Ulf Wolf

Mating Strike (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

I think of myself as Fennel, that is my name, but those in the white coatsresearchers, they call themselvesrefer to me as "120112A" after my birthday (the First of December, 2012). The "A" means that I was the first of the litter to be born (out of the gate, as it were) that daymy three siblings, emerging right after mesecond, third, fourthare known, in the same researcher dialect, as "120112B," "120112C," and "120112D" respectively.

They, however, think of themselves as Unicorn (B-brother), Wishful (C-sister), and Stream (D-sister), respectively. And, I (A), as I said, think of myself as Fennel.

The four of us live in a big plastic tank. It's like living under a big rectangular and transparent dome, where several fluorescent suns shine through a plastic sky. Unicorn doesn't agree, he rarely does. He sees our home as a plain, upside down water-less fish tank. Not very imaginative, Unicorn. Then again, I might be over-ditto.

We are lab rats. That's precisely what we are. It is a precarious occupation and, historically speaking, not conducive to your long-term health. Frankly, I don't recommend lab-ratting as a career, should you have a choice.

Next door to ours stands another big plastic tank covering another four lab rats, two boys and two girls, just like in my family. One family per tank.

Our self-assumed family name is Winter. Our neighbors' family name is Spring. Why? Because we're a little oldertwo weeks older to be exact. And since winter comes before spring, well, there you have it. Not very creative, I know, but it works for us.

Their research names are "121512A," "121512B," "121512C" and "121512D." A and C are the brothers. B and D their sisters.

They think of themselves as Forest (A), Rain (B), Cliff (C), and Mist (D) respectively; Rain and Mist being the girls.

As soon as we emergedwe had hardly hit the white, soft, sponge and cotton carpet of our tankMother (Wishful says her name was Ocean, but where she got that from I haven't a clue) was removed by the white coats and retired or simply disposed of, I'm not sure which, they don't share such information. I have my suspicions, though.

They never even gave us a chance to say Goodbye, or even Hi for that matter. All in the name of science.

These days the white coats are trying to make us Winters mate with the Springs. Unbeknownst to them, howeverto the researchers, that iswe're on a mating strike. Both families are. No rat making here. No Sir. No Ma'am. No way.

This is how that came about. ...

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Ulf Wolf
• Erscheinungstermin: 7. September 2016
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781370597796
• Artikelnr.: 48654665

Autorenporträt

Ulf is a Swedish name that once meant Wolf. So, yes, Wolf Wolf, that's me.

I was born Ulf Ronnquist one snowy night in late October, in one of those northern Swedish towns that are little more than a clearing in the forest.

Fast forward through twenty Swedish years, ten or so English ones, and another twenty-four in the US and you'll find me in front of an immigrations officer conducting the final citizenship interview, at the end of which he asks me, "What name would you like on your passport?"

And here I recall what a friend had told me, that you can pick just about any name you want at this point, and I heard me say "Ulf Wolf."

That's how it happened. Scout's honor.

Of course, I had been using Ulf Wolf as a pen name for some time before this interview, but I hadn't really planned to adopt that as my official U.S. name. But I did.

I have written stories all my life. Initially in Swedish, but for the last twenty or so years in English. To date I have written six novels, four novellas and two scores of stories; along with many songs and poems.

My writing focus these days is on life's important questions (in my view): Who are we? What are we doing here? And how do we break out of this prison?