My journal of big words and pretty pictures
From the road, the house appears abandoned. Parasitic vines run rampant over the once manicured lawn. Shrubbery has gone feral, their wandering branches attacking the crumbling siding, worming their way under the slats and prying them away from the cinder block walls. The front door stands open, as if the old woman is still home, waiting for … Continue reading Cleaning day
Dr. Zeiss was outside to greet me when I arrived at Bayside Pavilion. He held the door as he welcomed me inside. His affable manner caused no concern for Gram's well-being. There must be some fiscal project he wanted my help with, perhaps a bright and sunny atrium, named in Gram's honor, of course. It … Continue reading The Rising
“We have some unfinished business,” he said. “You didn’t fulfill your part of the contract.” Keeping a demure distance between us, I sat beside him on the bench. “I want to renegotiate my terms.” He put his sunglasses back on, then slapped his thighs before standing up. I jumped at the smacking sound. It wasn't … Continue reading Host for hire
It was years since I'd been here. Walking among the weathered stones, I realized I was lost. None of the names were familiar, when once I could recited them like a favorite nursery rhyme. At the end of the north side, I finally found the kneeling angel facing the Woodmen totem. Turning to the east, … Continue reading Contractual obligations
A cloud of blue-grey ash hung around her, a dark aura of melancholy she carried with her everywhere. It was difficult to tell her age, her face hidden under layers of soot and grit. Still, you were gripped by how clear her eyes were, as deep and cloudless as azure summer skies. The villagers would … Continue reading Fire starter
After long days of dirty dishes and smelly laundry, piles of pet hair clinging to every surface and equally frustrating piles of bills, the weekend couldn't arrive fast enough. Before the sun rose on that summer Saturday morning, she was dressed and packed. The night before she filled a cooler with bottled water and Gatorade. … Continue reading Other side of the door
Thin spiral notebook 