The fallen leaves screamed beneath the heavy soles. Oak tried to shuffle out of the path of destruction, but could not move fast enough. The boot came down on his midriff, and he felt his brittle skeleton crack and crumble. He cringed to stifle the pain, trying to block out the screeches of the other … More FFM16-3 Winter is Coming
Prickles passed the last ingredient — pickled newt eyes — to Mistress Moonshine. She plucked it off his spiny arm and dropped it into the bubbling cauldron. Both watched intently as the green solution frothed and turned pink. A smoky, pink heart puffed from the top of the cauldron. “It worked,” Mistress Moonshine cheered, throwing … More FFM16-2 In the Name of a Hug
Every year on July 1st, people in the Archeoastronomy Planetarium vanish. They say the Trickster takes them, sucking them from their seats beneath the starry dome. None were seen again. Today was Fenwick’s turn. He had studied all the articles. He knew every bit of the lore of July 1st madness — which was to … More FFM16-1 The Trickster
Don’t much remember the warm these days. Warm went way-away, with the birds, the cars, and the man who sold papers on the corner. Used to buy papers. Now I sleep in ‘em. Mags sleeps in ‘em too. She’s a good girl. Went looking for food again today. Walked the big road, ash-snow falling down. … More The Winter Queen
The thing about bridges was they had an over and an under. What people tended to forget was there was also an in between. But the go-overs never looked down, and the go-unders never looked up. Worked just fine for me. Meant it usually took them longer to find the bodies. Crows knew about the … More Bridges
Mimi Resourceful stood aboard the Nimbus and called halt. The turbines went into reverse as the sky in front of it tore open. The abyss spat out black lines, unfurling into text. “A tear in the fabric of fictionality.” Mimi stared into the void. The words ‘Amorphous’, ‘Pulchritudinous’, and ‘Anagnorisis’ galloped past. She gripped the … More Orange is the New Black
The Minister for Transportation scanned the documents handed to him by his secretary, eyes growing wider the further he read. “Why, these horses are costing us a fortune,” he exclaimed. The Minister for Curly Wigs nodded in agreement, ringlets bouncing jovially. “We told you, Minister. Horses are costing us big time in food, grooming, and … More Cost Efficiency Mandated
The still air carried on it no scent other than that of the soil and the rotting leaves. The distant rumble of thunder echoed across the dark sky, chasing after flashes that were too fleeting to do more than glimpse at. As the first few heavy drops began to fall, like spears from the stars, … More The Tyger
I’d seen a lot of things in Magic Dance, but nothing like this. I sat at the bar, sipping a Moonage Daydream, no different to any other night, when she walked in. Legs like pins, and a head of the thickest blond locks you’ve ever seen. She took the stool next to me. “Space Oddity,” … More The Spiders of Mars
Any science, sufficiently advanced, can be called magic. It is the simple nature of man that he should think as such. Great men have always looked beyond such primitive notions and understood that just because something can’t be explained, it doesn’t mean that no explanation exists. And as such, it is with great consideration that … More The Science of Magic
C. A. Harland 