Hannanah looks hard in the mirror
As the cracked image fades with each shallowing breath. Continue reading
transformation
COVID Cough
© Ayr/Gray
Many thanks to Jenne Gray and C.E. Ayr for their photo prompt, The Unicorn Challenge (05/24/2024). No more than 250 words in length.
I can’t say I hadn’t been warned. Miranda had told me time and again that when dealing with this particular type of book at my stage of apprenticeship, it was critical that I read carefully, and be sure to look neither backward nor forward. It would be seen as an impertinence…as if I hadn’t cared enough to pay attention the first time. Continue reading
When the River Rises and the Wind Blows High
When the Wind Blows High
Cora stretched her long neck, beak pecking the fast moving clouds in the pale sky. Twisting, she at last freed herself from her heavy, confining carapace. It’d been necessary protection against wicked solar radiation, brought on by the forebears of those singing blessings to the thin creek twisting through desert, below. Continue reading
Growing Pains
Janina sat on the stone wall of the spring-fed pool. Behind her, her father’s castle clashed with loud music, shattering glass, and women’s high-pitched giggles. Her fourteenth birthday; she was sick of it all. Continue reading
The Sun Shines on the Half-Moon Café
(Synopsis in a 9-word flash): Waitress Helen saves the day, vanquishing slimy memory monster.
The usual crowd was gathered at the Half Moon Café. Faded awnings snap in the cool October night as condensation slides down the tiny restaurant’s wide front windows.
Shelly, in her booth, flips her hair back to catch a glimpse of kitchen staff, Josh. His honestly-earned farmer’s tan flashes below his white t-shirt as he lugs a tub of dishes to the kitchen. She parts her lips. He blushes and smiles. Continue reading
Valley of the Trolls 