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....

The smell of freshly cut grass on a bright and warm summer’s day may sound like a nice thing to experience, but unfortunately for me it generally isn't. My hay fever gets so bad that medication to relieve its symptoms doesn't help me out all that much. Having just passed a field where the grass was still being cut has me sneezing uncontrollably. I am sure my red, itching, watery eyes have me looking smashingly well. Speak...

It has been my dream since college days to own a company. Back then, I wasn't ambitious (or greedy if you can call that), I just wished for a small company with a couple of employees. That’s it. I do not want my company to be listed in fortune 500 companies or become a world renowned entrepreneur like Steve Jobs or Sergey Brin. All I want is a freedom to work for my own dreams. I didn't get that chance very easily; it too...

The senior prom. It had been all that Natalie could think about when she returned to school in September to begin her senior year. She often day-dreamed of what it would be and feel like walking into the banquet hall dressed to to the max, with hair and make-up having been done by a professional that offered to come to her house for a small fee and perform these final tasks. Robby of course would be on her arm as she and...

Chapter 55 The Measure of Love Kallitris leans to me, hugs me with his wing and kisses in the lips. The pale light from the windshield hits his webbed wings and they light up dark amethyst-purple. What a magnificent creature he is. I would love just to be with him. I wish it was that simple. So many thoughts, so little time. “It’s all good” My boyfriend says. “Take me to Leot, I’m not going to hurt him. I just need to tal...

Chapter 53 Friendship in Despair “Well, you’re correct. He is slow, because he is in the process of intercepting Leot’s communication with Almaz. I believe it’s his real reason for going there. But the official reason for the attack is tellurium. Our cities are made of tellurium. He always wanted it for his purposes.” “Let’s skip the subterfuge for a second. But could the said intercepted information be an explanation for...

“It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” Roy Disney Lying in bed, I wait for the doctor to let me go home. An IV is in my arm attached to a bag hanging next to my bed. The slow drip of the liquid seems in time with my beating heart. The room is a light pastel yellow, cheerful but not overstated. A large tree is right outside my window overlooking the beautiful rose garden covering the lawn. La...

I want youMore than any man has everIn any form I can have youWhether I have to wilt awayAnd slither back to where it is I came fromI need youMore than the deserts wish for rainTo supplicate the fields Which used to hold so much promiseHow dry they remain Waiting patiently to be blessedBy the tears of a maidenWho knows no boundariesAnd washes away the sadnessOf one lowly travelerHe writes across life's pagesScrawled penma...