Alex Sultan

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2021

Stories (39)

39 Stories

5313 karma pts

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“Flawed” by Alex Sultan

Sometimes, the canvas stays blank. Even when the ideas are there. But, if the idea isn’t a winning idea, why bother? Naomi exhaled. She spun her brush around her fingers. The drops of paint on her palette board, seven different colours, had already begun to dry. It wouldn’t be long until the candle melted to nothing, too. Better get to it. Are we starting today or tomorrow? She ignored the thought. A light breeze passed by, fluttering the curtains, warm air in Tien’s summer. The nation of art and forestry. Co...

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“9 Marines” by Alex Sultan

None of the marines could sleep at night.If they caught any shut-eye, it wouldn’t be for more than an hour at a time. The guards would poke them with sharpened bamboo sticks. There’d be blood on the straw mats come morning. Or they would wake them up to taunt them, kicking, spitting, and throwing insults in a language the marines couldn’t understand.They yelled about how Japan would soon win the war, and America would fail.Shoji walked past another guard on his way to the barracks. It would be his turn to watch over t...

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“Grace of a Goddess” by Alex Sultan

Shooting between heartbeats is ideal for a sniper. The blood flow can affect how one’s fingers move. Of course, keeping check on wind, humidity, and temperature are all vital. Whether a streetlight is shining in the dark of night, or the sun is out, light has to be kept in mind. Not to mention the target’s distance and movement. Alice found it all to be second nature. Her finger hovered the trigger. She inhaled, a quiet breath in, and listened to the beat of her heart. Her target stood about 250 meters out. S...

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“Beneath the Soil” by Alex Sultan

One, two, three, four. Auden pushed the steel poker into the soil with each count. He held his breath, waiting to hit a landmine, and found nothing. Exhale. He crawled forward—only a couple of feet—and breathed in. A red bird with viridian-tinted eyes perched on the tree above and watched. The breeze, colder than yesterday, shook the branches, whistling as it passed. One, two, three, four. Nothing. He exhaled. Crawling forward, a faraway soldier called out that he found one. Auden dropped his poker, ...

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“Scarlet Fog” by Alex Sultan

At dawn, the fog would dissipate, and Lyrei would breathe easy. Until then, she wouldn’t risk slowing down. She tightened her grip around the handles of her glass daggers. Her leather boots pushed into the dirt with each running step. Dashing across the forest, she slid to a stop, then ran uphill. The scarlet archers taking position would turn the tides if ignored. “Spare no malice,” a nearby captain called over the clashing of weaponry. He beat the end of his spear against his shield. “And spare no mercy!” Soldiers cheered ...

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“Cartographer” by Alex Sultan

What is the sky, but dying stars? One step and the next—Valianne moved her feet, keeping in line with the others. A hundred prisoners of war. She breathed heavily as she worked, the hot sun weighing her down. Until nightfall, it’d be labour until exhaustion. Stone after stone until collapse. The fort would be paved on top of corpses. And do burdens not sleep best in their graves? A hand tapped her shoulder. Scrawny fingers and a desperate touch. Valianne ignored it. She continued the work of laying stone, bare feet bu...

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“buried in saipan” by Alex Sultan

There are still rusted bayonets to be found in the dirt. Alongside broken firearms, canteens, and bullet-struck helmets. At times, still attached to skeletons. The deep-sea team would occasionally find a corroded tank or the remains of a submarine acting as an aquarium. Fighter planes would turn up far off in the mountains, a surprise to climbers. Rare was it that Hisao found letters buried in Saipan. He dropped his shovel and knelt, the archaeology team at work behind him—industrial lights illuminated the tunnel with...

190 comments 190 WINNER 🏆

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“within the fires” by Alex Sultan

If I remember the date right, it was early September. I think it was the ninth. It’s hard to tell—I didn’t feel like myself back then. I would often lose track of time. On that day, word came to me that we lost the war. I was walking alongside a cart of debris through the remains of our town, and two women spoke as if they were disappointed. The great empire of Japan had surrendered. Two of our cities were destroyed. Reduced to ash and rubble. Even then, I could only thin...

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“Scorpions” by Alex Sultan

If the heat didn’t kill him, the scorpions would. Zeyr drank from his canteen. The water tasted hot and stale. Above, the blazing sun beat down on his robes, and he kept moving forward, his leather footwraps pushing into the burning sands with each step. If he hadn’t come to do a job—one that needed to be done—he would’ve avoided the region entirely. As he approached the gates, a young man raised a bow and pulled back on the string. He looked down at Zeyr from a guard tower and called to his brethren. They rushed to their po...

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“A Kind Home” by Alex Sultan

This would be her masterpiece. With a chisel in one hand, a hammer in the other, Naomi paced the workshop. Her leather shoes tapped against the floor with each footfall. Candlelight flickered off a block of marble, taller than she stood, the stone a light hue of fading smoke. Naomi stopped and stared. She twirled the chisel around her fingers. It would be her masterpiece. She raised the chisel against the rock, breathed in, and readied the hammer. Then, with an exhale, she lowered her tools. Everything h...

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“Flamewalker” by Alex Sultan

Emrys could do nothing but run in the aftermath of warfare. Broken homes and bloodied weapons left him an orphan. A lone child roaming the vast lands of Ashal. He ate what berries he could scavenge in the forests, drank the clear water from streams, and spent nights mourning the loss of his home. Tears would blur the moonlight at dark. He couldn’t run from the black bear that singled him out. A nearby monk heard his cries—a man dressed in a maroon robe rushed to his aid. The bear swiped, tearing into Emrys’ arm a...

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“Dresden” by Alex Sultan

Warin believed he could fix anything. He'd repair any gadget he could get his hands on. Watches, radios, toys. His neighbours brought him their broken trinkets—he would take them apart and put them back together, good as new. When his mother found him an electronics magazine, he thought he could be the next great inventor. He couldn’t fix the dead body of his brother, returned home in a coffin. - - - Emeline adored her bakery. It had belonged to her grandfather, passed down to her father, ...

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“Zero” by Alex Sultan

When Japan’s fighter plane—the Zero—first appeared, it could outmaneuver any aircraft it encountered. It ruled the skies. Uncontested design. The allies found themselves at a loss to deal with it. Yet, Japan did not prepare for a long war. Shirua picked up an antique teapot, careful not to burn his hands. He poured out two cups. Steam rose from the water; sweet and floral. He placed the cups and teapot on a tray, then walked to the living room, sitting down on a cushion across from his grandfather.He handed h...

74 comments 74 SHORTLIST ⭐️

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“Gutter Rat” by Alex Sultan

It takes a clear mind to outrun a storm—and Naomi had no intention of outrunning this one. She paced through the pawnshop, dustpan in hand, unable to focus. Head in the clouds. Body underwater. She had to clean the shop before retiring to bed. Naomi approached an empty shelf, an arm pressed to her stomach in hopes of containing the fluttering within. She swept. Dust fled from her brush. Her mind wandered and drifted. Astray from reality. An arrow's flight away. Beyond the skies. B...

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“Medic” by Alex Sultan

According to the Geneva Convention, firing at a medic wearing a clear insignia is considered a war crime. The rule, by no means, rendered medics invulnerable. Rowe sprinted across the battlefield. Frozen branches snapped under his boots. Snow broke beneath him, artillery fire shook trees, and the rattling of machine guns echoed throughout the forest. Bullets struck the ground beside his feet as he ran.He held onto his medical kit, slung around his shoulder, light and low on supplies. Rowe ignored the calls to take cov...

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Author bio

23 / Canada writing a novel - 'Grace of a Goddess' on a grand scale email - alexsultan27@gmail.com instagram - alexsultan27 something about copyright send an email if youre going to use my stories somewhere

Winning 2 stories 🏆

Contest #139

buried in saipan – read story

Contest #115

28 Letters – read story

Shortlisted 4 stories ⭐️

Contest #128

Zero – read story

Contest #125

Medic – read story

Contest #112

Korea 2108 – read story

Contest #109

A Thousand Years in Tokyo – read story