Small Places : Nick L Belardes [82 of 128]

• "Check your email," Mike says. I click on my inbox to discover the prez has actually done some work today.
• Mass email: "Effective today, and with the deepest of regrets, I have terminated Milt Butterlink's employment with Buildicon.
• "As you may recognize, this leaves us with a huge void. We will begin our search for a new Marketing Manager shortly." - The Prez
• Twenty-Six.
• I once took a stroll in Ohio forests and saw huge webs of silk filled with worms. "They're bagworms," said an old man with a walking stick.
• The old-timer's right eye was more open than his left. His wrinkled walking stick could have been a skinny arm.
• His wisp of hair was a cloud. His eye went wider: "They live in the trees. There's no spiders there."
• He bent close and breathed on me. "In fact, they kill the trees." He continued: "Years ago you'd see few bagworms.
• They spun webs, ate a few trees and went about their business. Those times are gone."