The Setting Sun: Short Stories, Memories, & a Novella

By Arnie Greenberg

This is a group of short stories and a novella. Some of the stories are from life experiences, some from history, some from travels or fables, some for young readers and others for adults.

Many of these have been on my mind for years and Im pleased to finally offer them to strangers. The novella was written years ago, and altered many times. It was designed as a film for young people with an imagination.

The story about the holocaust is based on fact as is the story about Alfred Dreyfus.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491760901

Arnie Greenberg

Arnie Greenberg is a retired professor from Montreal. He taught at Vanier College for 25 years. He also wrote, and helped produce scores of children’s television programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, including Reach for The Top. He has written plays about Hemingway, Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso, as well as a law text and nine novels. He lectured in France, Italy and the United States on ‘Paris in The Twenties’. He now lives in Vancouver, Canada, with a view of the Rockies and the Pacific Ocean

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The Setting Sun

Short stories, memories, & a novella

Copyright © 2015 Arnie Greenberg.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-6089-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-6090-1 (e)

iUniverse rev. date:  04/30/2015

Table of Contents

1    Izieu & Oradour

2    Johnny King’s Adventure

3    Rita Hayworth

4    The Fable of Bibichanym

5    What’s A Bursa Kabob Anyway?

6    A Letter To Puce

7    Never Shake Hands With A Romanian

8    A Call From Poland

9    Gladly: The Cross-Eyed Bear

10    Something Punny

11    Godwinks

12    Alfred Dreyfus. Because He was a Jew

13    A House On The Lake

14    I’ve Been To Hell, And Back

15    Why I Love Paris

Intro:

We’re here. Then we’re gone. I’m at an age when I think about the future, and how short it may be. There are things I have to write before it’s too late. With every setting sun, I think back. Will this be my last book? Possibly it won’t. But it gets harder and harder to write as the sun sets and the light goes out.

This book is my first farewell. But don’t count me out yet. Many people say good bye and then they return.

I promise nothing. Remember me and read on.

AG

Lives of wise men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime…

And in passing, leave behind us…

Footprints on the sands of time…

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1

IZIEU

Before I get started with these memories and offerings, I must reserve space to remind you of an incident that happened in France in 1944.

As time goes by, we tend to forget those stories that came out of the war to end all wars. Here are thousands of stories but not all were included in most of most newspapers.

I had the opportunity many years after the event, to visit the school at Izieu, France from which 44 children were carted off in trucks, one day, after breakfast. They were taken to Drancy, near Paris and shipped off to concentration camps, where they died.

This happened often, but during the trial of Klaus Barbie, the Butcher of Lyon, the information was finally broadcast.

Forty four children ages 3-13 went to their deaths, because they were Jews. As the trucks rolled down the windy dirt road, the children began to yell for the truck to stop, since one of the boys wasn’t Jewish. The boy was released.

Afterwards, the boys and girls sang,

You can capture our minds and our hearts, but you’ll never get back Alsace and Lorraine…

When I went to lecture in France, I was picked up by someone in the mayor’s office and driven to Izieu, where I was given free access to the building, by myself. It was in terrible condition. But I would never forget it.

Klaus Barbie was brought to trial and died shortly after. Today, the site has a small museum for interested visitors. The names of the victims hang on the wall. Frequent reunions take place by family members & friends.

Add to your memories the story of Oradour Sur Glane. This small town was entered by the German army as they fled from the allies advancing after Normandie. In one afternoon, all the men were rounded up and shot, while the women and children were put into the church and blown up.

It was impossible to tell what took place in each destroyed building. Some have signs, others objects, like a car or sewing machine.

One can still visit today, but one does it in silence.

A new town has been built nearby and a memorial building and museum was constructed on the site.

Lest we forget.

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2

A NOVELLA

This version is dedicated to the memory of the late William Campbell.

JOHNNY KING’S ADVENTURE

Junior magician

Chapter 1

Not long ago, just down the road on the east side of the river, Johnny King built a raft. It was made of logs, tied together with ropes, and on the mast, there was a bright green sail. The shelter was made of left over pieces of wood with a red ladder that allowed Johnny to look out over the water. The roof was red with a white cross on it.

Johnny%20King.JPG

He decided to call it the Queen Elizabeth, like the huge ship he read about in the school library, but when he painted the name over the door, he ran out of space, and so it was called the QUEENEL. Flags flew from the few ropes he could find.

He loaded the raft with the few things he’d need for his voyage. He checked his list with satisfaction.

It contained;

Six apples

One apple pie

One small jar of jam

One jar of peanut butter

A jar of Orange juice

2 tins of cookies

One loaf of sliced bread

Three chocolate bars

Two candles

A first aid kit

A box of matches

A hammer

A fold-up saw

A knife, two spoons and a fork

A captain’s hat, made of cardboard

a wooden sword

He placed a blanket on the floor next two small pillows, three pairs of socks, three warm T-shirts, and a pair of rubber boots.

The warmest garment he had was a Montreal Canadiens hockey sweater.

He placed his wooden sword near the door and looked around before he shoved off towards the far side of the lake.

It was a very long trip, even with the sail fluttering in the wind, so he drank some orange juice, three cookies, and an apple.

He sailed to the opposite shore, then rested to check his map. He was ready to shove off again, when a deep voice surprised him.

So you’ve finally come, Captain?

Johnny turned quickly. He couldn’t believe what he saw. There, grinning broadly, stood a tall man with a thick beard. He wore strange clothes, black boots and a feathered cap. In his belt he carried two swords and a pistol.

I’m captain Creel, he said, and I’ve waited for you for nigh onto two hundred years.

Johnny’s eyes widened. Are you a ghost?

Creel shook with laughter. Do I look like a ghost, boy?

Johnny looked at the tall man carefully. The feather in his cap blew in the wind and his boots made a sandy noise with every step he took.

If you’re not a ghost, how did you get here?

The captain smiled and explained.

Long ago, in the days before your grandfather’s grandfather was born I was the captain of the good ship Icarus, as sturdy a vessel that ever did ply the seas. We were coming from South America with a rich cargo of gold when we took on Drasculardi, a new cook from Hispaniola. But he was a bad one, and a voodoo magician to boot. He cast an evil spell over the crew and myself and we sailed into this bay where I was left for all time, or so I thought, said the captain.

But how can you be here for nearly two hundred years? asked a confused Johnny.

Well, boy, the captain went on, ‘he knew right well that if he just left me here, I’d one day escape and catch him. But he didn’t have the courage to kill me so he cast a spell over me, which went like this. I would stay here, invisible, until I was rescued by a four-foot captain of a single-mast fruit carrier, that flew the colors of the Swiss navy. So you see, my boy, I thought I’d be trapped here for eternity."

But I don’t have four feet, Johnny replied.

Aye, me matey. Indeed not. But you would be about four feet tall and that looks mighty like a Swiss flag you’re flying there. And if I’m not in error, that looks like apples and orange juice. So since you can see me, the first part of the spell is broken.

The first part? What’s the second part?

The captain sighed. Aye, well there’s a magic ring in a secret place. With this ring, I’ll be able to return to my own time and catch the evil magician.

You can use my raft if you like, said Johnny, with a smile.

"Ah, yes. But there’s a catch, me mate. You see, the ring is hidden in a place I cannot visit. But, a lad such as yourself; now, that’s a different story.

I can go there. I’ll help you, cried Johnny.

And so the two adventurers set sail down river, towards the mouth of the sea.

Are you a pirate? Johnny asked as they sat side by side.

"No,