Chapter 1 Burned Out I was sitting in the conference room long after everyone had left. I looked at my watch and saw it was almost eight o'clock. Today had been the culmination of over a year's hard work. The merger of Dollard Corporation and Cumberland Holdings had been the most difficult thirteen months of my life. I couldn't count the number of times I w...
Living near the edge of the city can be a tedious thing, especially when you've been held up downtown at work for several hours past your schedule. And especially when it's after dark and busses no longer go all the way to your area. And especially when you make the terrible decision to take a shortcut through the bad part of the city. These things were mad...
Have you ever noticed that every class has an asshole who thinks that he's being funny by insulting and putting everybody down? My high school class had one too — Frank Fortune. And to me, the big irritation was that no one thought it was funny when they were in his sights, but as soon as he started ripping into someone ELSE, they would be there laughing the...
Author's Note: A big thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read, vote and comment, I really appreciate the encouragement! To answer a question someone asked in the comments of the last chapter, no, I haven't posted any other stories, but hope to post more here when Makara is complete. If you haven't already, please make sure to read the first three cha...
I playfully punched Mike on the shoulder. "It's not the food, it's the adventure." His eyes lit up. "Adventure in a small café?" "Well, it's not so much the café as the people it brings past my beach store, whom I side-track in." Mike frowned. I had to clarify. "Sales in itself gets tedious. I'm a jester and performance artist. My customers are my props....
Lines. Many lines; all parallel like train tracks. I see five lines in front of me. The one in the center is the brightest thing I've ever seen, glimmering like God in Heaven. Blue lines peak from the darkness separating them from their brilliant center. This reminds me of how cold I am. Blue is associated with water. Blue is unity with cool and refreshing...
Chapter One: The Connection They had been chatting online for a while, that's how it started. When you finally meet someone that you just click with, there is a real rush that builds up quickly. At least that's how Lori felt about it, but then dating sites could be like that, she thought. It was very easy to build up an image in your head when you hadn't a...
Chapter 1 - About Robin ======================= A lot of people have asked me if I use to tease my teachers or otherwise fool around in school. The reality is that I did a lot more at church and community functions than I ever did at school. My goal was to be a teacher someday and I especially wanted to teach in my old school district so it really wouldn't...
Jen looked up from her test with that strange feeling of being watched. Mr. McCabe sat back behind his desk, his gaze heavily set directly on her, his brow furrowed as if he were thinking hard on something. She smiled at him almost knowingly as he quickly diverted his stare. The smallest look from that man sent her spiraling out of control. What she wouldn't...
It is Monday, the day after our weekend encounter with Karl and Connie. On work days my usual routine is to awaken early, do my shower and bathroom rituals, dress and have coffee on the patio, weather permitting. I usually skip breakfast in favor of a light snack later at the office. I use the coffee time to prepare myself mentally for the upcoming workday....