The frigid wind howled through the mighty tree branches. It rustled the long evergreen needles shaking the clumps of snow from the branches with soft thumps. The fresh, crisp air stung at the lungs of the small porcine creatures, their breath pluming white from their flat snouts. Many stamped their leathern boots in the snow as they shifted nervously. They start at the distant wolf howls that emanated from deep in the dar...
A wang-wang-pede rose from 'neath the seaAnd sclobbered towards the beachOn seven and twenty tenticlawsWith a retching craw-craw screechHe flared his squinty nostrilsThen snapped his clack-clack beakHis tenticlaws grabbed man and childAnd he slapped his glob-glob cheeksSoldiers came with their woof-woof gunsFired shots to schlump him deadBut they should have shot his flub-flub gutNot his hardy thick-boned headBescreeching...
Masterful Tony rode a masterful ponyThrough the streets of the small village fayreIt neighed and it brayedAnd clip-cloppity swayedWithout worry, nor hurry, nor care.Then old Mrs Bunyons, grabbed her sack of onionsAnd threw it on Tony's young backThe pony cried and it triedto maintain its fair strideBut collapsed down to earth with a smack.Said Masterful Tony, “You stupid old crony”Your sack is too weighty and fullSo with...
What would you do, if you found a time-machine? Yes, that's right. You would keep it for yourself, which is exactly what Geoffrey Maitland did up in the far north of Scotland, when he was recceing a walk from Shegra to Keoldale across the rocky mountainous regions where it was easy to get lost. Well, it wasn't exactly a machine, more of a swirling void. Trouble was, he was an experienced hiker and rambler of thirty plus...
Immortality. That was the reward, that was the promise, and he knew it was his. Soon he would live forever. Nobody would have taken it seriously. Nobody who thought rationally that is. He knew that should he have told anybody of this belief, then they would either have laughed at him, or politely made their excuses and left. Yet, he was convinced that it would happen, and soon he would no longer fear death. Kenneth Ambros...
The evening, as it always did, brought revellers and merrymakers of all sorts to Oak Street. Locals and travelers alike could never resist experiencing the famous Oak Street Inn for themselves. Even the wealthy scions of Thursk, the great city shadowing the humble town of Sylva, managed to steal away from their uptown lives for an evening of conviviality and pleasure. Maylin Shadowmoon watched the carousers from the u...
Mrs. Bucannon appeared to be a sensible person. She wore a simple gown and tasteful jewelry. If she wore makeup, I couldn't tell. She was a blond version of Grace, and her icy blue eyes were looking at me strangely. A pair of screaming females met Grace at the entrance to the parlor and whisked her off for girl talk. I breathed a sigh of relief as they left the room. Contrary to popular belief, being in a room full of w...
Thurman appeared to me on a Tuesday, in a wall tile of my newly renovated bathroom. It was a little after six P.M. and I was drawing a hot bath. I perched on the edge of the tub and waited for the water to reach that perfect temperature. I was tired. Worn out. Exhausted. My day had started just like any other day. Alarm at five A.M. got dressed in the dark, scurried out the door by five-thirty-five to open the cafe by six...
I stared at the old church. The white walls and stained glass had stood the test of time. I was not happy to see the loaded parking lot. It only made the job more complicated. Add a "just married." sign on the back of the limo, and you have all the ingredients for disaster. Not that disasters are foreign to weddings, the groom can go missing, or the bride gets cold feet, and the ever-entertaining person who comes to prof...
I awoke with a start. The trumpets were still sounding! Astrid, too, was awake and sitting upright. What was going on? Was that an alarm, were we being attacked? I leapt immediately from my bed and donned my cloak. Grabbing my bow and quiver I ran out of the chamber and into the courtyard. The trumpets were blowing loudly and urgently and men were lining the city walls. I ran up the steps and stared out over the battlemen...
“Anna.” I heard the distant voice say my name but I was too grief-stricken to answer. I felt someone stroke my hair and the voice repeated my name. “Anna.” I lifted my head and my heart leapt with joy! “Astrid! My darling! I thought...” She smiled weakly and squeezed my hand, closing her eyes once again. “So cold,” she whispered. “You have lost much blood, my love,” I spoke softly, holding her hand between my two, “Elenia...
Rather than gallop out of the end of the tunnel and risk death after startling my people I halted and dismounted, leading Fleet-Foot slowly through the archway and out into the main cavern, As I looked around a lump formed in my throat and tears welled in my eyes, I had only been away for a few days and now the scene before me broke my heart. The store cavern was full of sick and dying men, women and children. The women a...
The company rode steadily through the dark hours, pausing only briefly for sustenance and comfort. We were not troubled that night and we made good progress and as the darkness gave way to light on the third daybreak since setting out, the mood was good and camp was made before the sun appeared over the horizon. As I prepared for rest I noticed that the Eagles were high in the sky, wheeling around, searching for prey. The...
He had a weakness. One which he guessed may be quite embarrassing should his workmates discover it. However, he was not ashamed of it, because he saw no reason to be. It was perhaps quite a contraction in regards to who he was and to his profession that he should indulge himself in such fantasies, and fantasy, was exactly what it was. Bill Simmons was 36, worked on a building site, and lived a bachelor life in a bedsit. H...
I placed my left foot into the stirrup then, taking hold of Fleet-Foot's snow white mane and with my other hand on the saddle, bent my knee and pushed up, swinging my leg easily over his back, the loose material of my dress spreading out over the saddle. I took a moment to settle myself and adjust my cloak over my horse's back, then looked across at Astrid. She was already mounted and looked fearsome in her brown leather...
