After school, I cleaned my aquarium. I filled a small glass jar with water, then carefully transported each fish into their temporary home. It was a fantastic scenery- twenty-four multi-colored fish swarming tightly in a few ounces of water. Rather than continuing to scrub the tank, I marveled at my new creation. The fish splashed… Continue reading Apathy
Category: Tales of Imagination
The New Millenium
On the first day the millennium, I took my family to an amusement park. With the car windows tightly sealed, we could barely hear the swish of our impatient freeway neighbors. As my wife was calming a scuffle between my two daughters in the back, I remembered attempting to pay one last utility bill. I… Continue reading The New Millenium
I am Sworn to Be Your Servant
"I am sworn to be your servant," Eve said to Daniel after they slaughtered the Zafcat. The Zafcat rose it's giant claw for the single slash of Daniel's throat when Eve came from behind and penetrated the hairy beast with her sword. For an orphaned slave girl, Eve possessed an unnatural beauty and grace even… Continue reading I am Sworn to Be Your Servant
The Anniversary Ring
"You love birds can sit here with me if you want," the elderly man said to the young couple desperately looking for a vacant breakfast table. "I'll be leaving soon, and it looks like these are the last empty chairs in the house." The Garden Terrace was a romantic spot that peered across the Pacific… Continue reading The Anniversary Ring
Shykor and the Giant Flawless Diamond
Shykor drew his golden sword from his sheath and stabbed it into the sky. The bright sun reflected a beam of yellow from the polished plastic. The handle was encrusted with crystal rhinestones, but looked like ocean blue sapphires and pigeon blood rubies set in a platinum halo. Around Shykor's neck hung the Giant Flawless,… Continue reading Shykor and the Giant Flawless Diamond
The Magic of a Diamond
“I don't know, honey,” the young man said to his fiancé. “Which one do you like the best?” Diamond Mike displayed two polished diamonds on a dark cloth, gently rocking them back and forth with his tweezers. Both gems sparked flames of fire onto the walls of the Santa Ana jewelry store, Gallery of Diamonds.… Continue reading The Magic of a Diamond
The Mad Child Scientist
“Miss Jenkins found a cockroach in her house, today,” said Marcus Wilson’s mom as she peeked outside through the curtains. “Are they bad?” asked Marcus. “Oh heavens, Marcus, cockroaches are filthy and dirty and carry germs. Do you remember the time we found one on our front porch? If you ever see one, Marcus, stomp… Continue reading The Mad Child Scientist
The Hairspray Can Explosion
Caution: Flammable. Contents under pressure. Marcus Wilson eyeballed the label of his mom's used hairspray can. Do not expose near fire or flame. May explode if temperature rises above 120 degrees. To an adult, this message is never read. To a twelve-year old aspiring scientist, however, this meant, I am an awesome bomb. Marcus discovered… Continue reading The Hairspray Can Explosion
The Stolen Car
I should have known something was wrong when I approached my old Maxima in the dark holiday-lighted parking lot. But I didn't. I'm sure it cost more in gasoline to make a trip to the mall drugstore for a tiny bottle of a cholesterol-reducing drug. The doctor told me I could eliminate my pizza diet,… Continue reading The Stolen Car
The Elevator
"They pay for parking if you save your receipt," said the lady slumped next to Jon Baskerville in the juror assembly room. The lady wore a floppy top with a large clamp-on tag saying 124 California. "Yeah, thank you. I have my ticket in my pocket for validation," Jon replied. What happens next?" "You get… Continue reading The Elevator
The Weird Bug
I was already tense from reading the book, “Creepy Insects of the World,” so I didn’t think about the tickle I felt on my left arm close to my shoulder. Carmen was on my other side watching some kind on Alien movie. I felt it again in the same spot, then calmly moved the book… Continue reading The Weird Bug
The Falling Car
I suppose I was driving too fast while zooming left around a big turn on top of the mountains. It was a cold, moonless night, and the head beams illuminated only a few feet of the winding dirt road in front of the black Jeep. I saw the turn approaching and cut my wheels to… Continue reading The Falling Car
A Tourmaline for Irmaleen
A one-carat diamond dangled below the watermelon tourmaline in Gallery of Diamonds jewelers. "I've always wanted one of those," Irmaleen Crawford said to her husband of fifty years. "Why in the world would you want that?" Ernie asked, who was upbeat and jolly for a man in his late seventies. "I saw one in a… Continue reading A Tourmaline for Irmaleen
No Dream is Impossible
"What do you mean, you can't do it?" Diamond Mike Watson asked the small-framed Vietnamese programmer. After five hours of tinkering at the master computer at the headquarters of Gallery of Diamonds jewelers, Lan Dong finally admitted it would be impossible to make Diamond Mike's demands come true. "This may take thirty to forty more… Continue reading No Dream is Impossible
The Large Diamond Sale
Diamond Mike Watson felt a sort of uneasiness as he sat facing Drew Damon across from the small wooden table in the diamond room. The diamond room was a soundproof, two-person chamber intended to be a private area that stood cozily in the corner of Gallery of Diamonds jewelers, but when two men are negotiating… Continue reading The Large Diamond Sale