Risk vs. Reward

The street outside stunk of cheap booze and manure. Inside added layers of smoke and weeks worth unwashed musk of prospectors, mountain men, and other alcoholics. The saloon was a large canvas tent with a wood stove in the center. The bar was made of two pieces of lumber nailed to two saw horses. It … Continue reading →

The Hard Winter

The snow pushed against his shins slowing him down. Oscar powered through holding his Yellow Boy up next to his chest. His heavy breath turned to mist as he trudged on. He’d come a couple of hard miles through the thick white powder as the long trench succeeding him indicated. When it comes time for … Continue reading →

Storms

It’s one of those oddities of nature. A moment of impossible coexistence. At night, during a storm, when lightning strikes and the night turns into perfectly illuminated day. Midnight is just as bright as midday for that moment in time. Keller stood in his back yard, in late august, on the gulf coast, enjoying the … Continue reading →

This Little Light of Mine

Do you see it? There! Bursting forth from a solar plume at 186,000 miles a second is cluster of light photons combined in a single shaft of sunlight. Beautiful isn’t it? ….or aren’t they beautiful, depending on how far you’re willing to take it.  An array of thousands of colors and spectrums in reality but … Continue reading →

Blue Ribbon

She should have been considered the queen of the county. Her husband was in charge of the new plant that employed half the town and the surrounding area. Their home was the largest, by far, of anyone, including the mayor. A new Bel Air sat in their garage. They were the only house in the … Continue reading →

The Grenta’l Pasture

Perfect….   That’s the only word Nertrall had for his home world.   Only one land mass…one continent where all of his people existed. Grenta’l was its name. Paradise would have been more accurate…the temperature was an unchanging warm..humid…thickness that encompassed him like a blanket.   The flora consisted only of the Biggle-betch flower. Its … Continue reading →

Blacktop Fury Part Three: The Desert Market

The sun was beginning to sink into the west. The guards were getting ready to secure the gates for the night when the convoy pulled through. They were waved through to an empty area for them to park for the night. There was just enough sunlight for them to set up a useable camp and … Continue reading →

1863….Somewhere in Northern Mississippi

Nate Hargrove stood tall in the saddle. His face, clothes, even his horse were covered with dirt and dust. So filthy was his visage that it was hard to tell what was week-old-unshaven stumble and what was dried mud. His mustache, though, was no doubt his own. A thick handle-bar that draped around the corners … Continue reading →

VOLSTOK CHAPTER FOUR

ABOARD THE SHIP THE FATERUNNER There were four men sitting at the table. At the head of the black marble table was Captain Parodis. Parodis is lean and tan. Today his right eye is royal blue, almost purple. His left eye is the color of peridot. He has dark, curly Mediterranean hair. He is staring at … Continue reading →

VOLSTOK CHAPTER THREE

The elevator deposited Doctor Renee German on the top floor. She checked her file for the third time before taking another step. SUBJECT: REYNOLDS, MATTHEW JUNIOR ADMIRAL SENIOR OFFICER- PLANETARY ATMOSPHERIC  MISSLE DEFENSE She tucked away her file and began forward. The hallway was cold and sterile. She was almost to her destination when she noticed … Continue reading →