Story Excerpts

The Apotheosis of Krysalice Wilson
by Howard V. Hendrix

George Wilson and his granddaughter Krysalice drove down from Olympic Valley before sunrise, reaching the Mount Tallac trailhead at dawn. The hike to Tallac summit was enough of a grunt that George wondered how much longer he would be able to keep doing this route before his knees or hips gave out—and replacement surgery loomed.

They reached the summit and rested, taking in views of Fallen Leaf Lake, Emerald Bay, and the rest of Lake Tahoe, glittering blue under the cloudless early sun and framed by mountains on the Nevada side. READ MORE

 

The Deviltree
by Monalisa Foster

The creature was not the last of its kind, but it had been a very long time since he had seen another like himself. Loneliness had been Deviltree’s unrelenting companion, driving him to the edge of the cliff once more to look out onto the valley below. Tree-devils were a solitary species but also highly intelligent beings, and this particular one was prone to curiosity.

Filling the breathing sacks to full had a satisfying effect, and he held the air within his segmented, dark gray thorax for a few long moments before deflating them. READ MORE