Tag Archives: freestyle

To Catch the Christmas Spirit

Two days before Christmas, Vittoria embarked upon an excursion to the provincial village of Overbee. She was to meet her dearest friends there for a holiday retreat. It was just the thing they all needed: escape from big city life and away from the gossip that hounded them. Time to let Vittoria’s scandal blow over, […]

Deadly Seduction

“Deadly Nightshade,” I said, twirling the flower’s delicate stem between my fingers, “also known as Atropa belladonna. Extracts of it have been used as anesthetics, muscle relaxers, and for anti-inflammatory purposes throughout history. The entire plant is extremely toxic, but under the right dosage and conditions, it can be medicinal.” The spiky, five-petaled purple flower […]

The Woman who Slipped Below

“Help!” they cried, running toward my tower chair, stumbling over little sand dunes on their way. An older man and woman, and a middle aged man. “She’s drowning!” I stand and scan the lake where they are pointing. The surface is glassy. Unperturbed. I grab my red rescue tube and slide down the ladder. I […]

The Last Christmas Tree

Needle grew up like most trees. He started as a seed from a pine cone. He was raised in a greenhouse until he was big enough to survive outdoors, where he was planted in the ground. As Needle grew, he heard rustling amongst the other trees, who had been planted in neat rows alongside him, […]

Frozen Reflection

The windowpane was cold against her nose. Her breaths puffed against the glass and the condensation caught and froze. Outside the snow piled deeper and deeper with each passing moment. She drew a finger through the newly formed frost. Please. She mouthed the word as she spelled it out. She pressed her forehead to the […]