Stories and Paintings
I remember very little about my great-grandfather. I remember he was very little. Even as a child, when every grown up was like a giant to me, he seemed diminutive and frail. I remember he could drink copious amounts of vodka. For a long time, I assumed all old people could drink like that. And... Continue Reading →
“Say no more,” answered Victor, casting his confident voice to every corner of the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, you are in for a treat. Tonight, I am going to introduce to you the soon-to-be worldwide craze, The Metronome Game—made possible thanks to the good folks at Furbank’s Fine Metronomes, the finest metronomes money can buy.... Continue Reading →
“Hey, there he is!” called a voice from inside. “That’s the guy!” Fifty alcohol-blushed faces turned to the door where Victor stood, while the pub owner weaved through the noisy throng toward him. “Hey, mate!” called the pub owner, raising his head above the crowd. “You’re just the guy we wanted to see.” He pressed... Continue Reading →
Victor stood up, still staring at the smouldering bomb site. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s all over.” He smiled. From the billowing black cloud above, a bolt of lightning shot down to the mansion’s remains and hovered there a moment, growing brighter, before vanishing. “Whoa,” said the girl. “I’ve never seen lightning do that before.” “Me... Continue Reading →
Gary chuckled and poked Victor with his finger, giving a jovial, “Boop.” Victor fell back and sprawled on the floor. Gary stood over him and grinned. “Time to go, Victor.” He nudged Victor with his foot and sent him flying across the floor like a hockey puck. When Victor crashed into the wall on the... Continue Reading →
“No,” said Victor. “I’ve been in here… I never saw this door.” “No one did,” said Gary. “Everyone was so busy watching for vampire Arthur that they never checked here. Anyway, there are seven more rooms through here that are still cursed. They will be destroyed with the rest of the house.” “More rooms?” Victor... Continue Reading →
The light receded to reveal Victor’s surroundings: a large room almost identical to the one in which he had defeated The Dragon Lady, empty but for the piano and its stool. Gary—his own aura restrained to a soft, pulsing glow—stepped over to the door and opened it. “The curse is broken, Victor. You must leave.”... Continue Reading →
In the fading light a girl made her way up the hill toward the mansion, her soft shoes tapping delicately on the footpath. She stopped a few feet back from the mansion’s short stone fence, adjusted her glasses and squinted up at the notorious manor. She sighed. Soon, two boys approached, laughing and shoving one... Continue Reading →
The Dragon Lady growled. Her throat glowed red, smoke trickled up from her nostrils, and the horns on her head grew another six inches to create a demonic mohawk. “It doesn’t matter,” she snarled through clenched teeth. “He didn’t play the music, so he must die.” Gary looked upward and scratched his left sideburn as... Continue Reading →
