Someone said "love one another." And following generations preached, scribed, and proselytized the words. Translated, retranslated, exegeted the words. Built a #mythos around the words. Schismed, fought, killed for the words. So much easier than living those words. #vss365

She would never #travel without Tiddlywinks. Her stuffed bear with the adorable smile, the crayon marks, the ear that's been sewn back on repeatedly. And there he sits on the bed, next to the empty drawers and the open window. She would never leave Tiddlywinks behind. #vss365

You're firing me? Business was up 1,600% last month! This is January in the gift wrapping department. Can't you keep me through next payday? The cutter-wrapper and ribboneer are gone. You're just the #taper. This is so abrupt! Couldn't you… gradually phase me out? #vss365

How could I have known… That the most oppressive sound I'd ever hear Would be the silence in the bedroom? And the greatest distance is not a thousand #miles But six feet? On Sundays I drive out to place bleak flowers And try to whisper hard words. #vss365

"What's more dangerous than a locked room of angry jurors?" "This is serious," the foreman chided. "Beyond a reasonable #doubt." But the self-help writer was stuck on 'doubt'. The pulp author was hung up on 'reasonable'. And the sci-fi novelist was lost in 'beyond'. #vss365

Love the costume! MY ROBES ARE WOVEN OF TIME ITSELF. Neat. Who do you rep? I COME TO LEAD YOU ACROSS THE BLACK VEIL TO JOIN THE DANSE MACABRE. On-stage dance troupe? Nice. For what term? AD AETERNUM. Oh, not sure I can make that #commitment. Other offers, see… #vss365

"Found this old photo," she said. Two dorky kids at a beige computer. "We were so young!" "Remember those weekends? 2 AM in my mom's basement, #fueled on cheese pizza and soda…" "…playing Quake on home-built gaming rigs." "We were machines." "We built them, too." #vss365

Therapist: Tell me about your dreams. Me: I dreamed that beardless Riker in a Picard uniform was psychoanalyzing bearded Riker in a DS9 uniform. Therapist: I... see. Me: What does it mean? Therapist: It means you're still dreaming. Me: Wha--

When Intel said that Phase 1 was infiltrating a Visitor spaceship, I had… doubts. Telepathic. Paralytic. Weapons are useless. They scan your #nervous system and know your thoughts. But they can't know Phase 2, because neither do I. (Oh God I hope there's a Phase 2.) #vss365

My daughter worries. Visitors come and go; she stays by my bedside. "Mama was here," I say. She pats my hand. "Grandpa too. You remember? We talked a while." "Yeah?" Her voice breaks. "What did he say?" "To have faith. I've been #training so long… today matters." #vss365

I woke with a smile from a dream of her white #sneakers by the door. A sigh as I opened my eyes to sunlight filtering through colorful leaves. It should be cloudy, I thought. Bare feet hit cool hardwood. Flannel weather. #vss365

Orange. Orange. Eagerly I scratched the last square. Grape. I sighed, tossed the card in the garbage. A shriek nearby. A woman ran past, both hands full of Skittles. "I won! I won!" I wondered at a cruel world where only the elite could taste the rainbow. #vss365 #lottery

"This is an unexpected surprise!" He looked at her. His parents and friends gathered around. The cake with candles on the table. "Maybe I should put on my pants." #vss365 #unexpected

Old man Carruthers spent his career at this company. Never vacationed farther than the break room. No one knew him to take a sick day. First in, last out. Always said "I'll work till I'm #dead." But we didn't expect him to keep coming after. We're a little creeped out. #vss365

"Gosh, Captain Zoom, I wish I had your superpowers! And your bravery!" "Jimmy, #bravery isn't outrunning a speeding bullet and crime-fighting in a costume. It's pushing on even when you're scared." "What scares you, Captain Zoom?" He thought. Shuddered. "Butterflies." #vss365

Sometimes at night I lie awake. Stare into the darkness. Listen to the noises of the house. The whir of the fan. The tick-tock of the wall clock. The thump-thump-thump of cat feet zooming down the hall. I don't have a cat. I pull the covers over my head. #vss365 #sound

What began as a faint glow at the leading edges of the #delta wing-body had brightened into an enveloping orange sheath. "How does it feel to be the fastest pilot alive?" asked control. I smiled. Yet cruising at the edge of the atmosphere, I longed for a clearer view. #vss365

"Detective? To what do I owe the pleasure?" "Chief tells me I'm barking up the wrong tree." "And are you?" She smiled. Her blue dress shimmered under neon light. "May be…" All I knew… she was the #calm eye of the storm. Wherever chaos broke out, she was dead center. #vss365

#vss365 For her it was Tuesday A pleasant conversation with someone familiar It was no big deal. …and she acted like… "I like you" were words that needed saying As he felt the seas rise and the earth #quake For him it was the world turned upside-down

"A Dalmatian in a firetruck." "What‽" "Maybe with a cute little red collar. Howling along with the #siren. Brave firefighters answering a call." "A Dalmatian in a…" "All black and white, and red all over…" "No, kid. The answer is 'a newspaper'." "A what‽" #vss365