My Opinions about Santa Claus

People sometimes wonder if Santa Claus can become a political catalyst to satisfy their financial gains and political views.  Some of these concepts may be true, but there is often an individual motivation that is both satirical and perhaps egotistical on the part of the writer.  I, for one, believe that the ideas of Santa Claus should be challenged on a personal and intellectual level when it comes to a paradigm shift in our society.  So I had three goals that I wanted to accomplish when I wrote the storybook, Santa and the Stranger.

My first goal was to pacify the sexist views of both male and female members of our society.  After looking through hundreds of Santa Claus stories, I discovered that Santa Claus’ wife did not have a first name!  She is often referred to as “Mrs. Claus.”  So I did some personal research and began to ask people if they knew the first name of Mrs. Clause.  After a few moments of reflection and soul-searching, most people began to realize Mrs. Clause has no first name!  So I did the only thing that was logical: I named her after a saint of a woman in our neighborhood who more or less personified everything that was good in a person.

The second goal of the story was to challenge the loss of societal traditions that should be most sacred to both children and adults.  This challenge addresses tradition, automation, and our systematic belief in the fantasy world.

My third goal or objective was to challenge both the physical and mental aspects of our voting system.  With modern technology, important issues can be changed or hidden, often without our awareness.  It is not unheard of for hackers to change an electronic voting system or to alter our bank accounts, personal records, and other private matters that are often unprotected.  Using my imagination, I tried to leave the reader with the question, "What if …?"

Mrs. (...) Claus and Santa visiting town square in Prescott, Arizona, USA

(Book 10, a novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

To read this intriguing story, order your copy of Santa and the Stranger, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.)

My Experience in Education

In light of current challenges and trends in public as well as private education, let me share some of my experience in that field.

I worked with special education students for more than 30 years!  I have a variety of outside experiences that I utilized in the classroom, ranging from sports to hobbies.  By incorporating my lifelong experience in the classroom, I was able to motivate students in a variety of methods.  Some of these methods included a behavior modification system utilizing bogus money the students could earn in the classroom for proper behavior, and imposing fines for improper behavior.  I am an avid believer in teaching life skills for students to use in modeling behavior.  I believe that teaching life skills is the first step in learning to modify a student's behavior for success in other classrooms and society.  Once a student incorporates these life skills, they have the ability to survive in almost any environment that may be hostile or detrimental to their self-esteem and self-confidence.

One of the ways I incorporated these concepts in my classroom was to make up stories about my students.  Each individual student became a character in the story I told to the students.  The stories soon became favorites and were later published as the Holiday Favorites series.  (For more information, visit Amazon.com or search on Kindle e-reader.)

A “behavior mod” system was used to reward students for the proper response to questions I asked about the story using a simple method concerning Who, What, Where, and When. The students soon learned by using the discovery method of taking notes for better recall to answer my questions.  They used discovery in other classrooms by utilizing these same skills.

I believe more creativity should be allowed by school systems and employed by teachers to meet individual student needs.

(See the story published today for Kindle:

Santa and the Stranger by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

The Big Fourth, Part 2

Butch was the fourth person called on to read his paper. He walked to the front of the class with a casual, confident stride, aware of his stirring presence. Butch was one of the best readers in the class and had won many spelling competitions throughout Norwood Elementary School.  He had a good speaking voice that was loud and clear, and most of the students were eager to listen to what he had to say.  “My report is a little different than the other reports,” he said.  “I took a completely different view of what most people think about in war. I chose to write about what it must have been like to be an animal in wartime!”  The class began to shuffle their feet and move around in their chairs in a nervous manner.  “My Uncle Dan had a farm, and he used to plant the lower forty acres next to the river. He had a mule named Midnight, because he would sometimes pull a plow from morning till midnight. That old mule worked six days a week dragging a plow behind him, turning up the soil in long straight furrows. He continued to work that way until he died in the barn at the age of twenty-two. When I looked at all of the ink drawings in the books showing the war-time destruction of animal life on the farm, I couldn’t help but feel what those animals must have thought about the sacrifice they had dedicated to mankind. Their only request in their life was a little bit of food, shelter, and perhaps a token of love by a kind word, a scratch behind the ear, or a pat on the back. Throughout the battle scenes depicted by an artist’s sketch pad, the black-and-white images were a vivid contrast of emotion that was graphically portrayed in each scene. Too many pages had sketches with dead animals that had been slaughtered in their cages or in their pens. Pigs, cows, chickens and horses lay in heaps on the battlefields. Some of the animals were killed by bullets or cannon fire or just plain starved to death. Many were bloated and distorted out of shape, so they were unrecognizable. They died in a position that was in proportion to their pain and suffering – without any dignity. Some had their legs sticking straight up in the air like a stuffed toy. There were multiple objects that had pierced their body from splintered trees, boards, and other objects that could be propelled by an explosion. I could only imagine the stench that saturated the area. Throughout the area, it must have been a lingering smell that you couldn’t wash away from your skin or your clothes. I thought about all the farm animals that had been needlessly slaughtered – animals like those which had given me so much pleasure in my life throughout the years. I thought about their loyalty, devotion, and willingness to accept the consequences of risks put upon them by their masters. In my mind’s eye I could still see my spotted hound dog that had accompanied me on so many hunting trips through the woods, and how he protected me with his barks whenever he thought danger was near. I thought about how he enjoyed my company and showed his appreciation of his love even though I was away from the farm for less than an hour! He would overwhelm me with his love and his joy when seeing me again, until it was almost embarrassing to have him make such a fuss over me each time we met. I would now like to conclude my report,” said Butch as he looked all around the classroom.  “This report is a reflection of my feelings and thoughts of what it must have been like for the animal kingdom to experience the tragedy of men killing and destroying everything around them. War not only kills people and animals, but it does massive destruction to all forms of wildlife and nature. Some of these things we don’t even think about, like the birds, butterflies, and flowers that are killed. Trees that are hundreds of years old are needlessly destroyed by war.  Survivors are left homeless and without a livelihood as their houses, farms, and businesses are destroyed. The big question is, ‘When will man doubt the validity of such actions and see the consequences of his deeds!’ This concludes my report.” 

There were many tears throughout the classroom, and Ms. Smith thought to herself.” How profound is the wisdom of a child!” Lester was the fifth and last student of the day to give a report. Lester was the smartest boy in the school and was known for his large vocabulary. Every year, as far back as anybody could remember, Lester had always won the contest for the most books read by a student in a year. In the third grade he won a silver dollar for reading over 300 books. He could tell you the longest word in the dictionary – “antidisestablishmentarianism” – and spell the word correctly and even tell you what it meant. He also scored the highest in the school on all kinds of math tests. To say that Lester was a good student was putting it mildly. When Lester approached the front of the class he knew that he was in control of the situation. It didn’t bother him if he used words that his classmates didn’t understand; he figured they could look them up in the dictionary if they were so inclined.

“My report,” said Lester, “is mostly about the ballistic capabilities of weapons used in the Revolutionary War. It also describes the hardships, lack of supplies, and scarcity of good equipment that handicapped the Continental Army. There were basically two types of rifles used by the minutemen in the Revolutionary War. There was the musket that had a smoothbore and was not very accurate at more than 100 yards. The other was the long rifle which got its name from the grooves inside the barrel. The grooves were called rifling because they would spiral the bullet in its flight, making it a lot more accurate at a longer distance. Pistols were used mostly by officers for close range combat. There were two weapons that were mostly feared by both sides in the battle. Both were very deadly in the eyes of the soldier. The most feared was the cannon. It was a large heavy weapon that had to be moved around on wheels. It could be fired at long ranges and did devastating damage to men, animals, and structural dwellings. Because of the cannon’s great weight, it had to be maneuvered by many men or pulled into place by a team of horses or mules. The next most- feared weapon was the bayonet. It was fixed to the front of the rifle and used when the soldiers ran out of ammunition for hand-to-hand combat. It has been reported that more soldiers were killed with the bayonet than by any other weapon in that war. Of course the men also used swords, sabers, knives, tomahawks, and spears. Most people cannot really appreciate or understand the conditions under which the minutemen fought during the war,” continued Lester.  “Soldiers fought under many adverse conditions, starting with lack of rations involving food and water. He was ill-equipped to contend with the weather in the summer as well as in winter. Many of the men fought without wearing any shoes and could be tracked like an animal by the bloody footprints left in the snow. Supplies like tents, blankets and personal hygiene supplies were scarce. When a soldier was wounded or came down with some kind of disease, he was often treated in a facility that made his wounds or disease more life threatening, and he usually died there. It is also interesting to note that after surviving all these conditions and hardships, there were very few minutemen who deserted their post, the battle, or the war! After General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington, the general feeling of the people at the time was that the war was over, and there was no need to supply the Continental Army with additional equipment. That posed a challenge for the future of national defense.”

The classroom looked pleased with Lester’s report.  However, they were glad the reports were over for the day.  Ms. Smith called for a recess break, and the students went happily about their business, looking forward to playing in the warm sunshine outside.  The reports of the Revolutionary War were soon forgotten along with all the atrocities of war, as the students focused on fun.

The five boys’ reports were all posted on the bulletin board in front of the principal’s office on the Honor Board at Norwood Elementary School.  Each report had a big “A+” marked with bright red ink at the top right-hand corner of the page, under the name of each author.  Almost everybody in the school read or looked over the reports.  It didn’t take long for all five boys to become celebrities throughout the school.  As the year went by, the fabulous five continued to be celebrities, both in the classroom and out on the playground. The school had athletic contests with other schools from the surrounding areas.  With the help of the fabulous five, Norwood Elementary School won trophies in ragtag football, softball, and basketball.  Before long, the local newspaper did an article in the paper about “Achievements of Norwood Elementary School.”  The local community had a banquet at the school for all the achievements and awards the school had won throughout the year.

When school had finally ended for the year, the boys were beginning to prepare for summer vacation.  The last big event of the summer was the Fourth of July picnic.  Each year the picnic was held in the same place to celebrate the Fourth of July.  There would be dazzling fireworks, food, and games; participating would be the same people that were there last year and the year before.  “I wonder if the dry-cell batteries on our shortwave radio still work,” asked Lester.  “What do you have in mind?” asked Butch.  “Oh, I was just wondering what the little old Lady was up to,” said Lester.  “We could buy some new dry-cell batteries and see if we could pick up some of her broadcasting frequencies on our shortwave radio set.” replied Robert.  So the boys went to the hardware store and bought two brand new dry-cell batteries to replace the old ones.  The boys were getting a little bored from being out of school and could hardly wait for the Fourth of July fireworks to begin.  It was a chance to see all of their old schoolmates again and talk about old times. Robert said, “I can hardly wait to see and talk to Karen at the picnic while watching the fireworks.”  The rest of the boys started laughing.  “She sure is pretty,” said Allan. “Do you remember when Claudia had a birthday party?” asked Allan.  “I sure do,” said Butch.  “There was Claudia, Karen, Judy, Phoebe, and Barbara at the party.”  “Yeah, and we all played games of post office, spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven,” recalled Butch.  “Boy, that was a great birthday party,” said Butch, smiling with a look of satisfaction on his face.  “Maybe we can talk the girls into playing a couple of those games with us again at the fireworks display,” said Butch with a romantic sound in his voice.  “Let’s go over to the tree Fort and hook up the new dry-cell batteries to our shortwave radio set. I have a hunch we might be able to pick up some important news.” said Butch.  “Oh, you’re just looking for some excitement,” said Lester in a humorous way.  When everything was hooked up properly including the telescope, the boys scanned the horizon with their binoculars.  They had been looking through their binoculars for a while, when the first star came out for the evening.  A faint voice was coming through the radio.  “Turn up the volume,” said Lester.  When the radio was adjusted, and the voice became louder and clearer, the boys gathered around to hear what was talked about.  Admiral was saying something about landing in the Meadows and doing some exploratory investigation of the human anatomy. “We’ll come in and land in visual mode so the boys will be able to see us as well as hear us.”  “Sir, we have made radio contact. Shall we begin crypto-code procedures?” he asked.  “Yes, give them enough information to keep their interest aroused and then switch over to mute, using light-interpretation codes. Remember we only need one species sample of each gender for our anatomical research facilitator to analyze the genetic makeup of the DNA and the amino acids makeup of the Homo sapiens that we cloned several thousand years ago. I want to study the insertion we made into the DNA code. I question whether it was enough of a genetic boost to enhance their cognitive learning capabilities for speech and higher levels of thought. We may want to intervene with another code change in the DNA molecule structure that will give them the capability of dual thinking on both sides of their brain. This higher order of thinking would allow them to read a book or engage in conversation and do mathematical equations at the same time. It would also be to their advantage if they were able to become ambidextrous to help them complete several tasks at the same time with either or both hands. You may proceed with the necessary experimental steps to give us the results that we are searching for, and start the project immediately using the nanostep procedures!”  

(Part Two of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

For the rest of the story, order your copy of The Big Fourth, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.)

The Big Fourth, Part 1

When the five boys were back in their classroom at Norwood Elementary School, the teacher reminded the class of the importance of Independence Day. She wrote five words on the blackboard: “Revolutionary, Declaration, Minutemen, Celebration, Constitution.”  For the next two weeks, there would be all kinds of written reports and oral reports.  There would be weekly pop quizzes and tests about the history of “The Big Fourth.”  Of course, the history lesson would begin with the American Revolutionary War and continue up to the present time.  “I would like to remind the class,” said Ms. Smith, “that the American frontier colonies were first sponsored and supported by the British government. There were many investors in the British government that sponsored and supported all kinds of business activities in America. The American colonists and British citizens in general were loyal to their king. It was the Founding Fathers who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence to be free of Great Britain and secure the people’s unalienable rights.”  Ms. Smith further taught that it was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, as a proclamation by “the thirteen united States of America” to be independent.  Years later, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights would guarantee in writing certain privileges and rights that had never before been granted by government in recorded history of the world.  The Constitution was signed and published in 1787.  It begins with the Preamble “WE THE PEOPLE of the United States …” and was amended in subsequent years.  In 1791, the majority of state legislatures ratified amendments which became the first ten, called the U.S. Bill of Rights.  The first amendment was to protect our freedom of religion, speech, the press, and so forth.

The teacher then pointed out that if America had lost the Revolutionary War, every one of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence would have been treated as a traitor and either shot, hung or imprisoned by the British government. This was one of the reasons that John Hancock signed his name so large on the original document. He wanted to make sure his name would stand out above all the other signatures. Hancock was making absolutely sure that the British government would see his large signature and be assured that his name was part of this conspiracy that he wholeheartedly believed in and supported this document.

The five boys were not surprised to hear what came next.  “Your homework assignment for the weekend is to pretend that you are in the fireworks in the battle of the Revolutionary War.  Explain to the class what you feel, what you see and hear, and what the battle means to you personally. All of these reports will be given in front of the class by the person who writes the report. The first ten volunteers will automatically receive at least an ‘A-’ for classroom participation! Of course, the best reports in the class will have an ‘A+’ marked on the papers,” Ms. Smith explained.

After school the boys headed home to tell their parents about the assignment.  Next, all five met at the public library to find some books on the Revolutionary War.  Over the weekend, the boys worked together on their individual reports at the tree Fort, where everything was quiet and conducive to writing about their experience from a soldier’s point of view.  After two days of almost continuous writing, a little brainstorming for ideas, and lots of snacks, they finished their paper for the weekend.

On Monday the five boys were sitting in class, waiting with anticipation. Ms. Smith asked for volunteers.  Five hands went up immediately from the five boys.  Ms. Smith was not surprised at their eagerness.  They always seemed to be the leaders in the class and out on the playground.  Ms. Smith admired the boys’ confidence to become future leaders, and encouraged them and the rest of the class to pursue a leadership role in life.  “Have courage to take risks in life!” she said.  “Be not the first to always try the new, but be not the last to put some old ideas aside.”  This was one of her favorite sayings, adapted from a poem by Alexander Pope (1688-1744), and she would often repeat it throughout the year.

The boys had previously agreed which of them would go first and what order they would follow.  They all knew that Lester, Butch, and Robert were the scholarly bunch, and like a relay race in track, the fastest runners were usually placed at the back of the line to close the gap or to win the race. Ronald was the first to raise his hand.  He stood in front of the class and began to read his report.  “I pretended like I was the drummer boy leading the troops into battle by setting the cadence of the movement forward. I saw grown men all around me fall to the ground from gunshot wounds and cannon explosions. I was so scared that I wet my pants.  …”  Nobody in the classroom made a sound.  The students were all sitting up forward in their desk with their eyes and ears tuned in on Ronald’s report.  Ronald concluded his report by stating, “Some of these experiences I read about in the library were taken from actual events in the Revolutionary War. I tried to imagine what it would be like to see these things happen with my own eyes.”  A round of applause was given to Ronald by his classmates when he sat down in his seat.

Allen was next to volunteer.  “My report is about a man who is scared to death to go into battle. He is constantly fighting with himself and his conscience. ‘I don’t want to die!’ he kept saying to himself. He kept looking back over his shoulder to see if anyone else was running away from the battle. He thought to himself that he would pretend like he was dead and perhaps the enemy would go on past him. He thought about what his fellow soldiers would think, and what they would say about him if he were found dead, shot in the back! He just couldn’t handle the pressure, so he curled himself up into a little ball and hid behind….”  Allen stopped reading and said to the class, “I wanted whoever heard or read this story to finish the story by drawing their own conclusion.”  Another thunderous round of applause was given by his classmates.

Robert came to the front of the class. “My report is based on a soldier’s religious view about doing God’s work for the good of mankind. This minuteman named George became a soldier as he was studying to become a minister, when he was called into battle by his fellow citizens.” They were called minutemen because in a minute’s notice they would drop whatever they were doing and join in the fight against the British.  Robert continued, “George was well known throughout the community for two reasons. He always had a Bible in his hands, and he could quote all kinds of scripture. It was also a known fact throughout the colony that George was one of the wealthiest men around, if not the wealthiest man in America. The good book says, ‘Thou shall not kill.’ But it also has been said that ‘There is no greater glory to God than for a man to be killed in battle for his country,’ George would say. George seemed to be at odds with his conscience and his religious views. His fellow men were counting on him to fight with them in battle against his fellow men, but his religious training weighed heavily on his mind to refrain from violence. George would often be seen looking up at the sky and asking his Heavenly Father to forgive him. Then he would give a strong hand signal to charge and attack the enemy. ‘To become a leader of men is one of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life,’ he was overheard saying to a fellow officer. The officer replied, ‘It is the will of God!’ So I tried to put myself into George’s shoes and think what I would do if I were in his position.” said Robert.  “Then I found myself thinking, “We are all sometimes put into a survival position like an animal. We have to make a decision to either stand and fight or run to survive. If ‘survival of the fittest’ means only the strong will survive, we make our own choice. After reading many scenes about the bloody battles in the Revolutionary War, I pray to God every night to keep me from ever having to make such a decision.”  When Robert went back to his seat to sit down, it looked like he had tears in his eyes.  The class remained very quiet for a while then everyone broke out with a cheer.

(Part One of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

For the rest of the story, order your copy of The Big Fourth, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.)

The Festival of States Parade, Part 2

The boys woke up to a beautiful sunny day, as light beams of sunshine made light rays visible through the windows.  “Look at all the dust particles dancing in the light beams!” said Allan.  Each of the boys looked at the dust beams with wonder.  “They kind of look like a miniature Milky Way in another galaxy far away.” said Ronald.  “You know, “said Butch, “there could be all sorts of life in every one of those light beams, but they’re too small for us to see.  I bet if you had a powerful enough microscope you could probably see all sorts of weird things very similar to our solar system circling each other.”  The boy slid down the emergency rope ladder and headed for the Meadows.  “Now that it’s daylight, maybe we can find a trace of where that strange object landed,” said Robert.  On the way through the Meadows, the boys looked around for some wild raspberries to eat for breakfast.  When they had their fill of the ripe raspberries, they stumbled upon a patch of huckleberry bushes.  “Wow, look at this!” exclaimed Allan.  “I haven’t seen this many huckleberries in bloom in a long time.”  “We need to come back and pick a couple quarts of these and let Mrs. Strawn make us a huckleberry pie,” said Ronald while licking his lips with his tongue.

When the boys had their fill of wild berries, they began to look around the Meadows to find the spot where the strange object had landed.  Suddenly they came to a dark spot in the Meadows where the grass had been pressed down in the shape of a circle.  Butch got down on his hands and knees and looked at the grass very closely.  “Look at this,” he said to the rest of the group as he pointed to the matted grass.  On closer observation, the boys could see that the grass was mashed down, and all the tips of the grass were pointed in the same direction as though they were magnetized.  “That’s really weird,” said Lester. “I wonder if there are any other signs around,” suggested Ronald.  The boys continued their search outside the circle, when suddenly Robert yelled out, “Look at this!”  He pointed to the stool of a large animal.  “What in the world is that?” asked Allan.  “It must be a bear,” replied Ronald.  “That’s no bear,” said Robert.  “Whatever it is, it came from a mighty big animal, is all I got to say,” said Butch.

When the boys got back to the tree Fort, they decided that they would do another observation on the sky that night.  They set up all their equipment after moving the telescope into a different location.  They wanted to be able to look in the direction from where the strange object approached for landing.  While they were sitting around discussing their next plan, Butch had an idea.  “Let’s see if we can pick up any news or conversation on the shortwave radio.” said Butch.  “Good thinking.” said Lester. So the shortwave radio was calibrated until a faint sound began to be heard.  “This is Elvus; come in, please.”  “We want you to … try and … find the … of those … little varmints that … us so much … Do you read me?” a commanding voice responded.  “You’re breaking up, Sir!”  Then the shortwave radio became silent.  “We’re either low on battery power or their signal is breaking up.” said Butch.  “Why don’t we go to Mr. Zay’s hardware store and buy a new dry cell battery?” asked Robert. “We had better get going so we can make it back here before dark.”   “If that’s what you want to do,” agreed Lester.

Inside the hardware store, the boys overheard some of the customers talking about a mysterious monster that was seen all over town.  “Oh, my!” said Mrs. Neuner.  “The children are afraid to walk to school for fear of the boogie man.”  “I know,” said Mrs. Lewis.  “My Johnny is afraid to sleep in his bed at night for fear that the monster is going to get him!”  “Did you hear about the little girl Karen, and what the monster did to her?”  “No, pray tell, what happened to her?” asked Mrs. Souder.  “Well, it seems like little Karen was playing at the lake with her older brother Johnny, when out of nowhere this hairy monster came out of the woods, grabbed Karen, and ran off with her!” “What happened to Johnny?” asked Mr. Zay.  “He jumped into the lake to get away from the monster.  “What about little Karen?” asked Mrs. Souder. “Later that evening, the police found her walking around the lake.”  “Was she hurt?” asked Mrs. Neuner.  “I heard her clothes were all torn and dirty, but she was too scared to tell what had happened to her”  “We’ve got to do something about this!” said Mr. Zay.  “I’m going to donate some steel traps that are big enough to catch a bear,” he said.  “I’m going to form a vigilante committee,” said Mr. Hupp.  “I’ll tell everyone to bring their weapons and anything else they may need to go on the hunt. My orders are going to be to shoot to stop that monster in its tracks!”  After the boys left the hardware store, they walked over to Ward’s store.  They stopped long enough to read the headline in the newspaper that was still in the paper rack.  The headline was in big, bold print: “Swamp ape-like creature spotted all over town.  Local residents claim to have seen the monster near the Cypress Swamp. Some people claim that …”

It was obvious that the whole town was in a state of panic!”  The local police declared a curfew that no one under 18 was allowed on the streets after dark.  Mr. Lewis, the chairman of the vigilante community, called a meeting for all the hunters in the town.  “We want to build all kinds of traps around the swamp. We want pit traps, dead falls, steel traps, and any other trap that will hold something bigger than a man!” he exclaimed.  “Whatever this thing is, we have got to get to the bottom of this problem soon. If the monster remains alive after it’s trapped, we remove it to another location far away from town.” Almost the whole committee was in agreement with the plan.  The next day, people from all over town were busy making and setting traps all around the outside perimeter of the Cypress Swamp.  The people setting the traps could not believe the size of the giant footprints in the mud around the swamp. Some of the footprints measured more than 14 inches long and almost 6 inches wide.  “My God!” said Mr. Townsend.  “By the size of that track and the depth of the imprint left in the mud, that creature must be over 10 feet tall and weigh more than 1,000 pounds!”

All of the traps were prepared and set overnight.  When the vigilante committee checked the traps in the morning, they couldn’t believe their eyes! Huge trees were snapped in a large circle as if they were matchsticks to the swamp monster.  Some of the trees were driven into the ground upside down in smaller circles!  Almost every trap was broken or thrown into the swamp. Large limbs of trees were left hanging as if to show a warning sign not to enter the swamp!  A strong odor of rotten eggs filled the air throughout the area. “Holy … will you take a look at this!” exclaimed Mr. Webster as he came upon the scene with a small group of men.  The men all had their rifles in the ready position, chambered and ready to fire at a moment’s notice. Everybody’s nerves were on edge, when suddenly a loud whistle-like cry could be heard echoing through the swamp.  

The next morning, the Times newspaper front page read, “Large Skunk Ape believed to be living in the great Cypress Swamp. Residents are asked to stay away from the area until further notice. Large footprints are found in the area, and it is believed that …”  The boys from the tree Fort club couldn’t believe what they were reading.  Lester said, “We’ve got to be real careful when we go to the tree Fort. I suggest we arm ourselves.”  “With what weapons?” asked Butch.  “What I propose,” said Lester, “is that everyone bring a slingshot and have it with you at all times!”  “What will we use for ammunition?” asked Robert.  “Whatever you feel confident will hit the target,” said Lester.  “You can use marbles, steel ball bearings, small lead sinkers, pebbles, dried seedpods, or anything that works with your slingshot, depending on how bad you want to hurt the enemy.”  “I need to make one. What’s best – a Y slingshot or a clothespin slingshot?” asked Alan.  “No matter, as long as it shoots straight.” answered Lester.  So the boys headed out to find the necessary equipment to make a slingshot.

Robert, Allan, and Ronald all went to the Shell Oil filling station on the corner of 16th St. and 30th Ave. to see if Mr. Kelly had any old car inner tubes that he didn’t want.  On the way, Robert said, “I hope we can find an old, red inner tube.”  “Why is that?” asked Ronald.  “Because red inner tubes make the best slingshot; they’re stronger, and they stretch longer, which gives you more accuracy.” said Robert in a superior tone.  Luckily, Mr. Kelly had an old, red inner tube stashed away for any such need.  He gave it to the boys and offered them some advice.  “Before you build your slingshot, maybe you should go to the corner and have a talk with Slingshot Parker.”  “Who is that?” asked Ronald.  “If you don’t know about Slingshot Parker or have never met him, it’s high time. I highly recommend his expertise.”  “What’s so special about him?” asked Ronald again.  “Well, Slingshot Parker happens to be one of the world’s greatest slingshot marksman in the world! Other than that, he’s just a neighbor of mine that lives down the street.”  The boys could hardly believe their good fortune.  They thanked Mr. Kelly for the inner tube and made sure they had clear directions to find Slingshot Parker’s house.

(Part Two of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

For the rest of the story, order your copy of The Festival of States Parade, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.)

The Festival of States Parade, Part 1

The whole town was preparing for the big Festival of States Parade to be held downtown on Central Avenue.  When the Festival of States Parade celebration was over, there would be a community picnic and a dazzling display of fireworks to help celebrate the Fourth of July.  The Ladies Garden Club members, the AMVETS, and several different civic organizations like the Rotary, Moose, and Elks clubs would all take part in the parade and other festive activities.  The big parade was the beginning of an all-day event to celebrate Independence Day or the Fourth of July.  Many of the local residents from each town would march in the parade or ride on one of the many floats. Robert’s father, Mr. Strawn, marched every year with the Knights of Columbus or the Shriners.  Local beauty queens would be seen waving to the crowd while riding on the floats.  The local newspaper would cover the event with a special edition devoted to the parade.  Although the parade was a special event for most of the town’s people, it was the event that took place before the parade started that all the kids in the neighborhood were waiting for.  It was called the scrambles!  The scrambles consisted of people in buildings throwing loose change out into the street for the kids to scramble after. Pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters were thrown by the handful from open windows onto the streets.  Naturally, as the first coins struck the pavement, the kids scrambled into the streets to get the money.  If you were fast enough, you could get several dollars by retrieving the loose change thrown from the windows and tops of buildings.  Of course, kids would fight for the quarters, and some of the bigger kids would try to take the coins away from the smaller ones.  The crowds would cheer for each kid as the scrambles began, and help cheer on the little ones to scramble after the money.  The older kids soon learned from past experience that many of the coins thrown out the windows were heated over a stove until they became very hot!  They had learned that quarters especially would burn the fingers when picked up, which made the crowd laugh when the kids dropped the coins like a hot potato.  If you should be unlucky and pick up a hot coin, only to have someone step on your hand, it would make a blister on your skin.

Every year the boys from the tree Fort club would take part in the scrambles.  Butch, Lester, Robert, Allan, and Ronald always had a plan that they would put into action for the scrambles.  They would all team up to help each other get to the coins first.  Football tactics were used in the form of blocking, tackling, and running interference.  This was serious business for the kids and a chance to make more money than they otherwise could in a year’s time.  Of course they would split the profits equally among themselves.  The money they made would be spent on a bus ride to the movies, and on popcorn and candy.  Favorites were licorice sticks, all-day suckers, and bubblegum.

After the parade, the next big event would be the local picnic.  As usual, it would be at a local park for softball games, horseshoe events, and various other activities.  A long line of picnic tables would be set up end-to-end.  The tables would be filled to capacity with all kinds of baked goods like cookies, cakes, and pies in one section, and homegrown vegetables in another section.  The remaining space would accommodate covered, tasty dishes made by the local housewives – smoked turkey, ham, fried chicken, potato salad, tossed salads, and all kinds of casserole.  There was more food than any one person could sample.  The leftovers would be donated to the local charities and churches.  The picnic would last until dark, and then the fireworks display would begin.  The fireworks show would go on for an hour or so depending on the weather.

That year, after the preparations, parade, and picnic, the people in the town began to witness the biggest fireworks show they had ever seen!  It was during the middle of the fireworks display that the strange object was seen by some spectators.  “Look! Look! Did you see that?” yelled someone in the crowd.  People were pointing their finger at the strange looking object for other people to see.  The strange object could only be seen when the rockets from the fireworks exploded in a dazzling blaze of color.  The light from the exploding rockets was reflecting off the strange object in the sky!  The object looked round in shape.  It looked like two pie pans stuck together, with the top pan upside down.  This gave the object a thin shape in the middle as it moved in any direction.  Sometimes colorful lights blinked on and off to match the colors of the fireworks.  Time and again, the strange object disappeared and then appeared in a different location.  The boys from the tree Fort club were all grouped together watching in amazement at this spectacular object.  “Hey Lester, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” said Butch.  “Probably,” said Lester.  “It can only be connected with the little old Lady.”

The next day the boys decided to meet again at the tree Fort.  “Let’s do some observation of the stars in the Meadows,” said Lester, “where there are no street lights to hamper our view.”  “Robert, don’t you have a telescope?” asked Butch.  “I got one for Christmas last year, but I think it’s still in the box.” answered Robert.  “Let’s set it up in the Meadows where it’s real dark, and maybe we can see something in the sky.” said Butch.  The rest of you guys, bring any pair of binoculars you can find, in case we can’t get the telescope to work,” Butch said as an afterthought.  So that evening before dark, the boys were back at the tree Fort with all their equipment.  The plan was to set up the telescope in the middle of the Meadows and take turns doing observation of the moon, planets, and stars.  The rest of the guys would be lying on a blanket, scanning the stars with their binoculars to help out with the observation by covering a wider view.  If anyone spotted anything, the telescope would be pointed in the direction of the sighting.  When everything was in place the boys were delighted to observe a meteor shower.  Lester was thumbing through his astronomy book, looking at all the different constellations.  “Did you guys know that the Milky Way got its name because it looks like a bunch of spilt milk in the sky?” remarked Lester.  Ronald thought to himself, “Professor Lester sure is smart. He knows a little bit about everything!”  All the boys focused their binoculars at the Milky Way.  “Wow!” said Allan.  “There must be millions upon millions of stars up there.”  “The Milky Way is the galaxy that we live in,” added Lester.  “It’s just one galaxy among millions of other galaxies throughout the universe,” Lester continued. “Do you think there are other people living up there?” asked Ronald.  Professor Lester continued with his lecture, “Based on the mathematical probability of the number of stars, planets, and moons observed in the known universe, there must be millions upon millions of planets similar to Earth in our galaxy alone!”  Robert thought to himself, “I don’t believe that. I believe we’re the only people in the universe. The Bible says that man is created in the image of God, and it doesn’t say anything about other beings in the universe,” he rambled on in his thoughts.  Robert’s musing was interrupted when Butch suddenly yelled out, “I think I see something!”  It was Butch’s turn to look through the telescope, and he was focusing the instrument more on the horizon than the rest of the guys were.  Butch pointed his finger in the direction he was looking.  All of the binoculars were soon looking in the same direction.  A tiny beam of light was moving across the horizon.  “It looks like it’s coming in our direction!” said Butch with an excited voice.  Everyone continued to track the movement of the bright object.  “It does seem to be getting closer,” said Robert.  “Yeah,” agreed the rest of the group in unison.  As the strange object got larger, it appeared to be headed straight for the Meadows.  The boys’ eyes all froze simultaneously on the descending object. “It’s … it’s going to land!” said Butch in a trembling voice.  A beam of light like the beam of a flashlight was seen shining from underneath the strange object, as though it were searching for something on the ground.  The strange craft just hovered there for a moment, and then it settled without a sound less than 100 yards from where the boys were.  A series of lights began to blink on and off in soft pastel colors as they seemed to chase each other around the middle of the strange object!  Underneath the strange object, a door opened and several large creatures were released upon the ground.  The strange object then rose up into the air and disappeared into the night sky.  “They unloaded something!” said Butch.  “I could see them through the telescope!” he said over and over again. “What did they look like?” asked Lester.  “They kind of look like hairy creatures,” he replied.  The boys gathered up all their equipment and headed back towards the tree Fort.  Once they were safely inside, Robert began to wind the alarm clock that was always left running in the tree Fort.  Sometimes the boys would set the alarm if they wanted to get up early in the morning or late at night.

(Part One of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

For the rest of the story, order your copy of The Festival of States Parade, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.)

Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon, Part 2

Once again Officer Steinbeck began to supervise his crew members.  “I want all the cameras focused on that crevice that leads to the plateau below. If I’m guessing right, they will ambush that large animal as it passes directly below them.”  The crew watched as the hunters began to assemble large boulders near the edge of the cliff.

  When the animal was directly below them, each tribe member picked up a large jagged rock and lifted it over his head.  The leader of the tribe gave the signal with whistles and loud, high-pitch sounds.  As the command was given, large heavy boulders were thrown by each member of the tribe, striking the animal with thunderous blows that echoed throughout the plateau.  The animal let out screams of pain as each rock hit with a killing force.  When the beast fell to its knees and was dying, the blood saturated the white snow.  Quickly the tribesmen ran down the pathway that led to the plateau below.  With their spears held high, they thrust them into the animal’s body to secure their prey.  When the animal lay still, a high-pitch sound was made by all the hunters as a victory signal.  The men danced around the dead animal using all kinds of body movements with their arms, legs, and heads.

As the tribe members began to skin the fallen animal, a loud whistle was heard in the distance.  The whistle was repeated by the leader of the tribe as if saying, “We’re over here!”  Before long, all of the hunters had settled around the dead beast.  Each member took turns skinning the animal or cutting large chunks of flesh that they placed in some kind of woven basket made out of sticks and vines.  Several trips had to be made by the tribe members to carry the baskets of meat back to the cave.  The animal’s hide was stripped of all meat and carried back in a bundle to the cave.  Inside the cave it was stretched tight.  Stakes were driven into the ground to hold it in place.  The head of the animal was split in two, the brain was removed, and several tribe members took turns rubbing the brain matter all over the stretched hide!  Within a few days, several other tribesmen showed up at the cave.

Officer Steinbeck told his crew members to make sure they got as many camera shots as possible of the surrounding tribe members.”  Most of them looked alike – strongly built, with the same features as the cave tribe people that they had been observing for the last week or so.  What Officer Steinbeck couldn’t understand was how the other tribe members knew about the kill.  Evidently the different tribe members shared their food after the kill of a large animal.

As the crew members gathered their gear and prepared to leave the cave, they made sure that everything was generally the way they found it when they arrived.  In a receptacle they carried their collection of small objects for later observation; in their cameras they had stored recordings for analysis.  The four men eagerly made a quick return trip to the spacecraft.

Officer Steinbeck called his men together for a short meeting.  “Men,” he began, “I want to thank you for a job well done! We have secured enough film footage to make a comparison study of the next tribe we will investigate. But before we leave, there are a few other things we must do. I want to collect DNA samples of these cave people. We will need hair samples of as many individuals as possible, including the young and old tribe members. We also need stool samples to study their diet. You will collect the same amount of blood samples from each of the tribe members. If we could find the skull of one of the dead members, we would get a good DNA sample in case all else fails. The skull will also be a great asset for the lab people to study, concerning the size of the brain and other characteristics that indicate the age. All of this can be done while the cave people are asleep. Are there any questions?”

After all of the experiments were performed, the crew members were back aboard the spacecraft.  The film and the DNA samples were turned over to the proper authorities for further analysis.  Officer Steinbeck called for a meeting in his office.  “Men, in a couple more days, we will do another exploratory observation of another tribe of creatures called Cro-Magnon. We know there are subtle differences between the two tribes. Our mission is to find out the differences … and similarities, if any … and make a comparison study to see if it is possible for the two tribes to intermingle and produce mixed offspring. If by chance some sibling offspring can be found, that would be a whole new study in itself. It would demonstrate a whole new hybrid or possibly a new genetic strain of evolutionary advancement. I want all of you to have a furlough that will be duty-free. You may rest at the R&R (rest and relaxation) station, for seven days and seven nights. Thank you for a job well done!”

At the end of the one-week furlough, the crew was well rested.  They were briefed on their next expedition that would last about two weeks as previous.  The equipment was checked, tested, and adjusted to accommodate more activity outside of the caves.  “Officer Steinbeck began to explain the mission.  “The next tribe members we will observe are called the Cro-Magnon. Prior research has shown that these creatures may be a little more advanced in the evolutionary scale than the Neanderthal tribes were at the same time of our observation. There are several factors I want you to capture on your observation cameras. We will observe their social customs, hunting tactics, and skills at making objects like clothing, jewelry, weapons, or anything different than the Neanderthal skills. I would also like to observe any interaction that may take place between the two tribes. Pay special attention to how the males and females from different tribes react to each other. Once again, I want to thank you for all that you have done and are about to do in the name of research.”

The Cro-Magnon tribes were located a little south of the Neanderthal caves.  The village was more on the planes and in the valleys of the mountains.  The Cro-Magnon tribes made their dwellings out of large mammal tusk, bones, and other remains.  The villages consisted of several huts grouped together.  Even though they were permanent structures, they could be moved if necessary.  Each hut’s frame was covered with animal hides and furs that were all stitched together over the structure.  A long root-like fiber was interwoven around the frame to hold the coverings and structure together.  Inside the hut were many objects made by the Cro-Magnon females and the males.  The females were making jewelry out of shells and bones.  On large teeth and pieces of ivory, the males were carving intricate details about their hunting skills and other skills that they were proud of.  Each carving depicted a story or history about the tribe members.  There were several musical instruments like flutes made of bone and wood; there were also primitive drums and several objects that could be rattled when shaken with the hands.  There were several atlatl spear throwers near a group of bows and arrows, along with two long spears, perhaps 10 feet long.  When we observed a tribe of Cro-Magnon members attacking a large hairy animal with large tusks, many of the tribe members were using the atlatl. It was a modified device used to throw spears with a greater velocity and longer distance.  It was thrown from a notch in a spear which gave it more leverage and a much greater killing distance.  The long spear was also used, but the hunter had to get much closer to the wild beast to kill it.  On closer observation, the Cro-Magnon tribe seemed to be a little more advanced in some ways than the Neanderthal tribe.  The women were doing their stitching with some kind of bone needle that seemed to make the work go quicker, and it looked a lot easier to work with.  Outside of the hut near a little stream was a log that was somewhat hollowed out.  It was either pushed or paddled by a long pole.  Inside the burned-out part of the log was a seat used by a tribe member for riding the makeshift canoe.  A series of different size bone fishhooks were visible on the side of the log.  The Cro-Magnon tribe seemed to be able to communicate by voice.  Whenever the elder spoke, the other tribe members seemed to know or understand what he wanted them to do.  When an elder spoke a large, peculiar horn was brought to him.  The horn had a hole carved out at the tip end of the hollow instrument.  When the elder held the horn up to his lips, he blew several times through the horn.  The sound of the horn was similar to what they heard from large beasts being killed.  The sounds were made at different intervals so they could be heard one by one.  Each sound reverberated in the mountains from one mountain to the other until one sound could be heard three or four times as the echoes bounced off the walls of the canyon.  When the old tribesman was satisfied with the sounds he had produced, he gave the horn back to one of the younger tribesmen.  Before he could put the horn away, a sound of another horn was answering back!  Within a short period of time, other tribesmen began to climb down from the mountains and enter the village of the Cro-Magnon tribe.  “Get ready,” ordered Officer Steinbeck to his camera men.  “We are about to see how the different tribes communicate and interact between each other. Make sure you get some sound and pictures of as many tribesmen as possible. I want close-up shots of expressions, like laughter, surprise, and anything else you find interesting.”  As the tribe members assembled around the village elders, there were large chunks of meat slowly being turned on several fires throughout the village.  A few gifts were exchanged in the forms of necklaces, tools, and musical instruments.  It soon became obvious that a joint feast was about to take place among the neighboring tribes.  Officer Steinbeck noticed several obvious differences between the tribes.  He directed his camera crew to get close-up shots of some of the tribes he called hybrids.  The hybrids were part of the Neanderthal tribes that lived high in the mountains.

(Part Two of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

For the rest of the story, order your copy of Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.)

Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon, Part 1

Lester always excelled in public school education, from elementary school through college.  So it was only natural that he would be considered for one of the Sky People’s exploratory projects.  He was selected at an early age to be transported in time to become part of a futuristic trip to travel back into time. Captain Benedict Arnold was briefed on this Overseer’s project by the committee on the Stargazer Fleet.  “Lester is a good candidate for this mission due to his higher cognitive skills he possesses on Earth,” said a secret committee member.  “We will program him in the dream state, and when he wakes up he will remember nothing but the dream. He will witness all of the same events that all the crew members will witness, and when he becomes an adult, he will write about his experience as though he were doing a research paper.”

This paper was written by Dr. Lester D., who has a Ph.D. degree in languages.  Dr. D. is fluent in French, German, Russian, and English.  His minor was in Mathematics where he excelled in all the forms of higher mathematics involving quantum physics.  This paper was a combination of actual events and perhaps some research skills done by Dr. D. on the theory of Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon species to help advance the earthlings’ skills on the Evolutionary Theories of Mankind!

“Warp speed through nebulous galaxy number four,” was the command given by Stargazer Fleet explorer Capt. Benedict Arnold.  “We will commence deceleration into Mach 7 speed and come into lunar orbit of the Earth’s gravitational pull at approximately 3-G’s. Cut all power and re-enter into the stealth glide mode. We will glide into Earth’s gravitational pull on the third rotation. We will land in a place called Europe in the year 150,000 BC, during a glacial period of Earth time.”  “I’ve been waiting all my life for this moment,” said Officer Steinbeck, “at least since I graduated from Galaxy Andromeda College.”  “What was the year of your stellar class graduation?”  “We were future Galaxy Cadets from the Academy class of light-year three!” he exclaimed.  “When we land, I want you to gather a crew of four members including yourself, to do an exploratory evaluation of the terrain and the conditions in which a species of earthlings called Neanderthals live. We will observe their habits, customs and mating rituals to see if they cohabitate with another species of earthlings called Cro-Magnon.”  “Yes Sir, replied Emerald Grade Kent. What would be the duration of our exploratory mission, so I can order the necessary supplies?”  “We will observe from the invisibility mode and make camp nearby or maybe even inside one of their caves. Take whatever supplies you deem necessary for at least two weeks of observation.

When the spacecraft landed on Earth, it was within visual distance of a small tribe of Neanderthals living in a nearby cave.  With the stealth-mode capabilities, the spacecraft was invisible, and there was no sound to disturb the atmosphere.  In reality the spacecraft and its inhabitants were in another dimension of time.  Officer Steinbeck and his crew were ready to exit the craft and begin to observe the Neanderthal tribe.  Each member of the crew was equipped with a form of video helmet that was capable of 360° of panoramic view.  The cameras were on automatic focus for both telescopic and macro adjustments.  A sound system recorded conversations of the space crew and any environmental sounds nearby.  A receptacle was carried to store small objects for later observation on the ships observatory lab.  When the crew had set up inside the cave, each man was assigned a certain location to photograph and record any action or sound possible.  Officer Steinbeck stood at the opening of the cave, giving signals to each crew member like a director in an old Hollywood movie set.  There were twelve creatures inhabiting the cave at this particular time.  Also observed were what appeared to be eight young couples of men and women. There were also three smaller individuals and one older being.

Officer Steinbeck began to dictate to the crew while observing how the crew members focused on subjects they were talking about.  “I want you to scan the cave and focus on the object that I am talking about at the time,” said Officer Steinbeck.  “From my observation point with our laser measuring device, the Neanderthal creatures appear to be less than 6 feet tall. They all seem to have a muscular, stocky build, with a large rib cage. There seems to be hair covering most of their body, including their face. They all have somewhat of a Mongolian look with forward-protruding bone above their eyebrows. They have a well-developed jaw and large, powerful hands. Each hand has a prehensile thumb that is used for holding and grabbing things. Most of the inhabitants are covered with some kind of goat skin or some other kind of animal skin. There is a fire burning in the cave, so they probably have the ability to make fire. One of the younger men of the tribe is field-dressing some kind of animal, possibly a deer. Another member is in the process of making spear points or some other kind of weapon. One of the female species is nursing a baby wrapped in an animal skin. They seem to be able to communicate with each other using some kind of high-pitch sounds made from the throat. There possibly may be some other forms of communication using hand signals.”  As a camera in the cave panned in another direction, it stopped on a pile of rocks.  Officer Steinbeck observed, “This may be a primitive burial site of one or more of their dead. Some of the women are preparing a meal while other women look like they are stitching some kind of animal fur together to make a large blanket or something. There are many strange sounds coming from the outside of the cave. There are many predators that are large enough and capable enough to attack the beings in the cave if they’re hungry enough or if the entrance is left unguarded. There are many pole spears near the entrance of the cave or within easy reach of most of the inhabitants. Some of their weapons consist of a crude form of stone hatchets. Large spear points are secured by sinew wrapped around long poles. These spears seemed to be held in readiness for attacking animals that may enter the cave or for some future hunting of large animals. Skinning knives, battering clubs, and large jagged rocks are piled in the center of the cave. These objects could be used for throwing from high above the entrance to stop the attacking animals. The weapons may be taken on hunting trips.”  Officer Steinbeck instructed, “Tomorrow when it gets light, we will follow the tribe members as they gather food and necessary equipment to survive in the cave.”

It was a bitter cold morning as the four adult tribesmen stepped out of the cave.  Each man was equipped with several animal hides that covered most of his body including his head.  Their feet and legs were wrapped in some kind of boot-like footwear that seemed to be suitable for walking in the snow.  Each tribesman was equipped with a spear pole that was a foot taller than the hunter who carried it.  The spear point was made from an obsidian substance that had a razor-sharp edge chipped into shape by someone with many years of experience.  The 8-inch blade was wedged into a split pole and wound with some form of sinew until it was held tightly in place.  A large battering club was carried by some hunters.  The club appeared to be a bone of some huge animal’s skeleton.  A fresh coat of snow had fallen during the night.  There was a multitude of animal tracks clearly visible in the fresh snow.  Because the cave was located on the edge of a small cliff, it was easy to track the animal footprints that led down the side of the mountain into a small plateau below. The tribe members crawled to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the animals that were foraging for food below.  A series of whistles and high-pitch sounds were directed into some form of plan.  The hunters spread out and seemed to focus their attention on one large, hairy animal which had a pair of long, curved tusks.  

Once again Officer Steinbeck began to supervise his crew members.  “I want all the cameras focused on that crevice that leads to the plateau below. If I’m guessing right, they will ambush that large animal as it passes directly below them.”  The crew watched as the hunters began to assemble large boulders near the edge of the cliff.

(Part One of the novella by George F. Kohn, author of Holiday Favorites series available on Amazon.com)

For the rest of the story, order your copy of Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon, published for Kindle e-readers and paperback.  Amazon search: Holiday Favorites by George F. Kohn.)