Paul A. Merkley
Bio
Mental traveller. Idealist. Try to be low-key but sometimes hothead. Curious George. "Ardent desire is the squire of the heart." Love Tolkien, Cinephile. Awards ASCAP, Royal Society. Music as Brain Fitness: www.musicandmemoryjunction.com
Achievements (1)
Stories (101)
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"For want of a nail..."
My name is Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan. I was born in British India, fought in World War II in the British Indian army, and eventually became a general, and President of Pakistan. If you are reading these, my personal, handwritten papers, I have been dead for some time. Of all the actions I participated in, and some of which I led, the most salient was the opening of China to the west, in 1972 when President Nixon visited that country, at that time the largest in the world. How did it happen? What was my part? The broad outlines are known, but how specifically? Read on, I pray.
By Paul A. Merkley12 months ago in The Swamp
Sound Judgement?
I teach music appreciation to seniors, review classical concerts, play the piano, and generally listen to a lot of music, so this is just a selection. Early in the new year my friend K (whose voice sounds as close to Maria Callas as you can get) and I performed for a friend's 90th birthday. And "My Way" just doesn't get old. It started out as a French love song, "Comme d'habitude," Paul Anka bought the rights, translated it into English, and gave it to Frank--the rest is history.
By Paul A. Merkleyabout a year ago in Beat
The Shape of Things to Come (Back)
15 February 2050, Moosonee, Ontario, U.S.A. Very dear Felicity, much loved great-granddaughter Your latest letter pleases me in so many ways I hardly know where to begin. First of all your penmanship is very impressive. I am so glad I ordered a hundred of those pen nibs I so admired years ago. The difference between the thin and thick strokes is just right, and the large ink reservoir makes the writing process more fluent, with fewer interruptions to dip the pen. When I copied my compositions in music school and later, they were the very best. I’m also glad your grandfather had the foresight to buy this property as a summer place. At the time, I thought he was crazy. Imagine paying for property on the Moose River, just twelve miles away from James Bay. Now that the passage across the Arctic Ocean is clear, of course, it’s a commercially viable route, and Moosonee is Ontario’s only saltwater port. Frank bought extra property at the time—he said it was a bargain, and I lease that out to companies that ship containers. He also made sure we were on a high enough elevation and that turned out to be very important after the rise in sea levels wiped out most of the coastal cities.
By Paul A. Merkleyabout a year ago in Futurism
Angry Grandpas Haunt the Gridiron
Okay, I know very well that football in Canada does not thrive in the way it does south of our border. There's no need for you to remind me of that. The difference is especially evident in college football. In the U.S. it is a huge business, for us it just an amateur sport played in universities. Does that lessen my enjoyment of watching my alma mater's team play? Not at all.
By Paul A. Merkleyabout a year ago in Cleats
To a Special Grade 5 Teacher
Dear Miss Q: I haven't been able to find your address, but by now you've probably changed your name and moved to another district, maybe even changed professions. I don't think I can reasonably expect you to remember me from Grade 5--after all that was 58 years ago, and you left the classroom right after that to earn your B.A., but even so I think you might remember me, because you are just that special. I'll bet you kept all of the photos of your classes!
By Paul A. Merkleyabout a year ago in Humans
Time, Tide, Mind and Dream
The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished. I'm sure you can see how alarming those occurrences were, and how they stirred me to immediate action. Let me explain. When I fell into this world my memories of the past were piecemeal. I did not know my name, or where I had come from. I had some skills. Have you ever had that experience?
By Paul A. Merkleyabout a year ago in Fiction
Aliens Reverse the Activity Series
"There was only one rule: don’t open the door.” Alien bastards turned our activity series upside down. Must be what fits their life forms. In 48 hours all the gold, lead, steel, and just about every other metal alloy disintegrated. Hydrogen too. So much for water. Lithium is stable. Only safe place is this battery factory. More than twenty thousand of us packed in like sardines. Lots of pure oxygen because the hydrogen fizzes away. Safe if the door stays shut. Open it and everything evaporates. Every element on earth turns against us. They beat us without firing a shot.
By Paul A. Merkleyabout a year ago in Fiction
