by ChibiSaboten Raven flies south, chasing the hot season while playing hide-and-seek with the sun along the great spine of the world. He soars high above, day and night, until the cool lushness of damp cedar forests thick with fir trees and rivers that run red with salmon fade into a seemingly endless expanse of […]

by ChibiSaboten Aleka twisted a dial on the camera until the furthest rapid upriver came into focus. The giant umbrella he sat under sheltered him from the blaze of a midmorning sun which was starting to reflect off surrounding rippling water at an awkward angle, causing an ugly ball of glare to show up in […]

by Chibisaboten The creaking protest of metal disrupts his REM cycle as Dragan rolls into a bright glare. Wearily, he squints through groggy vision. Sunlight?  Chert!  He bolts straight up, instantly awake, and is alone.  Five drab, narrow beds surround him, all empty and perfectly made up with their thin wool blankets plus flat, feather […]

by ChibiSaboten Balls to the wall, literally. As opposed to figuratively, where it can have multiple meanings, such as: something vaguely related to sports, a tight, efficient turn while swimming laps courtesy of a rando on Reddit, or a pilot pressing their throttle so far one way that it touches the wall of their cockpit. […]

by ChibiSaboten   Standing in the foyer, Dima gawks at the brightly wrapped box in the middle of his best friend’s home, a mid-sized penthouse that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Kolka is seven years his junior, but has carved out a successful life for himself. They spend most of their time in the office together—partners in […]

by ChibiSaboten   ИК-6 “Снежинка” Prison El’ban, Khabarovsk Krai Russia 1999  Volodya is nineteen when they send him away for the second time in his life. His eyes adjust to the dim lighting as he shuffles through freezing corridors, shivering in an itchy ushanka and cheap coat. Underneath, the prison garb’s starched fabric scratches against his […]