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
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
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
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
The dagger was all too real. Talya’s fingers hovered a breath above the obsidian blade resting on the velvet-lined pedestal; its edge shimmered beneath the flickering lamplight like oil on water. Magic hummed through the room like the buzz of insects—low, invisible, suffocating. She never nicked nothing like this before. Now, she wasn’t sure she … Continue reading Ashes and Echoes
Dense, tropical heat hung in the air, heavy with the scent of saltwater and damp earth. The sun hung low in the sky, casting its golden rays across the town nestled at the edge of the sea. Waves crashed against the shore. The slow susurrations against the sand, a reminder of nature’s unwavering pulse. Inside … Continue reading The Taste of Denial
Dariyus Lamanya sat in the rear wagon, watching the road behind. Dari had signed on as a guard with Master Charvis when Brother Balasar deemed him ready to face the world outside the village. Yarjerit Balasar, Vater’s clan brother, raised Dari in the male-dominated clan after Vater died in battle. Brother Balasar recognized Dari’s divine … Continue reading Dari
Jory slid silently along the wall, staying in the shadows. He heard the sentries in the distance and knew he only had another moment to find the door that Cal had left open for him and slip into the house. As he rounded the corner and slipped into the open door, he heard breathing in … Continue reading Won’t Get Away
A piece of my scattered mind.
Tavern Tales
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J.J. Shaun 