HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

What Occurred At Haukstrǫnd House On An Autumn Afternoon—1865

Submitted to Contest #304

Mister Jonas Harkstreader set the pages of the manuscript down on his desk. He exhaled a deep, exasperated breath. “Mister Groschinger—or Herr Groschinger, if you prefer. This...this cat is going to take the little girl to the Moon, of all places—on a pirate ship, of all things? Are you even aware that the Moon is a quarter of a million miles from the Earth? Moreover, there is no wind to blow the sails, on account of there being no air in those rarefied regions!” He knew that Kyric Groschinger hailed from one of the states of Germany, but wh...

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COTTONBALL

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #290

This is a great little prompt. “Your character comes across a stray (dog, cat, human—any kind of animal!) What happens next?” Wasn't going to enter this one. Wouldn't have even thought of it had my girlfriend not mentioned it to me. She was there for a lot of it. If I'm a bit reluctant to share this, it's because somethings are a bit painful, you understand. You're being totally truthful—that leaves you open for hurt and vulnerability. But in the end some stories should be told—especially when they are true ones. Here you won't find any m...

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I AM A BLASTED TREE

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #288

Three times in my life, something has kept me from dying. The first time, I'd been left on a steel table in a bloody basin. The abortion hadn't worked. Now they were just waiting for me to stop breathing. This I heard from the woman who snuck me out, endangering her own job. The second time was in Germany, the Black Forest. I was lost for days. Something, which I am still not fully aware what it was, found me and eventually led me to safety. A ghost? A spirit. Some ancient Teutonic God? Whatever it was kept me alive for that fortnight. It fe...

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EMILY DRAKAIGNE

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #287

For some reason, I never got into tea. But when I blew into town nine months ago, it was that particular blend they served me at Cafè Bleue Rose that got me going. It was a particularly chilly December afternoon, and I needed something steaming to warm me up. Now, it's not my way to stay in any city or town longer than three months. The first day I arrived, I ended up wandering into this out of the way cul de sac. There was a small garden in front of the entrance. I remember sitting for a moment near an elm tree, all denuded in the winter sn...

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BLOOD OF THE DRAGON KING

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #286

Nimue hissed and snarled—if any of her masters should come upon her at this juncture they were all dead men. She could snatch a knife and bury it in its owners throat before they knew they were dead. For ten long years she had languished under the Commorian yoke. One hundred-thirty Moons had seen her wrists chafed, and rubbed raw from the shackles she bore.They dedicated her to Nyx, daughter of Chaos, when she was but a child. Her people hid in the depths of the Earth, drawing close to its fires. And there in the darkness they rediscovered w...

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8-TRACK MIND

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #285

I guess that without Charlie I'd never have gotten the chance to solve that ancient puzzle.We all met Charlie in the Shipping Department of Lafeyette Radio Electronics. We'd just come out of the factory. About six hundred of us, all headed for different stores. But the shift had just ended so we sat there in Shipping, waiting for the Morning Shift to begin.Charlie started talking and I guess we all listened. Figured we might learn a thing or two.Now Charlie had been around since 1939—thirty-five years ago. We figured—hey, this guy's been aro...

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THE ASSASSIN APRENTICE

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #284

“It was a dark and stormy night...” Do not fool yourselves. That line has a venerable history. First scripted by my good friend, Sir Edwin Bulwer-Lytton in his 1830 novel, Paul Clifford. I was good friends with him from the time he was a lad. In fact, he got the line from me. I gave it to him freely, with my blessing. I had often spoken of that other “dark and stormy night.” The rain did indeed fall in torrents. But there were no “occasional intervals when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets...” Indeed, there ...

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PURGATORY

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #284

When I come to the first thing I think of is, “Where's my car?” Rather—where's my Dad's car? I can get away with 'borrowing' it for two days—tops. And if it ever got so much of a scratch on it—that's 40K. That happens, I'd better take a looooong vacation. I was speeding, I admit it. I had to be really careful about that. Get pulled over, cop goes, “Where's the fire, son?” “Our family celebrates Ground Hog's Day, Officer. It's really important I'm home in time.” Yeah. That sounds real believable. But it's also the absolute truth! We're a pre...

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DEATH COMES TO CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #284

“Joyce Ryan?” “Yes?” “I was a friend of Jimmy Albright. He would have wanted you to have this.” “I don't understand.” “It was a manuscript he was working on. He spoke of you often.” “I really didn't know him very well at all—and then this happens. You really think he wanted me to have this?” “He dedicated it to you.” She hefted the thick leather envelope. “It must be over a thousand pages. “Well thank you, Mister—?” There was no answer, and when Joyce Ryan looked up, she was alone in the hospital corridor. [Final pages of Jimmy Albright's m...

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BOXING DAY ON MARS

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #283

Two old enemies met in a cave on the planet Mars.The storm had raged for weeks, covering everything with a layer of fine, rust colored dust.Winds howled murderously, though the atmospheric pressure is less than one percent that of the Earth. The dust clouds covered the entire Martian surface. It was impossible to find one's way—yet the lone, red garbed figure made his way unerringly to the hidden cave.Above him, scarlet whirlwinds towered hundreds of feet. They stooped like curious giants. Ghastly voices shrieked and howled in the wind that ...

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I AM OUROBOROS

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #282

What does the desire to live forever say about a man? It's a very common wish. No one really wants to die—and yet no one's ever escaped their fate. There is a point in life wherein our own biology sits us down and sternly tells us—“Thus far shall ye go, and no further.” Yet, people still dream of the impossible. My own physical difficulties had become great—almost too great too endure. The sixteenth verse of the Havamal had been staring me straight in the face for a very long time. The coward thinks he will live forever If only from fighti...

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THE MOUTH OF THE JAGUAR

HAAKON RAGNSKJOLD

Submitted to Contest #279

When the bomb hit Hamburg in 2071, there were virtually no survivors. They had to build the city up from scratch—all the while eliminating any of my kind that managed to squeak through. Still wonder why we hate the regular humans? Some say that mutants don't really exist, that we're just an urban legend. I know. I was there. I was ten years old.I chuckle when I see the wanted poster the Xolotls have put up. That's the official name of the cyborg police force. These days everything gets patterned after something of the Nahuatl Aztec culture. ...

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12 Stories

223 karma pts

What Occurred At Haukstrǫnd House On An Autumn Afternoon—1865

COTTONBALL

I AM A BLASTED TREE

EMILY DRAKAIGNE

BLOOD OF THE DRAGON KING

8-TRACK MIND

THE ASSASSIN APRENTICE

PURGATORY

DEATH COMES TO CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT

BOXING DAY ON MARS

I AM OUROBOROS

THE MOUTH OF THE JAGUAR