Steam lifted from the saturated forest floor, hot breath of electrified air caused my heart to beat a little faster. Tropical storms, coming after a long, dry winter, couldn’t sate the arid soil. Thirsty for so long, the ground luxuriated in the warm rainwater. Swollen rain drops clung to branches and leaves like impassioned tears. … Continue reading Wanting to stay
Category: The Darkroom
Second base
Tiffaneigh wanted to write her memoirs, but worried her life didn’t include enough wonderment to make for compelling reading. If she was only a secret agent, spying on nefarious hooligans, creating dossiers detailing their shenanigans and devilry for black suits at the Fed. There was the infamous, 1992 softball scandal. Cici Parson missed second on her … Continue reading Second base
Grampa butterfly
Huge tangles of black and orange hung in the trees, quivering with anticipation. Each butterfly’s beat of rice-paper thin mosaic wings, stirred the air, wafting perfume from it flowery perch. Mesmerized, Jorja sat beneath a kaleidoscope of butterflies, watching as a single monarch flitted from the rabble to settle on another swarm. Her mother, Laurie, … Continue reading Grampa butterfly
The solution
The portal would only be open for a short time. Preparations for the transfer began months ago. Beyond the threshold, a white light shone, so bright anything on the far side of the divide was obscured by the brilliance. The only sound escaping was a hum like the drone of an antiquated fluorescent light. A … Continue reading The solution
At a snail’s pace
It’s a subtle onslaught. There’s no gnashing, nor grinding teeth to rend you to shreds. It happens at a snail’s pace, often feeling so normal, your destruction is indiscernible until you’ve completely disappeared. Instead, you’re flayed alive by a thousand tiny razors ripping and tearing you apart. Each cut stings as your defenses are peeled … Continue reading At a snail’s pace
Waking up
A small, subdued group of people gathered around the hospital bed watching the still patient. The rhythmic beating his heart was a regular beep synchronized with the whoosh of his respirator. His visitors hoped for the telltale flicker of an eyelid to tell them he was awake. Alan Poole was coming out of a 15-year … Continue reading Waking up





