I walk in its shade, its shadow. The sun cowers meekly behind the imposing monolith, a testament to society and order. My footprints lie vaguely in my wake, brushed by the desert winds. My parched throat longs for relief; my legs wail and gnash in pain. W…

For weeks, the nightmare has been the same. The way the child's head snapped back, the scream of the mother as she cradled the lifeless form. For days I didn't even know if it was a boy or girl.

The officer's gun. It was an impulse move. I saw my torment…

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 …

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, …

"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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

There was a silent explosion of glittering light that swept through the forest in a radiant blast.

Orthael was thrown aside, tumbling away in a dreadful kinematic arc. Orthael swayed but held on, enfolding the girl under ghostly wings of supernatural glo…

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…