Charlie’s never seen me burn lamb chops, but he’s grown outraged over less, and over nothing at all. “Budweiser!” he screams into the phone. “What do you mean I can’t cancel the dispatch? That’s my code word! … I don’t… Continue Reading
When I was 4 years old, my dad said, “Your grandfather is a bird.”Imagine my surprise. He pointed out our kitchen window to the dark specks in our backyard and said, “Like a crow, or a magpie.” I didn’t understand… Continue Reading
Against the wishes of his family, a man married a ghost. He threw a great reception in a ballroom left pitch black. His new bride twirled and swirled upon the dance floor in her gown of spiderwebs, glowing slightly and… Continue Reading
After my promotion, the pay cheque didn’t look quite right sat in my account. The rent wasn’t going to make a dent in it, and the same figure would be arriving next month. And the month after. My head felt… Continue Reading
She’d heard cannon fire before. One never forgot that thunder cracking the quiet of day. Disembarking ships leaving Philadelphia would sometimes salute. And of course there were those occasional times the local militia would muster with their small brass field… Continue Reading
Listen, children, and hear the tale of Bramblewood and how it came to change seasons by the hours of the day. There was in the 2nd Century Edgar IV, the King of Pennsylvania, a vain and childless ruler who claimed… Continue Reading
Since the day the two aliens — an organic form and a machine from the Black Eye galaxy, a spiral galaxy some 17 million light years away — appeared on Earth, Alex Cariddi had been cursing the day he started… Continue Reading
Ms. Marken, the substitute teacher, was doing a math demonstration. Julie had finished the entire math unit two days before, so that was boring. Instead, Julie had taken out her Kindle and was ignoring the sub in the spirit of… Continue Reading
Her home was not a reflection of herself. Its walls didn’t exude her humor, wit, or pastimes. Shia was the result of a culture she didn’t belong to, its customs rooted in pop culture references and hip-hop. I can remember… Continue Reading
When Martin walked into The Thirsty Mermaid, the bar was damn near empty. The bartender, a young, chiseled Hispanic man, gave him a nod while two old drunkards at opposite ends of the bar stared into the bottom of their… Continue Reading