PeterSJC

Sometimes my facebook page is kind of like a blog, and I want to add an occasional feature, called something like "My fiction picks from the web," primarily but not exclusively gay-themed but chosen for their universal themes that would perhaps appeal to my non-gay friends and relatives. One of my all-time favorites—I think its title was something like A table for one, but I was unable to find that with Google—is... [SPOILER ALERT...] ...An older gentleman makes a reservation for one at a French restaurant that he and his late partner had often frequented, decades earlier. The snooty maitre'd gives him a disdainful look, tells him his preferred seat is unavailable—notwithstanding that the restaurant is almost empty—and masterfully conveys with connotation the idea that the older man is not of the class of people that the restaurant would like to attract. The man accepts the ill treatment, but a young waiter intervenes, even "clocking out" so he can share a delightful meal with the older man. [OK, I think I have given enough detail here. It is such as great story, and I don't want to give it all away, if I don't have to.] The story is one of my very favorites, I hope there is a version that's not on the site that also has the pure filth in which I sometimes love to wallow, or the site with a picture of two young men, bodies pressed together but the bases of their extremities clearly visible from the side. Those things sometimes appeal to me, but probably not to the people I would like to share this with. Thanks in advance, peter

Reading this story a second, and then a third, time just now, I think it must be Mihangel's best—both profound and beautifully expressive—though I may well have said that about other stories of his. Thanks to the Dude for bringing it back to our attention. [Spoiler alert] The maturity that Tom gains as he realizes that his friendship with Isaac will never deepen, the joy and subsequent pain and eventual joy that Tom feels as he gains, loses, and gains his soul mate—all of this resonates deeply in me. Well done! peter

Thanks, Colin. That kind of mistake really embarrasses me. And as a retired programmer, I understand about the complexities. I've always said that the biggest impediment to programming is a lack of imagination (about how something will be used). I also love trying to break other people's code. :)

Wow! Well, I can't take credit for bringing it back. The "What's New at Codey's World" part of the AD home page currently shows it, under the Featured heading. I happily followed that link: it was a fun story to read. Since you are obviously not Codey, I would guess that you were his editor, or one of them. I would love to hear any other anecdotes from those times. Anyway, thanks for writing the story and for providing this background.

Apologies for the triple posting. AD server problem: I wish I'd written down the error message, but who knew it would do this? I would appreciate it if someone with administrative access could delete the other two.

Nothing serious here, but this really appeals to my inner word-geek: http://www.codeysworld.com/guest-authors/the-33-words.htm I already knew 6 of the 33. Unimpressive, I know.

The "show, don't tell" rule is generally useful: I wish I were a lot better at applying it. In this short story, however, Richard's relationship with Settle was primarily important as background: more showing might have slowed things down too much. In contrast, the scene at Joseph's house ("Come in. Sit down and take a breath. I see that Brother Baldwin made an impression." I sat on the plain couch, almost vibrating. "Now, what do you think I think?") invites me to slow down and reflect on the many levels in which these few sentences capture the essence of the story.

I enjoyed this story on several levels: First, as Chris has noted, the craftsmanship—and specifically the use of gasoline prices to frame a history that is familiar to some of us—evokes in me the same sort of admiration that I have for any demonstration of great skill. And I appreciate BiJanus's contribution to my often deficient education (since, I am almost ashamed to admit, I have not yet read Giovanni's Room). Most important, though, the story contributes to my sense of well-being as I reflect on what is right in the world: nurturing parents, supportive teachers, courageous pioneers who have paved our way. I read the story a few years ago and am delighted to see it featured on this month's AD home page. It's well worth re-reading. Thanks to both BiJanus and The Dude, for providing the opportunity.

I just got around to reading this lovely story. Among other things, I like what it says about friendship. Nylin is willing to let the heron go, but the friendship continues. Ardeid comes back when Nylin needs him, but neither clings to the other, both recognizing that they need to be in their own worlds. Even apart, they will always be there for each other. I also liked the gentleness of the revenge. No Hitchcockesque bird scene, as I might have imagined. The punishment fit the crime and eliminated the problem. I have added this story to my mental list of favorites, one to which I will probably return when I crave a dose of feel-good. Thanks to Rick Beck for writing it.

Indeed.

Because I prefer to read a novel all at once, rather than waiting for installments, I waited until now to read Rivers of the Dead. Wow! Of all the things that Cynus has written so far, I would consider this his magnum opus, a larger-than-life epic that elaborates all the important themes which gave birth to the ancient myths around which this tale is woven. If someone could read only one of Cynus's novels, I would recommend this one. http://www.awesomedude.com/Cynus/rivers-of-the-dead/index.htm

Mike, I was going to say, "No, don't reduce it to weekly; make it daily; feed my addiction!" And then I came to the part where you mentioned that updating weekly would reduce your workload. Yes, please. Weekly is sufficient. And BTW, thanks! peter

I'm delighted to see it there. It deserves a wider audience. I look forward to seeing Weightless there, too. I like Clint and his friends and think I might have to go back and re-read them both stories. If so, I'll do it here, of course. I have no patience to wait for installments.

I just got around to reading it. As I have said in this forum several times, my favorite stories involve redemption, and Nickels and Dimes serves that in a way that is both convincing and heartwarming. Charles's redemption is the most obvious, but we also see it in Gray, a frustrated and not very happy boy who learned to respect himself enough to insist on respect from Charles, and even a little bit in the way Chip grew in his sense of purpose and direction. Very nicely done. I guessed, fairly early in the story, that Charles's redemption would involve working in the restaurant, and I wasn't disappointed. The job gave him a perfect opportunity to learn empathy and humility—or he could have just let it turn him into a more bitter person. Ultimately,while redemption usually involves some exterrnal trigger, it always depends on a choice by the person being redeemed. p

Apparently, the answer to that was the great public boarding-schools, with A Burrell, in his 1891 Recitation, A Handbook for Teachers in Public Elementary School stating, "It is the business of educated people to speak so that no-one may be able to tell in what county their childhood was passed." The Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Received_Pronunciation) is informative.

Mike, thanks for the additional information. I would not want to intrude on their privacy. If Wiklins and Hurley had made public comments about the creationof the song—not that that is a common thing for songwriters to do—I would have liked to add them to the Wikipedia article about the song. Again, thanks for posting the link to that video. I think that even without the video, the Tom Goss cover would be my favorite. I will never hear that song the same again, regardless of who is singing. p

[Snark mode ON] I dispute that the octothorpe is a proper "pound sign." (And I'm not even British. Is it really true, as I have heard, that the British celebrate Thanksgiving on July 4?) :)

Merkin, thanks for that background. I guess I would argue that there is already a forum—the bull pen—where people can post things that are not ready for prime time. An argument for the status quo is that all the flash fiction is in one place. If flash fiction were posted both in the forum and on the author's home page, both goals—findability and visibility—would be achieved. For now, I will satisfy myself by reading them in the forum. p

Thanks for the clarification. In retrospect, I could have looked this up before posting. <sigh> OK, so the upper limit for FF (here) is 1,000 words. Is that also the lower limit for short story, or is there some area of overlap, e.g., 500–1,000 words, where something could be considered either? My real question, though, is why flash fiction is locked into the ghetto of a forum, where it is so much less visible. p

Wow! Very powerful! I listened/watched several times just now and really heard it for the first time, despite having listened passively, many years ago, to versions by Dusty Springfield et al on the radio. Can you clarify what Wilkins & Hurley had in mind? Have they made any public statements regarding the song?

Regarding my second question, I may have an incorrect concept of what flash fiction is, which would be why i generally avoid it. For instance, I consider both With a Whimper and bilal's Javed (posted in the Bull Pen) to be excellent short stories that give me a sense of completion. On the other hand, Gee Whillickers's After School Surprise, something that I would consider flash fiction, leaves me frustrated, echoing Colin's question, "When are we going to get the next part?"

The Flash Fiction forum, which I have recently discovered, leads me to wonder: * Why is flash fiction in the forums, rather than integrated with other stories? For example, I stumbled across James Savik's With a Whimper in the Flash Fiction forum but cannot find it on his page. It seems to me that a lot of readers must be missing out on some very fine short stories. * Is there an agreed-upon definition for flash fiction? At what point does it become a "short story"? p

I really, really like this story. Original, with an unexpected (for me) ending. And well written. The dialog is quite believable. A great feel-good story. I hope to see it online some day. p

This has developed into a lovely romantic story. And now you have made it interesting and more realistic by adding some tension at the end of this chapter. I look forward to reading more. p

OK, do these links work? (Kind of hard to tell from my computer—I think the URLs I copied were just for my access.): https://goo.gl/photos/AY5PKcZ5TBAHhMCFA https://goo.gl/photos/QyqsRym7You99SYi9 The original rose "wall" used to go all the way from the front of the lot to the back alley. I'm not sure when they were planted but am assuming they have been around longer than I have. p