The 100-word stories have tickled my fancy, at least for the moment, and I have been fortunate to have another selected for publication –
There’s a bit of a background story to the story, a sort of an “author’s note:,” but it turned out longer than the story itself (not hard when you’re dealing with only 100 words) and the publisher elected not to print it. That said, here are the notes –
Author’s note: On April 6, 1909, U.S. Naval engineer Robert Peary laid sole claim to being the first man to reach the North Pole, taking all the credit despite the fact that he was accompanied by an expedition team comprised of Matthew Henson and four Eskimo team members: Ootah, Seeglo, Egingwah, and Ooqueah. There is evidence to suggest that it was Henson who actually reached the pole first (he was pulling Peary’s sled), making Peary second, but Peary left him out of all of his accounts, not wanting to share any of the glory with a black man. Sadly, Peary went on to receive numerous awards and accolades, including a Rear Admiral’s pension, while Henson lived out most of his life in obscurity as a Customs clerk in New York. It wasn’t until 1955, just before his death, he finally received recognition from both President Truman and President Eisenhower.
Hope you enjoy –
island tales 