Category: Fantasy

Thorn, Sword, and Teardrop

I was sitting in a corner of the tavern, indulging in a hot and rich meal, and a lusty drink, when someone—as happens once in a while—noticed something worthy of notice about the quiet stranger sitting in the corner. And as happens once in a while, this person was bold enough to approach.

I hadn’t decided how I would respond until she was but a footstep away from me.

“If you’re wanting a night of passion, lass, look elsewhere,” I said. I glanced directly at her eyes and gave a nod of respect to let her know I meant no offense, and wanted no trouble.

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The Red Path to the Gray Cabin

The back of the closet seemed to lead onto a dirt road with a very much open sky above, a sky that looked overcast. Simone felt a chill coming from that direction, but that could be explained by an air conditioning vent.

Simone put her sneakers back on—Evie had insisted she take her shoes off before entering the house. Then she stepped forward and kicked at road, sending out a spray of dirt and tiny pebbles. Some of the reddish dust stuck the front of her sneakers.

Evie stood behind her. “This is like that wardrobe in—”

“Don’t say it.”

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Mystery of the Murderous Mug

“Someone in this room is a murderer,” the grandmother declared, pointing her finger out and sweeping it across the room. “They’ve put a strong sedative in one mug, a fast-acting poison in another, and a slow-acting poison in a third. Now, I put it to the Hero to solve one murder, prevent another, and wake the sleeper. But as the Hero is herself the sleeper, it falls to the Sidekick to save.”

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The Wolf and His Circle of Sisters

When the sixth child was born, they were horrified to see that it was a boy. Others told them that they were foolish to fear the curse that they feared would fall upon their son. All did seem well for a while, and they hoped that they were indeed foolish. But in his thirteenth year of life, Adrian began to show signs of transformation.

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The Day That Words Transformed

Once, there was a man who woke one morning, and upon uttering his first word for the day, discovered that the word was stuck in his throat, for the word had turned to stone.

He tried to cough out the stone, but he had uttered the word upon an exhale. He had no breath left to cough. He clutched at this throat, his eyes growing wide when he felt the stone slide down his throat. By instinct, he swallowed, and he felt the heavy lump descend through his chest and drop down into his belly.

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The Fool With the Clever Eyes

Hands in pockets, inhaling sharply, and exhaling a sigh, Freddie glanced around the room that was not an escape room. He was standing in front of a typical-looking door smoothly painted in a pleasant shade of beige. He adjusted his glasses and peered at the textures on the door’s surface. His friends murmuring amongst themselves behind him. They weren’t trying to get out of the room. They were trying to get into the next room.

That was the objective of the game. Because the room they were trying to get into was filled with treasure. And that “treasure” could have been anything from a book of gift certificates to a brand new car.

Freddie felt and heard the rumble in his stomach. He sighed again, turned his head around, and said a single word.

“Legerdemain.”

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The Stickers Are Legion

She blinked. But the scene did not change. She squeezed her eyes, then rubbed them.

The scene did not change.

Her niece was standing across from her, arms crossed, expression even more crossed, glaring down at her brother, who was lying on the ground, squirming and struggling.

Swarming all over Devin were tiny…creatures.

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