Category: Fiction
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President’s Day
Rodolfo tapped the brakes again and brought the SUV to the softest halt that he could. He was now at the end of a short vehicle line, cars his size and the occasional camper waiting for the parking lot just downhill. He shaded his eyes with his left hand and stared through the windshield at…
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The Orint of Maguman
Heffod the Blort shifted his lower torso forward again awkwardly and heaved himself upward. These blocky steps in bipedal constructions were so annoying, but the treasures were so often worth a little extra effort. Still, there was no denying it. This planet’s gravity was not friendly to the Blort. Heffod beheld the open and undefended…
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Another Year Gone
The cult leader wore purple velvet, distinguishing his status from the other 11 men and women in red. His place in front of the 12 pointed star was primary, inlaid in silver versus their simple maple ornamentation on the large dark table that dominated the center of the room, though they gathered as equals tonight.…
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Day of the Turkeys
“Hey, Evan, have you seen Charlie? I can’t find him anywhere. Did he have sentry duty downstairs again today?” Evan shifted in his chair next to the East stairwell. He nodded to the calendar hung on a corkboard next to the stairs. The 23rd had been crossed out in marbled gray by a dying black…
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Giddy up, Jingle Horse
Final Report of the Joint Commission of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee for Supernatural Affairs, Investigating the Events of December 25, 2021. RELEASED APRIL 1, 2022 SUMMARY All original goals of this collaborative diplomacy action are reported as successful, albeit with a final warning. The Commission has unanimously voted…
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The Upper West Side Express
Randall grunted and licked his lips. Barbequed dog hair? He exhaled. Ugh, no, that’s my own breath. Also, ow. He forced an eye open, and sat upright with a start, head throbbing. This was not his apartment. Fuzzy memories clawed their way back to the surface. Drinks after work with Colin to celebrate their contract win. Hey, that two…
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Icky and the Girl
The new city council was in its first session, sitting around a small table in relative darkness, lit by a single candle. Despite the discomfort of the room’s low ambient temperature, the fireplace was out. Antonia, Magistrate of the Isle of Curth following the untimely death of her husband five years ago, considered the group…
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A Halloween Story
The foul beasts gathered before me in an alleyway, eager to share their night’s scores with each other, as we agreed. It was nearly midnight. This annual tradition, young children in costume roaming the foggy early evening in small groups, was usually easy work. If you knew the right neighborhoods, sometimes there would be only…
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I’m sorry, Billy
“I’m sorry, Billy. Really, we all are. Let me try to explain again.” The professor thought back over the last three days. He wondered again what this meant for his grant proposal to continue such field excavations with high school students in the future. The four members of his research team, and three high school…
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Office Hours
Archwizard Stefan Sternenlicht hefted the small sack of coins in his right hand, the rough fabric immediately scratching and itchy. He dropped the sack in a desk drawer and turned to the young man sitting upright in an overstuffed chair in front of Stefan’s desk. The bowtie was a nice accent to the full suit,…