Dusk shrouded the landscape in dense shadows as the moon peeped through the cloud cover on October 31st in the Pacific Northwest. It was a night rife with the mysterious. “Halloween!” shouted young children, moving stealthily, like criminals, down the sidewalks of the rural conclave of Mercer, Washington. In each little hand was clutched a goodie […]
Drayla, aged 6, carefully made her way down the steep concrete steps leading to the backyard of the home that her parents had just purchased. Arriving safely at the base of the flight, she looked out curiously at the dense verdant woods fronting the property. At her approach, flocks of starlings fluttered into the azure […]
Here it was, almost nine o’clock already, thought Otto, an old man living on a pension in Edgewood, Washington, a small hamlet south and east of Seattle. Observing that it was inky black outside at this time of night, Otto flipped on the back porch light and waited for “them” to arrive. He shuffled to […]
Molly was roused from sleep in her chair at the computer by a scruffing sound arising from the fireplace. Something was amiss. She looked around first for her pet cat, Freya, but found her asleep on the bearskin rug before the hearth, snoring softly. Some watchcat, thought Molly with mild annoyance. But, at least Freya […]
The bees’ knees were clattering noisily as they leaped from one flower to the next. So noisy were they that Tofu, the inimitable squirrel, who was the king of all he surveyed, was distracted in his search for acorns and nuts. “Silly Bees,” he scoffed impatiently. “What’s wit’ you, squirrel?” asked Darvon, a bumblebee, annoyed. […]
When I was younger, I lived by a wide canal. In the mornings, the sun rose like a long gold ball on the water. The drawbridge was next to my house and when the bridge went up, the cars lined down the road waiting for the bridge to close. When the bridge went down, the […]
Meryl stood with her two sisters, peeping through the display window of the candy shop, and silently observing the striking array of sweets which were perched upon beautiful crystal dishes and vivid red skirting. Meryl licked her pink lips. At her side stood Wendy who, at seven, was three years younger. And next to Wendy […]
“What are you doing?” Father asked. Billy removed the mirror from under his chin. “I’m imagining what the world would be like upside down,” Billy explained. “You’d have to lift your feet to walk through doorways.” “If gravity stopped, we’d all be dead,” Father said. “Nothing would keep us from flying right out into space, […]