The kids behind the table all turned toward me when I came over. I smiled, they didn’t. Continue reading »
Posted in February 2010 …
24 H Challenge 23: Rush Hour
Ninety-two degrees in the shade – but there was no shade. Traffic was at a standstill and the A/C was busted. Every time the temperature gauge hit the midpoint, Dale had to turn on the car’s heater. Every time he turned on the heater, Dale thought of his wife, Allie, reading those eight dollar magazines … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge 22: Ghost Story
Eagle Point was awash in moonlight. The second full moon of the month, and every fallen log, every boulder and makeshift seat around the bonfire pit held children. They waited in the cold, clear night, having been called from their beds by a promise, a whispered covenant. The second full moon of the month: the … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge 21: Clipped
You’ve finally figured out what bothers you about that girl, the middle-schooler with the flat gray eyes. She’s either a grade above or below your son, you’re not sure; but she’s at all the soccer games and school functions; always with her younger brother and sometimes with their gray-eyed mother but usually not. What bothers … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge – 20: CM – the Mother
I was really beginning to get pissed off with Jessie. I dialed his number again. Just as I thought I would have to leave another voice mail, he picked up. “Oh, good,” I said, “I need you to bring the Ford.” He hesitated. “Yeah…I got your messages. I don’t know about this, Kay. My car … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge – 19: Gettin’ Pretty Sleepy Now
Very occasionally, someone finds a Cast. It may be the shell of a hand, covered in fine scales and twinkling in the light, or the peeled and dried skin from a head, or any body part. Once one falls from the bearer (or the young gods let it drop) the Cast loses its elasticity and … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge – 18: Rock Quarry! (part I)
There is an old man in the granite which makes up that hillside. He can only be seen at certain times of the year; be careful of spotting him when the full moon is out. Night or day, the full moon gives him sight. This is his burden: if he sees you, he must tell … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge – 17: Origami Wars
During the height of the Origami Wars, Takumi could barely face waking up in the morning. Although he could not have foreseen the military applications, his Papercut Theorem was directly responsible for years of devastation and destruction. Takumi frequently considered killing himself – but he knew that if he died, the Plurality would discontinue work … Continue reading »
24 H Challenge – 16: And the Oceans Will Rise
At predetermined but unpredictable intervals, the celestial pendulum pauses; and we get sunspots and earthquakes and two-headed calves. This is when the Time Reserve must be drained – at least partially – or things begin to unravel. Stones awaken and move into or out of the heat of the sun; snakes unfold their limbs from … Continue reading »
