By the time Evan came home that evening, Katherine had everything prepared. She had coiffed her hair in a perfect flip, decorated with garnet pendant earrings and a matching necklace. For her dress, she put on the one that Evan always complimented—a simple, collared shirtwaist dress with a painted lemon pattern on starched white linen. …
Spring gave way to summer, lightening Athen’s mood. School was out, the sun was warm, and the good people of the town enjoyed the renewed vitality of a well-deserved vacation. Winter had aged many homes around town, but it was not until the spring rains showed these changes to the homeowners. Yet, it was not…
The next morning found Evan, dressed in his handyman garb and carrying a dented green tool box, walking into the Red X Pharmacy. He nodded to the bobby soxer standing behind the perfume counter, as he made his way to the sandwich counter in the back. Mick, the attendant, asked if Evan wanted anything. Evan…
While he was still a few houses away, Evan stopped, set down his toolbox, and reached into his back pocket for his work gloves. He’d performed this ritual ever since the events with the Eye Patch and Lillian, every time he went out in public. This ritual, this covering up of the shimmering mark on…
Katherine Gold walked up the steps of her front porch, crossed the veranda, and placed her hand on the knob. She paused. Her mind was hit with the vision that likely waited to greet her. For months it has been the same thing and decomposing with each day. Her once bold and principled and courageous…
The sun was dipping below the horizon when Keetha arrived at Amnon’s home. He opened the door, looked at her, and whispered, “Are you alone?” Keetha smirked and made a show of looking down both ends of the very empty corridor before saying, “I think so,” she took a step forward, but Amnon didn’t budge….
The drone of the normal office activity was a comfort to Amnon as he strode toward his new office. Keetha was already at her desk looking very productive. He wanted to catch her eye to see if his memory of the night before had been a wacky dream, though his mind didn’t register it with…
Amnon Saxe found it impossible to focus on his work, his mind consumed by his encounter with Lillian. He retreated to his office, realizing that the more he engaged with the outside world, the sooner he would reveal what Lillian had asked of him – and what he had agreed to. Time slipped away as…
Zungher Dol sat slumped in his chair, looking at his reporting device. The images that flashed back showed the interrogation of Princess Lillian. When Lillian clawed Saw Yatha’s face, he reflexively chuckled. Suddenly concerned he might have forgotten someone in the office with him, Zungher swiveled his head to ensure he was alone. When that…
Once Amnon’s hand came in contact with Lillian’s, his mind was transported far away from the prison and far back in his memory. His vision was taken to a time just before he entered the prison service. Amnon was home, and his father had just returned from work. He couldn’t make out what anyone said,…
