Unid was a shaman for an ancient tribe. Unfortunately, the tribe had recently vanished. Right before the disappearance, the skies grew dark and Unid lay napping under a poonta tree. When he woke and strolled back to the village, he noticed very little. However, when he got within sight of the moving city, he did notice that no one was moving…He looked around, still a bit groggy from his respite. He searched many of his neighbors’ houses and found no one.

Smithy was also a bit on the heavy side, but he was not too large. He was definitely an over-eater who had hoped at various moments to control his appetite. This was to no avail. Every attempt Smithy made to stop eating caused the desire to grow even more. He never left a meal without eating dessert. After one meal at a new restaurant, his usually painful and immediate heartburn did not return. As he finished his appetizer, he reached for his medication in his top pocket. As he was about to take it, he realized that he did not feel any pain. He put the pill back in his pocket and moved to his main dish. As he continued to eat, he searched for the familiar pain. Nothing…Smithy began to wonder what had happened.

Jason’s and Jennifer’s father was a quiet man. He never yelled or struck his children. He never had to discipline his children. Their mother would simply say, “wait until your father gets home,” and they would calm down long before he ever did arrive home. He would ask about their days and watch tv, but that was all. He seemed to be extremely busy at work as he was usually gone before they woke up and returned right as dinner was being put on the table. Jason and Jennifer never even knew where he worked and their mother never talked about it.

When the Jill’s pet rabbit went missing, her friends jumped to help her find him. He was last seen in his cage chomping on a carrot. Small signs of how he got out, escaped, or was taken away still remain on his home. Tiny strips of fabric, bright green cloth are trapped on the cage lock. Jill’s friends start asking questions of everyone in Jill’s family and neighbors. They find bunny footprints in the dirt leading toward the fence. They also find…

The day was not cloudy and the night was as dark as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Of course, that is how it usually works out, isn’t it…the truck of new bamboo arrived at the zoo…yes, bamboo, and yes, the zoo. The exhibits needed some new foliage and the pandas needed some additional food. As the keepers open the truck and begin to inspect the cargo, they hear rustling toward the back of the truck. Slowly the make their way toward the sounds. As the reach they back, flashlight shining the way, a small furry creature creeps out from behind the tall stalks. He is black and white looking bear, who is wearing an illuminated, green collar and seems to be smiling at the crew.

It is about a decade after the turn of the century…the 19th century that is. Gas streetlights have just started to replace the lanterns that hung along the safe paths. The city has used some variation of olive oil, beeswax, fish oil, whale oil, sesame oil, or nut oil to fuel the brightness overhead. They have also used street lighters to initiate the spark. Over the last month, the street lighters began lighting the lanterns later and later until one day no light shone on the streets.