"The food delivery rider gets a tip and more"
I scrambled to cover myself, my face flaming with embarrassment. The two newcomers looked at me with a mix of surprise and hunger, their eyes raking over my half-nude form."What's going on here, Jer?" one of them said, his voice...
"Lin Ming and her classmates depart on their Amazon adventure."
Six Weeks LaterLin Ming could hardly believe it was almost time.Over a month had gone by since she made up her mind to join Dr. Harwood’s expedition to the Amazon rainforest. Six slow, agonizing weeks that seemed to drag on...
"A handyman meets an older woman who helps him to leave behind his demons."
It was Friday, the end of a long week and Josh was keen to finish this last job he had scheduled. He was driving his Ford Ranger through the drizzle that had been the main weather for most of the...
"Naming those little monsters that are emotions"
My feelings are big, and they sometimes bubble over.Like a cauldron or champagne.Something for celebration or something to maim.They spill on the floor, a tripping hazard.I will sit with the feelingsAnd talk to them about their dayThey are clumsy, inarticulate,...
"Only one had escaped the fiery horrors of Salem."
Fearing judgment, she lived secluded within the raven-filled forest.When injury befell a lone huntsman, she revealed herself, and he woke to her magical touches.“I know what you are…” he said, losing his thought in her widening green eyes and black...
"The final chapter"
As Henry waited to line up with the other graduates on the stage and receive his college diploma, he reflected on the passage of this milestone. He had come a long way in four years.The summer after he graduated from...
My daddy submerges me in the pond behind his No-Sinners-Here Church.Light penetrates the water, enveloping my soul with truth. A voice, drowning out my father's, speaks. "You are my child, and I will always love you."I reemerge anew."Daddy, I forgive...
"A confused man uncovers a hidden valley of desire"
The rain wouldn't let up. Three days and nights it had been constantly drizzling, with the occasional downpour, and the ground was now spongy and slick. Leaves and debris mixed with moss on the forest floor became a sludgy mess,...
"An unexpected end finds a new beginning."
Twirling in my dress, I tingle at bringing in the new year… with him. Then, my husband forgoes traditional resolutions for a revelation. I watch the clock tick toward an uncertain new year while listening to his reasons. Shocking us both, I say,...
I see you furrowing your brows at me. Be careful — your future wrinkles might curse you for your scrutiny.As expected, next comes your impolite whispers. I know by now that you're wondering what lies between my legs. My loose-fitting clothes...