested plastic... read more
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Sally McPhano was very old.
She sat on the back of an San Francisco bound ferry wrapped in her warmest coat.
She watched a sailboat in the distance traveling the other way.
"That's like my life," she muttered. "First sailing toward
oblivion, then motoring back into life."
Sally had spent the last... read more
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"Yo, that's some green hair. Whatcha gonna do? Smoke it?"
Danny Dixon was always such an ass. He stood almost seven feet tall
when he didn't slouch.
He played on the basketball team, and was drummer with the band.
Wendy Childs played the tuba. She hadn't chosen the tuba.
It was one of the only... read more
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Damn You Ace
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The view from the cemetery had always seemed
just too spectacular for words. Fran Corbran
walked up the hill one last time before... read more
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Inverted Planet
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The new planet was full of surprises. Dave Hogan marveled at the
soft lip of the horse-like creature, when the creature opened its
mouth and bit off his... read more
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Carol peered down the road at the starting gate. "I guess this
is the closest we can get."
Ted had knelt down and was stuffing his camera back into its case.
"This situation stinks."
"I know. I hate it when the government closes down its roads
and keeps the public... read more
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The Doorway
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
The man guarding him turned his back. Jeff Hayjack
was ten years old and was beginning to feel
a little chilled. He watched
the man from the dimness just beyond the light... read more
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"Who'd you bet on?"
John jumped at the voice so close to his ear. He
turned and found an elderly woman in a bright green outfit
sitting next to him. People, he noted, seemed to come
and go from the bleachers with no apparent pattern.
John sat in a row low enough to see the race clearly,
but high... read more
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"Fog schmog," Del Woxman said to his date. "So far today, you've
complained about the heat, complained about the noise, and complained
about the crowds. Now, if I hear you right, you're about to complain
about the fog."
"Would you really talk like that if I was a real date?" his wife
Toni asked.... read more
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The heat that day weighed heavily on old Ben Haad. The sun
seemed a hot frying pan in the sky. Ben was bent from age, but
felt bent further by the heat.
Ben walked up Lytton Street toward the Caltrain station. The going
was slow. He paused every now and then to rest on his cane. At rest,
he... read more
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The Mayor rode in the back of his limo. He was on his way to the
Saint Patrick's day parade. For some reason --perhaps it was the
soft rush of air-conditioned air, or perhaps it was the dim flicker
of sunlight beyond the tinted windows-- but whatever the reason,
he closed his eyes and melted into... read more
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Stella Tsaf noticed she was talking awfully fast, so she
stopped. She listened to her friends chatting around her
and they sounded normal. Stella spoke again and felt like
she was rattling out words at a machine gun pace.
Her friend, Bob Namwols, looked at her oddly. "Why are you
talking so fast.... read more
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James Dorfs had turned 64 just that summer, but
his mind fled years before. Bad alcohol they thought.
Or maybe siphoning gas. "Yes, yes. I'm wrong. I remember
now. It was bowling balls. Yeah, that's it. Bowling balls."
His son, Hale, named after Nathan Hale, sold cars during
the week. Sunday was... read more
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"Damn," Charlene Tahcigam muttered on her way home.
She'd lost her bus pass and all her cash so had to walk
home. The sun had risen an hour ago, but Sunday morning
found south of Market still vacant.
Charlene recalled Bullwinkle and his magic hat. "Watch
Rocky, while I pull a rabbit out of the... read more
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Sure, Dad was a slow driver, after all he was very old and just
getting older. Gina in the back seat was late to her soccer game.
She knew she shouldn't talk to her Dad when he drove, so she
asked her older brother, "Manny? What time is it?"
Manny glared at her. "You have lots of time."
Dad... read more
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His edge was gone. He felt it float away.
Spiny had been his nickname. He remembered that but
not his real name.
His eyes remained closed but he saw anyway.
Spiny looked up through water at the tiny sun, wavering and unfamiliar.
A feather floated past his face. The a pine needle. One raced... read more
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The Horse
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Brenda E. Quine remained after the other art students
had left. She'd sketched the pretty horse several times
but couldn't get her concept down on paper. She... read more
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On warm afternoons, Hans Ledom liked to sit on the bench
in front of his house. There he would lean on his cane
and watch the people walking past.
Occasionally, a walker would pause and point a camera
at him. Hans would always stand, turn sideways, and walk towards
his garage door.
He felt this... read more
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First snow fell softly on the crazed group of starving
people frantically pulling washed up logs away. Under the
rotting branches they'd spotted a section of white wall
and broken glass.
"A grocery store," one called and dashed to the branches.
"A supermarket," another cried, a weak voice full... read more
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In 2010 the cost of gasoline hit $12.00 per gallon. Geo
Adnoh decided on that day to park his old car at the back
of his apartment building. He looked at it, swore he would
never drive again, then walked away from his car feeling
lucky.
That winter was colder than normal and the cost of
gas and... read more
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"How long have we been stuck here?" young Nellie Erusserp asked her mom. "I gotta pee."
"An hour and thirty-five minutes," Ben Erusserp, her dad, said. "Nope make that
an hour and thirty-six minutes."
"I'm not sure what we can do," Ellen Erusserp, her mom, said. "The nearest
bathroom is at the... read more
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They danced the night away. Each so in love with the other that
nothing could possible intrude into their universe.
Unknown to them, however, the lamp overhead was a camera.
Every kiss, every flirt, every attention was recorded and stored.
On her way back into the U.S. from Paris, Mr. and Mrs.... read more
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Julie Renetsil concealed a tiny digital recorder near the base
of a thorny tree. She hid it as a class project but without
permission from the Conservatory of Flowers. After editing
out the awkward silent parts, she played a selection for
her psyche... read more
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The old, abandoned hospital was full of operating equipment,
chemicals, and powerful drugs. Knives, saws, and cutters of
all sorts littered counters, tables and floors. The hospital was a perfect
place for children to play.
Jason17 sat on one of the three reanimation benches behind the... read more
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A poet and an artist were on their way to the train station
for holiday. Carrying overnight bags, they descended the
steps leading to a tunnel under a busy road. There the artist
stopped.
"Wait," he said to the poet. "Look at this sticker."
"You mean that stick figure drawn with a black... read more
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Berger Stamreul awoke and crawled to his knees inside his
cardboard box. He scratched because he itched like crazy.
All at once, the air around him seemed to speed by like
a roaring jet. Berger felt something strike his eyes,
so he closed them. The wind died. He opened his eyes
and... read more
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Ten year old Klaus Kaltmann was taken by his mother to view
free art. He remembered what his mother had told him just that
morning.
"Art should be felt. If you look at art and feel
nothing, the art has failed. If two people look at art
and talk about the art, the art has failed. But if two... read more
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Only four of the travelers were allowed awake at a time. It was a great
honor, and a necessary one, because the starship needed constant care.
Toni5 and Bill34 alternated their time with the other two awakees. During
their the current relaxation interval they toured the old exhibits.
"Why do we... read more
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Sitting around the Remembering Circle, it became old Jeffrey's turn to
speak. He lowered the fur wrap from his mouth and felt the bitter cold sting
his lips. Wood for fire was running low and nobody that was left
could go out to chop trees.
"Firstly," Jeffrey began. "I want to say again that I'm... read more
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The "I Can Walk On Water" disease struck so many that they had to
shut down access to the river. As the disease spread, lakes and
ponds became closed. The strange sickness
moved through France, eventually causing the beaches to close.
Alicia Zimmer awoke on a floating dock in the river. She... read more
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An earthquake rattled the town just before dawn. Brook of Sandy-Beach
ran to the edge of town to get out from under anything that might fall.
There she met Stone of Distant-Thunder, her to-be-wed.
"How exciting and such a lovely morning to find you here," Stone said and hugged Brook.
"I thought... read more
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On her 200th birthday, Emma Swanson took her great-granddaughter's
great-granddaughter, Sophia Godi, to Lake Merritt, in Oakland. Emma thought she
would begin the trip with a brief history lesson. So they made
their way to the outdoor replica of a bird refuge.
"What kind of bird was that?" Sophia... read more
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The window was never found open in the morning. After all,
the neighborhood was just a bit too sketchy. Hans Streiker
ignored the open window, because he was too anxious
to light up his morning smoke.
He opened the window every morning at dawn to enjoy his
morning smoke. The fact that it was... read more
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Their neighborhood had succumbed to a wave of graffiti, which upset Norma Slizika
no end. "Damn it all to hell," she would lament to her husband as they
walked to their places of work, "The place has fallen into a pit of disrespect.
Kids nowadays will deface anything, no matter who owns it and no... read more
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Some families dump all their old photos into a box in the closet,
others into a drawer, and others into an old steamer trunk. In the
attic of the old house just inherited,
Toby Williams was bored one afternoon, and for want of an activity,
discovered that very trunk.
Among the stale smelling... read more
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Hans Greizlig couldn't afford an instrument of his own. So he would
spend every night in the basement of Symphony Hall. There, the instruments
were free to check out and use. The Symphony Hall intended this service
for children, but adults like Hans were welcome too.
Hans always wanted to play... read more
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The pro-Chinese were waving their red flags with gusto. The effect
was dramatic. All the red flapping appeared like a fire.
A heat became manifest from their energy.
A young boy, not quite tall enough to board rides at a circus,
wandered toward the flapping flags. He stood, watching them from
a... read more
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Emma Jones, at 75 years, was fearful of most anything.
She feared falling. She feared food too large to swallow.
She feared traffic and bicycles of all kinds. She feared
big dogs and little dogs too.
So it surprised Emma to find herself so calm, locked in the
basement storeroom by a man with a... read more
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John was a man with three last names. For most of his life named
John Lobonski, he now struggled to pull his horse, named Tinfoil, aboard
the horse trailer. "Git up," he said. "Come on now. Load up."
While tugging, John's mind wandered. Now understand that John's mind
never wandered. "A wandering... read more
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Mightier Then The Pen
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Sally Yee had always been taught by her father, Sam Yee, that, sure, the
pen is mightier than the sword, but silence is even mightier than
the pen. Sally witnessed this point on the one night her... read more
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The moon moth was a tale of youth. It was a pure black
moth that only flew when the moon was full. Nobody had
ever seen a moon moth. If you saw its heart-shaped silhouette against
the moon you were considered very lucky indeed. If you
only saw a heart-shaped shadow cast in the moonlight on a... read more
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Margie Butternert and her teenage daughter Sue browsed the little
gift shop. Like the entire museum, it too was dimly
lit and a little dusty. Margie thumbed through faded
antique cards while Sue gazed at an old doll.
Margie chuckled. "Look at these cards," she said.
Sue read both cards and... read more
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Carol Donley and Vince Westerman were teenagers and
artists. They liked to just hang out under the road
along Pleasanton's Centennial Trail. Carol was into
odor art, like perfumery but broader. Vince was into
wide markers and tagging.
Carol leaned back against the concrete upright and
gazed at... read more
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Zelda's husband Ace walked with a cane. He generally didn't like
to walk all that much, and preferred to ride the trolley whenever
possible.
As they approached the platform for the U14, Ace asked, "Why do we have
to weave back and forth to get to the platform?"
"Actually," Zelda put her arm... read more
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Polly Whanakraker had alway had a thing about the color yellow, so it was
no surprise that she was influenced by the yellow of the trolley that
afternoon. She debarked
unaware she had been bent to the will of yellow.
Polly always shopped for a few groceries on the way home. But today... read more
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When Donna Fitzright died, she felt herself sputter and float.
Barely aware, she flitted like a moth who was also the flame.
A bright light loomed ahead of her and she wiggled slowly toward it.
The light was an incandescent bulb in a dim stairway leading down.
Donna followed the light. Down, she... read more
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The reflection was perfect. Jerry Five had been born and raised
on the moon and had never seen such a broad expanse of water
before. He knelt down and looked across the reflecting pool
with wonder.
"First time for a water display?" an older woman, standing
next to him, asked. "This... read more
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"Isn't this nice," Sandy Wilson said to her husband Bob. "The way they
emulated Moorish architecture."
Bob hadn't been right in the head since the "Incident," of some years
prior. He took off his hat and rubbed his head. "You mean like all those
Indian chaps calling for Mrs. Moore outside the... read more
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I am retired from the recycled steel game.
Back then I was always amused by good steel being
misused as decoration. On our various trips through Europe, I would
too often see steel used for lattice work, wrongly in place of wood.
I would inappropriately joke that they should sell me the steel, and... read more
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Ellie and her dad liked to dress up resembling the French detective Clouseau.
Her dad's mustache was real, albeit augmented upon occasion with black
cotton. Ellie's was always fake.
She, and a bunch of her dad's friends signed up as a team for the
Chinese New Year treasure hunt. They named their... read more
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Linda McDermott could comfort others. She had this ability for so long
as she could remember. A Star Trek fan, she thought of herself as an
empath. She could sense the suffering of others, and by hugging them,
transfer their suffering into herself.
Only this wasn't like a one way exchange. Linda... read more
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"Mommy. That monkey looks like grandpa."
"It's not a monkey. It's a marmoset."
"It still looks like grandpa. All hairy and small."
"How many times have I told you not to talk badly about grandpa
and his... read more
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Karl Zeiletz was a crooked man. Because of lower back problems that always
caused him pain, he walked with his torso in a S shape.
"What could be more appropriate," he asked himself as he walked home. "A crooked
man on a crooked street?"
You see, Karl lived on a curved street just behind the... read more
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Tom Deismond was a superb chess player with a gimmick. He had
developed the skill of holding his hand up, as if to make a point,
and freezing it in place. No matter what he said, nor how he moved
his pieces, his hand remained rock steady. Tom's gimmick consistently
unnerved opponents. Tom won... read more
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Nancy Freundlich took her two Irish wolfhound puppies, Donner and
Blitzen, to all the fairs
and festivals. They were just too cute for words, and provided her
the means to meet people. That's how she met her husband Bob.
Nancy and Bob took their two three-year-old Irish wolfhounds to all... read more
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Yellow Sea Horse
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Several sea horses were on display in a clean, well lit
aquarium. One was a bright yellow. While most floated
upright, the yellow sea horse flipped over.... read more
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Henry Wösig contemplated opening his umbrella in the light
but cool rain. He hesitated, because he would just have to fold
it again when the trolley arrived. Umbrellas were just a bother.
From behind, he heard a distinct whistle. The lewd kind of whistle
rude construction workers might make.... read more
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Wendy Griffs waited in the hallway. Her son, Jeffrey, had passed through
the doors at the far end almost four hours earlier. He was being interviewed
for special placement in an advanced school program.
Wendy looked at her watch for the hundredth time. What was taking Jeffrey
so long?
Four... read more
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bZilboly47 materialized in the air slightly above a heavily constructed area
on the third planet of the 1932-965-2E5 system. Below
he found underway a celebration of sorts. bZilboly47
dropped lower and approached within a polite distance
from one of the larger of the residents of this... read more
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The last photo we ever saw of dad was sent to us in
an unmarked envelope postmarked Stuttgart, Germany.
It showed him mounting the steps into the train station.
A large clock overhead showed the time. In his right
hand he held the large suitcase that once belonged to
our mother.
That suitcase sat... read more
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Digby Flemming leaned against a railing on the second floor
of the indoor mall, and mused.
He was seventy years old and found indoor malls, well,
just plain wrong.
Digby noticed a young boy lean against the same railing to
his right.
The boy appeared to be sucking a lollipop and... read more
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Weather ClearEyes emerged from the dark woods into a clearing.
Ahead he saw a small lake and, at the edge of the lake, a
platform on which to sit and rest. He walked out onto the platform
and sat.
Weather had traveled for days and days through the dark woods.
He'd found other clearings. Some with... read more
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Freda and her husband Dan walked the palace grounds. He was
color blind so seldom enjoyed the sights as much as she.
One Sunday morning, the lawn was awash in bright blue
flowers.
"My God," Freda said. "These flowers are the most amazing blue."
"Tsk, tsk, dear," her husband paused and turned to... read more
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The note just said, "10:00 at Coca Cola, Kebab, and Pizza,
Brauerstraße." That was all. No hint of why, or who, or even the
day. Not that this worried Paul and Brenda. They were only in
town for the weekend so this was their last and only morning.
Brenda found the note tucked under their... read more
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Hans Pfugler walked to work every morning at 8:00 precisely. Rain or shine,
wind or snow, he never varied his routine. Sometimes he over slept and couldn't
take his morning bath. And today was one of those days.
Hans told everyone he worked at a bank. But in actuality, he worked for... read more
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iEzat materialized on a hill expecting another dead planet. Instead
he found himself looking down on a populated city. He held fast
to the surface on which he landed because it was curved.
iEzat marveled at the level of technology. Electric driven vehicles
sped into a terminus of some kind. Small... read more
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Joan and her pre-teen daughter Margo quietly watched the
lions pace at the Karlsruhe zoo. They were inside
because the morning was still early and the outside
exhibits had not yet opened.
"Look at the wire of the cage," Joan said. "It bends
outward."
Margo slid to the side to look. "Wow. It is... read more
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Young Mikie stood holding his mother's hand and watching
the flamingos at the zoo. Mikie knew from television that
flamingos were pink because they ate shrimp.
"Mom," Mikie asked. "Do flamingos have heart attacks?"
"Hmm," she squeezed his hand. "I don't think so. I've
never heard of a bird... read more
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Frieda Alwerken rode her bike home after a terrible
night out. She'd woken in a strange house, curled
against the side of a cold fireplace, her blouse
crusted with her own vomit.
As she peddled she recalled getting up and looking
for a bathroom. Instead she found two other girls
obviously taken... read more
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Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Gerald Jans was a man of precise habits and a personal
schedule. He awoke every morning precisely at six a.m.
At nine a.m. he had bathed, dressed and eaten, and
answered the few email messages he received from friends
and his agent. He finished his morning cup of... read more
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Johann Dietzen fell asleep on the inter-city express between Berlin and
Frankfurt. He had reserved seats and slept with his ticket exposed
between his thumb and the book he was reading. So when the conductor
came by to ask for his "fahrkarten," the ticket was in plain sight and
there was no need... read more
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Grodendask was pure evil. He flew through space from planet to planet
and devoured all life he encountered.
As he approached a new planet he would assume the appearance of the
dominant species. Then he would softly land and begin a hundred years
of death and destruction.
Grodendask approached... read more
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Despite graying at the temples,
his long black hair flowed like water in the light wind.
His muscles moving greased with sweat, Jero Famotte, neared
his final goal. He carried a heavy pack filled with
supplies and wore weapons on his waist.
Jero rounded a bend in the path and stepped nimbly... read more
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Bob Wonyhw lost his shadow one sunny afternoon. He noticed
it first when he turned away from the sun and noticed everyone
around him had a shadow, but he didn't.
But this is not Bob's story, it is his shadow's. Let reverse
his name so the shadow will have a name. The shadow named
Whynow Bob,... read more
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Little Billy Cutter didn't like fish. His mother thought
he was just being silly. His dad would often become angry
and say, "Eat what's on your plate and like it."
One afternoon, his folks took him to a fancy restaurant
with table cloths on all the tables and cloth napkins.
Little Billy tried to... read more
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"The gall of them," Urinal Man said to his wife. "Imagine what it would
be like back home if they were allowed to beg on the streets."
"Yes dear," she clanked on his pipe. "Now don't start to get worked up."
"Just yesterday, it was in the news. A gang of them in Germany chained
themselves to our... read more
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Tracy Coatalils traveled the country in her Airstream mobile home. She
went from town to town looking for Segway tours. They were always
a bit pricy, but that was okay because she had invested wisely when
younger.
She became hooked when she took her first Segway tour in Sacramento,
California.... read more
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Today's episode, copyright 2008 Bryan Costales, concludes yesterday's story
In the year 2000 post rebirth, the great scientist Yman One spoke to
a young audience on the tenth anniversery of the founding of the first
Mars colony. The title of his talk was,
"Double DNA and the X9 marker. Myth or... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Alpham awoke to his mother knocking on his bedroom
door. Alpham lived with his adopted parents in
a bad part of town. The streets were narrow and covered
with graffiti. His adopted dad barely eked an existence
selling fresh baked breads.
The door... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
The new assistant grew into a young woman, living up
to her name, CloudLining, because she always offered all
she met a profound hope. Creek spent many hours talking with
her and eventually asked her to marry him.
Word spread of the wedding and... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek was somewhere around eight hundred years old. He lost
track of his exact age a while back. Because his legs were
beginning to ache, he tended these days to remain at home.
Creek used to wander the land of humans, visiting them where
they lived... read more
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Today's episode, copyright 2008 Bryan Costales, continues yesterday's story
The first Council of Elders set in law three main concepts.
Killing, even in war, is a crime. There shall only ever be
one language. And the number of children allowed a person is based
on the good they do.
Over the... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek walked into the cool, shaded room to see how Pebble was doing.
The old dog was six hundred years old, and near the end of his life.
He had been running a fever for the past couple days.
Young women in colorful robes worked in an endless stream.... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
For the past four hundred years Creek had continued to name every child born.
But as the humans increased in numbers and as they spread far and wide
over the land, visits to any given town became longer and longer between.
At first he was a couple... read more
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Today's episode, copyright 2008 Bryan Costales, continues yesterday's story
Creek led Firstboy and Pebble through the now-abandoned
first building. It was dark and smelled damp.
"How can I fight words?" Firstboy asked. "Ideas can be so
persuasive. It is hard to maintain the peace."
"When I was... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek met Firstboy under the shade of porticos that
had been constructed on the lake's shore. They provided
an area of meditation, nearest the first dome.
Creek had been startled when he found out originator humans
only lived for a paltry sixty or... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek thought that perhaps one of the larger children was napping
in the answer room again. Half heartedly, he accompanied Snowball
up the stairs in the main building of their dome.
They entered the room and found Pebble already there. The large
dog... read more
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Today's episode, copyright 2008 Bryan Costales, continues yesterday's story
Creek stood looking at the birds flying over the
glass dome when Snowball pulled on his
sleeve.
"A door!" Snowball said gleefully, bouncing with excitement.
"A door has opened into the outside." Snowball... read more
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Today's episode, copyright 2008 Bryan Costales, continues yesterday's story
Creek walked among the children naming them. He would stop
by each where he and the child would study each other. Then
he would announce, "Red," or "Fresh," or "Rose," or "Snowball."
Creek had no problem remembering... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek asked the projection, "Why do the children understand Pebble, and I
do not?"
The projected woman said, "One moment." She vanished.
Another projection appeared. This time it was a young man, fancy dressed,
with a small device pressed to his... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek Fire awoke as usual just after dawn. He wandered out of his cabin and found
his large dog Pebble already up and supervising the children.
A year had passed since the first child appeared. The snow covering the glass
dome was almost totally gone.... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek had found some packages labeled, "Instant coffee." Mixed
with warm water the taste was bitter, but had a similar effect
to the purple drink he'd had earlier. Feeling energized, Creek wandered out to
the field of dead plants. His large dog,... read more
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Today's episode, copyright 2008 Bryan Costales, continues yesterday's story
At last, Creek and his large dog Pebble made it up into
the library on the third floor. The floor was filled with
large black pods, some tall and some short. Pods also hung
from the ceiling. The appeared to be some sort... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
The projection led Creek and his large dog Pebble through
the barren landscape. The light was dim causing Creek to
watch the ground and walk carefully using his staff.
"And over there," the projection waved his arm. "You see
those. Those are apple... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
The train ran for two days and two nights before at last stopping
at a platform much like the first. Creek and his large dog Pebble
emerged from the train rested and feeling good. A new man-projection
appeared and called to them.
"Gather up everyone.... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek Fire and his large dog Pebble rested for a day. The
second afternoon a man opened the door and leaned in.
"All ready for your next step?" he asked.
Creek stood, but didn't go forward to greet the man. Creek
had learned that everyone down here... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek Fire came upon a room that, at last, appeared restful. A chair and
small table sat against a wall under windows covered with horizonal
sticks. Outside the windows Creek saw the warm, but indistinct,
glow of other buildings.
Creek sat in the... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Today, Creek Fire stood on another bridge in another alcove. He leaned
over and watched a road underneath. Thousands of huge machines streamed
underneath. He looked carefully and noticed a single person sat in, and
controlled each. The smell and the... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek Fire found many more side rooms in this corridor. The stone texture of the corridor
walls prevented him from noticing any until he was upon one. Then he would stop.
Each time he would wonder, Should I go in this one. The last one was kind of... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek Fire walked but a single day to find another opening.
A small room opened off the corridor, warmly lit inside.
Creek stepped in and looked around.
Three fences of some kind of thick wire net formed a wall
around the enclosure. Beyond the fence... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek Fire walked the long corridor for what felt like days.
Whenever he became hungry, he just thought about the fish
meal he had eaten and, like magic, his hunger was gone.
Whenever he felt tired or discouraged, he just thought
about the purple drink... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek Fire and his large dog Pebble arrived surprisingly refreshed
at the next landing. "That meal must have been really fine,"
Creek said to Pebble.
This time, instead of an arched doorway, Creek found a simple open door
and in front of that, a... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek Fire and his large dog Pebble arrived tired and hungry
on the next landing. "Was that more steps than last time?"
Creek asked himself more than Pebble.
This time, instead of a window, an arched doorway stood
open ahead of them, a warm light... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Creek Fire and his dog Pebble had descended more stairs than either of them
had ever seen in their entire lives. They had found the source of the boom
the day before, a huge hole in the ground with stairs leading down into a
dark interior.
They... read more
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Today's episode continues yesterday's story
Doug Goshkin heard a boom from the back of the railroad museum. Because
he was a kid, he looked around to see if his folks had heard the boom.
But they hadn't, or didn't seem to, because they kept on arguing.
Doug wandered toward the back of the... read more
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Creek Fire had been walking since he had become a man.
His hunting dog, Pebble, trotted along, always on the
side opposite his walking staff.
Creek had been traveling for two years and had visited dozens
of villages. Because Creek had also been trying to map his
travels, he soon discovered that... read more
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The Pyramid and the Buddha
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
Stan was a friend of mine who worked in Old Town.
He wasn't the sharpest stick in my quiver of friends
but he was loyal. So it never surprised me when he
would telephone with odd news. As it happens, it... read more
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Mary Turgen's handle on the makeadate.com web site was
clowngirl. She had arranged to meet her date,
a shaggy haired lad named Dave, whose handle on that dating
site was nonbeliever.
She waited at the top of the steps of the capitol building on
its south side. She had colored her hair special for... read more
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Wendy was at the carousel with two friends and the French
daughter of her parent's friends. The French girl's name
was Eva and she spoke pretty good English.
The other two girls, Donna and Sue were in the same grade
as Wendy at Rosemont Elementary.
The sign on the carousel ticket machine said... read more
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Tom Filworthy approached the building where he worked. Out
front stood huge vertical rulers used to measure the growth of
young giants. Tom entered through a door in the center
that was his size, human size.
Tom worked in the twentieth sub-basement, the lowest
of the sub-basements. He worked... read more
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Steve and Stuart Eisen were into the stoutness of steel.
The brothers were on a bicycle tour (riding aluminum bikes, go fig) around
the great state of California.
They intended to visit all things built of steel. One sunny Sunday in Sacramento,
the brothers happened upon the Tower Bridge, glowing... read more
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Nancy Dibbs was the ring leader. "It's so cold out, so lets hang
in the train museum." The other four girls thought that was a fine
idea, so they all went in at student rates.
"We'll take turns," Nancy told them. "Each of us will lead an act
of fun, so real we will all be entertained. Something... read more
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Paula Baystone whispered to her baby, Sally, while touring the
old mail car. "Hard to believe," she said softly. "It
took four weeks for a letter to cross the country by train. Imagine that."
Her husband, Jack, put his hand gently on her shoulder. "Talking to
Sally again?"
"Mmm. Just musing... read more
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Wendy Roy exited the Sacramento Amtrak station when
an elderly woman in a bright pink sweater
just stopped in front of her. Wendy
stopped too and a man bumped her from behind.
"Don't stop in a doorway," the man said as he brushed by her.
Wendy put her hands on the old woman's shoulders and... read more
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Dahl Robertson sat on an abutment and awaited his train's
arrival. He thought of Janis Joplin and the music she sang.
Too bad she died young. Imagine, he thought. Being
blind-sided by death like that. Dahl hated to be blind-sided.
Dahl closed his eyes and tried to picture Janis on stage like
he'd... read more
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Carley Bennet bore her wealth and advanced age well. She
dismissed the nurse from her aged mother's room and stood
holding a child decorated box of old photographs in her hands.
She placed the box on the end table and withdrew the first photo.
Carley held the photo carefully upright and square to... read more
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During a far past, before humankind walked this earth,
a monkey god ruled over all monkeys. A particular monkey,
let's name him Bob, awoke in a tree.
Bob slipped from a wet branch following a storm. He fell with
an awkward thump on soft dirt. This angered the monkey unlike
any monkey had been... read more
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One day, long, long ago, a cat slept on the deck of a boat.
Back then, it was not uncommon for Medusa to stroll among
mortals. Her snakes were mere worms, so by keeping her head
covered, she appeared normal. It is just too bad the cat
slept where it was when Medusa lifted her veil to sneeze.
The... read more
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Bryan and Terry were dressed to the nines in tux and gown. They stood mid block, waiting
for traffic to clear so they could jay walk. They had tickets to Man of La Mancha
and were running a bit late. They felt the ground shift, and thought a small earthquake
had struck. Power failed and the street... read more
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The sub-sub-basement
copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
When the elevator opened in the sub-sub-basement, Bob Temple stepped off and
found himself in a long, dim corridor. He heard the elevator close
behind him and said, "Strange. I didn't know this store had a... read more
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Sally Fielding ran up steps to the top deck of the ferry.
She found a bench to sit on and sat and pouted. Her parents
were going to buy a Sausalito houseboat and that made Sally
unhappy.
"Why would I want to move?" Sally muttered to herself. "I have
friends in San Francisco and there's so much to... read more
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Ted Knowbote loved boats but had never owned one. He lived
in the Richmond district of San Francisco and often saw the
ocean but seldom saw boats. On a whim, one day, he decided
to visit the houseboats in Sausalito.
He strolled out Issaquah dock, enjoying the sun and the
art and the beautiful... read more
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Wendy and Rick Locke approached the houseboat at the end
of the narrow dock with trepidation. They didn't know what
to expect. Whenever they bought an item off craigslist, the
trip to pick it up was always an adventure.
Rick looked over his shoulder and noticed fog rolling
in over the hills.... read more
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Wayne the seagull passed away as a hero. Because of his
heroic status,
he was bumped up one notch when reincarnated. Wayne was
reborn as a brand new, shiny fire plug.
At first, he could only think as he did as a seagull. So he
said, "!." But, later, as he grew more comfortable in his
new body,... read more
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When Terry's family returned home from their Disneyland vacation, Terry
button-holed her mother at once.
"Mom," Terry said. "Please don't let anyone see that picture of me
on the horse. I would be embarrassed to death."
"Why dear? It's a very cute shot."
Terry scrunched her face at her mom.... read more
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The diamond fork
Copyright 2008 Bryan Costales
This is the last photo ever taken of Stan Graves. That is, of course,
in this reality.
Just before this photograph was taken, Stan rounded a corner in... read more
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Who would have ever thought that those primitive natives
would prove right. Not Granny, of course, raised by a
preacher father during the great depression. But there she
was, her ghost trapped in the photograph nearest her when
she died.
A native man on television objects, "No, no. No photo.... read more
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Every Saturday night, the elders of Church of Gea would gather
all the balls and globes in town and lock them up. It was, under
their religion, forbidden to play or study with any likeness of the Earth
on Sunday.
A few found this ban awfully silly, especially Velt Floimeur, the town
clown. In... read more
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Little Sally Saltnick stood with her mother outside the junk store
window. Sally lived in a magical city somewhere in the west.
"Look," Sally said to her mother. "A fairy, a fairy. Can I have it?
Can I?"
"You don't want that dirty thing. Look at it. It's cracked and one of
its wings is... read more
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Drad Simons didn't like living in Sausalito. He hated his small school.
The town was boring to death.
Drad longed to live in San Francisco just across the bay.
Drad's folks were Franciscofobes. They never, ever, visited the
city just across the Golden Gate. All trips were north, to the coast
or... read more
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Ace reporter, Jerry Watchly, was hit by the death ray and reduced
to a puddle in asphalt.
"Hey," objected Billy. "That's not fair. How can I finish the story
when your turn does that?"
"Lack of rules," Fanny, his girlfriend, said. "As I recall, it was your
idea to free us of all... read more
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Donny Dasher knew that his red umbrella would protect him from rain. But he had
no idea that it would also protect him from fate.
Donny went for a combined brisk-walk and periodic jog every morning
as soon as the sun was fully up. This schedule insured it
was always light enough to be safe,
yet... read more
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Dr. Dan Flemmer, or at least he recalled once being a doctor.
Dr. Dan Flemmer awoke wrapped in cardboard on the sidewalk under
a bright, too bright, mural.
"Great God almighty," he said, as he set eyes on the mural. "What in
God's name did I drink last night?"
The creatures on the mural just... read more
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The late afternoon sun cast shadow light across the marina. Betty and her
pal Paula were late because two accidents had impeded the bridge traffic.
Betty felt frazzled. Paula felt the worries of the day fall from her
shoulders like a duck shedding spring rain.
Paula was first aboard their small... read more
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Patrick Finn believed himself to be Irish through and through. So it came as a wee
bit of a shock for his wife to announce otherwise.
It happened on New Years Eve of all times, during a cruise of San Francisco bay.
Elaine, his wife, leaned close and said, "We're going to have a baby."
Fireworks... read more
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George McPhee had worked the docks his entire life. He sported dozens of
tattoos, a half dozen scars, and an artificial knee to prove it.
The company for which George had worked the last thirty years was gone.
Just like that, a Saudi company had taken over the port and hundreds of
dock workers... read more
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Wayne the sea gull was flying alongside a boat when something stopped
him in mid air. He just hung there, suspended and helpless. All he
could think was, "!!."
Evil genius Jesse had recently mastered the art of mental control.
He had practiced it on dogs and cats with great success. This... read more
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