The Word Worker

Tag: Evil

  • Mirror, Mirror

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Good morning, my queen. Your wish is my command. You wish to know the fairest in the land? Of course you! Who else possess this marble perfection? (The aroma of your conceit sends delicious shivers through my bones. I drink it like wine, intoxicating ether.) What thwarts your smile of ice, Majesty? Does trust in…

  • Making Ourselves Comfortable

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    The book of Micah, and indeed most of the prophetic books, were written to the Israelite nation, to the people claimed by God to be His physical representation on Earth. Unfortunately, what Micah had to say to them was not complimentary. The message he brought from God declared that they had made themselves comfortable on…

  • The Watch

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    The sound of the sailors’ feet shifting against the boards grated on the silence. A whispered prayer floated unintelligibly over the water, blending with the fog like something unearthly and dreadful. There should have been waves noisily licking below, the creak of rigging in the shift of the wind. Edwin closed his eyes, his hands…

  • Gods of Pompeii

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Tilda, I think we found another set!” Mario fiddled with a button on his shirt, waiting for his partner to dig herself out of her usual mound of paperwork. “I can’t imagine what they were doing way up here.” “What strange poses!” Tilda observed, leaning over his shoulder to view the monitor. “I can barely…

  • The Price of Easy

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    My favorite story is the Tolkien’s _Lord of the Rings_. In that story, the ring possesses power to change and shape the world to the will of its maker, appealing to the deepest desires or fears of whoever holds it. At one point, Frodo tries to rid himself of that responsibility by offering it to…

  • The Locker

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Everyone knew Locker 410 was odd. Not even the maintenance man, who had been with the school since it’s founding, remembered it being assigned to anyone. He got a funny look whenever someone asked about it, mumbled about something needing to be cleaned, and shuffled away as fast as his aging feet would carry him.…

  • Spirit of the Tiger

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Tenzin! Tenzin!” Dorji’s sandals slapped the floor of the quiet chamber as he nearly careened into his teacher. “You must come quickly! The cave!” He clung to the old man’s robes, panting wildly. “Calm yourself, boy!” Tenzin surveyed the young acolyte with a mildly disapproving frown. “What has happened?” “I wanted to pray where the…

  • Grimdark

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    He stood at the base of the bridge, his hands twisting behind him. Don’t show fear, they had warned. You don’t want to attract the grimdark, they had said. He kept his face carefully blank (he hoped), but his hands fidgeted. He wondered if the grimdark could hear his heart pounding. The orange light of…

  • “They”

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in , ,

    We live in a society driven by the concept of “they.” When a problem arises, it’s “their” fault. When disagreements occur, “they” are wrong. When we feel insecure, “they” are oppressive. When we don’t get what we want, “they” are selfish. When dangers appear, “they” cause them. Certainly there is fixed right and wrong, good…

  • The Judgment Sacrifice

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Be silent in the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near. Indeed, the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated his guests.” Zephaniah wrote these words to a people oblivious to God, a people nearing a time of judgment and discipline. The people God had chosen to represent…