Final Kiss, Part 1

The painting, ink and watercolor on handmade Japanese paper, spoke to me. Two women, cheek to cheek, share a tender moment. Bold strokes of black ink outline their faces while hues of blue, red, and yellow wash over the surface of the canvas, blurring boundaries as one color evanesces into another. The old clock on … More Final Kiss, Part 1

Burning Rage, Part 2

“I don’t know much about people, Savine,” he said, his voice low. “Don’t understand them most of the time. It’s the nuances, the subtleties of the words they say that make it hard for me to know what they’re really telling me.” He paused and sniffed. “And most of the time I misread them, get … More Burning Rage, Part 2

Burning Rage, Part 1

The acrid smell of moldy, decomposing wood filled the air. Savine breathed deeply, welcoming the scent. Noise from the crowd escalated as stragglers tossed the last of the decaying timber onto the voluminous pile. Tonight, the siblings would perform their own ritual. Savine Marek studied the open matchbook in her hand. Twenty red match heads … More Burning Rage, Part 1

Lost at Sea, Part 1 

Mama and Papa had insisted their 50-foot sloop, built in 2020, was seaworthy and could make the 1,200-mile trip from their marina in Cádiz, Spain to the Portuguese Azores archipelago. At the time, Javier and Bia had no reason to doubt them. But then the siblings lost contact with the elder Barqueiros. “You know this … More Lost at Sea, Part 1