Tales

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Thinking upon it for a moment, one may be quite amazed at the importance of even the most trivial’  decision – let alone the important ones. Why, even the smallest may cause momentous changes to one’™s life. Consider for example one to finally clean out the attic having put it off for years. A fall. Perhaps a maiming for life. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  After thirty years of happy marriage, and upon the recommendation of her gynaecologist, my wife, decided upon a hysterectomy.’  I, of course, went along with her decision; she had suffered discomfort ever since the birth of our first child. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  “It was nothing,” assured us her doctor: “In three or four days she will be out and about …

‘ ‘ ‘  Some are just lucky I guess, Angela thought to herself as she threw the briefest of glances at her image to make sure her dress and auburn hair were in order. She shied of her reflection, just as her two sisters spent so much time before theirs, preening for this or for that date.’ ‘  ‘ ‘ ‘  True, her sisters were older and she not yet at an age to go ‘steady’ but what would be when the time came?’  Angela’  longed for a friend with whom she could share her experiences yet the image she had of herself kept her from making friends. Although Angela was often told that she was pretty she could not see herself as anything but …

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Julio d’™ Annunzio sat on the very edge of his bed and shuddered.’  The shiver went not only through his body but his soul as well.’  At sixteen he should have been in the streets of Naples with the gang watching young girls go by and whistling after them with his friends; this was the way of the youth of the city, not sitting in his room and moping.’  But that was just how it had been now for over a month. He was in a deep depression and unable to shake himself out of it.’  He’  remembered only too well how it began. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  He and Chiko, had been wandering through the flea market looking at odds and …

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œOf course it’™s weird, Jack, and out of this world, but I assure you it’™s true. You know Peter quite well ‘“ well enough to know that he’™s a out of his mind when it comes to taking risks. His latest craze is flying what he calls his Bumble-bee, that hang-glider with a motor. And Peter would never opt for ordinary flying ‘“’˜That’™s for sissies,’™ he says. Oh no! That’™s not for Peter. When he flies he goes ground-hugging and when Peter does ground-hugging his feet have to raise a bit of dust otherwise he feels he’™s too high! I’™m telling you he’™s mad,’ and Kenneth shook his head gazing into his beer mug as if he would find …

‘ ‘ ‘  Allen Longman couldn’™t sleep. An excitement was creeping, creeping through him. He knew that this disturbance would taunt and haunt him until he overcame doubts and begin the planning of this, his next adventure. ‘ ‘ ‘  A mountain of a man, single and as tough as they come, he always traveled as a loner even though this obsession placed him in many a precarious spot. Many a time a spectacular photograph, a new untried peak or cliff would bring on this inner taunting voice. Mountains excited him as a new toy would a child.’  His blood raced and then that inner voice’  begin its goading . .’  goading. ‘ ‘ ‘  This time the source was an anomaly ‘“ an article that …

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œWhat a damned job!’’  I imagined well Anton’™s muffled voice in clear exasperation emerging from the ceiling box-room while he, on the step-ladder, rummaged’  head and torso deep inside. The stuff stown away had lain undisturbed for many years.’  He had no lust for the job to say the least.’  But they needed the space and he had finally got around to clearing out Pnina’™s, his mother- in law’™s stuff, left after vacating her home some ten years back.’  ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Pnina had moved on to a compact home organised for the retired elderly. Her new, small home was comfortable enough for her much reduced needs with the additional opportunity of the company of others in a similar stage in …

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  The earth was cool and dry in the early hours of the morning, sunrise still a pink promise in the East.’  A light morning breeze played leisurely with some grains of sand in a small hollow in which two brown seeds were lying. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  “I wonder what distance we covered?”, began one, Tsa, to his brother, Shi, still somewhat out of breath. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Shi, after the flight and excitement of the last hours, wanted nothing more than to sleep. He forced himself awake and finally said, “It seems to me that that we must have flown as high and as far… as the stars. It seemed an age in time.” ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  “Do you remember the first time we saw …

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  The weather was depressive. To Letitia, tears were falling from the sky. She was standing in the bedroom she had shared with Ed for so long looking out at the mist and drizzle so common to Wellington.’  Mount Victoria, rising’  across the valley from her apartment seemed equally sad in the misty rain. She felt a helplessness as though she were an animal caught in the meshes of a net. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘œFourteen years,’ she thought to herself,’  ‘œand nothing of consequence to show for them. Thirty five, middle-aged already and no child.’  Lines of strain and pain spoiled an otherwise attractive face. Her blue eyes were deep shadowed from lack of sleep ‘“ even her unkempt gold-coloured hair hung …

‘ ‘ ‘  The driver’™s first guess was that she may be dumb. Then, perhaps just shy, for in answer to his offer of a lift to the village she simply stared, saying nothing. As an old resident to these parts, he was sure that she was either new or just passing through for he knew all those of the estate. ‘ ‘ ‘  In the twilight of the country lane her pale face appeared through the car window like a rising moon. Her blouse, wet from the summer drizzle, clung to her slim body contouring her early womanhood. ‘ ‘ ‘  On her part she was endeavoring to sum up the man behind the wheel of the pale blue car. Often enough warned about strangers …

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Sleep but twice in the singing wood ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  My spell I weave so well ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  But dare sleep thrice’  and take of my wood ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  My song shall be thy knell ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  For an eye for an eye,’  a tooth for a tooth ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  A soul I shall take for a soul. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  Gypsy song’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘  ‘ ‘ ‘  If it hadn’™t been for the persistent endeavours of Andrea’™s good friend, Antonio, he would never have undertaken the three day journey.’  Time was too precious.’  His ‘˜babies’™ were, he felt, unhappy without his presence.’  He reigned in his horse beside a glade for a noonday snack.’  The late spring sun was fierce that day – the sky cloudless and a …