The ice tinkled against the glass as I raised it to my lips, enjoying the warmth of the late evening sun on my face. The view from the hotel veranda was sublime, out across the Pacific vastness to meet the vivid blue sky at the horizon. It was plain to see why many considered these islands a paradise, and why they were such a popular destination among holidaymakers.  There was a secluded beach below where, during the day,...

Ten years on the force and this was the case no one ever wants to get. I stared at her photo and imagined the life she must have lived. So young and beautiful. Now lost as I stepped around the stream of blood flowing as slow as a turtle into a red pool beneath her wrist. I wondered at the fathers and brothers and husbands and boyfriends who once loved her but now hated her for what she did. I felt sorry for them, but as I...

As they sat watching the sun dipping into the blue-green water of the gulf, they sighed. It wasn’t the vacation they had planned, that was for sure. They’d spent the past two years planning an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa. Their chosen destination was Kenya, where they would have spent eight days on a safari, two nights at the Giraffe Manor, and one final night at a luxury hotel in Nairobi. It was their drea...

One bright and beautiful summer's day, The Jingles family --Mom, Dad and their two kids-- decided to go on a picnic and play at the park. They packed a big basket filled with submarine sandwiches, fresh fruit and their favourite delicious cookies as a special treat. They packed everything up in their car. Dad said, “Ho! Ho!” Mom said, “Hee! Hee!” The kids said, “Ha! Ha!” Unfortunately, they were so excited to get going th...

Over the years I got preoccupied with work.  Especially after my divorce. I worked all the time to preoccupy my thoughts so I wouldn’t become too bitter.  It helped for some time, but all I felt was emptiness.  A sense of longing was what I was looking for. Companionship?  Relationship?  Time away from my troubles? Yes! Yes! Yes! I needed all of that and more.  My self-imposed exile would be ending.  I decided to finally...

Some say only ducks truly enjoy the rain. They obviously have not met Kerstin.  “You’re stark-raving mad, you know that?” I call out to her from the bungalow’s front porch.  “We haven’t seen the sun for three days. These puddles may very well be my only chance at a pool.” She jumps, splashing both feet like a rebellious child with a rose-colored pout. “At least we’ll save on sunscreen!” She has that carefree aura; the typ...

As autumn leaves fell, our lives’ hue darkened. Covid-19 grounded Sarah’s corporate-lawyer lifestyle. We fretted; could infection accompany me home from the hospital? Challenging times, despite dad’s toilet paper stockpile. It pays not to giggle when your girlfriend repeatedly tries to shoo our cat away from her Zoom meeting. “Annie, stop it!” Sarah’s tone was so testy. Scooping up the cat and depositing her on the balcon...

Butterflies and bees danced under the summer sun as Gail walked to the raspberry patch. The heat was increasing as the day wore on but was still bearable. With the lake as her pool, the heat did not really matter to Gail. She would re-apply sunscreen and go for a dip later. Finding a bush with plenty of ripe, red berries, Gail started picking. Her husband Michael was grilling a trout he had caught for dinner. The berries...

There was a Facebook post the other day that asked: What object defined your childhood? Loads of comments underneath. Tons of dafties with nothing better to do. Pictures of Space Hoppers, the towers at Ravenscraig imploding, Harry Potter, Tamagotchis, that sort of thing. I only saw all this because my friend had replied: What about all that white dog shite, eh? And everyone went: white dog shite, fair point. Thumbs-ups bi...

Peen slipped through a gate in the wire mesh fencing, between pink oleanders, and out onto the deck of the swimming pool. He stood proudly in the simmering heat of the summer sun. His splayed feet were shod in sandals. He wore a cabana shirt dotted with green sea turtles. Added to that were Bermuda shorts in a purplish plaid pattern hanging loosely. A straw hat with pompom dangles completed his sartorial splendor.  He sli...

I'd been sent by my editor to interview a local poet on the occasion of his ninetieth birthday. The poet was a well-known face around town, but was now in a retirement home. "Be sensitive," my editor had said, "if he’s not all there." It turned out that the poet was as sharp as glass. Of course, he was physically frail and sat awkwardly in a wheelchair, but the biggest trouble with him was that he did not want to reminisc...

‘What a view.’ Felix never imagined that thought would ever cross his mind while looking down from a Ferris Wheel, probably because he had always kept his eyes shut. Earlier, the yin and yang of excitement and trepidation had pulled at him when he and his dad arrived at the summer carnival. Like any boy, he loved the atmosphere, essentially a kid’s version of Nirvana: the lights, the sideshows, the games, the rides, the j...

“Look!” Cradled in outstretched toddler hand, a treasure. “What is’t?” I surmised immediately the origin and purpose of this newest wonder, I am, however, intrigued as to the deductive powers of my darling Cecily, so remain silent. “Maybe it’s a…” nose to discovery, intricate details examined close, “a…from a robot, like somthun’ that makes him move, a big,” arms held out wide to approximate imagination’s size, “robot and...

I watched you windsurf for most of the day, The sails went back and forth with the occasional jump and twist and maybe a flip. This looks impressive to those of us who don’t do it ourselves. Afterwards, we went to a spot near the river where people were jumping off a cliff into the waters below. I went also, but when I looked over the edge, I froze.  People were watching from below with words of encouragement. “It’s easy...

The enemy envoy approached the border-lands of Amoria. The land was as bountiful as it was beautiful. Lush vegetation grew along the rolling hills, springing forward in full bloom. Calm lakes with their surfaces like mirrors reflected the mountain tops on the horizon. As the envoy marched further into the land, they were pleased to see there was no resistance. No guard posts, or legions were manning the borders. Having th...