October 2023 Collection
The Unassuming Ring
A signet ring starts life as a mundane thing. "This is from the head of the family," it says day in and day out. Wax and ink are it's domain; nothing regal, nothing dangerous. However, when a blade or poison strikes in the night and removes the head, a family is left adrift. Then, quite suddenly, the ring becomes special...and just a little cursed.
Career Change
There was once a valiant knight that entered an old dragon's lair. They did not stay a knight much longer than that!
A Pocket in the Forest
The forest behind my childhood home used to be my favorite place to go. Wild mushrooms decorated trees alive and dead. Lichens crept over rocks and were always damp with dew. I went there every day, until I met a little girl with big, pretty eyes, and long, pointed ears. With a giggle and a whisper she made the world so much larger and whisked me away in her pocket. I hope she remembers were I am before she gives her clothes a good wash!
The River's Burden
A river bustles downstream, carrying its burdens between hills and valleys. With arms so full, and its journey so quick, it doesn’t notice the little bits it leaves behind. Years pass. Bits build up and a wall forms to block the river's path. The river changes course, and continues its way down to the sea.
Tired Workers
The stones cracked as he landed on the watch tower. dust and cracks fell as he gripped the building tight with claws and tail. Below, humans scurried away, filling the air with their terror. Delight filled him. He inhaled slowly, filling the tension in his chest and lungs peak. There was a glimmer of something softer, something deeper that made him pause. Her presence was still with him, though her body lay elsewhere.
"Let it go," she whispers. "Spare them."
This one time, he couldn't obey her. Every scale, every muscle trembled in his body. He exhaled slowly. Ice coated the city, bringing a deep winter. Silence falls. This time, the humans wouldn't interrupt his slumber, but when he returned, their cave was far too cold to sleep anyway.
Tea Time
I set the table like I did each first Wednesday of the month: two saucers, two cups, two little spoons. Next came the cream, the sugar, and the little pot of tea wrapped in a floral cozie. I wasn’t sure if she’d come this time, but I hoped she made time. A knock sounded at the door and I bustled to open it. My friend floated in with a dramatic swish of her skirts.
She laughed upon seeing my ecstatic face, “Edna, love! I must say the flowers you gave me last week were beautiful. Made me feel like I had the prettiest grave on the lot!"
It was going to be a great tea time in deed.
Feeding Drakes
Mya entered the cavern, bucket in hand. The flickering light of her torch illuminated cracked and crumbling steps. Down, down, down she traveled until the air became stifling with its warmth. Chains and iron bars rattled at the end of her decent. Tremors shook her frail body. She gnawed at her lip searching for any sign of teeth or claws beyond the iron bars.
Golden eyes appeared, a light flickered inside of a maw filled with rows of teeth. Mya slung the contents of her bucket through the bars, filling the room with its soured stench. The frenzy of shrieks and flashes of fire didn’t follow her up the stairs this time.
Polished Steel
Gerard sat down, chewing at the inside of his mouth. His performance in this morning’s duel replayed over an over in his mind. Sloppy form. Laughably weak defense. He laid his sword across his knees. With each swipe of the polishing cloth against the dented blade, he considered how to improve before the next duel. The metal gleamed in the afternoon light, as if determined to improve with him. Practice, he decided, a lot more practice.