Recap: Sometime last year, just prior to my 52nd year on the planet, I finally got fed up with my excess weight and came to terms with the fact that I need to go to some extreme in order to lose it. I knew I had to get away from the desk and do something active. I needed to take the reins and find my "carrot!" Of course, I knew what my 'carrot' was. It wa...
Dedicated to my collaborator, the Sylken One things are not always what the appear to be, even as they are appearing * * * * * "I believe you boys have much better things to do than litter the halls with your presence during class time." George Ballard's booming, authoritative voice echoed in the hall. As Vice Principal of Market Street High, had found hi...
"Wait," Race told the cab driver as he opened the cab door. The Vinchelle residence was a two-story Georgian colonial, with a straight flagstone walkway leading to the door. Race walked it like a last mile. He pressed the doorbell with trepidation. He was somewhat relieved when the door opened, and a bearded white man, maybe an inch or two taller than him, a...
Oleandra Labrecque had some time to kill before her three o'clock geography class, and, not being a social butterfly by nature, gravitated as usual to the isolated, quiet, cocoon-like atmosphere of one of the back tables on the third floor of the university library. Though she often studied here, reading assigned articles or books for different classes, on...
Jennifer was 36, a mother of two small children. She was petite, about 5'3", 120 pounds, with long, straight blonde hair. She had a California attitude and look to her, but she was actually from Colorado. She had a different vibe to her, independent, confident, and adventurous, yet somehow she melancholy and pensive. In high school, Jennifer was a repressed...
Estuary: (n) - that part of the mouth or lower course of a river in which the river's current meets the sea's tide. The radio was off, but nobody spoke. The silence was broken only by inconsistent snoring, the drone of the tires, and her own labored breathing. Carlton, her husband and the source of the snoring, was slumped in the front seat, intoxicated bey...
"Dude, I told you before, my name is Pooja Manochahal, not frigging Poo-Poo, and if you poke my nose one more time, I swear will slap the shit out of you," said the diminutive, curvy, raven-haired and brown-skinned young Indian woman, speaking in a measured tone. Fearlessly she looked up at the tall, young Black man who stood before her, a smug smile on his...
My name is Jamal James Wilkins. I am a tall young black man living in the city of Boston. Right now, it's late December and I'm finally on vacation from Northeastern University. I'm a Criminal Justice major and I've finally earned my B.A. I feel like celebrating. It's a good feeling when you accomplish what you set out to do, you know? I went to the downtown...
Catherine was a guest lecturer at a small, southern, community college. She had been in town for just under three weeks. Her lecture that day had lasted a little longer than usual. Then, the students had many more questions than they normally did. Now, it, was getting late. She hoped she hadn't missed her ride. To add insult to injury, Catherine's friend,...
I tried not to think too much about Gaelen's strange behavior after he touched me. My imagination was notorious for going wild already. With a fine expert finesse, I mastered the fine art of jumping to conclusions due to living in colony. Because whatever something happened, we'd all think of the worst scenario that could happen; and when aliens were involve...