Story Time (Chapter 7)

The lights went out in the factory and Dan was confused and edgy as his wrist that held the watch started to shake. As he tried to make out the dim objects ahead, he also found himself wishing that taken up that job offer he got from the Haagen Dazs factory down the road for only slightly more pay as he figured he may have avoided this mess if he had done so. Perhaps his loyalty to Ben & Jerry would prove to be a costly mistake. Just when he thought he could see the outline of a person in the darkness, a bright flash of light came. Dan's feet fell out from under him and he slipped into total darkness as he felt himself falling through what seemed like a narrow shaft that may have been part of the sewer system. It seemed as though he briefly lost consciousness but when he came to, he was on a surfboard on top of a large 20 foot wave, a pack of explosives on his back and a sub-machine gun. The only other person in view was the midget and the objects in the distance were unmistakeable - they were headed towards the harbour in Sydney, Australia.

Story Time (Chapter 6)

Dan opened the door to the warehouse and hesitated for a second before the cab driver gave him a little shove inside. The warehouse was damp and dark, the only light offered was from a single light bulb dangling from the ceiling. Although the light was dim, Dan could see six people sitting around a table playing a game of poker. When Dan entered, the six stopped their game and stood up. The group was comprised of the following: two beautiful women, an old man, a midget, a bald giant and a man covered with burn scars. The man with the scars spoke first.
"Welcome Dan."
"How do you know my name?"
"We know everything about you Dan, we've been watching you for quite some time now."
"What do you want from me - I'm late for work."
"We sent that clock to you for a reason Dan. It's time! It's time!
"Time for what?"

Border Guards

Being border hoppers I think all of us in the fam could share stories... there was the time I had so much luggage the lady looked at me like, 'you were really just gone a weekend?' There's Mom's theory about the gender and age of the border guard affecting how tough they are... there's the whole driving vs flying that Dad could attest to and the varying leniency... There was also the time Spence and I were coming up to be married and the border guard saw my wedding dress in it's garment bag and said, 'there are easier ways to smuggle people in, you know...' There was also the time David and I were encouraged to renew our Canadian Passports when the border guard checked us in and discovered we were both Canadian.

Anyway, I recently got my passport stamped again when i visited Canada for Patti & Aaron's wedding. It was a wonderful visit! Then it was time to head back.

Here's the dialogue upon my reentry when I cleared customs in Calgary... I thought it was a noteworthy one because the border guard actually cracked a few jokes!

‘Where do you live?’
‘Los Angeles’
‘Born a California Girl?’
‘No’
‘Where were you born?’
‘Portland’
‘Ah, and then just a little trip down the I-5 to where you live now,’
‘Yea, pretty much’ (for all intents and purposes we could just leave it at that.)
‘What’s your day job?’
‘I’m a teacher’
‘What do you teach?’
‘1st Grade’ (again, keep it simple)
‘Ah, Quantum Mechanics… Chemistry?’(not simple)
‘Getting there’
‘haha’
'haha' (yes, we actually had a laugh over it)

‘Got any fruit?’ ... and on it went. I guess I didnt look too suspicious - I passed and here I am!

Story Time Chptr 5

Dan glanced around nervously. In his reverie he had not noticed it had started to rain. Huge drops were coming down and the wind was blowing, smashing the shutters of the warehouse against the worn and weathered sides. 'Uh, how much do I owe you for taking me somewhere I didn't ask to go?' Dan grumbled to the Cabbie. The Cabbie gave him a mysterious look through the rear view mirror one more time. Then he grabbed a leather bag from the passenger seat and said, 'follow me....'

Story Time Chapter 4

All of a sudden Dan remembered why the brand name “Wible” was so interesting. He’d heard the rumors, of course, but nobody had been able to put together the pieces of the secret Wible empire. Or had they?

Did Ray know more than he let on during the phone conversation? Was it too important to discuss this over the phone? Or too dangerous? Or too lucrative? Was Ray a key part of the empire? Or just another person trying to put the pieces together? Dan wasn’t sure, but he decided that the opportunity to answer his questions was worth the risk.

As Dan finished processing these thoughts, the cab driver stated, “We’re here.” They had arrived at a nondescript warehouse in the industrial part of town.

Story Time! Chapter 3

As Dan took his seat in the cab he saw the reflection of a gaunt face with a broad forehead and dark penetrating eyes. The glare of the cab driver transmited sheer fear and intimidation. Dan glanced around nervously trying to avoid the cab driver's gaze in the rear view mirror. "Take me to the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory, I'm late for work please hurry," Dan exclaimed. "Right away," the cabbie replied calmly still staring at Dan as he quickly accelerated the taxi forward. Waves of a terrible scent of burning rubber penetrated Dan's nostrils as he quickly met the cabbie's eyes through the rearview mirror the cabbie would quickly glance to look at the road but would then quickly return to watching Dan through the mirror. It was at this moment that Dan noticed the brand name on the analog watch on the dash of the cabbie was peculiar. "Wiebe!" Dan whispered to himself loudly clenching his fists. "Yes" the cab driver replied calmly, "I hope you don't mind but we're going to need to make a quick stop along the way there's someone who needs to speak with you."

Story Time! (chapter 2)

'Wible, that's an interesting brand,' Dan thought to himself when he saw the black letters engraved on the clock. He retrieved his cell phone from his pocket. 'If anyone would know something about Wible it would be Ray.' Ray was a co-worker of Dan's who had a fascination with clocks. 'Ray could also explain the ticking' he thought. The phone was ringing. "We need you here at work right away Dan!" "Okay okay, I'll be there, you know I don't have a car right now, so I'm running late. Do you know anything about Wible, it's this brand on a clock I have." "I know I have heard of them before, but I can't remember much about them right now. Get over here!" "Okay okay, I am about to wave down a cab. I'll be there soon." A yellow cab stopped right by Dan. "Where are you headed?" The cab driver asked.