The Journal

Books smell great. Well, most of them. Some have an acidic tang that burns the nostrils. Most books, however, appeal to the nose. Paperbacks tend to be dry and dusty, while textbooks smell of printing press and computer lab. Every bound volume has its own aroma, a blend of its origins and all points thereafter. [...]

Ogre

“I’m no monster. Sure, and the wee humans go runnin’ when they see me ugly arse, but I wouldna harm a one.”
Tosh pulled tender young leaves from a plucked branch, alternately smashing them between her stubby fingers and tossing them into the breeze. Next to her, Rua concentrated on the daisy held in her delicate [...]

Night Blizzard

My toes are frozen. Sneakers don’t hold snow out, jeans invite it in. Wind shoots down my neck where there used to be a hood. If I get out of this, I won’t remove another hood ever again. I don’t care if it does look lame.
I don’t know how I’ll get back into the car. [...]

Chocolate in January

Steaming foam cups wait in two neat rows. Bowls of marshmallows sit next to a thick pile of napkins at the end of the makeshift table of a whiteboard propped across a couple of sawhorses.
“Remind me,” Mary says, “whose bright idea this was.”
I laugh and jab my thumb in our husbands’ direction. The guys are [...]

Ceramic Hearts

It shines resplendent in the soft glow of the Christmas lights. Delicate filigrees traced in gold brushstrokes sweep across the creamy ceramic surface.
“You stole my heart a long time ago,” he whispers in my ear. “I want you to have this forever, to remind you.”
I turn the heart-shaped globe over in my shaking hands. Twenty [...]

Horses Don’t Fly

“You got dewormer?”
I nod, barely looking at the customer, and lead him down the aisle. I can smell him follow. Dust, the faint tang of manure, feed, and something else I can’t identify. It’s kind of like decay and blood, but I’m not sure. Even though it’s been years since I’ve been on a farm, [...]

The Yelling

The Yelling

The Yelling. Oh, the Yelling. It’s everywhere. I can’t get out from under It, go around It, fly through It. It follows me to all corners of my life.
It’s a thing, not just something does to someone else. Most people can’t see It. I can. It’s huge and bulky, dressed in a trench coat [...]

Kell-Bell’s Regrets

Kelly wished for more. More time, more life, more. There was too much done that had to be undone, but she was out of time.
She reached for the list. Her former volleyball team was halfway down. With a frail hand, she used a pencil to etch them away. One less care. Dozens to go. Back [...]

The Dead Curmudgeon

What the hell? How dare they use my money for that!
It had been six months since they buried his coffin on the moon. Kathy knew he opposed to makingt contact. The Space Elevator was transport, not a friggin’ antenna…
☼
“The George M. Gates Trust is proud to announce a go-date for Earth’s first transmission to the [...]

The Fourth Hurdle

Recycled tired under toes, knees, hands. Metal blocks looking down a highway of obstacles. Eyes forward, straining for the end of the road.
A voice causes slight movement. Runners poised to start. Muscles tensed, ready. Over the first hurdle before the loud pop echoes away.
There are no flashes, cheers, or shouts. It is only rubber, metal, [...]