Adam Franco
Stories (11)
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Dragon Scorned
Clambering metals in the night interrupt an otherwise peaceful slumber. A group of knights stormed a cave filled with coins and jewels. A symphony of coloured riches that lay as the dragon's bed. They paint the walls with beautiful lights as the armoured mob's torches lit the treasured cave. The large dragon thrashes about with it's tail and claws, taking out some of the brave soldiers that dared enter the scaled beast's abode. They scream and groan as their metal apparel slams against rock, yet their resolve is mighty. Fire from the beast's mouth scorches some others, yet they push on. The dragon is soon overwhelmed by the number against it. It did all it could, but there were too many to combat against with their aria of weaponry. As she lay defeated, one young knight, too scared to enter the initial fray, stayed back to start collecting the lost treasures. The beautiful colours no longer danced on the walls of the cave, only death loomed there now. Rustling came from under the mound of riches. The dragon had a child, presumably why it fought so hard. She was protecting her child from the human invaders. The dragon child shook in fear with its reveal to the knight. The poor thing had witnessed the end of its mother's life and this might spell the the same fate for it as well. The knight, however, took pity on the scaly child and would not harm it. He left the cave for a moment to see if others returned to assist in the acquiring of the treasures, and there they came with carts to load, yet far enough still for the little dragon's escape. The knight rushed in and the dragon staggered back, caught off guard while nuzzling its mother gone. The knight waved the dragon to leave the cave, swinging his arms frantically to maybe scare the child to flee. The dragon took heed, ran out of its home and took flight into the dawn's rising hours. The knight let out a sigh of relief as the others returned none the wiser to the dragon child's existence. He looked into the sunrise, hoping he did the right thing.
By Adam Franco4 years ago in Fiction
Grimm Tidings
Racing footsteps rage forward on the thick ice of the frozen pond. Roars of opposing forces cut through the crisp, cold air. A battle of myths, made manifest, is to be had. A grotesque, giant, monster goose shrieks a horrifying sound as its enemies draw near. The four women who had summoned their mother goose, were engulfed by the very monster they thought to rely on. They screamed in horror as they were swallowed into the monster's body. It needed the energy to fight the encroaching warriors of fable, so it took it from its own kin. Seven bearded dwarves lead the charge, with a beast and five knightly heroes, one whom rode atop a big wolf, following suit. The two Grimm brothers, Karl and Carl stayed back to watch the ensuing mayhem. The child knight, Ruby and her wolf companion, Fen, ran alongside the beast, Adam, to come up with a quick plan of attack. "Ruby and I will attack one of its wings. Come up with a way to get at its head while we have it distracted," Fen demanded as he ran ahead. "Right, on it," Adam caught up to the dwarves, "I'm going to start throwing you at the head of whatever the hell this is. Try to get its eyes, if not do some bigger damage." "I like the way you think, laddie," the dwarf leader exclaimed. "Alright, furball, gimme a good throw," another dwarf said. Fen leapt into the air with Ruby holding tightly onto his tufts of fur, as he bit down on one of the monster goose's wings. It shrieked in pain as Fen pulled the wing downwards. Ruby climbed over Fen and onto the wing and swung her axe into the wing multiple times, trying to cleave it off. The monster goose was about to bite either Fen or Ruby, but Adam started chucking the dwarves at her head. The dwarves let out war cries as they flew through the air and grabbed hold of the ghastly feathers, as they landed on the monster. They began to strike the monster with their pickaxes and hammers. They eventually were able to strike the eyes and blind her. She shook her head more violently and the dwarves were tossed about. They grunted as they hit the ground, some having the wind knocked from them. The armour would see to them having little damage though. The other four knightly heroes, Allie, Anabelle, Pearl and Philip struck the torso with their swords and spears. The monster goose started thrashing about in pain, knocking them all back. Fen saved Ruby from hitting the ground too hard and the dwarves got up to pull the others away from harm. They watched as the monster goose flailed about blindly and bled out. It was almost sad if it weren't a malicious monster. They let out a collective sigh of relief as it lay dead and took a moment.
By Adam Franco4 years ago in Fiction
Horror In The Ice
Dawn breaks on the farm as the sun's rays enter the house. The beast, Adam, awakes when the sun hits his eyes before the rooster can sing its morning song. He gets up from his makeshift bed on the floor and goes to the window to see the twin brothers standing outside in the distance. Ana is the second to wake up. She gets up from the couch that laid beside Adam and goes to him. She grabs his clawed hand, "is everything okay?" He continues to lock his gaze on the brothers, "it's time to go," he points at the brothers with a nod. Ana looks out of the window and sighs, "I'll get the others," she walks upstairs to retrieve Allie and Pearl. Adam doesn't withdraw his sight from the two brothers. Ana walks into the bedroom where the other two women are sleeping, "rise and shine. We got work to do." "Morning," Pearl gets up without retaliation, but the same does not go for Allie as she groans, "ten more minutes." "The brothers are already here. We gotta go," Ana commands. Pearl heads downstairs and towards Adam, "good morning, Adam. They're already here, huh?" "Morning, Pearl. Yes, it looks like they are men of their word. So far," Adam says still slightly distrustful of them. It was almost as if they put a spell on them last night, he thought. They had done as they were told without question and slept well, despite what had transpired. There was more to them than they let on, Adam believed. Meanwhile upstairs, Allie reluctantly gets up with some prodding from Ana, "fine, fine! I'm up." "They're right outside, so we gotta get going," Ana reiterates. "They couldn't even come in for breakfast? Jeez," Allie jokes and yawns. They head downstairs to regroup and meet the Brothers Grimm outside.
By Adam Franco4 years ago in Fiction
The Brothers' Tales
The bright, setting sun beats down the last of its warm rays onto the farm. The grass and dirt are ripped, as a beast drags the bodies of monsters to a large shed. Two young women open the doors for the beast to stow the ghastly corpses away. Another young woman is petting a fearful bull. A terrifying battle has just been won and others remain. The sullen looks of those involved tell that story all too well. The beast throws the monsters' bodies into the shed and shuts the doors behind him. "You okay, Adam," one woman asks the beast. Adam nods, "yes, Anabelle. How are you feeling?" "A little shaky. A little nervous, but I'll be fine," Ana says unsure of herself and their future, "how are you holding up, Allie?" The other woman at the shed was quiet as she was lost in her thoughts. "Allie," Ana tries to snap her friend out of it. She comes to, "there was a wrecked motorcycle in the shed. I could make out the plate. It was Tom's," she thinks of a missing friend and looks to the bar, "could he be one of the animals, too?" Adam and Ana looked to each other. They didn't know how to respond. If he had not been killed, then it was a certainty that he was an animal within the barn, if not the bull itself. Allie went towards the bull to see if it was him. Maybe he could speak again, she thought. "Hey, uh. Thanks again for the save. Do you have a name? Is it Tom," Allie inquired. Though the bull regained some of its humanity from the transformation, speaking proved difficult. It instead shook its head, no. Allie sighed and slumped. Tom could be any one of the animals there, she thought. It, however, did not stop her resolve. She marched to the barn and questioned every animal there, to no avail. Some blankly stared. Others skittered off. The third young woman, Pearl, led the bull back to the barn, "here. We'll try to figure this out. We'll try to get everyone here and out there back to normal. I promise. Just stay here until we do, okay?" The bull nodded and went to its pen. Allie also felt reassured by Pearl's words. She was young, but her words carried weight to Allie. Simple and nothing dramatically flashy, but authentic and with conviction. "Allie. Pearl," Ana called to them from outside the barn. They walked out to find Ana with Adam, beckoning them. "Let's head in for the night. It's getting dark," Adam leads them to the house, "we'll come up with our next move. Then we should rest for the night." "Good idea. It's been quite the day," Allie exclaims. Pearl's expression shrinks with the thought of the events. Allie notices, puts her hand on her shoulder and smirks. Giving her the same reassurance Pearl gave her just moments ago, though unspoken. They head inside to plan and rest.
By Adam Franco4 years ago in Fiction
The Telltale Bull
Leaves crunch and twigs snap violently, as a frightened girl sprints from horror. It is long behind her, giving no chase, yet she cannot shake that which resides in her mind. Her brother, gone. Her parents, as well. All taken from her by a monstrous witch in the woods. What started out as a family camping trip, turned into a terror, unimaginable. She runs and runs. Into bushes. Into branches. She does not care. She is scratched and dirtied. She pays that no mind. How would she explain what had happened to others? How would she ask for help? She knows not these answers. Run, run, run. Live, live, live. She had that mantra focus her to do just that, for she did not know how to do anything else but that at the moment.
By Adam Franco4 years ago in Fiction
An Enchanted Beast
It's a beautiful day in a small country town. No clouds stifling the blue skies. Only the radiant beams of the glowing sun, bathing the lands with its splendor. Birds sing their songs as they sweep the open air. A breeze gently brushes by those in town. It's a perfect day for a walk, Anabelle thought. She had just moved to the little town on the countryside, and never really took in the quaint lifestyle it offered. It was time to do a little tour of the town and getting the step counter up on her pedometer was a bonus. Ana peered around the corner from the hallway into the living room, and smiled as she looked at her dog, lying in his dog bed. "Maurice," she called out to her companion as his ears perked up, "walk?" The dog sprung up, tail wagging wildly, as he pranced his way to her. Ana grabbed his leash and put it on him, "good boy, Maurice, yeah." The dog danced around her as she put on her shoes, orbiting her like a planet to its star. They made their way out the door to hit the town.
By Adam Franco4 years ago in Fiction
The Tea Party
A post office in a small, country town has more hustle and bustle then that of its ilk in bigger cities. These small town folk are more traditional in their communication methods. They don't care much for email and instant messaging. They want to keep some of the old ways alive and well, and that's what they do. They would see parcels sent by raven or carrier pigeon, if they could. Some things are to be preserved, almost like an elegant piece of art. This comes much to the chagrin of Allie, a young courier. It baffles her how much mail can be exchanged within such a small population, yet it pays her bills, so there's not much complaining to be had. "Allie," an older man shouts out, "is your head floating about in Wonderland again?" Allie jolts in her chair, pretending that she wasn't just dozing off, "Harold, what's the route looking like today," Allie asks as if she has any interest in her work. Harold hands Allie the route list, "here." Allie looks it over and her expression sours, "what's with the extra stops?" "Tom hasn't come back from his vacation, and no one can get a hold of him," Harold answers, "I had to split his workload again. Also, this brown paper box came in and it's not listed." "So, why are you telling me? Return to sender," Allie scoffed. "I'm telling you because it's a special delivery, Allie. It's not listed because this isn't a routine stop. Doesn't mean there's no postage on it. Why would we send it back," Harold went on. "Okay, okay. Just tell me where it's going," Allie demanded. "10 6th Street," Harold answered, "I'll write it down." Allie watched Harold write the address on the box, "the eccentric looking house all the way at the end?" "That's the one. We never had mail go to or from there, so hence the 'special delivery' talk," Howard explained. Howard went on to badger another employee, so Allie took the box and headed out. She passed by the Missing Persons board and hoped her colleague, Tom, doesn't end up there. Allie loaded the brown paper box in her van, amongst the other parcels. She got into the van and shuffled through the invoices to get them in order. It was time for her to start her day.
By Adam Franco4 years ago in Fiction
In The Woods
The night sky is filled with a tapestry of stars, as smoke from a campfire rises in attempt to meet those glittering orbs of light. It ultimately fails as it reaches the height of the surrounding trees, and disperses as if it never had existed. The fire crackles and dances on its wooden stage. Little, fluffy clouds on twigs hover over the fire. "Pearl, pay attention! You're burning it," John warns. "Oh," Pearl snaps to and withdraws her marshmallow from a scorched existence. She grabs a piece of chocolate and two graham crackers, and wedges the marshmallow between them to make the sweet sandwich, s'more. "It's still good," she says with her mouth full, after taking a bite. "Don't talk with your mouth full. God, didn't mom and dad teach you any manners," John inquired annoyed. "Jeez, lighten up." Pearl rolls her eyes, "we're out in the wild. Living off the land. Sleeping in the brush. Wrestling with wildlife." "We're not doing any of that. We're camping on safe, tourist campgrounds. With a cooler of food. In a tent. No animals to be seen," John retorts. Pearl looks past John while eating her s'more, "then what's that bird doing there in the tree," she raises her eyebrows and smiles, with chocolate and marshmallow goo covering her teeth. "God, you're disgusting," John looks away as he puts his s'more together. "What? Is there something in my teeth," Pearl laughs. John shakes his head and takes a bite out of his s'more. Pearl looks at him, "you seem a little on edge." "Just wished I decided to go with my boys, instead of you, mom and dad," John confesses. "Okay, that's really... honest of you. Hurtful, but honest," said Pearl. "Sorry, it's sounds really bad, now that I said it out loud," John apologizes. "You think," Pearl quickly responds. "Speaking of mom and dad, where are they? They should've been back from their hike by now. It's already dark," John asks. Pearl looks around, "they probably got a little lost, but they should be fine. They'll be back in no time. Anyways, I'm calling it a night," she yawns. Pearl gets up and stumbles on her way to the tent, "you didn't see that." John chuckles, "I saw everything." "Was that a smile I spotted," Pearl jokingly inquired. "Shut up and go to sleep," John snarkily joked back. "Good night, big bro. It's been a slice," Pearl said. John responded, "good night, Pearl." John realizes that Pearl left him to tidy up the campsite and sighs. He'd stay up a little bit, waiting on their parents to return, but he grows tired and puts the fire out. It's time for him to hit the hay, as well. He hopes they'll be back by the morning. Pearl has trouble sleeping, worrying about their parents, as well. Her jokey demeanor faded in her restlessness, but she attempts to sleep. They'll be okay, she tells herself.
By Adam Franco5 years ago in Fiction
E-I-E-I-O
Lightning dances through the sky, as thunder applauds its performance. The rain moves sideways, as the wind bullies each droplet. The dirt road softening with each watery blow. A terrible night for Tom to take his motorcycle out for a ride across the countryside. Worse still that it breaks down. The sputtering of the once roaring engine sends Tom into a panic. The spinning of mud, kicked up from the tires, begins to slow as Tom brings his metal steed to a halt. He attempts to look over the bike with flashlight in hand, while muttering profanities, but the storm proves too formidable an opponent. He searches for shelter to wait out the rain, pointing his light around frantically. A rickety barn stands illuminated by the faint glow of Tom's flashlight, before it dims out. Tom runs straight to the big barn doors, paying no mind to the now dead flashlight. He feels around for the latch and opens one door to make his way inside. The smell and sound of animals in the barn play orchestra with the smell and sound of the storm. The wind whistles between the wooden planks that make up the walls of the barn. Not the greatest of shelters, but a dry one, so it will have to do. The wind comes ferociously with a gust that swings the barn door open and shut, open and shut. He didn't think to close it in his scurry. The wild clanging of the giant door frightens a horse, as it runs into Tom, knocking him over and out.
By Adam Franco5 years ago in Fiction
All I Have Left
It's been 5 years since the sky fell on us. Well, not quite, but it sure feels like it. There was a meteor that struck the Atlantic Ocean, flooding much of Europe, Africa and the Americas. The waters boiled because of the heat of the impact, so the floods scalded everything in it's path. Must've been horrific beyond words, and what remained of those continents and the rest of the world were hit with radiation. Some areas worse than others, the unflooded surrounding areas getting hit the hardest. The radiation itself wiped out a lot of the world's vegetation and animals, slowly collapsing the ecosystem. Surviving animals and people in those regions suffered mutations from the fallout of the impact and the heated waters, and were separated from the rest of us. They're being called the Stigmas. It's a harsh name, but fear has risen of them being contagious, so they're kept out of the safe zones for our protection. Unfortunately my parents were among them. They were taken away with no regard for any of us. If they're alive or dead, I have no idea. Now all I have left is my little sister, Tiffany. No more than 6 years old. Poor thing doesn't even know a life outside the walls. A life of fun and exploration, a kid's life. Hell, even I'm not so sure what life was like anymore. I was only 14 when it hit, still a child myself. I was forced to grow up fast for her, because I am all she has left and had to take care of her on my own. A child raising a child. Sure, we would receive financial help from friends and family from time to time, but at the end of the day, it was just me and her. They could only help so much and survive themselves, after all. It's hard at the end of the world, you know? Can't hold it against them, they're doing their best. Not like the Wardens and their guards, though. They take care of the zones, but not so much the people. They say they're protecting us from the Stigmas and keeping order in trying to stabilize the regions, but all I ever see is them beating us down and feeding us promises of a better tomorrow. Heh, right. I wish I could just take Tiff and get out of here, but then I think "where would we go?" The world is dying or already dead out there, and we would be too in no time. Damn it. There's no winning.
By Adam Franco5 years ago in Fiction
Little Black Book
A doorbell rings, catching the man's attention. He gets up from his seat and slowly makes his way to the door. He opens it to be greeted by a smiling man in a white suit holding a big check, with several witnesses and a cameraman in tow. "Moe Kinsel," the suited man asks. Moe looks at everyone for a moment, in confusion, before answering, "yes." The man in the white suit declares, "Congratulations Mr. Kinsel! You have been awarded $20,ooo for your story." Moe, increasingly confused, "what? I don't..." The white suited man cuts him off and leans in, "take it, so we can get going." He gives Moe the check by one end and holds the other, as he smiles for a picture, with Moe completely dumbstruck. The people begin to leave as Moe calls out to them, struggling to find his wording, "wait, I.. I." The man in white waves, "see you later, Moe."
By Adam Franco5 years ago in Humans
