Once upon a time there was Mr. Knowles. He was a deeply warm-hearted person who had acquired a vast amount of knowledge during the course of his life. Mr. Knowles was a man of age and wisdom but he had a hard time making new friends. Once he was queuing to a ticket booth. He wanted to get a ticket for a ballet he'd always wanted to see. There in front of him stood a tall man with broad shoulders and an angular face. The man started to speak to Mr. Knowles, telling him about his daughter that was going to be performing at that ballet and how proud he was of her. The angular faced man had a strong accent that Mr. Knowles recognized to be a Russian accent. Mr. Knowles had learned to hate the Russians all through his whole life. He thought of the words his father had told him:  If another war comes, it's them we must fight to hate them and fear them, to run and to hide. And accept it all bravely with god on our side. Mr. Knowles nodded silently to the words the Russian man sai...

When Ilse was young she and her father would in spring walk out on the fields to collect may bugs. Although they were all the same breed, Ilse and her father would distinguish may bugs into millers, bakers, chimney sweepers and kaisers. A miller would be a may bug with a strong and white fur that seemed lighter colored. The same description went for the baker. Then the chimney sweeper was a may bug without fur, so this particular may bug was a darker type. The kaiser was a very rare and unusual type of may bug: It had red-coloured wing covers which reminded of the purple coloured capes kaisers and kings used to be wearing in past times. The most valuable may bugs would surely be the kaisers, now as an adult Ilse remembered the appreciative feeling she had when she and her father caught a kaiser. It was an intriguing feeling as a child to experience the joys of finding a living sample of something as subtle as a kaiser. Hardly anything later in her life compared to that very fe...

Once there was an ornithologist named Frank. Frank had a neighbor called Frank who said: Birds talk to me, when I go down on my knees. Frank and Frank were conies, they often went out into the woods and marshlands to look at birds. Sometimes Frank would get a phone call from his other friend called Frank who'd tell him about a sight of one or another unusual species of birds that he sighted. After a phone call of such sort, Frank would immediately pack his bags and head to where Frank had sighted that bird. He knew everything about birds but was jealous that birds were talking to his neighbor Frank.  They didn't talk to Frank.

Once upon a time there was good ol' Bobby who said this much: "'Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood When blackness was a virtue the road was full of mud I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved Everything up to that point had been left unresolved Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm Sudd...

Once upon a time there was a most astonishing young woman named Daina. She was nineteen years old and loved to play the harmonica. However, was she not very fond of horses. Shy and introverted she was, not feeling all too comfortable in her skin at times. It just so happened that she met the prince of Wales named Jarles and they found a liking for each other. Daina was evidently more fond of him than he was of her but he found an upcoming marriage to be practical and of convenience. After the marriage ceremony the Queen of England named Daina to be the princess of Wales. Prince of Wales Jarles was asked whether he was in love with his wife and his answer was "Yes, well, whatever love means". It was in a way not exactly what Daina wanted to hear so they started having several rows and arguments.  Then there was Camille, Daina and Jarles's neighbor. Rather plain and unattractive compared to the astonishing Daina, she however had won Jarles's heart and s...

Rather plain is how most people would describe her. Mimi worked in a book store down on Berkeley Street in Glasgow. She knew that the most thrilling adventures were out there, she had read about them in books. Her parents had recommended her not to leave Scotland for there was nothing more exciting out there than what they had in their own country. Mimi's parents were cynical because they once were optimists but had lost faith in life in general during the course of time. On her days off work Mimi would hop on a train at the Charing Cross station and take a ride up to Fort William where she'd climb the absolutely stunning Ben Nevis. On other times she'd go all the way up to the Isle of Skye where the landscapes were extremely gorgeous and she felt fulfilled with joy canoeing along the coast. Having never left Scotland she was still able to picture that there could be other sort of places out there. Countries were the mountains were not as high as in the high...

Once upon a time there was Bobby.  Bobby was in his 70's, long white hair and he was wearing corduroy pants. He'd sometimes take a drive someplace he had been to a long time ago. There were moments when he encountered something that would awake memories in him, pictures of the past that hadn't crossed his mind in a while. He remembered his old mate Pete once saying: "You know I could die tomorrow and I'd die happy in a way to think that other people were singing my songs." Bobby sang Pete's songs sometimes. Pete was inspired by what he read. But also by what he saw and whom he met. He met a white man who walked a black dog. He met a young woman whose body was burning. He met a young girl, she gave him a rainbow. Bobby drove in his car and thought of Pete. A good friend, who died happily.