Category: Fiction
Skeptics in the Pub. Cholera. Epilogue
I felt remarkably well when I awoke despite the previous night’s beer. I was a little thirsty, and my mouth felt like I brushed my teeth with a toilet brush. I took a long shower and took my time getting ready for work. I bought a scone and tea on my way to the trolley and picked up a newspaper. For the...
Skeptics in the Pub. Cholera. Chapter 15 minus 1
For those more observant than a semi-senile old man, I cut and pasted the wrong text this morning. Now updated. Good thing I am retired.
Skeptics in the Pub. Cholera. Chapter 13
Saturday. Just another workday when the Cholera is flowing. I woke early, at 6 a.m., and went to the office before anyone else. On the way, I went to the grocer’s and bought some supplies. I started, as usual, in the cubby room, and I was happy to see that as of yesterday that cases of the Cholera were staying down: there were...
Skeptics in the Pub. Cholera. Chapter 12b
I did not bother going back to the office but decided to wander over the sisters to see if they had anything new from their research. I took a trolley to Southeast and hopped off early. It was a beautiful summer day, and it would do me good to walk. It was a pretty neighborhood with many trees and well-kept gardens. I...
Skeptics in the Pub. Cholera. Chapter 12a
I slept like a rock, no dreams that I could remember, and upon awakening, the ball of anxiety that had been my constant companion was gone. I tried to get it back by thinking of all the unpleasant things that might happen in the next few days. Nothing. I felt good. Acceptance is the final stage of dying, so I must, at...
Skeptics in the Pub. Cholera. 11b
I hopped the trolley to Kenton to spend the afternoon helping Susan with the quarantine. After I got off the trolley, I purchased thirty of the Extra Editions and handed them out to the families of the Cholera victims. Mostly because I wanted people to know about the seawater treatment, I figured that word about the pump water would spread quickly, and...
Skeptics in Pub. Cholera. Chapter 11a
The morning started too early. For some reason, I snapped awake just before sunrise and could not fall back to sleep. Probably that ball of guilt in the pit of my stomach. I suspected it is a minor example of what a condemned man feels on the morning of his execution. I lay in bed and stared thoughtlessly at the ceiling waiting...
Skeptics in the Pub. Cholera. Chapter 10b
A young woman was waiting at the pump. She introduced herself as Amy Blogg, an Illustrator for the River Weekly. She quickly let us know that she had been briefed by Mrs. Howitt. I demonstrated the workings of the microscope on a blade of grass and an ant. It was met with the usual expressions of amazement by first-timer users. If I...
Skeptics in the Pub: Cholera. Chapter 10a
When I woke up the next morning, I went for my usual tea and scone. Then I caught the trolley to work. When it reached the far side of the Steel Bridge, I hopped off. I took the steps down to the lower level and took the narrow walking path back across the river. I saw no one get off the trolley...
Skeptics in the Pub. Cholera. Chapter 9a.
For once, I beat the alarm clock by a good hour. Anxiety is better than sunrise for becoming and staying awake. I had too many things to do, and neither the time nor the skill set to accomplish them. As the week progressed, I had become increasingly aware that every hour we did not act meant more death and disease—and I could...