Tuesday, September 7, 2004
By Paul Ford
A very important story, told in pictures and headlines.
Part 1. A very tiny ultra-pleasant robot whale named Hector works as a medical orderly, and discovers some bandages missing
from a supply closet. As he has a sterling record regarding bandages, he fears for his professional reputation, so he visits
his friends and acquaintances to learn what they might have seen. None of them know where the bandages are, but an oracular,
plucked, blurred chicken tells him: go to the east and you will find what your heart desires!
Part 2. On the advice of the chicken, Hector heads east, and wanders into a terrible conflict between the Jailed, the Fauxhawks,
the Chefs, the Gypsies, and the Hats. His heart cannot abide such discord, and so he asks each of the warring parties to sit
down and talk. After several days of debate, all of those involved are touched by the gentle demeanor of the tiny robot whale,
and agree to shelve their differences. A fragile accord is reached.
Part 3. A blimp appears, and disgorges thousands of singing ants.
Part 4. All parties are reconciled, and travel together to a huge celebration. In return for his services, Hector is presented
with bandages, and, because he is tired, he is given passage home on the blimp. As a show of respect, a representative of
the Donkeys and another representative of the Gypsies escort him. The ants sing the entire way. Back home, Hector replaces
the bandages in the storage closet, and goes back about his duties. All is well, and he is never beached.
Part 5. Acknowledgements and Bibliography
. . . . .
P.S. Steve and I are performing our 12-minute musical about a singing squirrel and rat this Friday, September 10. We'd love it if you came.
PEEK
Ftrain.com is the website of Paul Ford and his pseudonyms. It is showing its age. I'm rewriting the code but it's taking some
time.
FACEBOOK
There is a Facebook group.
TWITTER
You will regret following me on Twitter here.
EMAIL
About the author: I've been running this website from 1997. For a living I write stories and essays, program computers, edit
things, and help people launch online publications. (LinkedIn). I wrote a novel. I was an editor at Harper's Magazine for five years; then I was a Contributing Editor; now I am a free agent. I was also on NPR's All Things Considered for a while. I still write for The Morning News, and some other places.
If you have any questions for me, I am very accessible by email. You can email me at ford@ftrain.com and ask me things and I will try to answer. Especially if you want to clarify something or write something critical. I am
glad to clarify things so that you can disagree more effectively.
The Photo Diary of Hector, a Tiny Robot Whale
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Contact
© 1974-2011 Paul Ford
Recent
@20, by Paul Ford.
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