James Pyles's Blog, page 210

Vengeance

The area around Hong Kong had so many cities and islands that when Sean woke up, he wasn’t sure he knew where he was. He got out of bed, went to the window of his hotel room and opened the curtains. “Ah, Adolfo’s yacht arrived last night. Good.” Adolfo rarely rose before ten and his […]

The Collector

Sidney Feldman finally acquired the crown jewel of his collection, an original Joyce, circa 1897, simply titled, “Woman Singing.” It had been taken from its Jewish owner by the Nazis in 1939. Feldman found it at an estate sale and knew immediately what he had. True, he could have returned it to the owner’s heir. […]

The Ascent

He’d been climbing for hours. Fortunately, he’d trained for it. Seth Minstrel was the first to get this far. He could see the tops of the jagged peaks just above him. “I’m going to make it. I’m going to be free.” The air was hot and humid in the valley below, the valley Seth had […]

I’d Give Everything I Have for You

It had finally stopped raining when Jack Bishop reached the little used pier. He wanted to sit down, but he couldn’t. He had to get to the end, to where Billy and he used to fish when his son was little. Jack stopped and looked down. His right hand was pressing against the bleeding wound at […]

The Day the Kid Got a Stuffed Animal: Part 2

This is the direct sequel and conclusion of part one of this story, which was based on a plot developed by my eight-year-old grandson. Chapter 4: Glowing Red Eyes Little Dan was having a hard time sleeping. Every little noise woke him up and reminded him of the horrible things that had happened and the […]

The Seventy Year Cycle Killer

Kal Thompson knew he was very unpopular with the passengers and crew of the cruise ship Norwegian Gem. It couldn’t be helped. Another gorgeous Summer day in Nassau, but the yellow crime scene tape wasn’t part of the tourist attraction. It prevented the contamination of his murder investigation. The murderer had to be on board. The […]

I Want to Kill You

Little Danny Claiborne had raised him from a cub. Taka, the Saber Tooth, was an adolescent tiger. He went from sleeping with Danny under the covers of his bed to living in a shed next to the house. Taka’s brother Kai, and his sister Aka, were raised by two other children, Sha Clanton and Dran […]

The Lonely Boy

Josh, Matt, and Kenny were best pals. Every day, the third-graders walked past the old McClary house going home from school. Today, Kenny picked up a stick and ran it across the wrought iron fence. “Yoohoo!” Josh yelled at the so-called ghosts in the house. Matt quickly said, “Knock it off, Josh. Don’t disrespect.” “Crybaby,” Josh […]

The Duet

I was born too late. I should have been singing with Dylan in the sixties. Instead, I spend my weekends in this little square between the London Film and Transport Museums playing his charts to uninterested passersby. It’s early Saturday, so the place is almost empty. Pavement’s still wet from the rain as I sing […]

One of My Stories Published in Scaffolding Magazine

This magazine has taken some time to get off the ground, and I was pleased to see the announcement this morning that the first issue is now in print. My short story “The Alien” is featured within (page 22) along with a lot of other terrific content by authors and artists a lot more talented […]