"The Party Across the Lake" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

The happy sounds of a lawn party filtered from across the lake and Dan Reynolds seethed with resentment.

Reynolds had grown up dirt poor in his small town and the snubs from wealthier classmates who lived around the lake were still fresh in his mind.

After leaving school, he worked day and night to accumulate enough money to buy his own property on the lake, but the new home did not bring him the satisfaction he had wanted.

The older residents of the lake still did not want him and there was never an invitation in the mail.

Reynolds considered calling the police in order to silence the laughter and music from across the water, but then decided to handle it himself.

The noise from the party faded away as an old woman slowly opened the door of the home that had caused Reynolds so much anguish.

"Can I help you young man?" the woman asked in an ancient creaky voice.

Reynolds felt uneasy and hesitated. "The party... I just wanted you to keep the noise down."

The old woman looked confused. "You must be mistaken young man, there hasn't been a party at this house in over forty years."

"Edwin the Hero" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

 It was the middle of Summer and the Walmart parking lot where Edwin the crow lived was blazing hot.

Some of the birds had escaped to a nearby lake to cool off, but Edwin stayed because he didn't want to miss out on any yummy treats.

While Edwin cruised over the parking lot looking for good grub, he noticed a small dog in one of the human vehicles who appeared to be in trouble.

The little dog was barking and clawing at the steamed-up window of the vehicle and Edwin could only imagine how hot it was inside.

Edwin frantically tried to get the attention of several humans in the area but they either ignored him or shooed him away.

Finally, Edwin spotted his old friend Julie in the parking lot and was able to communicate the emergency to her.

After seeing the condition of the little dog, Julie was able to find the owner and save the pup.

Edwin didn't really understand the idea of being a hero, but he did get some yummy cookies out of the deal.