The rain came down, and I ran for my door. The rain served as an excuse. I ran not to escape the taunts. I ran to escape the rain. One is unforgivable weakness. One is understandable reason.As soon as the door shut, I felt secure. I felt protected. The rain outside almost seemed to cover…
Killian stood on the stoop of 1666 Red Street and sighed. He glanced over at Morris, casually smoking one of his god-awful clove cigarettes. “How are you so goddamn calm?” Morris shrugged. “Getting all worked up about it don’t make it easier.” “I hate removal day.” “Everybody hates removal day,” Morris said. “Now, you gonna…
My parents said I didn’t need to be afraid of the monsters in Lake Reema, because the Lady trapped them under ice. “That’s why we hold this festival,” they’d say and stamp the ice, before heading to the feasting table. It never worked. Each time they dragged me out onto the lake ice, I’d…
One year ago, Halloween’s annual resurrection fell on a Saturday, and the dawn sun disappeared like the closing of God’s eye. The sky blackened, leaving a fiery corona, a devil’s crown as the world descended into chaos demonic. Twenty-four hours of otherworldly rapture, repeated every seventh day since. How could I survive this breach of…
The central hub definitely had a gorgeous view. The transparent dome offered a clear view of the Earth below: all the swirling and blending in the clouds, the pigments and textures in the terrain, the gentle blue in the seas. Here, Frieda could simply hang in the air and draw on her tablet with a…
It’s near dusk as I round the corner, heading away from the town’s paved streets. Mom told me not to go, but she knew I’d go anyway. Like mother, like daughter. I make a left turn, then a right. Bright Freesia blossoms line the alley-ways between the houses and cottages, shifting in the gentle breeze,…
Who ever said death had to be so bad? Dalton was perfectly fine here, thank you very much. Being caught in the in-between of life and rebirth gave him all the time he needed to do what he enjoyed—watering the front lawn, trimming the azalea bushes, sipping on a glass of Casamigos at sunset…
The end of a long, lonely year has arrived. But no one realises it apart from me. To everyone else, it has been just another Monday. The world is frozen like a painting. Leaves hover in mid-air, stuttering towards the ground while the neighbour’s stride unwinds at a glacial pace. My watch is stuck at…
Aleesia had not been to the Silent Sanctuary in ages. Putting two kids through wizarding school who pretended not to know their clean-up spells, having a husband constantly off at war in the Hinterlands, and caring for an ailing griffin added up to very little free time. It was a wonder she’d made it back…
You smile as William rips the Sold sign out from the too-long grass of your new home. Your smile falters, but he does not see. William runs inside, shouting for you to join him, to come meet your son, but instead you stand out in that too-long grass and survey the estate. Every line is…
