I stood at the cave entrance, frowning at the gray morning sky. Winter was coming, and I wasn’t sure if we’d make it this year. With a sigh, I re-entered the cave. Xanthe was waiting for me. Her scales, usually the color of molten gold, had lost their luster lately. When she saw me, …
Chicken Caesar Salad: One-fourth cup of croutons: 42 calories. Three cups of homegrown lettuce: 72 calories Five tablespoons (at least!) of dressing: 388 calories Half a cup of diced chicken: 121 calories …for a grand total of 623 calories, over half of that coming from the dressing alone. I refused to eat it, of course, …
The Caloric Content of Tears (or: Blood and Calories) Read More »
Once upon a time, there lived a Great Craftsman in a small cottage. He was such a great craftsman, in fact, that the animals and figures that he created out of clay would shake themselves, open their eyes, and fly, or run, or swim off into the forest beyond the cottage. The craftsman had a …
Everyone wanted her. The most beautiful girl in the village. It was said that her bride price would be something above fifteen pigs. The young men of the village started earning, saving, scrimping, and flirting years before she hit her 18th birthday, marriageable age. Ras was one of the competitors. And he wasn’t blind. Hila was …
“Man, oh man, what a lot of sky!” Melly sang out as she woke in the morning, springing to her feet and racing to the window. “What a lot of dirt, you mean,” her twin sister Mal grumbled as she rolled out of bed. Melly laughed. “Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss, Mal,” she said …
Toby was lying by the side of the road when Mac found him. “Oh no, boy,” Mac said, kneeling by Toby’s prostrate form. “What happened to you? We gotta get you to a hospital.” So saying, Mac gently cradled Toby in a blanket, placed him in the car, and then drove as fast as he …
Allen G Custerton was known for his generosity. Every year, he donated oodles of cash to the various worthy organizations in and around Donortown. Women’s shelters, international non-profits, you name it, he donated to it. People waved at him as he drove by in his BMW, and stopped him on the streets to thank him …
Louisa was going to be a great writer someday. That’s what she told everyone. “I’m working on my novel,” she said to when out to dinner with friends. “It’s such hard work. I spent nearly an hour yesterday writing a couple hundred words,” she told her sister. “The characters keep talking to me in my …
“My cousin Mark is coming to visit this afternoon,” Martin said as he played golf with his friends in the morning. “That’s great,” his friend Darren replied. “How long is he staying?” “Not long. He’s on his way to Europe and had a layover. So I invited him over for dinner and offered to let …
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Nona’s small bedroom was crammed with children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, all come to say goodbye for one last time to their beloved matriarch. But there was one missing. “Where is Sylvia?” the adults murmured to one another when they stepped out of the room for a …
