Mark Gagnon
Bio
My life has been spent traveling here and abroad. Now it's time to write.
I have three published books: Mitigating Circumstances, Short Stories for Open Minds, and Short Stories from an Untethered Mind. Unmitigated Greed is do out soon.
Achievements (1)
Stories (468)
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Hidden From View. Top Story - February 2024.
“I don’t understand why you don’t like the snow, Grandpa. Look at how beautiful the hills look, tucked under a blanket of white. I love how the starlight reflects off the pristine snow. It gives the field a soft, winter wonderland look. Everything is so beautiful, Grandpa. I see nothing here to dislike. Didn’t you tell me this is where you grew up as a child?”
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Transfixed
I stared into cold, dead, unreadable eyes. Maybe he would allow me to pass. No harm, no foul. Just two creatures whose paths fate briefly allowed to intersect. We moved in an arc, each participant in this deadly dance transfixed on the other. The cobra’s glistening scales rippled as he adjusted his position, searching for an advantage, something I had no intention of allowing him. My fur bristled in anticipation of his next move. My lips pulled back in a snarl, exposing razor-sharp fangs.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
I’m Your First
I went bug-eyed with anticipation the first time I saw you walk into the backyard. Will you be the one? Has my savior finally come to rescue me from my lonely, neglected existence? In my current condition, I’ll understand if you walk on by without a second glance. Maybe you’ll show me some compassion and look past my rough edges and unkempt trappings to see my true beauty. I didn’t always look like this. All you need to do is look at my baby pictures to recognize my true beauty hidden away beneath this time-worn exterior.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Pristine
My clothing drips with perspiration as the sweat pours from my body. To look at me, you would think I was trudging through the desert instead of plodding through a foot of fresh snow in sub-zero weather. My heart pounds so hard I’m sure it’s echoing throughout the valley, making it easier for the beasts to find me. I’ve never thought of myself as prey, but now I know how a deer feels.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Weapon V
Alan, Jack, and Bill stared dumbfounded at the now silent phone, while an occasional large piece of concrete from the decimated building across the way fell to the ground, shattering itself into small chunks. The wail of sirens and the shouts from the injured and those attempting to rescue them filled the area surrounding the embassy. Chaos reigned. Without speaking, Alan motioned for his associates to place their phones on the desk and follow him to the SKIF. Once the three were securely inside and the door sealed, they were free to develop a plan of action.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Chapters
Snowflake
Yes, Snowflake is my name and I’m proud of it. It’s a name that describes my pure white crystalline color. When people think of me, they think of my intricate design and the way I gently float from the clouds above. Did you know that none of my kind are exactly alike? We are billions, and every one of us is unique. Unlike humans, we will never have a twin. I’m also delicate. It only takes a ripple of air or a puff of your breath to send me soaring away. Maybe it’s because of my unassuming countenance that you find it so easy to defame me.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Unappreciated
Today is the big day, is it? After all these years together, I’m going to be happily tossed out with the trash without as much as a farewell, or I appreciate all that you have done for me. Have you forgotten that I was with you from the very beginning? Without my help, many of your major accomplishments would never have happened. Let’s look back at what you and I have done together.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
The Great Debate
There have been many memorable debates since the beginning of humanity: Brutus v. Marc Antony, Lincoln v. Douglas, and Kennedy v. Nixon have all earned their place in history. None has been more contentious than the battle between Grandma Parker’s custard pie with a graham cracker crust and meringue topping versus newcomer Mildred O’Connor’s blueberry pie with a buttery pastry crust and lattice top.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Fiction
Weapon II
https://exclusiveofferhub.life/chapters/weapon-d23ba09q6 Here is the link to part one of this story. I hope you enjoy it. The brain-renting sound stopped as suddenly as it had started. Dead birds and shattered dishes were the only physical evidence from the attack. People wandered about in a semiconscious daze clutching their heads and pounding their foreheads with clenched fists in a futile attempt to reduce the pain racking havoc in their brains. Out of an overabundance of caution, I had fitted a pair of noise-canceling hearing aids before leaving the embassy, which lessened but not eliminated, the sound's brain-scrambling effects. Unfortunately, Sergei and Li did not have the same protection.
By Mark Gagnon2 years ago in Chapters
