M B

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2022

Stories (24)

24 Stories

455 karma pts

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“Vanished into the rain ” by M B

New York City is a giant place, and even a lifer like me can still find somewhere that they’ve never been to. A divebar tucked away among more established businesses was a dime a dozen: a place to go to meet people who were hard to meet, although I usually insist they meet me at my office. I hoped the food was good, I was craving burger sliders. Introductions are in or...

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“The Ferret and the Three Keys” by M B

“So what’s the catch?” the gray furred ferret asked, her arms folded over her leather-clad bosom. Her muzzle was turned up in a smirk as she challenged the male coyote. The ferret leaned against the wall of the cellar the impromptu meeting was being held in. A few lanterns hanging from the wall were all the illumination they were provided with. The coyote’s ears twitched as he grinned a t...

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“Story Tapestry ” by M B

Warning. Life support systems failing. Station integrity at 50%. That was the warning Lt. Kairi Faas of the 5th Star Patrol heard repeatedly. The blue-skinned girl drew her raygun and fiddled with the settings, effectively turning her weapon into a cutting torch as she started to cut through the jammed metal door. “Lt. Faas to Endurance,” she said over her comm ...

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“The Dragon Who Would Be Queen” by M B

Ina stretched out her wings in her cavern, admiring the hoard she had collected over the years. Her blue scaled shimmered on the rocks as she yawned her great maw. The silly mammals of the kingdom had grown wise and paid her tribute regularly now. Golden coins, gems of the finest quality, gold bars, and jewelry, arms and armor, and the bones of livestock sacrificed to her decorated her spacious cavern. A...

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“Strange Encounters ” by M B

Abbey’s brown eyes were growing heavy with sleep during her pre-bedtime reading: It was an admittedly trashy romance novel with supernatural themes, but she didn’t care - no one was around to judge her. The caramel-skinned girl was safe in her bed in the loft above her coffee shop. She had considered living in the place she worked a stroke of genius, she owned the building after all. Why pay rent or mort...

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“Boats that pass in the night” by M B

He stumbled through the fog, still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing since he started the journey, still burned and bloody from being on a sinking ship. He kept walking through the fog, feet padding against stone. When the trek would end he could not say, but he knew he couldn’t stop. There was nothing for him here, and nothing to return to in the opposite direction. Perhaps he ...

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“The Birdscab Case ” by M B

I leapt into the backseat of the taxi cab and took extra care not to slam the door on my long, pink rat tail. “Follow that car!” I demanded, pointing ahead at the jet black sedan that was presently speeding away of us. The cabby, a weasel, looked back at me and twitched his whiskers. “Ya, serious Mack?” he asked. “Damn right I’m serious, there’s a nice tip for you, but hu...

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“Spaceman ” by M B

Cranston, dressed in his flight jacket, slicked his dark hair back as he stepped into the officers’ barracks - He just needed to pick up a few things before he headed out for the night. The bomber pilot had a date with a proper English bird, and if he was reading the signs right he’d have a good night indeed. He smiled, it wasn’t often he and the rest of his crew had time to themselves, the former auto s...

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“A Simple Heist” by M B

Dark clouds blotted out the stars with the threat of an imminent downpour as wind blew across dark streets. If not for the bobbing lanterns of the watch weaving through the streets the city would have appeared to be dead. From the shadow of an alleyway, a figure leaned against the wall. The shadow stared hungrily at the manor house beyond the wall ahead and studied the hired badger thugs - armed with mean...

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“Death of a Smile ” by M B

I should have said no: That would have been the end of it, but I needed the dough, and it seemed like such a simple job. If I knew then what would come to pass, I would have declined that job the second it left those pretty lips. She came to my office one dreary afternoon. She couldn’t have been more than a few years over twenty. She was a classy dame in a fine dress, with her hair piled o...

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“The Fiend of the Past ” by M B

The sound of thunder exploded overhead as a flash of lightning turned night into day, revealing a ghoulish graveyard replete with wet, broken headstones and consuming ivy. The horseman and his horse kept their composure, though the man did consider if he would ever be buried in a grave, or if there would be anything left of him to bury once his enemies found him. The man’s horse - a veteran of Europe’s b...

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“Amber on the Run ” by M B

The meerkat girl - dressed in shorts, a vest, and a short-sleeved shirt - wiped her forehead as she stalked through the jungle. Amber loved the vest: It had enough pockets for all her various objects - notepads, writing utensils, recorders, and cameras - for an article she was writing about the small tropical island nation of Safilr: a heavily sanctioned country quite hostile to journalists.

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“The Military Brat” by M B

1986 A spitball narrowly missed Emile, who was sitting peacefully at his desk. Target practice again for the kid two desks down who hated him for no discernable reason. The teacher - of course - never seemed to notice the exchange. Today, she seemed a bit nervous. A new student was just outside the door where she’d been told to wait. Introductions had to be made. A...

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“A Witch's Fortune ” by M B

Dusk had always been Yvette’s favorite time of day. The sun was setting swiftly: a flame of red against the sea. The boom of surf and the sound of cars driving past the sidewalk intermingled with the ever-present cry of gulls as they scavenged for food left by tourists. It’s nice to be a tourist, the brunette girl thought to herself. Her pale face had a touch of sun to go along with the smatteri...

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“Burden Of Command” by M B

Lieutenant Davic Sphinx had forgotten how uncomfortable his service dress uniform was as he made his way through the huge star cruiser to the captain’s office. It was a uniform only for looking nice in and for anal higher ups to nitpick: Dark blue, brass buttons, too-shiny shoes and, to top it all off, a white wheel cap carried beneath his left arm. Over his left breast pocket were the ribbons he had earn...

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Author bio

I'm M B on Reedsy most my other sites I go by some form of MercenaryBlade. I'm a writer who has had a handful of published shorts. My genres are varied but I like scifi/fantasy and historical settings. I dabble at horror and other genres. I also really enjoy writing about nonhuman and human characters. In the real world my name is Derek Cottrell, and I've been many things in life and done a lot of traveling. Mostly when I was in the service. I hope you can find something to your liking here and I welcome your thoughts.