DRAGONFLY

So close that I could reach it with my fingers, a blue dragonfly with velvety black wings hovered above the greenery, reluctant to settle. I turned to see what bothered the graceful insect.

Chris stood on the path...Shadows circled his troubled eyes. This morning, he wasn’t given time to shave, to have a cup of coffee. Looking at his pale, drawn face, I wondered if he had touched his lunch or dinner. 

“A brave man,” I said. “Taking one for the team?”

“You can’t avoid us forever.” 

SOUL OF THE UNBORN    ON AMAZON

American college students. Russian countryside. A guide addicted to supernatural energy. Their professor wants to help her, but maybe he is saving a monster.

BRIDGE

At the foot of the bridge, patches of tall weeds stood at attention like troops protecting a classified site. Water dripped from the rough surface of the arch. Eddies licked the walls.

“Spoo-o-oky.” Luke hurled a stone into the stream. A gulping sound accompanied the splash. Tiny birds raced through the brush on the opposite bank.

“Don’t do that,” Valya said. “The inhabitants of the bridge sleep during daylight. Be very, very quiet.”

SOUL OF THE UNBORN     ON AMAZON

American college students. Russian countryside. A guide addicted to supernatural energy. Their professor wants to help her, but maybe he is saving a monster.

SHEPHERD BOY

A curious assortment of collectibles was piled up in a plastic crate by a coffee table in need of fresh polish. A Chihuahua-sized bronze moose with a missing antler peeked from the top. From underneath, Chris extracted a plaster figurine of a shepherd boy with his face delicately sculptured and his feet broken off. Chris debated whether he had found a Russian version of a voodoo doll. The idea of Valya casting spells over a symbol of an unfaithful boyfriend didn’t seem farfetched. 

SOUL OF THE UNBORN      ON AMAZON

American college students. Russian countryside. A guide addicted to supernatural energy. Their professor wants to help her, but maybe he is saving a monster.