Alex Sultan

Author on Reedsy Prompts since May, 2021

Stories (21)

21 Stories

1845 karma pts

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“28 Letters” by Alex Sultan

A gem can not be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials. Sejong swept his books off the shelf. Rain pelted the world outside. The king opened one of his many works, the spine of it splitting under his force, and read off a page. Nongsa jikseol, methods of cultivation in agriculture. A guidebook to farming in Korea’s geography. Words that could keep his people from famine.He threw it into the rain. It splashed against the mud-coated field, water distorting the ink. A second book follo...

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“Arc” by Alex Sultan

Kel could not spark his lightning. He snapped his fingers but could not amass a charge. He sat powerless atop a bell tower, sunset on the horizon, a horde of ghouls clawing at the stone down below. His finger hit his palm. He waited for the scratch of static within, the rumble in his hands and blue glow at the edges of his vision, yet his lightning would not spark.Hundreds of ghouls crowded below. Decayed hands grabbed at the stone. Their rotting bodies created a pyramid as they piled over one another, climbing halfway ...

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“mistweaver” by Alex Sultan

Tessa dreamt of the healer again. She had lost one patient and saved another. In her dreams, she could see through the healer’s eyes. The girl was an apothecary of sorts. She broke down dried herbs with a pestle and mortar, then added warm water to create a paste. Steam rose from the bowl in trails, carrying the scent of lavender. She applied the paste to open wounds. It sizzled against blood.Appalling.The healer would listen to instructions, feel out spots on the patient’s skin, then poke with a fine needle. She line...

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“Korea 2108” by Alex Sultan

cw: mature subject matter, violenceThe most dangerous weapons to the world are the ones that live and breathe.Welding sparks flew off Kang Choi-ri’s skin. A wire surgeon worked to fuse a speaker into his shoulder, binding the device against Kang’s steel-laced bones. He replaced patches of skin with pale-colored plates, switched to a solder, and wired the speaker into his muscle system.A radio played century-old rap music throughout the basement. Neon-lit posters on the wall showed men with mechanical arms, ...

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“Archery Tournament” by Alex Sultan

It’s hard to get a message across when you don’t have much of a voice. Mai Amiel never considered herself a good public speaker. She shuffled from side to side at the edge of the town stage, waiting her turn. Hundreds of people listened to the current speaker. He went on about coal miners needing to work less hours. Good luck.Winds blew past. Chillier than usual, and she pulled up her hood. The crowd, as she expected, shook their heads as the speech ended. Gave their thumbs down. A few drunks yelled out ...

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“Shortcut” by Alex Sultan

For good reason, not all paths and trails are marked on every map. Marko kicked through piles of autumn leaves at the roadside. His parents had refused him a ride, he couldn’t afford the train, and hopping the bus without change didn’t work out. It'd be a three-hour walk back to Moscow.A car drove behind him. He turned. It didn’t come from the end of the road, but halfway as if it drove out of the forest. He waved his hand, slowly, inspecting the vehicle as it approached and stopped.Purple stains, like splashes of wet...

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“A Thousand Years in Tokyo” by Alex Sultan

Anyone who wins the lottery on their first ticket should be considered a time traveler. A win on their second ticket as well and they're giving themselves away. Takeshi yawned. The car radio read 2:45 a.m. He drank the last of his coffee, cold and bitter, then clicked on the overhead lights. In a couple of minutes, a woman by the name of Naoko Asari would walk out of the gas station with two winning lottery tickets. She’d cash them in before returning to her time.He would arrest her before she could.Takeshi checked hi...

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“Merchant Boat” by Alex Sultan

Park counted fourteen bricks of cocaine on the merchant boat. Fourteen duct-taped, condensed packages, tucked beneath fishing nets at the bottom of shipping crates. He laughed under his breath, holding the nets up and counting the bricks out once more. Fourteen. Enough to land him ten years in prison. He propped open the hull's storage and stepped back. “Hey, Jin,” he called. “Do you think it’s too late to back out?”The boat swayed as Jin hopped on. Park stood aside and brought his hand up against the su...

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“snowfall” by Alex Sultan

Snow can fall at a speed of up to two meters per second. In the right moment, however, it could feel like an eternity. Zhu leaned back in her chair, listening to it creak. She listened to the monotonous clicking of a dozen office keyboards. The two-note tone of phones rang further off, followed by muffled conversations. She listened while wishing she could step outside and be a part of winter. Be a part of it like she had as a kid. Even after twelve years, that same train of thought came with every snowfall. She breathe...

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“7 Knights” by Alex Sultan

TW: violenceEmrys sat alongside five other knights, all of them knowing tonight would be their last alive.The flames of their campfire flickered in the wind. He pushed a log into the midst of it and listened to it crackle. The surrounding knights—the ones that could eat—picked bones out of river fish. Emrys dropped the corpse of a fish in the grass, grabbed a stick, and drew in the dirt.“One more time?” Bran asked.“Yeah,” Emrys said, nodding. He drew the village in three squares, sealing the exit points off wit...

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“Azure Rainforest” by Alex Sultan

For an entire half-hour, Cynthia threw up what felt like her body weight in blood, and by some miracle, she did not die. Passing out would’ve been nice. Her throat and stomach burned like she had drunk raw acid. Still conscious after the vomiting, she stared at the pool of blood drowning the blue grass. Blue grass. The grass glowed with an azure hue. This couldn’t be Earth anymore, could it?“Can you stand?” a quiet voice asked.Her arms trembled as she held herself up. It wouldn’t be long until they gave, and ...

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“Tēomeh” by Alex Sultan

CW: Gore The gods demanded sacrifice, and the Aztecs could not dare to disappoint them.Mecatyl prodded his captive up the temple steps. He pushed the blunt end of his bladed club against the man’s back, tripping him on the stone as they approached the apex. The high priest awaited at the top with an obsidian dagger in hand. The verdant green feathers of his headdress shook as winds gusted by.Torches crackled in their posts, the warm light glowing in the eyes of the people who watched the ceremo...

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“Feedback Loop” by Alex Sultan

If you had the chance to total your ex’s car with no repercussions whatsoever, would you take it?Ever since Vince found that damned photo—and he thought he got rid of everything, the question had never left his thoughts. Sure, next week he would be rich off horse races and lottery winnings. He’d have more in cash than his ex could ever comprehend, but the satisfaction of seeing her panic over her car, headlights shattered and hood dented? That’d be priceless.And there would be no repercussions. No drawback, no jail time, non...

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“[redacted]” by Alex Sultan

TW: attempted murder Everybody always called in sick on the holidays. Clara drew back on her cigarette and let the poison fill her lungs. She waited in her car, one hand against the revolver in her lap, the other tapping on the steering wheel. The lamplight across the street would soon illuminate the time traveler, and she would kill him. Snow drifted down in light waves. It would be the first time in her career that she worked on a redacted case—assigned right to her at that. Her partner had called in sick o...

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“Eternity” by Alex Sultan

For the first time in centuries, Eradon could not bring himself to clean the blood from his sword.He didn’t let the armorers stop him at the gate. A purple ooze dripped from his chest plate and onto the stone where he walked. The sunlight, limited to him, felt warm against his skin, and the air pure to breathe compared to the vileness of the Abyss. He filled his lungs as deep as he could with every breath, knowing soon he would have to go back. He made his way to the Resting Point. His sword, a weapon forged from the st...

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Author bio

always getting better

Shortlisted 2 stories ⭐️

Contest #112
Korea 2108 – read story
Contest #109
A Thousand Years in Tokyo – read story