The evening air was cold and thin, with stars stretching from horizon to horizon. Charles sat alone in the middle of a field, the silence so sharp he could hear the beating of his heart and little else. On his lap was a cheap walkie talkie. It reminded him of…

This creativity game is a tall order. Keep your heart open so you can carve pathways guiding people to a kinder, wilder world. At the same time, toughen up. Tune yourself well, so you can find the value in criticism without allowing it to paralyze you, or turn you from…

Maybe I need an intervention. — Victorians had the whole ghost thing nailed down, with their dramatic clothes and general weirdness about death. (I hold only the highest respect for weirdness, so that is not meant to seem judgy.) Those folks were weiiiirrrrrdddddd about it. …

A guide to connecting with the present — The urge to rage is strong. The need to moan is powerful. Who hasn’t had the compulsion to chase an Indiana Jones-type hack through dark caverns and over booby-trapped bridges? It can seem all consuming. But, you have a choice. You don’t have to give into those ancient grudges, the…

A job interview takes an unprecedented turn. — Through the wall, she could feel the vibration of the machines, as they gobbled up yard after yard of crisp, white fabric. Probably, after working here for a week or so, Josephine would no longer notice. But now, on her first visit to the factory, the sound was impossible to…

Totally. Helpful. — Burnout is an especially hot topic these days, as workers left and right are fizzling out, crinkling down, and dissolving into microscopic piles of puddle goo. There are a few reasons for this trend, including: The pandemic Heavy workloads Rising inflation A boss who spends $6700 dollars on a custom…

Involving a long-lost brooch, a sword and a sheep named George. — The mage rides past on one of those electric-powered unicycles that makes even the coolest characters seem like they just stepped off the last train from losersville. She makes a u-turn then stops, her unicycle and 5 inch platform boots bringing her eye-to-eye with me. “Heard you’re going questing,” she…

A holiday short story — Herman the Elf took a deep breath before knocking on the ornate wooden door that led to Santa’s office. The old man wasn’t going to like this one bit. “What?” Santa roared from inside. “This better be important. You’re interrupting my hot chocolate time.” Herman the Elf tried to keep…