Adventures in Career Changing Posts

A Review of What’s an Animal?

If global climate change really goes out of control, then there’s every possibility that, eventually, people in the future will be asking: what’s an animal? That is, if we were to survive such catastrophic upheavals in our world.

Chances are exceptionally good that we would not. And so, that makes this one a more farfetched story than a lot of the others I’ve written which take place here on Earth.

I wrote this story during the second quarter of 2024. That year, I was generally not using prompt words. So, this short tale has a somewhat different origin story.

Background

With no prompt word, this story, rather, is the result of a thought experiment.

What would happen if we were the only animals left? There would be plants but no critters. No beef, no bees, and no bears.

Among other things, human beings would have to pollinate plants, or we would have to program some sort of robotic or quasi-robotic help to do that task for us.

By itself, this would have to be an undertaking on a global scale. I cannot fathom any way that this would not be an exceptionally expensive undertaking.

As a result, this story doesn’t take place in our immediate future. It kind of can’t.

Plot for What’s an Animal?

A future post-climate change world is turned upside-down when, for the first time in decades, a young girl finds an actual living animal—an earthworm.

What does this discovery mean for humans? Does it foretell a better future? Or is it just a nasty reminder that we’ve messed up the planet beyond all recognition?

Characters

The characters are Cherish Wilton (she’s the POV character); her teacher Mrs. Alpert; her little sister Adore; their parents, Ted and Evelyn; Professor Linton; Marcia Lee, the innkeeper; Marcia’s three brothers; the mayor; and Premier Natasha Ivanova.

While Cherish and her family have the same last name as the family in Small Acts of Defiance, I don’t intend any relationship between them.

Memorable Quotes from What’s an Animal?

It was a small thing, barely the width of my palm. I set my tablet to filming mode and filmed it as it crept slowly along the forest floor. I heard more rustling behind me. I turned, and it was Adore. “Where were you?” she asked.

“I was here. Where were you?”

“Around. What do you have there?”

“Come and see. It’s magnificent!”

Adore came over and I showed her the tiny creature under the leaves. “It’s kind of ugly,” she said after a while.

“That’s not a very kind thing to say.”

“It’s not like it can hear or understand us. Er, can it?”

“I don’t know if it can hear at all,” I said. “And I’m sure it can’t understand us. Look at how it moves. It’s fascinating.”

“It doesn’t have any arms or legs,” said Adore. “Do you think maybe it used to, and it was in some horrible accident?”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “I think this is the way it’s supposed to be.”

Rating for What’s an Animal?

The story has a K rating. While there isn’t really much that’s untoward that happens herein, the mere thought of how we could get this way is more than a trifle upsetting.

As it should be.

Takeaways for What’s an Animal?

I like how the ending has the people working to try to take back the planet. That there’s this marvelous discovery, and it reminds them that nature is astounding and we need to protect it.

I just hope that, in real life, things never get as dire as they do here. And at the same time, if anything like this happens, I hope the government would not try to suppress the finding like they do here (oops, spoiler alert!).

Because people should know just how vital animals truly are to our existence, and that of our world. And we should never, ever take them for granted, or believe we can live without them.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out some of my other articles about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

A Look at Small Acts of Defiance

Given when I first wrote Small Acts of Defiance, it was a response to the first Trump presidency. Now, in his second term, it’s come around again to being pretty dang relevant.

I like to think I’m nowhere near this prescient. In particular, that’s because I’ve got a lot of other short stories that are a lot less, shall we say, genteel, when it comes to our collective future.

I’m looking at you, Gentrification and What’s an Animal. But this one is bad enough, in terms of a minor prophesy of what, maybe, could happen to all of us.

I wrote this story during the second quarter of 2021.

Background

The idea behind this story was to turn the standard tale of illegal immigration on its head. For here, the small acts of defiance aren’t to get Mexican (or South American) people into the United States.

Rather, these acts are to get Americans to be able to cross the border into Canada.

Plot for Small Acts of Defiance

Susanna has always known that her parents were doing something odd with their time, and it always seemed to be vaguely illegal. At twelve years old, and already looking and acting more grownup than her years, her parents start to initiate her into the family ‘business’.

And what is that so-called ‘business’? It’s to help people to cross over the border.

Characters

The characters are Susanna, her younger brother Crenshaw, and their parents. Oh, and there is also a lawyer who I never name. I tell the story from Susanna’s point of view. She is a teenager throughout most of the story.

Memorable Quotes

We crossed when I was five. It was a simple thing then. You walk in, pretending like you belong. My father had a gift for mimicry so he could easily speak without an accent. He wore his most official-looking shirt, neatened up his moustache, and pretended to be hauling my mother and me in for some sort of questioning.

My mother was pregnant with my little brother then, but she wasn’t showing yet, so it didn’t look like she was trying to cross the border just to have him. Although that was their exact plan, of course—like countless others.

When I got older, my parents would disappear for days. My brother and I lived on the good graces and snacks of our next door neighbor. I learned how to make instant soup and grilled cheese sandwiches watching her.

We didn’t know what was going on, except we were sworn to secrecy for school. We had to say our neighbor was related. I wonder whatever happened to Aunt Jennie.

Rating for Small Acts of Defiance

The story has a K rating. The family’s fate isn’t so great, but at least it isn’t violent.

Takeaways

I’m not so sure how I feel about Susanna’s parents. Certainly, what they are doing is illegal. But is it the worst thing that a person could be doing with their time? Of course not.

And, in the meantime, out here in the real world, where a man who was legally in this country is ‘lost’ in an El Salvadorean prison, and the government says they can’t get him out because #reasons?

In this, the real world, a few small defiant acts may very well be the only thing we can do. And maybe, just maybe? It could turn out to be the very best thing that any of us can do.

And as for that throwaway line about “Aunt Jenny”, it should creep you out.

Heh, sorry not sorry, readers.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out my other articles about my shorter works.

Short Stories

And finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Let’s Look at Back, Front, and Side Pages

When I first wrote Back, Front, and Side Pages, I hadn’t written about time traveler Sharon Ensley yet.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize that this might be a decent story to fold into her time/timeline. The traveler could even be someone else in the department—maybe even someone who leaves or even someone who loses their job. Hmm.

After all, she’s much more entrepreneurial than the rest of the department. Perhaps there’s even some corruption there.

I wrote this story during the first quarter of 2021.

Background

I came up with Back, Front, and Side Pages as a parody of the old Byrds hit, My Back Pages.

My Back Pages can, at times, feel like a time travel song.

I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now

So, while I realize that Bob Dylan was writing about disillusionment rather than time travel, I still think the song works, in a way.

And so, as a kind of thought experiment, I got to thinking about alternatives to back pages. Hence, front and side. And where do pages go? In a book, of course!

Plot for Back, Front, and Side Pages

Agents McAllister and Fernandez have on their hands what they believe is a harmless crackpot. After all, anyone who believes that time travel is real has got to be nuts, right?

Er, right?

As they play good cop/bad cop, the two officers debate about the reality of time travel. McAllister, who’s already playing the good cop, has an open mind about it. Yet Fernandez, in keeping with her role as the bad cop, dismisses it out of hand as being impossible.

But all is not it seems, as the woman in front of them tells them a few tantalizing details about an alternate universe, where Lincoln was never shot; the dodo never went extinct; and Lennon and McCartney wrote a song called Yesteryear, not Yesterday.

But at least their climate change is better.

Characters

The characters are time traveler Joli Parrish, cops Chuck McAllister and Mary Pat Fernandez, and another Joli Parrish who is native to Chuck and Mary Pat’s timeline.

Memorable Quotes from Back, Front, and Side Pages

Joli sighed again. This is way more than I would or should normally reveal. But getting out of the interrogation room is Job One. I can deal with any other fallout later. And maybe a kid’s explanation will suffice. She bit her lip before speaking. “Timelines are parallel. That is, they normally are. But my tech bends the lines, in a way. This allows for an intersection. But the intersection only goes so far. Can I borrow your notebook?”

“Sure,” said McAllister, handing it over.

“Let’s say page fourteen of this little notebook is the original timeline. The fourteenth page, even if the pages aren’t numbered. I bend the timeline, and it’s like dogearing page fourteen so it touches page fifteen. The lines intersect, and all of a sudden I’m on page fifteen. I can go back to page fourteen somewhat easily. And I can progress to page sixteen if I want to. But page two hundred and fifty is out of the question unless I step further and further along. I dogear page after page after page. If I go back or forward or sideways far enough, I’ll lose my place.”

“But can’t you, like, bookmark it, or something?” asked Fernandez.

“I thought you didn’t believe her, Mary Pat.”

“Let’s just say that me, I’m kinda intrigued. So, can you bookmark page fourteen?”

Rating

The story has a K rating. There’s no violence or bad language at all.

Takeaways

I like this explanation quite a bit. And since—maybe—Joli is corrupted, she may fit in well to explain some other issues with time travel I’ve got in my stories. But I don’t want her to be my only go-to villain.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out my other articles about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Let’s Go Back to Camp for a Review

I attended summer camp for several years when I was a tween and then a teenager, at three separate camps. These were fun and formative experiences. And, for the most part, they all took place during the same time this story is set in.

I wrote this short story during the second quarter of 2021.

Background

The most conventional of the three camps I attended was actually owned by my great-uncle. And so, a lot of what happens (such as the activities, and even the films), I lifted straight from Camp Ben-Ann in the 1970s.

Because this would not have worked with the horseback riding or wilderness camps I also attended as a teenager in the 1970s.

I also worked as a counselor for a more conventional place. But that was a day camp.

The prompt was the word: harmony.

Plot

Junior counselor Harmony is in charge of fourth grade girls, and is none too impressed. It’s the summer of 1978. She’s about 16 or 17, which means she was probably born in 1961 or 1962. Therefore, this makes her a member of the Generation Jones cohort.

Every bunk has to put on a skit for a talent show during Parents’ Weekend. With no real plan, Harmony ends up getting the girls to sing and dance to Night Fever from the hottest movie of the summer, Saturday Night Fever.

Just as she despairs of having any sort of a good time, she spots a cute guy in the audience. He turns out to be the older brother of Didi, the camper she dislikes the most.

Characters

The characters are Harmony, Didi, and Didi’s big brother Mickey. There are other people like the other girls in the bunk, Mickey and Didi’s parents, the director, and senior counselors. But I don’t give them any lines.

Memorable Quotes from Camp

I sat down on the grass with an ice cream cone—that was our big prize—and I was wearing my H shirt. I made it myself in Art. It’s all tie-dyed and stuff. One of a kind.

Voice behind me, some guy reading the back of my shirt which, just like the front, only has a big H on it.

He starts cycling through H names. I’ve heard this God knows how many times before.

Heather. Heidi. Holly. Hannah. Helene. Helen. Honey. Hope.

That he digs into the old, weird, and ugly H names for girls.

Henrietta. Hildegard. Harriet. Hortense. Hester. Hattie. Hedwig.

Then I guess he gave up, ‘cause I of course hadn’t turned around once.

Rating for Camp

The story has a K rating. There are only a few naughty words in there, and if you blink, you’ll miss them.

Takeaways

One of the things that really makes this story work for me is the fact that I remember someone had graffitied a bunk with the lyrics to the Elton John song, Harmony.

So, I guess Harmony and me are pretty good company, eh?

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Let’s Look at Saddle Up, Bank Teller!

For Saddle Up, Bank Teller, the prompt was just one word: renegade.

And what better kind of renegade than someone who is essentially in a western?

But all is not as it seems.

I wrote this story during the third quarter of 2021. But I didn’t finish it under the fourth quarter of 2024.

Background

While a renegade is better defined as a person who betrays an organization or a country, I wanted this to be a story of someone who, yes, betrays an organization. But his reasons are spot on. So, he’s actually a good guy. Well…kinda.

This story essentially takes place after short stories like Aenor the Wanted and Viva André, but long before The Ides of the Secretarial Pool. Could all of these stories take place in the same universe, and the same timeline?

Maybe…?

In fact, this story could, conceivably, dovetail with Mina’s Mission. The two short stories are very close, when it comes to the years when they are set.

Plot for Saddle Up, Bank Teller!

When Dodge City bank teller Bruce Bergman is told to mischaracterize certain bank expenses, he knows there’s something unethical going on. But uncovering a conspiracy to commit fraud is just the beginning, as Bruce takes the money and flees to the New Mexico territory.

With the help of a sympathetic priest and an uncorrupted sheriff, can Bruce catch the bad guys without going to prison himself, or being caught on the wrong end of a pistol?

Characters

The characters are Bruce Bergman, Father Emil Alvarez, Carl Dempsey, John Corcoran, Fred Williams, and the sheriff, a man who Father Alvarez knows personally. But he just calls the man Raymond.

Oh, and just in case anyone’s wondering, yes, there were plenty of Jewish folks in the old west.

Memorable Quotes

Bruce made it to the mission after a few more days, just as the sun was setting. He got his horse to a stable and paid in advance and took the saddlebags.

Bruce walked back to the mission and the door opened for him. It was a priest, who had undoubtedly seen him arrive. “Come in, my child.”

“Thanks. I, I’m not a Catholic.”

“None of us are perfect.” The priest smiled. “What is your name?” He waved Bruce in and shut the door.

“Kenneth—Kenneth Delaney.” Delaney had been Bruce’s housemate at Harvard.

“I see. I am Father Alvarez. Why don’t you sit down?” He gestured at the closest pew.

“Well, I don’t want to disrupt things if you’re about to have services.”

“Not until tomorrow. How long have you been traveling, Mr. Delaney, is it?”

“Yes, Delaney. A few days. I know I must look a fright. I need a bath and a shave. My apologies for my appearance.”

Rating for Saddle Up, Bank Teller!

The story has a K rating. Despite the fact that everyone carries a gun—and is not afraid to use it—no one ever fires a shot.

Takeaways

While I am happy with how I ended this one, I still never really answered the question as to why Bruce took the money in the first place! Someone with his experience and education would undoubtedly know it wasn’t going to be a good look.

And even if he was relatively sheltered (the guy’s got a Harvard education, after all), he had to have realized there would be a lot of people, including officers of the law, who would shoot first, and ask questions later.

Having the goods on him wasn’t going to prevent someone from immediately assuming his guilt. To the contrary. Plus, of course, someone could have robbed him.

And so, even at the end, I don’t exonerate him. In fact, even the reader doesn’t really find out what happens to him. So, I think I’m okay with never answering what should really be the reader’s biggest and most nagging question.

So, is Bruce a good guy, or not? What do you think, gentle reader? And do you think it really matters in the end?

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

So, if this story resonates with you, then please check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.

Let’s Look at The New Kid

It’s no wonder why a lot of pilot episodes of series will have someone meeting everyone. It’s a natural way to get in exposition. Writing about a new kid is nothing new. And so, I figured I would give it a whirl.

I wrote this story during the first quarter of 2024.

Background for The New Kid

To introduce, perhaps, a whole new universe, what better way to do so than with a student exchange program?

Plot for The New Kid

Class stoner Charline (Charlie) Mahoney is chosen to represent all of Earth’s students in a cultural exchange program with an alien species, the Alphans.

As the only human on their planet, she has to navigate a world where she’s an ambassador with neither portfolio nor training.

Complicating matters are the facts that the Alphans have three genders, and bullies target Charlie at school.

But Charlie’s resilient, and just might come out of the experience better than anyone would have a right to expect.

Characters

Human characters are Charline Mahoney and Karen Perfetti (she’s the chaperone for Charline’s counterpart, Moonshine). I mention her parents, but I don’t think I ever name them.

The translating program gives the Alphans random nouns, as their names are unpronounceable. Sometimes, the names are pretty amusing, and sometimes they seem to be conferring value judgments.

Alphan characters include Moonshine, Lantern, Generation, Alewife, Schooner, Digger, Toad, and Smoke.

Memorable Quotes

Moonshine asked me the weirdest question the other day in their letter: what’s a country?

And so, I could have been really flip about it, but I wanted to do the work (God, what the hell happened to the old stoner me?), so I pulled the definition out of an old encyclopedia. It basically just means a politically drawn area where people live.

But I also asked them: why do you want to know?

Their answer kind of freaked me out: we don’t have them.

Rating for The New Kid

The story has a K+ rating. Charline gets into a fight and some of her language isn’t the kind of stuff you hear at tea parties.

Takeaways for The New Kid

So, I like Charline (Charlie), and I think she’s got some potential. But I’m not so sure where and when I can add to her overall story. So, I am hoping I can find a way to bring this somewhat reformed stoner back.

Oh and note: this isn’t the only story where I use a translator program that ascribes weird words when an alien one can’t be pronounced or readily understood. Another such story is Alien Allies.

Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.