Desert Flame
Jessica abhorred parties. It wasn't the atmosphere or the people. It was how fake it all was. Every pleasantry and false words of politeness and care seemed designed to give the appearance of care for one another but none of it was ever real. The...
The Pull of Technology
The orca's chair creaked in protest when he sat down at his desk. His large chest heaved in effort as he forced air into his lungs and his long tongue draped out of his mouth, almost like a dog before retracting into its home. Each breath helped him...
Desert Rain
The blare of a National Weather Service alert startled David from the reverie of sleep. He grabbed his phone, smashing the screen blindly until his thumb finally found the way to silence it. Glancing at the clock, the shepherd groaned and rubbed his...
Gap Year: Goodbye
I walk out of my house, dressed in a suit. I have a bouquet of flowers in hand that I put next to me on the passenger seat of my car. It feels good to be back in my car after so long. My stomach clenches while the engine turns over, my body tense with...
Gap Year: Laney, What are you doing? Laney STAHP!
The shot never comes. There's a lot of screaming and panic from everyone and when I open my eyes it's pitch black. "Jake?" "I'm here... I'm still here. I thought I was dead," he says. "I thought you were too..." I lean my head against his and then...
Gap Year: Oh No...
A bright light shines in my eyes, shaking me from the uneasy sleep I had managed to reach. I see a number of sharply dressed men and women being dragged in on chairs. I have no idea what the fuck is going on, and I doubt that it would behoove me to ask...
Gap Year: Bloodied and Battered
When I finally came to, my head was in such agonizing pain that I thought it was cracked open. Looking down at my shirt, I saw a lot of blood. I looked up and saw a bright light shining down on me and could see nothing apart from Jake to my immediate...
Gap Year: The First Date
I woke up with a jostle. Opening my eyes, I tried to make sense of what awoke me. I saw the countryside passing quickly in the night as the train sped along. I finally remembered what was going on. Jake and I had left Berlin the day prior. It was more...
Gap Year: Mouthful
"Oh Jake! Oh, God! I'm c-cumming!" Yeah. So that happened. It was a few days after Jake and I told the families the news and we were exploring what was going on with each other. We did a lot of talking about what we each wanted and it was clear that...
Gap Year: Coming Out
I took a hold of Jake's hand and gave it a squeeze. He gave me the smile that recently had been the source of so many unexpected sensations. Imagine that--a smile that I knew so well before now had a completely different meaning. I rubbed the black...
Gap Year: The Morning After
I opened my eyes the next day, and there was Jake smiling at me. His eyes lit up when I gave him a squeeze, still wrapping my arms around him like I was when I fell asleep. He handed me my glasses and I put them on. "Good morning, beautiful," he said....
Desert Plea
Jessica hoisted Katherine up, holding her up so she could blow out the candles to her cake. David snapped a photo of it, smiling at his daughter's giggle and proud proclamation. "I blew them all out!" she said, her tail wagging. David grinned at her....