Bianca J. Cook

The Cold Cancellation A passenger tapped his smartphone screen and tapped cancel, rejecting a driver who pulled up twelve minutes late. The driver gripped the steering wheel, explaining that an accident on Sunset Boulevard had forced a detour. The passenger smirked, leaving a zero-dollar tip before turning to walk away. An older woman stepped out … Read more

The Price On The Table An elderly woman placed a handwritten card marked twenty-five dollars beside a row of freshly baked pies. Her companion glanced down with a crease between her eyebrows, questioning if anyone would pay that amount. The baker smoothed her thumb over the burn mark on her wrist. She noted the cost … Read more

Moving the Furniture Aside The man bent at the waist, wrapping his palms around the edge of the heavy oak coffee table. He lifted the piece of furniture and dragged it toward the edge of the wall, clearing a wide open square of carpet in front of the fireplace. Sitting in the wooden rocking chair … Read more

The Dust On The Baseboard The woman crouched down in her black business suit, pointing an index finger straight at the edge of the wooden moulding. When she pulled her hand back, a smudge of gray residue coated the tip of her finger, held out in accusation. A housekeeper knelt directly on the bare wooden … Read more

Flames Along the Treeline A doe planted her hooves firmly in the dry grass, standing directly over her curled fawn as orange flames climbed the pine trees behind them. Embers drifted across the amber meadow, dusting the doe’s coat as she lowered her head to press her wet nose against the small fawn’s cheek. The … Read more

A Sudden Intruder In The Pen Straw exploded into the morning air as four tiny piglets scrambled across the enclosure floor. A bushy red fox snapped its jaws and bounced forward on all four paws, pinning the litter against the wooden slats. Across the yard, a young woman dropped her wicker basket against her hip … Read more

An Unusual Guard by the Pathway A mottled brown hen duck shifted her orange webbed feet along the edge of a paved walking path, craning her neck toward an approaching stroller. She let out a rhythmic series of low, raspy quacks, tilting her head to fix one dark eye on the figure walking beneath the … Read more

A Sudden Pursuit By The Creek The small spotted fawn pushed its hooves hard into the damp soil, sprinting away from the rushing creek bed. Right behind the young animal, a massive lizard lunged across the grass with its jaws wide open. The reptile dragged its heavy belly low against the earth, claws ripping through … Read more

A Guardian On The Shoulder The dog placed both front paws squarely onto the soldier’s chest and threw his muzzle back toward the open highway. A sharp, rhythmic bark cut through the roar of eighteen-wheelers cruising down the asphalt. Beneath the golden dog’s paws, the young soldier lay face down in the gravel, his fatigue … Read more

A Sudden Strike Near The Water A man leans over a stone ledge, extending his right hand toward a patch of tangled weeds in the water. Below him, an adult swan flings its broad white wings wide, thrusting its chest forward through the murky ripples. Its orange beak snaps forward in a sharp lunge, forcing … Read more

An Unexpected Standoff on the Path The brightly colored male wood duck flared his wings and lunged straight at the man’s gray sneakers. Joggers continued past in the background, but the walker stopped in his tracks, pulling his feet back as the drake pecked at his laces. Beside the drake stood a female wood duck, … Read more

A Stand-Off on the Asphalt A Canada goose flared its broad wings across the yellow divider, snapping its beak open toward an approaching runner. A few inches away sat a lone, downy gosling, its webbed feet tucked beneath its pale yellow belly. Across the curb on the roadside lawn, the rest of the brood huddled … Read more