Short Fiction, Poetry and Classic Book Reviews
It was my first overseas trip on official duty. I had been called up at the last minute to act as the Prime Minister's key adviser in Western Africa. In Senegal, after a warm welcome and sightseeing tour, things cooled at the negotiating table. Both leaders, usually calm under pressure, began shouting and slamming their... Continue Reading →
Advertising was in my blood. A rare strain of zombie virus was too, but mostly advertising. I remember it was a Wednesday—the usual mayhem—I had deadlines to meet, clients to schmooze, and anti-human-flesh-eating-urge medication to take—and in walked Martin Milford, president of Milford's Mayonnaise. He had come to hear our pitch for his company's latest... Continue Reading →
Deep in the enchanted forest, nestled in the shimmering glade, was an elf village. Happily, and unbeknown to nearly all the other woodland creatures, the elves went about their daily business. In the morning they picked baskets full of melodious merryberries, then washed them in the sparkling harmony stream. The elves laid the glistening berries... Continue Reading →
Todd Steinbelch dragged his foot up and over the seven hundred and fifty-fifth—and final—step leading to the Tibetan monastery. He dropped the knapsack from his shoulder and collapsed on the pavement, lying there undisturbed, just like those ancient stones. After catching his breath, Todd sat and viewed the centuries-old spiritual haven; the sight flooded him... Continue Reading →
It was a bright, frosty morning. The sun decorated the hills with streaming golden beams, while birds sang their chorus of chirps and whistles. In the emerald glen a pair of furry brown antennae popped up from the grass, followed by a twitching nose. A look left, then right, and the hare darted off for... Continue Reading →
Long, swelling waves marched in, sparkling in the sunlight. The steady, breath-like ebb and flow, crash and release upon the shore brought a soothing counterweight to the fisherman's enraged cursing. Standing on the rocks, he hurled his tackle box in disgust, and watched it splash and vanish, an insignificant blip in the ocean. Never again... Continue Reading →
Six years in prison had changed Ray Stencil. For one thing, he had grown a moustache. (One does what one must to survive in jail.) Now, released back into society, he felt like a fish out of water, or a small fish in a big pond, or a lonely grouper swimming among sharks. Perhaps the... Continue Reading →
“Huh... I never noticed that before. See up ahead where the river makes a sharp bend? There’s a hill up on that bank, covered with trees. See it? I’ve seen it before… only not here. The Mekong. Just like that—the river bend, the trees. A hundred clicks north of Nha Tau. It’s funny the things... Continue Reading →
Leaving the army was hard on Omar Spyfe. He was a decorated soldier, but had got into some trouble after it was discovered he was making his own decorations—out of Roll-Ups. His commanding officer became suspicious when he spied Omar taking a bite of his Victoria Cross. Normally this would not merit a dishonourable discharge,... Continue Reading →