The predicted five centimetres of snow turned out to be fifteen. Most of Southern Ontario had been blanketed. My dad and sisters shivered and brushed flakes off each other, and me, at the back of the church. Not exactly the… Continue Reading
Carter McCall never considered himself much of one for company until this Christmas, when the familiarity of a house full of people during the holidays was completely absent. Years past, he would make token appearances at the family gatherings at… Continue Reading
A glowing wife wraps a “Baby’s First Christmas” bib for her husband’s stocking. *** Sean bashes his rattle against his wooden high chair. His parents dance close to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” *** Sean leaps onto his sleeping parents shrilling,… Continue Reading
I hate driving in snow, Margret thinks as she dumps a bag of ornaments onto the passenger seat of her car. She doesn’t even know why she does this. David’s been gone six years now, and their spoiled brat children… Continue Reading
Howling wind clawed at the house and forced a chill through a crack under the front door. Ice crystals beat against the windows and the lights dimmed. “Looks like you’ll be missing a week of school.” Kit looked up from… Continue Reading
Someone took the red bench in the park where the old men of Coldwater once sat broadcasting their thinning memories on low cackling voices. They naturally migrated to the spot where the bench had been affixed to a square of… Continue Reading
When my phone rings, I don’t expect it to be Amy. She never enters my mind when I pick up. Each time I see her name on the screen, it’s a surprise. Each time, I’ve forgotten, and then I remember… Continue Reading
Fall ushered in with a bountiful pumpkin harvest. I, in particular, was a fine specimen, an orange orb sitting among twisted vines and lopsided pumpkins. I weighed thirty-pounds, a perfect sphere, with hardly a blemish, which is highly unusual in… Continue Reading
Thunder rumbled again from the southwest. The broad, two story house with its warm porch light might welcome him. But if a runaway had knocked on his front door long after midnight, his dad would greet the unlucky boy with… Continue Reading
“Emma, no!” she gasped, her own voice awakening her. Not again. Usually the Ambien knocked her out enough to escape this recurring nightmare, but tonight her sister had invaded even her pink pill dreams. Avery pulled off her eye mask… Continue Reading