Sienna in a Coffee Shop

The barista smiled at Sienna as she took her cup of coffee. She smiled back, though it didn’t feel genuine. She was not unhappy, not exactly, but it took effort to bring that smile to the surface. A maelstrom of emotions swirled around her heart, making it difficult to focus on the present. Sienna took … Continue reading Sienna in a Coffee Shop →

Bull

“Hey Ty, did you hear about Margot?” I was a bit taken aback by Stephanie’s first words of the morning. Usually they’re something along the lines of “Hello” or “Good morning.” To be accosted by new words on a Tuesday morning, a time I’ve spent years developing into a perfect routine, threw me slightly off … Continue reading Bull →

Arriette

The first clue came from the missing food. It was easy to miss, because their visitor didn’t eat much, or quickly. Perhaps, during the course of a day, a berry or two and a single nut might go missing. Perhaps the sugar lid might be put back slightly askew, with a pattern raked into it … Continue reading Arriette →

A Face They Never Knew

Maybe it wasn’t a real betrayal, but it certainly felt like one at the time. I suppose, if I force myself to be accurate and I think about it from their side, I have to admit that it’s unlikely they intended to even hurt me, let alone inflict on me such feelings of hurt and … Continue reading A Face They Never Knew →

Two Gods

This is how my grandfather began his story. “There was once, long ago, a war between two gods.” My sister Marin and I listened intently, because our grandfather always told good stories, sometimes about knights and princesses, sometimes about dwarfs and witches. We sat on the carpet in front of my grandfather’s recliner next to … Continue reading Two Gods →

In My Hands

My grandfather’s sword looked far different in my hands than it had upon the wall, where it had hung for more years than I could count — for more years than I had been alive, in fact. I never knew my grandfather. He passed away before I was born. My grandmother always said it was … Continue reading In My Hands →

Niqa’s Longing

Niqa longed for home more frequently and with greater intensity than she desired anything else. She didn’t understand her longing, either, for even when she was within the walls of her house, curled in her bed, she found herself pining for home. It came as an ache in her chest, a tired, hollow feeling that … Continue reading Niqa’s Longing →

Enneagram

I've written some about the Guardians of Lora on Aia. You can find those stories, and a few others that take place on Aia, through the Directory. My struggle on Aia has been in determining who the villain is, because I started with primarily a concept of who the "good guys" are. This is my first … Continue reading Enneagram →

Glacier

The first time they touched, Darius was taken aback by the the frigid cold of Krystal’s skin. Touching her felt like making contact with a dry, fleshy ice cube. She had no warmth to her at all, which surprised Darius. From a distance, Krystal gave no hint at the cold within her: she was always … Continue reading Glacier →

Bookstore

Lyla’s bookstore burned down. She left the house every morning at the same time, 7:15, so that she could open the door at 8:00. She had an obsessive need to make sure the store was completely in order before any customers arrived, despite the fact that she usually stayed at least half an hour after … Continue reading Bookstore →