Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Fiction.
JACK OF DIAMONDS
Chap 7 - Pt 1 (But then two hours there before...) Artie woke up before the dawn. His muscles ached from the climb up the wall last night, but he fell to the floor and did forty quick push-ups regardless. He wasn’t getting any younger, he told himself as soon as he finished. Still, it had been an exhilarating climb, even if he felt as if he’d been beaten with a cricket bat. He remembered how the first time he’d tried climbing he nearly fell; since then, he carried a rope in case he ran into any obstacles. So far, that only happened the one time, in London; and he’d broken a finger that time.
By ben woestenburg5 years ago in Fiction
The Debt Must Be Paid in Full
My chest tightened; it was squeezing my heart to a standstill. Every muscle in my body seized. I held my chin high, and looked serene, just as my mother would have. My steely hair up in a bun on top of my head, just like she wore hers. I look like her from the iridescent scales that run down my midnight colored shoulders and thighs to my fingers, overly long for a human with fingertips more talon than fingernail. Still in moments like these—a very human cold sweat rolls down my back. My breaths are short and shallow enough to remind me that I am not a fierce, powerful half dragon who commands fear and respect. I’m just a lone hatchling of a meager 13 years. For three seasons I’ve been running my family’s inn—the exact number of seasons that have passed since my father died of grief.
By Krystena Lee5 years ago in Fiction
7 Days
The transformation is complete. I take a gasping breath. Who am I this time? I quickly look around. I’m in a kitchen. People around me are working at the many counters, some mixing dough, others putting finishing touches on creations. I look down. I’m wearing an apron and my male hands are covered in flour. In front of me is some sugar cookie dough rolled out. It’s a bakery. I reason that it may be easier to pretend I know what I’m doing than if this had been a full restaurant kitchen, with many recipes to learn on the fly. I realize baking can be a sophisticated and delicate craft, but hopefully I’m not expected to be at that level. I remember being a teenaged girl about 40 weeks ago, give or take. I was watching my grandmother make cookies. I take the cookie cutter and start pressing it in the dough, trying keep the circles close to have less dough to reroll. Just when I’m feeling proud of myself for jumping right into the situation, a woman walks up behind me and yells, “Walters, pick up the pace! You should have had two batches in the oven by now. Either finish or I’ll hire the next homeless person who comes through the door begging for a handout.” She’s intense, with her hair pulled back severely in a bun, arms behind her back like a drill sergeant. I’m thankful that customers are not privy to this rant.
By Julie Lacksonen5 years ago in Fiction
JACK OF DIAMONDS
Chap 6 - Pt 2 (A PRINCESS IN INTERVENTION...) Sonia followed Nigel around the circular driveway, looking up at the facade that was the front entranceway of Bedloe Manor. The masonry was trimmed with a light cream coloured brickwork, the building itself was brownstone; there were hedgerows and garden-beds running along the length of the foundation, as well as manicured walking paths that would have done any groundskeeper proud.
By ben woestenburg5 years ago in Fiction
bread for the maestra.
i. As far as Nina and Kiki know, the first time I met their Father was at the Bakery. It was easy to assume, as Ryohei wasn’t exactly the most sociable person, and most of the few people he did know were Bakery regulars. In some way, it was the truth.
By A Baptiste5 years ago in Fiction
the mourning before.
It was the idle times like these - with the steady sound of chopping carrots, the quiet gurgling of boiling water, the soft plop of potatoes being dropped in, the smoke curling up and vanishing - that I allow myself to remember the night we first met.
By A Baptiste5 years ago in Fiction
JACK OF DIAMONDS
Chap 6 - Pt 1 (A PRINCESS IN INTERVENTION...) Sonia checked her look in the small compact’s mirror. One last time, she told herself, before turning the key and shutting the engine down. She pulled on the handbrake before touching the corners of her lips and wiping a small smear of lipstick she’d missed the first two times she’d checked; she had to ask herself if it even mattered anymore.
By ben woestenburg5 years ago in Fiction
Hanna, the Barberian, and the Quest Into the Four Portals
(Adamis): Last time in our tale, we became mystery solving sleuths; just another distraction from the true mystery that awaited us: "How many portals did Virga make, and do ANY TRULY lead back to her capture...?"
By Kent Brindley5 years ago in Fiction
Hanna, the Barberian, and the Quest Into the Four Portals
(Ungah): (Standard grunts and growls; footage from Part 3). A ruby-colored motorcycle, surrounded by two sidecars, pulled up to the local malt-shop, "The Drive-In Dine." Hanna dismounted the vehicle that she couldn't remember knowing how to drive and removed a white helmet.
By Kent Brindley5 years ago in Fiction
