The Caretaker Trilogy
Short Story Fiction Anthology
Reeks: Short Story Fiction Anthology
C. C. Brower ; J. R. Kruze
- A
- trilogy
- about
- three
- generations
- of
- reclusive
- authors,
- the
- worlds
- they
- created
- around
- them,
- and
- the
- ones
- they
- loved.The
- Caretaker:A
- Writer
- Recluse
- Places
- an
- Ad
- for
- a
- Caretaker
- and
- Gets
- More
- Than
- He
- Asked
- ForThis
- 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...Triangle
- -
- A
- Memoir"I
- want
- you
- to
- teach
- me
- about
- sex."The
- lithe
- young
- thing
- was
- probably
- a
- third
- my
- age
- and
- somehow
- had
- wound
- up,
- pre-dawn,
- in
- my
- day-bed
- with
- only
- her
- thin
- nightgown
- between
- us."My
- Aunt
- says
- it's
- OK
- as
- long
- as
- you
- agree.
- And
- my
- grandmother
- recommended
- you."I
- didn't
- know
- this
- girl
- or
- her
- Aunt.
- Or
- how
- she
- got
- into
- my
- bed.I
- don't
- teach,
- I
- write
- mysteries.And
- this
- was
- one
- for
- the
- books...Last
- ChanceI
- looked
- up
- and
- thought
- I
- saw
- Karl
- standing
- there."Oh
- hiya,
- Karl."But
- he
- didn't
- reply,
- said
- nothing.
- This
- wasn't
- his
- schedule,
- he's
- usually
- either
- fixing
- something
- or
- writing
- by
- now.I
- looked
- over
- at
- him
- again.Something
- was
- different.This
- guy
- looked
- like
- Karl,
- but
- his
- mouth
- was
- open,
- staring.
- In
- another
- minute,
- he's
- be
- drooling.I
- sat
- up
- and
- shaded
- my
- eyes
- against
- the
- glare.
- Then
- I
- saw
- that
- was
- a
- mistake.
- This
- wasn't
- Karl,
- this
- was
- a
- stranger
- –
- who
- was
- looking
- at
- my
- sunbathing.
- Nude
- sunbathing.So
- I
- threw
- my
- sunscreen
- lotion
- bottle
- at
- him
- and
- tried
- to
- wrap
- myself
- in
- the
- old
- comforter.The
- guy
- ducked.
- And
- turned
- away.Too
- late
- for
- any
- hope
- of
- my
- propriety,
- though...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...Anthology
- containing:Scroll
- Up
- and
- Get
- Your
- Copy Now.
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