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Stan is afraid but his children need to eat. The stories: Cold Winter Night; Janitor’s Advice; and Friendship; reveal different ways of facing fears.
Cold Winter Night Janitor’s Advice Friendship Stan and the Dragon (Romania)
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 I was 16, signed up to go on a weekend ski trip with the American Youth Hostel (AYH) ski program. The bus was there when I arrived. All the people boarding looked older than me. I thought about going home but didn’t want to admit to my parents I’d chickened out. The bus driver honked, “You getting on or not?” I got on.
 I needed a job. I wanted to teach dance but when a physical education position at a junior high school in Providence, RI became available two months after school began, I took it. I was replacing the teacher described as a tank of a woman, a WAC in WWII, with a booming voice, who spoke Italian fluently—a plus teaching in a mostly Italian neighborhood. I was short, a kid in WWII, spoke no Italian, and, worst of all, my voice at best, could be heard by people closest to me. I was hired on the basis of my resume, over the phone.
 A longtime friend and I were talking. Suddenly the conversation grew intense. What she said upset me as did the fierceness with which she said it. I reverted to an old coping mechanism. In the past, accustomed to violence when faced with disapproval, I became quiet. Kept my upsetness to myself. Pretended everything was okay.
 There was once a husband and wife who had everything they could wish for—except children. They were so unhappy the husband decided to consult a magician. After seeing his distress, the magician said, “Go home. Your wish is granted.”
Imagine Stan’s surprise when he opened the front door and saw oodles of children of every size, shape, color, and personality. “How will we feed all our children?” he asked his wife. |
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Nancy King is a widely published author and a professor emerita at the University of Delaware, where she has taught theater, drama, playwriting, creative writing, and multidisciplinary studies with an emphasis on world literature. She has published seven previous works of nonfiction and five novels. Her new memoir, Breaking the Silence, explores the power of stories in healing from trauma and abuse. Her career has emphasized the use of her own experience in being silenced to encourage students to find their voices and to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with authenticity, as a way to add meaning to their lives.
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