Category: Short Stories (Page 3 of 11)

'Oh, maiden of the darker depths, why do you delve so deep, where not even dangers dwell? What long forgot fable or fossil will you find, what secret hidden away from every adventurer that ever braved these caverns do you seek as you sojourn in solitude deep within the world?' https://t.co/yg6yyUYdcd

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'It is true what they say, a rising tide lifts all ships, and grand were the days when they plied the waves, seeking and capturing all they came upon. But when the tide went out so few survived and many were stranded upon the shores, mourning their fortunes and wishing for more.' https://t.co/bRJReo4j87

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'The Libation Bearer was a long forgotten goddess, supplanted and suppressed by so many successors over the centuries. Still, some supplicants still recalled the nourisher, the bringer of sustenance and fortunes, the generous goddess, selflessly offering all the waters of life.' https://t.co/96RvNyrM2q

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'Yes it bled, small streams of blood splintered the lands for leagues beyond the horizon, but so too it bled the land of all life. Nought but barren rock and soil bore witness to the ever growing orb, nought but the curious, brave, and the strange flower that still stood strong.' https://t.co/pH4DThdyie

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'In ancient times we marked our achievements on trees and rocks, signing our surroundings with symbols of our glories. But with the passage of time and the ever advancing tides of progress such monuments become mundane. So we seek ever larger surfaces to scratch our cenotaphs.' https://t.co/BYcKYjE5A4

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 21, 2021

'Those that built these towers would shudder to know their grand achievements would be abandoned by their children's children. Their decendants were driven forth by calamities not of their own making but built into the very structures the builders had erected before their birth.' https://t.co/DiAFjrLM61

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'There's was an ancient way of life, older than the their homes, their city, and even the kingdom in which they lived. They had been plying their trade upon the waters before there was any semblance of civilization, and they would live in this manner for as long as they could.' https://t.co/O5rmYEcNg8

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'It was not much, this flimsy fortress, a simple structure to shield against the sun and sands, the sear and storms that battered against the barely adequate barrier they had erected when they had landed here so long ago. It was not much but it was enough to keep them alive.' https://t.co/gH9bRMT9tp

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'Most men were wary of the wilds this far west. The world they knew fell away before beasts and trees unknown and altogether frightening. The flowers were too large, the trees grew too tall, and the creatures that crept upon their boughs held no fear of man nor his weapons…' https://t.co/Wa7nghVp9f

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'Once there was a great empire, once there was a realm that stretched around the world, master of all men who once stood opposed. Once, they were lords of creation and forgers of all mankind's fates. But that was long ago and many other empires rose and fell since those days…' https://t.co/41MvXDJC5u

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'Sleet and snow and the silent stillness of the spent storm serenaded the midday maiden, mistress of the winter winds, as she surveyed the serenity and the safety such sheltering snows provided for her prey. The small spirits were captive in their caves but hidden from her eyes.' https://t.co/1epXtCLpGz

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'The interstellar mass had passed so close to their world that they feared the end was upon them. But it did not strike their sphere, smashing instead into their moon. Many celebrated their survival, but their joy was naive. The end was nigh and their moon would be its herald.' https://t.co/5OTE4DNiJY

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'This world was not ideal despite the thriving vegetation. It was far too cold for comfortable life even at the equator. Yes the air was breathable, but barely and would be adverse to their health. But they were out of fuel and parsecs away from aide so this would have to do.' https://t.co/vkZgEQi1MS

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 19, 2021

'What bones were these that did not rot, what horrid monsters lie upon this spot, what evil walked and then did not, what wicked worlds had come before, and would they rise and walk once more? There may be things we should not know, but we must learn how their eyes still glow.' https://t.co/CDR93mAXKW

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 15, 2021

'The illusion was unnerving, not because it felt real but because it felt unreal, unnatural, impossible, and every fiber of her being knew it could not be. It put her on edge, and she never felt more self-conscious, aware of every movement, every breath. 'https://t.co/4c157H62Bf

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 14, 2021

'I could not see the danger in the dark, I could not hear its breath nor the beating of its heart, but I knew it was there, waiting, watching, stalking, seeking to devour this fool who had wandered into its lair. I could not see it, but I could see the warning word on the wall.' https://t.co/Y3hATQMFXd

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 12, 2021

'Her grandmother had told of the times before the sun grew dim and the world died. The older folk were all gone now, but their stories haunted humanity still as the nights grew longer and the chill grew sharper. Paradise fell and now there was only cold.'https://t.co/DQ4DXtUpXE

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 12, 2021

'Tourists marveled at their cities, deep in this distant moon, far flung from home in the cold depths of the system far from the sun. They were astounded at the ingenuity, the seeming absurdity of a thriving society within a world. It was the plant life that surprised them most.' https://t.co/38nO0K6SrT

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 12, 2021

'None of them wanted to be there, in the heat and the sand, sapping their sweat and their will to live, day in day out. This was not their native land, not their native world, but there was wealth to be drawn from the ground, and such demanded force to fend off other interests.' https://t.co/lDCBXKEnvu

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 12, 2021

'They were guarding the ancient temple against… what they knew not. Surely the crumbling chambers carved within the rocks stood secure all these aeons without their vigilance. Yet there they stood, as ordered, against an undefined and unclear danger to this rediscovered ruin.' https://t.co/VXTimKXiCi

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

'In the distance, the storm is building, but we are safe within this valley. Our mountains protect us from the ominous onslaught witohut, as long as we remain where we are, safe, secure, sheltered, scared…. Lo, child, do not fear the gathering gloom, stay and cower with us.' https://t.co/QrtaSjJyCm

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

"And you say they build these cities on purpose?"
"Of course."
"To live all together, when so much of their world open and unsettled?"
"Yes."
"Doesn't it get uncomfortable, all cooped up like vermin?"
"At times…."
"But…."
"Look, are you going to help me conquer them or not?" https://t.co/epcDME3na3

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

'The extractors were autonomous, and exuded menace. Simple creatures fled before them, ceding whole swaths of the wild to their encroachment. They were autonomous, and altogether remorseless in their exploitation, leaving the society they served to ignore the issue entirely.' https://t.co/EMPBmlYnu5

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

'Another day dawned upon the placid planet, far from federation, their fleets and their feuds. The old outpost, once a point of power, a point of control over the common people, rusted and decayed upon the high ground, watching over a populace no longer fearful of its authority.' https://t.co/GSMPgymasP

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

'She did not know what lay beyond, or if she should trust this strange being from another realm. Instincts were firing warnings, panic threatening to hold her back, to keep her safe from the unknown. She did not know what lay beyond her room but she was determined to find out.' https://t.co/JORZII3mmK

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 11, 2021

'When the end came upon us, no one noticed at first. No existential threats from beyond our understanding, no vast invading fleets reigning terror on our worlds, no internal struggle or turmoil that brought low our celestial civilization. It was but a blight that we ignored…' https://t.co/o3XHKtDNFR

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 5, 2021

'Buffeting breezes blow billowing banks of clouds across meandering meadows, searching silently for their place.
They wander carefree, caressing the bright blue sky,
Stirring fragrant flowers in a tranquil dance of grace.'#poetry #tuesdaymotivations https://t.co/iGgItyCCeD

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 5, 2021

'The winding stream from the maintain tops took many a turn and many a twist on its way to the sea, seeking the path of least resistance as it found its natural place in this world. As it traveled it was joined by others, coming together as one, ever stronger the older it grew.' https://t.co/IGsNTH83re

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 5, 2021

'Few respected the old rites anymore. Few enough remembered there were old rites to respect, fewer still recalled the rituals, the rhythms, the rhymes, the rattles…. There was so little love for the old, the dying, gods in this modern world. Yet there were the faithful few.' https://t.co/DOTLg2m7Vd

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 4, 2021

'It was not much of a mountain, as such are measured. There were no snows slept upon its summit, no clouds crowded its crest, no glaciers graced its gullies. It was but a modest mountain, one of many in the remote region. Truly, a lonely place for the end of the world to start.' https://t.co/ezkqTTvM1i

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 4, 2021

'With every step the pillar grew higher, with every breath, every beat of his heart the dream drew nearer. Here at last was proof of his wildest fantasies, certainty that the old ways still held power after all this time, that doorways to the other world lay buried, sleeping….' https://t.co/mI9u7RKuRs

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 4, 2021

'This was a fabled land, frequented by sea and by sand, famed for fortunes and the fantastic, ruled by prosperous princes and sacked by scurrilous savages seeking sensational spoils. It was a fabled land, long ago, in ages long lost to legend. Now, no one wandered here, but him.' https://t.co/gA32sCnoh0

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 4, 2021

'It is only after we exert the effort that we can know what we have achieved, only after we have surmounted the summits and stand upon the precipice of our own ambitions and wildest dreams. We can only spy the peaks if we persevere. We can only glimpse the cloud tops from above.' https://t.co/RxK1924Bys

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 4, 2021

'Such scenes seem so serene, fertile fields, steady streams, solid shores to build cities made of dreams. Civilizations strive to thrive upon such plains. But then rivers shift, and untold numbers perish in the flood, as their grand cities built upon the banks wash away to sea.' https://t.co/cLHAw2Kxkq

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 4, 2021

'Life now knows not the monsters of before, but such has life been and such will life be, entirely entranced by the dangers of the day, never thinking, never wondering, why they fear the dark places, why they seek the sun instead of shadows and why the old bones still hold fear.' https://t.co/OsVcetAKgs

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) January 4, 2021

'Wherever you wander, for want or wonder, may your will never wain nor whimsy wither, may you walk the world without waiver, your path never astray by day, never afright at night. May light be beside you to guide you. From dawn to dusk, dusk to dawn, ever in pursuit of the sun.' https://t.co/YgEDKOlXOy

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 31, 2020

'Behold the standing stones from ancient times of yore, behold the sacred shrines of gods that came before. Beware the standing stones and the spirits they hold, beware the seelie sprites the old tales foretold, for they dance on dark nights to invoke dark rites….' https://t.co/4f5IOJIGWm

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 31, 2020

'Ever the illusive dance of dawn and dusk, ever the hunter and hunted, one chasing the other in eternally entwined embrace. Ever the celestial spectacle, we watch the heavens as darkness seems to chase the light from the sky, yet always it is the shimmer chasing the shadows.' https://t.co/juK4wvEHrR

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 31, 2020

'This was an old path, one that had not seen use in ages. She could tell no one had been here for centuries, for the steps were scabbing over and new, untamed branches spread everywhere. Yet, this had to be the way the old ones spoke of, the way to the fabled forest floor below.' https://t.co/hUxRMHcBRu

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 31, 2020

'When the earth spat forth death and covered the shattered lands with fire and ash, all life was extinguished. The cooling rocks were barren with but smoke arising for ages. But in the fullness of time, the storms came, the snows fell, and the river ran, bringing life once more.' https://t.co/rpBN9qe0mc

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 29, 2020

'They had a bit of everything and everything could be had for the right price. From the most mundane of merchandise to the fabled and forgotten, any particular item could be found for you by the crafty clerks of the archives, for the right price, and if you knew what to ask for.' https://t.co/kqUr0n5lpR

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 29, 2020

'Beware the ancient guardians of the deep, for though their cults faded away long ago, they do not always slumber, nor do they show mercy to any who would be fool enough to trawl their depths and disturb their abodes to prey upon those they shelter.'https://t.co/jgv1QVc2a1

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 29, 2020

'Fearsome, foesome, fiendish and foul, the snub-nosed drake spreads its wings and roars with frightful force, sending all the small to scattering, and putting all else on guard of its formidable figure. At least, it would be so threatening were it more than a handsbreadth tall.' https://t.co/fTqHbaCIGg

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 29, 2020

'Some say they are spirits of the night, some say they convey the souls of sinners, shifting silently between the celestial and this mortal realm, bearing all to their final abode. They also say the owl stalks these spirit sprites, to torment and tear at foulest of their fares.' https://t.co/JjkBEhBVf7

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 28, 2020

'When you see the moon slip into sea, and orange skies fade to grey in fond adieu to day, when the waters shine so bright that they light the darkest night, when foam and fog unite to spread and hide all sight, when wind and wave is all you hear then you'll wish land was near.' https://t.co/YPRRgnEC2O

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 28, 2020

'Every quest has a prize, every journey a destination, every life a purpose, or so they taught us when we were but children. What few taught before we set out into the world was that the prize is ephemeral, the destination is ever elusive, and the purpose is for us to define.' https://t.co/FhvQtMn0HA

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 28, 2020

'There were the quiet moments, the silent seconds between the days, when no sane soul would be about, these were the moments when the world made sense, and all the seeking, all the searching, all the death and despair that composed the rest of time faded and blurred for a while.' https://t.co/URHtaE7C6F

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 28, 2020

'You and me, and every tree rise and fall with age. But you and me, unlike the tree, have but one long stage. When we fall, as must we all, our lives are measured by what we've dost. When all trees lose their leaves they are measured by what they've lost.'#poem #thoughtoftheday https://t.co/TaUDIroHSq

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 23, 2020

'We fear the primal forces, the primitive powers that make or break what binds our beings. While we pray for guidance, for some semblance of sentient spirits to steer our lives and forge our fates, we tremble when an avatar or angel alights before us, weilding life and death.' https://t.co/IsnsQowLzV

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 23, 2020

'The winds were nothing new, the mists swept through the passes every morning, washing the valleys with cold and dew as the sun rose above. No, the winds were not new, but there was a chill fear they carried this morning, and all eyes turned to the shrouded peaks with dread.' https://t.co/19LNgYYPWg

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 23, 2020

'Whether worked from mindless matter by the might of mankind or crafted from chaos by coursing streams of wind and water, there is majesty in the monuments of time, true triumphs over ordinary occurrence, carved from the mundane to mark the fantastic among the familiar.' https://t.co/7LwUq2ZMt7

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 18, 2020

'He had seen many come and go. He was an old troll as he never paid any mind to those who trod overhead as long as they did not damage his bridge and went along their way. The locals did not fear him, for he caused no bother. Though, he grew restless when they sang out of tune.' https://t.co/gRvd8I4nMx

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 18, 2020

'When one first emerges from the safety of the nest and sets out on their own, the excitement of the adventure and the boldness to push beyond all known bounds can make you feel strong, feel invincible. After many years, one no longer feels invincible, though they are stronger.' https://t.co/btr7Fv4gM4

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 18, 2020

'When darkness comes calling and all the world is wailing, we want for a new world and a new life, one filled with joy and kindness and a bright light in the sky. But we do not need a new world for all this to be, it is all about us. For color is to be found even in the shadows.' https://t.co/184SeanPte

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 18, 2020

'Be wary where you wander, they had warned her. Be watchful when you walk the wayward routes, be mindful of the seeking souls, stranded in the stark and dark depths where one should never go. Be wary and do not tarry beyond the border of what you know, lest you know new terrors.' https://t.co/Z7xW1XdCZM

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 17, 2020

'When the sun cannot be seen, and all is red that once was green, when the ash begins to fall, that is a sign to us all, when the fires flare about, how can there be any doubt? Yet in the smoke and in the haze, it is hard to see the end of days.'#poem #ThursdayThoughts https://t.co/228teydi9I

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 17, 2020

'When the world shivers and cracks, all the creatures tremble. When the ground splits and sunders, all life flees or falls. What once was whole lies in twain, barren and bereft. But with time and persistence life finds a way back into the scars, soon to forget there was a wound.' https://t.co/VQQCNLNdaR

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 16, 2020

'Through fiendish and foul forces, with dire disregard for the fate of this world they invoked the elemental energies that bind the boundaries between the here and hereafter, in an attempt to attain power, summoning specters to the site, such as can rend the heavens asunder.' https://t.co/ZprFZtjZSX

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 16, 2020

'One more world that was theirs to exploit, one more world where mankind had triumphed against the void of space. It was now a forge world, where they built their next marvels of engineering. One more dead world to mine until there was no more to be had.'https://t.co/lcvW5K8Hfk

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 16, 2020

'The locals had many strange traditions, many odd beliefs. They said their ancestors are always with them, and any can commune with the departed atop the stones. She laughed at this and went climbing. Now as the spirits surround her and the warmth and light exude, she is afraid.' https://t.co/vT9URWcAyj

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 16, 2020

'In but dreams and distress do we see the potentialities not probable, not possible, but preferable. Myriad mad melodies of mesmerizing mists, cacophonies of color and shimmering shapes, dancing delightfully with what may never be and what never was. Perhaps we are the illusion.' https://t.co/1SZyVT8DGj

— Duncan Wilson (@MrDuncanWilson) December 15, 2020