It was an old Manila rope. We found it, like so many of our childhood treasures, in the city dump. We could not believe our luck. It was at least fifty feet long, and other than a few frayed spots, in perfectly good shape. What idiot would throw such a thing away?
My friend, Jimmy, shimmied [...]
A shadow fell across the workbench where Dak was disassembling an old motor. Nothing was wasted in Hel. Every scrap was carefully recycled into something useful, even if as nothing more than ballast for the pumps on the windmills. Dak looked up from his work and saw Kevin standing there, an unreadable expression on his [...]
Min Lee sat on the hard wooden bench, head bowed in shame. He did not look up as people approached, tried to ignore the whispers after they passed. Every sound in the Great Hall, even the most remote and inconsequential, sounded loud to his ears. He could hear his very pulse pounding behind his ears. [...]
We gathered at the bottom of the crumbling concrete steps that lead up to mammoth double front doors. As promised, it was the coolest haunted house ever. Several of the windows were broken. Overgrown brush nearly hid the first floor from sight. Everything four prepubescent boys could hope for, though I was really glad we [...]
He was asleep when I arrived, oblivious of the constant drone of disembodied announcements, beeping equipment, and carts clattering down the hallway. His daughter, Jean, was there sitting in a chair at his bedside. Jean and I had been an item at one time, way back in high school, but I had not seen her [...]
For the first time in my life I am trying my hand at upside down tomatoes. I’ve heard about them for years, but have always had my doubts. Considering how poorly my tomato plants produced last year I figured this year I may as well give them a shot. Things could hardly turn out worse.
So [...]
Last week I wrote about the Writing Adventure Group, India Drummond’s online writing exercise. Each week she posts a prompt and asks each participate to write to it following their own muse. I suggested that people doing #fridayflash and at a loss of what to write could check out the weekly WAG and use it [...]
April 23, 2010 – 12:05 am
“Empty your pockets. Now!”
Larry just stood there, making no move toward his pockets, or anywhere else for that matter. It wasn’t that he was paralyzed with fear. It was more like stunned disbelief. The kid with the knife thrust it forward, to within inches of his face.
“Come on, old man. Your wallet. Hand it over.”
He [...]
April 21, 2010 – 10:41 pm
I used to do a little exercise called the WAG, the Writing Adventure Group, hosted by (as she was known then) Nixy Valentine. The WAG actually predated #fridayflash, though it was not my first foray into online writing, fiction or otherwise. The WAG went on a bit of a hiatus last year, though some of [...]
You see, but you do not observe – Sherlock Holmes
Write about something invisible, she says.
Invisible! What?
tinkle tinkle tinkle
Well, not really invisible. Something real. Just something so common, something you see so often and take for granted, that you no longer really see it.
Well that’s just silly.
tinkle tinkle tinkle
I pride myself on really seeing things. [...]
Loading ...Wife of the Gods, by Kwei Quartey Wife of the Gods is a debut mystery novel from Kwei Quartey. Set in Ghana, it introduces Inspector Darko Dawson, of the Accra's Criminal Investigative Department (CID). Dawson is a deeply flawed, but earnest man, haunted by personal loss, though blessed with a loving and understanding family. more...
