He had to prove that he could bring back honey. His fingers gripped the edge of the cliff as he dangled above the grasslands far below. His pack was slipping, and his best friend was only a few feet below him on the rock face. Avi hadn't wanted to bring him along, but Onath insisted. He gripped the jagged edge of the stone with his other hand and lifted himself up. His pack slipped off his back and plunged down to the sun...

A little-known tale of how a woman became the most read newspaperwoman in the world What am I to do? I am a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and can't type a lick. I am a newspaper reporter for the largest newspaper in the world. My boss entered my office and said, "Look, Lola, I know you have many accolades, including your Pulitzer Prizes. I have put you on four stories over the last month, and you have not returned a word...

How did I get here? All alone. Where is my company and my friends? Are they dead or wounded? I'm trying to clear my head from the constant bombing. I am a medic. I ran to the nearest hole made by the bombs. I covered my head and thought back to what happened. I remembered I was treating a wounded soldier. Then the shell hit nearby and knocked me over. The captain grabbed me and said, "Get out of here, run to the forest. I...

Have you ever sat inside an anechoic chamber? Just staring at the jagged peaks, troughs and asymmetrical recesses carved into foot-thick, off-white foam on all six surfaces? The irregular shapes scatter sound in all directions except yours, absorbing everything. And I mean everything. Not even my quickening breaths bounce back. The result is… eerie. Isolating. Downright oppressive. The claustrophobic nothingness swamps ev...

The cattle drive was over and the men had drawn their pay – was time to lose those weeks of blues and to find a place to stay. They wandered past an old saloon built of wood and rusted tin – a place where scamps and saddle tramps came to gamble, drink and sin. The place was filled with drovers who had just come off the trail, a ranch’s crew, a drunk or two, and a boy who’d just made bail. The air was hot and humid and a b...

Two days had gone by. In a matter of hours, the third day would be gone. She blinked in surprise as she double checked her cell phone. She wasn't even aware that much time had gone by. She'd spent the entire time curled up in a ball of tears and self-pity.  She felt gross like she definitely needed a shower, but she also felt clarity. Klaus and Damon would be coming for an answer soon. She looked down at her worn and wrin...

She was making her way back home from Amara's cottage, having been assured she was safe to go to her cabin now. Her mind was oddly calm given everything she just learned. She lived in the wilderness with werewolves.  First thing was to find out what happened to her father. The next thing was to get the hell out of dodge and go back to America, get a job, and move on with her life. There was too much going on here that she...

It was night out, and hard to see where they were going. All she knew for sure was that she was driven on and on through the forest by the barrel of her father's rifle and the fanatical gleam in his eye.  As best she could tell, he was about halfway to the secret market. All those poor people! She couldn't just lead him there could she? She thought of the nice old lady who'd given her that necklace and called her a moon c...

Being in the cabin with her father, after experiencing what she had felt like being locked in a room with a murderer. There was no proof and she wanted to believe the best in her father. She watched him as he watched TV, his face blank of any emotions.  Then again, what had he ever done to recommend him? He'd never really cared about her had he? Sure, he'd done his duty and taken care of her until she was old enough to wo...

She walked towards the living room and paused next to the healer witch who'd helped them. The woman was watching Klaus and who she assumed was Damien as they visited with Natasha. The little girl was staring up at Damien adoringly. It was clear she loved him. Perhaps they were related.  "So, what's your name?" she murmured to the woman. The lady smiled at her.  "Amara. I provide healing to the locals around here since the...

She leaned against the doorframe and watched her father's truck disappear down the dirt road, throwing up dust behind it. Where was it he went all the time? She'd worked up the courage to ask him just yesterday and he'd told her he had a job with a local lumber company.  Even though she had no reason to disbelieve him, she couldn't help but feel he was lying to her. Perhaps it had been something off in his expression or t...

"Swee' tea, sweetie?" Maria looked up, nodded, and smiled. Laurie refilled her glass from the pitcher, replaced it on the table, and sat down in the rocker beside her on the porch. There was a soft breeze rustling the turning foliage of the trees scattered across the landscape. "Is that one of your children playing in the leaves today, Maria?" referring to the zephyr moving about the woodlands. He pronounced her name with...

Mrs. Bucannon appeared to be a sensible person. She wore a simple gown and tasteful jewelry. If she wore makeup, I couldn't tell. She was a blond version of Grace, and her icy blue eyes were looking at me strangely.   A pair of screaming females met Grace at the entrance to the parlor and whisked her off for girl talk. I breathed a sigh of relief as they left the room. Contrary to popular belief, being in a room full of w...

I stared at the old church. The white walls and stained glass had stood the test of time. I was not happy to see the loaded parking lot. It only made the job more complicated. Add a "just married." sign on the back of the limo, and you have all the ingredients for disaster.  Not that disasters are foreign to weddings, the groom can go missing, or the bride gets cold feet, and the ever-entertaining person who comes to prof...

The Lips of Infinity(Raanana, May 16, 2019) And he welcomed them,The children, the old ones, the infirm,The youth, the busy young men and women,The forsaken and excommunicated,The doubters and disbelievers,Agnostics and atheists,The doctors, the scientists, and technicians,And, yes, philosophers and poets,From all over the world, And he spoke to them in the one languageThey all understood, the language of silence and acti...