In 2001, my grandfather died at the age of eighty. His name was Miguel Martinez, but everybody called him "Mike." That's what people call me, too, and always have, although my own given name is "Michael." I didn't know Grandpa Mike well, but since I was his closest surviving relative, I was named executor of his estate. You've met Mike if you've read the s...
In Hawai'ian, "ohana" means "family." But they say it means more. It means not only the people you're related to, but the people you most care about, who make up your world. It is supposed to be the most sacred bond there is. I believe it, because for the shortest time, I felt it myself. During World War Two, I was stationed on a cruiser in the Pacific. I a...
"Who am I then? Tell me that first, and then, if I like being that person, I'll come up; if not, I'll stay down here till I'm someone else." Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass "Not East, not West, not North and not South- only this spot I am standing on now." Abbas Kiarostami "Yeki Ya Schehrezade! (Oh Schehrezade, w...
Patters of rain fell down on the glass of the skylight above her, filling Julia's room with the sound of it. As rivers of water streamed down the slants, Julia's eyes followed their journey. Leaves from the branches of an oak tree blew back and forth, swaying along to the rhythm of the wind. As Julia stared up into the night sky she willed herself to call No...