The Word Worker

Category: Fiction

  • The Warp

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    The city burned. Well, technically speaking, cities, since there seemed to be several versions all at once. It had started on Times Square. Everyone on the street suffered the same blinding headache at the exact same moment, and when they recovered the billboards had been replaced with the original New York Times building. Brand spanking…

  • The Fountain

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in

    The river was placid and cold, wide against the narrow horizon.  The deepening autumn chill had turned the trees a bright orange that lit up the river brighter than a forest fire. He set his boots against the rough rocks that formed the bank, the crunch of stone against stone amplified by the surface of…

  • Daniella and the Lions

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Now, then, Leo, it is time for our story. It’s bedtime, you know, and you must lie down quietly and listen. Teddy came to keep you company and remind you to be good. Zara, don’t you mess up, now, you know Leo hates it when you crowd. Now, what shall we read tonight? I know…

  • The Memorial

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    There they hung, the uniforms, lining the hallway where they had hung all my life. It would be the last time he walked past them for many months, probably years. He took it slowly, pausing before each one to remember. First the cuffed olive green of his great-great-grandfather’s, the pockets fraying away and the seams…

  • The Leaving

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , , ,

    She had waited for this day for twelve years. Every time an Underage met his or her Milestone, she had followed them up the tracks as far as she was allowed, dreaming of her own Milestone. This morning, her twelfth Day, Da had woken her before Lights, a ready bag in hand. She had dressed…

  • The Flower Girl

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    She was my friend, but no one knew about her. She said no one would believe me anyway, so I never told anyone. Until now. Maybe you won’t think I’m crazy. Her name was Daisy, but I called her my flower girl. She was so pretty in her white dress with a clover chain draped…

  • The Mirror World

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    All his life he had watched the world overhead. All his life he had wondered what it felt like to be surrounded by trees and green things. His own world was barren, a world of ice and rock. The two mirrored each other only in position. There had been tales of adventurers who tried to…

  • The Moth Princess

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    The day had come. The entire insect kingdom had gathered at The Willow for the official Emergence ceremony. The bees buzzed with excitement, their song rising harmoniously under the gently drooping limbs. Dragonflies swooped from branch to branch, their vibrant colors and crystal wings creating quite the show for the waiting audience. Beetles clicked and…

  • The Elevator

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    I stood on the boardwalk, gazing out at the elevator glowing faintly in the reflected light of the moon. The water was eerily still, barely a whisper in my consciousness. Pap, Mam, and I had been in line on the boardwalk since a week gone, since the day we were granted our tickets at the…

  • The Crater

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “There it is!” Quinn whooped, making Michaela jump and clap her hands over her ears. “I told you! We’ve got it made now!” “Good grief, how many times did Mom tell you to use your inside voice?” Michaela grumbled. She pressed her palm against the window glass in several places. “One of these days you’re…