Previous / Next The Price of DumplingsWritten by Terry Howard“Hey, John Ose, which one of these birds is the scrawniest?” Arch Pennock asked, eying the chickens.Janos Tamas stopped what he was doing and looked up from his place inside the open air market stall. Behind him were crates of live chickens. In front of him were […]

Previous / Next Azrael’s BargainWritten by Terry HowardDownload this Podcast Episodehttp://www.grantvillegazette.com/img/pod/bargain.mp3“Hey, Jimmy. Why don’t I ever see you down at the rail yard anymore?” It was a cold winter night and Club 250 had its every-night regulars and as many more folks who weren’t. The young man talking to Jimmy Dick was one of the latter.Jimmy […]

Previous / NextStar CrossedBy Terry Howard“Yoo hoo! Manuel!”When Emmanuel Onofrio heard Verlinda Fritz yoohooing down the hall, his mind yelled, “Run!” He was looking forward to a quiet, restful lunch in the teacher’s lounge. Keeping the rowdy kids in line so the others could learn seemed to get harder year by year and week by […]

Previous / Next A Tempest In a Baptistryby Terry HowardThe question of re-baptism and the distress it caused in the sixteen hundreds, including what has at times been described as bloody murder, is still with us.In 1965, President Johnson’s daughter Luci was re-baptized into the Roman Catholic Church. While most of the world took no […]

Previous / NextWings on the Mountainby Terry HowardThe regulars left the table nearest the fire when the strangers came in. At the base of the Matterhorn summer nights are chilly, so a fire is welcome starting in the late afternoon. Strangers paid much higher prices for everything and the whole village, not just the innkeeper, […]

Previous / Next Water Wingsby Terry HowardSomewhere in the North SeaThe line arcing off the boat kinked between deck and water. Eric, watching for just that, yelled to the crew uncoiling the stiff hose, “Hold it! Back it up!” Then the kink swelled a bit. Eric screamed, “Back it up! Back it up now!”Before the […]

Previous / NextAnna the Baptistby Terry HowardDecember, 1634Julio stacked clean glasses under the bar. “Damn it Ken! I don’t know what’s got you riled but I’m sick of it! Back off or I’m goin’ home. I don’t have t’ have this job. I only took it to help you out.”Julio didn’t mention his fear of […]

Previous / NextNot a Princess BrideBy Terry HowardJames Richard, or Jimmy Dick, Shaver (known to his close associates, and almost everyone else, as Dickhead) was in the grocery store. The old drunk was not there buying food. Most of his calories came from beer, followed by pretzels. Yes, believe it or not, despite the Ring […]

Previous / NextGrantville’s Greatest Philosopher?By Terry HowardKen looked up when the door opened. When he saw the men who were entering, he moved down to the cash register. Once there, he put his hand on the sawed-off shotgun that hung in a rack on the underside of the bar. “Julio,” he called.“Yeah?” Julio Mora replied.“Nine […]