Innocent? Ha! If actions speak louder than words, she was loud and proud. Finally! Her children teased her about being a pushover, but not this time. This time she’d gotten it right. She was sure of it. Well, she’d been… Continue Reading
Flame is deep in thought this morning as she stands by a river that flows leisurely behind the film set. Often a voracious eater, a pile of uneaten fish lays by her feet. *** “Gentleheart, you are a dragon. The… Continue Reading
“It’s called Nyepi,” she read aloud from a brochure in their bungalow. “Day of Silence. From 6 a.m. tomorrow to 6 a.m. the next day there is no working, no shopping, no Internet, no electricity. We shouldn’t speak unless absolutely… Continue Reading
For a while, Simon thought he was a tortoise too. He was green, and pretty, and liked to bask in the sun. But there was no denying the obvious: even the tortoise’s lethargic pace was faster than Simon could go.… Continue Reading
The girl on the corner has made paper cranes for as long as anyone can remember. Last month, one of them came to life. Now live cranes are everywhere. Walking our crowded street, pecking at litter for scraps of value.… Continue Reading
Every day my head nurse, Mindy, was mean to me. She always gave me the hardest assignments — the patient who yelled “help me” constantly, or the one with explosive diarrhea. Every night, I cried myself to sleep as my… Continue Reading
Mort Slavin rushed through the kitchen when he saw someone stumble outside his house. In his haste, he ran full force into the dining room table, doubled over trying to catch his breath, and by the time he got to… Continue Reading
She was a ghost. A voice called out, “Elle?” Elle turned her head, where she saw a nurse standing by the door, looking into the room that housed Elle, her father, and the admissions specialist. Elle stood up, but it… Continue Reading
I’m lying on the floor of the playroom. The ugly carpet is scratchy against my face, my nose is running and my sinuses are playing a drum solo. I rub my cheek back and forth: It keeps me awake. I… Continue Reading
When I was young my brother left for the war. He died several months after in action. He was a hero by all standards. Incredibly jealous was I, but I was born wrong and would forever be denied. A year… Continue Reading