Brennan’s Jetta puttered to a stop when the railroad crossing arms lowered. The crossways fell like a protective parent’s arms to their child. Cold air blasted through the vents, and the wipers scraped jagged strips of ice across the windshield. Raindrops froze in streaks. He blew into his folded hands. Beside him was a thin ...

“Hurry Kitty! I haven’t got all day to spend at the milliner’s.” “I merely desire to browse a little more. Why do we have to leave so soon?” “The rest of my wardrobe for my trip to Brighton must be made today. We don’t have hours to dawdle in one boutique.” I grab the bonnet ...

The house had aged from the time he’d packed his bags. Simon felt his presence in the home leaving before he physically did. College started the following week. He looked around his bedroom. It had changed little since he had moved in five years ago. Faded to a dusty pink, the red wallpaper revealed only ...

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas…” A local children’s choir sings cheerfully, but I hardly notice the music. I don’t even know why I came out tonight. My therapist recommended leaving my apartment at least once a week to socialize. The only problem is I never talk to anyone during these “social outings.” “Man, I ...

The scent of cedar permeates the air as you stand there, watching the traffic pass you by. Your hair is pulled away from your face in a low-rise ponytail, and the beanie you have on your head is one you have never worn before. You’re not used to the coldness you can feel seeping in ...

My paws prance upon the hardwood floor. I look around the silent living room, and my nose directs me to a small table where the corpses of half-eaten gingerbread men lie alongside a glass of cold milk. I take nibbles of each spiced cookie so that their bodies don’t go to waste. But, I avoid ...

It’s Christmas day, and as the kids grumble about the gifts they didn’t receive, you’re in the kitchen, surrounded by the sharp aroma of minced onions while completing the repetitive task of removing the thick, robust skin of the potatoes. The kitchen is filled with the pungent and sweet fragrance of herbs as the flavors ...

With a sputter, the converted bus springs to life. Grinning, Kalie guides it to the glittering starway leading up along the horizon’s green twilight and into the thickening darkness above. She points it straight at the glowing, round moon still sitting low and red in the sky. Kalie can only see the outline of the ...

“Mary! Child, where are you? I need your assistance with these Christmas decorations. Mary!” Mama’s cries grow fainter as I briskly walk further down the corridor away from her room. Hopefully she will not notice me if I hide in the kitchen. Cook smiles at me when I enter the pantry, knowing why I am ...

Louise tossed on her bed and turned onto her back. She twisted a blond curl splayed out on the pillow. The lights strung on the bushes outside her window took turns glowing red and green on her ceiling. In the predawn hours, Louise rose and pulled on a flannel shirt and jeans. She slid on ...