James Pyles's Blog, page 171
January 27, 2018
The Bristol Connection
Ian Dennis didn’t look like a spy, which worked to his advantage. Although the MI6 man fancied himself a “Sean Connery” type in his youth, he was now middle-aged with thinning blond hair and a bit of a belly paunch. No one gave him a second glance as he walked into the newly reopened St […]
January 26, 2018
Touching
“Don’t touch me.” “I like you Clarissa. Can’t we just hold hands?” “I…I don’t know, Brad. I don’t know if I feel…” Clarissa isn’t afraid of what she doesn’t feel but what she will if she lets Brad touch her. It didn’t happen all at once and it didn’t happen at all when she was […]
Getting the Stuffing Out
In our last adventure, Landon magically discovered what happened to the living stuffed animals but in the process, both he and his friend Ana were transformed into stuffed toys and trapped in the stuffed animal universe. “Landon! What happened to me? What did you do?” “I’m sorry, Ana. I was trying to bring the stuffed animals […]
January 25, 2018
Long Climb to Sanctuary
The cities were lost to the Grendels and most of the human race was dead. The early news reports Neville Smith heard said that the disease had been introduced to Europe and the Americas by groups of refugees from Somalia, but the conspiracy theory websites released documents stating that something got away from the CDC […]
January 24, 2018
The Last Festival
“…I’m trying to erase you from my mind …you’re my religion and my belief…” This wasn’t Yunin Obia’s first pilgrimage to the Holy City for the Festival of Qet but it would be her last. Every devotee of the God Slaz was required to travel to the great city of Shilarbor once every year for […]
Stepping Back
“It’s not real.” The building and pier are quite real, Jonathan.” “But the scene inside the cafe looks like a painting, Raven.” “Simply step through the door as you did previously.” Jonathan Cypher walked toward the painting on the building in the English coastal town. Then there was an actual door and everything changed. “It […]
January 23, 2018
Primordial
The last place Christopher Sanderson expected to wake up was in a comfortable bed in a richly furnished and adorned room, though he was surprised to be waking up at all. Bright sunlight from the large open window on his right momentarily blinded him, but he welcomed the warm breeze, the rustling of tree branches, […]
One Cold Saturday Morning
He had to make a few trips from the house to the rough-hewn log bench his son had carved out for him. He took first his books and reference notes, then a pillow and warm blanket, and finally his large, steaming coffee mug. He made himself comfortable in the center seat with his mug and […]
January 22, 2018
Deadly Comfort
“What will my heart allow when loneliness holds me down.” Andrea Norton was a survivor, the only survivor. Five years ago their interstellar ship Astraea came out of jumpspace during a class seven solar storm which blew out the ship’s electronics, or most of them. The heavily protected emergency systems held up for the most […]
January 21, 2018
All Stuffed Up
“Why not, Buddy?” “No magic. Anna have no magic. Not taking new apprentices. Just you.” Keeping his promise, Landon told his best (human) friend Anna all about Buddy the Ambrosial Dragon and their adventures together, which started almost a year and a half ago. It had taken a long time to relate everything to Anna. […]
