Latest Story
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A Fable about Attention
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A Fable about Pot-covers
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A Fable about Financial Foresight
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A Fable about Another Family
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A Fable about Gaming Protocol
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A Fable about Hotel Ditties
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A Fable about Insurance
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A Fable about Point-of-View
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A Christmas Fable
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Ant Gods
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Happenstance
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A Fable about an Unexpected Evolution
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A Fable about Flattery
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A Fable about Forbearance
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A Fable about Giftedness
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A Fable about Response
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A Fable about Tenacity
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Homeboy Back & Blue
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A Fable about Administrative Slogans
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A Fable about Alien Motives
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A Fable about Procedure
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A Fable about Climate Change
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A Fable about Deities
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A Fable about Dark Matter
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A Fable about Diligence
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Guppies
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A Fable about Pool Parties
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A Fable about Un-Natural Selection
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Homeward Bound (excerpt)
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A Fable about Breaking News
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A Fable about Jibes
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A Fable about Psycho-Physics
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A Fable about Toughness
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A Fable about Surrender
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A Fable about Insight
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A Fable about Boundaries
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Cabbie
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A Fable about Definitions
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A Fable about Offspring
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A Fable about Awareness
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A Fable about Authority
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A Fable about Cause & Effect
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Another fable about Perspective
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Succulence
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Transaction
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A Fable about a Transformation
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A Fable about Off-Message
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A Fable about Symbiosis
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A Fable about Union
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Moe, the Vagabond
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Tinker Thinker
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One Never Knows
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A Fable about the Internet
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A Fable about Gods
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A Fable about Prediction
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A Fable about Craft
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A Fable about Debate
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A Fable about Smartness
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Another Fable about Research
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Boots
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A Fable about Mindset
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Circle of Shade
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A Fable about Gamesmanship
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Another Fable about Community
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A Fable about Multi-Tasking
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A Fable about Ditziness
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Ties
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A Fable about Fortune
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A Fable about a Franchise
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A Fable about a Glitch
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A Fable about Genetic Research
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A Fable about Mites and Men
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A Fable about Protest
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A Fable about Quests
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A Fable about Utility
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Twin Game
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The Crossing
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A Fable About The Resort Business
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A Fable About Crisis
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A Fable About Space/Time
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A Passing Talent
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Rooli, the Slave
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A Fable About A Carbon Footprint
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A Fable About Resurrection
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A Measure Of Respect
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Creature
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Meanings
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A Fable about an Extraordinary Rendition
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Old Shoes
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Trancendental Fable
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A fable about a Sales Pitch
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A fable about Fear
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A fable about Servitude
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Postcards
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hotdog
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Familiar Eyes
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Cruisers
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A Fable about Response
A gathering of about two dozens of the hoi polloi interested in self improvement fills this fourth floor walk-up seminar room. The topic under discussion is "Response to Difficult Situations."
Consummate professional at this, the Clever Speaker can employ a number of tricks and stratagems to enhance his audience's interest. This afternoon, his narrow, long-fingered hands expressive of every word, he begins, "Let's start with one of those tricky situations that favors the nimble wit."
He chooses five representative characters from the audience to demonstrate his example - this dicey circumstance being that if a winsome gambler, a handsome pimp, a wholesome dry-goods merchant, an awesome pangenetic person, and a loathsome former lover, each suggests, "Come go with me!" How would you react?
Then baring a smile only a blind dog would trust, the Smooth Speaker, with a sweeping gesture of his elegant hand, caresses some air towards the quintet and asks, "So how does one, how would any of you, respond?"
Strolling seconds saunter by as an almost visible quiet grows. Audience ambience evolves from alert Amusement to somewhere close to awkward Anxiety. And still no answer is put forth by anyone on the stage.
Then there is a group-sigh of Relief as a red-haired mature in the second row raises her hand and says conversationally, "Why?"
The Confident Speaker, cocked his head and cupped hand at his right ear. "What was that?" he asked in robust voice.
The redhead cleared her throat and was louder, "Yeah! Yu'know what I mean? Why should she, at all?"
To which the Speaker had no comeback.
Moral: The good question might spur profundity.
(c) Kelvin Christopher James