The pitter-patter of rain was what drew her out from under the leaves that she'd been hiding among since late that afternoon, when the ships came down low over the houses. Okay, be honest--not the pitter-patter of rain, the downright deluge of a thunderstorm pouring over her, drenching her to the skin and threatening the few valuable belongings she ( Read more... )

When the bay turned crystal-clear and inviting, and the sun shone bright, and the colors of all the buildings along the shore-front seemed to dance with color and brilliance, that was the time when all the old fishermen would suck their teeth and refuse to go out to fish. It was also the time when the tourists exited their hotels in droves and ( Read more... )

Nobody likes trees anymore. We still remember that they're necessary to clean the air and provide wood and food and shelter and all that, but nobody likes living near the trees and nobody likes going in the trees. Same thing goes for cities with skyscrapers or other tall buildings that block out the lights and leave only shadows. I think we've ( Read more... )

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When you surf the waves at Remotown, you carry a speargun, and you're part daredevil, part hero. The hero part comes with the chance that you'll be attacked by a voidfish and kill it. The damn things have destroyed all our attempts to set up a protected nursery for smaller, gentler fish. They'll even flop across the land for up to a quarter-mile, ( Read more... )

Leave silver for the fortune teller, and it will bring you good fortune. Over the decades my auntie lived in Maplehill, the coins pressed into the mud-brick walls of her house and her yard became so thick and dense that anyone wanting to retrieve them would have to raze the house to the ground. Of course, nobody would want to do that. Bad fortune ( Read more... )

Imagine the expression of a goldfish taking flight upon the instant that his safe water balloon is punctured, and you will understand what happened to modern architecture when the K'rath descended from the heavens in their ships of towers and turrets, inlaid with semi-precious gemstones in arching, recurring patterns that resembled nothing so much ( Read more... )

If you feel the sun begin to burn, your time has come. Don't try to run. The sun god stretches everywhere, in time, and he will reach you if he has to scorch and entire village to get them to drag you out, or if he has to bake you alive in the hut you fled into. After you are dead, they will put your body on a platform in the desert to allow it to ( Read more... )

They clipped my wings today. Allen protested that he didn't believe in outmoded traditions, and that it was unnecessary damage, and how could I do that to myself? I'm a traditionalist, though, and I thought it was important for him to know that I loved and trusted him enough to believe he would take care of me. Also, they grow back in 7 years time ( Read more... )

Stanley slapped the last tire into place and began heaving mud over the sides to coat it. Muri was going to love it when she saw it, he was sure. He'd taken old bottles, the nice blue ones and green ones, and put them in the walls to let light shine in, pretty colored light just like in fancy churches, and he'd built a nice big hearth for her to ( Read more... )