A month or so ago, I was chatting with my wife’s Aunt Carol about books. Shoutout to Aunt Carol. And books.
She mentioned a book Sara’s other aunt, Aunt Carol Ann—not to be confused with Carol herself—had once read, all about Project Beaver Drop. If this was a book by Kurt Vonnegut it might have a different meaning, but it wasn’t fiction. It was a true story.
According to my beloved Wikipedia, in 1948, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game devised a rather unorthodox method of relocating beavers to new habitats. Parachuting.
This is a delightful image. Picture a buck-toothed cartoon beaver strapping on his little beaver helmet and snapping on his little beaver goggles, then leaping from the belly of a plane, all to the heroic strains of “Rock You Like a Hurricane.” Like I said. Delightful.
It’s also proof of the adage about truth, strangeness, and fiction. You couldn’t come up with that, and if you did, it wouldn’t be as funny as the fact that it actually happened.
For writers, these are the nuggets that make writing fun. The world is a weird place, and whether you’re writing fiction or non, there’s no shortage of inspiration. (I could stray into a screed against generative AI here, but I’ll abstain.) Suffice it to say that stories about parachuting beavers aren’t just amusing—they’re inspiring.
And so, now that I’m inspired by fact, I’d like to share some fiction. For my premium readers, stick around for a 100-word story inspired by the nonsense I just described. And to those beavers who parachuted, we are forever in your debt.
Kyle A. Massa is a comedy author of some sort living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife, their daughter, and three wild animals. His published works include 10 books, along with several short stories, essays, and poems. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, running, and drinking cheap coffee.
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