Artic Roots - Stories

Greg Fowler is a driven young man. From winning the WV State Wrestling Championship to being the President of the Student Council as a junior, Greg is a born leader. His life is about to take a turn he never could have expected. It all begins when he, quite literally, runs into Scott Warnick.

Derek Arriens had always been the kind of boy to help others, so ending up with a career as an EMT after high school wasn’t a surprise to him or anybody who knew him. Derek volunteered for the rescue squad as soon as he got his license at 16 1/2. Three years later something happened that made him wonder if he should consider a change of career.

Companies were always out to make a profit. They want to sell product, expand their business, and wreck the competition. As technology advanced, so did efficiency. Like most planets in the Galactic Union, Earth's offerings were considered unique and vital for other races.

How would corporate power and greed alter humanity's existence?

A stranger rides into town on his motorcycle and pulls up in front of the local coffee shop. Once inside, he starts up a conversation with one of the locals.

Logan's summer as Recreation Assistant with the Forest Service turns into more than just campground maintenance and public relations.

Being the oldest and growing up in a large family can be hard, especially when you are gay and the family is extremely homophobic. You are constantly being compared to your deceased father. A man whose stature and deeds are always increasing, as time goes by, and are held up as your goals. Anytime you reach those goals, your mother moves the goalpost further away.

You never seem to measure up. You are always being told that you are worthless and will never amount to anything since you cannot measure up to your father. It never mattered that you were a straight "A" student and that you were an athlete.

Rusty Parker has one big-ass problem, unlike any other big-ass problems he has ever had in his life. No, it’s not the impending sense of doom that comes with senior year and the fact that he has no idea what to do after or that he’s running out of kink ideas. No, it’s a very peculiar issue.

(Full summary inside.)

Charlie and the gang return to the realm of the dead to deal with the malicious spirit Lane Tallfield, first encountered in the Halloween tale, I Think This Place is Haunted, Charlie Boone! Their own Christmas spirit has been placed on hold in the hopes that they can corral the ex-lawman and keep him from causing even more trouble for their alien friends. It's not something Charlie would rather be dealing with at Christmas time, but he knows that putting off the next confrontation might be dangerous in more ways than one!

This tale is a follow-up to I Think This Place is Haunted, Charlie Boone! You really should read that one first!

Jed is a man of interesting talents used to life on the northern coast of California. Things are fairly sedate until a spate of murders begins to occur, bringing an interesting stranger to town.

A runaway orphan boy loses himself in a primeval American forest and, on the brink of death, is saved by the animals living there. As he recovers he finds that the animals have saved him for a reason, a reason that makes his life worth living. It seems like a fable that might have taken place in Africa, or India, a hundred years ago, but although this boy was not raised by apes or wolves, his story in contemporary America is even stranger. Be warned, however, that although this tale has many joyous moments, there is sorrow here as well, sorrow for the boy, and for the many who came to love him.