It was a dark and stormy night...

Rain.

There we sat with Cathy Lasagna, proprietor of Terrazza, our venue for the inaugural evening of 10 1/2 Stories, and raindrops streamed down the window.

The current topic of discussion: How many people were we expecting?

Facebook told us twenty-five, which was about fifteen less than we were hoping for. But the precipitation was worrisome. We told her thirty, crossed our fingers, prayed to our respective deities for some assistance, and distracted ourselves with food.

Despite the proprietor's namesake, there was no lasagna on the menu.

Two pizzas and a grilled Panini later, we were fast approaching our 8 o'clock start time. The host hadn't yet arrived. The restaurant was still two-thirds empty. We were on the verge of panic. Had we not done enough promotion? Had an Act of God ruined our night? Had we painted ourselves into a corner with the event's title?

But as a wise Hitchhiker once said, "Don't Panic".

In the end, the restaurant was filled. The fine people at Terrazza were fabulous (as was the food). Our host Daniel Goldbloom was pitch-perfect . Our storytellers were wonderful.

Ah yes, the stories.  

Varying from clandestine communications in Bangalore to a dog orbiting the earth, the stories induced laughter and tears, sometimes simultaneously.

For those who could not make it for whatever reason (ignorance, apathy, pluviophobia), we've put the stories online for you to peruse at your leisure.

To refresh, the theme of the night was "Choices".

Enjoy:

Dan Yashinsky: The story of a Californian commune, tear gas, and a prison wall.

Leonard Chan: The story of a volunteer, a gang of raccoons, and a cat named Ramone.

Andrew Gooderham: The story of a satellite, a poison pill, and a crying dog...

Tasleem Thawar: The story of a lost girl, a broken pipe, and the letter that will save her.

Timothy Millican: The story of a dropped cigarette, law enforcement, and excessive honesty.

Jerry Silverberg: The story of a stroke, a heart rate monitor, and a relentless morphine drip.

Jacqueline Sharp: The story of a contest, a middle-aged dancer and a gold lame thong.

Ivor Tossel: The story of a Kenyan gastroenterologist, a bouncy castle, and Idi Amin

Faizal Karmali: The story of a one dollar bus-ride, a bootlegged DVD, and...

This inaugural event of 10 1/2 Stories is part of the FOOL Festival (www.foolfestival.ca)