By Ben Macnair Ursa Minor Six months before his final heart attack,my Grandfather stopped to stareat the night sky.His fingers traced the shapes and the outlinesof the Big Dipper, and the Plough,joining the stars that made Orionâs Belt.Sometimes, when walking through the inky blacknessI stare at the stars,who havenât aged a day,and think of him.Maybe … Continue reading Ursa Minor and Low Tides
My Visit to BrontĂŤ Country: A Walk Through Haworth Parsonage
By William Hardy âWhat I love shall come like a visitant of air.â - The Visionary, by Emily BrontĂŤ. CHAPTER I The Ground Floor. The Exterior Iâm stood outside the Haworth Parsonage where Iâm inhaling the fresh Yorkshire air with my eyes calmly shut. I can hear rain patter against the front steps, but the … Continue reading My Visit to BrontĂŤ Country: A Walk Through Haworth Parsonage
Between the Teeth
By Wu Yu Lilian wakes up in the stomach of night. Again. It is not even 5 am yet. The first lesson begins at eight, and she needs at least one hour getting dressed and wandering around the apartment purposelessly, trying to figure out what to do next. Minutes marching on, Lilian closes her eyes. … Continue reading Between the Teeth
Rattlesnake Mountain
By Bernard Martoia The drumming of rain against the Deer Head Innâs windowpane stirred Waffle Print from sleep. After twelve straight days of sun in Pennsylvania, the weather changed, mirroring his challenging endeavor to cross New Jersey. Then, he remembered the crowded streets as he made a frantic trip to Manhattan to buy himself boots. … Continue reading Rattlesnake Mountain
Imitating Imperfection
By Laurie Nguyen Paulâs mother called him her âspecial little boyâ, so special his teachers diagnosed him with an emotional disturbance disorder, autism, attention-hyperactivity-deficit disorder, and the occasional antisocial personal disorder without any medical knowledge whatsoever. His doctors disagreed. They were helpful, but his mother was always fiercely independent of the healthcare system; she hated … Continue reading Imitating Imperfection
Heart of the Order
By T.R. Healy With the assistance of a burly corrections officer, the two old teammates lifted the cream-colored steel casket into the back of the Ryder rental van. Then they secured the casket with a couple of ropes attached to the inside of the van and braced against it four bales of hay. Before he … Continue reading Heart of the Order
Itâs A Great Life If You Donât Weaken Â
By John RC Potter There are people one meets during oneâs lifetime who are larger-than-life: the expression, âreal charactersâ comes to mind, the kind who could have sprung from the pages of a delightful book. I had the great fortune to meet an endearing âcharacterâ decades ago, when I moved into a charming red-brick building … Continue reading Itâs A Great Life If You Donât Weaken Â
The Stolen Prince
By K.L. Crino Marin had thought she'd heard a baby's cooing last night. She realized now she shouldn't have ignored the soundâ she should've listened to her gut as a good captain would. But so far, her gut had only led her team to become the worst pirate crew in all of Porto Sama. In … Continue reading The Stolen Prince
On the Lam
By Julie Iverson âWe got to get clothes; three days we go bul, fresh so we not crumb.â âNah, three days? Nah, what fuhâ? âCuz we ade it, Mumâs prize pie, the jawn faâ St. Michaels, Tommyâ âJeez, James, broâ now Iâm skeered. She okay or she keel usâ? St. Michaels Parish at Queen Village, … Continue reading On the Lam
The Black Cat
By Harley Carnell When I initially heard the meowing, I thought it was coming from Pumblechook, my black Maine Coon. Only when I came out into the hall did I realise that it was actually coming from outside. I opened the front door tentatively and saw a small black cat outside, who began to meow … Continue reading The Black Cat
Academy of the Heart And Mind 