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by James Chapman     In a certain garden a mouse tried to remember a word.   “What was that word” said the mouse? “Measure” said the inch worm who was scooting along the handle of a shovel. “No, that’s not the word” said the mouse.   “Carrot” said the Rabbit. “Hmm” said the mouse.… Continue reading “BADOINK”

All hate had been abolished in the land of Gobbers. Or so the poster outside The Wikkerbump Candy shop declared in large old English lettering. The store was open for another hour. Marvin Seer peered through gold rimmed spectacles at one shelf trying to decide… Too sugary. Not sugary enough. Too hard. Too soft. Then… Continue reading Your Attitude Is Noticed

Once upon a time there was the biggest tree in the world. It was a village to the ape like creature who lived there. It was rare for anyone to climb down to the ground. “It’s dangerous down there”, they would say. On an early summer morning the apes were awakened by a strange noise.… Continue reading A Tree Not Seen

“Wake up, America”, dad shouted angrily, then added softly, “We’re at grandma and grandpa’s house.” Groan. They pulled into the garage. Mimi thought it looked like a garage from The Little Rascals. It was built in 1933, so not far off. “I’m hungry”, she said. “Hello, hungry”, said dad. On the other side of the… Continue reading Wake Up, America, We’re At Grandma And Grandpa’s House

I watched as the finest kids from the suburbs filed in and sat in one row. Their hair had corners like one end of a box. How does anyone get their hair to look like that with a comb? Their clothes fit and were made of cotton. They filled out their pants like high school… Continue reading The Fox

The rumbling clouds rolled away. The air became quiet. Water dripped off the leaves. Cinchy the crow stepped outside. A long path stretched away down the hill through the forest and eventually back to where Cinchy lived. “Today is a good day for a bike ride”, Cinchy declared. And then he thought to himself, “If… Continue reading A Good Day

That crazy guy is making a u.f.o. in Miller’s field. He’s Joe Miller. He owns the lot. The kids have always played in it. He didn’t seem to mind. His house, adjacent to the field, is obscured by a lot of trees and shrubbery. No one ever saw him. On Monday he started welding something… Continue reading Waddya Know, Joe

They found the house in twilight. It was always twilight. They peered through the little basement window. Row after row, stack after stack of nothing but jars of pickles barely visible in the dim turquoise tinged light. The house was inexplicably reinforced. Ordinary looking, yet the windows were unbreakable, the doors were especially fortified. No… Continue reading The Nightmare

Ben Wolanski and Dave Bundy are the only ones allowed in this room. They talk to a computer that talks back. Everyone in the world talks to this computer, since copies of it are placed on every thumb chip. No one is alone. Everyone has a friend. The office phone rings. In the year 2045,… Continue reading Ben Loves Liana

Once upon a time there was a girl and a boy. They were, one would guess, approximately 19 years old each. The rain storm was finishing up. The smell of water and wet trees filled the air. Tentative beams of hazy sunlight shined here and there. It was late Sunday, and no one was in… Continue reading Story Time