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The wilderness is indifferent To some violent, in its indifference. But when I walk past the rushing river, The creaking trees, The rustling bush. When I listen to the birds sing, The squirrels chitter, And the fish splash. The indifference feels peaceful, And I am calmed. The wilderness does not care who I am, What I am, What I have done, Or what I will do. The wilderness will treat my survival and my death the same; With indifference. Is this what equality feels like? It’s

Rose Red held the empty vial loosely in one hand, gazing at it, as she held her mug of mead in the other. She could use a refill, but Peter was regaling a new patron about his adventures in Never Never Land, before ‘the fairies went home’. He still had an elven look in middle age, but with the graying hair and the slight paunch around the middle, he was definitely no longer the young boy who had led a collection of other fae-stolen. She drank her remaining mead in one swallow

This is from my 'archives'. I wrote this short story maybe about 10 years ago, and stumbled across it when browsing through some old files. I hope you enjoy. - JD I, Death, fell in love on a Tuesday. It was a rainy day, and she was supposed to be hit by a car. The collision was to be fatal, and she was to die instantly. But when I saw her, lying on the pavement, her body broken and her soul suspended before me, I couldn’t bring myself to perform my duties. Her soul was so b

Alan had been taught from a young age to always look presentable. No pajamas or slippers outside of the house, sweats are only acceptable when going or returning from the gym, etc. When he was young this rule had irritated him, but as an adult he saw the merit in taking care of one’s appearance.  But all those rules seemed to be useless when it came to preparing for what should be just a coworkers game night.  Everything he tried on was too much or too little. Or didn’t fit

Thursday, June 2, 1921 Darnell, the librarians, and his mom walked quickly under a brightening sky, the morning air thick with dew and a chilling silence. Their footsteps slapped on sidewalks, and they rushed past quiet and dark buildings. They had just swum out of what they now knew to be the Arkansas River, having escaped Kuzimu, the Land of the Dead, and arrived in Tulsa, OK. Only a 2-3 hour drive should have separated them from home in Oklahoma City, but they had arrived

Ever since The Protector had visited, Alan had been overly jovial with everyone as if he were overcompensating for the foul mood his father put him in. Conversations with him are still pleasant, but now shallow and even sometimes a little brittle. When he thinks no one is looking or paying attention to him, I see his face take on the expression of sadness and anger that he is trying to hide from the office.  Our fathers are more alike than they or the world could fathom, but

I followed Marcus to the “fancy” conference room, the one reserved for guests the company wanted to impress or to add emphasis to whatever new policy they were pushing out. The only times I had been in the fancy conference room were when the villain reform program had been announced and to meet with my father. As we walked, my thoughts kept straying to Neveah. Watching her recoil back into herself at the mention of my father had been hard to watch, but I couldn’t blame her.

“Alan, I’m sorry, you’re just wrong,” I exclaimed laughingly as Alan contorted his face into one of faux outrage.  “Grape jelly is absolutely the best on a PB&J!” Alan yelled. We were in the break room, having a conversation that had meandered from one innocuous subject to the next. I couldn’t speak for Alan, but these conversations had become a part of my work routine just as much as grabbing coffee in the morning and submitting my daily mission summaries in the afternoon.

***A Series of Conversations is intended for adult readers*** “Do you watch football?” I asked casually.  I was in the break room after a recon mission, and found myself sitting on the couch with Neveah. She was killing time before a routine meeting with her team. Both of us were enjoying a cup of coffee; mine hot, hers iced.  She smiled, bemused. “No, I don’t watch any sports.” “What do you like to watch?” “I like to watch movies.” “What’s your favorite movie?” She to

***A Series of Conversations is intended for adult readers*** I was in the break room nursing a few broken ribs and a wounded ego. The first few missions with the team had gone well, but then I had gotten cocky and walked right into a gang of Black Hoods. I won the fight, but I had taken quite a beating before Dragonboy and Iron Cat could reach me.  “Neveah, I recognize that look,” Julie said as she brought me some pain relievers and a bottle of water, “Stop beating yoursel

***A Series of Conversations is intended for adult readers*** “Alan, this is Neveah. Neveah, this is Alan,” Julie introduced us quickly as she grabbed a beer out of the cooler. “She will be in tomorrow’s mission briefing.” I turned to the newly introduced Neveah. Everyone present at Michael’s house was a superhero in one form or another. Some were aliens, some were humans that some magic or science had physically changed, and others looked like an average human when they we

In a land heavily influenced by fae magic, the Land of Fairy, it was a time of great political stress and tension. The centuries-long war...

The events I am going to recount were, at the time, a local story at best. One that was quickly overshadowed by much more interesting and...

Darnell and the Librarians: Journey Through Kuzimu can now be borrowed on Hoopla. CLICK HERE TO BORROW ON HOOPLA

Trigger Warning: This short story includes mention of violence, death, racism, and familial neglect. Reader discretion is advised. I have...

Darnell and the Librarians: Journey Through Kuzimu is now available for purchase at all major retailers! Ebook as well as print on demand...

Trigger warning: This short story includes references to murder, mutilation, sexual abuse, and abuse of children. Reader discretion is...

Darnell and the Librarians: Journey Through Kuzimu (Book 1 of the series) will be available on multiple sites beginning Tuesday 08/26! ...

The first 20 pages of the sequel to Journey Through Kuzimu I has been typed! Stay tuned for more updates and sneak peeks.

A thin manila folder was left on my desk. I do not know who put it there or how the messenger managed to avoid all security cameras and...