2023

Vicky

First published on May 29. 2023 in Dread Space: Volume 2 – (1.000 words)

They conspired against you, working in silence for weeks, cornering other crew members. I tried to warn you. I showed you how Veera shuffled the shifts, so that the hesitant crew members were paired with the ones who supported her scheme. I showed you the meetings in the messroom, heads close together to obstruct lip reading. You never even looked.

Taste of Memory

First published on April 1, 2023 in Holding Patterns Anthology – (830 words)

It’s seven o’clock on a winter morning and the window displays white fog rolling over the lawn, diffusing the weak silvery light. Henry shuffles in his sleep, mumbles something intelligible. Paula sits beside the bed and braces herself. He opens his eyes, grey as the morning, and Paula sees the usual sequence of emotions in them: confusion, fear, panic. “Where am I?” He sits up, pulls the monitor’s headband off his head. “What is this?”

2022

Heart of My Heart, Soul of My Soul

First published on May 10, 2022 in Haven Speculative – (5.000 words)

“You’re sad.” She reached across the table and touched my face. “Those are the lines of sadness, here in the corners of your eyes. Tears carved them into your skin.” I caught her hand and removed it from my face. I’d forgotten what it felt to be touched like that.

Immersion Vortex

First published on February 25, 2022 in Uncharted – (4.100 words)

She thought about Becky Yang, trapped in her helmet, lying dead in her apartment. Poor, silly Becky, who was forced by her publicist to date Hollywood heart-throbs, all the while dreaming about Regency gentlemen. Sweet, lonely Becky, who built a gossamer bridge of friendship while she confessed her secrets to Andrea.

2021

Conquest

First published on September 14, 2021 in Beneath the Misty Surface – (1.000 words)

I glanced through an arrowslit. The whole town was burning now, thatched roofs exploding into flames, the thick smoke and the scorching heat engulfing the castle. A group of soldiers was pushing a battering ram towards the gates. I looked for Berengaria down there, but the bitch was hiding somewhere out of our arrows’ range.

The Collector

First published on September 1, 2021 in Cossmass Infinities – (4.700 words)

“Who are you anyway?” He stood up in a magnificent cloud of black with purple sparks. “A dirty little idol made of wood and leather some barefooted barbarians dragged from the north.”

How to Bind a Sailor’s Heart

First published on May 26, 2021 in Mermaids Monthly – (1.000 words)

Slice the onion finely with a sharp knife. Wipe your tears when you’re done, wash your hands. Put on your best Sunday dress and walk the narrow streets of your town, your eyes hard, your chin high up in the air. Never let them see you cry.

The Echo

First published on March 24, 2021 in Dark Hearts: Tales of Twisted Love – (1.600 words)

There is a monster behind me: not a figment of some writer’s imagination, but the man I married.

Perfect Date

First published on March 15, 2021 in Future Science Fiction Digest – (1.000 words)

He smiled and a tiny voice in her head whispered, too handsome for you. His face could have advertised sunglasses or perfume; his body she wanted to undress on the spot. But there was no immediate undressing; this was a proper date. He took her to a small wine bar and ordered a decent Cabernet that helped her relax. She had never done this before.

Immortelle

First published on March 1, 2021 in The Dark Magazine – (2.800 words)

You buried me in the cold, hard ground. The March wind was blowing, sharp as a slaughter knife, bringing the scent of snow from the mountains over the sea. You dug a shallow grave among the gnarled roots of an olive tree. My sheep bleated in distress as you laid me down, they cried Murder! Murder! from their innocent throats. You covered me with earth and stones, first my body, then my face, my eyes wide open and staring into the brilliant winter stars above us.

Colombina

First published on January 1, 2021 in Beneath Ceaseless Skies – (3.300 words)

It feels good to touch me, doesn’t it? It feels like a promise of joy on this bleak January morning, the fog so thick you can barely see the mooring poles in the canal. You feel the warm candlelight dancing across glowing skin and sparkling jewels, you imagine my sleek form snug against your cheeks, you hear the laughter and the clink of glasses. Carnival is in your blood, you can feel it at night, coming like a tidal wave, ready to flood this city.

Short Fiction