2022 A to Z Blog Challenge – Reflection

Posted on May 2, 2022 by hdh

2022 A to Z Blog Challenge Reflection

My seventh year has come and gone. This year’s writing was truly a challenge. Instead of writing in my usual style of narrative, I chose to write each of my pieces in the form of first-person letters from one person to another. Some of the pieces were fictional letters from famous people to others, like “A” was a letter from Lewis Carroll to  Alice in Wonderland and “G” was a letter from George Washington to Martha. There were a series of letters written by me, to a fictional pen pal to relate things that happened in my life during blackouts, power failures, and blizzards (B, D, H, and I). There were a lot of rants about society and pet peeves of mine signed with made-up names (C, E, O, P, T, V, Y, and Z). And there were letters written by me to friends, my parents, my sister, and even to myself at different times in my timeline (F, L, M, N, R, and W). Then there were the letters involving the Folktale genre. Jack from the beanstalk tale gets summoned for a number of crimes including murder (J), and I combined a group of letters to create the story, “A Tale of Two Kingdoms” (K, Q, S, U, and X) –  (You can click on the link below for the whole story). That and Jack were probably my favorites.

I tried to give multiple perspectives within some of the pieces by referring to correspondence supposedly received by the writer in subsequent correspondence. If you read them, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. In the case of the Tale of Two Kingdoms, each A to Z letter used was from a different person so when combined, I could tell the complete story. 

This year more people read and commented on my entries than in previous years. I’m not sure why that was the case. But I certainly got more feedback on my writing. I also found a lot more A to Zers writing to follow and will continue to follow, especially now that April is over. By the middle of April, I spent so much time focussing on writing my pieces, that I chose to save the writing of others that I followed, in the hopes that I would get to them later. I apologize to those writers for not giving immediate feedback.

I was even inspired based on Sheri J. Kennedy’s entries,  (https://realitywithatwistbooks.wordpress.com/) to write a piece using mainly alliteration. That piece, “Frank’s Fiasco”, (also clickable below) took about 2 hours, with the listing of F words from the dictionary, and then choosing from that list to make an understandable story. 

So it was a busy month. Busier than usual for my A to Z Challenge entries. 

What follows is a hyperlinked list of all the pieces that I wrote for the 2022 A to Z Blog Challenge. You are also welcome to go to my Blog (www.hdhstory.net/storyblog) and read any of my other pieces of writing that I do throughout the year or that I have written since I retired from teaching in 2006.

 

A: Alice; B: Blackout – 1965; C: Conflict and Cooperation; D: Deep Snow – 1969; E: Energy Efficient Clothing; F: Future Insights; G: George; H: Hurricane Gloria – 1985; I: Tropical Storm Isaias – 2020; J: Jack; K: King’s Choices; L: Looking Forward from the Future; M: Marion; N: You Named Me What?; O: Organize; P: Pledge of Allegiance; Q: Queen’s Quandry; R: Recognize, Recall, Repeat; S: Seeking Out; T: Time Lord; U: United; V: A Visit from Venus; W: William – Friend for Life; X: eXes; Y: Yardwork; Z: Zero

 

The Tale of Two Kingdoms (complete)

 

Frank’s Fiasco – an alliterative attempt

 

As to next year, I definitely plan on doing it again, though I may go for a more potpourri direction which will give me more flexibility in terms of genre and style. I couldn’t figure out a way to get any poetry in this year’s writing. Hopefully next year I can get more of that into my posts. I definitely want more of the “to be continued” type stories that are spread out over the course of the month. After all, I am a storyteller.

Till then, I’ll keep on writing…and hopefully you’ll keep on following. 

Harvey Heilbrun

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2022, Personal Stories, Writing | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Frank’s Fiasco – An alliterative attempt

Posted on May 1, 2022 by hdh

Challenge – Alliteration

I was challenged by an A to Zer to post on her website a story using only alliterative words which is what she was doing for every letter of the alphabet. Here’s what I submitted: 

———————-

Frank’s Fiasco

Foolish Frank felt frustrated finding farfetched frontiers to fulfill, featuring fairminded formats which fervently focussed on finesse. Frank’s friend Felix, fortunately, faced few failures and found Frank a festival focussing on physiological feats of flamboyance. Frank formed a fresh physical philosophy with fixed formulas, flouting his fine physique favoring a fluorescent facial fashion. 

Frank’s father, Fred, feeling fury from Frank’s fanaticism and flouting of far-fetched fodder fumed fiercely, faced Frank’s fabrication and forbade his frivolous fantasy. Fred’s finicky feud fostered fuel for Frank to fortify his front. 

Frank phoned Felix and faked Fred’s formal forgiveness and followed on forward feeling fanciful.

Felix featured Frank first, facing a fresh field of famous fellows. But Frank’s façade faltered, floundered, and faded. Fertile fissure function’s flapped. Fragrant fumes following fruitful flatulence forcefully floated free. Fluke fires flared from fiery fabric friction to find Frank’s fatal fart. 

Far from funny, Frank’s flimsy faith froze. Forlorn and frightened, Frank’s foremost fear finally fell forth. Frank’s fortune failed. Fatigue filled and falling to a futile fate, fragile Frank forfeited and formally finished faking forever. 

—————

Note: I was awarded Fan Favorite 2022. Here’s the link: https://realitywithatwistbooks.wordpress.com/2022/04/30/and-the-winner-is-allitlitplopropo-challenge-awards/

FYI, the award for winning was just acknowledgment. But hey, a win is a win, not that I was competing or anything. It was just fun to write. 

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2022, Original Stories | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Message

Posted on May 1, 2022 by hdh

The Message

The fog was heavy as I walked through on the path leading to my destination. Where was that destination, you might ask? That is hard to explain since I don’t really know myself. I received this message that just said to follow the path of least resistance starting at the entrance to the park. There was nothing else on the message. Being the curious kind of person that I am, I decided to do what it said. 

I made my way to the park, it was a very sunny and clear day when I started out. As soon as I got to the park and stepped across the entrance threshold the fog appeared blanketing out everything but a single path in front of me. This made me even more curious and a bit apprehensive. But I did what the message said. I followed the path. As I continued walking the path made some twists and turns; I continued as instructed. 

After a while, I thought to myself, I clearly must not be in the park anymore. Considering how far I’d walked, I knew the park wasn’t that big. But at this point, I couldn’t stop. Looking behind me the fog had covered up where I had been. I had no choice but to go forward.

I finally came to a clearing. The fog dissipated and the path and park disappeared. Before me lay a vast garden of flowers. Each one had a different color, shape, and size. The aroma was intoxicating. The sky was clear but not blue as expected, but a sort of pale green and included two suns, both shining down on me. One sun was bright yellow as our sun is, and the other was bright blue. The thing is, as bright as they were I could look straight at them, unlike our sun which would cause irreparable damage to your eyes. 

I was at a loss as to where I was or what I was supposed to do when I saw her coming toward me. 

“I should have known,” she said. “Only you would be stupid enough to not only follow an unsigned message but continue walking once you stepped past the entrance to the park and fog showed up.”

“What?” I asked. “Was this some sort of a test? Who are you?”

It was then the suns began to merge. The flowers began to wilt and the fog appeared again obliterating everything. It took only a few minutes before the fog dissipated and I found myself standing at the entrance of the park again with the message in my hand.

As I looked down at the message, the writing had changed.  Written in bold letters was “BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!” It was signed, Christina. But that’s my wife’s name?

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A Tale of Two Kingdoms (complete)

Posted on April 30, 2022 by hdh

A Tale of Two Kingdoms

Complete

K: King’s Choices

April 13, a long time ago

Dear Father,

I don’t get it. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and research on princesses and marriages and such. Why is it always the youngest daughter who is the prettiest and the kindest and the one that gets the best pick at who they marry? It’s not fair. And why is it that most kings only have three daughters? What’s wrong with sticking to one daughter or having more than three. And let me also mention having no brothers. Very few stories have kings with multi-gendered offspring. 

Almost everything I’ve read says that the oldest child is always the mean, selfish, and bossy one. Okay, that makes some sense, since they have younger siblings to boss around and pretty much got what they wanted until other kids entered the picture. 

And then there’s the youngest child. In stories, they are the ones that are always doted on and loved the most. Based on my research of real families, the youngest children are always very demanding of things they want and manipulative. Their parents are either too tired after having raised two others and will let them get away with anything or give in to their darling babies’ requests, believing them the latest and greatest. In the real world, they are not the sweet innocents of folklore.

And the middle child, which is what I am, are the ones that are always neglected in real life once the third child arrives. Caught in the middle so to speak. That’s reality. Middle children should not be lumped in with the oldest child as being mean and ugly. The stories have it all wrong. We are the most deserving of all the best choices and privileges. But instead, the oldest and youngest get all the perks.

Let me remind you that looks aren’t everything. It’s always – “I will give away my beautiful daughter in marriage and my kingdom to the prince or whoever completes this nearly impossible task.” Is there a manual for rulers that contains lists of impossible tasks to give out and stupid rewards like giving away your child or your kingdom? I may not be the prettiest of the three of us, but I’m a hell of a lot smarter than my sisters. I’m also quite adept at coming up with solutions to problems that you might have, like getting rid of giants or how to deal with evil sorcerers. 

Whatever happened to free will and the right to one’s own sovereignty? Shouldn’t we get to choose our destiny? After all, maybe I want to marry a peasant,  another princess, or not get married at all. Why don’t I get the kingdom? What’s with giving it to the men all of the time? I am related by blood.

So there you have it, father. It’s time for you to get real. Think of this letter as a warning sign from one of your fervent advisors. It’s time for you to recognize ME. Because if you don’t, this clever lady just might have an impossible task for some other queen, princess, or peasant to solve, with you as the reward. I’ll still keep the kingdom. I don’t think mother would be too pleased with that.

 

Your loving daughter,

Princess Number 2.

 

This story continues Q: Queen’s Quandry

 

—————–

Q: Queen’s Quandry (Quandary)

April 20, a long time ago

Dear Mother,

I’ve heard all of the stories about my older brother’s birth. How grandfather lied to father, how father demanded you to spin straw into gold, how some strange little man, whose name I can’t remember, something like Uncle Pimpleskin, did the spinning for you then demanded that you give my oldest brother to him on my brother’s birth unless you guessed the little man’s name, which you did. Not that I believe any of it. It’s just a story grandfather must have made up. If it’s true, whatever happened to all this golden straw, that greedy father made you spin? Years from now no one will even remember the story. 

My problem is how you dote on my brother using that story. He was saved from evil. He was blessed by a messenger of God giving you the name of the little man. It was my brother’s birth that saved your marriage. And your doting has not changed. He gets to marry the pick of the princesses. You’ll just throw a Ball in his honor and let him choose. I hope he gets stuck with a poor, ragged, house cleaner. 

Of course, then I came along; your second son. Did you have any stories about my birth? No. Do you even remember my name? No, you don’t, because you never named me. I believe my name might be, “younger brother”, after all, that is what you always refer to me to your precious firstborn. “Go get your younger brother.” or “Tell your brother it’s time for supper.” “I wish your younger brother would be more like you.”

I’ve been doing a lot of reading and research on princes. I’ve noticed that a lot of stories about them only refer to them by title, not name. Is that where you got the idea? Add to that they are always handsome and win the hand of some beautiful princess that they either rescue, uncover hiding under their noses, or complete some impossible task and get them as a prize.

Let me remind you that looks aren’t everything. And that princesses are not prizes to give away. Nor are princes, who you can just throw into a Ball full of single women, who only want to marry them for the fame and power, and tell them to pick one. See how that works out with my brother. We may not be the prettiest bachelors in the bunch, but some of us have brains. Has my brother ever read a book? 

Women should have the right to choose who they would like to marry, based on the person’s qualities as a human, not because someone says, “You’re mine.” Game over.

And princes are humans too. It’s okay to have galas to meet other people, but don’t set up any expectations ahead of time. In my case, not that you ever thought of throwing a Ball for me, maybe I want to marry a peasant, or another prince, or not get married at all. Maybe I don’t want to grow up to be a king, though I’m sure you’ve already slated my brother for that. Maybe I want to just settle down on a nice farm and raise and rescue stray animals. I’d like to hear you make up a story about that!

So there you have it, mother. It’s time for you to get real. Think of this letter as a warning sign from one of your fervent advisors. It’s time for you to recognize ME. Either you allow me to go out on my own and seek out my future, or this clever lad will start up a story about you, just like grandfather did. Only in this story you and my brother may not come out as well. I don’t think father will be too pleased with that.

Your other son,

Younger Brother

 

This story will continue in S: Seeking Out.

S: Seeking Out

May, a long time ago

Dear Number 2,

I read with interest the proclamation by your Queen, of your interest in meeting other people. She described you as average height, pleasant to look at, and clever, with many ideas about what one should look for in a friend. That intrigued me. 

That seems quite atypical of Queens in general. My research shows that they only look out for the best women for a specific Prince of theirs. That is if they have any more than one son. I was taken to understand that you were not the favored son. 

I find myself in a somewhat similar situation as the second of three.

I would like to meet you, for you sound like an interesting person. I would like to discuss some of your ideas.

With interest,

You can call me Middle one. 

 

——————

 

A little later in May, a long time ago

Dear Number 2,

I so enjoyed meeting you. The tour you gave me of your royal garden was fascinating. I can’t believe your royal gardener has planted so many non-native plants in the royal garden. Your point of view on what should be grown there matches my own. 

I’m sorry to hear that you have no given name. Though I do have a given name, Luna, no one in my family uses it. Maybe the next time we meet, we can compare some of our Prince and Princess research, and come up with a name for you. What do you think of the name Samson?

Till we meet again.

Your friend,

Luna

—————

This will be continued in U: United

U: United

 

May, a long time ago

 

Dear Middle One,

Your letter has intrigued me. If you say that you are in a similar situation as myself, then yes, we must meet. I would suggest a meeting outside my mother’s palace. You may have heard the stories about her and my father and a roguish imp called something like, Pumple Inkskin. A total fabrication as far as I’m concerned. Why don’t we meet in the Royal Garden, where we can discuss our points of view. 

Let’s say, next week at noon.

Looking forward to our meeting,

Prince Number 2

————-

Late July, a long time ago

My Dearest Luna,

These past few weeks have passed too quickly. Our discussions of life and happiness and the future together fill my heart with joy. I am so glad that you have agreed that we should wed. There is a plot of land between our two kingdoms, where we can settle and build that garden of native plants and flowers, and that animal sanctuary we both dream of. Together we can leave these castles of royalty and privilege and create a home as we see fit unencumbered by archaic rules and expectations. Where we coexist as equals, with respect, kindness, and love as we work together to make a better world for ourselves and others.

Let the Kings and Queens do as they wish with their lands and people. I feel sad for the people that stay, for it is they that will suffer the most, ruled by our parents and my older brother and his wife, Cinderhella, and your youngest sister and her husband, Prince Arming (I think you called him),  who will be next in line for their respective thrones. 

Let us leave that behind. To our unity, I pledge all of my love.

 

Forever yours,

Samson

 

This will be concluded in X: Exes

———-

X: eXes

April, a long time ago (10 years later)

Dear People of the Two Kingdoms,

This war is finally over. There have been many losses, but you have won your freedom. Our parents who had ruled for so long had passed on quite mysteriously, leaving each kingdom with our siblings and their spouses as rulers. It is they that share the blame for the conditions that you were put in which caused this war. Their greed for wealth and power at the cost of your lives was unacceptable. Having left the kingdoms, Luna and I could do nothing to stop it. Our goal was to work with what we had and make our lives better than how we were brought up, which we did on our sanctuary farm. We watched from afar with much sadness. Our hearts were with you and whatever needs we could supply to you we did. 

Queen Cinderhella and King Arming, having failed here, have left their spouses and even now wander to seek other kingdoms to conquer. My brother and Samson’s sister have also departed to parts unknown, in disgrace, for what they let happen, leaving both kingdoms without a leader. 

You have reached out to us to take the mantle of control of both kingdoms and rule over them as one. We appreciate that you trust us and our views to want us to be your king and queen. But we must refuse. The time for Kings and Queens and rulers for life, based on bloodlines must end. It is time for you to stand up for yourselves. Select leaders that reflect your wants and needs. Note that over time wants and needs will change, so make sure that the leaders you choose follow that change. No leader should have a permanent position for life, no matter how good they are. 

Educate your youth in the ways of the world. Let them learn how to think for themselves and learn from their experiences. Teach them how to listen to others and separate fact from fiction. They will be the ones that follow in your footsteps. They will be the ones that have to live in the world you create or destroy. So make sure they know how to think. 

Though we refuse to be your King and Queen, we will not abandon you. We will be there to advise you as you take that next step. We will remain here at our Sanctuary should you need us. 

Be well in your endeavors. 

Your loyal friend,

Samson

April, a long time ago (5 years later)

Dear Citizens of Selat,

You have done well. The ex-Kingdoms and rulers that led you astray exist no more. Your new Republic of Selat is prospering.  We are proud of the system of leadership you have devised. Electing your leaders by the people, in which all people can vote is a unique and wonderful idea. Demanding liberty, justice, and equality for all regardless of differences will be what keeps you strong. Your model will be trusted by not only your people but people from other kingdoms around the world. 

The system of education for your young and the opportunities that allow them to reach their fullest potential, that you have begun, is a credit to all your hard work and thoughtfulness.

We are proud to be part of your republic. We are glad that you share our concern for this world we live in and all its living inhabitants.

We have helped you along the way, but must now let you stand on your own two feet as you go on. Note that we will always be here if needed. We respect you for all that you have accomplished and trust that you will do well as the years go on. Continue on the path that you follow. May it bring you much joy and happiness. 

With much affection,

Citizens Luna and Samson

 

Thus ends the Tale of Two Kingdoms…or is it just the beginning?

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2022, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Z: Zero

Posted on April 30, 2022 by hdh

Z: Zero 

April 30, 2022

Dear Commission in Charge of Math Rules and Standards,

I feel it is time to look at our number system and make some revisions. There is a number that has been around since the Summerian culture in Mesopotamia, some 5,000 years ago. Whereas the digit has some value, the ambiguity of the number makes it impossible to interpret consistently. I am referring to the number Zero (0). 

What exactly does zero mean? It is neither positive nor negative. But can be both. If I’m taking a test and I get a zero on the test, I fail. Clearly Zero is a negative number. However, If I get Zero wrong on the test, I’ve got a perfect score. Clearly Zero is a positive number. What? 

As part of your rules of arithmetic, multiplication and division are inverse operations. Therefore 3X4=12 has an equivalent inverse of 12/4= 3 and 12/3=4. We learned that in elementary school. If that is so, shouldn’t the inverse of 9X0=0 be 0/9=0 and 9/0=0? Well. it’s not. You can’t divide anything by 0. Who made that rule up?

I understand the rationale for the digit 0 to push other numbers more than 9, like 10, 200, 3000, etc. In each of these cases, it is a useful digit to clarify a multi-digit number. But zero on its own, just doesn’t cut it. 

It does work as an identity number in addition and subtraction. But couldn’t you just come up with a new number, whose only purpose is to do that?

And then there is of course the written symbol for 0. Have you ever purchased an item and were asked to give the company your model or serial number for warranty purposes. Can you tell the difference between an O or a 0? Sure when typing them both out you sometimes can, but not always. You could screw up your whole warranty by giving the company the wrong number. And don’t get me started on B’s and 8’s in small serial number print. We need a new written number system. 

My point is that the number zero has a lot of issues that need to be addressed. It is my hope that you will look into this issue and make some serious recommendations and revisions to our number system. 

If you want more thoughts you can contact me at (80B) o08-B8o0. Other than that I have nothing more to say.

 

With little thought,

oB0 o0B0o8

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2022, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Y: Yardwork

Posted on April 29, 2022 by hdh

Y: Yardwork

April 29, 2022

Dear CEO of the Toro Lawn Machines Company

It is amazing how much time and effort is spent on keeping our un-native lawns in pristine condition. Thanks to you and other companies like yours, there is a plethora of gas-powered machines available to us to maintain these lawns. 

While you work hard at building up these machines with more and more power, you have put little consideration into the fact that your machines create an incredible amount of noise.

In my research, I have discovered that gas-powered lawn mowers were first produced by you in the late 1920s. Leaf blowers came into existence in the 1950s. Weed whackers or String Trimmers began being produced in the 1970s. And Snowblowers, though not a lawn maintenance machine, were developed and sold by you in the early 1950s.

All of these machines, most of which require gas, which is another issue that I will not be discussing today, create enough noise to damage one’s hearing. 

Did the designers for all these machines on their resumés need to have expertise in motorcycle design? Have they not heard of mufflers and other materials that can be used to soften or eliminate the noise being made? Or is your excuse the that more noise a machine makes (again motorcycles) the more manly one can feel. 

Why is it that when an electric car starts up, you don’t even know that it has started? Something in its design quiets the engine noise. 

I will grant you that your battery-operated machines tend to be quieter than your gas-driven ones. But they are still loud. 

I live for the day when people decide that they are not getting enough exercise and choose to do their own lawn maintenance rather than hire all these costly lawn services that come to your house and run all of your machines at once with multiple people working. Yes, it may be more efficient, but when you compound 2 lawnmowers, with 2 leaf blowers, and a string trimmer per house, with multiple companies doing different neighbors’ lawns at the same time, it becomes an ear sore. 

What is even more dangerous to the people doing their lawns whether homeowners or lawn service, is that a lot of the users do not wear any ear protection. It’s no wonder so many people when they get older lose a lot of their hearing. 

So saying, I implore you to think carefully about the next generation of lawn and snow care products you develop. Think about the global impact of your devices both to the environment and people’s health. Move away from gas-driven products. Though the machines you design may end up looking different and weigh more, and maybe even cost more, make them as close to silent running and energy-efficient as you can. As time moves on, work on making them cheaper, safer, and easier to use. 

Until then I will continue to hand trim the edges of my lawn, hand rake the leaves when come Fall, and use my mower and blowers selectively and not as often unless absolutely needed. I encourage others to do so also.

I would write you more, but it’s way too noisy outside right now, and I can’t hear myself think. You can guess why.

 

SINCERELY,

                       I. M. FINISHED

 

(SORRY FOR SHOUTING. I WASN’T SURE IF YOU COULD HEAR ME!)

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2022, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

X: eXes

Posted on April 28, 2022 by hdh

This is the continuation and conclusion of Tale of Two Kingdoms the writing from K: King’s Choices, Q: Queen’s Quandry, S: Seeking Out, U: United.  You may want to read them first if you haven’t already.

X: eXes

April, a long time ago (10 years later)

Dear People of the Two Kingdoms,

This war is finally over. There have been many losses, but you have won your freedom. Our parents who had ruled for so long had passed on quite mysteriously, leaving each kingdom with our siblings and their spouses as rulers. It is they that share the blame for the conditions that you were put in which caused this war. Their greed for wealth and power at the cost of your lives was unacceptable. Having left the kingdoms, Luna and I could do nothing to stop it. Our goal was to work with what we had and make our lives better than how we were brought up, which we did on our sanctuary farm. We watched from afar with much sadness. Our hearts were with you and whatever needs we could supply to you we did. 

Queen Cinderhella and King Arming, having failed here, have left their spouses and even now wander to seek other kingdoms to conquer. My brother and Samson’s sister have also departed to parts unknown, in disgrace, for what they let happen, leaving both kingdoms without a leader. 

You have reached out to us to take the mantle of control of both kingdoms and rule over them as one. We appreciate that you trust us and our views to want us to be your king and queen. But we must refuse. The time for Kings and Queens and rulers for life, based on bloodlines must end. It is time for you to stand up for yourselves. Select leaders that reflect your wants and needs. Note that over time wants and needs will change, so make sure that the leaders you choose follow that change. No leader should have a permanent position for life, no matter how good they are. 

Educate your youth in the ways of the world. Let them learn how to think for themselves and learn from their experiences. Teach them how to listen to others and separate fact from fiction. They will be the ones that follow in your footsteps. They will be the ones that have to live in the world you create or destroy. So make sure they know how to think. 

Though we refuse to be your King and Queen, we will not abandon you. We will be there to advise you as you take that next step. We will remain here at our Sanctuary should you need us. 

Be well in your endeavors. 

Your loyal friend,

Samson

 

————-

April, a long time ago (5 years later)

Dear Citizens of Selat,

You have done well. The ex-Kingdoms and rulers that led you astray exist no more. Your new Republic of Selat is prospering.  We are proud of the system of leadership you have devised. Electing your leaders by the people, in which all people can vote is a unique and wonderful idea. Demanding liberty, justice, and equality for all regardless of differences will be what keeps you strong. Your model will be trusted by not only your people but people from other kingdoms around the world. 

The system of education for your young and the opportunities that allow them to reach their fullest potential, that you have begun, is a credit to all your hard work and thoughtfulness.

We are proud to be part of your republic. We are glad that you share our concern for this world we live in and all its living inhabitants.

We have helped you along the way, but must now let you stand on your own two feet as you go on. Note that we will always be here if needed. We respect you for all that you have accomplished and trust that you will do well as the years go on. Continue on the path that you follow. May it bring you much joy and happiness. 

With much affection,

Citizens Luna and Samson

Thus ends the Tale of Two Kingdoms… or is it just the beginning?

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2022, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

W: William – Friend for Life

Posted on April 27, 2022 by hdh

W: William – Friend for Life

April 27, 2022

Hi, William (Bill).

When we met in 1974, I was in my last year as a sixth-grade teacher at Miller Avenue Elementary school. The following year the sixth grade was to move to the newly built Middle School. You were in your first year at Miller Ave. teaching 4th grade. I didn’t interact much with the other teachers at Miller Avenue other than the sixth-grade ones, but I did find you. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we had much in common regarding our views on teaching and kids.

You and Sherry welcomed me into your home that first year. And when I moved on to the middle school the following year we continued our friendship, communicating frequently about our classes and our teaching, bouncing ideas and suggestions back and forth. Each growing as teachers and friends together.  We even got together with some of my ex-students on Saturday mornings to play sports on the Middle School fields, as our friendship continued to grow.

After six years of teaching sixth grade and a change of the middle school administration, I decided I had had enough of the Middle School and requested a transfer back to Miller Avenue, which was granted. You and I became teammates both teaching 4th and 5th-grade inter-age classes for the next 6 years. And our friendship grew stronger. We were so similar in our teaching that our students questioned whether or not we were related. We did inform them that we were, in fact, brothers, same mother, different fathers and they believed us.

We even pretended we were the Smith Brothers from the Smith Bros. Cough Drops carton, where next to each of the Smith Brothers pictures was the word Trademark, With Trade being by one picture and Mark being by the other.

We developed many programs and teaching styles, sharing the kids we taught. We continued to mentor each other and support decisions that had to be made. We spent time sharing activities, during holidays and vacations. We even went on a Delaware River canoeing trip with your friends Gary and Steve. That was quite an adventure.

You had a family now. And as your son, Marc grew up, I was part of his life too, helping you coach his PAL soccer teams. You and I played on an adult softball team for years made up of a lot of colleagues and our friends. When I broke my collarbone during a practice session, it was you and Sherry that provided me a place to stay during my initial recovery. You even lent me an automatic car as I couldn’t drive my stick shift car until my collarbone healed. Christina and I got married in your house with you as my best man. 

When you left our school district to move on your journey of administration of the Long Beach School district. Your loss to our system was felt. Your inscription to me in the book, through teachers’ eyes: portraits of writing teachers at work in which your teaching was highlighted was: To Harvey, my friend, colleague + teammate (no matter where we work) – This book is, in many ways, symbolic of all the extra-teaching activities I participated in during our time at Miller Ave. I could not have done any of them without your support, tangible and emotional…words cannot adequately express my gratitude or repay my debt. With great affection, Bill

The feeling was mutual then, as it is now. Through the 48 years, we have been friends there has never been a moment that you haven’t been there for me, as I hope I have been there for you. I asked you once when you were applying for the position of principal of Miller Avenue, “What happens to our friendship if you end up being my boss?” Your response was immediate straight from your heart to mine. Our friendship does not change because of our jobs. We will do what we have to do, but our friendship will remain strong. Neither job nor friendship is dependent on each other. And it was true. Even though you moved on to be a principal of other schools and a district principal of other districts, our friendship has never wavered and continues to grow. 

So thank you, Bill, for being you. You define the word friendship by who you are and what you have meant to me.

With great affection,

                                                                               Your forever friend – Harvey

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2022, Personal Stories, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

V: A Visit from Venus

Posted on April 26, 2022 by hdh

V: A Visit from Venus

April 26,  2022

Dear NASA and other Worldwide Governmental Space Agencies,

 

There are many theories about people from outer space. Are they real or are they only fictional, figments of some creative imaginations? I consider myself far from fictional; I am real, I exist, despite the fact that I do come from another world. It’s time to revise your thoughts.

If you earthlings had spent as much time exploring their closest planet in the solar system, the one named after their goddess of love, rather than that funky red one named after a god of war, they might have realized not only that we do exist, but that we’re the better of the two. I mean, you claim you want to “Make love, not war” but you are always focused on war. 

Yes, I will agree that our planet seems much less adaptable to human existence. Mean temperatures of 900º F are a little off-putting, but the -81º F on Mars is no picnic either. Our planet is closer to the sun than Earth so we can generate a lot more solar energy than Earth or Mars can. No fossil fuels here. You should look at an atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide as a plus. What you don’t realize is the abundance of plants that we can grow there. Remember, plants need carbon dioxide to produce food and oxygen. Though we spend most of our time underground, our gardens and fields are a vegetarian paradise. 

It is said that our planet rotates retrograde (backward) compared to all the others. Did you ever think that maybe we’re the ones that got it right and all the other planets are actually rotating backward? Ours is unique. Who really cares which way you rotate? Our year is only 225 earth days long; meaning we can live to a much older age than the people on earth in the same period of time. Most of you spend ? of your day at work. Our workday is an infinitesimal part of our day compared to yours. Granted, our day (243 earth days) is longer than not only your day but our year; but who’s counting. When we get days off, trust me, it lasts a long time and is certainly worth it.

My exothermic skin was created for me to make it possible to survive on your planet. It would also help you survive on Venus should we choose to share our technology with you. 

I’ve been here on earth for 71 of your Earth years, just observing and reporting back to Venus with my opinion as to whether it is worth officially contacting you, rather than waiting for you to contact us.  You should be aware, that it’s not looking good for that collaboration. There are plenty more of us Venusian observers here on Earth that concur. Your planet really doesn’t learn from its own history. You still have wars; you still can’t agree to work together to live in peace and harmony; you can’t even come together and try to help each other when people are sick and dying. Besides, I believe you are actually trying to make your planet like Mars the way you are squandering resources and don’t do much to save your environment as one world. On Venus, maintaining our environment is a high priority. You might want to start listening to some of those kids that live here.

You’ve got a long way to go and time is running out if you truly want to go where no one has gone before – in a positive direction. 

It really is up to you. If that concept seems alien to you then I wish you good luck with your future. I’ll still be here. Maybe the next inhabitants of Earth will be different. 

                                      With much concern,

                                                                                            Name withheld for safety reasons

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2022, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A Fish out of Water

Posted on April 25, 2022 by hdh

A Fish Out of Water

It was July of 2013 and I had just discovered a message that had been sent to me on Facebook, in November of 2012, from Cathy Gérard-Fisse, someone who I was not familiar with. The message was hidden in a little-known place on Facebook, where messages to you from people unknown to you, meaning they weren’t friends or friends of friends of yours on Facebook, were put. The thing is that Facebook didn’t notify you that you had a message there, which is why I didn’t see it until 8 months later. The outcome of this message was the discovery that I had a half-brother, named Franz, living in France. Someone I did not know existed. His wife was trying to find me and my family to connect with us, which we, in fact, did. You can find the whole story here: https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=320. 

The impact of finding this French family, none of whom could speak English, was that someone in our family had to either know how to speak French or learn how to. The solution came from my sister Leslie’s husband, who was born in Switzerland and was fluent in French. He became our interpreter and still is as we continue to interact with Cathy. In my case, I had taken French in Junior and Senior High school and had no memory of the language, so I started taking out language books and audio CDs to learn how to speak French. Starting in September of 2013, knowing that we were actually going to meet Franz and Cathy in November, I started some online language programs, Duolingo being the primary one. To this day, I continue to practice and learn French. 

No matter how long I practice and how many different lessons from different sources I use to learn French I’m a fish out of water when it comes to speaking with someone in French. 

I can read French much better now than when I started. I’m even okay with saying some basic stuff in French. But you put me in a situation with someone who speaks French fluently, I’m like a deer in headlights. As my mind figures out one of the words that are being said, the speaker is already on the next sentence or idea.

As a fluent reader of English, you don’t see each letter that is forming a word, you either see a word or a phrase at a time. You can actually decode the meaning of what you are reading without saying the words in your head. With the exception, for me, of when I’m reading a really good fiction novel and I’m actually reading the story aloud in my mind, voices and all. This is probably why I’m a slow reader. I’ve heard you don’t have to do that. But when it comes to reading French I am still reading mostly word by word. I have expanded to getting some sentences in their entirety without seeing each individual word. But have not advanced much further.

Listening to and speaking a language is different from reading. Think of watching a streaming video when you have a poor network connection. As someone speaks to you, you may hear a word or two as the scene freezes and when the connection resolves itself, the speaker is already further along in the sentence or thought and you missed what was said during the network freeze. Kind of like what happens on Zoom meetings sometimes.

I hear a word being spoken and while my brain, on tape delay, is processing meaning, I’m missing the next part of the conversation, and thus get totally confused. 

When I try speaking, I know the English sentence I want to say, but may not know all of the words or sentence structure in French. My mind goes into buffering mode as I try to construct my sentence before saying it. And by the time I have it, the conversation usually has moved on. 

I find it a little easier to understand French if I am cognizant of the topic being discussed. But if I come in during the middle of a conversation that I was not part of, this little fish is looking for water. 

There’s a story about a family of mice that are being chased by a cat. The mother mouse comes out and lets out a very loud, “BARK”! The cat hearing it quickly turns and runs away. The mother mouse then turns to her children and says, “Now do you see the advantages of learning a second language.”

I agree there is a great advantage to learning a second language, especially when you’re young. It would have helped me a lot with communicating with my brother and sister-in-law. But learning it as an adult, trust me, it ain’t easy. And for you fishes out there, make sure there is plenty of water available to you if you try and you deer, stay out of the headlights.

 

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