Poetry from the mind, most of the poems in this collection were written whilst travelling.When two boys visit an elderly woman in the village, they are treated to a goose bump inducing ghost story. However, when they return home, they are unexpectedly encountered with the events of the story they'd just been told. Views: 654
Tom Angleberger's latest, loopiest middle-grade novel begins when M'Lady Luggertuck loosens her corset (it's never been loosened before!), thereby setting off a chain of events in which all the strict rules of Smugwick Manor are abandoned. When, as a result of "the Loosening," the precious family heirloom, the Luggertuck Lump (quite literally a lump), goes missing, the Luggertucks look for someone to blame. Is it Horton Halfpott, the good-natured but lowly kitchen boy who can't tell a lie? Or one of the many colorful cast members in this silly romp of a mystery. Views: 653
The scientists are trying to create a perfect digital copy of human mind. What if they succeed...and lose control over it?Deep in the wildwood a shining blue meadow appears, the birthplace of forest spirits with varying forms, all determined to destroy the people who live nearby. Deyant and her sister Mrinda are among the few of their folk with the power to walk the hidden paths that lead to the meadows. They alone have the ability to twist the connection between the wildwood and its spawn, killing the creature before it can emerge.But Deyant and Mrinda have grown apart as Mrinda prepares for her wedding to Johnah. Mrinda has embraced her fiance’s faith, a faith that disapproves of the magical work that has been the focus of Deyant’s life. And Mrinda has another secret that she has not shared with her sister, a secret that could put them both in danger as they walk the paths that lead to the meadow where the forest spawn awaits its birth.Will the sisters come together to defeat their ancient enemy? Or will Deyant’s anger and Mrinda’s secret bring disaster upon them both? Find out when you read this new fantasy short story by Jennifer Powell, a Clary Books presentation. (4100 words)"a truly original and enjoyable piece." Views: 647
52 poems about life, love, death, history, and the beings we share the planet with.Metal Fatigue is an anthology of stories relating to prison, incarceration, hopelessness and hope. These are largely first person accounts of survival behind bars and give a visceral look at what it means to do time. The stories present a critical look at the prison system and the stats for those held behind bars. A child lost to the system, a father’s plea for reconnection.EXCERPT:Jimmy passed his eighteenth birthday locked inside a cold, stinky cell in the obsolete old city jail. The toilet obviously didn’t work, an issue probably for several years… running.He thoughtfully reflected on his dry-humor pun. Besides, no one locked up ever flushes the motherfucking john. Never. Revoltingly putrid fecal matter, left in desperation by prisoners with nowhere else to go, overflowed and formed a vile puddle at a low spot in the frigid concrete floor. The prison smelled like shit. Smelled worse than shit. His own more recent addition was beginning to decay.If Jimmy had been home for his birthday, no doubt his father would’ve treated him to a steak dinner at The Outback; and perhaps a ballgame at the stadium afterword. Instead, Jimmy celebrated with foul-tasting water—grey water reprocessed from sewer waste—and several slices of stale bread upon which a near-microscopic dab of something resembling peanut-butter could be found sticking near the center—if one studied it closely, of course. The rancid bread was always stale in this place, just like the air, thick with mildew and the smell of unwashed bodies. It all mixed with the reeking toilet to produce an odor more disgusting than sweaty armpit pubes set on a smoldering fire.Tonight, for the most part, a stifling quiet lingered throughout the cellblock. The only sounds being the incidental shout of a guard, the muffled moan from a prisoner, or the occasional fart from either. Every so often, a cell door clanked open, followed by scuffling noises signaling a new prisoner’s arrival.Two weeks forever, he’d sat there in solitary now. But he still wasn’t so desperate as other prisoners on the cellblock who would actually shit themselves just for a laugh. Two weeks plus three lonely days, he reminded himself, marking off another day on the wall with the sharp edge of a small stone, chipped away from a section of rotting-old concrete. He made the mark with an awkward jab of his left hand. His right arm hung broken, suspended in a dirty sling he’d torn from an old rag.Sinking down onto the cold concrete slab that served as a bed, Jimmy leaned his head against the wall and shut his eyes. He figured it might be nine o’clock… or thereabout, although he really couldn’t be sure. Maybe ten. His watch had disappeared on intake at R&D receiving the first day, along with all his other personal effects… confiscated for “purposes of security” by the prison R&D guards. Problem was, they’d never listed his expensive Rolex watch on that property receipt they’d forced him to sign under the threat of tossing him in solitary stripped naked.Any questions about time, or anything, for that matter, brought only taunts and trouble from the guards. Especially the big one called ‘Boiler Bob’—so named by the prisoners for those angry-looking boils in evidence on the back and both sides of his incredibly thick neck.“What’s time to a prison roach?” Boiler Bob would mock, his furry broken teeth bared in a cruel laugh. “Hah, I know! I bet you’re impatient for your next fine meal… is that it?” Invariably he and the other guards goaded the prisoners about the food: food so foul even the cockroaches all passed around it in wide arcs. Views: 627
When a man pulls into a gas station in the middle of nowhere, he finds out he's not alone out there. In both the bad and good sense.Cassiea never thought returning a necklace would get so complicated. Because of that one decision, she was transported to a world, hidden from Earth by the Elvains. They were magical beings who, for centuries, been waiting for her to appear. They told her that she was the reincarnation of an evil witch name Keya. And the necklace, she thought she had found by chance, held the witch's magic. A magic that was the source of Keya's powers and what had turned her evil and ultimately her death. Cassiea was not thrilled to learn that she had inherited the evil witch's magic and that other magical beings would stop at nothing to get a hold of it. One in particular, was Keya's sister, Nara, whom wanted the powers for herself and to avenge Keya's death. Now Cassiea's ordinary life became extraordinary. And all she wanted to do was to go home to her quiet, comfortable and normal life. But the Elvains insisted that her destiny laid with them. Destiny. A word that Cassiea never gave much thought to. A word that never held any meaning to her became the bane of her existence. As she struggles through the acceptance of the keeper of this magic, she had to fight her way out of Nara's grasp while keeping everyone she loved safe and to prevent herself from becoming evil like Keya. Views: 622
A short stand alone story with Cora Frost and her possible future. Cora Frost meets a boy who is said to commune with spirits in the form of spiders. After an accident young Jacob Fancher is left in an eternal state of fasting. Blind, he still amazingly weaves brilliant embroidered works. On death's door Jacob Fancher wishes to bestow a gift to Cora. A gift given by the spiders that possess him.A short stand alone story with Cora Frost and her possible future. Cora Frost meets a boy who is said to commune with spirits in the form of spiders. After an accident young Jacob Fancher is left in an eternal state of fasting. Blind, he still amazingly weaves brilliant embroidered works. On death's door Jacob Fancher wishes to bestow a gift to Cora. A gift given by the spiders that possess him.Also included is an excerpt from Cora Frost, The first adventure in the series. Views: 619
For an airline passenger, an unexpected wait on the tarmac takes a turn for the strange.Also includes an author's note.Three short stories about irrational emotions between two people.The first story, Deadline, relates on mature student, Andrea, about to bag the ideal boyfriend. Only her tutor Mr. Linton and her late thesis stand in the way.The second story, Outside, enters the disturbed mind of Deke, an ex convict doing community service outside the home of single mother, Elaine. Only trouble is, he doesn't want to leave.And Nice follows the life of Durante, a grant assessor, suspicious of his young girlfriend, Kate, who keeps getting texts from a secret admirer.Three reads to fill spare moments, but leaving a lasting impression.The stories themselves are collectively 10,500 words. Views: 617
This is a short story about a teenage girl that befriends a group of Goths. One of her new companions has her questioning, is it possible that he is a vampire?When Lieutenant Adam "Hawk" Yazzie rescues Brett Weaver during a mission in Iraq, his faith in his team’s loyalty is shaken. Someone in the team attacked Cutter and left him for dead. But who?Zoe Weaver races to her brother Brett’s bedside. He stood by her while she fought her way back from a devastating injury, and she’s determined to do the same for him. Though drawn to Hawk’s good looks and steady strength, she’s reluctant to get involved with a man in uniform. But with Brett lying in a coma, Hawk may prove the key to what happened to her brother.Hawk is torn between loyalty to his men and his need to see justice done. When he tries to save a troubled teammate’s career, he unwittingly puts Zoe’s life in danger. Can he lead the rest of the team in a rescue operation to save her? Or will one of Hawk's brothers in arms destroy the woman he loves? Views: 615
What happens when Greg's romantic evening is ruined by the ghosts of an old house? In this short and funny tale, find out how Greg takes action against the long lost souls that call his recently inherited estate, home.A ship burns, sinking into the dark sea. There is only one survivor—a child hunted for the power of her song. Hidden away on an isolated island, Lilette buries her power deep, convinced it caused the deaths of those she loves.But she can’t run from who she is. And when her secret is revealed, the only thing that can save her is her song. It’s time to rise up and become what she was always meant to be: the most powerful witch ever born. Views: 612
Cmdr. Gulliver and his friends visit The United Colonies, a libertarian paradise. Here they see that taxes are low, people must pay for what they want. Estate taxes are high while income tax and sales tax are low. Freedom is supreme but is tempered by responsibility.Cmdr. Gulliver and his friends visit The United Colonies, a libertarian paradise. Here they see that taxes are low, people must pay for what they want. Estate taxes are high while income tax and sales tax are low. Freedom is supreme but is tempered by responsibility.Equality of opportunity is essential and every person is expected to produce. While sales taxes and income taxes are very low, the taxes at death are quite high. Drugs are legalized but drug users are responsible for their behavior. The society has drug houses where people can get free drugs but they can't come out unless they are cured or dead. Freedom is primary so equality is minimized because generally speaking to the degree that you have equality, such as a welfare state,you limit freedom. Views: 608
Little blue turns red is directed at four year-olds. The story is about a blue blood cell and his first adventure after he was created. He's an inquisitive cell and although he is told to line up he wants to explore. His journey starts when he meets Miss White; a white corpuscle. Together their journey takes them to the heart and then to the brain then to the lungs for air.Magdalene did not know she had fallen asleep until she woke up. She blinked her eyes tiredly trying to bring her surroundings into focus. She briefly wondered where she was then remembered she had been on a plane. She stretched glade she no had had no dreams. As she stretched she felt her hand scrape something hard and rough. Magdalene’s face scrunched up as she felt the odd texture. It felt like stone but she knew there was no stone on the airplane. She opened her eyes and looked around the dim lighting. Then she screamed. Views: 600
Humanity is imprisoned within a solar system running out of resources. Divine intervention is needed. Instead, Captain Vladnitz and his crew limp onto the scene in their battered spaceship, Arkhangel. In search of enough asteroid metals to make the next loan payment, they instead make a discovery that changes everything, if the ship and its crew can stay in one piece.Over five hundred years since the start of the Space Age and humanity has still not yet broken out of the prison of the solar system. Generation ships have been sent to nearby star systems, but the sublight speeds involved means that nobody has returned yet. Warp drives and worm holes have been around for centuries, although only in science fiction. Running short on resources in the solar system–even Saturn's rings have been strip-mined–humanity needs some divine intervention. Instead, they get Boris S. Vladnitz, a down on his luck captain of a battered spaceship. Follow along with Captain Vladnitz and his crew of wildcatters on board the Arkhangel as they eke out a living among the snowballs and rocks of the Kuiper Belt and finally get the chance of humanity's lifetime, if they survive the trip–and each other.Saint Vladnitz is the first story in the Borgia Trajectory, a series set in the same universe as the Eichi Testaments, back when the Galactic Empire wasn't even a glimmer in the eyes of the corporations that ruled Earth. Views: 600
An alien spaceship touches down in the sage brush near a small mountain town – or does it? It might be a message from Heaven, a futuristic weapons test, Federal surveillance, or just a prank. The town's resident fundamentalist secular humanist thinks he can solve the problem, between changing diapers, visiting his ex-mistress, and trying to come to terms with his own mortality.An alien spaceship touches down in the sage brush near a small mountain town – or does it? Some in the town of Mildred think the spooky apparition is a message from Heaven, a futuristic weapons test, or maybe just a prank. In the view of the town's resident fundamentalist secular humanist, the town has gone nuts, and it's his duty to hold back the flood of crazy ideas while simultaneously changing diapers, visiting his ex-mistress, and tending to his dying cat. Not to mention that's he's recently begun to believe in his own mortality... Views: 597
When the dead rose, all hope seemed lost. But Jared Stone has a plan. Escape from Nashville with his friends and head to the plateau, that’s the easy part. Along the way they rescue a group of children, trapped in a school. Determined to survive and protect the children, Jared and company will do anything. But the Dark, isn’t done with them and the dead are not its only weapon, it has its own servants in the world of man and one of them is determined to destroy the growing group of survivors and the children they protect. Views: 592
