Name:  J. Keller Ford
Title:    In the Shadow of the Dragon King
Genre: YA Urban Contemporary Fantasy
David Heiland chucked the PS3 controller on his bed and scrambled onto the balcony as four F-18 Hornets screamed overhead, disappearing into the sunrise over the Tennessee Mountains.  A flock of ducks took to the sky, squawking as if in protest.

“Yes!”  David punched the ice-cold air. “Man, that’s freaking awesome!”

He shivered and scurried back inside, flicking a sideways glance at the photograph on the wall of his father in the cockpit of an F-16.  Sucks you can’t be here for the air show next weekend, Dad. We’d have a blast.

David rummaged through the laundry basket for his sweater and jeans and headed to the bathroom. He emerged twenty minutes later, showered and dressed, his hair an uncombed mess, and checked his phone. He smiled and read the text message from his best friend, Charlotte.

chk ur e-mail. sent you a pic from my 5th b’day party that will make u laugh!

Oh, man, this has got to be good, he thought.

David opened his laptop and within minutes brought up a photograph dated ten years earlier. Charlotte stood sopping wet in the foreground, her fists clenched at her sides. Martin Sanderman lay at her feet, his hand to his cheek. The third person in the picture – himself at five years and one day – stood in the background, his mouth twisted in a grin.

He chuckled and typed:

OMG, talk about an April Fools Day gone bad for Martin!  I still can’t believe you clocked him, but he so deserved it for pushing you in the barrel.

Categories: Misc

2 Comments

jabelfield · March 24, 2011 at 4:17 am

Awesome choice. 🙂 Congrats to J. Keller Ford

Jen · March 24, 2011 at 4:32 am

Squeal!!!!!

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