The gryphonling blindly stretched its head forward and bumped its beak into her clenched fingers. It squeaked again and scrabbled its legs. She cautiously unfurled her hand and smoothed a tentative fingertip over its feathered head. Mother Eulogia’s hands appeared, one covering the gryphonling’s body and furled wings, the other using a damp cloth to …
Conversational maxims – quality, quantity, relevance and clarity – violate at least one in each exchange. Not sure I managed to stick to this exercise from the 100 Day Challenge but I had fun... A merry-looking older man, blue eyes twinkling under grimy brows, plonked himself on the bench facing Alec and Nathan. Alec leaned …
Delauney wove through the lunchtime crowds, dodging tourists and unimpressed locals. One more block. One more block and she’d be at David’s office building. Then she’d be safe. She glanced at reflections in shop windows as she passed. The man was still following her. Was definitely following her. It wasn’t a coincidence, he was too …
She could hardly say ‘no’, so after a long morning of fierce concentration and smug looks from Dani, she set out with Miklos and the three children. They wound their way through the Old Town, murmurs and stares following behind. Toni pouted. “Why are all the people looking at us?” Before either adult could reply, …
The day dawned bright and cool and I gave myself the morning off. I had an appointment in the afternoon and decided any but the most pressing chores could wait until tomorrow. And there would be chores, not the least the annoyance of having used up almost my entire stock of rosemary and sandalwood candles …
Lord Danbury walked out of the room, and Anna could hear him speaking in the hallway. He was answered by their footman, and another male voice she didn't recognise. Probably the steward; Seb wasn't going to get another chance to climb out a window, at least not until he got to whatever country house was …
A Steering the Craft exercise where you try to weave a large lump of exposition into a story. The crowds stared and whispered, as they did every year. At least it was a different crowd this time. Country folk, gawping and gasping, instead of the sniggers of the city’s thieves and merchants. In all, Queen …
Andreas stood at the entrance of the wide room, greeting his guests. Xavier said Leila was in the summer house, but lacked her loom. Could she sing without her weaving tools? Should he send someone to collect them? As if she had heard his thoughts, the first threads of a working song, the type used …
Prompt: All the statues in a major city go missing Janet switched the television to mute. The reporter standing in front of the empty pedestal didn’t have anything new to say and was looking increasingly uncomfortable. She didn’t blame him; the Albert Memorial minus Albert and his attendant symbols of the Empire was an eerie …
A random snippet from a story that went nowhere. The candidates were left to their own devices that morning, provided, they remained in their apartments, so each could be found at a moment’s notice for their meeting with Prince Justin. Marie raised a brow when her maid admitted the official from the night before barely …
The DNA of Stories 