Even the Puppies

[This is an entry which was first posted a couple of years ago on another blog. I've never yet posted it here.]
Philip and Bartholomew walked quickly because they thought they were late. Their hosts sent with them a jug of wine and a large basket of figs. Philip, whose load was lighter, put distance between [...]

Holy Saturday

My Dearest Hadassah,
Silence. Nothing but silence.

Warmth of Meaning

“But what does it mean?” he asked.
Raoul and I were sitting in a local truck stop. I was eating the turkey club on honey wheat. He was having only coffee. His hands were wrapped around the mug and never moved from that position, even when he lifted the mug for a sip.
I was not used [...]

Sideways Towards Something

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there lived a king who had no time. At least, that is what the people said. 
“He’s too busy.” That’s the substance of what they said. “Between meetings and jottings and joggings, he’s too busy to advance the cause of his kingdom.”
 They organized a committee to approach [...]

Burgers with the Giant

I was standing in the lunch line at the cafeteria in the building where I work. Behind me stood a giant of a man, three heads taller, who cleared his throat–or maybe he grunted–to get my attention.
“Is this place any good?” he asked. He leaned towards me and almost whispered the question. His beard was [...]

Talking Blanketed Cows

I wanted to plan a different route, go a different way. I pulled off the highway into a McDonald's parking lot and plucked the big county map book from its place under the front seat. I knew I-69 east of Flint was rough this time year with potholes the size of large dogs. My plan [...]

A Confederacy of Santas

The following is a partial transcript of a radio program I tuned in while making the two-hour drive home from a meeting. Unfortunately, I lost the signal before I could hear the whole show.
RADIO ANNOUNCER:
Hello and welcome to the Night Light Show, for insomniacs who have very powerful radios. We have an intellectual treat for [...]

Just Wait for the Movie

Read my previous post for background regarding what led to this strange conversation.
"Why Michigan State University?" asked my wife.
We were eating a makeshift dinner of wrap sandwiches, cottage cheese, tortilla chips and strong coffee while discussing the "How was your day?" question.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Why did you have the meteor hit Michigan State?"
I [...]

Writing Away My Frustrations

I got a bit frustrated last night while working on my novel.
I mentioned here that the work hasn’t yet taken on any energy. So, on a whim, I decided to kill off my lead character. He was running for president—no wait a minute, that was in a prior draft—he was driving down the street, when [...]

Just a Character

I guess my name now is Richard Triumph. I say now because my name has not been a constant in my, shall we say, life. It has changed officially twice, unofficially, maybe a dozen times. Most of the attributes of my character remain the same except for my name and my appearance. I am not [...]

Invented Name

I had planned an extremely profound post for today. But, the sun's out, the air's warm and my brain has spring fever. Instead, I'll post my response to an email I received earlier this afternoon.
A reader emailed me in response to an email I had sent in response to a blog comment (are you followin' [...]

Wormwood Whines

My Illustriously Lucky Uncle Screwtape,
My pen is heavy after reading and assimilating the contents of your last letter. It is not so much that my mood is darkened by what you said, but as in how you said it. You speak with much derision about those tempters who have failed without acknowledging that success is [...]

Screwtape’s Second

Here is Mr. V's second installment of Screwtape in the New Millenium: A Kinder Gentler Devil. I've done some editing. Actually, I've split up his second and third letter. Wormwood will be responding to this letter shortly. CSB
If you've missed the first installments:
Screwtape Reaches Out
Wormwood Reaches Back
My Dear Wormwood,
It was so good of you to [...]

Yellow Set

"I sang this song a hundred,
maybe a thousand years ago.
No one ever listens;
I just play and then I go
Off into the sunset like the western heroes do.
Tell me what you're goin' to do."
From Miracles Out of Nowhere
Kansas
Jacob Barley arrived in Yellow Set without his hat. After stopping at the saloon for a shot, he sauntered [...]

Wormwood Reaches Back

My Truly Illustrious Uncle Screwtape,
Believe me when I say how thrilled I was upon the receipt of your letter. Our correspondence has suffered terribly since our row over. . .over. . .over, what really? It is difficult to remember. Oh, how things have changed since your last letter.
You are correct: I was confined to a [...]

Screwtape Reaches Out

This post was written by my good friend, Mr. Kestrel. We've been bouncing emails back and forth for years. This one is worth sharing. I am writing a response to this letter and will post it later this week. Enjoy.
C. S. Bunyan

My Dear Wormwood:
Having not received any reports of your recent endeavors since the loss [...]