John Cox

Joined January 2021

207 stories

Bio

Twisted teller of mind bending tales. I never met a myth I didn't love or a subject that I couldn't twist out of joint. I have a little something for almost everyone here. Cept AI. Aint got none of that.

Achievements (14)

Stories (207)

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The Liar
"Why do people lie, grandpa?" My eldest grandson looks at me, his earnest face a mixture of curiosity and concern. It's difficult to hold his gaze without my eyes getting a little wet. I owe him the truth, even at the tender age of seven. So many others have lied to him and let him down. I hope this isn't the only place in his life where he hears the truth.
By John Cox2 years ago in Confessions
I am not Afraid, I Am
I am not afraid In the light Claustrophobic darkness does not move Things going bump do not shake Fear does not knock In the night
By John Cox2 years ago in Poets
Black and White. Top Story - February 2024.
The snow fell lightly in the darkness as I trudged along the slowly whitening sidewalk. The sound of my steps marking a lonely rhythm in the night air, my stomach clenched in ever-tightening knots.
By John Cox2 years ago in Fiction
These Things I Remember. Second Place in Love Unraveled Challenge.
"These things I remember and I pour out soul within me...." So laments the psalmist in exile, yearning for the return of God's presence after a long, painful absence.
By John Cox2 years ago in Families
The Harrowing
It seems an eternity since I last saw Selene shining above me in the night sky. Remembering her pale light often reminded me of dear Mamah with tears in her eyes, her hands tenderly clasping a sprig of laurel. The Laurel in the little glade beyond the village gate always robbed her of joy. Her face wilting in sorrow, she would complain, “Just look what wicked Apollo has done to thee.”
By John Cox2 years ago in Fiction
Wolverine. Content Warning.
He left before sunrise, his snowshoes beating a plodding rhythm atop the recent powder. Reaching the first trap on his line an hour later, he braced himself on a tree as he brushed the fresh snow away with a pine bough, the frozen bait glistening in the morning light.
By John Cox2 years ago in Fiction
The Narrow Escape
Sparkling in the afternoon light, the brittle snow crackled and snapped as I walked through the little wood behind the hunting cabin. Crouching when I reached the edge of a white covered field, I scanned its dimpled surface in hopes that the trail I followed would lead to an opportunity to try out my new rifle.
By John Cox2 years ago in Fiction
Two Runs too Many
Okay, safety first people! Take no more than two runs before returning to the Chalet. I don't want any frost bite on my watch!
By John Cox2 years ago in Fiction
What the Old Man Forgot
hap'pi·ness n. the state of being happy; glad, delighted, joyful, gleeful, ecstatic; enjoying pleasure without pain. see CONTENTMENT
By John Cox2 years ago in Families
The Lovely, White Wild
The snow fell in fluffy, white clumps, clinging to my sweats and watch cap as I ran. Departing the gate of the encampment, tanks rumbled past, fellow soldiers waving from their cupula's as I gestured back before turning from the road to a trail entering the surrounding woodland.
By John Cox2 years ago in Fiction
Why I'm writing a Children's Book
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
By John Cox2 years ago in Families
Homecoming
Chicago is never what people expect. Its skyline sparkles in the sunlight on a bright day over the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan like unspoken promise. Lake Shore drive traces a lovely pathway along the blue waters of the lake as Chicagoans and visitors amble or ride bicycles along its adjacent walkways. Unlike other great cities, Chicago's shoreline belongs to us, its citizen's. No gated mansions line its beaches, no massive hotel properties obscure its beauty, no Do Not Enter signs restrict its access.
By John Cox2 years ago in Fiction