The Man's Place
By BARBARA M. PAUL
Fall was in the air and the leaves were at their peak of color.
Admiral Harriman Nelson had taken his son Sean on his first hunting trip. As they entered the Institute grounds Sean looked at his father.
"Pappa, do we have to cook it too?" He asked with a hint of fatigue in his voice.
"No son, we hunt and the women cook it for us." He replied as he parked the truck.
"You mean Mom?" He said with a smile.
Nelson thought a moment and replied, "Grab my knife and I'll show you how cook a deer."
*************************************
Theresa Karle
Spawned in dread, the resulting sigh was loud and breathy. Wincing at the unfamiliar sound, Nelson tried unsuccessfully to quell the rising tide of apprehension. A glance at the full-length mirror revealed a reflection of a man who had aged visibly. Absently, he hitched up the pants of the ill-fitting uniform.
Shouldn't have lost that five pounds last month ... he mused.
"Admiral?" Crane entered abruptly. His chameleon eyes showed unconcealed amusement, and Nelson could've sworn that Crane was biting the insides of his cheeks.
"Come on, Santa," his captain coaxed. "Can't have a Seaview Christmas party without you."
Lee Crane sat at the make-up table, struggling with his wig.
Around him music and laughter filled the air. How long can I go on this way?
Someday I'll be exposed. He chuckled, but shook his head
simultaneously.
A knock ended his contemplation. He stood, making adjustments to
his costume.
"Wicked amazing," gushed the stage manager, "on stage in five"
Crane followed him pensively. Suddenly the lights came up and
the introduction began.
Lee leapt on stage. The crowd roared with enthusiasm and as he
began to play it all became clear, I love being a ZZ Top!
*****************************************
Bruce Strong
"How do I do this?" he wondered. "Leave everything I've
worked for, trained for, lived for, to run off with a bunch of
wild-eyed idealists." He massaged his temples. "Hell, I don't
even know what the job pays. Still, it will give me a chance to
do something meaningful, but..." then, from the back of his
mind, he heard his father's voice: "If ever you are in doubt
about something, unsure of what to do, ask yourself this
question: Would your mother be proud of what you did?"
He signed his resignation from the Navy: Commander Lee Vanderbilt Crane.
Karen Nelson looked at the form standing before her. She was very angry . . . he had disobeyed her orders.
"You know you're not supposed to be in here . . . why did you disobey?"
The form looked at her, trying to discern exactly how much trouble he was truly in.
"But . . ."
"No 'buts' . . . you WEREN'T supposed to come in here."
Little Sean Nelson looked down at his feet, then up at his mother. She was in her bubble bath and had been disturbed. "I'm sorry Momma....I just wanted to play too."
Full Moon and Empty Arms
Everything's fine now, Captain Lee Crane stared out at Lover's Lane, as his gorgeous brunette date snuggled closer to him. It was a rough cruise, but everything's back to normal. . .
. . .I hope.
"Don't worry," Doc had reassured him before Lee left Seaview that night. "I'm sure there won't be any residual effects from that little. . .uh. . .werewolf problem. Trust me."
"Lee, my darling," Lydia cried as the moon came out from behind a cloud, "I give you my heart!"
And me without my salt shaker, Lee groaned.
******************************************
Beth Kelly
The sound startled Crane. . .It was early in the morning- 03:00 hours. The
duty watch is light he thought. Who's wandering around the boat at this
hour? - What the ... he muffled his exclamation, as he peered around the
corner, catching glimpse of a red clad figure disappearing into the mess.
Following the man inside, the Captain stifled a laugh as he recognized the
Chief. "I can explain sir- I knew we'd be at sea for Christmas, and I wanted
the guys to each have a present from home . . ." Placing a hand on Santa's
shoulder, the Captain smiled "Merry Christmas Chief!"
******************************************
Admiral Harriman Nelson felt the steamy heat beat down upon him and paused to wipe the sweat that trickled down his neck. Why had he ever agreed to this?
So much was at stake, mostly his reputation.
Nelson glanced skyward and grimaced at the sun's brightness. The desert around him gave off waves of heat and he moaned softly.
"Ready, Admiral?" said Lee Crane.
He turned to the man beside him and grimaced. "Do I have a choice?"
"No."
An unseen voice rang out. "And now, teeing off in the inaugural NIMR golf classic…Admiral Harriman Nelson and Captain Lee Crane."
The blond's foot slipped. He lurched and grabbed thin air. Overcompensating, he tried again. This time his objective slipped uselessly through fear-stiffened fingers. A third attempt yielded a small, sickening crunch, recalling him from his momentary panic.
Regarding the tense, trusting faces below, he managed an encouraging grimace. 'Do they know why I joined the submarine service? To avoid heights.'
One more step . . . another . . . almost there. Balanced precariously with his delicate consignment, he dared not betray his fear.
Reluctantly, he stretched forward . . . farther . . . mission accomplished!
Descending to safety, he finally smiled.
"Star looks great, Mr. Morton."
"Merry Christmas, Riley."
Panic
Panic was sweeping through the Seaview. A presidential visit was scheduled, with the monster still roaming the submarine.
Sharkey volunteered Patterson and Kowalski to get rid of it. Both men warily inspected over, under, behind and into everything. They had found and dispatched its offspring's with their weapons, leaving no foe behind.
The President was boarding and still no trace of the monster! Suddenly, Patterson gasped and threw himself on the ground, as if falling. The President never noticed the blond man vanquishing the monster looming close to him.
The dust bunny was no more.
*****************************************
Too shocked to scream, Harry Nelson fell. The skyjacker had shoved him out the cargo plane door. Now, instinctively spread-eagled, Harry plummeted.
He felt no fear, no regret. The wind was howling his death-song when he heard a distant yell. His heart sank knowing a shipmate must also be falling. Looking up, he saw Lee Crane diving toward him, holding two parachutes. Astounded, Harry reached out and grabbed Lee, and together they struggled to don the parachutes. Some 5000 feet above the earth, they pushed apart and pulled their ripcords.
Floating gently down, Harry Nelson shook his head and smiled.
*************************************
ATACK OF THE ZOMBEES
Steve Strong
It was a darck and stormee nite.
The seavu rockt back and forth.
Chip was on the compoter.
The evil Chip was trying to
blow up the seavu.
THE capten was the first to find it.
Chip tryed to stop him he shot him.
The crew fownd him on the floor.
The admerl lookt at the compoter
he fownd the dangeris file.
and he new how to fix it.
But the bad Chip had ran away
sodinle.
He saw him so he shot him.
The end.
Captain Crane watched as the ungainly
robot lifted each triple-clawed foot
and jerked forward. "Looks like he's
done it, eh?" he said unhappily.
"Yes, it does," Chip cheerfully nodded his blond head at the critter clomping toward them. "And I think I've won our bet."
"It's good on this terrain. Probably do everything but go down the chimney and deliver presents."
Chip laughed openly. " All I know is.... here comes Sandy Claws.
ARRRGH! You'll pay for that one, Chip!
Pooh's story
Lee Crane stared at his crew, "This is wrong!"
" What's wrong?" Admiral Nelson asked.
"Sir,this crew should be comprised of men." Crane stated adamantly.
"That's ma'am, how could I be sir with a figure like this."
"You should be a stockilly built male, not a curvaceous blonde."
"Lena, have you looked at yourself in a mirror lately?"
Crane looked at himself in a nearby mirror. Horrified to see he was
female.
" What's wrong with Lena?" Chippie asked.
"PMS," Harriett said.
"NO" Lee screamed sitting up in bed.He was relieved when he saw his male
body,' What a NIGHTMARE'
Admiral Harriman Nelson, Captain Lee Crane and executive officer Chip Morton boarded the submarine Seaview and plotted a course to Pearl Harbor where they were to pick up an important passenger. After a few hours at sea, there was an explosion and the Seaview plunged to the ocean floor. The crew was tossed about as they landed hard on the bottom. They battled frantically to put out the fire and repair the wiring. It was sabotage! They captured the culprit, a crazed seaman who had a grudge against Admiral Nelson. Finally, they repaired the sub and arrived at Pearl.
**********************************************************************
Birthday Recipes
The ship has been docked in Rome for a full day now. After doing all his choirs as usual, Cookie asked for a day leave. It was its birthday and had decided to treat himself to something special. Going to the nearby market, he gathered all the necessary ingredients for these recipes he had found earlier on the Internet.
Back on the ship with his bounty, he headed strait for his kitchen and got on to work. Chicken Cacciatore and Tiramisu cake. After a full day of preparations, he sat to taste these delights. Ah! La Dolce Vita!
Panic
Panic was sweeping through the Seaview. A presidential visit was scheduled, with the monster still roaming the submarine.
Sharkey volunteered Patterson and Kowalski to get rid of it. Both men warily inspected over, under, behind and into everything. They had found and dispatched its offspring's with their weapons, leaving no foe behind.
The President was boarding and still no trace of the monster! Suddenly, Patterson gasped and threw himself on the ground, as if falling. The President never noticed the blond man vanquishing the monster looming close to him.
The dust bunny was no more.