Translation
I almost called out sick on Friday, but I didn't know the medical definition for the kind of sickness I had. Is there such a thing as a hangover caused by dreams, whether from sleep or when awake? Either way, I couldn't make a reasonable case for...
Perceived
Thursday morning saw me getting a bagel and schmear from a local shop, just in case the cap'n actually meant it. I chose cinnamon raisin, on the off-chance that he might have a sweet tooth. If he didn't want it, I'd eat it. Until he mentioned it, I...
Breaking Down
Darkstar's deft deflection helped to keep the rest of the dinner conversation away from me personally, yet the conversation didn't seem the least bit stilted. I had the impression that my hosts felt that they had made me uncomfortable and, as one, they...
Breaking Bread
Darkstar and I padded back to the staircase with no one else in sight. It occurred to me that more than one wicker hamper might be making a trip down the dumbwaiter tonight. I felt as if I should make some sort of conversation, but he didn't start one,...
Breaking Through
My eyes opened, not suddenly, not from any stimulus that I was aware of. I had no sense of time, and the quiet seemed absolute. Either the room was very well soundproofed, or the rain had stopped. I became more aware of my body, realizing that I had...
Of Mice and Menace
I'm not one of those hardcore city dwellers who doesn't like the country. My relief in returning to the city was exclusively that of feeling that I had escaped a physical threat. Rationally, I knew that the response was entirely out of proportion to...
A Single Candle, Part 2
"That sounds as close to impossible as makes no odds." "You're friggin' well told." As a rule, Dr. Newton Augustus Gutenberg did not use such language. This was, he thought, an occasion to break any number of rules. His experience in Chase's quarters...
A Single Candle, Part 1
When the flickering light beneath the door had faded at last, he knew it was over. It had taken longer this time. The red panda, cautious but prepared, waited another pawful of seconds, just to make sure that no more flickers could be seen. Padding to...
A Single Candle, Part 3
"Are you going to tell me now?" "What, and spoil dinner?" Newton offered a rueful smile as he looked over the happy ruins of the dinner that the two of them had shared in Chase's quarters. The coyote had done them proud, with his...
A Single Candle, Part 4
They ended up in Chase's quarters, for reasons of proximity to the lab, size of the room, and the availability of chilled bottled water. Newton had rarely felt more parched in all his life, and he was grateful to the coyote for reminding him not to...
Maxwell 2
# Maxwell 2 **Saturday, July 23, 2001** The great golden bear sat in one of the large, high-backed booths at the back of the local draft house. It was one of the reasons that he liked the place - they had furniture and space to accommodate the Ursine...
Grayson 1
# Grayson 1 **Saturday, May 7, 2011** Dear Diary: I've always had mixed feelings when a semester ends. On the one paw, no more papers to grade, no more timetable to hold me so strictly to the demands of a clock, no more (yaaaawn) faculty meetings....