It is a tremendous gift for one to create moving, beautiful short stories. It takes a great amount of talent to bring someone from laughter, to tears, all within a tapestry of finely woven words.
Canadian writer, and story teller, Stuart Mclean had this gift. Canada lost Mr. Mclean in 2017, but his short stories live on.
In 1994, Stuart Mclean launched "The Vinyl Cafe", a radio/live audience series of short stories featuring a variety of characters, but mainly focussing on; Dave, his wife Morley, and their two kids, Sam, and Stephanie. These characters are ficticious, but we truely get a sense that they are real. Real in a sense that we can relate, laugh, and through Mclean's writing, clearly see the quirks that they encounter as they navigate through life.
Stuart Mclean captured human decency so confidently in his short stories, they weren't all sunshine and rainbows, but Stuart always seemed to find a way to get to a poignent conclusion. My mother and I would often sit in our car, long after arriving at our destination, just to listen to the end of one of his epically simple, yet sinscere endings to "The Vinyl Cafe."
This mystery cache pays tribute to a man who shot Canada with such a warm literary lens. Who saw the generosity, kindness, and uniqueness of this nation.
Your task is rather simple. Listen to his story called "Polly Anderson's Christmas Party." I have supplied a related webpage link. Answer the questions below to find out the coordinates to the final cache. Enjoy!
A. Which side is the lalique bowl on?
A) Left (2)
B) Right (6)
C) The lalique bowl is not mentioned (7)
D) It's actually on the top shelf (8)
B. What was the culinary theme this year?
A) Turkey (5)
B) Perogies (4)
C) Lamb (9)
D) Sushi (2)
C. Morley tried to live up to Polly Anderson's high Christmas standards. When taking notes from Martha Stewart, what did Sam point out that Morley overlooked?
A) The rolls look like toilet paper. (7)
B) The turkey "seems to look at you." (0)
C) The fish was very raw (9)
D) The potatoes were actually very round yams (1)
D. What colour was Dick Anderson's suit jacket?
A) Blue (6)
B) Grey (7)
C) Black (3)
D) White (1)
E. Dave's mother knitted him a sweater. Which island was featured on it?
A) Vancouver Island (9)
B) Prince Edward Island (2)
C) Cape Breton Island (0)
D) Newfoundland (1)
F. Once Dave was successful at getting Sam to fall asleep, what was the last method he used?
A) Let the car idle for a bit (4)
B) Wave the hair dryer over him (2)
C) Take him on an evening drive (5)
D) Sleeping pills (6)
G. Which tune was being sung in the basement?
A) North Atlantic Squadron (0)
B) Don't cry for me Argentina (2)
C) Cooley's Reel (3)
D) Phantom of the Opera (7)
H. Which piano key did Sam faceplant on?
A) A (7)
B) B (0)
C) F (8)
D) Middle C (2)
I. When an inebriated Sam gets in the car, among many things, what does he say?
A) "Two crazy kids at odds with a world they never made." (1)
B) "Check out those lions!" (9)
C) "Moose fat is filling!" (5)
D) "What's love got to do with it!?" (3)
J. Just after the car fish-tails to a halt, and Dave slowly pulls up to the cop roadside check, what does Sam say?
A) "What are those flashing lights?" (9)
B) "This is an area of jurisprudence that has always interested me." (2)
C) "There are sewers aplenty yet to dig!" (7)
D) "Those storm troopers are trippy!" (4)
Enjoy the story! I respectfully ask that you refrain from giving away this cache's location. Happy caching!
While this is not part of the puzzle, why not listen to a beautiful tribute song written by Buddy MacDonald. Rachel Davis is on the fiddle, and Buddy on the guitar. It's from an interview at Cape Breton University. Watch the whole interview, or jump ahead to the tribute song at 10:30. Click here.