“WHAT'S THAT?” Emily turned Kaleb’s way and knocked a pillow to the floor. She said it again. “Hmm?” Kaleb said, half asleep. “That noise,” Emily said. She placed her hand on Kaleb’s chest. “Do you hear that?” Kaleb took a second, rubbed his eyes, and worked his tongue around his mouth. “It’s just the wind, … Continue reading The Clearing
I SINK MY FORK into the cake slice, hot bile scalding my throat. It’s black midnight cake, the third I’ve baked this month. “I’ll eat it if you won’t,” Meg chimes from across the table. I force the cake into my mouth and swallow. She raises an eyebrow, studying me, but says nothing. There are … Continue reading Black Midnight
I HAD TO SHOOT numbers fourteen and fifteen before dawn. I started my count years before that. Government didn’t call me responsible for the thirteen I’m sure of. Even then the number seemed like an evil omen and so it was. What else could you expect from government? It creates killers by the thousands, tens … Continue reading Friend of Pig
ANDREW PAUSED near the middle of the bridge and looked downstream. The tide was low so what he saw was mostly mud and what water there was seemed mud-colored which perhaps meant that it was clear. There were a lot of birds, a lot of gulls at any rate. Dipping their heads and cackling like … Continue reading River
"'Tis time," he said, surveying the now quiet battlefield as it smoldered. "Indeed, brother," he replied, still breathless from battle. "Time to lay waste to this village and make merry in its dregs!" "Neigh, brother," there was a look of disgust on their leader's bloodied face. "Time to shift our thinking into a new and … Continue reading A Heretic
I HAD A DREAM THIS MORNING, which isn't odd since I have dreams almost every dawn. They wake me in the subtle embrace of inspiration, alongside the birds chirping outside my window. She was there, this morning. I met her again. It's amusing, isn't it?, the recurrence of an illusion. One starts to ponder the … Continue reading The Dream I Had This Morning