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I was impressed by the "college" one and the "murder" one.

It's really hard when you don't name the stories, though, and there's more than one on a thread.

But the "college" one looks like a snapshot right out of life, but the "murder" one has a lot of little weird bits that don't seem to fit together.

The "college" dialog seems pretty realistic, but a lot of the setups in the "murder" one seem kind of random.

Maybe if the "murder" one was longer, and the weirdneses developed more slowly, I could keep up.

I realized it had been quite a long time since I last posted, so I'm back with a short story that I really liked, at least when I wrote it. I considered turning it into a longer story, but decided against it after considering how much is already on my plate. So I hope that you enjoy this short little piece.

Title: Kingdom of the East

For a rainforest it was unusually dry and the numerous dying trees did little to protect the travelers from the sun. On top of that, their canteens ran empty and another day of travel stood between the couple and their destination.

As experienced travelers both wore tattered earth toned clothing which covered their tanned skin. While the woman wore tight fitting clothing which revealed her curves and slightly rounded stomach, her male companion preferred loose fitting clothing which hid his malnourished figure. They walked in silence, side by side, the man occasionally looking over at the woman. She spoke sharply as she said, "I am not going to let you carry me."

"At least put on your cloak."

"Why don't you?"

"If I get sunstroke I have less to lose than you."

The woman stopped and considered the man's words. Finally, she opened her pack and donned her cloak. She then pulled out a dagger and hooked it to her belt. Though the chance of an animal attack seemed unlikely due to the heat, her companion was right; precautions needed to be taken. As they began walking again the woman asked quietly, "Do you think we'll make it? Few manage to survive the trip to the Kingdom of the North's seer."

"Most go with greedy dreams. Our purpose has much more importance." He patted her stomach as he spoke and noticed a blush rise to her sun burnt cheeks, an unusual sign of emotion.

Her voice barely went above a whisper as she asked, "Do you really think it can restore our home?"

The man answered with silence and the woman decided against pushing the subject. Since the destruction of the Kingdom of the East the two had traveled the world searching for the key to its restoration. Now, finally, after ten years of searching it seemed they had found that key. Only the seer, however, could tell them if the child truly could restore their homeland.

About an hour passed in silence with the couple slowly walking under the hot sun. When the sun was positioned at about two o'clock the man stopped and knelt down. He turned his hazel eyes towards the woman, who quickly averted her deep purple ones as she climbed onto his back. As he stood she spread her long black hair over his shoulders, hoping to provide some protection from the sun that his short dark brown hair could not.

He began walking and finally answered her question. "Yes, I do. I wouldn't allow you to go all this way pregnant unless I thought the child was the key."

The woman sighed as she responded, "Yet all we have to base our beliefs on is the ramblings of a blind madman who used to see the future."

"Which makes this trip to the seer that much more important."

"What do you expect from her?"

The man grunted as he began to climb a hill and answered, "What we've been trying to find for our people."

"The key?"

"Hope."

The woman nodded, understanding. "It's scarce during times like these."

"Which is why I'm willing to risk everything to obtain it."

The woman lowered her head, resting it on the man's shoulder. She closed her eyes, allowing exhaustion to finally take hold of her. She knew he would not fail her and when she awoke they would be in the Kingdom of the North. He never failed her before, and she was not about to lose her faith in him after they had been together so long. Their child depended on it.

Their home depended on it.

As the sun set the man could make out a city from the top of the hill and he smiled. He then continued his trek, carrying his hope and his love with him to where the answers to their quest lie.