The morning air was crisp as the salmon river rushed by, a constant companion to the surrounding wilderness. The sun peeked over the horizon, sending shafts of light dancing through the trees as it climbed the sky. The river's banks were lined with a dense carpet of greenery that grew thick and untamed. Steven took a deep breath, letting the coldness of it fill his lungs and wake him up. He'd been here before dawn, his fa...

The next day, we decided to visit Hugh Town to buy essentials and to collect my possessions from the flat I had rented. With my suitcase packed and groceries purchased we returned to the motorboat in the harbour for the return journey to what had become our home on Samson. I smiled at John as I broke the silence. "It's funny John, you brush up quite nicely when you are not naked." John chuckled and blushed slightly, his h...

The sea breeze tugged gently at my hair as I stepped off the small wooden dock onto the pristine sand of Samson. It had been a month since I arrived on the Isle of Scilly, and the allure of the archipelago had not waned a bit. The solitude, the clear skies, the ever-present whispers of the ocean, it was all for which I had hoped. I had bought a motorboat to explore the islands at my own pace and today was no different. Th...

As Luke sped out of town and toward the Hall place, he feared he'd made a mistake by allowing Vanessa to come with him. The situation with Celeste had reached a crisis point, now rapidly spiraling out of control. He was willing to accept the potential risk to himself, but he had no idea how much danger Vanessa might face simply because she was at his side. Yet when he'd told her she should stay at the clinic, she wouldn't...

Luke and Vanessa hurried back to the clinic, their feet swift on the sidewalk. There was still plenty of daylight left, but the mountains had begun to darken as the sun prepared to sink behind them. Luke's hair was damp from his quick shower, and Vanessa carried her large bag, which now contained a Thermos filled with soup. "Celeste might be hungry," the nurse said, "and chicken soup will be easy on her stomach. Since you...

When Liam saw the woman step from the woods, he thought he was hallucinating. Leaning forward in his chair on the porch, he stared in astonishment at the approaching figure. His shock lasted only a few seconds before he was on his feet, shouting, "Stay where you are!" The woman froze at the sound of his voice. He waited for her to respond, but she stayed silent. "Are you sick?" he demanded. "There ain't any help for you h...

There was nothing unusual about the village. The shop made sure to get everyone’s papers in for the morning, people would stop and chat at the garden gate and maybe buy a half dozen eggs, dropping a couple of pounds in the honesty box. If you went down to the pub everyone knew everyone and everyone was there and that was how it should be. There was a roaring fire in the winter, roasts on Sunday, pub quiz on Monday night,...

In the dance hall, the lights are dim amber as you are walking back to your seat after a few fast dances. This scene is so familiar to me now, yet it never gets old. I've got it bad for you, yet you don't have a clue. As I sit at the rail, I order up a Courvoisier cognac to give me strength, and watch your every move intensely. Your eyes are so deep and sparkling with the joy of the dance. How I wish they sparkled for me!...

The heavy lock turned with a loud clunk as Jessy closed the front doors to the pool hall.“Finally! Just a few more closing items and we’re out of here,” she said to her closing partner, Bronwen.“And what a night it was,” Bronwen replied, sifting through the change from the tip jar, counting and changing in the coins for larger bills. “Looks like we pulled in $382 in tips between the two of us.”“Cool. I could really use th...