‘Upstate New York has two seasons, summer and the Fourth of July.’ Although that’s just New York humor, there’s a bit of truth to it. Summer in Upstate New York can seem short after a cold, hard winter. The reality is that life in Upstate New York is eventful no matter what the season. Like ...

The boat slows down as it nears a remote island. I look over to the right and see the sandy shore with a small dock. A large metal fence circles the area with notices that have the words ‘PRIVATE: NO TRESPASSING’ written on them. Miss Jessica has the right idea. Louis stops his boat by ...

Ingrid forced Rionan into a bath in the back room of the longhouse and handed her a bar of soap dotted with lavender. Rionan appreciated the subtle scent as she rubbed the smooth foam into her arms and hair and listened to the bickering outside. It felt good to have soot and dirt out of ...

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 ...

Kofi arrives at the same sidewalk block heading towards the castle. While thunder quietly rumbles, he pulls Nia the rat out of her carrier when the taxi drives off. Nia happily nuzzles Kofi’s cheek. Nia stops when Kofi’s hand quickly puts her back in her carrier. A taxi arrives and stops on the same sidewalk ...

  The Willard Asylum   The Willard Asylum was once a very large and impressive establishment. The entire facility originally covered over one thousand acres of land. It was comparable to a small town. Willard was a self-sufficient community that met all of the needs of its residents, from food production to medical care.   ...

They broke down and extended their stay with the doctor. Professor Fraser had taken it well. She sounded mildly peeved at the amount of grading she’d have to do alone. “Tell Maggie she owes me a drink,” she grunted over the line before the connection died and the dial tone took over. Taylor looked at ...

I’m finally holding on to letting go.  What is the power of letting go? Well, when you have to find your own power, when you feel powerless, you learn how strong you really are. About a month ago, I did something crazy. I got on a plane and went halfway across the United States without ...

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 ...