A blanket of death warms her feet. Only Grandfather knows the moment: Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. Alive but not living, she waits. Memories float like autumn leaves, twirling on the wind. Gliding tranquility of twilight. Calls to a little boy are answered by the touch of man. Yes, pull the blanket up. How kind. Tick-tock, tick-tock, […]
“Dr. Olivia, come quick!” Andre yells into the subterranean chamber. Dr. Olivia Seaton studies a recent find of carvings—beasts never known to have lived in this high region of Peru called the Marcahuasi plateau, an intriguing and mysterious land—odd and eerie at times—especially when tumescent clouds tumble in to cover the village a few kilometers […]
The Master lifts the hem of his orange robes and feels the soft grass beneath his feet as he makes his way toward Eido, who stands ankle deep in the river waving at him —smiling brightly enough to please the sun. “Master. Look at these black rocks so perfectly polished by the water,” Eido says […]
Red Bird visits her again—the same red bird she remembered guarding her passage through the womb and the same red bird that appeared to her as a child when hands of evil sometimes covered her. Those days are gone, she thinks. Yet the sweat soaking her sleep shirt says otherwise. They claim she […]
A golden orange sun melts behind the plains of Africa as we sit before a fire Nimbu has prepared. Cinnamon, cloves and coriander simmer our lamb sacrifice into tender acquiescence, softly bubbling in a worn black cauldron, like an offering placed before heaven’s dusky cluster of stars. Tomorrow we reach the Wadi Sora […]
Daisy loves the coffee shop. She walks a few steps, wobbling on summer heels as she balances a steamy, teeny porcelain cup of overpriced espresso, even though she prefers cheap black coffee from her favorite chipped mug at home. When the “Regulars” go to “their” table to discuss important things like trendy […]
“Take that one,” Evelyn orders. “Which one?” I ask. “The one in the case next to the woman wearing the blue scarf.” “Why that one? It’s the most expensive one in the store and it’s one-of-a-kind. It’s too risky.” “It isn’t if you have the right attitude,” she answers. “I […]
The Master & The Student By B.A. Crisp The Master lifts the hem of his orange robes as plush green grass cushions his aching feet. Ah, so soft, he thinks. He makes his way toward Eido, who stands ankle deep in the river, smiling brightly enough to please the sun. Oh, how the Master wished he […]
Inspired by a true story From his seat Dan watched the other deputies and waited for briefing to end. It had been a long night of police calls in Immokalee—a sixteen-hour swing shift of domestic disputes, drunkards, and drug dealing. This landlocked town, tucked miles from opportunity, among Florida’s mangroves and muck, languished on […]
I’ll admit it. I have a problem. The Week. It’s the “Best of U.S. and International Media” that arrives at our office, compliments of a colleague. Once I spy a copy, I disappear into the comfort of my favorite coffee shop and devour its contents, savoring each morsel of news as if it were fine chocolate—or a forbidden Playboy. Yes, The Week, is that good!
