Breaking Checks
Breaking Checks I’d been stationed on Consulate Island for months since my transfer from the Bolstrovan embassy up in Viervelden. That meant months spent eating three meals a day at the single solitary staff canteen located there. Yeah, I...
Noisy Neighbours
_ **Noisy Neighbours** _ My bed rocked and rolled, jumped and jolted, over and over. Not for the first time that weekend. Far from it. Too bad it wasn't my doing. Loud grunts, long groans, and other noises coming from gods knew what or where flooded...
Sneak Treats
_ **Sneak Treats** _ Corben's new sweet jar. At last, Raemon had made it within touching distance. He'd had quite the journey from the living room. One that'd left him puffing, half-winded atop the kitchen countertop. Sure, the giant raccoon had set...
The Gift of Giving
_ **The Gift of Giving** _ Friday night. I was still feeling frosty from heading out to top up on groceries earlier that evening. All the more motivation to wrap myself up extra tight and sink even deeper into bed. Sure, I was still sleeping in the...
Breaking Down
Breaking Down Finally, my heart rate started to slow back down. In the cab of my semi-truck, I wondered if I’d run something over, picked up a slow puncture someplace, or something else. Ultimately, though, how my tyre had blown out didn’t...
Aftermath
_ **Aftermath** _ Ball clutched to his chest, the broad moose in mud-splattered claret started another tired charge downfield. Wearing his cleaner green and gold-hooped shirt, my boyfriend Marek steadied himself, arms poised, legs ready to...
Perspective
_ **Perspective** _ "Purpose of your visit?" I'd been standing silent in line so long that I'd almost forgotten how to talk. Jet lag had my head all kinds of mashed up, too. No matter. The ultra-formal, no-nonsense crow glaring at me from behind her...
Doomsayer
_ **Doomsayer** _ A slow, low rumbling started from beyond rolling green hills. Steady. Constant. A coastal town sat in those foothills, steeped in the morning sun. One by one, its residents, curious over those drum-like beats, stepped out of their...
On Defence
_ **On Defence** _ "You look good," I told Sam, smiling at him through our bathroom mirror. "I hope you're not planning on picking anyone up tonight." "Why would I?" my little 'panda replied from atop the counter, standing at his smaller version,...
The Toyshop
_ **The Toyshop** _ I'd felt awkward as shit from the minute we'd stepped off the train. Making a trip downtown, usually, came with a sense of anticipation. Excitement, even. Which beachside bar would I be chilling out at? At which restaurant or cafe...
Boiling Point
_ **Boiling Point** _ My walk from the station was more like a swim, the swampy summer morning air even more overwhelming and oppressive than the metro journey that'd got me there. A journey made up of three trains, two transfers, and nearly an entire...
Cocktails
_ **Cocktails** _ Our bartender reappeared from beyond the crowd. The skunk's neat, stylish suit and shirt matched his fur. With that smooth, exotic accent, he served up, "Two more Springtime Sunrises. One Visoka, one Maleni." "Thank you," Marek...