Sjan Evardsson

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Dec, 2019

Stories (186)

186 Stories

2536 karma pts

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“Hawkers” by Sjan Evardsson

The din of conversations in dozens of languages and hawkers, the scents of seared meat, vegetables, grains, and unknowable ingredients, together with the vibrant colors and varied body-plans of the multitude of species washed over Mara in a tsunami of sensory overload.“Well?” Kintari asked. He was a munerin, a small, fuzzy creature with a segmented body, twelve compound eyes, a soft, beak-like mouth, and a pair of expressive anntenae. He stretched to move his head up to her waist level, antennae in a questioning pose.“You we...

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“Now Hiring Heroes” by Sjan Evardsson

Jorge looked up from the envelope to watch the large, fat snow as it fell, sticking on the grass like a blanket but melting on contact with the asphalt. The first snow of the year was like so many others before. It wouldn’t last past noon. With the temperature just above freezing and an expected high ten degrees warmer, it would rain all afternoon. His one-cup coffee maker finished its cycle, and he took the cup...

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“Finding the Light” by Sjan Evardsson

Pity was the one and only thing Kira was supposed to be feeling for the woman in front of her, but what she felt was very different. The woman was one of the “near-blessed.” With lighter eyes, she would be one of the chosen, like Kira and her family. Still, she sought her out every morning when she bought her coffee. The woman finished counting out Kira’s change and handed it to her. She made a...

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“Angle of Incidence” by Sjan Evardsson

The glass was scratched, the silvering was cloudy, and the gilded wood frame was so ornate as to be ridiculous and fragile. Acanthus leaves intertwined with vines and flowers in a style that fell somewhere between baroque and rococo. It was the perfect amount of kitsch to brighten up the hallway. While mostly useless as a mirror, it suited her purposes perfectly. She had to have it. Alyx turned the tag ...

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“Prime Cudgel” by Sjan Evardsson

Tara tied her hair into an afro puff. At least with her new job she wouldn’t have to try to corral her hair into a hat. She preferred the “no-makeup” look at work. Anyone who knows, knows what it takes to look “natural.”Colored moisturizer, a bit of concealer matching her warm, light brown skin to hide the shadows under her green eyes from lack of sleep, a little mascara, and a light lip and she was ready. Her phone chimed and she picked it up.The face on the other end had just woken up, thinning gray hair unkempt, the wrink...

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“One Man's Trash” by Sjan Evardsson

The reference stacks were close, dusty. The mismatched bookshelves crammed full, combined with the smell of aged paper and years of dust invoked the used bookstore Lisha loved as a child. Some of the volumes were beyond antique, many of them irreplaceable. So why, she wondered, is there a draft here, in the most protected part of the library? Lisha used the flashlight on her phone to illuminate...

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“Learning to Breathe” by Sjan Evardsson

Garal had often felt there were not enough hours in a day, regardless of the planet. She’d felt like the days had been close to long enough on Haror IV, where the days were close to twice the length of those on her home world. Still, it had only been close to long enough. Now, though, she had no one but herself to blame. As the owner-operator of her own long-range freighter, she decided what a day was i...

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“Ring Ring” by Sjan Evardsson

Since the invention of the etherphone, the “Phone to the Other Side”, Ethan had a pretty good gig. The sign outside his office said, “Contact loved ones on the other side: $5.00 / minute or partial minute.” The first minute barely made up for the hassle of finding the correct number, but the calls were never that short. Except, Ethan thought, for that one lady who only ever says, ‘Fart!’, t...

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“Sh*tpost” by Sjan Evardsson

Something, a noise, probably, almost woke me from my nap. I took a deep breath to let myself fall back into sleep, when it came again.A voice, right next to me, “Are you hungry?”I jolted upright, hitting my head on the upper bunk, grabbed my head and rolled away from the source of voice only for my king-sized bed to come to a sudden end and I fell entirely too far to a hard floor.What upper bunk? I wondered. Where is my carpet? Why is my bed so small and high?My head throbbed, my right shoulde...

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“Big Big Good” by Sjan Evardsson

Lissette watched Igrud run around the track in his loping, knuckle-walking gait. The others of his kind engaged in various sport on the pitch surrounded by a track. For his part, Igrud had a standing race against one of the humans every Thursday. His muscles sufficiently warmed up, he stood up in a bipedal stance, the foreign sun of this planet shining off his dark brown scales in shimmering rainbows. “Are you r...

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“Friendly Neighbors” by Sjan Evardsson

The soft eddies of air normally only felt — on bare dermis or by rustled hair, fur or feathers — were announced by the low whooshing sound of the air circulators. A sound that occurred at regular intervals but was so quiet that living ears rarely — if ever — heard it over the sounds of normal activity. The sudden, shocked, still silence in the court was anything but normal. The tall, furry plaintiff’s attorney w...

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“The Weight of a Soul” by Sjan Evardsson

Cedric’s plate armor sat piled atop his folded tabard just inside the entrance to the cave. He’d done the honorable thing for his horse of sending it off. If he returned soon, the horse would be waiting; if not, it would find its way home.Half a mile farther down in the cave, Cedric leaned against the wall of the vast cavern and sighed. He laid his spear and sword next to him on the ground and shook his head. “Oh, my dear, dear Gwendolyn.”“I’m sorry, Cedric.” The deep voice came from the other side of the cavern. “I—I didn’t...

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“The Second Device” by Sjan Evardsson

The Director pushed a button on his desk and the double door to his office swung in. The woman who stood outside the door made no move to enter. “Agent Adele Stevens? You may enter,” the Director said.Adele walked into the office and stopped in the middle of the office. Behind her, the doors swung shut on silent hinges, closing with a soft click as the latch engaged.“Do take a seat, Ms. Stevens.”“Yes, Director.” Adele pulled one of the two chairs in front of his desk back a few inches and sat, her back straight, feet ...

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“Intrusive” by Sjan Evardsson

Intrusive thoughts, that’s what my therapist calls them. But they aren’t just thoughts, they are fully realized scenes that play out in the theater of my mind. The colors, the sounds, the smells, the feelings…that’s what they are. I watched the old guy in the store with the pistol on his hip. He didn’t pay attention to where he was or what was around him. Twice I’ve managed to sidle past him in the aisl...

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“Time for a Friend” by Sjan Evardsson

Amber had started her vacation alone, with the idea that she would spend it on the beach watching the ocean, meditating, and finding her post-divorce inner peace. Instead, she met Doralis the first morning, and spent most of her time with the local woman. Still, she found the inner calm she sought whenever they were together. When Amber first met Doralis, she was struck by the beauty of the lithe woman with deep...

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Author bio

Writer with an alter-ego as a software engineer. My degree is in Information Security but my heart belongs to my spouse, my daughters, and science fiction. My first published short story is available > https://books2read.com/DSPSpirit My second published short story is available > https://books2read.com/SpaceBound

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Contest #156
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