Brother Robber

by Helene Christaller

As the story opens, Brother Angelo, a brown-clad monk, is cleaning a very humble mountain hermitage. It’s cold and all he has is some meal to put in the pot for the Christmas Eve meal.

And then a visitor arrives with a sack of bread and a pitcher of wine. The visitor is Brother Francis, an older man Brother Angelo greatly respects. When Brother Francis learns of Brother Angelo’s action that morning, he is disappointed.

Brother Angelo turned away men he considered robbers. Brother Francis offers him a great lesson: All men are our brothers. Go, find them, and share this sack of bread and pitcher of wine. Also, Brother Francis suggests he ask their forgiveness.

Although he is terrified, Brother Angelo set off up the mountain to find the robbers. It’s very cold, it’s starting to snow, and the sun is beginning to go down. Will the robbers harm him if he finds them?

The story comes to a satisfactory conclusion. In case you didn’t already guess it, this is part of the legends of a man later known as Saint Francis of Assisi. It’s a story that, at the end I said, “Yes. That’s one of the fundamentals of the faith and of Christmas.” I recommend it if you too are looking for a good simple short Christmas story

Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.

I’m also linking this post to the Spirit of Christmas Challenge.

And then one day Maureen went to the attic to retrieve her Halloween decorations. Right next to the decorations, she discovered a beautifully wrapped package. The card on the outside says it’s for her from her husband. She’s afraid to open it so she lets it sit on the kitchen counter. Her husband still has that much power over her.

Her grown daughter drops by and urges her mother to open the package. Inside is a GPS for her car. This is a puzzle to Maureen but her daughter helps her put it in the car. program it, and teaches her how to use it.

Although she is suspicious because it came from her husband, Maureen agrees to use it. She asks her sister to meet her for a special day out. She assures her sister she can find the place because she now has a GPS in her car.

Maureen sets off confidently and then her GPS voice suddenly switches to a menacing male voice. It’s not exactly her husband’s voice but it’s talking the same way. It’s obvious the GPS has another place it wants Maureen to go. How can her husband’s control be coming back? He’s dead, but who is this voice in her ears and in her head?

I always enjoy any story Jennifer Weiner tells. (In Her Shoes and Good In Bed) She’s a compelling storyteller and this story was no exception. This one, however, was the first ghost story written by this prolific chick-lit writer. To my knowledge, that is. Please note: I read this story and actually liked it. I don’t like his kind of spooky stuff, but Jennifer Weiner made me love Maureen.

At 40 pages, this is a long short story. It is what Amazon is selling as a Kindle Single. They are short stories by mostly well-known writers, and sell for a dollar or two. This one is HERE for 99 cents. Recalculating was published by Simon and Schuster Ebooks so if you have another e-reader you could also downloaded it here: S & S E-Books.

I’m linking this post to Short Story Monday, sposored by John at Book, Mind, Set.

What I like about Raymond Carver’s stories is the simplicity of the story. In this story, Kindling, Raymond Carver leaves many of the details to the imagination of the reader. He tells the story of Myers who comes to the home of Sol and Bonnie after they advertised a room for rent. All we know about Myers is that he is “between lives;” he’s come from a “drying out facility” and is now sober.

This is the first time Sol and Bonnie have rented out a room in their house. They find Myers to be no trouble at all. In fact, he seems to come out of his room only when Sol and Bonnie are at work. Sol has a hunch that Myers will not hurt them.

It’s the character of Myers that was of interest to me. I wondered if this self-isolation of Myers’ would be healthy for him. Would it tempt him out to visit bars? Myers seems to like the sound of the running water in the river and the sight of the mountain peaks outside his window. All of these traits and one final event kept me reading and kept me pulling for Myers. The question in my mind: Can he move on in his life in a positive way?

You can read this short story online here: Kindling by Raymond Carver Come back and let me know what you think.

Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.

Then she met X, fell in love and eloped. Because they had little money, they moved to Nebraska to homestead. During the second half of her life Georgiana worked long days helping to build the farm and raise her six children. Although after many years her husband bought her a piano, music was not the center of this portion of her life.

One day Clark received a letter that his Aunt Georgana was coming to Boston to settle an inheritance. To help repay his aunt for all the good things she did for him, he decided to take her to a concert of all Wagner music.

It’s been decades since Aunt Georgiana has been to a concert. Her reaction to the music surprises her nephew. I won’t spoil the story for you. It’s a short one and well worth the reading. Commentary with the story tells of the author’s own fascination with Wagner’s music. I imagined Aunt Georgiana’s reaction must have reflected Willa Cather’s reaction.

I think I’ve mentioned in the past how much I enjoy Willa Cather’s writing. She is indeed a gifted writer. I hope you’ll enjoy this one too. You can find the story here: A Wagner Matinee

Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.

Another of Susan Glaspell’s stories was offered this week as The Short Story of the Week from Library of America. This one is The Hossack Murder. There’s a very interesting tie-in between these two pieces of work from Ms. Glaspell. I just learned it and I thought I would share it with you.

Early in Susan Glaspell’s career she was a reporter for the Des Moines Daily News. She wrote a series of newspaper articles about a true crime that occurred on a farm outside of Indianola, Iowa in December 1900. This week’s “short story” is a collection of those newspaper articles.

John Hossack was killed with two blows to the head while he slept in his bed. Their sons and daughters were also in the house. Ms. Glaspell reported on the initial event and then the inquest and subsequent arrest of the victim’s wife. She also covered the trial of Mrs. Hossack in April 1901.

The articles on the events and then the trial were very interesting. At first Ms. Glaspell was very concise in her reporting – just the facts are given. But, as the trial progressed, I saw subtle changes. She never editorialized on the guilt or innocence of Mrs. Hossack, but she gradually reported more sympathetically on her observations of the defendant. By the end of the trial I felt Ms. Gaspell’s doubt about the outcome, although she never gave her opinion outright.

The trial seemed odd and not just from today’s standards. The prosecution established, via several witnesses, that Mrs. Hossack felt she would be better off if her husband were dead. There was no information given as to why she wanted him dead. The motive was never established. In addition, the defense attorneys seem to have presented a very weak case.

All of this leads me back to the short story I mentioned above, A Jury of Her Peers. After the trial Ms. Glaspell went on to write plays and manage a theater company. One of the plays she is most well known for is Trifles. Ms. Glaspell later turned the play into the story, A Jury of Her Peers. It’s been suggested that she wrote the play/story based on her observations and thinking about The Hossack Murder. Having read both, I now tend to agree. I can definitely see the connection.

If you haven’t read either one of these pieces, I’d suggest reading both of them. Together it’s about an hour’s reading.  They are both available online. Here are the two links:

A Jury of Her Peers HERE

The Hossack Murder HERE

Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set. Click the button below.

A Dog’s Tale by Mark Twain

Written December 1903

. . . Then came the winter. One day I was standing a watch in the nursery. That is to say, I was asleep on the bed. The baby was asleep in the crib, which was alongside the bed, on the side next the fireplace. It was the kind of crib that has a lofty tent over it made of gauzy stuff that you can see through. The nurse was out, and we two sleepers were alone. A spark from the wood-fire was shot out, and it lit on the slope of the tent. I suppose a quiet interval followed, then a scream from the baby woke me, and there was that tent flaming up toward the ceiling! . . .

I clicked the link and went over to read what happened next. There’s a bit of story before you get to the paragraph above but, when I saw the first line, I knew this was going to be one of those clever, witty tales that Mr. Twain does so well.

“My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian.

That set the tone for the writing of the story. I don’t normally care for stories narrated by animals, but this one is an exception. It was cleverly written but it also tugged at my heart. Animal lovers who believe animals have feelings will enjoy this one. I also liked the dog’s story about his mother’s use of big words.

You can read the full story here: A Dog’s Tale by Mark Twain

Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.

The game starts when one person says, “I have an idea for a story.”  That person starts the story and stops after a few sentences. The next person tells a bit more of the story and then stops. We all take turns until either we run out of ideas or the story seems to reach a good end or, we erupt in giggles.

I was reminded of this game when I saw a short story on My Two Blessings‘ blog. Robin’s husband had taken a story prompt and built a nice short story with it. Here’s the prompt:

During your weekly housecleaning you find an unfamiliar cell phone in the cushions of your couch–but can’t recall having any recent visitors. It rings.

Doesn’t that just capture your imagination? It did mine. Before I read John’s story, I played the game in my head. I closed my laptop and took my mind down a certain path. Then I looked back at John’s story and loved what I read. His story beat anything I could come up with. John’s story has the feel of the old spy novels, much like The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. Read it and see what you think. (Please leave Robin and John a comment.)  Find the story here:

Assassin’s Remorse

by John McCormack

I can’t wait to try this one on my granddaughters, especially Q, the eleven-year-old. She will create something completely different. Making up stories is a wonderful way to entertain ourselves. I hope it’s a part of your life.

Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.

Now, this very generous gentleman has sent me, and you, his latest effort. Let me tell you a little bit about the story and then you can go read it.

The Flower Seller

by James Ross

The Flower Seller is a look at one day in the life of Helen. Helen is married with three grown children. Her husband sounds wonderful and they seem to have a good marriage. He’s successful and she owns her own flower shop.

It sounds as if Helen has an enviable life. Right? So why is she texting back and forth to Peter? He wants her to meet him tomorrow night wearing silk. She’s tied up inside about the prospect of meeting this man. Is she really interested in meeting this guy and, if so, why? If she doesn’t want to meet him, why does she keep texting him?

I’m not going to tell you more. I want you to read the story for yourself. It’s only three pages – a real short, short story. Come back and tell me and the author what you think.

This story is available right now only on my blog. You can find it here: The Flower Seller.

Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.

*The image at the top is also called The Flower Seller. I found it at the blog of the unnamed artist here: Amused Creations

Foster is the story, told in the first person, of a young Irish girl who is taken to stay indefinitely with her mother’s sister and husband. There is no packing of clothes. She is driven to their home in the country and given over into their care.

Both the aunt and uncle are caring, loving people. They do not speak negatively to the girl but from their actions the reader knows that the child arrived dirty, in rags, and with head lice.

There are no other children in the home but she is taken to sleep in a child’s bedroom that is filled with trains on the wallpaper. She’s dressed in pants and shirts her size from a dresser in the room.

The girl helps her aunt with chores around the house and occasionally outside in the barn. For her uncle she fetches the mail in the box at the end of the long drive. But her uncle makes it fun by asking her to run. He times her and encourages her when she runs faster than the day before.

By observing life at her aunt’s and uncle’s she becomes aware of all that is wrong with her own family. She dreads the day when she will have to go back home.

Teddy Rose predicted I’d like this story. She was right; I did. For anyone who loves children, this story will cause your heart to twist for this little girl. If you’d like to also read Foster, you can find the story here.

Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.

An Afternoon Miracle

by O. Henry

A few months ago I read a short story by O. Henry that I really enjoyed (here). It had an unusual twist at the end. So, I thought I’d try another of his stories.

This one is set in a small border town on the Texas/Mexico border. Four rangers are guarding the bridge on the Texas side. They are expecting the Mexican outlaw, Garcia, to cross the bridge and wreck havoc at a cattlemen’s convention. Their goal is to stop him.

The “hero” of the story is one of the rangers, Bob Buckley. Everyone admires Bob for his extreme bravery. Bob sees himself differently.

Neither his friends nor his enemies had suspected him of aught else than the finest courage. It was purely a physical cowardice, and only by an extreme, grim effort of will had he forced his craven body to do the bravest deeds.

When the rangers hear gunfire in the village, Bob is the one who runs to the rescue. They figure it must be Garcia, but how did he get past them?

The story switches to introduce Senorita Alvarita, the beautiful Queen of the Serpent Tribe. Her eleven-foot asian python, Kuku, has escaped and she sets off to find it. Soon it all comes together when Bob meets both Garcia and Alvarita. He again puts himself in danger by trying to save Alvarita. There’s a nice little surprise involving the python.

This story was a little tricky to read. The language is stilted and a little complicated. Here’s an example:

The four rangers quickened from sprawling, symbolic figures of indolence to alert life, but only one rose to his feet. Three turned their eyes beseechingly but hopelessly upon the fourth, who had gotten nimbly up and was buckling his cartridge-belt around him. The three knew that Lieutenant Bob Buckley, in command, would allow no man of them the privilege of investigating a row when he himself might go.

In spite of the tricky language it was a good story. I liked the character of Bob Buckley. I could see him standing there in his starched shirt looking like Randolph Scott. (Actor from old classic Western movies.) People who love O. Henry’s stories, and/or people who like tales from Texas, will enjoy this one.

An Afternoon Miracle is one of the stories in Heart Of The West. It can also be found online here.

Short Story Monday is sponsored by John at Book Mind Set.