“You can sleep in my barn,” Clorinda said after stuffing him with deer meat stew and biscuits with bull berry jam. “If you go straightways to your claim instead of going back the way you came, you can be back before week’s end.” “So you won’t help us?” Pete said, staring steadfastly into his empty Continue
Tag: fantasy
The Edge of Lusk Pt. 1 (Fantasy)
The problem with the mine started the day Mike Mallone died. Mike died a slow death, innards crushed in a cave-in that was as mysterious as it was horrifying. As he lay on his cot, abdomen bloating in the late summer heat, he rambled. Pete Yetter, known as “Young Pete” to the crew, shifted from Continue
A War in Heaven Pt. 2 (Fantasy)
Lindsey skidded to a halt next to him at the corner as they waited for the crosswalk light to change. “Saint Peter?” “Yeah. Every Wednesday, he tells us what the angels need us to do. Since you passed the test, you’re on the work crew now.” Miguel’s dark eyes widened and he went stiff. “Don’t Continue
A War in Heaven Pt. 1 (Fantasy)
“There was a war in heaven.” “You’re not telling it right.” “I am so. That’s the beginning, ain’t it?” Overhead, the evening traffic on the deck of the freeway had settled into the dull hum that followed the drive time frenzy. A big semi shook the bridge, temporarily silencing the argument. Lindsey flinched as a Continue
There is no Starlight Beyond that Door (Fantasy)
“I am ready.” The master seer’s eyes searched his. Tight lipped and blank faced, he waited. “I am!” Still no reply. Around them the afternoon breeze brought over dust motes from the apprentices’ sweeping of the temple floor. Mordacai had been an eager apprentice once. He also had swept with vigor and hope, wanting to Continue
The Lost Words (Fantasy)
The great-grandmother of our great-grandmother’s grandmother first taught the lost words. We do not remember her name. She is from the before times. No one knows what generation this grandmother was from. It happened so long ago that there is no one alive who remembers someone who knew someone who was alive when it happened. Continue
Down by the River Pt. 2 (Fantasy)
Last Time: “What’s your name?” “Faina. What’s yours?” “Frankie.” And with that, he was gone again. Of course, he returned the next day like the fly to the spider. If she still had a heart, it would have sunk with worry when he complimented her on looking drier that day. “You know what I said Continue
Down by the River Pt. 1 (Fantasy)
The water was sluggish, bringing bits of flotsam to Faina’s favorite section of the riverbank. In the spring, when the river ran fast and wild, the water carved out a circular space. Every year the little pool grew deeper. In subsequent years, no doubt the cutback would crumble and the pool would vanish into the Continue
