Twas the night before the Christmas and all through the house not a soul was stirring, not even a mouse. With a rustle and a bustle and a clatter and crush down the chimney Santa did rush. As he stood on the hearth, brushing soot from his beard and cursing the decline in chimney width he checked his list. "Ah yes, little Timmy, good" his hand dipped into hi...
Some people think that I'm kind of strange. Especially out here in the town of Ottawa, the dreary capital of Canada. All because I like to be myself. The name is Stephen Saint Vincent. Born in the City of Cap-Haitien, Republic of Haiti. I grew up in the City of Boston, Massachusetts. I identify as Haitian-American. And I am fiercely loyal to both halves of m...
I am born with nine others and I lay safe among them in a tight ball of light breathing. I know there is a nipple for me but I am small, it seems, and must push hard for my mother's milk. We are like one at first, a moving body with forty legs. Snuggly linked shoulder to jowl; each an extension of each other. Knitted together by our scent, warmth, under be...
She had just finished cleaning the counter when the biker gang came in. She sighed and wished that she had waited to clean up. This bunch had been in before. They left truly memorable messes. They had just settled into seats when the door opened again and the biggest man she had ever seen walked in. He stood at least seven feet tall. His long, red-gold hair...
"How are we going to find the others?" Aiden wanted to know. Ella and Marc looked at each other and Aiden sighed. "You guys know where they are." "Yes." They said together. Aiden shook his head and stood up. He began pacing and looked at Alani. "Are you even the least bit pissed off?" he asked her. "They only blocked our powers for our protection Aide...
Whatever you do, don't call me Manny. I absolutely hate it. What kind of name is that for a chick anyways? If you know what's good for you, you'll address me by my proper name Manal Muhammad. When I said that, the pudgy teacher's assistant glared at me balefully, a look of simmering anger filling his reddened face. His blue eyes were like ice cubes. I could...
With a swift swing of my bayonet, I cut the head off a large zombie. In mortal life, the creature had been a tall and chubby, forty-something white male, and it was still wearing the faded blue mechanic's overalls it had on when it died and reanimated after been bitten. The severed head fell on the ground, and I tossed it aside after bisecting the brain. Now...
Australia in the 1960s, looking back on it now, seems very like America in the 1950s. We were prosperous, rather parochial and motivated by a mixture of complacency and paranoia. On one hand, people were content and pleased with their day-to-day lives, but on the other we had an exaggerated idea of the menace of Communism and other foreign evils. The Vietn...
The sun rose over Ontario, Canada, and I rose with it. I've been living in this place for several years now and even though my passport now says permanent resident of Canada instead of dubious terms like refugee claimant and all that crap, this place still doesn't feel like home. Maybe it's because of the cold, hateful stares I get from random people as I wa...
My name is John Hancock. I thought I knew who I was. You see, about five years back I found myself in the City of Los Angeles, California. Living the life of a renegade superhero, half-hated and half-worshipped by the denizens of Southern California. Is it me or does California have a love-hate relationship with brothers in general? Before OJ Simpson became...