James Pyles's Blog, page 147
May 24, 2018
The Dragon’s Library
It was a dream come true. Somehow, along with all of the children, a library had been brought from her world into the dragon city in the trees. Nine-year-old Paris walked inside with a solemnness usually reserved for a holy place, like the synagogue her parents took her to in Prague when she was six. […]
May 23, 2018
Decision
“No, I don’t want you to try to heal it. I want the imp weak and helpless.” It had been several days since Dani and Paris found the tiny demon unconscious in a nearby wooded avenue. Thanks to Paris’s book and Dani’s tutoring, Mandy’s knowledge of how to use the local tree bark, roots, and other […]
What the Gull Saw
The news from Florence said, “After a three-year-long restoration, Renaissance master Piero della Francesca’s Resurrection can once again be admired in its original glory.” Yes, it had taken that long for the painting to be restored, but at the same time, it was also being copied. What was being admired at the civic museum in Sansepolcro, […]
The Old People’s Plant
“You’ve got to be kidding.” He was smart enough not to say that out loud because his wife had just put the planter on their kitchen table. “So what do you think?” She’d asked a question almost as bad as “Do these pants make me look fat?” He decided to take a risk. “I like […]
May 22, 2018
Forlorn Rendezvous
“A child’s eyes light up when they see their Grandpa.” –Catherine Pulsifer “Where is she? Are she and Leah well? Don’t just sit there man!” Isaiah was as frantic as Keisha had ever seen him during the short time they’d known each other. At the first mention of his Mom’s name, Josiah rushed over to […]
What’s So Scary About Dexter Brock?
“Oh, there it is.” Robin looked up from her seat on the bench to see a familiar face, but didn’t have a name to attach to it. “What?” “My glove. Thought I’d lost it.” He could have been as old as her Grandpa, but he was just the guy who took care of the grounds […]
May 21, 2018
The Last Exploit of the Escapist
The Escapist initiated the landing sequence as the ship began its rapid descent into the stratosphere, his neurochemical link to the spacecraft’s control systems making this nearly reflexive. “Welcome to my world, Jack. Glad you could join the party.” The voice of the Beast crackled in his audio receptors sounding as if he were a game-show host […]
May 20, 2018
What Are You Trying to Tell Me?
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. He closed his Bible at the end of 2 Thessalonians 3:17 and pondered. Did Paul know that his letters, those that survived to be canonized anyway, would become binding instructions for all […]
The Battle for the Holy Grail Moose Milk
Stop! Don’t read this unless you’ve first read The Runaway Stuffed Rabbit! Alfred the Rainbow Rabbit sitting on the back of Merlyn the Dragon shot up into the air over Ana’s backyard like a bullet. The nine-year-old girl’s Mom witnessing the astonishing sight nearly fainted, and the Buddy the Ambrosial Dragon followed the pair a […]
The Tunnel Dwellers
Thousands of people had taken the tour of Seattle’s underground, what was left of the original city after the devastating 1889 fire. The city was rebuilt on its ruins one to two stories above, leaving these tunnels as a monument to history. However, only a few realized that just a portion of the original underground was […]
