Author Archives: mourningdove

While the owls weren’t friendly as a rule with the village dogs, there was one dog they did speak to somewhat regularly, and that was the border collie, Sadie. Sadie wasn’t a hunting dog; or rather, all her hunting instincts had been softened and turned into collecting instincts. And so she had no interest inContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 17”

When Armand and Abigail woke up the following evening, Elsie poked her head out of the nest above them and chirped, “Finally, sleepyheads! I’ve been waiting for hours for you to wake up.” “What is it, Elsie?” Abigail yawned, and Armand admired the way the sharp curve of her beak flashed in the last ofContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 16”

Of course Violet couldn’t sleep that night either. She lay awake listening to her brother snore and stared up at the darkness. She was so excited about getting into the veterinary college. Everything she had dreamed for her life was coming true, everything she had promised her father at his graveside that she would do:Continue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 15”

Violet couldn’t sleep that night; she tossed and turned under her quilt, and whenever she heard the hoot of an owl or the cry of a fox out in the still night somewhere, she shoved her head under her pillow to block it out. In the morning her mother scolded her for burning the potatoContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 14”

Clive flew across the fields after the owl, his broad hooves kicking up snow like dust behind him. Danforth yelped excitedly from inside Violet’s coat, his ears flying back along with Violet’s red hair and the gelding’s white mane. When the owl vanished into the west wood, Clive slowed without Violet even pulling on theContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 13”

On Saturday after she was done with her chores, there was about an hour of daylight left, so Violet saddled up Clive and rode out to the north wood. She was thinking about the little squirrel and wondering how she was doing. It was winter, so maybe she’d be asleep–at least, Violet was hoping sheContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 12”

There were two times of year that it was easy for a fox to burn down a village, if it wanted to: first, midsummer, when all the bonfires were lit, though that was trickier because the men were out and about all night. The other time was the weeks leading up to Yule, or ChristmasContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 11”

Violet sat on the top rail of the horse paddock looking out across the snow toward where the men were working on laying the train track. They had the railbed laid to the outskirts of the village now—a tumble of sharp limestone on the black earth and then smaller cobble filling in the gaps. TheyContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day 10”

The horse’s name was Clive, and Abigail knew him, so at twilight she swept down to the paddock where the horses were munching their timothy hay and grain and drinking out of the trough that Bertie had broken the ice off for them; he was a good boy, Abigail thought, and took good care ofContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story (Owl in Winter): Day Nine”