Stories

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.

Boccaccio's Decameron, a story of renewal and recreation in defiance of a decimating pandemic, relates how ten self-isolated Italians pass the time regaling each other with tall tales during the Black Plague. While Covid19 wasn't nearly as decimating, the opportunity for such entertainment did exist. As a takeoff on that idea, this short story might well be a modern version of one of the tales, recounting events of earlier, less stressful times.

One summer at their house in the South of France is much like all those previous summers. Except this year is different. Milo turns sixteen, and when his father employs Estevo, to fix things up, attractions and revelations mix with family problems, and a long held secret.

Milo will no longer be able to retreat and hide in the imagined worlds of literature. He will be tested and played with by his cousins and this new arrival. Exactly what is going on between these two families risks erupting into a thunderous climax and a deluge of emotions as heavy as any summer storm!

Through his own initiative, Benji discovers the meaning of Christmas.

The family farm is for sale. It holds many memories. Connor doesn't want to lose it, but can it be saved?

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

Life had been going fairly normal for 16 yo Mitchell Benning, until the annual spring community fair, during the 3rd term school holidays. One sentence from his so called best friend ended all of that in one fair swoop. A day after the fair, Mitchell packed up most of his belongings, and he was sent to his mother's spinster sister to live, and with hard times on the farm, he would not be returning to boarding school for the final school term of the year. Many years later, Mitchell will return to his home town, and a firestorm of a different kind will strike the town, not just the one with him returning to face the community.

On a hike up the creek to a waterfall, Benji finds an unusual treasure.

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.

Lee has had a hard life. And it gets even harder when he has a run in with the law. In an effort to keep the young man out of jail, he's sent to the campground, where he struggles to adapt.

Will he succeed, or is Lee too Broken to save?