The Gift of Giving
_ **The Gift of Giving** _ Friday night. I was still feeling frosty from heading out to top up on groceries earlier that evening. All the more motivation to wrap myself up extra tight and sink even deeper into bed. Sure, I was still sleeping in the...
Breaking Down
Breaking Down Finally, my heart rate started to slow back down. In the cab of my semi-truck, I wondered if I’d run something over, picked up a slow puncture someplace, or something else. Ultimately, though, how my tyre had blown out didn’t...
Perspective
_ **Perspective** _ "Purpose of your visit?" I'd been standing silent in line so long that I'd almost forgotten how to talk. Jet lag had my head all kinds of mashed up, too. No matter. The ultra-formal, no-nonsense crow glaring at me from behind her...
Doomsayer
_ **Doomsayer** _ A slow, low rumbling started from beyond rolling green hills. Steady. Constant. A coastal town sat in those foothills, steeped in the morning sun. One by one, its residents, curious over those drum-like beats, stepped out of their...
On Defence
_ **On Defence** _ "You look good," I told Sam, smiling at him through our bathroom mirror. "I hope you're not planning on picking anyone up tonight." "Why would I?" my little 'panda replied from atop the counter, standing at his smaller version,...
Boiling Point
_ **Boiling Point** _ My walk from the station was more like a swim, the swampy summer morning air even more overwhelming and oppressive than the metro journey that'd got me there. A journey made up of three trains, two transfers, and nearly an entire...
Torchbearer
_ **Torchbearer** _ Blake sank to his knees, placing a paw to his battle-felled brother's chest. The pain-stricken grunt it drew threatened to pierce his own. Blood oozed between his fingers. Drenched his palm. He recited a silent prayer for any and...
Rock Bottom
_ **Rock Bottom** _ I stretched my legs, then my arms and back, grumbling as I stirred in this makeshift bed of mine. A faint bar of light seeped between the gap in the giant door ahead, saving me from total darkness at the bottom of this wardrobe I...
Lost & Found
_ **Lost & Found** _ The air stifled so very much. Even on a morning that was not so hot, how difficult it was to breathe came as the first thing to my notice upon disembarking the train. To walk through the streets, the crowded, overloaded streets,...