My brother, Tadferd, and I loved going to my great grandparents’ house when we were young. Grandma and Granddad lived about forty-five minutes away, on the other side of the county. Their modest, single-story, white-shingled house was just off the highway, nestled amongst the largest oak trees my eight-year-old eyes had ever seen. My grandparents’ [...]

“I had a bad dream again, Gabby,” Piper said, rubbing her eyes and sitting up in bed. Her voice was timid like she didn’t quite trust she was awake. The older girl smiled at her with affection. “I know. I came, so you wouldn’t feel scared.” Gabby’s voice was beautiful and resonant, like crystal, and [...]

The stark white walls of the hospital’s family gathering room seemed to sedate me, clouding my vision. A featureless man appeared to me and tried to engage me in conversation by introducing himself as the Chaplin. I couldn’t see clearly and had no interest in speaking, unable to even comprehend his presence… It was an [...]

His BB gun showed all the signs of travel with scratches and grooves in the stock, each one meticulously doctored and oiled, each battle scar numbered. Tadferd was a hunter, skilled as any aborigine ever to grace the plains of Africa although he had no kill to his name. He practiced his craft each afternoon [...]