The Revenge

She moved silently around the room until she was standing over the bed. She looked down at the only occupant in the bed hatefully before she pulled a small sharp blade from her belt. A vicious smile spread across her face as she put her foot on the edge of the bed and pre-emptively put a gloved hand over his mouth. The man’s eyes flew open and he blinked sleepily up at the woman leaning over him. She saw recognition flicker across his face and she small laugh escaped her. The sharp blade in her other hand glinted blue in the moonlight as she brought it slowly down towards his chest. The man began to struggle but his body was now pinned down by hers.

The woman traced a shallow line across the man’s chest producing a thin red line. The man’s struggling increased and he tried to bite at the hand covering his mouth. She laughed darkly and shook her head at him with the same vicious smile on her face. She took the blade and pressed it against his neck. He looked up at her in terror, silently begging her to stop. She looked down at him in satisfaction before pulling the knife slowly across his throat.

The man scrambled in his bed attempting to put pressure onto his wound. She stood next to the bed, his blood covering her leather clad body, fury still pulsing through her. She watched in satisfaction as his white sheets quickly turned to red. She knew he would soon be dead; it was too late for him to save himself. She tugged at the end of the blanket the man was using to cover his wound, it slipped through his fingers with ease, exposing the gash in his throat. With a final look at the man on the bed, she retreated towards the window she had entered though. With a final look at the man as his eye glassed over she slipped out into the night.

The Tiny Hammer

You wake up the find a package at your doorstep containing a tiny hammer and a note saying "You know what to do."




As Valarie walked outside to pick up her morning paper, she couldn’t help but notice the small package that had been placed on her door step. Curiously, she picked up the tiny package and flipped it over in her hands looking for details of the sender. Nothing. She frowned thoughtfully at the mysterious package and walked back inside, placing the package on the table before heading to the kitchen. Her thoughts bounced around between what she needed to do that day and the package as she made her morning coffee.

Valarie stared at the package as she sipped thoughtfully at her coffee. There was no indication of what was in the package or who had sent it, the rectangle box was wrapped in simple brown paper that smelled slightly musty. She flipped it over again and the contents rattled against the side. Giving in to her curiosity she pulled the package towards her and carefully unwrapped it. Beneath the paper was a shoe box with a note taped to it. “You know what to do,” was all the note said. She read the note again, puzzled by what it meant. Anticipation filled her as she lifted the lid of the box, she had no idea what could be inside, maybe it was her next mission, or one of the new weapons the Rebels were developing. She looked in the box and wilted slightly, a tiny hammer, barely the size of her hand was all it contained. She picked it up and turned it in her hand. What did the note mean she’d know what to do with it? She shrugged and left it on the table as she packed up and left for work.

It was afternoon when she rushed around her house frantically searching for the tiny hammer she’d received in the morning. The sun was beginning to set in the west, spraying colour across the sky. She checked her watch, twenty minutes to go. She cursed as she raced around the house. Twenty minutes before the city would become rubble. She paused and thought about where she had last seen the hammer. Cold dread filled her as she realised it wasn’t where she had left it. She walked numbly to the kitchen table and sat there for a moment. What was she going to do?

The Submarine Jouney

"A team of researchers in a submarine is caught in a deadly sea storm. The instruments on board go haywire. They submerge deep into the ocean in search of calm waters until the storm passes. When it does, the sub surfaces but the instruments are still not functioning properly. They can’t get a fix on their location and cannot find land, which should be nearby. Then the researchers realize there are two moons in the sky and the constellations are completely unfamiliar.'




“Sir!” One of the pesky scientists broke my attention from the view of the ocean before us.

“What is it, Kasey?” I replied with a scowl. He looked at me for a moment. Damn, must be the other one.

“It’s Stanley, sir, James Stanley.” He shook his head before he continued, “our equipment is picking up a pretty bad storm heading out way. I suggest we descend to the ocean floor to avoid it.”

“What do you think this is, a space ship? The hull would never hold out against that sort of pressure.” The young man had the decency to look abashed, it didn’t stop him though.

“Sir, we need to descend to avoid the worst of it, maximum depth.” I frowned at him until he finally made the right choice and stopped talking. I set the submarine to descend to slightly above maximum depth. We were still about 2km from the ocean floor, but hopefully deep enough to avoid this storm that was coming.

Without warning, the scientific equipment began bleeping and whizzing as the two scientists rushed in frantic circles trying to stop it. What had I got myself into? For such intelligent people, my two passengers had no brains. They didn’t understand the restrictions of the submarine, how to manoeuvre it, how deep it could go. And worst yet, this Stanley boy kept thinking he was in charge. I frowned to myself and wondered how long it would take them to turn off the infuriating noises.

I flicked my display to show the storm’s location and path, it’d be above us in roughly an hour. I silently prayed to the Gods that we would be deep enough. I flicked the screen to show me an image of our surroundings. It was empty, not a single thing showed up around us, though it should have been able to detect the ocean floor from 2km.


“Sir?” Kasey’s quiet voice broke me from my puzzled musing.

“What is it Kasey?” I sighed, a wave of tiredness washed over me.

“The storm is accelerating, it should hit us within the next-” He broke off as the sub surged forward as though struck from behind. Frowning I turned back to my display, nothing showed up. The sub rocked again, tossed beneath the surface of the ocean.

“The storm must’ve hit us.” Kasey was crouched on the floor next to me, holding on tightly to the arm of my chair.

“Strap in, and make sure Stanley does the same.” I heard something crash behind me and turned to see Stanley standing there, panic written on his face. Maybe he would finally listen.

The storm passed quickly, but not without tossing the sub around like a rag doll. I looked behind me at my passengers, both were white-faced and wide-eyed. They looked relatively unscathed, there wasn’t anything loose in the sub that could have caused injury so it was purely shock that was affecting them. I had to get them to the surface, I didn’t want to deal with the legal issues from the dying of shock down here, even if it was unavoidable.

“We’re heading to the surface,” I announced to the silence. I flicked through the displays on the screen frowning. They must have been malfunctioning still; I couldn’t get a fix on anything. I tapped the screen irritably but the static that was showing wouldn’t clear. I shifted the sub into manual drive mode and began ascending slowly. We were a long way down and it would take us the better part of an hour to reach the surface. I scanned the ocean outside, looking for any obstacles that might cause problems but saw nothing, not even fish. I shook my head, I was probably making a big deal over nothing.

The water began to lighten as we neared the surface. It seemed normal at first, but as we came closer to the surface we saw the light that was penetrating the water above us was an eerie blue in colour, not the usual orange of the sun or pale white of the moon. A bad feel began to settle in me as I cautiously broke the surface. I looked around through the window but could see nothing but ocean as far as the horizon. That was odd, we had been only a few km from the coast when we went down. I opened the lid of the sub and clambered out. I couldn’t even see the boat we had come from. It wasn’t until I looked up that it all became clear.

The dread I had begun feeling inside intensified as I looked to the sky and saw there were now 2 moons. I searched the stars for a familiar constellation, but found nothing. The sky was foreign to me, and I suspected the ocean was as well. I climbed back into the sub to deliver the news to my shell-shocked companions.

A Poem for Mental Health

This is something a little different, I don't usually write poetry but felt like giving this one a go. It is about a part of what life can be like living with a mental illness.




Trapped between the abyss
And the anger in my heart
I hear you calling out to me
But your words can’t bring my out.

I hold my anger tight,
To keep from falling in
That deep and endless darkness
That beckons from below.

You break through like an ocean
Breaking through my barriers
You pour into my heart
Like a tidal wave of love.

The anger slowly fades,
The darkness soon recedes
Now I’m left feeling shamed
As I lay before your feet.

The Proposal

A young man proposes to his girlfriend in a hospital garden. She rejoices, but sadness soon sets in as she remembers the truth. He does not exist.



Talyndra sat quietly on a bench in the garden of the hospital. She had been back here for three days. It had only been four months since her last admission. She scratched absently at the bandages that covered her arms as she looked out across the small garden. It wasn’t much of a garden; it was more an overgrown grassy courtyard. She leaned back against the chair and a small smile crept onto her face as she saw him. She admired the way the sun bounced off his golden hair and his blue eyes lit up when he saw her. She wondered idly if she was blushing, but decided she didn’t care.

‘Tally,’ he said as he stood before her, a smile softening his sharp features. She smiled up at him, feeling completeness washing over her.
‘Erik.’ The tall man sat beside her and took her delicate hands in his. He sat looking into her eyes for a few moments, as if deciding to speak his mind. She smiled at him encouragingly, hoping he would tell her what he was thinking. Erik was such a mystery to her; he always seemed to know how she was feeling and what to say to make her feel better.
‘Tally,’ the man began, ‘I’ve been coming to see you for a year now. And I really enjoy the time we have together.’ Erik paused uncertainly and Talyndra wondered if he was about to tell her he never wanted to see her again. Her thoughts raced from one conclusion to another, none of them ending well. Tears had begun to spring to her eyes as she looked at him, unable to form any words.
‘Tally,’ he said again, alarmed by her reaction. He reached out his hand and gently brushed her cheek. ‘Hey, don’t cry. I’m not going to leave you. I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to marry you.’

Talyndra sat staring at Erik in shock for a few moments before she flung her arms around him. Erik ran his hand down her back as she hugged him tightly, overcome with happiness. She pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked into his eyes.
‘Are you sure?’
‘I have never been more sure. Talyndra, will you be my wife?’
‘Yes!!’ She exclaimed nodding her head excitedly. He smiled back her and let her hands go as he began to stand.
‘Where are you going?’ she asked grabbing his hand, suddenly afraid he wouldn’t come back. He smiled at her reassuringly.
‘I have to get you out of here before we can do anything.’ He squeezed her hand reassuringly and she let it go reluctantly. She leaned back against the bench again and watched him walk up the ramp and into the hospital building.

Warmth washed through her as she contemplated what had just happened. She smiled at the nurse who came out to tell her it was time for lunch.
‘What’s going on?’ She asked looking at her oddly.
‘I’m getting married!’ Talyndra exclaimed in excitement. The nurse looked at her with concern and confusion.
‘It’s Erik, isn’t it?’ She said. She had been Talyndra’s nurse for every admission and had heard about Erik on many occasions. He was a personality Talyndra had created to protect herself, in the beginning she would accept this but more recently she was becoming convinced that Erik was a real person.
‘He’s not real, Talyndra. We have talked about this before. You created him as a protector, a way to escape from all the bad things. You know this, we have talked about it.’ The nurse felt bad seeing the crushed expression on Talyndra’s face as she turned and ran to her room before slamming the door.

Kellyn's Story

The monks lived a secluded life with hardly any visitors making the long and dangerous journey up the mountain. The monastery was tucked into the mountain under a large outcropped rock. The earlier monks had burrowed into the mountain creating a network of tunnels and chambers that served as accommodation for them. A large room had been carved out in the centre of the network and was where the monks took their meals and practiced their chosen arts. The room was decorated with life-sized stone dragons that always seemed to Kellyn to be watching them. The network of tunnels was decorated with murals of dragons in epic battles, or flying high in the sky. In the flickering light of the torches Kellyn was sure she could see the dragons moving around in the paintings. The only place she seemed able to escape the dragons stony gaze was by squeezing through a ventilation shaft and out onto the snow mountain top.

Kellyn had been living with the monks since she was three years old, the monks told her that her father had offered her to them for training, though she couldn’t remember what had truly happened. She trained hard with the monks, and they taught her the magic of the Old Dragons – the sign magic. She had studied it for years before she was able to successfully perform her first sign. It had been a simple summoning sign but it had delighted her to see the stone bowl flying towards her. Once the magic had begun to flow within her, the signs became easier to master and she was eventually able to even formulate some of her own.

The monks lead a simple life for the most part, they broke their fast with bread and porridge before engaging in morning prayer before setting out offerings to the Old Dragons. They spent the hours before lunch in quiet meditation or practicing their chosen combat arts. The monastery had been around since the time of the Great Dragons and had once been the main training academy for the elite forces of Molthar. It had long been forgotten about by inhabitants of the cities below them, but the arts of the masters that had once taught here remained. After lunch the monks gathered in the main chamber for another round of prayers before they set about their academic pursuits. Many of the monks chose to read through old scrolls containing details of the Old Dragons and their riders, the elite forces of Molthar. In the caverns beneath the monastery multiple large chambers contained shelf upon shelf of scrolls and books that contained the history of the dragon riders.

Kellyn spent most of her time when she first arrived in her small room. Outside her door was a man she saw as a giant. His huge form was covered in hair and scars and his face showed no emotion. She was terrified of him and spent many of her nights cowering under her thin blanket. There was no reprieve when morning came as the woman that had been assigned to her was cruel and merciless. The woman called herself Saavil, a name Kellyn had struggled to pronounce at three years old. Many times she had received a harsh punishment for her inability to correctly pronounce the name. It was during one of those punishments that Kellyn came to know her guard.

It had been late in the evening when Kellyn had been sent to her room for the night. She had gratefully crawled under the blanket on her bed after a long day of fumbling with bows and arrows. She had only been there a few moments when she heard her caretaker’s voice outside arguing with her guard. She had never heard him speak and as his deep voice resonated off the rock walls she thought she heard some warmth in his tone. She saw him move to block her way into the room, but she brushed him aside with a hissed threat. Kellyn didn’t understand why the man didn’t stop her, he was bigger than the woman and must be stronger, and if it came to it surely he would win. The woman stalked over glaring venomously at her. Kellyn looked out at her from behind her legs as she sat on the bed, fear freezing her blood as Saavil approached. Saavil pulled her roughly from the bed with one hand and before Kellyn had found her feet the other hand came swiftly to her face, causing her to fall to the ground. The woman made a sign in the air and invisible knives tore at Kellyn’s skin. Tears ran from her eyes as screams fled her mouth involuntarily. She could hear the woman laughing coldly as she stood over Kellyn’s curled up form. Saavil’s foot found its way to Kellyn’s stomach, knocking the air from her.

The pain subsided slightly and Kellyn thought she heard someone growling through her pain muddled mind but she couldn’t be sure. She lay there curled on the floor in a pool of her own blood, darkness began creeping up on her when she felt someone shaking her shoulder gently and calling her name. It took her a few moments to be able to open her eyes and see the man that usually towered above her kneeling down, concern showing clearly on his face. She closed her eyes again, drifting into the darkness that awaited her.

The Angel and God

You are an angel tasked whose job was to watch over humanity for the past 2000 year, try to convince God not to destroy it now that he has seen what it is today.



Light shimmered before me as a man materialised before me. I stepped back, startled. It had been 2000 years since I had seen this man. The humans on the Earth I was observing called him God. In reality he was just like me, only higher ranked. I saluted him.
“God,” I said in greeting to him.
“Angel,” He responded, observing the holographic projections on the table before us. I cringed as I saw the image of a man strangling his wife fading into a group of men surrounding a young girl in a parking lot.
“Destroy them.” God said without remorse, turning away from the images in disgust. “They don’t deserve the freedom I have given them. We are taking the other test subject home and destroying them. This race, these people, they don’t deserve to live.”

I stared at him in surprise. When we first came here and populated this planet it had been God that had believe we could find the good in these humans. We had gone against the Ephisit’s orders and saved the last humans from their dying home world. God had argued that they could be changed, that there was good in them still.

“Sir,” I said uncertainly.
“Silence, Angel.” I frowned, this man was so different to the compassionate scientist I had set out with two and a half thousand years ago. Where had they sent him to change his so much?
“It worked, sir. Your experiment.” I knew I would be in trouble for speaking out of turn, but he had to see what these people were really like. This was his vision, he wanted to save them, how could he condemn them now without proper evaluation. I moved closer to the table and tapped a few buttons.

Images popped up across the table, communities pulling together to help each other out after cyclones, tsunamis and other natural disasters. I showed God the scene of a mother diving into flood waters to save a small child. I looked closely at God’s face, nothing had changed. These people were condemned in his eyes. I sighed, I had been here for 2000 years, and I had seen the way the humans had changed. I had seen the way they had gone from fighting each other with steel weapons to guns and atomic bombs. I had almost lost faith at that point, certain they would continue on just as they had on their last home. They had stopped though. The first atomic bomb had caused them to rethink their weapons. The serum God had injected them with when we brought them here was beginning to work.
“It’s over, Angel, destroy them. They cannot be redeemed. Look at them, they are always fighting amongst themselves. Their countries cannot get along and within the countries there is anarchy. No, these humans have failed to change.”
“But sir, look at them. Look at how they have turned away from the atomic bomb, how they help each other out when they are in need. You can’t forsake them for the few who do wrong. If you must destroy them, allow me to save the ones who deserve it. I have been here for 2000 years, I have seen them grow and change. They can be better. Your serum, it’s starting to work!”
“I have been lenient with you thus far, Angel, but speak out of turn again and I will send you to join these humans you adore so much.”

the Death of a Serial Killer

A notorious serial killer is fatally wounded in a encounter with the police. In his final moments, an officer asks him why he killed all those people. Make me sympathize with the killer.


The man before me was dying. I stood staring at him stunned. We had been trying to catch this guy for years. Every time we came close, he was gone before we got there. So many innocent lives taken because we had been too slow. Finally though, finally we had him. I looked down at the man that was bleeding out on the concrete. He could have been anyone, he looked just like someone you meet in the street. I felt suddenly unsure of my decision to shoot him.

‘Why did you do it?’ I asked, hoping he would tell me something to make my guilt ease. He choked out a laugh.

‘So you want to know now? Typical. Shoot first, ask later, that’s how the system works isn’t it?’ He laughed again, a hollow empty laugh. I stood above him in silence.

‘You want me to tell you it was fun, that I enjoyed it. I can see it on your face.’ He spat blood onto the concrete beside him. I shrugged, uncomfortable that he was able to read me so easily.

‘I didn’t do it for fun. I didn’t enjoy it, I had to do it. Why though, why would I kill innocents? I think you know. We aren’t so different, you and me. You’ve got a uniform and the law on your side. Me though, I don’t do it your way, no one wants to know what these people have done. It’s justice, it always has been. We all die for our dirty little secrets.’ He coughed and closed his eyes.

‘I can see what they did, I can see who they have hurt and I made them suffer like they made their prey suffer.’ He paused for a moment, eyes still closed. I thought he might have slipped into unconsciousness.

‘It was justice.’ He repeated again, finally falling into unconsciousness. My mind was already going over the victims I knew about. Some had been on trial for different sexual offences but none had been convicted. If they were guilty it would have made them some of the worst people alive, but they were all innocent, weren’t they?

Bestoring Godly Powers

A god-like being bestows the reincarnations of her first love with godly powers. The newest reincarnation is not so pleased about having greatness thrust upon them.



“Jason! Jason!” Solyn yells excitedly as she races towards the man that was walking through the front door. Without warning she jumps onto him and clings on. “Jason! Guess what, guess what!”

“What?” Jason asks laughing at her untamed excitement. This was what he loved about her, the way she could express her emotions in a childlike manner that was just so adorable. It could get frustrating at times but in this moment, he knew why he loved her so much.

“I’ve got a present for you!” She leapt off him and bounced down the hall in front of him. He shook his head with a smile and followed after her. They entered the spare room and he saw a small device on the bed. He looked at it in puzzlement as she looked at him expectantly.

“Uh, what is it?” He said in confusion. Her mood faltered for a moment before picking up again.

“It’s done, I finished it, we can finally be together for ever!” Jason looked at her, unsure if she was having a mental breakdown or something.

“We are already going to be together forever, Sol.” She sighed in frustration, the sort of frustration you feel when trying to explain to a child why the grass is green and they just aren’t getting it.

“Touch it, Jason, pleaeeeeeese?” She all but begged him with her adorable blue eyes looking at him like that , how could he say no? He picked up the device and it clicked and whirled before going still and silent. He looked at her puzzled before the world went black around him.

“Jason,” the voice calling his name sounded like an angel. He tried to move but found his body wouldn’t obey. He thought about opening his eyes so he could look at the beautiful woman he knew was standing over him. He could almost see her even with his eyes closed.

“Wha’ happened?” He asked groggily as he finally managed to sit up.

“I fixed the problem, I made you like me. Now we can be together forever.” The excitement was still coming through her voice and he could feel her practically bouncing on the bed as he tried to make sense of what was going on.

“What the heck is that noise?” He asked, looking around for the source of the noise that was assaulting him.

“Oh,” she said thoughtfully, “I guess it will take you a bit to get used to it.” She got up to shut the windows to drown out some of the sounds from the city outside.

“Get used to what, exactly?” The noise was grating on his nerves, it was as though he could hear every sound in the house, every creaking floorboard, the wind finding its way into the kitchen, the fridge buzzing down the hall.

“I made you like me,” Solyn said again as though that explained everything.

“That means nothing to me, Sol,” Jason was beginning to lose his patience, the noise and the way she just expected him to know what was going on was starting to wear him down.

“Every time you die, I find you again and you always die, but now I found a way that we can be together without you dying. I made the device to give you my powers. So now you won’t die, and we can live forever, and be together.” Her voice was so sweet to his ears he almost didn’t hear what she was saying.

“Wait, what? What are you then? What have you done to me? I just wanted to have a normal life with the woman I love. I don’t even know you. Just, just go.” He knew he was probably over reacting, but between the noise and trying to make sense of the situation he just wanted it all to go back to normal. Her face melted into one of uncertainty and sadness as he looked away. He heard her leave the room, and then the house before he fell back on the bed.

An Ex-Spy on a Remote Moon

An ex-spy has washed up on a remote colony moon. Use the phrase "I'm just faking it until time can work it's forgetting magic."


‘I’m just faking it until time can work its forgetting magic.’ The ex-spy told himself as he sat alone in the deserted bar. He swirled his drink as a tall man slipped into the empty seat next to him. The man took a dirty envelope from inside his coat and pushed it towards Brayden before standing and leaving again. Brayden shook his head, the man obviously had no idea about being inconspicuous. He might as well have worn a sign that said ‘look at me, I’m a spy!’

Brayden opened the envelope and let the contents spill onto the bar. There was a small electronic key, a holophone and locator beacon. He flipped the beacon in his hand, ensuring it wasn’t transmitting his location. The time for that would come later. He inspected the holophone next, checking for anything that could give him away. He nodded his satisfaction as he picked up the key. There was a small bit of paper attached to it with an address on it. Perfect. He stretched as he stood and left the bar, casually swiping a stolen card to pay for his drink.

The moon Brayden found himself on was barren, and most supplies had to be brought in by ship. It was just a stopover for him, soon he would be heading back to the civilised world as a new man. The thought appealed to him, and he quickened his pace towards to address on the key. He knew what he would find there, a small room with all the supplies he would need to reinvent himself. He looked over his shoulder as he touched the key to the door, the road was empty except for a man standing outside the bar. He pushed the door open and entered the small house. It was exactly as he had expected it. He dropped the envelope and key on the table in the centre of the room before moving towards the DNA rewriter. It was old technology, thought to have been destroyed centuries ago, perfect for someone wanting to start over.

The small black cube buzzed in his hand as he picked it up, all he had to do was adjust the settings for what he wanted to look like then add a drop of blood to calibrate the device. Once calibrated he only had to inject the serum that it produced and his DNA would be changed forever. He was fiddling with the settings when he suddenly dropped the cube and spun around. Standing before him was the man that had been outside the bar. Up close though, Brayden could see it wasn’t a man at all. The creature’s face was white and showed only slight indentations where a human would have eyes and a nose. Sharp teeth showed between almost transparent lips as the creature moved towards him. Brayden looked around desperately for an escape but the house had no windows. The only exit was being blocked by the creature. He knew that even if he did manage to escape the house the creature would hunt him until he was dead, no matter how much he changed his DNA. He closed his eyes in resignation as he felt the creature reach out and infect him. He would die slowly, but he would surely die.

The Queen's Justice

Hero: An elf (elves in this universe have camouflage skin and are desert nomads, their camoflauge changes depending on surroundings) He is efficient with a quarterstaff and throwing knives
Villain: A disgraced battle mage queen who was stripped of her crown after a sex scandal
The queen makes a pact with an unloved god to evaporate all water on earth until she is crowned and he is worshiped.


This is the first part of this story that I am going to continue at a later point. Please let me know what you think!


A tall elf guarded the cell that held the former queen as she awaited judgement for her crimes. He could hear her grumbling quietly about those foolish elves that had accused her and how she was going to exact her revenge on them. The guard paid her no mind, instead letting his mind wander to his family, safely sleeping at home. He yawned and wondered what he had done wrong to earn this night watch. The clanking of metal boots on stone broke his train of thoughts and he stood to attention as the Elven Ambassador came into view.

“Ambassador,” The guard greeted the man before him, warily eying the two armed elves that flanked him. The ambassador nodded his acknowledgement but didn’t speak. They stood in an awkward silence for a moment before the guard remembered his duty and unlocked the cell. The ambassador walked into the cell, observing the carved stone walls of the cell. Even the queen’s magic couldn’t blast her out of this mess.

“Evelyn,” Ambassador Het began calmly. The woman spat at him as he spoke her name, her eyes blazing with hatred. “You have been accused of having non-consensual sexual relations with the prince of the Earthen Elves Tribe, among other things. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“You stripped me of everything, my family, my crown and now you come to see what I have to say?” Evelyn lunged at the man but her restraints caught her. She snarled at him as she strained against them like an animal. The elf was unfazed and made a sign the one of his companions. A young human stepped forward and quickly struck the woman’s pressure points causing her to collapse on the floor.

“You have been sentenced to public execution by the Court of the People. Your sentence is to be carried out at dawn.”

The queen watched helplessly as the elf shook his head and walked away. She tried desperately to move, to free herself but she was unable to move. She growled in frustration and glared at the closing door. Time was running out, she only had until dawn to escape.

The horizon was beginning to lighten the desert landscape as Raithe stood ready with his axe. He took a deep breath, it was his first execution and he was determined to make it clean. He looked out over the barren landscape, attempting to count the elves that were gathered. Many had already blended in with the humans, though others had chosen to stay close to the ground where they could dissolve into the landscape. Raithe fiddled with the axe he was holding. It wasn’t his chosen weapon but a quarterstaff could hardly behead a man, or a woman.

The sun was beginning to peek above the horizon when the former queen was brought onto the wooden podium. Her hands were restrained behind her back and she had been dressed in a thick woollen robe that hid her body. Her hair was a mess around her wild face, her eyes glowing with fever. Raithe almost felt sorry for the woman, before he remembered her crimes. He straightened herself and looked on as the queen was brought before him.

“Evelyn Hail, you have been found guilty of high treason for your actions against the four Tribes of the Inner Kingdom. You have been found guilty of kidnapping the prince of the Earthen Elves and conspiring with the Maoltharians to destroy the elven civilisations. For these crimes you are sentenced to death, what are your final words?” Ambassador Het spoke loudly to the gathered elves and humans. Whispers broke out in the crowd before the queen could speak.

“I heard she slept with the prince. He’s only TWELVE!”
“I heard she planted a bomb in the Palace”
“She’s the one that brought those dwarves in from Molthar! They almost killed us all!’

“Silence!” The Ambassador’s voice cut through the whispering and silence fell. The queen looked up at him, her eyes glinting in the sun.

“I call on the Old God Voltaris, burn the heretics and restore me to my rightful place as queen and I will restore your place as God of the Inner Kingdom!” The queen spoke in a frenzied voice before anyone could act. A tense silence fell over the crowd as they waited to see what would come of the Queen’s words. A few moments passed and nothing happened, the crowd began to shift around and ambassador Het took control again.

“Your final words have been spoken, the peace will remain unbroken!” The final declaration for all executions was uttered and Raithe lined up his axe. He began to lift it as dark clouds began to form overhead. The gathered elves and humans muttered to each other as they formed into the shape of a black dragon with a red stripe down its back. The dragon roared as it became solid, flying above the crowd. It circled once before swopping down and snatching up the queen. The dragon took a deep breath and set the surrounding land on fire before disappearing into the sky. The maniacal laughing of the queen was the last sound that could be heard.

It had been six days since the last time the Desert Elves had found water. They had visited all their usual watering spots, but all had mysteriously dried up. Raithe had a bad feeling he knew what had happened, but he chose to keep it to himself. There was no need to worry the rest of the tribe on his gut feeling. His tribe moved around a lot, but the continuous migration they found themselves on was tiring to even the fittest among them, let alone the elderly and sick. There were a lot of sick people in their tribe now, not just the elves but the humans that lived with them too. He had to do something, he knew the queen was behind the water shortage and she had to be stopped. He had to stop her.

The Doctor's Visit

This is a little snippet I wrote when my daughter went to the doctor without me for the first time.



The phone rings twice before being answered.

‘Good afternoon, this is the Medical Centre, how may I help you?’ The young woman’s voice bubbles through the line. I clear my throat and gather my courage.

‘Hello, I need to speak with my doctor, it’s Doctor M.’ I hold my breath as I wait for her response. She taps away on her computer.
‘Oh,’ she says and I can almost hear the frown in her voice as she speaks, ‘Doctor M isn’t in today.’ I freeze, speechless for a moment.

‘What do you mean she isn’t there?’ I demand.

‘She’s not been in all day, she’s on holidays until next week.’

‘That’s not possible.’ I say. ‘My daughter is there right now with her. She has an appointment to see her right now.’ Disbelief and fear war within me as I try not to panic.

‘I’m sorry, but if she’s here, where are you?’ Her voice is polite but I can almost hear her needling me.

‘Her father brought her in. I need to speak with her.’ I insist.

‘I’m sorry,’ she repeats, sounding more impatient than sorry. ‘Doctor M isn’t in today. Now, is there anything else?’ I hang up the call without saying good bye. Where is she?

Human Raiding

"Young warrior is the sole survivor of a raid, tell of the journey to warn their village/town/city"



Peter could feel blood dripping down his face and he stumbled across the bodies that littered the ground. He had begun checking all the bodies he had passed but it soon became clear that he was the only survivor. He hoped that some of the others had managed to escape, but he had no way of knowing. He made out the body of their mage, covered in blood clutching his staff as though it were a shield. Peter made his way over to the young man and knelt beside him. Roderik had been his closest friend in their unit, they had shared many adventures together and Peter had hoped to spend many more. His friend stirred and opened his eyes a fraction. Relief washed over Peter as he saw his friend alive.

‘Roderik,’ he said softly to the mage. Roderik looked at him with feverish eyes and Peter could see death beginning to cloud them. The mage gave a smile of vague recognition as he looked up into Peter’s face.

‘Peter,’ he said softly. ‘Take my staff to my wife.’

Peter felt a sudden strength enter him and thought he heard an echo of his friend’s voice, but as he looked at the body before him he could see his friend was gone. He closed Roderik’s purple eyes and picked up his staff, intending to return it to his wife. Leaning heavily on the staff and holding an arm to the wound on his stomach he pulled himself to a standing position. He had to get back, to warn the village, he couldn’t rely on the possibility of other survivors. The humans were coming.


Peter walked with determination towards the old forest that loomed in front of him. He could travel faster through the old forest; he and the other shadow elves had created shadow tunnels that transported the user to another location. His tribe of elves used them as a defence against the humans, when one walked through a shadow he would be transported away from the Elfish settlement. It had worked for many seasons, but the humans seemed to have finally found them. Peter’s unit had been sent to garrison the Outpost for this season. It was meant as a look out, to help prevent another massacre. Looking around the clearing Peter wasn’t sure how successful it had been. The small trees of the new forest still smouldered, but he could see that most hadn’t been completely destroyed. They’d grow back and hopefully he could save their village and find a new shelter.


The old forest opened before him as he reached the tree line. The ancient trees spoke their quiet whispers as he walked beneath them. He found a shadow and entered it with thoughts of his home. It should have taken him back to his village, instead he found himself on a ledge on the mountain, looking out over the forest where his village was concealed. He could see a trail of burning trees from where the Outpost was, heading straight for his village. He had to stop them, he had to warn his village. Taking a deep breath and thinking again of his home he stepped through the shadows.


As Peter emerged on the other side of the shadow tunnel he could hear voices talking in a strange language. He crouched, hidden in the shadows that clung to him for a moment before he recognised the voices were speaking human. He cursed to himself, what was wrong with the tunnels today? He had somehow been transported right behind the human ranks. He could barely make out their gleaming armour in the distance as they set fire to the old forest. He stepped through the shadows again, this time appearing half way up the slope from his village. He thanked his lucky stars that this time he hadn’t ended up too far away.


The village descended into chaos as Peter walked through the barrier. The healers rushed over to him, and Roderik’s wife saw him with the staff and tears clouded her eyes. Peter looked at her sadly before handing her the staff. He felt a wave of weakness wash over him and fell to his knees. Roderik’s wife knelt awkwardly before him.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered to him,’ for bringing him back.’

Peter looked at her confused, before understanding where his sudden weakness had come from. He had been carrying his friend with him, sharing in his remaining strength. He rested a hand on the woman’s shoulder.

‘Help me up,’ he said to the woman. The woman before him clambered to her feet and helped him to stand. He smiled fondly at his friend’s wife and the child she was carrying.

‘They’re coming.’ He said in the most authoritative voice he could muster. ‘Gather the women, the elderly and the children. Take them into the mountains and protect them. Find a new place to settle. I will hold them off with any volunteers.’

Peter stood as straight as he could, his stomach wound now healed enough that it would not tear. A group of seven men came to stand with him, five warriors and two mages. He nodded, it would do. They would be able to hold the humans long enough for the others to get to safety.

Return to Earth

"The earth had become desolate and all remaining life was forced into space for survival. 500 years later they return to earth and find some humans were left behind and managed to survive underground."


Five hundred years ago, humans destroyed all life on Earth. There was a war that waged for a hundred years in what was called the Middle East. The war spread and soon the whole world became involved. It raged on for ninety years with no end in sight. The Emperor of the Allied Forces finally proposed the only option left. Nuclear war, on a massive scale It would wipe out the world, but he proposed building a new home, in space and monitoring the Earth so we could return once the radiation cleared. The Council of allies argued over the ethics of the decision for another ten years before finally it became clear that it was the only solution that remained. The Allied Forces began to build ships and launched the beginnings of their new space home into orbit around the Earth before finally the day came to push that button. All the ‘important’ humans had been evacuated, leaving the less fortunate to either find their own survival or die.

I have always been fascinated by Earth, my mother would tell me stories that were handed down to her of trees and giant bodies of water. I joined the Re-inhabitation program because of her. We had been sending probes to the Earth for years, testing the air and water for traces of radiation, finally we had a clear reading. I was finally going to Earth after years of studying every scrap of information there was about the planet. Tomorrow would be the day my team and I made history. I smiled to myself as I snapped my fingers to turn off the light.

Excitement and anticipation filled me as I watched our shuttle detach from the main station. Today was the day. I could barely contain myself as I looked around at my crew. I nodded to Captain Jones and he gently increased our speed. We all watched as our home quickly shrank and disappeared. We had done this journey countless times in simulation and knew exactly what to expect. The two mission specialists spoke quietly to each other as the screens surrounding them bleeped and spewed information at them. I thanked my stars that it wasn’t me in their position. Our whole mission was resting on their readouts. I was just the overseer.

‘Commander,’ Captain Jones interrupted my thoughts and I looked over at him. ‘We’ve reach the Earth’s atmosphere.’ I looked at him startles for a moment, it didn’t seem it had been long enough, but as I looked out the window, I confirmed what my captain had said.

‘Prepare for entry into Earth’s atmosphere.’ I spoke authoritatively to my crew who all strapped themselves in.

‘Heat shields activated, Commander,’ Mission specialist Amanda Riley spoke from behind me on my left.

‘Bring her in, Captain!’ I said excitedly. The shuttle began to shudder as we entered the atmosphere and the heat began to increase. It felt like an age passed before Captain Jones spoke

‘Reverse thrusters engaged.’ Captain Jones spoke as we began to slow. The shuttle thumped and bounced as we landed on the surface of the planet.

‘My God, Captain, who taught you how to land a shuttle?’ I said jokingly as I stretch in my seat.

‘Well ma’am, it’s not like landing on the moon!’ He looked at me for confirmation that he wasn’t overstepping. I smiled at him before addressing my team.

‘Alright team, you know what we have to do, Riley and Adams, you’re up. Tell us if we need these bulky suits or not.’ I gave the order to my two specialists who were already tapping away on their computers.

‘Looks good, commander,’ Adams said while Riley nodded her affirmation. I grinned as excitement began to take over again.

‘Alright then, let’s go Riley. Adams, you monitor us from here and Captain, you have this hunk of junk ready to go should be encounter and issues.’

‘Yes, ma’am!’ Were the sharp responses I received as I began to open to door.

After living my whole life in space, the force of gravity seemed immense and I steadied myself as I climbed out of the shuttle. My body jarred as my boots connected with the ground. It was an amazing feeling, knowing that we were the only living things on this planet. I moved aside to allow Riley to exit the shuttle as well before we started off towards a large crater.

It didn’t take us long to reach the crater and we peered down into the mess of what I could only guess were once buildings. As I looked down into the crater, something caught my eye to my right. I spun quickly, almost unbalancing as I did so. There was nothing there as I frowned in the direction I was sure I had seen movement.

‘Commander?’ Riley looked at me with concern. ‘What is it?’

‘Nothing,’ I shook my head as I spoke. ‘Thought I saw something moving. Must have been the wind.’

We began to walk away from the crater and towards the mountains in the east. The land was dusty and dry, consolidating my knowledge that nothing could possibly be alive here. We had been sent down to find suitable places to rebuild our society, we needed to find a water source.

‘Commander?’ Riley had stopped dead beside me, staring into the distance.

‘What is it?’ I said a little frustrated at being disturbed from my thoughts. I turned to look in the direction she was staring. Shock and fear warred within me as I saw a figure growing larger as it approached us.

‘I think, commander, it looks like, well it looks human.’

An Angel Falls in Love

"an angel exiled/banished to earth for falling in love with a human and bending or breaking some rule that can’t be broken. What the rule is, is your choice"


Falling is the first thing an angel feels. It’s pleasant at first, and then, pain. The pain hits like a truck. Maybe it was a truck after all. I look dazedly around at the bright headlights burning a hole in the night. Pain courses through me like electricity as I struggle to sit up. A man rushes towards me in horror. He’s talking, yelling, trying to communicate with me but it all sounds foreign to my ears. His arms are waving wildly around at first before settling into calming gestures that you might use on an animal. My hazy mind tries to focus on what is going on but it all happened so fast. One moment I was in heaven and the next, I was falling.

Heaven. The word pulled forth a torrent of memories and emotions. I broke the rules; I fell in love with a human. No, it was worse than that. I saved her life. This was my punishment, to live on this awful planet as a human, completely mortal. Angels weren’t meant to feel emotions, what had gone wrong with me? I shook my head, it didn’t matter anymore. I could never go back to that life. I had to work out where to go from here.

I looked up at the man for a moment, he was unimportant to me. I managed to bring myself to a standing position; the initial pain of falling was subsiding. I looked around trying to get my bearings. I had been to Earth so many times on missions and routine observations. I calculated how far I was from the nearest city. Not far, but too far to walk. I looked at the man again.
‘Take me to the city.’ I demanded. He stood stunned as he stared at me. I walked towards his truck before he had begun nodding.

The man dropped me on the edge of town, unable to bring his road train into the city centre. I didn’t care, I knew where I needed to go. I needed to find Emmalyn, the woman I loved. As the pain had begun to subside she had entered my thoughts and dominated them. I knew where she would be, at her small home on the outskirts of the city. It wouldn’t be far from here. Determinedly I set off down the street towards where I knew she would be.

The houses had begun to deteriorate in quality as I got closer to where she lived. I frowned, I didn’t remember it like this. I shook my head, my memories must be jumbled from the fall. I continued walking until I came to her door. Taking a deep breath I knocked on the door. One second. Two, three. I held my breath until finally I heard someone shuffling around and a light flicked on. I stood tall as I waited. An old woman opened the door a crack and I frowned at her in confusion. I had never seen this woman before.
‘Who are you?’ She demanded in a scratchy voice as she squinted into the darkness. I stared at her stunned. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. My mind was racing, this wasn’t at all how I had pictured it. Who was this old woman?

‘Who are you?’ She demanded again.

‘I’m,’ I paused; I hadn’t even considered that she might ask me ‘Roger.’

‘What do you want?’ She asked suspiciously. I felt offended by the way she was talking to me. What right did this human woman have to demand anything of me?

‘I’m looking for Emmalyn.’ I said forcefully, willing her to disappear. The door slammed in my face and I stumbled backwards. What just happened? Rage boiled through me and I stepped forward and knocked on the door again. The woman didn’t return so I kicked it open and walked into Emmalyn’s home. It was almost like I remembered it, only everything looked like it was sixty years older. I walked up the stairs and into the bedroom.

‘What are you doing!’ She exclaimed, horrified.

‘Where is Emmalyn?’ I demanded. She frowned at me.

‘I’m right here, what do you want from me?’ Fear had begun creeping into her voice as she spoke. Realisation flooded me. Of course He wouldn’t let me spend my life with her here. I looked at her again, she was frail and old, but her face still had the same high cheekbones, the brilliant blue eyes. I collapsed to my knees at the end of the bed and despair washed over me.

Magic's Return

The woman frowned as she stalked through the tall trees. What was happening to her? It was the third time this week she had managed to miraculously save someone’s life. If she didn’t know better, she’d say it was magic, but everyone knew magic died out decades ago. She bent to pick some white flowers growing at the base of the tree; they would be useful to create healing teas. She continued walking through the forest, letting the sounds wash over her.


It wasn’t possible for magic to be back, was it? She wasn’t even alive when the last shred of magic was burned from the Earth. She had heard stories about the day the emperor had drawn too much magic into himself and in doing so burnt all that was left of the Source. It was gone, there was no way magic could ever come back without the Source, was there? She shook her head, no. There would be a logical explanation for it.


As she walked deeper into the forest rain began to fall, softly at first before becoming torrential. She didn’t mind the rain, it cooled off the sticky heat of the day. She relished the feeling of mud squishing between her toes as she walked on. She wasn’t sure where she was going but somehow she knew it was the right way to go. She was following a stream uphill to where it began when the sky rumbled ominously above her. She looked around nervously, wondering if she should go back. The compound would be mostly dry and she could probably wrangle a hot shower from one of the change boys. She contemplated it but decided the freshness of the forest was far more comfortable than the crowded compound was. The shelters in the compound would be leaking and more than likely refuse would be washing down the street with the rain. She sighed, was life always like this? She knew the answer, when they had magic they were able to power the cities and life had been much better then. She thought it must have been.


When she reached the top of the hill she had been climbing she saw there was a clearing around the lake at the top. More bizarre was the strange light that seemed to be coming from the lake. She cautiously moved closer to it before dipping her had in and scooping some out. She was immediately thrown back from the water as images assaulted her mind. She could see and feel the journey of the water in the lake. It all began to make sense. The source had broken, but it had spilled into the water around it before being carried away with the tides. The magic while not entirely sentient was aware enough to preserve itself. Was it time for it to return?

Winning the Lottery

"You win the lottery, now everyone wants some of your money, do you help, or keep it all for yourself?"


I controlled my expression as the final number in the lottery draw appeared on the screen. Another match, I had won. I looked over that the large man lying on the couch next to me, his eyes closed and snoring loudly. I stood slowly, careful not to wake him. I walked to the only window in our tiny apartment, placing my hand on my growing stomach as I peer out at the city below. I carefully slipped the crumpled ticket from my pocket and confirmed the numbers. Excitement tingled through me again as I quickly hid it again. I could get out of her, be free of the man of the couch. I brushed the bruise on my cheek; I’d never be hurt by him again.


I quietly moved around the room, collecting the few belongings I still had before slipping out the front door. I stood for a moment, debating if I should take the stairs or the elevator. Stairs I decided at last, there was no way that man would be able to chase me down eighteen flights of stairs. I set off, my heart lightening with every step I took away from that place. I reached the ground floor and walked out into the reception area.


‘Lindsey!’ The man at the desk greeted me. I turned towards him startled. I didn’t know he even knew who I was. Dread began to creep into my heart as my mind ran over possible reasons. I blinked my eyes and pulled myself together.


‘Hello,’ I returned the greeting in what I hoped was a steady voice. I couldn’t stop my mind from going back to the thought that this man must be working for Him.


‘Where are you off to so late, young lady?’ His voice sounded demanding to me, as though it were his right to know. I felt paralysed, He would know I had left, He would know where I was going. I forced myself to move towards the door. The man began to move out from behind the desk and I bolted for the door. I had to get out of here.


‘Lindsey!’ The man called after me ‘Are you okay?’


I ignored him as I raced as fast as my heavy body would take me up the hill and into the city. It had been days since I had been allowed out of the apartment, the bright lights and strong smells were dizzying and I suddenly found it hard to breathe. I fell to my knees outside an old book store, the world spinning around me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see the man from reception standing over me talking into his phone. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I knew I had to get away from him, I had to find a way to escape.

The Hidden Letter

“You find a letter hidden in your apartment. It is addressed to you, and dated ten years ago. You just moved to town last week.”

The door creaked as Mandy pushed through the door. She sighed as she looked around her apartment. Her eyes passed over the sparse furniture of the room and settled on the stack of unopened packing boxes in the corner. She knew what was in them, but she couldn’t bring herself to face those memories just yet. She closed her eyes against the emotions that rose in her as she thought of her lover. She shook her head and lay on the couch, flicking through the endless channels on TV.

Mandy was almost asleep when a voice caused her to sit up. She looked around her apartment but saw no one. She frowned as she got up to turn the light on. Nothing. She was alone. Sadness crashed over her and she headed to the kitchen to make herself a drink. As she pulled one of the glasses from the cupboard, a scrap of paper fluttered to the bench. Curiously she set the glass aside and picked it up. It had been folded in half and the outside read “Mandy West”. She frowned in confusion and flipped the folded paper over. The back had a date on it, ten years ago. She stared at it in confusion, what was going on here? How could a letter from 10 years ago be in the apartment she had moved into just last week? She gently opened the paper and read what it said.

‘Run.’

She dropped the paper in shock and looked around her. Fear was beginning to creep into her as she tried to understand what was happening. Something brushed against her leg and she let out a startled yelp. Beside her was a man that seemed made of shadows. She backed away from him as he began to solidify. She had seen this man before, he had often visited her nightmares. She had read stories in the paper about men and women who supposedly saw this man before dying mysteriously. The media put it down to a mental condition saying it wasn’t real.

Panic began to course through her as she backed towards the door, never taking her eyes off the man. She found the handle and slipped out into the hall way. She ran as fast as she could down the flight of steps and out into the street. All around the street shadow men were forming. She looked around wildly for some place to escape them. The street was crowded but no one else seemed to notice the shadows. This couldn’t be happening, it wasn’t real. Terrified, she ran as fast as she could.

To be Accepted

“A young woman struggles to be accepted into her new university as she is the first human with the ability to read others minds, noones trusts her”


The small clusters of students turned their heads as Rosalie walked through the courtyard, she knew what they were thinking even before she was close enough to hear their thoughts. Their distrust showed clearly on their faces and in their hushed conversations as she passed by them. She kept her head down and hurried towards the glass doors that would lead her to her first class. She shook her head and held back the tears that pricked at her eyes. This year would be just like all the rest.

It hadn’t taken Rosalie long to discover she was different to the other children at school. It wasn’t just that she didn’t talk; she knew instinctively what they were thinking and what they were going to say. She had tried to explain it to her parents, but they hadn’t understood, they sent her to see doctor after doctor. She was sixteen when one doctor finally confirmed what she already knew. She could read people’s thoughts. It wasn’t the classic mind reading you hear of in books, she didn’t hear thoughts, she saw a glow around each person that indicated what they were thinking. It didn’t take long before news of the mind reading girl came out, and even shorter time for people to figure out who it was.

Rosalie sighed as she leaned against the wall next to her class. She could have gotten on with her life if not for that doctor. She could have learned to keep it to herself to be like everyone else. Not anymore, the few friends she had managed to have throughout her schooling had abandoned her when they found out what she could do. Fear does that to people, she had learned that the hard way. From then on anyone she met would either want something from her or avoid her altogether. She looked longingly down the hallway where a group of girls were talking between themselves; they were so carefree and happy. Resentment boiled up in Rosalie as she watched them before she turned away, silently berating herself for the feeling. It wasn’t their fault she couldn’t be normal. A small voice whispered in her ear that is was their fault she was alone. She breathed out heavily becoming more frustrated with her life and inability to fit in.

‘Rosalie?’ A voice broke through her darkening thoughts and she jerked her head up. A boy roughly the same age was standing before her. He shifted uncertainly as he stood in front of her, she could see he was trying to say something but even he didn’t know what it was. She frowned at him and indicated he should leave her alone. She turned her head so she didn’t have to look at him but was uncomfortably aware of the intense stare he was giving her. It was clear the boy wasn’t going anywhere, with a sigh she turned back to him and formed the sign for ‘what?’
‘I’m David,’ the boy said with a triumphant smile. She couldn’t help but smile a little knowing that his only triumph was that she had acknowledged him. Her smile turned to a frown as she realised she didn’t know what this boy way thinking. His smile just widened as though he knew what she was thinking and linked his arm with hers and led her into the classroom.

the End of the World

"A young couples first time, on the eve of the end of the world"

Lightning and rain crashed around the young couple as they sat together on the edge of a cliff. They looked out at the rising ocean before them. News reports heralded the end of the world, the skies would fall and the oceans would swallow the land. No one had believed it until it started happening and then the world had fallen into chaos. People were afraid, trying to escape the inevitable. The young couple sat peacefully amidst the chaos of the weather, enjoying their last moments together.

The young man looked at the woman next to him and smiled shyly at her. She returned the smile and placed her hand gently on his thigh. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder.

“What do you suppose happens now?” She asked him. The young man shrugged, unsure what to say. He lifted his hand to run it through her hair and she snuggled closer to him.
“What can we do? The world is ending, as they said it would. It’s not like we can get one them spaceships the rich people got. I guess we just wait.”

The couple sat in silence as they watched the water coming closer. There used to be a city in the valley below them. The man wondered if they would be here now if the world wasn’t ending. Tonight was the last night the earth would exist. Tomorrow the sun would explode and anyone left would burn to death. He shivered at the thought. It wasn’t pleasant to know how you’d die.

“Let’s do something.” He said suddenly. The woman looked up at him from where she was still leaning against him.
“What do you wanna do?” The man looked around and shrugged.
“There is one thing I’ve always wanted to do…” He trailed off looking at her. She shifted so she was sitting directly in front of him before he continued, “I always wanted to go sky diving.”
“And where are you going to get a parachute to do that? Let alone anyone to fly the plane?” She laughed as she spoke. The absurdity of it such a contrast to the constant thought of the end of the world.
“Who said anything about a parachute?” She looked at him shocked. It never occurred to her that he had meant it like that.
“The world is ending tomorrow and I’d rather die having fun. Don’t you think?” she looked at him sceptically before a smile spread across her face. He was right, why couldn’t they choose how it was going to end?
“Okay. But, it’s my first time.”
“Mine too.”

The Elvish Celebration

Elvish city/village, preparing for and celebrating their most religious/important day/event/ceremony


Rhaine had been waiting for years for the Winter Solstice to coincide with the full moon. She had been little more than a toddler the last time it had occurred, but she could remember clearly the festivities of the day and into the night. She was filled with anticipation as she walked out through the village. The lanterns she had helped the young elves make fluttered in the gentle breeze while streamers swirled from posts that surrounded the village green. She could see the preparations for the festival were progressing well, by the next day everything would be done and all that would be left would be to celebrate.

She smiled as she saw of elves around her own age; they were talking excitedly among themselves as she approached. One of the girls looked up at her and greeted her with a big smile and an enthusiastic wave. She returned the gesture but turned from the group and headed towards the well near the edge of the green. A young male elf sat peering over the edge as he lowered the bucket. A small smile spread across her face as she quietly moved to stand beside him. The man was so caught up in his task he didn’t see her approaching and dropped the bucket the last few feet into the well as he let out a startled yelp when he lifted his face into hers. Rhaine laughed softly and moved to kneel beside him.
‘Rhaine!’ He exclaimed trying his best to sound mad. ‘How many times do I have to tell you not to do that!’
Rhaine couldn’t help but laugh as he cracked on the last word and began smiling and laughing with her.
‘I’ve missed you.’ She said when their laughter died down and she leaned in towards him. She rested her head on his arm as he gently began to stroke her hair. She hated when Erik and the other young men had to go out hunting, but she knew they had to so they could eat. It was dangerous being an elf this close to human civilisation, they often ended up being hunted by the humans.
‘I’m here now.’ He reassured her, ‘and we won’t have to go out again until next season. We can set snares for rabbits and possums around here and that should get us through with enough fresh meat combined with the dried meat we will have left over.’ He gently kissed the top of her head before adding mischievously, ‘don’t you have work you should be doing?’ He flicked a handful of water causing her to leap to her feet. She put her hands on her hips and frowned at him.

Rhaine made her way to the healing shelter after leaving Erik. She knelt beside the bed of a very young elf. She came every day to visit this young boy, it was where she always felt she could make a difference. She reaches out and gently touched his face with a loving smile. His parents had both been killed in the last human raid fifty years ago and he had been infected with the human affliction. No one knew how it was spread or why some elves got it and others did not. There was only one cure for it, and that was the stand beneath the full moon on the Winter Solstice, the infected just had to survive long enough.
‘Hey you,’ She said quietly to the boy as he opened his eyes. A smile spread across his face as he saw her.
‘Rhaine,’ he said weakly. She frown in concern, he had been getting weaker and weaker the near they came to the solstice, she was afraid that he wouldn’t make it.
‘Hang in there Bael, it’s almost time.’ She said in what she hoped was a reassuring voice.

She spent most of the day there with him, telling him the stories her own mother had told her when she was still young. The sky was dark by the time she left him, he had fallen asleep long before she had stopped telling her stories. Concern warred within her, she hadn’t wanted to leave him tonight but she knew she would regret tomorrow if she didn’t try to get some sleep. She sighed as she opened the door on her cold dark home.

Shouting was the first thing that came to Rhaine as she was woken from her sleep. Outside she could hear the shouts of their men and the crackling of fires already lit around the village. It took her a moment to fully comprehend what was happening. She hastily dressed in her leather armour and grabbed her bow. She hated using it but it was necessary now. She knew without looking outside that the humans had found them again. Her door rattled as someone opened it, she drew back into the corner and nocked an arrow as she held her breath.
‘Rhaine?’ Erik’s voice enquired into the darkness of her home.
‘Erik!’ She said with relief. ‘What’s going on?’
‘It’s the humans. They found us again, we’ve got to go.’
‘But- what about the festival?’
‘Rhaine, we have to go, the festival doesn’t matter, we need to get out of here. They’re coming to destroy us this time. We saw their machines and med. They’ve been cutting into the forest since their last attack. We’ve got to go.’
‘But-‘ She began to say but Erik put a finger to her lips and spoke again.
‘Rhaine, it’s time to go.’
‘Bael,’ she said and he looked at her. That was all she needed, he was gone.
‘The shelter was the first place they attacked. It’s as though they’ve been scouting our village for many seasons. We have to go Rhaine, we can’t stay here any longer. The rest of the villagers have already begun to flee.’ Reluctantly Rhaine followed Erik from her home and into the chaos beyond.

Discovering Magic

"A current day setting, discovering magic for the first time"


Magic has always been a part of our lives. From a young age when something couldn’t be explained to our immature minds, those around us always told us, ‘it’s magic!’ and we believed them. It’s no surprise that the key to accessing magic came from a child’s mind. That was ten years ago now, it was meant to bring prosperity and unity to the world, all it has done is cause chaos and an even larger socioeconomic gap.

It was August the 30th, 2015 the day me and the scientists I worked with finally cracked the code. We had been close for years but couldn’t create a stable compound. I didn’t know what they were doing back then; I went to work in the lab and never saw any other part of the facility. I thought we were trying to save the world, not destroy it. Sometime I wish I had never taken the job, but I know it wouldn’t have made a difference, if not me than it would have been someone else. We spent months analysing the minds of children we thought had been volunteered by their parents. When it came to human trials, the same children were brought back in. It wasn’t until much later that I found out every single one of them was on the missing persons register.

The compound we developed enhanced the brain’s function, allowing for things that wouldn’t ordinarily be possible to be possible. It was small things at first, lift an object without touching it, levitate. As the human trials went on the abilities of the children increased until they reached what can only be called magic. Some were able to create something from nothing, others could fly, still others could move through solid objects. The government marked it as a success and began producing the compound. ‘Magic in a jar’ they called it.

It was sold to the highest bidder of course, before the military began producing it for their soldiers. It all went downhill from there. Before long mysterious deaths were occurring in the streets, people were disappearing. It didn’t take much time before people were too afraid to leave their homes. The economy began to collapse, the rich and powerful created their own safe-zone, guarded by enhanced soldiers. The less fortunate were sent to work in the fields, under threat of death or worse. Magic gave them the means to inflict so many different ways of suffering on others. We pursued it as a cure for the many diseases that were destroying us, a way to settle wars without violence. We wanted to make the world a better place, but we only did the opposite.

The Fairy Discovery

"You discover faries when hiking in the mountains."

Elayna fell to her knees in the damp soil as another mountain loomed up before her. She had been lost in this god forsaken forest for three days and she was quickly running out of food. Tears began to fall down her cheeks and she brushed at them in frustration. She was never going to find a way out of the forest. She was going to die here. The thought caused a wave of hopelessness wash over her and she put her face in her hands as she knelt on the ground. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to regain control of her emotions she leaned back against a tree trunk.

‘Elayna’ a familiar voice called to her. She sat up straight and looked around her in shock, trying to find the person talking to her. There was no one else in the forest with her, she was alone and she was going crazy. She closed he eyes and leaned back against the tree trunk, deciding she must need to rest.

‘Elayna!’ The same voice called again with more urgency and a tone of concern. Elayna stayed still with her eyes closed. She must be going mad; there was no way her mother could possibly be there. Her mother had been a victim of a failed experiment at one of the chemical plants years ago. No, this was just her mind playing tricks on her. She sighed and wriggled around trying to get more comfortable amongst the roots of the giant tree.

‘Elayna, wake up!’ The voice was more insistent this time and Elayna opened her eyes, if only to prove to herself she was hallucinating. She leapt to her feet in shock when she opened her eyes and hovering right in front of her face was a fairy. Not just any fairy, it was her mother. Her mother was a fairy. Her brain struggled to understand what was happening, but could come up with no explanation.

‘Elayna,’ her mother’s voice was gentler and more soothing this time and the little fairy reached out her hand to touch Elayna’s face. She tried her best not to pull away, hoping desperately that this wasn’t just exhaustion.

‘You need to go home, Elayna.’ Her mother’s voice was soft but still carried the same authoritative tone she remembered.

‘I don’t know where I am. I don’t know how to get out. I’m going to die here, mum. Please don’t leave me here alone.’

‘No, you’re not going to die here. I will take you home. It’s going to be okay.’ Elayna could only nod as tears fell down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe her mother was here, a fairy.

‘What-’ She tried to form the question but couldn’t find the words to ask. Her mother smiled warmly at her before replying.

‘It was the chemical spill at the plant. They wanted to create an immortality serum. Those that have the serum in their blood can’t die like normal people. They die, and it hurts, believe me it hurts but they live on, like this, in the forest. The body still decomposes and is buried but the spirit is removed and born into a fairy. You remember all those stories I told you about fairies?’ Her mother stopped and smiled at Elayna fondly before sighing.

‘We need to go, love. You need to get home.’ Elayna looked up at her mother sadly. How could she possibly go back to her old life knowing that her mother was still alive here. She knew from the stories her mother had told her when she was a child that fairies couldn’t survive in human cities and humans couldn’t survive in the fairies groves either. She leaned her head back against the tree and sank back to the ground as hopelessness swept through her again.

‘Elayna!’ Her mother’s voice pierced through her foggy mind. She just wanted to sleep, that’s all that was important now. She opened her eyes slightly to see her mother still hovering in front of her with a concerned look on her face. She closed her eyes again.