Around the Campfire http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/ Where the good stories are told. en-us 2009-07-01T18:12:03-06:00 "The God Wars" - Chapter Eleven: The Gift http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/184959.html The American soldiers and some of the British sailors, or Otherworlders as the locals called them, had done much in the last week to clean up the rubble of Zakrostas. The army cleared the streets of debris and rebuilding had begun. They also removed the huge numbers of corpses by either burning or burying them. The God Wars deg 2009-07-01T18:12:03-06:00 "The Adventures of Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius" - The Young Fighter Incident http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/184659.html Gaius had been kept busy on the road to Campania. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever make it. The Appian Way was teeming with travelers and thieves. In fact, he had taken care of many problems, but he had not yet reached the coast. Upon reaching the coast, he would be slightly less than half way through his journey. The Adventures of Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius deg 2009-06-28T17:43:45-06:00 RIP Michael Jackson! http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/184568.html This is for Michael Jackson... Friday Fun deg 2009-06-26T17:00:00-06:00 "The God Wars" - Chapter Ten: Council on Olympus http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/184387.html An old man with wild white hair and a matching beard sat upon his gilded throne. He wore a simple white toga and a gold crown sat upon his head. He looked around the room at the assembly around him. He still had not heard any word yet about the war. The God Wars deg 2009-06-24T18:57:50-06:00 "Ralph the Mutant" - Part Three (The Conclusion) http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/183822.html No one knows how they obtained the nuclear weapons. There was plenty of speculation. It is not unheard of that there were entities sympathetic in high governmental positions. Some of these could have access to the material. Who these sympathizers were and how they got the fissionable material out will likely never be known. What is known is that the perpetrators did not expect the results of their actions. Ralph the Mutant deg 2009-06-21T15:51:04-06:00 "The God Wars" - Chapter Nine: Lost and Found http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/183559.html General Crist stood in a room of one of the more intact buildings still standing near the harbor of the city. It had been heavy work all morning. However, once the crew unloaded the artillery from one of the cargo ships, it was only a matter of a couple of hours before the soldiers were able to push the army of monsters out of the city. The God Wars deg 2009-06-17T18:24:23-06:00 "Ralph the Mutant" - Part Two http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/183319.html Wow, would it be cool to shoot lasers from my eyes. Now that is the kind of mutant that I would want to be. Not that my mutation has not had its advantages. I have met thousands of fantastic people all across the globe. However, there is lots of travel involved. London for a month, and then Shanghai for another month. The mutants from the comics always seemed to stay home most of the time. On the other hand, Gotham City no longer exists, so I guess there is that. In any case, I should get back to the story. Ralph the Mutant deg 2009-06-14T16:54:18-06:00 "The God Wars" - Chapter Eight: Beachheads and Bullheads http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/183120.html PFC Daniels did not know what to think. The night before the officers told the soldiers that through some malfunction of a secret weapon, and the entire fleet might have ended up on another world. Most of the troopers figured it was just some sort of joke or initiation on the green troops. The God Wars deg 2009-06-10T18:14:33-06:00 "Ralph the Mutant" - Part One http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/182756.html My name is Ralph Horatio Logan IV, and I am a mutant. Now, I do not shoot laser beams from my eyes, or have long claws shoot out of my wrists. I cannot even summon giant killer squids from outer space. Nonetheless I am a mutant, and I am saving the human race. I guess I should start at the beginning. Ralph the Mutant deg 2009-06-07T14:58:41-06:00 A blast from the past... http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/182597.html Here is a two-fer because there was nothing last week... Friday Fun deg 2009-06-05T17:00:00-06:00 "The God Wars" - Chapter Seven:Flights of Death http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/182372.html

Captain Ray Walsh was the squadron leader for the Hellcats. Although the planes could also carry a bomb under each wing, this flight was only armed with the ammunition for their six .50 machineguns mounted in their wings. This was done in order for the fighters to remain with the longer range Avengers for the maximum amount of time in the air. Thus, weight had to be restricted.]]> The God Wars deg 2009-06-03T17:53:32-06:00 "The Adventures of Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius" - The Ambush Incident - Part II http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/181980.html The eleven uninjured men moved cautiously around Gaius. The remaining nine -- who had various injuries and some had already expired -- were further up the Appian way. They would no longer pose a danger to Gaius. However, the uninjured eleven were a different story. They were wary and on the lookout for what Gaius would do next. Being surrounded by eleven men, Gaius was not even sure what he would do next. The Adventures of Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius deg 2009-05-31T17:00:56-06:00 "The God Wars" - Chapter Six: Sea Battle http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/181619.html Captain Arnold at first could not believe his ears on hearing the TBF Avenger's reports. In the back of his mind, he still had hoped that they were on earth. If the reports were true and sea monsters, minotaurs, and one-eyed giants existed, then there was no doubt that they were indeed on another world. The God Wars deg 2009-05-27T18:54:08-06:00 "The Adventures of Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius" - The Ambush Incident - Part I http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/181331.html With all of the incidents occurring along his journey, Gaius was greatly behind schedule. It seemed that every way point, there was another delay. The latest stop which led to some time in court was putting him further and further behind. He had planned to make the 280 miles round trip to Campania and back in a month of traveling. There was no way he could make up that time on foot. Thus, he was going to continue riding the horse. It was the only way to make up the time. The Adventures of Gaius Cornelius Ferrarius deg 2009-05-24T20:04:12-06:00 "Hobbit I’m Not" - Part Two (Conclusion) http://blog.lib.umn.edu/deg/campfire/181022.html The next two weeks passed with excruciating slowness, but finally it was time for me to return to the forest. My camera had arrived only the day before. This had caused me no shortage of worry that it wouldn't arrive in time for this trip. Further, I would have wait another two weeks to find out what happened to the item that I left on the rock; if anything had. When I reached the rock my heart skipped a beat; the hatchet was gone! Turning to the first order of business, I installed the camera on a nearby tree with a good vantage of the rock. I then placed the mirror I had brought with me onto the rock. I was trying to stick to items that I knew would keep who or whatever coming back. As I left the forest this time, I again had the gut feeling that I was being watched. It was no wonder the villagers thought the forest was haunted. Short Stories - Michael-John deg 2009-05-22T17:00:00-06:00