Every day after morning chores, after kissing his mother goodbye, after leaving his little brother and sister to sleep comfortably and dream a little longer, Felix swallows a cold dipper of water from the well and trudges the long miles… Continue Reading
The snow was cold under her bare feet, but her notice of it was cursory, lacking any real emotional response. She could only really attend to one thing at a time and right now, that one thing was her aching… Continue Reading
Tommy bolted out of the parking garage elevator as soon as the door opened. A man waiting outside the elevator stood with mouth agape as he watched the toddler fly past him. I dashed after my son. Clad in a… Continue Reading
My patrol had taken longer than I had anticipated, and I returned at dusk, the cold December air clinging to me as I snuck back into the house. After weeks of spying, I finally had the intel from the last… Continue Reading
The priest stood knee-deep in the shallow water of the bay, watching his town burn. He’d been awakened by the guns at dawn, forced to flee soon after. It was late afternoon but still they blazed on, though the siege… Continue Reading
At 2 am on 30 June, 1890, Nicola Tesla walked from the Waldorf-Astoria on Park Avenue to Central Park. A lone horse-cab clopped past. To register his bid for the title Mr Ultimate Power, he needed four statues of the… Continue Reading
I perch on the rim of a clay pitcher. Water is inside. I can smell it. I am thirsty. I grip the rim of the pitcher with my claws, tense my legs, and duck my head down. My beak cannot… Continue Reading
The deputy said the snow where Uncle Jake had broken his neck is interesting. Over by Harper’s cabin a jay is harping and there are flashing red and blue LED lights on top of all of the sheriff cars and… Continue Reading
They started with our children. A shrewd move on their part. Many parents were glad when their child walked calmly into the centre of the flock, rather than chasing, limbs flailing. Some were perturbed that their little livewire now crouched… Continue Reading
The wrens came in early March, building a nest of twigs within the ivy that grew in a twisted cascade from the old butter churn planter in Barbara’s sunroom. The old woman took to watching them, her face hovering scant… Continue Reading