Editor’s Note: We met up with Tom Corson-Knowles, founder of TCK Publishing, at the Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, Oregon, and got to talking about new fiction he’s been publishing. Tom recommended we share Heidi Eljarbo’s novel with our readers. After reading, we agreed. It’s a fascinating, well written look into the 17th century’s profound fear of women who were deemed witches. While American readers may only be familiar with the witch-hunting Salem, Massachusetts, is known for, this tale is set in Norway – demonstrating that Salem was hardly an isolated event. If you enjoy this prologue, you’ll want to head over to Amazon to get your own copy by clicking here. Catching a Witch Prologue Toomber’s Cottage, Rossby, Norway Summer 1658 I was not there the day the gravedigger injured his foot, but the…

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Princess  Olivia by Joy Son Once upon a time there lived a lonely princess. She had a strong, wealthy king as a father but he paid little attention to his daughter and didn’t care if people starved in the village. In fact, he mostly only cared about money. Although Olivia’s father didn’t pay much attention to Olivia, he still loved her and cared for her. The one thing he was doing wrong was keeping Olivia away from the village that was once a happy place, full of laughter and singing. Olivia longed to go to the village and make sure the villagers were warm before the cold fell and winter moved in. Whenever Olivia tried to ask her dad a question, he would interrupt her right in the middle of a word. One Tuesday afternoon,…

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As promised last month, here are three more wonderful poems by our frequent contributor, John Grey. ALL IN ONE DAY We drove the ocean road, smothered in fog, could barely see the blue expanse, all our vision was in the hearing as it pounded the shore below.   But then that fog lifted. The day was all of a sudden warm and dazzling.   We stopped at a meadow, picked wildflowers, spotted a fawn with its mother, hiked a trail to a waterfall and rested in a cool oak grove.   We ate outdoors at a roadside restaurant. We saw a lone surfer testing his skill on medium-sized waves at some unnamed beach.   Clouds moved in and it began to rain. The wind picked up. My wipers beat like my heart had earlier.  …

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Battle for the Finish Line My friends step up to the starting line I look around We all look like hungry animals, Animals that were ready to get the last piece of meat I close my eyes and take a deep breath My heart is jumping in and out of my chest I open my eyes, the flag goes down My eyes are glued to the finish line I can imagine myself there, Holding the trophy with pride But then someone comes up The butterflies in my stomach wake up I take a deep breath I inhale and crank my arms up The sun’s heat is crushing me like a giant stepping on an ant Drip-drop I can’t feel my legs “I’m almost there!” I feel like I’m going to die 50 yards…40 yards…30 yards…20…

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Editor’s Note: Kathryn Holzman and her husband Lew Holzman have both published here at the Fictional Café in the past, but not together – until now. Kathryn wrote this story, entitled “Amnesia,” and Lew created original digital illustrations to accompany his wife’s words. We all hope you enjoy this psychological thriller!      Amnesia       The C5 transport plane crossed the spring sky descending towards the nearby Air Force base. Low and slow, the plane had a cargo compartment big enough to supply a battalion and capable of carrying six Apache helicopters. We were taking a weekend hike with friends and had almost arrived at the summit of the low, verdant hill they called Mount Blacklock. The block of ice fell dreamily from the plane. There clearly was no intent. We didn’t see…

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