Salt and shadows

Every summer, I stayed at my grandmother’s ranch—a dry, lonely stretch of land where animals roamed but horses were curiously absent. I loved horses, but my grandmother always insisted they were too much trouble. Still, every night I heard one neighing from a house surrounded by an unnatural cluster of trees far from the rest …

The Price of Desire

I’ve always struggled around women—awkward, unsure, invisible. Late one night, desperate for a change, I stumbled upon an obscure website claiming an ancient ritual could unlock guaranteed romantic success. It sounded absurd, but I was willing to try anything. That night, I lit candles around my bed and recited the Latin phrase as instructed. In …