"What's your sign?!"

"Piss off, Elise."

As I returned home, I was stunned to see that my house was full of lights and sound of merriment. The wedding that had called me away scarce had as much excited activity. It had only been eight days or so but even from the road, I could see the house was …

"Wait, so, she ran away from her husband into the arms of another man. That's adultery," concluded Sonia.

"But, her husband was raping her. He only sees her as a possession he's entitled to by law," argued Monica.

"Ew. I'd run away, too. Can't she get a s…

The Archangel of Sparks.

Malika had heard of this, but she had never actually witnessed it. She had never been a devout follower of the Church, and her local vicar had never, to her knowledge, before summoned an aspect of any of the three Archangels. He …

It closed its eyes and roared.

"Sacrilege! Blasphemy! Desecration! The Aldergods will destroy you utterly for this. You will be fodder for their entertainment. Perhaps even the Gilder- and Bolgurgods will--"

"Enough," I replied mildly. Its mouth clamped…

No invitations went out, none that I sent or saw anyway, but as the summer waned, travelers began trickling in. They stopped by with reasons to suit the individual: curiosity, rest, even for a cup of tea. They stopped and then they were gone. Each time my…

It had been fourteen days.

Two weeks.

A fortnight.

It didn't feel like it had been that long.

It felt like it had been much longer.

I remembered it like it was yesterday, yet it felt like a lifetime ago.

I remembered clearly, the looks on their faces, …

Open the bag, use your best scoop.

Prepare your keyboard and your mill. Each bean is a notion, an image, a memory. An inspiration.

Grind the words in bursts, then pour the fragmented syllables, letters, and phonemes into the basket.

In goes the hot water…

The universe let out a sigh and breathed for the first time it seemed. Like it had been holding its breath through out every epoch of history waiting for this one singular moment in time to happen.

Its breath was baited. If it had eyes in the traditional…

Thermu burst into the parlor without knocking, her voice raised in excitement.

"Esma! I found it! I finally found-"

Esma turned with a panicked smile and owl-wide eyes from her seat in the wingback chair. Across from her sat a sharply dressed man with lon…

On clear nights you could see the distant glimmering pinpricks of light denoting the city's presence. It was tucked away amongst deep mountain ridges and thickly forested land, with hints of water hidden in the surroundings.

The view was beautiful this ti…

"I did warn you."

"You've seen my underwear before."

"Yes, but not in the open air. On the highest hill in the county."

"It's windy. I'm a web designer: my wardrobe is a bit thin in the hiking skirts department."

"A lack we are clearly going to have to ad…

It's dark and the rats are eating my sleep. They feast on my lack growing fat and fearless. I've been in bed for three hours, tossing and turning, and each time I slide from consciousness into that darkened stage of the first dream, the crinkle of paper o…

A silent journey home.

Foxglove came over when she spotted us. "Noleka, what-"

"Please don't call me that."

Foxglove tilted her head. "What?"

"Don't call me that name. I don't want it anymore."

"But Noleka, that's your na-"

"Not anymore. Please. Call me T…

"Who be you," Malika whispered once more, her head leaning still against the stranger's chest. "Orthael you may be. Paladin you may be. But you be not like the others who would have come before, the others who would have seen me yet not seen me. They be c…

The Watchers tell me you departed some time ago, that you walked into the tunnel by yourself armed with nothing but your pack, walking stick, and a lantern. An incredible risk, if you ask me, given what we both know lurks there in the dark. But I know you…

You've called. Sent me letters. Begged me back. Explained how stars have decided our lives are meant to be intertwined.

But I don't want to be your girl no more.

Go home, sweetheart. Take a deep breath and take care of yourself and move on. You can't ta…

Around her, the air glowed with imaginary light.

A scintillating galaxy of text, artwork, and signage drifted just above every surface, ethereal and invisible without compatible hardware.

It ran up walls and windows, across sidewalks and streets. The gr…

Some love a challenge; others choose

To wield a tool that's quick to use.

But as for me, I want a prompt,

Some sylvan glade where no one's romped

Before--a snowy field to mark up

And love the night, then give the dark up.

I shun the the less-resistant r…

The wastes are not empty. They are bleak, harsh, even dangerous, but people make a living out here. Some say an inferior race lives like animals. This proved untrue, becoming my saving grace.

I encountered a band of hunters. They were wary, but led me ba…

Sophie Claire was far from a damsel in distress, so she didn't cry out when the rust and gunmetal colored 357 Smith and Wesson blew a gaping chasm in Earnie's torso. She had driven a stake through his chest with a hand maul while he slept, to no avail, …

Story is marked as mature

You've heard the expression, "Everywhere you go, there you are." Well, I've got a variation for you.

"Everywhere I go, there you are."

Frankly, I'm getting tired of it. At first I thought it was just me. You know, how you see a familiar face in a cr…

I lay down for bed and turn out the lamp, but I still can't sleep. It's the light behind my eyes that keeps me awake. The room may be pitch black, I may cover my eyes, squeeze them shut as tight as I can. It doesn't matter. There's still that light behind…

I sat hunched over my glass of whiskey. It was a double. It had to be. No other amount would do.

She was out of my life. I wished her well, but I couldn't help but worry for her, a person I felt so deeply for.

I mourned her as if she were dead.

I lifte…