Category Archives: Fiction

What Mattered Most (Beginning)

Posted on November 27, 2012 by sputterpub

You. I know you meant what mattered most in some little vignette. You wanted me to tell you a story and then sum it up. A fable would have done nicely. But I went cosmic on you, and I give … Continue reading →

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Bath vs Shower

Posted on November 20, 2012 by sputterpub

The grandmas weren’t engaged in any sort of sales campaign. They never had a goal to convince outsiders to adopt their values. Most didn’t give a fig how others cleaned themselves. But every community contains firebrands and opinion-holders. The pro-bath … Continue reading →

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Alchemy (Part 4 of 4)

Posted on November 15, 2012 by sputterpub

They didn’t argue at lunch yesterday. Karen never got around to disagreeing with anything, and Alice restrained herself. In the 15 months since they’d seen one another Karen had acquired diagnoses of hypertension and diabetes, and Alice attempted to be … Continue reading →

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Alchemy (Part 3 of 4)

Posted on November 14, 2012 by sputterpub

Alice long ago chose to be self-determined instead of what her parents seemed to see. She decided that she knew at least as much about what was good for her as anyone else, and she was going to choose how … Continue reading →

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Maeta’s Fable: Learning to Lie

Posted on November 13, 2012 by sputterpub

When Goofus and Gallant were seven years old, they were both pretty good with their yo-yos. Each could walk the dog, and Gallant had already mastered half a dozen other tricks. Goofus wasn’t as successful with the fancy stuff, but … Continue reading →

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Alchemy (Part 2 of 4)

Posted on November 8, 2012 by sputterpub

Karen had lost a little weight and a little hair in the year and a quarter but otherwise the women appeared unchanged. They’re both about five foot six, but Karen has smaller bones (size 7 shoe compared to Alice’s 11) … Continue reading →

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Alchemy (Part 1 of 4)

Posted on November 7, 2012 by sputterpub

For a girl, Alice was good at science and math. That’s what all her teachers said. But most teachers are morons, and the late 1950s and early 60s were unenlightened years, when pop culture was mired in post-war romance. The … Continue reading →

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Maeta’s Fable: Changes

Posted on November 6, 2012 by sputterpub

It was no surprise how parallel their lives seemed. Goofus and Gallant were the same age, lived in the same neighborhood, and experienced comparison whatever they did. So there came a time in their lives, as they edged into their … Continue reading →

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Blake & Ollie (End)

Posted on November 1, 2012 by sputterpub

If Ollie was interested before that lunch, she was smitten after. They parted at 1 p.m. with a pair of reciprocal smiles and flirtatious looks, but neither suggested anything then. Blake was gratified and not completely surprised when Olivia stopped … Continue reading →

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Blake & Ollie (Middle)

Posted on October 31, 2012 by sputterpub

Olivia found herself thinking about Blake on and off all day. She felt too shy to see him that evening. She walked the long way around to her train station and then fantasized about him that night. Not so much … Continue reading →

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