Derailed (#PhotoStoryChallenge 3/29/18)

(Photo by Radina Valova @RadinaValova, #photostorychallenge host) The train doors shut with a mechanical grunt but the adrenaline pulsing in my veins kept me sweaty-palmed and twitchy-eyed until sometime after we finally left the station. I was safe. For now, anyways. Settling more comfortably in my seat, I dug into my coat pockets for the …

The Golden Lotus (#PhotoStoryChallenge 3/22/18)

(Photo by Radina Valova @RadinaValova, #photostorychallenge host) On hands and knees she climbed towards heaven, catching just a glimpse of the divine between every hard-fought breath. The mountain’s peak was close now, filling her eyes to the rims, and only there at the god’s feet would she allow herself to rest. Her katana, the blade …

Soul Searching (#PhotoStoryChallenge 3/16/18)

(Photo by Radina Valova @RadinaValova, #photostorychallenge host) The weight of the winter sky pressed against our skin and settled into our bones as we trudged through the forest, shoes completely buried in ankle-deep snow. Marching at a steady pace, I inhaled to catch my breath, searing my lungs with that cold fire that felt like …