Jonathan Baldie

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jun, 2023

Stories (8)

8 Stories

173 karma pts

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“Sentinel” by Jonathan Baldie

Submitted to Contest #288

The thing about breaking in was that it wasn't really about the physical act at all. Polly knew this as she stood in the rain at 3 AM, water streaming down her face, staring up at Professor Yip's building. Breaking in was about understanding systems. It was about seeing the gaps between what should be secure and what actually was secure. Most people thought buildings were fortresses. Polly knew better. Buildings were more like wooden fences - full of knots that could be pushed out to make holes.She pulled her hood tighter and walked toward t...

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“Petrichor” by Jonathan Baldie

Submitted to Contest #288

Petrichor is your power. It's a weird thing. You don't think of rainwater as having a smell. But it does. It rains. The rain ends. The smell enters your nose. In an instant, a million synapses fire in your brain. You think of the time you stood on Llandudno Pier that one time it rained heavily. The memory is clear and instant. Smell is like magic. A perfect memory retrieval system. The right key can unlock any memory. Suppose you could use that smell. Not just for unlocking memories, but for other things. Casting magic. Casting memories. Sup...

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“Wicked Is the Face” by Jonathan Baldie

Submitted to Contest #277

Twil’s muscles ached, a deep burn that spoke of days in the saddle. She shifted her weight, trying to find a more comfortable position. The leather creaked in protest.“Easy, girl,” she murmured to her mount. The chestnut mare’s ears flicked back at the sound of her voice.The forest loomed around them, ancient trees stretching their gnarled branches across the narrow path. Twil’s eyes darted from shadow to shadow, searching for any sign of movement. Her hand never strayed far from the hilt of her sword.A twig snapped somewhere to her left. Tw...

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“Kara and Thorne” by Jonathan Baldie

Submitted to Contest #275

The emerald glowed with an unnatural light in Kara’s palm, burning like frozen fire. Her fingers trembled as she held it up to the temple wall, matching its facets to the crystalline indentation before her. Behind her, the chittering of the spider-priests grew louder, their metal-tipped legs clicking against stone as they scuttled through the darkness.“Hurry up!” Thorne growled, his broad back pressed against the rotting wooden barrier they’d thrown across the corridor. The barricade shuddered as something massive slammed into it from t...

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“Chicken Pot Pie” by Jonathan Baldie

Submitted to Contest #274

I'd been staring at Mr. Quentin's chart for twenty minutes at the nurses' station, my coffee going cold beside the ancient desktop computer. The three overnight nurses were doing shift change behind me, their voices a tired murmur. Dr. Hunt finally swooped in, trailing a pack of med students like ducklings. The patient had been transferred from County with what looked like textbook sepsis, except nothing about his numbers made sense. His white count was through the roof but his temperature was normal. The cultures were negative but his blood...

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“The Gatewreaver” by Jonathan Baldie

Submitted to Contest #273

It reeked of trouble.Jana wrinkled her nose, scanning the dimly lit tavern. Smoke from cheap pipeweed hung heavy in the air, mingling with the sour stench of spilled ale and unwashed bodies. A motley crew of rough-looking characters hunched over their drinks, speaking in low murmurs that didn’t quite mask the undertone of desperation.This was no place for a hunter. Especially not one who’d received a mysterious invitation scrawled on parchment that smelled faintly of lavender.She fingered the worn leather of her bow, more for comfort than an...

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“Just a Rock” by Jonathan Baldie

Submitted to Contest #269

It's just a stupid rock.That's what I keep telling myself as I turn the smooth, scaly stone over in my hand. Mom swears it's a dragon's egg, claims it's been passed down through our family for generations. Yeah, right. As if dragons were ever real.I toss it onto my nightstand and flop onto my bed, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to my ceiling. They used to make me feel like I was floating in space, but now they just look childish. Everything in this room does. The stuffed animals, the fantasy books, the drawings of mythical creat...

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“She’s Right” by Jonathan Baldie

Submitted to Contest #245

“So what?” Vijay said. “It’s an eclipse. It gets dark. What’s the big deal?” Robin took a sip from her drink, trying to look anywhere but at Vijay. The taste of strawberries from her daiquiri was a welcome reprieve from this loser.  “People like it,” Robin said as politely as she could. “It brings people together, don’t you think?” Vijay shoved another handful of peanuts into his mouth. Robin watched him munch on them. She imagined kissing that salty mouth, and winced.  “I guess,” Vijay said with a shrug. “So how many of these thin...

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Author bio

Software engineer and author.