The smell of the food was tantalizing her. Like the best restaurant she and her parents had ever been to for a work event. As with everything else, Peri hired flaired chefs and every meal was a feast. Even the buttered roll she whetted her appetite with had a dimension …

They were saved by the arrival of another girl. “Do you mind if I sit here?” she asked. Without waiting, she pulled out a chair. “This place is packed. I hope it's not like this every day.” “Our schedule is crowded. I'm sure that's why. I don …

Exiting her drawing placement exams, she hoped to pass at least into the second level course and not have to be taught again how to hold a pencil, but she wasn't hopeful, Miryana saw a student sitting on a bench in the front of the building, rather than joining …

Anne stood at the altar. She wore her great-grandmother's dress, much mended. She had heard that once there was a train that went the length of the aisle. Instead, a piece of rough cloth abraded her back, for there had been no fabric to match it when the seam …

When Anne woke, Edmund was gone. The sun shone crisply through the windows. A soft breeze heralded the fresh summer day ahead. She needed to get to school. Breakfast had been left for her, grains and berries. She smiled as she ate it, rereading the diary of Opal Webb to …

The door closed behind Anne. Her mind buzzed with plans for lessons tomorrow to share with her children. Rather, her students. She pulled one shoe off with the toe of the other. Wide arms enveloped her. A stubbly cheek pressed against her own, abrading it. “I missed you.” It was …

Some time later, Anne had calmed. She was in her hidey-hole. Her mother would find her anywhere she went in her parent's home, so she'd made a place for herself in a home in a long-abandoned corner of Champoeg. Over the years, she'd outfitted it with blankets …

The door creaked open. The light of the portal in the center of their home was dim, as the morning sunlight lit the room. The light caught on rough furniture, but the lightly worked edges were too raw to return the glow. Edmund was gone. She'd wanted to talk …

The end of what I've written. Who knows what will happen from here? Watch this page for more.

They sat for dinner together. The table and chairs bore the simple lines and rough edges of portal forging. It was hard to sit on. She hadn't made any cushions yet. They ate in silence but for the sound of fork on plate and the noise of human chewing …