Just a girl who walks dogs and hangs out in cemeteries. Stay feral, y'all.
In a city that never slept, there was one woman who had been awake longer than almost everyone in it. Her name was Lenora Vale, although it had not always been. Over the centuries she had answered to Lenora, Leonora, Eleanor, Nora, and once, during a particularly inconvenient decade in France, Madame Valois. Names changed.... Continue Reading →
Jessie Wilson had spent twenty-two years learning how to take things from people. Jewelry was easy. Cash was easier. Information was easiest of all. People liked to believe their secrets were hidden behind passwords, locked doors and carefully constructed lies. Jessie knew better. Most secrets were protected by nothing more complicated than the assumption that... Continue Reading →
The cart appeared on a Tuesday morning. It wasn’t particularly impressive. It had four slightly crooked wheels, a faded green canopy, and a hand-painted wooden sign hanging from the front that read: TAKE WHAT YOU NEED.EVERYTHING IS FREE.EVERYONE IS WELCOME. There was no cash register, no donation jar, no price list - just food. Fresh... Continue Reading →
Elara had been a witch for twenty-seven years before she finally accepted that she probably wasn't getting a familiar. It wasn't that every witch had one. Plenty didn't. Familiars were not magical accessories handed out alongside cauldrons and suspiciously large collections of jars. They came when they came, if they came at all, and supposedly... Continue Reading →
There are people who begin their mornings with meditation. They wake gently to the sound of birds, stretch their arms toward the heavens, drink lemon water, write three pages in a gratitude journal, and thoughtfully set an intention for the day. I sit in my car and talk to the internet while dogs breathe directly... Continue Reading →
Claire Morgan had spent years studying crime. She had a degree in criminology, shelves filled with books about criminal investigations, and an almost embarrassing ability to identify obscure murder cases within three clues. Her friends joked that if they ever disappeared, Claire was the person they wanted looking for them. At five-foot-two and barely over... Continue Reading →
The little wooden stage in the middle of Maplewood Park had been empty for years. Once, it had hosted summer concerts, puppet shows and community theatre, but lately its paint was peeling, weeds grew between the boards, and most people walked past without giving it much thought. Except for twelve-year-old Sophie. Sophie loved theatre. She... Continue Reading →
The first thing Melinda noticed was the blue door. It shouldn't have been blue. She had lived across from Mrs. Bell's house for eleven years, and the front door had always been red. Not burgundy. Not faded crimson. Red. Mrs. Bell had once joked that she kept it that colour so she could find her... Continue Reading →
I had one simple errand. That sentence should have been my first warning. All I needed to do was drive downtown, pick up a package, and come home. According to Google Maps, the entire trip would take twenty-seven minutes. According to reality, I apparently needed provisions, emergency flares, a lawyer, and the emotional resilience of... Continue Reading →
Every Sunday morning, Dawna baked bread. She wasn't particularly fancy about it. There were no complicated starters with names, no imported flour, and certainly no kitchen that looked like the ones on television. Her kitchen was small, one cupboard refused to close properly, and her oven had two settings: "probably not hot enough" and "surface... Continue Reading →
