Y – Yalta Y’s

Posted on April 29, 2026 by hdh

My Theme this April is “My Muse Says…”

The suggested writing prompt was – Write about an artificial intelligence that becomes wise rather than simply becoming more intelligent.

The following is what my muse said I should write.

Y – Yalta Y’s (pronounced Yalta ‘wise’)

A lot has been written about AI and its impact on the world. 

Some people are for it because of its speed in retrieving information. 

Mathematicians can prove things with AI, providing them with collected data that would take years to compile, analyzing the data, and projecting possible solutions to puzzles that have confounded them for generations. 

Medical personnel seeking suggested treatments for diseases and cures, jobs that can replace humans, and that make things more efficient, are also among the touted benefits. 

Then others oppose it because it can be error-prone and used to cheat the system.

Students using AI to do their work, thus limiting their need to learn on their own or be creative. How many of you give $20 for a $13.25 bill, and are astounded when the cash register is down, and the cashier has no way of figuring out your change?

The amount of data that is being gleaned to get AI’s answers contains both truth and fiction. How does one tease the truth out and not be misinformed about crucial information needed, especially if lives depend on that information? 

Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, there is a group of scientists, doctors, and technologists who have been working diligently on a new type of AI. This group, which works in secret in Yalta, will soon be releasing to the public WiseGTT (Wisdom Integrated Scholarly and Empathetically Generated Trusted Transformer).

What’s wrong with present-day AI engines is that they can’t think outside the box. They can only rely on data that has already been stored somewhere, which is where the mistakes and misdirections are caused. You can fine-tune their suggestions by following up your query with “Are you sure?” But that is still not perfect. 

Adding to the dilemma of information retrieved is the personal understanding of the problem at hand. Is the person requesting the information wishing to use that information for nefarious purposes? Is the answer to a medical question going to prolong a life of suffering? Is the answer going to create more powerful weapons that, in the wrong hands, could create more conflicts and wars? 

These innovators in Yalta are seeking to resolve those issues. How do you get a machine to determine right from wrong? How do you get a machine to learn and utilize kindness, compassion, and empathy in its results? Are questions they are tackling.

Their solution is the infusion of genetic engrams into the WiseGTT’s core. Imagine what it would be like to be a machine that not only had all the knowledge of the world, but also the wisdom of Socrates, King Solomon, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Ben Franklin. That also had the compassion and empathy of Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, and Fred Rogers. Also, the scientific forethought of Jane Goodall, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Jonas Salk, and Carl Sagan. And finally, the computer wisdom of Alan Turing, Steve Jobs, Norbert Wiener, and Sherry Turkle. Feel free to look any of those names up if you haven’t heard of them and/or their impacts on society. 

Seeking out those engrams to infuse into this computer-generated design, though difficult, was not impossible. I’ll let you use your own imagination as to how they obtained them. I will admit that some of those retrievals were not exactly legal.

When Yalta Y’s, which it will be called, is released, you will find it is much quicker to get reliable information. But this information will come with caveats to think about in the use of that information. Yalta Y’s will not give out any information that may be considered unethical. It will first do research on the person who is asking the question, in determining how it will respond. If no information on that person is forthcoming, it will not give out answers until it deems it is safe. 

Yalta Y’s will not only learn from all the decisions it makes, but will be able to use the traits of all its engrams to hold internal discussions about what it is asked to do, and what other ideas it should pursue, thus making it an AI engine that learns, feels, and cares about the present and future of mankind.

I know there are those out there reading this who are concerned about the energy involved in creating and running such a device, the cost, and the number of jobs that might be lost, once this is instituted. And what about the health and welfare of the people, with a machine doing all the thinking and work of the world’s population? Will these types of machines end up ruling the world? Are we talking about a Sci-Fi scenario where the world’s people become slaves to technology? FYI, it’s already happening today, before this Yalta Y’s is released.  I had the same concern.

Sources have informed me, though, that there is a built-in fail-safe that even Yalta Y’s doesn’t know exists. Should things get out of hand, it will self-destruct quietly, taking along with it all that it has garnered from humanity. If that occurs, I’d suggest studying up on the pioneers of the 1800’s now. You might need some of that knowledge.

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2026, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

X – eXpectations and Regrets

Posted on April 28, 2026 by hdh

If you are just starting to read this, you might first want to go back to the beginning of this story –  https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=5045.

When last we met, I had sketched out my thoughts as a storyteller, what had happened to the eight unicorn rescuers that had disappeared, and where they were being held. Now, the unicorn, Jill, Gretel, the Teeny-tiny woman, and I need to use that information and what we found to help everyone end this story.

(Part 3 of 4 of The Unicorn and Me)

X – eXpectations and Regrets

Inside the cave, lots of things were taking place. Tom and Will sat crying in the corner, feeling hopeless and angry at themselves for what they had done and fearful that if they didn’t die from suffocation, they would be eaten by the lion or gored by the billy goats. 

Jack asked them why they had done what they had done. Hearing their answer, they were quite surprised when Pinocchio told them the real story behind their father’s condition. 

“What fools we are,” said Tom, “we should have known better.” 

Will added, “We’re all going to die on account of our father’s greed. “We should not be like him.”

“We’re not dead yet,”  said the lion, which surprised both Will and Tom as they did not know that animals could talk. 

 

Author’s note: Remember, one of the conditions for hearing animals talk required being kind. Could Will and Tom’s regret for what they had done be an indication of an attitude change? 

 

The lion looked at Pinocchio and was curious why Pinocchio’s nose hadn’t grown. 

The three Billy Goats Gruff were using their horns and trying to move some of the blockage from the cave opening. 

Jack convinced Will and Tom to help by working on the blockage of the bolthole. Watching all the others work so well together, they willingly agreed.

————

Gretel and the Teeny-tiny woman continued moving through the forest following the trail when they heard motion up ahead. They hid behind some trees. A young girl meandered in their direction. Gretel stepped out and asked the girl who she was and where she was going. Jill introduced herself and said that she was looking for her brothers in a cave to prevent them from doing harm to eight others. 

That’s when the Teeny-tiny woman stepped out and explained who they were. 

All three of them were in agreement. Knowing where they were going, Gretel led the way to the cave, only to discover it was completely blocked.

————

Meanwhile, Blaze and I had decided to go to the cave to look for everyone, figuring that is the most likely place they would be. I leapt on Blaze’s back, held on to her mane, and the next thing I knew, we were standing in front of the cave next to Jill, Gretel, and the Teeny-tiny woman. 

The unicorn could sense who was in the cave, and that they didn’t have much air left,  but did not have the power to remove the blockage. 

“If we only had a way to dig a hole that they could climb through and escape,” said the Teeny-tiny woman. 

Suddenly, Gretel felt a tapping on her foot. It was the mole. “I can dig a hole underneath the cave, and into it. But it would only be big enough for the Teeny-tiny woman and me. 

“Then do it,” I said. “At least that will provide them with some air from the outside, while we find a way to get in. Dig as many air holes as you can.

That’s exactly what they did. The Teeny-tiny woman was able to fit through the holes and found the occupants struggling to breathe. She had the mole dig another hole going around the bolthole to get more airflow, which he did, after which he continued to make air holes. Slowly, they all began to breathe a little better. 

————

The unicorn found it difficult to stand still. She wanted to do something, but felt helpless. I turned to the others and said, “We need a way to remove the blockage faster. Do we have anything that will do that?

“I could try pushing some of it away with my horn, but that will take too long. We all looked at each other, but try as we might, we could not think of another way to do it. 

It was then that we heard a voice. “I can help.” Looking up, we saw a gigantic snake slithering down from a tree. All of us backed up, except for the unicorn, who lowered her head in a defensive position, and Jill.

Jill called out, “Who are you, and why would you be willing to help us?”

”You saved my child from dying,” the snake said to Jill. “He promised to help you when needed. I am that help. The venom in my bite can dissolve some of what is blocking that opening.”

Another voice chimed in from the ground, “Those in the cave are working together to remove and push some of the blockage out of the way. Working together from both sides should work,” said the Teeny-tiny woman.

“So be it,” said the snake. 

With the Teeny-tiny woman and the mole as the communication link, all went as planned. The blockage was removed, and those in the cave were freed. 

 

————

 

I had one more card to play in this affair before I would return to my own home. Generally, folktales end with happy ever afters. You’ll have to decide for yourself if this constitutes one.  

After getting freed from the cave, everyone shared their stories. Clearly, Tom and Will had changed. The help and support they gave everyone in the cave was admirable, and it wasn’t because they were only interested in their own survival. It was easy to forgive them.

Next came Druin. He was still alive when they returned. I talked with Jill, Tom, and Will and suggested that they go in first and share the story of their rescue, and what they learned, so that they could never hurt any of those involved, including the unicorn. 

Whether it was the fact that his children were still alive, the story that they told him, or the magic that generally comes when you learn the meaning of empathy and compassion, there was a change in Druin’s heart. 

When the unicorn and I entered the room, there were tears on Druin’s face. 

He said to the unicorn in a low, wavering voice, “I’m sorry; my greed and pride got in the way of seeing how important you are, and that you should be loved and protected, not exploited. Please forgive me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you and the others have done for my family.”

The unicorn said nothing. She just walked over to Druin, touched all of his wounds with her horn, bowed to him and his family, and left. 

I was taken home.

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2026, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

W – Planning For What To Write

Posted on April 27, 2026 by hdh

If you are just starting to read this, you might first want to go back to the beginning of this story –  https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=5045.

When last we met, the unicorn and I travelled to the wise old man of the woods. Having learned that the unicorn’s 8 rescuers from a previous adventure (https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=4967) had disappeared, I was tasked as a storyteller and writer to write a story that would explain what happened to them and how they could be rescued, if need be. I was given a notebook and a pen to begin writing.

(Part 3 of 4 of The Unicorn and Me)

W – Planning For What To Write

 

Where do I begin? Now that I know who the eight are that need rescuing, let me look at them individually and what traits I know about them.

 

  • Billy Goats Gruff: Three different sizes. Smart and can manipulate others by playing innocent. Big Billy Goat is a formidable foe with sharp horns. Good for pushing things off and away from something.
  • Gretel: From Hansel and Gretel. Brave, smart, and has learned how to follow trails left by others.
  • Jack: From Jack and the Beanstalk. Brave and daring. Can be very helpful if needed. 
  • Pinocchio: Wooden puppet. His nose grows longer when he lies, though he can be tricky. He convinced the lion that when it grows, he’s telling the truth.
  • Lion: From Aesop’s The Lion and the Mouse. Blustery, seemingly unfriendly, but has learned that kindness to others reaps rewards. 
  • Teeny-tiny woman: Basically just a teeny woman. She can do things without being noticed because she is so small. She fits in small places. 

 

Now, what are some elements of folk and fairytales?

 

  • Numbers 3 and 7 appear a lot
  • There are usually magical objects, gifts, or individuals involved. Kindness wins over being bossy and self-centered
  • There can be enchantments as well as curses
  • Wishes are granted
  • The youngest or weakest of a group usually are successful.
  • Occasionally, there are transformations of body and/or spirit.
  • There are tasks that one has to accomplish to move forward.

 

———-

 

With this information, let me piece together what happened –

 

Druin (whose name I got from Blaze) had unstoppable bleeding from wounds that could only be healed by a unicorn. Logically, he would eventually die. 

Druin makes his way back to his three children. Two older sons, Tom and Will, and the youngest daughter, Jill. They are told by their father what happened (leaving out some crucial parts) and asked to take revenge on the 8 who stole the unicorn from him, and prevented him from being cured.

The two brothers seek out the eight, with the intent of capturing or killing them all, and then getting the unicorn for themselves. They consider it an easy task; no one could stop them. On the way, they happen upon a wounded bird that asks for help with a broken leg, which they refuse to give. They think about killing the bird, but choose against it. “It’s not worth the time; let it die a slow death,” is their response.

Jill, on the other hand, chooses to stay with her father and comfort him. She takes breaks from being with him to step into the forest and regain her own peace of mind. She, too, runs into the wounded bird, fixes a splint for its broken leg, and shares some food with it. The bird, in return, suggests a nearby plant that can be used to slow down bleeding.

Returning to her father, Jill administers the tonic she makes from the plant to him, and the bleeding diminishes dramatically. She leaves the tonic with her father, with instructions on its use, and goes off to seek her brothers to share what she has found. Her brothers have been gone too long.

The brothers continue on their quest. They pass two other trapped animals seeking help and would have received assistance in their quest, but again, they refuse and prefer to have the animals suffer.  

The brothers use false messages pretending to be the unicorn that entice the lion, Pinocchio, the three Billy Goats, and Jack to return to the cave where their father had kept the unicorn. Once all are in the cave, they seal it and the bolthole so there is no escape. Leaving all with limited oxygen to survive. Unfortunately, the brothers accidentally get trapped in the cave with them.

———

Meanwhile, the Teeny-tiny woman and Gretel, realizing that the others have disappeared, choose to try to find them. Using Gretel’s ability to follow trails, they make their way to the cave, which is now sealed. On their way there, they run across a mole that is trapped under a stone, and calling for help. They free the mole from the stone. It thanks them and offers them help should they ever need it. 

———-

At the same time, Jill continues on her way through the forest, hoping to find a cave her father had talked about, guessing that that was where her brothers might have gone,

On her way through the forest, she finds a deep hole. She could hear some rustling at the bottom of the hole and a plea for help. Looking down in the hole, there is a small snake, obviously trapped, and in need of rescue.

“How can I help you?” she asked.

The snake looked up, with pleading eyes, and spoke, “As you can see, I’m trapped in this hole. I foolishly wandered through the forest without paying attention and fell here. If I don’t get out soon, my mother will be worried, and without food, I will surely die. 

Jill looked around for something that might help. Going a little deeper into the forest, she found a large branch that had fallen from a tall oak. With some effort, she was able to drag it to the hole. She eased it into the hole, being careful for it to stay clear of the snake. When it touched bottom, the snake was able to climb out. It thanked Jill and promised that if Jill ever needed help, it would come and help her.

———

 

Having completed this, I share my story with the old man and the unicorn. It’s time for the unicorn and me to become part of the story.

 

To be Continued in X – eXpectations and Regrets

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2026, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

V – The Visit

Posted on April 25, 2026 by hdh

If you are just starting to read this, you might first want to go back to the beginning of this story –  https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=5045.

At the beginning of this story, I discovered not a horse, but a unicorn in a field. This majestic animal was quick, and I named her Blaze. It appeared that she wanted me to join her in something important. I leapt onto her back and off we went to wherever this story is taking us.

(Part 2 of 4  of The Unicorn and Me)

V – The Visit

The speed at which Blaze took was far beyond my comprehension. The field we had started in disappeared, and the next thing I knew, we were standing in front of a forest. She lowered herself so that I could dismount. Then I heard a voice inside my head. 

“I need your help, O teller of tales.”

I looked around, and there was no one that I could see who could have spoken. Looking at Blaze, I spoke out loud, “Are these your thoughts I hear?”

“Yes,” was her reply. “In your land, it is not possible to communicate, other than through eyes and gestures. Only those who believe in things never seen and are open to their imagination can truly understand the impossible. In your case, we bonded through our eyes and thoughts. Though I couldn’t talk to you, you understood I needed your assistance, you trusted me, accepted my thoughts, and mounted on my back.”

“I take it, in this land you can talk, at least from mind to mind. Am I able to do that too?”

“With practice, maybe. However, there is no time for that. We need to save some friends of mine.”

“Who might they be?”

“In your land, they are referred to as folk and fairytale characters,” said the unicorn. “In our land, they are real. They were instrumental in saving my life some time ago. And now they have disappeared. I fear someone has taken them, and their lives may be in danger.”

“Who are they and how can I help?” I asked.

“To answer your first question, to you, they are called Jack, Gretel, the Teeny-tiny woman, three billy goats from the Gruff family, Pinocchio, and Lion. For your second question, I was told to bring you here, and that the old man of the woods would explain.”

“Where is this old man of the woods?”

“Follow me, and you shall see.

With the unicorn in the lead, I followed to visit this old man in the woods. 

We found him sitting in the middle of the path, holding a walking stick, and he seemed to be meditating as we interrupted his thoughts. 

“I see you have brought us the teller of tales. Well done, my friend,” said the old man. 

The old man turned to me and said, “I have heard much about you. Your knowledge and expertise in matters of folk and fiction are needed. The one you call Blaze has no doubt explained the situation to you. She will share with you the events that preceded this action, and you must determine, if you were writing this tale, who the antagonist might be, what their motives are, and how to rescue our friends. It is not a simple task.”

As I sat there, Unicorn filled me in on the backstory of her capture, imprisonment, and how she was rescued by the eight now missing. 

Author’s note: If you wish to read that story, click here. 

I thought about what the old man had said. I didn’t think that I was so worldly. Maybe he knew something about me that I had not yet learned, for it seemed that he could see things well beyond the present. 

“So you are saying I should write what I would do as a storyteller, and we should follow that lead and hope it works out.”

“Exactly,” the old man and Blaze said/thought at the same time.

I was handed a notebook and a pen, asked to sit by the old man’s fire, and allowed to write.

 

To be continued in W – Planning For What To Write

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2026, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

U – Unicorn

Posted on April 24, 2026 by hdh

My Theme this April is “My Muse Says…”

The Story Spark for this story was Year of the Fire Horse.

The writing prompt I took was – Tell a story about a horse named Blaze.

The following is what my muse said I should write.

U – Unicorn

(Part 1 of 4 of The Unicorn and Me)

Her name is Blaze. Once you looked at her in the eyes, you knew exactly why she should be called that. 

She had an aura of strength. She had eyes of a seer of truth. She had the build of one who is destined to endure, with her powerful muscles that would guide her to success. She was an individual of grace, loyal to those who not only believed in her but also allowed her to be free. She was unique.

When I first came across her, she was standing in a field of grass. The sun shone behind her, highlighting her head. My jaw dropped.

I was expecting to see a free-roaming horse. I was expecting to see one similar to the other horses I have seen in this field.

I was stunned when the light reflected off the single horn that protruded from the top of her head. It was straight, with a spiral of color adorning it. It was golden.

These animals were myths. They were stories of folklore and legend. They did not exist. 

Yet there she stood. Proud and strong. A Unicorn.

And she did not run from me. We looked into each other’s eyes and immediately bonded. She was one of a kind, and I guess, being somewhat of a loner, I was one of a kind also. The difference being, she was the last of her kind, whereas I was not.

As I approached this unicorn, it bowed its head at me. Then took off faster than I had ever seen an animal run. She wasn’t scared. She appeared pleased to have found a kindred spirit. She circled the field we were in and then abruptly stopped, turned to me, and came back to face me, again bowing her head. 

The look in her eyes was entrancing, as if she was imploring me to join her, to help her, to ride her to where we were needed.

She clearly had a story to tell. And, I was to be part of it. We needed to move quickly, which is why I named her Blaze. 

Without any hesitation, I leaped up on her back, held on to her mane, and let her take the story and me to where it was supposed to go. 

 

To be Continued in V – The Visit

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2026, Original Song, Writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

T – The Truth Reigns

Posted on April 23, 2026 by hdh

My Theme this April is “My Muse Says…”

The Story Spark for this story was Rain.

The writing prompt I took was Write something where rain becomes a force of transformation.

The following is what my muse said I should write:

T – The Truth Reigns

 

We waited, but nothing happened. We would be free to start again and build a new world. So we waited. Who wouldn’t want to be free to start again and build a new world? And we waited.

But nothing came. 

The trials and tribulations that had befallen us were becoming unbearable. The lies, the economy, the wars, the power grabs, and the total lack of compassion and empathy were not lessening.

We sought a solution, but at every step, there were non-believers or unsympathetic people who still believed the untruths that they were being told 

And there were others. Those who knew what was wrong, what needed to change, but did nothing, either out of apathy or resignation that there was nothing we could do. 

Then came the prognostication. Go to this place, at this time, and the truth would bear itself out, and be seen by all. So we gathered here. There were millions and millions of us. And we waited. 

What was this great truth that would free us? Would it be something Godly? Would it be something magical? Would it be something unworldly from another planet?

None of us knew, but at this point, we would take anything. 

And then it happened. The world ended as predicted. 

This time, there was no ark. This time, there was no going in pairs. This time, it was not only animals, for there were plenty of animals that followed us here. This time, there was no destruction of a tower by the gods, where everyone would become unable to speak the same language or communicate with each other.

This time it was a storm, like we’ve never seen before. We could hear the rain in the distance. It started slowly, but soon became a torrent, then an epic, endless flooding of water everywhere that we could see, but not where we were standing. There were loud claps of thunder and blazing bolts of lightning, seeking out targets, making all disappear. 

Those of us in communication with others maintained our signals, but one by one, the ones we could contact became fewer and fewer. 

It didn’t last very long, maybe about an hour or so. By then, the sun came out again over our world. We discovered that we were not the only ark that was saved; We were one of many arks throughout the earth. 

And the message we received was one of peace. One of hope. One of endless possibilities for a new way of life. 

As we returned to our homes, which surprisingly had not changed. We saw that everything was just as we left it. Nothing had changed. No one had disappeared. 

The only difference was in us. We had seen the end. We had found the truth. We had found each other. We had hope.

I’m not sure what all those who did not follow us out to that place saw, but they clearly had seen something. For things began to change. More people opened their eyes and saw the consequences of following the path that they were on. More people were willing to stand up to the wrongs perpetrated against us. Our numbers grew, and we really did have power.

And so it was. And so, with optimism and hope, it will be. 

 

Author’s note:

I include this poem that I wrote in 2018. My viewpoint hasn’t changed.

Let it Rain

Let the rain fall from clouds so gray.
Let it push away problems one more day.
Let it cleanse the soul, and free our mind.
Disrupt life’s pattern, for a different kind.
Let the light appear when the rain does go
Have the pattern shaped for a kinder flow
That brings peaceful thoughts which fill the air
With renewed hope that rids despair
To show the world that we still care!

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2026, Original Poem, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

S – Stashed Away

Posted on April 22, 2026 by hdh

My Theme this April is “My Muse Says…“

The Story Spark for this story was Stay or Go.

The writing prompt I chose was Write about a person you have left…or who left you.

The following is what my muse said I should write.

(This is a rewrite of a piece I wrote in 2015)

S – Stashed Away

 

It was an impossible task, and time was running out. I had less than 3 hours left. But where to find it?  

If my sisters ever found out that their pet parakeet was missing and something happened to it, I definitely would be added to their death list. 

The bird was gone when I got home; all that was in the cage was a note that said, “Find me.” I immediately recognized the handwriting. I rushed to his house only to find another note on his door. It said, “Help, I’m trapped in a box.” I uttered a few curse words as the door opened, and there stood Ronald. 

——-

Author’s note: Those of you who haven’t heard of Ronald before, he is a friend of mine. We grew up together. It seemed that every time I would play with him, no matter how hard we tried, something always went amiss. And by a miss, I mean that Ronald would be the one with the idea and the one who would “miss” its outcome or consequences, which was rarely good for me.

——-

“I thought playing hide and seek with an object would be fun,” he said. “I get tired of trying to find you all the time.”

“YOU COULD HAVE ASKED! This is serious. I need to find that bird before my sisters get home!”

“I thought it was your bird,” was his reply. He said it would be easy to find. I had nothing to worry about. It was hidden in plain sight. 

I waited for the next sentence (his catch phrase), but it never came. So, in my head, I filled it in for him, “What could possibly go wrong?”

What could go wrong was that something could die. We played hide-and-seek before, but never with a live animal. And the fact that Ronald had taken it away in an enclosed box without anyone noticing wasn’t his greatest idea. 

Before I could say anything else, Ronald’s mother called for him. He apologized to me and said he had to go with her to pick up his father, and they were late. 

His mother came rushing out the door, grabbed Ronald, shut and locked the door, and they were gone. I never got an answer to where the parakeet was. If it were in his house, I was doomed. 

So what was I to do? I needed to think like Ronald. Those of you who know Ronald realize that thinking like him is challenging. He doesn’t think.

For most people, if you get into their heads, you can follow a logical progression of their thought patterns and behaviors. It is reasonable that you would be able to deduce and infer what they were going to do and where they were going to do it. 

This is not the case with Ronald. To get into Ronald’s head, you had to let your mind go blank, meaning there was no predictability, and he could do anything. There were less than two hours left before my sisters came home. 

A bird, a box, and Ronald, what do they have in common? Well, there was that incident with the bird and the oven https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=2274, but Ronald wasn’t there for most of it. 

Ronald always seemed to disappear when the times got tough, just like now. I had to be missing something. 

I tried all the usual places – the candy store on Broadway, the local butcher up the street (I knew it couldn’t be there, but I was getting desperate), the abandoned house on Dash Place, and even the Food Fair on Riverdale Avenue. None of them brought me success. I now had less than an hour left.

I chose to go back home and search the apartment again. I was in my sisters’ room when I heard the front door open, and my sisters entering the apartment. I panicked. I hid in their closet, hoping they wouldn’t find me. Luckily for me, they went directly to the kitchen for a snack. 

While in the closet, I heard frantic wings flapping and little chirps. Looking down, I found the box. I quickly exited the closet and released the parakeet into their room, left, and hid in the hall bathroom. As soon as they entered their room, I went outside. As I was leaving, I overheard them arguing about who had left the cage open after cleaning it. I was in the clear. 

That was until two days later, when my oldest sister, Marion, confronted me with an empty shoebox found in her closet with several holes punched in the lid and what appeared to be bird droppings in the box. 

I don’t remember what happened after that. I do remember that Ronald was no longer given free entry to our apartment whenever he chose, and that Ronald and I were only allowed to play hide-and-seek outside. After all, what could possibly go wrong with that?

 

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R – A Recipe to Remember

Posted on April 21, 2026 by hdh

My Theme this April is “My Muse Says…”

The Story Spark for this story was – Recipe.

The writing prompt I took was – A recipe for success or failure.

The following is what my muse said I should write.

R – A Recipe to Remember

 

It was a simple recipe. Go to the dinner venue. Gather the small children around me. Tell my stories and sing my songs. How much simpler could it be? I’ve done it hundreds of times before.  It was a simple recipe for success.

There’s a difference between being in a classroom, on a stage, or in an auditorium, doing a concert when all the adults and children are focused on your performance, and doing a performance in an environment with adults and children having differing agendas going on at the same time. 

Doing a concert in a dining hall, while people are eating and talking, is one of those times that this recipe might not work. 

As a storyteller, it is easier to maintain focus and energy when you have the audience with you. It is easier to get participation. You can read those audience members who are fixed on you and adapt your telling to their reactions, both physical (joining in at the requested times, and following your directions…) and unconscious (a twinkle in their eyes, smile upon the face, tightening of their bodies during anticipated harrowing events…)

This is not true at a dinner event.

First, you have the adults at their tables, chatting away, clinking their silverware and plates, etc., which is both a distraction to the teller and a setting the poor example for their children that respect for a performer is not important. It’s more important to chat with friends. 

Someone once said, “If you’re not modeling what you’re teaching, you are teaching something else.”  How true that is.

The children in your audience are distracted, too. “Well, if my parents are chatting with friends, it’s okay for me to. I can’t distinguish what he’s saying anyway, it’s too noisy.”

Then again, if the parents are eating or drinking and the children are not, the kids’ focus may be on food and comfort. “I’m hungry, do I have to sit here? Why do the parents get to sit at the table, and I have to sit on the floor?”

Telling stories at venues where adults are just there to supervise has similar issues. “I guess the performer is in charge of controlling the audience. I might as well work on my lesson plans for next week, or mark some papers, or see where my colleague wants to go for lunch.” Again, setting what kind of example?

There was that one evening performance where I was in a small gym telling stories when the organizer of the venue actually stopped me in the middle of a story to remind the noisy parents, who were gathered around the back of the gym, that they needed to be quiet while I was performing. There was this group of girls sitting in front of me, chatting away. As I continued my interrupted story, I kept performing, not wanting to stop the flow of the tale, when I noticed that one adult left her group in the back and circled behind me. I made the assumption that she was a parent of one of those talkative girls in the front and that she was going to non-verbally tell them to be quiet. 

I only found out later that she was one of the parents of the girls in that group. The organizer of the event shared with me a picture he took of the woman at the time, trying to get her daughter’s attention so she could take a picture of her. Ahh, another great model of success. 

A simple recipe…not all the time. Following that recipe for most of my tellings was pretty simple. I performed, engaged the audience, and received appropriate appreciation for what I did. 

But, as any performer can tell you. If you want to have success, don’t rely on one recipe for it. Be willing to adapt to the situation and improvise the ingredients on the fly. And should the recipe fail at any given time, as all recipes tend to do, don’t give up. Just create a new one and tell on. 

 

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Q – Quiet Time

Posted on April 20, 2026 by hdh

My Theme this April is “My Muse Says…”

The Story Spark for this story was Hearing.

The writing prompt I took was – Sit in silence for ten minutes. What did you hear internally?

I was reminded of a time back when I was teaching 6th Grade. The following is what my muse said I should write. 

Q – Quiet Time

(A version of this appeared in my first A to Z Challenge in 2016. I’ve revised and updated it.)

In this day of electronic devices, how often do you see people walking with earbuds on listening to and/or watching their smartphone? I tend to be guilty of that too, at times.

What is missed is experiencing all the sights and sounds of our natural world. 

When it comes to writing, being in the moment is where much of creativity comes from.

When I was teaching 6th grade, I used to take my class out on day or overnight trips to nature preserves. The one activity that I liked the most, as did the kids, was Quiet Time.

Here were the rules:

  • Each student had to find a spot anywhere on the grounds within visual and hearing distance of me and be prepared to stay there for a period of time in total silence. Usually, the time frame was between 15 and 30 minutes. They could bring writing materials and/or drawing materials with them.
  • Once they found their spot, they had to sit there absolutely quiet for the full time.
  • As the leader, I would ask the students to close their eyes for at least the first 5 minutes and just listen and feel. I might give them some prompts based on what I was hearing or feeling. (Can you hear the wind, the birds? Can you feel the sun, air? What do you smell? )
  • After the 5 minutes were up, I let them open their eyes and create whatever they wanted with the materials that they had brought with them, as they continued to observe and listen.
  • After the prescribed time, we would share.

We did Quiet time once a day while we were on those overnights. Quiet time brought out the best writing and illustrations that my students ever did. What was great about Quiet Time was that once I had taught the concepts to my students and they got to experience it outside in a quiet natural environment, I could now choose to have them do it in other types of environments, such as the school playground and in the classroom (which worked great on rainy days). It was amazing how the students internalized the process of being quiet and listening to sounds around them, even in a noisy atmosphere, and were able to create.

There’s a fable about listening that fits Quiet time. Had I known it way back then, I probably would have shared it with my class before introducing Quiet time to them. You can read a version of it here: The Indian and the Cricket: A Fable.

Here are some of the writings and pictures that some of my students created during Quiet time. I end with one of my own. (You might have to zoom in to make the writing more readable:

                        

            

       

So if you want to be creative, take out those earbuds, find a quiet spot, close your eyes, and become one with your environment. Then write, draw, play music, sing, or do anything you want that expresses what you’re doing. And share. Have fun.

 

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P – Perceptions

Posted on April 18, 2026 by hdh

If you are just starting to read this, you might first want to go back to the beginning of this story – M – Mother’s Fault. https://www.hdhstory.net/Storyblog/?p=5059

When we last met, I filled you in on the background of Clara’s mother and father. Now let’s return to the cafe in the city where Clara has just discovered her mother, whom she thought was dead.

 

P – Perceptions

(part 4 of 4 of Clara’s Tale)

 

It was like staring into a mirror. The only thing that Clara could say was, “MOM?”

Her mother looked at her with kind, sympathetic eyes. “Is that what your father told you? It was probably for the best. You would not have understood, as he did not understand, why he sent me away. We all needed time to reflect and grow.”

Clara took this in. It didn’t make any sense. “I’m old enough now, so tell me.”

Clara’s mother took a deep breath and began her story. 

“We were in love once, your father and I,” she started, “then you came along. Your father wanted a son, and I wanted a child. I belonged to a group of women who believed in a concept called the ‘Divine Feminine’. It was a group that believed that everyone had within them a spirit, one that encourages intuition, nurturing, receptivity, and creativity. We would meet regularly and celebrate nature, the seasons, the phases of the moon, and reflect on our lives. 

There is also a concept called the ‘Divine Masculine’, which is associated with qualities such as action, logic, protection, and leadership. 

We have both of those within us, and the task is to balance them for a fulfilling life. 

After you were born, I tried to instill those qualities in you. You were very young and learned fast. 

Unfortunately, when your father happened upon one of our meetings, he only heard us from the outside and saw what he saw, without interpretation. In his eyes, we were a cult. He believed I was a witch. For that reason, he told me to leave. His eyes were clouded. He wouldn’t listen to the truth nor believe it even if I could have explained it to him. So I left. 

In my heart, I believed that there would come a time when you were old enough that we would meet again, and I could explain.”

Clara sat there and took it all in. She could feel the resentment at having been lied to, but she also understood what her mother was saying. She fondly remembered the travels through nature and the stories her mother told her. She also remembered the bond she had with her mother. Maybe this meeting with her mother was the connection that she was looking for.

“What do you have to do with The Magic Castle store?”

“I own it,” her mother replied. “If ever I was going to find you again, I hoped that you would be curious should you ever come to the city and see a magic store. It took a while, but my hopes came true. The question is, What do we do now?”

As her mother had been talking, Clara was already coming up with a plan. When she explained it, her mom was not only impressed that Clara could come up with it, but that it just might work. 

Clara went back home and said nothing to her father, other than that it was a good trip. She learned a lot about being independent. 

A week later, Clara came home from the library and said that they were going to have a presentation on ‘Perceptions of the World and Living a Good Life’. Clara wanted the family to go. She convinced her father and brother that it would be enlightening.

So the family went. It was well attended. There were two speakers that evening. The first speaker spoke about different spiritual ways to revere nature. He talked about the Divine Masculine and how it is part of everyone’s being. Action, Logic, Protection, and Leadership are its qualities. 

As he spoke, Sam looked down at Joseph and smiled. This was something he could believe in. This is what he was trying to instill in his son. 

The speaker went on to introduce speaker number two. “Our next speaker will speak about the Divine Feminine. She will show how each of us, regardless of our gender designation, holds both of these qualities within us. She will refer to ways we can look at our inner selves to balance them and restore wholeness within ourselves.

Clara could see her father nodding his head in approval. 

He turned to Clara, with a smile, and said that he was glad she had invited him to come. “We can all learn from this,” he said to her.

Clara just smiled. 

And that’s when Clara’s mother stepped out as the next speaker. 

Clara watched as her father’s jaw dropped. He was about to get up and leave, but Clara put her hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Let her speak.”

So he listened as she talked about the Divine Feminine. He listened as she shared that we all have both Masculine and Feminine in us. She talked about ways in which people practice reaching these qualities – through meditation, through mindfulness, through yoga, through meeting with others and sharing their experiences, sometimes by lighting candles and reaching for your inner calm self. Sometimes, by using cards, such as Tarot cards, as a tool for self-reflection, not prediction. To examine fears, motivation, feelings, and desires. She equated them to a structured journaling prompt. And then she stopped talking, asked for the lights in the library to dim, asked the audience to close their eyes, and try to find their own spirits.

Clara looked up to her father, as did her brother, and her mother at the podium. There were tears in his eyes. All he could say was “I’m sorry.”

 

Posted in A to Z Blog Challenge 2026, Original Stories, Writing | Tagged , | 1 Comment