Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – October 25, 2004

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – October 25, 2004

The Inukshuk 12

Short Stories From 10 Years Ago – October 25, 2004 – The last coat of glaze is done! They are finished. The Inukshuk 12 are lined up on my fireplace mantel. Well, to be honest there are 13 – sort of a Baker’s Dozen of the Inukshuk world. I made a mini-Inushuk of all the left-over white stones that were at the bottom of the rock bag.

He’s only half the size of his much larger siblings, but he has quite a lot of spunk and more than a bit of attitude. I’m not sure what I’ll do with number 13 – but I’m sure he’ll find his way into someone’s home over the upcoming holiday season. I think it best to keep from him the fact that he was an after-thought, an unintended addition to the Inukshuk 12. The tender psyche of this baby Inukshuk might be irretrievably damaged in he realizes that he was made from left-overs.

I’m delighted with the way these little characters have turned out. It really was great fun making them and I hope they will be memorable gifts. Well – that’s what I think. My brother, Eric, for one will look at his little stone companion and think – “If she gives me on more piece of stuff, I’ll have to hurt her”. He won’t say that. Instead he’ll grimace and say a muffled “thanks” – while trying to ignore the exuberance of the assembled guests. I’m hoping that everyone else will be pleased. They represent many hours of my time and more than a bit of my creative juice went into trying to make an Inukshuk that suited each recipient.

Crowded onto my mantel they resemble an Inukshuk army. Sort of Star Wars meeting The Road Warrior in nature. I’ve taken them one a time and placed each on my coffee table to study his unique characteristics. Of the eleven, I know which one is for Joe, Big and Dorothy. The rest are still up for grabs. I’m adding to their names which originally had a “spirit” theme. That may be a little heavy for a night of goofy fun, so these new nick names, in conjunction with their christened names are far more apt:

Joe – (he travels constantly) – Spirit of the Sky is now Beak. (He has a very pointy head).

Dorothy – (an avid gardener) – Spirit of the Garden becomes Digger Boy.

Eric – (a sailor) – Spirit of the Wind is now Outta My Way.

Loghman – (an architect) – Spirit of Innovation is now Slam It Up.

Big – (her hobby is curling) – Spirit of the Ice becomes Make This Shot.

Iris – (wind surfer) – Spirit of the Lake is Move Over.

Neil – (a developer) – (Spirit of Independence is Deal Maker.

Chris – (a devoted cottager) – Spirit of the Cottage is now Spinney Boy.

BoBo – (a banker who adores creative design) – Spirit of Home is Condo Cash Elf.

Larry – (a real estate broker) – Spirit of Business is now Money Bags.

Sima – (a fellow agent) – Shining Inner Spirit is now My Way.

Roe – (devoted to my fur family) – Spirit of the Animals is now Bark & Meow.

I’m going to wrap each Inukshuk up in beautiful, colourful tissue paper and deposit him in a Christmas gift bag until the great unveiling on December 18^th. It will be a treat for me to see each of them again, as I will have forgotten how they all look over the next seven weeks. I may make a game out of their unwrapping, with them emerging one at a time, amidst great drum rolls. Or maybe not. I’ll see how I feel when the appointed day arrives, but for now I’m thinking fanfare.

I can’t recommend this idea enough. If you have one iota of creativity swirling around in your head – make some gifts for your family and friends at Christmas. It removes a bit of the commercialization of the season and allows you to tap into your sense of adventure and fun. You will be amazed at how appreciative people will be of your efforts. This is a lost art. People buy everything. Go ahead and let loose. If the results are dreadful, no one will ever know because you’ll still have time to pop out to the big store and buy something.

But think how brilliant your friends will think you are when you announce that they are in receipt of an original “Smith” or “Jones” – just fill in your last name. How I’ll ever top the Innukshuk is a mystery to me. However the year I made the coasters I thought I’d exhausted my creative inclination, but I was wrong. I have an entire year to think about it, and I’m sure in that time something amazing will come to mind. I’ll be off on another jaunt to a craft store, a stone quarry, Home Depot or elsewhere to pick up the raw materials for my next big artistic adventure.