Remembering a Friend
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
–John Donne
A friend of the site. Ed N White died peacefully on 9 November 2024, not unexpectedly, after a long and rich life. He was a class act who courageously submitted work right up to the end, fighting through the hell of illness without ever losing his humor or grace. May the same be said for us all.
Just four days before his passing, Ed shared the following little micro-story, not as a submission, but out of friendship. Ed was a gentleman and will be missed.
Doggone
The chatty shelter volunteer briefly described each dog as we walked down the kennel run. The dogs were anxiously barking, jumping, and scratching at the chain-link doors.
“This is Jack; loves to play ball. Millie loves to run and play with the kids. Zeus, good home protection.…”
She walked past the next run without comment. A small, sad dog with vacant eyes lay trembling on a pallet.
I asked, “What about this one?”
She whispered, “He’s blind… getting the shot today.”
“For blindness?”
She shielded her mouth and whispered, “No, final…euthanize.”
“I’ll take him. C’mon Lucky…good boy.”
***
Ed N. White is the creator of the Miss Demeanor middle-grade mystery series pseudonymously authored by Celia J. and the found-family romance Taking Care. Both were published by Histria Books. His short stories and essays have appeared in Wordgathering, The Scarlet Leaf Review, Close to the Bone, Flash, FWA Collections, et al. He is also found lurking on Amazon Kindle at amazon.com/author/ednwhite-books.
He copes in southwest Florida.
literally stories 