Grayson 2
# Grayson 2 **Sunday, August 7, 2011** In the names of all the gods, what have I done? In one sense, I've done nothing. Nothing "bad" or "harmful" to anyone. I hadn't realized just how much I needed someone to hear me, to really hear me, and even to...
Jumping Mouse, Part 2
I gave myself a little extra sleep the next morning, to make up for last night's work, as well to give time zones a chance to catch up with one another. I was at my favorite table at the Has Bean Café, pad and pen at the ready, placing a call to...
Amphorae
I stretched as well as an old wolf can, feeling my muscles trying to explain to me, yet again, that they all wanted to be laid tenderly, horizontally, upon the comfort of my bed, rather than more vertically in the office chair in front of my screens...
Warrior's Spirit
_I was afraid to go to her, not because I did not return her love, but because it would make saying goodbye all the more difficult..._ "I AM SPARTASTICUS!" I shouted against the icy blasts of unceasing, howling wind._"I am the Khranoth cheetah...
Coffee Break (Tenuki)
Benedict Spenser, crimson dragon, literature professor, all-too-merry prankster, was enjoying the comparative quiet of The Extra Credit café in the later morning hours of Boxing Day, occasionally chortling to himself at what he'd done to his Saluki...
Relative Beginnings
_Friday Evening_ I pulled into the driveway of my country estate (as I jokingly refer to it) with plenty of evening sun waiting for us. Emmanuel, who was used to his own delivery-van-sized vehicle, was happy that I drove a large and comfortable...
Expiration Date, Part 4
_This day..._ In this modern world, 27 years of marriage is quite the milestone. And believe me when I tell you that it's not an easy one to make. Don't get me wrong: I don't regret a moment of it. It's just not all as gauzy and syrupy sweet as the...
Annabel Lee
The day, bright, cool, clear, was not what many would call "proper" for a funeral. It was an anomaly in this rainy spring, being the third in a string of dry days with little cloud cover. The mourners could not help but comment on how beautifully the...
Gaming the System
I left the employment queue, keeping my anger in check. It was bad enough that they weren't going to give me a job at this high-and-mighty office complex; I wasn't going to give them the excuse to have me incarcerated as well. Just as well that it...
Of Dumplings and Dumps
The Dobie security guard was right about the Flaming Grill Buffet. It was surprising that the place could afford the space for seven islands of food, much less the kitchens and the spacious dining area, located as it was in the heart of downtown....
The Firm Law
I'd like to have lingered over the tea; instant or not, it was warm, as was the kitchen, and the company was good. I learned that other required services to the McMansion were provided by independent contractors. No big snows for the past few weeks or...
Clean-Up on Aisle 1
"Why am I always the one who has to haul out the trash?" "Because you're the only one big enough to handle the kind of trash we get in this place." "You need a better lock on the door." Manny grinned softly at the large black bear. A full two...