The ultimate snowy-square Christmas Scandicrime

Red-Liquid Sipping Ghost

“Damn Santa circus!” I roar, balancing on my toes on the icy veranda railing, and I continue, “Decorative chains are the worn-out ball and chain of dads in December.” I’d rather be balancing on my skis in the Scandinavian mountains instead. I hiss four-letter words toward a snowdrift in the garden.
Once forced into place, the lights don’t work. That turns me off even worse. Enlightened technology has taken astronauts way to the Moon, but geegaws lasting at least as long as a big pack of Christmas ginger cookies are still sci-fi.
Same procedure as last year: I fetch a spare bulb and try some swaps at random. Finally, light conquers darkness, and I consequently suppress the rest of my traditional, four-letter, juicy highlights.
I hear a teen voice behind me, the son of our neighbor Vatnberg, nicked Watson, “What’s up? Need some help?”
The teen has the gift of a detective and mystery solver. I reply while climbing down, “Thanks for asking, Watson. No, just got this monster up and running again, sweatshop junk, you know, a present from my grandma-in-law… What about you? Any cool mysteries around?”
“Our home is haunted.” Continue reading, on PaperTapeMag.com →

Pippi Longstocking's Monkey Scientifically Acknowledged

Her monkey's name was Mr. Nilsson. Recent research in Vienna shows that humans share their capability of pattern recognition and sense of rhythm (essential in making music) with the Mr. Nilsson species, squirrel monkeys. Our branches of the evolution tree parted 30 million years ago, which indicates these are pretty ancient abilities... Astrid Lindgren rules! ;-)

Storyteller history

I've recently found out that I happened to spend a couple of days in a room facing south, where Astrid Lindgren, the heroine of my school years (and translated to 90+ languages,) had spent a couple of weeks  half a century ago. I've received no assistance whatsoever from her Master Detective Bill Bergson of her Lillköping City to figure it out, though. Apart from a pinch of general inspiration, at most; general because I'm not going to write children's lit. Nor have I taken her prankster's (Emil of Lönneberga) advice to scrump a couple of fruits in the surrounding gardens ;-)

Some authors of your childhood have just engraved themselves on your memory, from near cradle to near grave, and in between. Their spirits entice the subconscious to come. They gently whisper they're still around, and remind you what you read a hundred years ago.  :-)

The ultimate scoop-chase story...

The Ultimate Leak

My pulse skyrockets. Unnoticed yet nervous, I’m waiting at an isolated table in the darkest corner of a noisy café. Wearing a business suit to hide in the crowd on mainstreet on my way, I’m bathed in a sweat, and near suffocation in the absence of oxygen here.
I’ve borrowed a digital camera from my little son. My mobile phone with a camera and a GPS is at home, switched on; an electronic footprint to give the impression of me being there too, just in case… I came in undetected, to meet my #1 source of blockbusters and scoops, Penpusher, who’s a goldmine of top-secret leaks.
I’ve no idea about his identity or profession, but I swear he comes across sensitive stuff weeks before Wiki Leaks! He says the crowd of his secret contacts includes a guy nicked Metahacker, who hacks Wiki Leaks files long before they leak to the web.

Read this story on PaperTapeMag.com here.

Romantic sunny spring, near 62 degrees North

A cozy lift ride in April (close to the edge - of the lady ski... )