I went home with a researcher, a testudinologist. A Turtle Man, he called himself. I met him at a club, where he resembled the creature he collected obsessively: time-saddened and stationary. I needed a boyfriend, and something about his sloped… Continue Reading
He rapped out a rhythm on the wrong side of an interview table and pushed back the uncomfortable plastic chair to allow room for his paunch. He shivered. The room was not freezing, but they had confiscated his coat due… Continue Reading
“Humbug” was Marissa’s matter-of-fact reply to the carol singers that evening. She was particularly pleased with her idea to pour humbug sweets from the bedroom window, akin to hot oil in old castle sieges. It had added an extra dimension… Continue Reading
The toy factory was bustling. Christmas was but a few days away and there were countless orders to ship out. Ryan Stanopolous strolled through the sea of smiling faces. The holiday spirit was clearly alive and well in his workforce.… Continue Reading
“You…really think I’m holding… 231 gumballs?” The Jar said, her voice trembling, tears starting to stream onto her ‘GUESS HOW MANY’ sign. “No, it’s not, well, yeah, I guess I do.” “You really think I’m that… big?” I had dug… Continue Reading
“Twenty lines! By tomorrow!” the Latin teacher shrieked. The class gave out a collective groan. Translating twenty lines of Ovid’s Metamorphoses seemed impossible, even with one hundred nights to work on them. I glanced down at my paper to see… Continue Reading
A small hand squeezed my own over our compartment’s handrail. “Look, Daddy — lellephants!” She smiled, radiantly. “I see them.” I tousled her eternally knotty hair as she continued to stare in wonder at the giant African mammals. Or were… Continue Reading
Matthew and John met under the Fourth Street bridge as they often did. But this was no ordinary meeting. Tonight was a special occasion. Each man carried a cardboard box under his arm which had been wrapped up in great… Continue Reading
He was a legend spoken of in hushed tones in dark, sweaty halls. A champion boxer, a Grand Prix winner, an expert marksman and an eater of ghosts. But he was known only by his moniker in the 3-character high… Continue Reading
A sudden blanket of sunlight nearly dragged the exhausted companions to their knees. The grips of the Endless Forest now out of reach behind them, the three proceeded west. A steady, refreshing breeze kept their spirits up, though they could… Continue Reading