This is not really a short story. I just thought I would say hello here to old friends as I've been gone from this Forum for about 4 years now. I see some familiar names -- AuntShecky, MANICHAEAN, Steven Hunley, Hawkman, YesNo, Cacian…
I wrote 27 short stories in a 3-year period, from the beginning of 2013 to around the end of 2015 and posted all of them here. I appreciated all the good and useful comments I received from all of you. Starting about the end of 2012, I had a lot of stress in my job - certain people were trying to force me out, and they finally succeeded. I retired mid-2015. I started writing all these stories when my career problems began - I think that writing was an outlet for my stress. It helped keep me sane. I've written only written one story since my retirement - hence my absence from this Forum.
Anyway, I am enjoying retirement, but I seem to have lost all motivation for writing. Perhaps some calamity will befall me that will inspire me to start writing again. Actually, after trying unsuccessfully to come up with ideas for story-writing, I picked up my guitar again. I played out in public for a paying job last September for the first time in 40 years. I've been playing out in public regularly ever since and love it.
So, some of you may have wondered what happened to me, why I disappeared without even a whimper. I'm still around, and who knows? Maybe I will yet get back into writing someday, but with this note, I just thought I would say thank you to all you who read my stories back then and took the time to comment on them. While I didn't know you in person, I felt that you were my friends, and your friendship, along with the catharsis I felt while writing, helped me through some difficult times.
I'll try to come back here to visit occasionally. Until next time....