Hugh J. O'Donnell

It was a cliché, but he died onstage. His heart gave out when his set was just heating up. He struggled to breathe, the stool fell from under him, and that was it. The only bright light he ever saw was the spotlight.
He was still at the comedy club after they rushed out his body. The little stage was the only place where he had really felt alive. Why should he spend the afterlife anywhere else?
He was still working out how to communicate, but was already working on a new set. He was going to knock ‘em dead.

“Comedy Club Sofia” by Petyabogdanova is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

My very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow is available now from Amazon and Smashwords!

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

The wyvern hung in the air, suspended on the updraft of its own fiery breath. Wyverns weren’t accounted as intelligent as their grander dragon cousins, but they still possessed a level of animal cunning.
It spotted the flash of sunlight on maile and dove like an eagle catching a salmon. The knight barely had time to raise his shield before it wrapped its tail around his waist and carried him into the air on a gout of flame.
When the knights came, they disrupted the delicate balance of the magical ecosystem. But something always rushes in to fill a niche.

“Wyvern of Wessex” is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

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Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

The sniper lived his life from the end of the barrel of his rifle. He never got closer than a half a mile to his targets, and he limited his outside contacts.
But he felt increasingly disconnected from the rest of the world.. He met his targets in the dossiers he received, and he packed up his rifle and disappeared as soon as they were down. Even his assignments and pay were delivered discreetly and anonymously.
He felt truly isolated, but assumed it was for his safety. Until the day he felt the sights of another’s gun trained on him.

“Pictured is a sniper from 34 Squadron, The Royal Air Force Regiment” by Defence Images is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

My very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow is available now from Amazon and Smashwords!

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

His stall was just off the main thoroughfare in the abandoned space station, selling junk and spare parts to whomever passed through.
A big corporate had build this station, a temple to its own hubris, a century ago.
But the corps expanded too fast, and turned on each other to try and make quick profits. Now there was just a network of silent stations orbiting abandoned colonies.
But now explorers were getting themselves off world again, and they’d need support. If he was savvy, his children or grandchildren would be the next corp leaders. He just had to dream big.

“Hubble Sees an Aging Star Wave Goodbye” by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

When he did not have pressing work, the wizard would go to the Ancient Library to study. The institution was filled with lost secrets and forgotten lore that the staff could barely manage, much less catalog.
He wandered the dusty corridors seeking out ancient prophecies of destruction and predictions of the end of the world. He wanted to separate the true portents from the false ones, and prevent what he could.
Whenever he was gone too long, his apprentice would come find him. Even though she was studying under him, she always had to tell him to stop doom scrolling.

“One New York Public Library lion” by 4nitsirk is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

My very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow is available now from Amazon and Smashwords!

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

The elders said that the town’s prosperity, and its doom, came from the lake. There was a spirit living there who blessed the town with endless clean water, but also drowned the unwary. They built a shrine to appease her and regularly held rites and festivals in her honor.
The spirit in the lake heard the commotion and was fascinated by the strange creatures living beyond the barrier she couldn’t pass.
She tried to make contact, but each attempt met with failure when the thrashing creatures stopped moving.
Someday she would get it right. She just had to keep trying.

“A Private Lake” by MSVG is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

There are places where the building blocks of creation, the four elements, can be accessed: Underground coal fires that have burned for hundreds of years, blue holes that go on forever, windstorms that never dissipate, and mountains that jut from the ground like a jagged tooth.
I stood on the peak and cast the spell. The spell was easier here, almost eager, as the offering disintegrated and a boulder detached itself and rose up on a crude pair of legs, then bowed.
The bargain was complete, but little did I know what the elemental would expect from me in return.

“Arctic Mountains” by Polar Cruises is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

My very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow is available now from Amazon and Smashwords!

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

When the ogre fell from his horse and broke his leg he expected to die, as was the way of the world.
Instead, a human boy found him, he dragged him back to his own village. The humans came out to finish him off, but the boy did some magic, and they carried him to a hut at the edge of town.
Their healer set his broken leg, and the boy brought the ogre food. He didn’t understand. He’d before never seen mercy or kindness.
After he recovered, the ogre returned to his own people, bringing strange ideas with him.

“Kindlifresserbrunnen Ogre Fountain in Bern Switzerland by Robbie Conceptuel” by Conceptuel is marked with CC0 1.0.

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Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

It’s one of those coffee shops that you see and then pass by. It is the kind of place that’s never busy but always manages to stay in business.
Everybody knows that you can’t eat or drink anything you find in Fairyland, or else you’ll be stuck there forever. Few people consider that it works both ways. When the Fair Folk travel, they need a place where they can stop in for a quick bite and a hot cup of ambrosia.
Some peoples have embassies. For the Fey, their toe-holds in other realms always come with a cup of tea.

“Turkish tea time” by henribergius is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

My very short story collection, The Mountain’s Shadow is available now from Amazon and Smashwords!

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

The forest kept secrets.
Some were happy, the love and wishes of every pair of initials carved into a tree, and some were not. The forest remembered the last thoughts of every person who entered and never came out again.
She searched for the Heart of the Forest, the place where the secrets were kept. She started looking when she was a small child and spent her life hiking hidden paths.
She was an old woman when she finally found it.
“Why did it take me so long?” She asked the Heart.
“You weren’t ready to be kept,” it whispered.

“ANF Old-Growth Forest (1)” by Nicholas is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Everyday Drabbles is now on Patreon! Join the free feed to get stories in your email inbox, or support at $1 or more to get fun perks!

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0