My Cardboard Balcony

George Had Fifty Minutes by Belinda Roddie George had fifty minutes to disarm the ticking time bomb that was placed beneath the podium. The device could not harm the mayor, who had earned such love from each citizen of the town. He had a plan: beat up someone from the city council and steal his clothes. Then, quickly as he can, move to the audience to make a speech. A special one, to honor the woman who was now subject to terrorists' ill will. At last, the pocket knife - one small slice to cut blue from red spider webbed malice. A hero he would be, oh, they would shout but he took too much time thinking it out.

She only liked eating the crusts on pizza, going on the swings in the park, and looking only at pictures of particular cats. She liked calicos the most, but she didn't find Siamese felines to be particularly noteworthy. "I want a calico some day," she said to me as I was vacuuming the living room.