After Hours
He was carrying some kind of sauce. A big pan of sauce, which was red-orange in color. Spicy. The kind you put on meat. And the mouse, Deering, wrinkled his nose as he shuffled back into the kitchen. He didn't like the smell of this stuff. Too...
By the Horn
The rain came out of nowhere, a torrential downpour that cooled the air, filling it with a deafening roar. Paddy cursed, stuffing his camera into his backpack and shrinking into his all-weather jacket. _All-weather? Rainproof? Hah!_ He was already...
Wet Behind the Ears
It was a warm, deep tub. Smooth, and a light blue. But filled with water now. Water warm to the point of hot (but not scolding). With bubbles. They were like the icing on this cake, as it were. It was all too inviting, too perfect. Perry could not...
Save-A-Species
“Didn't I tell you _not_ to get me anything?" Lucy asked. From the couch, she saw her husband, Paul, in the kitchen doorway. Holding a fancy giftbag, Paul tilted his head and smiled. “I believe your exact words were 'you don't HAVE to." “Always...
Fishy Trip
“Come on," urged Fern, her long, red hair billowing in the breeze. She waved him toward the water with one hand. In the other, she carried a bag overflowing with amenities. Food, drinks, beach towels. She was ready for an all-day adventure. It...
The Squirrel Next Door
Arms crossed, Emerson surveyed a field of wheat. In the late-afternoon light, the flat, golden vista bore a similar hue to his fur. The harvest mouse closed his blue eyes, listening to the crop rustle and sway in the breeze. _Is this what the ocean...
Pleasure Before Business
**Ree-ree-ree!** A phone trilled. **Ree-ree-ree!** The secretary, a fancy rat (an 'American blue') with a calm, professional demeanor, picked it up. "Yes. Yes, he's still here." Ears cocking, Matt looked up from his chrome-colored laptop, making...
Lavender Haze
Lunchtime on the farm, early July. Hot and humid. Air conditioners hummed (one in the living room, another in the adults' bedroom) and a portable fan whirred in the kitchen, where the family was gathered. "Om, nom, nom! Carrots and peas!" Charlie sang...
Midnight Sun
You can do this, Meadow. Close your eyes. Slow, deep breaths. That's it. Count to ten? Maybe a hundred. No, wait! That won't work. Don't think. Yeah. Clear your head. Let the sensations cradle you ... The soft, fancy sheets, blue and white,...
Top to Bottom
Kyler closed his helmet visor. He stared forward, rocking back and forth. Slow, deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the maw. On the count of three: one ... two ... three! The otter launched off the block. He crossed the timing line,...
Blind Spots
Raven sighed, flapping her lips. The black-maned, chestnut-brown horse glanced at the time. 11:59. Nearly midnight. She'd been at the drug store since 4, mostly behind the front register. The branch she worked for, on a street corner in downtown...
Pure Shooter
It was a Thursday night, ninety minutes before game-time, maybe a little less. Victor, the star player of the Indianapolis Racers, sat on a polished, wooden bench beneath the fluorescent locker room lights. He took a deep breath and unzipped his...