The clouds moved across the sky low enough to the earth that a city slicker  would think it might rain. But a farmer would know better. too high up for rain.

Terry had come from a family of farmers . They never pushed him one way or the other. Terry was...

The contents of the chef pan was thickening into a buttery, cheesy  risotto at half past two.

Godot felt restless when Doug had said they needed to call off their daily call.

"Doug! Can you at least tell me what it's for?"

"Yes. Charlie. That guy who offed himself."

"But what about--" Godot realized...

Keith needed a coffee . The Ethiopian place looked closed from the look of it. He thought about suggesting they try opening the door to see if maybe they were still in service. Immediately after the thought he decided against it.

The two continued their walk. The wind was no longer...

He drove around the city more. About 60 percent of it was out of power from what he could tell. It excited him in a way. A mini  apoclypse . He kept checking his phone to see if Max had tried contacting him. Nothing yet. Nobody. He hadn't gotten a...

Once alone again the thrill waned. Regret came. Why had she told the gals? She knew why, but she questioned her ethics. She was weak. Willing to throw someone else under the bus for a cheap dose of stimulation. This is what the other gals looked from her. Juicy tales...

There was no note. A  mom wouldn't lie about that. She had no reason to. Doug thought this on a loop for five minutes until he finally moved on to: but what if she's lying?

In what circumstance would Charlie's mom conceal the fact that there was a note. When the...

"Man what the fuck were you doing out there. Don't you know there's a storm?"

Keith thought, that's exactly why I'm out. Preparing of course. But could sense Max viewed the storm differently.

"I got unlucky. Was out taking care of errands. Storm happened while I was at the store."

Keith was thinking...

In a perfect world Doug would've gotten bored. Reflected on things. Maybe while looking out the window and enjoying that first cup of coffee watching the birds. Suddenly he would've remembered how his old coworker always talked about them damn birds. This would've made him miss the poor schmuck. He...

When he noticed the power was out, the first thing he did was locate the flashlight and the lantern . Both battery powered. Then he checked how much battery his phone had. 83 percent. Not bad. He turned it on low power mode. Reduced the brightness. Made sure the internet...

He took one puff of the magic. Then another. Max immediately craved a third. Could something be called magical if its powers waned this quick?

His lips wrapped over the  vape . Then all he could see was the purple glow. The room had gone black. Suddenly it was very quiet....