For weeks, the nightmare has been the same. The way the child's head snapped back, the scream of the mother as she cradled the lifeless form. For days I didn't even know if it was a boy or girl.

The officer's gun. It was an impulse move. I saw my torment…

"I am Togua, true leader of Avorhelis, and with this authority I banish Tyris from this city. His selfish acts have caused great devastation to our home. The direct deaths of dozens of citizens, as well as hundreds of injuries and damages are upon his hea…

The medics found Minla unconscious next to a shattered vase, a small pool of water and a bouquet of exotic-looking flowers. One of them, taking pity, picked up the flowers as they loaded her up into the ambulance.

The attending doctor took the toxicology…

The doorbell chimed.

Confused, Mina rose from her chaise, disturbing her cat, who airily strode off to preen. She wasn't expecting anyone, nor any packages. Frowning to herself, she turned the deadbolt, twisted the knob lock, and slid the chain lock back…

Special Report: Use of Coffee Authorised

Casualties are high in the sixth day of heavy fighting here on the desk. Coalition leaders have confirmed that tactical coffee strikes will be used to halt the advance of procrastination forces that remain a thr…

The morning did not improve Sadie's mood. There was the rare luxury of hot instant coffee with milk powder, but that was where the positive outlook ended.

A thin mist blanketed the surrounding Hills, reducing sunlight to a faint glow and visibility to a …

I wanna write on fire.

Not with fire like a sparkler in the night.

Not like some imaginary, magical way of literally writing on a fleeting flame.

Writing with abandon, with freedom, with vigor; that's what I want.

No more tiredness, mental fogginess, …

Nothing.

A vast expanse of unknowable darkness.

I saw it. My feet may have even dangled towards its embrace. Tiny shards, the whole of my heart broken long ago, tumbled easily down the well. Perhaps I should have grasped for them. Perhaps they will …

"How do you kill an Empress?"

I steeled the muscles in my face, and let my eyes rest on the man's shoulders. If this turned into a trap, I would make sure to take him with me into the void. Leaning back, I wormed myself into the chair's thick cushions, l…

Story is marked as mature

Running. For years now, it has seemed that all I have been doing is running. Running from my life, my friends, my family, my job. Finally, a time has come when a break seems almost feasible. Slower and slower I ease up on my pace, until I am all but left …

A storm is approaching

it’s on the horizon

so cover your eyes now

and consume your poison

The harsh winds are blowing

the clouds are rolling in

the good Lord turns his back

as you commit your sins

Run from your problems

run so far away

it makes …

Chaos ensues. All that was once so eloquently placed is now thrown into the wind. The pieces land with no apparent rhyme or reason. An intrigued outsider may sit to the side and calmly observe those around him frantically scramble to create some form of d…

Ryle appeared at my side in an instant, exuding a casual menace. His eyes were a searing inferno, a promise of violence that made others much more interested in listening to me.

The captain was affected, but not cowed. Not bad.

"You are a passenger aboa…

She watched from the bushes in cat form. The window was curtained, but her yellow eyes could see the magic rise into the air. She purred, her favorite part of this transformation. The magic rose like a blanket, rolling into a twist and smoothly slid throu…

Today I was tutoring a young writer in Thinking Small; writing about small details to open up their writing. She then pondered the value of a penny.

When you are one penny short, you cannot buy an item. The penny seems very valuable; an unattainable goal…

Sadie watched Tenever trudge upstairs, spreading a collection of maps and notebooks across the dining table. Astarlane's grindstone faded into the background while she carried out the convoluted process of making a best guess at the next day's route.

Haz…

The flutes surrounded me in a way that, despite ideas of reality and sanity, made complete sense. Notes fluctuated, voices trialed in and out, distanced claps, all-enveloping smiles. It worked in the same sense drowning in a pool solves every problem you …

Tenever took the first watch, stretching out in the ruined woodwork of the upper floor. Through the blackened crater, there was a good view out over the Hills. His rifle lay within easy reach.

He sat, silent, reflecting on how things had changed. Once, t…

After the meal, Sadie cleaned her rifle, Tenever patched up his tactical vest and Astarlane ran a grindstone over her sword. Few words were spoken, each preferring to leave the others in a companionable silence.

Astarlane remembered the smiles and laught…

When I was younger I used to sneak up into my grandparent's attic to where they kept the old records. Next to the old wobbly bookcase was a wooden crate that held all of my grandparent's favorite songs. I would sit up in that attic listening to the reco…

One of the nameless faces in the endless sea of nobodies caught my eye.

Must be nice, I subvocalised. Neural implants in my speech centre picked up the message and squeezed it through a short-range encrypted radio burst.

What, being one of them? cam…

My hand was burnt on the kettle

Just as it began to boil

My hand was bitten by a dog

I’d always thought was loyal.

I stepped on glass in my bare feet

Where it was safe before

You said, “I’m always here for you;”

Then you walked out the door.

In fairness to them, the shot was quite a technically demanding one. Both the origin and the destination were moving platforms, and there were wind currents between the ships that made the opening shot a coin-toss for a hit and a miss.

Once I had the hit…

It wasn't Neptune who found us first, though.

A pirate craft dropped down on us a few days later, plummeting from a heavy cloud bank where it had been lying in wait. It arrested its fall neatly and elegantly off our starboard side, heliographs stuttering…