The Contradictite

[Author's Note: This was written for the fourth and final week of the /r/Fantasy NaNoWriMo Short Fiction Writing Contest in 2017. This one won, but I blame that on the fact that week four was underplayed. The theme was buildings that are alive.] The tower slept. It pulsated in the moonlight, snoring and swaying in the darkness. I grabbed onto the lowest jutting brick and began my ascent. The wind blew, and I clutched to my hold as I climbed. I dared not use a spike for fear of waking the tower. I climbed and clung for hours. My hands were ragged and raw, my arms burned and ached. Halfway up the side, a flock of pigeons flew by. I lost my grip on corner, and only by grabbing the window ledge was I spared from one last leap. I took a few breaths before bringing my other hand up. After a short break dangling there, I resumed my climb. At the top, I pulled myself over the ledge. I did my best to clean the grit and stone from my bloody hands, wiping them with a stinging alcohol cl...

Welcome to the Contradictite. This blog is dedicated to sharing my writings. What follows is a collection of the stories (and some poems) I have written. Enjoy! All works are available under the CC-BY-SA license.

[Author's Note: This was written for the third /r/Fantasy short fiction writing contest in 2017. It did not win. The theme was the last spell.] “Are you sure?” she asked. I double-checked the reader. “Yes. There’s only enough magic left for one more spell.” “But I need at least three to do this right.” “You’ll have to manage with just one. Maybe one and a half.” She made an annoyed and frustrated noise. “Can you combine them into a single spell?” She thought about it. She opened her mouth to say something, but then she thought about it some more. “Not easily.” “Let’s write it out, see what we can do.” I cleared the screen and started writing on its surface. “We’ll draw a diagram, see if that helps.” After discussing it a length, I had a pretty complex diagram. I circled an area. “Maybe we could turn this into a single spell, and let the wild magic carry it the rest of the way. She shook her head. “No.” she pointed to another part, drawing a circle around that. “...

[Author's Note: I wrote this for the second week of /r/Fantasy's NaNoWriMo short story contest. Once again, I did not win. The theme was a knight battles an angry goose.] The king sat upon his throne, his face a mask of worry. His eyes brightened a sliver when he saw me enter. I kneeled to him. “Rise, Sir Galloway,” he said. “I have a pressing matter that requires your unique faculties.” “Anything, your grace.” He twirled his beard with his hand. “A drake, Sir Galloway, has taken Princess Ranunculus. He holds her hostage, and demands half my treasury for her ransom.” I considered this predicament. “A vicious drake?” “An *angry* drake,” he said. “Please, Sir Knight, rescue my daughter and I shall give you her hand in marriage.” “I pleasant notion, your grace,” I said. “Consider it done. By your leave.” I left with a bow. I made my way to the stables to regain my horse. I checked the edge of my sword before riding off at full tilt. I searched the grasslands for ...

[Author's Note: This was written as a part of a /r/Fantasy's NaNoWriMo short story competition. The theme was that demons could summon humans. While it didn't win, I think it's still worth reading.] I clicked the presentation over to the next slide. “As you can see, if we adopt these simple cost-cutting measures, we’ll save over…” However, the room began to shift in front of my. The room and my coworkers began to dissolve, being replaced by jagged, red rocks and magma. The smell of coffee and doughnut turned to sulphur and brimstone. Three terrifying creatures kneeled around me, where I stood amid a chalk circle. “...million dollars over the next five years,” I finished. One of the creatures looked at me. “Wow, scary. You sure that circle will hold, Jeferoth?” The one I presumed was Jeferoth, a three-legged thing with eight eyes, but not all of them on his head, answered. “Pretty sure.” “What can it do?” asked the third. “Lots of stuff,” said Jeferoth. “Bu...

[Author's Note: This story was written for the Geauga Park District's 22nd Annual Nature Writing Contest. For one reason or another, it did not win. Perhaps it was a bit too dark?] Barry had decided to treat himself to a challenge. His hiking boots were now broken in, so when he picked his route through the woods, he picked one he had never done before. It promised lots of up- and down-hill steps, narrow paths, and the best thing of all: complete solitude. As he walked down the trail, he took in the fresh smells of spring. The earth was loamy with a recent rain. That, mixed with the scent of maple and pine energized him on his trek. He took a deep breath, enjoying it. When he reached the top of a hill, he rested beside a gulch and took a moment to appreciate the engulfing nature. He closed his eyes and listened. He listened to the wind rustling the leaves, the birds calling in the distance, and the panicked meows of a cat. That didn’t seem right. He listened again. Sure...