Rigby Taylor

Ah!! Exactly the reaction I was hoping for from you Okiegrad. .

My sentiments precisely. Canada [and New Zealand) always seem so much more liberal than this benighted land. Perhaps the cold is worth it.

I share your feelings, Wesley.

On Saturday morning Zoltan and Mort had the run of the house while his mother was at the shop. It was a low, ranch-style place with a shallow front garden jammed full of native shrubs that concealed the house from the road. The rear garden was the same only larger—a quarter acre of trees and shrubs crisscrossed by meandering sandy paths. A patio beside the house held a small, free-form saltwater pool in which the boys swam and splashed until it was time to make lunch in an ultra modern kitchen.

No idea - it's the name of a Hungarian friend I used to stay with years ago.

Indeed - let's hope it lasts! His track record doesn't augur too well.

Okiegrad, that's a wonderful comment - thanks. I worry sometimes that people like you might be offended by some of the things my characters say and do, so your tolerance and acceptance of alternative opinions and ideas is a great relief to me. I have no problem with genuine religious/spiritual feelings, such as those Mort mentions in the next chapter where he is accused of animism. My problem is only with Organised Religions whose dogmatic beliefs and edicts have not always been in humanity's best interests. I hope you will continue to enjoy my stories and forgive my characters for their shortcomings. R

Video footage placed Mort well away from Miss Takyn when she snagged her high heel in the brown cloth and tripped. His interviewers were undivided on the question of nudity, and equally united in condemnation of Mort’s blithe assertion that according to what he’d learned at the school, she was lucky because now she was with her god in heaven and didn’t have to wait like everyone else till she was old and ugly. Marshall’s presence at both interviews tempered discussions and ensured Mort was not b

Wesley - I value your comments - they cause me to think about what I write. In this instance, do you seriously think Mort is dangerous? That he is somehow the cause of the deaths? Sort of like when I arrive at traffic lights they more often than not seem to be red - my conclusion is that I cause them to change to red. Or the old argument about the existence of god - before rational scientific thinking. People who didn't understand anything said that proved there was a god because such a thing could not have arrived by accident. [Actually, there are still millions, if not billions of people who still think like that. They're the ones who tell us suicide is evil because only god has the right to let someone die - while sending bombs and missiles to murder those who annoy them.]

Mmmm.... Thanks for your comment - I do appreciate them. As far as I'm aware, Mort hasn't caused any of the deaths, and everyone who died did so as a consequence of their own actions. I can't imagine Marshall being so foolish.

With the firm emotional and intellectual support of Marshall, it was not a lottery. Australia is becoming increasingly ruled by religious, anti-scientific loonies, so it is essential that their dangerous madness is exposed to intelligent young people so they can react accordingly, and not consider these people to be an amusing, harmless idiots that can be cured. You forgot Miss Marple. One of my intentions in writing Mortaumal was to think about types of deaths and our reactions to them. Are we our 'Brother's Keeper'? Or do we allow them to suffer the consequences of their actions? When is it ok to assist someone to die? Is wanting to die always a sign of mental incapacity? Why is it a crime to assist someone, in full possession of his wits, to end an intolerable life? Whose life is it anyway? There's an awful lot of emotional baggage associated with dying. Miss Taken was stupid. Clive was a murderous little bastard, Leon was one of the bravest characters I've written, Shrude was a wise old man who took possession of his own life and death - refusing to let strangers take over his identity. Thanks so much for thinking about the story as well as just reading it. It makes writing worth the effort.

Thanks for the comment - one correction, Australia, the US's greatest sycophant, is not watching in horror, we are applauding and restating our absolute, uncritical and unthinking devotion. Last night on TV News our diminutive minister for Foreign Affairs stated, regarding trade and other wars with China and Russia, that Australia would support America in whatever they decided to do! Chilling.

An anonymous phone call had alerted police to the whereabouts of Leo’s car. A handwritten note pinned to Leo’s shirt that explained in detail his reasons for his act was handed by the police to the coroner, and a copy found its way to national newspapers, whose editors all chose to ignore the reasons behind Leo’s act of bravery and compassion, preferring headlines about a murder-suicide. Speculative editorial and opinion columns all damned the man and commiserated with the innocent young boy

There's something to laugh about next chapter. Don't you think a clever lawyer is only useful if he is also honest, decent, kind, empathetic and dependable. Fortunately, Marshall is such a person.

I intend to leave Amy to either redeem herself with the new man, or suffer the consequences. I really don;t care - she's an unlovely person. Thanks for enjoying the story. But why are you shocked? You know the consequences for assisting a suicide in this country... being an honourable, decent, loving father, Leo had no choice.

I don't think Mort is a vengeful person - remember he asked how it would make him feel better by ruining Mrs Kind's life. I reckon he realises that people set themselves up for downfall through their behaviour, and he's happy to leave them to it - as he did with the fat kid at the beach. Yes, it is sad for those left behind, but good for Fystie, and to a lesser extent, Leo. For them we must be happy.

You're right, Wesley, faced with such absurdity there's nothing left to say or do - except cry.

Your tears do you credit.

According to the Jesuits, a child's character, belief, ways of thinking and behaving are fixed by the age of five - or thereabouts. After that, changes are mainly cosmetic. They aren't born evil, but their first experiences are imprinted as indelibly as that of a gosling that will follow and trust the first moving thing they see - usually their mother - humans if they are rearing them. Clive was well beyond genuine redemption, I reckon.

Yes. That would be an excellent scenario - unfortunately, life is seldom so neat.

An hour later, Mort was still wide awake, beginning to sweat. The idea that something bad was about to happen kept rolling round in his head. He got up to walk around and noticed the light was on in Leo’s room. He poked his head around the door. Leo had thrown the bedclothes back and was lying on top, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. ‘Can I come in? I can’t sleep.’ ‘Leo patted the bed beside him. ‘Thinking too much?’ Mort snuggled up against his protector and draped his

I saw Geraldine McEwan - a very prissy but endearing portrait of Miss Brodie. I'm a fan of Maggie smith, would like to have seen the way she did it. Similar to her depiction of the maiden aunt in the Ivory-Merchant production of "Room with a View", I imagine.

I aim to please.

This is very interesting, and also very wise. Your child has been very fortunate.

Mort backed out of the office in horror. Todd had been right. They’d not forgiven him for criticising them. He shook his head in disbelief. Todd was away with a group of students, but Mort wouldn’t have gone to him anyway because they wanted to keep their friendship secret—wisely it seemed. It was now impossible for him to remain at the school. If only Fystie was there to talk to! As he had no idea where Leo might be he walked eleven kilometres into town to Mr. Trimm’s office. Heat-stressed and