Geron Kees

Does seem to leave the question open of who is actually creating this tale. Is George creating reality for Jake and Ben, or is he somehow gathering his story ideas from THEM? Interesting circle. I like the suggestion that one of the guys could secretly be George. On the other hand, I am starting to suspect that George is YOU, Ivor!

Ah. Five decades. I know that one, too, and all that comes with it. It is the era of contemplation, both of what has come before, and what might come next. I have a perhaps unusual view on that. Time. It's a human invention, at least the time we know. The seconds, the minutes, the hours, and the years. Even the decades. All units of measurement that stem from how long our planet takes to revolve on its axis, and how long it takes to journey once around its star. Go anywhere else in the universe, and what we think of as time is meaningless. But I do keep time that way, the human way, because I have to in order to live in the human world. I have to be places on time, I need to know how long to bake a favorite dish, and I need to know when to take the dog in to the vet for her wellness check. Scheduling. That's really what human time is all about. When to be where to do what. I think less of myself in terms of years, or how old I am. I prefer to think more of what I've accomplished, and what I still would like to accomplish. I think of what I've learned, and would still like to learn. I like to look out the window in the dead of winter, and see the snow coming down, and never once look at the clock to see how quickly it covers the ground, or builds on the tree branches, or shifts with the wind to form mounds. It's snow time, not clock time. Not human time. It's not subject to a schedule. Or, I can go with my favorite other to the field down the road from the house, which is the only place nearby we can get an unobstructed view of the sky, and enjoy a summer night without a clock or a watch at hand. Take a couple of lawn chairs, a bottle of Cabernet, two glasses, a pair of binoculars (we share), and look at what nature has spread across the sky each night just for us. Watch the moonrise in moon time, the stars turn in their journeys in star time, the planets appear in their own time, the occasional, fleeting trail of some bit of dust vanishing in a final puff of super-heated air, in meteoric time. All without clocks, without watches, without cells; without anything that insists on telling us about human time. So go the years. Five decades. It seems a lot, or not enough, depending on how you look at it. But ask a snowflake to consider it, or a planet, or the moon in the sky, and they will all tell you it means less than you think it does. It's something we've learned, not something natural. What you speak of in your verse is something we all feel, but it is not a product of time, so much as changing experience. At least, not to me. You say not now, but soon, you will have to make that journey to that unexplored land. Now is gone as soon as it arrives, and soon is close on its heels. I hope you speak of distance, and not closeness, in that vein. In human time, many years, and not tomorrow. Rather than enjoying the form you used to say what you say, I am saddened more by the idea that we might lose a voice such as yours, sooner, as we humans say, than later.

Excellent chapter, very revealing. I suspected Mitch was a bit driven to uphold the law, but now I know. And it seems that drive threw Will off course more than once before he made the unfortunate decision to leave Mitch. A decision he clearly regrets now. It's hard to go back, once you've left the road you're on and started down another. But it sounds like Will did try, and when he couldn't get results that way, he simply set up camp beside the road and hoped that Mitch would one day amble back by on his own. And now he has! Hmm. Will these two get back together? If Boone and Coy have any say in it, they will. I don't know where the story is going yet, but I do know the author, a little. I won't say what I think, but I hope you don't mind if I smile a bit!

We all improve, with each new tale. It's part of the journey.

I remember that challenge, and your story. Alexandre, right? And William? Worth a read, folks! Hold on a sec...okay. http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/d-k-daniels/shorts/love-in-paris.html

Thank you for the kind comments, D.K. I consider most tales to have three main players: the protagonist, or the group that represents; the antagonist, or the group that represents; and the world in which the story is set. Not just scenery - the world is living thing, a character on its own. The more detail you breathe into it, the more lifelike it seems!

Circles, indeed. Even in a single lifetime, we can find ourselves back facing things we once thought long accomplished. The persistence of those that want things all their own way is phenomenal, if their reasons almost always the same selfish ones. I actually feel that it is okay for people to disagree with each other. But that right ends with the use of any sort of force by one party to dominate the other's thinking or actions. Sadly, none of us are born free. We have to demand our right to be who we are, and fight for that right, every step of the way. And repeat the circles, as needed, no matter how tedious it gets.

Thank you, Gary. I consider this one a product of these times, but it actually has been relevant for a very long time before. Being a human being means being a member of the human race. Those for whom the definition of member is so narrow that they cannot see beyond their own confined thinking have plagued us since the very beginning. And, sadly, they will certainly continue to do that for a long time to come. But being human does not require an entrance exam, justification, or excuse. It follows no one pattern. And no one has any right to say it does. Being human simply is, and until others can respect that notion in all its various colors and flavors, it will continue to be a battle for many.

I enjoyed both of these. And I have not seen either before. I've never considered how much the mirror has to say in the morning. But it certainly can convey the mood of the day ahead. The phone - a regular liar. I've never let mine have any say in anything! The invitation to play in the second verse sounds joyful. What a nice way to spend an afternoon! Even if a daydream, for now? Thank you! 🙂

Well, now we know. I sorta expected something like this with Mitch and Will. The reasons are different, but this is a little like what Coy and Boone went through before they finally got together, with Coy's rotten brother holding them apart finally settled. Very clear reasons laid out here for Mitch and Will already, so no guessing at all. Now we wait to see how this works out. I won't say what I suspect about that! 🙂 Nice to see Boone and Coy so happy together. Hopefully, some of that can rub off on Mitch and Will. Their problems are clear, but having friends like Boone and Coy in on this will surely make it easier. Right? Here's hoping!

Thrift Shop Nation, as well as its sequel, The Second Time Around, are here on GA, along with most of my other work. An author search will get you there quickly. I'm all for serendipity!

Things have gotten more interesting. With George and the guys aware of each other now, the possibilities are exciting!

I have Pursuit of The Pankera right here on top of my reading pile. I was originally told it was the first version of what became The Number of the Beast, and that in many ways it was superior, but that Heinlein convinced himself it was not very good, nor what he wanted. He did that more than once in his later writing years. But that Heinlein is an influence for me is a given. I always loved his able and determined young protagonists, and how they could win out in the end. I, uh, borrowed some of that for my own stories. I have been trying to get to the third Road story for quite some time. I have a long fantasy tale that needs completing, and a couple of sci-fi tales...and, well, a few short stories...no a bunch of short stories...in my unfinished folder, to do first. I could use Keerby to rearrange time for me about now! Thanks for the encouragement!

Ah, Coy. Matchmaking is a dangerous business. But I am willing to wait to see if his insight and Boone's loyal love win the day. Mitch deserves all the happiness he has helped Boone and Coy achieve. I'm on Coy's side on this one! Another wonderful chapter!

I read Tunnel in the Sky as a kid (and several times again thereafter), along with all of Heinlein's books. That was one of my favorites (Have Space Suit - Will Travel, The Star Beast, and Citizen of the Galaxy also come to mind!). But his musings on energy sources were of those times, before the science of our times had given us some insight into sources of power so much greater that than of uranium fission (matter/antimatter, zero-point, black hole event horizon tapping, and large-scale fusion come to mind). So while I love these books as classics, the science is somewhat dated. Also, the alignment problems he mentions suggests a linear mindset, where one gate needs to be 'aimed' at another somehow. Sort of like aiming an antenna in a certain direction to hit a receiver. Across a distance of light years, with both the source location and the destination location moving at different speeds and in multiple different directions, such a feat of alignment would be considerable. This was before quantum entanglement was suggested, and the coordinate theory of space/time that suggests that the universe bears some unique information that designates where every part of it exists in space-time relative to every other. The idea that a star gate such as the Armenti version simply grants access between two separate locations without needing to cross the physical space between is much more appealing to my mind than a device that somehow crosses the space between two locations by even extra-dimensionally creating a real time link, but one requiring complex alignment and power maintenance. So I will continue with the Armenti version for now. As for the clouds traversing the door system, it's going to come down to what they're composed of, as well as their motivations and goals. All are as yet still in the realm of unwrought things. Guess I'll get to those ideas when I get to that story! I have seen a need to return to the spaceport moon at some point, too. Um, I think I left the bathtub there running!

Hmm. This one can be taken a number of ways. But as a commentary on the state of our belief system today, with its many splinters, chasms, and rifts, and its seeming complete turn away from its roots, it's quite stirring. How much of what was been written in the past with powerful and good intentions has been weaponized today and used to batter those who do not fit into some splinter's narrow and self-interpreted views? What saint could observe where things have gone - and where they are still going - with any sort of warmth? Thanks for another great read.

This has to have more! I've read enough of your stories to know that! So I'll be patient and wait. Grumble, sulk, hiss.

These are all very appealing. I like the mix of sailing ships and 18-wheelers. And the little red newt in his life vest, scurrying across the macadam sea. You paint well with words. And the results are alluring!

Things are moving along nicely. Pleased the Sheriff seems better, and that we have some hope there. The thing with Will Merrick is also intriguing. Can't wait to see what happens with that. Boone and Coy are happy and prosperous, and things look good for their future. Just very pleased to be back with this comfortable duo.

Thanks, buddy. I've been moody lately. This was one result. Much better than a headache!

Already many interesting things going on. Sad to hear about Mitch's health issues. The state of medicine in those days does not reassure me. So we'll hope for the best and see what happens. I found Mitch's reaction to finding Will Merrick there in Larkspur intriguing. I already have my suspicions... If it's Mitch's time to go, there is no better place to be than among friends of his own nature. 🙂

Rings nicely in the ear. And the meaning of these two ring just as loudly, and clearly.

It was pretty much a typical neighborhood, yes. They can either feel very safe, or not so safe. Unfortunately, it isn't the trees, or the houses, but the people that make the difference.

Leafy, idyllic existence? I get that. At least his home life was fairly safe, if unrewarding. The new fear that came upon him out of the blue only served to heighten the fear he was already carrying. But had his home life also been fearful instead of merely neutral, it's hard to say where he would have gone.

Okay. I fully agree that people do insert themselves into many a dangerous situation, either knowingly or unknowingly. I am far from an expert on the subject, so I can't argue that point with any merit. I just feel there is a difference between knowingly placing yourself in danger, and finding yourself unexpectedly in danger. There are plenty of situations that some people will not knowingly enter if they had understood the danger it presented in the first place. And, other people seem totally unafraid of danger, in that they don't feel it 'can happen to them'. And, some people are just oblivious, or even stupid. But, me, personally, I do not look to deliberately place myself at risk of injury or death. That does not mean I wouldn't skydive or ski or do any of those types of things that can theoretically be dangerous. Just driving our cars each day is theoretically endangering our lives. I just mean I would not enter a cage with a full-grown lion, I would not swim in the ocean where sharks had been spotted, and I would not climb a skyscraper freehand just to see if I could do it. The risks outweigh the gains. I am not looking to be scared for the thrill of it. But also, to me, riding a roller coaster is fun, not frightening. I get the adrenaline rush without being afraid I am about to die! I wish you had said more about what you mean. I know I am interested!