James Pyles's Blog, page 210

Blood in the Depths

In later years, it was largely believed that Fair Isle, a tiny spit of an island between Sumburgh Head and Mainland, Shetland, which would eventually be claimed by Scotland, was originally settled by Bronze Age traders. The real story was first withheld and then lost to history. Truth be told, Nordic raiders used Fair Isle as a […]

Matzah Pizza and an Island of Peace

Esther had some cheese and matzah pizza and another sip of wine. Fortunately the owner of “Stanley’s Pizza” knew how to accommodate her needs during the Passover season. At work, time was very fluid, which was why she appreciated the dependable rhythms of a Jewish life. Looking at her watch on the counter, she chuckled. She […]

Doing What’s Necessary

Yosemite National Park has gone downhill since I was a kid. We used to come here every Spring and Fall for the bicycle rallies. Some entered the races, but a lot of us just liked to ride around the main road inside the park. Now look at it. Bastards have carved their initials into everything, […]

Strange Sight Expanded

Ronald Connor sat on the sandy shore and stared up at the cliff where it all began. It would be the last thing he’d ever see. His peripheral vision was closing in on him. He could see the trees, the buildings, the tower, all through a continually narrowing tunnel. “I wish I could have seen […]

The Curse of Slappy

The Fifteenth Story in the Adventures of the Ambrosial Dragon: A Children’s Fantasy Series It was a Friday and Landon was happy that the school week was over. He went into his bedroom to get rid of his backpack and saw something strange. All of the living stuffed animals were at the foot of the […]

The Experiment

“Johnson, apply more power. I think an image is forming in the Temporalscope.” “I see it too, Reynolds. Applying power.” Henry Johnson slowly pushed the lever up a bit more. Screaming transformers almost deafened them. “There it is. It’s just a shadow. but…” “You’re right, Reynolds. It’s a picture from another time.” “Counters are settling in, […]

What I Feel When I Hold You

“No! No! No! No! They can’t be dead. They can’t be.” The hospital. My son and daughter-in-law are in ICU. The car wreck. They survived, but my grandchildren…eight year old Patrick, 2 year old Sarah…they’re dead. They’re dead. I’ve been a failure all my life. I’ve been a failure as a husband, a father, a […]

For the Love of Cynthia

The fake Viking boat was the only unusual thing about the park. It overlooked Suisun Bay to the north and bordered the Point Edith Wildlife Area. Cynthia always felt safe in the reserve, which is why she told Richard to meet her here each morning after it was over. Early on a Monday morning, the […]

The Fairies Pond

On most days of the year, The Fairies Pond was just a pond. It’s an isolated body of water in western Oregon with only one trail in. A serene place certainly, but not always worth the eight hour hike to get there. But on one day of the year, what’s called “The Fairies Day,” it’s […]

Time’s Window Expanded

Physicist and Mission Specialist Jamie Benjamin and her team of three arrived at the orbiting Mars Base Camp exhausted after their nearly two-hundred day trip from Earth to the red planet. But they were astronauts and had to fulfill their grand legacy of being stoic pioneers. Jamie could almost feel Neil Armstrong looking over her […]