Cathy Schieffelin
Bio
Writing is breath for me. Travel and curiosity contribute to my daily writing life. My first novel, The Call, is available at www.wildflowerspress.com or Amazon. Coming soon: Snakeroot and Cohosh.
Stories (40)
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Another Brick in the Wall
Moss slippery, crusted with bird shit, clay crumbled, rigid rectangles. Unlike the large, colorful Jenga game on the sunporch, if you remove one of my bricks, I fear I’ll collapse. Each brick integral to my overall structure and stability, despite the messy make-up. I appreciate their blocky durability, sharp edges, unyielding. Even when they rub and bruise my tender flesh, I refuse to let any go.
By Cathy Schieffelin2 years ago in Families
Rest A Spell
The glow of warm lights emanating from the wooden cottage beckons Nick. He slogs through knee-deep snow, one heavy snowshoe at a time while a nearly full moon illuminates the way. Stars sparkle overhead and crystal daggers of ice hang heavy in the trees, threatening to fall and spear him through. It’s a silent night – only the sound of his ragged breath, labored, in and out as he makes his way toward the cabin. He’s been here before, only then, he’d been running, needing distance. He’d had the advantage of being on foot and blended into the mossy green surroundings. He’s good at that. Two tours in Iraq taught him the importance of staying hidden in plain sight.
By Cathy Schieffelin2 years ago in Fiction
Kestrel in Waiting
Wyatt: Perched on the woodpile, resting or waiting? I’m not sure. She’s there most afternoons as I haul firewood for the coming winter. She eyes me before flapping away. Disgust? Those wings tell me I’m an interloper, not a friend. Each night the pile shrinks as I struggle to heat the cabin. Thick bark on the trees and early squirrelin’ of forest critters tells me we’re headed into deep winter. Need to chop another cord soon.
By Cathy Schieffelin3 years ago in Fiction
Saddlebags and Babies
I’m up to my elbows in dirt, digging roots and tubers, ginseng, snakeroot, cohosh, all manner of medicinal herbs. Homebase is a rustic, log cabin nestled deep in the Appalachians of eastern Kentucky, just off what will be known as the Daniel Boone Parkway. My partner is a sure-footed copper-colored steed I call Penny. We spend our days and nights traversing remote mountain hollers to treat the sick, the elderly, children, and women in labor. I work for the Frontier Nursing Service based in Wendover, Kentucky.
By Cathy Schieffelin3 years ago in History
