The Word Worker

Category: Fiction

  • Book Teaser: The Confrontation

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Despite the distance, I approached Dracul far too quickly and my heart pounded at sight of him. His skin was bloodless and translucent, revealing blackened veins beneath. His head, with only a few greasy tendrils of hair clinging to it, was topped with what appeared to be a rough leather turban, the fur worn patchy…

  • Glitch

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Hey, Job, you’re glitching again.” Mara’s voice came through the neural transmitter. “What’s up?” “This uniform doesn’t fit,” Job’s voice sounded tinny. “The collar has restricted blood flow and the shoulder seams are in the wrong place.” His shoulders twitched repeatedly, and one finger ran first left, then right, then left again under the thin…

  • Going to the Circus

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Let’s go to the circus, Leo! I want to see the elephants dance, don’t you? And the pretty ladies on the big swings! Those are my favorite. I ‘m gonna be one of those pretty ladies when I’m big. Cause I like to swing, too! Don’t you like to swing, Leo? Maybe tomorrow you can…

  • Book Teaser: The Dragon

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    When I did see it, I would have screamed if I could have breathed. I no longer heard the waves or felt the wind, and the sunset faded into nothing. Dark red scales and black horns filled my vision. The scrape of a leather belly against stone drowned out every other sound. I watched, frozen,…

  • The Square

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    It was an odd place, cobblestone streets and medieval plaster houses confusingly paired with modern storefronts and colorful canvas awnings. Agatha loved it. Every birthday and anniversary, she insisted we have lunch at the little bistro on the tiny mishmash of a square. The city had long since turned the houses into a retirement village,…

  • Book Teaser: The Queen’s Guard

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

       The Amrtaka finally drew so close that the rising dunes began to hide them from view. I hissed a warning to Dagda and Balhon, who instantly prepared for battle. I thought about pulling my chain mail hood back over my head from around my neck where I had let it droop, but decided against…

  • Crow

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    Brent chortled into the mask. This was gonna be the best prank ever. Forget trick-or-treating, that was stupid kid stuff. He was gonna scare the pants off some partiers in the park tonight. He just needed to find the perfect spot. He ducked under a vine that hung over the entrance to an old footpath.…

  • Scorched

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    wordworkerrussell
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    It had been a week since Grims and I had sealed ourselves into the storm shelter. Fortunately for us Grims was a bit of a prepper. There had been enough food stored in there that we didn’t starve, although the composting toilet left much to be desired. In fact, as soon as Grims said we…

  • Book Teaser: The Mer

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

       Marinus and his companion turned and dove into the ocean, waves having piled up around us against the sloping sand. Our bubbles kept pace with them, seemingly drawn by invisible tethers emanating from the merman’s outstretched hands. I tried to look around as we were drawn into the deep water, but the rushing water…

  • The Box

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    She closed the door slowly, keys slipping from her fingers to the entryway table with an absurdly loud clatter in the silent house. A light showed dimly under the kitchen door and her feet moved automatically in that direction. Her hand slid across the door as she pushed it open and a broad swath of…