On the one-hundred-year anniversary of the great war that nearly destroyed them, the people of Naraquaua began to wonder how long their peace would last. Two hundred years ago, a despotic ruler came to power and asserted himself as a god. Three hundred years ago, a great evil poisoned the kingdom and all its people,… Continue reading Hero
Category: Microfiction
Regular
Now that he was employed in a meaningful way, Douglas was fairly certain that he was supposed to find a bar to frequent. He wasn’t sure where the idea came from, as he didn’t much like the taste or associated sensations of alcohol, but he liked the bar concept. The young professional persona he had… Continue reading Regular
Tiny Dragons
His phone was ringing. Gerry didn’t mind calls, especially on a Friday night at home, but Fjorik’s nostrils flared, and it was best not to challenge Fjorik. Bjornhard and Thuumbrig were more agreeable, but Gerry doubted he would challenge them either. The phone rang again. Somehow it sounded more urgent this time. Gerry picked it… Continue reading Tiny Dragons
Edit
By the time she regained consciousness, she was already dead. She was sure of it. The transfer seemed to be a success, and as they had explained, the old mind would die as its last synapses copied over. Now she was new. She thought through her name, the date, the president, all of the amnesiac… Continue reading Edit
Donkey Kong
Although her photoshoot was only a few blocks away, Pauline was considering other routes. No, she had no good alternative. The most direct path took less than ten minutes to walk. Just getting to the nearest subway station would take longer, and due to construction, any cab would have to make a significant detour. The… Continue reading Donkey Kong
Uninhabited
As she descended through the clouds, she made a note. “Clouds: a promising sign.” This was the first planet she had found with water, or anything like water. Once she’d passed through the atmosphere (an atmosphere, too!), she gasped. Vegetation? They were of unusual shapes and bluer than ones she’d known, but unmistakably alive. She… Continue reading Uninhabited
Genie
Farahad knocked against the tree again. He was sure he heard a voice calling out to him from underground. Somewhere in this graveyard was a prisoner. She sounded desperate, though her screams were incoherent. He tried pushing gravestones. He felt against the lone tree for any kind of mechanism or passageway, but it seemed to shy from… Continue reading Genie
Outing
The air in the room was stuffy. Whoever had stayed here last had been a smoker, and contemptuous of signs. “We can ask for another room if you want,” Jeremy suggested, but Joel shook his head. The mountain air was too cold, and he was too tired to go back outside. Joel had asthma. He… Continue reading Outing
Infested
The house was sterile most days. The nights even more so; not only still, but quiet. Only in the mornings as the people left and in the evenings when they returned did anything happen at all. This was fine. Ollie spent his time alone asleep. Twice a day he would make his rounds, lest the… Continue reading Infested
Lois Lane
This afternoon, in what would have been a lunch break for anyone else, Lois Lane typed another entry as usual into the portfolio of her inevitable Pulitzer Prize. Despite interruptions from junior staffers, she was able to maintain her concentration, relating another improbable but true adventure of humans beyond humans. “So how about that Superman?”… Continue reading Lois Lane