The strong scent of operating-room grade disinfectants didn't faze Mario Zikmund as he followed the last of the chatting medical assistants through the darkened office, shutting off the remaining lights and closing doors as he went. I love closing on Fridays. As the office manager, it was his duty to balance the needs of the … Continue reading The Dragon King’s Medic (pt. 1)
"And that's why I decided to become a villain," said Dr. Volkow as he reloaded his physics -defying pistol. The superhero "Waveform"---whose real identity was Eric Hardwood---glowered from where he'd been tied to a column in an underground parking garage below the shopping district. The subterranean garage and the stores above had been evacuated when … Continue reading Evil’s Gopher
A stone staircase wrapped down the side of a vine-choked bluff overlooking a quiet coastal town. Single-story buildings with tile roofs clung to every hill and cliff face from the highest point of the narrow peninsula to the westernmost shoreline bristling with masts. On the first landing from the bottom of the stone staircase, Zvonko … Continue reading Skill, Luck, and Terrible Ideas (pt. 2)
When the teenage boy returned from school on Friday, he dropped his backpack on the kitchen table and excitedly told the orange cat about his day. It had been a good day. He'd aced two exams and finished all homework assignments between classes except for one. In a bottom cupboard to the left of the … Continue reading The Frying Pan (pt. 2)
In a world where 50% of the population can use magic, there existed an ordinary cast-iron frying pan. The pan had been owned and used to prepare meals the old fashioned way by six different sorcerers in its lifetime. Eventually, the sorcerers sold it either at yard sales or online. However, having been in the … Continue reading The Frying Pan (pt. 1)
“HEY, MESA!” I looked over at the sound of my name. At the time, I was holding a heavy crate of bottles for the old shop owner who was clearing a cluttered bench to accommodate the burden. On the step outside the open shop door, our local letter carrier waved an envelope over her head. … Continue reading The “Mesa” Story – The Beginning
Last week I went for a 15-mile hike in Thonotosassa, FL, and, I've gotta say, the scenery looked kinda like it always does. Green with palms. Well, there was a bunch of leaf litter from oaks which were looking a little lean from dropping leaves but that was the only difference from the usual. The … Continue reading Autumn Hike
"You make so much trouble for him," Mrs Journ scolded the three female warriors who collapsed into chairs of various tables around the empty dining area of her small inn. With her braided hair bound tall in a silver mountain, the proprietress shook a large wooden spoon at each of them. "You should be ashamed … Continue reading For the Quest!
I spent a little time this afternoon going through old word documents to delete, move, and rename things in order to make my files easier to navigate. More specifically, I scrolled through for files the titles of which gave no helpful clue as to what could possibly be inside, and then took care of those. … Continue reading A Surprise Among the Scraps
Anton bought a boat. It's a shark of a slope, less than 20 feet long with a single mast, built in the 90's. It came with a new outboard engine which had been only used for about 6 total hours by a previous owner who didn't have time to sail due to health reasons. Meet … Continue reading Maiden Voyage
Duri Rolvsson 