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The Girl from the Caves
It was a dark and stormy night. Probably-maybe. Hamish hadn’t left the barn in a couple of days, so he wasn’t entirely sure on the weather, but it may as well have been dark and stormy. Hamish felt dark and stormy, deep in his soul. An ominous scraping sound pulled his attention away from the baby rabbits he was nurturing. They scattered to the four corners of the pen and then immediately squished into the space between Hamish and the wall he leaned against. “I have to get up,” he apologized. He could hear more scraping — a wood crate sliding across a rough-hewn wood floor —…
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The Haunted Birthday
Moonlight sparkled through the glass panes of Acheron and Nell’s bedroom. For once Nell and Ach had enjoyed a night of peace and quiet. It was Nell’s birthday, and so the other parents had ensured they got a full night’s rest. They had tucked the children in before bed, and the ones sneaking out were being monitored by the other parents. It was, for lack of a better analogy, the eye of the storm. The storm — the hundreds of children that occupied Nell’s life (not all his, but more than he had ever expected) — were the storm, and this precious moment with Ach in his arms was absolute…
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Flight of an Untamed Beast
Spence startled awake. His mind struggled to catch up with his racing heart. When he settled his breathing he could hear it: Outside, something growled deep in the night. He worked to even his breaths. Beyond their bedroom, a field of sheep bleated urgently. He leaned over the edge of the bed and pulled his small dagger off of the end table. On his other side, Hannah stirred. He turned to her, his ear fixated on the window at his back. “Did you hear that?” Hannah whispered. She looked out the window, into the thick fog of night. Spence growled, a mockery of the sound he’d heard earlier. The sheep…
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Journey of an Undone Man
About 13 years ago… Endings have a strange, circular way of feeling like beginnings. This was the beginning of an end. I lay in what some call final repose. Was I at peace with my death? In many ways, yes: I believed I deserved it, for having ruined the lives of so many I loved. Conversely, my loves lived on. My son would be alone without me, and the world continued its inexorable march toward an unknown destination: The end of times? The final solar showdown? Stardust? Whatever it was, I would no longer be part of the journey. Some of the dying feel peace, they say.…
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Vent(s)
It was Sendvish — middle of the week, no mentionable anything tying that day to anything else, and it was after school. It was because of those key factors that Nim chose that day to sneak into the boys dorm room. She used the vents. Most people tried to break in by asking a Wiccan for an appearance or invisibility spell, by using a glamour, or by transforming somehow. The problem with the vents was that they were slick. The metal curved upward and the seams, forged by dwarves, were as close to non-existence as possible. This is where magic came into play. Nim used sticky Undine scales, a trademark…
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The Frost
It was a dark night, early in the winter season. The sun had set long before the table had been filled with fruits and platters of holiday meats — most notably the large gold-rimmed oval lined with the boney shanks of a lamb slain for the holidays. Sometimes the slaughter bothered Nell, but as the family gathered around the table to feast, he could sense the nourishment their lives would be filled with. Their table lacked one thing: a bowl of sweetened berries, stewed into a sauce and thickened on a bed of snow. Nell rose from the table. He glanced at the children and other members who were about…
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Bookworm
Nell turned back to look at Ach. He was no where in sight. His mind felt near. Nell searched for him. “Acheron?” He called out. There was no reply. “Ach!” Nell yelled. He was gone. “Hello? Acheron Alandrial!” He channeled the thoughts this is not funny in hopes Ach would hear him, but there was nothing there. More than Ach being gone an emptiness crept over Nell. “Acheron!” Something stirred. It’s mind felt like sludge. It was fixated on Nell. Hunting Nell. Nell fluttered his wings and looked for what wanted him, but he couldn’t find it anywhere. Just before he gave up the round collapsed. Something had wrapped itself…
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The Flight
Dusk came with a waxing crescent, twinkling stars, and the hoots of animals from all around. Nell walked beside his son, Oisin, as they ensured the livestock (monsters) were situated for the night. The two redheads with wings, Oisin with his bright red-orange hair, and Nell with his dusty ginger hair, were investigating a broken chain in an enclosure for an animal that seemed like a kangaroo crossed with a jackrabbit. Nell gleaned a passing mind, something intelligent and aves (bird) like. “Something is coming,” Nell warned Oisin. “I know,” Oisin replied. “It likes you.” “You can’t know that,” Nell insisted, though he could sense the same wave of intrigue.…
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Army of Souls
If you listen closely you can hear the sounds of every season. Winter brings the eerie cracking of branches that have been overcome by frost. Spring brings birds chirping as new life emerges. Summer is laughter. Fall, most of all, is the sound of leaves beneath your feet. Konrad and Nell descended into a sweeping valley. With each step, more leaves crunched beneath them. The world was turning toward fall. As they strode Nell noticed a chirping sound. It sounded like some sort of beetle except the chirps were new and distinct to Nell’s ears. He followed the sound over to a mound of dirt and charred wood. Nell lifted…
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Henry
A secret is best kept, only kept, if no one knows about it. It stood to reason that bringing Corban to the secret arctic lab would forever demote it to a simple known arctic lab, but Corban was good with secrets. Today, they were formulating the idea for a hybrid beast. What he wanted was a vicious penguin, but cuddly too. As they walked through the lab they passed by the empty nest of a failed creation: Henry. He was supposed to be cuddly, warm, loving. Instead, he was rough and excitable. He had teeth too sharp to cuddle. They had found an oasis for him — a jungle that…