Jethro Pili

“The Mark” by Jethro Pili

TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING: There is a brief execution scene in this story.Earth, 2092. It had been three and a half years since the Disappearances, when millions of people simply vanished off the face of the Earth. Only those of us left untaken live to tell the tale. But I fear that may not be for long. Everyone was in a panic. Everyone was grieving. World economies collapsed, Wall Street crashed, and a second Great Depression reared its ugly head. Add to that the fact that four wars were going on all at the same time, and everything was looki...

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“Some Leopards Can Change Their Spots” by Jethro Pili

CONTENT WARNING: This story includes a shooting!The sound of laughter, chatter from the other tables, the clinking of plates and utensils, and soft piano music filled the room as Sam, Lena, Tony, Lucy, Jeff, and Tristin ate, talked, and cracked stupid jokes. Sam and Lena had just gotten engaged, and in lieu of a lavish engagement party with dozens of guests, the two opted for an intimate evening with close friends. They invited Sam’s old college roommate Tony and his wife Lucy, along with Sam’s coworkers Jeff and Tristin. They made reservati...

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“Lancelot” by Jethro Pili

AUTHOR’s NOTES: 1. This short story is based on a personal experience of mine. 2. The opening scene might trigger some of you here. It shows physical violence/abuse.“Hi!” Jodi said, opening the door. On her parents’ front porch stood her boyfriend Michael, an ear-to-ear grin plastered on his face.“Are you done packing yet?” Michael asked, then kissed Jodi.“Just got done, yeah,” Jodi answered with a sigh and a kiss in return. “Why?”“I was wondering, maybe we could go grab some dinner?” Michael said nervously. “I mean, it’s gonna be our last n...

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“The Bat & The Wolf” by Jethro Pili

CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNING: This piece contains a gory scene. I drove my Harley up the small path and stopped in front of the gate of the imposing and impressive gothic castle right dab smack in the middle of the Catskill Mountains of New York, far away from the glaring city lights. The place was a peaceful sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the City That Never Sleeps. “Identification?” the guard at the gatehouse said, shining a flashlight in my face. I squinted and shielded my face with my right hand, snarling, my fangs bared. Afte...

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“The Getaway” by Jethro Pili

Jake and Jane Barnett’s Jeep rolled into the campsite just half an hour before sunset. The day before was a joyous occasion for the happy couple. They held a civil wedding ceremony for their non-LDS friends before their Sealing, and then they were Sealed at the Temple—for time and all eternity. It was, as the cliché goes, the first day of the rest of their lives. Most couples chose to go backpacking through Europe, spend a couple of weeks somewhere romantic like Paris or London. Other couples opt for the Mediterranean or tropical climates—be...

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“Read To Me, My Dear Beren” by Jethro Pili

CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNING: This story features death and dying. One of the characters is a terminally ill cancer patient. Jane Barnett requested to be discharged. She was in the final stages of pancreatic cancer and she did not want to die in a hospital, surrounded by doctors, nurses, and strangers the next bed over. She wanted to die at home with her beloved Jake and their growing family. She wanted to die in the arms of the man she loved—in their own bed, not in some hospital bed attached to machines that prolonged not only her life but he...

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“Revelation 6:13” by Jethro Pili

“And the stars from heaven fell upon he earth, as the fig tree casteth its green figs when it is shaken by a great wind.”Thursday Night6:45 PM“And now, for breaking news,” anchorman Alec Barlow announced. “We have just received word that the asteroid astrophysicists detected eighty-three days ago, named Tycho-IV, may hit Earth any day now. Jennifer Simon has the story. Jennifer?”“Good evening, Alec, Angela,” Jennifer Simon reported. “I am live here tonight at NASA’s headquarters to speak with astrophysicist Dr. Bernard Bernard. Now, Dr. Bern...

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“Fresh Blood: The Reminiscences of John Joseph Mackenzie O'Donnel, Rebel Vampire” by Jethro Pili

I remember… I remember my first time in New York City as a reborn Immortal of but four years. I had been here multiple times before, but as a mortal man. I traveled back and forth between Ireland and America as an Irish rebel heavily involved in Sinn Fein and IRB activities. In fact, I had met two of our leaders here in this very city—good old Tom Clarke and the gallant James Connolly.As an Immortal, I found New York City greatly changed. There were far more people than I remembered since I was last here. My senses were assaulted by the smel...

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“Christian & Nicole” by Jethro Pili

During his 1-hour lunchbreak, Christian Harrison scrolled through dozens of profiles on a new dating app called My Aphrodite. It had been a few days and he hadn’t found anyone interesting yet. He’d been swiping left for days. He was starting to think the app was a great waste of his time and was considering deleting it. Suddenly, one profile caught his attention. Her name was Nicole Wheatly and her interests matched with his. She was a huge Tolkien fan, a huge George R.R. Martin fan, a huge Anne Rice fan, was a Trekkie and secretly a Star Wa...

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“Tragedy At Turtle Beach” by Jethro Pili

TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING: Tragic character death. A young man gets buried in the sand.It was supposed to be a fun summer day for all six of us—Chris, Hazel, Kevin, Tammy, Dorian, and me. You all know about the Three Musketeers; we were the Six Musketeers. We had just graduated and it was our last first day of summer. We had the whole summer ahead of us before we headed off to college. Except for Chris and Dorian. Chris had enlisted in the Marines and Dorian in the Navy. They would be going off to basic training at the end of the summer. The o...

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“Evergloom No More” by Jethro Pili

CONTENT WARNING: There is a battle scene here that describes a gruesome wound.There once was a rich, fair land named Eden, where man and beast lived in harmony with each other. The sun rose and fell each day to bless the people of Eden. But one day, a power-hungry sorcerer named Merodach set his heart on conquering Eden. Though her people fought bravely, some, by very well-placed bribes, fell to the Darkness. Once every square inch of Eden was finally his, Merodach cast a spell on the land so that it did not see the light of the sun by day n...

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“Seashells For Your Sweetheart” by Jethro Pili

It was a Sunday and Will Stanford’s day was already packed and planned. He was a very disciplined planner and stuck to routine. With how strictly he stuck to routine, he would have made a very fine soldier. He woke up at 9AM to freshen up. After making sure that he was fresh, clean, and ready for the day, he ordered pancakes from IHOP and had Uber Eats deliver it to his dorm at Dunster House. While eating, he studiously did his homework and studied for an upcoming quiz in his Microeconomics class. At around 11:00, he stopped what he was doin...

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“The Scarlet Thread” by Jethro Pili

Submitted to Contest #134

Today was the day I feared the most. For three months, I had been living in a good friend’s rundown apartment here in Undercity, hiding like a scared, pathetic little child. I was a hunted fugitive up there in Overworld. Each year, two citizens are randomly chosen from the government database. Our number would be called, so-to-speak, and we would report very early in the morning at the Capitol on Scarlet Thread Day. By the luck of the draw, one of us would be executed in front of the Capitol before thousands of eagerly watching citizens. Tho...

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“ESM: Emergency Sister Meeting” by Jethro Pili

Submitted to Contest #131

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Anne McBride’s fingers flew all over the keyboard, typing as fast as she could, à la Clark Kent, the Daily Planet’s fastest typist. Currently, there was a party at Chloe Higgins’s palatial house and she was invited, along with her younger sister Katherine, but she declined. She had more important things to do. She was focused on homework—always have, always will. Their youngest sister Mary was at the Silver Spatula, eating burgers and fries, drinking shakes, and studying with her study g...

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“Sleeping In A Snow Globe” by Jethro Pili

The red van pulled up the property’s gravel driveway and Camille killed the engine. They all surveyed their surroundings, except for John, who was asleep for the duration of the trip.“Well, here we are,” Camille said with a smile.“Why does it look so dry?” Tim asked, taking notice of the dark green pine needles and the snowless ground. “Where’s the snow? How are we going to ski or snowboard?”“Don’t worry,” Hazel said, turning in her seat to look back at Tim. “It’ll probably snow tonight or tomorrow. And if it doesn’t, they’d probably make so...

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