It was one of those mercilessly cold nights; the kind where the air is so still, everything is clear and crisp. In the cloudless sky, the moon glowed bright and fuzzy, surrounded by a dark blanket, peppered with visible stars. On either side of the highway, as far as the eye could see were pastures … Continue reading A Heavenly Hitchhiker
Grace loved this time of year. Maybe it was her imagination, but it just seemed to her that at Christmas time, the atmosphere was a little warmer, people were a little friendlier and everything was a little brighter. She had come in for the milk she’d promised her mother she’d pick up on her way … Continue reading A Christmas Prayer
Celeste sat quietly in the pew about halfway to the back of the church sanctuary, basking in the soft glow of candlelight and the peaceful aura that surrounded her. The Christmas Eve service was one of her favorites of the year; the story of the baby’s birth in Bethlehem and what it had been like … Continue reading The Innkeeper’s Witness
Sounds of festive holiday carols filled the room, magnified by the absence of its usual occupants. Frosted glass showed the beginning of flurries dropping from the opaque clouds like a blanket overhead outside. It made a perfect backdrop to the tree standing full and fragrant on the classroom shelves beneath. Humming along with the cheery … Continue reading Candy and Canes
A screaming siren pierced the darkness stirring his mind from the black state it had fallen into. Struggling groggily to regain consciousness and equilibrium, he felt a constrictive something covering his nose and mouth. Even before he could force his eyes to open, his attempt to bring a hand up to bat it off … Continue reading The Dossier
Targeted. Trafficked. Triumphant. From the ashes to… action The backpack she carried felt like the weight of the world as she lumbered up the stairs. Wooden steps, thinly covered with carpet old and worn to the point that its once visible pattern was now indistinguishable, creaked. Normally a quaint, comforting sound today went unnoticed. Sighing … Continue reading SmashPunk!
I would have recognized it anywhere. The envelope was decorative, appropriate to the season and might have been from anyone, but the handwriting as familiar to me as my own. The red almost looked like a traffic signal flashing and had been taunting me from the breakfast bar between my kitchen and living space for … Continue reading An Unhindered Heart
God doesn’t call the qualified, God qualifies the called Most of the mourners had left the grave side. The heat of a southern sun made it uncomfortable to linger outside for long. They would gather for sweet tea and refreshments at the widow’s house, another southern tradition. With his head down, his eyes fixed on … Continue reading Prodigal Preacher
Serial Sniper There’s no right way to do the wrong thing. *****WARNING****** POSSIBLE TRIGGER ALERT All his life had been in preparation for this moment. From the first time he picked up a BB gun, at the time nearly as big as he was, he’d had an inclination and proclivity for firearms and how to … Continue reading
Temptation turns to triumph It would be the first Thanksgiving she’d ever spent alone. As much as she prayed and hoped, it seemed her son, deployed overseas, would not be able to be here. Her daughter had a family of her own now and lived halfway across the country. For several days, Marian had felt … Continue reading A Thanks-giving Blessing
Lisa Greco Filali 