“The end of reading is not more books but more life.”
~ Holbrook Jackson
Author Archives: Select Stories
Shardana
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By Dellani Oakes
She walked through the jungle, the soft light warm on her opalescent skin. Cobalt blue hair cascaded down her back in tumultuous curls. Shaking her head, she laughed, the sound ringing and echoing like bells.
Shardana had never seen a bell. She didn’t even know what they were, but he knew. He hadn’t heard bells in awhile, he missed them sometimes. But he had her laugh and that was almost enough.
The river roiled over boulders, falling over the cliff to rumble and tumble on the sharp rocks below. Shardana yanked her hand away, rushing headlong for the lip of the land. He wouldn’t be joining her in her long swan dive to the lower river. They’d learned long ago that his body couldn’t handle the trauma of either dive or water pressure like hers could. Shardana was not a soft and cuddly plaything. As lethal as she was dangerously beautiful, she ruled undisputed over her domain. Most days she was glad of her visitor. Others, she demanded he leave. He couldn’t go entirely, but he had a place to stay on his own, away from her wrath. Continue reading
Readers: The Next Generation
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“The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity.”
~ Neil Gaiman
I Have…
By Natalie Cone
The grass was soft beneath her knees. Shafts of sunlight blinked kaleidoscope patterns onto her skirt and glinted off the knife nestled in her lap. Today, her last thread snapped.
Looking away, she prayed desperately for God’s forgiveness as she pressed the blade to her wrists.
Her eyes fell on a carving in the trunk of a tree. It was a single word.
Purpose.
In that moment, something inside her shifted.
She pulled herself to her feet. Using the blade that was intended to end her life, she carved two more words above the one already there.
I have.
* * *
© 2013 by Natalie Cone • All rights reserved
A Reader Lives a Thousand Lives
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Roy & Darby
By Robb Grindstaff
Roy and Darby lay on the roof one August night watching the meteor shower.
“Don’t the stars make you feel small,” she asked.
But they didn’t. They made him feel part of a grand scheme. There had to be a master plan and he’d have a major role, he told her.
The streak and flash, maybe miles above or just over the treetops, fired his every fiber.
“That looked close,” he said, but Darby was gone. Roy never saw her again.
* * *
© 2012 by Robb Grindstaff • All rights reserved
A Place to Go
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“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”
~ Mason Cooley
Savages
Winner of the Stories Space ‘Darkness and Light’ Contest
By Steffanie
It would be a much darker world without choice.
A female has moved into my territory, a healthy young blonde, ripe for breeding and bearing good child. She could be my mate, once I’ve captured her, subdued her and proved my worth as her man.
Sounds easy enough, but this female is small, flighty and quick. One stray sound and she’s off like the wind, racing through shadows to seek cover amongst the ruins and rubble. I’ve no hope of chasing her down, so instead I’m intent on outwitting her and steering her into a trap.
The female is cautious and cunning, she takes heed of her senses before making a move and takes no chances at all until the hot sun begins to go down. Only in twilight will she head for the water source and this evening I’m ready for her, I’m watching her every move as I lie hidden downwind.
She’s a survivor and clever as such, but not so smart as to realize that following predictable behavior is a serious mistake. I am the hunter and she is my prey. Her routine is her weakness and gives me the only advantage I need to help corner her.
My plan is simple and my trap is already in place. I’ll hold off a little while longer, then move in on her from the west. Doubtless she’ll break straight away, her fine legs carrying her east along the only clear alleyway, the one between what’s left of the two tower blocks.
She’ll think she’s heading for escape, with a choice of two corners leading to any number of hide outs. Only both routes are narrow and I’ve blocked them, nothing elaborate, but enough to delay her for a few precious seconds. That’s all I’ll need, a brief moment to catch up and grab hold of her.
Slip Away By Reading
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“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.”
~ Joyce Carol Oates
A Deeper Meaning
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“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”
~ Maya Angelou
~ Maya Angelou
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