Monthly Archives: December 2013

Evil

Posted on by under Uncategorized

by Natalie Rich

Thousands of years ago, long before Dante became inspired the Divine Comedy, another living human travelled down to Hell.  Unlike Dante, this man was but a child, only eight years into his life.  The young child was elfen in appearance, with bright red hair and ears that tapered into points.  Scarlet freckles speckled his face, and devilish mischief shone from his startling emerald eyes.  The rumor in the village was that his father had been the Devil himself.  One day, while walking in the woods, the boy was drawn to a peculiar circle of trees.  Directly in the middle of the circle was a decrepit stump.  The young lad stepped cautiously into the circle and towards the stump.  As he neared it, a sense of dread filled his soul, but the child had never been afraid, thanks to his mother’s whispers about his true patronage.  Curiously, the boy laid his hand on the moribund stump, pushing his hand through the moldy, soft wood.  All of a sudden something grabbed his wrist, yanking the child down to whatever horrors lay below.  Continue reading →

Dark Natures

Posted on by under Writing Prompts

by Declan Quinn

Blink. Blink. Blink.

This had been my routine for the past 45 minutes. Blink. Repeat. Blink. Repeat. Occasionally I’d cast a glance to my clock, if only to break the monotony. Its soft green glow penetrated the dark much like how cold slowly seeps through the frail bones of the ancients. Slowly, and with a dark foreboding that hints at something more, well, sinister. The blinking digits of the digital face were akin to the winking eyes of some unseen beast, taking refuge in the shadows.

This, however, was not as important as the fact that these demonic numbers read “12:38.” I had lay down to rest nearly three hours ago. Yet sleep did not come. Continue reading →

Simplicity

Posted on by under Writing Prompts

Life is not black and white, but rather, it is made up of many shades of gray. So, quantifying words such as good and evil requires very simple definitions. Otherwise, there is too much potential for debate, and the words “good” and “evil” lose their potency. So, simply put, I believe that evil is any action done intentionally to harm another being.

Weekly Prompt: Evil

Posted on by under Uncategorized, Writing Prompts

In this week’s prompt, we asked our writers to write about the concept of evil. Does it exist? How is it manifested in the world, and what is your understanding of it? As a famous sardonic comedian once said:

“May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.”

~George Carlin

Shades of Gray by Angela Guo

Dark Natures by Declan Quinn

Evil by Natalie Rich

Simplicity by Maya Asregado

Definition of Evil by Jack Joseph

Janice Prays For Janice by Hannah Edgar

Posted on by under Short stories

It’s not that she had a fear of flying. It was more a fear of the hypothetical, the What-Ifs that swarmed the cabin and stuffed themselves resolutely into the twin turbine engines under the wings. They had an annoying habit of lying dormant, those What-Ifs, at least until the very moment she settled in her seat—always, always by the window—and buckled her seatbelt. Then, suddenly, as if the metal catch were a trigger, the What-Ifs were there, springing out from behind her tray table like jack-in-the-boxes, rubbing their grubby little hands together with the conniving hedonism of fruit flies. It was easy to sink into those What-Ifs. Fortunately for Janice, in business class, it was also easy to order a scotch and soda. Continue reading →

Daydreams

Posted on by under Writing Prompts

Long, long ago, a man named Spester lived a quiet life in a quiet village in a quiet world. The village was fruitful, for each and every man, woman, and even child, knew his or her place in the flow of things. There was Eira the weaver, Anqa the smith, Sola the guard, Stratos the leader, and a host of others who made life safe and comfortable. Everyone was specialized. Everyone was efficient.

But something in Spester set him aside from the other villagers. His job was to hunt game that would go to sustain the many stomachs of the village. Indeed, Spester was specialized. Indeed, he was efficient. But he quietly denied his place in the village. Many a time he would find himself in the plains at night, not hunting, but looking to the stars sailing over the faraway mountains. He would gaze and wish he was standing atop those mountains, so close to the world’s ceiling that he could run his hand through the fabric of the heavens.

Wish as he might, Spester knew he would never stand atop the mountains, knew he would never touch the heavens, so a wish was the closest he would ever come, so a wish was all he ever made. And he would sigh with the moon and he would hunt once more. Continue reading →

Weekly Prompt: Myths and Legends

Posted on by under Writing Prompts

This week, we challenge our writers to craft a myth or legend. Typically passed through the ages by word-of-mouth, these stories helped explain unknown phenomena and philosophical questions. Today, religion can play a big role in people’s lives, shaping our worldview, our ambitions, and our life’s meaning. Said Alan Watts, British philosopher,

A myth is an image in terms of which we try to make sense of the world.

A crafted myth or legend should carry some sort of message or meaning, and offer interpretation. However, it must also be simple in its most basic form or idea.

Cosmogonia by David Xie

Aurelia by Maya Asregadoo

Daydreams by Alan Osmundson