A fire roars in the wood stove and the teapot whistles. Outside, twigs snap and dry leaves crumble under their approaching feet. They are close. My boat waits on the river. I empty my cup of mint tea. It was her favorite. “Goodbye, Hannah.” Tied at the wrist to the bedpost, she writhes against her restraints…
These photos are my contribution to Thursday Doors, a door-lovers group hosted by Norm Frampton. The doors for today’s post are located on Amoy Street, an out of the way street in busy Wan Chai District which is located at the north shore of Hong Kong Island. This door opens into Kitchen Ruto serving yummy Japanese…
Climbing the steps to her neighbor’s second-floor front porch, Ethel breathed heavily. Thump, thump, thump, she dragged the axe behind her. Her hand shook as she turned the doorknob to Agnes’s flat and crossed the threshold. Ethel finally had her chance. She raised the axe and brought it down over and over. The more she…
In a secluded park, a man leaned heavily on his cane. He tottered to a bench amidst a canopy of trees. Lowering himself, he sat beside a woman wearing deep wrinkles and white hair. “Is it safe?” She looked toward the ground. He asked the same question every year. “Not yet,” she answered. For a…
This post is my contribution to Thursday Doors, a group of door lovers hosted by Norm Frampton. This week is my final mish-mash of random photos from Sorsogon, the Philippines. It was a wonderful trip. I miss the beautiful scenery and the new friends that I made. One of our last stops on the trip was…
His pesky sister, Talia, yells from their hut. “Whatcha doin’ up there in that tree, Fetu?” Ignoring her, he shimmies up to a higher branch. Will Sefina wait for me or will she marry Lagi? With a storm on the horizon, Fetu’s father forbade him taking the outrigger and crossing the strait to her island….
This post is inspired by Thursday Doors, created by Norm Frampton. For the third week in a row, my door post is focused on Gubat, Sorsogon, the Philippines. Last week, I introduced the Gubat market and this week is a continuation. The following doors (or gates) are located on the periphery of the market. Now, let’s…
Abby glanced from Lizzy to her mother. Her voice rose. “Mama, is Lizzy chubby or fat?” Lizzy watched with rounded eyes, waiting to hear the pronouncement from Abby’s mother. “Oh, Abby. Lizzy is both chubby and fat.” Abby and her mother broke into mouth-wide-open laughter as they sauntered away. Tears pooled in Lizzy’s eyes. She blinked…
This post is inspired by Thursday Doors, created by Norm Frampton. A recent trip to Gubat, Sorsogon, the Philippines gave me opportunities to capture a few door photos. In Gubat, the supermarket recently burned. A new one is being built but it is taking longer than expected. The locals don’t seem to mind though. They are…
My mother’s drunken words cut me deep. But, are they true? The darkness of the center beckoned to me. Picking the lock, I slid into the pool and sunk below the surface. Within the water’s embrace, the voices of my demons dimmed. I sliced through the silkiness of the depths and the burn of countless…
For over two months, I’ve missed out in participating with friends at Thursday Doors (created by Norm Frampton). It’s been a season of travel for me with a bit of poor health mixed in and a lot of time spent writing a bigger story. I’m always amazed at how time slips through my fingers so quickly….
Standing in front of the ruins, my brothers and I stare up at the tower remembering. Mt. Mayon watches in the distance. I hear my father’s voice. “Whoever makes it to the bell tower will live forever. Don’t look back! Your mama and I will catch you.” My brothers and I run as lava flows…
