James Pyles's Blog, page 197
July 21, 2017
The Folsom Mystery
Fox and Ashe were talking, staring into the pool of water supplied abundantly from an underground source, the lifeblood of beasts and men. The soldiers had been keeping their distance but Travis was aware of their presence and the potential threat they represented. “I can’t believe you remember me after fifteen years. It was just […]
Canyon of the Moon
Travis Fox rode his horse down the arroyo at the edge of his Father’s land, except he was dead so it was his land now. Try convincing his Uncle Wendell of that, though. He thought he was running the ranch. Travis tried not to fight with Wendell. He wanted peace in the household for the […]
July 20, 2017
Epilogue: The Time Traders
The Epilogue to the Time Travel Adventures of Ross Murdock Ross Murdock and Major Vasnev Danya Romanovich were facing each other standing on snow and ice. The ghosts of trees surrounded them, barely visible through the fog. The sky was overcast and it was threatening to once again snow. Romanovich was pointing his Soviet Army […]
July 19, 2017
Invasion
The Tenth Story in the Time Travel Adventures of Ross Murdock “Welcome to the Ice Age. What shall I call you?” Murdock was startled out of his shock and awe by the voice coming from around the enclosure he had just exited. He had assumed the room was inside a main wall of the cavern, but […]
Not Kansas
“You’re not in Kansas anymore.” “Avi, you can’t believe how many times I’ve heard that since making aliyah.” Morris sounded annoyed but admired how well the native Israeli spoke English. Half the time he struggled to find the right Hebrew words in a conversation. “Hey, what do you think of that girl over there? Maybe […]
July 18, 2017
Gateway
The Ninth Story in the Time Travel Adventures of Ross Murdock The very fact that Rossa woke up surprised him. The last thing he’d heard was a gunshot and then he felt an impact in the middle of his back. His back hurt, but not like a gunshot wound. Tranquilizer dart? The room he found […]
Where Did Daddy Come From?
The sign post was all but unreadable as she stood staring at it from the foot of the path. Left pointed to the way she came and right to the Ranger station. The one pointing behind her was to the camp grounds. She couldn’t read the one pointing up the hill, but she’d heard stories. No […]
July 17, 2017
Captured
The Eighth Story in the Time Travel Adventures of Ross Murdock All four men on the team from the future reflexively reached for weapons as the quartet of raging Axmen charged. Suddenly Ai pushed past Assa and Rossa, held forth the rune covered amulet she wore around her neck, and then loudly cried out in a language the rest of […]
Terror
The Adelie penguin colony at Cape Crozier, Antarctica had long been the subject of study. There were over a quarter of a million breeding pairs of birds identified. Scientists inhabited several tents at the site plus a crude permanent structure that vaguely resembled a collection of shoeboxes. However, this expedition was not here for the penguins. “What do […]
July 15, 2017
Ghosts
The Seventh Story in the Time Travel Adventures of Ross Murdock “The reason I’ve invited you to this briefing is that you both already have some idea of what we’re looking for and the stakes involved, although if the higher-ups had their way, you’d both be put in Guantanamo.” Major John Kelgarries, military commander of […]
