Jaffin Art Gallery

"Cracking Charlie" 

  by James Gabriel

Prologue

His head throbbed with the hurt and when he shifted, everything ached.  His lip was swollen and busted, and the sulfurous taste of blood was thick in his mouth.  His stomach was bruised and ached from the kicks, and his groin was sore.  He had to pee so he relieved himself on the floor, letting it trickle to the shower drain; the urine was pink. He wanted to cry but instead he moved; slowly calculating his steps, wincing with each as he made his way, undead.

When he awoke, he was mostly gone by then. He sat alone in the back corner of his mind sobbing, inconsolable. I...was alive and It was alive. I tried to call to him...but there was nothing left. Faith and hope were lost by then. The boy, battered, bloodied and humiliated was locked away and I was not strong enough. So, It rose; an unscrupulous calculating rage of years, It rose and took over.

"StarHearts"

  by Cheryl Russell  

StarHearts are a symbol of "light and love" created by Cheryl Russell over 10 years ago when she was an elementary school teacher. In her elementary school classroom, she used stars as an acknowledgment and recognition tool with her students. In her mind, stars symbolized light so she encouraged her students to "be a star and shine." Since hearts have always been a universal symbol of love, she put the two together as a symbol of both "light" and "love" and created the StarHeart.

Illustrated by Dan Brouch