After the Seven Days Spotlight, the Vermont Extended Universe Gears Up for Volume 3 of the VEU. “Shelburne author Chris Rodgers pairs mysterious short stories with AI‑generated imagery to create curious and fun historical fiction.” — Seven Days (Books, April 23 2025) (Seven Days) I am grateful to Seven Days and writer Ken Picard for profiling the first two volumes of the VEU. I’ve…
Tag: Short Stories
The Well That Grew Giants: A Prairie Folk Tale
The Giant Well August 1863 The scorching hot Kansas wind twisted around Isaiah Milton’s face. His mother had named him after the haunting sound the wind made when it came through the front door of his childhood home: Isaiah. It lured him back twenty years later, and he stumbled through the Kansas plains searching for…
The Scary Derrière – How to Quit the Potty Talk.
Mister Keister couldn’t keep a job so he’d have to bum money from family and friends. They’d say Keith Keister when are you going to grow up and quit the potty talk and he hit bottom.
Driving with Whales and Zeppelins
Driving with Whales and Zeppelins Boring. That was how eight-year-old Louis Butler describes visiting Grandpa Charlie’s cottage on the isle of Jersey. The man did not have Nintendo or Cable TV. His telly was an old piece of furniture with plants and books atop it. Visits always consisted of sitting around drinking tea in the…
Bus J. – The Lost Road
Bus J March 12, 2022 The ride home on Bus J is always an adventure. It shuttles the rowdiest kids on the longest ride — a 45-minute trek down Old Bridge Road, through one of the state’s densest forests. It always looked like it was on the verge of nighttime, even on the sunniest of…
The Facepainter
Experience an extraordinary day at Middletown Middle School when second-grader Rose Batty becomes ‘Principal for the Day.’ Follow Rose’s exploits as she mandates the hiring of a retired face painter and accidentally transforms the school event into a fantastical zoo filled with superheroes, animals, and delightful chaos. Read on to discover how this day unfolds in this captivating and humor-filled narrative.
The Unktomi of Middletown: A Thanksgiving Tale of Mystery and Adventure
The Unktomi of Middletown November 25, 1987 A thick soupy fog hangs over Middletown Lake, obscuring the shoreline. From the shadows, a lone shifting figure emerges, changing from a towering lanky form to a wide and spindly one. Suddenly, it crouches down to pull a huge clump of webbing from thorny bushes with long bristled…
Murderous Mascots – Mysteries of Middletown Middle
Murderous Mascots September 2020 “Coloring? Seriously?” Jeremy, the new fifth-grader, complained as he took out his crayons, eyeing the strange circular symbol carved into the corner of his desk. “We stopped coloring in second grade at my old school.” “Welcome to Middletown Middle,” Jeremy’s tablemate, Ari, responded with a knowing look. “Don’t try to compare…
The Fourteenth Ghost – Short Story
Good evening, fellow traveler. What brings you to the Inn at Ithaca Hills? Did the fox send you my way? He presumes I have nothing better to do. Well, my friend, you look tired. Have a seat by the hearth, but before you do, grab a log from the pile and feed the fire. Walk…
Remi – A short story about Paris and stolen dreams
Eighteen-year-old Kansas boy, Clark Bisbee, visits France for the first time. He wanders the streets, looking for something he cannot find. Not alone anyway. Clark saved all the money he made cleaning and helping Mom and Dad. He had ten years to make the trip happen, but now three days into his journey he’s running…