It was a good year for flowers. My parents’ flower farm was small petunias compared to the big players in the game, but it provided a decent living for them and me and my brothers. We didn’t have the massive… Continue Reading
When Ella Marie first woke up one morning with a rechargeable desk fan for a head, she found it infuriating that nobody noticed the change. Her husband’s calm, breakfast-in-mouth greeting of “You look lovely as always, dear,” made her want… Continue Reading
The Transylvania Express rocked and rattled through the Romanian darkness. Despite the name, it was a slow train running on Soviet-era rails. Anastasia, a twenty-five-year-old hospice nurse, was returning to her compartment at midnight when she bumped into her great-great-grandfather.… Continue Reading
How do you kill a vampire? It was a question Grigore Nicolau first asked when he was 4 years old. He was hardly unique. Many of the boys he knew growing up in his hometown wondered the same. There was… Continue Reading
We left on a Thursday. I remember because I didn’t want to miss Law and Order. Before we left, we watched that show together a lot, mostly on the couch, falling asleep while bodies turned up in alleyways and Ice-T… Continue Reading
“Mages and mercenaries, gamblers and guild masters, welcome to the 83rd mayoral debate of this fine city of Aleshire!” The well-dressed and portly announcer’s voice magically reverberated to the edges of the crowd. Arms raised, the three-foot tall man stood… Continue Reading
“Fouro.” “Yes, Master.” “There’s something we need to talk about.” “I’m listening, Master.” “I don’t know about you, but I feel like things haven’t been working for a while now — with us. Maybe you’ve noticed it too, but—” “I… Continue Reading
Time to get going! My mother was calling from the kitchen. I turned over in bed and watched her stride into my room in her brisk way and pull the curtains open. The morning sun poured in. We have places… Continue Reading
I used to visit Aunty Sash on Saturdays. My mother was glad to have a ten-year-old out of the house for the day. I enjoyed it because Aunt Sash fed me on cake and Corona which was a kind of… Continue Reading
The sun shone bright in the small southern California town’s blue sky. The fall wine festival was in full swing. A local band plucked their guitar strings and happy couples strolled by, holding wine glasses. Families walked together, enjoying their… Continue Reading