M B

“The Fiend of the Past ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #169

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 battlefields - was used to volleys of musket fire and the boom of cannons, so it also kept its self-control... although the equine di...

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“Amber on the Run ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #165

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.  The island was undergoing a historic event. For the first time in decades, an actual election was taking place. For years, the thylacine...

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“The Military Brat” by M B

Submitted to Contest #164

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 day ago, Emile’s teacher didn’t even know such people existed. Clearing her throat, the teacher called for silence.    “Class, we have a new student joi...

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“A Witch's Fortune ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #163

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 smattering of freckles that went from the bridge of her nose to below her eyes. A large black raven was perched on her shoulder. “POPCORN!” The rav...

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“Burden Of Command” by M B

Submitted to Contest #161

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 earned and over his right, his surname: Sphinx.  He wondered why the ship's captain had called him to his office. Through the winding ...

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“The Crazy Courier ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #160

The hover bike jumped a hill as the courier giggled in joy. She shot far into the air before settling back just over the dusty lands, plumes of dust plummeting around her.  The dust was heavy in the air, the lands scorched by the weapons of a long-forgotten war. Survival in the wasteland was a harsh and difficult existence for most. She looked behind her at the rest of the expedition struggling to catch up: A water tanker, and a squad of the Baron’s house troops stumbled forward armed with blaster rifles. “Hurry up guys! The digsi...

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“The Jade Jaguar ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #156

“That’s not how I remember it,” Amber said leaning forward, the meerkat’s clawed hands rested on the desk as she stared down the occupant opposite her. It was hot and overcast outside - creatures braving the wet heat to get to their jobs looked like ants down below.   “Really? Then how do you remember it?” The hardboiled rat detective behind the desk responded. Amber leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. “I’m so glad you asked, Skreet,” she replied sarcastically. “I was following a tip from one of my sources: a lead...

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“Kairi Makes a Stand” by M B

Kairi rolled out of her bunk as soon as she heard the alarm next to her bunk blare: She was due to report to duty in less than an hour. The blue-skinned girl - an Altheaten - brushed a strand of red hair behind one of her elfin ears and yawned.  Her quarters were but a single small bed, a washroom the size of a closet, a nightstand fastened to the floor, and - of course - a door and large window. A few trinkets - pictures of family and home - along with some art pieces made up the decor, and her window gave the ever-stunning view of p...

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“Reload” by M B

Submitted to Contest #151

Staff Sergeant Jimenez took in his surroundings as he tightly gripped his M4 and exhaled.  He was in a once state-of-the-art facility... now a disaster area. Bullet holes lined the walls, expensive computers were smashed and destroyed, two corpses lay on the floor in white lab coats... ...‘Brilliant minds’ that had tampered with something they shouldn’t have, Jimenez noted darkly as he made his way to the metal door that slowly slid open upon his approach. Red alarm lights flashed in the hall and sparks sputtered from the flickering...

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“Strange Allies” by M B

Submitted to Contest #149

The dracoz made an intimidating figure against the setting sun: He had black scales with a bit of gray down the throat, two large horns jutting from the top of his draconic head, and a long tail ending in a spade point trailing behind him. His yellow eyes gleamed in the dusk light. His kilt rustled in the wind of the plains as the sun glinted off bits of armor adorning his torso. His greatsword - complete with a gem upon the pommel - swung at his side.   His name was Draknor, and for many a long year he had wandered the lands and...

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“Shady Maples” by M B

Submitted to Contest #148

I don’t know what urge sent me there that evening, but I’m glad I went. They were tearing down Shady Maple Apartments - my first apartment. I pulled over to the side just to see the old building one more time and reminisce. The property was sealed off by a chain-link fence where construction - or rather demolition - workers, along with their bulldozers and backhoes, were all about the building complex. Already the car port was collapsed and the parking lot was being torn apart. Dust drifted into the air along with sounds of the ongoing d...

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“Amber's Fortune” by M B

The sign on the shop read: ‘Mystical Madame Mandy: Psychic Readings by Appointment’. A large neon eye was glowing above with huge wooden hands shimmying to and fro alongside. Amber - ace meerkat reporter - snapped a photo of the storefront in a little strip mall in the north side of town. She had just photographed an elderly mink walking out of the subject’s shop. Amber vaguely recognized her as an heir to a steel works fortune.   The storefront was part of a strip mall close to the other shopping centers and next to a grocer...

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“The Case of Timmy Tomtittat ” by M B

Submitted to Contest #142

Normalton Public Library was one of the few grand buildings of the small town: a ‘bastion of knowledge and wisdom,’ the poetically-inclined called it. The stone lions guarding the entrance yawned and stretched before settling back down on their pedestals.  It was overcast. The wind blew down empty streets. The stone feline on the left turned its head lazily to watch a patron trudging up the steps. She was a girl in her teen years with brunette hair. A smattering of freckles ran from the bridge of her nose to below her brown eyes. ...

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“When It Doesn't Pan Out” by M B

Submitted to Contest #141

Amber, a young meerkat journalist, sat in the last booth of ‘Rod’s Roadside Café.’ A plump coyote waitress ran to and fro into the kitchen behind her. It was late evening and the sun was quickly fading into night. The woods past the parking lot were turning from a pleasing orange into black.The meerkat, dressed in a skirt and semi casual blouse, reached into her purse and checked her essential items: Recorder? Check. Notepad and pen? Check. Pepper spray? Check.It certainly wasn’t her first choice for meeting a contact, especially considering...

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