Per tradition and necessity, I am untouched by man. “Aurora?” Sofia asks. “What’s a virgin?” I close my eyes. My head aches. It’s the chlorine. The full moon is the only illumination in the shadowed natatorium. The sacred flame of… Continue Reading
“Grandmother?” Rossa reached for the weathered door. There was no answer from within, but Grandmother was old. She was often sleeping when Rossa brought her supplies. The rough wood slab swung inward at her touch, and she frowned. Grandmother lived… Continue Reading
On the tour boat Funliner, eighty-seven children screamed. “I wish they wouldn’t do that,” Captain Charles said. “The screams echo under the bridges,” Jimmy, the deckhand, answered. “They like the echo.” “It’s annoying. It puts me on edge.” “Plus, they… Continue Reading
That evening, we sat either side of my neighbour Goronwy’s kitchen range. He pronounced my latest batch of scrumpy cider — mysteriously cloudy, both sharp and sweet, with the smell of autumn — almost as good as the scrumpy his… Continue Reading
Joy put the demitasse down a little too hard, slopping foam across the table top. Too much time spent seething, and now the espresso had grown cold. Damn the bosses. Rein herself in, indeed. Power equals responsibility, et cetera, ad… Continue Reading
In a dark hollow in an ancient wood, the sound of a little girl’s disconsolate wails echoed. The softer tones of a consoling adult led her away, down a bright path to the safety of a parked car and, later,… Continue Reading
They call me The Sentient Sword, but I prefer Bill. I was forged in the Fires of Timmy the Shimmy Smith. They call him that because his swords are always a little wobbly. I am no exception. However, I’m proud… Continue Reading
Reynard limped along the leafy path, his wounded hind leg folded up. This was a part of the forest he traveled rarely, but from the splashing up ahead he knew his destination was near. Pressing through a flowery thicket, he… Continue Reading
At first glance, there was darkness. Impermeable silence. Motionlessness. For the spectators, only a feeling existed… a pulsation within and without: rapt submergence. Then loud chaos clanged and tinged, settling into a single bang of a gong. Alas, illumination. Clouds… Continue Reading
Lil ‘Pea’ Adrian swung and missed. Piggy The Catcher snorted in derision. Pea ignored him and spit a seed in the wind, but to Pig it was a shot across the bow. Pig loved baseball, but hated messes, especially small… Continue Reading