Excerpt

ROY
Prologue Ava woke to a gentle voice whispering “danger impending.” Her eyes flew open to see her ROY system blinking the red warning across the heads up display. She felt a prick as her suit injected extra adrenaline in her system. Her night vision flickered on and she cast about, trying to determine what the ROY system had picked up on. Green trees made ever greener peered back, glowing dully.
By K. Villalobos4 years ago in Fiction
The Day I Left
The day I left the Guardian Angels, when I hung up the uniform for the last time, was a surprise to many. In a lot of ways, I’ve been very lucky in my work as a Pararescueman. PJ for short. I’ve seen action around the world, often in the warzones that captured the minds of many in the short attention span the normal person possesses these days. From the end of the GWOT, to the Taiwan “situation” that the leaders of our country never seemed to realize was, in fact, more than just a “situation”. Natural disasters, war, civil unrest foreign and domestic, even some that I can’t talk about, you name the mission, I probably went on it. At least it seems like it.
By D.D. Schneider4 years ago in Fiction
Sunrise in the Elven Haven
I close my eyes, planting my feet, and breathe in the fresh, crisp morning air. Elys Shale, the Elven Haven, emanates an ethereal beauty at any time of day, but there is a particular quality to the dawn’s illumination of its temple towers that especially captures me. From my perch within an envelope of mighty pines, the Haven’s rounded walls seem to flatten into their landscape, and I can see the village beginning to stir. Dawn-fires are lit around the temples to frame their bulbous crowns, and in each their turn, thin tunnels of smoke come roving through the mountain mist, bringing on their tongues a distant taste of burning oak to wade through the scent of evergreens. The elves offered kindness and respite, caring both for me and for Moonshine, my coal-colored horse, as their kin. We have already crept out to the hills by the time the light breaks, and, before returning to our path along the hidden mountain pass, I slide off her back and pause to watch the scene transform.
By Sophie Swan4 years ago in Fiction
The non-existent girlfriend
One Christmas, the roommate went on a date with his girlfriend. I was alone in my room. I turned the bathroom lights on, turned the hot water light on, and the bathroom fogged up with light, like a miracle manifestation. I was surfing the internet, journaling, tweeting, pretending I was waiting for a woman to finish her shower and come out to have sex with me in a room across from the living room, but I actually turned on the water and no one was in the bathroom.
By BlossomParker4 years ago in Fiction
The Sparrow Falls
[Chapter 1] The Mercedes was just pulling out of the driveway. This time on a ten-week trip. My brother and myself watched as it backed into the side street, switched to drive, and pulled away. He'd only been home four days, but those days were beautiful. He told us stories of all the adventures and how he helped a whole town of people, by treating them for…. was it malaria this time or maybe cholera? He was a great doctor and an excellent story teller. We had spent hours staying up late laughing and he listened intently to everything I had to say. He took us to the zoo and told us of all the animals then ice cream after. We also went to the space museum because my brother. He'd read to us, and make sure to tell us he loves us every night before we fell asleep. The agony of seeing him go was only lessened by knowing he would return, and it would be just as wonderful all over again.
By John Heusted4 years ago in Fiction
Corn
When you're all alone, do you really chew with you mouth closed? Do you gently dab your napkin to your lip? Do you cut bites that actually fit in your mouth? Or, do you stuff your food into your mouth like a blue whale gone rogue?
By Sir Philip4 years ago in Fiction
The temper of Xue Feng Mountain
He walked out of Xupu high-speed railway station, he looked up to the Chu sky, to watch the clouds, whether there is a white-clad tall man standing on the banks of the Xushui, that must be his long-cherished Qu Yuan, but unfortunately the sky is cloudy, black clouds locking green mountains, like rain, white Qu Zi is missing, but there are a few egrets quill in the rice fields, Qu Zi does not wade river Ruoxi, where to go white shadow fairy trail. A group of literary figures squeezed into a small bus that picked up the station and drove to Xue Feng Shan Thousand Village Yao Village.
By SondJam4 years ago in Fiction
Above the walls
Qian Zhongshu once used a city wall as a metaphor for marriage, saying, "Marriage is a walled city, people outside the city want to get in, people in the city want to get out.
By SondJam4 years ago in Fiction
Farewell, my old house
The old house is "gone". "Gone" is the dialect of the old house, which means dead and gone. The old house is more than fifty years old and has finished its life's journey this spring.
By SondJam4 years ago in Fiction
Mama's Porch
It is comfortable here. Swaying on the swing through the nice May air. I get a cold chill every time I think about it. Thank you for putting it there for me to swing on. And another way to remember it is to gather the memories in my cute adorable mind. Later on I will go and sit down and write about it, like I am doing now.
By Alex Jennett4 years ago in Fiction
The Dragonlord
“There weren't always Dragons in the valley,” old Wilfrin said with a mischievous smile, his voice scratchy after a long day in the fields. He took a long swig of his ale and looked around. “Gather close children, tonight I will tell you the tale of Kavri, the last king of Pelandale.”
By Peter B4 years ago in Fiction
This Veiled Sky
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. There still weren’t, not really—just once a year, and when Malora saw the dragon this time, she knew her son would die.
By Nick Sifuentes4 years ago in Fiction