Fiction
They say guilt is a staggering burden, but I think change is the heaviest load of all. All my life I had faced it head on, and I'm surprised that I was older when I finally decided that all of the wandering wasn't fair. I still remember driving into the tiny, midwestern town in Iowa. [...]
Fiction
ONE he chilly wind blew up spirals of dry leaves, but the sun still shone merrily. The faded blue paint was peeling off the porch on the old farmhouse. A short, red-haired girl lay on the porch with her chin propped in her hands. Stretched out on the steps was another girl, with brown hair. [...]
Fiction
INTRODUCTION majestic timber wolf Stands on a high ridge overlooking the vast Alaskan wilderness. She throws back her head and lets out a mournful cry. The howl of the wolf can evoke a sense of wildness in me and bring to me images of an ancient heritage long forgotten by today's world. I have [...]
Fiction
My legs were shaking, my heart pounding. As we neared the edge of the cliff, I double-checked all my rappelling equipment to make sure it was secure. Quickly, I went through all the safety precautions in my mind. I felt anxious, but not eager for my turn as I waited in line with the members [...]
Fiction
Nicole opened her eyes with the reluctance of one uneager to face the day. She hadn't slept well that night, nor on any other night for the past few days. Her mind screamed the reason for her lack of sleep, and she remembered all too clearly the importance of that day. Stumbling out of bed, [...]
Fiction
I saw it in an old country store. All around it were dull tools of an earlier generation. What caught my attention at first was the flash that I saw when I opened the door. I walked over eagerly. In my pocket was a five-dollar bill that I had gotten for my birthday. My dad [...]
Fiction
It was only a quick walk to Murphy's Woods from Anjeli's backyard where Heather and Anjeli had been enjoying the hot July day, so they soon reached the edge of the woods. Instinctively, Heather grabbed her friend's hand as they stepped onto the dirt path that led through the woods. It was considerably cooler under [...]
Fiction
My Tae Kwon Do instructor stood in front of me, the board held tightly in his hands. "Just tell me when you're ready," he said. I had to break it. That thought was ringing around inside my head, inside my stomach. Break it. BREAK IT! You have to break it. I stepped back for a [...]
Fiction
Karen walked out into the blazing August sun. She smiled to see the horses grazing contentedly in the fields, swishing their tails at the bugs and stomping the ground occasionally, as if to remind strangers or newcomers that it was their grass to eat. She brushed a fly off her top and walked over to [...]
Poems
Your mother is calling you. It is time to go to bed. The night is calling out its cry of dark. "Come, come," she calls to you. Again you do not answer. The clock strikes nine. The cat is rubbing at your ankles. You are silent. Your mother calls you again and again, But you [...]
Book Reviews
Multiple Choice by Janet Tashjian; Henry Holt and Company: New York, 1999; $16.95 "I wish my brain were a toaster." That's how Monica Devon feels about the way she obsesses over everything— from the amount of beans in a beanbag to the word she spelled incorrectly in a spelling bee three years ago. Multiple Choice, [...]
Book Reviews
Out of the Wilderness, by Deb Vanasse; Clarion Books: New York, 1999; $15 When I dimmed the lights and sat down, I expected a good book. That is not what I got. I got a great book. In Out of the Wilderness, Deb Vanasse's extremely descriptive writing complements the vast complexities of the Alaskan wilderness. [...]
