Crimson Stains
My hands drip crimson as I put the knife in the sink. What a mess. I scrub hard with soap and water, but to my dismay, my hands are stained.…
Six Random Words
Write what you know, they say. Write every day, they say. I think about “what I know” and today it doesn’t seem like much. I’ve lived a rather ordinary life,…
Endless is not Forever
Bobby graduated from high school in 1969, the very famous year that many called “The Year of Love.” He married his childhood sweetheart Claire one month later, and within a…
A Memory Cherished
Morning latte in hand, Amy sits in her wicker patio chair and admires her backyard flower garden. In weeks to come, she will recall this moment fondly as she unpacks…
Once, We Were Home
“Mommy, why are they sending us away?” I squeeze Zirka’s hand and fake a smile the best I can. “Because they say we have to leave, honey.” “But why, Mommy?…
A Fright in the Night
I’m startled awake as I hear a noise in my dark bedroom, dimly lit only by a nightlight in the far corner. The digital clock on my nightstand reads 3:43…
A Creation of Code
I wake up this morning and check my phone on the nightstand. It’s 10:34 a.m. Man, I really slept late today. I get out of bed and stumble to the…
Demons in the Details
I sit at my cluttered desk, surrounded by pencils, empty soda cans, and half-eaten bags of chips. I open my phone’s email app and read the message from my online…
At Golden Hour
I open my eyes. Ghoulish, dark shapes with twisted limbs and spiny leaves dot the vast expanse to the distant mountains. Joshua trees, I think. Who am I? How did…
The Last Person on Earth
Saint Peter greets Pope Francis at the Pearly Gates with a warm embrace. “Welcome to heaven,” says Peter. “We weren’t expecting you quite so soon.” A choir of white-robed angels…
Fit for a King
Chop. Chop. Chop. Ouch, that hurts! I look down at my trunk to see men standing at the base. One man is swinging a large ax at me. Chop. Chop.…
The Treasure
After two hours of digging in the blistering tropical sun, my shovel hit something hard and shuddered with a dull thunk. I carefully removed dirt, gradually revealing an ancient-looking wooden…