He lifted his head, unscrewed the top of the whiskey and took a big swig of it, holding it in his mouth for a moment to savor the taste that only good whiskey can provide before swallowing it in an attempt to make the girl disappear.

"I'm not going anywh…

The thunder boomed and the lightening flashed.

Unfortunately the Finnish god Ukko's heart just wasn't into it tonight.

Sure, there were ships on the Baltic sea he could tip over with rogue waves and sheer winds, but why? What was the point?

He felt los…

He hoped for a message. Something that would reassure him that they were still there. That things were OK. That plans were still in motion.

He got nothing.

Day after day he hoped the same hope and was met with silence. Well, not silence, but they were n…

He aligned the glyphs in his head in a manner that he thought made sense. He drew them out onto a piece of paper and realized that they didn't.

He had been having trouble deciphering this language for months. Being the head of linguistics for the univers…

Bartholomew and Nicholas knew the time to hit the road was coming.

It was that season. Not only that, but the road was calling to them in a language few could understand.

They sold farm tools out of an old hearse. Not the most glamorous of jobs but a jo…

Blue is one of the most deceptive colors. It hides.

Not only does it like to hide, but it likes to taunt you from its hiding spot. You may think blue likes to be found but it doesn't. It likes its secrecy. It likes the power that secrecy provides.

Sure,…

"You drink too much" she said to him. "Or not enough. I guess it depends on what you are going for."

"I'm going for the 'forgetting my misery'" he said with a sigh.

"What you need to do is write more. Especially if you are drinking. All the great writin…

She was startled to notice they weren't icicles but tears. The Ice Queen didn't understand this emotion of "sadness." She'd certainly heard of it before, but she was quite certain she had never experienced it. Everyone said her heart was as cold as ice, b…

Story is marked as mature

The pressure and light pushed reality to a distant howling sense in the first few seconds. Then the body begins to recover, a survival form of efficiency.

Hable gripped the steering column like a lifeline. Through it he felt the vibration of the craft hu…

Alcohol.

Water.

Lime.

Salt.

The mixture looked like diluted blood.

It tasted like flat soda mixed with antiseptic.

It burned.

Every chewed fingernail, every crack in those dry lips, the bloodshot eyes, the sleep deprived mind, all burned.

He was split be…

One final question escapes her lips.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Her own voice is deafening, enhanced by the Weight she bears. It thunders down the alley, bouncing off the walls. The ringing returns to her ears, nearly drowning out his answer.

"You'll know soon enou…

"But, Bearers are supposed to be heroes," she stammers, that note of confusion returning to her voice. "We don't fight each other. We fight monsters. We fight evil. We push back the darkness wherever we find it. That is our purpose and our calling. …

She turns to face her assailant, who stares her down mere steps away in the alley, smug expression fixed on his face.

"You," she says, a puzzled tone to her voice. "You're a Bearer?" His response is to spread his arms wide and grin even wider, as if to s…

Olivia hits the ground with a sickening crunch, but she barely feels it. Her vision is swimming, her ears ringing, and it takes her a moment to realize she's landed left hip on the pavement, her arms supporting her upper torso. Her jaw throbs with a dull …

It was the smell of geraniums that called it to mind again after all these years. My kid had picked a handful for me. I got a whiff of them and the years peeled back.

I had to water the garden, and I loved the geraniums best. I sang to them, I read them…

The child sits at the base of the tree, silently weeping. Her arms are crossed over her upraised knees, her face buried in her arms. Tears fall from her cheeks, staining her pants and the soil on which she sits. A few even land on the tree roots.

A gentl…

Grey hairs come from stress

Silver comes from wisdom

White hair, righteousness

And baldness if you miss them

One of the hardest lessons I've learned is that some things you can control, and some things you can't. With that lesson came the realization that accepting what you can and cannot control will make you happier.

For example, I cannot control the attitude…

Story is marked as mature

Friday. Sunny, cool under the shade of tall oaks. Breezy. The park was calm in this early hour where most are just starting their workday. Perfect for running.

Not perfect for crying alone at a picnic table.

He saw her halfway through the first lap. The…

"What kind of like?"

The kind that drives a childish desire to be clever. To be recognized as smart and interesting so I can be worth your attention.

The kind that makes me fear that perhaps you are just nice and put up with my shenanigans not because …

My ring grew ice cold. I hid it under my leg. I wasn't sure if it would glow in the dark theater, but I wasn't about to chance it.

I leaned towards my boyfriend, laying my head on his shoulder until the ring warmed up. He knew I had it and what it meant,…

"DRAW"

Launcher's voice echoed over the amplifier.

The box began to descend into what miners called the slingshot. The similarity in operation was not far off.

From the lowest seat, Hable glared upward at the two extra passengers. He wasn't the only one.…

"Launcher we can't bring these dods on a drop."

"No choice, I'm ordered, now you are. They're researchers from a university across the gap. Something about looking for ancient structures."

Hable's eyes went wide in disbelief, then fury. "You joshing me? T…