Malia Kao

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Jan, 2024

Stories (4)

4 Stories

66 karma pts

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“The Robin” by Malia Kao

Submitted to Contest #238

The sun touched the fertile landscape with its golden fingers as the cockerel crowed triumphantly. The rhythms of the dawn swelled with the growing light, marking the end of the night's dominion. Amidst the celebration of nature, a young man lay quietly in his bed, shades drawn and windows shut, and he stared contemplatively at the ceiling above him. He felt ill this morning, not of the body but of the mind. He had begun feeling this way every so often since the death of his father about five years before. His friends had tried their best...

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“The Horn of Ganu” by Malia Kao

The prayer hour was announced with the chiming of a clear bell at the pinnacle of a spiraling tower, its polished surface reflecting shards of light onto the city below. The masses slowly made their way out of small buildings made of earth and straw, thronging through the narrow streets to the temple. The temple was the largest building in the city, able to house the entire populace with some room to spare. Everyone held a small candle in one hand, shielding the delicate flame with the other, as they meandered through the quickly darkenin...

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“Matador Bar and Lounge” by Malia Kao

Submitted to Contest #233

Lisa woke up on the side of the road and slowly took in her surroundings. Where the hell am I? Everything looked fuzzy for some reason. She must’ve bumped her head pretty hard. She tried to recall her last memory, but her head throbbed with the effort. A light breeze caressed the side of her face, and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she finally recognized where she was. H...

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“Illuminance” by Malia Kao

Submitted to Contest #232

The digging call reverberated throughout the network of tunnels. Kitsi filled his lamp with the pieces of illuminance he had placed next to his resting pad and a dull red light emanated from it. It felt warm and comforting as he briefly held it against him. He carefully crawled out of the hole leading from his living quarters. Further into the tunnel, he saw the dim glow of the other lamps as they emerged from their holes. He skittered over to meet them as they began funneling to the assignment room. They flowed like a river of red down ...

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Author bio

I was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM and currently reside in Austin, TX. I received my B.S. and M.S. in Physics and am now working toward my PhD in Astronomy. Creative writing was always a favorite hobby of mine growing up, and I'm just now starting to get back into it.