Mountains, Meadows, and Chasms (Short Story Anthology)

Mountains, Meadows, and Chasms is a collection of more than 70 original stories written by Kosmo. The stories cover a broad range of topics, including sports and crime, as characters experience the highs (mountains), lows (chasms), and meadows (everyday experiences) of their lives.  Stories range from 500 words to 10,000+ words.

Some stories are quite serious:
The Cell Window follows a tech-savvy voyeur as he work himself into the lives of unsuspecting women.

In Mrs. Claus and The Christmas Mistress, a fake Santa uses his beard and suit to get himself invited to dinner with two attractive young women - what adventures await him?

Friends for Thanksgiving is a tale of a Thanksgiving dinner gone horribly awry.  

Others are more lighthearted:
A Man Short is the story of a cheerleader helping a shorthanded football team win the big game.

My Life in Hell follows Satan's Little Helper (Andy) as he makes his daily rounds in Hades.

Many stories - such as A Life Disturbed and The Champion - feature sharp twists at the end.

As a special teaser, enjoy the full version of the short story The Blind Date.  Like it?  Buy the book! 

Marina pursed her lips and applied just the right amount of lipstick. She took a long look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing an absolutely stunning little black dress and had spent hours getting her hair and makeup just right. She was ready for her big date.

Marina was going to be meeting her boyfriend for the first time in real life. She had meet SportzNut99 several months ago on a blog devoted to their hometown Cardinals. Marina - also known as CutiePie14 - had thought that his comments were smart and funny, and they quickly became friends.

They soon began conversing via instant messaging, beginning with innocent chats about sports before evolving into rather serious flirting. Before long, love was in the air. In a playful effort to keep some mystery in their relationship, they kept some personal details private. Marina had no idea what this guy looked like. In fact, she didn't even know his real name - he was just SportzNut99.

At last, they had decided that this night could wait no longer. They would finally meet in person and have their first official date. They had talked about the date during their last online chat.

SportzNut99: How will we find each other?
CutiePie14: Let's play hide and seek. I'll hide and you seek.
SportzNut99: Sounds like ... fun. You're definitely worth the hunt.
CutiePie14: You should be looking for a hot brunette in a sexy little black dress.

Marina took a last glance in the mirror before heading out the door. The butterflies were starting to flutter, but she knew that a drink would calm them down.

A few minutes later, Marina entered The Den. As she made her way toward the bar, she felt the eyes of every man in the bar following her. It seemed that her assessment of this outfit was spot on - it was the perfect dress for her first date with SportzNut99.

"Marina," yelled Mick from the other side of the bar, "you are looking hot, babe. What can I get for you?"

"Double Dewar's, on the rocks."

"That's my kind of girl," replied the bartender.

Mick quickly brought the drink and added it to her tab. Marina took a quick gulp of the scotch in an attempt to gain some liquid courage. First dates always made her feel so nervous.

Marina grabbed what was left of the drink and found a nice, secluded table far from the front door of the bar. SportzNut99 was going to have to make an effort to find her - Marina was going to play at least a little bit hard to get.

Marina wondered what SportzNutz would be like. She was caught up in her daydreaming and didn't hear the footsteps as the man stopped behind her.

"Hey baby, guess who?" came a voice from behind her, as hands quickly covered her eyes.
It took a half second for Marina to recognize the voice.

"Michael?" she exclaimed, as she jumped up and spun around to face her equally stunned brother.