Pointing to the stone hearth Max said, “Just put the wood down there,” and proceeded to teach Tommy the fine art of lighting the fireplace. Making sure the chimney flue was opened he put down the crumpled newspapers and smaller kindling first, and as soon as they lit,...
They were all sitting around the kitchen table getting warm, sipping hot chocolate. Francine smiled and was grateful to be out of the snow. Max’s question echoed in her mind, what are you running from? She was embarrassed asking for help but her first priority was the...
A frazzled twenty-four-year-old Francine Hope drove through the snow coated streets with her six-year-old son Tommy. The plan was to get far enough away from Los Angeles and the horrific memories it held for her. It was important to just drive north on the I-5,...
Eighty-five-year-old novelist Max McKay pulled back the red taffeta drapes and looked out through the windows of their 400 square foot apartment. The landscape with its frosted fir trees and bright snow banks was magical, just like a Christmas card. Kathy approached...
It was an old and run-down 3-story house, obviously left unloved for many years. Known in the neighborhood as “the Haunted Mansion”, especially coming to life in late October. On Halloween night the braver kids would venture up its long and winding driveway, coated...
