The Totem-Maker (part one hundred thirty-three)

The Totem-Maker (part one hundred thirty-three)

  The Totem-Maker Chapter Twelve A Land So Perilous (part one hundred thirty-three)                       “Some have seen the dead and most have not. Most believe a plague came from the god, and they have made their altars, and they have refrained from meat and things […]

The Totem-Maker (part one hundred thirty-two)

The Totem-Maker (part one hundred thirty-two)

  The Totem-Maker Chapter Twelve A Land So Perilous (part one hundred thirty-two)                       Sickness seemed, in light of so much downing of wine and rich food, an untroubling thing, an inconvenience that must pass. The jewelers worked with the weight of the village’s expectations, […]

Are You Haunted (part forty-six)

Are You Haunted (part forty-six)

        Are You Haunted (part forty-six)           He rolled his tie and stuck it in a jacket pocket. He folded the jacket and placed it on a mossy patch. He untucked and unbuttoned, and took off his clean white shirt. He folded this and laid it on top […]

The Resident: An Odd Man Out (part twelve)

The Resident: An Odd Man Out (part twelve)

      The Resident Chapter Four An Odd Man Out (part twelve)             They didn’t have blinds on the windows; blinds became a place to start. The soft light of a wooded lot, well off the road, where no one saw inside… Claudie had loved waking up to it. […]

Are You Haunted (part forty-five)

Are You Haunted (part forty-five)

        Are You Haunted (part forty-five)           The church had burned decades earlier. “Always been this way for most of us,” Tovey said. “Camping-out spot. C’mon, get up here.” No hand was offered. Powell hoisted himself over the wall, plodded to the graveyard. Where Tovey sat on Elias […]

The Resident: An Odd Man Out (part eleven)

The Resident: An Odd Man Out (part eleven)

      The Resident Chapter Four An Odd Man Out             They had a mobile phone, their latest answering machine’s. He could leave her, would have to leave her and go to the kitchen, get the phone. Jog back dialing 911. Punching 911. Talk to the dispatcher, my wife […]

An Odd Man Out (part ten)

An Odd Man Out (part ten)

      The Resident Chapter Four An Odd Man Out   [rerunning the last several entries to help readers catch up, because I haven’t added to this story for months]             Meanwhile, Claudie’s garden grew, and her need to be outside; and he found her missing from the house […]

An Odd Man Out (part nine)

An Odd Man Out (part nine)

      The Resident Chapter Four An Odd Man Out   [rerunning the last several entries to help readers catch up, because I haven’t added to this story for months]             Learning Experiences was still John’s employer. His income afforded not much for brightening the house. By that Christmas […]

An Odd Man Out (part eight)

An Odd Man Out (part eight)

      The Resident Chapter Four An Odd Man Out   [rerunning the last several entries to help readers catch up, because I haven’t added to this story for months]             She said this, and when they’d kicked a few leaves, stepped around to the laburnums’ shedding, she talked […]

The Totem-Maker (part one hundred thirty-one)

The Totem-Maker (part one hundred thirty-one)

  The Totem-Maker Chapter Twelve A Land So Perilous (part one hundred thirty-one)                       The interpreter shrugged. The commander backed his steed and shouted. His soldiers withdrew; the workers clustered, with every appearance of nervousness, at the tunnel mouth. “We have digging. But you are […]