It was November. It was cold; below the seasonal average, the weather forecast said. The wind swept the dead leaves along in gusts. The sky was a cold, clear blue. Really not the weather to be put ... [+]
Ophelia Leong is a poet, dancer, writer, and divorced mom of 4. She recently graduated with a degree in Art History and is ready for the next adventure. "Always Be Prepared" was selected as a finalist in BART Lines contest, 2022.
The sword bounced against Petra's hip as she entered the BART train. The passengers didn't give her much thought, too used to the sight of Knights these days to care. Petra was relieved; she didn't want anyone looking at her.She thought about the manuscript in her backpack, the one with scarlet-inked words attempting to crawl off the page. It called to her, murmuring like wavelets teasing the very edge of her consciousness. Her backpack wiggled as the manuscript tried to escape. The Mage had warned her that it was dangerous, and had paid her extra to transport it, but Petra hadn't taken him se