Nia continues walking towards the castle, looking over her shoulder in case Flip comes from behind. While doing so, she bumps into the leaves of a large olive tree, with several of the fruits falling to the ground. She hastily picks them up and puts them to the side of the walkway, making sure they ...

Snow lay heavy on the ground around their shop, but the cold hardly touched them inside despite the cracked door. Ingrid sat in front of the hearth and warmed her hands while she stirred a bubbling concoction in the pot. As she worked, she hummed.  It was the first night of Yule. A fire was ...

I cannot return to my sleep; the flamingo in my dream lingers in my brain. I lie awake in bed for some time, twiddling my thumbs and watching the window curtains gently flutter. Then I notice an envelope hanging from one of the curtains with a paper clip. Tiptoeing so I don’t startle my escort, ...

Ragnar’s hall was splendid, as always. The great fireplace roared while mead filled every cup in the vicinity. The heavy table, covered in fresh bread, smoked meats dripping in fat, root vegetables, and the last fruits of the season, catered to Norsemen from every cardinal direction. Women and men ate with gusto and drank like ...

An enormous rusty barge enters a Monte Carlo harbor, creating a stark contrast against the gleaming spotless yachts bobbing on the water. Kofi, carrying a small pet carrier thanks the captain and crew, slowly disembarks and resists the urge to purge himself of his seasickness through his mouth. He finds a bench facing away from ...

Hikari stretches her back on an airport bench in relief after her seemingly endless flight reaches the airport. Her head and knees ache from the cramping environment of a middle seat between two obnoxiously loud people. Hikari gathers her luggage and makes her way to the security checkpoint. The security guard searches her backpack, coming ...

The Discovery “I have visual,” Derrick shouted. The GPR reader beeped as if to prove that it was indeed working, for once.  “Take it around.” The professor waved him on. Derrick began pushing the machine around their marked grid.  It was a freezing day, which is to be expected in Scotland in the early days ...