WRITER'S SHOWCASE--Preserving the Extraordinary Works of Ordinary People--The Preservation Foundation, Inc., Book Publisher

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My Father the Vulture

Jaka Wescott

© Copyright 2014 by Jaka Wescott

Photo of the inside of a storage unit.

I wrote this nonfiction piece after visiting this little town near allentown. Perhaps it was because I'd just finished watching Gilmore Girls, and possibly because I find small towns inherently creepy, but that place was full of characters, events, and situations that just begged to be described and set down. As I stood there, I realized that the only reason I could witness these absurdities was because of my father's unique job. I wanted to write something that was as much about him as it was about how I felt....

Restocking A Personal Library

Kristin K. Fouquet

© Copyright 2014 by Kristin K. Fouquet

See Kristin's short documentary film
on this subject. Click here.

Photo of Kristin and her new books.

Books are relics. You may interpret the statement as you wish. In the digital publishing age, the hard copy is becoming rarer. I am not opposed to online publications or eBooks at all. Some of my first literary writing credits were with the former and I believe along with the latter, a tangible version is a nice option, if not the first. Isn’t that it?...

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Well, Major, What Do You Know?

Richard Franklin Bishop

© Copyright 2014 by Richard Franklin Bishop

Photo of C-5A with smaller aircraft.

My Military Life Series (Without Deadly Force)

Part One - Enjoying Asia

Part Two - TALLY HO THE BOXes

Part Three - My Life As A Non-Combatant
Part Four - A Mysterious Disappearance
Part Five - Controlling An English Disaster
(Of American Origin)
Part Six - Well, Major, What Do You Know?

I was stationed in England and had been enjoying every minute of it. As a newly promoted Major in the US Air Force, I felt that, after achieving "Field Grade" rank, I had finally "arrived" in my career as a REGULAR Officer. Later, leaving my normal job as an Accounting & Finance Officer to accept the higher job as Base Comptroller was “right-on” in my book.

Controlling An English Disaster
(Of American Origin)

Richard Franklin Bishop

© Copyright 2014 by Richard Franklin Bishop

Pilot ejecting from jet.

My Military Life Series (Without Deadly Force)

Part One - Enjoying Asia

Part Two - TALLY HO THE BOXes

Part Three - My Life As A Non-Combatant
Part Four - A Mysterious Disappearance
Part Five - Controlling An English Disaster
(Of American Origin)

In 1968, after serving exactly one year in Thailand, I had applied for and was given another overseas assignment, this time to England. The U.S. Air Force called this a “Consecutive Overseas Tour.” This Permanent Change of Station (PCS) was considered to be a “Plum” by me since for 11 years I had been trying (unsuccessfully) for an European overseas tour after obtaining my Commission as a U.S. Air Force Officer in 1957. The Main Island of the United Kingdom seemed to me to be an adventurous destination for an American, or as the tongue-in-cheek saying goes: “two English-speaking peoples separated by the same language.”...

A Mysterious Disappearance

Richard Franklin Bishop

© Copyright 2014 by Richard Franklin Bishop

My Military Life Series (Without Deadly Force)

Part One - Enjoying Asia

Part Two - TALLY HO THE BOXes

Part Three - My Life As A Non-Combatant
Part Four - A Mysterious Disappearance

Photo of temple and boat in Bangkok, Thailand.

I was on a roll! My one-year assignment, received at Scott Field, Illinois, while assigned to the Headquarters of MATS (Military Air Transport Service) was to Thailand. And I thought it was a Winner! Instead of a Headquarters Staff Officer, I was to be out in the field; an Accounting and Finance Officer (A&FO) again. But, I had to bounce around within the country a little before my final assignment came in....

To See The Queen

June Calender

© Copyright 2014 by June Calender

Map showing Lo-Monthang.

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?

I’ve been to London to see the queen.

Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?

I spied a little mousy under her chair.

This was my second trek in Nepal with a small group. The subkingdom of Mustang had at that time had less than 1000 western visitors. I wanted to see a place where the wheel was used only for prayer barrels and time seemed to have stopped. I found time had not stopped, but the country was aging badly because of melting glaciers and its isolation. Since I was there a road has been built across Mustang (with Chinese investment) and I do not know if the area still has a king and queen since the Maoist government has been in power....

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My Life As A Non-Combatant

Richard Franklin Bishop

© Copyright 2014 by Richard Franklin Bishop

My Military Life Series (Without Deadly Force)

Part One - Enjoying Asia

Part Two - TALLY HO THE BOXes

Part Three - My Life As A Non-Combatant

Photo of a beer bottle on a table looking out to a Saigon street.

As I look back on my life, I find that I have been extremely lucky and, while fate certainly has been searching for me, it has never really looked far enough around the corner to "get" me. At the same time, my Military experiences pale in comparison to those Combat troops who were "really there" in America's conflicts. Because of my eyes, I was a non-flying Air Force Officer, and through no choice of my own, I was also a Non-combatant....

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Shadowing Dashiell Hammett

Dale Fehringer

© Copyright 2014 by Dale Fehringer

Photo of Don Herron.

He looks the part, and we could tell who he was from a block away. Today was the day he was going to guide us around the parts of San Francisco where Dashiell Hammett lived, worked, and wrote. And there he was, standing on Market Street, in front of the historic Flood Building, on a sunny Sunday afternoon....

Grandpa's Time Machine

Nancy Loera

© Copyright 2014 by Nancy Loera

Photo of a person fishing with a cane pole.

The story you are about to read is true or as someone in the literary world would say "non-fiction." I can honestly say that I have my very own, ultra cool, one of a kind time machine. It's capable of whisking me away to a moment in my past and back again whenever I choose to go...

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If I Were 22 Again

Dick Miller

© Copyright 2014 by Dick Miller

Photo of Dick at age 22.

If I were invited to give a college commencement address, it would be mercifully brief, and along these lines.

If I were 22 years old, as are many of the members of the college graduating classes of 2014, and had the opportunity to ask my 70-year-old self for some tips, here’s a baker’s dozen of ideas that I would pass along....

Dad's Brief Stage Career

Dick Miller

© Copyright 2014 by Dick Miller

Photo of the actor who played the role in the 1951 film.

For a number of years my parents were active in amateur theater productions, mostly at our church and in the local community center dramatic group. Mom was the one who liked to be on stage and dad worked behind the scenes. He designed and built sets, painted, acted as stage manager, and did just about anything but step out onto the stage....

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TALLY HO -THE BOXes

A Merrie Olde Chase

(Without The Horses & Hounds)

Richard Franklin Bishop

© Copyright 2014 by Richard Franklin Bishop

My Military Life Series (Without Deadly Force)

Part One - Enjoying Asia

Part Two - TALLY HO THE BOXes

Part Three - To Come

Photo of a C-130.

In the middle of September, 1967, I was transferred from the Headquarters of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), Scott Field, Illinois, to Southeast Asia for a standard one-year tour of duty in Thailand....

The Fabric of Family

Lane Elizabeth Dooling

© Copyright 2014 by Lane Dooling

Photo of a sign pointing to a reunion site.

Looking back, I have always been aware of how special family traditions are - as a child, teenager, young adult and now full circle as a parent. I remain a bit amazed at the power of simple family traditions - how the smallest practices seem to have a special meaning to be long remembered....

Enjoying Asia

Richard Franklin Bishop

© Copyright 2014 by Richard Franklin Bishop

My Military Life Series (Without Deadly Force)

Part One - Enjoying Asia

Part Two - To Come

Part Three - To Come

Photo of a USAF C-124.

We were stationed in Japan for three years beginning in 1959. The assignment was at Tachikawa AB about 15 miles from downtown Tokyo on the big Island of Honshu, Japan....

On the Trail of the Tyrant

Evan L. Balkan

© Copyright 2013 by Evan L. Balkan

Statue of Lope de Aguirre.

“When I saw the vessel with full sails sailing away, I felt like one born again. I gave thanks to God for having saved me from the clutches of the monster. I did not even mind being poor and destitute. I found the island and its town destroyed.”

So said a Captain Altamirano, recalling the departure in 1561 of Lope de Aguirre from Margarita Island....

The Wonderment of
Young Children

Dick Miller

© Copyright 2014 by Dick Miller

Photo of a child with eyes wide in astonishment.

There he stood in the middle of the aisle at the Target store, mouth agape, eyes like saucers, staring at my two leg prostheses as I sat in my motorized wheelchair. He had been obediently following his Mom as she headed in the direction of the checkout line, but this sight brought him up short....

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Cedar Walls

Rachel M. Barker

Copyright © 2014 by Rachel M. Barker

Photo of a cabin interior with cedar walls.

He wakes up, still shell-shocked by last night’s conversation. She has already left for school; it is 7:45 am. Last night, she told him that she doesn’t like the cedar walls of their basement apartment. Because they remind her of him, and what happened on the fishing trip when she was ten years old....

The Shower

Rachel M. Barker

Copyright © 2014 by Rachel M. Barker

Photo of a pregnant woman with a hand on her belly.

Amy mentally approaches the event with her usual combination of “Damn, do I really have to?” and, “When is the soonest I can leave without appearing reprehensibly rude?” Staying at home and mercilessly chipping away at herself seems a much healthier alternative. She is all too aware of how her family perceives her. The terms “fruitcake”, “nomad” and “lush” all run through her head in a tizzy. She hates them for thinking this, even though they are all perfectly applicable adjectives. And true....

A Very Special Favor

Dale Fehringer

© Copyright 2014 by Dale Fehringer

Photo of William Saroyan's grave.

Thirty-two years ago Bob Damir faced a dilemma when his friend, William Saroyan, died. An unusual request was included in Saroyan’s will, which Bob had been asked to fulfill. Bob wanted to do this favor for his friend, but it would be quite an imposition.

William Saroyan (or “Bill” as Bob knew him) was a popular author in the 1930’s and 1940’s; at the time one of the best-known writers in the world....

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Positives and Negatives

Geary Smith

© Copyright 2014 by Geary Smith

Photo of a girl's legs in cowboy boots.

“I don’t like this at all,” said Somer. “This is crazy.”

Somer tied her snow boots, pulled up her coat sleeve, and adjusted her wool cap that
covered her eyes.

“We did not have to shovel snow back home in Texas,” said Somer. “This is crazy to
shovel snow just to get out of your driveway.”...

So You Want To Lead A Band

Dick Miller

© Copyright 2014 by Dick Miller

Photo of a band and high school conductor.

I was a Physics and General Science teacher in a large New York City high school: large in enrollment, small in facility. In fact, it was the same school I attended some years before (but that’s another story). The school was overcrowded, so some students (and teachers) started as early as 7:00 AM, while others stayed as late as 4:00 PM. I was on one of the later shifts.

I took advantage of that late schedule by coming in early to rehearse with the school band. I’m a trombone player, and this was a good opportunity to keep in practice. The band had only one euphonium player (the tenor voice of the tuba family), which reads the same music as a trombone, so my contribution was welcome....

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We Do Not Choose
Mental Illness and
We Do Not Choose Addiction

Sara Berelsman

© Copyright 2014 by Sara Berelsman

Image of a red button with HELP on it.

We do not choose mental illness and we do not choose addiction.

If you think otherwise, then get on your knees right now and thank God, because you have never experienced the true horror that is addiction. You have never suffered through mental illness. You are one of those people who happened to be born with a “normal” brain. Many times I’ve been jealous of you, but I’m not anymore. These are the cards I was dealt. I often think that God just took the stack of cards and flicked them out onto the population, and is then sitting back, watching crazy situation after crazy situation unfold. God has one hell of a sense of humor....

Elmer's Tune

A Homage To My Father

Richard Franklin Bishop

© Copyright 2014 by Richard Franklin Bishop

Newspaper photo.

It’s now been 96 ½ years since my Father, Elmer Jewell Bishop, “joined-up” with the U. S. Army for service in the latter years of WW I. Although, in his case, it was somewhat different since he volunteered by enlisting in Company “B” of the 3^rd Illinois National Guard, a State organization....

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We Won!

Dick Miller

© Copyright 2014 by Dick Miller

Offical signaling touchdown.

Texans certainly take their football very seriously. I know, because I married one....

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Barney's Nose for Trouble

James Sclater

© Copyright 2012 by James Sclater

Photo of a great dane.

The Cosgrove sisters lived next to us in a big sprawling one-story house with a great hall running down the middle of it — the urban version of a dogtrot house. Each lady had her own bedroom, but there was only one bathroom for the entire group. Jeannie, a former schoolteacher, was the oldest, followed by Vidalia, Gussie, Roberta, and Penny. None had ever married; they seemed quite content to dote on the children of relatives living in Modelle....

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The Accidental Tuba Player

Dick Miller

© Copyright 2014 by Dick Miller

Photo of a brass tuba.

I’ve never had a tuba lesson in my life, but I’ve enjoyed playing the instrument for more than 40 years. It all began by accident.

I was playing bass trombone in the South Shore Community Band on Staten Island, New York. We were rehearsing in preparation for one of our two annual fund-raiser concerts when our only tuba player announced that he was retiring and moving to Florida. There didn’t seem to be a ready replacement, so the band director, Charlie Stieg, asked if anyone in the band knew anyone who could take on the role with the concert approaching. One of the scheduled numbers was “Victory at Sea,” which had a prominent tuba part....

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Amulet of Nekhbet

Jordan Elizabeth Mierik

© Copyright 2014 by Jordan Elizabeth Mierik

View of a street scene.

In 1920, Emma made the decision to accompany her archeologist husband on an expedition to Ancient Egypt. Unfortunately for her, it was far worse than she’d been warned. Bored and irritable, Emma hung around her neck an amulet dedicated to Nehkbet, the Egyptian vulture goddess. It certainly was a pretty bauble, but it also sucked her away into a void, from which her descendents have been trying to retrieve her....

Just Call Me Mr. Kotter

Dick Miller

© Copyright 2014 by Dick Miller

Photo of some of the caracters from the TV show.

You may recall the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, starring comedian Gabe Kaplan. It aired in the late 1970s and is notable for bringing a young John Travolta to national attention. The premise is that Kaplan, playing Mr. Kotter, returns to teach at the high school he himself attended. He winds up with a class of misfits, nicknamed “sweat hogs” in the show, of whom little is expected except, perhaps, from Mr. Kotter.

So, in fact, did I....

The Subway

L. Rehfuss

© Copyright 2014 by L. Rehfuss

Photo of a subway token.

It's 5:55pm, and he's where he has stood every night since I started taking the subway one year ago. His job is to watch tokens enter a small machine in front of him or glance at monthly subway passes being flashed before his eyes. The purpose for this seemingly tedious assignment is to move people through the turnstiles quickly....

Flo

The Dog Who Would Rather Work Than Play

Dick Miller

© Copyright 2014 by Dick Miller

Photo of Flo.

After we had to have our beloved dog Buddy put down, and after our period of grieving passed, my wife Mega and I realized that we missed the companionship that only a dog can offer and started our search....

A Salute From The Black Aces

William Wayne Weems

© 2014 by William Wayne Weems

Photo of a school safety patrol badge.

Here is a Tennessee tale from the mid-1950's. At the time of this account there was a road intersection on the South side of Nashville called "Five Points". It was and is a complex interchange for ordinary city streets, and the source of a depressing number of traffic accidents.

Faith

Sara Berelsman

© Copyright 2014 by Sara Berelsman

Photo of balloons rising above trees.

“Faith” is defined by the dictionary as, “Firm belief in something for which there is no proof.” I’ve always struggled with my faith. It’s unfailingly been difficult for me to do, or believe in, anything without a logical reason or evidence behind it. I think I might have believed in God when I was younger. That belief disappeared when I went to college. I regained that belief when I gave birth to my first child. My convictions had evolved, however. Still, I couldn’t gaze upon the tiny face of my perfect baby, count all her little fingers and toes, or hold her close to me and feel her heart beating without thinking this was a miracle. This had to be a miracle. Did I have any logical evidence behind it? No. I still don’t. Yet I believed. I still believe…that she is a miracle. Nothing that flawless could come together and form the miniature person who came out of me without some kind of divine intervention. That is just my belief....

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