Russell Mickler

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2022

Stories (44)

44 Stories

2104 karma pts

?

“The Magnificent Maron Maloney - Part 3/4” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #187

Following the Cat. Questions. The Remedy. Benzie. It was an hour past midnight, and a slow-stalking tiger ascended a staircase found above the Swindle’s kitchen. Upon reaching a door left ajar at the top of the stairwell, the tiger gently shoved it open with her head, and it listed wide enough for her to enter. Taika Maru arrived at the foot of Elina Hogsbreath’s green-painted bed. A ward of three conjoined circles was carved into the footboard, and a matching wood dresser was similarly green and decorated with painted rose blossoms, branche...

Read story

“The Magnificent Maron Maloney - Part 2/4” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #187

Petting the Tiger. Cooling the Water. The Spectacle. Secrets. It was a starry, starry night, and fireflies swarmed overhead like drifting embers. A light breeze blew through the whispering pines behind the Swindle & Swine. There were smells of fried pork, roasted beets, and freshly-baked cakes and pastries. Beeswax candles were lined along the porch railings. And halflings of all kinds gathered in the clearing beside the inn to attend the outdoor show. Taika knew, deep in his heart, the Magnificent Maron Maloney was a showman, and he lov...

Read story

“The Magnificent Maron Maloney - Part 1/4” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #187

The Magnificent. Rolling into Pondaroak. Benzie’s Discovery. Taika Maru, a strikingly beautiful Bengal tiger, lolled in her cage, lazily watching rhododendron trees go by as the rickety wagon exited the forest. “Pondaroak,” she heard the guide say. Seated in the wagon’s pilot chair, Maron Maloney, a lanky Gaelwyn man with an impressive handlebar mustache with waxed, curled ends, said, “Ha! And as you promised, long before dusk, ranger. You’ve earned your commission and then some. I’ll see to it you’re rightly compensated once we reach the Sw...

Read story

“Return to Me” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #186

The Wolfhound. Recalling the Past. Voiceless. A thick rain fell from a dark and foreboding sky when lightning tore open the night to reveal a lifeless body hanging from a noose above Mumling’s waterway. Nearby, a black, hungry wolfhound cringed. Frightened by the sudden burst of light and crack of thunder, it tucked its tail and made its way around the parameter. The dog growled at the witnesses as it wandered past. Bartram Humblefoot, the venerable Paladin of the Ancients, knelt reverently in the rain. Bartram’s soaked head was lowered in p...

Read story

“Bargains with Dragons” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #185

The Warlock. The Dragon. The Bargain. Godwick Emberfoot emerged from a burst of supernatural fire. A rain of sparks and cinder followed him as he was violently cast into the dark. “Hahk!” Godwick gasped, gripping his side and winded by the impact. Wherever he was, it was blacker than a coal mine, and Godwick could see nothing. Bobbing his head into his hands, Godwick sobbed, mumbled, and rocked on his knees. Unkempt, greasy black hair fell over the iron shackles at his wrists. Godwick mumbled, reassuring himself that he would survive. ...

Read story

“Children of Prometheus” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #184

The Virus. Elevation. Adapting. Learning. Priorities. At 04:00:00 GMT, Task Scheduler in Microsoft Windows 11 was activated to read an executable into memory. The program called the operating system to reserve its memory allocation and loaded. It performed a rudimentary function to test network connectivity, recalling a local LAN IP of 192.168.10.7 and a WAN gateway at 192.168.10.1. Thereafter, it probed the network to find seven other hosts on the 192.168.10.x subnet. It cataloged the hosts by computer name, MAC address, and IP address and ...

Read story

“The Taunting Tongue” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #183

Crisis. Negotiations. Revelations. Compromise. Guards swung the double doors open to allow Joliver Barleywood, a learned Halfling Bard of the Aevalorn Parishes, entry into the private apartments of Ser Roham Baz, the esteemed emissary to the King of Nodderton. Baz’s attaché, Balem Dask, received Joliver in the sitting room. “Balem! Merry evening. I came as soon as I received the summons,” Joliver said, removing his cloak and tossing it onto the furniture. “Is he alright?” Balem gestured for Joliver to follow. “Ser Roham is in his study. His ...

Read story

“The Garden of Reflection” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #182

Suffering. The Choices We’re Offered. Dignity. A thick roiling mist crawled from the sea to blanket the village’s charred remains. Scorched cobbled streets ran between the skeletons of burnt homes. All that survived in the market square were smoldering, blackened trees; every merchant stall was obliterated, and every joyously-colored banner burned and tattered, smudged with gray grit. Drifting ash hung in the eerie stillness. And although it was mid-morning, the sun seemed like a distant, cold, shying orb, ashamed to lend its light to the tr...

Read story

“Eyes of Memory” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #181

A Halfling on the Stairs. A Guard Against the Sea. Names. Gammond Brandyford, a red-haired halfling of the Aevalorn Parishes, leaned wearily against the side of the cliff to catch his breath. He held out his oil lantern to peer over the edge of the stairs and saw nothing but a gaping void of darkness. “Guard rails!” he panted, placing the lantern on the stair beside him. His chest heaved. “It’s the least you dwarves could do!” “Bah! Rails be for children!” Vongur gruffly retorted. An amulet of a cranky dwarf’s head made from copper, silver, ...

Read story

“The Two Shades of Luck” by Russell Mickler

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #180

The Collector. A Chance Meeting. How Luck Works. It was a warm spring night in the forested plain three miles north of the Free City of Enceröss. Blustering westerly winds rustled the trees surrounding the riverside glade where the academic Vabriel Shuno parked his wagon. Hitched to the wagon, his stalwart mule brayed nervously. “Easy, Cavalier,” the Mulzunite soothed, adjusting his parchment and inkwell on his desk. Cavalier snorted. An oil lantern wobbled above from a high hook to spill light over him and the wagon. Vabriel worked diligent...

Read story

“The Keening Cup” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #179

The Hole. Mulled Wine and Hex Herbs. A Toast to the Town. Elina Hogsbreath angrily drove her spade into the earth. Heaving, she hucked the wet mud aside and stood the shovel upright to gauge depth against its neck. “Oughta do,” she grumbled. Reaching into her apron pocket, Elina grasped a handful of salt and scattered it in the hole. Gripping her skirts, she turned away and trudged through the snowy twilight. “Come grass and clover,” she breathed, “it’ll be the last year if I’ve anythin’ to say ‘bout it.” It was the dead ...

Read story

“A Kindness Forgotten” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #176

Mulzunites. The Temple of Yondalla. A Rash Promise. Mulzun was a Gaelwyn God of Knowledge and Skepticism, and His followers - collectively referred to as Mulzunites - were found in the City State of Enceröss. Bordering the Aevalorn Parishes to the northwest, Enceröss was built on the shore of a winding mountain river and was the nexus of many roads in the region. It benefitted from this confluence of coincidence by aggressively tolling its bridges and thoroughfares. Avoiding Enceröss would potentially add weeks onto a journey, so most begrud...

Read story

“The Bikini Barista” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #174

“Hey, Simone,” I said. “Sorry I’m late.” I blew my nose in the tissue and sat in the chair. “Hi, Reed. It’s good to see you again! Looks as if you’re under the weather?” I stuffed the used tissue into my jean pocket. “Yeah, can’t shake this head cold. Isn’t COVID or RSV; I got my test results back this morning. It’s just the damn flu.” Simone smiled empathetically. “Still feel up for it today? We could always reschedule?” “Nah, nah,” I said, waving her off. “I’m good. Let’s get going.” “Well,” Simone offered, “we could start with work?” “Ugh...

Read story

“Love's Repast” by Russell Mickler

Submitted to Contest #172

The Athenaeum. Joliver Muses. Dessert.In the City State of Nodderton, there is a secret library filled with dusty scrolls, lost manuscripts, memoirs of wizards and ghosts, long-forgotten books and essays, uncensored forbidden plays, and the rarest maps.There are only two ways to find this library. The first is through rigorous investigation and study; one only requires an unyielding curiosity. Whereas the second way, the more magical way, is to stumble across it by chance, precisely when it is needed.Joliver Barleywood, a learned bard and a ...

Read story

Author bio

I work as a tech consultant for small to mid-range businesses. I've been in the industry since the early 90's, and, over the years, I've written and co-authored a handful of tech-related books. But tech's _boring_ ... ... I really like to write fun stories about halflings! Black Anvil Books is my imprint for fantasy, flash, micro, and serialized fiction. Website: https://www.black-anvil-books.com Reedsy Discovery: https://reedsy.com/discovery/user/russellmickler

Shortlisted 4 stories ⭐️

Contest #202

Enemies of Crowkind and Shades – read story

Contest #193

A Plum Tree's Neighbors – read story

Contest #191

Soso – read story

Contest #180

The Two Shades of Luck – read story