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Little Grey Furcoat
by Sixten back

Once upon a time there was a little wolf, who lived with his mother in a din at the foot of a mountain close to the center of the wide forest. His mother had given him a very nice grey furcoat, actually the same day as he was born, and therefore they used to call him Little Grey Furcoat.

One day mum said to Little Grey Furcoat:
-Your grandpa is old and weak. He cannot hunt his food by himself, so I ask you to visit him and give him a deer steak and a rabbit.
-Just follow the track through the wood, but remember to listen and sniff around all the time, because grandpa lives near the border of the forest, and there are many dangers. And you have to be very cautious if you see any humans.

Little Grey Furcoat promised to be careful, picked up the two pieces of meat and trotted off from home towards grandpas din. He heard the squirrels clicking in the tree tops, and he caught scent of a fox, which had crossed his path a couple of hours ago. And he let his eyes follow a butterfly for some seconds as it fluttered by, but not for a single moment he let go of the pieces of meat, that he carried in his mouth. And all the time he kept to the track of wolf's scent, that led to his grandpas din.

After running a while he suddenly felt a strong strange scent. Although fall was long on its way, it seemed as if a lot of spring flowers had suddenly busted out from the ground somewhere in front of him. But in the same time he scented an aroma from ripe fruits in the same direction. Little Grey Furcoat got more and more confused, but also more and more curious, so he trotted on towards the strange fragrances.

A couple of minutes later he reached a track where so many feet had passed, that neither grass nor moss was growing there any more. It was easy to run along the track, and Little Grey Furcoat speeded up. He was now very close to the flowers and the fruits. Suddenly he could hear a voice talking to him, and from behind some bushes a human being appeared. The human had long red fur on it’s head, it wore a long black cloak.
At first Little Grey Furcoat was very scared and was just about to turn around and run away, when the human went on with a very soft and bland voice:
- Don’t be afraid little wolf, I’m not dangerous. Please sit down a while and have some rest. Tell me where you come from, and what place you’re on your way to, with these heavy pieces of meat.
- I come from The-Mountain-Almost-In-The-Middle-Of-The-Forest, said Little Grey Furcoat, and I’m on my way to my grandpa, who’s living in a din near the border of the forest! He’s old and weak and no more able to hunt for himself.

- I think I know where that din is, said the human. But if you come from The-Mountain-In-The-Middle-OF-The-Forest, you are far away from home!
- Yes, I realize that, said Little Grey Furcoat, for at home it’s late autumn now and there are neither flowers nor fruits at this time of the year. But where you live, there must be, ‘cause you’re smelling from flowers and fruits all over.
- Flowers and Fruits? - Ah, yes! Yes they grow a little bit further away in that direction said the human, pointing with its hand! If you go to that place after having your rest, I think you could pick some flowers and fresh fruit for your grandpa. Unfortunately I’m not on my way in that direction myself, and I have no time to waste. So long, little friend!

Little Grey Furcoat rested a while, before he went off to pick the fruits and flowers. But though he was looking around very carefully, he couldn’t find any flowers, and no fruits either. The wonderful scents were much weaker now. Finally he gave up and followed his paw-prints back to the track. And now he went straight away to grandpa’s din. While he was running, he recollected what mum had told him: - Be careful if you meet a human! Did mum know, that humans told lies like that? Well, he had lost some time, but it hadn’t happened anything dangerous, had it?

How wrong he was! The malicious woman, who a moment ago walked along the forest path, was feeling grumpy because she couldn't afford a new fur coat before winter came, but as soon as she caught sight of Little Grey Furcoat she got a brilliant idea. It's true, that the cub wasn't full grown yet, but together with the skin from the old wolf it would be enough for a nice and warm winter-coat. Wolf fur was high fashion this winter, although PETA and WWF were doing what they could to stop it.

So, while Little Grey Furcoat was running about, looking for flowers and fruit, she hurried away to make her plans real. - First I have to go home and have a shower, she thought, to get rid of this stinking cheap perfume. Imagine the stupid little cub was cheated by that simple post order rubbish! she laughed scornfully.

A little later, she scraped cautiously on the rock outside the old wolf's din.
-Who's there? an old trembling voice asked from inside the din.
-It's me, Little grey Furcoat, the woman answered, lisping like the little wolf. I'm bringing you a deer steak and a hare.
- Come in, my little friend!
In a flash the woman rushed into the din. Rapidly she took out the needle, she had stolen from her work at the hospital, and she pumped the old wolf so full of anesthetics, that he immediately fell asleep with a expression of surprise all over from his nose to the tip of his tail. Then she turned on her head lamp, which she once used when she participated in a nightly orienteering race, and she took out a scalpel, which she also lifted from the hospital.
Just as she had finished skinning the old wolf, she heard a cautious scraping sound from the outside the din. She hastily tugged the body into a corner, turned the lamp off, covered herself with the wolf-skin and huddled up on the bed.
-Yuck! It really stinks! Maybe a synthetic furcoat would be better after all? she thought, but then she pulled herself together and imitating the voce of the old wolf she asked "Who’s there?

As little Grey Furcoat first entered the din, he saw nothing at all, but he heard a panting from the bed. Why are you panting so hard Grampa? he asked a bit worried.
- Because I’m so happy to see you here, was the reply from the spiteful woman under the wolf-skin. Come closer, so I can recognise you!
Little Grey Furcoat groping about in the dark, suddenly felt Grandpa’s fur and calmed down a little. But as his eyes got accustomed to the dusk, he saw a gleam from the glass of the head-lamp.
-But Grampa, why have you got three eyes? he asked in surprise.
-What can you answer to a stupid question like that? the woman thought, but suddenly she reminded herself of an old fairy tale she heard as a child.
- To see you better, she said!
But Little Grey Furcoat caught a glimpse of the shining lipstick on the woman’s lips.
-Grampa, he said in astonishment, Why is your mouth so red?
-To get more kisses, she replied, but bit her tongue before she said any more.
Oh holy shit! she thought, now he’ll run away!
But Little grey Furcoat was too fascinated by the big golden earrings he saw glittering in the gloom, and as children often do, he went on asking another question. instead of listening to the reply.
-Why do you have those big rings in your ears?
- Hearing aid, to hear you better! She groaned by herself: This is ridiculous! Let’s get it done, Sweetie! She moved the scalpel a little, and finally Little Grey Furcoat asked the question, which will bring this story to an end.
- Grampa, Why are your claws so big?
-To make it easier for me to kill you! the woman howled, flinging herself upon the silly little cub.

Winter came early that year, and it stayed longer than usual. People didn’t go outdoors more than necessary, and they shivered with cold in their flats, because it was only 60 degrees F indoors. We’ll never know, whether this was caused by some new war in the Middle East, the close-down of the nuclear power stations, or merely by some stingy landlords, but we do know, that the malicious woman went for long and lovely Winter walks, dressed in her nice and warming grey furcoat.

I know fairy tales usually don’t end like this, but who said fairy tales ever come true?

Sixten

The city.
by Sixten Back

They say that the Gods laid the foundations of our city, and when I was younger I believed it was true, because nobody ever heard about a city like ours anywhere in the world we know.

We lived here for many generations, and though the city was expanding year after year, there is still development and progress. Or at least it was until today.

I loved my city, and I think every citizen did the same, from our beloved queen down to the simplest worker. We loved the construction, all the 12 levels from ground and up to the top and each level containing 12 blocks of masterly built constructions for any purpose you could think of.

They say that all those rooms, those arcades and stairs, those halls and closets were made by our ancestors. When the first explorers found this place it was very different from today. Early sayings tell about the 12 levels, so they must have been there, even before my race inhabited them. In fact the tradition is, that the first citizens lived between the levels and the blocks , rather than inside them, and the levels as we know them, were almost compact blocks without rooms like they still are on the outside.

I have seen construction workers building new day-care centers, hospitals and warehouses, and I have seen them opening doors through the walls to unknown rooms, but it’s hard to believe, that the whole city was built that way.

You could reach our city from any direction, but the highways were all going east-west, broad and fast between the blocks. It was easy to travel those roads, and they were easy to defend against an enemy, but we had no enemies. We lived in peace.

Our city, with its solid walls and its armored roof, protected us not only from any possible intruder, but also from cold and rain and burning sun. It was perfect. It was beautiful.

I was working in northern region, among our youngsters, on the day of disaster and destruction, when suddenly the armor was lifted away from our city like a flake of bark lifted by the wind. And there was an awful sound, harder and sharper than a thunderstorm. I looked up and I saw the Gods! They were so enormously tall, that they stretched against the sky, and they started to destroy our city lifting away block by block, with inhabitants, workers and all.

We panicked! There was nothing else to do. we ran back and forth, carrying our babies to safety. But where could we find safety? And suddenly the block in which I was hiding was lifted away, or merely thrown away. The entire district fell down on other blocks, walls broke to pieces and people were massacred and seriously injured. I found myself falling, and finally I landed on the ruins of another district. I had a broken arm and many bruises, but I was alive and I could still walk.

I met other people and a few were not injured, but a lot were crippled or dying from their injuries, and all the time new parts of our city were crushed against the others. Was this the end of time and Universe? But no. We could still breath the air and we could still move. And finally there were no more buildings falling over us. We were just about to reorganise ourselves, when there was an earthquake and a very strong wind. Buildings and quarters were shaking and shafting each other and another lot of people were killed, but after a while the storm calmed and the earthquake ceased but the destruction started again. I jumped out in panic and I fell to the ground. Strange and unknown odours was brought to me by the wind, and the ground was hard and very unfamiliar. Over my head I could see districts and blocks flung away, braking to pieces when landing in a disordered heap. All the time people were falling down all around me, most of them with severe injuries and unable to move properly.

I noticed that fit workers, like myself, were less hurt than the young ladies and their male partners. Of course they are heavier and then they have their wings, so easily broken. If they had used their wings at once the destruction started, they might have escaped, but it wasn’t time for it. The wings are, as you know, in use only when mating. Not one of them, came to think of flying away from the danger.

At last all of the city was moved, and on the hard and unfamiliar ground were only scattered remnants left. I, and the others who still could move, were running about in panic, when one of the gods swept us away with some unbelievably big sheet of wood, Still more bones were broken and more people were crushed and killed, and finally we tumbled down to another level and another ground, different from the first one, but still very strange. We could see the ruins of our city sprawling in disorder in front of us, and we moved towards it, because that was the only familiar thing in this strange new world. But we all knew, that this would be the end for all of us. We had no queen any more, and the young ladies would never fly. There will be no more births. We are a few hundred still alive, but we are the last generation in our impregnable city.

They say the gods laid the foundation to our city, and maybe they did. But why did they destroy it?

Sixten

I wrote this story after helping my dad to move an old pile of planks from its place in the edge of the wood close to our Summer house, to the town deposit.