Release #1 - The Quarrel

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16 pages (FREE)

One-shot 1

The Quarrel

37 views • Mar 27, 2026

A Red-Tailed Hawk hunts an Orchard Oriole through New York's Central Park in this hand-painted watercolor short story.

AJLIn 13 hours ago

I really enjoyed reading it, and I want to ask if you were inspired by someone while writing it?

Glad you liked it! As a kid I had a bully who loved pushing me around. One day I socked him in the nose so hard it knocked him out cold. Lucky for me, his mom knew I was a good kid and that her son liked to pick on little guys so they let me off with a warning. And after that, we became friends! I think he went on to play hockey or somethin'

AJLIn 12 hours ago

Wow that’s quite a story 😲 It’s amazing how things turned around from being bullied to becoming friends. Did that experience change how you handle conflicts now? And I’m curious did you stay friends with him for a long time after that?

mdmendoza 12 hours ago

We went our separate ways when we went to different middle schools but I'd love to share a meal with him. I've always been a pacifist and this was really a one-time thing so I wouldn't say it shaped the way I handle conflict but it did reinforce my aversion to physicality lol. I felt so bad even though he deserved it--we were just kids!