Sixteen Stories

By Myron Weiner

A collection of short stories for both child and adult audiences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Aug 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781684706136

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WEINER

Copyright © 2019 Myron Weiner.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

ISBN: 978-1-6847-0614-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6847-0613-6 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 06/19/2019

Dedication

This little book of stories is dedicated to my muse, Jeanette Harmon Weiner.

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Introduction

The stories comprising this little book were written beginning in late 2014, a year after my retirement from professional life. The Alfred story was inspired by a real earthworm I found crawling across the floor of my consulting room many years ago.

The imaginary Alfred appeared first in a local professional newsletter as a voice for the observations and opinions of me, the newsletter editor. The original Alfred was an irritable little fellow, frequently expressing indignation over various professional issues and occasionally offering suggestions for their resolution. Alfred bid farewell to his audience in 1984, hibernated for the next 30 years, and then re-emerged with a very different attitude and in a completely different context; a story for granddaughters Hannah and Samantha Harmon, who were twelve and nine years old at the time. Alfred was far less opinionated, less irritable and surprisingly, had become able to engage in a give-and-take empathic relationship with the two girls.

In When Hannah Had Wings, I imagined how a 12-year-old’s wish to become special might come true. The central image in my mind was of Hannah flying, with sister Samantha clinging to her. I can still experience in my imagination the rush of air under Hannah’s wings, can still see the Red River as a distant silver thread…and the silvery feather Hannah found on her pillow when she awakened from her dream.

Samantha’s Elves was my response to Samantha’s belief in Christmas elves (called Shelf Elves by their human creators) and the highly commercialized mystique that had been created about them. We learn that Samantha is a worrier, and has a strong need to understand herself and her world; Santa is introduced as a caring angel wanting to give more than toys to children.

In The Grouchy Angel, Angel-in-Training Herbert is finally awarded Angel status despite his personal shortcomings, aided by the gravely ill girl to whom he had been assigned as a helper.

The Girl Who Asked Why? continues dealing with Samantha’s need to understand and follows her through early adulthood.

I created Grandma meets Quanah Parker to embody the attributes of Hannah and Samantha’s grandmother in a credible historical context. I chose the destruction and eventual rebirth of the Indian tribes of the Southwest; a story that was partially inspired by my contacts with members of the Choctaw and Cherokee Nations. This story concerns the impact of Grandma’s empathy on the development of Quanah Parker, a half-breed Comanche Indian boy who eventually became a leader of his tribe and saved it from annihilation.

Blow Up is a story for adults that developed in the context of our nation’s wars and their consequences. It deals with the issues of the afterlife and the mortality/immortality of the soul.

Double Space was initiated by recollections of a real grandfather that I solicited from a good friend. He was nothing like the character I created but I captured the essence of Atlantic City, New Jersey where I lived as a teenager.

Aura and Angel Herbert Returns deal with life and death issues, on my mind a great deal at 84, bearing many scars of aging. Aura concerns the transmission of goodness from generation to generation. It is the story that affects me the most. I still cry when I read the last few pages. It is what I wish for me.

Three more stories, The Wave, Saved by an Angel, and Reunion are based in Atlantic City. I don’t know why I picked this location. I just know the place and some of its people.

Where’s Mike is owed to 25 years of working with persons with Alzheimer’s disease and their families; it is a mother’s decline as seen by her daughter. The final story, Mr. X, deals with the vicissitudes of love, raising more questions than it answers.

There was no overall plan for this body of work. Once started, usually from a visual impression, the stories wrote themselves (although there were lots of rewrites). The theme of some of these stories seems, in retrospect, to be that of helpers being helped, such as Alfred being rescued by Hannah and Samantha and the worm’s later rescue of the girls and their family. Several stories end with separation of the principal characters, as in Alfred the earthworm and the two Herbert stories. The names of real people are used in several stories to help me to better imagine the characters, but their activities are largely fictional. I was surprised at my numerous allusions to the Old and New Testament and the appearance of angels in the stories. I attributed the Golden Rule to Jesus despite its earlier origin. God appears directly in Blowup, having a temper and a conscience, but not sufficient knowledge or power to interfere with the material and spiritual world he/she created.

God needs our help!

Myron F. Weiner

Dallas, Texas

April, 2019

Alfred

Chapter 1

Hannah and Samantha make a New Friend

It was a frosty fall Saturday morning in Plano, Texas. The sky was…well…sky blue. The neighborhood mulberry trees had already shed their leaves, and had that empty, wintery look. The maple tree leaves had turned bright red. The grass had browned and withered in the summer heat, and now was dull grey. Hannah and Samantha chattered over their breakfast bowls of milk and crunchy cereal. They popped their spoons and empty bowls into the dish washer without Mom having to remind them. Then, they were ready for the day’s adventures. They thought about watching cartoons or combing out their dolls’ hair. But looking out through the living room window at the carpet of red, yellow and brown leaves on the lawn, they decided to go out. They ran upstairs, brushed their teeth (maybe not quite long enough), got dressed (maybe not quite warmly enough) and came tramping down the stairs. Max, their dog, eyed them sleepily and decided that he would rather stay in his bed a few more minutes. Mom and Dad groaned in their bed at the girls’ noise. Like Max, they decided to stay warm a little longer.

The front door opened, slammed, and out went the girls. The leaves crunched as the girls stomped them like soldiers marching. Then they thought what fun it would be to jump on a pile of leaves. They dashed though the house to look for the rake in the garage, slamming the front door on the way in and out, and began raking the leaves into a pile. They decided that Samantha would go first, and off she flew, laughing and landing with a crunch. Then it was Hannah’s turn. She got a running start and hit the pile of leaves with a swish and a crackling sound.

Ow! piped a shrill voice.

"Did you get hurt?’ asked Samantha.

No replied Hannah.

Then who said Ow?"

The shrill voice exclaimed, I did!

The girls looked around. Where are you? they asked.

Here, replied the voice.

Hannah whispered, I think it’s coming from the pile of leaves!

A little scared, the girls asked, "Who are you?"

The voice replied, "Technically I am a specimen of lumbricus terrestris.

"Lumbricus who???"

Never mind, said the voice. I see you don’t speak Latin. I am a common, but distinctly not average earthworm. My friends call me Alfred.

But where are you?

Here, he piped, raising a red and brown leaf with his front end.

Eek, said the girls. A worm! Uggh!

He was reddish brown, and looked like a skinny cigar.

What are you doing here?

I was trying to stay warm until you knocked off my leaf and then almost crushed me.

We didn’t mean to, replied Hannah.

I know you didn’t, but after this, watch what you’re doing out here. Somebody could get hurt.

Then Hannah and Samantha noted that Alfred was quivering.

What’s wrong? they asked.

I’m shivering. I’m cold. I need to get under the soil to get warm, but I’m afraid the ground is already too cold and I’m going to wind up freezing to death.

Is there anything we can do?

Yes, help me find a place with warm soil.

Hannah and Samantha looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders.

We don’t know any place like that.

Sorry, said the worm. You both seem kind, and I know you would help if you could."

Hannah, who didn’t like the idea of any creature suffering, thought about it for a minute and whispered to Samantha, I’ve got an idea.

What?

You know the big plant in the living room? It’s in soil, isn’t it?"

Sure, replied Samantha. I used to dig in it!

Well, how about that?

Great idea, but how would we get him there? I’ve never touched a worm and he looks icky

Hannah turned to Alfred and said, We want to help you but we’re scared to touch you. You’re all icky.

It’s true. I am. The icky stuff helps me burrow and keeps my skin from drying out when I’m in the open air.

Samantha exclaimed, I know how we can do it without touching him! Alfred, can you crawl onto this leaf? pointing to a curled mulberry leaf.

Absolutely, said Alfred, and slithered onto the leaf while the girls looked on with amazement."

I never knew a worm could go so fast!

You never saw a worm trying to get out of the cold! exclaimed Alfred.

Hannah cupped the leaf in her hand and the girls entered the house, this time quietly. Max eyed them suspiciously, knowing they were up to something, and started to growl. He was a big black and brown dog, and could be scary if upset.

Shh, Max! said Hannah as she and Samantha tiptoed to the palm tree in the living room and dropped Alfred in.

Thanks, girls, said Alfred, as he burrowed into the warm, loose soil. You’ve saved my life. Maybe one day I can do something for you.

Chapter 2

The Secret

The girls had little time to think of him after popping Alfred into the flowerpot. At lunch, they kept looking at each other and grinning. And they were unusually quiet. What was really strange to Mom was that for a change, they weren’t teasing and provoking each other.

She asked, Is there anything wrong? Anything I should know about?

They shook their heads and looked down at the table so that Mom couldn’t see their faces.

Well, then, eat your lunch so that you can get ready for your games this afternoon.

But it was macaroni and cheese. The noodles looked like…worms…

So they stirred the noodles with their forks and pretended to eat while shoving them around their plates.

We’re not hungry, Mom. Can we get into our uniforms now?

Ten minutes ago you girls were hungry. And after I make lunch you decide you’re not hungry! OK, then. No chocolate this afternoon. Go change.

The girls clumped up the stairs to their room, slammed the door (as usual) and began talking excitedly as they changed into their uniforms.

Samantha asked, Should we tell Mom?

Of course, not! Do you think she’d let us keep a worm in the house?

Well then, it will be our secret. Let’s hurry and get dressed.

That afternoon and evening were so busy that the girls didn’t have time to think about Alfred, and by the time they got to bed, he was almost completely forgotten. Each girl slept soundly and dreamed in Technicolor that night. Hannah had her favorite dream. She was riding a big red horse so fast that nobody could catch her. Samantha dreamed about watching TV in Grandma’s living room, cuddled up against her favorite bear and eating Hershey’s kisses.

The Sunday morning sun awakened Samantha first. She tiptoed to Hannah’s room and pulled at her sister’s pajama sleeve. Hannah just turned over and tried to go back to sleep. When Samantha said Alfred, Hannah sat up straight in bed. Omigosh! she exclaimed.

Hannah and Samantha couldn’t believe what they had done. They had an earthworm actually living in their house. In the living room! They began talking excitedly. What if Mom and Dad ever found out? What do earthworms eat? Do they need water? We’ll ask Alfred as soon as we can."

From downstairs came Dad’s voice. All right, you two. Let’s get everything together for your volleyball games this afternoon. After that, we’re going to a movie and we’ll be going out to dinner tonight.

When they came downstairs, they had very little to say. Dad said, You don’t seem to be very happy about the schedule for today.

We’re just tired Dad, replied Hannah. We had tests in school this week and a lot of homework."

Well said Dad with a grin, We’ll just get you off to bed early tonight. Time to get dressed, girls! This time, they went upstairs quietly, hands over their mouths. Despite their excitement, the girls managed to slip into their uniforms quickly, and they were off to play volleyball. The games went well for the girls. Hannah served well and made three points for her team. Samantha, despite being the smallest player on her team, did a good job of returning serves. Then it was off to the movies. They decided to bring in sandwiches from Chick Filet instead of going out to eat. After their busy day, both girls fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.

Everything was quiet until Sunday morning. There was a lot to get ready for; sports in the morning and a movie in the afternoon. The girls had eaten breakfast by themselves. Max was sleeping in the laundry room. Mom and Dad were dressing in their bedroom. The girls tiptoed across the living room.

I don’t see him, said Samantha.

Neither do I, replied Hannah, but I hear something."

Both girls listened and then watched Alfred push aside a bit of mulch and peer at them.

Good morning, girls! He piped cheerily.

Shh, they replied, We don’t want anyone to hear us.

Sorry, he said, lowering his squeaky voice as much as he could.

Are you hungry? asked Samantha.

I guess so, said the worm. "I was too busy trying to get warm to