short story – Jessica Barratt

The End of the Road

He was just looking for a place. A place to put his hat, as they say. A place to kick off the old shoes for a while. Just for the winter. Didn’t have to be long. He just needed the quiet. The alone time. A break. So they pointed him up the road, those whoContinue reading “The End of the Road”

The Fold

It comes to me waking and in dreams: both an image, and a vision. In it I lay down and watch the tilt of the trees turn upward as my head rests to soft earth. Down here it smells sweeter….

The Last Stand

All my life, I’ve thought: my inner Soldier keeps me strong, and have been proud of that. I have a military family, after all. It’s where I get the part of me that wants to serve, or protect; where the part of me that lays down my own for others comes from. I’ve thought this also: it’sContinue reading “The Last Stand”

Singing through incoherence: How one woman changed my relationship with sound

Wish you could de-traumatize your brain and body? Learn how I achieved lasting brain bliss through a one-hour sound exchange practice with Mahalia, The Medical Musician.

Spill

A while back I had the honour of having both a short story and a small book review published in the inaugural issue of The Bolo Tie Collective‘s annual anthology. While the book review takes a lighter approach to a local author’s short publication, the short story below casts a dark shadow on Edmonton’s 104th Avenue,Continue reading “Spill”