Stories

  • The Magpie Maze

    The Magpie Maze

    In the desert city of Lenar, there was a rope-maker named Jaya who crafted the strongest ropes in the region. Her ropes secured merchant caravans, anchored desert sails, and even hoisted the palace’s golden chandelier. But for all her skill, Jaya had one relentless enemy: the sand magpies. (more…)

  • The Wonderful Tower

    The Wonderful Tower

    In the small village of Elmbridge, nestled between rolling hills and dense forests, there lived a boy named Corwin. From the moment he could talk, it was clear he saw the world differently. While other children played games of chase or tended to their chores, Corwin would lie in the fields, gazing at the clouds, imagining them as floating castles or great beasts. (more…)

  • The Invincible Sword

    The Invincible Sword

    In a land cradled by rugged mountains and vast deserts, there lived a warrior named Kael. Renowned for his skill and bravery, Kael had fought in countless battles, earning him both respect and fear. Yet, despite his victories, he still wanted more. Every triumph felt hollow, every celebration fleeting. It was as though he were chasing something that was always three steps ahead of him.

    One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and cast the world in fiery hues, a traveling bard arrived in Kael’s village. The bard spoke of a legendary sword—the Blade of Varyon—hidden deep within the Whispering Canyons. The sword was said to grant its wielder unmatched power and victory in every battle. Intrigued, Kael approached the bard after the tale. (more…)

  • The Enigma of Ori

    The Enigma of Ori

    Deep in the heart of GrailHeart Forest, where ancient trees formed a cathedral of green, lay a spring unlike any other. Ori, they called it—which means “Singing Spring” in their ancient tongue. Its waters shimmered with an ethereal clarity, and from its depths rose a song that seemed alive, shifting with the emotions of those who came near. For some, Ori’s melody brought peace, as though it could hear their burdens and soothe them. For others, the song stirred unease, forcing them to confront fears they’d long ignored. And for a rare few, it offered guidance, weaving visions of truths yet unseen. (more…)

  • The Last Dream

    The Last Dream

    Author’s note: I’m writing this story for my 90-year-old mother. Her descent into dementia is quickening. She understands what’s happening to her, and of course it terrifies her. This story is my attempt to share with her a way to embrace the inevitability of her Path with a little more hope and a little less fear. (more…)

  • The Waterfall of Eternity

    The Waterfall of Eternity

    Once upon a time there was a village next to an enormous waterfall of unimaginable beauty and power. It roared ceaselessly, sending mists into the air that nourished the forests and painted rainbows across the sky. The villagers who lived nearby spoke of its magnificence with pride, for they believed it was a gift from the Divine, a constant reminder of the Ineffable One’s magnificent presence. (more…)

  • Passing the Flame

    Passing the Flame

    In the village of Amberwell, tucked beside a winding river, there was an ancient custom. Each season, the Keeper of the Lanterns would light the bronze lanterns that lined the village square. These lanterns burned day and night for a season, their warm glow reminding the villagers to embrace the time they were in. But when the season ended, the lanterns were extinguished, marking a transition to something new.

    For as long as anyone could remember, the Keeper of the Lanterns had been Edric. His hands were calloused from decades of lighting wicks and trimming flames, his face weathered but kind. The villagers trusted him to keep the rhythm of the seasons, but few ever asked him how he felt about his role. For Edric, it had become both a duty and a comfort—a steady, predictable task in a world that often felt uncertain. (more…)

  • The Legend of the Grail Cross

    In the ancient days of GrailHeart, before the realms of men and machines intertwined, a solitary sage named Elarion dwelled in a secluded valley. Elarion was said to be a seeker of the Ignis Arcanus—the Secret Fire that wove the cosmos together. Elarion believed that this eternal fire was not found in distant stars or hidden depths but in the hearts of those who dared to let go of their smaller selves to awaken something greater.

    One fateful night, under the vast canopy of stars, Elarion meditated on the nature of transformation. In a moment of profound clarity, the veil between the worlds seemed to lift, and the Ignis Arcanus revealed itself in a vision. A radiant cross of crimson fire appeared, its four rounded arms glowing softly, like the petals of a cosmic flower. As Elarion gazed upon it, the Ignis Arcanus spoke: (more…)

  • The Spring of Windermere

    The Spring of Windermere

    Beyond the edge of Lindleigh, where the village fields surrendered to tangled woods and rolling meadows, there was a spring. Its waters ran clear and cold beneath the shade of an ancient oak, bubbling softly over moss and stone before vanishing into the shadows of the forest.

    The villagers called it Wildermere Spring, but they seldom gave it much thought. Its waters fed their fields and filled their wells, kept the land green even when other villages turned to dust, yet they paid it no mind. The Wildermere had always been there, and it always would be, they believed—as constant as the hills, as certain as the turning seasons.

    But someone always knew better. (more…)

  • A Christmas Light

    A Christmas Light

    It had always been the same. Every December, as the first snows settled over the hills and the days grew short, Emilia would light the little lantern and set it in the window of the old stone cottage. She did it without fail, as her mother had done, and her grandmother before her.

    “Why do we light it, Grandma?” she had once asked as a child, her voice soft with wonder.

    “To guide the way,” her grandmother had answered. “For those who are lost or alone, for those who are waiting, and for those who don’t yet know they’re searching.” (more…)