http://garywshockley.com Catching up with the future (one little misstep at a time) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:44:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Excerpt: When the sounds had faded away, Kato squeezed out of the log and looked about. A wild boar snored atop the log, an ornate vase precariously balanced between its tusks. The skeleton of a horse stood tethered to a stump. Blue and green marbles were scattered beside ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/03/07/pulse-kato-whip-12/ I'm putting up quarter-round trim in Lori's room. It's not easy. I cut the strips in the garage. They're roughly 10 feet long, and getting them into the house, through the living room, into the hallway and then into her room is an awkward twisty-pokey-clattery affair. ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/03/01/fall-monkey-king/ Excerpt: "You are Lady Dusk, aren't you?" he said, stepping further into the firelight. She stared at him. "Have we met before?" "In a dream." She remained puzzled. Then, seeing the steed, which had followed him, she exclaimed, "Why, you have my steed! But what is wrong with him? He ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/02/28/pulse-kato-whip-11/ Excerpt: "Enough!" Kato said. "I don't want to hear any more bickering for a while." He gathered the girls about him. "Just stay close, okay? Don't go out of sight again." He counted them with a finger that trembled with emotion. "What happened to your horse?" Vickie ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/02/20/pulse-kato-whip-10/ Excerpt: The eel slithered to and fro, clearly out of his element. "Well, I can juggle." Five stones shot up out of the sand, and the eel set them to dancing in the air. "Wow!" Kato watched in amazement. "That's great!" He noted how the eel's body ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/02/14/pulse-kato-whip-09/ Excerpt: Kato remained amazed that he had made a kite that could fly, and while it didn't zip about like the others, he could appreciate its little movements, dips and surges and feints of a more subtle nature, a delicate dance that began to speak to him. For as it moved about ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/02/07/pulse-kato-whip-08/ It's been decades since I revisited my high school yearbook. A couple things stand out -- or rather, fail to. First, though I'm in many photos, you'd have a hard time spotting me. I lurk -- in the back, at the edge, peeking from behind. It's ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/02/02/dimensions-grudge/ Excerpt: Tucking the paper wad in a pocket, he continued down the corridor, which had an unmistakable downward slant. He walked for several hours. He walked for a day, a week, a month. And still he had not reached the end. To help pass the time he ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/02/01/pulse-kato-whip-07/ Excerpt: He negotiated a contortionist's nightmare of rubber bands, setting off several, and stepped into what proved to be the kitchen. The woman stood over a hot stove, ladle in hand, preparing a spaghetti and meatball dish more puzzling than the house. "Uh, hi," he whispered. "I'm looking ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/01/24/pulse-kato-whip-06/ Excerpt: "Be quiet," Kato Whip whispered, realizing how easy it would be to bring everything down. An ominous buzzing came from deeper in the cavern. Motioning for the earthquake to follow, he tiptoed forward to where pale egg cases and mummified remains hung from monstrous webs tenting the walls. The buzzing ... http://garywshockley.com/2010/01/17/pulse-kato-whip-05/