ELEVEN

I. One thousand miles away, Auralia was sitting in her garden, resting underneath a particularly large clingstone peach tree. The shade of the leaves felt like paradise.  June had been a month of… Continue reading →

TEN

Each day drew hotter than the last, until the air was so heavy that birds ceased flying and blossoms mourned for honeybees.  Gardens dried up; their flowers’ heads bent towards the ground, weak… Continue reading →

NINE

I. “There you are,” Alex exclaimed, as Lucie burst through the front door, throwing heat inside the house, which had been gradually cooling in its darkness. “Here I am,” Lucie agreed, smiling, kissing… Continue reading →

EIGHT

I. Lucie refused to tell Deena why the man on Blythe Drive deserved his punishment, other than repeating that he had hurt someone she knew.   Deena noticed, however, that Lucie was extra cautious… Continue reading →

SEVEN

I. Grief did odd things to people.  Alex had felt numb and hopeless when Lucie went missing, and even more so when she came home.  Lucie had become moody and distrustful.  Deena, who… Continue reading →