Stories that wandered in from somewhere stranger. Soft magic. Quiet wonder. Characters who learn things the hard way and worlds that open slowly. These are the stories that feel like stepping into a dream you used to have and almost forgot.
Three days after the nameplate incident, Micah walked into the garage to grab something from his tool bag. He opened the side pocket. And froze. Sitting neatly on top of his wrenches was a brand-new, heavy-duty, stainless-steel carabiner clip. The expensive kind he actually trusted with real weight. The kind that made his little construction-goblin…
Daniel was in his home office grading papers when Micah appeared in the doorway with the posture of a man trying very hard not to smirk. Daniel looked up. “What?” Micah stepped in, hands behind his back like a six-year-old hiding contraband. “Got you something.” Daniel frowned. “Why?” “Because,” Micah said, “you deserve it.” That…
Bennett leaned against the hood of Driftwood, watching the low clouds churn over the horizon as Micah stood silently beside him. Ignoring him, as usual. The wind cut through the gaps in the concrete, sharp enough to make him tug his jacket tighter around himself. “Do you ever wish you smoked?” he asked. Micah blinked,…
Later that night, after Lucy was tucked in, after Nora retreated with her laminated rule packet, after Daniel finished muttering about plate trajectories under his breath, the house finally went still. Micah wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water. The dishwasher was running. It hummed with that low, steady rhythm it only made…
Dinner was done. Dishes were loaded, meticulously, reverently, southwest-facing-ly, under Nora’s watchful gaze. The household was finally calm. Which is why it startled everyone when Micah cleared his throat, stood at the head of the table, and said: “Okay. I need… five minutes.” Daniel looked up from wiping the counter. “For what?” Nora folded her…
Micah had been feeling… better. Not cured. Not fixed. Just steadier. Like his thoughts had stopped ricocheting long enough for him to breathe between them. Even Jack hadn’t been getting under his skin. Nora had eased off the quiet surveillance, notebook blissfully absent. And the sun was actually out in the Pacific Northwest, which felt…
Name: Tessa WardAge: Early 30sProfession: Engineer, NorthArc InfrastructureLocation: Pacific NorthwestVibe: Grounded, observant, quietly formidable Tessa Ward is not loud about who she is. She does not announce her strength. She simply shows up, pays attention, and does the work. She is an engineer by trade, but her real skill is calibration. She reads systems, people,…
That evening, after the Incident Report From School™ and the Emotional Debriefing™ and the Mutual Dignity Restoration Hour™, the Reyes household finally settled. Which is when Nora walked into the kitchen holding a spiral notebook, three different colored pens, and the severe expression of someone preparing to chair a disciplinary hearing. Daniel and Micah both…
Elise got home after everyone else. She dropped her bag by the door, kicked off her shoes, and took the deepest preparatory breath of her week. Because she knew what she had to do. Micah was on the couch, hunched over the coffee table, fixing a loose strap on Lucy’s dance bag as if it…