Bringing you stories, book and game reviews, writing tips, and updates from author S.G. Baker.
Dug several levels into the earth, a double set of stairs twisted around and around each other in graceful spirals - spirals that put me in mind of the arms of a galaxy. Black wrought-iron railing echoed the emptiness of space. This and the marble flooring below suggested opulence and grandeur deep underground. Warm, inviting … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – An Inviting Stairwell
Perched upon a porous boulder at the toes of a fiery mountain, I regarded a distant but nearing lava flow. No flames breathed from the peak above, but smoke billowed moodily into the evening sky. The ground vibrated with constant rumbling and heat soaked my hair with sweat. This was no place for people, yet … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Hungering Mountain
Upon a stone fence along a country road, a cat rested in the warm sunshine. It was doing that thing cats do where they stare into space at something invisible, perhaps at a lingering spirit, perhaps at a mere dust mote. This cat's eyes moved back and forth, like the perpetual swinging of a clock's … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Cat Curiosity
At the top of the world, I approached a cloud that had come to rest on the tallest mountain peak. Though a rocky path indicated this as a thoroughfare, the cloud had remained for days and days, obscuring passage and worrying the locals, who asked me to climb up and negotiate. "The people need to … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Concerned Cloud
Beneath the tiny bristles of a street artist's paintbrush, an alien landscape spread across what had once been a blank wall. I caught glimpses of her progress in flashes, around the bodies of people moving up and down the sidewalks between us. Some of these, like me, stopped to watch, mouths open and faces tipped … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Living Art
There was a light shining from beneath the sand. I spied it while walking along the seashore late on a moonless night, chilly surf chuckling around my bare toes. Just a steady glow ringing a patch of emptiness. I guess I already knew what it was when I started digging there, because this had happened … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – A Waymarker
Pure white light blazed in my eyes. A moment before, it had been the kind of vast, empty night that only farmland can offer. Corn rows marching away into the distance. Stars blazing overhead, etched sharply against the shapes of distant trees and a cluster of silos on the horizon. No artificial light for miles … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Catching Strays
I drew in several deep breaths and blew them out, preparing to hold as long as I could. By my count, the constant practice while traversing this twilit forest had me up to a solid two minutes, though I still struggled. I had a feeling two minutes wouldn't be long enough for what I wanted … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Butterfly Breaths
"It contains your greatest fear." The kingfisher perched in the branches above me preened its green and gold feathers with a long beak and a self-righteous air. "I can see into it. Want to guess what's inside?"
Undulating waves of cotton candy pink and sapphire blue filled up my vision, shifting, swirling. Like gazing into a sunrise and finding it could dance. Over and over, the display stole my breath, made my heart sing. Dizzying me with euphoria. I desired nothing more than to keep watching; I wanted desperately to look away. … Continue reading The Hopeful Wanderer – Accessory to Conceit
