In the tasting room, fallen chairs and spilled wine glasses reflected a hasty exit. No guest would dare re-enter the place after witnessing the pouring of the first varietal. Still, the party had not ended for the uninvited, who once laid contorted and buried beneath the hearty vineyard that covered their mass grave. The uninvited [...]

Teased as a child, she sought absolution by marrying God. As a nun, she devoted her life to retribution and spared no tiny knuckle to her ruler. Now, her penance is disdained as life’s last breath leads her to judgment. For her, the rod is eternal punishment in hell.

Button the Maltese began the morning ritual of yapping and waking neighbors when he saw Digger the Beagle poke his nose through a small rounded hole in the fence. Digger followed suit, baying back at his neighbor, but unlike most morning, the commotion abruptly stopped a few seconds later. The dogs’ owners didn’t care why [...]

This story was submitted to a writing contest a couple months ago and made it to the top 100 judging, but didn’t place. Everyone has something to hide, but they can’t hide it from me. I see their secrets in a cloud, literally hanging over their heads. I suppose that’s why I became a private [...]

In one of my networking groups, we were challenged to write a fifty word story. Down the Dark Staircase below is my contribution. The second half came out a little to poetic though. She flipped the switch, but no light illuminated. A tight grip on the banister would guide her down the staircase, and unknowingly [...]