JL Anderson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2021

Stories (41)

41 Stories

4 karma pts

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“Divine Justice” by JL Anderson

The market district of Thradnyss is alive with the hustle and bustle of merchants and customers and travelers. Spices and the aroma of roasting fish perfume the sea-salt air. Music from street performers competes with people haggling over prices. And for the first time since any of them arrived in Thradnyss, Darrak and the rest of his comrades-at-arms get to enjoy the marketplace as ordinary folk, rather than working any sort of job. Busy public spaces have never been Darrak’s favorite place to be. He prefers to be alone–whether praying to H...

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“Ashtoreth House” by JL Anderson

Lilith’s battered black Prius rumbled and groaned as she drove into yet another three-stoplight town in her voyage across the midwestern United States. “Welcome to Nivennah!” a weathered wooden sign announced beside the road. Ahead, a mixture of houses and storefronts hailing from the 1800s greeted her eyes, all looking like they’d seen much better days. “Doesn’t look like a witch town,” Lilith muttered to herself as she drove past a quaint Methodist church and a mom-and-pop 1950s-style diner. Truth be told, Nivennah looked like every other ...

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“Bromeo and Julian” by JL Anderson

Characters (by order of appearance)OLOSTRA, a palm wine merchantADEDAYO, one of three adventurers, fighter by classODION, one of three adventurers, cleric by classNEHANDA, one of three adventurers, bard by classKULTIQ CLAN MEMBERS 1 and 2TISNUR CLAN MEMBERS 1 and 2SARVISDAR KULTIQ, goatherd and grandson of the Kultiq patriarchZENDAT TISNUR, blacksmith and grandson of the Tisnur patriarchMO-TARHAK KULTIQ, patriarch of the Kultiq clanSTORCURTH TISNUR, patriarch of the Tisnur clanVILLAGERSMUSICIANS Scene 1: Dalvur, An idyllic oasis village besi...

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“For A Moment Like This” by JL Anderson

In the deepest part of the night, no lights are burning in Duke Ravenmoor’s castle except for one, high in the window of a tower with views of the besieged battlements of the city wall. Within,  a slender blonde woman in baggy black trousers and a black wrap top with flame-colored edging does battle with a punching bag by candlelight. Her fists move too quickly for an untrained eye to trace their movements. On the other side of the spacious but sparsely furnished room, another woman with unruly red hair sleeps on a futon. Her gentle sno...

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“Bargain” by JL Anderson

Marisa Moreno had never been good at taking no for an answer. Her parents doted on her throughout her childhood and young adulthood. Once she came of age, she captured the attention of the most popular boy in the village of Grasmere, and he was as delighted to marry her as she was to marry him. From the moment they started courting onward, Alonso always treated her as much like a queen as he could, given that neither of them came from wealth. Especially once she gave birth to their first child, a son, Marisa could do no wrong in her husband’...

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“At All Costs” by JL Anderson

From her earliest memories, Fifi has always loved Friggenter, the celebration of the summer solstice. She loves getting to stay up all night. She loves dancing and the bonfires that feature in the celebration. Most of all, she loves that the sermons about Chuezoh are shorter at Friggenter than at any other holiday during the year, making more time for all the fun parts of the celebration. This year, the celebration of the shortest night of the year has special significance for Fifi. First, her blossoming connection with Cybarein, the magic o...

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“Hideaway” by JL Anderson

As a scullery maid in the mansion of the Marquis of Arrington, Shae was no stranger to the trappings of wealth, but she seldom got to enjoy them for herself. The closest she came was on afternoons like this, when a note came to the kitchens requesting that Shae bring a basket of refreshments to the marquis’s hunting cottage, out in the wilds of his vast private lands. The note arrived, Shae worked with the other kitchen staff to pack the picnic basket, and off she went into the woods behind the marquis’s mansion, free to enjoy the luxury of ...

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“Beautiful” by JL Anderson

Ever since she was a little girl, Andrea Marisca was obsessed with fairy tales and Disney movies. She watched the scenes with Cinderella and her fairy godmother on repeat play, until her mother destroyed the VHS tape in a fit of frustration at hearing the same scene for the eight billionth time. She loved the story of the ugly duckling and demanded that it be read to her at bedtime every night until she turned eight and her parents declared that she was too old for bedtime stories. But her family’s discouragement didn’t stop Andrea from read...

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“Dreams and Possibilities” by JL Anderson

The catacombs beneath the temple of Vusyn were dark and damp, the sort of place that Kirk’s mother would have told him was haunted by spirits of the damned and cursed by demons. But Kirk MacDuggar had never put much stock in anything his mother told him. He hadn’t seen her in years and he didn’t want to. She was way too much of a buzzkill, always telling him that his way of life was criminal and lamenting that her only son had failed to make her proud as a productive member of society. Stuff like that made Kirk glad she wasn’t around to take...

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“Heist” by JL Anderson

Golden morning sunlight streams through the rough-hewn windows in Lorilla’s abode beneath an enormous banyan tree, bright and cheerful in contrast with the mood therein. Although the druid’s home is built for Small creatures, Darrak, Naivara, and Vladislak are all crammed inside with Lorilla, sitting on the floor. Rhogar sits outside next to one of the windows, listening to his comrades-at-arms and serving as door guard. With his bulging muscles and reptilian features, the massive Dragonborn is the most intimidating member of the group. “We’...

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“Disrupted” by JL Anderson

Ainsley breathed a sigh of relief as they entered the Mad Utopia Cafe, grateful to get out of the early May thunderstorm outside. As a poor college student, they couldn’t afford a car or a parking pass, but the Mad Utopia was closer to campus than their apartment, and they had wanted to come here once their Sociology class let out, anyway. Ainsley’s noisy roommates made it impossible for them to focus on studying in the apartment, and something about this cafe spoke to them. The Mad Utopia Cafe served a variety of coffee, tea, soups, sandwic...

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“The Wind in the Willows” by JL Anderson

The sun shone bright and warm over a lush green meadow studded with yellow and white wildflowers. A crystalline pond sparkled in the sunlight while willow trees dipped their long tendrils into its water. Around the meadow, all manner of trees rustled in a stiff, erratic breeze that seemed to originate from a single teenage girl standing near the pond. Her grandparents’ farm would have been the perfect place to spend spring break–if only Samira had wanted to be there. “It isn’t fair!” Samira wailed, and a gust of wind whipped from her stamped...

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“True Colors” by JL Anderson

Sereia has never enjoyed spending time in the dressing rooms of the dormitories she shares with the other young mermaids of the royal compound. The mirrors there, all salvaged from shipwrecks and in varying condition, remind her that she is no different from the rest of the parrlings around her. Her tail and armfins are the same dull silver-blue stippling as theirs, her eyes the same pale flickering rainbow color. No one can tell by looking at her that her mother is the Great Sorceress Marilla, Chief Advisor to the Rulers of the Seven Seas. ...

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“Remember When” by JL Anderson

Merriweather Park is always the most beautiful place in Johnstown, but on days like today it’s particularly glorious. The sun beams bright over the lush grassy expanses where children kick a black-and-white checkered ball around. More children laugh and clamber over the plastic and metal jungle gym, which is partially shaded by the oak and maple trees towering overhead. A light spring breeze blows through the park, ruffling the gray hair of George and Melanie Dennison as they sit on a shaded bench near the swingset. “A shame no one’s enjoyin...

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“The Eternal Chase” by JL Anderson

As the sun sets over the village of Searajel, Chief Xbalanque and his astronomers climb the narrow, winding paths leading up the side of Mount Alsano to their observatory at the peak. They want to check their calculations one last time before the solar eclipse they believe will happen the next day. Below them, the rest of the village bustles with activity; adults clean up after the evening meal while children run and play on dirt paths between stone houses built into the mountainside. The tension of anticipation hangs thick over Searajel. It...

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