Unleashed Imaginations

  I recently told a friend the story of my trip to England and she practically shouted, “You have to write that down!” So… here goes. It all began on a cold, blustery winter’s day—cue the Dickensian fog—when I found myself walking the cobbled streets of Leeds, England, which looks like the inside of a storybook someone forgot to close. Ancient stone walls wrapped around the city like it was guarding treasure, and every shop looked like it could house a wooden puppet with commitment issues. I was enchanted. Also: giftless. Christmas was a few weeks away, and I was on a mission. I needed something special for my in-laws, something with heart, history, and hopefully, less drama than last year’s personalized cheese board fiasco. Then—I saw it. The Angel. Hand-carved, about eighteen inches tall, made of sturdy wood with elegant embellishments along its gown. It practically glowed under the shop lights. My husband, predictably waiting outside, looked up from his coffee as I ca...

  The forest whispered secrets to Elroy Reed that night, dark promises woven into each gust of wind, slipping between twisted oaks and slender pines against a backdrop of granite boulders. His knuckles were white against the worn wooden stock of his rifle, eyes narrowed as he struggled to see through sheets of rain illuminated briefly by jagged streaks of lightning. Each flash brought pain—burning memories of places he'd never been, people he'd never known. It had been that way since the first time he’d been hit by lightning at age 12. The static electricity flew down his arm, snapping with energy as he held his rifle. He pushed through the pain…and the memories. The storm had come out of nowhere. Thunder rattled above, shaking Elroy's chest, pushing him further toward the hollows he'd always feared as a boy. It was 1922, and the world was changing faster than he could keep up. Motorcars now ruled roads once claimed by horses, and the ancient trade of the blacksmi...