By Mike DC Current From NPC: The Bard of Aztaeron Josh, Zelda, Rory, and Jackson didn’t feel like the Four Warriors of Prophecy. They felt like four baristas starting a LARP campaign. Their mood shifted when they ran past the Carbonwood City gate. They each got a notification: Leaving Carbonwood Safe Zone. Good luck! A … Continue reading This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race
The Pin
By Jill Smith “Sorry I’m late,” Gwen said as she kissed Charlie and dropped her work bag inside his apartment door. “You are perfectly on time,” Charlie said. Gwen dashed into the bathroom, smoothed her hair, and pinched her cheeks to get a little color in them. Note to self: bring a makeup bag to … Continue reading The Pin
Bats: An Upware Fable
By Andy Cogan The bats, that had hibernated all winter, behind a hole in the fascia, under the eaves, above buttressed brick wall of the Old School House in Upware, emerged in the early spring to a strange world that was silent. Silent when they rested during the heat of the day. Silent when they … Continue reading Bats: An Upware Fable
The Fire
By Erni-Szakács Szilárd The Smith family was an ordinary one, living near the city center of Glasgow. John Smith, the head of the family, worked as a doctor at the local hospital. Due to his expertise and dedication, many respected him, as he saved numerous lives. His wife, Anne Smith, worked as a geography teacher … Continue reading The Fire
Evening on the Porch
By Eolas Pellor Brody was sitting on the swing, looking out at the Moon rising. He could feel in his joints that it was going to be a dewy night. Behind him the screen door opened and closed, quietly. He smiled; Charlie was the only person he knew who closed screen doors carefully. “How are … Continue reading Evening on the Porch
Training of the Guard
By Zachary Reger The inaugural journey of the Capitol Express met with resounding success. Passengers young and old, of high class and low, flocked to travel by train. The newly efficient route—with a faster engine and fewer stoppages—cut nearly three-quarters of an hour from the intercity trek. A solid foundation laid, the future of the … Continue reading Training of the Guard
Reflections on the Seasons
By Detlef Wieck I had not been sleeping well, and during the day, I found it hard to concentrate on writing. I seemed to have emptied my creative well. No stories or ideas found their way to the paper. It was as though, after the doctors’ diagnosis, there was an impediment, that was there, in … Continue reading Reflections on the Seasons
What if Love finds you when you stop running?
By Priyanka Pathak In a city where ambition is stitched into every seam and dreams shimmer brighter than the runway lights, Lakshi walked with purpose, her sketches tucked beneath her arm and her heart guarded by years of self-reliance. Love, she believed, was an accessory—beautiful, but never essential. Yet fate, with its own sense of … Continue reading What if Love finds you when you stop running?
Darkest before Dawn
By William Hardy ELIZA MATTHEWS 18th May, 2008 — 26th October, 2050 In my wake, I hope we meet again like we did on Earth. “What will happen to us now?” Megan said, wiping her eyes on her brother’s bed blanket. “We’ll get by somehow, but you’ll eat, okay?” Jesse said, rubbing her back. “I … Continue reading Darkest before Dawn
The Silence, the Darkness
By Rutger Middelburg I can’t remember ever being really afraid of anything. There was never any reason to, I guess. Not to fear for my actual physical safety at least. I don’t come from a neighborhood where every time you step outside is essentially a gamble against the quite considerable odds of being shot or … Continue reading The Silence, the Darkness
Academy of the Heart And Mind 