The Sandcastle (final)

The ants began making a kind of clicking and hissing noise. And then, like a surge of evil ocean water, they attacked. Sam saw the wall advance and waited. Waited while they closed the distance, waited as the moon on their helmets shone more and more brightly. Waited until they had completely covered the sand […]

The Sandcastle (part 2)

“No one’s ever going to save the earth because they know castles,” Tommy said. “And who’s going to save the earth with Bernoulli’s principle?” Sam asked. His voice a tad more desperate than he intended. It was supposed to sound clever, conclusive. “Maybe not the world, but you can keep planes from crashing,” Tommy said. […]

Race to Verdou Fountain: The Tavern

Shadows drifted over the table, flickering on and off with the fire. The mead warmed Alston down to his toes. It was cold outside. Alston looked across the table at his friend. “You don’t know what it’s like,” Alston said. “I may be brand new here too, but I’ve learned about it before.” Quinn was […]

Medieval Advent

The frost lies hardened on the frozen ground, the trees encased in glassy slips of ice. A lonely raven calls across the field of silent white. The air is fresh and hard. I stand outside among my fields and look down at the rows of dying, stubbled corn: the husks of harvest—gone until the spring. […]

Arm me for Battle

– Arm me for battle, Lord, that I may fight the battles facing soldiers blessed with ease: the callousness within my soul toward light that hardens all the ground sins’ battles seize; a mind recalcitrant and sharp with doubt that you would ever answer my complaint; the stab of fear that all I’ve learned about […]

Race to Verdou Fountain Prt 2

“You want to what?!” “Listen, Krea, it’s because I really think he’s going to anyw—” Alston began. “So because you’re sure Quinn is going to do it anyway, you’re going to stop protesting and just help him? That’s how you keep your friend safe, by helping him plot his own death march?” “When you say […]