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 "Annie's Turn." I have supplied a related webpage link. Answer the questions below to find out the coordinates to the final cache. Enjoy!
A. How old was Dave in this story?
A) 8 (2)
B) 12 (1)
C) 20 (7)
D 15 (9)
B. At first glance, what did Dave's friend Sean think the unidentified thing on the ice flow was?
A) A stranded deer (7)
B) A log (6)
C) A stranded dog (5)
D) A seal (2)
C. What did Sean grab to aid in the rescue?
A) A boat (7)
B) Toboggan (8)
C) A car (6)
D) A scooter (5)
D. How did spring first arrive?
A) Flowers started to bloom (9)
B) A moose with offspring walked into town (2)
C) The sun's warmth (7)
D) On the wings of crows (6)
E. Where was the dog going?
A) The falls (3)
B) Little Narrows (4)
C) The pound (9)
D) The dump (8)
F. Where did this story take place?
A) Little Narrows (3)
B) Boisdale (2)
C) Big Narrows (4)
D) Glace Bay (5)
G. What was the first thing Dave noticed when they got to the bridge?
A) The sound of the rushing river (6)
B) The falls in the distance (7)
C) The road was closed (5)
D) The cops set up a road block (4)
H. Who was "voluntold" to go over the bridge?
A) Billy (4)
B) Dave (8)
C) Sean (7)
D) Annie (2)
I. What was the name of the river?
A) Little Nation River (4)
B) Margaree River (5)
C) Musquodoboit River (7)
D) Barachois River (9)
J. What name was given to the dog?
A) Rover (6)
B) Scout (5)
C) Dash (3)
D) Woofy McWoofface (1)
N 49 AB.CDE W 122 FG.HIJ
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.