The Word Worker

Author: wordworkerrussell

  • Book Teaser: The Innkeeper

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    wordworkerrussell
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       Dagda led us to an inn near the edge of town. The door, large enough to accommodate the tallest of giants, was made of solid oak planks, heavy and impenetrable. Fortunately for us, a smaller door was set into it, still solid and heavy, but with a latch that was accessible to smaller beings…

  • Dark Star

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Her sisters already framed the night sky, swirling gently into the place reserved for them by Zeus. Only she remained, already touched with the stardust of the light she would become. The light she had not chosen. The grasses crushed softly under her bare feet as she walked slowly across her mother’s pasture, their scent…

  • Book Review: Is It Far To Zanzibar

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Have you ever been on safari? Bought a juicy mango from a street vendor? Searched for the elusive crown of Mt. Meru in the clouds? If you live in Tanzania, chances are you have at least chanted about doing all these things and more while playing childhood games. Tanzania’s rich and varied cultural tapestry is…

  • Symphony

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    wordworkerrussell
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    He flexed his fingers and shifted nervously. He stroked the keys, drawing a deep, ragged breath as he moved his hands into position. The first notes were soft, tentative, sending dim blue tendrils into the darkness of the sound chamber. His pulse quickened, notes grew stronger. The tendrils thickened and swirled, the darkness within their…

  • Book Teaser: Songs of Fae

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Ballad of the Door, excerpt “With ancient feuds forgotten, and minds with ballads filled, Two worlds long torn asunder will find the door again. Pure of heart and human, a Chosen warrior comes, The barrier shall be broken, two worlds unite as one.” Irvu’s Lullaby, excerpt Born of power, born of flame, The one has…

  • The Chapel

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    wordworkerrussell
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    “Boris, dorogoy, please come away from the window! The hall will not come to you, no matter how hard you stare. We must go to it, and soon or we will be late and the Chinovnik will mark against us.” Boris sighed and twisted his cap in gnarled fingers, his eyes not leaving the hall.…

  • Book Review: The Carp in the Bathtub

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    wordworkerrussell
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    Harry and Leah have a problem. There’s a fish in their bathtub, but that isn’t the problem. The problem is that the fish is dinner. Mama’s special Passover dish is gefilte fish, special fish balls made from a carp. The best fish always sell out early, and dead fish spoil quickly, so the carp has…

  • Killing God

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    wordworkerrussell
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    In the Sinai law system, God provided specific celebrations that would remind the Israelites of important concepts they needed to hold onto. The first celebration of each year was of course Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This eight day long celebration was intended to remind the people that God had delivered them from…

  • Seasons

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    wordworkerrussell
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    She stretched her nearly thawed wings to brush the trees on either side. How much fun dancing among the branches had been, their bare bones crackling beneath the ice of her feathers. How delighted she had been by the cooling that had silenced the world and dressed her in crystal lace. The touch of her…

  • The Mercy Seat

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    wordworkerrussell
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    On the Day of Atonement the High Priest carried the blood of the sacrificial bull and goat behind the veil and sprinkle it on the mercy seat. This was a symbol of God’s cleansing and sealing the people for His own holy purpose. It was also a solemn moment, as on the Day of Atonement…