The Word Worker

Category: Fiction

  • Tears of the Cyborg

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    I walked through the empty rooms, no footprints visible but mine in the soil-thick dust covering the floor. My steps echoed thinly from the metal cabinets lining every wall. My ears tingled from a faint hum that could be felt more than heard, and an occasional click or whirr felt like a church bell in…

  • The Assignment

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Today’s writing assignment is to write a one page short story using this picture.” “It’s a rowboat!” “I don’t know how to write about a rowboat!” “That’s a wooden framework, y’all.” Now, kids, there are many elements in the picture. There’s a sunset, and water, and a boat, and you’re right, some kind of wooden…

  • The Test

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Su Lin stood on the steps of the brick building, hands twisting the tail of her shirt into a tight knot. Today was the day. In a moment she would step through that door into the Naturalization Office. Mr. Munro would be waiting for her in his stuffy little office, a jar of pens and…

  • The Cafe

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    The Cafe was still there, tucked away in its remote little corner. The structures surrounding it had grown even older and more drably brown with time, a stark contrast to its bright colors and neat facade. In the afternoon light it almost seemed a sun unto itself. The evening rush had not begun, and the…

  • The Healer’s Daughter

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in

    It was her favorite spot, a tiny gem hidden at the base of a cliff where almost no one went. No one except herself. Her mother had shown it to her when she was just a little girl, barely old enough to be trusted on the narrow path down. It was the secret of her…

  • Atlantean Prophecy (from Chosen, a work in progress)

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Born of power, born of flame The One has come her throne to claim Child of Light our hearts will tame Daughter of Earth with Heaven’s name

  • The Lamplighter

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    He walked the streets in the dusk, the invisible bringer of light. Dawn and twilight, his two-headed staff tapping the cobblestones with each step. For forty years now he had walked the streets and alleyways, the stones of the old wall familiar friends now. Fifteen steps from lamp to lamp, his feet knew on their…

  • The Mirror Image

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    The Mirror Image raced the storm. She was the fastest sail on the bay, but this was the greatest race of her career. A race with the wind itself. It was a beautiful storm. The sun rose gold ahead of her, lighting the water with its false promises of the day ahead. Behind her, dark…

  • The Bench

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    It was perfectly placed, halfway down the walking trail along the river, looking out at the park across the water. The city’s most popular view. In the morning the sun rose behind it over the skyscrapers, leaving it in the shadows as people hurried to work, but in the evenings… oh, the evenings! The river…

  • Dreamcaught

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in

    She flew above the world, reveling in the wind that buffeted her. She didn’t know how, she only knew she was. The river tossed her against the rocks; her head hurt and water filled her lungs. “Hush, dear, don’t cry,” her mother soothed, stroking her hair. “Everything will be alright, you’ll see.” She buried her…