I have a small set of Story Engine cards I picked up at a Free RPG Day a couple of years ago. From time to time, I use them to help prompt a story. For this offering, I drew up “a model wants to gain freedom from a seductive poison, but it means giving up … Continue reading Canceled
I often write to prompts offered on writing.com. Some time ago, a different type appeared, and I sat on it. Being a “ruminator”, some prompts take a while to mature. This was one such story. At birth, everyone has the date they will die tattooed on their arm. You were supposed to die yesterday. I … Continue reading Expired!
Rain slicked the stones of the path like old glass, turning it into a treacherous trail toward the Frost Tower. Lash moved with practiced ease, boots steady on the slick surface. She’d tracked the horned beasts across frozen ridges and slept in hollow trees to escape the cold bite of death. But today, she wasn’t … Continue reading The Frost Tower
A cool wind sweeps through the ancient forest, rustling the leaves of the towering oaks, whispering secrets in the oldest of languages. The trees stand like silent sentinels, branches heavy with the weight of centuries, roots reaching deep in the earth. To those who know the woods, as does Mu’Yan, it is home, a vast, … Continue reading Mu’Yan: The Lost Child
The ship descended like a tear from the sky, green fire trailing behind as it tore through the Earth’s upper atmosphere. For a full thirty seconds, it lit up the evening sky over Colorado—a falling star too large, too slow, too deliberate. Then came the sound, rolling like thunder across the eastern plains. It hit … Continue reading The Green of the Elvar
Adrah had never felt truly at home in the village, where people called her “Wanderer,” though no one knew exactly where she’d wandered from. They whispered as she passed, casting quick glances at her face, hoping to glimpse whatever secrets she carried. She’d grown used to their stares, but it was the mirror that made … Continue reading Reflections
The sun rose early over the Dragonspine Mountains, casting its golden light across the forested valleys below. Birds screamed, warnings piercing the trees. Dry wind twisted through the cedars. The sky stretched cloudless. At the edge of the old world, Artin stood barefoot in the dewy grass, staring at the horizon where darkness should have … Continue reading The Longest Day
Smoke curled from the vendor stalls, thick with the of charred meat and burned spices. The market pulsed with activity—flickering hands, quick bargains, laughter too sharp and sudden. Beneath it all, beat a different rhythm. It was the beat of watching eyes. Of footsteps that didn’t belong. Kael crouched behind a stack of dried reeds, … Continue reading Don’t Look Now
Qilynn and the group met Master Vance at breakfast. “You’ll guard the wagon as we travel to Thistle,” he said. “We need to deliver supplies and medicine to the village. Questions?” “Aye,” said Tumorgi. “Don’t the baron have a squad o’ guards t’ send? Seems like the three of us won’t be much protection against … Continue reading Qilynn: Thistle
Sue woke early to the rustle of paws on the tiles, a clear sign the cats prowled the kitchen. Maynerd, the long-haired tabby perched on the windowsill, surveyed his imaginary kingdom. Toffee and Piper tangled on the floor, pawing a loose corner of the old rug. She threw on her robe, stuffed her feet into … Continue reading The Zucchini Incident
Books, games, music, and life — filtered through the mind of a writer, drummer, and philosopher who thinks too deeply about all of it. If it moves something in your chest, I'm interested.
Tavern Tales
Poetry BLOG By Edge of Humanity Magazine
New Writing Engaging with the Sacred
J.J. Shaun 