Balor
By J. L. Young A bird swooped down and landed next to a yellow-haired Labrador Retriever sitting in the sunlight and tucked his wings to his sides. “Hello, Nacho.” “Balor. How goes the campaign?” “I’m advocating in the best interest of the murder and they don’t care. They turn their back feathers to me.” “So, Oberon is ahead?” “Like he was last year. They don’t seem to care about accessible food, clean water, or security. They love his personality. If he wins another election, the birds of prey will eat the murder.” “What is it they want?” “Calix, she’s always looking for the shiny.” “That is how you bribe humans, isn’t it?” “Well, yeah. But it’s all she thinks about. You’re saying I should appeal to that?” “If it gets her vote,” Nacho replied. “So, I should appeal to Zya’s ban on extra-pair copulation? That’s ridiculous. We’d go extinct.” “What about Val? What does she want?” “Oh, she’s deceitful. She wants to eliminate educating the young about the ones that have done wrong to us. And you want to know something? Oberon will placate them with lies. He’ll make them believe what they want is what he wants, then turn around and do nothing. The status quo remains. Our murder will be no better than the year before.” “Their beliefs will be hard to change. But it must be done for the sake of the murder.” “If I fail, Nacho, I’ll be exiled. And I fear for the fledglings. Only I will speak for them.”
0 Comments
The Dragon King By J. L. Young A woman woke with a feeling she couldn’t shake. She climbed from her berth, slipped a backpack on, and exited her stateroom. It wasn’t long until she reached the hatch to the main deck. Though the fabric of the night sky was filled with cloud-like swirls of clouds and stars, the shadow of the Earth bathed the dead calm sea in darkness. A ghostly green glow churned in the wake of the small ship. She made her way to the bridge. The Captain had passed out, a bottle of booze had slipped from his grip and fallen to the deck. The clatter it made should have aroused him, but alas it had not. She shook him only to wake him for a fleeting moment. A loud bang and a shutter traveled through the hull. The woman and the Captain fell to the deck as the ship ceased all forward motion. He stood up from his chair and stumbled to the port. He flipped a switch on the console and directed a powerful beam off the starboard bow. A rock appeared in the beam. He covered his eyes and uttered, “Mousiwake nai desu. I have put us in great peril, Leander-san.” Despite his inebriation, Captain Hamamoto crossed the deck to a hatch, spun the lock open, and climbed down a ladder. Moments later he returned, snatched a hand-held microphone from the console, and issued a distress call. He turned toward his passenger and spoke succinctly, “The ocean is inside ship. We must leave. Leave now!” He ushered her to longboat lashed to the port gunwale and they climbed inside. With skill, Hamamoto released the rope from the ship and guided the boat to the water. The morning light found them afloat near an island. Hamamoto leaped out and pulled the boat ashore. The black sand reached far. “It appears to be a desert island,” she said. He took a handful of black sand and said, “Volcanic sand like Izu Oshima. I hope Coast Guard received distress call.” Hamamoto took some items from the boat and walked inland. Leander followed. That night Leander started a fire and tended to it as Hamamoto recovered from his bender. She took a digital recorder from her backpack. “Ember Leander, day one: The ship has run aground. We found ourselves on a desert island with black volcanic sand. Captain Hamamoto shared his regret for his impropriety. My search for the mythical Ryujin-shinko, the dragon king, will continue as soon as we make it off this island.” |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2024
Categories |