An Attic in the Middle of the Night

Children, especially very young children, don’t know anything. More, they don’t know what they don’t know. Their brains are black holes, taking in everything, spaghettifying the concepts, and coming away with the wrong idea. They must be taught everything, especially the things adults take for granted. How physics works. How people work. Don’t touch that.Continue reading “An Attic in the Middle of the Night”

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First Day at a New School

I’m starting to think I should make a series of these called Things I Wish the Main Character Teenage Girl Would Say Instead of Whatever Insecure Thing Actually Comes Out of Her Mouth So far, Kate’s first day at her new high school had been going…well enough. Math was a bummer, as always, and worseContinue reading “First Day at a New School”

Which Witch

Deep in the Mortimor Woods and far off the Woody Path, but not too far, was a handsome, ugly cottage. Handsome because it was sturdily built, wood and nails and a low roof of shingles all coming together to create a small but cozy home. Ugly because the wood was the black of mildew stains,Continue reading “Which Witch”

Magnates and Mirrors

Sir Lord Reginald Thwarpington Ramsbottom the third, lately of Hillshropshireforthdanwidthtonvillebourguponavon, was enjoying his morning rather leisurely. He had awoken in his giant bed and rolled over thrice to get to the edge and then gotten caught in the curtains, made of the very finest damask. Once he was able to cut himself down he putContinue reading “Magnates and Mirrors”

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Haunting 101

Tucker Winslow – alive for twenty-six years, dead for three, employed by Here and Beyond Solutions for two and a half – was sitting on a crappy plastic chair in the breakroom, staring at the soda machine without really seeing it. The Sector 1248 break room shared a physical space with the break room forContinue reading “Haunting 101”

Modern Miserable Man

The truth, which will be difficult for some of you to hear, is that he died alone because he was an unpleasant person. It’s a hard truth, so I understand if you need to percolate on it for a bit. We’ve all been raised by movies, yeah? And movies always have those…well, if not happyContinue reading “Modern Miserable Man”

What’s in a Name

Stephanie rocked back and forth, back and forth in the chair her grandfather had carved, her eyes never leaving the baby’s in her arms. So sweet and little. So full of possibilities. He was only two days old and she already loved him so fiercely when she thought about it she wanted to break something.Continue reading “What’s in a Name”

Pre-Apocalypse

The song cut out as the radio started blaring a test of the emergency broadcast system beginning with its usual discordant WEEEEEEEEHHHHHH. Mack cut it off and left it. They were almost to the parking lot of the trailhead, anyway. Next to him, in the passenger seat, Lois shifted. Out of the corner of hisContinue reading “Pre-Apocalypse”