Story-A-Day #238: Rainbow

RAINBOW

There's nothing creepy about it. I like her, a whole lot, and I might even love her, so that doesn't make it creepy.

Sure, I've never actually talked to her, but I've never had the right thing to say. I will one day, but for now - I'm happy just watching. I mean look at her, she's perfect.

She is petite, but strong. She is slender, but oddly voluptuous. Her smile lights up the night and her laugh makes the birds envious of the sweet sound.

I've lived across the street fro her for almost three years now and in that time, while I've never actually encountered it personally, I know she is a small miracle to those she encounters.

I always said that one day I would finally approach her so we could live happily ever after. It looks like today could be the big day.

There is a rainbow creeping down through the post-storm skies, which are rapidly turning blue.

That rainbow, from where I stand, is coming down right on her apartment.

She is clearly the pot of gold I have always longed for. I will approach her soon and we will live happily ever after.

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Story-A-Day #237: Access Point

ACCESS POINT

I've been researching the global disturbances for well over a year now; the birds falling en masse from the skies, the fish washing ashore by the hundreds. A few months ago, I started receiving emails about a mine site up near the arctic circle from an anonymous source.

He claims that these events were related, and more importantly, that the mine site had made a distinctly non-mineral discovery: one that would change the world.

I've been trying to figure out what that might mean, so far to no avail. I've tried to follow up with my source, but his accounts go dead moments after he contacts me.

I was almost ready to give up whence sent me the name of a small town in Alaska and a street address with the cryptic note that "sometimes the best place to hide something is right in plain sight."

I am in that small town now and my group of associates is awaiting their instructions. Barrow is a tiny rustic place, and fortunately free of snow at this time of year.

I stand in the street in front of the shuttered saloon and triple check the address. This forlorn dump is definitely the place I was directed to, but there is no sign of an answer.

The three hours of daily darkness are slowly settling in and I am close to despair - and that's when I see it.

It is so simple, so obvious, and so out of place in a part of the world where underground sewage is impossible.

It's almost too much to hope, but I think the answers to my questions might just be down this out of place shaft in the earth. We'll need to regroup, and gather supplies, but we'll go down into those depths and hopefully find the answers to what is affecting our earth so drastically.

The mysteries will be solved, but first I need a plan.

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Story-A-Day #236: Bear Necessities

BEAR NECESSITIES

It looks a little weathered now, but the message stands true: beware of bears.

It is nice living near the forest, but that proximity to nature brings with it a proximity to all things wild. Raccoons are common visitors, as are deer, and skunks, and birds, and at times even bears.

I've seen them all in this neighborhood, sometimes up close and very personal. The thing is, there are simple tricks to help avoid unwanted encounters.

Not providing enticements is a big one. Even the wildest of creatures will seek out a simple fix for their base needs. Why scavenge for food when you can seek out a buffet that is already prepared?

Of them all, bears are the most likely to seek out a quick fix. That's why you see them at dumps and landfills, they have an inherent laziness that draws them to food.

Edible items in your yard will draw them close as they seek out the bear necessities, a quick easy eat. Berries or dropped bits of barbecue both work the same.

I can hear a snuffling, shuffling in the woods right now. I can feel the shadowy beast returning once more.

The shotgun in my lap is locked and loaded and with any luck I will have my revenge.

I close my eyes, only briefly, and I see the remains of my dog Dug. He was brave, loyal, and caring, and then he was gone - snapped up in the jaws of a scavenging bear and tossed to pieces.

Tonight I will avenge Dug though. I will blast a hole through that vile beast in the name of self defense.

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Story-A-Day #235: Strawberries

STRAWBERRIES

Hey, it's just me. I wanted to let you know I went to the berry farm today.

It's hard work I guess, but the effort is definitely worth it. Think about it, a few hours out in the sun and you end up with a dozen pints of delicious, juicy, fresh picked strawberries.

Have you ever picked or harvested your own food? Trust me, the effort expended in the process makes the fruits of your labour all the more appreciable.

I spent almost three hours out in the basking sun today, but I have six heaping baskets of golf ball sized strawberries as a result.

Tomorrow I'll make jam. That obviously goes without saying, but today I will truly enjoy the spoils of my harvest. I can already taste the strawberry shortcake: the crumbling biscuits, sugary berries, and fresh whipped cream are still a few hours away - but trust me: they are already melting in my mouth.

In the morning, fresh plucked berries on waffles followed by the mildly tedious process of separating the rest of the berries onto cookie sheets for freeze drying.

I remember the first year I went picking, I threw everything into bags and the bags into the freezer. It was a mess, a solid mass of berry. It was also an important lesson in freezing.

As much as I'm looking forward to the strawberry shortcake tonight, I am equally excited for the strawberry salsa I'll be serving with the fajitas. It's going to rock your world.

Anyway, enough rambling. I just wanted to give you a quick call to let you know you are in for a treat tonight.

I'll see you in a few hours. Give me a call when you get this!

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Story-A-Day #234: A Game Of Chicken

A GAME OF CHICKEN

How far is too far in a game of chicken? It's a fine line between daring and dumb, so how can we truly tell before we have gone past the point of no return?

We have filters that dictate right or wrong, ones that help preserve our existence, but it is not like that for everyone.

Not all creatures are graced with the processing capabilities of humankind.

Take the chicken for example, the most able and delicious of the poultry world. A dare to lay an egg for a hen would be a simple task. A dare to wake a farmer at the crack of dawn would be just as simple for a rooster.

When it comes to getting stuffed though, how far is too far?

A can of beer up the keister might be considered so. A plucking of the feathers and down, equally so.

A game if chicken is the greatest gamble of all as it is near impossible to differentiate between what is safe and what is reckless.

It starts with the process itself and sometimes in the midst of the game it is best to tell your opponent to get stuffed.

If you don't, you run the risk of getting cooked. Keep in min though, that a refusal to accept the odds will likely end in a solid roasting regardless.

That is the risk you run in a game of chicken.

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Story-A-Day #233: Stalker

STALKER

I slithered through the grass like a snake, my heart pounding so hard in its ribbed cage that I am afraid it is trying to break free.

My breath comes in fast raspy gusts, each one more labored than the one before. I don' know how long I was running for but my muscles burn, so I know it was long enough, longer than I could endure.

I lost my weapon a while back; the knife would be useless against my pursuer, but it had given me some comfort.

I can hear him drawing closer, his heavy footsteps calm and measured. I worry that he will see the grass swaying around me, that he will spot me here in the grass, but my survival instincts push me onward, inching away from my would-be attacker.

My outstretched hand falls on a length of wood, a solid piece of two-by-four. I wait as he draws nearer, the board clasped firmly in my hand.

When the moment is right, I will spring upward and swing the wood. It might not be enough, but at the moment, it is the only hope I have.

I reposition myself and wait. When he is close enough I will strike, like a snake from the grass.

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Story-A-Day #232: Canada Day

CANADA DAY

What does it mean to live in the true north strong and free? We are a proud country, a patriotic one, but we have no definition.

We are bound to sovereignty, but we do not sip tea through stiff upper lips.

We are a country bound by our diversity and willing to embrace all who join us. Yes we are a land of boundless green forests; endless grassy plains; majestic snow capped mountains; and cool, clear rivers and lakes - but it is our people that make us the country we are.

When we celebrate our country, we celebrate our cultures. We celebrate the open diversity that defines our cultural landscape as much as our natural one.

Ours is a country to respect. It contains aspects of the many lands and people that call it home, but it is also a unique place.

When the fireworks light up the sky, celebrate what makes you part of this great land, but don't forget to also celebrate what makes you different from those around you.

Canada is unique. Our emblems are leaves an animals, they are pertinent totems, not empty symbols. Tonight, celebrate your totems with pride.

Happy Canada Day.

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