PLATO'S CAVE Small towns and small parishes are full of odd connections, and concepts acquire new descriptions in old places. For example, spiritual direction can take on a whole new meaning. . . The pungent, ammonia-laced aroma of disinfectant invaded my sinuses. It didn't matter that it was private hospital that catered to those accustomed to the best,...
*** David woke up that morning interrupting a powerful dream. He was disappointed and lay in bed imagining how he wanted it to end. Had the girl in his dream really been Shasta? If he thought falling asleep again would allow him the reality of finishing the dream he would have rolled right over and taken any consequence for being late for work. *** Shast...
Many thanks to techsan for his editing of this story. * I was in my best mood at a beautiful sunny Friday morning in May with no clouds visible in the blue sky over our village outside a Scandinavian town. The time was exactly 9.12 when I took the phone call, which within a short time would mean such serious problems for so many people in our village. I w...
Dedicated to all of the teachers who dream of doing what Miss Titsner does in the story but who are far too ethical to have sex with their students. IT was a typical Midwest high school in the late 1970's but what happened there could have as easily happened just yesterday. There were the usual Friday night football games and dances. There were several sub-...
So what WAS the moral of the story? He suggested several possibilities: --Don't be a heavy drinker. --Heredity outweighs everything else. --You can't trust anyone, even members of your family. --Stamina is very important. I don't know which of these is right, or whether any of them is the best. I came up with another one on my own. Let me tell you the s...
Chapter Four: Training begins The elevator ride was only five stories up, much shorter than the last one. As the doors open Shea expected to see another office type setting where they would be poked and prodded again but much to her delight the atmosphere was more warm and welcoming. The walls were wood paneled and there was a nice runner on the floor inste...
Walking into the kitchen, she noticed the blinking red light on the answering machine. Instinctively, she pressed the button to play the messages. All were routine, a reminder from the dentist's office, a telemarketer, and an offer for a credit card with a ridiculous line of credit and a zero percent interest rate. Then, on the last message, she heard his vo...
Chapter 1 Silk, the Disgruntled Vampire 1 Her eyelids slid slowly open, revealing eyes of the purest white. She took a moment to stretch, working out the kinks that invariably set in during sleep. Waking up had always been the hardest thing for her, for she enjoyed her sleep very much. Her sleep was dreamless, and her thoughts were quiet. I...
This story recounts six intense days in an unfortunate girl's year-long quest to find a way home. It is not part of a series, the full story of Kira's quest has not been written; in fact I have only a faint idea about how it began, and no clue how it ends. Of course, if inspiration strikes I may some day return to Kira and her strange fate. Reader beware: T...
Day 1. After a long wait for our bags at the airport we finally found a taxi that would take us to our hotel. An hour and a half later we arrived at the most magnificent building and gardens that was stuck in the absolute middle of nowhere. As patience isn’t one of his virtues Rob wasn’t happy even though it had been him who had booked this ‘bargain holid...