Around the World in 80 Pages

By Sharon E. Cathcart

Internationally published author Sharon E. Cathcart presents an eBook exclusive: "Around the World in 80 Pages." These ten short stories represent genres ranging from Western to paranormal and provide the reader with a powerful literary experience.

Contents:
Heart of Stone
No Eyes But Mine Shall See
Oh, Joy; Oh, Rapture
Betrayed by a Kiss
Counting Blessings Along the Horseshoe Canyon
A Cutting Observation
Ghost of a Chance
Gaul is Divided
The Scribe of Rashid
Lonely Man in a New Town

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sharon E. Cathcart
• Release date: Sep 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465751584

Sharon E. Cathcart

Award-winning author Sharon E. Cathcart (she/her) writes historical fiction with a twist!A former journalist and newspaper editor, Sharon has written for as long as she can remember and generally has at least one work in progress.Sharon lives with her husband and several rescue cats in the Silicon Valley, California.

Book preview

Around the World in 80 Pages: Ten Short Stories by Sharon E. Cathcart

Published by Sharon E. Cathcart at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Sharon E. Cathcart

Books by internationally published author Sharon E. Cathcart provide discerning readers of essays, fiction and nonfiction with a powerful, truthful literary experience.

Thank you for downloading this free eBook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for noncommercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Contents

Heart of Stone

No Eyes But Mine Shall See

Oh, Joy; Oh, Rapture

Betrayed by a Kiss

Counting Blessings Along the Horseshoe Canyon

A Cutting Observation

Ghost of a Chance

Gaul is Divided

The Scribe of Rashid

Lonely Man in a New Town

About the Author

Heart of Stone

Originally published in Sui Generis, 2010

It is their job to watch.

From high above, in many cities, stone-gray eyes gaze out on the horizon. From the rooftops, they survey their domain.

They watch, and sometimes they protect. Theophilus thought that was the most important part of the job: to protect.

He had, in fact, protected the building where he lived since the day it opened. He had watched residents come and go, even pass away. He was a part of the landscape to them, always watching from a corner of the roof.

He was posed much like Rodin’s famous Thinker, his chin on the back of his hand. His wings spanned out from a back carved to show rippling muscle. Some might have thought Theophilus was a stone angel, but those wings were smooth and bat-like.

Theophilus was a gargoyle.

One of those whom he watched was a young woman. She was the one who had called him Theophilus; before that, he had no name.

She came up to the roof one summer morning to read her book and drink her Jamba Juice. She had already brought a lawn chair, some cushions and a small table, carving out a tiny space for herself. She arranged her furniture near Theophilus, taking her time to find the best light by which to read. She put her juice and book on the table and came over to the wall, gazing out over the horizon.

Placing a gentle hand on one of his carved wings, she gave Theophilus his name and said she would always feel safe with him there.

Eventually, he learned her name. She answered her cell phone by saying Hello, this is Anna.

Anna had reddish brown hair that reminded Theophilus of warm bricks and blue eyes that made him think of clear summer skies. He came to know her step on the stairs and wished he could smile to show how glad he was for her presence.

Hello, Theophilus, she always greeted him as she settled in with her book and juice. It’s another beautiful day in the city.

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