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Everyday Drabbles #692: Moon Princess

March 8, 2022

hughjodonnell Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction , , , , Leave a comment

She met her magical destiny at fourteen, which was too young. They were all too young to carry the secret weight of the world. But they had won, even if it had nearly cost them everything.
When it was all over, the five of them agreed to go back to their old lives and not let the magic stand in the way of their dreams.
She’s a therapist now. She gives kids like her the support that she never had. She helps them fight monsters.
And when they need to be strong, she takes out her old wand and transforms.

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Everyday Drabbles #691: Tamamo-no-Mae

March 7, 2022

hughjodonnell Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction , , , , Leave a comment

The fox demon stood on the rocky hillside and stretched her legs. She had been imprisoned in the stone for nearly a thousand years.
A thousand years of descendants to take her revenge on was going to be a lot of work.
But the quick little humans had also made much progress in a millennium, and she only managed to glean snatches of news from inside her prison.
She shifted to her human form. From the slopes, she could see the lights of a city. Her revenge would keep a little longer. First, she was going to see the world.

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Everyday Drabbles #690: Puppet-Maker

March 6, 2022

hughjodonnell Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction , , , , , Leave a comment

The puppet-maker set down his paintbrush and took in his work.
She was magnificent: A demon princess with fully articulated wings and a cold, haughty expression.
With so many intricate moving parts, she would require a master puppeteer to operate. He hoped she would find someone worthy of her.
The art of puppet theatre was dying. It was being replaced with larger-scale, more convenient entertainment.
He still kept to his traditional craft, refining the methods that his elders had passed down to him. Art was valuable for its own sake, even if the ability to manipulate his creations was lost.

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Everyday Drabbles #689: Crisis of Faith

March 5, 2022

hughjodonnell Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction , , , , , Leave a comment

The Paladin sat in contemplation. She was caught between her duty and the voice of her heart. Was she any better than the supposedly evil people she killed?
She rose and passed through corridors lined with holy relics. They were crafted from gold donated from pious kings or reconsecrated from heathen temples. But where had that gold come from originally? Was it faith or merely a display?
She decided to lay down her sword and walk until she could say for sure.
In the end, she never stopped walking but left a trail of mercy and hope in her wake.

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Everyday Drabbles #688: Remote Mission

March 4, 2022

hughjodonnell Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction , , , , , Leave a comment

The four technicians took their places and checked the fittings on their gloves. Above them, the solar model glowed orange even through their tinted masks.
Millions of miles away, their movements would be precisely mirrored by the massive drones deployed to catch the runaway debris.
They were only going to get one chance. Even a single spent fuel rod or chunk of hull reaching the Sun’s core would create a chain reaction that would doom the solar system. They got to work.
When it was over, and they’d saved the world, they celebrated with the most epic high-five ever recorded.

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Everyday Drabbles #687: Space Probe

March 3, 2022

hughjodonnell Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction , , , , , Leave a comment

Mission control was filled with tension as the space probe launched. All systems showed green. There was an air of heady anticipation as the instruments powered up and began to gather data.
They had spent years of work and vast sums to get the probe into space, but the data it would provide would revolutionize astrophysics. Readings started coming in, and the scientists’ faces fell. They made no sense. The probe, they concluded, must be faulty.
Elsewhere, far beyond human perception, dwelt the Cosmic Giants.
“Hey, want to see me juggle?” One asked, and scooped up a trio of galaxies.

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Everyday Drabbles #686: Overgrown Station

March 2, 2022

hughjodonnell Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction , , , , , Leave a comment

She climbed through the abandoned train station, the cat always just a few steps ahead. The platform had a tree growing out of it, and the tracks were obscured by underbrush.
She heard the whistle and watched the train pull in, unhindered by the plant life covering the tracks. The train was an antique, painted white and green. She couldn’t make out the destination.
The doors opened and the cat sauntered onboard. She followed and took a seat with a threadbare cushion. She looked out the window and saw the ghosts of the station’s past waving as they steamed away.

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Everyday Drabbles #685: The Key to the Kingdom

March 1, 2022

hughjodonnell Free Fiction, Freelance Hunters , , , , , Leave a comment

She received the ornate silver key with her other regalia on the day she became queen and asked her seneschal what it unlocked.
“Why, nothing, Your Majesty. It is symbolic.”
“The key to the kingdom, as it were?”
He chuckled. “Quite right, ma’am.”
As her reign progressed, she couldn’t get the old key out of her mind. She took to wearing it looped on a chain and wandered the corridors at night, looking for a keyhole.
It was three months before she found the door in the lowest depths of the palace basements and discovered how deep her kingdom went.

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Everyday Drabbles #684: Fire Cat

February 28, 2022

hughjodonnell Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction , , , , , Leave a comment

The wizard’s cat was on fire.
It didn’t seem distressed. It just sat placidly and groomed itself. But the guest watched as pale flames and smoke rose from its back.
The wizard returned to the sitting room, the tea tray following behind with military precision.
“Do you know that your familiar is on fire?”
The mage smiled indulgently. “That’s just an experiment. Elemental pets are going to be the next big thing.”
“Elemental pets?”
“Oh, yes. I have an outstanding grass dog growing out back as well.”
The cat rubbed up against the back of a chair, setting it alight.

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Everyday Drabbles #683: Parry

February 27, 2022

hughjodonnell Everyday Drabbles, Free Fiction , , , , Leave a comment

The swordswoman’s manager threw down the advanced copy of the magazine in disgust. “Your form is all wrong,” he said. “And those clothes. They’re so impractical!”
Aubrey rolled her eyes as she practiced with a pell. “It was a cover shoot for Parry, Leroy. Of course it was posed. And what’s wrong with my outfit?”
“You’re an idol to millions of young girls. I worry you’ll give them bad ideas.”
She made a series of cuts with her practice sword, then pivoted, stopping the blade centimeters from the man’s throat.
“What, you don’t think I could do this in heels?”

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