Drabble: The Automaton and Amelia – by Anna Salonen
Amelia’s airship crashed on the deserted island, almost on top of the automaton. She wound up his clockwork springs, and he stuttered to life. “Will you help fix my ship?” Amelia asked. The automaton...
View ArticleDrabble: The Art of War – by Anna Salonen
The Achilles burst from the void, her engines straining. Sol. Finally. Captain Yeang blinked the sweat from his eyes. A risky move, entering the wormhole, but it had paid off. They were home, after...
View ArticleDrabble: One Night at the Dream Factory – by Anna Salonen
A three-headed ice-cream cone with fangs broke the idyllic forest scene with its rabid, creamy roar, and Figgy jolted awake. Something was wrong; she had handpicked the dream off the assembly line. A...
View ArticleDrabble: The Necromancer and the Phoenix – by Anna Salonen
“Did you get the phoenix?” Skullin asked, sharpening his knives. The necromancer grinned. “Of course I did.” “Well, let’s get to work.” “No.” Skullin let the skinning knife fall. “No?” The necromancer...
View ArticleDrabble: A Bad Hair Day – by Anna Salonen
“You really want me to do this? I can barely see,” Laura asked. Macular degeneration had stolen most of her central vision. “Yes.” The client’s voice was strange and slithery, like her hair. When Laura...
View ArticleDrabble: The Haunted Forest – by Anna Salonen
Fog swirled around Jenny’s boots as she walked, and skeletal branches grabbed at her hair. Moonlight filtered through the dark, damp leaves, and the ancient trees whispered and swayed. Jenny shivered....
View ArticleDrabble: Dangerous Dinner Companions – by Anna Salonen
Jonathan met the indigo-haired lady scientist at an anatomy lecture. She sat in the front row and scribbled furious notes into her worn leather journal with a silver fountain pen. When he asked her to...
View ArticleDrabble: The Starwhale’s Song – by Anna Salonen
The starwhale floated past the ship, its silver fins spread to catch the solar wind. Jin gaped, speechless for once. Their guide smiled. “The computer translates its song into frequencies humans can...
View ArticleDrabble: The Forest of Memory – by Anna Salonen
The librarian walks the forest, her skin space-dark, shot with stars. Sonnets brush her feet as she stops to smooth out a white bloom that contains legends of the Mandare people. An ancient tree...
View ArticleDrabble: A Cabin to Die In – by Anna Salonen
Griselda built the cabin of logs and twisting branches. Moss crept in to plug the cracks. She put in a black-iron stove and a fireplace: when you’re nine hundred and thirty-five, you get cold easily....
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