The Feud

Smirnoff the 26th, rightful king of the Eastern Lands, gazed down from the battlements on the enemy forces swirling below. After 200 years of war, Igor the Usurper, had finally ceded for peace and reflecting deeply on this King Smirnoff allowed a smile to momentarily grace his countenance. Above the battlements, perched in the watch

Under the Stars

The full moon peaked gently through the window wondering if the old man was awake. The old man responding to the moons warm glow stirred himself from bed slipping off the oxygen mask. He dressed and searched for the small bottle of brandy hidden under his socks in the dresser. Slipping the bottle into his

Knight’s Quest

Sir Philip de Rochefort, knight of the realm, rode purposely across the bridge, shield and reins grasped firmly in his left hand, lance pointed purposefully at the trolls blocking the far end of the bridge. The three trolls, seven feet high, three feet broad, stepped forward with scowling faces and growled at the knight to

A leg up the ladder

The bleedin’ silly cow, wot’s she wearin’ that for, I says to me self, as I watched some fancy bird casually ‘andling the fruit on the barrow. She was wearin’ some fancy necklace that would ‘ave kept some family in dosh for a lifetime. She weren’t long for this world. There they were, right on

Caring

Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom, there lived a crippled boy, lovingly cared for by his elder sister. Every morning she would lift him from his bed, cradle him gently in her arms and place him in the chair by the fireside. She particularly enjoyed inviting children from the village to sit

Nobody

Once upon a lifetime we can make a decision that changes the trajectory of our future. So it was on that fateful day in June, as a soldier, accompanied by his companions, struggled through the marshes, oblivious to his surroundings, focused only on putting one foot in front of the other. Their commander ordered a

Addicted to Dickens….and Dickinson

Addiction- a strong inclination to indulge in something repeatedly. I’ve shaken a few addictions. Cigarette smoking from the age of 15 to 33. Playing blackjack in London’s west end casinos in my late teens. Scoffing boxes of chocolate. My worst chocolate experience was at a friends Christmas party where I spent the afternoon consuming a

Do we have the capacity to prevent war

Today the real test of power is not the capacity to make war but the capacity to prevent it. Wars are fought on two fronts. Macro wars which involve governments and power brokers and micro wars which involve you and me. We have limited ability, other than our voice and democratic vote, to frustrate power