The Waste (X)

The villagers waited out the impossibly long pause in Allamar’s speech. The sun bore down on patient brows, its insistence drawing beads of perspiration from calm onlookers. After long seconds of intense stillness, breath barely noted among the close-pressed villagers, Allamar reached towards his own chest. The crowd drew in a tiny collective breath, as […]

The Waste (V)

Lucius and Ignatius were seasoned hands when it came to setting up their camp.  They easily retrieved their tent from what seemed to be a disorganized pile of sacks, bags, and boxes.  Paris regarded the size of the bag with dubious curiosity, but from the too-small-seeming package they unfolded, little by little an unexplainably large piece of […]

The Waste (IV)

“A story?” Paris blurted incredulously. “How, may I ask, is a story payment for transportation?” “It is not a matter of how, but why.” “Why then?” “The intricacies of the transaction may, in time be revealed to you, traveler.  At this point you must simply decide whether this is a cost that you wish to pay.” […]

The Waste (I)

THUMP! THUMP!  Whoooooosh. Ssssss. THUMP! THUMP!  Whoooooosh. Ssssss. THUMP! THUMP!  Whoooooosh. Ssssss. THUMP! THUMP!  Whoooooosh. Ssssss. Paris’s footfalls rapidly struck the dusty, dirt road. Stomped into the air, gritty brown particles rose in small puffs around the spots struck by his feet, hung in the desert air for a long breath, then returned to the […]

Eron’s Void

Eron sat, placidly, palms down, atop the rough pine, at the long, cheap, unfinished, wooden workbench. In some considerations, in a different setting, and under alternative light, the bench may have been a table.   But here, it was not. Eron tilted his head to the left, and glanced at the few dozen, closely-packed people, positioned […]