Joseph Lancaster

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2019

Stories (9)

9 Stories

164 karma pts

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“The Trouble with being too much alive.” by Joseph Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #129

Initializing. . . 23% . . . 84% . . . 99% Setup Complete. It happened suddenly; without the slightest whisper of warning. It felt as if the world began to Shift. There wasn’t an earthquake shaking the mountain, or an avalanche crashing from the sky, or even a strong gale begging the building to sway. It was a glaring, imperceptible change; Not great, or terrible, but frighteningly, Wrong. In a daze, Wyndi steadied herself on the tavern bar, streaks of her long black hair falling over her eyes. She stared across the cozy room, her frazzl...

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“Bleeding Seconds” by Joseph Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #128

“I never really thought of myself as a vindictive person." - Liam MountebankLiam sunk his shovel in the grave, leveraging his weight against the frozen soil. Even though he took a measure of pride in his conditioning, the work was still tasking. Perspiration would coat his forehead, and then be whisked away by the chill, prevailing winds. He soundlessly tossed another heap of dirt to the growing pile beside him. The ground felt almost like stone, so much so that Liam still wondered whether he had found the right spot. The tombstone had ...

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“The Cost of Mercy” by Joseph Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #95

I still remember those scenes vividly. Or perhaps not. I can see them, but I wonder if the truth is tainted. Memories decay with time and are often poorly reconstructed. Moreover, I wonder if those still seemingly fresh images are painted a darker shade with hindsight. It was night. The dancing flames of the smoldering camp were dying, flickering out like the shortened lives of the stragglers. I was well beyond the bands of the makeshift camp, and my force had thinned in pursuit of the scattered enemy. After breaking, They ran with t...

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“Loss Revival” by Joseph Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #94

His star flickered from a brilliant bright blue to the dull white of those surrounding it. One of the gods had died. * * * * *The god, Arvo, looked to the sky above the hedge maze, and then to Kiamo with a grim expression. Half a scowl marked his face. Kiamo straightened herself to face his gaze. Despite her position and a painstaking plan drawn to fruition, she still felt nearly powerless in front of him. She resisted the urge to feel her cloak and check if it was still there.“I’ve never met a mortal, Anyo...

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“Bloody Banquet” by Joseph Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #93

Barlin tossed a corpse over his shoulder and trudged towards the wheel cart. The woman had been rich. It was physically evident in her physique. Much good it did her. He thought sarcastically. Of course, it didn’t actually do her good in the slightest. At best, it was bad for Barlin's back and near-catastrophic for his knees. “I doth swear.” he said as he tried fruitlessly to toss the body, “The lord ought pay us more than our standard measly wage when the work doth be much beyond standard and measly.” He said it to Grolin, h...

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“Dual Proposal. ” by Joseph Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #92

Mylee clutched the orb close to her chest. It shed light in a five-foot radius around her. The shadows marched on the perimeter, apparently indifferent to their natural opposition. Her comfort zone slowly shrank. It wasn’t by much, and it promptly slowed to a standstill, but it still rattled her. Mylee confirmed her suspicions with little doubt. The darkness was alive. She pulled her legs close, dragging the chains along with them. She sat with her back to the sturdy wooden banister of the manor staircase. The shouts of her pursuers fin...

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“Bounty” by Joseph Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #67

Mas holstered his glowing blaster, and the girl fell to the mud like a puppet with cut strings “Stupid kid.” He let himself release a long sigh. He pressed his bloody knuckles to his lower back and cracked it, then, slowly, he knelt to her side and pried open her petrified eyelids. Her gaze had rolled back in unconsciousness, but he could still see the iris. Blood red. “You were a real pain to find. You know that?” His words trailed in the midst of the alien marsh. unanswered. He caught his breath and stared at his unconscious char...

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“Three Minute Sand Pit” by Joseph Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #66

The chill of the ocean breeze faded in the midst of the crowd. Dozens of faces, in the dark lit underbelly of a warehouse. Did she recognize any of them? Would they recognize her? The wraps were snug, but it’d be too much of a detriment to make them tighter. Dockmen drank ale at night. A hood and mask should be enough.The host led her through the crowd. The bearded dwarf stood nearly half the size of most of the onlookers, but he passed like a noble at market square. The customer base of burdened laborers and seasick sailors came to such a p...

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“Filight” by Joseph Lancaster

Submitted to Contest #39

Casbin ran out of breath. His running became slow and he staggered until his burning legs refused to cooperate. Despite the strengthening process, each step on level ground felt like hiking on a sheer incline. His failing muscles lost out to the double weight of gravity and his legs buckled. He fell to the rocky ground, scraping his palm while trying to brace the fall. He tried to steady his breathing. The foreign air was dense. Heavy with moisture. How far had he run? A mile? Maybe more? He could still see the ship in the distance. A ...

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Author bio

Chugging through 2022 like a train without rails. I'm stuffing the engine with coal and crossing my fingers. Wish me luck. 1/14/22 - "Bleeding Seconds" - it took far too long. It's a bit rough around the edges on account of not having enough words, and I realized too late that the dialogue nearing the end is painfully lopsided. the original plan had at least two more scenes where some more of the setup would come into play, but it just wasn't practical. Gonna leave it and move on. It is what it is. 1/21/22 - "The Trouble with being too much alive" - This one was hard to write in a bang-your-head-on-the-table sort of way. Every time I thought it was good to go, I'd find something else that didn't work. Rough time. Methinks tho, the final result is pretty alright. Thinking of moving some things to Royal Road. Under J S Lancaster