Adventure

Moon of the Minotaur
“Just breathe.” Low growls answered, followed by hoarse exchanges of air. “I am.” “This will be over soon, Ty.” “It’s never that easy, Theo,” Tyler scoffed between his cycle of inhales and exhales.
By Brandon Hoy5 years ago in Fiction
The Mountain and The Wizard
***READ IN OLD FAIRY TALE TONE*** There once was a village that stood in the center of a valley. The village was prosperous and peaceful, yet small and simple. Life for everyone who lived there was easy and effortless but also unexciting and eventless. Massive mountains surrounded the valley on all four sides, the largest of which was to the North. On the Great Northern Mountain there was said to live a Wizard who watched over the village from afar. The villagers praised the Wizard for his protection and providence.
By Amber Trudeau5 years ago in Fiction
Where Dreams Lead
“Patience granddaughter,” the old man said for the tenth time. He didn’t need to look up to know that she was rolling her eyes at him, yet again. He smiled, but she hadn’t noticed, his face pointed down towards the black hole drilled into the hard ice between his feet.
By Glen Adams (glenadams.com)5 years ago in Fiction
The Darkness Before the Dawn
Some of the characters may look familiar from my stories Black Summer and Deep Sea. Those short stories were earlier works that eventually became this series.
By Natasja Rose5 years ago in Fiction
An untold story of one seaman
My entire life I have never met a person who would be indifferent to the sea. Most people love the sea, adore it. They picture slowly dancing turquoise waves, a light breeze and specular surface reflecting the skies. Hundreds of poets, musicians and artists are inspired by the sea and dedicate their works to it. As for me, I hate it. I hate the waters with all my heart and soul. Perhaps, because I often see the ugly and horrific side of the sea, the wild roar of cold plumbeous waves, a deafening howl of wind and the hopeless and desperate cries of fellow sailors. The sea is a starving beast, devouring everything that gets in its way. It`s a ruthless abyss, dragging down the victims indiscriminately.
By Ana Frowley5 years ago in Fiction
Prequel: Pasadena
My fingers tightened on the wheel and my shoulders hunched in frustration as the traffic crept slowly forward through the dark orange haze. With the wind from the north, the smoke from the fires in the Angeles National Forest choked the air. One of the benefits of living in Altadena, in addition to not being the only black face in the neighborhood, was the commute on surface streets rather than SoCal freeways. It usually took just 10 minutes to get to work. Traffic this morning though was slow, due to the unusual darkness and eerie hue caused by atmospheric smoke particles filtering out the blue wavelengths from the morning sunlight. As entrancing as the effect had been when I first experienced it while at Berkeley during the fires in 2020, the thrill had worn off with repetition. The traffic started to ease after I entered the park and, relaxing slightly, I turned north and soon was pulling into the Jet Propulsion Laboratory parking lot. The lot still half empty I was able to park near the entrance. Checking the fit of my N95 mask, left over from the pandemic, I got out of the Audi and quickly shut the door behind me. Through the fall of fine grey ash I headed into the building.
By Joe Dews5 years ago in Fiction
Golden Summer
It was noon on Friday. John and Mike sat at Pete’s table with Pete. Alice was waiting by the door expectantly. She was giddy as a child about to open a present. Pete was making small talk when the bell on the door rang out across the room. All conversation stopped as a woman in her thirties entered the restaurant. She had golden hair, crystal clear blue eyes, and a svelte figure. She was wearing a hunter’s outfit that was all green except for the one bit of color. On her right breast pocket was a marigold flower. Mike was entranced by her. Pete reached over the table and with his index finger closed Mike’s gaping mouth. “Mike, keep your composure.” John remarked. Mike shook his head to break the reverie as Alice was nearly skipping beside Joanne as the two women approached the table.
By Chris Purdom5 years ago in Fiction
The Marigolds
Trust yourself, and only yourself. That's what you learn from being a born and bred pageant girl. Everybody's just looking for somebody vulnerable to ally with. But as soon as you have no use any more, the knife appears. In your back.
By Kay Burwell5 years ago in Fiction
A Wild Storm
“We should be coming close to our stop.” Joshua whispered. We couldn’t risk any of Mr. Brooks’s men hearing our plan. My heart was pounding with fear even thinking about what could happen at the next train stop if we waited it out.
By Gabriella Dawson5 years ago in Fiction
Magnolia
"Ms. Tully… please call for Magnolia Riley to come to my office right away." Principal Sherwood hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair as she tapped her fingernails on her desk. A few moments passed before there was a knock on her door. "Come in."
By Megan Ashley Whited5 years ago in Fiction
Carol's Daughter
Carol knelt in the shadows, hiding from the Scavengers. It was difficult to do, as the Scavengers patrolled with heat-vision goggles. Three of them went by in a pack, digging into piles of rubble to retrieve any salvageable gear. She held her breath, not wanting any noise to give her away. Sid had been gone two days, and already her heart neared breaking. He’d knowingly gone to his death.
By Jacob Montanez5 years ago in Fiction
The Edge of the Wood
At the end of a not-much-traveled road, on the edge of a not-much-discovered wood, a bewildered weasel froze in terror as her amber eyes transfixed on what she could only surmise to be the flailing arms of a scrawny, young boy sailing through the air toward her burrow. His crackling, adolescent scream grew louder and nearer until it snapped the weasel’s trance and her instincts snatched her out of the way just as the boy crashed against the hillside with a thud.
By Ben Anderson5 years ago in Fiction