Prologue to Harem Twins

Egypt’s sun god Ra was rising in the eastern sky to cast his vibrant rays on the white walls of Pharaoh Amenhotep III’s grand new house. A newborn, about to arrive at sunrise in Pharaoh’s Harem, would foretell of exceptional heavenly influences. The mother, Princess Attah of Mitanni, was twelve summers old. Her diminutive frame

Holiday Ravens

by Dolores Davis Once there was a raven couple that followed Woman on her morning walks, because she fed them from a bag of treats. He was stout, with a hooked beak and a bold presence. She was smaller, cautious and demure. Woman named them

Saving Pennies

“A penny saved is a penny earned.” That’s what Grandma said every time she slipped me some coins. I had no idea what she was talking about. For me having pennies in my pocket meant a trip to the candy store to buy wax lips or Tootsie Rolls. But now that Grandma’s gone, her sayings

WHO?

Pollyanna Prewitt followed her father up the cracked sidewalk to the dilapidated house on the edge of the graveyard. She stopped to tie her shoe. “Come on, Polly, “Lester said. He set the shovel down, fished the house key out of his back pocket and waited for her. “It’s almost dark and the fog’s moving

The Third Floor – a true ghost story

Ghosts don’t exist. They belong in the realm of fairies, goblins, hobbits, and other fictional characters. At least, that is what I believed until my trip to Italy. I flew to Milan with the intention of staying at Pension Carrobbio, a three-story hotel near the Piazza del Duomo. My friend who suggested the place said

Crossing the Cemetery on Halloween Night

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain had paused but the fickle moon often hid behind the thunderheads, plunging Morganville into Stygian darkness. As I neared the cemetery, my 1975 Hornet coughed, sputtered, and rolled to a stop. I did the usual things, but it wouldn’t restart. Another car approached, and I tried

The Fairies of Garden City

In Science, one thing sort of leads to another. So it was with the Parallel Euclidian Eye-space Polarization Experimental Research Station. The theory is generally accepted, now, but in 2035 it was not generally believed that light could be polarized along an axis parallel to the motion of photons. Scientists were divided into two camps:

The Muse

In June of 1984, I flew to Milan to attend a summer course at the Academy of Fine Arts. My college professor had suggested the Academy after spending a semester voicing his frustration over my lifeless portraits. “Tessa,“ he had pleaded. “Stop painting with your eyes and learn to paint with emotion.” At nineteen, I

Princess Attah

Princess Attah who gives birth to the children in my novel, Harem Twins, reveals her journey to Egypt. Mitanni Kingdom 1500 BC (Within the Babylonian Empire) One day, Father summoned me to his throne and asked that I sit upon his lap. As he fingered one of my earrings, he spoke. “I am told that