Scarlet

Wanting

I want to feel the rain on my face,
To smile at men,
To accept all the coffees men might buy for me.

I want to kiss my mother,
Tell her I love her, weep in her lap,
Unashamed of showing my feelings,
Because they were always there
Even though I hid them.

     ~  taken from Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho.

Eternity

The heart never suffers
When it goes in search of it's dream,
Because every moment of the search
Is a step towards encountering God and Eternity.

     ~  taken from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

The End

DETAILED BELOW is a full list of completed stories.  Others are in progress.  Check back for updates. 

Birthright

Short story—contemporary fantasy.  A journalist undertakes an article about a discovery of artefacts from Ancient Egypt... and uncovers her own history in the process.  Story length approximately 5,000 words. 

Portrait

Short story—fantasy set in an alternate world.  A young priestess falls in with a talented artist and agrees to have her portrait made... with unexpected consequences.  Runs to 2,000 words. 

The Photo

Contemporary short story about the darker and mysterious aspects of human nature discovered in relationships.  Approximately 3,000 words.  Also available as podcast/ Audiobook.

Actaeon

You crouch by the water's edge
Hidden by granite and leaf
Watching her
In the intimacy of silence
The weight of your gaze
Is heavy, betraying
Your every glance
Like bruises on her skin
Beware of Selene
And the bonds
Of your obsession
Beware that your lies
Become not truth
The wolves are coming: 
You are unwrought
By your own hand. 

(2009)

Indigo

We walked the road and
The line between worlds
Soaked in moonlight
Striking conversation and
Holding onto silence.

Above, a blood red moon
Chimes the hour of the wolf
And the scent of roses linger
Evoking memories of gardens
Never entered and paths never took.

The road twists and frays;
Scarlet rays spill upon clouds
Like crimson sheets of silk
Time fragments and shimmers; 
I wonder, can you read my mind?

We listen to the ocean, taste salt
I long for the comfort of you;
The sky reflects like an agèd mirror
Our dreams and passions and
All the hope I ever knew.

But in the gate beyond the stars
We slide so close
I breathe you—
Every whisper of your soul
Intimately glimpsed.

There we dance
Interconnected souls
Twined in the smoky aether;
I forget where I begin
And where you end.

My immortal
Every facet is embedded;
Every beat of life
Draws us ever nearer, even
As the road tears us apart.

Under an indigo sky
You feel my every wound
Deeper than your own
But if I turned my face to yours
Would you recognise me?

Indigo and crimson.

Follow the stars and
Find me at the gateway where
I dreamed this very dream:
Meet me at the place where
I've held you, loved you.

Meet me there again.

(2009)