Chapter One: The Decision
Four hours he had made her practice! Four goddamn hours! Until she defiantly screamed out: “Papa! I don’t want to be ...

Chapter Two: Without A Trace
God! How she had come to loathe him since she had lost her job a month ago.Lack of money was the only thing he constantly compla ...

Chapter Three: Alistair McBubble
Alistair McBubble was born to Florrie and Hugh on March 14, 2013 at precisely 9:47:15 A.M. After delivery, Doctor McAlister ...

Chapter Four: Natalie's Fossil Specimen
Natalie picked up the fragment and began to examine it. With the help of her small magnifying glass she scrutinized it more clos ...

Chapter Five: An Unlikely Hero
Virginia sat at the edge of her bed and re-read the letter from the White House. Looking up, she watched the young lieutenant th ...

Chapter Six: Forgive Me
The Lysander made a washboard landing in the field beside an old farmhouse.“Thank you for this, George,” Jill yelled ...

Chapter Seven: "Lamentation"
Christopher and Adam were deliriously giddy in October 2004 as they splashed accelerant onto the floors and walls of the main bl ...

Chapter Eight: Revelation
Sylvia stopped half way down the stairs and let the music from the piano flow through her, gently kissing the shores of her soul ...

Chapter Nine: It All Began One Night
It all began with a thought, a question and an ability to act.“Damn! DAMN!” Edgar rolled over and pulled the pillow ...

Chapter Ten: Time Drains Through Days
In rustling of leavesand beauty of Fall,stands a quintessential hominess.A classic perennial charm,few among the things,that tou ...

Chapter Eleven: Another Row He Goes
Crooked fingers steer ahead.Another row he goes.Spinal entrails trail behind,like autumn’s earth before.Dreams—long ...

Chapter Twelve: The Duckling Makes A Stand
Morning programs for young children are quite enlightening. Squeals of delight from my granddaughter, Zoe, drew me willingly in ...

Chapter Thirteen: The Concert
“It’s not like them,” I said, perturbed by their tardiness. I sank into my jacket like a tortoise into its she ...

Chapter Fourteen: Lunch At Zoe's
“Life’s short, eat dessert first,” my friend said to me as we perused the menu in Zoe’s Lounge at the Ch ...

Chapter Fifteen: A Granddaughter's Visit
“That’s where the crib dock used to be,” he said, pointing at the single, well-worn cedar post that reached up ...

Chapter Sixteen: Oops! I Must Have Been Outta My Mind!
It was 4:00 A.M. Rain smashed against the bedroom window; howling winds pushed tree branches to and fro along the siding like fi ...

Chapter Seventeen: A Coming Storm
Thunder! The storm clouds gather.A grosbeak valiantly circles overhead.When this journey began, my hope was painted against an a ...

Chapter Eighteen: An Indiscretion
“Where are you going?” I dared to ask as I watched her put on her boots.“Out,” she retorted.I glanced at ...

Chapter Nineteen: View From Below An Ivory Towered Window
Yesterday changed everything. Where do I go? What do I do? Questions scratched on a wall before the abyss. Once my Springs were ...

Chapter Twenty: The Witch Beneath Lake Huron
Today, I have finally returned. I thought it had only been three years since I was last here but my neighbors, John and Ruth, ju ...

Chapter Twenty-One: How Life Can Change on the Go
My day begins in darkness and ends in darkness. The bitter damp wind off Lake Ontario makes me want to hibernate till spring. Af ...

Chapter Twenty-Two: Trolling with Wordsworth
Hardly able to contain myself, I stepped down from the driver’s side and took in several heaping lung filling breaths of t ...

Chapter Twenty-Three: Once Upon A Morning
Black coffee is my elixir for the morning blahs. Not a morning person, I am quite happy to hermit myself away in the den to suck ...

Chapter Twenty-Four: Zahra and Aagif
Aaqif rolled onto his side and reached out. The impression left by her body was filled with cool warmth and the lingering sweetn ...

Chapter Twenty-Five: Part One: Joan Sledge: One Spring Day
Spring had arrived early and, along with it, hopes that our home team, the Milwaukee Braves, would take the World Series again. ...

Chapter Twenty-Six: Part Two: Joan Sledge: Brother's Advice
There is nothing like the first love. I remember reading something about it. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of t ...

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Part Three: Joan Sledge: The Birthday Party
Damn my brother! Until our little talk, breaking up with Joan had never crossed my mind. Unfortunately for me, that possibility ...

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Part Four: Joan Sledge: New Realities
 Some people are alive only because it’s illegal to kill them. In my book, Chris Brannon fell into that category. So, ...

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Part Five: Joan Sledge: The Mucky Duck
Ouch! It was totally unexpected. Her home form lockers should not have been anywhere near mine. Yet, there she was, five lockers ...

Chapter Thirty: Each Seed that Grows
A quote by Robert Fulghum from his book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten has special meaning for me: &ld ...

Chapter Thirty-One: Transitions
Thick grey ominous clouds floated languidly overhead.The outstretched straw-colored fields pushed against the swollen pond whose ...

Chapter Thirty-Two: On Becoming
Hare. Hare. Please don’t stareAs you peer outside your lair.I bring you no harm,There’s no need for alarm.Still as c ...

Chapter Thirty-Three: Any Road'll Take You
“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road’ll take you there.”George Harrison, Cloud NineRisk ...

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Murder of Arthur Brodley: Part One
The English south coastal resort of Bournemouth in 1939 had a population of 130,000. The natural beauty of its cliffs and the wi ...

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Murder of Arthur Brodley: Part Two
Anger and disappointment blinded Joseph ‘Philly’ Morris to the tranquil beauty of the parkland and public gardens al ...

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Murder of Arthur Brodley: Part Three
The call came through to his home at 4:00 A. M. Putting on his slippers, Collier grabbed his robe from the foot of the bed. The ...

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Murder of Arthur Brodley: Part Four
Entering the summer of 1939, the people of Bournemouth were too busy having a good time to worry about Hitler. Some had even str ...

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Murder of Arthur Brodley: Part Five
The weeks passed quickly and by Saturday, August 19, 1939, news about the murder of Arthur Brodley and related stories with resp ...

Chapter Thirty-Nine: An Unexpected Gift
Two months had passed since Tom’s death and, like a leech, the numbed emptiness Sylvia felt continued to suck out purposef ...

Chapter Forty: Two Weeks in January: Sheila
“I just don’t get it.”I remember thinking those very words, hours, maybe minutes, maybe even seconds after I f ...

Chapter Forty-One: Two Weeks in January: The Sandwich
I glanced at the menu pinned on the wall. Digging deep into my pant pocket I could only come up with enough change, a buck twent ...

Chapter Forty-Two: Two Weeks in January: "...Ummm..."
I can accept that life has its ups and downs, but I had not expected my week to begin with the latter. If faith is the substance ...

Chapter Forty-Three: Two Weeks in January: Indelible Memories
Since my arrival, I had entered the restaurant several times to check for her presence. We had agreed to meet at the Hard Rock C ...

Chapter Forty-Four: Two Weeks in January: Borscht
A hint of earthiness filled the morning air as each new day transitioned to a colder and dimmer venue. Most evenings fulfilled t ...

Chapter Forty-Five: Life's Like That
I’ve heard that bad things come in groups of three. To me that was nothing more than a bunch of malarkey. Sure, I accepted ...

Chapter Forty-Six: My Mind's Eye
A picture says a thousand words but what if I were blind?Would the photo framed and hanging there keep its words confined?If I w ...

Chapter Forty-Seven: "Grace to Glory"
 The azure sky and the heat from the blistering sun at his back was a welcome blessing and felt good. He stretched every pa ...

Chapter Forty-Eight: Piano Man
James W. Howell glanced up at the tall building. At one time he had occupied one of the corner offices at the top. He pulled up ...

Chapter Forty-Nine: Sid: Part One
He showed up at my back door looking for food about eight years ago. His demeanour was quite pleasant, and his eyes had a magnet ...

Chapter Fifty: Aidan: Part One: Through the Mist
It is I who is to blame. AYOH, the land of my ancestors, burns. Screams of my subjects still assail my ears. Their ghosts contin ...

Chapter Fifty-One: Aidan: Part Two: The Revelation
Lightheaded and confused, I steadied myself. My hand was wet against the mountain’s surface. I refreshed my palate from th ...

Chapter Fifty-Two: Aidan: Part Three: Unfolding New World
“Don’t touch that!” shouted Htebazile.Crouched, Ennea jerked her hand back. “How dare you speak to me li ...

Chapter Fifty-Three: Barn Boards
The day is sunless,only grey paints the sky.The wind has picked upa chilling edge to its knife.Clothed in an insulated woollen j ...

Chapter Fifty-Four: A Trip: A Short Story Without "E's"
Similar to shadows of a dirty shirt, black cumulus clouds, abounding with rain, hangs fat across land and final hours of this tr ...

Chapter Fifty-Five: Island Born: A Poem without "E's"
 Words unfold upon aboard,Spools unspool within labyrinths hiding in our minds’ dashboards. Arbors’ ash with no ...

Chapter Fifty-Six: Ramblings During the Pandemic
The sky was a thick cloud of grey, not a hint of blue to be found. Conifers poked at the heavens while grasses emerald green and ...

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Emma
(An Exercise in the Use of Rare Words in a Short Story)Emma took in a deep breath before opening the door to Stoddard Hall. Her ...

Chapter Sixty-One: Rambling Thoughts During a Pandemic
Where am I?I am here.But what does that mean?I feel I am caught between past, present and future.As I age, my mind drifts back t ...

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Joseph Tiller's Christmas Miracle
A sunless day, only grey paints the sky.Christmas eve, a thin snow-carpet with a sigh.Wind swirling up, a chilling edged knife t ...

Chapter Sixty-Two: The White Picket Fence
In the rustling of the leavesAnd the beauty of the FallThere stands a quintessential hominessEnwrapped in classic perennial char ...

Chapter Sixty-Four: Just A Few Thoughts
Life has so many twists and bendssome darn right fearful emotional blends.In my youth answers carried such an easy writwhen expe ...

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The 'Werewolves' of Pine Meadows
A low mist barreled across the late summer fields like tumbleweed, too early, in my mind, for this time of year. The howls and y ...

Chapter Seventy: The Diary: Part Seven: Antonio's Restaurant
Antonio’s was a family-owned Italian restaurant with a well-deserved 4-star rating. The atmosphere, both early European in ...

Chapter Seventy-One: The Diary: Part Eight: Hard Day's Night
Two hours had passed since Antonio and Maria continued their circulation of the other tables. Matt glanced around the room. The ...

Chapter Seventy-Two: The Diary: Part Nine: The Funeral
Four days later, Matt attended the funeral of Philip and Claire Finlay. He positioned himself far enough away so as not to be to ...

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Diary: Part Ten: Not Gon' Cry
Low-level ozone swirled up and whipped thoroughly about before rushing in through the open driver side window of his speeding ve ...

Chapter Seventy-Four: The Diary: Part Eleven: Days of Yore Unnoticed
Matt drove through the open gates and along the tree-lined drive toward the late Sir Reginald’s sprawling chateau. The cha ...

Chapter Seventy-Five: The Diary: Part Twelve: The Treehouse
The multi-purposed, board and batten cladded treehouse was one-of-a-kind, in the sky, structure. Matt estimated it to be at leas ...

Chapter Seventy-Six: The Diary: Part Thirteen: Up In Smoke
Alan pushed by his mom and Matt and slithered down the rope ladder to join his Aunt Isobella. When his aunt turned and walked aw ...

Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Diary: Part Fourteen: A Misunderstanding?
The air was pregnant with sirens, scorching heat, and bellowing smoke. Hungry flames ravished the board and batten treehouse and ...

Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Diary: Part Fifteen: The Folder
“Do you think the body is that Dale fella?” asked Captain Gupta, holding his hand over his nose to smother the smell ...

Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Diary: Part Sixteen: The Cardboard Box
Matt scrambled along the hall to the front staircase and down to the foyer. It took him a few moments to find Sergeant Gupta, wh ...

Chapter Eighty: The Diary: Part Seventeen: Ghost & Revelation
Archibald Hendley’s dead fisheyes stared back at him. His throat had been slit. On the floor beside him was a blood-staine ...

Chapter Eighty-one: The Diary: Part Eighteen: Out of Nowhere
Matt felt emotionally drained when he drove through the open gates and along the drive to the front of Sir Reginald’s mans ...

Chapter Eighty-Two: The Diary: Part Nineteen: There Is No Try
Matt was ahead of Philip Forsythe and William Peterson when he arrived on the second floor. The first door, Alan’s bedroom ...

Chapter Eighty-Three: The Diary: Part Twenty: The Birth Certificate
Susan’s demeanor was anything but welcoming as she turned and walked across the room to close the bedroom doors. Matt coul ...

Chapter Eighty-Four: The Diary: Part Twenty-One: Hunting Mousse
If Susan could have spit bullets at that very moment she would have, and they would have all been aimed at Matt. But the accusat ...

Chapter Eighty-Five: The Diary: Part Twenty-Two: Bought Time
Philip stepped out of the room and into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Scrolling down the list of phone numbers on hi ...

Chapter Eighty-Six: The Diary: Part Twenty-Three: The Architects
Matt had just stepped onto the tiled foyer when his cellphone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw that it was a tex ...

Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Diary: Part 24 : Ordo Templis Orientalis
“Are you familiar with the name Baphomet?” Philip asked Matt, flinging the last of the hanging clothes from the clos ...

Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Diary: Part 25: 'Bang About Day'
“Follow me with two other constables! I’ll explain later.” Matt’s beleaguered command galvanized Sergean ...

Chapter Eighty-Nine: Part 26: The Diary: Code Breaking
Turning off their flashlights so as not to be easy targets, Matt, Sergeant Gupta, and Constable Spencer Sutcliffe slipped throug ...

Chapter Ninety: The Diary: Part 27: 666
The three had formed a cramped circle around the constables. Sergeant Gupta, who had been a medical doctor in India before he an ...

Chapter Ninety-One: The Diary: Part 28: Into the Jaws
“It worked!” Unable to contain himself, Spencer pumped his fist high into the air and, without thinking, began to st ...