With the midday sun beaming down from above, waves crashed on the rocky shore before me. A gust kicked up, carrying drops of water from the crashing waves to strike against my legs. Combined, it wa...
2024-01-17 08:37:58 +0000 UTC View Post“You’re sure this is a good idea, Fischer?”
I stood tall, peeking over the wooden tabletop I’d borrowed from the woodworkers. “Yeah, why’s that?”
She looked from me, to th...
2024-01-15 09:13:08 +0000 UTC View PostAs we strode over grass and between trunks, a slight breeze rustled the canopy above us. The scents of earth and decaying leaf litter drifted on the air, dulling the edges of my troubled thoughts.<...
2024-01-12 07:55:23 +0000 UTC View PostThe taste of lemon danish lingered on my tongue. It was sweet, morish, and light, yet insignificant compared to the silence that stretched between everyone in the bakery. Gazes were turned toward w...
2024-01-11 07:58:16 +0000 UTC View PostBeneath the sandy soil surrounding Tropica village, a prince woke from a restful sleep.
He wished he hadn’t.
The moment he was conscious, the storm of thoughts returned. They crashed ...
2024-01-10 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostSomething light smacked into my back, making a noise like sheets flapping in the wind. Borks let out a yelp and dashed away at incredible speed, his back legs trying to overtake the front ones. Whe...
2024-01-08 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostSequestered deep beneath the surface of Tropica, a grin came to Ellis’s face.
“Wondrous...” he said to himself, checking the results again.
He carefully removed the section of bon...
2024-01-05 03:54:32 +0000 UTC View PostHello, friends.
I'm taking an unplanned hiatus from today. I'm rather unwell at the moment with an infection in my chest and both inner ears, along with a cheeky perforated eardrum. This isn'...
2023-12-28 12:35:15 +0000 UTC View PostIn the fading afternoon light, Cinnamon woke from a wonderful nap atop the headland rocks. She stretched her body out, lounging in the cushions comprising the nest she lay in. The female pelican ha...
2023-12-28 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostA swath of purple and orange colors painted the sky in the predawn light. Beneath that beautiful vista, Maria and I raced over the sands. Borks loped between us, his golden fur streaked back in the...
2023-12-27 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe warm light of magical fire lit the way as Ellis strode with purpose down the church’s hallway.
His attention had been divided over the past couple of days, but now that the trade route ...
2023-12-25 08:05:25 +0000 UTC View PostA few hours earlier, we sat before a campfire. The smell of deep-fried fish was in the air, and Maria’s giggles joined the faint sound of waves lapping the shoreline. Her joy was a soothing balm ...
2023-12-22 08:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostAs the sun rose ever higher in the sky, its light stole through gaps in the canopy above. When I’d first come across this patch of grass, it had been a clearing; the space around the blue-trunked...
2023-12-21 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostAs I lay in the shade with a sausage dog on his back between my arm and body, I drifted in and out of sleep. Each time my awareness returned to the waking world, I smiled and rubbed Borks’s belly...
2023-12-20 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostThe room I woke up in was so cold that I couldn’t feel my face. I shimmied further under the covers, and when I felt Maria’s warmth at my side, a wave of endorphins coursed through me. With my ...
2023-12-18 10:50:15 +0000 UTC View PostBarry watched over Ellis’s shoulder as the door opened, revealing the room beyond.
Various tubs lined the space. There was an odd contraption on the wall, but as Ellis walked over and pulle...
2023-12-15 09:39:08 +0000 UTC View PostWarmth flowed through me as I slowly returned to the waking world.
A comfortable weight rested on my arm. When I opened my eyes, a small smile came to my face. Maria was still asleep, on her ...
2023-12-14 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostIt was, by all measurable metrics, a wonderful morning in Tropica. The sun was bright and warm, banishing the night’s chill. A soft breeze blew, giving the air a fresh quality. I just had some so...
2023-12-13 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostI spun for what felt like an eternity in the whitewash. There was neither up nor down, and I fought against the disorientation, my limbs extending in an attempt to find purchase. The ocean water wa...
2023-12-11 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostWith the sun guiding our way, Barry, Theo, and I walked toward the ocean. The soft breeze blowing toward us was cool against my skin, the cold of night not yet banished by the day’s warmth. The a...
2023-12-08 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostAs we strode beneath the crescent moon, I frowned at the load of iron ore now covering the tabletop.
“These rocks are way uglier than the lizard, Fergus.”
He grinned at me.
...
2023-12-07 08:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostA soft drizzle was all that remained of the storm as we dashed over the sands. The sun peered out from between clouds, glinting off the water droplets and casting a vast rainbow in the distance. I ...
2023-12-06 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe stale air assaulted my senses, made even more noticeable by the fresh smell of rain I’d been running through for the past half hour. The storm raged outside, filling the cavern with its roar....
2023-12-04 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostAs a bejeweled hand sailed toward my head—extremely slowly, might I add—I marveled at the rings adorning it. Four bands of precious metal and one of—was that iron?—adorned his fing...
2023-12-01 08:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostMy skin prickled with nervous sweat as Maria and I jogged across the sand, traveling as fast as we could without revealing that we were cultivators. Brigadier Borks loped beside us, his eyes and ea...
2023-11-30 08:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostLike a bat out of hell, Warrant Officer Williams flew flipper-first into the nightmare doggo.
I had but a moment to fear for the new arrival’s wellbeing, but then Bill made contact. He pinw...
2023-11-29 08:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostAlright, gang. You know the drill. Let's say - purely hypothetically, of course - that there were a hellhound that needed a new name.
I have a name picked out that sparks joy, but I'd be remiss ...
Inky tendrils spread from the paw that stepped through, so dark that they stood out against the black of night.
A lithe form poured after it. The dog-shaped creature hunched, gathering power ...
2023-11-27 05:44:54 +0000 UTC View PostThe following month was perhaps the most restful period since my arrival in Tropica, despite the growth of Barry’s congregation and their escalating shenanigans.
We’d run out of metal to ...
2023-11-24 08:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostWith the morning sun filtering down from above—and giggles flowing freely from my mouth—I ran for my life.
“I’m sorry! I was only joking!”
“Get him, Claws!” Maria yelled, ...
2023-11-23 08:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post