Tanya Humphreys

“Waterson Wakes” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #113

‘This is my worst nightmare.’ Thought captain Roscoe Waterson. He was willing to go down with the ship but losing the lives of his crew had always been his greatest fear. And now, it seemed like that was about to happen. Another blast shook the 60-foot spacecraft. Through the curvature of his windshield, he saw another two dozen scraps of metal explode off the left side in a puff of silver and yellow glitter.  Before looking forward again, his eyes lingered on his co-pilot, slumped in the seat next to him. Hi...

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“Prey for Rain” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #112

The drizzly air was the opening act for the season’s first rainstorm. In the dense shrub layer, the colossal fern fronds shivered as the rubber-tree leaves parted, revealing shadow so impenetrable, light was sucked into it. A pair of eyes opened suddenly like dramatic stage lights. They were golden, striated with honey and amber, and entirely malevolent. The black elliptical pupils narrowed to thin slits as the brow furrowed. It smelled white meat. There were two distinct scents, the pungent acidic male musk, and th...

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“The Harpischord Man” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #111

Bart leaned to his left and swayed slightly, acting inebriated. His shoulder length dark curls obscured one eye. This alehouse was far beneath his father’s standards, and that was the whole point. He had dirtied his face a bit, neglected a shave, and wore his oldest britches, the ones he hunted in when escaping without his entourage. He wore no wig and it felt wonderful! He hated wigs. They were silly things, and itchy.His steed was tethered with his valet’s across the street, three blocks down, in front of The ...

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“Madness Makes Strangers” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #100

Brison’s long, nimble fingers gently strummed the sensually curved mandolin in his lap. For the first time, he sat at the head of the long table, proud to be hosting this year’s summer solstice celebration. His tribe of Rhesus monkey and their closest neighbors, the dainty pale-faced Capuchins, relished any and all excuse for celebration. Brison was the now the head of his family. Until the month before, that honor had belonged to his father. He missed his father and his tune saddened as he gazed towards the river at...

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“Night Sun” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #99

Andy rolled over, pulling the light quilt along with him, then yanking it over his head like a monk’s cowl. The room was filled with dazzling lemony sunlight though it was only seven or so in the morning. And Saturday!  ‘Darn, not again,’ Andy thought, ‘I know I closed those curtains before getting into bed last night.’ He peeked an eye out from his blankey-cave and turned curiously back towards the window. As usual, the cheery cacophony of bird voices wafted in through the east facing window. He recognized just...

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“Winding River” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #98

The man in the faded orange John Deere cap pointed at yet another hill they had to climb. The sun glinted off a small enameled American flag his wife had pinned to the back of his cap. She had felt it gave him more of a good-ole-boy look, some conformity.His partner, who’d started wheezing six or seven hills ago, stopped, doubled over, and cursed. Padre the Bull was amused at how Jerry’s utterances were so unlike his usual rumbling bass voice. He’d have jived his pal, but he himself was pretty winded as well, he needed to...

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“Through a Shattered Window” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #97

Hermy walked out his front door early one hopeful morning. He stretched his tiny paws towards the sun and sighed with the simple kind of happiness that only the fresh, crisp air of early spring could bring.He lived with his mouse family in a Lilliputian burrow in the gnarled roots of a grand magnolia tree. The fragrant waxy blooms were just starting to drop their pink-tinged petals. Last year, he and his siblings had played hide and seek around the base of the tree, the petals were like overturned boats on a beach- perfect hid...

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“A Unicorn's Decision” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #95

Lawrence the unicorn was exhausted. He’d been traveling the continent searching for more of his kind. Finding even just one other of his kind would satisfy this great and heavy need.  He had roamed all the way down through Alaska to King Cove, then all the way north to Utqiagvik. He had made his weary way across the Northwest Territories to Nunavut, then down through every Canadian Province to the tip of Newfoundland, to a little town called Blanc Sablon. His coat grew as shaggy as the wild mountain horses of the vast ...

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“Ian the Stubborn” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #94

Brian gazed out the window. Father was in the yard; he was trying to get the donkey to work again. He had been trying every day since the donkey had been left to him by his own father on his deathbed. The shadows in the pasture were long, stretching towards the eastern mountains on the shimmering blue horizon. Their snow-covered peaks white as god’s teeth.“C’mon Ian, be a good lad and pull this plough. It’ll be easy for you. You’re a fine strong donkey to be sure.”Mother came to them and said, “Frank, you’re was...

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“Night of the Demons” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #93

From the kitchen window, Breanne watched her seven sister snow hares decorate the Shiring Tree. They hung long streamers of gold and silver tinsel about the smooth white branches. Pippa’s seven brothers had hung ropes of twinkling white lights earlier that day. Bree was having a hard time with this year’s pie. This year she had to win the trophy, it would be Grannybunny’s last Shiring Festival. Scowling, she pictured last year’s trophy sitting in the window of Pippa’s house, on the eastside, for all the snow rabbit commun...

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“The Shadow Ball” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #92

Only a corkscrew of dark hair spiked from under the child’s light summer blanket. As slow as the sun, came eyes over the blanket horizon. Wispy curtains caught the slight breeze through the open window behind his bed, making hula dancer shadows on the wall next to the closet. The eyes widened in cartoonish terror at the sight of the other shadow.It was that cat again. Kaal Drogo, named after a Game of Thrones character. He was big and bold and dark, with lustrous chestnut fur and black tipped paws, tail and face, as if he...

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“Pen and the Magic Library” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #91

The winter wind breezed under my wings, the frozen earth a blur 800 feet below me, the boiled peach sun sat low on the evergreens far in the distance.“Time to call it a day.” I said to my travelling companions.“Thank goodness! My wings are like jelly!” replied Orval, the snowy owl on my right.I glanced surreptitiously to my left at Perky, the osprey. She was the smallest of us. The pretty bird of prey was doing a valiant job of not only keeping up, but not complaining either. I was impressed.“There’s a farm down there, wi...

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“The Red Slender Loris” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #90

Jooby the loris, was actually, in fact, called a red slender loris. His mother had told him this one night while teaching him how to eat sap from trees and nectar from flowers. Jooby didn’t think he was particularly skinnier than other types of lorises, but his mom was proud of her figure, so he didn’t argue. He figured they were called red because of the color of their eyes.            Jooby, his parents and two sisters lived in a hollow in the top of a tree. The t...

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“Rabbit's Totem” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #89

We had been four great friends- four young rabbits who’d known each other since we had first opened our eyes and grown fur.   Now there was just us three. We foraged together, played together and talked about girl rabbits. We now wept together as well. Sam is the biggest of us. His thick coat was a rich chocolate brown that matched his soulful eyes, his big flop ears and tail tipped in black as if dipped in an ink pot. The ladies did swoon when he looked their way.  I am Seth, my twin’s name was Robbi...

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“The Prince Frog's Helmet” by Tanya Humphreys

TW TW: violence, gore The Prince Frog’s Helmet   The Prince of Frogs was not always called a prince. He had earned that title by being brave and quick-thinking…This is his story…   Ernesto the frog lived in a moat. The moat surrounded an immense castle. This majestic castle, somewhere in France long ago, had a heavy wooden drawbridge, a front gate twenty feet tall, and battlements encircling each of its four stories. This castle had four five-hundred-foot towers, each one pointing out the directions of east, west, no...

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