In her bedroom, the young woman walks back and forth, consistently, intently, while eyeing a large ceramic container of pennies nearby. Its purple outer shell is slightly cracked, revealing some unknown material underneath. It is in the center of the room and…

Jay Booth moved through the Pacific Ocean carefully as he covertly crept closer to his prey. His bare feet felt the sand as his hands held two knives. He was a tall, lean, muscular man with short black hair and dark inimical eyes set in a cruel face. His gun…

Bakhtawar Bibi lives in the village of Paharpur in District Dera Ismail Khan, a place where old traditions still shape daily life. The village is surrounded by fields, and people know each other very well. The society has long been male dominated, and even…

The first time I met Dana at the bar I had no idea I would end up killing her and framing my buddy for it. Life is funny. The night we met, my buddy, Rod, was flirting with Dana because she was a pretty brunette with big blue eyes and a fine figure. Dana’s…

Aslam was taken to the city hospital after he fell off from the road down into the riverbed almost thirty feet below. All of his family members rushed to the river, but before they could reach, a pure gentle soul stopped his jeep, jumped into the water, and…

Grimly I faced the immense, sphere-shaped, steel sealed doorway of the multi-dimensional cyberspace portal, wondering what joker put the sign on it: "Abandon all hope to all ye who enter here." "I hate Mondays," I grunted, shrugging my shoulders to make the…

Quinshale the sorcerer smiled at the Zergon tree that loomed over the forest clearing. Its trunk was broader than a dozen barrels, and its limbs reached high into the azure sky. Its foliage was a kaleidoscope of iridescent colors. Its limbs eerily arched…

People from Dera Ismail Khan often grow up with more than one language around them. My own childhood was full of soft sounds of Saraiki spoken in homes and bazaars. Our people wear shalwar kameez with pride, enjoy hot chai at any hour and are known for their…

Captain Adolo was a tall, terrifying, warrior woman. Her athletic figure was all solid, lean muscle, crisscrossed by battle scars. Her eyes were a pale blue set in an attractive face marred by scars, including a wicked one through her left eyebrow and cheek.…

When the letter arrived, postmarked from my old town, I almost didn’t open it. Fifteen years had passed since I last set foot in Ridgegrove, and that distance had softened memories I spent years trying to bury. But the moment I saw the school’s crest stamped…

The river was the pulse of Gujrat, and for Sohni, its ceaseless murmur was the only constant companion to the fire that raged in her father's kiln. She was the daughter of a master potter, a creature born of river silt and ancient clay, her hands delicate yet…

On the first day of Christmas, my aussie love gave to me a koala in a gum tree On the second day of Christmas, my aussie love gave to me Two swimming platypuses, and a koala in a gum tree On the third day of Christmas, my aussie love gave to me Three jumping…