Sosondowah stood by the entrance to the Goddess of Dawn’s lodge and kept watch. He watched the stars wheel overhead. He watched the owls fly silently through the night air. He watched for foes that he knew would never come. The only thing he truly guarded was Dawn’s […]
Jamie Lackey
For the Stefko Family Delilah snaked her arm into the station’s broken support thruster. If she could just get the stabilizer loose, she might be able to get it fixed. If not, they were going to have to order a new one from Earth. No one […]
A Diamond in the Sky
Gail flopped down onto the new grass, peeled off her shoes, and dangled her feet into the frigid rushing water. She closed her eyes. Warm sunlight spread across her cheeks, and the brook’s burble joined with the singing birds and buzzing bees in a lovely springtime symphony. […]
May Flowers
For Marilla Cathair piled wood on his lonely Beltane fire. At home, everyone would be drinking and dancing, celebrating the spring. His heart ached. Fial was dead, and Cathair was exiled, but time moved on without them. The accusation of fratricide, falling from Neasa’s lips, had wounded […]
A Beltane Dance
Jim wriggled through the air vents, tugging Ronnie along with him. The vents groaned under their weight, and Jim could hear his heart pounding in his ears even over Ronnie’s ragged breathing. Sweat trickled down his nose. He’d never been more terrified. He was pretty sure that Ronnie’s arm was […]
Martian Adventures: Ronnie’s Birthday Part 6
Ronnie heard Jim’s voice, and it made her feel safe. Of course he’d come for her. He’d make everything better. He always did. Her whole life was better than it’d ever been before he came. She’d read about friends before, watched people in vids, daydreamed about what having someone her […]
Martian Adventures: Ronnie’s Birthday Part 5
Jim’s communicator went silent again, and he spat one of Mr. Barrie’s curses. "Where’s the observation post?" Ronnie’s dad raked his hands through his thinning hair. "It’s in an old part of the station. It’s sealed off. There shouldn’t be any way in." "Well, she’s in a ventilation shaft. One […]
Martian Adventures: Ronnie’s Birthday Part 4
The Ferris wheel shuddered to a stop, and all the lights blinked out, one by one. When the ride started moving again, the cars were empty. Tractors roared and strained, and the crowd stared. No one noticed the bunnies escaping their pens, or heard when the screaming started. They found […]
Twitter Stories
Ronnie groaned. Was that Jim? He sounded far away. "Ronnie! Where are you?" Thoughts slipped through Ronnie’s mind, slippery and hard to catch, like fish. Something was wrong, she was sure of that. She tried to rub her forehead. Pain exploded through her body. Her arm was wedged beneath her […]
Martian Adventures: Ronnie’s Birthday Part 3
The queen of hearts twisted around on herself and escaped her paper prison. She didn’t get far, though, with two torsos and no legs. Sean had loved solitaire, but the game changed when the cards gained sentience. When he played on his computer, but the AI was just as bad. […]