Short Stories Delight, Inform and entertain
A Diddle accomplishment
an inquiry into an Enquiry
A Diddle accomplishment
The tiny duckling was paddling for all she was worth. No matter how quickly she moved her clumsy webbed feet, her mother seemed to inch further and further ahead. Her brothers and sisters were fanned out in an ever-widening V-shape, and no one was looking at each other; all eyes were fixed on their majestic mother, who made the swim look effortless. The din of quacks and squeaks that emanated from the tiny diddles filled the still air around them, yet their leader pressed on. From her position in the V, the tiny duck could see the bank of the river looming. Safety, sanctuary; a well-earned rest; all would be hers soon. All she had to do was survive the swim. Finally, the exhausted tiny diddle reached the bank and immediately realized that another monumental task lay ahead. As she tried and tried to reach the safety of the verdant green riverbank, her tiny yellow webbed feet slipped and slid on the almost vertical clay slope. Stopping to watch the others, she eventually scaled it by climbing diagonally and entangling her feet in the long course grass. At last, she was up. Her proud mother sat, surrounded by her offspring, and together they basked in the warmth of the late-Spring sun.
The Friar
an inquiry into an Enquiry
A Diddle accomplishment
In the year of our Lord 1451, in the crumbling abbey of St. Cuthbert's-on-the-Hyll, there lived a young friar named Brother Godwin - a man possessing a pious heart, a strong devotion, earnest, if sometimes misguided intentions, and absolutely no sense of direction, no sense at all really. The most recent of Brother Godwin's troubles began when the Abbot sent him to a nearby village to deliver a sermon on Temptation. Although given to certain vices, and completely aware of this, at dawn, he strode confidently toward his mission, singing hymns and clutching tightly to his sermon notes, as if they were holy relics. By noon, he had somehow managed to walk in a perfect circle and returned to the abbey from the opposite direction, proudly proclaiming, "I have arrived at the village!" The Abbot, looking out the window, sighed. "Brother Godwin," he said gently, "that is our cow's byre." Not to be deterred from his mission, Godwin tried the next day, guided by faith, questionable intuition, and a duck that joined him and seemed to know where it was going. The duck led him through fields, across a stream, and directly into the Bishop's fish pond, where both Friar and fowl emerged dripping but strangely nonplussed. When he finally reached the village two days later with his wet leather sandals squelching with each step and smelling distinctly of fish and mildew, Brother Godwin found the townsfolk, not in the chapel as he expected, but congregating loudly in the tavern. He climbed atop a barrel to deliver his sermon, but before he could speak, the innkeeper pressed a mug of ale into his hand and said, "you look like you need this Brother." Brother Godwin took one sip, (to be polite, of course), and then another, (for confirmation), and soon his sermon on temptation had become a lively lecture on the dangers of understimating a duck's sense of direction and the virtues of a moderate amount of ale. The villagers declared it the finest sermon they had ever heard. The Abbot, upon hearing the tale, merely shook his head in disbelief and muttered, "the Lord works in mysterious ways." And so it was that Brother Godwin, the perpetually lost friar of St. Cuthbert's, became a local legend - not for his holiness, but for discovering that sometimes, Divine inspiration comes from a duck with a good sense of direction and a side of barley and hops.
an inquiry into an Enquiry
an inquiry into an Enquiry
Ebeneezer Sprite - the newest christmas elf
When the letter arrived at the Ministry of Oversight at Flogwart's School for Budding Witches, Wizards and Warlocks, it was simply labelled, 'Formal Enquiry: Missing Student Files.' The envelope was thin; the kind that contained trouble. Professor Lara Venn was assigned to look into it - or more precisely, to inquire into the enquiry that had already been launched by another department. The first enquiry, she discovered, had disappeared under peculiar circumstances: no reports filed, no paper trail, no witnesses interviewed, and no mention of the team that had initiated it. Her task was to determine why the original enquiry had failed to net any actionable results. She began by questioning the file clerk, whom she assumed would have opened the initial case. "Oh, that," the clerk answered, nervously glancing at the clock. "They said that they had found what they were looking for...then stopped asking questions." "Stopped asking?" she pressed. The girl simply nodded, "said they'd been asked not to inquire further." Three days later, Lara's own notes began disappearing from her desk. Her e-mails were auto-deleted. Her office key ceased working. She received a final memo before she, too, was reassigned without notice. The memo read, "Conclusion: The original enquiry discovered something worth hiding. My enquiry confirms only this - some questions. Inquire back!" The memo was marked CONFIDENTIAL and buried under new paperwork. One week later, another envelope arrived at the Ministry. "FORMAL ENQUIRY: Missing Investigator - Lara Venn."
Ebeneezer Sprite - the newest christmas elf
Ebeneezer Sprite - the newest christmas elf
Ebeneezer Sprite - the newest christmas elf
Watch This Space - The story is coming
TOVA - My invisible companion
Ebeneezer Sprite - the newest christmas elf
santa saved in Huelgoat forest
Before I share a story that might seem inconceivable, let me first mention a belief that I share, deeply rooted in my Norse heritage. Norse Pagan mythology has a profound influence on many Norwegian customs, and our culture is quite superstitious. One belief that Vikings readily accept is that humans share the world with unseen spirits, among these are personal spirit companions, Fylgia, often thought of as 'spirit friends' or 'invisible companions', and for those lucky enough or sensitive enough to percieve their presence, they become their spirit companions from the time of their birth to the end of their life.
My very first encounter with my invisible friend happened quite unexpectedly.
One wet afternoon, as raindrops traced their paths down the window panes and the sky was awash in grey, I sat holding tightly to my Bamse, my teddy bear, listening to the monotonous hum of the weather. I was profoundly sad - my best friend Bente, and only neighbour, had recently moved far away to Canada. We lived with my grandparents in their house on the beach, which was quite a distance from town. At the age of three, I found myself totally friendless. Suddenly, a whisper as gentle as a summer breeze drifted through the room. That was the moment that I realized my invisible companion was there with me. I sensed a presence and no longer felt alone.
Tova, my own companion since childhood, tends to protect me and follows me everywhere, which leads me to believe that she is a female Fylgia. Though I have never actually seen her, which is fortunate, since seeing your spirit is considered a bad omen, I have always sensed her presence. I believe she is a female spirit because of her reactions when I share my private thoughts. Disclosing such intimate details to a male spirit simply wouldn't feel right. Still, who's to say if spirits have fixed genders or can change at will? I also do not know what form she takes, animal or human, but it doesn't matter to me. I sense her rather than see her, and, in my mind's eye, I see her as a young woman, so I named her Tova.
Growing up every day since discovering my Fylgia has been full of surprises. Together we created treasure hunts in the back garden, drawing maps and writing clues only we could understand. Tova had a knack for transforming the mundane; shadows became dancing shapes, and puddles turned into gateways to magical worlds. When I was anxious or feeling down, Tova's gentle words lifted my spirits and helped me face whatever came my way. My constant invisible companion encouraged me to see the world with fresh eyes and an open mind. Guided by Tova, learning new things became very exciting. During our walks in the meadow, she revealed the busy lives of ants, bees and butterflies. She helped me to notice the cloud patterns and discover stories etched in tree bark. I learned the smell of rain and what it meant when the leaves on the trees turned inside out. She helped me to interpret the chirping language of birds and the squeaks of tiny chipmunks and mice as they scurried past. They spoke to her and, reassured, they accepted my presence in their habitat without fear. She made each moment feel rich with possibility, reminding me that just because something isn't visible, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.
Tova is unlike anyone I've ever known. I alone am aware of her existence; she is undetectable to all the others. She's playful and inquisitive; always ready for some new adventures. Her laughter, which of course, only I can hear, echoes like wind chimes. When she's truly delighted, I sense a spark in the air. She guards my secrets and shares hers with me. Her invisibility isn't just her greatest power, but also the source of her deepest solitude. How she has longed for a human form.
You might still be thinking that invisible friends are not real, but you don't know my Fylgia as I do. Her constant presence in my life is as real as my parents, siblings and all the others who have travelled through my life or along my path. She is courageous, caring, lighthearted, and full of ancient wisdom. Thanks to her, I discover brightness on gloomy days and laughter on quiet ones. Even if no one else believes, Tova brings colour and vibrancy to my life every day.
Now, in my later years, no matter where I am or what I'm facing, starting a new class, driving through a dangerous blizzard, or simply spending a solitary afternoon at home, my invisible friend is a constant presence in my life. I know that I am never truly alone. Tova is the best unseen friend I could hope for; invisible, but always present and always cherished.
Throughout my life, I have had occasions when my mother would stop what she was doing and gaze intently at me, often slightly past me, over my right shoulder. During these moments, I know that my Norwegian mother sensed my Fylgia, and more importantly, it was obvious that she, too, felt comforted by its presence. We never discussed Tova, but my mother told me many stories of good spirits who walked in front of their humans and protected them. She told me that these spirits stayed for the human's lifetime, offering comfort and reassurance right up until the point when they leave this earth. Only then would the human be able to see their spirit companion. From her many stories, I believe that my mother also had an invisible companion. Hers' indulged her childhood desire to experience what it would be like to dance ballet on the ceiling, or to soar over their town and see what life below looked like to the birds. I never knew what name my mother gave to her Fylgia, but when she died, she looked up to the ceiling and smiled warmly, reaching out to grasp an unseen hand. Knowing, even at that final moment, your loved ones are not alone in their journey to the next dimension is strangely comforting.
Believing in unseen spirit companions, in my way of thinking, is no different from believing in, or speaking to, or being comforted by an unseen Christian God or a Muslim Allah or by Buddha and the Four Noble Truths. All require a measure of faith, and all offer comfort, protection and a hope for the future. Our trust in a higher order and a life beyond this one is a pan-global human similarity, despite the differences in our religious philosophies.
santa saved in Huelgoat forest
Ebeneezer Sprite - the newest christmas elf
santa saved in Huelgoat forest
Do you know the story of how the animals of Huelgoat Forest in Brittany, France, saved Christmas? This story is rapidly becoming a hazy memory, and soon it will disappear into a foggy legend. We must keep this story alive through the telling and retelling.
On a crisp, bright Christmas Eve morning, Santa woke beside his sleepy wife of 700 years and beamed from ear to ear with a languid and slightly mischievous grin. Today was Santa's favourite day of the year; the day when the herculean efforts of he and thousands of industrious little people finally climaxed with the delivery of Christmas joy to all believers around the world.
To Be Continued
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