Fiction
I love old fairy tales -- the ones that still cling to their original endings. I appreciate the softening of edges that time and retelling can bring to very old stories, but for me, the old endings are the best. These are the sorts of tales where the evil are punished for their misdeeds, and revenge is generally at the table whether served hot or cold. You can get 'Fireside Tales'
here, for Kindle or in paperback.
There's a link to another, more reflective piece I wrote at the bottom of the page, if this isn't your sort of thing.
MOIST
"They will say it was the Devil, but it wasn’t. Restless with temptations of the flesh, I paced my small cell within the monastery walls. I went out to the garden, to cool my searing flesh and pray for forgiveness from the Divine Father, from whom all relief must flow. My brethren slept, so I slipped out beneath the full moon of autumn, to pray for purity of mind."
LOVE SPELL
"Mikaela waited, sitting in the window of her solitary little cottage as the village lights went out, one window at a time, until all lay dark. A full moon threw silver lights on the cobblestones of the road that wound through the valley. Smoke rose from chimneys to shade the stars. Dry leaves scraped the stones, though many still clung to rattle together in the night wind."
"Mikaela waited, sitting in the window of her solitary little cottage as the village lights went out, one window at a time, until all lay dark. A full moon threw silver lights on the cobblestones of the road that wound through the valley. Smoke rose from chimneys to shade the stars. Dry leaves scraped the stones, though many still clung to rattle together in the night wind."
GREEN GIRL
"Aurelia dragged the kitchen chair toward the cabinet where Grandma kept the cookies. Grandma's freshly washed dishes sat in a rack, glinting prettily in the afternoon sun."
THIS LAST THREAD
"The envelope sits on the island in the kitchen, in the circle of yellow light from the overhead lamp. It is addressed to my son. I look at it, a sandwich in one hand, with the dog we got for him in second grade sitting at my feet, brown eyes hopeful."