Once Upon a Time

The old man at the end of the bar hung over his glass of Rock and Rye Whiskey like a wolf guarding its kill.  Wearing tattered bib overhauls and an open crown fedora, he reminded me of GrandPappy Amos from the TV series, The Real McCoys. 

Chasing Tale

My boyhood was full of curiosity, imagination, and adventure. It was fueled by the obsession of my buddies and I to debunk the tall tales spun by our not so reputable peers from town.

Sound the Alarm

Silent night, Holy night.

All is calm…

Well, not quite.

Not at all, actually.

…

The Guardian

 

It made perfect sense to Jake. Who would serve better than the one who illuminated his long dark nights? His guardian angel so to speak, faithfully stationed at his bedside warding off closet hobgoblins and long-legged beasties. With his warm red glow penetrating the night, no spirit dared stir in his light… 

Do What?!

I’m so stiff in the morning these days…I should have taken better care of myself.  Starting a daily exercise plan might be a good idea. Maybe a little stretching or yoga would help.  I think I’m going to start off slow though by simply bending over and touching my toes…or a least pointing at them. 

Us

We met in mechanical drawing class, fall of 1968. She sat at the desk in front of me.

She worked hard on her drawings, usually getting “Cs & Bs.” I shot rubber bands at her butt, blamed it on the guy next to me, and copied her drawings—I got “Bs & As.”

The teacher warned her to stay away from me, telling her, “He’s trouble.” He may have been right.

The End Of The Line

After her first two failures she took special measures to assure that this attempt would not be thwarted.  She chose the time and location carefully, planned it down to the final minute. This time she would leave no room for heroes.

Boys in the Woods

 

Towering like royalty above the prairie thicket stood a mysterious grove of aged cottonwoods. The area was rumored to hold some kind of curse resulting from spells once cast by nomadic gypsies. Rumor also had it that a nasty old witch toting a black powder shotgun loaded with rock salt kept a nightly vigil over the surrounding area. 

Forever Fourteen

I was caught off guard by a long forgotten photo album that came toppling off the closet shelf. I hadn’t seen it for…well longer than I care to admit.

Tear to Open

The package said, “Easy Open” — I tend to disagree.

Either I am woefully incompetent or it just isn’t all that easy. After failing to pull the tab with my arthritic fingers or rip it open with my teeth, I resorted to more drastic measures — a jackhammer and lightsaber later, I got it.