Sky Blue FC

Flames rushed skyward from a structure less than a mile away across the sagebrush. At the height of another dry desert summer in July 2013, Chris Tucs, a novice member of Carson, New Mexico’s volunteer fire department, was working in the yard of his off-grid home when he saw the blaze. He threw a few shovels into the back of his truck, hitched up a trailer loaded with 300 gallons of water, and sped to the scene, looking up from navigating the ruts in the road to see flames shooting through the…

Laying in the bed in her small house in the woods, Jess could hear the faint noise of a fire truck siren in the distance that seemed to be growing louder. “Fire,” she thought out loud, “I hate fire.” Living alone in the middle of nowhere, she spent most of her days gardening and writing. She loved writing. She could write about anything and everything and would spend hours upon hours on writing stories, poems, journals, and more. Feeling tired, she pulled up her cloud like blanket and…

The wind was a sharp whip, driving Maglor onward despite his aching feet. The sun was hidden somewhere behind gray clouds, like the day before and the day before that. It was not so terrible during the day, though. Night was worse. In the day, at least the sun could still light the ground before him, but at night, the moon and stars were swallowed up and he was forced to stumble through darkness. Eventually, it became too difficult to travel by night, and so Maglor confined his movements to the…

pulled out his thermometer to see if the temperature had changed. His eyes had to focus on the tiny numbers for a minute before he read “negative seventeen” out loud. Finn knew he why he couldn’t feel his toes anymore. They were frostbitten and turning blue. He decided he wasn’t going to stop and try to build a fire that night. He wanted to get to wherever this dog had been staying to be in this good of condition. As Finn drug his feet through the ice he began to lose all hope. He was so cold…

Introduction Prologue I looked beyond the clear dome that sheltered and protected our people for almost two decades. My eight-year-old face pressed against the glass in astonishment. I was thankful that our unit happened to be at the edge of the West Division. I could observe space forever. It boggled my young mind that our dome could levitate. I would examine the planet, Earth. It was the size of a standard grapefruit from the distance. Earth looked depressing. I was glad I didn’t live there.…

New Mexico A cold torrent of wind hit me with such force that it seemed to go right through my bones. It was already freezing outside, but the goose bumps that covered every inch of my body after seeing such a breathtaking view made it seem much colder. Cloudcroft is a small mountain town in New Mexico and the kind of place that you would see on a post card. It continues to look and feel perfect year round. There are large looming trees that seem as tall as skyscrapers and mountains with snow…

The river constantly circulates, causing fury in the water that only He can calm. Water, a loving and all-knowing presence that is not shaken by the storms of life. Gray skies circle the sandy beach. The gray color is angry, infuriated, anxious for what is to come. But the blazing orange and red horizon captures the gray skies and turns them into something truly beautiful. A breathtaking sunset frames the ocean, praising Him with it's spectacular colors and swirls. The bright sun comes up…

The weather was fair and the last rays from the sun where casting across the sky. Billy was walking in the park at night when he heard branches snapping in the bushes. Suddenly a massive creature lunged out at him slashing its claws… Billy awoke with a yelp. ‘‘just a dream,’’ he said to himself. It was a nice saturday morning in his cozy little home located in newton kansas. He ate breakfast (which consisted of pancakes and scrambled eggs), got dressed, brushed his teeth and then turned on the…

It was cold outside. Stars were falling, ice and snow, swirling little pearls that were ripping holes into the darkness of the vast, vast sky. His naked feet felt cold against the frozen ground. Swift like a storm he danced through the night, like the shadow, that he was once taught to be. (Forced to be.) The streets were empty, everyone seemed to be sleeping in their beds, far from cold, far from worry. He was the only person left; The only one that was still willing to walk. Perhaps, he…

The sun shined bright above as I roared down the dirt path past fields filled with crops. The wind tore through my hair, whipping it back and forth. I had never experienced such a rush. My dad decided that it was time I road a four-wheeler by myself down the dirt road past his house. It was such a nice day out and a day that I would never forget. Thankfully, that feeling has never left me. Ever since then, I’ve realized that riding by myself opened up a new side to me. The rush pushed me…