Dana L. Green

October 2026

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October 12, 2026

This is a story about me trying to train my brother, Glenn, how to become an altar boy for St. Sebastian church in the 1970’s. — dana

Necco Wafers, Amen

My baby brother stared up at me with those big brown eyes and his toe-head hair cut. He had a major development flustering about between his ears that caused him to choke out his words. I could read him like a book. At that very moment you’ve thought he either had a spider creeping inside his undershorts, or he found a dead relative under his bed.

“Dana … Emm. I don’t want to … I mean I need to …,” stammered little brother, Glenn.

“Spit it out, little brother. Do you need to go pee?’

“No.”

“Then, what is it?”

“Mom says, I need to be the next one up.”

“Whataya mean?”

“I need to be your replacement for Fr. Rancourt.”

“Oh. The next servant to the Lord of Higher Expectations.”

“Yup. His new Saturday night and Sunday morning altar boy,” said a tearful Glenn.

“Hold on. You do Saturday one week and then Sunday the next week. Got it?”

Wiping away tears with both hands, “Oh. That will be better. I think.”

I sat little brother down and explained that Kevin, the other altar server with five years under his robe belt, and I would tutor little brother “the ropes” of being a golden tray holder, bell ringer and smiling servant of the Lord. He seemed most grateful for the offer, but I was hesitant to ask the dreaded next question. He had that look in his glazed over eyes. What now, little brother?

“It’s about the wafers,” said Glenn.

“What about ‘em?” I asked.

“What happens if one falls on my dish? You know … when I’m holding it under their chins? Do I touch it? Put back in the person’s mouth? Hand it to Father Rancourt? What do I do?”

“Hold on there. This is a delicate question.”

“Sorry.”

“Look you leave whatever falls on your golden dish. Fr. Rancourt will take care of it after the processional of Jesus patrons finish getting their Holy wafers deposited on their lizard tongues.”

I could tell he had another thought. A “rookie” question most likely. “Anything else?”

“Emm. Did you practice getting your “wafer”— you know the “host” — from Fr. Rancourt on your tongue?”

“Why? In the name of God. Do you ask such a thing?”

“Well, I think my inexperienced tongue might miss it — and it will land on the tray of slimy horrors or God forbid it lands smack up on the floor,” said a flustered Glenn.

“I will practice it with you. You will be a first-rate wafer taker when I’m done with you,” I said.

The next day I bought a package of Necco wafers. I got little brother to open his mouth and stick out his nervous wiggling tongue. I place the wafer dead center of its landing spot and told him to close his eyes and say the Lord’s Prayer. By the time he finished his prayer the wafer had melted, and he tasted the essence of the Holy Spirit of Oliver Chase.

Who was Oliver Chase you ask? Little brother, Glenn Allen, asked me that very same question. So, I offered up the following historical fiction tale to calm his anxious mind as I tucked him in bed.

# # #

“Glenn, my altar brother in training. I got a story to tell you. When you get nervous during Fr. Rancourt’s pontificated church services remember this high faultin fable.”

“Let me see— Oh, yeah, last summer my Smithsonian Magazine on the history of candy making had a lip smacking ‘Jim Dandy’ of a story. In 1847, twenty-six-year-old Oliver Chase placed on the pinkish tongue of his brother, Daniel, a corn syrup, sugar wafer. His younger brother, Daniel, got his first taste of a round candy that Oliver had been making in small batches in the family kitchen.”

“Mmm. That tastes good,” said Daniel.

“Yeah, everybody loves chocolate,” said Oliver.

“What else you got?” he asked.

“So far, I got lemon, chocolate, licorice, orange, and pink.”

“Geez. That is great. Can I try all of those?”

“Sure. Close your eyes. I will give you one wafer … one at a time. Let ‘em melt in your mouth. No chewing. Got it?”

“Yeah. Both eyes … gotta ‘em shut tight,” said hungry Daniel.

“Daniel, tell me what they taste like? One at a time.”

# # #

I told Glenn of how … Oliver had plans to add clove-purple, cinnamon-white, and lime-green to the mix for an eight-color pack. His rainbow of colors would be brown, yellow, pink, orange, white, black, green, and purple. Everybody would have favorites.

Glenn was getting the gist of things, so I continued …. “By Oliver’s thirty-eighth birthday he still had one production problem to overcome. He could not make enough wafers. Making them one at a time in small cap-like shapes on baking sheets caused most of his candies to have non oval shapes and various thicknesses. He needed to solve the production problem before his brother’s favorite candies could be sold in general stores.

Oliver invented a lozenge cutting machine to produce his “magic tasting wafers.” His first name for his candy snacks was called “hub wafers.” They were popular with the Union soldiers in 1861 to the end of the war in 1865. When Union soldiers got home after the war, the candy became a general store counter favorite. That was not the first time that happened. During World War II, the wafer candies were supplied to soldiers fighting in Europe. The soldiers would give the candies to children when a town or village became liberated by the Allied Forces from German control. After the war ended, the state side former soldiers seeked out the Necco wafers. Sales of the wafers hit an all-time high.”

# # #

“Big Brother, you’re a long-winded farmer if I ever heard one!” said Glenn with a new confidence.

“Yeah, you are right. I got grandpa’s genes”

“Jeans? You mean overalls, big brother,” said Glenn.

“Okay, Glenn Allen. Time to get you and your Superman pj’s in dreamland. Tomorrow, after supper we start bell ringing lessons.”

“Cool. Do I get sheet music training?”

“Okie Dokie wise guy. Go to sleep. Oh and — don’t you dream about that old tongue flapping Ms. Jenkins. She tends to drool on the plate and you gotta clean it up!”

The End

Epilogue

In 1850, Oliver Chase’s lozenge business transitioned into the first candy factory in Boston. It became possible after he created a machine to pulverize sugar. With the help of his two brothers, Daniel and Silas, the three of them founded Chase and Company. It became known as New England Confectionery Company (NECCO).

Younger candy loving brother Daniel created a printed heart shaped candy. It would become known as Sweethearts Conversation Hearts.

Oliver Chase retired from the candy business in 1888, and he died in 1902. Legend has it, brothers, Daniel and Silas placed a chocolate wafer on Oliver’s tongue and a roll of Necco wafers in each of his hands in his burial casket. He had a sweet tooth to the very end.

October 11, 2026

Coming Soon! More Maine Short Stories: Mysteries of Rural & Seacoast Life.

For my loyal readers of Maine - A Short Story Collection: Mysteries of Rural & Seacoast Life, I have plans to release on Quilltips special editions from my short stories that have been previously published online and in print magazines. I have over 150 stories in my vault. The plan is to release at least one story per month in 2027. I will also do some holiday special releases around Christmas, my birthday, the first day of Spring and Summer. I will provide you here with some special news on upcoming paperback and ebook releases planned for 2027.

Please sign up with your email address to receive — via newsletter — to your personal in box — brand new short stories that will entertain and amaze. This is only available to my loyal readers.

Coming in 2027: A book of westerns featuring a time traveling Doc Holliday and Ben “Bigfoot” MacDonald, Bounty Hunter. Several previously published westerns from 500 words to Novella size for those who love the wild untamed west of the 1880s.

Also plans are to release a couple award winning short stories and several new historical fiction pieces about growing up in Madison during the 1970s.

Other 2027 Projects:

I am busy editing, 14 brand new stories (7 based in my hometown of Madison) and 7 spanking new Maine based murder / crime mysteries with unique Maine style mayhem and surprise endings. Projected release in Spring of 2027.

Currently I am writing a half a dozen new Christmas mysteries based on my creative location of Snowflake Cove, Maine. If things go as planned — release of the book will be on October 1, 2027. Fingers crossed.

Until next month.

Warmly yours,

Dana