Hugh J. O'Donnell

When the explorers came to trade their hard metals for practical things like food and medicine, we knew what they really wanted. We had seen what became of our neighbors, and contrary to their opinions, we weren’t stupid.
We traded with them but said little. And we made sure they saw the wonders of our land, especially the Far Valley. When the explorers saw the fertile soil and gorgeous views, they had to take it for themselves.
We didn’t warn them about of the dragon that slept beneath the hills, due to soon awaken from his hundred years of sleep.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!

He looked up and saw the symbol piercing the darkness of the night: An eldritch mark of light and shadow reflected and projected to every corner of the city.
It was a symbol of madness but also the truth. It was a rejection of the comforting lies of sanity and an acceptance of the bleak, vast universe as it was.
Everyone in the city who saw the symbol knew what it meant. It was a call to action and a call for help. It was his symbol, and he raced into action when he saw it. The city needed Cthulhu-Man!

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!

When you hang a warlock, you stick around to make sure he’s dead.
We hung the bastard at noon and sat three nights with the body in case he was playing opossum. We sat around the fire and told stories, keeping an eye on the corpse and occasionally poking it with a brand.
“Alright, fellas, let’s mosey,” I said on the third dawn. We doused the fire and packed our horses. The rest of the posse hit the trail, but I hid behind the hanging tree and waited. I was the only one who heard the corpse sigh in relief.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!

She leaned heavily on her cane as she searched her way through the labyrinth of a garden. The Pool of Calm Reflection was somewhere in this maze of hedges.
She had searched for the fabled pool for years, hunting for it across an entire lifetime. And now she was here, even if her sight had dimmed and her joints ached.
She looked down at her reflection, as clear and still as a mirror in the silvery water. A wind passed over the surface, but the image didn’t waver. She smiled. She had done it!
And then she felt herself ripple.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!

Like many of the city’s residents, she enjoyed feeding the herd of tame deer living in the park. A small cottage industry had grown up around tourists coming to feed the creatures, and the deer had grown quite fat and happy with the arrangement.
Today she had attracted quite a herd, and they had practically pressed her up against a tree in their zeal for deer biscuits.
In horror, she felt her fingers graze the bottom of the empty bag. The impassible herd of deer stared at her, bleating hungrily.
Days later, all the police found were her gnawed bones.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!

From the aft deck of the ship, she watched the railroad bridge come down behind them and a freight train speed along not ten seconds later.
“That was a close call,” she said to her companion.
“How so?” He asked.
“Imagine if the boat had been a minute late or that train a minute early.”
He scoffed. “You should have a little faith. We are in good hands, and everything works as it should.”
“I suppose so,” she said and watched the houses pass by on the green hillside.
High above them, the child was getting bored with his models.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!

She heard the soft, hissing tick of clockwork somewhere close by. The sound faded in and out as though someone was holding a watch close to her ear, then removing it.
She dismissed the distraction. Doctor Syncopal would make his move soon.
She felt a prick on the back of her neck. She slapped at the irritant, and the tiny machine, a replica of a mosquito in gears and cogs, tumbled into her hand. The glass bulb at the back was half-full.
So it was poison then, the coward. She reached for her auto-pistol. It was time for the showdown.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!

When the nebula giants found the strange, dense orb drifting through their patch of space, they all passed it around and debated what it could be. Asteroids didn’t have those blinking lights, and comets weren’t so regularly shaped.
One suggested it might be some machine to explore the stars. They even tried to plot out where it had come from. The other giants laughed at their foolish notions. Everyone knew that rocky planets were much too hot and close to their stars to support life.
They came to no conclusion, and finally left the space probe to continue its journey.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!

It was the perfect Homestead World, a rarity in the reachable galaxy. The sky was more mauve than blue, but the atmosphere was fresh and breathable. The Sun gave just right levels of heat and light. Even the gravity was perfect.
The residents of an overcrowded Earth, hungry for adventure and opportunities in “the New West,” came in droves.
The frenzied land grab only picked up speed when they found signs of prior habitation, fueled by tall tales of lost alien technology and ancient ruins.
The nomadic aliens were unhappy to find their home infested with humans when they returned.

Thanks for reading! You can support me and find links to all my other work via my Linktree!