“And that’s Mr. Phines, he’s head of the overseas sales department,” Alex tugged at his striped neck tie, his eager face flush with excitement. “I’d love to introduce you to Mr. Bates if we see him. He’s kind of a hard ass sometimes, but he’s a really cool guy.”

I smiled indulgently at him, charmed by his boy like enthusiasm. We had only been on a few dates when he had - with much sweating and st...

A light paw hits the ground, gently nudging the earth aside. Sunlight drifts through the gaps in the trees canopy, dappling the undergrowth. Nothing can be heard but the sounds of the forest, the full chatter of an entire ecosystem at play.

The doe lowers its head, gently nibbling at the vegetation. Above her, birds chatter and sing, loping back and forth amongst the branches.

Suddenly, her head...

I sit alone in my dressing room, practicing my words one more time. A lone moment of solitude during this campaign, and one I was grateful for; grateful for the time to collect my thoughts.

The enormity of the day sank into me, how far I had come to be here, preparing for this moment. The years of effort that had preceded it.

An aide pops her head through the door. “3 minutes til your cue.”

I ...

The hotel bar was class personified; shiny brass features, sleek leather seats, soft, low lighting. I sipped my tequila soda, the condensation on it running down the length of the crystal whiskey glass, gently landing on my laptop keyboard.

The allure of the soft jazz music and enjoyable atmosphere had been too much to resist when I had returned, exhausted, from the end of a long day of conferen...

My brother Marcus discovered his purpose when he was 8 years old.

A rogue thunderstorm had sent our new foal into a frenzy, bucking and kicking against the stall, feral and unhinged by the thunder booming across the valley.

Marcus spent the night soothing her, stroking her long mane until she finally fell asleep in the early morning hours. When he reentered our kitchen for breakfast, exhausted...

If only you’d been more bold

If only I’d been less scared

If only I’d seen more clearly

If only he hadn’t cared

We could have flown

We could have crashed

We could have jumped

We could have lasted

If only

If only

If only...

“Did you hear yet?” Amanda leaned forward conspiratorially against the wall of my cubicle, coffee cup in hand. “They made their decision on the new director.”

I spun around at that, half written email forgotten on the screen behind me. “Who is it?”

“They haven’t announced it yet. But Kelly told me that in the morning meeting this morning Kruger let slip that they already decided.”

“God, I can’t...

The fluorescent lights slowly flickered on, one by one. Combined with the last of the lingering summer sun, I could almost see to the far end of the park.

I began my first round, performing the typical end of day checks. I could almost convince myself that I was not disturbed by the metallic creeks and groans I heard as I progressed. Reaching the far end of the park some five or ten minutes late...

The beam of light pins me to the wall. I can only imagine how I look, hunched over the half eaten load of bread, still shoveling crumbs into my mouth, squinting towards the light.

“Drop it!” The sour voice comes from someone I can not see against the glaring light.

Instead of obliging, I shove the rest of the bread into my mouth as quickly as possible, the grumbling in my stomach winning over a...

The wind whistles through the trees, a haunting melody the forest had sung since the beginning. Above me, owls hooted, their low calls echoing back and forth in the dead forest.

The path I followed was tricky at best, deadly at worst. Small, winding, at times completely disappearing into brush only to reemerge some hundred yards away, it was a tedious and frustrating journey.

The guard prodded ...