Author: Martin Wiles

When I was growing up, radios were quite different from what they are today. The digital world — not to mention satellites — changed everything. Now, I punch the scan button, and the radio automatically advances to the next clear … Read more

Stopping for directions sometimes took a great deal of courage. In the days before GPS systems, smartphones, Google maps, Alexa, and Siri, finding an unfamiliar location could be challenging. Filling stations offered maps to travellers. … Read more

She ran from her past, but she couldn't hide from it. Frances and her sister lived with an abusive father. Their mother died when they were both very young. Their father molested them sexually and drank continuously. Finally, child … Read more

One took advantage of the situation; the other stepped up to the plate. Watching a few middle-schoolers traipse down the hall on crutches or with a limb in a cast isn't unusual. In addition to the injuries, there are usually … Read more

She wasn't any good at rod-and-reel casting, because she never did it. Instead, my maternal grandmother was a cane pole caster. Weather permitting, she fished every time she got a chance, but she didn't take a rod and reel. She cut cane … Read more

"Your wife and daughter have been in a wreck." Frank listened to the voicemail. Anxiety crept up his throat. He and his brother had been hiking in a place with no cell phone reception. He could see that he had voicemails but couldn't … Read more

Dams burst, bridges crumbled, interstate highways closed, and roads washed away. October 3-4, 2015, was a historic weekend in South Carolina, USA. A low-pressure system moving through the southeastern section of the country tapped into … Read more

Quan struggled with a foreboding sense of insignificance. His people were celebrating a feast for their gods because they didn't want them to send evil spirits to punish them. Quan, however, wasn't participating. He would rather spend … Read more

Regardless of how taxing my dilemmas are, I can always refocus when I view the mountains up close and in person. Every motel in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, USA, has riverfront rooms, since a river runs parallel to the main street. The … Read more

We settled for less because we didn't know that we could have had more. My wife and I sat across the table from a couple whom I would soon help to renew their wedding vows. Since we hadn't seen them in quite some time, we enjoyed … Read more