The Word Worker

Tag: Fiction

  • Water of Life

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Hera’s hands rested on her trembling knees, breath coming in deep gasps. The bowl perched on a rock nearby, but her head swam, threatening to make her black out. She knew why the Wise Ones required this journey. She did know. But the sick trying to force its way up her throat questioned. The bowl…

  • Frost

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    There were lights in the mist. I glanced at the sun overhead as if to reassure myself that it was in fact daylight, that the glare that squinted my eyelids reflected from the snow. Surely that’s all it was, my eyes playing tricks. It was just bright spots under the trees where the light made…

  • Quest

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    The street was empty, oddly so. That squirmy feeling was back between my shoulder blades, and I scowled at the too bright clouds overhead. Why on earth had Lakra sent me here? Cryptic to a fault, that one. Trustworthy? I still wasn’t sure. I knocked on the wooden door set deep in the stone, my…

  • White

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    She stopped just below the rise, nervously adjusting her shield. The bridge of her nose was starting to hurt; whiteout suits weren’t designed to be worn more than a few hours. How many days ago had she left the Dome? Did days even exist out here? She sighed and watched a flock of frostlings whirl…

  • The Proposal

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Who’s that trip-trapping over my bridge?” “Connor!” Emily leaned over the rail, her voice hushed but quivering with laughter. “What do you think you’re doing? They’ll kick us out!” “Not if the bridge troll eats them first!” Connor growled, then coughed as his vocal cords protested. He ducked out from under the boards and hopped…

  • The Gorge

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    The bridge had stood for a thousand years, Pere Aule taught in Remembrance. Shuri believed it, but cared little. The gorge, carved deeply into the mountain that towered over Vale, called to her with the voice of the Elementals. Pera Leilin urged in Admonitions that the gorge was forbidden, that the wars that destroyed the…

  • 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.…

  • The Beach

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Saul, wait!” Lily laughed breathlessly as her bare feet slung sand behind her. “I lost my sandals and the sand is on fire!” “Not as hot as the boardwalk,” her brother yelped, dancing on his toes from sand to board and back again. “Hurry up, it’s too hot to be out of the water!” “Well,…

  • Fire

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    He could see Liam on the opposite bank, pole in the water, as usual. His brother was never happier than when he was fishing or gardening or puttering with some household task. Like their father, he was, quiet and naturally content. If he had his way, he would never leave home; even trips to town…

  • Dry

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    Color surrounded her, the brilliant yellows and reds and greens of summer in the garden. The sky glared blue overhead, and she glared back at its near cloudless face. Her hand closed around the nearest white spray, twisting involuntarily, the crushed petals releasing their nauseatingly sweet scent as they fell from her fingers. She took…