CarlHoliday - Stories

At the time it seemed a good idea, but how it played out nearly cost Charlie his life. He had the big ranch, but his wife had died and all the kids didn't want anything to do with ranching. So he decided to sell and move into the city. Everything was good great until he decided to take that walk in the park.

Potluck Theme: Through a Glass Darkly

Peter has a big problem. It's with Andy's allergies. To figure out a solution, he takes one of his long walks in the city. During his walk he buys a dog named Suzie. His walk is interrupted by a falling overloaded 20-foot container. He doesn't go to Heaven or Hell but ends up in the Hereafter. There is a beach, tea is in the morning, a wonderful buffet is served promptly at noon, and there's an evening soiree. Also, there are three background characters who are up to no good.

An unhappy dragon receives the unlikeliest of gifts and wishes the impossible dream. A powerful sorcerer wants more trouble than he needs, encounters a dragon, finds he’s stronger than he thought, and comes up with a solution to a couple of tricky problems. To complete the mix, we’ll throw in the shortest knight in the kingdom who desires to go on a quest for fame and fortune.

Two reserve flight officers on commerce patrol duty encounter an alien ship unlike anything they’ve seen before. There is only one thing to do, follow protocol and board the ship. Unfortunately, one of them encounters something from the distant past of human existence on Earth.

Set in the mid-Fifties, this is a boy’s story at about age eight and details his experiences with physical abuse to the complications of sex. Warning: This story contains images of child abuse from a child’s POV, but there is lots love and learning, too.

Bob has a fear of mean dogs from his childhood when he was attacked by a male Dobermann. Tonight he dreads having to walk home under a bright full moon down streets that have unrestrained pit bulls and other such dogs that have tried to attack him before. He has pepper spray and a book bag for defense, but sometimes he’s come close to being bit, again.

This can be considered to be a prequel to The Last Watcher, my story in the Summer Anthology, but, as required, it stands on its own as a short story.

Charlie Hughes encounters an old friend who has four children, but there's something going on with this family. After taking the oldest boy shopping and buying him an expensive watch Charlie is called in the middle of the night because the boy is being kicked out. When Charlie goes to the family home he discovers the boy and been beaten, whipped, raped, and one of his arms is broken. Charlie takes the boy into his home and all hell is loosed on his life.

Ian is the last boy at 319 Winesap Lane and he doesn't have any adults interested in fostering him. In an act of desperation, he uses a very sharp chef's knife to make the ultimate cut.

Harlon Eldrick's mother is dying of recurrent breast cancer and wants him to go tell his father. Harlon lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his father lives across the country in a small collection of buildings called Black Dog, Washington. Harlon wants to make this an adventure. He will take the train to Chicago and hitchhike from there to Black Dog. It's been over a week, since Harlon left Chicago on a trip that's been anything but an adventure. He is welcomed into a semi by Steve Lennard for what he hopes is his last ride.