She had first seen him in the ruins in Berlin, trailing Sadie's point man. His power, dimmed in the course of day, still cast hard shadows outside her position. She dropped down silently behind him in an explosion of magic, the ordinary stillness of the w…

"Okay, so... Yeah. We've got this." Captain Gaia looked us over. "Hero Corps, let's..."

"Uh, question." Even I couldn't believe I had spoken up, never mind that I had just interrupted Captain Gaia!

He stared at me for a moment. "Is this going to tak…

Astarlane glanced away as Tenever broke his connection to the Lux Aeterna. She could see him from the corner of her vision, his flesh merely a cloak wrapped around a flare of primordial light summoned by his spirit.

Something deep within her own self res…

Tenever slipped off the battered blanket and folded it neatly away, careful not to look at Sadie. Far in the distance, the disorientatingly blurry horizon swam - a constant reminder of the hostile environment they remained in.

He pulled a slim book bound…

Seventeen dwarves rounded the corner in clown make-up looking like what can only be described as demented. Ten of them still had napkins tucked into their collars. Seven wielded forks. One swung a turkey leg menacingly then paused to take another greasy b…

The day was sunny, warm, but the slight breeze made it tolerable. Half the town seemed to be at the park. Laura treated her daughter Madelyn and her babysitter Lena to a picnic at the park.

"I know it's your day off, but I wanted to celebrate and you're …

The flames licked the boys' fleeing boots.

The small kitchen fire had spread into a mighty blaze that was threatening to consume the orphanage. The sounds of panic and alarm from the other residents were drowned out by the roar of the flames surroundi…

Dave’s sister answered the phone with a cheery hello.

“I’ve talked to him,” Mara said, skipping the social niceties. “He’ll get in touch with you soon.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Jo asked. Belligerence was clearly a family trait.

“If he doesn’t, then he’…

Captain's log, ship's day 8483

Our number is 88 now. Lisa gave birth this morning.

Backyard Bob got the power back on and I have made the decision to switch on the receiver. It is a considerable expenditure of power, but with much of the ship missing th…

Captain's log, ship's day 8482

I, Fleance Conor Norton, hereby assume command of the generation ship Hope. Let the record state that Captain Kettering performed his duties with dignity and honor, and willingly surrendered himself to the recyclers. Ther…

Captain's log, ship's day 8472

I wish we could fix the attitude control. The tumbling is making me dizzy.

Finally figured out where we were losing the atmosphere from. Backyard Bob is working on a patch for it and says he'll be done in about two hours. …

In the past, it had always been an acknowledgement-in-the-abstract that hope and despair are two sides of the same coin. But it is far more vivid, visceral and horrifying to have the truth of the thing.

I looked back, previously, and regretted the presen…

The street was busy, noisy. People traveled quickly because the dark alleys snaking away hid secrets they refused to acknowledge. Cars honked impatiently as lights turned green and pedestrians clogged the crossings.

For hours, days, weeks, months, he sat…

"Hey, Tinkerbell!" Nudge catcalled.

"Stop calling ME THAT!" Tink's glow turned red and she hovered above her twin Wink.

"It's the only way I can tell you apart! You two look alike."

The truth was, Wink was a cerulean blue and rather stout, not to mention…

In the fog, shapes are unclear. Shadows move in and out of wisps of gray; darker spaces undulate close and fade back into the swirls. My senses are alert, but every soft breeze sends panic down my spine. I close my eyes and put my hands out.

There is no…

I've lost myself again.

This is not how I pictured my life would be.

These moments when I am supposed to be in control are careening out of my grasp. It's not a wild ride, either. It's like a slow plummet. You can see exactly how it will happen and the…

It was one of those days where things happened, and you did stuff, but it felt like your focus was off. You did what you knew how to do, but you missed the point of doing it.

Other people noticed, so you felt self-conscious and guilty and ashamed of you…

They say that when a door closes, a window opens. I stood so long at the closing door, pushing, shoving, finally hearing it latch, and lamenting my plight, I forgot to look for a window.

Above my head just out of reach was my escape. It wasn't until the …

My snow is grey and never white

It glows and slowly drifts from sight

I watch it fall and breathe the scent

And never wondered where it went

My fog is thin and never fills

It floats and swirls where e'er it wills

I watch the clouds and trace the streams

…

"Knock, knock, drow!"

Billy rapped his knuckles upon the kitchen door one day, shortly after Selura left for supplies. Hraz'Elarion had been left alone in the kitchen. Until now.

"So, this is where you've been hiding, is it?" Billy advanced menacingly…

Yellow: the safety, a thing I can touch

White: it will burn, but not yet, as such

Orange: and glowing, inhale and beware

Grey: the remainder, exhaled into air

With precise synchronization, the drones broke through the fog that covered the Woodland forest canopy. Dew sprayed from the conglomeration of insect-like machines as a cloudburst. And the sound of thousands of whirling fans echoed through the trees.

The…

"Roger, follow director."

Despite the automation inherent to the Cordova-class light carriers, there was still magic to be had in the time-honoured tradition of having a human being wave you down the rails - even if the launch sequence was fully automate…

Coffee collects on the tongue. Fingers press the tired eyes; their hand slides over the nose and onto the cheek. Digits extend over one eye, the other eye opens.

Attempting to Establish Connection to Remote System

A swallow. Status grids; motionless, …

Well you know I'm the seasoning of our discontent

Y'all're killin our kids and you say it's well meant

If you think that "All Lives Matter," lemme see you help my brother

You see he wasn't doin anything when they tazed him and his mother

Just BAM, zip zap…