Fruits of Insanity

#859477

September 7, 2015 at 9:51pm

She stared through the windshield, looking at the parking lot of traffic that covered the road. Everyone had the same idea she had. They were going home. She looked at the cars around her and wondered how many of them even had homes anymore. The world had ended this morning, leaving lost souls combing through the wreckage. Gary in the secretary pool said that he was heading for West Virginia. No one was there, no bombs, no riots. But she had no one in West Virginia. Her parents were dead and ... [Read more]

#858858

September 1, 2015 at 3:00am

The wind whistled through her hair and flattened her skin against her cheekbones. It caught her skirt with a roar and a snap, as though it had been a sail tacking into a headwind. She rose, lighter than the sun, married to the wind, and she tried to open her eyes, but they were glued shut and she knew. She was dreaming. In her dreaming, her wings were extended, and she could feel the feather edges catching the wind, playing with it. They ached, for it had been a long flight and she longed to ... [Read more]

#858323

August 26, 2015 at 12:40am

The house was so absolutely quiet that I knew something was up. My children were never this still unless they were up to something, and with their heritage, that could be trouble. “Angel? Nic?” There was no answer from five-year-old Angelica but I heard a giggle from three-year-old Nicolas. I dropped the laundry and ran out into the backyard. Nic had smeared garden dirt all over himself as he built a mud castle that was already taller than he was. It was well designed, all things consi... [Read more]

#857866

August 20, 2015 at 3:07am

We sit around the fire with the dark flowing through the trees. Rob and I have our arms around each other and he is shivering, but I have no warmth to give him. I just stare at the fire, the flames dancing hypnotically with shadows. There are four of us, but Charlie and Amber are in the tent. I can hear them snoring. We will hike tomorrow, through ice and fog and snow into the heart of the wood. We will bring the town’s offering—our families’ prayers that spring will come again. One of... [Read more]

#857169

August 20, 2015 at 3:07am

It was fifteen minutes to phase. The scientists and technicians took their designated stations at the instruments, ready to interpret the data that would be transmitted when Mars swung his face around again. The transmitter could only communicate when the red planet gave it a good line of sight to Earth. Yuri, the janitor, was taking his time sweeping. If he lingered long enough, he might be able to snap something with his phone that he could share with his son, Ivan. He was fascinated with s... [Read more]

#856516

August 5, 2015 at 12:19am

They are something like sisters, although it seems impossible to eyes that only see the surface. The one who brews is blind and speechless and ancient. Before dawn breaks over the tree that is the world, the pot is ready. Without words, she hands it to the matron, who stands at the table and pours the tea into a simple cup. The maiden faces them across the table—it is her turn for youth today. Her turn to face the cup. “Tell us, what do you see?” The maiden bows over the cup and... [Read more]