A Mystical Trio

By Michael McGrinder

Three mystical short-stories.

- A conflicted angel takes an earthly furlough to consider his plight and encounters God as a beautiful woman.
- An innocent walk begets a friendship that becomes deeper and more complex.
- The J man is bewildered by all the wives he has accumulated in his absence. Can his cigar-chomping buddy help resolve the dilemma?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael McGrinder
• Release date: Dec 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463103746

Michael McGrinder

Michael McGrinder grew up in the South Bronx, New York City. He spent his early twenties in England where he was part of a vital poetry scene and acquired a taste for and an interest in theatre.Returning to New York, he lived on the Lower East Side and quickly became involved in the developing Off-Off-Broadway scene, so new at the time it was generally referred to as café theatre.His first production, a double-bill of one-act plays, was given life at The Playwrights Workshop. He then began showing his work at the legendary Old Reliable Theatre Tavern, located in the funky back room of a Polish bar in a dangerous section of the East Village. “It’s easy to find. Just turn left at the burning automobile,” and “No wonder we get such good crowds. Everyone’s afraid to come here alone.” His plays were also produced at such leading theaters as La Mama, Bastiano’s Cellar, The Playbox Studio and at The Library Theatre of Lincoln Center.He published Proscenium, a newsletter which The Village Voice described as “Off-Off talking to itself.” He also hosted a weekly cable TV show of the same name presenting excerpts from Off-Off shows and interviews with the production’s writer, director and actors. The show was later rechristened Michael McGrinder Presents to allow for an expanded format.Along with artists Judy Pendleton and Helen Lau, he was a founding member of Artists Rights Association, an organization devoted to securing reproduction rights and royalties for artists as well as encouraging artists to use copyright symbols on their work.Michael McGrinder’s plays have been published by The Smith, Breakthrough Press and Dramatics Magazine and by And/Or Books.His concern for the preservation of vital plays from the early years of Off-Off-Broadway led to his founding The Old Reliable Press, online as oldreliableprss.com.He has several projects in the works and has a growing list of books available through Amazon Barnes & Noble, Smashwords.com and many other online booksellers.

Book preview

A

Mystical

Trio

Michael McGrinder

Published by

&/OR Books

andorbooks.wordpress.com

An imprint of

The Old Reliable Press

Copyright © 2018 Michael McGrinder

All rights reserved.

Cover Photo: Raindrops on a flower

John Nyberg, rgbstock.com

http://www.rgbstock.com/gallery/johnnyberg

A

Mystical

Trio

Angel Indecisive

Ice Cream Out Of Season

My Man J

Angel Indecisive

He paid for the mineral water without thinking about it—an interesting change for him, not thinking, but angels never had to concern themselves with money or with any material thing when they manifested human. They simply took what they needed from the substance that was always there, waiting to be called into being. Scientists had discovered this and while they made no secret of it, humans didn’t seem to get it—not in any practical sense. Oddly, the scientists themselves took no advantage of it.

He told the girl at the counter to keep the change, and her mouth fell open.

You’re sure!? she asked as her gaping mouth formed itself into a huge smile.

He had no idea how much it was, it made no difference to him, but it made the girl happy, at least for the moment, so that was a good thing. Wasn’t it? Questioning things, the same as thinking, that was how he’d got himself into trouble.

For your smile, he told the girl with a smile of his own and was surprised to see her blush.

Thank you, she managed to say as the smile froze and she hurried away. She seemed embarrassed.

Humans are difficult to understand, he thought as he left the shop. Why would he want to understand them? Something to think about.

Thinking. That was how Lucifer got into so much trouble. Lucifer and the others. You couldn’t get into deeper trouble than that. It had been so long ago, even in heavenly terms, and still Luc was an outcast. What a shame! If Luc hadn’t been so defiant, he’d have someone to talk with when the thinking came on. A human secular philosopher, Whitehead, once said you only got so many rushes—meaning thinking, the deep kind of thinking that so attracted him. There he went again. Couldn’t seem to stop himself. Luckily