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The Girl from the Caves
It was a dark and stormy night. Probably-maybe. Hamish hadn’t left the barn in a couple of days, so he wasn’t entirely sure on the weather, but it may as well have been dark and stormy. Hamish felt dark and stormy, deep in his soul. An ominous scraping sound pulled his attention away from the baby rabbits he was nurturing. They scattered to the four corners of the pen and then immediately squished into the space between Hamish and the wall he leaned against. “I have to get up,” he apologized. He could hear more scraping — a wood crate sliding across a rough-hewn wood floor —…
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The Haunted Birthday
Moonlight sparkled through the glass panes of Acheron and Nell’s bedroom. For once Nell and Ach had enjoyed a night of peace and quiet. It was Nell’s birthday, and so the other parents had ensured they got a full night’s rest. They had tucked the children in before bed, and the ones sneaking out were being monitored by the other parents. It was, for lack of a better analogy, the eye of the storm. The storm — the hundreds of children that occupied Nell’s life (not all his, but more than he had ever expected) — were the storm, and this precious moment with Ach in his arms was absolute…
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Flight of an Untamed Beast
Spence startled awake. His mind struggled to catch up with his racing heart. When he settled his breathing he could hear it: Outside, something growled deep in the night. He worked to even his breaths. Beyond their bedroom, a field of sheep bleated urgently. He leaned over the edge of the bed and pulled his small dagger off of the end table. On his other side, Hannah stirred. He turned to her, his ear fixated on the window at his back. “Did you hear that?” Hannah whispered. She looked out the window, into the thick fog of night. Spence growled, a mockery of the sound he’d heard earlier. The sheep…
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Journey of an Undone Man
About 13 years ago… Endings have a strange, circular way of feeling like beginnings. This was the beginning of an end. I lay in what some call final repose. Was I at peace with my death? In many ways, yes: I believed I deserved it, for having ruined the lives of so many I loved. Conversely, my loves lived on. My son would be alone without me, and the world continued its inexorable march toward an unknown destination: The end of times? The final solar showdown? Stardust? Whatever it was, I would no longer be part of the journey. Some of the dying feel peace, they say.…
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Vent(s)
It was Sendvish — middle of the week, no mentionable anything tying that day to anything else, and it was after school. It was because of those key factors that Nim chose that day to sneak into the boys dorm room. She used the vents. Most people tried to break in by asking a Wiccan for an appearance or invisibility spell, by using a glamour, or by transforming somehow. The problem with the vents was that they were slick. The metal curved upward and the seams, forged by dwarves, were as close to non-existence as possible. This is where magic came into play. Nim used sticky Undine scales, a trademark…
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The Bridge Home
It was a starlit morning. As the sun rose from deep beneath the eastern mountains, Rylena made her way through the pixie village. Each morning she checked on those who came down from their treehouses to greet her, to greet the day. She looked up at the stars as she felt Konrad’s mind awaken. Good morning my love, she greeted him. Good morning, Konrad replied — their minds linked by thought. Rylena stopped at a booth with fresh pink fruits filled with juice. She offered a coin to a young girl who sat behind the basket. The girl took the coin and offered her a large plump fruit. “Thank you,”…
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Fountain of Light
Ach froze in place just outside the barn door. He’d spent the last hour or so in a casual search for Nell, but hadn’t found him yet. It was likely he worked somewhere in the back of his massive animal barn. If he went inside, Nell would see him, and he’d blush and forget how to think. The whole world would spin, grounded in Nell like he was Ach’s anchor in raging seas. He was Ach’s anchor, even in calm seas (which they usually weren’t because there were so many people in this place and Ach didn’t know most of them). But. If he didn’t go…
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The Chess Box
As a connoisseur of words, Drey favored precise language whenever possible. This day, this sentiment, these last moments bound heart-to-heart with the love of his life; this was bittersweet. They pressed their foreheads together, hands at the nape of each other’s necks, and said a final goodbye. They would live in the same home and continue to raise their children together, but the twining of their minds would unravel as— Drey gasped, as his love severed the connection. He’d anticipated something gentle, an unfurling of their essences into distinct beings once again, but all he felt was profound silence, absence. Nell was gone. Drey choked back…