The waves sparkled in the sunlight, mocking Jordan’s feeble attempts at swimming. An albatross circled overhead, remote and untouchable in the vast blue desert that was the sky. The rain had fallen in sheets, destroying visibility and making it impossible…
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Going to the Movies
Tujunga Canyon, southern California, 1937 I’d just shut Tony’s car door when a back-burner question suddenly demanded front-and-center attention. The last time Greta and I had been to a movie, we’d hardly watched the thing, and that was when we…
Tagged with: 1930s, Cathleen Townsend, Going to the movies, Great Depression, historical fiction, Patrick
Posted in My Stories
Posted in My Stories
Seymour and the Dishes
The teenage apprentice threw his pencil down in disgust. “This is stupid! Copying a whole page out of the dictionary just because one word in my cantrip was misspelled. What does it matter? I’m just going to speak the thing—it’s…
Tagged with: Cathleen Townsend, fantasy, humor, Seymour and the Dishes, short story
Posted in My Stories
Posted in My Stories
Leviathan
“It’s no good, captain. They’ll be here any minute.” Juan Diego tied off the line and turned to see the captain’s shoulders slump. “I’m sorry, lads,” the captain said quietly. “I’d hoped to get us close enough to land that…
Tagged with: Cathleen Townsend, fantasy, flash fiction, Leviathan, pirate story, short story
Posted in My Stories
Posted in My Stories
Cave Rendezvous
California Gold Country, 1850 The cave waited–as it had for thousands of years. It had sheltered many in that time. Bears taking their winter sleep, humans with bows and spears, and now humans with guns. They were welcome to its…
Mei Li
I am Mei Li. I am only a girl. It is 1850, the year of the dog. I am fourteen, so I was born in the year of the monkey, an auspicious sign. My father says this means I bring…
Tagged with: California historical fiction, Cathleen Townsend, gold rush, Mei Li
Posted in My Stories
Posted in My Stories
For the Gold
Northern California, September 1857 I dropped my bags at the foot of the bed, but I couldn’t settle in and relax. We were on our way north to make our fortunes off the new gold strike by Redding, and we…
Posted in My Stories
Mr. Dunne and the Magic Nectar
This is an excerpt from my very first novel, Hans and Greta, which retells the story of Hansel and Gretel, set in the 1930s near Los Angeles. *** Hans, Patrick, and I were going to Patrick’s house in the second…
Tagged with: 1930s, fairy tales, Great Depression, Mr. Dunne and the Magic Nectar
Posted in My Stories
Posted in My Stories
Trip to Tahoe
Northern California, January, 1931 Spencer downshifted the old Ford truck as they took another tight corner. The mountain road to Tahoe was none too safe, especially not with all the snow and ice from the recent storm, but they should…
We Are Eagles
40% of young eagles do not survive their first flight–baldeagleinfo.com/ “We are eagles,” Shadow’s father said, his fierce eyes the color of the sun. “And the sky is our home,” Shadow’s mother replied. The two eagles traded approving looks and…
Tagged with: beast fable, Cathleen Townsend, fantasy, short story, We Are Eagles
Posted in My Stories
Posted in My Stories
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Cathleen Townsend 