The light in the tavern is dim. 14th century Britains don't expect any better. Gobbo peers at Zoppo, not minding that he can't see him well. “So,” asks Gobbo, “is this the Great Plague or the Black Death?” “Who gives a swive,” says Zoppo. “Some historians say the term Black Death wasn't invented till later but what do they know? What we know is folks are dying like flies, which gives us work, humping corpses into carts an...

Three men had been friends for most of their lives, from elementary school through college. They had even been working at the same firm since graduation. In their late twenties, they decided to go on vacation together to a remote tropical resort. Their names were Dave, Jimmy, and Roland. On the third morning of their vacation, they decided to go jogging on the beach. As the three friends ran along the edge of the surf, Ji...

  The rain outside only made her isolation more draconian.  She had been placed under house arrest by her country’s vicious dictator, Klaus Heinrich, after she had attempted to pass military secrets to the enemy.  Her homeland had been at war for four years with neighboring Mueslichstan.  She had watched as their leader had imprisoned and murdered thousands of her fellow citizens.  She had not liked what she had seen. Sve...

Cal Zone knew he was in trouble. His partner, Justin Case had been taken hostage by the biggest crime boss in the Midwest. Carmine (Itchy) Ricketts controlled all of the corruption in Trippen Falls, South Dakota. Cal sat in his favored 4-door, Canary yellow 1959 Chevy Impala, given to him by his father the day the FBI arrested and took him away for bigamy. Justin was not only his partner in End Zone Bail Bonds & Keychain...

Monday   Ron leaned back in his chair, resting the back against the side of the station. An old rusty yellow and green pickup truck was making its way down the highway in his direction. He unscrewed the top of his Snapple bottle and drank a deep draught of the amber mango iced tea therein. The truck approached. It did not slow. The fine mist of dust stirred up by the tires of passing vehicles left a residue on everything...

Gus attended the county fair for some well earned leisure time and an afternoon filled with relaxed thoughts. He was a recent retiree from his career as a U.S. Postoffice mail sorter. He had spent long, painstaking hours accurately sorting mail, and packages into slots and trains of canvas-bags. He took personal pride getting every address precisely sorted to expedite delivery. He once got a commendation from the Postmast...

I am so worried about Will. Such a disappointment. When I married John Shakespeare, we agreed that we wanted a large family. By the time Will was born in 1564 we had already had two daughters die in infancy. When it was clear that Will was going to survive, we were so relieved, and John used to say that Will became a symbol of love’s labour not being lost. When, at three-years-old, he disappeared into the woods, we were d...

My longtime buddy called Dr. Radio has been gone for about twenty years, but the stories he related to me about his experiences will live on for as long as I do. He was a tall, well-built, good looking son-of-a-gun that was always well dressed and barbered. He had a promising career in radio, but it was cut short after a long battle with the program director. He was blackballed by that station and was unable to find work...

Friends in the local pub just couldn’t believe it. Even though, some of them had seen our actions with their own eyes. “Ben Coles in court?” they said, with some amazement, “Mr Easy-going. Mr Doormat. Never.” That, just about summed me up. I’d always hated any hassle and had avoided any confrontation. Couldn’t fight my way out of a meringue pie. Even with my dear lady, whenever a row was looking possible, I’d take off and...

I cannot recall if I ever related this story on here as I couldn't find it. So with Halloween right around the corner, I feel compelled to tell it. This incident occurred sometime in the late-'70s when haunted houses had become the in thing for many organizations to help fund their other projects, I think that the Jaycees were among the first to discover it. I joined one of the local haunted attractions sponsored by the J...

I had finally accepted the fact that I was never going to break into the broadcasting industry on a full-time level. I lacked a college background and had no desire to spend a couple of thousand dollars and attend a school for broadcasting. I still got plenty of work providing my wide range of voices for commercials and as a result, I became known to many program directors and station managers.  The Summer was drawing to...

“Let’s call this class to order, shall we?” The Professor looked as aged as the two-century-old building he was teaching in. Dressed smartly for his age though, he had the physical presence that outstanding educators naturally possess. Selecting a book on the wooden table in front of him, he opened to the marked page. “The great Albert Einstein said: The only reason for Time is so that everything does not happen at once.”...

To:  cynthiaj@ourtheatre.org Hi Cynthia,I saw in the trade today that you are still looking for an actor to be in Carlos' play. I know you had posted auditions to be held last night but they had been sparsely attended. If you folks are interested in someone my age being a part of the play I would be willing to come by this evening.I would be happy to fill a role for you on this late notice.I should remind you that I was i...

Some of the best stories I tell are courtesy of my buddies that function as on-the-air radio personalities. The ones contained here are one hundred percent true. I was visiting one buddy that was stuck on the overnight shift. I would always call the stations hotline and ask if he needed me to pick up anything. Now all radio stations have a hotline. It is reserved for employees and stations managers and program directors t...

She sat opposite her daughter, hands tightly clasped in her lap, “You don’t know everything,” she said, sitting forward so she was eye level with her daughter. “Being an adult, isn’t as easy as doing whatever the hell you want, goofing off, taking advantage of people and shirking your responsibilities.”   “I know mom, yet you still lecture me,” her daughter Brooke said, crossing her legs and leaning back against the chair...