Spencer Moseley

  Artemis spotted Hermes a ways off from the meadow where she stood, sharpening her spear. His winged shoes propelled him effortlessly through the air. She smiled. “Did the plan work?” asked Artemis. “Yes,” said Hermes, hovering above her. “He swore on the River Styx, too.” “Good,” she said, taking her spear for a twirl. Hermes pulled out his dagger and countered it in as he landed on the ground. Their sparring collided in a myriad of sparks. Artemis side-stepped his slice. Her spear whirled behind her back and caught Hermes off-guard. The tip was pointing in his face.  “Surprise surprise, Artemis, goddess of the moon, beats me,” he said. Artemis laughed, sheathing her spear behind her back.  “You sure you want to go about it like this?” asked Hermes. “I can think of a number of ways this could go very badly. Even if you convince her, I don’t know how an endless winter will appease anyone.” “I’m sure,” she said. “And I have a plan.” “I’m tired,” he said. “And not up for a...

Hermes de-boarded Charon’s boat on Hades’ shores, a windless corner of the Underworld. Charon groaned, making Hermes’ eyes water with his foul breath, and held out a three-fingered hand.  “Well what’s the point of this?” asked Hermes, waving his Golden Bough sardonically. Charon groaned again, louder, so Hermes flicked him a gold coin.  “Maybe go buy yourself a hot bath and a mint tea,” said Hermes, brushing his blonde curls from his eyes.  Charon’s boat drifted back the way it came, his strange boat somehow able to navigate the twisted River Styx. Hades was force-feeding dates to Persephone as Hermes entered his simple home.  “I just want you to stay with me a little longer, dear,” Hades said as his wife squirmed in frustration. “Nephew, tell her. Tell her that Demeter can suck my—” Persephone swatted a date away, “Do you really think your brother—” “And father-in-law,” interrupted Hades. Persephone frowned, “Do you think he would tolerate an endless famine?” Hades ...

The mule cart followed a road that peeled off into a forest just north of the beach. Moonlight shone through the leaves as the cart bumped over tree roots, forcing the wolf awake every time his eyes began to close. The fishermen grumbled, trying to avoid tripping over roots and stray branches. Then the wolf stood up alert, sniffing the air. A moonlit arrow screamed past his ear into the groin of a fisherman to his left. He let out a sickening cry as he keeled over, clutching himself in agony. The wolf cocked his head in the direction of the arrow. Then another arrow flew by. And another. None missed their target, and the wolf shrieked in excitement. The fishermen threw knives every which way, hoping to hit the killer in the shadows; but sharp arrows found all of them and seemed to come from every direction. As the last man fell, blood pooling around him, a young girl walked into the moonlight in front of the wolf’s cage. Her forehead was beading with sweat, and her skin, like polis...

A wolf vaulted stone pillars jutting from the eastern side of a mountain. He perched at the highest point and studied his surroundings. His keen eyes glimpsed fish netted and tied off by oceanside docks, and his nose caught the scent of tripe simmering on charcoal flames that dotted the shoreline. The laughter and songs of the fishermen made him cock his head. His stomach rumbled fiercely, and he released a muted howl. His worn body showed clear signs he had deserted his pack for a while. He had scratched his itchy hide nearly to the bone where starved ribs peeked out under patchy fur. His tongue dangled loosely from his mouth, and his heavy breathing croaked as he staggered down the mountain towards the sea.  Staying close to the ocean, he avoided detection until he got close to the torch-lit docks. What was left of the wolf's grey fur, illumined by the torches, did not fail to draw the attention of the fishermen. He saw the glint of sharp steel take shape in their hands as he app...

My friend parallel parked at a park with no name in his white, 2004 Mustang. It was Sunday, it was sunny, and we had ordered authentic Honduran food nearby. Cute girls in sundresses passed by, and we felt like kings at a picnic, sprawled out on the grass, soaking in sunlight. "I'm sorry I called you a pussy last night," he said.  "And I'm sorry I was so hard on you," I replied. We both smiled as we chowed into our baleadas.  We'd had a bit too much to drink the night before and had been a bit too honest with each other. But there's nothing worse than a friendship without honesty. I've had too many of those—the ones where I have to walk on eggshells with every word I say, hoping not to trigger an alarm.  But as with everything, even honesty, moderation is key. I tend to go big or go home and see honesty as some absolute necessity. Lots of movies reflect on this and help question the assumption that honesty is always good. I don't remember the ...

It was a cold Saturday morning. I woke up at 3:15am. Boots. Hat. Coat. Gloves. Shotgun. I was ready to hunt some Sandhill Crane.  My friends and I loaded up two F-250s and drove to Wharton, a small city an hour southwest of Houston, TX. The cloudless night revealed a crescent moon and an array of stars—normally invisible from my hazy, polluted city. From the trucks, we transferred our gear to the outfitter's ATV and drove over uneven ground through sloshy mud and tall grass. The outfitter set up narrow blinds and applied his chainsaw to surrounding brush, which we placed in front of the blinds for additional camouflage. He also set up decoys which looked alarmingly similar to the birds we would be hunting.  I thanked Poseidon for my rain boots as I trudged through the mud, trying not to trip, and took my spot next to the outfitter. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and the outfitter told us to duck, as low as we could. "Sandhill Cranes have amazing eyesight," he ...

I spent last Sunday Church hunting. I used to despise folks who did that growing up. Catholicism is the truth, and its truth is within any Catholic Church, so why shop around?  I thought. I now see that no spirituality or philosophy is perfect, and deciding which communities to be a part of takes some searching, much like dating.  I'm quite done with Catholicism (see many previous posts, lol), so I tried a Unitarian Zoom chat. It was gloomy. An older woman, I believe a Reverend, was talking slowly about the role God plays in life. I did not stay in the chat long. She spoke with the same level of condescension that I grew up with, and it was less than ideal.  I tried another Unitarian chat. It was 11:15am on Sunday. It was a Zoom chat for a Church near Galveston bay, and it showed. Thick country accents and a hodgepodge of Reverends speaking over each other was very unappealing. They were praying for their parishioners and talking about how good God is. I left that chat as...