The insistent ringing of the telephone on my bedside cabinet wakened me from a deep sleep. Fumbling in the dark, I looked at the alarm clock and groped for the receiver. “Ullo,” I slurred. “Hi, you called for a plumber,”… Continue Reading
Every afternoon, Oscar took his walk through the gardens of the Eastland Park Assisted Living Center. Despite dragging his right foot like a reluctant dance partner, he enjoyed watching the daffodils give way to the tulips, the pansies yield to… Continue Reading
He hated to be here. The stalls were uneven, some narrow, some wide, some with a draw curtain, many with a rope stretched side to side with hanging rags on that rope as a door front. Many looked like they… Continue Reading
There was uncertainty in the land, as the great empires of Asia and Europe sought to win the allegiance of a bachelor monarch. Not that the King took any notice. Henri-Luc the Third, the Most Christian Majesty of France, was… Continue Reading
Another bum from the neighborhood. Not me, no way. The only peeps for me are the successful, the heroes, heroes in suits, in shades, in shiny new Mercedes, the ones who work hard and never live ordinary but fight, ache,… Continue Reading
Smoke started coming out of the Corolla’s vents on the freeway and I was still in my costume. To make matters worse, I couldn’t fly. Since Mom kicked me out I had been living at the Sunrise Motel and spending… Continue Reading
“You’re sure you can get me in to see the band?” Lila Dawkins asks, biting her bottom lip. Four young men with swooped hairstyles and smoldering gazes are plastered across her jacket sleeves, a white tee-shirt with the word costume… Continue Reading
Austin Severs came to with a gasp. He didn’t feel the first lick of pain. What in the high hell? He’d been stabbed. Clean through the heart. By the serrated pincer of a Neptunian warlord that other Austin Severs had… Continue Reading
I saw it while taking out the garbage, the biggest beetle I’d ever seen. It lay on its back, black and shiny like plastic wrap. The insect kicked its segmented legs in the air like a futile attempt to ride… Continue Reading
It’s a lot like it is on TV. I hoped it would be. Only, in real life, no one glows green. That happens from the night-vision cameras they use. The cameras make everyone look like phosphorescent, sea-foam demons. In real… Continue Reading