James Pyles's Blog, page 154

The Girl Who Liked Pteranodons

“Grandpa, I want to color.” The almost three-year-old girl showed the new box of crayons to the old man. “But I thought you said you wanted to go to the park after dinner.” Her blue eyes brightened. “I go to the park.” She dropped the box on the floor and went hunting for her shoes. “Hey, […]

The Unknown Children

Six-year-old Otilia cried herself to sleep every night for the past two weeks, ever since mother sold her to the man. The man took her and four other children in a truck, hiding them in big boxes. Now she was at her new home, the mansion of a rich man in Gaborone. The maid gave […]

Am I Wasting My Time Trying to Become a Published Science Fiction/Fantasy Author?

I read a wide variety of information sources, including conservative and liberal news, social media, and blogging outlets, in an effort to stay informed. I find that no one bias tends to render the world as it truly exists (in my opinion), so I try to find a balance between them all. Finding that balance […]

Duel at Orholt

There was the clatter of two pieces of wood rapidly striking each other, occasionally punctuated by a boy’s voice crying, “Ow!” It was after another day of hiking, another day in the wilderness, climbing steadily up from the seashore into low hills, heading back toward the Dark Hills which were in fact mountains. It was […]

Love Ain’t Nothing But Sex Misspelled

With apologizes to Harlan Ellison. Jeremy was her first real boyfriend. They’d been holding hands while walking to the bus stop after school for a month. Elisa knew her Mom and Dad wouldn’t let her date until she was 16, but that was almost a year away. What would it be like to kiss him? […]

Castaway on Piller Island

Nelson Lawrence Simon had been living the dream, sailing around the world in his 36 foot sloop until his rudder chain broke during a storm. The spare, which he thought he’d packed so carefully, had been exposed to four months of salt and moisture and had rusted. Current washed him up on the north shore […]

Everybody’s Got to Have a Hobby

He always took a photo at the end of each job as a keepsake. He’d taken out Frankie “the Weasel” Puleo, who WITSEC squirreled away out here renting cheap kayaks. It was just a job. Last month, it was a Federal Judge. Next time, it might be a State Senator or a rival drug dealer. […]

The Bunny in the Bow Tie

Ana kept chasing after the small dragon and then realized she was no longer in her room. In fact, she wasn’t sure she was even on Earth. It was early morning wherever she was, and the nine-year-old girl was freezing. She looked around and she seemed to be in the mountains. There were trees, bushes, […]

Prejudice of the Tolerant

Aaron and Esther Silverstein were walking hand-in-hand in the Musée des Beaux Arts in Montreal. It was only a five hour drive from Boston, and now that they were retired, the older couple had the time to take relaxing visits to all of the wonderful places that had always surrounded them through their long and […]

Flowers and Scars

“Aren’t they pretty, Eva?” She kept the name the nuns gave her. She had little in common with them, but they made occasional allies in her fight to take the children away from the depravity of the streets. “Of course they are, Malika. Where did you get them?” “The old man said he was closing […]