The Caretaker: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables
By C. C. Brower
()
About this ebook
A Writer Recluse Places an Ad for a Caretaker and Gets More Than He Asked For
This quiet contemporary fiction has a calm romance beneath the seeming gruff exterior of a reclusive writer who wants his solitude above all else.
When a caretaker arrives who is every bit as quietly headstrong about keeping the place tidy, there have to be some adjustments...
Excerpt:
Herman Gauss found a caretaker through an ad he placed.
As a reclusive writer, he didn't much care for what he got, but had some wishes. Since he'd never married again, the idea of having a female moving about the big empty house made him both worried and content. He had been happy to live quietly at the end of a long, dusty road, but found his cleaning habits left too much dust around.
He wanted to write, not clean house. He didn't want his solitude interrupted, but would appreciate having the dust gathered out of the corners and the occasional hot meal he didn't have to prepare himself.
So he placed an ad through an agency. He paid them to find and pre-interview the applicants. They would send over one at a time, only sending the next in line when an earlier one disqualified themselves.
And the reasons for the disqualified applicants seemed inconsistent and even frivolous. But the company was only paid to send applicants, so the money would keep coming to them until Herman ran out of it, or they ran out of applicants. (Word can get around about certain ads…)
Maggie was herself quiet and happy to have such a job. She was a student of writing, but had never published. Her shyness found her many admirers, but never a long relationship. That's not to say she didn't have strong opinions. And perhaps those were what drove her would-be lovers away. She never talked about her personal life, even when asked.
How she got hired was a bit of a mystery. She wasn't outspoken much, but was firm and unmovable when she was. It wasn't that all things should be a certain way, but certain things should be kept in certain ways.
The hiring company took this minor loss of income in stride.
- - - -
Herman got used to the thick curtains on the west being open in the morning, and those curtains on the east only open when the sun had passed the house peak, where the west curtains would be closed. He didn't mind that if he came in early from his walk, he wasn't allowed back in his own study until the cleaning was finished.
Maggie didn't work to keep the porch as spotless as the rest of the house inside. So when Herman was refused access to his inner chambers, while she was cleaning, he would come out here. He took the rough broom and ash shovel, and pick up the worst-offending dirt clods and dried mud clumps. He'd even pick up his boots to put them outside on the steps so that he could empty the tray they sat on. All to help get rid of som of the dust. At least those in the form of dirt clumps.
In Spring, he would find occasion to take his heavy tan overalls and dark brown coats to put them into a standalone, faded, porch cabinet out of the sun. Heavy gloves would go into porous bags made from pillowcases, putting in sets onto one of its upper shelves.
However, he wasn't permitted to clean the windows or screens of that porch. Maggie would have a fit, in her own quiet way, if he tried this. If they needed painting or repairs, then he could take them down to work on them.
The house soon became Maggie's as much as Herman's, although he had title to it...
Scroll Up and Get Your Copy Now.
C. C. Brower
A central Midwest author, C. C. has been imagining stories since she was young. Her love of speculative fiction made her a perfect match for Living Sensical parables. While she likes writing straight-ahead adventure-type stories, she also tries different structures as she collaborates with other co-authors.
Read more from C. C. Brower
An SF/Fantasy Reader: Short Stories From New Voices: Speculative Fiction Parable Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen the Cities Died, I Danced: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Autists Anthology: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoot: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Short Story Reader's Bookshelf: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Hunters Primer: Ghost Hunter Mystery Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost Hunters Canon 03: Ghost Hunter Mystery Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lazurai Returns: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRiot Wall Anthology: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Voices Vol. 009: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJ. R. Kruze Short Story Collection 03: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lazurai Emergence: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Voices Vol. 005: Speculative Fiction Parable Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsC. C. Brower Short Story Collection 01: Speculative Fiction Parable Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen The Wild Calls: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Arrivals: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHam & Chaz: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMr. Ben's Rail Road: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTriangle - A Memoir: Short Fiction Clean Romance Cozy Mystery Fantasy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe War Bringeth: Two Short Stories: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Case of the Forever Cure: Speculative Fiction Modern Parables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Caretaker
Related ebooks
The Caretaker Trilogy: Short Story Fiction Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsC. C. Brower Short Story Collection 01: Speculative Fiction Parable Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStealing Gifts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInspired Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Slepyng Hound to Wake: a novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJunk: The Bristol Collection, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Book is Cursed Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHousebound Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/51885 Crossings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sum of Trifles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTommy's Teeth and Other Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Seeing Stone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finders Keepers Quilts: A Rare Cache of Quilts from the 1900s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Shop in Sandy Bay Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMe, Myself and I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImagine Anywhere Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWith a Heavy Heart: Confessions of an Unwilling Spy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5None Buth The Living Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dwelling: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Village Wit Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Key: A stunning psychological thriller full of mystery and suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tiny House on the Hill Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Three Lives - The Stories of the Good Anna, Melanctha and the Gentle Lena: With an Introduction by Sherwood Anderson Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKill Again Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Walker in Shadows Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChill Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sweet Masterpiece: The First Sweet’s Sweets Bakery Mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5All the Pretty Toys Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove at Pebble Creek Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Yard Sale—Everything Must Go (Generations Book One) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Fantasy For You
This Is How You Lose the Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Empire of the Vampire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tress of the Emerald Sea: Secret Projects, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Galatea: A Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nettle & Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sarah J. Maas: Series Reading Order - with Summaries & Checklist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Phantom Tollbooth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Assassin and the Desert: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piranesi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter of the Forest: Book One of the Sevenwaters Trilogy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Empire: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mistborn: Secret History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don Quixote: [Complete & Illustrated] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Sun Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wizard's First Rule Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of Dreaming Books Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eyes of the Dragon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Immortal Longings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Caretaker
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Caretaker - C. C. Brower
The Caretaker
by C. C. Brower
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
THE CARETAKER
First edition. March 5, 2018.
Copyright © 2018 C. C. Brower.
ISBN: 978-1387637645
Written by C. C. Brower.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
The Caretaker (Speculative Fiction Modern Parables)
Book Universes Notes
Did You Find the Strange Secret in This Story?
Related Books You May Like
Don't Miss Out!
Did You Like This Book?
Further Reading: The Caretaker Trilogy
Also By C. C. Brower
About the Publisher
To all our many devoted and loyal fans -
We write and publish these stories only for you.
(Be sure to get your bonuses at the end of the story...)
HERMAN GAUSS FOUND a caretaker through an ad he placed.
As a reclusive writer, he didn’t much care for what he got, but had some wishes. Since he’d never married again, the idea of having a female moving about the big empty house made him both worried and content. He had been happy to live quietly at the end of a long, dusty road, but found his cleaning habits left too much dust around.
He wanted to write, not clean house. He didn’t want his solitude interrupted, but would appreciate having the dust gathered out of the corners and the occasional hot meal he didn’t have to prepare himself.
So he placed an