Light and airy, bright sunshine streamed into the atrium through a ceiling of glass and metal. Filled with towering, full-leafed trees and fragrant, blossom-covered shrubs, greenery couldn’t detract from the industrial feel of the gallery. Several benches lined the outer edge of a central courtyard, tucked under the shadow of a lush canopy of foliage. … Continue reading Homesick
Category: Light and Shade
Don’t repeat that
Each day the crowd grew larger. Rain or shine, dedicated fans gathered around the aviary, pen and paper at the ready, waiting for that day’s pronouncement. Sometimes philosophical, sometimes humorous, oft-times abstract in the extreme, Psittacine’s daily oration began precisely at noon. Watching the spectacle with silent disdain, Eagle expelled an incredulous sigh. “You’d better … Continue reading Don’t repeat that
Language class
Leslie spread out an array of flashcards over the dining table, each printed with a pictogram and its corresponding name in Spanish. Several workbooks lay unfinished on the floor, and a video language tutorial was paused on her laptop. Her head hurt and she was on the verge of a complete emotional breakdown. Doctors were … Continue reading Language class
En garde
Gallagher wasn’t an overly tall man, so storing his swords and épées in a stone pot that reached past his waist seemed impractical. He would be unable to cleanly draw any of his weapons should the need arise. Funny, that my first thought was of the readiness of his arsenal, and not that he possessed … Continue reading En garde
Forecast calls for storms
There’s a storm brewing inside him. I can’t talk to him when he’s like this. He is so far out of the realm of reason and rationality, he’s jabbering foreign words, and there’s no interpreter to translate it. Maybe I should just get down there with him, throw a few back until I’m speaking in … Continue reading Forecast calls for storms
Sea breeze wishes
Up before her parents were out of bed, Paisley sat in a white plastic chair on the patio outside their hotel bedroom. She tried to be very quiet opening the sliding glass door, but it screeled when its rollers skidded across the accumulation of grit in the tracks. Paisley, not big enough to pick up … Continue reading Sea breeze wishes