Jumping Mouse, Part 3
It took four days for it all to happen. During that time, Madame Roma (who had us call her Katarina when we were in private) took some time, twice a day, to send our message to Wally. Lillian had graciously allowed her to keep the rose quartz pendant...
House Rules
Art, in the modern digital studio, is made in layers. With music, it can be individual tracks and riffs, shadings and nuances, even sampling of other audio media. Graphic work can begin on paper and be scanned in, or begun on a tablet and continued...
What the Maid Saw
I made my own way out of the formal living room, past another uniform in the hallway. I nodded at the large Shep, a fellow older than Parsons, one who also had a far greater sense of decorum (if that's the phrase I was looking for). He nodded in...
Precipitate
"In 500 meters," chirped the allegedly female voice, "your destination will be on the right." I could only hope so. It felt as if the clouds had blotted out the sun entirely, and the increased rain had done the rest. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to...
Translation
I almost called out sick on Friday, but I didn't know the medical definition for the kind of sickness I had. Is there such a thing as a hangover caused by dreams, whether from sleep or when awake? Either way, I couldn't make a reasonable case for...
Perceived
Thursday morning saw me getting a bagel and schmear from a local shop, just in case the cap'n actually meant it. I chose cinnamon raisin, on the off-chance that he might have a sweet tooth. If he didn't want it, I'd eat it. Until he mentioned it, I...
Breaking Down
Darkstar's deft deflection helped to keep the rest of the dinner conversation away from me personally, yet the conversation didn't seem the least bit stilted. I had the impression that my hosts felt that they had made me uncomfortable and, as one, they...
Breaking Bread
Darkstar and I padded back to the staircase with no one else in sight. It occurred to me that more than one wicker hamper might be making a trip down the dumbwaiter tonight. I felt as if I should make some sort of conversation, but he didn't start one,...
Breaking Through
My eyes opened, not suddenly, not from any stimulus that I was aware of. I had no sense of time, and the quiet seemed absolute. Either the room was very well soundproofed, or the rain had stopped. I became more aware of my body, realizing that I had...
Of Mice and Menace
I'm not one of those hardcore city dwellers who doesn't like the country. My relief in returning to the city was exclusively that of feeling that I had escaped a physical threat. Rationally, I knew that the response was entirely out of proportion to...
Chip Chip, My Little Horse
I'm never sure if she's quiet because she's pensive, or because my driving makes her nervous. I hope it's the former, because I'm not likely to get that much better at driving anytime soon. I was glad to be able to borrow my mate's car, just as he was...
A Single Candle, Part 2
"That sounds as close to impossible as makes no odds." "You're friggin' well told." As a rule, Dr. Newton Augustus Gutenberg did not use such language. This was, he thought, an occasion to break any number of rules. His experience in Chase's quarters...