My Toolbox of Short Stories

By Daniel Piller

In this collection, Dan taps into memories of humans and others, capturing different perspectives and feelings. His straightforward writing brings out aspects of pain and grief and anger and discoveries of joy and hope and faith. He leads us, the readers, into deeper layers of our own self.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984569349

Daniel Piller

I have been writing for over twenty years and have found a healing sense in putting my thoughts on paper. I started with poetry and slowly graduated to writing stories. I love writing and letting the Holy Spirit flow. I have been in a wheelchair for a while now and I see it as a blessing. I may not be able to walk but I’m happy I’m a child of God now. I play on our local wheelchair rugby team and love playing it. I have been all over the county and met so many great people.

Book preview

A BOY’S LIFE

I come into the world, and I’m so overjoyed that I’m finally able to see this strange new world that I’m singing for joy! As I come out, there is a strange man here. He cuts my feeding tube, and he says, "It’s a boy!’’ as they set me on a table. Shortly afterwards, a nurse carries me over to my mom; I can finally see her face. She holds me so close, I can feel her warmth and her love for me. Later that night, when we are in our room in the hospital, there are so many people waiting to see me! I was so tired after my birth, I sleep through most of the visits.

A year later, I have learned how to move on my hands and legs. I’m able to move around my home–I can’t get far–because my mom is talking to her friend. She grabs me before I can get too far away. One of my favorite times is when my mom picks me up and carries me. I can rest my head on her shoulder, and I can look around.

When I turned three, my life really started to change. I was able to walk on my feet, so I was able to move much faster. I was also able to talk with my friends. When my mom went to work, she dropped me off at the daycare, where I met a lot of new friends. We would play all morning and then have lunch, and we would have nap time. I really couldn’t sit still for that, as I was so full of energy. I could see in the daycare owner’s face that I was getting on her nerves. I could also feel that she had a loving heart, because every day when I arrived she would greet me with a smile, and she would say, Are you ready for a fun-filled day?

I loved when my dad would pick me up and put me on his shoulders. I felt like a giant! There was no place we could not go. I would tug on my dad’s ear, and we would go in that direction. I so loved my daddy time, because he wasn’t around a lot.

My favorite time was bedtime, when my dad would give me Superman rides to bed. He made me feel like I was flying through the air, then landing on my bed. My dad would kneel beside my bed and close his eyes for prayers. After, he would say, I love you son before leaving my room.

There was one day of the week where we would all get dressed up. I would always fuss, because I didn’t like what my parents made me wear. We would go to a big building where there were a lot of people who liked to sing. I didn’t like to sing. When I saw that my parents weren’t watching me, I would go running up the path to the front of the room. I could see people smiling at me, knowing I had gotten free from my parents. Then I would see my mom coming to get me, so I would dash down the other aisle. Just when I thought I was free again, my dad would grab me and lift me in the air, with a smile on his face.

There are few times like that now, but I do remember that the bond between me and my dad was unbreakable. At night, just before he left my room, after I said my bedtime prayers, he would say, See you later alligator.

Then I would say, After a while crocodile.

Things were going well until my dad broke the news: he had a rare form of skin cancer, so he would have to spend a lot of time in Edmonton fighting it. When he was home, we would spend countless hours putting together puzzles and playing our favorite computer game. I liked to help him on the puzzles. We would also play against each other on the computer.

It wasn’t until one October night that my mom and dad and some of their friends broke the bad news to me. My dad looked right into my eyes and said, Son, I’m not going to win this fight.

I screamed out, No! as tears flowed down my face.

I went for a walk with a friend of my parents. I didn’t know what they were saying to me, as my mind was a mess with the bad news. When I came back, I went upstairs and gave my dad a great big hug, hoping I could give him more time. Then I ran downstairs to my bedroom and cried myself to sleep.

The next few months went by as my mom and I drove to Edmonton and back to visit my dad in the Grey Nuns Hospital. Some days I didn’t go with my mom, and I felt so bad that she would have to go alone. I think I didn’t want to show my dad how scared I was.

Then it happened. I was in drama class when the class phone rang. My teacher called me over, then took me into the hallway. She told me that my dad had just passed away.

I started crying uncontrollably. My teacher helped me to the office, and I sat there crying and screaming, No! Not Now! As I sat there, I waited for my mom to come and pick me up.

The next few days were a blur. We went to where my dad’s body lay. As I walked into the room, I was in shock. I had never seen a dead body before, let alone my dad’s. My auntie was there, too, and I could see my mom crying. Then I saw her check his pulse. I went to another room, where my sister was sitting. As my family took care of paperwork, time seemed to stand still. I was in a foggy state of mind.

Days later, we were back at Hastings Lake Lutheran Bible Camp to begin preparation for my dad’s funeral. As we set everything up, people began to arrive. I waited with my mom and my sister in the camp’s dining hall, and when it was time to start the service, we walked over to the chapel. When we entered, I noticed the place was packed.

We sat down, and the service started. I don’t remember much, except that my auntie and I stood up front and shared memories of my dad. I wiped the tears from my eyes as we began. I finished with what my dad and I would say to each other after I said my prayers on Sunday nights.

See you later, alligator.

But this time, I said only my part.

As I sat down, I remembered how I had hugged my dad during kids’ camp–My dad gave the best hugs–and I began to cry.

It was then that I heard the words in my head: I love you son!

A DOG’S LIFE

As I lie on this table, my memories are all I have left. I was given a second chance at life when my owner passed away. I was sent to a strange place, where there were others like me, in cages. We would wait as humans walked by, looking at our profiles on boards outside our cages. Then the humans would look at us, and if they liked us we would go home with them.

One family stopped and looked at me, and the lady human came into my cage. I felt something comforting about her. I walked closer to her, and she began to pet me. I felt a connection, and I was off to their house.

They took me home in a strange thing–it made me so excited to see the outside moving by so fast. I was in the back, with my carry house beside me, and I went back and forth between the windows. The strange thing was moving so fast!

There was a young boy and an older girl in the area in front of me. I jumped up on the edge of their seat and licked the boy’s ears, just to try to get his attention. When he turned around to pet me, the male human who was driving said, Turn around, or I’ll put him in the cage. So, I had to entertain myself until we got to my new home.

When we got to my new home, they put me on a leash. All I could do was smell all the new things. I was new here, so I had to mark my turf, to tell others out there that this is my home now.

Once I was done, we went into their house. It was so huge! The door opened, and I could go up, or I could go down. The lady said, Let him off so he can look through his new home. Once I heard the click of the leash, I was off, sniffing new smells in one room, then into to another. They have such a big place here!

The strangest room had a big bowl of water. There were so many smells coming from this room that I decided to mark my turf in it. It seemed right! Just as I was finishing, the male shouted, No! and he smacked me on my bum. I guess I did something wrong, but I could see he had love in his eyes, so I didn’t feel bad after he hit me. So, I had found out where my food dish was, in this room where they like to eat their food too. But I wasn’t allowed around the table when they were eating; the dad would snap his fingers and say, Out! I got the message after doing that a few times.

I soon understood that my new name was Curly, I think because of my curly hair. I liked it! After time passed, I liked to sleep at the foot of the boy’s bed. When the day was over, he would always pet me before he and his dad said their prayers. His dad would kneel by his bed, with his arms on the bed. I only saw him do that a few times, because