Blake's eyes flutter open, and in his vision he sees nothing but an endless expanse of golden sand. He sits up, rubbing his temples, trying to recall how he ended up in the middle of a desert. The last thing he remembers is talking to his friends, Mindi, Juliah, and Keith, about the Chergui, a strong Moroccan desert wind that could reduce visibility to almost zero. He'd been so fascinated by the stories of this phenomenon...

It was a photograph that was the initial spark for George Dunsley to take a trip of over two-hundred miles to visit his old friend. A black and white photo of him with Noodle, real name Charles Oldroyd, taken in 1959, leaning against the back of an army jeep in a British military base, part of the twelfth signal regiment, stationed out in Cyprus, where they had a joint operation with supporters of the Cyprian presidential...

It was now three months since Tom and Sam had started dating and six weeks since I'd first hooked up with Pete. Tom and Sam were falling deeper in love and spending more time together, though mostly at his place as it was larger and had the spa. When I wasn't away with work, I was spending time at his place too - albeit in the annex at night and our friendship was growing too. While I was enjoying the attention, and actio...

I woke at 4 AM in Ellie’s spare room, feeling surprisingly refreshed despite all the drama and tedium mere hours ago. After a quick shower, I pulled on a red Icebreaker 250 zip-up, last night’s jeans, and a thick polar fleece as it was cold outside and would be colder at my destination, though my heart would soon heat up there. I was shocked to see Ellie, normally useless until daylight, up and had pancakes ready. I wonde...

It was a beautiful fall day on the farm. Miss Emily decided today was the day to teach Sparky, the dog, to use a leash.Miss Emily was gonna teach him how to walk on a leash when walking away from their property. Sparky wasn't a fan of the leash and made his opinion known about it. But she knew he would be a good pup for her. Miss Emily called out, "Sparky, come here." He looked at his friends who were scattered around the...

The supportive and cosy camaraderie accomplished by the ten friendly astronauts on the space ship was an incredible achievement. Floating free inside their distant home, their stories were a celebration of mutual understanding and co-operation for the world to admire.

Sometimes, it’s just people you know. Remembering a face or a name. You wouldn’t call them a friend though. The connection just isn’t the same.   Sometimes, people surprise you. Closeness will develop over time. Family or friend, someone you knew. Maybe love, maybe not, or just liking is fine.   Sometimes, the people farthest away, Are the ones who hold you close. While others you see day to day, Make it clear you aren’t...

It was springtime on the farm.Miss Emily went all out for the decorations this year. She even found a six-foot-tall inflatable bunny.Sparky saw the giant bunny and went into guard dog mode and barked and yipped. All the animals came to check out the reason for the barking. Miss Emily explained to everyone that it is just a bunny and perfectly harmless. Sparky about died of embarrassment.Miss Emily said to Sparky, "You are...

It was a quiet day at the farm... Scamp, the monkey, heard about the local space shuttle building contest open to all ages and told Sparky, the pup. The contest was to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 11.They thought it would be great fun to enter. Miss Emily had just had a new refrigerator delivered and the box was in great shape and all they would have to do is find things to use as the wings and the tail fo...

It was a spa day on the farm and the animals were excited.Sparky, the pup, let the new animals know what the day would be like so they wouldn't be nervous. Sparky loved a spa day. It was his favorite event on the farm other than the day when the kids came to visit.Miss Emily had breakfast ready for her little ones. After breakfast, her helpers for the day arrived. She needed lots of help for the day because all the animal...

It was Easter Sunday on the farm...Scamp, the monkey, and her friends were very excited. They loved the holidays. They were excited about the plans for the day .Miss Emily had every animal a basket filled with goodies that they loved. She opened the front door to go out to the barn. She almost tripped over a huge basket that was holding a pair of fluffy bunnies. They looked to be about a year old. There was a note attache...

Today on the farm...Today started off as a normal day. The animals enjoyed their favorite breakfast. When they were finished they got cleaned up and went off to play in the pasture.Lady called them over to her. They came running over to her and settled down.Lady said, "Today we are going to have a visitor. It's time for checkups for everyone so the vet is coming."The animals let out a groan.Lady said, "If you behave there...

Scamp, the monkey, and her friends are going on a picnic by the stream that runs near the farm. They are all excited about it. All of the animals are going on the picnic.They are all having their favorite foods. Of course every critter has a different favorite food so they need a really big picnic basket. Lady packs up the wagon with the basket and blankets for the animals to sit on.She leads them to the clearing by the s...

I have a friend who I miss very much; Over the years we’ve kept in touch. I phoned each time I came into town, We’d meet to catch up and share the lowdown. A high school friend, what more can there be? Alas, he never thinks about contacting me. So while I am his friend, is it always to be That my friendship is misplaced eternally?   I have another friend and we always speak Perhaps for hours on the phone each week. From m...

Each moment we spend together Always means so much Reality showing that shared time Loving affection and heartfelt communication Are a most precious gift.   But what about when things fall apart When actions don’t match words And long silences grow obvious Those involved feel alone And so unwanted.   When questions are asked And insecurities grow If no answers are found Or the other is uninterested in talking It is most d...