In the southern hemisphere, there is a legend of a daredevil penguin who would perform great feats of daring. Some people claim to have seen him in action. Others say he stole their equipment. But none of them know the truth. First, those that claimed the penguin was a “he” never did a blood test, so the penguin’s sex remained unknown. Second, most of the feats of the Great Penguini are not the actions of a single penguin, but the actions of several penguins who learned from an early teacher and built on his/her legacy. This is the first feat accomplished by the Great Penguini.
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Rory’s Story Cubes: The Mystery of the Unmapped Mark
For Russian New Year’s Eve, I got a gift card to a local game store. I went in and found a couple of games to try. I picked up Rory’s Story Cubes (affiliate link) because they reminded me of a game I invented in Malta inspired by “The Decision Hedgehog.” You get nine dice with pictures on them. Roll the dice and tell the story. Story Cubes offers three different game plays officially, though you can probably make up your own versions. They have different styles of cubes, so if you like genre play, you can stick to your favorite. Or you can mix, match and combine them. Here’s the story I came up with on my first roll of the dice:
Continue readingCinnamon Penguin and the Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Penguin waddled into the kitchen and jumped onto a chair. Cinnamon then jumped onto the table. The penguin looked at the stuff on the table; it was the first time Cinnamon had visited another part of the house.
Jenya was at the counter. She saw Cinnamon and knew what was coming, but she didn’t want to rush the penguin. She sifted some flour onto the countertop.
Cinnamon waddled around in a circle. “What’s that?” The penguin pointed at the object on the table.
Jenya put down some dough and kneaded it. She looked up at Cinnamon and said, “That’s a napkin holder. It’s holding napkins.”
“Why?” asked Cinnamon.
Jenya continued kneading the dough while she talked. “Sometimes, our hands or faces get dirty, and we use napkins to clean them.”
Cinnamon nodded. His beak moved up and down with the motion. “What are those?” The penguin pointed at a couple of ceramic pieces with holes in the top.
Jenya rolled out the dough. “Those are salt and pepper shakers.”
“What do they do?” asked Cinnamon.
“They help us spice up our food.” Jenya put the roller down.
Cinnamon sniffed at the pepper shaker and sneezed. The penguin ruffled out its feathers trying to shake the pepper away. “I’m not sure I like pepper or salt.”
Jenya laughed and picked up a spice bottle.
“What’s that?” Cinnamon asked.
“This is cinnamon. It’s the spice you were named after.” She shook it onto the flattened dough.
“What’s it for?” Cinnamon asked.
“It’s for making sweet treats to fill your belly.” Jenya smiled. “In just a little bit, we’ll have cinnamon rolls.”
“Will they have fish?” Cinnamon wanted to know.
“Not this time.”
Cinnamon watched as Jenya rolled the dough in on itself and cut it into circles. Jenya put the rolls on a baking sheet and put them in the oven.
Jenya washed her hands and came over to the table.
Cinnamon wrapped his wings around her. “Those smell so good! Thank you!”
You can adopt Cinnamon Penguin and help Cinnamon learn new things! Cinnamon would love to meet you and make a forever home.
A Man Walks into a Pizza Place
The bell above the door rang, and a large man stepped into the take-away pizza place. The man looked like he lived at the gym. His muscles bulging through the leather he wore on his legs. He looked like he could rip his black leather jacket with a simple deep breath. The spiked dog collar around his neck was incongruous considering his short, military haircut.
Continue readingPreorder ‘Tales at an Alaskan Cabin’
“Tales at an Alaskan Cabin: 16 short stories to pass the time” is set up and ready for pre-order in eBook format. Simply, head over to Amazon.com and place your order today.
Tribute to the Decameron
I wrote this in the style of the “Decameron“, one of the oldest pieces of European literature. Completed in the 1353 by Boccaccio, the “Decameron” predates Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” (1400) by about 50 years. The “Decameron” focuses on ten wealthy, young people who flee the plague, and the scandalous and dangerous behavior of those in a town that has no law or moral decorum due to all the death, by going to their estates outside of town. At those places of rest, each person is charged with telling a story on a theme, with the exception of one young man who claims the right to tell the last story of the day to help improve upon any of the earlier stories or the mood as he sees fit.
At the Cabin
In this story, four men rent a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness during the winter. They decide that they will pass the time by telling each other stories. There are science fiction stories, myths, stories from other cultures and history, and personal tales from their lives. Some of the tales are related to Alaska; most are straight fiction. If you like reading short stories, this one should keep you entertained for a few hours.
How to Pre-order
The only way to pre-order is to go to Amazon.com and get the eBook. If you want a hard copy, it will be released on or about Feb. 11, but you won’t be able to read it right away as it will need to be shipped. The eBook for “Tales at an Alaskan Cabin” will be available immediately when Feb. 11 arrives. Read it first and find out what stories men tell in the cabin. (You can find a preview of the first part of the book here.)
Stories from an Alaskan Cabin: Chapter Thirteen
John got up absurdly early and started puttering around the cabin by the light of his battery-powered lantern. The sun wouldn’t be up for a while. Darkness covered the cabin like a threadbare blanket.
John stoked the fire, and threw some paper into the wood stove. He added some kindling and then threw a larger log on the top of the pile. Soon, the fire was warming up the cabin. He went to the sink area and grabbed the coffee pot. He put coffee grounds in first and then added water. He put that in top of the stove.
Continue readingStories from an Alaskan Cabin: Chapter Twelve
“Ordinarily, I would’ve told you a story about the Northern Lights or why there are no penguins in Alaska, but I guess I will save those for later,” Gerald began. “The idea that common sense isn’t so common was something that my grandfather said on several occasions. He didn’t really think that schooling was a necessity, but he encouraged his grandchildren to go to college. He just warned them about the dangers of getting too educated. He thought too much education sabotaged common sense if you weren’t aware of what was happening. I want to tell you about the time that led to my grandfather and me gaining respect for each other and learning to love each other’s differences and what we had to bring to the table in our interactions.”
Continue readingMy Granddad’s Trial
Everyone was in the hall, and I mean, everyone. It made sense for them to all be there. Most of the people were writers, painters, musicians, and teachers. Those who weren’t volunteered to do jobs they enjoyed for the society they lived in. Most of the mundane jobs were handle by automatons. People got to choose whatever they wanted to do. From childhood, everyone was exposed to every possibility, and they gravitated toward what they liked best. A kid in the city could grow up to be a farmer if that is what he or she wanted. It didn’t take a parent to show the way anymore though many children did follow their parents’ professions.
Continue readingMars in Suburbia
Tim had married a beautiful woman far above his station in almost every way. Sure, Diana was attractive, but she was also intelligent, capable and powerful. Tim was a little mousey, but he was creative and smart. More importantly, he was just a good guy. Tim thought he was marrying a goddess and only found out that it was literally true on their wedding day.
Continue readingMars Planetary Outpost No. 23
Colonization of Mars was doomed to failure the first few times. There just wasn’t enough knowledge about living on a planet that wasn’t Earth and too much belief in the ability of scientists without the aid of creatives to survive. Smaller groups didn’t fare well because of interpersonal dynamics that were either ignored or cropped up after a year living alone together. When two people out of six start bickering and sides are drawn in a place with limited oxygen, there just isn’t any good way to go outside and take a breather.
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Penguinate! Positive Creativity 