A sailing ship with three masts sits in a calm blue harbor, with a village on the hill behind it.

Rapscallion

Pirate Oliver stood at the helm of the Rapscallion, wind ruffling through his fine brown hair and fake beard. Standing on a barrel beside him, squat, pink, and wearing an eyepatch, was his talking pig Fortingras.

Red, gray, and black reflections swirl in a puddle marked with ringed wavelets from raindrops.

Rain on the Blacktop

Rain sheeted down, wetting the window panes. On the street outside, cars splashed through puddles. It was a melancholy day. A day for sitting fireside with tea and books and company. But she had no fireplace or chimney, no logs to burn. Her house was too dark and quiet to be cheery.

A silhouetted dragon emerges from the edge of the image, breathing fire against a clouded evening sky.

Dragon’s Liar

The young dragon Aeeilrv charged out of his parents’ cave, tripped over a mammoth skull, and plunged nose-first over the edge of the cliff. “Eeaagh!” he screeched. Fire burst from his nostrils, hit the upward moving air, and spewed straight back into his eyeballs. He twisted and tumbled, not remembering to open his wings until seconds before he slammed into the ground.