QUAINTUPLETS: The Horn of Mr. Horner

     Mr. Horner owned a long, black car, which he loved.  He washed it four times a week, and he polished the hood ornament and the chrome every day.  Twice a month he took it to a mechanic named Harvey, who made sure the engine worked perfectly.      Because there was nothing Mr. Horner likedContinue reading “QUAINTUPLETS: The Horn of Mr. Horner”

The King’s Leg Man

     “Sir Comvent!”      “Sire?”      “I need a new pair of boots.”      “I don’t suppose that means I will accompany Your Majesty to the cobbler’s shop.”      “Perhaps you forgot, sir knight, that you speak to a king who pulled his sword from a stone.”      “Perhaps Your Majesty forgets that Your MajestyContinue reading “The King’s Leg Man”

QUAINTUPLETS: Yvonne and the Princess

     Once upon a time, there was a cow in a fairy tale.      “What am I doing here?” she complained.  “I don’t wear glass slippers, and I don’t have a basket of goodies for Grandma.  I don’t believe I even have a Grandma.  I can hardly trade myself for magic beans.  If I could,Continue reading “QUAINTUPLETS: Yvonne and the Princess”

FICTION FRIDAY: Those Old Piano Roll Blues

     I need to get this off my chest.  You’ll understand why.      First off, despite all the rumors which have surrounded my discoveries in the pianowork of Wolfgang “Whiskey Pete” M’Cloud, I did NOT use some kind of computer magic on his recordings.  I lack the skill even to come up with some ofContinue reading “FICTION FRIDAY: Those Old Piano Roll Blues”

QUAINTUPLETS: Strange Bread

     Years gone, when folks ate fresh bread every day, despite a lack of electric bread machines and the Baker Do-Maker, the baking of that bread was vital to the community.  Recipes and techniques were handed down from grandparents to grandchildren, and handed down again when those grandchildren had grandchildren of their own.  Many ofContinue reading “QUAINTUPLETS: Strange Bread”

Midweek Fiction: Principles of Economy

     “Mighty big nuggets thus time, sir.”      “I know it.  Just weigh ‘em out and give me scrip to take to the bank.”      “Of course, sir.  Your weekly delivery of gold has been the making of our establishment. My wife and I….”      “Dadgum it!”      “I’m sorry, sir.  I keep forgetting.”     Continue reading “Midweek Fiction: Principles of Economy”

Quaintuplets: Soapsuds, pt. 2

     “Well, um, I, er, don’t dance very much.”  Soapsuds waved a hand back toward the ballroom without looking.  “One of those other ladies would probably make a much better partner.”      “I’ve danced with most of them already.  I have to dance with all the ladies, you see.”      Soapsuds thought this was interesting,Continue reading “Quaintuplets: Soapsuds, pt. 2”

QUAINTUPLETS: Soapsuds, Pt. 1

    In Slingtown, there lived a young woman named Slaughnir, but nobody called her that because nobody could pronounce it.  Even her mother, who had found the name in a book, didn’t know what it sounded like.  So for the first few years of her life, everyone called Slaughnir “Baby”.      Slaughnir’s mother died whenContinue reading “QUAINTUPLETS: Soapsuds, Pt. 1”

QUAINTUPLETS: Mirror, Mirror, Burning Bright

     All mirrors are magic, of course.  Some are more magic than others, that’s all, so we call them magic mirrors.  This distinguishes them from the mirrors we look at so often that we forget about their magic.      Several mirrors were made which would show any scene requested, or answer questions about things farContinue reading “QUAINTUPLETS: Mirror, Mirror, Burning Bright”

QUAINTUPLETS: Lyall Whistle-Lips

     In the damp northern land of Tarrefol, a young man named Lyall worked as a shepherd.  Every day, he took his village’s sheep to the hills north of town where they could feed on the green grass.      His job was to see that at least as many sheep came home at night asContinue reading “QUAINTUPLETS: Lyall Whistle-Lips”