Iron creaked. Rust flaked from hinges stiff from age and wrapping ivy. Small hands pushed into the pitted bars, shoved. There was a huff, an exasperated kick. "Heike," grumbled Karl, turning from the stuck gate. Green light dappled him, shone through thick oaks. "Help. It's all stuck." Some ways back, Heike looked up. A red […]
A bright, midsummer moon lit the clearing. Shadowed fir arms, saggy with cones, swayed over dewy grass. Soft, twisted mushrooms poked above the blades. A lone weed with heavy, chard-like stems grew, alone, in the clearing's center. A rustling sounded. Beneath the low firs, two heads poked into the clearing, dragged by dirty, flannel elbows. […]