Days pass nearly the same on our small farm, regardless of what goes on in the world beyond. I rise early and carry out the same tasks I always have. I tend to the cows and make the bread. I wash clothes and cook meals. Sometimes, I almost forget there is a war raging in cities not-too-distant from our small Italian town. Almost. I remember when I...
Doctor Singer surveys me, adjusting his spectacles before smoothing his moustache. His suit looks out of place with me seated before him in rags. “Admit to your insanity,” he says. We’ve had this conversation over a hundred times since the war ended, and my answer has never changed. At first I was surprised by his persistence. That was before I...
Hiding the body was not even close to the hardest part. No, I simply stuffed the corpse under the desk, easy as one, two, three. He wasn’t very stiff yet, and I knew he wasn’t liable to start smelling for a good while longer. Like I said, easy, but I needed to buy myself some time to figure out my next move. Now I know what you’re thinking. It’s...
“Schnitzel!” Hazel exclaimed, sucking on her bleeding finger before finishing the last row of stitches to close the tear in her sister’s apron. Amelda lounged on her cot across the room. One leg dangled off the side as she twirled a strand of hair Hazel was forever demanding she wash and comb around her finger. “Would it kill you to swear like a...
for J.R. Bournvillewho taught me about perseverance and seeing a project through to the end “No, thank you,” the woman said before another door slammed in Leah’s face. Every house on the block had been the same. Except for the ones who pretended they weren’t home. In a way, those were better. At least she didn’t have to waste her time on them...
for Ladymy friend who has been here for me through it all “It’s the Royal Navy, Captain,” Aeda says, dropping the spyglass from her hazel eye to inform me of what lies in wait. Sunshine gleams in her auburn hair, and its warmth kisses our sun-browned skin. The heat of it warms my crown even beneath my tricorn hat as I squint into the distance...
I am the thirteenth daughter of the King, and with twelve elder sisters famous for sneaking from our chamber to dance the night away, I am often forgotten. I may not have a passel of suitors eager to attend to my every need, but the lack of attention suits me; I can walk through the market without being recognized, spend hours in the tower with...
Kelsey and I crest Kessler Peak, and I unstrap my bindings to remove the skins from my splitboard. “What a view!” Kelsey says. “It’s so clear, I can see all the way to Salt Lake.” “Recognize any buildings?” I ask, teasing. I know the city is too far away for her to make out much, and all she can see is the many houses of Cottonwood Heights. “No...
Year seven…Reya was the first of the litter to master her human form. Sahi was not surprised, for she saw much of herself in the small ball of fur: bright blue eyes, tawny fur dusted with flecks of black at the tips, and a headstrong personality and paws so large she would need time to grow into them. Shai had been the same as a pup...
The blue cap rested atop the wispy pouf of brown hair she sprayed into wiry submission each morning. The hat settled into a cozy nest of hair while the loon depicted by the pin of molded silver nestled into a home of reeds. Glinting with metallic brightness in the sunlight, the brooch shone from a perch on the cap’s side, directly above the left...
