Chapter One   Valerian wakes to a shrill sound going off by his bed. The bed sheets are tangled and constricted around him, one of the reasons he stopped sleeping in a coffin. He's a very restless sleeper. When he was younger and a coffin was not optional, it was a lot more annoying. He was constantly waking up by banging his elbow or hitting his knee or smashing his head. Once a hole is smashed into one, coffins tend t...

She stared at her reflection: silver-streaked hair, laughter lines, dark circles beneath her eyes. She looked middle-aged. Was middle-aged. Where were the white hair and deep creases of later years she’d expected to see as her end neared? Too soon… way too soon. Thoughts of a missed future – of laughing grandchildren, long summer days pottering outside, retirement holidays in far-flung places – threatened to bring tears....

That’s it. Breakfast dishes all cleared away. Cups neatly stacked, in the lower cupboard, Cereal bowls alongside with the plates. Now, why do I find something so menial satisfying? Oh, don’t I know the reason very well? It’s a form of security. Just like the warm aroma of my wife’s scones baking in the oven. There’s something steadfast and reassuring about that sort of thing. Fifty years or so of establishing everything i...

My Alarm goes off at 6 am... it starts with the calm mellow tones of Enya, then Adiemus and progresses through to the likes of Pink Martini and Fever Ray. I really do not like waking up, my finger is well trained at locating the snooze button, so off I go again, back to the land of nod, subconsciously aware of the gentle sounds until I’m very rudely brought back to reality by ACDC’s “Thunderstruck” blaring out. It’s alrea...

Do you rememberA special placeWhere the artistically woven branchesOf a long-dead treeTold unknown stories from years past? It is paved with asphalt now, Supporting the feet and wheels of commuters and visitors Enjoying the riverside view.The physical presence of that thoughtful landmark is now goneBut if you are quiet and very still, you might still feel it’s presence there.  

THE BEGINNING: Anticipating Everything and Nothing A warm, expansive feeling fills my chestAnd screams out inside of me --“I love you.”But I don’t say it out loudBecause I know you don’t trust the meaning of the words when spoken too soonAnd neither should I.  Romance lifts the soul and catches us on its wing,Creates new dreams, new wonders, new excitements. Love is that precious place inside of usThat lets us soar toward...

The dryad sleeps in slender stems, and new green leaves. Born of two souls mingled, the dryad dreams. One died for love of the land and a friend. One passed in her dotage, but was content in the end. Xantwilla’s soul lingered where her charred stump remained. By love and fey magic was her spirit sustained. For Penny she waited — her life incomplete. She knew that one day, they would once again meet. On a night blessed by...

The day at the airport Many were waiting for loved ones A look at the clock told the time was near Sounds of the plane had finally come  People moving  Cries and laughter were everywhere A man moved into view My heart told me It was him We stopped  As customs say  Our eyes didn't meet I heard the drop of a bag  Saw him go down on one knee As he extended his hand Palm up I heard material tearing Taking both my hands in his...

Here’s yet another fond memory from the bygone days of PnP role-playing. This tale centers around one of my players creating a new character. Everyone playing the game had many characters. We just picked out characters from our portfolio according to whim every time we sat down at our custom-built plywood and 2x4 gaming table. Everyone wanted a wide variety of options, so we often rolled up new characters whenever we were...

I can't believe the cheek of him, bold as anything, staring out at me with his stupid face. Well, there's no way I'm putting up with this. No way. I've never liked him, never trusted him. He's smarmy and sly, and now here he is, a face on a poster outside the small Shaftsbury theatre, in the town where I live. He's appearing in a pantomime in a kid's play for God's sake. This man killed an old woman in a drunken hit and r...

Twenty years ago last night, I spent New Year’s Eve waiting for someone in the world to call and tell me something in our product line didn’t work. Or that it worked incorrectly. It was December 31st, 1999 and Y2K misbehavior was clearly at the forefront of many people's minds. Including mine. In January 1999, I had been re-assigned from Director of World Service to Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs for a major m...

There were some grand moments in my old PnP role-playing days that I will think fondly of until my dying day. This is one of them. My gaming world was one of my own creation, put together in the fashion of Frankenstein’s monster from numerous sources. It was quite the “Monty Haul” campaign, which means that loot was abundant. I balanced this by giving the monsters and other beings in the world access to the same hauls of...

Aren't they heavy and too bright to hold? They hover and twinkle in your eyes. What do they call from you lady?  Surely they burn too hot. How they burden you. Do you need them? Do they guide your way? These fireflies, sparks of creation. In your lion heart, where does the fire dim and the spark begin? ... I ask you, can you see her there? A goddess. A woman. She blazes. Starfire in her hair.      

Ralph never knew quite why he went into the Plaza hotel on that bright summer afternoon. He had passed by the place so many times without ever going inside and each time he did pass, his intrigue grew. The building almost seemed to call out to him. It was as if he was meant to go there and become a part of something, something big, bigger than him, bigger than his pet rabbit, bigger than his Ford Focus, and perhaps bigger...

Let your eyes shed a tearIf it makes you feel goodLet your self cry out loudLet it wash away your sorrowThe loneliness your heart feelsLet go of that buried sadnessLet your anguish pour outAnd soon dark cloud passLet the light shine throughLet there be a rainbowOver your dark cloudsLet the colors make you smileDon't let the blues eat you upColor your world with red and greenAlso with the color blueLet go of the things tha...