Robin J. Harrison

       The four kids huddled around the small flame of the candle, hoping their bodies would be enough to shield the tiny flame from the massive winds.      "So." One of them, a small boy with mousey brown hair and eyes to match, started. "We know that all of us see the monster differently."     "Yes." The kid next to him, a smaller girl with wide, blue eyes and blonde pigtails agreed. "I've never seen a snake so big!"     "Right." A second boy with curly, ginger hair and blue eyes responded. "And I saw a big, big dog."     "The first boy spoke again to bring up, "I saw my doctor with a needle bigger than his arm."     The ginger boy looked at the last child, a girl with short, brown hair and green eyes. "What did you see, Adeline," he asked her.     She looked up from where she had been playing with a bug, trying to get it to crawl onto a stick she'd found nearby. "Oh, I-I haven't see...

Storm woke to the sun shining through the leaves of the Fledgling den. Birds chirped occasionally, though not nearly as much as they did most mornings. He raised his head and looked around the mostly empty den The only other Fledglings in the den with him were Bone Ripple, and Tremble, the other Fledglings who had gone to the Meeting last night. Squirrel pushed his way into the den and his face lit up when he saw Storm awake. Squirrel tiptoed around the still-sleeping lynxes in their cuddle pile and came to lick Storm’s ear. “Good morning,” He purred quietly as he groomed Storm’s ears. “How was the meeting last night?” Storm sleepily told Squirrel all about the meeting, even mentioning when he made new friends from the different tribes. “Your new friends sound fun! BleedingJay sounds like he needs to calm down, though.” Storm nodded. He was feeling more alert as his brain woke up. The day birds were chirping softly, way softer than the morning birds. “What time is it?” Storm asked, sta...

 The abandoned child I'd taken in earlier that day slept peacefully in my lap. The voice of the god who gave me immortality wiggles its way into my head.  "This will hurt." I take a deep breath. "I know." I know just how much it'll hurt to watch this kid grow up, fall in love, get his heart broken, make friends and lose them, become an adult, and old man, and eventually die. It's going to hurt to watch all of his achievements and failures. All of his best and worst days.  The early days are going to hurt a lot too, as I help him overcome his traumas, as I teach him there is love in the world and I hold some of that love and am willing to share it with him. Holding him after nightmares, sitting with him as he breaks down over triggers I don't fully understand, showing him all for patience and softness I can as he struggles to understand I'm not going to hurt him. "Why do you keep doing this? It always hurts you." "I want to help......

  The screeching of tires filled the air, shattering the calm that had previously enveloped the house. An ear-piercing scream was next, rattling the windows. Sticky wetness splattered against her skin and clothes.  This was probably the first time in her life she would ever be grateful she couldn’t see. It was the first time she wished she was deaf too, so she wouldn’t have to hear his nauseating scream-crying. A gasp escaped her lips as she woke. “Fuck…” she ran her fingers through her hair, sitting up, the silk blankets falling around her waist. Breathing out, she lowered her hand back to the bed. She swung her legs over the edge, slipping her feet into her slippers. She entered the kitchen and maneuvered to the coffee pot, but when she went to grab the pot, her hand only grabbed air. “Greg, you mother fucker!”  “Whu- Yeah?” Greg’s confused voice sounded from the couch. “Where is the coffee pot?” “Oh shit.” The rustling of jeans being put on while a grown man wa...

  The following is a sneak peek into a WIP I've been working on. Please enjoy! The cold rain beat down in sheets. I lifted my head to the sky as my lip wobbled. I was glad no one could see the tears through the rain, but now I couldn’t see the way home through the tears. Thankfully, my phone knew the way. I was walking through the streets of rural Spain, head hung as tears streamed down my face, the GPS speaking the directions so I could lose myself in my misery. My breath shook as I tried my hardest to make it look as if I was alright, just looking at the ground when I walked like it was normal behavior for me. The only problem was that everyone in this town already knew me too well to fall for that.  Señorita Cabanilla had told me I’m too proud for my own good. Luck was on my side, however, as the only people outside in this dreary weather were shopkeepers, and farmers, all of whom were far too busy to stop and look at me, much less make small talk, ask if I was alri...

 Daisy Bell, the youngest calf of Marigold, wasn't scared of adventure. She loved doing new things, going to new places, and talking to new animals around the farm. All of which was really easy since she was only a week old. Today, something new was happening! The sky was leaking. It was cold and left water everywhere. "That's rain, Daisy Bell," Marigold told her when she asked. "Rain?" She flicked her ear as the water gathered there, making It feel heavy and tickling the inside a bit. "Yep! Water is falling from the clouds!" Daisy Bell couldn't contain her excitement and she ran off to play in the rain, jumping in puddles, running into walls to get more water to fall, and slipping in the mud, squealing with delight the entire time. She followed a family of ducks to the pond, careful not to go in herself. She ran through the large grass, getting all the water on her coat. She rolled around in the mud, having fun and getting dirty, and then she ...