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After a much too long of a hiatus, Story Institute’s RamblingVerser podcast will be returning to the air…or rather clouded waves…This season, we will bring back some familiar favorites such as the quote, poem, and topics of the week as well as add some structure to your storytelling and writing. We will be bringing [...]

Ghosts are just a part of our imagination and storylines. Ghosts are visions, merely illusions that interact with the residents of this realm only to be shunned and frightened. There is a small family of spirits that somehow bonded, connected together, and decided to live together in an old television. They continually [...]

Picking the right flower can make or break a relationship. Do you go with the red ones? The pink ones? The white ones? The roses? The tulips? The brightly-colored, always in bloom ones? Wait, those might be plastic. They might be, but as you pass the store, [...]

Pets are wonderful for teaching children responsibility. What better way to teach a boy the responsibility of a pet than with a turtle. That is what the eight-year old boy thought. That is until he met the turtle. The creature disappears inside its shell every time the boy gets near. [...]

The tall creature lingered into view. The young couple sat on their hotel balcony and watched the long tongue wrapped itself around a nearby tree, slowly stripping off the green leaving only the remnants of a darker, brownish color coated in saliva. The man and woman embrace and watch this simple act of [...]

Soft harmonious notes simply soothe the soul. They provide opportunities to rest and opportunities to romance. During a concert, anything can happen. Looking into the eyes of your soulmate and becoming lost is still within the realm of possibilities. This is true for Bill. As he listens to the simple [...]

Barley didn’t want to track down the missing emerald. Barley didn’t want to blend into another culture he barely understood. Barley didn’t want to venture into the swamp. Barley just wanted to be Barley…then again, who else would?
This is a simple story about an agent who tracks down missing treasures. [...]

What is the difference between sprites and fairies? How about fairies and pixies? At some point, they were the same. At some point, they became different. At some point, they just moved away from one location to many. Until one day when another creature finds a document with hints of [...]

Children have adventures when the rest of us are simply living our lives. Siblings have even more special adventures in between fights and scream fests. This story begins with a mother listening into the stories of two sisters playing in their bedroom. “Lets fly a kite and get stuck in the air,” [...]

The book has sat on the shelf since you were three. OK, maybe four…However, the book has always been there. You remember when you were ten, opening the cover once…once…And, your father stood over you and asked where the book belonged. You quickly put it back. You managed to see a [...]

Small, feathered creatures make their way into a new pond. In order to feel welcome, they bring a few gifts for their new neighbors. Each treasure is specially selected for each new friend. The ducks listen to each story and find out who represents each prize.
Choose the gifts. Choose the new [...]

These days, carrying a watch is a pain on the wrist. With cell phones, PDAs, and computers all around us, the need for another form of the constricting value of time becomes less desirable. What happens if the digital clocks just stopped displaying. They still worked. However, only other computerized devices [...]

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 [...]

Have you ever thought that the horse of a different color could be real? What if the wish of one little girl helped make this fantasy more of a reality? What if the horse changed colors depending on the mood it was in? What if? What if? That is what [...]

Grandma has not been feeling well recently. In fact, her grandchildren think that she is starting to lose more than her memory. She seems to have intimate conversations with her cat. One day, however, her littlest granddaughter over hears one of those conversations…both sides…
This story connects the imagination of a little one [...]