“And ghosts did shriek and squeal about the streets. And lean-look’d prophets whisper fearful change.” Odd that our paths had never crossed in Hawaii. Gordon’s timeshare period conflicted with my euro adventures. And really, who wants to go to Hawaii at the end of summer when the heat is up and the trade winds down? … More Where the Time Goes
Claudia wondered what the cryptic message was all about. Get into the Embassy immediately. An emergency usually comes with a brief explanation, a coded text, an Embassy car with security driver, or even a Met police car has given her a ride in the past. She so hated going into the new U.S. Embassy south … More Management: What is it Good For?
Claudia didn’t want to but she did once again. A group of Aussie friends had dragged her along on a pub crawl through Soho and the West End. Only one drink, maybe a second one at the next pub. Against past evidence to the contrary, she told herself that she’d switch to sparkling water between … More Dreams Unwind
The phone rang just as Claudia had fallen into a deep sleep after getting back home to her London flat from a long sleep deprived week in Lapland advising and observing Finnish Security Services field training. On the flight home, she intermittently dozed and rethought retirement and moving to a lucrative career path in civilian … More A Cunning Plan–Part Two (a few months later)
“Can you trust this whore?” Claudia looked away from the laptop screen balanced between her and former Sgt. Barnett. She gazed out the passenger window that was dotted with rain drops spit from a lingering London spring shower. Pedestrians passing in the evening dark paid little attention to the two people in the front seat … More A Cunning Plan–Part One
PFC William Thomas “Tom” Smiley Died 2 days before his 21rst birthday. His tour of duty lasted less than a month. Still remembered. For me, you’ll always be laughing and running free on the fields of Oakland. Go deep. Run, Tom, run. We were a loud, rowdy group as we poured into the bus. Smiling … More Lives in the Balance
Noch Einmal, bitte? Where am I Why can’t I remember? It’s so dark. Open your eyes. Are they open? It’s still dark. How did I get here? Where is here? I can’t feel anything. Am I asleep. Wake up! What happened? There. It’s getting brighter around the edges. Are my eyes open? I can’t feel … More Mulligan
None would say that he was pushed. And he certainly didn’t jump. He just let go and fell. At 6:02 on a foggy morning, the exactness of the time inappropriate to the timeless scene and the eternity beyond, Raoul dropped off the mid-span of the wooden Ponte Academia and disappeared beneath the dull surface of … More Venetian Tides
“Why can’t Six handle it? It’s their show,” Claudia protested, perhaps a bit too loudly but she was already annoyed for having to come into the Embassy office. “The female officer MI6 had on duty last night was literally hit by a bus this afternoon. They asked. You’re not handling anything hot right now. And … More Need to Know
I remember the Salk vaccine and children frightful about getting a needle in the arm, but their parents relieved and undeterred by the child’s protests. A couple of years later came the easily administered Sabin drops on sugar cubes which made the medicine go down, and we all lined up at schools across the country … More When the Country Was Desperate for a Vaccine
FOOTNOTES by John Atkinson 