Today I randomly opened Detour on the Eternal Road to page 77. With eyes closed, I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger that we can read is the compound word “short-range.” This is our prompt.
Short-Range by John W. Howell © 2026
“What are you talking about?”
“Were you listening?”
“I guess I had my mind elsewhere. So, what were you saying?”
“I was trying to get you to quit focusing on short-range activities in favor of a more long-range concentration.”
“Wow, I don’t even know what that means.”
“Let me give you an example.”
“Please.”
“That apple you are eating.”
“What about it?”
“Instead of eating it now when there are plenty of apples, maybe you should save it for when apples are scarce.”
“But I’m hungry now.”
“Won’t you be hungry later?”
“Um. I guess so.”
“So if there are no apples later, what are you going to do?”
“Eat pears?”
“You are missing the point.”
“I’m trying hard to understand.”
“I am trying to get you to plan for scarcity.”
“Scarcity? What the heck is that?”
“It’s when the things you need to survive are not easy to find – like apples.”
“Is this something new?”
“What?”
“Scarcity.”
“No, it is a matter of life.”
“Why haven’t I faced it before?”
“Cause you had someone who took care to see that you had everything you needed.”
“What’s changed?”
“You are getting older and will soon be on your own.”
“Who thought that up?”
“It is a fact of life. I’m trying to teach you to think of more than just one day.”
“But you are my Mom. You do my thinking for me.”
“Not forever, son. Come spring, you will be too big to stay.”
“After hibernation?”
“That’s right. So do you understand the lesson?”
“I do but don’t have to like it.”
“Someday you will have cubs of your own, and you’ll look back on today and laugh.”
“I’m not laughing now.”
“I know. You will, trust me. Now, finish your apple.”
Fiction Favorites 
I like this, John. Moms always have an eye toward the future. Well done!
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Thank you, Dan.
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Eh, apples rot quickly. Best to enjoy while they’re fresh.
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Yes, there is that.
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Now I wish I could eat apples and hibernate.
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I think you can do that if you wish.
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Being you, I knew an animal had to be involved. Couldn’t guess which one until the end. Unbearable suspense.😘
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Ha ha ha. Unbearable suspense. Love it.
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🐻🐻🐻
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😊
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Took me to get to ‘hibernation’ to figure this out. But I’m getting better. Used to take me until the last line! 🐻
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As they say, better late than never. Maybe I should toss in a clue early. This one had none until hibernation. I’ll work on that. Thanks, Lois.
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No! These are fun for me to try to guess, and a lot of your commenters catch on much quicker than I. These are fun to get to that last line or two and then, “Aha!”
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Okay then. I keep it on the down low
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Yup, hibernation was my only clue. I thought it was an ant talking to a grasshopper!
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That would have been fun too. A little too close to the fable, though.
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At first I thought it might be squirrels, but getting too big to stay tipped me off to bears.
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If they were squirrels, then I could have used nuts as a metaphor.
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Good point!
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Thinking of the future doesn’t decrease one’s appetite.
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So true. 😊
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I thought moms having to deal with their kids leaving was always too much to bear…unless of course you are a bear. We need the room…bye-bye!😊
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Yes, child, I can bear you no more. Hit the road.
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🤣
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😀
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This is a good one, John! I like how the momma bear is so wise and the wee one so trusting. Most species are just like this. And warning the wee one that one day, he’ll be the parent is spot on!
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Thank you, Debbie. 😊
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Wonderful story/dialog, John. And the ending, “finish your apple”, is perfect. 😊
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Thank you, Gwen 😊
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A coming of age story! Very enjoyable, John.
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Thank you, Esther.
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This is a sad truth. Most younger folks have no clue what scarcity is. Wise mom to try and teach her cub. 🧸
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Thank you, Jan. 😀
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🙂 Mums knows best John… And we who are wiser now in years remember their wisdom.. We were all cubs once upon a time… And we always thought there would be enough apples to go around.. 🙂 xx
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Thank you, Sue. You describe youth perfectly.
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I’m with the hibernation crowd – took me that long to get it also, lol.
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😀 That is a good thing.
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The lesson is an apple a day keeps mom away.
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There you go. 😀
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An entitled Gen Z bear…love it! 😂
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😀
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Lessons learned do not come with a guarantee of ease, but they will end up easing our paint later if we heed them.
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So true, Master. 😊
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