The child ran excitedly out of his house, into the green, suburban neighborhood street. Friendly neighbors stood outside their houses, easy smiles on their faces, deep in conversation, cups of refreshment in their hands, as they shot occasional glances at their kids playing outside around the driveways, attempting to throw basketballs into too high baskets.

The child had gotten permission after begging his mother countless times to play with his friend down the street. Normally, his mother would have insisted on taking him there herself, but she happened to be on a long-distance call with her sister overseas. …

The bar was rockin and rollin, full of students weekending up in the Mont Tremblant resort for the winter break — really the kind of party that resulted in at least a few broken hearts and despairing souls. If you look closely enough, you could see one of those despairing souls standing outside in the darkness, watching the lights and the gyrating bodies, listening to the rowdy music, smelling good food and feeling the atmosphere of great cheer. But there was no cheer to be had by this one.

Ron Blakely’s hands were jammed into the pockets of his new…

A cold, fresh brightness shone over the great wilds of the vast territories of northern Quebec. Four men trekked slowly through the snow. Salzberg, a young, dark-haired man, perhaps in his twenties reached over and ruffled the hair of another young man.

“So here we are, Brooks. The great white north, just like you always wanted.”

Brooks flashed his friend a smile. “Yeah, buddy. Couldn’t wait for this shit.”

He glanced around at the other two men. One, Georges Laforet was their hired guide. A French Canadian man who spent his life off the beaten track, they had found him…

“‘Are you like a crazy person?’ — Evey

‘I am most certain they will say so.’ — V”

- V for Vendetta

I write this letter as my last testament to my fellow man.

You have always treated me like a weirdo. This, for the unfortunate, unconscionable decision I made not to conform. You see, when I did conform you mocked me for my conformity. I was made to be humiliated through my weaknesses.

Now that I try to stand out in my own way, to be not just a little quiet and awkward but to go the whole nine…

The doctor stared over his round glasses, expression a mixture of sympathy and morbid curiosity.

“Do you think you can describe to me your experience?”

He stared down at his shaking hands. Hands that were young and tough but seemed to have wrinkled and shriveled over night.

“I can try.”

His voice still surprised him. This was not the easy, confident brawling voice which had been a part of him his whole life. This was the soft, trembling voice of an old or sick man.

The doctor gave him an encouraging smile.

“The trauma appears to have been very severe…

Richard walked into the church at the back of the gang as they all strolled, deliberately and menacingly, through the solemn aisles and past all the terrified bystanders. It was nominally a black church, but there were whites too among the attendees. Some older black women were staring intently at them, waving fans in their faces desperately, as if that could serve as a shield. Axle, one of the rowdier of their group, gave a snigger and abruptly stuck his bald, tattooed head out towards the old women, causing one to collapse in a faint. …

I had a dream for many years, really ever since I was a kid. That dream is to write and publish a novel.

I was never clear on exactly what kind of novel I wanted to publish, which genre, which audience, etc.

I was sucked into the world of Narnia as a kid, Harry Potter as an adolescent, then Lord of the Rings and finally A Song of Ice and Fire.

Then I started reading the classics from the 19th and 20th centuries and I kind of, sort of felt that I had outgrown the fantasy series of my youth.

…

As a progressive, I feel like I know what the squad is thinking and feeling upon reading Trump’s bigoted, racist tweets.

Unfortunately they cannot speak their mind, given the state of America’s political system and who clearly controls it. Since I am not an elected official and I can say what I want, I will give voice to what I know they are truly thinking.

You call the squad America haters? They love America, that’s why they want to make it better. Right now, America is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, more corrupt than the countries…